Review: Biga

26 August 2023

I was tired after another bad sleep. Too much sun/heat yesterday? Or still disappointed over that dinner last night at State of Grace that fell short? Who knows, but I was out the door early as I needed to make a few stops around South Texas before I head to my destination of the evening, San Antonio.

I was once again roasted, as the blazing afternoon sun at 102F made hiking around quite a challenge. I only managed about 5 miles this Saturday, but with almost off of it during the hottest time in the mid-afternoon, I was cooked. I headed to my hotel near the River Walk and tried to relax, helped by guzzling a huge thing of ice water and a cold shower…

I felt a bit more human after that, before I head out to dinner. I’ve had some bad luck the last time I was in town, but hoping that Biga would change that. I had some logistics to plot out for tomorrow, but soon headed out for the stroll to the restaurant. Still hot as heck…

Got there and it was relatively empty…not a great sign for Saturday night. I took a table this time and I had an excellent server, extremely friendly. Soon a refreshing cocktail was in hand, and I relaxed. I did notice that San Antonio was having its Restaurant Weeks. I tend to avoid those menus because they are often poorer in quality and smaller in portion. But so much of the menu was on it.

In any case, I made an order of 2 starters and let’s see what happens. One is listed on the Restaurant Weeks menu, the other isn’t. The first that show up was not on that special menu.

The champechana was not bad, more of a dip than a cocktail-style presentation. Not bad at all, love the spicy bite in it. That was a nice start, and now the second starter arrives.

Well, this was far less good. The pork belly seemed to have been hacked at poorly and the cooking is all over the place, like it was a huge batch they got ready for Restaurant Weeks; parts were either burnt or dried out, other parts are just the fats cut off with no meat left. This was a poor dish in every possible way, and sadly, my concerns about items on the Restaurant Weeks menu was correct.

I was still hungry and willing to give this kitchen a shot, thanks to the friendly server that made generous pours on my wine. So I ordered a full main course and relaxed. After awhile, it arrived.

The sugar-cured salmon. Not great, but not bad at all. The mixture of items with it, from corn to beans, was nice, and the salmon again was pretty good. That was well enough for this trip.

I was tired and still quite exhausted from today. Plus hot. So I got some ice cream.

The “old fashion” one was okay, the coconut disappointed. Small scoops. Oh well. I was going to get a second pour of my rye that I had enjoyed, but my server has now disappeared… After quite a long time she returned with my bill, unsolicited. I guess I wasn’t gonna get one more.

I headed out feeling a little disappointed. Not as bad as last night, but still not great. It seems I just have awful luck dining in Texas. Maybe it’s time I stay north or east of this place…

Biga
203 South Saint Mary’s Street
San Antonio, Texas

* I headed back towards Houston the next day, racking up another 6 miles of hiking in and between San Antonio and Houston, despite the latter’s return to 108F craziness. Sadly a stop at Nathan’s BBQ in Brenham, a town known for its ‘cue, didn’t do much for my Texas curse. I guess I got the lunch-rush leftovers… Throw in another Southwest delay (do they ever have flights that are relatively on-time anymore?!), and I didn’t get home until past 1.30am. But at least it was 68F!!!

Review: State of Grace

25 August 2023

I left Chicago on one of the hottest (and most humid) days in its history…just to fly somewhere that’s, what, hotter?

I couldn’t have planned it worse. I left 100-degree (120 heat index) Chicago and headed to…Houston, where it set a record high of 109F. I must be crazy…

Lucky it was late evening, and I got into Houston no thanks to some shenanigans from (no prizes for guessing here) Southwest. A bad and short sleep at a mess of a hotel airport, I had a crazy Friday planned. I spent most of the day trekking around various places in and around Houston. I tried to do most of the day’s 7 miles of hiking in the morning, which made it more doable. But some of it was in the high heat of the afternoon, so I was broiled.

I got to my hotel and took a much-needed cold shower and gulped a gigantic thing of iced tea. And relaxed a bit before I planned to head out to dinner. My destination tonight is State of Grace nearby. I was intrigued by the menu and was looking forward to the evening.

It nearly went pear-shaped at first when my Lyft driver basically zoned off and missed the drop-off zone. It was like he was on autopilot to go home or something… I got to the restaurant and as it looked busy this Friday night, I offered to sit at the bar instead of taking up a 2-top.

