The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los Angeles Kings run to the Stanley Cup, and some simply as a result of too much travel. Having enjoyed many of these meals with friends or family and with some of them amongst the year’s very best the reality is that with time my memory has deteriorated and as life moves forward I’ve realized there is little hope to ever “catch up” or document these experiences as well as I’d hope, yet in order to preserve them I present these pictures, notes, and thoughts on the experience.
Coffee Bar and Bloody Bar
Bruschetta – Tomato/Basil/Mozzarella/Balsamic, Warm Spinach/Artichokes/Grated Reggiano, Sliced Granny Smith Apples/Brie/Almond Fig Spread
Pulled Pork Sliders
Jumbo Salted Pretzel with Roasted Pepper Cheese Dipping Sauce
Margherita Pizza – Roma Tomatoes, Provolone, Tomato Sauce, Fresh Basil
Arcadia Cookie – Skillet Style Chocolate Chip Cookie, Gooey and Warm with Chocolate Sauce, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
With a slogan like “It’s all good in the hood” I should have known better than to expect too much from Arcadia Tavern, but with a full host of NFL Games on a Sunday afternoon plus a menu of brunch and lunch items that sounded quite good it seemed a good fit – until we arrived to find them still offering coffee (complimentary, with grounds in it, and terrible) plus a copious Bloody Mary Bar…but no breakfast or brunch foods. We also found them offering service, in our case from a woman named Deanna that was far from ideal as items were forgotten or delivered to the wrong table while water refills were non-existent.
Loud and boisterous, particularly the large group of Steelers fans in the other half of the restaurant, I actually enjoyed the setting at Arcadia while the food, mostly, was competent with the pizza falling flat due to a flavorless crust and underwhelming cheese while the trio of bruschetta were simple but well prepared with good ingredients on crisp yet toothsome bread. Moving on to better things, the pulled pork was actually a highlight; meltingly tender on buttery little rolls and spiced without being spicy. Equally good, the pretzel was golden, buttery, and plenty to share (without the ridiculous upcharge for cheese like the average pretzel at Brat Haus) while the dessert cookie was exactly what you’d expect – still scalding hot in the skillet and crispy atop with a near-pudding consistency within, the flavors buttery and tinged with cinnamon plus a lot of semi-sweet chocolate chips – a great comfort food classic, though the ice cream was mere carton quality and did the dish no favors.
Better than BW3s, for sure, and actually pretty good by sports bar standards I’d consider going back, though I’d love to know when the nebulous breakfast/brunch ends since no one on the phone could tell me (I hear 12:00 from some, 2:00 from others, though we arrived at 11:50) and I’d skip the coffee – and pray for better service.