The North End Barbecue & Moonshine

Awhile back, Tim and I met some friends at The North End Barbecue & Moonshine.  We'd heard good things, so we were excited to try it.

North End is owned by the same folks as Late Harvest Kitchen, which is  favorite of one of our friends.  We had a pretty good experience there (see my review here), so we wanted to like North End.  Our experience was middling.

I started with a cocktail--The Ginger Baker ($10)--bourbon, all-spiced rum, lemon, ginger syrup, and cracked pepper.  It was pretty refreshing and I liked the warmth that the ginger and pepper gave it.

For my meal, I ordered the Carolina Pulled Pork dinner ($11).  It came with two side, so I selected mac & cheese and cornbread.  The pork itself was fine--not the best ever, but pretty good.  However, it needed sauce, and none of the housemade sauces were satisfying to me.  They had a yellow mustard sauce that was tangy and mustardy (shocking!) and the best option available so I used it, but it wasn't perfect.  The other sauces weren't my cup of tea, either.  The others at the table agreed, especially Tim, who had gotten the chicken--he said none of them went with the chicken at all (though he said it had decent flavor on its own).

The cornbread's highlight was the maple-bourbon butter on top--soooo good--but sadly the bread itself was super dry.  The mac & cheese, however, was the best part of my meal.  The noodles were a bit al dente, with a nice cheesy sauce that was topped by "rib jam."  I have no words to explain what rib jam is--just look at it in the picture and know that it was delicious.

So, there were good parts and bad parts to our meal.  I'd probably go back, but only if friends wanted to go.  I can't see Tim and I going there on our own with so many other awesome places to visit and better, cheaper BBQ available elsewhere in town...unless the craving for that mac & cheese becomes overwhelming, of course.

Website:  The North End Barbecue & Moonshine

General American Donut Company

Mmmm, donuts.  I love the things.  Which is why I was SUPER excited to learn that Indy would be jumping on the fancy-donut trend with the opening of General American Donut Company.

I finally got down there for the first time about a month ago.  It was a week day, and late morning, so the donuts on display were looking a little worse for wear.  And yet...I had to have them.

I tried two that first day--Black Raspberry Key Lime and Salted Caramel.  Holy crap.  The Black Raspberry Key Lime ($3) was outstanding.  Tons of jelly in the middle, a lime glaze over the top that was tart enough to offset the sweetness of the jelly...amazing.  LOVED. 

The Salted Caramel ($2.50) was also super good.  It was a traditional yeast donut, but with a salted caramel frosting that was clearly homemade (note: I've seen other pictures of this donut where the caramel was not as dark).  Salty and sweet, always a great combo!  I will add that the first donut was so filling that I just had a few bites to taste the caramel one--had to save it for later.

Also got a small regular coffee--it was reasonably priced, and very strong.  They serve Stumptown Coffee, which is NOT local, but was pretty good.  Tim would probably like it better than I did, as he enjoys an extremely strong cup of coffee black (I had to load mine with milk and sugar).

The next time I went, I picked up three for Tim and I to share.  Pickings were more slim that day, so I got another BRKL that was even better than the first, plus a Maple Bourbon Bacon ($3) and a Snickers ($3).  The Maple Bourbon Bacon was good, but essentially tasted like any other maple glazed donut you might get for $.50 instead of $3, so we likely won't get it again.  The Snickers was pretty tasty, though--again, a yeast donut, coated first in caramel and then in chocolate glaze and sprinkled with chopped peanuts.  We both really liked that combo.

But...but!  There are SO many others I want to try!!!  The Creme Brulee, the Coffee and Cream, the Coconut...all super intriguing to me.  If only it wasn't a solid 20 min drive from my home, I imagine I'd go here way too often.  Scratch that.  I guess it's a good thing it's a solid 20 min drive from my home.  The expense is also a deterrent, but on the plus side, they are large, filling donuts, so you could get away with just picking one...if you can resist the rest.
 
    
Website:  No website that I could locate, but they do have a Facebook page.

Biscuits Cafe

Biscuits Cafe!  Yay!  This Mexican restaurant with a breakfast focus has become a favorite of ours since we moved near Broad Ripple.  We've been a number of times in the past couple months--with kids, without, with guests, without...doesn't matter.  We'll go.  I shall recount two of said visits in this review.  Apologies for the lack of prices, but the menu isn't online--suffice it to say, it's all very reasonably priced.

