Schwa Cleans Up Its Act

Background: 
Chicago’s Chef Michael Carlson began his career working under Paul Bartolotta at Spiaggia, Valentino Marcattilii in Italy, Grant Achatz at Trio, and Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck. In 2005, Carlson was offered a Sous-Chef position under Achatz at Alinea, but right around the same time, the opportunity came to buy Schwa, and he took it. Out of everyone he’s worked with, Carlson counts Achatz as his biggest culinary inspiration, so it was interesting to come here two nights before we dined at Alinea. It perhaps would have been best the other way around, but allora.

Schwa has an interesting reputation that’s all over the map. This article sums it up nicely, but essentially Schwa is known for the wonderful – a consistently-held Michelin Star since 2011 and one of the hardest reservations to get in town, to the less than – rumors of a drug-filled kitchen and canceling diner’s reservations at the last minute. However, per the article above and in our experience, Schwa has moved away from any shenanigans. Our dinner was seamlessly executed and felt very professional and high-end. AKA, no one offered us any cocaine (#rude). 

We were initially introduced to Schwa by Chef Mike Noll of our beloved Bardo, who worked under Carlson for a time (and now we can see many Schwa influences in Noll’s dishes!). We were in town so Jason could run the Chicago Marathon, and it was a joy to fit Alinea and Schwa into the same weekend of culinary debauchery.

Our experience was only slightly sullied by having just checked into a disgusting and unacceptable room at the Congress Plaza Hotel (never, ever stay here – I don’t care how great the location is), and we were a little stressed out with trying to find a new hotel and rush from the marathon expo to Schwa with enough time. We made it only about ten minutes late, which felt like a miracle. Of course, then Jason had to run to the Mexican grocery down the street to procure my booze, because no way I’m dining at a BYO restaurant sober, lateness be damned. I digress. Onto the food. 

Eat This: 

Schwa serves a seasonally rotating tasting menu. Here’s what we had on October 11th, 2019: 

Arnold Palmer

½ tea, ¼ lemon, ¼ sugar

Presented on a giant piece of astroturf, this dish had 25 elements of tea, citrus, and sugar that were designed to be mixed and matched and then taken as a dry shooter in the provided shot glass.

Embarrassing story time: one of the chefs brought out the shot glasses prior to the astroturf, and it was right at the same time that I opened my bottle of tequila. I said to Jason, “Surely this shot glass is for the dish, right?” And he betrayed me and said, “Nah, I’m sure that’s for the tequila.” Suffice to say he was wrong, and we both embarrassed the family as the chef shook his head and brought us a new one.

We found this dish both visually and literally entertaining, but we weren’t overly wowed by the flavors. It was also pretty difficult to take the leaves and other dry elements in the shot glass, as they just sat at the bottom or got stuck on the edge, so we mainly just piled two or three pieces on our spoons. I also have a lot of questions about how they clean the astroturf. Jason said he thinks they might just throw it away. LMK if you have any thoughts on the matter.

Raviolo

Quail egg, truffle, ricotta

This dish was also designed to be taken as a shooter, which, spoiler alert, I also found difficult because it was a pretty big bite.

My issues aside, HOLY CRAP. This was one of the single best bites I’ve ever had in my whole entire life, and this is when I knew we were in for a treat.

Also, at this point the tequila was kicking in strong and I was quickly moving past our hotel difficulties. Jason, however, was not so quick to forgive and forget. Oh well. Who’s happy? I’m happy.

Agnolotti

Maize, whiskey, popcorn

This dish could also be called corn 58 million ways. Seriously, it had corn pasta, corn consommé, freeze-dried corn, corn shoots, cornflowers, popcorn puree...WHEW. It also was topped with whiskey and popped sorghum. It’s a delight that I’ve moved past my corn fear even at an American restaurant, and I didn’t turn down either this dish or the corn-forward extravaganza the next night at Alinea. Who says you can’t grow and change as a person? Hallelujah.

With all of the sweet and light elements this was a fun dish with a lot of interesting textures in each bite. I dug it.

CAviar

Potato, onion, malt vinegar

The pureed potato was topped with gooseberries, (my favorite food, in case ya don’t know), and also onions, malt vinegar, an ice lettuce gel, and, of course, sweet, sweet, caviar. I love a good onion dip with potato chips, and that’s exactly what this dish was a high-end replica of. Even better, Jason liked it, and vinegar isn’t usually his favorite flavor profile. A win all-around.

Shad Roe

Sour tomato, allium flowers, Genmai

Whoa – this shad roe potato was such a nice, light twist on traditional pâté. The popped Genmaicha rice with sour tomato gel and fennel pollen added a tangy crunch to each bite. We loved this dish, and it was unlike anything we’d tasted before.

PS, I had zero idea what our server was saying when he introduced this dish. I was like, who is Shadro, and is she related to Sinéad O’Connor? We had to just straight up ask him what the heck he was talking about. In case you’re keeping track, that’s two times we embarrassed the family name thus far.

Black Cod

Mole amarillo, stinging nettles, white copal

This charcoal-grilled and smoked fish had a richness from the mole, and the pickled Chayote squash and coriander brought a lovely bite. This was scented with copal, which we had never heard of before, but it’s a tree resin that’s often used to make incense. So cool!

Jason liked this dish more than I did – I didn’t hate it, but it wasn't a stand-out to me in any respect. However, I did like how this dish and the corn course reminded me so much of flavors we had in Peru. There was a lovely earthiness that permeated every element, likely from the Aji Amarillo, which is a Peruvian yellow chili pepper. The more you know.

Oyster

Crab apple, lychee, horseradish

A classic oyster bite. Not much to say here – it was well-executed and we enjoyed it, but we wouldn’t have missed it if it wasn’t served, or remembered it if we hadn’t been writing this post. Moving on.

Sweetbreads

Salsify, Matsutake, Chinese Five Spice

Oooh honey. Some of the best sweetbreads I’ve ever had. It was so light and crispy, and the mild umami of the salsify gave it a great kick.

