Puccini's Smiling Teeth

Quick one, here... Puccini's Smiling Teeth is a staple for my family.  We go quite a bit--it's very family friendly.  It's also centrally located for a lot of my friends, so I tend to meet people there quite often.  On this occasion, I met up with some of my high school girlfriends for a little reunion.

I still managed to order what I normally get when I go with Tim, though.  I may be uncreative, but I know what I like.  I ordered a medium pizza with meatballs and gorgonzola ($8.95 plus $1.10 per topping), which should come as a surprise to none of you.  Puccini's has great pizza--the crust is chewy and a bit sweet--not crackery like Bazbeaux and Jockamo's--and the tomato sauce is chunky and fresh.  The meatballs are smaller than Jockamo's, which make them a bit easier to eat, but there's still plenty of gorgonzola to add a sharp tang.  It is delicious, and just looking at the picture is making me wish I had some right now, despite the bad lighting in the photo.

I did start this meal with a dinner salad ("mega abundant" $3.95, although on this occasion I found out you can also get a lunch size salad for $3.25), but didn't take a picture.  The dinner salad consists of a bed of romaine that is topped by tomatoes, green peppers, red onions, black olives, and mozzarella cheese.  My favorite dressing is the Buttermilk Herb, which is their ranch.  It's housemade and very garlicky and just generally awesome. 

There are a number of Puccini's locations throughout the city.  Their calzones are also excellent, and their pasta's pretty good as well.  It's a great place to go with the whole family!

Website:  Puccini's Smiling Teeth

Scratch Truck

Tim and I have now been to Scratch Truck three times.  I say "been to," but I suppose I truly mean that "we've purposefully visited the Upland Broad Ripple Tasting Room when we knew Scratch Truck would be there so as to partake in some burgers and Upland beer" three times.

And burgers are, indeed, what we have always ordered.  Okay, the first time I did get the Scratch Grilled Cheese, which contains short rib, and it was good, but after tasting Tim's burger that trip I knew I probably wouldn't venture beyond said burger from them on.  They have a pretty good burger, is what I'm saying.

The Scratch Burger ($9.50) is cooked medium rare and topped with bacon marmalade, arugula, and gorgonzola, and is served on a toasted bun.  It all works pretty harmoniously together to create a sweet, smokey, blue cheesy, herby/peppery, messy symphony of flavors.  Very tasty.

And normally their poutine is, too.  The price of the burger includes normal fries, but we've always upgraded to the poutine for a few dollars more.  Their fries are pretty good and seem to be lightly battered (no idea if they are homemade or from a bag).  Then the fries are topped with chicken gravy and cheese curds, as any good poutine is, plus herbs--rosemary being the most prominent one.  We generally adore them, but this time they were a bit soggy.  I suspect they were just sitting around too long--the truck was relatively busy and it may have taken them a few minutes to bring our food into Upland (yes, they hand-deliver your food).  It was a touch disappointing, but the flavor was still good.

Scratch Truck can be elusive--they often don't open for dinner, presumably because they do a lot of business at lunch and don't need to--so the odd Thursday when we're in the area at the same time as them is rare.  But that also makes it a special treat when we do find them--and generally worth the somewhat steep price point.

Website:  Scratch Truck

Rook

A few weeks ago, Tim and I decided to go to Rook for dinner with some friends.  They serve mostly just sandwiches (banh mi) for lunch, but I'd seen pictures on Facebook of some of their street food inspired dinner dishes, and was anxious to try it.

When we arrived, we were a bit nervous because it was empty except for one other couple.  This was around 6:30 on a Friday night, mind you.  And it didn't get much busier while we were there.  This joint needs more word-of-mouth, apparently.