Biscuits can be crazy crowded--there are a lot of tables jammed in there, and those tables stay pretty full--but somehow, we've never really waited for a seat (knock on wood).  One always seems to open up just as we arrive.  Definitely a plus in our book.
 
Our very first visit, we took a friend.  We all got some coffee, and it was super good.  Flavorful, but not too strong.  Good start!  I was wanting something sweet, so I opted for a Belgian waffle with strawberries.  SO. GOOD.  Fresh strawberries on there!!!  Yes, they are covered in a strawberry syrup, but they are totally fresh.  It gave the whole thing a slight tartness that counterbalanced the sweet waffle and syrup.  I am hooked, and have ordered it again, since.  Love. 

 Tim got the spicy biscuits and gravy--yes, spicy.  They're slightly pink from the spice.  Pictured is a full order--it's at least 3 full biscuits, which was almost too much for even Tim (he can put away some biscuit and gravy).  He liked it.  I would personally want a bit more sausage in there, but it was tasty.

On one of our next visits, Tim got a skillet--there are potatoes under there, along with peppers, eggs, and sausage gravy, and it's topped with tons of melty cheese...he enjoyed, but said he'd actually opt for what I ordered next time.

What'd I get?  Oh...just the breakfast burrito.  The ENORMOUS breakfast burrito!!!  This thing was huge!  You have a choice of sauces on this and various other items--Lovely Sauce (the most mild, a red sauce), Red Sauce (medium heat), and Green sauce (with tomatillos, it's a bit tangier and the most spicy).  I love a good salsa verde, so I opted for the latter.

Inside the burrito was chorizo, beans, potatoes, and cheese. Pretty dang tasty.  It was served with rice and beans (for breakfast!).  Delish, but needless to say we skipped lunch on this day.  So. Full.

On subsequent visits, we've tried a few other things, including actual lunch instead of breakfast.  Tim tried their chilaquiles with steak and Green Sauce and gave it the thumbs up (next time he's thinking of trying them with pork); I got a Torta de Jamon (a ham sandwich) that included cheese, beans, jalapenos, onions, and lettuce on a pillowy bun.  It was supposed to include avocado, too, but sadly it was left off.  Normally we get great service here, but on this occasion our waitress was nowhere to be found and I was hungry, so I just ate it without.  I imagine that it'd be even better with, though.  Mmmm.  Avocado.

Website:  No website, so here's their Urbanspoon page...Biscuits Cafe

Union 50

Last month we had a friend visiting, so we took him out to eat with some Indy friends.  None of us had been to Union 50 yet, so we decided to give it a go.

Union 50 is another fancy-pants new place owned by the guy who also owns Mesh on Mass and Bru Burger.  It's got a revolving menu and attempts a tapas thing (which Tim hates, and when it's this expensive, so do I).  There are "Petit," "Bistro," and "Grand" sized dishes, plus fancy fries and charcuterie boards.

T and I opted to start with some of the fries ($5)--a small order of Manchego & Bacon fries, with our choice of dipping sauces (we opted for beer cheese for me, and spicy grain mustard for him).  They were pretty good!  The bacon and cheese were mostly on the top fries, but some of those toppings did make their way down to the rest.

For my main, I got a Grand item--"Tasso Ham and Shrimp" with crispy polenta and Tasso Ham gravy.  It's been awhile, so I'm afraid I can't remember what else was in there.  Those brown cubes in the picture are the polenta, which were indeed crispy on the outside, and firmly creamy on the inside.  This exact version of this dish doesn't appear to be available anymore, but they have something similar for $20.  It was an okay portion--several large shrimp in there, and good flavor--but pretty pricey for the amount in my opinion.

It has been awhile since we were there, so Tim and I are struggling to remember all the components of his dish...pretty sure it was slow roasted, shredded duck over some waffles (pic to the left).  He enjoyed it but didn't feel it was enough food for him.  No price for this one since it's no longer available and it has just been too long!  Shame on me for taking so long to post.

