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

Jockamo Pizza: Revisit

 Last week, Tim and I met some friends for a weeknight dinner.  We all love Jockamo's, so we opted to meet there.  I decided to write another review, since my last review wasn't completely representative of how great Jockamo's can be.

Tim and I decided that we'd try a new (to us, at least) appetizer.  The artichoke spinach cheesebread ($5.25) was kind of like eating spinach artichoke dip baked onto Italian bread.  And it was delicious.  It was definitely more vibrantly green than any spinach artichoke dip I've ever had--they must have blended the spinach up into the mixture--but the color contrasted nicely with the diced tomatoes on top.  Everyone at the table really seemed to enjoy it, and I know I did.  I'd definitely order it again.  (Side note--for the best artichoke dip money can buy, try The Ball & Biscuit's--there are no words to describe how wonderously delicious it is!) 

Our friends ordered breadsticks to share--an order of 10 sticks was $9.75 and came with three sauces.  The sticks are the pillowy kind--not sure whether they're housemade (in a place like Jockamo's, I would think so)--and were very good with the creamy parmesan sauce our friends ordered.

 Tim and I split a large meatball, mushroom, and gorgonzola pizza ($12.25 for a large cheese, plus $1.65 for the mushrooms and $2.75 each for the meatballs and gorgonzola).  This is our go-to build-your-own pizza (sometimes we interchange the cheese for goat cheese, but the gorgonzola hit the spot this time).  Our pizza was incredibly good--cheesy of its own accord, plus the tangy sharpness of the blue cheese (there was plenty of it!), and the meaty spice of the meatballs.  The mushrooms got a little lost with so many other strong flavors (plus they were more scarce than the other toppings), but when I did get a bite with one it gave a little tinge of earthy mushroominess.  We had quite a bit of pizza leftover, but Jockamo's reheats really well, so Tim enjoyed those for dinner later in the week.  Overall, a really successful trip to one of our favorite pizza joints in town!

Website:  Jockamo Pizza

Jason's Deli

Just a quick one, here.

One night a few weeks ago, Tim and I were out running errands in the Castleton area.  We wanted a quick dinner to take home, so we decided to pick up sandwiches from Jason's Deli.  We both selected the California Club ($6.99)--turkey, bacon, swiss cheese, tomato, greens, mayo, and guacamole all on a croissant.  It comes with a choice of fresh fruit, steamed veggies, baked potato chips, or tortilla chips with salsa ("healthy" side choices, you see, I guess to offset the buttery croissant and mayo on your sandwich).

The sandwich itself is very tasty.  I always enjoy a turkey/guacamole/bacon combination, especially on a croissant.  There's just something about the fresh avocado that goes well with the salty turkey and bacon.  It seems like it should be rich, but somehow it isn't.

I opted for the fresh fruit as my side, and it was great.  It comes with a side of fruit dip that tastes like the stuff you can make at home--the kind where you mix marshmallow fluff and cream cheese together.  The fruit itself was a nice combo of apples, strawberries, grapes, pineapple, and melon, and it all tasted fresh.

We got this in carry-out format, but be aware that when you eat in the restaurant, you get free ice cream for dessert!  It's just the standard vanilla or chocolate (or swirl) soft serve, but it's a nice touch.

Website:  Jason's Deli

Late Harvest Kitchen

A few weeks ago, Tim and I went to Late Harvest Kitchen with some friends for Northside Nights.  Northside Nights is like Devour Downtown, in that restaurants are meant to offer a multi-course menu for $30 per person, and this was the case with Late Harvest.  Our friends are big fans of the restaurant, so we were excited to try it with them.

The meal started with some delicious breads, which were served with herb butter.  There were a few types--I tried a yeasty roll that was super good.  Only negative is that there was only enough for us to each have one--I could have eaten a dozen of these!  Not that that would have been a smart choice to make, but do I love a good roll.

We then had to make some choices from our Northside menu.  For our starter, we had a choice of a butter lettuce salad with peaches and goat cheese, or butternut squash soup.  As it had been cooler out, the soup sounded great to 3 of us.  Unfortunately, it was VERY sweet.  I eventually nailed it on the head when I likened it to roasting squash with butter and brown sugar on it (my family's preferred way to fix acorn squash).  It tasted JUST like that.  The other two folks who had ordered it couldn't even finish it; I managed to eat most of mine, though it tasted like dessert, not the savory starter it should have been.  My friend that got the salad seemed to enjoy it, though it was a rather small portion.
 