Plus, I always love seeing salsify on menus, since it reminds me of our meal at Funky Gourmet, which was the first time I’d ever tried this adaptable root vegetable (and we’ve since seen it on tons of tasting menus all over the world!).

The sweetbreads were made from veal, and a Meyer lemon spruce gel lended an additional layer of flavor to the otherwise rich earthiness.

A5 Wagyu

Cordyceps mushroom, pickled ramp, yuzu bernaise

This is for sure the first time I’m seeing an adaptogen on a tasting menu, and I’m not mad about it. However, the chef taught me more about cordyceps – did you know that it’s a fungus that actually grows on top of a caterpillar?! I thought it was just your average mushroom.

Jason and I were both in heaven with this one, and the accompanying bao buns (next dish). It’s always a treat to get Wagyu, and we were so happy to get a good meaty course. We often miss it when restaurants skip the red meat, and this one would have been a shame to leave out. Top notch.

My “Is there bread in there?” face

Bread

Wagyu bao, tamarind, koji

A few courses prior, a bamboo steamer was brought out containing these buns, but we were instructed not to open it until after eating the above plated Wagyu, so it was a delightful surprise to see these little guys waiting for us inside.

I love a bao bun, but sometimes the meat or filling can be subpar quality, so it was a real treat to get a bready, delicious bun tucked with the finest meat on the planet.

Our only complaint? We were getting to the end of the tasting and we weren’t quite full, so we think they should give each person two bao buns. Or maybe we’re just fatties. Also likely.

Butter

Radish & turnip, shio kombu, Wagyu fat

Gah, I love love love a good butter, salt, and radish pairing. Maybe it’s the 11.9% percent of me that’s French (sponsor a girl, 23andMe), but this is truly one of my favorite combinations of all time.

In this version, instead of butter, they glazed the radish with Wagyu fat. Oh yeah buddy. This light and bitter course not only delighted by showing how much of the Wagyu was used, but it served to cut the richness of the previous two courses nicely.

Things took a strange turn when Jason ate the radish leaves, however. Normally I’d be proud of him for eating his greens, but radish leaves are straight disgusting, and I don’t know how he got them down. We never asked the chef if what Jason did was intended, but I know the answer in my heart. That’s gonna be a no from me, dogg.

Parmigiano

Banana, nori brittle, Manuka honey

I don’t care if we got dragged on Instagram for eating a banana topped with cheese – you’d have to taste this one to believe it’s absolute exquisiteness.

The wild Thai banana was dried and a bit chewy, and the thin aged parmesan shavings on top were such a good complement. The salty nori and the sweet, freeze-dried honey continued on the sweet/savory play at work here, and we were in heaven eating this. You can expect this one to make our Top Five lists this year for sure.

Abalone

Melon, yuzu-kosho, arugula

This dish was a play on the classic prosciutto and melon, and was a nice bridge course before full-on dessert. While the fermented tanginess of the yuzu-kosho added an extra bit of pizazz, this course wasn’t the most memorable.

Dessert: 

Apricot

Taleggio, brown butter, marigold

And here we have my favorite dish of the night, and definitely my top five favorite courses of any restaurant we’ve been to.

The Taleggio pound cake was baked around a baby wheel of Taleggio and topped with citrus-laced marigold and a sauce with a light white wine flavor.

It was at once satisfying and light, and the different flavors played together beautifully. Oh my good heavens. This was everything to me. The portion was generous, but I still wanted so much more.

Drink:

Schwa is completely BYO – we didn't know if that meant just alcohol (you know Jason needs his mocktails), but it indeed means everything. To quote our server, “We may have a can of Coke floating around somewhere in the back.” So, whether you’re looking to get lit or a teetotaler, come prepared with your beverage of choice. 

I enjoyed a quarter or better (!) of this bottle of Patron, and Jason enjoyed a Tamarind soda from the trusty Mexican grocery. Just in case you’re like us and run out of time to prepare your beverage options, this nearby option is legit and worked in a pinch to help us create our own pairing experience. Looking back, I wish I had  gone with some wine, but I’ll never be sad about some tequila. Put that on my tombstone. Also, Jason picked up a lovely guava roll for us on his field trip. My husband, he always brings me food treats, even when we’re already sitting at a 14-course meal. Love him. 

Atmosphere: 

Schwa is located in Wicker Park, one of Chicago’s hippest neighborhoods. The inside is tiny (only 26 tables and the bathroom tucked back in the kitchen) and moody – the walls are painted mostly black with black-painted lightbulbs and pulsing rap music. 

Both of us love a casual atmosphere like this, and I actually find that the juxtaposition can make me enjoy the food even more than an upscale dining room. Maybe subconsciously it lowers my standards and then I am happily blown away? I’m not sure, but I can tell you that I loved bopping to the jams while sipping my tequila in jeans, and it is up there as one of my favorite restaurant experiences of all time. 

Cool Kid Hospitality: 

One of the interesting things about Schwa is that there aren’t any servers, dishwashers, or front of house staff. The chefs do it all, from food running to cleanup. This is pretty exciting as a diner, since you get a chance to talk to the chefs and learn their background in bits and pieces (we swear we tried not to hold them up too much).

Taking the new Moleskins for a spin at Schwa

Also, the dish explanations were perhaps as detailed as any we’ve ever had, which makes sense since the chefs are intimately acquainted with everything on your plate. Some of the servers were chattier and more friendly than others, but none of them were rude. 

