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.
Foie Gras Terrine, Strawberry Jam
Crispy Potato Hash with Duck Heart Gravy and Egg
Foie Gras, Scrambled Eggs, Toast
Single Cheeseburger
Fried House-Made Bologna Sandwich
Hash Browns
Matzah Ball Soup
Crispy Fries with Mornay Sauce, Garlic Aioli, Fried Farm Egg
Mille-Feuille
…the day after pre-dinner at Bavette’s Bar and Boeuf I couldn’t resist a visit to another Brendan Sodikoff spot and with a brunch menu that read like some sort of gastronomic greatest hits list of things I love I was rather certain Au Cheval would impress me – little did I realize how much they would surprise the rest of my four-top cramped inside the bright, bustling, and heavily wooded Fulton Market restaurant.
Described as an “American Diner with European flare” by our lovely young server named Christalena shortly after we were seated I was at first overwhelmed by how much of the menu I wanted to order and soon by how quickly the space filled and the noise level raised yet even once every seat was filled the restaurant never truly reached the level of *Loud* – or at least I never noticed since my attention became largely undivided once the food arrived. Featuring a first round of rich and creamy foie gras and a sidecar overflowing with strawberries cooked until nearly liquefied plus buttery brioche followed by French style scrambled eggs studded with chunks of seared foie gras and likely a stick of butter plus more brioche it would be a lie if I said my breakfast was anything less than gluttonous and yet at the same time it has taken serious effort not to return for the same thing at least once during subsequent trips to Chicago (a situation remedied by visits to Maude’s and Gilt Bar, of course.)
Moving past my meal and onto others – I really don’t know how I convinced my mother to order the Mortadella Bologna sandwich nor how I conned my sister into selecting hash browns with duck heart gravy but I’m quite delighted that they each took my selection – and even happier to note that I was allowed to have more than a few tastes of each…not to mention my sister’s dense matzah ball soup, rife with dill, and the burger once deemed best in the United States by Bon Appetit alongside some seriously hefty French fries topped with a runny egg.
Last but not least – not by a long shot – the lightest part of the meal would come as dessert; a picture perfect a la minute Mille-Feuille every bit as good as the ones served at Guy Savoy or L’Arpege in Paris…all without the $1000 airfare, $40+ price tag, and fine dining dress code – it was the best my second favorite dessert in 2012 and the meal itself probably my favorite sub-$100 dining experience of the year.
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.
Almond Croissant
Cherry Croissant
Pistachio Croissant
Belgian Chocolate Croissant
Ham and Swiss Croissant
White Chocolate Brioche
Mille Feuille
An adamant proponent of bakeries before proper breakfasts I’d long targeted Hendrickx for an early morning in Chicago but given its location in Streeterville had never made the trek until my November visit and going well out of my way to visit the small shop I finally found the answer of where to find a good croissant in Chicago and even got to meet the man behind them, a convivial gentleman who invited my sister and I into the kitchen to watch and even gifted us a superlative Mille Feuille that, although not made ‘a la minute’ like so many in France, held up beautifully to the fork with shattering layers giving way to creamy custard.
Moving on to the croissants a quintet were shared amongst the table and with each buttery, well layered, and cavernous thanks to what we were told is a long proofing process and high temperatures it would be difficult for me to decide which was best, though the uniqueness of the pistachio most certainly stands out.
Last but not least – the white chocolate brioche – pulled directly from the oven and presented to us warm on the table would prove to be quite unlike anything I’ve tasted previously or since – a sort of sourdough note to the dense and eggy bread that was balanced by ample chunks of sweet white chocolate at Belgian sugar crystals intermingled adding a light crunch; at $14 certainly not an everyday indulgence but one well worth getting out of bed early for – much like everything else we tasted at Hendrickx.
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.
Crab – Pineapple/Peanut/Green Papaya (Live Pacific NW Dungeness Crab sous vide, pickled green papaya, jicama, cilantro, charred pineapple puree, black vinegar and peanuts, mint)
Old Fashioned – Bourbon/Luxardo/Chocolate (Makers Mark Cherry Jell-O, Bitter Chocolate, Vanilla Ice Cream, Luxardo Cherries)
Coffee in the Kitchen
…for me to return to a restaurant twice is rare and to do it in the same calendar year is almost unheard of; even in the cities where I’ve lived there is simply too much diversity and yet on November 15th 2012 I found myself back at Phil Foss’ EL Ideas (first review https://endoedibles.com/?p=272 with my buddy Rich for a meal every bit as good as the first, and in some ways even better.
Beginning the night with greetings and conversations between staff and diners then progressing from course to delicious course as tunes from Prince, Phil Collins, Lisa Loeb, and more filled the room I honestly cannot think of a more joyous and entertaining atmosphere than the one at EL Ideas and although there are plenty of amazing restaurants in the Windy City I’d be hard pressed to say that any of them are more “worth” the cost of admission…I mean, where else can you freely wander through the kitchen, chat with the chef, bring your own wine, eat carbonated foie gras, and end the night listening to The Life of Brian’s “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life?”
The Gist: No Website – located near the Merchandise Mart, near Gilt Bar.
The Why: Dinner plans at EL Ideas with Rich (windyfoodie) but having spent a full day wandering the city with my sister I wasn’t about to abandon her and send her home hungry; besides, what’s wrong with a little pre-dinner? Already impressed by Brendan Sodikoff as a restaurateur and with plans for Au Cheval the day following I’d be foolish to say that impressive reviews of both the space and the food weren’t a part of my decision regarding a visit to Bavettes, but in reality I chose the swanky spot for two reasons – Erika’s love of meatloaf and mine of brandade.
The Reservation: Make one. We made ours for the 5:00pm opening time and the bar was filled by 5:20pm with the tables jammed by 5:45pm; the wait for a 4-top when we left at 6:35 was “maybe an hour and a half” while reservations were filled for later than 9:00 (on a Thursday.)
The Space: Swanky is the only word that does this space justice – something I’d realize the following day that Sodikoff does quite well. Antique mirrors and fixtures, brick walls, red leather, and dark wood from wall to wall with a beautiful bar 2-3 deep with beautiful people as smooth jazz filters overhead – it’s a great place to see and be seen, but also the sort of place where a low table in the corner could serve quite admirably for those wanting to disappear into the background.
The Service: Aside from a truly rude male hostess who seemed to love his role as gatekeeper (we had the chance to watch this jackass try to act cool while turning people away and asking ‘is your whole party present’ to couples arriving for a two-top multiple times during the evening given our choice of seats near the front) and his colleague who was theoretically the coat-check (or more appropriately a woman who literally threw my sister’s coat at her) the team of servers at Bavette’s couldn’t have been better. From the guys at the bar chatting up the clientele to the runners who wiped down our table after every course and refilled water glasses with a near-invisible hand everything was smooth – our primary server Erik included as he quickly realized we didn’t need to be walked through the menu and adapted on the fly from dumbing things down to talking about sourcing and preparations.
The Food and Drink: House bread and butter, two appetizers, two mains, one dessert, one coffee, house filtered water – $90 after tax and tip.
House Bread and Salted Butter: Fluffy on the interior with a hearty crust this was French table bread at its best and served up warm with whipped butter topped with fleur de sel you’d be hard pressed to ask for better – were it not for the later dinner reservations more than one basket would have been necessary.
Peppered Duck and Goat Cheese Terrine with Apricot Mustard and Toast: As my sister does enjoy the texture of foie gras I passed on the pure foie torchon and opted for this – a tough choice on one hand, but at the same time perhaps a good call as this terrine was outstanding and enjoyable to the both of us. According to Erik also sporting some foie intermingled with rough cut and pressed roast duck plus chunks of funky chevre this terrine was at once smooth and meaty, peppery but balanced, and entirely spreadable on the lightly charred bread. Hefty to be sure but nicely tempered by the sweetness of the apricot spread and served in ample portion this is definitely a dish to share.
Salt Cod Brandade with Malt Vinegar Chips: Plain and simple, I love brandade – if it were on every menu I’d order it everywhere I went and with not a single spot in my prior or current home offering it on the daily menu it has sort of become a “destination” dish…and this one is without a doubt worth the trip. Served as a play on “fish and chips” and entirely rich with cod at the fore while olive oil, garlic, and chives played a backup role the brandade was lightly browned at the top and still bubbly at the bottom while the chips proved a clever delivery mechanism – the vinegar and dearth of salt helping to cut the potency of the dried fish; a turn-off to my sister on her previous brandade experiences.
Black Label Meat Loaf with Mushroom Jus, Mashed Potatoes: Erika’s main course – or at least half of it as the rest went home to her roommate – this blend of beef and porkbelly certainly isn’t mom’s meatloaf, but no matter what nostalgia you have for childhood memories this is a damned good meatloaf, particularly when paired with chunky Yukon gold mash, whole roasted mushrooms, and a gravy of pan jus, woodsy mushrooms, and balsamic vinegar adding just enough sweetness to temper the fat. Listed as a meatloaf but very low on filler and more like the sorts of terrines served on French bistro menus this was another hefty dish that could most certainly be shared as an entrée by most couples.
Southern Style Fried Chicken with Buttermilk Ranch and Crystal Hot Sauce: Another dish made for sharing I realize it is a bit skewed to call a $17 plate of chicken a ‘deal’ when places like KFC can feed a family of four for half of that but in the world of fine dining this dish is a steal – 6 pieces of organic chicken double fried to a golden brown with crunchy coating giving way to juicy bird. Lightly salted and paired with house ranch plus the same $1 bottle of Crystal you can pick up at Wal-Mart this was no-frills American cooking with top notch ingredients yielding a top notch dish, half of this also going home in a doggie bag.
Chocolate Cream Pie: Skipping dessert after such a hefty meal may seem like the right thing to do but you’d be a fool to miss out on this dish – a signature according to Erik, especially when paired with a bottomless cup of La Colombe’s Corsica. More a chocolate pave than a ‘chocolate cream’ and resting atop an Oreo crust with a dollop of whipped cream nearly the size of the slice plus grated nutmeg this, much like the chicken, was simply what happens when a great kitchen uses great ingredients. Sure you could make this at home, but since you probably won’t I’d recommend it without hesitation.
The Verdict: While I can’t say I fancy the too-cool-for-you front door shtick at Bavette’s any more than I do at The Aviary there isn’t much to quibble once you make it past those doors, just some really excellent French-American bistro cuisine served up at a great price in a swanky environment. Sure there are some who are there just to see and be seen and that may turn a some people off but in reality I think Bavette’s is the sort of place with something for everyone and much like Sodikoff’s other projects it is a space that will be busy for many years to come.
The Why: It is a Scott Harris spot. It sells unique donuts. They serve Intelligentsia Coffee. It is next door to Publican Quality Meats.
The Service/Setting: Aside from having to walk down a flight of stairs and almost through the kitchen (actually, that part is kind of cool as the bakers are working diligently in a spotless kitchen making dough from scratch while jamming to the White Stripes) to get to the restroom there isn’t much to quibble about at Glazed and Infused – the service is great, the seating is comfortable and plentiful (try that at Doughnut Vault or Do-Rite,) and they have free Wi-Fi.
The food and drink: 1 Coffee, 2 Samples, and 6+1 Donuts. $19 total if my memory serves me.
German Chocolate and Salted Caramel Peanut Samples: Yeah, they freshly cut up samples while you’re there – warm, straight from the racks. For some, this might be a selling point for a particular special, but for me it was a way to try more and buy different ones…though both were good as the Cracker Jack tasting Caramel Peanut was intensely salty and more subdued in sweetness while the German Chocolate almost swayed me to buy a whole one as the cake was dense and moist, the topping impressively rich.
Pumpkin Bull’s-eye with Pumpkin Cream filling: Raised and topped with sweet frosting this yeasty creation was a daily special and with only two left we snagged one – the donut itself good, the filling intensely creamy and loaded with flavor…a veritable liquid cheesecake.
Oatmeal Raisin: Take the cookie, add raisins, craisins, granola, and deep fry it – that is exactly what this tastes like and if you love Oatmeal Raisin cookies this should be on your list. I actually went back to buy this one after trying one of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough versions because…well…
Apple Fitter, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: Generally favoring cake donuts to those that are raised and glazed the majority of our order went that way with each selection impressive while two others held up the other end of the sampling. With the carrot cake the least impressive of the quintet largely because it was a bit too much sweet and not enough carrot (particularly compared to that at Do-Rite) the fritter was very impressive, still warm, and much more subtle than the incredible hubcap of sugar at Old Fashioned while the Chocolate Chip Cookie dough made a pitch for my favorite cake based donut of all time – a cake doughnut that tasted precisely like a warm chocolate chip cookie…the only thing better would have been having it warm…or with Ice Cream.
Maple Bacon Long John, Crème Brulee: Having already mentioned my predilection for cake doughnuts over raised or filled I’ll start off my saying these two were certainly impressive specimens for their genre, though neither rivaled the light and airy versions at Doughnut Vault (or butter bombs at Brooklyn’s Dough.) Beginning first with the Creme Brulee – a flavor I’d tried before at New York’s Doughnut Plant this custard filled creation with a crackling shell was good, but much like that in NYC the shell tasted ‘off’ – a little too caramelized and though not burnt, a bit ‘charred.’ Moving next to the Maple Bacon…a new classic seemingly ubiquitous on donut menus these days…well you’d really have to try to fail with savory pork and intense pure maple frosting and Glazed and Infused certainly didn’t fail with this enormous offering, particularly in the quality of the bacon which was clearly baked, not oily, and plenty smoky.
The Verdict: An eclectic collection of donuts with superior ingredients, great location, top notch service, Intelligentsia, free Wi-Fi, and free samples I can’t say I liked the raised options as much as Doughnut Vault but without a doubt the overall quality of the cake doughnuts is comparable to the best in the country – now, if only Scott and the Francesca’s Restaurants group could send one out to the Valley…
The Why: Paul Kahan. Fulton Street. House made charcuterie. Part store, part deli, entirely awesome.
The Service: Superlative – the place is ALWAYS busy and yet everyone from the butchers to the clerks to the waiters is smiling…so are the patrons…even if the wait for a table topples 45 minutes.
The Food: Free Samples, 2 sandwiches, 3 desserts, and a long walk between us and the MoCA.
Blood Sausage and Beef Heart Samples: Short of the charcuterie shops in Paris handing out Foie Gras like a Sample-Saturday at Wal-Mart you’d be hard pressed to find anyplace dolling out better quality samples than PQM – the blood sausage especially was funky, firm, and very impressive.
PB&L: Probably the most famed sandwich at PQM this spicy piperade laden lamb and pork belly sausage tinged with feta and cilantro on a buttered lobster roll is worth whatever the wait (and weight.) Spicy but restrained, tender and smoky, plus a crisp roll – the flavor sort of reminded me of Tony Packo’s famous Hungarian sausages back in Toledo, but the use of a peppery piperade instead of hefty meat sauce kept it light while the sausage itself had a soft and supple texture and snappy casing. Messy and probably not best for walking across town, we made do without incident.