We were also off to a so-so start because ordering is slightly confusing.  They keep the order-at-the-counter thing going from lunchtime, so you step up and take a look at the chalkboard to see what's on offer.  After negotiating with Tim about which items we'd be splitting, we then ordered from the cashier/waitress.  None of that is terribly out of the ordinary, I know.  But the confusion came when we paid.  There was a line on the receipt for a tip, but it hadn't really been explained to us yet how the whole thing would work.  So, neither my friend nor I filled in the tip line.  We felt awful when we then learned that the cashier would also be bringing us all of our food and drinks when it was ready.  This was easily remedied by leaving her a cash tip on the table, but that didn't make me feel like much less of a heel for not just tipping her up front.  And what if I hadn't had cash?  So confusing! 

Luckily, the food made up for the rocky start (and now I'll know what to do when I return).  We started with the Thai Sour Sausage Dumplings ($6).  They came four to an order and were spectacular!  The sausage inside was very pink--we even suspect borderline raw--but it tasted so freaking good that we both decided we didn't care what diseases we may be getting.  The sausage itself gave a rich, meaty flavor to the whole thing, and the sourness was perfect and made them so addictive.  The spicy mustard they were served with complimented them perfectly.  I could eat several orders of these easily. We also got one Pork Belly Steamed Bun ($3.50 for one).  The pork belly was so tender and full-flavored, and I loved the finely chopped peanuts on top.  Again, I could eat these in bulk.  Omnomnom.

We decided to get two "mains" and split them.  The first was the Karaage (Japanese fried chicken, $8), which was thighs that were lightly breaded and served over rice with a great sweet chili sauce.  This was also crazy good.  The thinly sliced peppers gave it a nice kick, and it had just the right amount of heat.  We also got a Raven Banh Mi ($8), which contains Korean-style marinated bulgogi beef along with the usual veg and cilantro.  It was served on a great roll.  I found the beef to be a bit tough, enough that I wasn't loving the sandwich despite its great flavor.  Luckily, Tim really loved this sandwich, so I ended up finishing off the chicken while he ate most of my half of the sandwich.

Our friends felt this was a pretty light meal, considering the total price (with beer, tax, and tip we were in the high $30's), but upon reflection it was a reasonable amount of food for Tim and I, at least (our friends ordered a bit less).  Still, it was really yummy and a nice Vietnamese inspired alternative, and Tim and I plan to return.  I'd love to go at lunch to try a Thai Sour Sausage banh mi...

Website:  Rook

Black Market: Holiday Beer Brunch

Last weekend, Tim and I had the pleasure of attending Black Market's Holiday Beer Brunch.  This was the 3rd year for the event, and the first year we've been able to make it.  We had a great experience!

The morning started with a "Reception Beer," to be drunk while we waited for our first course.  Three Floyds Alpha Klaus was the  choice.  It was pretty good, a solid porter.  It was relatively hoppy for a porter, but it finished clean so I didn't mind that (normally I do not care for hops much).  During this time, we got to know some of our neighbors at the large communal table where we were assigned to sit.  The entire place was packed, from the communal tables to the few four-tops around the room.

About a half hour into the event, our first course finally arrived.  It was a twist on biscuits and gravy--a light, buttery, flaky biscuit tinged with citrusy orange, which we then covered in ham and mussel gravy from a family-style communal bowl.  Really wasn't sure about this combo when I read it on the menu, but it all made sense on the plate.  The gravy was creamy and rich, just as you'd expect, but instead of making it with sausage they made it with meaty chunks of ham.  Then they tossed it all with mussels, which also went well with the gravy.  The whole thing was really, really tasty, and went well with the Dark Horse 4 Elf that it was paired with.  The beer is a "winter warmer" style and had a ton of spice.  I really liked this one, and I know Tim did, too.

The next course was goose.  Yes, goose.  I'd never had goose before, but it was pretty good!  They confit-ed the legs, then roasted and sliced the breast.  They were served with a cranberry relish as well as some whole cranberries that were super sweet and tart, plus a "savory bread pudding" that was essentially traditional dressing, and some cracklings made from the goose skin.  Oh, and it was all on top of some greens (we think kale).  The confit leg meat was amazing, and tasted a lot like duck confit that I've had in the past.  The breast was extremely meaty--it looked more like beef than poultry, really.  It was fairly gamey but not overpoweringly so.  The cranberry cut through some of the richness, and the cracklings added nice texture.  All in all, an interesting and satisfying plate of food.  It was paired with Anchor Christmas Ale (link is to the 2012 version--it changes a bit every year).  The Ale was dark and had a lot of "Christmas" spices that complimented the holiday spirit of the dish.