My overall impression of the places lasts, though--to me, it feels like it's trying too hard to be hip.  Kind of feels like it doesn't know what it wants to be...it's a higher-end restaurant, but it also considers itself a bar, AND it has live music events...how about some focus?  Additionally, if you want to do tapas-style, make them a bit more affordable.  Ugh.  I doubt we'll return, unless it's at a friend's request.

Website:  Union 50

Sahm's Place

Back during Chow Down Midtown, Tim and I took the kids to Sahm's Place for brunch.  We initially went with the intention of getting the Chow Down breakfast specials, but opted for regular menu items once we got there because they sounded pretty good, too.

I started with coffee, and it was pretty typical coffee.  There is no price on the website and I have no idea what it cost--it's safe to say that it was probably in the $2 range, though.  Of note is the fact that our server was excellent.  She kept my cup topped off without me having to ever flag her down, which is always appreciated.

For my meal, I got the Eggs Benedict (One Egg version; also available in a Two Egg version--$6.99 for the one egg).  The Benedict itself was pretty good, although not as memorable or as well-balanced as Tulip Noir's.  The hollandaise just wasn't as tangy or flavorful, the ham not as plentiful or impactful.  Still, it was good, and the egg was properly runny.

The dish came with a side of fruit (nice and fresh!), and a choice of hashbrowns or cornbread casserole; I chose the casserole, and it was a bit sweet, a bit savory, and all around pretty satisfying.  There was a huge amount--it's very filling, and I couldn't finish it.

Can't remember what Tim got, but I *think* it was the Biscuits and Gravy ($5.49).  Whatever he got, he enjoyed, I know that!  The kids got the Kids Scramble and the Kids Omelet ($2.99 and $3.99, respectively).  They enjoyed them, and I thought they were reasonably priced.

Tim and I had been to Sahm's one other time, for dinner, and enjoyed it.  For some reason, we just never got back over there before this brunch.  But, now we live much closer, and I can see us going back occasionally.  It's a nice casual spot, family friendly, with good food.  Thumbs up.

Website:  Sahm's Place

317 Burger

A few Sundays ago, Tim and I were out and about running errands and decided to randomly pick someplace in Broad Ripple for lunch.  We drove past 317 Burger and realized it was new and burgers sounded good to us, so we opted to give it a try.

It was a fairly nice day so several people were sitting out front, but we wanted air conditioning so we headed into the bar.  We were the only ones in there.  Which doesn't mean that much, at a new place on a Sunday afternoon, but...

We quickly reviewed the menu, and I opted for the Spicy Tuna Burger ($12)--it just sounded good that day.   I've had the tuna sandwich at Boogie Burger (whole piece of tuna, citrus-y and awesome), and the tuna burger at the now-defunct Scotty's Lakehouse (spicy and teriyaki-ish and packed with flavor), so I was excited to try another.  Sadly, this one was just 'eh.'  It came with avocado, arugula, and wasabi aioli, but somehow none of those things had any flavor.  Not enough wasabi to make up for the rest of the bland.  Also, it had a slightly strange texture.  It was made from diced tuna like the Scotty's version, but this was much more tightly pressed and bound with something  that gave it a mealy texture (flour? I know it sounds odd, but that's all I can think of that would make it feel like that). I wasn't overly impressed.  I think Tim liked his burger--he customized it with duck bacon and gouda ($10)--but it wasn't anything extraordinary to write home about, either.

The highlight was the poutine we shared.  They served up hand-cut, thick steak fries topped with cheese and the gravy on the side.  You poured the gravy over the top so that the cheese (appeared to be some curds and some shredded) would melt.  I guess this was so they didn't get soggy?  Unfortunately, the fries were thick and not overly crisp to start, so it didn't really help.  But the flavor was there, and we enjoyed them.  For the price ($5), it was a very generous serving.  We couldn't even finish them (which is saying quite a lot).

My verdict is that this place is only so-so.  Perhaps it's finding its footing; perhaps I would have enjoyed a true burger more than the tuna.  Either way, I'm not particularly excited to go back.  Frankly, we probably won't return.  This town just has way too many truly GOOD burgers to get a mediocre one.

Website:  No real website that I could locate, so here's the 317 Burger Facebook page.

Canal Bistro

Back on Memorial Day, I met up with some girlfriends from high school.  One was visiting from out of town, and wanted to go to Brugge, but alas, it was closed when we arrived.  So our group hiked towards the canal in Broad Ripple, and ended up at Canal Bistro.