Muffaletta: After tasting the semi-sweet and low-dairy slaw plus a pickle to refresh our palates we moved onto the Muffaletta, in this case about 1/3 the size of the one at Central Grocery in NOLA, and at least twice as good with fatty prosciutto cotto paired against spicy chorizo and dry, briny toscano. Finished with olive salad hefty on olives and garlic but light on carrots plus shaved cabbage, olive oil, and bright and punchy giardiniera all on pillowy focaccia I think we both agreed that this was even better than the PB&L, and a bit easier to manage on the go.
Cornmeal Cherry Cookies: Admitting that the place is called Publican Quality Meats and that Glazed and Infused is right next door the desserts at PQM were not as impressive as the sandwiches, but at the same time when a slightly dry cornmeal cherry cookie is the ‘lowlight’ you’re still probably doing a good job. Great crumb, great flavor, but just a bit dry this would have gone better with soup or a stew than with a sandwich.
Chocolate Chip Cookie: Slightly dry, much like the cornmeal cookie, but loaded with thick dark chocolate chunks as opposed to ‘chips’ and tinged with cinnamon and vanilla this was another good bite – one I imagine would have been even better served warm (or warmed up at home.)
Apple Almond Cream Galette: The best of the desserts by a pretty substantial margin, this golden pie would not be out of place at many of patisseries – particularly in Chicago. Golden on the crust with sweet local apples stewed and rested in light almond cream it was sweet yet creamy with the almond flavors slightly subdued at first, but coming through nicely with subsequent bites closer to the center.
The Verdict: I’d already been here once in the past to pick up supplies and if I lived locally I’d be here far more frequently. Great products, great people, and not just “another piece” in Kahan’s growing empire but a piece whose products supply the others and show an impressive commitment to quality and service.
The Gist: No Website, BYOB, Breakfast and Lunch only.
The Why: Located in a city that I consider to have the best breakfast/brunch scene in the United States Batter & Berries I knew walking into this new Lincoln Park location that I was taking a risk – passing up another chance to dine at Bongo Room, Southport, m.henry, or 2 Sparrows in favor of the ‘new kid on the block’ – but focused on all-natural ingredients, honest-to-goodness local sourcing, and innovative breakfast/brunch/lunch dishes with a lot of tongue-in-cheek nods to the south Batter & Berries seemed like my sort of place.
The Reservation/Setting/Service: As one might expect from such a place, reservations are not necessary (nor taken,) though arriving around 8:45am on a Friday the traffic was still good, approximately ten tables turned during my 45 minute meal and with the space brightly lit, the music cheerful, and Chef Rylon checking in on tables frequently. With a coffee/pastry bar set at the center of the room and kitchen in back as only one server worked the room I’ll note that coffee went empty more than once, but aside from that Sam was pleasant, efficient, and full of knowledge and recommendations related to a rather extensive menu.
The food and drink: Coffee ($3) and Water, two entrees – $13 each.
La Colombe Coffee: Brewing Nizza with its characteristic deep caramel notes Batter & Berries had me at ‘hello’ with the coffee selection, though I will note that consistent with the all-natural theme only Stevia and Sugar in the raw are offered as sweeteners making me glad I’d pilfered a plethora of Equal from the Skyharbor Airport the day before.
Super Flight: Suggested by Sam as a way to make the most of the menu this plate featured half a slice of each daily French Toast option, on that day inclusive of blueberry, strawberry, lemon, caramel, and French vanilla. Generally a fan of maple syrup with my breakfast sweets but with none offered on this plate what I received would actually prove to be some of the best French Toast I’ve ever tasted as each piece of buttery brioche was infused with custard of a different flavor and subsequently topped with complimentary compote, spread, or cream. Crisp on the exterior and custard soft within it would be hard to choose a favorite and although I must say $13 seemed a bit excessive for the portion this was definitely a situation where you got what you paid for, each bite as good as the last.
Cluck N Gaufre: Reportedly a dish slowly becoming their “signature” this one really came out of left field; I mean sure I expected chicken and waffles but I didn’t expect tender bits of cooked chicken INSIDE the sweet potato waffle in addition to the tender and juicy breast drizzled with nutmeg spiked hot sauce on top. Tender and crispy – sort of like a potato pancake but rife with savory notes – and finished off with maple butter this dish touched on all parts of the palate with both sweet and savory coming through with aplomb as sweet and heat competed for attention on the tongue.
The Verdict: Another standout in a breakfast and brunch scene that outshines even those of New York and San Francisco a breakfast meal at Batter & Berries does not come cheap, yet with items far more interesting than your average diner and a chef/owner that clearly cares about his product and his customers I’d place Chef Rylon’s little eatery on Lincoln in the same league with 2 Sparrows and Bongo Room for innovative brunch fare and while the service needs a little work (or the restaurant needs more servers) I’d not hesitate to return or recommend it to anyone looking for a great breakfast.
The Why: They serve pie, biscuits baked fresh all day, and coffee at 7:00am. Add in the fact that everything is natural – the pumpkins for the pumpkin pie literally being roasted and seeded while you watch – and the question should be “why not?”
The Setting: Great service, friendly but busy people, and an industrial chic design with a wide open kitchen, smiling employees, and surprisingly cozy/comfy tables and chairs. Taking into the account the area you can rest assured that the facial hair, flannel, and skinny jean contingent will be high but just try to ignore them – it’s better that way.
The food: 2 Biscuits ($2.50 each), 2 slices of Pie ($5 each).
Biscuits – Big, Buttery, and fluffy as a cloud the biscuits are awesome, but what really puts them over the edge is the half dozen accoutrements; 2 jams and 4 butters – the former featuring delicately scented Cherry Rose and intense Cranberry Ginger Jams while the later including chive, salted, tomato, and outstanding black pepper honey butters. With a substantial eating agenda for the day we limited ourselves to one a piece, but I’d have happily eaten a half dozen.
Sweet Potato Pie – Beginning first with the crust, crisp and flaky with plenty of butter and lard this is without a doubt one serious pie and yet moving on to the filling is where things got even better as the interior itself featured a savory custard rife with cinnamon and spice balanced by a hefty dollop of house whipped cream. Sweet but not overly so and smooth as Robuchon’s potatoes in texture I’ve not had a better version anywhere.
Pumpkin Pie – While some may say this is essentially the same as sweet potato pie I wholeheartedly disagree, particularly in this case where the never-canned and roasted-in-house filling is vastly less sweet than that what many are used to while smoky top notes greet the palate point and counterpoint with a light dusting of sweetened pumpkin seed brittle. Good, and quickly devoured by my sister this definitely isn’t your local grocery store pie, though I imagine some traditionalists might be disappointed.
The Verdict: A nice location with great ethics and top quality ingredients I’d definitely return to Bang Bang Pie for either the biscuits or the pies but in a city with such dynamic dining options I cannot say I’d go out of my way for it. Great for the area and clearly embraced by the local hipster culture I’m glad to see them doing well, but compared to a place like Pies n’ Thighs in Brooklyn the menu needs a bit more to it to make this place ‘destination dessert’ worthy given the price.
The Why: With the Michelin Guide for Chicago an ever disappointing mess compared to those in other cities and three of the 2* locations closing during the past year I’d originally booked Alinea for a fourth visit during this trip to Chicago but in the months between securing that ticket and my first vacation from Arizona in four months my curiosity got the best of me – just who was this Thomas Lents and why was his cuisine garnering such raves on the sixteenth floor of the Trump tower…as much as I love Alinea this was a case of something new and shiny taking precedence over the tried and true.
The Reservation: Far less difficult than one at Alinea I simply used Opentable and with my flight to Midway arriving at 5:00pm I played it safe with an 8:00pm table for two while transferring my tickets on Halsted to a friend and his wife (they loved the experience, as I knew they would.)
The Space: To call Sixteen swanky would be an understatement – while opinions vary on Trump the man it would be foolish to assume anything but refinement and opulence in the spaces bearing his name. From the warm greeting at the front door to the chrome and marble elevators leading to the sixteenth floor each step of our trip through Trump International Hotel was met with smiles and “yessirs” and with a location in the center of downtown our emergency to the dining room was met with dramatic 30+ foot ceilings, a million dollar wine collection in dual glass wine rooms, and a million dollar chandelier hanging high above while the Wrigley Clock Tower and Lake Michigan stared back at us through the windows. With perhaps twenty tables in the dining room and all covered with fine linen, crystal, and polished silver throughout the night everything about the room drips with luxury – the thread counts high, the two-tops large enough for four, and easily six feet separating each table.
The Service: With a dining room manager circulating throughout the night and our captain, Rick, a beacon of knowledge the majority of our service at Sixteen was exemplary and neither myself nor my friend were ever left for want of anything but all things being equal the back servers and assisting waiters still need a bit of work to match the lofty goals of the restaurant and its chef – cumbersome descriptions often went on too long and bobbled ingredient names were not uncommon, but on the whole these are minor quibbles to which the average diner would pay no attention…and rest assured, there are many “average diners” at Sixteen as witnessed by quick turnover of businessmen asking for multiple dish modifications and single a la carte dishes as they “have a plane to catch.”
The Food: There are four menus – a 4-course, 8-course, and the 16-course – we opted for the 16 + optional cheese course and passed on the white truffle supplement. My friend purchased an excellent bottle of wine. Canapes, water, bread service, mignardises, and take-home gift were complimentary.
Canapes – Sweet Kettle Corn with black pepper and lemon, Lake Michigan fried smelt with tartar sauce, Mortadella Gougere with green tomato relish: An intriguing trio of bites, each quite savory and full of varying textures, but the second by far the most impressive as the crisp skin gave way to nearly liquid fish that when tinged with the bright tartar sauce reminded me of brandade.
“Grape”
1 Verjus – Grape, Ginger: With the menu divided into themes, ‘grape’ began with this amuse preceding bread service and almost immediately Chef Lents’ time with Joel Robuchon became apparent as a champagne glass filled with white verjus Jell-O, ginger beer foam, frozen champagne grapes, lime zest arrived in a lacquered box and with instructions to get “a bit of everything in each bite” the flavor profile was shockingly quite like champagne despite none actually being present. Sweet but also slightly bracing and altogether refreshing it was a great start.
California Goat Butter with Lavender, Cow’s Milk Butter from Normandy, Tuscan Olive Oil emulsification with black sea salt/French Baguette, Bacon and Stone Ground Mustard, Ciabatta with Sea Salt, Onion and Chive, Rye and Wheat: Second only to L2o’s bread service on my list of Chicago restaurants I’ll simply say the bread man visited our table frequently and the butter service was replenished twice – a lover of bread and carbs in general the Baguette was as good as many in France and the Ciabatta was crisp on the interior with heavy salting and a lovely moist crumb while each spread was superlative – the Cow’s butter reportedly the same as that used in the Robuchon empire and the goat butter unmistakably funky but slightly sweet.
2 Sole Veronique – Pressed Grape Sauce: The first of many tableside preparations, this plate featured tender sole roasted in butter along with lobster mushrooms, pearl onions, and raw grapes at its base with a lively sauce of roasted Thompson grapes with rosemary and garlic poured from a French press as the plate was described. A lighter take on the classic Veronique lacking both cream and flour this dish, like the one prior, would not have been out of place at Robuchon’s 3* location on the Vegas strip.
“Stream”
3 Trout Tartar – Crisp Skin, Bones: The dish of the night for my friend – and more surprisingly for myself – this plate nearly resembled Bao on arrival but what was instead delivered featured a tartar of Gravlax inside a light crème fraiche meringue alongside trout caviar, fried skin and bones, and a bit of chickweed. An entirely different take on serving the ‘whole’ fish everything simply clicked – the tastes, the textures, and even the plating all dramatic yet refined.
4 Cured Trout – Leek, Apple: The least inspiring course of the evening, though still quite good, featured a cut of Ruby Trout that was cold smoked and then confited served over sorrel puree along with smoked crème fraiche, sea beans, charred leeks, apple, and celery root. Another light and beautiful dish I think there was simply too much smoke and char in this presentation to properly appreciate the fish.
5 Trout Souffle – Beet, Horseradish, Rye: With a cured preparation and a smoked version already accounted for the last dish featured sashimi grade trout at the base of a horseradish soufflé served alongside a caraway tuille, sliced apples, Golden Beets, Purple Cuyahoga beets, and a “rye sponge.” Another light dish with each ingredient serving a purpose I was particularly impressed by just how well the horseradish worked to accent the trout without overwhelming while the beets and apple tamed the spice.
“Pumpkin”
6 Kabocha – Cardamom, Chestnut: Moving on to heartier flavors this creamy potage featured a veloute of Kabocha squash along with roasted chestnuts, a touch of heat from espelette pepper, and plenty of aromatics from the ginger and cardamom foam. Large in portion and moreso in flavor with salty toasted pumpkin seeds tossed in for texture this was yet another highlight of the night.
7 Turbot – Salsify, Pumpkin: Perhaps the most interesting pairing of the evening the turbot was first presented whole and then plated in the kitchen over top of confit pumpkin, stinging nettles, and roast salsify before being bathed in a butter stock of lobster, capers, and sundried tomato. Rich but well balanced and drizzled tableside with pumpkin seed oil the fish itself was beautifully prepared but it was the stock that really shined – each drop sopped up yet another baguette.
8 Pumpkin and Foie Gras – Parmesan: Equally unique as the course that preceded it this parfait of “sweet and sour” pumpkin, foie gras mousse, Madeira wine, pumpkin gastrique, and pumpkin seeds baked with black pepper was a dynamic blend of flavors and textures that suffered only one flaw – the fact that it was only a few spoonfuls when I’d have preferred it by the bowl.
“Truffle”
9 Truffle – Shirred Egg: Following one of my favorite ingredients with another the silver lining of Dave not enjoying runny eggs is the fact that I was able to enjoy this course twice. Quadruple plated in the style of Keller’s Oysters and Pearls and featuring brown butter roasted truffles and truffle sabayon inside the lightly poached egg this was a course you could smell from across the room – luxury in excess bolstered by accoutrements of truffle butter toasts and a frisee salad with truffle vinaigrette.
10 Pig Trotter – Pomme Puree: Answering his own question of “what happens when a truffle pig eats the truffles?” with the quip “you eat the pig” we were presented a simple and delicious preparation of Berkshire pork loin alongside a trotter stuffed with truffled sausage and buttery mashed potatoes drizzled with truffle pork jus. Hearty to be sure and interestingly placed on a menu with three savories yet to come this was another course where the bread service was put to good use, the plate retuning to the kitchen spotless.
“Game”
11 Guinea Hen – Matsutake, Pine: Following pork with poultry the first course of three wild-caught options featured a moist pave of guinea hen breast served over Brussels sprout leaves, pine nuts, and an aromatic pine espuma along with confit leg meat. Intended by the chef to serve the hen in its natural habitat between the forest and the field I was most impressed by the finesse of the pine in this course, a note on the palate but far from the dominant and cloying flavor it can be when employed by less skilled hands.
12 Venison – Juniper, Cranberry: Locally shot, pan seared, and ash crusted my buddy’s eyes lit up at this presentation and although he was admittedly getting quite both of our plates returned to the kitchen empty. Rich and funky unlike so much of the farm raised deer seen on menus elsewhere and served with toasted Tuscan kale, sweet potato leaf, and cranberry blood-orange moustarda plus a drizzle of gin/juniper jus this was quite possibly the best deer dish I’ve ever had – so tender that it could be cut with the edge of a fork and exceedingly moist for something so lean.