I selected the Lake Trout with green beans and--supposedly--rainbow chard as my main.  It looks delicious in my picture--nicely browned--but it didn't have a lot of flavor.  The sauce was mostly just buttery, and it called out for acid of some kind.  The green beans were very good, but the rainbow chard seemed almost non-existent.  It was a fairly large piece of fish, but the plate just felt so empty!  They don't seem to serve starches with the majority of their mains--probably to get you to spend money on the 'sides,' which is pretty lame considering the average price of those mains (mid $20's).

We were suckered into going off-Northside menu and trying a side, though.  Figured we were getting a (comparatively) good deal on the rest of the meal, so Tim and I decided to try the fried green tomatoes with blue crab remoulade ($10).  It was probably the highlight of the meal, for me.  Here was the acidity and crunchy texture that was so sorely missing from my fish!  I ended up cutting up one of the tomatoes and having a bite with each bite of fish, and it improved the dish vastly.  The tomatoes were tart and fried crispy, and were served with that creamy crab salad...delish.  Only complaint on this one is that it seems MUCH more like a starter than a side to me.  But, that's nit-picking.

Tim opted for the chicken schnitzel with mustard spaetzle and capers.  He said it was pretty good, but also felt his needed acidity.  He said that when he got a bit of the sauce and the mustardy spaetzle in a bite, it worked pretty well, but that there wasn't enough to give acidity to the whole dish.

Our friends both got the pork chop with baked beans and bacon marmalade.  It's what they usually get when they go to Late Harvest, and they both enjoyed their meal once again.

BLUE CRAB REMOULADE

BLUE CRAB REMOULADE

 Dessert was a choice of chocolate mousse or sticky toffee pudding, and for all four of us it was no contest.  Sticky toffee pudding is a moist cake covered in a butterscotchy toffee sauce and topped with whipped cream.  It's served warm--in this case, VERY warm--and is super sweet.  I commented that I would have liked some ice cream with mine to cut the sweetness and was laughed at, but seriously, I find ice cream to cut the sweetness of things like this!  Perhaps it's a sign of how sweet it was to say that, but I maintain that I speak the truth.

I'd say our experience at Late Harvest was middling.  We had great service--our waiter was very pleasant and was generally there when we needed him--and a few items really shone, but we were left disappointed by the soup and our mains were just missing something.   Tim and I agreed that we'd be willing to try it again, since our friends like it so much.  

Website:  Late Harvest Kitchen

Bonge's Tavern

 Bonge's Tavern is located in Perkinsville, IN (near Anderson).  It took us a good 45 minutes to get there from the East side of Indy, but the experience is worth the drive.

Why is Bonge's so special?  Well, they don't take reservations, and it's very small, so you have to arrive early and then wait to get in.  Normally this would be a major negative, but in Bonge's case, it's fun, because they let you tailgate in the parking lot!  Yes!  Tailgate!  The restaurant opens and begins taking names around 4:30, so we arrived around 3pm.  On this occasion (early September), we were the first ones there, but during the bulk of the summer I don't imagine that would have been the case. We set up camp and played some Euchre with our friends until we were able to line up and put our name in.

When you do put your name in, there are 3 approximate seating times to choose from (if you're far enough up in the line to choose--it's not a large restaurant, so it fills up quickly).  You can go in right away, at 4:30, or you can select 6:30 or 8:30.  We selected 6:30, and when a table opened up for us not long after 6pm, the hostess came out to get us.

The menu at Bonge's changes several times a season, and that day's offerings are up on a chalk board over the bar.  Included in every meal is soup or salad and two sides--a veggie and, both times we've been there, cheesy potatoes.

Tim opted to start with the tomato soup.  I had a tiny sip and really enjoyed it.  It's a bit chunky and full of flavor, and comes with croutons on top.  I chose the wedge salad, which is (as would be expected) a wedge of iceberg lettuce with a delicious creamy blue cheese dressing on top.  It's pretty much as simple as that--nothing fancy or extraneous about it!  They do crush some croutons and sprinkle them over the top, which gives it some crunchy texture without needing to get a whole crouton on your fork.  Again, extremely simple, but pretty darn good.

For our mains, I got the Prime Cap with Shrimp ($32).  The prime cap is the top part of a ribeye roast, and it was incredibly tender and flavorful.  It was cooked nicely to medium rare, and served sliced with the shrimp over the top (probably should have moved them a bit so you could have seen the beef in the picture!).  The shrimp themselves were perfectly cooked and slathered with garlic butter--so, so good.  Our veggie that night was asparagus--three stalks of it, which I dutifully ate so I could feel like I was having at least one healthy thing.  The cheesy potatoes were everything you would expect cheesy potatoes to be.  All in all, a great plate of food.

