restaurant review

Chicago Eats: Taco Joint

/ foodsweatandbeers / 12 Comments

Wise words by my buddy and hostess for the weekend, Caitlin:

Just so you know, you won’t lose weight in Chicago.

Wise words, indeed.  I tried caviar for the first time, enjoyed a deep dish pizza (albeit a 6″ one), and had a duck confit taco!

Chicago was a delicious city. Eamonn and Caitlin certainly kept me well fed, and I was able to enjoy some fantastic meals while on the trip.  Some of my favorites?

A delicious taco joint called…. TACO JOINT!

Tres Guacamole!

Accompanied by some of Cait and Eam’s local buddies, we hit up the aptly named Taco Joint for some tasty eats.  Little did we know we were in for such a treat!  This modestly priced spot was POPPIN’ and the line was out the door.  Apparently, this is the case with nearly all downtown Chicago restaurants so, for future reference, make a reservation!

Even with one, we had a little bit of a wait, but that was enjoyed with a few margaritas.  For me, a Zocalo margarita with Lunazul Blanco Tequila, triple sec, and fresh lime juice; served up on the rocks with a salt rim.  They also had a spicy margarita with a bite to it, which was also a crowd favorite.  After getting a round of guac for the table (including a roja guacamole: Avocado with roasted tomatoes, roasted onion and roasted red jalapeno salsa) served with tortilla chips and plantain chips, we ogled the taco menu.

So very many options!!

I decided on three:

  • Carnitas – Crispy duck confit garnished with cilantro & onion and ancho chile salsa
  • Fajita – Marinated grilled steak with onion, green & red bell peppers and “ranchera” salsa
  • My Favorite! Cochinita – Yucatan style pulled pork garnished with pickled red onions and spicy habanero salsa

Marvelous Mouthwatering sight

This trio of tacos could not have delighted my senses more.  Requiring no additional salsa or toppings (though I could’ve obtained some if I’d asked), and served on small, handmade tortillas (that were green? yup.), I managed to enjoy each taco more than the last.  The fajita “taco of the night” was actually a little different from what I described (but that was the closest they had on the menu) and had some guacamole on it as well, but the queso blanco was creamy and flavorful and stole the show from the somewhat tough steak. That taco was tasty, but not my favorite.

The duck confit taco was my first time ever tasting duck (I know, right?!) I’ll admit, it was so juicy and the ancho chile salsa was the strongest flavor I got, so I couldn’t tell you off the bat if I’m a duck convert. I guess I’ll just have to go out and try more duck, eh?

The MVT(aco) was, without question, the Cochinita. The pulled pork was so tender that my mouth felt like the tortilla was giving the fillings a tight embrace as I took a bite.  The salsa was spicy and paired perfectly with possibly my favorite part of the taco: the pickled red onions.

When it comes to onions, I’m a huge fan, but I don’t know if I’ve ever tried them pickled. Well, after this experience (and a quick glance around the internet), I know that I want to try this Pickled Red Onion recipe from Umami girl POST-HASTE!  I want these in my tacos, on my eggs, or pulled straight out of the jar. They were pliant, yet still maintained a hint of crunch which I love about adding onions to dishes. Aromatic and diverse in flavor and texture, this taco was a rockstar, and I will judge all future tacos against it.

(Sorry, future tacos.)

Boozy Horchata: perfect compliment to a Mexican feast

A latecomer to the meal was an alcoholic Horchata that I knew I wanted the moment I spotted it on the menu. Coming in at $10, this drink was actually more expensive than all the tacos combined (which were $3 each) but, in my opinion, if you have a chance to get horchata at a Mexican restaurant, you should do it.

If you have the chance to add booze to that horchata, DO IT!!

I don’t see the cocktail on the menu now, but I’m pretty sure that, added to the base of cinnamon rice milk, it contained a dark rum and Stoli Vanil. I could be making that up. It really doesn’t matter at this point. All that matters is the joy on my tongue as I drank it, and the sadness on my face when I finished it.

Like losing a friend

As you might be able to see, there was a little more ice than I normally like in my cocktails. Luckily, I had my handy gloves wearable koozies on to keep me warm.

This meal was phenomenal, the atmosphere was exciting and social, and the horchata was one of the best I’ve ever had, boozy or not!  And to walk out paying less than $25 for a meal in the city that tastes fresh and doesn’t make you feel so stuffed you need to be rolled out… well that’s a success in my book.