13 Wild Hare – Civet, Risotto: Shot in Scotland just a day prior and cooked in mirepoix it seemed almost impossible that Chef Lents could find something bolder than the venison to serve as the final savory and yet here it was. Rich, nutty, and teaming with herbs and spices atop rye-berry risotto with a light bay leaf cream this was a perfect conclusion to a menu that effortlessly moved from something as light as champagne to a dish as hearty as stew.
Supplemental Cheese Course: Apparently something brand new to Sixteen the cheese was presented tableside first and with Dave quite full I decided to go with the $15 Epoisses course while he rested and although I generally prefer a carte to a composed cheese it would be hard to argue with a thick dollop of Epoisses served alongside white truffles, rye crisps, figs, and fig puree plus raisin toast and a small pour of Belgian Tripel Karmeliet that even to my beer-naïve-self proved to be a lovely counterpoint to the richness of the cheese and truffles.
“Orchard”
14 Pink Pearl Apple – Walnut, Sorel: A simple palate cleanser of tart apples, nutty walnut hash, and herbal sorel infused verjus was a nice refresher after the hefty cheese course.
15 Cider – Goat’s Milk, Brown Butter: Titled after the warm glass of 5-apple cider arriving alongside the elongated plate the penultimate course of the Sixteen signature menu featured a vast array of apples in the form of a crispy fritter, apples sous-vided with caramel, candied apple skins, and apple butter alongside a brown butter sponge cake and fresh goat’s milk ice cream. Hot and cold, creamy and crunchy, sweet and salty – a deconstructed apple pie served a la mode and a different experience with each spoonful.
16 Chocolate – Bourbon, Wood: A dainty portion, but just enough given the hefty flavors within, the last proper plate presented vanilla ice cream aged in bourbon barrels stuffed inside bitter chocolate logs alongside maple syrup, condensed apple butter, and barley streusel. Rich and smoky, just a touch sweet, and perfectly paired with a bold French press of highland Chiapas.
Mignardises: Presented on a trolly and described at length by our server, Sixteen’s collection of candies and confections are entirely made in house and meant to focus on both local favorites and whimsical childhood classics including “Dots,” Cracker Jack, Andes Mints, Butterfingers, Tootsie Rolls, Baby Ruth, three types of cotton candy (pecan, coconut, and rose,) three sucker selections (green apple, cinnamon, and rootbeer,) plus a pair of truffles – one milk chocolate filled with pear and the other a dark chocolate praline. Plentiful and fun, both myself and my friend took the ‘one of each approach’ and although nothing was particularly wowing I personally enjoyed the cracker jack and tootsie rolls.
Apple Turnover: Along with a copy of the menu dated to the day Lents’ Sixteen received its first Michelin Star our take home gift was a buttery apple turnover and amongst the last to leave we were each given a pair – the first eaten on the spot and the second going home to my sister…to say the least this most certainly wasn’t your morning toaster pastry.
The Verdict: Having mentioned the impetus for my visit to Sixteen, the meal I gave up in its place, and the irony of dining on the day Lents cooking was recognized by the red guide all I can say is that I could not have been happier with my first visit to the sixteenth floor of Trump International Tower and I anticipate plenty more accolades and stars for the young chef over the coming months and years. From the beautiful room and glorious view to the colors, textures, and flavors on the plate there is little doubt in my mind that Sixteen has the ambition and capability to become a world-class destination restaurant and while it may never be the ‘best’ restaurant in Chicago I don’t think second place is unrealistic – or such a bad thing given the competition.
When I started this blog I did so for fun – as a way to preserve memories and to focus my mind on the sometimes transient (and sometimes transcendent) experiences behind me. I later found that by sharing my experiences I was helping others, both the people going to the restaurant and those running the restaurant, and through that I’ve made some great friends in a variety of cities. In many ways this blog gives back as much as it takes to maintain…
As of tomorrow I depart on my first vacation in 4 months to visit my sister, family, and friends in Chicago and upon my return the blog will revert to its old/wordy format…but with that being said, something will be lost; a handful of meals from May 17th to July 4 ranging from DC to Baltimore to Philadelphia in one trip, New York/New Jersey in another, and finally a cross country jaunt from Louisville to Phoenix by way of St. Louis, Kansas City, Santa Fe, and more. The reasons for this decision include but are not limited to the Los Angeles Kings miraculous run to the Stanley Cup, a cross country move and home purchase, the endocrine boards, and “life” in general. Sure, some of these meals (Blanca, Rogue24) have already received copious posts and a few others (Blue Hill at Stone Barns and The American Restaurant to be sure) will as well, but the others will unfortunately be relegated to a picture stream, plate descriptions, and a summary. As always, comments posted will be answered swiftly so if there are questions I encourage you to post.
As always, I thank you all for reading – discounting the spam bots this site will have generated damn near 750,000 million hits by year’s end – and while I still cannot figure out why so many people value my random wordiness I’m happy to be able to give back and look forward to hearing from and/or meeting many of you in the months and meals to come.
The Why: Helmed by Chef Cullen Campbell and highly praised by local palates I respect Crudo seems to have all the things I’d hope for in a local restaurant; high quality sourcing, a strong sense of community, and a unique but focused menu – in this case raw seafood, hand pulled mozzarella, and house-made pastas.
The Reservation: Opentable. Even on a Saturday night the space was only ~3/4 full and arriving nearly an hour early a seat was easily accomidated, first at a two-top but subsequently moved to the communal table at my request because I couldn’t imagine sitting next to the couple at my left for another minute, let alone hour.
The Setting: Kind of a cool spot, heavily wooded with painted brick walls, a lot of green, and glass baubles containing lights above and candles on the table. With one communal table at center and two-to-four tops around the edges plus a bar to the left on entry the location behind a non-descript strip mall is unquestionably low budget yet at the same time comfortable and welcoming.
The Service: …to say my service at Crudo was perfunctory would be an understatement. Beginning first with kitchen timing; a 25 minute delay between course 2 and 3 (from pick-up to delivery) with my waitress stopping by twice to say it would ‘be right out’ is poor form. Additionally, while speaking of my waitress, considering the fact that I was obviously interested in the food it would have been nice if she acted more interested in me as a diner – instead she did not inquire even once as to how I enjoyed a dish and asking questions felt more like attempting to drag forth information while she instead spent time describing the menu at length to a needy woman who wanted all her dressing on the side and modifications to myriad dishes. Perhaps I’m a bit presumptuous here, but if someone is there (with, or without a camera) dining solo they are clearly there because they are passionate about the food and if a server chooses to ignore that it is evidence that he or she cannot read a diner and thus should not be in that position – particularly when the other servers were engaging their tables between each course and even brought the Chef out to say hello.
The food: 5-course Prix-Fixe $55, $12 Dessert, $7 Pigs Ears (listed online as $5.) No bread service, no extras.
Crispy Pig Ears – chili vinaigrette: Setting the tempo early, this dish is all about flavor and while the texture is largely that of the crackling pork ears and chewy cartilage within the flavor is a bit sweet, a bit sour, a lot of heat and a lot of porky sapor. Can’t say I ‘get’ the price discrepancy (or why it is so difficult for restaurants in general to update their online menu) but this is a good choice at $5 or $7.
Butterfish – tomato, lardo, arugula: Call me crazy, but I don’t really get the fuss over this dish; sure the smooth texture and mild flavor of the fish are conducive to the overall flavor arc, but with the lardo shaved particularly thin and the oven-dried tomatoes quite intense there simply was not much here that could not have been achieved with a bit of salt and fresh sliced tomato; the flavor something akin to a bland BLT and the arugula not particularly notable at all.
Grilled Mozzarella – tomato, grilled date, basil: For my money the best savory course of the night – a strong compliment considering the fact that a lot of the food was quite good – this was simple and intense, each ingredient packing serious flavor and all brought into harmony by the smoky warm mozzarella. Served with olive oil brushed grilled bread I’ll note here that if you desire more than a single skimpy slice (with this, or with any other course) you should ask well in advance, and if you have my server ask twice as it is likely to be forgot.
Mushroom – mozzarella, truffle, egg: I love eggs, but the overcooked white and half-set yolk in this dish really added nothing to the earthy amalgam of mushrooms and mozzarella. Texturally accented by toasted brioche and meeting with a hefty drizzle of truffle oil (I do not believe any actual truffle was harmed in the making of this dish) this was without a doubt the most texturally interesting savory of the evening and although I only received another slice of bread after the remaining juices had turned cool I still wiped this one clean before sending it back to the kitchen.
Risotto – Squid Ink, Chili, Tuna, Tomato: Apparently a bit of a signature dish at Crudo (and the only one my server would offer an opinion on aside from ‘everything is really good’) I must say that although I’ve had better risotto in terms of texture, the balance of flavors here was really something else – a subtle sweetness from the tomatoes melding beautifully with light heat from the chilis and the confit tuna’ bold flavor standing up admirably in the face of the slightly gummy rice.
Porkbelly – smoked tomato agrodolce: Fatty and funky with crackly skin resting atop toothsome and creamy polenta this was pork belly as it should be and showing a deft hand with tomatoes for the fourth of my five prix-fixe courses the smoked reduction here cut the fat perfectly – simply a great dish and a surprisingly large portion.
Apple Frangipane Tarte: Outsourcing their desserts to Tracy Dempsey Originals I knew the quality here would be high and with a boring sounding panna cotta vs. a potted Tiramisu that looked quite good as my other options the tarte was a clear winner – the crust a dense shortbread and the filling a rich but light almond paste with caramel roasted apples topped off with a bit of whipped cream. While I personally think any self-respecting restaurant of this caliber should be making their desserts in house it would be hard to quibble with choosing Ms. Dempsey who is now 4 for 4 in my book.
The Verdict: Ringing in at nearly $100 after tax and tip I walked out of Crudo with mixed emotions on almost everything; the food was good and sometimes great yet at other times flawed and featuring redundant flavors throughout the night while the service was competent – we’ll leave it at that. In an interesting turn of events, having booked through Opentable the team at Crudo additionally opts to send diners a survey of the night afterward and when asked for my opinion I gave it – a response e-mail returning a few hours later from GM Maureen McGrath stating “We are truly sorry for the lack of attention that you did not recieve while dining here. We want everyone to feel comfortable and welcomed at our establishment. We hope that you do return and let us show you a wonderful time from start to finish. If you do return please call and ask for me as I would like to personally apologize. Thank you for your comments regarding your experience as it helps us evolve as a business.” Aside from the typos I appreciate the sentiments and maybe at some point I’ll go back, but at this price point there is a lot of good eating to be done in Phoenix and I can’t say I’m in a rush to return.
The Why: Generally not one to visit chains – even mini-chains deemed best new concept by respected publications – I have to admit that when a fellow gourmand posted photos of the croque madame at Del Frisco’s Grille’s new brunch I swooned a little bit; little did I know that less than a week later I’d receive an invite from Allie Marconi of MMPR Marketing to attend a complimentary blogger’s brunch on November 3rd at 12:30pm. Equally fond of these events (perhaps less so) than I am of chains given the inherent biases involved I will say that I waxed and waned as to whether I should attend but after e-mailing Allie and being assured that “We would never want to limit your creativity and definitely want you to feel as though you can write as freely as you choose. The brunch will be a la carte, so you will be ordering items from the menu provided in the invitation. You can also bring a +1” I gathered up a friend and confirmed that we would be there.
The Space: Located directly across from the Biltmore, or directly in front of the AMC Esplanade 14 depending on how you look at it, Del Frisco’s Grille is a swanky space befitting the upscale location and with high ceilings, an airy design giving way to a lovely patio, and an open kitchen juxtaposing a well stocked bar and walls of wine the space has all the curves and contours of a modern top end steakhouse without feeling heavy or bourgeois in the least. Light and sexy with blonde wood, black lacquer, and beige tile throughout an added bonus on this particular afternoon was the four televisions each visible from the outdoor patio, each showing a different college football game (including the Buckeyes.)
The Service: Expecting superlative service given the nature of the meal I have to say things fell a little short in this regard largely because I’m pretty sure no one had informed the servers of exactly how the event was supposed to go. With the brunch menu provided by Allie clearly the point of our visit we were instead presented with both the standard lunch menu plus the brunch menu and informed by our server that we could only select two items – a clear aberration of what I was told by e-mail that was eventually straightened out by the GM leading to smooth sailing from there on out with a 3-course meal presented with excellent descriptions of concepts and sourcing by competent servers led by our captain, a fellow Columbus transplant happy to discuss all things Ohio – especially those relating to the colors Scarlet and Grey.
The Food: Four plates from the brunch menu, two desserts, coffee, and a carafe of Sangria (all on the house.)
White Sangria – Pinot Grigio, White Peach Purée, Peach Schnapps, Fresh Berries: I generally don’t imbibe even if someone else is paying, but with our server insisting and my friend up for some morning libations we opted for this; a very good choice with three of my favorite fruits working nicely with the dry white wine. Careful not to drink too much as I still had a full day before me I’d venture to say I drank about two glasses and could definitely see spending an afternoon at Del Frisco’s as a valid option for those wanting to watch the game without the clamor of a sports bar.
Croque Madame: A must order when present on the menu for myself but an item previously unknown to my friend this take on the French classic featured a rather young Gruyere along with American white cheddar cheese, thin slices of jambon, and light sauce Mornay atop toasty whole grain bread. Presented alongside a light salad with a touch of vinaigrette and topped off with an over-easy (and unfortunately slightly overcooked) egg this would prove to be the weakest of the day’s six selections largely due to the mildness of the ham, crustiness of the bread, and relative lack of runniness from the yolk.
Southern Fried Chicken and Waffles: I was admittedly a bit weary of this dish since many upscale restaurants seem to be tackling this southern comfort food trend lately but after some debate between this and the benedict I think we made the right choice. Featuring a trio of mini cornmeal waffles each topped with a crisp and juicy breast of chicken plus a strip of crispy hickory smoked bacon what really set this dish apart was the crystal hot sauce spiked maple syrup. Soft and doughy meets crisp and juicy meets sweet and spicy – perhaps it wasn’t as ‘down home’ as Lo-Lo’s or as refined as Bouchon but either way it was pretty damned good.
Banana and Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast: If a picture says a thousand words then I simply suggest you look at the image above – from the caramelized bananas to caramelized crust on the custard soaked brioche this was amongst the best French toast preparations I’ve had in recent memory. Creamy meets crunchy and loaded with flavor even before the addition of Grand Marnier spiked maple syrup this was the dish of the afternoon without question and paired with the same thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon as the waffles the only thing that could have made this better was a tableside flaming a la bananas foster.
Red Velvet Belgian Waffle: Trying to decide between the lemon ricotta pancakes and this as our second sweet course was the flip of a coin but in the end these turned out to be quite good and far less predictable than I’d expected. With all things appearing in Red Velvet ever since the cupcake craze began my biggest fear was that there would be nothing “Belgian” about these waffles, but what arrived was actually quite impressive as the quartered waffle was slightly yeasty and plenty raised with a crisp exterior giving way to a steamy and soft interior with hints of cocoa as opposed to being over the top chocolate. Again graced with bacon and drizzled rather than slathered with whipped vanilla bean cream cheese the flavors were all nicely balanced and restrained – a very well executed dish and a great choice for those not wanting an egg dish but also not wanting something quite as sweet as the French toast.