The third course was the cheese course--Stilton, whipped with cream to make it not-quite-so-pungent, was served over poached pears with spiced walnuts, what seemed to be candied dates, and bit of granola.  It was really interesting--the cheese, even with the cream mixed in, was pretty strong, but the sweetness of the fruits and nuts and the oaty-ness of the oats came together with the cheese very well.  It was served with Gouden Carolus Noel, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale.  This beer was a 10%, and as such was pretty strong and a bit alcohol-y tasting, but it was spicy and fruity and went really well with this course.  It had a raisin/prune flavor going on.  Very interesting.

Finally, we reached dessert.  The course was described as "Chocolate Ganache with Holiday Sweets," and indeed, that's what it was!  In addition to a dollop of the smoothest, shiniest chocolate ganache I've ever had the pleasure of eating, we received a little tower of spice cake, some English toffee shards, and a peppermint shortbread cookie.  All delicious, and all even better when dipped in the ganache.  The beer for this course was the reason that many people attend this brunch--it was the 2012 Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus.  The octane on this one went up even higher--14%--so we received a small portion.  Whoa howdy, was this a sipper!  It was sweet and almost syrupy with some raisin (again) and caramel notes.  I enjoyed it, but the small portion was plenty.  As you can imagine, it went very well with dessert.

At the end of the brunch, Chef Micah came out and announced that someone had a sticker on the bottom of their plate, and that that person was going to win a special prize.  Low and behold, that lucky person was yours truly!!  Santa came out to deliver my prize--a magnum of Anchor Christmas Ale and a bottle of Ninkasi Brewing Co Sleigh'r.  Tim and I were pretty psyched!  We'll be saving those for Christmas or New Year's, I think.

Overall, this was a great experience.  I tried some new things, I enjoyed the pairings, the atmosphere was jolly, and it was just a lovely time.  We hope to do this again next year!

Website:  Black Market

Delicia

Last Friday, Tim and I were out running errands and knew we wanted to try someplace new for dinner, but couldn't decide where.  Finally, Tim came up with Delicia since it's across from Luna (the music store) and that was one of our stops.  Mexican sounded perfect, so I gave it the thumbs-up.

We entered to find the host and hostess both very dressed up--the host was wearing a tie.  Because we hadn't planned very well, Tim and I were both dressed very casually, so we felt a little out of place.  Then, they seated us in the front window, up on a little platform, directly behind the host stand (separated from them by a glass wall, no less), so we felt a bit on display.  But it turned out to be just fine--our waitress was open and friendly, not at all pretentious (I could see this place tending towards the snooty), and she was there when we needed her.

We ordered the house margaritas ($8) and were pretty impressed by them.  Lots of lime, which I love, but fairly well-balanced.  The tequila flavor was very mellow, but wow, was it a strong drink.  They did not skimp.  Our waitress also brought us a sort of amuse bouche as we were looking over the menu.  It was a tiny cup of soup that was incredible.  It tasted of blended root veggies, but with great Latin flavors--no idea what all was in it, since it was completely smooth.  I could have eaten a whole bowl of just that and been happy.

We started with the Queso Fundido con Chorizo ($10).  This came in a cast iron skillet and was baked chihuahua and panela cheeses, chorizo, and tomatillo-poblano sauce.  They served it with a bowl full of tortilla chips.  This was so, so good, and I could easily have had it as my entree because it was pretty filling.  We wondered if there were pureed black beans in it because the sauce was so dark and a bit thick, but upon looking at the ingredient list we realized we were very wrong.  The tomatillo provided some tang, and the poblano some smokiness.  The chorizo was a bit spicy and the cheeses ooey-gooey--in short, it was pretty perfect. 