I had never been there before, despite having walked by it a bazillion times over the past 15 years or so.  My friend knew it was a Mediterranean place, and that's all the rest of us needed to know--we were game to try it.

We split some hummus ($6) to start, and it was clearly made in-house--very good, with none of the fake citric acid taste of the store bought stuff.  It was drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika, tomatoes, and parsley.  It was, of course, served along side some pretty decent pita bread.  Great start.

For my main, I opted for the Chicken Shawarma platter ($15).  When I used to work in Evanston, IL, we'd occasionally go to a Mediterranean place that served shawarma that was incredibly flavorful and tender, and I've been seeking something similar since then.  This was it.  It was very much how I remembered it--thinly sliced pieces of very well seasoned chicken, a little crispy on one side.  So many memories!  And so tasty.  It came with rice, a little block of feta, some onions, a few olives, and a garlic dipping sauce (not pictured).  I found that mixing a bite of the chicken and rice with the feta and garlic sauce made for a pretty awesome bite.

I believe the other ladies enjoyed their meals, as well.  I think the other meals selected were veggie kabobs, beef kabobs, and the gyro platter.  They all looked really good!  The setting was lovely--a beautiful night, not too hot, sitting along the canal.  I will definitely need to go again.

Website:  Canal Bistro

Tulip Noir

Awhile back, Tim and I somehow ended up being able to go to brunch on a week day together (don't ask me how this happened--I don't even remember).  He wanted to go to Tulip Noir for a late breakfast/early brunch, as he'd gone there before and was really impressed.  I readily agreed.

 Tulip Noir is a small, locally owned breakfast and lunch place near 86th and Ditch Rd.  Their big thing is their French press coffee as well as their enormous tea list.  While several teas sounded intriguing (and they gave us a sample of a fragrant herbal tea that was on special), we both opted for the French press.  I got the House Blend which was supposed to have a lower acidity, and Tim got the French roast, which was more bold.  Each was a two cup press pot, and they were $3 each.  Fun, and a pretty good pot of coffee!  Really, we probably could have split a pot, but it's still cheaper than Starbucks.

Tim opted for Scott's Smokin' Bagel for his breakfast ($10.50).  It was four-grain honey bagel with smoked salmon, dill cream cheese, red onion marmalade, capers, and spinach.  As you can see in the picture, it was 'deconstructed'--not what Tim had expected.  While it's interesting that you can select how much of which items you want on the sandwich, sometimes I just want the chef to put it together into a tasty sandwich FOR me.  Still, Tim really enjoyed the flavors once it was all put together.   (Side note--the dish did include a whole bagel--I believe Tim was holding the top half in this picture, and that's why it's missing.)             

I had Andy's Eggs Benedict ($10.75).  They were outstanding.  Eggs Benedict isn't usually something I order, but on the limited Tulip Noir menu it stood out as sounding the best to me that day.  And hoo-boy, it was delicious.  The hollandaise sauce was buttery and tangy, the ham smokey and salty (as ham is), and the eggs added their rich yolks to the party (well, one of them did--the other was a touch overcooked.  It was the only negative).  All that was sitting on top of a wheat English muffin and a bed of greens that were DRESSED.  Yay!  Thank  you for dressing your greens, Tulip Noir, and not just putting them on there all boring and plain.  They were lightly dressed in a slightly tangy dressing that worked with the hollandaise to cut through the richness of the eggs and ham.  On top were a few little purple chive flowers that gave just enough mild onion flavor (and looked pretty!).

Our breakfast was not particularly cheap, but it was no more expensive than a place like Patachou, and it had better service than that local chain usually does.  Service was very friendly, and the meal was filled with nice touches like the cucumber water we were served when we sat down, the tea samples, etc.  It might not be an every day place for us, but every once in awhile we'll have to get over there!

Website:  Tulip Noir

Fat Dan's

It's been awhile since I've posted.  Okay, a very long while (two months).  My apologies.  Life got in the way, with a move (still in Indy!), trying to sell the old house, busyness at my job...excuses, excuses.

But we've certainly continued to eat during my time away!

We now live quite a bit closer to Broadripple and are deliriously close to all of our favorite haunts over there.  But we've also discovered a new favorite--Fat Dan's Deli.  It's located right next to Twenty Tap, yet we'd never gone in until about a month ago.