Nutella Bread Pudding: With coffee, a great blend with good cocoa notes and a bit of caramel roasted specially for Del Frisco’s, served I explained to our server that although I realized the complimentary dishes were limited to the brunch menu I would gladly pay the $10 for dessert as I simply couldn’t justify leaving without trying the bread pudding…but in the end, no check arrived. What did arrive next, however, can only be described as everything Mike likes in one gooey pile with a crisp exterior giving way to a nearly molten center rife with buttery cubes of brioche sealed together with Nutella. While I’d be foolish to call the dish ‘subtle’ in any way since it is certainly not for those without a serious propensity for the hazelnut spread, the team at Del Frisco’s actually did a rather impressive job in attempting to add some levity to the dish with a surprisingly light ball of nearly espresso intense house-made coffee ice cream drizzled with caramel. All in all it was my favorite dish of the afternoon and certainly on par with the bread pudding at The Mission for best in the Valley.
Pumpkin Cheese Cake with Gingersnap Crust: Not requested (or even on the menu) the GM opted to end our meal with this – a seasonal special that I generally would not have ordered but something that both of us really enjoyed as the lightly whipped no-bake amalgam of pumpkin, pumpkin spice, mascarpone, and cream cheese was intense in taste but light on the stomach while a crust of gingersnaps and a dab of crème fraiche acted as point/counterpoint serving to highlight both the sweet and savory aspects of the squash admirably.
The Verdict: With my ‘comp-disclosure’ fully noted and the inherent biases of such a review set aside to focus strictly on the food I will simply say that although I generally don’t venture into chains (or free meals) I really enjoyed my afternoon at Del Frisco’s Grille. While not every dish was a knockout everything was entirely serviceable and the kitchen did manage to wow my taste buds with three of the items – all dishes that I tend to seek out on a menu regardless of where I am, and thus compared to a relatively large sample size. Pairing the French toast, the Chicken and Waffles, and the Bread Pudding with good coffee, a nice patio, four televisions featuring four different games, free valet, and good company I really cannot think of a better way to have spent Saturday afternoon…though a Buckeyes win and a zero-bill certainly did not hurt.
…it would be unfair for me to say that I didn’t go into the FnB vs noca “Fried Chicken Throwdown” with high expectations – after superb meals at both restaurants in the past it seemed like a give-in that the food would be excellent and with Eliot Wexler and Pavle Milic both in attendance the hospitality was also guaranteed to wow. Considering the amount of hype surrounding the meal, all in good fun, I also expected a crowd and expedited service in order to turn tables – it is part of the reason I tend to forgo ‘event’ meals, but in this case I was willing to make an exception and pulled up to a seat at the counter – Charleen Badman to my left and Claudio Urciuoli to my right – just after 5:00pm.
With my thoughts on both of these fine restaurants, their talented chefs, and superlative staffs noted in other posts I’ll move right to the food – a $35 three course prix fixe where misinformed diners could theoretically choose something other than fried chicken for the second course plus a supplemental course of available for $8; a $55 meal with tax and tip.
House Focaccia: Served up warm this time around and excellent for mopping up sauces once again I still think noca could do better with their bread service – the brioche from the croque madame for instance, or more so the bread service that would arrive later in this very meal.
Frantoiana Soup – Assorted Fall Vegetables & Beans, EVOO: As I mentioned before, I really like both teams and although I’m not certain who was responsible for this dish I will assume it was Urciuoli given the Tuscan heritage of the bean and vegetable potage; unfortunately it just did not resonate with me at all. Earthy and aromatic to be sure, but largely lacking in spice or salt and with a slick mouthfeel that absolutely demanded bread a few bites and a bit of focaccia dunking was enough.
Mac and Cheese: The $8 side dish of the evening, also produced by Urciuoli, would unfortunately prove to be the second dud of the night and although one high profile reviewer seemed to like it the consensus amongst local gourmands (and the ladies seated next to me plus the gentleman behind me) was that this plate was not only undercooked, but also underseasoned. Featuring hefty rotelle cooked shy of al dente in a dense – and dare I say ‘gummy’ – cheese sauce lacking both boldness and brine this was another dish where a few bites was enough and even though I asked to take the leftovers home they invariably never made it past the waste canister outside.
Fried Chicken Competition Plate: Arriving as both entries served on the same plate without description of which team produced which the competition plate was a whole lot of food – two breasts, two legs, and four sides with two biscuits…and unlike the previous dishes everything was almost invariably wonderful. Beginning first with team noca (who reportedly won the competition by a single vote) the plate centered on golden brown chicken that was exquisitely juicy within and intensely crunchy with great buttermilk tones throughout and paired with spicy tomato sauce that seemed to be spiked with sriracha it was truly a great bird. Moving on to the sides, relatively standard mashed potatoes, buttery haricots vert, and a superlative honey-kissed biscuit that noca had been tweeting about all week rounded out the plate. If you ask me, drop the focaccia and talk to the boys at ideasinfood about using those biscuits year-round as the restaurant bread service.
Moving next to the FnB bird, similar but not quite as moist as that from noca, I particularly liked the manner in which Badman used a richer brine for her chicken as the bird itself carried a subtle buttermilk tone even without the breading, but with the breading not quite as crunchy I had to give it up to noca when it came time to vote. As to the sides – let’s just say I’m not a big coleslaw fan and the concept of pickling corn to a young man raised in the Midwest was quite unexpected, but the baking powder biscuit and funky giblet gravy were excellent. Left to my own devices the perfect plate on the evening would have been Urciuoli’s chicken, Badman’s gravy, and about ten more biscuits with a jar of honey.
Vanilla Cotton Candy and FnB’s butterscotch pudding: With the former a trademark piece of whimsy from noca and the later a trademark dessert of FnB that I’d had just two weeks earlier I have to say the pudding was better on this taste than I remember it being at FnB, perhaps an effect of temperature as it was cooler this time around and the nutmeg seemed more prominent. Still not on par with some of the better caramel or butterscotch puddings out there today, but a light finish to an otherwise very heavy meal.
…so with all of the above noted, I guess the final inevitable question is whether I came away from the Fried Chicken Throwdown satisfied and to that end I would have to suggest the answer is no. Generally one to avoid themed or ‘event’ meals as I personally consider dining out an event in and of itself I would have felt much happier with my $55 investment had the proceeds gone to charity or if the food had been, on the whole, truly transcendent but in the end my visit to noca that night lasted a mere 60 minutes and although the chicken was excellent I’ve had better, cheaper. A fun event to be sure and a nice way to see the collegial atmosphere of two of the valley’s best chefs I’ll be heading back to both restaurants without hesitation for as long as I live in Phoenix, but all things being equal I’m glad this wasn’t my first experience with either of them.
I generally don’t visit the same place more than once – a quick glance at my blog would prove this point; Alinea, Eleven Madison Park, Bouchon, and The Griddle Café round out a list of spots that I’ve experienced more than twice, and all are places where the food and the people made me want to go back as soon as I walked out the door. Sure there have been other restaurants that have stirred such emotions but for whatever reason – generally distance or a desire to try something new – I have not yet had the opportunity. With that said, I’ve now been to La Grande Orange Grocery and Pizzeria four times in four months and if you count Chelsea’s kitchen as part of the LGO empire that number becomes five – the most times I’ve been to any single space except perhaps the quick casual and fast food restaurants I frequented during my childhood and early years of college.
Described simply as “an organic coffee and breakfast bar, café, pizzeria, and funky retail grocery” La Grande Orange was one of the first places I visited on my seminal trip to Phoenix and the place I first suggested to my mother after driving cross country to pick up gifts for my sister and aunt back home. Sort of like The Cracker Barrel (for mainstream reference – I apologize to those I may have offended) or Southport Grocery and Café (more appropriately) in scope with a small store and bakery up front and a full-fledged kitchen/restaurant in back I’d originally planned to write my standard review of LGO and all of the things I’ve purchased, eaten, and loved but eventually decided that such a mission would be shortsighted and considering the fact that I now own a home in Phoenix also rather futile – unless they close/burn down or I move/die this list will simply grown and grow. Instead what I will do from here on out is seasonal updates with salient notes and pictures; from the black and white garden gnome salt&pepper shakers, toad banks and elk-horn knives to the baked goods, pancakes, and pizzas I love this place.
Ethiopian Reserve Coffee/Decaf/Black and Tan from ROC2: I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that at least half the reason I spend so much time at LGO is related to the free Wi-Fi and copious refills of coffee from The Roastery of Cave Creek. Owned and operated by Dave Anderson and Michael Smith with operations not far from my home I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy some of their single origins from Central America, but for a blend the two offered up at LGO are both excellent with brighter citrus notes accenting the Ethiopian and lower cocoa and earthen notes in the Black and Tan. Beats wildflower or paradise any day of the week in the battle for best freely refillable coffee.
Croque Madame with Whole Wheat, Tomato, Egg, Ham, Gruyere: I don’t like Dijon and as such I requested the Croque without and what I received was superlative as the savory ham and aged gruyere were briny and bold yet tamed admirably by the crusty bread and sweet, bright tomatoes. Topped off with a runny egg, sea salt, and just a touch of cracked pepper this wasn’t quite a traditional croque but it was delicious…though the accoutrements of sour pickles and sweet melon didn’t really ‘fit.’
Famous French Pancakes with honey, strawberries, and crème fraiche: My grandmother was Hungarian and as I remember it she was also a very good cook, a talent my mother unfortunately did not inherit save for a couple of dishes; one of these dishes was Hungarian palacsinta or sweet pancakes. Sort of like a French crepe but with a bit more tooth LGO’s “French Pancakes” reminded me much more of palacsinta than crepe and while others may think this a bad thing I thought it was sublime. When mom comes back to visit this is on the short list of ‘must tries.’
Baked Chicken Wings with Point Reyes Blue Cheese: From the “LGO Pizzeria” menu that begins service at 4pm on weekdays and 11am on weekends it’d be hard for me to imagine a better way to watch football in a public space than at La Grande Orange. Not a fan of bars, beers, or greasy bites LGO offers up a tasteful menu of traditional American gameday fare highlighted by these $1/ea. seared, seasoned, baked to order wings. Featuring organic chicken, plenty of heat, and just a bit of char what really sets these wings apart is how plump and juicy they remain even without frying and also the dressing – a sort of “ranch” with subtle sourness, lots of chives, and big chunks of bleu cheese throughout.
LGO Pizzeria Pizza – Half Classic Margherita and Half Roasted Corn with Laura Chenel Goat Cheese, Corn, roasted tomatoes, and basil: An interesting pie to say the least, what strikes me most about LGO’s pizza is the crust – a sort of sourdough starter that the team is making when the place opens at 6:30am and allowing to rise on the counter as lunch/dinner approaches. Topped with the superior ingredients that LGO is well known for and slathered with a lot of quality olive oil plus a bit of butter the crust gets a great crunch without getting much char and although the oven isn’t hot enough to generate the same blister as Bianco or Pomo (particularly as the bakers are opening/closing it frequently to put new pizzas in and take finished ones out) the structure remains supple with a great chew. Much more willing to go half/half than the vast majority of high end pizzerias these days I found the Margherita as good as the ingredients, though they went a bit light on the tomatoes for my tastes while the Roasted corn was excellent, the smoky sweetness of the corn proving a perfect foil to the punchy chevre.
Blueberry Muffin with Whole Wheat Streusel: Admitting my sweet tooth and wearing it on my sleeve, the first of many pastries sampled at LGO (aside from the Red Velvet Cupcake during my recruitment trip) was this, a killer whole wheat muffin topped with buttery cinnamon streusel and literally bursting with fresh blueberries. Clearly seasonal with their focus on using fresh, never frozen ingredients I was stunned by the quality of the berries as summer had recently come to a close but hefty in butter and berries while light and fluffy on the bite this was a great muffin.
Pumpkin Spice Muffin: A second muffin, this one just before Halloween, was even better than the first in terms of composition – and with a surprise burst of tangy cream cheese filling on the inside a contender for best pumpkin novelty I’ve had in recent memory. Big and bold with the flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg all perfuming the palate and moist like pumpkin pie without being wet I particularly loved the salty toasted pumpkin seeds topping off the muffin – a savory touch that worked nicely with the sweet filling.
English Muffin with Blackberry Preserves: Not technically a muffin like those above, but perhaps LGO’s most famous muffin (can be shipped worldwide by the dozen) this moist and doughy take on the classic is probably pretty good from your home toaster, but what makes it worth the $2 on site is the treatment – butter lacquered and cooked on the stovetop providing the outside a crisp bite that gives way to the pillow within. A bag of these and a jar of local honey, preserves, or pretty much any topping sold at LGO Grocery would make for a lovely start to Sunday breakfast at home.
Blackberry Almond Dumpling: If this is available at LGO you should do yourself a favor and buy two. Powder sugar dusted and crispy like a croissant on its exterior with a wispy pull-apart interior somewhere between the aforementioned croissant and a cinnamon roll this ‘dumpling’ was rife with frangipane and fresh blackberries, but more so with butter. Served warm and well-endowed to make a substantial mess of clothing both black and white I would recommend this one only as a fork and knife pastry, though any mess you make will be worth it.
Pistachio Chocolate Cream Puff: A cream puff per LGO but a dressed up Paris Brest to me this wheel of choux was perhaps not as texturally sound or traditional as some of the hazelnut versions of France and elsewhere but with crackling pastry topped with a cocoa shell and crunchy pistachios plus an interior of pistachio tinged pastry cream it would be hard to be disappointed by this one. Every bit as unique as Dominique Ansel’s Paris/NY but not quite as decadent I personally loved the sweet meets savory aspects of this one but would definitely go early as the shell was starting to get a bit moist by the time I enjoyed this around noon.
Crème Fraiche Coffee Cake: I’ll totally admit to being a sucker for coffee cake, and even more for butter cake – but prior to entering La Grande Orange that Saturday morning I had no idea there was crème fraiche cake. With the traditional style obviously focused on sour cream, or in the rare case cream cheese, this take would up the ante in the savories department and with sours nicely balanced by cinnamon and what I swear was cardamom and maybe even rosemary I could have eaten a whole loaf of this if LGO had provided me jam. With a fine crumb and delicately sweet this went great with coffee but I could see it equally well suited alongside afternoon tea and sandwiches or cheese.
Old Timer Cupcake: Having already enjoyed the Red Velvet cupcake on a prior visit (as well as the Red Velvet Cake from LGO at Chelsea’s Kitchen earlier that day) I decided to try the Old Timer on my most recent visit to LGO and while I’m not sure if you can call it a cupcake since it is covered top to bottom with a crunchy dark chocolate shell and therefore more like a Ding Dong (or King Don for you Midwesterners) it is still quite delicious as the dark chocolate shell, airy chocolate angel food cake, and light cream all come together much like the classic Hostess version, but with a bit less of the artificial sweetness. Great with a cup of coffee there is really nothing ‘special’ here, just a really good piece of chocolate cake that goes nicely with a cup of coffee (or a big glass of milk.)