I liked my entree slightly less, although it was still pretty good.  I chose the Short Ribs with Ancho Salsa ($18) which was boneless braised short ribs in an ancho salsa (i.e. sauce), over smashed sweet potatoes and surrounded by roasted onions, sweet potatoes, and purple potatoes.  The ribs were super tender, but I just wasn't a massive fan of the ancho salsa.  It was lacking something--acidity and/or salt.  Not sure.  The flavor of the ribs just wasn't as rounded out as I would have wished.  But the veggies were great, roasted in various spices and well seasoned.  I quite enjoyed them, and a bit of everything together was *nearly* perfect (dang sauce).

Tim's entree, on the other hand, was outstanding.  We were both smitten, and I made him give me several bites.  He opted for the Enchiladas de Pato ($16), i.e. duck enchiladas.  They were served in a tomato-habanero sauce with cilantro-lime crema and chihuahua queso, and on the side was herb green rice and stewed black beans.  The duck itself was nice, but it was the sauce--that tomato-habanero sauce mixed with the creme and the cheese--that really took this to another level.  So addictive and rich and crazy good.  The beans were also wonderful, clearly cooked with smokey pork of some type.  Since I hate cilantro, I did think the rice was gross, but Tim enjoyed it.

I think we were prepared to dislike Delicia, based on some of the reviews we'd read after it opened and the general fancy-britches vibe it gives off, but oh, were we wrong.  We will absolutely be going back--although, yes, we'll likely wear something slightly nicer than T-shirts next time.

 Website:  Delicia

Chicago Special: Revolution Brewing

A few weeks ago, Tim and I visited his best friend in Chicago, and that friend very wisely suggested that we go to Revolution Brewing for brunch on Saturday morning.  Tim had been there for dinner previously and he really enjoyed it; I had tried to go with friends on a different occasion but couldn't get in, so we were both very excited to go.

And the excitement was justified.  It was a great brunch!  At our friend's (again, wise) suggestion, we started with an order of Bacon Fat Popcorn ($5) for the table.  Holy bleep, was this good.  I have been mentally trying to figure out how to recreate it ever since, because I need some more soon.  It was a simple concept, but executed perfectly--popcorn cooked in bacon fat, well-seasoned and mixed with more meaty pieces of bacon and drowning in finely and freshly shredded parmesan cheese.  It was topped with a couple pieces of crispy fried sage that were pretty inconsequential to me, because the highlight here was the bacon.  And the cheese.  And the popcorn.  Green things could be done without.

For my main course, I had the Cherry Porter Pancakes ($10).  These were also amazing.  The pancakes themselves were made with Revolution's Eugene Porter (yes, beer), which gave them some depth without tasting like beer.  There were sour cherries cooked into the cakes, plus more on top along with candied pecans and a huge dollop of cinnamon butter.  There was also real maple syrup, which was borderline unnecessary with the butter and pecans (although, let's be frank, I still used it).  I also opted for a side of bacon because there can never be too much bacon, right?  Can't remember how much the side was--probably a couple dollars. 

Tim got the Pancetta Biscuits & Gravy ($10), and it was also top notch.  The biscuit was covered in Italian sausage gravy and topped with crispy pancetta, fried shallots, and an egg--in this case, scrambled, but you can order it however you want it (I would have gone with over easy--yum!).  So good.  So, so good.

I can't wait to return so I can try their dinner menu.  Definitely getting more of the popcorn!

Website:  Revolution Brewing

The Legend and Wyliepalooza

This past Saturday, Tim and I decided to take the kids on an excursion to Irvington.  I'd been wanting to try The Legend for awhile, so we opted to go there for lunch. 