Fat Dan's has a very local-bar feel.  It's not very big, and it's the type of place where you want to sit at the bar if you can (we've managed to every time we've been).  Food is carried out to you on a gigantic piece of butcher paper and plopped down unceremoniously.  They've got some decent beers on tap--6 or 8 of those, I think--but the selection isn't nearly as prolific as their twenty-tapped neighbor.  The choices are written on a chalkboard as you enter, with just the basic info (no IBU or ABV values listed here!).

Still, it's a great experience, with tasty food.  The first time there, I got the pulled pork sandwich ($7.75).  It was piled onto a really good bun and served with a side of sauce.  My one complaint?  Not enough sauce for me.  I determined that if I ever order it again, I'd ask for two.  Otherwise, delicious.  Tim got a burger--the Wells St. Burger ($8.25), I believe, which had bacon, gorgonzola, onions, and BBQ sauce.  He really enjoyed it.

We split an order of tater tots ($3.75), and they were perfectly crispy and salty--very satisfying.  On a subsequent trip, we split the Dirty Tots (not on website, I think they were around $7.75), and oh man--they were heaven.  It's a basket of tots covered in melted cheese, hot sauce, green onions, and pulled pork.  It was the perfect greasy-cheesy-smokey-spicy combo.  Someday I'm just going to get an order of those for my meal.  I have no shame.

If you haven't made it over to Fat Dan's yet, I highly recommend you give it a go.  It makes for a great laid-back meal!

Website:  Fat Dan's Deli

Adobo Grill

A few weeks ago, I met some girlfriends at Adobo Grill.  I'd been there once before and had a pretty enjoyable experience, but it's not a place I usually think of going since it's right downtown and parking can potentially be a pain.  We were meeting on a Tuesday evening, though, so parking wasn't bad.  I found a spot not far away, paid the meter, and headed in to meet the girls.

One of my friends had a Groupon, and generously offered to spring for some guacamole ($7.99) for the table.  Adobo does that fancy table-side guacamole making service, which is moderately entertaining to watch, and they customize it for you (spice level, cilantro level, etc.).  It's a solid guacamole, a bit chunky and nice and garlicky.  It's served with some nice thin flour tortilla chips.

We all also got house margaritas ($8.99), which are also pretty solid.  Good amount of lime, a taste of tequila but not overpoweringly so.  I'm not a huge fan of the way they're served in martini glasses--they do make glasses especially for this drink, and they are called margarita glasses, ahem...pretentious much?--but that is me being nit-picky.

For my main dish, I got Enchiladas Carne ($14.99), i.e. shredded beef enchiladas.  The sauce was nice (it was "creamy ancho salsa"), with good chili flavor but not much heat.  It was topped with cheese and sour cream, and served with rice and beans.  They were no duck enchiladas, but they were tasty.  (Side note--we have returned to Delicia a few times since my initial review, and I've gotten the duck enchiladas every time.  Amazing.)

Adobo is a pretty good "fancy" Mexican restaurant.  Do I like others better?  Yes.  Would I generally rather go to a run of the mill strip mall Mexican restaurant where the bill is cheaper and the white cheese sauce flows?  Yes.  But Adobo is tasty, so the occasional outing there is welcome. 

Website:  Adobo Grill

St. Elmo Steak House

A few weeks ago, Tim and I went to dinner with some friends to celebrate both Tim's and our friend Damien's birthdays.  Our goal was to go to Bluebeard, which our friends had not yet tried, but upon arrival at 6:30pm we were told there was a 2.5 hour wait.  Let me say that again--two and a half hours.  Now, was the wait really that long?  Who knows.  But we weren't ready to wait quite that long.  So we began searching for a restaurant that took reservations asap.

As luck would have it, St. Elmo's had some openings, so we headed there.  Upon arrival, we were seated right away in the basement level room.  If you haven't been there before, you should know that St. Elmo's is pretty enormous.  It's a maze of several rooms and levels, and the whole place is decked out in traditional steakhouse wood-and-leather style.

We settled in and ordered some drinks, as well as shrimp cocktail ($15.95).  I'm sure you've had many people tell you about St. Elmo's shrimp cocktail, if you haven't had it yourself, and let me just say that in my opinion, it is delicious.  The shrimp are well cooked and large, and the sauce famously full of horseradish.  Spicy!