Have you ever tried horchata (alcoholic or non)? If not, what’s your favorite Mexican beverage (sangria? margarita? tequila shots?) 

What’s your perfect taco filling?

NYC Take Three: Cousins Club Takes Aqua Grill

/ foodsweatandbeers / 11 Comments

So in case you missed them, here are a few recaps from this weekend’s trip to NYC:

Saturday night, though, was for family.  If you’ve been reading for a bit, you may remember my cousin’s NYC wedding last month!  Well, the happy couple just recently got back from a glamorous honeymoon in Turkey, and offered their home for a little happy hour before dinner.

Ted and Whit, the happy couple!

The title of this post actually references to the “Cousins Club” that all of my younger cousins had growing up. My mother’s one of 8 kids, so you can imagine there are quite a few cousins in that club.  Well, this past weekend, I felt like we were the grown up generation of the Cousins Club!  And what’s more grown-up than a bit of a cocktail hour for the Cousins?

Whitney and Ted were fantastic hosts, and really pulled out all the stops for their guests (namely, Claire and me).

Quite the spread.

Quite the spread.

We got to tour Whitney and Ted’s apartment, which was adorable and perfect and totally reflected them.  Whitney even picked up some tasty craft beer, knowing how much I love it!

Clearly I was a fan.

Clearly I was a fan.

It was the Smuttynose Imperial Stout, and it was rich, malty, and oh-so-drinkable (perfect to go with all the salty cheeses and meats!)

After a quick photo op, we were on our way to one of their favorite restaurants, Aqua Grill.

Tiny tiny tiny

Tiny tiny tiny

Aqua Grill, located in the Financial District, is one of the newlyweds’ favorite spots and, the moment we walked inside, I could tell why.  The atmosphere was infectious. Even though it was a late dinner (around 10pm), the joint was bustling. There was a din of chatter and laughter, the lighting was warm, and they had a gorgeous display of raw oysters as we passed the bar.  I could tell we were in for a treat.  I ordered a Jalapeno Quencher, the spicy cocktail I mentioned in this week’s Six Pack Sunday. It was delicious and, after careful deliberation, we decided to order four different kinds of oysters for the four of us (16 oysters. MATH!) I even took a picture so I wouldn’t forget which ones we ordered.

Ah, memories.

Ah, memories.

We did an impromptu “oyster tasting”, which was actually my first opportunity to taste the different types of flavors that you can get from different types of oysters. They were creamy or briny, and we also ordered my first “wild” oyster. Maybe it’s because I date a fellow raised in the Cajun tradition of loving all things oyster, but this was just an awesome experience. We let our tongues do the tasting, and it was an exploration of flavors before the main course.

I'm selfish for shellfish

I’m selfish for shellfish

Ted also ordered us a little sushi type dish but, I’ll be totally honest, while it was tasty, it almost paled in comparison to the oysters and the main course.  For moi?

Heavenly

Heavenly

Seared Diver Sea Scallops with Dungeness Crabmeat Risotto and Sugar Snap Peas in a Tomato Shellfish Emulsion

MY GOODNESS!! This was to-die-for!  I’ve only had scallops once before and these were so on point, matched perfectly with a creamy risotto and the sugar snap peas were a surprisingly crunch every time I bit into one. I think my favorite was putting a little bit of each piece on the fork before eating to merge all the flavors and textures in one divine bite.  I can’t speak highly enough about this dish.

Aqua Grill certainly did not do us wrong. Although there was a bit of a wait for some of the dishes, it was a packed Saturday night, so I kind of expected that. No worries, as the company more than made up for the wait.

My tummy was so stuffed and sated by the end of this meal, I felt like I should either float or be rolled back to the apartment. We made a quick attempt at “going out” but, after weighing our options (and pushing through the crowds at another crowded NYC bar), we thought it might just be more pleasant to fall blissfully into bed, dreaming of salty oyster shots and luscious scallops.

I’d say that if the younger generation wants to compete with this cousins club, they have some work ahead of them.

Winston-Salem: More like WINNING Salem!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 10 Comments

Good afternoon and happy belated No Pants Wednesday! A day late, I know, but I was out in public yesterday and honestly, I doubt the folks at Shiki Sushi would’ve been too happy if I de-pantsed during the lunch rush.  That’s not the Shiki way….