AtoZ Cookie and French Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookie: Two more things that go great with milk or coffee, these half pound cookies are without a doubt amongst the best I’ve ever tasted. Two choices amongst a daily half-dozen or so each of these decadent creations sets a high standard for texture with the outer rim slightly crisp while the interior falls just short of ‘set’ but where they truly excel are the ingredients – the former a sort of kitchen sink concoction of corn flakes, caramel, oats, toffee, and who knows what else while the second is simply a perfect dark chocolate chunk cookie heavily garnished with a hefty shake of fresh flaked fleur de sel. Go early when they’re warm – and before they sell out.
Campfire Smores Brownie: In a word, decadent and in another, intense; for the chocolate lover this is an absolute must (but even then it is probably best shared.) Dense, moist, and rife with dark chocolate while house made marshmallows and graham crackers attempt to add some levity this certainly isn’t an everyday treat but as a capper to a an LGO pizza it worked quite nicely.
Having experienced such great food at the grocery and pizzeria a trip down 40th street to LGO Hospitality’s proper restaurant – Chelsea’s Kitchen – would prove to be much of the same and with brunch service starting at 9:30am I arrived just a few minutes after the doors opened to find the patio already partially filled as the warm sun and late October breeze filtered through the space. A large restaurant with an enormous open kitchen, plenty of seating, and vastly more parking than the grocery I’d heard some mixed things about Chelsea’s but with the same high standards of food, service, and setting I really enjoyed my visit – though perhaps not QUITE as much as my frequent stops down the street.
Hotcakes: Having asked my server, Jenna, if I could order the children’s hotcakes as a side dish to my main course I was instead offered the option of an individual cake for $2 (as opposed to the children’s $6) and happy to take her up on the offer the hotcake turned out to be light, fluffy, and golden brown; perhaps not the most exciting option on the menu but a textbook example of how a pancake should be done – particularly when paired with high quality pure maple syrup.
Dixie Pan-Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Vegetables: The main reason I visited Chelsea’s on the day that I did was because I was going to noca for the Fried Chicken showdown that evening – what better way to prepare for fried chicken than with fried chicken? With that noted, the comparison between the bird from Chelsea’s and that of noca, fnb, or any other are a little bit difficult because of the style of preparation, but all things being equal what I really enjoyed about the chicken at Chelsea’s was the moisture content of the meat and comparatively light breading overlying the well brined bird. Crisp and savory with just a bit of spice further enhanced by the peppery potatoes this was down home comfort food – like the hotcakes nothing fancy, just well-made with superior ingredients, though I will say the mashed potatoes and vegetables could have used a bit more salt…and the chicken was even better with a drizzle of the leftover maple syrup from the hotcakes.
Red Velvet Cake with Butter Pecan Gelato from Grateful Spoon and Fresh Mint: A thick slice of LGO’s classic cake served with a scoop of butter pecan gelato from Grateful Spoon and a mint leaf – much like my meal at Lo-Lo’s it wouldn’t have seemed right to end a breakfast of fried chicken without a slice of red velvet and while I still prefer the version at Lo-Lo’s overall it is only by the slimmest of margins and based entirely on a personal preference for a sweeter frosting, something La Grande Orange shies away from, instead focusing on the slightly sour notes to help temper the otherwise dense chocolate cake. Six of one, half dozen of the other – and the gelato was excellent, though more butter than pecan, and definitely upping the dish’s sweetness factor but a significant degree.
A great room and a lovely patio with professional service and fresh, natural, and delicious food I’m sure I’ll find myself back a Chelsea’s Kitchen soon – but likely not before a good dozen additional visits to the grocery and pizzeria.
Sometimes I can be a little hardheaded – the sort who doesn’t do something simply because everyone keeps telling him he has to – the sort who has never seen Titanic, for instance, and never will. That said, when a fellow gourmand tells me a restaurant is really good I rarely resist – except in the case of FnB – a space that no less than four people whose palates I trust had been telling me to visit for quite some time but a restaurant whose menu had simply never ‘wowed’ me despite multiple looks. Sure I’d heard the superlatives about Charleen Badman’s hand with fresh produce and of course I’d been made well aware of GM Pavle Milic’s quality customer service but what finally got me to commit was simply a menu change that brought about a plethora of fall produce – my favorite.
Considered by some to be the best restaurant in the area and by others to simply be a solid rustic locavore spot with an Arizona-centric wine list my arrival at FnB was unannounced largely because of my apprehension for the online menu’s accuracy (the website admittedly needs work) but after perusing the options I walked in to find the place nearly packed, only 2 seats at the bar open at 7:40pm on a Sunday night. Greeted at the hostess stand after a moment’s wait and asked if I had a reservation I stated I did not and after a short pause I was told that my seat would be needed by 9:00 for a “Late Night Love” reservation, but if I was willing they would seat me…not exactly ideal, but understandable and with that I was quickly taken to what I’d consider the best seat in the house; a spot at the U-shaped bar with full view of every inch of the kitchen.
Seated high with pigs, pumpkins, and candles between myself and the trio of chefs and with the menu resting before me it would not be long before my water was filled and my server arrived – a young woman asking if it was my first time at FnB and then proceeding to explain the fact that they are ‘small plates,’ ‘locavore,’ etc until I politely cut her off and stated the explanation was unnecessary and I was ready to order; 2 appetizers, a main, and 2 sides – an order she claimed would be “a lot” to which I smiled and jokingly said “I thought you said they were small plates?” before assuring her I would be fine.
With the music a sort of ignorable reggae-blend and patrons chatting amongst themselves at audible but certainly not “loud” tones as each chef worked with relative autonomy and Charleen finished plates at the pass I really enjoyed the homey vibe of FnB and with the walls minimally adorned I particularly love the splashy tiled floor that, much like other aspects of FnB, one may not expect by simply standing outside reading the menu. Greeted briefly by Charleen and overhearing her say to my neighbor, a winemaker for Cakebread Cellars, that Pavle was away scouting wines I was additionally impressed by just how attuned to the diners every member of FnB’s staff was; front of the house and back always in the right place at the right time with plates coming out at a perfect pace to each of the 40ish seats.
Sitting, watching, and enjoying the energy of the room moments after my friend from the prior week’s dinner at The House stopped by to say hello it would not be long before crusty bread and clean, herbal, and grassy olive oil would arrive and quickly on its heels was more bread, but this time a substantial upgrade in the form of “Chopped Chicken Liver Crostini with Fig Chutney” featuring warm and toasty bread topped with rough cut chicken liver, rougher cut figs, a bit of pistachio and some chives. Rustic as hell, savory but sweet – a good start and a sign of things to come.
Arriving quick on the heels of the crostini and garnering the majority of my early attention due to temperature components, Fried Green Tomatoes with Green Goddess and Feta would prove to be the highlight in an evening full of them and without a doubt the best tomato based dish I’ve had since my first visit to Alinea. Still a touch sour and retaining all of its snappy texture despite a quick dip in the fryer each medallion of cornmeal crusted tomato was a shock to the palate and well balanced by the tangy cheese with a substantial vegetal component added by sour cream, chervil, lemon, pepper, and what may have been avocado this plate sang a song of late summer with every bite as good as the one prior.
Having already mentioned FnB’s aptitude for pacing but informed by my server that people were finishing up earlier than anticipated and thus they’d not need my seat for LnL I heard the young chef before me inform the rest of the team to start working on my next course as I reached the final bites of the crostini and within fifteen minutes course two arrived as a complete trio with a main and two sides, none with meat and none needing it either; to quote a non-vegetarian friend “you could make a complete meal out of just the vegetable side dishes and walk out happy.”
Beginning first with the main course as it was actually the weakest of the evening’s savories, the “Pasta, Lobster Mushrooms, Tarragon, Corn, Peas, Pistachio Crumb” was not a ‘bad’ dish by any means, but at $25 the house made rolled noodles, butter, and fresh vegetables it simply did not live up to the price tag. Obviously not one to quibble prices of quality ingredients I certainly see where Charleen was going with this dish but even at $5-10 less it was just pasta, a bit of olive oil, vegetables, nuts, and fungus – the later two together dominating the flavor and texture profile to the point where the rest was superfluous.
Fine with the pasta but wanting to be wowed like I was by the tomatoes I found salvation in both “sides” and if I were forced to choose which I liked better I’d likely suggest the “Spaghetti Squash Almondine” in one breath and the “Roasted Carrots, Pine Mushrooms, Garlic Butter” in another – the former featuring tender strands of the sweet gourd touched with pepper, oil, and a generous helping of toasty sliced almonds and the later carrots in different degrees of preparation paired simply with rich butter, mounds of tender mushrooms, and a healthy compliment of garlic; a perfect bite found in the charred carrot and a particularly hefty ‘shroom on a slice of bread dredged in the garlic butter.
Essentially incapable of skipping dessert after such a good (okay, fine, any) meal I was hoping for bread pudding as an alternative to the pudding I knew I would be having a few weeks later at the FnB/noca showdown I was disappointed when the answer was panna cotta and thus went with the Butterscotch Pudding, Fresh Whipped Cream, Nutmeg hoping it would be as good as the rumors – and to that, I guess it depends which rumor you believe because for me it was good, but in the end entirely unmemorable as the use of unflavored whipped cream did a nice job of balancing the sweetness of the pudding but did nothing in terms of texture rending each bite the same as the last in terms of taste and texture. A spoonful would have been enough.
Adhering rather closely to the previously noted time restrictions and finishing up the last bites of the pudding around 9:05 my server next arrived with the clever Ipad billing system and $90 (after tax&tip) later I was bid farewell by servers and staff before making my way to the streets of Scottsdale where even on a Sunday night well-heeled folks were out drinking, dining, and having a great time – though undoubtedly on less ‘wowing’ food than much of what I’d just enjoyed, regardless of price. A meal that certainly fell far short of perfection yet at the same time the sort of place I’d return with minimal hesitation I will admit that I don’t think FnB comes close to the designation of “best restaurant in Arizona,” but with carrots and tomatoes that had me reminiscing meals at Michelin 3* restaurants there is no doubt that there is something special going on in that small kitchen on Stetson.
For this post we’re talking about brunch, Peter DeRuvo’s newest service happening each Saturday and Sunday starting 10/6/12 and let me first start out my saying that great strides have been made since my first visit in terms of both the soundtrack and the service – the former explained to me by GM Cynthia DiNardo as a simple matter of optimizing Pandora and thus replacing a three-peat of Tainted Love with a brunch playlist highlighted by Led Zeppelin’s 10 Years Gone, Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, and a few tunes Cream, The Who, The Stones, The Strokes, Modest Mouse, The xx, and even Interpol – and the later largely related to a young woman (with some really cool ink) and younger (looking) man who were courteous, personable, and efficient – present without “hovering” in a way that I hope for every time I enter a restaurant.
Moving on to the food, the first four plates a parade of tastes predicated by me requesting Chef DeRuvo send out “whatever he likes,” my meal started with an amuse of sorts featuring the daily Bruschette of Mortadella, 20yr balsamic vinegar, arugula, and pistachio – four bites of rustic perfection with the house made bread crusty and warm and each ingredient presented in an elegant balance of both texture and flavor to highlight the cured pork.
Working through my study materials while intermittently chatting with the staff the next dish to arrive from Peter was his heavily recommended “Uovo Barzotto,” a hot skillet filled with a house made toasted English Muffin, Pork Belly Hash, Poached Eggs, Avocado, and Tomato Hollandaise. Generally not one to go straight for the “Benny” but more than willing to trust the chef’s instinct I will simply say that while I probably would not have ordered this if left to my own devices it actually turned out to be my favorite dish of the morning – a deft blend of vegetal flavors augmented by the creamy egg and savory pork – and as I mentioned to Ms. DiNardo when she stopped by my only “complaint” was that it did not come with more bread (or a spoon) to wipe up every drop of the first Hollandaise I’ve ever tasted that truly made me say ‘wow,’ an effect largely attributed to an unexpected lightness imparted by the tomato.
Another new feature of the brunch menu entitled Pumpkin Ricotta Pancakes with Pecans and Syrup would arrive at my table next and served in a “tasting” portion the single flapjack was lovely in texture but unfortunately somewhat light in pumpkin flavor until I added spread the honey-kissed butter and added the warm syrup, the sweetness serving to bring not only the vegetal notes to the fore, but also light saline notes and a bit of spice that I still cannot determine whether was in the cake itself or the syrup.
Perhaps due to my love of creams, mousses, and spreads or perhaps an effect of reading the word ricotta and tasting it in the pancakes I next decided to change it up and order a dish from the ‘regular menu’ and moments later would find a large pile of warm and toasty bread before me alongside the vasi of Ricotta and Local Honeycomb. Simple in preparation and flawless in execution there really isn’t much that needs to be said here – if you like ricotta and you like honey this dish, much like the chicken liver from the previous visit, is a $7 steal and a little goes a long way – IE, it is probably best shared.
Speaking of things that are best shared, the pastries at Davanti are listed as $2 each and instead of asking about them I simply suggested they send me out one of each – a sizeable order to say the least with five different selections coming out along with salted honey butter and grape jam. Apparently a concept set to evolve and changed each week with new options to come and go the day’s selection for Sunday featured a warm cinnamon roll, fig and walnut muffin, honey sour cream muffin, cinnamon sugar donut, and chocolate marcona almond donut topped with cream cheese frosting. Impressive in size and also in quality (particularly at $2 each) I personally felt both cake donuts were excellent as the lightly fried exterior gave way to a soft central crumb and although the frosting on the chocolate one could have been too heavy for some it actually worked very well given the heft of the cocoa. Moving on to the rolls and muffins, the cinnamon roll was certainly the weak link of the board as it was simply too dense – as though not given enough time to leaven – while the muffins were both superb, the honey sour cream version almost a savory that went perfectly with the jam and the fig and walnut muffin a spongy cake that reminded me of a fig newton without all the unnecessary sugar.
At this point quite sated but not overly “full,” I spent the better part of ninety minutes reading and listening to tunes while my cup of Lavazza received consistent attention from the staff and as the end of brunch service approached I was asked if I’d like anything else thus sparking a brief internal debate that ended with me ordering the Purple Pig Panini (thus proving once again that my stomach often out-thinks my brain when dining outside the home.) Paying homage to the Chicago Wine and Charcuterie staple while riffing it’s most famous dessert what arrived next was far larger than I’d have guessed from the $7 pricetag but featuring that same fantastic house made bread this time wrapped around Marshmallow fluff (also made in house,) Nutella, and sliced bananas I knew that even as my server suggested he’d never seen anyone finish it that I’d be just fine…with those ingredients on that bread there’s simply no way this dish wasn’t going to be good (in case you haven’t guessed by now I really enjoy the bread.)
…and so with the tab paid and another cup of coffee in hand as Skynyrd’s Tuesdays Gone played overhead I spent perhaps ten more minutes at Davanti finishing up my reading and realizing I’d been there for nearly three hours…a long time to be sure…while a number of couples, families, and groups had come and gone with smiles on their faces I can only hope that the good press for DeRuvo, DiNardo, and their team continues – this place is great, its only getting better, and I look forward to wasting away a many more Sunday afternoons there in the coming months and years.