Shortly after, we received our bread basket, which as usual contained a couple different kinds of rolls and a cheesy flatbread (my favorites are the flatbread and onion rolls).  Then our orders were taken.  I went with the 8oz filet ($37.95), as did Tim.  Our entrees came with tomato juice or navy bean soup, or we could upgrade to lobster bisque, so Tim and I both did that.  It doesn't look too impressive in the picture, but it was really delicious--creamy and flavorful and full of lots of large pieces of lobster.  Can't remember how much the upgrade fee was, but it was worth it, no matter what.  Really delicious.


Soon after (but not too soon after), our entrees came.  The picture is dark, but our filets had lovely char marks on them and were cooked PERFECTLY.  They were also seasoned PERFECTLY.  I generally like a good amount of salt on a steak, but I didn't have to add any at all, whereas Tim normally likes things light on salt, and he didn't think it was too salty.  PERFECT.  St. Elmo's may be pricey, but they cook a good steak.  Our sides were mashed redskin potatoes, which are garlicky and yummy and satisfyingly carby next to all that red meat.

Had to include a picture of our friend Jeff's prime rib...it was enormous!!!  He said it was cooked perfectly and very tasty.  He was also quite impressed with the service at St. Elmo's (it was his first visit).  The waiters there are professionals, for sure--they know what they're doing.  Attentive without being in your face, great with recommendations, know the menu well, the timing of the meal is good--just all-around great service.  It's a place for special occasions, and they do make the occasion special.

Side note:  If you want the experience at a discount, go on Sundays.  They have their usual Devour Downtown menu on offer year-round on Sundays:  $35 for an app (salad or the shrimp cocktail), main course (filet is an option), and dessert.  Great deal!

Website:  St. Elmo Steak House

Thunderbird

I had been wanting to try Thunderbird since it opened, so I convinced Tim and two of our friends to go there for dinner a few Saturdays ago.  I'd heard a bit about it, and knew the cocktails were the focus, but the menu sounded interesting, also.

The menu I'd seen (and linked to, below), unfortunately, wasn't priced the same as the one at the actual restaurant.  If you take a look, there are several items priced at $10, but several are also priced at $4.  So, I figured we could each get a $10 dish (which I assumed would be bigger), and a few of the $4 dishes to share, allowing us to taste several items plus a couple of drinks.  It would be pricey, but no worse than several other restaurants in town.

Therefore, we were rather displeased to see that ALL of the food items are now priced at $10 (well, except for a few 'snacks').  Some of these items include hush puppies, ham croquettes, and a mac & cheese that comes in a tiny ramekin.  Not paying $10 each for those, sorry!

So, what did we get?  I opted for the pimento grilled cheese, and it was a good-sized sandwich filled with the aforementioned pimento cheese, tomato, and pickles.  On the side were pickled peppers, which (forgive the Emerilism) really kicked the sandwich up a notch--seriously good with those added.  Was it worth $10?  Eh, I don't know about that, especially since it came with no fries or chips or anything on the side, but it was a tasty sandwich.

Tim got the duck neck biscuits and gravy, and he loved it.  It was one decently sized biscuit that was covered in gravy made with duck neck meat (I imagine the neck itself also imparted its own flavor into the whole thing).  The meat was finely shredded and tender.  It was topped with a fried egg and some micro-greens, and the whole thing was tasty enough that one of our friends ended up ordering it after tasting  Tim's (he had originally opted just the crisp hominy, $4, thinking that we weren't going to stay long.  For the record, he did enjoy that, too!).


 Our other friend got the chicken and hoecake sandwich.  This was a fried "buttermilk" chicken thigh between two cornmeal hoecakes, topped with smoked cheddar and bacon honey butter.  Sounds great, right?  Unfortunately, he reported that the whole thing suffered from a lack of flavor.  It wasn't seasoned enough, and the hoecake was somewhat flavorless, also.  Maybe more bacon honey butter would have helped?