Today, though, lunch was enjoyed in the comforts of my own home. And that can only mean one thing (well, false, it can mean several things, but today it means one….)

The greenest of all salads

I’ve missed the crunch of the spinach and peppers, the almost sweet taste of the tomatoes, creaminess of the avocadoes, the warm black beans and the HOT CHA CHA of the salsa. I definitely needed this taco salad.

See, the first two days of this week, after hopping off a (delayed) Southwest fight (due, of course, to my Irene experiences), I hopped right into my car and headed to Winston-Salem, NC. Home of the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest, Old Salem Museums and Gardens, and, for two short days, Yours Truly!

Though I was in town for a work training, all work and no play makes Jordy a dull girl. Instead of boring you to death with tales of lesson plans and interactive sessions, I’ll skip straight to the good stuff.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner for the historic Old Salem Tavern.

Oh, you fancy, huh?

This Moravian gem has been around for over 200 years!! And, yes, I’ll admit, at times you were reminded of this. The seats weren’t too comfortable, and the tables were rickety, but if you’re looking for ambience and an authentic experience, look no further.

Stunning outdoor seating!

Though we weren’t able to enjoy the outdoor seating, it was gorgeous. I wish that I could take a certain Philly boy on a date here, if only for the possibility of sitting out here!

We were served a warm basket with two different kinds of bread.

Heavenly, just like your Morvian mama would make!

I went for a roll several of the small pumpkin raisin rolls. Oh sweet mother of Morvians! This was unbelievably good, warm, and so crumbly, accented perfectly with a few swipes of their butter pats.

While the menu was not too long, the options felt endless!

So many options, how will I choose?!

Though I’d checked Yelp for some recommendations, I wasn’t really in the mood for the infamous Moravian Chicken Pie. So I went for something a little different. And after enjoying the heck out of the pumpkin rolls, that may have tainted my choice.

Pumpkin an sunflower seed crusted salmon over wilted spinach and a blood orange vinaigrette

This was hands-down the best choice I could’ve made. The salmon was cooked perfectly for a gal like me, still pink but definitely all the way done. The pumpkin taste wasn’t actually too obvious, but the blood orange vinaigrette stole the show. I wish I could pour this over all future fish endeavors (and then bathe in it myself…. TMI? NEVER!)  The wilted spinach also featured a few onions, and had soaked up the flavors of the blood orange the make it both sweet and tart. The dish was light enough (and I was hungry enough) that I really had no option but to try some of their many tasty looking desserts.

Moravian Gingerbread with Lemon Ice Cream and Key Lime Pie

I promise, these two desserts were not just for me and, in fact, we split them among the three of us.  I will admit, and it should go without saying, that I could’ve eaten every last bite/drop without hesitation. I’m just that kind of human garbage disposal.

My other favorite pie.

Key lime pie is a usual favorite of mine and, though I doubt this was a “traditional Moravian recipe”, the taste was totally on point. It was tart to a slight pucker, but sweet and creamy with a texture that resembled a cheesecake.  The crust was so thin, yet tied the whole pie slice together. And whipped cream…. well that was just icing cream on the cake pie.

It was the gingerbread that stole my heart, though, served warm and paired with a teeth chatteringly cold, tangy lemon ice cream. Not lemon sorbet, not lemon water ice. TRUE lemon ice cream. This is not an easy accomplishment, to make a quality lemon ice cream, but Old Salem Tavern hit it out of the park. The combination of cold and warm left me LITERALLY picking up little crumbs with my fingers and wishing we could order a road-dessert. Alas….

Sweet tunes, sweet outfits, sweetness abounds.

The servers wore authentic old timey outfits, which is always fun and uncomfortable looking, but went nicely with the theme. There was live music, though it definitely was not my cup of tea. Luckily, the average age of the clientele was about 3x my own age (which is 24, IN CASE YOU FORGOT MY BIRTHDAY!!) and thus they enjoyed the “easy listening” as I personally felt that Tracy Chapman would’ve turned over in her grave listening to it.

Sidenote: Tracy Chapman isn't actually dead. But I think hearing the butchering of her music may have killed her, and then had her turning over in her untimely grave (click for Source)

Luckily, we were seated across the hallway of the cool jams, and so we enjoyed our meal in peace (mostly… thin walls = you can hear pretty much anything. That’s just math.)