Frankie’s Notes:

We want to do the full Chef Noll Chicago “This is Your Life” tour; I will never make assumptions about a shot glass at a Michelin-starred restaurant ever again;  My tombstone: “Here lies Yvonne. She loved pugs & tequila – but maybe not in that order.”; Jason running to the Mexican grocery with with negative ten minutes to spare was a harrowing moment for me, but since he came back with that guava roll, all is forgiven; Jason is not the most fun to dine with after I’ve refused to stay in the hotel he booked – is that on me?; I might be 11.9% French, but never forget that our son Ollie is 2% dog, 98% other. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 with Two Michigan Pugs

 

Alinea: A Review of Grant Achatz's Flagship Chicago Restaurant

Background:

Alinea needs no introduction. You’ve probably seen Chef Grant Achatz’s Chef Table episode, or seen it perennially on the top 50 restaurants in the world list (as high as number 6 in 2011), or maybe you’ve read about its three stars in the Michelin Guide, or 2016 Outstanding Restaurant Award from the James Beard Foundation. Wherever you know it from, Alinea is famous among gastromologists (did I just make that word? Yes, because I hate the term “foodie”).

The restaurant has been around since 2005, which is an eternity for a restaurant, especially one of this caliber. It’s hard for a chef to maintain his edge and sharpness, especially after rising to the top of the food world. So, as we prepared for our dinner at Alinea, we wondered if we had missed its prime, like we felt after dining at The French Laundry. Achatz and his partner Nick Kokonas have thought a lot about this — how can you make Alinea relevant and fresh while still paying homage to your restaurant’s history? In 2016, they shut down and completely remodeled the restaurant, taking it from a whimsical, modern look to a more classical, timeless look. The experience also changed. Instead of a three to five hour dining experience, the new Alinea is much more fast paced, taking anywhere between 2 and 3 hours depending upon what part of the restaurant you are dining in.

"Do any of us want to have a five-hour meal anymore?" chef Achatz asked the Chicago Tribune recently. No, we don’t, and Alinea in particular taught us the magic of a two-hour “theatre” experience. We got in, waited for the proverbial curtain to open, and then spent the next two hours participating in a show that left us perfectly full and wanting slightly more at the end, which is exactly the feeling you want leaving a great restaurant. A lot of high end restaurants don’t spend enough time thinking about how to get the diner perfectly full at the end of the meal. This in itself is an art, and the only other restaurant that we’ve been to that’s gotten it right other than Alinea is Noma in Copenhagen.

Alinea has been able to do what few restaurants have done and changed with the times and kept itself relevant 14 years after opening. Was Alinea better in 2011? I don’t know, but it was damn good in 2019, and I would not hesitate to go back in a heartbeat.

Eat This:

Alinea now has three options when dining: The Salon ($210-$285/person) is a 10-14 course tasting menu on the second level of the restaurant. The Gallery ($305-$365/person) is a 16-18 course tasting menu on the main level. Finally, there is the Kitchen Table, which is $395/person and only allows for six people at a time, all booked under one party. We tried and tried for a Gallery reservation, but since there are only 16 seats and two seatings a night, it sells out within a few seconds upon opening. So we settled for the Salon, which wasn’t settling as we’d find out later. Any reservation for two is almost impossible to get, so I would suggest finding another couple to go with for a table of four, which is a much easier reservation to score. Also flexibility of dates is great, as there are normally some mid-week options available.

At the end of the night, we asked our waitress what the biggest differences were between The Gallery and The Salon. She said the courses were the same, but you are taken as a whole room into the kitchen for one course in The Gallery. Maybe she said it to be nice, but she made it seem like we didn’t miss anything on the 2nd floor. Phil Vettel of the Chicago Tribute seems to feel the same way, and plus, the Salon is more affordable and approachable for new gastromolists.

Focus

Trout roe, concord grape, parsnip tofu

It took us four years, but we finally decided to bring a notebook and take notes during the meal, so we could remember all the small details. I also just got the new iPhone 11 Pro, which is such a huge upgrade from the X, especially in low light. I can’t recommend that puppy enough.

The first bite was only three ingredients but packed a real punch. The grape infusion was a burst of fresh grape flavor, while the disparate textures of the tofu and roe made a great balance for the dish as a whole.

Smut

Huitlacoche, corn, pink pepper

What Alinea did was serve multiple courses at a time, almost like an act of a play. This allowed the experience to go quicker and for each progression of dishes to be more dramatic. Act one was corn, which consisted of two dishes. This one was the Smut cracker. Smut is another term for huitlacoche, which is a special fungus that grows on corn. The cracker was made of this fungus and then it was topped with corn and pink pepper.

Of course, we all know of Yvonne’s corn fear (see: Central in Peru), but she has persevered past that in our old age and now we both enjoy a nice corn dish. The cracker was excellent and provided a nice compliment to the corn soup, almost a play on an oyster cracker that you would put in corn chowder.

Maize

Husk, smoked ham

We were in town because I was running the Chicago Marathon, and I didn’t want to eat at Alinea before the marathon, so we booked it for the night of the Marathon as a celebration dinner. This was a good and bad idea. Good, in that I was really hungry, bad in that I could barely walk and was a little delirious. As we got this course I hiccuped extremely loudly, which as Yvonne noted in our notebook, “embarrassed the family.” I’m sorry about that.

But alas, onto the dish. Freeze dried corn was put on top of corn soup, which contained corn, smoked ham, goldenberries, and corn kernels. The textures were what made this dish special, as all the different variations of corn provided slightly different flavors to the dish.

Shell

Prawn & chili

The next act was a play on Southeast Asian street food. We were presented 4 small dishes and then what we thought was a table decorations was infused with dry ice to create an aroma of lemongrass, lime, and coconut.

Alinea’s plateware is incredible, especially on this dish. We drank out of a glass conch and ate crab out of a glass crab. One of my favorite bites was this prawn and coconut curry, which was one of the most flavorful, spicy, sweet, delicious curries I have had in my life.

The prawn puff was served with a vanilla bean as a utensil, which we were told multiple times not to eat, but I still wanted to. We immediately started looking up flights to Vietnam/Thailand after this bite.

Ink

Octopus, Korean barbecue

The second dish in this act was grilled octopus smothered and covered in a Korean barbecue sauce. I think this was a play on midwestern, Kansas City BBQ, except instead of the traditional beef/pork it was made with octopus. Delicious, tangy, and left you wanting more

King

King crab, coconut, culantro, mango

Look at the glass crab - this crab was made specifically for this dish, and probably won’t be used after. Shinnnnnny for you Moana fans out there.

