Review: Maman Zari

26 March 2024

I’ve been dying to try Maman Zari here in Chicago since they opened. Billed as the only Persian tasting menu in town, and as a big fan of Persian cuisine, I was really looking forward to getting there after a very long day at the office.

It all went well, with a shockingly clean and relatively empty Red Line ride to change for the last slog on the Brown to Kedzie, where Maman Zari was located adjacent to the station. I got there early but was seated. I relaxed with a cocktail and looked at the special Nowruz tasting menu they have. Interesting, lots of traditional dishes, I’m curious about their take on them.

A nice beet-centric amuse came out, which helped get my palate ready for the evening. When I finished my cocktail, a nice bubbly from Burgundy is poured and we have the kuku sabzi to start the tasting.

An interesting and delicious traditional herb frittata, with the fruit condiment adding a nice touch. The bubbles worked well with this dish. Then a pour of a nice albariño for the next dish, which is actually a dual dish, of which the first was revealed under a smoke lid.

Mirza ghasemi is a traditional smoked eggplant dish and this was done very well. Lovely cherrywood aromas too. Plus those crisps are borderline addictive. The accompanying sabzi khordan is a traditional herb service.

Quite nice, the marinated olives were delicious. All interesting takes on traditional Persian dishes. Then a pour of a pinot blanc and we have the salad dish.

A nicely-plated version of the traditional Shirazi salad, with the elements in strips instead of the usual chopped. But the three key elements of cucumber, tomato, and onions shine nicely here. This sets us up for the larger dishes, as well as the nice pour of the rarely seen xynisteri from Cyprus.

The mahi sefid ba sabzi polo is their take on the traditional fish fry with herbal rice, using branzino, and this was done very well. The fish was delicious and rich, although the rice was a touch rich with the already rich fish. So far this has been a very nice tasting menu, not blown away, but very solid.

Sadly that changed with the next dish, the jujeh kabob negindar. The chicken with saffron was not tasty and had that way overcooked consistency that reminded me of chicken you get on an airplane back in the 1990s. The mince on top was a little better, but it was also lacking. Sadly this was a letdown, only the Greek rosé carried this dish.

For the final savoury dish a pinot noir from Oregon was poured and we have the reshteh polo ba ghormeh sabzi.

This is an interesting take on another traditional dish, but I think it was way too oily. Maybe a touch ambitious, as it was hard to eat all the rice under the fried noodles, all soaked in oil. The lamb and beans were also a little lacking to be honest. It’s too bad that things started to weaken after that excellent fish dish.

That was also the end of the pairings, so I asked for a coffee and some arak as the dessert was presented.

This was quite nice, with the traditional sholezard on top of the ferni. Mixing them made them especially delicious, a nice way to close the night.

A plate of cookies came as I finished my beverages. However, a billing mistake (in my favour) came up so I pointed it out to them and they thanked me, and comped me another drink as they processed the bill. The service was excellent, so I added a tip on top of the pre-added service charge.

I thanked the very nice folks and headed for my bus on a windy evening. Sadly the food started to weaken just as it got into the main dishes, and that kabob was just not good. Again, this was a special menu, so perhaps I should have come when it was their normal tasting. Let’s see, maybe I’ll check them out again in the future. But it’s worth a try, at least once.

Maman Zari
4639 North Kedzie Avenue
Chicago, Illinois

Review: Iris

18 March 2024

I was riding rather happy from the rib tibs from A&R Bar-B-Que earlier, but was also looking forward to dinner. Got a lot of steps in this afternoon in a rather cool Memphis, which is unusual during my visits but made it far easier to hike without sweat dripping into my eyes non-stop.

Tonight’s dining destination is Iris, a well-liked creole restaurant that had moved to the east part of town during the pandemic. It took awhile for my Lyft to show up and off we went…so I thought. After a few minutes I was wondering why we were headed north instead of north-east. Then to my horror, Lyft had the wrong address for the restaurant…

It’s the OLD LOCATION from over 2 years ago! FFS, really?! A terrible flashback to when this happened going to Baroo in Los Angeles, where both Uber and Lyft had different – yet BOTH WRONG – addresses for Baroo. So we got near where the restaurant used to be and I jumped off, and had to wait another 20 minutes for (now) an Uber to get me to the right place (using the street address, not the restaurant name, because Uber had BOTH for some reason…).