After a good morning of dining around downtown Phoenix and a few hours of shopping for essentials, clearing out the old condo, and studying I returned to Scottsdale for part two of my food day but (as usual) my plans to check out Barratin and/or FnB were foiled by menus that simply failed to wow. Having heard countless times that I don’t know what I’m missing in passing up these places I guess I’m simply afraid that a menu without something that really catches my attention could prevent me from ever going back and as such I searched for a plan B for dinner-before-dinner and instead ended up with dessert before dinner-before-dinner at Lee’s Cream Liqueur where I would not only meet Lee herself, but also have some rather excellent ice cream.
Apparently more of a side job/pet business than full-time gig for Lee, the “Cream Liqueur” concept admittedly seemed a bit strange to me at first, but with Lee explaining her ideas and time spent formulating the recipes I decided a taste or two wouldn’t hurt and with stomach capacity plus $5 to spare a few bites of Pumpkin Pie Brandy, Cinnamon Bun Brandy, and Caramel Pecan Tequila would all prove interesting enough (and the latter two quite delicious) to justify a full order – one scoop of Carrot Cake Irish Whiskey and one of Red Velvet Scotch.
Now, having admitted already that I quite liked what I tasted, I will note to purists or mavens that the texture of Lee’s Cream is somewhat atypical, an effect of a blending process that that allows the booze to freeze while also using mix-ins like cake and cookies, but if this doesn’t bother you then the flavors are great. Beginning first with the Red Velvet, I loved the chocolate and scotch combination while bits of frosting added needed sweetness to the mix and moving next to the carrot cake – it tasted like a great spice cake, complete with raisins and nuts, mixed with something akin to Bailey’s – it was definitely the favorite of those I tried and even if not the most technically proficient ice cream, all in all a nice idea and an interesting change of pace.
Stepping out of Lee’s and heading back past FnB one more time to re-scan the menu I was heading back to my car with plans to head to LGO for a pre-dinner Pizza when I saw Barrio Queen, Silvana Salcido Esparza’s Scottsdale ode to Mexican cuisine that would only a few days later be named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants of 2012. Having debated stopping in for their happy hour tacos once in the past and with somewhat fond memories of my visit to Barrio Café just one year prior I decided it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at the menu and after weighing the options and noting they were mostly empty with the Cardinals on the television I decided to stop in for a few bites…or a full blown meal.
Having already been to Barrio Café during my interview visit to Phoenix I was not surprised when I walked into the Queen to find it a rather upscale take on traditional Mexican themes but where the café seemed authentic the décor here seemed a bit put on – no thanks in part to the souvenir stand at the door where a young hostess greeted me and subsequently offered me my choice of seats. Pleasant enough in décor with lacquered tables, comfortable wood seats, and overhead lamps in an array of colors while light theme-appropriate music played overhead I eventually settled on a seat in the main dining room, away from the bar, and close enough to the TV to read the subcaptions of a last minute Cardinals win. With menu in hand it would not be long before drinks were offered and declined in favor of water.
Sitting and perusing the menu while the table a few to my left ooh’d and aah’d their selections the first thing that struck me about BQ was the prices – this is not ‘cheap’ Mexican food by any means; particularly the entrees but also including the individual taco prices…a hungry duo at Happy Hour could probably top $100 with tax and tip before filling up. With this in mind, yet also noting that I’m happy to pay for good food, I figured that given the extensiveness of the menu plus my goal of sampling as many of Salcido’s different flavors as possible the best strategy would be to stick to the small plates, appetizers, and tacos – a combined total of 9 plates to be doled out in four courses per my request.
With service efficient and gracious, just like that at the café, I spent some time watching the game and reading my study materials before one of many servers arrived with my first course – the two for $3 Happy Hour taco pairing of Nopal and Barrio Polo, plus a $4 addition entitled Champinon, huitlacoche, y cotija. With the Nopal a downgraded version of the egg topped item on the standard menu served only at happy hour and featuring tender cactus with a bit of salt and pepper plus queso fresco atop a four inch corn tortilla I started with it expecting it to be the most mild and as anticipated, it was quite bland. Moving next to better options, the Barrio polo featured the same warm and tender tortilla topped with chicken, onions, green chilis, and hefty cream sauce plus Oaxaca cheese while the corn smut iteration proved to be by far the most complex and balanced of the trio, the woodsy mushrooms and aromatic shallots heavily perfumed by the huitlacoche. All in all a good start, but certainly not the best I’ve tasted and skewed far to the left in terms of cost/quality.
Curious as to how the pork at BQ stands up to others in the valley I next opted for the carnitas appetizer but was instead served a carnitas taco – cheaper at $3 compared to $9, but not what I’d asked for. Not really wanting to make a fuss and figuring I could save the stomach capacity this was another decent taco – fatty pork with ample notes of marjoram, thyme, and garlic served with a light accompaniment of onions and cilantro…2 good bites, but nothing to write home about, especially when compared to what arrived with it.
Presented along with the carnitas, the “El Rey Vasito de Elote” is apparently a signature dish and as much as one may find it hard to see corn as a signature, this is pretty darn good. Described on the menu as sweet grilled corn in a cup topped with butter, mayo, aged cotija cheese, tapatio salsa, cilantro & lime at a cost of $5 what made the dish really shine was mostly the corn and the cotija – sweet, savory, and smoky at once with just a bit of acid to meld all the flavors. Served solo and meant to share this dish is also offered over fries, but for my money it was best taken by the spoonful alongside other plates or wrapped in a warm tortilla, free on request.
For my final round of savories I went with one of the weekend specials and an order from the ‘masa’ section of the menu and having expected more small plates I certainly got more than I’d expected from both. Beginning first with the later, a dish called Tlacoyos arrived with three mashed corn fritters topped with smoky chicken, black beans, salsa verde, oregano, pickled onions, cotija cheese and lightly sweetened cream. Having expected something more akin to a traditional corn fritter form the $9 plate what I really liked about this open-face interpretation was once again the balance – a composition of flavors and textures akin to the Elote but tilted further to the savory yet finishing with light sweetness imparted by the cream.
Moving to the biggest dish of the night – and most certainly the most rustic – the tripe and hominy soup entitled ‘menudo’ arrived in an enormous bowl and at a cost of $5 it was simply outstanding. Featuring a rich tomato stock rife with offal, bones, tender hominy, and myriad spices plus a quartet of onions, cilantro, lime, and pimento pepper with which I was free to further season as I like this was a portion easily big enough for two but so good that those who love tripe should probably just order one of their own.
Still with two and a half hours before dinner at this point my server again stopped by and after perusing the dessert menu I decided to end the meal with another duet, one a must order anywhere I see it and the other a must order at any Mexican restaurant – the Arroz con leche and the Tres Leches, respectively – but at $6 a piece I should have probably just ordered a margarita, entrée, or another half-gallon of menudo instead.
Beginning first with the rice pudding – a small bowl of relatively standard white rice with hints of cinnamon and orange subsequently dotted with golden raisins and curls of cinnamon plus, reportedly, “Vanilla Kahlua sauce” it would be hard to find a less flavorful dish containing such ingredients and with the rice cold and clumpy all I could do was wonder if I’d received the previous night’s leftovers – a suspicion more or less confirmed when I tried the three milk cake, a dense and dry pound cake parfait made palatable only by the berries and most certainly not by the cream I can only guess came from a ready-whip can. As a further note, where both dishes were advertised to contain nuts – specifically pecans, none were detected in either.
Not one to complain except in the setting of egregious service or truly disastrous food I sat for a while with desserts unfinished before my server stopped by and instead of asking if I was all done or if there was something wrong with the half eaten items he commented “too full to finish, huh?” before gathering up the plates and strolling away before returning with my check and stating “take your time,” as I sat in the empty space watching the game still pondering how I’d spent so much on so little that impressed. Best new restaurant? Um – sure – for corn and tripe…but I get the idea that it was hype as opposed to either of those two items that the local paper and Esquire were rating them on.
After a few more hours spent with my books it was finally time for dinner – a reunion (sort of) one year in the making that would land myself and Dominic of skilletdoux.com plus his friend Joel at Matt Carter’s brand new House Brasserie in Scottsdale just before 9:30pm. Having (ironically) originally met Dominic for a good late night meal at Carter’s “The Mission” on October 1st 2011 during my original interview trip to Phoenix and having read good initial reports from Joel I must note that I still went into the meal with a bit of trepidation since the space had been open for only a few days, yet at the same time a call earlier in the week (and subsequent E-mails) with manager Sal La Via to obtain the most recent menus had certainly heightened expectations.
Set inside (and perhaps more so on the patio of) one of the oldest homes in Scottsdale and featuring modern updates and fix-ups while retaining a sort of rustic elegance in part due to the dated décor and shabby-chic stylings my arrival to The House preceded that of my friends by a few moments and after a bit of exploring I made my way to the doors where the first of a number of young women greeted me and subsequently offered my choice of seats I elected the patio where our primary server, Sydney, presented the menu of both food and drinks – the former unfortunately already substantially changed from what Sal had sent me just days prior. With fewer than ten other tables full at such a late hour and candles flickering in the gentle breeze I sat and spoke with my server for a bit, mostly about the restaurant but the local dining scene in general before my Dom and Joel arrived and once all were accounted for we exchanged greetings and proceeded to order seven plates, four desserts (3 comped), four drinks…and a $1 ‘bread supplement.’
With Sal stopping by next to say hello and to explain the menu changes (basically there isn’t enough room in the kitchen to be as ambitious as the original menu had hoped) and Joel’s first drink poured as conversation flowed it would not be long before our plates began to arrive and with most of the items served as trios the night began with what would actually turn out to be the best savory of the night, “Shrimp and Grits,” a savory and intense composition of sweet and snappy head-on shrimp atop creamy popcorn grits enlivened by charred onions and smoky pork glaze with a touch on honey. Sweet and savory but perhaps a bit steep at $14 this was a dish where the ingredients and the execution came together beautifully.
Dish two, presented with the shrimp, was a vegetal affair titled “Arizona Ricotta, Sicilian Pistachio Toast, Roasted Radish” and at $8 it again arrived as a trio with only a single flaw – a dearth of salt to liven up the otherwise beautifully cooked radish. A bit of a disappointment even despite the high quality of the tender taproot the dish certainly improved in moving on to the bread crisps as the ricotta was ever so slightly melted while the bread itself was herbal and crunchy but at the same time subtle. With a bit more salt this one could be great.
With the first two plates delivered as a duo just after 10pm the rest of the items would arrive as a second bolus and beginning my tasting of round two with the item I’d most coveted I was admittedly impressed, though not as much as I’d hoped. Presented as Duck Confit Meatballs, Foie Gras, White Bean, Tomato Agrodolce it would be hard to say exactly how/why such decadent ingredients did not live up to my expectations, particularly as the meatballs were tender and rife with flavor, but if I had to pin it on one thing I think it would be the expectations arising with the word “Foie Gras” and the $14 price tag as the sapor of the foie was largely lost to the tomatoes while the puree of white bean was okay, but mostly just filler. If I were to recreate this dish I’d say put it on a hoagie, drop the luxury ingredient upcharge, and pair it with some bitter greens and something sweet…and don’t charge me $1 for two pieces of rather mundane bread with which to mop up the sauce.
Berkshire Pork Belly, Kimchee, Udon Noodle, Fried Egg arrived with some joking at the table about the ubiquity of pork belly these days and as much as I cannot argue that said ingredient is delicious I just didn’t find it well utilized here as the fattiness of the swine simply overwhelmed any semblance of kimchee while the noodles were soggy and limp. Decent flavors though garnished by a rather inconsequential egg I had a few bites and that was enough.
A $12 side dish consisting of what had to be less than half an uncooked cup of rice with far less lobster, “Maine Lobster Fried Rice, Mullet Egg, Aji Amarillo” was actually a rather nice plate of risotto with a lot of umami and a touch of heat but “fried rice” it most certainly was not. Nice enough, but certainly not a sharable plate, one of my tablemates summed it up perfectly when he commented that all this dish really did was make him want to go elsewhere and get a dish of “kick ass” fried rice – something he could have done at 1/3 the tab and had enough for lunch the next day.
Moving last to a pair of sides, each $6 and far more generous than the rice, Grilled and Buttered Shiitake Mushrooms, Truffle Honey along with Grilled Broccoli Carbonara, Pancetta, Egg, Black Pepper arrived and where the first showed strongly in its simplicity the second fell flat once again due to a lack of salt – a lack so pronounced that frozen broccoli straight from the bag has more flavor thus making me wonder exactly what sort of pancetta was even present.
Deferred to as some sort of dessert guru – or glutton – by Dominic and put in charge of our dessert order the decision seemed logical enough for me…there were four desserts on the menu, three of us, and as such we should order them all. It was the best call of the night, and after talking to Sal that turned out to be with good reason as each of the house made confections were the work of The Mission’s longtime pastry chef – home of a bread pudding that you need to put on your shortlist if you’ve not been.
Beginning first with what I think we all felt was the ‘worst’ of the options – a far stretch from bad and kind of like finishing last in the Olympic 100m dash – the Buttermilk Blackberry Crumb Cake arrived as a dense butter cake with a downhome toothsomeness that I really enjoyed, but with ample notes of buttermilk dominating the sweetness of the berries I think this one could have benefitted from one of two things – a dollop of ice cream or a cup of coffee. I’d definitely order this as a breakfast item anywhere.
Next up, the most “elegant” of the quartet would be Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake, Salted Caramel, and Pistachio Ice Cream. A long and linear presentation with the apple flavor a bit overwhelmed by the salty caramel but still potent and tart what truly made this plate shine was the ice cream – creamy, rich, and rife with nutty flavor…had we been dining earlier I’d have probably driven over to Sweet Republic for another round.
Under almost any other circumstances a Sacher Torte would have been the highlight of the meal and served with “Toasted Almond Amaretto Mascarpone Mousse” this one was a fine example. Dense, intensely cocoa, and appropriately dry without suffering the Americanization of making it too birthday-cake in texture this was another dessert that would have gone great with coffee but the use of the mousse and bold apricot flavor kept everything balanced and bright. It was awesome – but the final dessert was even better.
If there is one thing The House should keep doing from this point until the day they close their doors it should be keeping the Butterscotch Pudding on the menu. A fan of all puddings – from rice to bread to budino – and having had a number of similar presentations elsewhere this version was simply outstanding – sweet and salty, dense and creamy, and bespeckled with chocolate and fruit adding both texture and flavor. It goes on the short list for Phoenix’s best desserts and will likely remain there for some time. If you go to The House this is hands down the ‘must order’ item of the menu.
With the meal at its end and my friends enjoying a post-dinner beverage while we sat and chatted both amongst ourselves and with Sal I think we were all in agreement that The House is off to a decent start but still has a lot of room for growth in every department except perhaps dessert and décor. A lovely setting already with great service I think the focus should start with improved seasoning and working to nail the basics before experimenting with ‘fusion’ and once the kitchen is hitting on all cylinders perhaps improving the portion/price ratio by bringing back some of the “family style” ideas presented on the original menu. For now, if I were to go back it would only be for dessert.