When I returned to the hotel, I spent about an hour or so prepping for the next day of training, and going over notes.  And then I crashed into this bed…. HARD.

Is that a cloud? Nope. Just my bed.

But not before engaging in another new Winston-Salem favorite… That’ll just have to wait until the next post, though.

Pants on, back to work.

Have you ever been to one of those “old timey” restaurants where the folks stay in character like it’s their job (oh wait it is their job)? Did you like it?

What’s your favorite kind of pie?

Milltown & Great Divide Brewing’s Hercules Double IPA

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Good evening friends.  Hope you made it through Monday.  I’ll admit, after a lovely weekend of loafing (with a hearty amount of cleaning yesterday) I expected to jump into the exercise sea with arms wide open. But alas, the world (and my anxiety levels) had other plans. So after a long day at work, I rushed home, got the mail, paid the rent, got a toilet repaired, and started organizing what I’m going to need when the beau leaves at the end of the month for Philly (i.e. what he’s going to take with him.) On the list:

  • TV
  • Knife set
  • More body pillows to cuddle with and cope with my loneliness

Those are the big three, I guess.

But body pillows aside, I will truly miss having him around and given my glum thoughts about the future sans beau, it only made sense to nix cooking and have a date night!  We decided to finally make good on a LivingSocial deal that I got FOREVER ago for Milltown, a “gastropub” in Carrboro, a town that I feel like could be described as “Chapel Hill’s artsy hippy little sister.”  The last time I was at Milltown was during Lent, when I had given up eating red meat, so my dreams had been thwarted.  However, this time, I knew they could come true. “What was my dream?” you may be asking…

Bahn Mi ::$9
Miso Marinated Grilled Steak with Radish, Baby Carrot, Pepper, Red Cabbage, and Bok Choy Slaw Tossed in Asian Vinaigrette on a French Roll

Doesn’t that just sound sexy?

Patience, my friends.

Appe-teaser!

Noting the beau’s craving for wings as we passed Ba Da Wings (located conveniently across the street from Milltown), I knew he needed some, and needed them fast.  I’d add a description of the wings from the menu, but they seem to have mistakenly put the description of the nachos, because I know these chicken wings weren’t offered as “topped with chicken”.  They had a sort of spicy Asian-inspired sauce, with a (maybe?!) blue cheese, whipped kind of dipping sauce. I had two, and left the rest to the cravings of the beau.  He was pleased as punch.

In the meantime, we split an appetizer beer (what? You don’t have those?)

Founder's Brewing Centennial IPA

This Founder’s Brewing Centennial IPA was a great kickstart beer, with a fruity smell but not overly floral, which I liked. It had a nice maltiness which counteracted the slight sweet fruitiness. Ryan said he probably could not have had more than one of these. I think I could’ve…. But I didn’t.

Because all of the sudden, guess who was coming to dinner?

Bahn mi?! FOR ME?!

On the menu was the Bahn Mi: Miso Marinated Grilled Steak with Radish, Baby Carrot, Pepper, Red Cabbage, and Bok Choy Slaw Tossed in Asian Vinaigrette on a French Roll.  All this for $9.   I’d seen a friend of mine eat it before…. the image didn’t do it justice. The steak was juicy, slightly chewy but accented so well with the slaw that the crunch was present enough for me.  The fries, skinny and lightly seasoned, were delicious and had just the right about of softness to fold into two. Which I love to do. Just in case you were curious….

The other star of the show?

Great Divide Brewing Company's Hercules Double IPA

From the brewer:

Hercules Double IPA is not for the faint of heart. It is, however, fit for the gods.  HERCULES delivers a huge amount of hops from start to finish. Its hefty backbone of nutty, malty sweetness balances its aggressive hop profile.  10% ABV

Considering the high ABV, I thought this was surprisingly smooth.  The color was orange-golden color, with very little froth/head to it (which was important considering it was only a 12 oz pour). Initially, it smelled like apple juice to me.  I really couldn’t even taste the alcohol, I tasted malt and I tasted a sneaky little fruit (the sneakiness of the taste was more like…. I could smell it through my mouth. If this doesn’t make sense to you, I apologize, but if you’ve ever had this happen, you know what I mean.)