[To their credit, after I complained, Lyft did refund me the price of the ride, similar to the Baroo misdirect.]

I finally arrived, flustered, but soon relaxed with the excellent staff looking after me, from the hostess to my servers at the bar where I sat. I relaxed with a drink, and all was good. Looked over the menu and I ordered. Let’s hope this night can be salvaged, and so far so good.

The bartender was really good and friendly, and that made a world of difference. However, when the food came, I had to temper my enthusiasm.

This au gratin dish was very meh, sadly, and the escargots seemed dessicated, and had absolutely no flavour, much like the crawfish. The entire dish was underseasoned, and very bland. Sigh… I figured I was the last diner left in the restaurant on a slow Monday night, so perhaps this was to be expected…

Yeah… The duck was okay here, but the belly was so overcooked it was a piece of meat formerly known as pork belly. At least this dish was seasoned, but what can you do. Sigh… The bar was good still, so I carried on and tried to salvage with a dessert, which my friendly bartender recommended.

And yes, she was right, this cheesecake was by far the best thing all night. It’s a take on the Basque version, and done pretty well, with the perfect touch of banana in the sauce. A delicious end to a meh night of food.

I ended up having an extra drink because – once again – it took about 20 minutes for the Uber to show up. I thanked the excellent crew and headed out, disappointed that this trip ended so poorly food-wise compared to how it started with Brave New Restaurant in Little Rock. Oh well, now for my 3.30am alarm…

Iris
4550 Poplar Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee

Battle of the Rib Tips: Round 3

16-18 March 2024

When I began planning this trip, I knew I was going to revisit two of my favourite BBQ places in the region – Sims Bar-B-Que in Little Rock and A&R Bar-B-Que in Memphis. The first time I visited both was nearly a decade ago in 2015, which was fabulous – accentuated by that amazing smoked turkey leg in Memphis. And of course 2019, a repeat, and the turkey leg did not disappoint.

When I arrived in Little Rock at the beginning of this trip, I made sure that I made it into Sims. It’s not the most welcoming sight with the metal bars and security, but it’s understandable. They’ve never been anything but friendly and once inside it is very welcoming. I waited for my order of tips and was drooling as I carried it out the door.

So good, lovely flavours. They use a more liquidy sauce, which really gets into the meat. Excellent, well worth the 5-year wait! I of course then had that excellent dinner at Brave New Restaurant that evening, so it was a fine food Saturday in Little Rock.

Fast forward a day, I left Little Rock this Monday morning, saddened that my last memory was of a crappy dinner at Table 28 and the rideshare that took ages to come. I made a few stops before I got back to my original destination, Memphis, where I had a long day planned with lots to do. One of them was to complete the double by visiting A&R.

Again, not the most welcoming look from the outside, but a friendly and efficient crew inside. I was absolutely gutted when they told me they were out of turkey legs…I had been dreaming about it for years!!!! Oh well, I still had an excellent order of tips going out.

More traditional than Sims, but as delicious. Excellent sauce, and this comes from a guy who usually doesn’t like sauce on his BBQ. I’m a dry rub guy. But another winner, and I was a happy camper. Nothing makes me happier than having these two amazing renditions of rib tips – unless it’s a smoked turkey leg, of course! That’s the only thing bumming me out.

If you are in either – or both – towns, do not miss these BBQ joints, or you’ll regret it! I can’t wait to come back, hopefully in less than 5 years – and hopefully there will be a turkey leg for me at A&R!

Sims Bar-B-Que
2415 Broadway Street
Little Rock, Arkansas

A&R Bar-B-Que
1802 Elvis Presley Boulevard
Memphis, Tennessee

Review: Table 28

17 March 2024

I had a very long day exploring Arkansas, especially the south-west quadrant of the state. Exhausted, so I was looking forward to a good dinner. Last night’s very nice dinner at A Brave New Restaurant set a new bar for my expectations in Little Rock, but it’s always a challenge to find food on a Sunday evening here.

Of the limited options, the best seems to be Table 28, located in The Burgundy Hotel on the west side of town. I’m not a big fan of hotel restaurants in the US, but with limited options I had to go for it. Took ages to get a rideshare once again, despite the short distance.