Craving something other than work, studying, and the stressors of moving I again decided to venture out for a day of dining (and studying, and shopping for things for the new house) on the last day of September 2012 – ironically exactly one year after the visit that first brought me to The Valley for an interview. Having already visited some of the city’s best during that first visit and my two months as a resident I took a more carefree approach to this day of eating and opting to focus on newer spots rather than those time tested and true I also went without reservations – a rarity for me – and landed at 5 spots over the course of a day that began with a 4:00am run and concluded with me falling into bed just after midnight.
Needing a breakfast spot with early morning hours to accommodate my friend Aileen and with great coffee (plus free refills if possible) to accommodate some post-meal reading for myself the first stop of the day would take me to Vovomeena, the new spot by DJ Fernandes (Tuck Shop, and Astor House) that had opened just a few weeks prior. Generally not one to visit a spot before they’ve had a chance to work out the kinks – especially a spot that is nearly thirty minutes from my home – suffice it to say that expectations were high and mostly based on a heavily praised coffee program and a menu that had me quite excited as I walked in the door at 7am.
With Aileen and I arriving nearly simultaneously we entered the crisp new space only to be greeted at the front seating area by a pair of baristas standing before the Japanese Cold Brew contraptions and with everyone bright and smiling we were invited to take a seat anywhere we like, eventually settling on a four-top in front of the open kitchen. Greeted next by our server, a delightful young woman named Hedda, and then by the restaurant’s manager it was explained to us that the method of operation was to grab a menu and then order at the counter while coffee is done self-serve and with that in mind we perused the menu and the restaurant’s interior before making our selections – a $45 order inclusive of tax, tip, two coffees, four plates, and a side.
With the space largely empty at such an early hour (but later to fill to capacity as I sat studying till 9:30) we both admired the cozy industrial/shabby chic interior and with The Shins and Minus the Bear amongst the morning soundtrack the restaurant was lively but not loud, though a small group on the outdoor patio seemed to be having quite a good (boisterous) time. Chatting as we waited it would not be long before the food arrived and purported to have overordered I personally thought everything looked just right when our table was filled – particularly as I sipped on my third cup of the Vovomeena’s bold and intensely earthy brew.
Taking notes from various culinary traditions including the Deep South, England, Ireland, Portugal, and more our meal started with a simple buttermilk biscuit topped with salted butter and paired with a side of strawberry rhubarb jam. With a light crisp to the exterior while the interior crumb was moist and rife with lightly sour notes I partook in the top half of the biscuit while my friend enjoyed the bottom and although good on its own the addition of the jam was definitely more my style.
Moving next to the one dish I’d probably not have ordered if I were visiting on my own, the “Banging Pocket” with Shreiner’s Banger, Scrambled eggs, and smoked gouda wrapped in a pita was actually quite good, though largely due to the use of quality ingredients more than anything particularly done with them as the pocket of pillowy bread featured a nice balance of fluffy eggs, spicy sausage, and just enough cheese to make it ‘stick.’ Neglecting the “griddled spuds” on the side largely because I found them a bit too greasy I will note they were quite tender and well complimented by the salt, pepper, and onions.
Noting my propensity for sweet over savory at breakfast it was not until Hedda described the “Boxty” that we decided to order it and while it too was just a bit greasy the overall effect of the hot and crisp potatoes juxtaposed against the sour shredded apple and creamy but sweet mascarpone was quite nice. A sort of sweet meets savory hash brown served with choice of meat I personally would have preferred to see the bacon, also Schreiner’s, more thoroughly cooked but that is just a matter of personal preference as the quality of the meat was quite impressive either way.
For the next choice – the most expensive on the menu with good reason – the B.M.O.C. would prove every bit as good as its description would have you to believe. Beginning at its base with a crispy waffle lightly tinged with vanilla notes and plenty of butter then subsequently topped with apples cooked down in maple syrup, a smoked pork chop, two poached eggs, and finally a crunchy Portuguese donut it would be hard to call this plate anything but gluttonous…or delicious. In a dish where any number of elements could have shined, what truly set this dish apart for me was actually the chop – a smoky and savory slab of meat that was easily cut with a butter knife and fork and nicely matched by the intense sweetness of the rest of the plate. Better than the famous “chop and chick” at Matt’s and less expensive (without the line) this will, and should, become the restaurant’s signature in my opinion.
Moving last to the “dessert for breakfast” item that had originally drawn me into Vovomeena the day the menu was first published, the pain perdu was simply exceptional. Featuring dense banana bread rendered into a custard style bread pudding and subsequently sliced to be fried up on the grill this was everything I want from bread pudding – crisp and caramelized on the exterior, soft and dense within, and topped with bold “whiskey caramel” sauce plus ripe bananas that push the dish ever-so-close to “too sweet” while still keeping things in check, particularly when matched with the Schriener’s Sausage. At $6.95 you’d be hard pressed to find a better breakfast dish in town and having sampled my fair share of bread puddings I’d put this iteration in my top ten.
With Aileen leaving for a family function and myself opting to stay and do some much needed reading as I drank another three or four cups of coffee I can only hope that the crowds that arrived at 8:30 continue for DJ and the team at 1515 North 7th Avenue and just as soon as the menu changes up a bit I’ll be back – though a return visit sooner rather than later for the Johnny Cakes and another round of bread pudding certainly isn’t out of the question either, and I guess I do owe it to myself to check out the Japanese cold brew sometime as well.
With a goodly amount of studying under my belt and Sunday football about to begin my next order of business was finding a space where I could enjoy more excellent food plus the game in reasonable proximity to Vovomeena and having debated Postino Central I changed up my plans en route when I realized that the newer, larger incarnation of Lo-Lo’s Chicken and Waffles was less than ten minutes away and a quick phone call informed me that they would indeed be showing both the Niners and the Lions.
Having heard good things about Lo-Lo’s in the past but wanting to visit the Yuma location before the more convenient Scottsdale locale I was fortunate to have my GPS to guide me as I made my way into a part of Phoenix I’d not yet seen and with downtown traffic lacking on a Sunday I found myself walking through the front doors just moments after kickoff to find the spacious restaurant approximately three quarters full and must say I was taken aback. Perhaps naïve or perhaps colored by my experience at Roscoe’s on Gower I guess I’d expected something a bit more “ghetto,” yet what greeted me instead was something highly polished with gleaming concrete floors, bare brick walls, industrial fixtures, and widely spaced tables as flat screen TVs shined all around and gospel played overhead for patrons old and young, some in their Sunday Best and others in draped in Cardinals gear from head to toe.
Approaching the hostess stand as I looked around the space I was quick to find that much like my surroundings the service too at Lo Lo’s was far superior to Roscoe’s and led by one smiling face at the podium to another at my table towards the back it would not be long before a menu was in hand, water was filled, and a few daily specials were noted – the whole process taking less than five minutes and my order placed within ten, much to my waiter’s delight as he noted “man, you ordered all the best stuff – I hope you brought your appetite.”
Sitting and watching the games as the restaurant’s hustle and bustle continued my neighbors struck up a conversation with me stating that they had been coming to Lo-Lo’s “every few weeks since the day it opened” and admitting it was my first time they suggested it definitely wouldn’t be my last and within moments of the arrival of my meal I knew they were right as every single item that landed on my table looked excellent; the first being a single $3.50 “Aunt Hattie’s Salmon Croquette” featuring a crispy external batter surrounding flaky salmon and studded with green onions. Apparently a traditional southern recipe but one I’d not previously encountered I was told that these were best with a splash of Lo-Lo’s “famous” hot sauce and although I generally prefer to avoid condiments I must say my neighbors were right as the acidity of the sauce really helped to bring out some of the more briny notes from the salmon while breading remained crunchy with minimal grease.
Moving next to my main plate, the $14 Soulfood Platter with Chicken Fried Chicken, a golden waffle, macaroni and cheese, plus a round of cornbread it would be hard to find a gripe with this dish save for, maybe, those who like their mac n’ cheese a little over-baked and with a bit of crunch. Featuing a double dipped and friend boneless, skinless breast alongside a bowl of intense and peppery sausage gravy the chicken here was definitely the star of the show with each bite juicy and full of crunch but largely devoid of any oil whatsoever. Nicely spiced and with the gravy further gilding the lily I next turned my attention to the waffle, also crisp but intensely buttery with a good amount of ‘give’ at the center and while pure maple syrup would have been ideal in the end the Mrs. Butterworth’s was fine – the sweetness tempered by the chicken, gravy, and macaroni. Last but not least, the cornbread crowned with a mound of butter was textbook – a little dry, not too sweet, and good both on its own or as a transition between the plate’s other components.
Making short work of the Soulfood plate my primary server, Joseph, stopped by to say “nice job” and asking if I had room for dessert I think he was surprised when I said yes – and even more surprised when I ordered two; one for here, one to go, and both eliciting a slow whistle from the gentleman to my left who said to his wife “that boy can eat” – and much like the savories what I ate next would be outstanding.
Beginning first with the lesser known of Lo-Lo’s signature desserts, a house made banana puddin’ served in a hefty mason jar and topped with an airy dollop of whipped cream – at $5 this is probably the steal of the menu as the container must have contained twenty spoonful of the rich parfait. At times rife with the fructose of banana and at times mellowed by whipped cream or saturated Nilla wafers with plenty of textural nuance added by crumbles and chunks of unsoaked cookie this was precisely my kind of dessert; high end ingredients or not, I love pudding.
Realizing I couldn’t (or a least shouldn’t) leave Lo-Lo’s without trying their oft raved “Sandy Sand’s Red Velvet Cake” and knowing I could (but shouldn’t) have eaten it while I was still seated at 10 Yuma Street I asked for a piece to be boxed up and although it wasn’t pretty, the results were just as good as many have suggested – the cake moist, dense, and loaded with cocoa while the cream cheese icing is slick but not too sweet and nicely tempered by the pecans. Generally one to fancy cupcakes over sliced cakes mostly because I prefer there to be more cooked surface area and thus more ‘sponge’ I was particularly interested to see the open baking window as I left the restaurant where the team was assembling the cakes from large springform pans thus allowing the layers to each have more exposure and thus explaining the excellent texture. For my money I’d go with the puddin’, but this is one damned fine Red Velvet, and in the context of the experience that is Lo-Lo’s Chicken and Waffles either make a great finale to a great meal in an unexpected but excellent setting.
The Why: My friend Michael had suggested we check out something for Arizona’s restaurant week and while I generally do not fancy the “RW” concept due to limited menus, rushed service, and the sort of diners who only visit high end dining locales during such “events” I figured that if anyplace could do it right it would be a top end steakhouse from one of America’s greatest restaurateurs – Michael Mina. A fan of Mina’s upscaled takes on American classics and having visited his restaurants in Michigan, California, and Baltimore I was additionally impressed by the Restaurant Week menu at Bourbon Steak and the location less than two miles from my office at the Scottsdale Princess Resort really couldn’t be overlooked.
The Reservation: A bit convoluted, this reservation was set up by Mr. Ed Tracy, the GM at Michael Mina’s NobHill Tavern in Las Vegas – a man I’d met during my visit to Bourbon Steak Detroit a number of years back who’d apparently been keeping tabs on my blog ever since. Having originally reached out to me regarding a reservation at Nobhill that I unfortunately had to take a raincheck on (Christmas, I’m hoping) due to the delayed closing on my house Mr. Tracy offered to arrange for our reservation at Bourbon Steak on short notice and although he certainly did not owe me such a thing I was happy to accept as there are few things better than a good meal to take the edge off of life’s stress.
The Space: Bourbon Steak Scottsdale, much like the Detroit iteration, is big and swanky with lots of wood, high ceilings, and lacquered tables all befitting the resort and the price point. Light on linens, heavy on stonework, wood, and brushed metals I like to think of this design as steakhouse chic – an elegant place for people with the necessary means to feed their carnivorous urges in style – it could be Mastro’s, Cut, or any of the others…not a negative, just a fact.
The Service: Ignoring the oddities of checking in at a hotel restaurant in Scottsdale – the forced valet, the ‘central’ podium, and the long hallways service was everything you’d expect from a Mina restaurant; personable and informed, expeditious but never hurried, and happy to discuss their fondness for the restaurant’s patriarch. Taking into account the fact that our reservation was arranged as it was I’d be foolish to say that a trio of visits from GM Anibal Macias was something every other diner should expect but all things being equal it seemed every table was well taken care of by Anibal’s team and our server, Christina, never left us for want even when performing some of Mina’s famous tableside preps across the room.
The Food: Amuse, Bread Service, 1 Restaurant Week Menu, 1 appetizer, 1 main, and 2 extra (comped) desserts plus coffee and a parting gift.
Amuse Bouche – Trio of Duck Fat Fries including Smoked Paprika-BBQ Sauce, Pepper Dusted-Rosted Garlic Aioli, and Fine Herbs-Onion Ketchup: Known in the past for his ‘trios,’ at his San Francisco Flagship the meal at The Princess started the same as that at MGM Detroit with a trio of perfect French fries each dusted with a signature spice blend and matched to a complimentary condiment. Crunchy on the exterior and just a bit toothsome within I’m still not exactly sure that I’m ‘sold’ on the way so many chef’s flaunt the use of duck fat for fries but all things being equal these were really good, particularly the fine herbs interpretation.
Foie Gras Duo with Roasted Bing Cherries and Almond Streusel: While I generally eschew the restaurant week menu it was the non-RW appetizer that would prove to be the biggest failure of the meal and, perhaps, the biggest food failure I’ve had since moving to the valley – simply stated, this was a piece of foie that should have never made it to the kitchen let alone to the table. Undersized, overcooked, poorly cleaned, and still somehow lukewarm on arrival there was really nothing to like about the seared portion of liver aside from the cherries – and least of all the veins and sinew zigzagging the palate. Moving on to the second half of the duo a creamy terrine beneath cherry gel was presented and paired with buttery brioche it was nearly good enough to save the plate – but not quite, particularly as Christina’s response to our complaint was simply taking the dish off of our bill rather than suggesting the chef take a second try with a better piece of foie gras and more attention to detail.
Caramelized Black Mission Figs- Spicy Sopressata, Preserved Lemon Ricotta: Rather horrified by the liver I was heartened by the first choice from the restaurant week menu; a sort of composed cheese plate featuring the intense fructose of fresh figs matched up against the bite of sopressata and lightly fragranced ricotta. Like most Bay Area chefs I’d suggest that if a Mina restaurant is offering up a fig dish you’d be wise to order it.
Potato Black Truffle Bread: Having mentioned the stellar cornbread served at Detroit’s Bourbon Steak Michael mentioned a really good skillet bread he’d experienced on his last visit to the Scottsdale location and inquiring with Christina we were told the bread was ‘by request only’ and as odd as that would seem it is definitely worth inquiring about; a light and spongy focaccia style bread rife with a nose of black truffles and topped with crunchy sea salt.
Crispy Sonoma Duck Breast- Cipollini & Brussel Sprout Hash, Huckleberry Compote: One of three RW main courses and for my dollar the most obvious choice by a landslide the kitchen was gracious enough to serve us each a separate portion of the Sonoma margret and while I cannot say it soared to the same levels as Chef DeRuvo’s version at Davanti Enoteca a few weeks prior this was another excellent preparation of my favorite protein with the aged fowl’s slight must perfectly tempered by the pungent hash and sweet berry reduction. Easily cut with the edge of a fork despite being served with one of the restaurant’s signature steak knives and as tender as you could hope I’m still having trouble getting over the fact that I now live in a city where good duck exists at not just one but multiple restaurants.