Both beers were great. Ryan had the Smoked Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Smoked Ham, and it tasted like a warm, gooey hug in the most delicious way possible.

This night filled my belly with great food and beers, and my heart with great feelings. Though soon, we’ll be living far away, (SAP ALERT BEWARE!) I absolutely love and cherish every date night we have together. He’s just the best dining and drinking buddy, and the most fun to talk to, and too many gushy things to put in public.  I’ll get over the whole not living together thing soon enough, but I’ll never get over what a pleasure it is to date your best friend.  That’s something that just won’t go away.

Top of the Hill Goes Green! And a beer review!!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

Good evening ladies and gentlemen!!

I actually went to Chapel Hill’s Top of the Hill last night for dinner with the beau.  I’ll admit, I’m a huge fan of Top of the Hill (or TopO as most of us Tar Heels call it).  However, to be totally honest, most of my nights there look something like this:

Sucking back lemon chasers post birthday-cake shots...

Stalking Tyler Hansborough (or any other UNC superstar)

You know… the usual.

The drinks are a little more expensive than your average UNC/Franklin Street bar but, honestly, you get what you pay for: the food’s good, the beers are handcrafted, and the view… well you can’t beat it.

Love it. Source

However, last night, thanks to a LivingSocial deal from a while back, we had a date night to TopO followed by a viewing of Harry Potter 7:2 (it was amazing… but that’s a post for another day.)  I decided I wasn’t in a beer mood, and went with a diet coke to drink.  I stepped out of my box in other way, too, and ordered this:

Edamame Burger, if you please!

On the menu tonight: The Edamame Burger, a house-made soy bean vegetarian patty with lettuce, tomato, red onions, tzatziki sauce & sweet potato fries. And for my stepping outside of the box… I was rewarded!  The burger was delicious!!  It certainly didn’t taste anything like a burger, but it was light, it was flavorful, and the tzatziki sauce paired nicely with it (though the sauce was a little thin for my liking.) The rest of the toppings (onions, tomato, lettuce) were crisp and fresh, good quality. On the side, the sweeet potato fries, which I love in a romantic sense.  Normally, I’ll get the sweet potato fries appetizer, which includes the fries covered in cheese (cheddar and gorgonzola!!!!!!! AHHHHH!!!) but I knew that the fries stood strong on their own, so I enjoyed every last bite.  I’d recommend this to anyone, vegetarian, meatatarian, pizzatarian…. it’s just a superior dish, and a steal for less than $10 (but only by 1 penny.)

Since I didn’t have a beer last night at TopO, Ryan and I decided to pair dinner tonight with a new beer we’ve never tried!!

Cottonwood Endo IPA, in a Harp glass. Don't get confused.

The Cottonwood Endo IPA from Carolina Beer Company (the website is very weird/confusing, but there’s the link if you’d like) poured a lovely gold color, lots of carbonation, and honestly, I was just excited because it was from Mooresville, NC (not even 3 hours from where I live, and the hometown of a friend of mine!!)  The smell was hoppy, and I was pumped to take a sip.  It was the sip, though, that burst my bubble.  It’s not that this is a bad beer, don’t get me wrong.  Even at first taste, I thought I tasted maybe some sort of citrus flavor somewhere.  But after letting it sit on my tongue for a bit, the taste went away and was replaced with a bare bones beer flavor (or lack of flavor).  Basically, what I’m saying is that the flavor was short lived, and there was little to no mouthfeel of any sort.  Like a pale ale that just kind of gave up…  It’s a shame, because I wanted to love this beer.  Alas, there’s plenty of love lost.

The only redeeming quality of this beer: drinkability.  I am already on my second one and think, if I wanted, I could have another.  I don’t want to…. but if I did, I’d be set.  I still have hopes for Carolina Beer Company… but not high ones.

Bull City Burger and A Beer Blunder

/ foodsweatandbeers / 11 Comments

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and a happy end of Monday to all!!  I must admit, today was certainly not the best day I’ve had in a while.  An early morning meeting, a dash of stress when it came to work -related stuff, a rogue pebble chipped my car window, and my fitness class of choice was (groannnnnnnnnnnn) BodyCombat. You may be asking yourself, “If you hate the class so much, why do you do it?”  Well, I do it for this.