I got to the relatively empty restaurant and sat at the bar. My bartender was nice, but the cocktail was a little lacking. I ordered my food after she told me there were no specials. Oh well. Perhaps she shouldn’t have led on that the chef wasn’t here, which was a curious thing to say.

My starter arrived, a solid mushrooms dish. Nowhere as good as my last outing at a hotel restaurant – that evening I was stranged in Orlando – but it did its job. I switched to a wine before my main course arrived.

My heart sank. I asked for the pork to be cooked medium, and it’s beyond well-done. I guess the chef was indeed out of the house today. This was barely edible. Plus the greens…was it greens or a soup with some greens floating on top? The whole thing was a disaster. And now I can’t get my bartender’s attention for more drinks as she’s busy chatting away on the other side of the bar.

But honestly, there’s not enough booze that can make this pork edible, so I just called it a day. Unfortunately it also meant waiting 20 minutes for a rideshare for a ride that took less than 10 minutes. What a crappy night this turned out to be…

Table 28
The Burgundy Hotel
1501 Merrill Drive
Little Rock, Arkansas

Review: Brave New Restaurant

16 March 2024

You’d thought after my stressful and unpleasant work trip (and a bad eat) to Orlando I’d be camping out at home for awhile, but of course that’s not the case. We had a company day off for Monday, so I decided to head south – again – and next thing you know I’m flying into Memphis for the long weekend.

Didn’t stay long, as I headed to Arkansas, the main part of my trip. I had a busy day exploring the north-east part of the state and drifted into Little Rock, where I’ve not been since 2019. Not had many eating success stories since One Eleven at the Capital (which is closed for renovation), but I’m hoping that changes with dinner tonight at Brave New Restaurant.

It was located in a bank building near the water, so I’m not sure what to think. This would be very normal in Japan, but in Little Rock? They sat me at a hi-top near the bar and I relaxed with a nice cocktail. The bartender would be coming out to serve me, which is great, but I had offered to sit at the bar. Oh well, this works well.

The menu looked nice, and as I sipped my cocktail I ordered. The bread and butter was quite nice, but my starter arrived relatively quickly.

Some nice shrimp here. Although not as big as in Orlando last week, these were delicious as well. And importantly, they were peeled correctly – unlike in Orlando, where you got pieces of shell and legs everywhere. A good start! And like many placed in Little Rock, they had offered salad or soup with a main course, and I picked the soup.

A straighforward little mushroom soup that got me ready for the main event. I switched to wine and I smiled, knowing I made the right choice for my main course.

Now you may ask why in the world I would do scallops in Arkansas, but here’s a good justification. These were delicious, broiled in butter, and so good. It was a hard choice with so many good things on the menu, but for some reason these scallops just yelled out from the page. Plus, my excellent bartender also suggested it. And it was an inspired choice. Loved it!

Well, this dinner has been a very pleasant surprise. I ended up having some ice cream because I was stuffed.

Lovely chocolate and white russian scoops here. With a nice tipple, I was happy.

However, I ended up having a second drink and chatting with the fabulous staff as there was quite a wait for a rideshare, about 20 minutes. But this was a good crew, and they did a fantastic job tonight, front and back of the house.

Highly recommended if you are ever in Little Rock!

Brave New Restaurant
2300 Cottondale Lane #105
Little Rock, Arkansas

Stranded in Florida… (Review: A Land Remembered)

10 March 2024

My work event finally ended late on Saturday and I had planned to fly home after a day of hiking Sunday. But of course that didn’t happen. Another Southwest meltdown and my flight was cancelled. Several of my colleagues spent over 12 hours waiting at that hellhole called MCO; some others took the chance, after 8 hours of delay, to fly into Milwaukee and make their ways back to Chicago. Absolute shitshow once again…is that the motto of Florida (see previous review)?

Ugh. So thanks to my excellent colleagues they nailed a room at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, where the work event was held. Of course I got one of the crappiest rooms in the complex, next to the hotel industrial laundry machines where I was getting sea sick during the spin cycle, with a bathroom full of short curly hairs…which also made me want to vomit.

CAN I GET THE HELL OUT OF FLORIDA, please?