I did force Tim into dessert, because the beignets with espresso cream cheese ($4) were calling my name.  You can barely see them in the picture (apologies for the poor quality/lighting of all the pics, but it was super dark in the back corner where we were seated), but we got four donut balls covered in a slightly sweet cream cheese icing and sprinkled with what I think may have been tarragon.  These were SUPER good.  Not exactly like the beignets I've had in New Orleans, but they did hearken back to those, texture-wise, and they tasted fantastic.

We did have several of the cocktails, but I the pictures turned out crazy dark.  I started with the Ti' Punch ($9), which is La Favorite Rhum Agricole, Lime, and Cane Sugar.  It was good, but not overly complex--it mostly just tasted of lime.  Which, again, is good in my book, because I like lime, but not overly special.  I also had the Joke About Jamaica ($9), which is Smith & Cross Rum, Gosling's Rum, Montenegro Amaro, Lime, and Pomegranate Demerara.  The pomegranate gave this one a more floral, fruity kick, and I really liked it.  Only negative I'd give about either of these, is that my glasses were only about 2/3 full.  They still packed a punch, but come on--they are $9.  Top off the glass.

The final conclusion we came to when we were done was that we'd primarily go there just for cocktails...but if we just want cocktails, Tim and I, at least, would pick Ball & Biscuit any day.  I'd be happy to go there with friends if someone wanted to, but I don't know that I'd suggest it myself--I wasn't blown away enough.  However, if they ever update their menu and reconsider their food price points, that might be a good reason to try it again!

Website:  Thunderbird  (again, warning that the prices aren't up to date)

Aristocrat Pub: Bier Brewery Beer Dinner

A week or so ago, the Aristocrat Pub held a beer dinner with Bier Brewery.  It was reasonably priced ($30) and we LOVE Bier, so we decided to give it a try.

This was different than the other two beer dinners we've been to, in that it was much less formal--there was no official menu posted beforehand and no assigned seating.  And it turns out that the Aristocrat mostly just used items off its normal menu, rather than create a whole slew of new dishes.  The surprise was that this actually worked pretty well!  Just about all of the dishes paired with their respective beer pretty beautifully.


The six-course meal started with a little crock of beer cheese, which came with crostini (they were thoroughly crusty and buttery) and granny smith apples.  This went really well with Bier's Special K Kolsch: a German-style ale very similar to a pilsner, but more aromatic and less bitter, and which is a great, clean, drinkable beer.  The beer cheese was good--would have been great with a soft pretzel (looks like it's served with pretzel bread on their regular menu)--but not warm at all, sadly.  I imagine it sat around waiting for the event to get underway.

Next they brought us Belgian Blonde (a light pale ale similar to a Belgian Triple, but slightly sweeter and with less alcohol, but still over 6%) to go with a kale and bean salad.  The salad was warm and surprising--there was a lot of acid in it, and quite a bit of heat.  I wasn't sure about it at first, because I'm not huge on beans, but I ended up eating most of the kale because it was pretty tasty.  I didn't see this one on their regular menu.  The beer was great.  I'm a huge fan of Belgian beers, and this was a solid Belgian Pale Ale.  Not bitter at all, with a smooth finish.

Our third course was a little crab cake, along with Bier's DFG IPA, an American Double IPA, which packs an alcoholic and hoppy punch!  I generally despise IPA's (I am not at all a fan of hoppy beers), but I actually, and to Tim's great delight, liked this one.  Probably couldn't drink a whole glass, but I did enjoy it, I'll admit.  And it went well with the dish.  The crab cake was really very good, which is saying a lot since I don't normally like them, either.  If you are looking for a mostly lump crab meat, hardly any filler, fresh, chunky crab cake, this one isn't for you...it was pretty creamy inside, but in a good way, and was fried crisp on the outside.  I really dug it with the chipotle mayo on top and greens with a tangy dressing on the side (and a squeeze of lemon).  Very satisfying couple of bites.  This one's on the menu.

Fourth course was portobello raviolis in a marsala cream sauce.  It doesn't look like much in the picture--it was VERY heavily sauced--but I love a lot of sauce, especially when it's as good as this one was.  The raviolis were meaty and mushroomy, and the sauce had that slightly sweet marsala wine flavor, and was well-seasoned.  It contained a few slices of button or crimini mushrooms, also.  This dish also suffered from not being very warm, but Tim and I both still loved this it--it was that good. I'm sad to say I don't see it on the regular menu!  They have other pasta dishes--maybe they'll add this one someday.  I know it seems crazy to consider going to a pub and ordering pasta, but this was really flavorful.  Yum.  The beer was their Belgian Dark Strong, a robust, malty, dark beer with a slightly sweet finish that balances out the high the high alcohol content (about 8.5%) nicely.  Again, I love Belgian beers, and this was in my wheelhouse.