Sweaty Betty

I rocked out 777 calories during the workout, which is actually not as high as I was expecting but, at the end of the day, the class kept me sweating, and left me panting in only the sexiest possible way.

You know…. like an overheated puppy.

Speaking of sweating, I always find myself sweating in the weirdest possible ways at the gym.  Here was the real winner tonight:

Shin sweat... nectar of the gods.

Super cute.  However, I did get to kick it in my new Under Armour goodies I picked up at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, so I was a happy camper combater.

Afterwards, I figured it was as good a time as any to use my TryItLocal Voucher (it’s sort of like a new version of Groupon… or LivingSocial or ANYTHING like that.)  It was for Bull City Burger, and I figured I’d take the beau out for some  BEEF!

This quality Durham restaurant and brewery, brewing their own beers and focusing on a “farm-to-fork” process, working with North Carolina farm raised beef, hormone and antibiotic free. They also have all-beef hotdogs, and they work with local farmers for their produce such as tomatoes, cukes (for pickling!), and lettuce.  BCB makes their own condiments as well, though I didn’t try any (alas… next time.)

After putting in our order, I grabbed a soda, while Ryan waited for his Roger Lager (made by BCB!!).  I normally wouldn’t get soda out, but this was a special occasion… they had Boylan Soda… not in bottles… IN A FOUNTAIN!!  For $1.75, you get unlimited refills in a beautiful mason jar.  I went for the Black Cherry, and was NOT disappointed.

Black Cherry Cola, more delicious nectar of the gods.

Seriously, this started the meal off on the absolute right note.  Boylan bottled sodas normally go for something like $3 a bottle when my brother would get their birch beer, so I felt like I was committing highway robbery: soda style.

Shortly after our order, our meals came over to the table.

Burger Bliss

Since my burger over Independence Day weekend was a little burnt, I was elated to try a perfectly cooked patty.

Ryan ordered a Chili burger with cheddar cheese, and I ordered the Green Monster: A burger topped with Gruyere, raw onion, and roasted poblano peppers.  We also split an order of Dirty Fries: Russet potatoes, skin on, fried in peanut oil.  The fries were SPOT ON!  Very crispy, well salted, paired nicely with the ketchup (Heinz Simply Ketchup, gotta love it).  The bun was fantastic, crisp outside, soft and delicious inside.  Ry was initially worried about how small the patty was, but after realizing that the Chili packed a punch, he realized that it was definitely enough meal.  My burger was delightful. My only complaint was that the roasted poblano peppers were not warm, something that I expected.  They were still tasty, but I think they would’ve been more enjoyable with a little temperature increase.  They were probably roasted and cut, then just kept in a little container waiting for unsuspecting girls like myself to order them… HOODWINKERY!

Clearly, it didn't bother me too much. This was about 5 minutes into eating....

As always, I punched my Clean Plates Club card, and headed back over to the fountain.  I had to try a few more sips.

Boylan Paradise!

The birch beer was not my favorite, but the cream soda… oh heavenly angels!!  It was so creamy, and so so very great.

While the burger prices were fairly steep ($6 plain, up to $10 specialty, or more if you add your own toppings), the soda and fries were definitely at the right price point, and everything was made locally and made well.  A great date night spot…

We had pipe dreams of heading to Fullsteam for a little dessert (namely, their Cherry Imperial Stout commissioned by Northwest Cherries).  Alas, our late arrival resulted in the bitter disappointment of learning the keg had been KICKED (not tapped, like I originally said… that was at 4 pm).   DEPRESSION FACE!

Ry saw the sadness in my eyes, and brought me somewhere to cheer me up: Total Wine.

Foothills Hoppyum.... served in a Foothills glass!

Foothills Hoppyum, a hop-head’s dream come true, served in the brewery glass courtesy of another awesome evening at Rockfish…  I guess I’ll just have to head there tomorrow before dinner.

I’d say darn…. if I was even the least bit disappointed!

Time for another glass before bed, and another episode of 24… we’re addicted to all the Jack Bauer drama we can get!!

What would be your perfect burger?  And what would be on top of it?

Mez in Durham and a BEER REVIEW!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 10 Comments

Yesterday, thanks to a SaveMore deal (of the century!!) I finally went to get my hair done (done = cut and partial highlights) in Raleigh. For $49, I was able to get both done.  WELL worth the 30 minute drive to randomsville Raleigh when it normally costs me $110 at best (part of the reason I’ve been putting it off…)  I’d say it was a great success, going from this:

Lucky you, not able to see my 5 inch roots.