I thought perhaps the adjoining steakhouse would be a respite. Thinking back to the last time I visited a steakhouse in Orlando, I think adequate is all I am hoping for.

The bar was pretty empty on this Monday evening at A Land Remembered, which is adjacent to the hotel via a walkway towards the golf course clubhouse. A good cocktail started the night, so perhaps all is well?

And these very large local shrimp for a starter, it’s definitely starting good. Although I must say whoever processed these in the kitchen did a shitty job as pieces of shell and legs were everywhere. Really sloppy.

Then this is my main course, which was a “deconstructed prime rib” that was recommended by the bartender. Sadly a misnomer and not that great. It’s more like a deconstructed ribeye. So they keep whole the most boring part of the meat, then remove the better parts and render it into some weird sausage thing, topped by a tiny piece of foie. It so didn’t work.

But this side of mushrooms was the star of the night, absolutely brilliant. Lovely selection, from lion’s mane to oysters. For our workroom breakfast one morning we had some excellent mushrooms as well, so whoever is doing the mushrooms at this resort is doing some fabulous work!

Sadly at this point the bartender was just no longer paying attention to me, and I could not wave him down for another glass of wine – despite only 3 people sitting at the bar. With the other night in Tampa still in my mind, the fact I was exhausted and still here in town involuntarily, I give up. Forget dessert and after-dinner drink too. I’ll go back to the main hotel building for something…

I just want to get the hell out of Florida…

A Land Remembered
Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel
9939 Universal Boulevard
Orlando, Florida

A Shitshow Full of Diacritical Marks – Review: ū·lë·lē

5 March 2024

I was headed to Orlando for a work event. Not my favourite place to go, but also an opportunity to catch up with an old friend not too far away in Tampa. Sadly she was called into work to cover a shift, but that means it was lucky planning that I rolled into the Tampa area early enough to chill a little. But that also meant I was running solo for dinner, so I decided to check out a place called ū·lë·lē that good write-ups.

I got there from my rather distant h(m)otel on Rocky Point and for a Tuesday night it was absolutely rammed. Goodness. I sat at the bar as they said my table (despite having a reservation) will not be ready for awhile. That was an early sign of the mess I was about to witness.

Bar was crazy busy, yet there was just one single bartender who was doing his best octopus impression, and doing it well. This guy was unflappable, with tickets flying out of the machine and he just keeps shaking two drinks at a time while waiting for beers to pour. One of the servers eventually walked by and took my drink order, and it came out surprisingly fast. Maybe they have a system here.

Nope. After this, everything went to a crawl. Took awhile for my food to show up, and it was impossible to get anyone’s attention. Eventually I got it, and ordered a cocktail and glass of wine. My server did not seem surprised by my order, which says plenty. Another sign of the mess I was starting to witness.

The alligator bites were okay, but needed the dip. I miss eating ones that have a stronger taste. But it did its job. My server zipped by so I quickly ordered more food and drink. By this time, the poor bartender had not stopped for a second. But then I noticed there was one other bartender/server who was standing around chatting with one of the customers on the other side of the bar for almost the entire time I was here, doing nothing else. Really?

Although it was ordered as a side, my okra “fries” came out first. I snacked on them, quite nice. And eventually my pompano showed up.

Quite good, in a sauce with crawfish tails over wild rice. I’m glad I had the okra because the fried carrot “ribbons” were inedible. But overall it was good.

However, by this time, I could not get anyone’s attention. My server had disappeared. The crazy-overworked bartender saw me and we had a quick chat. I expressed my appreciation for his energy and prowess, which he appreciated. But by this time I was done, this was stupid. I thought about a dessert and/or after-dinner drink, but after 15 minutes I gave up and just asked for the bill once my server zipped by again.

The idiot who stood around ALL NIGHT doing nothing then walked by and casually asked if there’s anything I needed. What fucking gall. Ridiculous. At that point I just wanted to pay and get out. The overworked “octopus” bartender, who was the star of the FoH, slipped a free drink to me and gave me the “I so get your frustration” look.

I drank it. I signed my bill. I gave that bartender a separate tip. He earned it. The others did not, not even close.

Sorry, but if there was a definition of a shitshow, this comes close.

ū·lë·lē
1810 North Highland Avenue
Tampa, Florida