Tim got the 16 oz. Applewood Smoked Prime Rib (available on the weekends only--$26).  It was a huge slab of meat, also medium rare and extremely good.  I probably would have wanted more au jus if I was eating it, but Tim was very happy with the horseradish dipping sauce it was served with.

Our friends got the Perkinsville Pork ($23) and Harger Duck ($25), both year-round staples on a menu that otherwise changes.  The pork is pounded fairly thin and coated with parmesan cheese, and it was incredible.  I'll be very tempted by that one the next time we go to Bonge's.  The duck is pounded out and wrapped around cream cheese and jalapenos, and served in a plum barbecue sauce.  Sounds very strange, but somehow it all works.

We got a basket of cornbread on our table, in addition to everything else, and let me just say that it's possibly the best cornbread I have *ever* had.  It's sweet and moist, with flecks of jalapenos to give it some chewy texture and heat.  It's perfection.  I am wanting some just looking at the picture.

To top off our gluttonous evening (and, let's face it, afternoon), we decided we'd get dessert.  Tim and I split the sugar cream/chocolate cake thingie (no idea what it's actually called), and it is as it sounds--a layer of dense brownie-like chocolate cake on the bottom, and a layer of very sweet sugar cream pie style filling above that.  It's topped with fruit (in this case, blueberries that had been cooked down into a sauce) and real whipped cream.  It's pretty sweet, but I very much enjoyed it.  Our friends got the chocolate cake and straight up sugar cream cake (also covered in the blueberry topping), and they enjoyed theirs, also.  Not sure how much these cost, though--our waiter gave them to us for free!  I guess bantering with the waiter can pay off (thanks to our friends for doing so)!  He was a nice guy, and seemed to really enjoy his job.  He gets a thumbs up from us, for multiple reasons.  We definitely left that place very, very happy.

If you have a Saturday afternoon and evening to kill this fall or even next summer, give the full Bonge's experience a try.  I'd possibly even be willing to go one winter's night if there isn't a wait, but I doubt it would be half as fun without the tailgating!


Website:  Bonge's Tavern

Tortas Guicho Dominguez y El Cubanito

A few weeks ago, on a Friday night, Tim and I were in Fountain Square visiting New Day Meadery and decided to grab dinner in the area, also.  We settled upon Tortas Guicho Dominguez y El Cubanito, which we've always enjoyed but don't get to super often because we just aren't in the area much.

It has changed a lot since our last visit, which was probably over a year ago.  It has expanded and now offers outdoor seating, and was quite busy when we were there.  They actually had a man with a synthesizer playing music during dinner!  I think it was their anniversary (I suspect that because it was written on the white board by the cashier--quite a detective, eh?) and that was why they had the music, but it's possible it's a regular thing.  It was sort of fun--much to Tim's chagrin, I was bopping in my seat (the kids sitting at the next table were laughing at me)--but it was also WAY too loud.  We couldn't hear each other much at all.

The food more than made up for the lack of conversation, though.  We got horchata (I think it was around $1.99) to drink, which had an incredible deep cinnamon/spice flavor.  I may have liked the flavor even more than one at La Chinita Poblana, but this one was a touch grainy (Chinita Poblana's was not at all).

For our meal, we both got tortas, of course!  Tim got the "Megan Fox" ($6.75), which contained chicken breast (chopped up), chorizo, mozzarella, and queso blanco.  It was crazy good.  I got a similar sandwich--I believe it was the "Luis Miguel" ($5.50) which was "smoked pork" (i.e. ham), chorizo, and mozzarella.  It was also crazy good.  We ended up just trading half sandwiches so we'd get some of each.  In the picture, Tim's Megan Fox is below and to the left, while mine is up and to the right.  We decided that the chicken toned down the richness of his sandwich (which he liked), whereas I really loved the saltiness of all that ham and chorizo on mine.

The bread is incredible--soft and pillowy and incredibly fresh.  They're served with two types of salsa.  One is green and is moderately hot, and the other is red and fire-y.  Both are full of flavor and we enjoyed adding them to our sandwiches.

I can't wait to return--we just need to find another excuse to visit Fletcher Place!

Website:  Tortas Guicho Dominguez y El Cubanito

Napolese Pizzeria: Two Trips

 I have to be honest--I thought I hated Napolese.  Some friends and I went there several years ago, when it first opened, and we were collectively unimpressed.  I found it to be overpriced and the pizzas were charred (not just a little charred, which we expected, but a LOT charred).  It just wasn't a good experience.  So I was somewhat hesitant when Tim and I made the decision to give it another try for Devour Downtown.