When we entered, the place was a bit fancier (in a down-home tea room way) than I had anticipated.  But, there weren't many people there, and I had read that it's kid-friendly, so I wasn't too worried.  The first pleasant surprise was that they brought the boys two cups full of crayons--no fighting over colors, and no creations limited by getting only two colors.  Plus, they got to draw directly on the butcher paper covering the table.  They loved it.  You can see some of their creations (those are dragons) in the photo.

On to the food.  I ordered  Dad's Crunchy Chicken ($7), which was a chicken breast "dredged in seasoned bread crumbs, sauteed in olive oil until golden brown, and finished in the oven."  It was not, as the name may have implied, the least bit crunchy.  It did have great flavor, and I ate it all up, but I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't at all crunchy.  I had my choice of two sides with this one, so I opted for pepper jack mac & cheese (so good) and broccoli slaw (pretty flavorless).  Even though it sounds pretty hit-or-miss, I was pleased, overall, with my meal.  The chicken and mac were really great and the flavor outweighed the lack of crunch and the pretty miserable slaw.


Tim really enjoyed his meal, I think.  He got the Smoked Salmon Wrap ($9)--"spinach wrap spread with wasabi mayonnaise, smoked salmon cucumber, asparagus, and curly endive."  It was pretty large and had great smokey flavor.  It actually reminded me of the Sakura Bob's Roll, which contains smoked salmon and asparagus and is one of our favorites.  Tim didn't seem bothered, but I personally wondered why this didn't come with *any* sides--even offering only one with it would have been a more well-rounded meal, and surely it wouldn't have put them out too munch financially.  At least throw on some potato chips or something.  Amiright?


The kiddos stayed pretty simple.  One just wanted Pasta and Parm ($3), and we got him a side of Baby Carrots ($1--they turned out to just be regular carrot sticks).  The other wanted Mac and Cheese ($2), but since it was listed under the side portions and we weren't sure if it'd be enough, we opted to get him a Grilled Cheese, also ($3).  The pasta with parm (and butter) was fairly standard, but he loves that stuff and ate it all up.  The grilled cheese was pretty good--hearty, crusty wheat bread with cheddar inside.  It was only a half, though, which for $3 seemed kind of steep.  But hey, we fed one kid for $4 and the other for $5, and that is pretty average, or even cheap, these days.  The mac and cheese turned out to be a decently sized portion, and was baked.  Sometimes our kids are okay with baked, and other times, less so.  In this case, he didn't love it, but did eat it.  It could have used a bit more seasoning and it was a bit dry, but not bad.  We got so many carrot sticks that we split them between the two kids (and had a few ourselves)--they were the sweetest carrots I've had in a long time!

(Edit 11/12/13:  Tim thinks I was harsh about the mac & cheese, and said he enjoyed it.  I retract my 'dry' comment as perhaps that was not the best way to describe it.  It was certainly not a creamy mac & cheese, and I do personally feel that it needed salt.  That doesn't make it bad in my book, but it was not enthusiastically received by our son.  On the plus side, it had lots of cheese on top, which is always good.)

Tim and I would really like to go back sans kids and try some of the dinner specials--they sounded great!

After our lunch, we headed across the street to try Wyliepalooza for ice cream.  For some reason, I was under the impression that they made their own ice cream, but I don't think that's the case.  Still, it was very tasty.  I got Iced Latte-Da, which was "caffeinated" espresso ice cream with a fudge swirl and chocolate chunks.  It was really great, with lots of strong coffee flavor and quite a lot of chocolate dispersed throughout.  Tim got one that mixed Oreos with their Zanzibar Chocolate ice cream--it was so chocolatey, it was black with just small streaks of white from the Oreo centers.  One child opted for the always classic cookie dough, and the other wanted Superman ice cream--a fruity blend that is red, blue, and yellow.  He LOVED it. 

The space is pretty kid friendly, and I definitely want to go back to try another of the yummy sounding flavors or possibly one of their sundae creations!  Can't remember exact prices, but I got ice cream for all four of us for well under $10--again, not bad in this day and age.



Websites:  The Legend and Wyliepalooza