Whole Fried Chicken for Two with Truffled Mac & Cheese: Yes it is $58 for chicken, but compared to the $200 Bresse at Savoy or the $78 version at The Nomad I guess you could call this brined, battered, and duck fat fried version a bargain if it was nearly as good as the others…and thankfully it was. Featuring a plump hen with breading so dainty that it approximated the thickness of skin the bird was carved tableside and laid on a bed of truffled macaroni and cheese plus baby carrots before being topped with crispy onion rings and with each of the accoutrements quite delicious none were as good as the chicken itself – dense, moist, full of flavor, and complimented by rather than being overwhelmed by the seasoned breading.
Passion Fruit Panna Cotta Guava, Kaffir Lime, Coconut Sorbet: Still reeling from the chicken and generally not one to fancy passion fruit or panna cotta this RW menu dessert was actually much better than I’d anticipated and with pieces of grapefruit and lime adding an intense sour component to the otherwise sweet custard it was actually the coconut sorbet that brought this dish together preventing any one component from outshining the others.
Bourbon Bar- Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Pretzel: Seeing as how my writing is impossibly behind at this point suffice it to say I’d already experienced this dish at Baltimore’s Wit & Wisdom and I was glad to revisit it as the alternate RW dessert. Described loosely as the chef’s interpretation of a candy bar this dessert beings with a core of sweetened peanut butter mousse and dresses it with dense 70% dark chocolate ganache before bespeckling it with crumbled nougat, peanuts, and finally chocolate covered pretzels. Clearly a dessert designed for an American sweet tooth the only thing that needed to make this dessert the perfect steakhouse finale was a single malt whiskey…or a few cups of Mina’s signature blend coffee from LAMill.
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing, Crème Fraiche Sorbet: With Mr. Mathias stopping by to check in as we enjoyed our dessert a conversation about Mina et al’s approach to pastry ensued and after mentioning my fondness for his unique interpretations of American comfort foods we found ourselves gifted this one last plate. Beginning at its base with airy spice cake flecked with carrots and studded with currants atop a smear of whipped cream cheese this dessert, much like the panna cotta, was taken to a whole different level through the addition of two frozen quenelles, one tangy crème fraiche and the other strikingly vegetal carrots. Bite for bite the most delicious and complicated of the evening’s three desserts this was every bit as good as any of the desserts I had at Wit & Wisdom and just another example how Chef Mina understands the powerful effect of American comfort foods.
Caramel Corn with Black Truffle: A parting gift for each party I’ll admit I was skeptical when this bag of popcorn was presented but in the end it would in fact prove to be the most notable of the three “truffled” options of the evening as the fungi’s signature aromatics rose came through brightly over the salt and sweet of the popcorn; an effect I’d have to guess was attributable to the use of truffle oil, truffle salt, or both.
The Verdict: While certainly not a perfect meal – especially when taking into account the butchering of one of my favorite ingredients – there are a lot of things to like about Bourbon Steak and although my fondness for Michael Mina is balanced by my general ‘ennuyer’ for steakhouse cuisine I have little doubt I’ll find myself back at The Scottsdale Princess sometime again soon – particularly if they should ever bring back the mussels soufflé or perhaps simply to work through a tasting of the half priced desserts after 9:00pm alongside a lobster pot pie.
With my Vegas plans evaporated by the gross incompetence of Chase bank and their failings to appropriately process a loan for my new home and my life for the next few weeks now relegated to a combination of (hopefully) moving, (probably) studying, and (definitely) working long hours I decided to take my second Saturday in a row to explore Arizona’s culinary landscape – this time starting in Tempe where I fortunately talked my way out of a traffic violation en route to Essence Bakery, a spot that had been on my “to eat” list since my original visit to the Valley of the Sun.
Owned and operated by Eugenia Theodosopoulos (an Ohio native, fyi) and considered by many to be the best patisserie/bakery in the state I approached Essence with a note of skepticism largely assuming much of the hype was derived from Tempe’s plethoric college crowd but arriving at the doors of the small shop on a particularly lovely 80 degree morning I gathered quite quickly that my original conceptions were misplaced; not only does Essence not look like a college haunt, neither do its prices or products – a vast selection of at least twenty items aside from the posted menu sitting beneath and atop a glass case forcing me to make more than one tough decision that was not helped by my server’s accurate assessment that everything was really good.
Now bearing in mind that the original impetus to visit Tempe on this particular morning was to visit Caffe Boa and that Essence was more of ‘pre-meal’ activity what follows may seem slightly gluttonous, but to be fair once I took my first bite of Theodosopoulos’s École Lenôtre trained almond croissant I knew I was in good hands and everything else just sort of followed. Without a doubt my favorite breakfast pastry and perhaps my favorite French pastry overall, Essence’s $3 twice baked option arrives slightly smaller than the average but with a shell that crackles to the tooth and an interior that is at once yawning pockets of air and nearly overloaded with butter and light frangipane there is no doubt that this is a case of “big things in small packages,” and particularly in its still-warm morning state the flavors and textures rivaled those at Dominique Ansel and Payard Las Vegas for best I’ve had stateside.
Moving next from the baked goods to one prepared from the menu my second taste of the morning aside from the slightly earthy and lightly leather accented coffee was Essence’s “Signature” French Toast, a $7.25 selection featuring three griddled slices of eggy brioche and a sidecar of what I can best describe as banana infused caramel. Rich but thinly sliced and therefore nicely saturated each piece of the French Toast was exactly as it should be – the exterior crisp and the interior custard – while the sauce provided a pleasant balance of fruity notes and intrinsic sweetness that complimented rather than overwhelming the bread.
At this point submitting to the fact that I was going to eat even the items I’d bought ‘for later,’ my next two tastes were a pair of $2.95 macarons that, much like the croissant, rivaled those both here and abroad in terms of taste and texture while opting for a much more rustic approach terms of size and presentation. Beginning first with Pumpkin Spice and then proceeding to Vanilla with Dark Rum each palm-sized cookie was exactly what one would expect from a well trained pastry chef as the exterior shell provided a slight crackle on bite subsequently giving way to a soft meringue followed by dense cream that slowly dissipated on the tongue – the cinnamon and nutmeg notes of the former particularly notable while the rum in the second was appropriately understated thus serving to highlight the vanilla of the shell.
If there were any ‘misstep’ on the morning, it *might* have been the “Summer Berry Croissant Bread Pudding with Fresh Strawberry Sauce,” though when I say misstep I must temper the comment with the fact that my quibble is only that I prefer the French/English take on the dish while this one was more based on the French Custard style, a rich vanilla bean pudding without a lot of crunch or textural variance but instead laden with blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries plus a sidecar of lightly sugared strawberries. Focusing more of the natural sweetness of the fruits and aromatics of the vanilla than the typical overly sweet versions served stateside it was more panna cotta than bread pudding to me, but chalking that up to personal tastes it was still delicious.
Moving last to the one dish that gave me trepidation, the “French Napoleon” gave pause not only because the name clearly skewed towards a subset unfamiliar with a proper Mille-Feuille but also because so many pre-made versions of this layered pastry have failed to wow in the past…thankfully this was not the case at Essence. Featuring light and crunchy layers of choux easily withstanding the tines of a fork without turning into a smooshy mess (see “Mille Feuille New York”) intertwined with rich pastry cream speckled with dots of vanilla bean and ripe raspberries what truly made this version stand out was the manner in which Theodosopoulos caramelized each layer of choux, a technique reminiscent of Pierre Herme and as good as the French icon’s version was I’d be hard pressed to say Essence’s was any less impressive. It would be awesome to see what they could do a la minut like Savoy, L’Arpege, or Genin and given the names I’ve dropped in the paragraphs above plus Essence’s proximity I’ve no doubt I’ll be returning to see what else the small shop is capable of soon.
Having already mentioned my next stop as the primary impetus to visit Tempe in the first place I’ll start off by saying I’d originally identified Caffe Boa when browsing SlowFood.com and having subsequently read the profiles of both Jay Wisniewski and his wife on the website I was sold that it was a place to put on my list; a fact that a 50% off coupon from localdines.com certainly did not hurt.
Located on Mill Avenue, a space much maligned by local epicures and gourmands due to the proliferation of ASU “College food” stops such as pizza and burgers Caffe Boa seemed to be a sort of panacea to the area’s dining trend with its focus that which is local/fresh/organic and with offerings of brunch, lunch, and dinner I decided to make my fist visit a morning one; an audition, if you will, to see if a dinnertime drive to Tempe would be well advised in the future and recruiting my friend Aileen to join we scheduled for 10am since she had to be at work by 11:30.
Arriving just minutes late largely due to parking issues ($1.50/hr, FYI, though there is rumor of a free lot) after spending some time wandering around Mill and the ASU campus I entered Caffe Boa to find the restaurant much larger than I’d anticipated from the website and with only one other table occupied and my friend already arrived it would not be long before our server stopped by, told us of the mimosa table ($15,) and explained the new menu before filling Aileen’s coffee and a glass of water with cucumber for each of us.
Having each browsed the menu prior to arrival and with $40 to spend it would not be long before our decisions were made and with three plates to be shared amongst us ordered it would also not be long until we were left to wait…and wait…and wait…nearly twenty minutes before someone returned to prepare my friend water without cucumber and nearly fifty minutes before our food arrived; Aileen now likely to be late for work and myself simply hoping the food would be worth the wait.
Beginning first with the savory as my morning visit to Essence had been quite sweet the Croissant Croque Monsieur (sans Dijon) along with an egg requested to be soft poached would prove to be the first disappointment of the day as the overall composition of the dish was simply poorly conceived – the croissant lacking any crunch and weighted down by the cheese, the béchamel largely blurred by the brine of the ham, and the $2 egg most certainly not soft poached (especially since a quality kitchen can sous vide a perfect 63-degree egg in less time than Boa prepared this one.) The salad was fresh and the dish was edible, but at $16…even with the localdines certificate I felt ripped off.
Moving next to a pair of sweets, Aileen opted for the Parisian Crepes with Apricot preserves, Crème Chantilly, and Berries and requesting the dish without powdered sugar I think we both kind of chuckled at the lackluster presentation but unlike the croque this dish was at least tasty; the crepes dainty with a goodly amount of sweet filling and the crème light yet flavorful but at $12 probably not enough to satiate all but the slightest appetite.
For our final (and certainly most decadent) taste of Boa an order of Stuffed Pain Perdu arrived featuring two pieces of brioche wrapped around a light layer of mascarpone and Nutella that was subsequently battered and dipped in hazelnuts prior before a trip to the pan. Nicely caramelized with an exterior still featuring a bit of crunch and an interior just short of custard plus a topping of caramelized bananas, raisins, and maple the overall flavor profile was certainly sweet but at the same time nicely balanced and certainly a step up from the rest of the morning…even if nearly twice the price and half as good as the French Toast at Essence just hours before. A 60 minute wait and $40 (plus tax and tip) for 3 items – only one of which was even remotely memorable – let’s just say Caffe Boa won’t see a starring role in my dinner plans any time soon.
Shopping, studying, and surfing the internet followed Boa and after a few hours of hanging out with hipsters and being happy I own neither a MacBook nor an Ipod while drinking and excellent chocolate toned cup of Guatemalan Finca El Limonar followed by an iced Toddy made with a 50/50 blend of Black Market and Viota at Cartel Coffee Lab’s flagship location on University I decided lunch was in order and debating whether to return to Phoenix/Scottsdale or to spend the rest of the afternoon in Tempe I decided on the later so that I could check out something new – the pasty.
Apparently hailing from the British city of Cornwall and here in Arizona finding its foothold at the appropriately named Cornish Pasty Company I had originally heard of the pasty during a recent trip to Philadelphia where the baked crescent was a daily special on the menu at The Dandelion but featuring the least the combination of beef, rutabaga, onion, and potato I cannot really say my interest as high – a situation remedied by the extensive (if inauthentic selection at Cornish Pasty Company and thus leading me through their doors just after 2:30pm where I’d find the small bar area still full but the larger dining room only perhaps half so.
Largely unaware of the logistics of CPC – whether you seat yourself or wait to be seated and whether you order at the counter or at a table I stood and watched for a moment before deciding to seat myself and within moments a friendly young woman named Hannah greeted me, first offering a beverage – just water – and subsequently the restaurant’s extensive menu which I browsed at length while listening to The Sex Pistols and then The Clash play overhead. An eclectic list of Pasty’s both ‘traditional,’ ‘signature,’ and ‘premium’ plus a collection of soups, salads, and sides I asked Hannah about portions on her return and told that each pasty clocked in at approximately a pound (and that two would be “way too much” food for a solo diner since she could only eat half of one) thus leading me to settle on a single option, a dish I was told would take “about fifteen minutes,” leaving me more time to study and enjoy the tunes – the White Stripes perhaps the only thing ‘un-British’ in a string of songs ranging from Zeppelin to The Beatles to The Ramones.
Reading as I waited and enjoying the room as well as watching the team slice meat, shape dough, and chop vegetables it would be just under a quarter hour before my dish arrived and although smaller than I’d imagined (I definitely could have eaten two – probably three if I didn’t have dessert and dinner plans) the Shepherd’s Pie that was presented was far better than I’d have ever expected, a golden buttery shell wrapped around lightly mint tinged lamb and although fatty and intense nicely balanced by the vegetables. Generally a fan of Shepherd’s Pie, particularly when using a sharp cheddar, this handheld version would prove to be an exemplary take on the classic and the addition of a sidecar of onion and sage laden red wine gravy certainly did not hurt.
Debating a second pasty as Hannah returned to check in on me (The Pilgrim sounds quite good) but subsequently turning my attention to the sweeter half of the menu I decided to not make the same mistake twice and inquiring as to which dessert she recommended I went with my gut and ordered two to arrive with a delay between them, the first “Shirley Temple’s Pudding,” a $6 sticky toffee pudding served in a cast iron pot with a side of crème anglaise. Rich and thick, a dark treacle just barely set at the center and almost a brownie consistency along the edges what really shined about this dish was the manner in which it worked with the crème, a thick but delicate sauce balancing out the intense sweetness of the pudding.
Moving next to my second dessert, and for my tastes the better of the two, a goodly delay of fifteen minutes brought to the table Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding with vanilla ice cream – a truly unique spin on bread pudding made with what almost seemed to be cracker-thin pieces of bread juxtaposing a brandy tinged chocolate sauce and baked much like the sticky toffee pudding to be set at the edges yet dense and moist at the center. Truly a decadent dessert – the sort begging for a glass of milk or coffee – I will say that the ice cream was rather run-of-the-mill vanilla and although it served its purpose admirably I’d definitely go with more anglaise on subsequent visits – visits which I’m sure will happen the next time I find myself drawn back to Tempe, or to Mesa where there is apparently a second location whose Banoffee Pie and Apple Caramel Pasties seem to be calling.
with my buddy Rich for a meal every bit as good as the first, and in some ways even better.