The actually crab had a really nice, bright coconut taste. It accentuated the crab’s natural sweetness and brought the whole Southeastern act to a close in a dramatic flourish.

HeirLoom

Rabbit, beans, sassafras

The next act was focused on rabbit, and felt very 10,000BC/cave man/Fred Flinstone-ish. First, a large fire is lit on the table. Then we are presented with a rabbit pasta and a log with a roasting rabbit.

The pasta harkened back to a simpler time, when families sat around fires and ate good rabbit pasta, as all of our ancestors did in the past (right?). This one was a miss for me. The presentation was cool, but it had a lack of flavor and depth.

Bone

Mushroom, honey, barbecue

The rabbit was served on the bone with mushrooms and a honey BBQ sauce, all while roasting on an actual coal (don’t touch that coal!). Surrounding the bone was a cracker of celery root, sumac, chervil, and a truffle of rabbit liver, pine nut, and wojapi.

To me, the winner of this act and maybe the best bite of the night, was the truffle. The silky liver mixed perfectly with the sweet wojapi (Native American Berry) and the crunchy pine nuts. It was umami, sweet, salty, crunchy, tart – everything in one.

Trumpet

Cured, blueberry

The next act was fall, autumn, or, in Charlotte, the three days in between summer and winter. A large plate of oak leaves are presented with this dish, fall colors abound, to give us the sensory experiences - sight and smell - to along with the taste.

The trumpet mushroom was grilling all throughout the previous course. The waitress came over and took the mushroom off the grill, put it on our plate, and then put this thin layer of foie gras on top. It was served with a blueberry sauce.

To me the earthy, meaty mushroom mixed well with the soft layer of foie gras, and the blueberry added just the right amount of sweetness to the dish.

Dumpling

Duck, black garlic, brown spice

On top of the leaves were served a duck dumpling (You have to kind of hunt for it in the leaves – I wonder if this was intentional to feel like you were hunting for duck amongst the fall trees?) Fancy bao buns have been a feature popping up more and more in fine dining recently, and I wholeheartedly approve. Bring on more buns, hun.

Taco

Smoke, myoga

Sorry for the bad picture guys. I was doing so well up until this point! While the foie gras was melting onto the trumpet mushroom, we were instructed to have this fall taco, which consisted of mushrooms and Japanese ginger (myoga). It was a refreshing, yet ultimately forgettable bite.

Black truffle Explosion

This is an Alinea and chef Grant Achatz classic. It’s a tortellini of sorts that’s cooked with a truffle that’s solid in the middle and liquifies when cooked, so the entire center is truffle liquid gold. We were instructed to put the whole thing in our mouths before biting in, or else the truffle juice would go everywhere, and if you waste truffle juice you are sent to the basement dungeon at Alinea. An incredible bite, and one which no other table around us received. We felt VERY special about that.

Shout out to Alineaphile, who attempts to cook famous Alinea dishes at home. He does an awesome write up on this one.

Rossini

Ribeye, frites, fois gras, mushroom, truffle

We were first presented sheet music of the William Tell Overture, which was written by Gioachino Rossini, a famed Italian composer. Apparently, he was a big eater, and the French named a dish after him, which contained steak, truffles, and foie gras. This was Alinea’s play on the dish, which included the addition of a French fry emulsion (I audibly gasped when the waitress told us this), and mushrooms.

Look at the opulence of this plate! We felt like we were having a rich, decadent dish which we were. I feel that many Michelin Starred restaurants don’t do steak because it’s seen as passé, and that’s a shame, because it’s good – and when prepared like this, downright amazing. This was a perfect way to end the savory dishes on a high note, if you will.

Paint

Strawberry, banana, toasted jasmine

It’s dessert time. Alinea’s desserts are the most inventive in the world. I don’t think that’s really a hot take. I haven’t seen someone paint on my tablecloth or present me with an edible green apple balloon anyplace else in the world.

But what I was worried about was – would they taste good? The answer is an emphatic yes. The paint, with its combination of fruits and chocolate, really made for a fun, enjoyable, and delicious experience. My favorite bite was the gooey chocolate cake bites. It was moist and offered the perfect amount of chocolate to counter the fruity reductions.

Balloon

Helium, Green Apple

The most famous Alinea dish, the balloon. It’s a green apple taffy filled with helium. The string is made with an apple fruit leather.

Was it fun breathing in the helium and talking? Of course it was. Did it taste good? Yes it did, and even better than expected, I might add. The green apple added a nice, refreshing end of the meal smell and taste.

Drink:

Alinea offers a wine pairing, but no way in hell I could have done that post-marathon. Yvonne did a few wine by the glasses, and I had an excellent apple cider. The winner of the night to me though was the iced tea. This to me just exemplified the three Michelin Star experience. This wasn’t just a run of the mill black tea, it was a lychee imported tea from China that was the best iced tea I’ve ever had. It just shows that no detail, however small, goes unnoticed at Alinea. The sommelier was top notch, as expected. When Yvonne asked for a natural orange wine, the sommelier immediately brought her this German wine from Domaine Marcel Deiss, which she loved.

The best tea ever

German wine? Why not.

Atmosphere:

When we first walked in I thought, oh no, here we go again with a windowless, stuffy, museum-like experience. The walls are different shades of gray/blue, the art is modern, and it felt like we were back at Osteria Francescana, which we did not enjoy; however, the experience couldn’t have been more opposite. The restaurant was lively - people were having a good time. It felt like we could enjoy ourselves. We could laugh with the waiters/waitresses. I could make jokes. It was not stuffy at all. In fact, the setting made for a timeless moment that heightened the experience. Everything in the restaurant was set up to facilitate a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime moment, which is what we’re looking for when we go to Alinea or any other fine dining restaurant. We also didn’t feel like, as Yvonne puts it, we were fattened up like Geese to be turned into foie gras. We left the perfect amount of full and the perfect amount of happy.