What made us even consider going there was the great deal they were offering.  It's no secret that I find a lot of Devour deals to be pretty terrible these days, and in some cases it's getting to be even less of a deal now that restaurants are allowed to charge more than $30.  But Napolese was offering two salads, two pizzas, and two desserts for $35 (normally each pizza would cost $13-14, the salads run $10, and the desserts on offer are $4-6, for a grand total of over $40).  For another $15, you could add a bottle of wine (this bottle is normally $29 on their menu). We had a choice of white or red, and went with the red; the Farnese Montepulciano was delicious.  It was mild and 'jammy,' as our waiter described it, without being sweet.  Very light and drinkable with our meal.

We sat down and were offered a lovely little bowl of olives to snack on while we made our choices and sipped our wine.  We both ended up getting the Double Chopped House salad, which contains a little of everything.  Greens, of course, plus some roasted peppers, blue cheese, salami, crispy pancetta, and just a ton of other random stuff...each bite contained something new.  It was a massive salad, and I think it was even just a half-size (the usual $10 salad is meant to be shared, I believe).  I enjoyed the salad, but didn't find it anywhere near as delicious or as well-balanced as Pizzology's chopped (which, admittedly, I have a bit of an addiction for).  The dressing wasn't aggressive enough for that amount of STUFF--I wanted more 'zing.'  But, it was different and certainly a filling way to start the meal.

 We had to choose between three pizzas for our mains; I opted for the Buffalo Margherita, which on top of a light coating of fresh pizza sauce included buffalo mozzarella, oven roasted tomatoes, and lots and lots of fresh basil.  You can see just how much basil in the picture.  Tim didn't like that it was so light on cheese, but I have to say I enjoyed it.  The sauce and basil were so good that I didn't miss a heavy coating of cheese.
Tim opted for the Hamaker's Corner:  Pepperoni, Italian sausage, provolone, and mushrooms.  I really enjoyed the slice I had, and I know he also liked it.  Cheese was more prevalent there, but so were the toppings--lots of thickly sliced pepperoni, really good Italian sausage (which I don't normally like, but very much enjoyed here), and plentiful, whole mushrooms.  

For dessert we were surprised to learn that we each got a choice (I had thought the deal only included one dessert); we followed the server's advice and got the cobbler for one person's desert and gelato for the other's, and combined them.  Mmm.  That night's cobbler was blackberry, and it was very good.  Light on the cobbler part and heavier on the fruit, with just enough sweetness.  The cold gelato was the perfect addition on top of the hot fruit.  Very good.  Apparently the cobbler flavor changes even through the course of the night, depending on the fruit available that day and how much of it they get.

This post is subtitled "Two Trips," so I guess I have to admit that we ended up going back to Napolese later that same week.  Yup.  We certainly didn't intend to, but we found ourselves at the Keystone Fashion Mall looking for a quick bite before a movie, and ended up at the Napolese there.  We did make decidedly less gluttonous choices, though.

We decided to start with the Nightly Bruchetta ($9).  On this occasion, it was a creamy but fresh tasting combo of tomatoes, peppers, and basil.  The picture doesn't look too appetizing, and we were indeed worried--it looks a bit like cream of chicken soup. But it was cold, and tasted of tomatoes.  It was a really odd dichotomy, but ended up being completely addictive.  My one complaint here was that the server told us he could bring us more foccacia for dipping if we needed it; he neglected to mention we would be charged for that.  Was I shocked to see a charge?  Not at all, but I would have appreciated being told that when he offered it.

We shared a pizza for our main.  Our choice this time around was the BLT--Smoking Goose jowl bacon, caramelized leeks, and tallegio cheese ($13).  This was really good.  The bacon was outstanding, and cut into very little pieces so it came out nice and crispy.  You didn't have to fight with any floppy strips or fatty pieces.  The leeks were good and, well, leeky, offering a sweetness when they were in a bite.  The tallegio was expectedly stinky.  As much as I love it, I thought this pizza could have done without it, as it dominated the other flavors whenever it was in a bite.  Tim liked it, though.                                      

Since we drank water, we came out of this meal at a pretty reasonable $22 plus tax and tip, and we were both plenty full.   Pizzology may still be our top choice for this style of pizza, but Napolese, because of its more convenient locations, has become a real contender for us.

Website:  Napolese