Friendly bartender with many good recommendations. First a much-needed cocktail. Refreshing, helps me plan my food better with a drink in hand. More recommendations from my bartender, mostly about portion sizes, so I decided to go with 2 items. If I’m not full, I can always order another.

Was in the process of switching to a wine when my starter arrived, and it looked quite good.

A good recommendation. The pansotti was cooked very well, and all the elements came together very successfully. I love the interplay between the cotija and jalapeño especially. Excellent start.

I relaxed with a little more wine, enjoying some conversation with the bartender and fellow diners. But after a little bit, I was starting to wonder. Where is my next course? After over half an hour I had to ask whether they put the order in or not. They claim they did.

Waited and waited, and after 45 minutes my main arrived, the Iberico pork jowl. Not bad, but I was not feeling it after this long wait for a rather small plate. I was still hungry after this but didn’t want to risk this kitchen again.

But then it wasn’t just the kitchen. The bar staff was just working on the other end doing various bar things and I could not get anyone’s attention for another 20 minutes. So I didn’t even bother with a dessert and called it a night.

Too bad, as I think this kitchen has a lot of talent. But clearly they cannot keep pace when it wasn’t even a super busy night. This was one night where short-staffing really killed the evening, which is too bad. But at the end, it just seemed everyone wanted to get out of there and there wasn’t much care for us still trying to enjoy ourselves. Management has a great thing here both front and back of the house, but they need to make sure it runs right.

I’ll pass on this place in the future, even if I ever make it back to Houston again.

State of Grace
3258 Westheimer Road
Houston, Texas

Review: Rose Mary

19 August 2023

When I’m home in Chicago, I don’t dine our during the weekends often. In fact, that’s a rule I’ve kept since my NYC days, partly from disappointing experiences due to kitchens and FoHs being excessively busy. With the staffing shortage that has plagued the industry front and back of the house, I absolutely prefer to enjoy a night out mid-week.

But this was an unusual Saturday, as I was headed to a concert in the evening. It’s been ages since I’ve seen a live show; the last one was King Crimson in Nashville (where I was chased out by people toking non-stop in the Ryman Auditorium, but had a wonderful dinner at Sonobana afterwards) in 2019. Frankly I’m not sure when was the last time I saw a band play that wasn’t King Crimson or involved a former member. It may have been Rush on their final tour in 2015…

In any case, as the concert was at a venue in West Loop, I decided to have dinner nearby. I decided on Rose Mary, a popular Croatian-Italian-influenced place. Oddly my boss was on vacation on the Dalmatian Coast, so this was about second best to that.

I mistimed my trek south and ran into people leaving the Cubs game in the 7th (damn that pitch clock). I decided to jump off the packed train early and fight the rest of my way south on the bus. Throw in some stupid traffic, I got to Fulton Market at about 4.30pm – just as Rose Mary opened.

I plopped down on the bar and relaxed, a little sweaty, but relaxed. Enjoyed a drink as I look over the food menu. Way too much good stuff. I would have planned differently if I wasn’t headed to a (potentially very hot) concert afterwards, so I ordered a little lighter than I would have normally.

The cocktail was good and refreshing, but I switched to a nice Slovenian white before my starter arrived.

These clams were excellent. I miss feasting on clams as I used to always do back when I had a reliable source. Delicious, a perfect way to start the long evening. I switched to a red for my main, as I skipped the primo for the night.

The lamb saddle was quite good, cooked perfectly. The only downside was the carrots, which I would suggest was overcooked probably 4 hours earlier and was as close to turning into mush as you can imagine. Too bad. But the meat was good.

An enjoyable start to my evening, so I ordered a dessert and enjoyed a glass of orahovac, the delicious walnut liqueur from Croatia. Lovely stuff.

Then my gelati was perfect coming after, the pistachio bright and flavourful, the chocolate deep and intense. A perfect way to stay cool despite the hot day, and the hot evening coming up. I thanked my bartender and headed out into the still-intense sun for an evening of good music.

And yes, The Warning definitely delivered on a fabulous performance.

Rose Mary
932 West Fulton Market
Chicago, Illinois

Review: Bayan Ko

17 August 2023

A fun but busy Thursday. Tons of stuff needing quick turnaround at work, but with a nice company outing in-between the rush jobs, so that worked out well. But that also meant I got a larger dose of heavy sunlight than I expected, partly due to the weather turning out better than the forecast predicted (and from the morning’s ugly storm).