Yvonne’s Hygge Room Face (PS: is that a Reformation dress?)

Chicago Hospitality:

The waiters/waitresses are what made Alinea special to us. From the moment we walked in they made us feel comfortable and at home. They knew when to talk, and when not to talk. They were personable and fun, while yet still maintaining a professional vibe. It was the perfect service, and reminded me a lot of the way Eleven Madison Park runs their hospitality. At the end of the day, when you go to a restaurant of this quality, you want to feel special walking in and out of the building, and Alinea pulls this off with the best of them.

Frankie’s Notes:

It’s a little silly to wear your Chicago Marathon Medal into Alinea; It’s okay to wear it walking back to your hotel, but after that let’s put it away because no one cares that you ran the marathon (this is coming from someone who ran the marathon); The only exception: if you win the marathon. Then you can wear it all you want; It’s fun to name the animals that are on your ribeye plates — I named my giraffe Joelle; Drinking tea out of a metal straw is the way tea was meant to be drunk; Gastromologist is going to catch on, and you heard it first here on scallionpancake.com.

Rating:

Alinea is up there with the best of the best, and is one of the few restaurants we’ve been to that has exceeded our expectations. I would go back in a heartbeat.

5 OUT OF 5 WITH 3 MICHIGAN PUGS

 

Flip-a-Lo's Gives Charlotte a Taste of Buffalo

Background: 

Owner Samar Haddad opened Flip-a-Lo’s off of Carmel Road in Charlotte after being inspired by other family members who were also in the Buffalo-style chicken wing game. And Flip-a-Lo’s is done in the true Buffalo way – no sad breading here, people. The wings are crispy and fresh, as Haddad is so committed to not using anything frozen that her restaurant doesn’t even have a freezer. That’s dedication to the chicken wang game. We first tried Flip-a-lo’s after being invited in, but we’ve been in on our own many (MANY) times since. 

The OG

Eat This: 

chicken Wings

You can get your chicken as wings or strips, and one of the coolest things about Flip-a-Lo’s is that you can mix and match your sauces in every combination. Want 3 Buffalo Hot, 2 Teriyaki, 4 Garlic Parmesan, and 1 Honey BBQ? Want to mix Buffalo mild and BBQ on a SINGLE wing? That might be kind of a dick move, but they would have you covered. Want to dip your wings in bleu cheese or ranch? Those are all homemade. PRAISE. Your wings come with two breadsticks, carrots & celery, or you can sub fries or another side for a small upcharge.

Buffalo Pizza Sticks

Oh my dear god. These pizza sticks haunt my dreams, man. Once the get in my head, I have to have them. Haddad and her team makes the dough for these babies from scratch. I told you this place was legit. The crust is super soft and doughy, and there’s just the right ratio of cheese, hot sauce, and tiny pieces of crispy Buffalo chicken. You should just go ahead and get the large order, because these babies reheat beautifully.

Breadsticks

The breadsticks come as a side with any order of wings or strips, but they really deserve their own shout out. Made from the same homemade dough as the pizza sticks, these sticks are covered with a delicious garlic sauce with pieces of fresh garlic – no artificial garlic flavoring here, people!

Chicken Strip Tacos

Want to go outside of the Buffalo wing box? Opt for some chicken strip tacos, using any kind of sauce you want.

Sticky White Rice + Bleu Cheese + Teriyaki

Ready for a Flip-a-Lo’s menu hack? Add bleu cheese and teriyaki sauce to the top of some sticky white rice, and you’ll never need to go to a hibachi restaurant ever again. Boom.

Dessert: 

You can get Little Flips, which are bite-sized donuts made from the same dough I’ve been waxing poetic about for several paragraphs. We haven’t tried these yet, but I can pretty much guarantee they’re great (UPDATE: TRIED THEM. VERDICT: AWESOME). 

Drink: 

Wash down your wangs with standard soft drinks, beer, and wine. 

Or you could just drink it all!

Atmosphere: 

Haddad runs a seriously tight ship – this place is CLEAN, and she boasts a 99% health rating. You could eat off the floor, though we don’t necessarily recommend it. 

FRIES BB

Flippin’ Hospitality: 

The service is friendly and fast, which is great, considering a large part of their business comes from take out or third-party delivery. We usually opt for take out, that way we can drive home way above the speed limit to ensure we eat our wings when they’re hot and fresh, baby. 

Lemon pepper wings

Frankie’s Notes: 

Ask for your wings extra crispy, you won’t regret it; Frankie has eaten chicken wings at The Anchor Bar in Buffalo, and he thinks Flip-a-Lo’s does them justice; Jason made a freakish wing with like four sauces mixed together, and he wasn’t proud of the final result; Lil Flip is Frankie’s rap name; I can freely order multiple orders of extra hot sauce here and drink them without judgment. Hallelujah.

 

Capishe Real Italian Kitchen Upgrades Charlotte's Fast Casual Game

Background:
Capishe opened off of Morehead near Uptown Charlotte in late 2018, and, to be frank, we didn’t think twice about it until we were recently invited in. We had fair to middling hopes, as we can be food snobs (shock of all shocks), especially when it comes to fast casual. However, we ended up looking pretty stupid to ourselves (name that quote) when it turned out that Capishe is beyond legit.

Nearly everything is made from scratch, including the pizza dough and pasta noodles, and we were blown away by everything we tried. Kindred alum Chef David Cavalier is at the helm, and it’s safe to say he knows his stuff.

Eat This: 

Caprese

Vine ripe tomato, Buffalo Mozzarella, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar reduction

Angelina Pizza

Buffalo Mozzarella, caramelized cipollini onion, roasted mushrooms, truffle oil

San Lorenzo Pasta

Rigatoni #80, Capishe red sauce, dolce piquante pepper (Peppadew), Buffalo Mozzarella, Italian sausage, caramelized cipollini onion, fresh garlic.