Our next course was Bier's Chinookalicious with fish tacos.  I really enjoyed my taco.  The fish itself was cod, battered and fried crispy--I'm assuming it's essentially their fish and chips fish that's been re-purposed.  They break it up so you don't have one huge piece and it's easier to eat, then top it with a jalepeno slaw that was outstanding, and an avocado/cilanto/tomatilla salsa that adds nice tang.  I'd totally order these again some day.  Well balanced, good textures.  On the other hand, I am not a fan of Chinookalicious.  Many, many people LOVE it (Tim included), and they are entitled to do so, but this IPA made with Chinook hops is just too bitter for this gal.


To finish, we had a special beer--an Oak Aged Pumpkin Porter.  It deserved a great dessert, and was perfectly paired with a flourless chocolate cake.  I'm not normally a massive chocolate person, but it went so well with the beer, and there were some candied walnuts adding crunch.  It was a great way to end the night!  The beer was spicy in a fall pumpkin pie spice way, but with no cloying flavors--they were all mellowed by the oak barrel aging.  Really smooth, really delicious.  And special--this one is a rare seasonal they held back just for us!

Aristocrat is not one of our regular haunts--we've been there a few times, but never to eat.  It's got some tough competition, being just down the street from Twenty Tap and a myriad of other fantastic restaurants.  I venture to say that it will be more on our radar, now, though.  We had a lovely experience, and as at other beer dinners, we had entertaining conversation with the folks we were sitting next to.  All around, a lot of fun.  Give beer dinners a try!

(I just have to add a special thanks to my husband, Tim, for helping me with the beer descriptions!)

Websites:  The Aristocrat Pub and Bier Brewery

Szechwan Garden

A few Saturdays ago, Tim and I went to Szechwan Garden at Lafayette and 38th.  He and his co-workers had recently started going there at lunch, and he was very impressed, especially with the dumplings he had.  He had noted that they serve dim sum on the weekends, and we'd both always wanted to try dim sum, so off we went.

First, a brief explanation for the uninitiated--servers come by with carts that are filled with bamboo steamers and plates of food.  They tell you what they have; you select a few; they stamp a card on your table to show the cashier what you bought.  Most of the plates came with three pieces of whatever the item was.  Since everything was in Chinese, and we had no idea how much we were paying for each item, we decided to just go with it and eat until we were full.

I won't go into detail about everything we had, but you can see from the pictures that we were pretty dumpling-happy.  The top left was a relatively standard steamed dumpling with pork, if I recall; the one on the top right was shumai that contained some shrimp.  Bottom left contained shrimp and pea shoots (this was one of my favorites); bottom right were a pan-fried version with pork and scallions.  They did offer us a hot chili paste dipping sauce; I would have loved a soy/ponzu based dipping sauce, too.  (Tim said they serve one when you order dumplings off the menu--we probably could have asked for it.)

The highlight for me, though, was the pork buns--yeasty rolls stuffed with barbecue pork (picture to the left).  So amazing.  I wished they had come by earlier; if they had, we probably would have had two plates of them.  Yum. 

The other highlight for me was the sesame balls.  These odd, sweet little nuggets were first introduced to us by some Chicago friends, and I've wanted to try them again ever since.  Well, there they were, and they were as good as I remembered.  They're glutenous inside--I believe they're made with rice flour--and are stuffed with sweet red bean paste.  And yet, they are crispy on the outside because they've been deep fried, and with the nutty coating of sesame seeds... it's just a strange and wonderful experience to eat one.  You have to try one for yourself to understand.

As I mentioned, we have no idea how much each individual item was, but our total came to around $20 for 6 plates of food, so I'd imagine they are each in the $3-$4 range (some cost more than others, I'm certain).  Not bad, and we certainly left full.

I would love to go back for more dim sum, now that we know what to do.  And I'd also like to try their regular menu, which Tim assures me is also tasty.

No website, but here's their Urbanspoon page:  Szechwan Garden