I was tired but looking for a nice dinner to cap off a fun day. I headed north homeward, but not on my usual bus. A ride on the crowded Red Line and change to a less-crowded but way-delayed Brown Line and I was at my dinner destination, Bayan Ko.

I have been looking to try this very popular Filipino-Cuban eatery since I got to Chicago, and more than half a year later, I finally made it. I walked into the restaurant and soon felt the AC blasting…oh, this may be freezing for most people, but I needed this, especially after more than three hours in the burning sun.

I relaxed and sipped on some water and looked at the menu. Soon I was sipping on a cocktail, which is new here, as it was a BYOB place until quite recently. Definitely delicious. I ordered some dishes and relaxed.

I always like eating early or late, as the staff is less taxed, and you can relax and enjoy more. I kept sipping my refreshing cocktial and as it wound down, my the first of my dishes arrived.

Ooooh, this is good. This is nigiri with sisig, something I truly miss. I’ve not had good ones since my last trip to the Philippines many years ago, and this is solid. I love ear, and although you can’t tell from the texture anymore, the taste is undeniable. Fabulous. I could eat a dozen of these things, but more food is coming!

Yep, like these skewers of duck. Oh my is this good, with a tangy citrus-based sauce. The duck is grilled perfectly, using wonderful cuts as well that gives you every part of the duck you like: meat, fat, and skin. Oh these are good! I switched to a red wine at this point knowing my third dish requires it…

This lamb belly is decadent. So good, so rich, you get so much lamby goodness in every bite. It tastes like lamb, which is the biggest bonus, not some watered-down mystery meat that some people prefer. This is lamb at its very best. Ooooh, but it is really rich. I love it!

That was so good, I needed more! So I placed another order and chilled out. At this point more people will filtering in, including a table with a screeching baby. I know parents tune out these high-pitch screeches as survival mechanism, but they often forget what it does to other people…

Lucky the food quickly took my attention away as it soon arrived, and this is one of their top dishes, the ink palabok noodles.

A wonderful mixture of cuisines that love seafood, for me it brings memories of Sicily – but with a different pasta/noodle. I broke the urchin up more to get it into the noodles, and enjoyed the delicious scallops as a wonderful accompaniment. Wow, this was delicious.

I was full, but I had to have a dessert, so it just has to be the ube sundae…

Ube is a purple yam, if you didn’t know, and it is not just visually wonderful but delicious in this form. A perfect dessert to close this evening off!

I settled up and thanked my server as I headed out the door to meet my Lyft. That was absolutely excellent! I know it won’t be long before I head back here, even if I have to endure the Red and Brown lines to get here after work!

Very highly recommended!

Bayan Ko
1810 Montrose Avenue
Chicago, Illinois

The Happiest of Hours – Review: The Publican

9 August 2023

Looking at my work calendar this morning, I knew today was going to be a long and crazy day. So I had already made a booking for one of my favourite happy hour places, The Publican. Although my last unscheduled meeting ended later than I anticipated, I sat down at my barstool at a respectable 5.25pm.

I love coming to this place. Since I’ve never wrote a review (although I have posted on it before, including this delicious smoked pork chop), I figured it’s about as good of a time as any!

I have just over half an hour of happy hour left, so I did what I always did. The wine came and I enjoyed it as I anticipated a treat for this long day.

Oh my these look good. Some beautiful oysters from Massachusetts here, briny and plump, just the way I like it. One of the things I miss most about the East Coast is the accessibility to oysters, but The Publican is about as good as it gets for Chicago.

I thoroughlly enjoyed them! I ordered some more food and switched to a martini to close out happy hours just in time. As I sipped on the gin goodness my next dish arrived.

Now don’t these mushrooms look better than the mess I got a few days ago at Homestead on the Roof? And the service was a million times better. This was delicious and I flipped back to wine again for my main course.

Oh, one of their signature dishes, the country rib. This is such a beautiful and rich cut, but you gotta love the texture to truly enjoy this dish. And it was lovely, with a peachy sweetness that floated over the wonderfully-cooked meat. Oh, this is happiness.

I was stuffed, and I did not lose my appetite like the last few meals I had! But I may have overdone it with the dessert…

I was stuffed, and that’s worth repeating. I couldn’t finish it, even though I had a bit of a wait for my Lyft. I thanked the wonderful crew and headed out into the muggy evening, super happy with this evening.