Claim to fame: now Yvonne’s #1 pasta in Charlotte.

LINGUINE CARBONARA

Linguine #21, pancetta, white wine, parmigiano-reggiano, fresh-chopped parsley

CHICKEN PARMIGIANA

Puccia bread, chicken, ricotta, basil - parmigiano reggiano, Nona sauce on the side

Dessert: 
Capishe serves delicious housemade canoli in addition to several flavors of gelato.

Cannoli

I loved how this cannoli was business in the front (traditional chocolate chips) and party in the back (white chocolate chips). So, so good.

Gelato

Wayne went with a classic chocolate and vanilla combo.

Drink: 
Capishe serves beer, wine, and soft drinks. Wayne enjoyed his first Peroni, and he thought the woman who offered it was saying “Corona” in a strange accent. Now that’s strange, Wayne.

Atmosphere: 
We loved the high ceilings and huge glass windows. Even better – the entrance is essentially a giant window that they keep open during good weather. It was open when we were there, and we caught a lovely breeze and got to enjoy some prime people watching as folks were walking home from a college football game.

Wayne loved it

Dowd Y-Adjacent Hospitality:
We can’t speak much to the service since this was a media visit, however from what we observed everyone seemed to get their food quickly after ordering at the counter, and all of the employees seemed happy to be there.

Frankie’s Notes: 
We love taking Wayne places because he’s a tough critic who doesn’t mince words, and the news is in: he loved Capishe; This is a great place to go to meet bros in boat shoes, if you’re in the market for one; All of Charlotte’s other pastas are just imitating; Jason ate the traditional half of the cannoli while I enjoyed the white chocolate party in da back; Every time we eat Italian Jason brags about his time studying abroad in Florence; ALLORA.

 

Chef James Knappett's Kitchen Table

Background:
Kitchen Table is tucked in the back of Bubbledogs, a hot dog and champagne bar in Camden, London. It only seats 19 people a night, which we were lucky enough to be a part of last May. Little did Chef James Knappett and the rest of the team know that he was getting a guy walking in with an NYU shirt, Santa Claus, and a millionaire who was going to refuse a £4 cup of tea because it was too expensive. Rumor has it he went on an immediate 2-week vacation where he contemplated his life and why he’s in the restaurant business. Sorry, Chef. We did our best to tame the olds, but sometimes they can’t be controlled.

But enough about our crazy family for now – let’s talk about Chef Knappett. He worked all over the world, from Noma to Per Se. He decided to open the restaurant with his wife Sandia Chang. Together, they own the front of the house hot dog bar Bubbledogs and the back of the house fine dining restaurant Kitchen Table (also, they just had a baby in April and she is adorable). Kitchen Table opened in 2014 and got its first Michelin Star in 2015. It received its second star in 2018, which the restaurant maintains today.

Eat This:
There is only one option at Kitchen Table, and that’s the multi-course tasting menu for £150. It’s a three and a half hour experience and show, as the kitchen and all the magic is happening right in front of you.

Oyster

The first dish was oyster panna cotta, horseradish ice cream, and wild nettle. This dish to me in a weird way reminded me of the oyster and the pearls dish at the French Laundry, but maybe that’s just because I know Chef Knappett worked with Thomas Keller at Per Se. I loved the cold/hot play of the horseradish ice cream with the oyster. What a great way to start the meal.

Quail

The second dish of the night was a smoked and picked quail egg with mushrooms, black vinegar infused with black truffles, and black garlic puree served on top of potatoes. All I can say is I wish it was more than one bite!

Ham

A play on the classic Italian ham and melon, the melon was compressed, seasoned, and displayed separately form the ham to deconstruct the two ingredients. The ham came from a local butcher who makes his meats specifically for Kitchen Table.

Chicken

The next snack was crispy chicken skin with rosemary-infused mascarpone and bacon jam. This was my favorite dish of the night. It reminded me of a Southern U.S. pork skin cracklin mixed with a British bacon butty.

Parkerhouse

Who doesn’t love a Parkerhouse roll served with house made mutton fat, tomato confit, and last year’s garlic. I believe they tried to take the butter away from us and Yvonne almost killed the chef. Again, we are sorry for our behavior.

Squid

Squid and scallops were in perfect season when we were in the U.K. This was Cornish squid cooked in chicken fat with fresh mint, wild sheep sorrel, salt and vinegar powder, fresh sour cream, Grelot (AKA pearl) onions, and green almonds. I am a squid lover, so this dish was a refreshing and lovely bridge between the starters and the mains.

Trout

Look at this beauty. You know what’s the worst? Overcooked fish, especially if it’s trout or salmon. Of course, this trout was cooked to perfection.

Scallop

This scallop was caught the day before and brought to the restaurant alive, where it was served simply with a little caviar on top.

Seabass

The Seabass was cooked in and topped with foie gras, and then sprinkled with a nice onion salad. I have done a 540 on foie gras recently. I loved it, hated it, and then loved it again. I think by itself, it’s tough to swallow (literally). However, when it’s added as a creamy, rich accent, it can turn a dish into a star, like in this dish where it accents the Seabass.

Asparagus

It’s an asparagus tart. Writing about this 3 months later, I honestly don’t have any recollection of this dish, so I guess it wasn’t too memorable.

Lobster

The lobster was slowly cooked over coal and served with a sauce from the lobster’s shell, fresh bbq peaches, tarragon, and tomato fondue. We had three great lobster dishes on our European trip, and this one was exceptional. The fresh peaches made this dish, adding the perfect amount of sweetness to the dish.

Lamb

The roast lamb belly was served with lamb sauce, garden mint oil, crème fraîche, sheep sorrel and mint.

Beef

Just take a look at this piece of meat and tell me you don’t want to put it directly into your mouth, don’t pass go, don’t ask questions. It was a delicious piece of meat, again, butchered specially for Kitchen Table.

Chilcote

Chilcote is a special goat cheese made in Staffordshire from Innes cheesemakers. People describe the cheese as having fudgy, hazelnut notes.