To this:

And you wonder why they call me "The Golden Child"...

Not the best pictures, as both were taken from within my car, but you get the idea.  With my fancy new hair, I only had one option. SEMI-FANCY DINNER DATE WITH THE BEAU AND FAM!  While I tend to eat at home or make my foods to eat elsewhere like, 75% of the time, every now and then, I pretend to be a fancy pants and head out on the town.  When my hair is polished to a high sheen, that is definitely one of those times.  On the Monday Menu was Mez, a “Contemporary Mexican” joint in Durham.  The table started with some shared guacamole and salsa.

GAUC-ATTAUC!

Salsas de la Casa

The Guacamole was described as “Made fresh daily with avocados, tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, cilantro, lime juice. Served with crispy tortilla chips” and the Salsas de la Casa as “A trio of fresh salsas served with tortilla chips. Salsa Mexicana, roasted tomato-chipotle and tomatillo-avocado.” My thoughts?

The guacamole was off the chain.  There was the right amount of spice and a perfect smoothness, and I felt like I could taste each of the ingredients listed, especially the jalapenos! The salsas, on the other hand, truly didn’t taste worth the $6 price tag.  The “Salsa Mexicana”  which is what I assume was the Pico de Gallo bowl, was almost flavorless, other than mostly just tomato. The tomatillo-avocado was pretty quality, but I felt like the dark red one on the left was a glorified mexican “sauce”. That being said, the beau inhaled it, so clearly it couldn’t have been too bad.

For my meal, I was feeling adventurous so, due to the recommendation of our server, I ordered the Roasted Tamarind Pecan Crusted Salmon Served with chipotle sweet potato gratin and sauteed Spinach. My plate looked like this:

Delicioso!

The piece of salmon was ENORMOUS and this plate could’ve EASILY been two meals.  As I was a Ravenous Rachel (not to be confused with a Negative Nancy), though, I wolfed down nearly every bite on the plate (duh, I’m the queen of the Clean Plate Club).  The salmon was cooked medium, and had a wonderful pink color all the way through. The spinach was fresh and the chipotle sweet potato gratin, while not tasting like chipotle, was AMAZING!  It was like a mille-feuille made entirely out of sweet potato layers (the literal translation of that French term is thousand-leaf, and I knew that without looking it up, and that proves that my education at Garnet Valley High School was entirely worthwhile.) My only complaint about the entire meal was that the pecans that crusted my salmon were a little overcooked (read: burnt).  I pushed a few off the salmon, and focused on the ones that weren’t burnt, which added a wonderful crunch to the fish.

I’d like to say I chose my beer to best pair with my meal but honestly, I just love this next beer.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale

When I used to work at some crummy Ameri-Mexican place while I was finishing out my senior year at UNC that served sub-par burritos and orgasmic sweet potato fries with a habanero mayo dipping sauce that I need to recreat, my favorite beer we served was Bell’s Two Hearted Ale.  When I’d serve it to a customer, I couldn’t help but sniff the bottle (yup, I’m a creep) because the aroma of this beer is heady, hoppy, and floral. This IPA poured a light amber color, and since I was already intensely familiar with the aroma, I dove right into the taste. The carbonation is delightfully bubbly and the taste hits the mouth with so many fruit flavors that I can’t make them out one by one, all I know is it’s a flavor explosion of AWESOME!  It’s pretty damn hoppy (just how I like it) and, at 7% ABV, not so boozy you’ll feel drunk after 1 or 2, but packs a reasonable punch if you’re throwing them back.

This beer is widely available and, if you’re a newbie to the beer world (or for some reason, haven’t tried it, and feel like you should redeem yourself for your foolish ways) GO GET A SIX PACK! Or even just try one in a pick-6, but bring it to a party and people will want to be your friend.  It normally costs around $10-11 at my grocery store in Durham, NC, so it’s definitely a step up from a sixer of PBR, without being a snobby craft beer.

Now I’m off to figure out what to eat TONIGHT! My prediction: Wanchai Ferry Kung Pao Chicken.

EDIT: CONFIRMED! KP CHICKEN IT IS!!