Always recommended, always delicious, and the best happy hour oysters in town!

The Publican
837 West Fulton Market
Chicago, Illinois

Box It Up And Get the Heck Out… (Review: Homestead on the Roof)

6 August 2023

I got back from Milwaukee on yet another delayed Amtrak train. Like I said in the previous post, what’s an Amtrak trip without a delay? Sigh… And it’s raining in Chicago? Wow. I walked across the street to catch a bus west, and that took awhile. But the bus driver was having an animated conversation with another bus driver and missed my stop – despite me yelling.

A wimpy apology and he stopped. I legged it back to the stop to catch my transfer. This evening is not starting off well. I got to my dinner destination, Homestead on the Roof, early, and was offered a seat in the completely empty rooftop space. Quite nice. But when it’s empty you also know the service sometimes falls apart.

I miss Portuguese food, and this venue’s current rendition is Portuguese-inspired, which is a huge plus for me. My server was nice, and walked me through the menu as she brought a very delicious cocktail. She gave me a few recommendations, then I chilled over my drink and pondered my choices.

Then the busser came by and offered his recommendations. I’m happy to take recommendations from anyone, but I find it very, very strange when you have a staff member openly trashing multiple items on the menu. I appreciate the honesty, but really? Wow…

So when my server came back, I ordered, and switched to wine as I was done with my excellent cocktail. It seems that’s when everything started going pear-shaped.

A group started to gather in the large tabel in the middle of the rooftop space. No biggie. My wine came, and it was one of the stingiest pours I’ve seen in years. Wow, really? Definitely disappointing. Then my food arrives.

The smelts aren’t bad, but they didn’t come out hot. When it’s freshly fried, they tend to be hot. So I know what happened. Sigh… Most of this went into a takeaway box, by the way.

The cod croquettes are pretty good, I’ll admit it. Now these taste like they were made somewhat recently, so that’s a plus. The big table was getting a bit loud, but I’m glad they’re having a good time.

At this point it was impossible to get my server’s attention as it seems she’s running every table on the rooftop. I eventually got another runner’s attention and I switched to a red. And another stingy pour. Wow, I guess it’s policy here. Disappointment growing by the second.

As I was sipping on this wine, two of the people on the big table started making an Asian eye joke. Really? Really?!

Eventually he saw me giving him a dirty look and I think it dawned on him. Sadly, all that tells me is that they say shit like that all the time, and they feel bad not because they’re racists, but they got caught. Pathetic. But once again, the second time in three nights, despite me skipping lunch and being hungry, I lost my appetite.

Plus that soggy cold smelts dish already put it on the backburner, to be honest. Then the last of the food rolled out.

The pork belly was not bad, I will admit. But my patience for the evening has run out.

The “wild mushrooms” dish is so-so, but the much-vaunted duck rice was underwhelming…

The rice part of it was okay, but I think there was more fruits in this than duck. A second container quickly filled up with most of the last three items.

No dessert, not even a taste of malasadas, the treat I grew up with. I’m not risking this kitchen again, nor am I patient enough to listen to this group’s ramblings. And I can’t get my server’s attention because she’s now responsible for half a dozen tables. I’m too tired for this, so the same busser who gave me those “don’t try these” recommendations took my payment…

…Or did he? He came back claiming I never put a card in the folio? Huh? FFS did he drop it? Did it fall down the gap into the abyss below deck? He was insisting I didn’t pay, but I told him to go look for it. And, of course, he came back with a wimpy apology when he found it.

For fuck sake, not again. This reminds me of the same idiocy at the previously-solid Seviche in Louisville. And frankly, who teaches staff to BLAME THE CUSTOMER in these cases when most of the time it’s careless staff?

Now I love FoH staff and I appreciate how busy they can get, but both situations were nowhere near busy enough for this kind of carelessness. For someone who routinely tips over 20% to show my appreciation for hard-working service staff, this evening did not rate it.

This has not been a successful few days with restaurants…

I grabbed the boxes and got the hell out of this rooftop. It ain’t no homestead, and I ain’t ever coming back. And those racist morons can fuck off back to Lake County.

Homestead on the Roof
1924 West Chicago Avenue
Chicago, Illinois

Three Wisconsin Dining Experiences…Guess Which One I Liked the Least?