Beetroot

Beetroot marmalade, reduced beetroot juice with sweet woodruff, frozen and crushed woodruff tea dusted with dried beetroot skin on top of sour cream ice cream. I’m not a fan of sour cream, but even I enjoyed this dish. A great bridge dessert from the savory to the sweet section of the menu.

Cambridge Cream

Cambridge cream is the British version of a creme brûlée. It’s said that it originated from Cambridge college, where in the 1600s the college would burn in the logo on top of the vanilla custard. That’s so British and royal it’s hard not to get excited about that.

RHubarb

The rhubarb was served in two parts, one as a gelatin and one as an ice cream. This one wasn’t my favorite, but Yvonne loved it.

canelé

The canelé is made with Madagascar vanilla and rum. Vanilla is underrated – thanks for ruining it, crappy ice cream companies. Good vanilla is complex and flavorful. Add some rum to it and I think you have a nice dessert.

Fudge

Caramelized white chocolate and sea salt fudge. What more do you need to say?

Crepe

To finish it off we had a moist, decadent, crepe. A perfect bite to end our night.

Atmosphere:
My ideal setting for a meal is it at a well lit, small bar with one-on-one interaction with all the chefs, where you can see all of the cooking happening, so Kitchen Table was pretty much my ideal atmosphere. I love the intimacy. I love watching the precision of the chefs. I love the signatures of all the famous chefs who had eaten there. I love being high on a stool. I loved it all. It’s the modern show that I love and crave to go to and be a part of. To make this review as British as possible – it’s like seeing the Beatles at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.

The dining room, kitchen, and everything else in one picture.

We see you

Ferran Adria - no big deal

Just a few Michelin Men

English Hospitality:
For us foodies, It literally doesn’t get any cooler than being able to carry on a conversation with the chefs as they serve and prepare your meal. The meal was probably the most intimate we’ve ever had at a 2 Michelin Star restaurant. One of my favorite moments of the night was when Chef Knappett took this boy (pictured below) back behind to the kitchen so he could see how things are done and what was written on the kitchen table. It was the boy’s birthday, and instead of a party he wanted to come to Kitchen Table (last year his mom took him to a 3 Michelin Star Restaurant in Paris), which in itself is cool and something I wish i was mature enough to do when I was eight years old. The chefs could not have been more hospitable to him, and to everyone around the table.

We can’t get through the whole review without talking about my mom, who was here with us and was not enjoying herself. Ten minutes before the meal, she exclaimed she would rather spend her money on Escada than on food. This is not something you should say before you spend $200/person at a meal which is going to be small plates and you’re going to spend 3 hours at, but so it goes. At the end of the meal, the chefs came around and asked if we wanted tea. The tea takes about 2 minutes to explain, because it has multiple different types of herbs which you get to pick. The poor chef explains all of this to my mom, and then right as she is about it pick it out she asks THE question…”does this cost this extra?” The look the chef gave my mom was honestly the most confused, intense, and sad face I’ve ever seen, followed by, “Yes, it is extra.” “Nevermind then,” my mom says. Ten minutes later when we get the check, we find out that the tea was four pounds, or roughly what one stitch in an Escada dress costs. Yvonne and I have never been so embarrassed, but she is family and we love her. She will not, however, be attending our next Michelin Star meal.

Imagine instead of rolls, this was the chef explaining the tea to my mom

It’s not the best picture, but this was the tea plate with all the herbs

Frankie’s Notes:
Bubbledogs should be a bubble bath fun room for old pugs (copyright coming soon); One day, we’ll be able to walk into an Escada store and not immediately be escorted out; In England they drive on the wrong side of the road and they put their silverware on opposite sides to compensate; One of the men dining with us was friends with George Soros, and that’s impressive.

Ranking: 5 out of 5 with 2 Michigan Pugs
Kitchen Table is definitely worth of a trip if you’re in London. They use only the freshest ingredients from around the U.K. and offer some of the best modern British food around.

 

Queen City Classic Wine Tour with Big Fat World Tours and NC Wine Gals

Background:
The lovely Allie of EatDrinkCLT invited the fairer half of Scallionpancake on an epic North Carolina wine tour back in late July – sorry, Jason, this trip was ladies only. Along with Allie, I joined Sarah from Charlotte Food Scene, Jess from The Sweet Seoul, Julia from CLTChomp, and Amanda who works with Visit Charlotte, a branch of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority for a relaxing Sunday of wine tasting and girl talk. 

We were accompanied by our guide Jessica, who co-runs NC Wine Gals with her partner Megan (NC Wine Gals is an offshoot of Big Fat World Tours, if you’re looking for even more opportunities for guided travel). We enjoyed the Original Food and Wine Tour which consists of five different stops with tons of wine and food along the journey. 

If you’re looking for the Cliff’s Notes, the biggest surprise of the trip was that North Carolina is home to so many nuanced, Italian-inspired wines due to our blessed location in the Piedmont region. We didn’t taste any of the super-sweet Muscadine that often gives NC wine a bad rap. The tour included a wide spectrum of rich and complex wines that I had no idea were made so close to Charlotte. Also, the scenery in Yadkin Valley is just amazing. Especially outside of Raffaldini Vineyards, you could really trick yourself into believing you’d been magically transported to Italy (like The Magic Schoolbus, but with more drunk women). It’s just a stunning part of the world that we’re so lucky to have only a short drive away from home.  

We highly recommend the tour for a mini couple’s trip or girls’ getaway (the tour bus takes a minimum of six people and a maximum of 12, so if your group is smaller you’ll be paired up with some new friends!). The tour bus leaves at 10 a.m. and returns around 6 or 6:30 p.m., making it an easy and fun day trip from Charlotte. Oh, and if you book using the code “Charlotte,” you can get $20 off your tour! Yay! Read on to see what you can expect from a daylong adventure with NC Wine Gals. 