4-5 August 2023

It’s one of those summer weekends I wanted to get out of town, so I took half a day and hopped on the train to Milwaukee. If Chicago’s Union Station wasn’t such a headache to get to, I’d go up more often, as it’s a very short ride north. And, of course there was a delay, it’s Amtrak after all! It’s not an Amtrak trip if you make it anywhere in time!

Throw in more confusion when I got to Milwaukee, by the time I got to my motel near the airport I was tired physically and mentally. I think I was a lot less stressed in the office, where I was since 7am. And I was hungry, having skipped lunch. So I eventually hopped on the local bus and headed into town.

After a quicker-than-usual ride with no traffic, I got to the Historic Third Ward and eventually my dinner destination, Bavette La Boucherie. They saved a space for me at the end of the bar, so I naturally took it. It seemed a little chaotic at the bar, and where I was seated it was hard to get anyone’s attention. But soon enough I got my drinks order in and looked over the menu.

Nice negroni to start, and I relaxed. Looked over the menu and ordered two items to start the evening. I found it odd that a functional butcher doesn’t feature much of their meats on the menu and was somewhat seafood heavy. Then I had a flashback to a horrible night in Philadelphia when I noticed the same thing at Kensington Quarters…

Remember a few weeks ago I mentioned I was planning to eat at Ward’s House of Prime, but it was closed this weekend so I endured that horrific “prime rib” at Tortoise Supper Club? Well, that’s now, and with Ward’s closed for the weekend I ended up choosing what would have been my second choice anyway. Did I choose right?

Well, the deviled eggs were okay, nothing too special. I switched over to wine and once I saw it I suddenly regretted ordering it.

This is apparently jamón ibérico… I sat and stared at it for a few minutes. Goodness, was this hand-cut or a product of a deli slicer? Was this even from a leg? My heart basically sank with this, and I laboured through the plate, having lost not just my enthusiasm but my appetite. For someone who skipped lunch and only had those deviled eggs since the night before, I really didn’t want to eat anymore…

This sadly reminded me of the last time I was in town and went to Amilinda, and had to go to Ward’s House of Prime right after to get over it. No such luck, so I had to decamp at nearby Char’d and get some takeaway. And a carafe of soju to drown this night away…

And of course the night ended with my Lyft app giving me crap. It’s like I have a Milwaukee curse…

The next morning I headed north, hoping to cut my losses. A good day, and I eventually ended up in Appleton. As I always do when I’m in this part of Wisconsin, I go hunting for Hmong food. And today’s lunch is a good haul, courtesy of Hmong Express.

Oh these eggrolls are to die for, so good. Rarely do I enjoy these things so much, but had to save room because…

Oh this is even better. The sausage is course and flavourful, while the pork belly is crunchy and rich. How can you not like this? And all this cost about as much as that horrible plate of “jamón ibérico” that I suffered through last night, which by the way, came in a vacuum pack without the leg (my server showed me what appeared to be a pre-quartered, de-boned mess that looked like a pork shoulder you buy at the grocery store…

Well, that was a fantastic lunch. I had plenty to do in and around the Lake Winnebago area, but didn’t realise there’s a music festival in town. So all in all things work out, once I got out of Milwaukee. And for dinner, I explored the venerable and beloved Greek restaurant in town, Apollon.

Old school, with a fabulous server. An enjoyable evening. Not great, but good stuff. The server made it an incredibly nice dining experience. A simple soup and salad to start (sorry, forgot to photo), my main course arrived, the mixed grill.

The lamb was quite nice, extremely tender. And shrimp and scallops were also quite nice. A pretty small portion, but I also remember I have a ton of leftover Hmong food from lunch back at the hotel, so I was okay. But I wanted a dessert, so…

This is a nice cheesecake, made apparently with a touch of Bailey’s but I couldn’t discern it. Too bad, as I wanted something interesting for dessert having passed on my favourite baklava. Oh well. A nice brandy tipple and I headed back by Lyft. At least the app didn’t go bonkers this evening.

And back to Milwaukee and Chicago tomorrow…

Can you guess what my favourite of the three was? Because it was pretty damn obvious which one fell flat.

Bavette La Boucherie
217 North Broadway
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Hmong Express
339 West Wisconsin Avenue

Apollon
207 North Appleton Street
Appleton, Wisconsin