Eat (DRINK) This: 

Assorted Table Wine Shoppe in 7th Street Market

Everyone meets at 7th Street Market in Uptown for a breakfast-inspired pairing courtesy of the Assorted Table Wine Shoppe, which is nestled in the back of the market. Here you’ll enjoy your first pairing – a Carolina Riesling with a Krispy Kreme donut! This pairing is quite surprising, because although the Riesling is sweet, the sugar in the donut actually cuts the sweetness of the wine and brings out a depth of flavor that you don’t get when you taste it on its own. So cool! This stop was a great way to get everyone’s energy up for a fun day ahead. I thought I’d be nursing my coffee until we finished our drive to wine country, but that all went out the window with a 10 a.m. glass of wine! Woohoo party time.

After we finished, we all piled into the van, which was super roomy with just six of us. It was a great chance to catch up, and the hour or so drive to the first vineyard flew by! PS, this is also when I started calling the vineyards “breweries” even though I wasn’t tipsy yet. My bad.

Jones Von Drehle Vineyards

This vineyard is a stunner, and the only stop where we enjoyed a full wine tasting. It was great to get a detailed tutorial from one of the owners on the wines we were tasting, and we also got to munch on some oyster crackers as a “palate cleanser.” But, let’s be real, a cracker connoisseur like myself considered this an epic snack above all. #oystercrackersforlife.

FUN FACT: This vineyard is owned by two couples who are also in-laws! There is also a good girl vineyard dog named Chloe you should find and pet here at JVD.

McRitchie Vineyards

This stop stands out because it’s where we ate BBQ! Heck yes, there’s BBQ on this wine tour, people, in case I haven’t convinced you to sign up yet. Jessica made a glorious tray of delicious BBQ for our lunch, and we paired it with their rich Ring of Fire red, a favorite of mine from the whole tour.

We also had their Ruby Red Port (chilled), which was a delightful surprise, as I usually find port too sweet, but I think the combination of the meat pairing and the cooler temperature of the port mellowed it out. The port was actually the only tasting that I finished its entirety! I am also a lightweight, FYI. You wouldn’t have wanted to see me finish every glass, and if you had seen it, it probably would have been on the news (“Local Woman Blacks Out for Three Days in Vineyard”).

Raffaldini Vineyards

This vineyard was my favorite, and I clearly am not alone, because this place was just packed. The grounds genuinely reminded me of Italy, there was live music, I loved their reds, and we had dessert. What else could a girl want?

We tried their famous Montepulciano Riserva (seriously famous – this wine has won awards!) with some meatballs Jessica made, and then paired a Sangiovese with some delicious homemade brownies! Are you seeing the theme here that Jessica is an awesome cook and an excellent wine spirit guide? She was our van DD, chef, and teacher! Who could ask for anything more? We spent a good amount of time here people watching and sitting on their upstairs porch listening to the band. I also bought a bottle of Montepulciano, which ended up being $32 and officially is the fanciest bottle of wine I’ve ever purchased for myself. Top dollar, baby.

Piccione Vineyards

The final stop of the trip involved goat cheese and rosé, so it’s safe to say we were all looking forward to this one all day. We paired their Montepulciano Rosé with some goat cheese, honey, and crackers, and it was a lovely ending to a fun day.

FUN FACT: this vineyard was started by a doctor with Italian heritage!

Dessert: 
Brownies, of course! I also got another brownie for the road at Raffaldini (they make their own brownies with their Sangiovese, but they also sell brownies from a Greenville bakery that I enjoyed). Brownie options abound, I tell you! PS you can also buy chocolate bars from McRitchie...not that we would know anything about that. Ahem. 

Drink This: 
Um, see above. 

Atmosphere: 
Who knew that we had such stunning vistas right in our backyard? It was such a treat to get outside of the city and breathe some fresh air with good friends. 

Wine Drunk Hospitality: 
Jessica from NC Wine Gals could not have been a better host. She was so laid back, but also kept us to a schedule so we got home at a reasonable hour, dropped all kinds of wine knowledge on us, fed us, and was simply the all-around best tour guide there is. I can’t recommend her or NC Wine Gals enough! 

Frankie’s Notes: 
I seriously had to read this three times to make sure I didn’t call a vineyard a brewery again; Also, please tell me if I missed one; Wine drunk is just a special kind of drunk, amiright?; Any wine that’s over $12 is a major splurge, and don’t let anyone tell you anything different; There are no other girls I’d rather spend a day drinking wine with! Yay for good friends, booze, and beautiful North Carolina wine country.

Piedmont Culinary Guild's Sensoria Food & Wine

Background:
We are huge fans of Kris Reid and The Piedmont Culinary Guild, which you may have heard about on this awesome episode of the Scallionpancake podcast. In recent years, PCG has partnered with Central Piedmont Community College to present a food and wine celebration at their Sensoria Art and Literature Festival. Local chefs join with local wineries to create food and wine pairings, and patrons eat, drink, and celebrate Charlotte’s culinary scene. Beyond all of the delicious food and drink, there are even culinary breakout sessions you can attend to get educated on food and wine after you fill your belly with delicious food. The event is held on a spring Sunday, and we have attended the past two years and enjoyed ourselves immensely. It’s really a great opportunity to see the up and coming chefs in the area.

The most fun part is that attendees get to vote on their favorite pairing at the end of the event. Last year, Chef Greg Collier won for his smoked trout and apple salad on cornbread toast. Who won this year? Read on to find out!

Jason couldn’t make it, so I went with good friend of the blog Nancy!

Eat This:

Santé

Chef Adam Reed

Roasted pork over pickled slaw and tropical salsa

Hello, Sailor

Chef Mike Rozycki

Spring onion rigatoni with braised pork and Parmigiano Reggiano

Zeppelin

Chef Vince Giancarlo

Piccione Nero braised Springer Mountain Farms chicken thighs, finished on the Big Green Egg with Cheerwine Korean chili BBQ sauce and kimchi pickled vegetables

Fahrenheit

Chef David Feimster

Spicy Yellowtail wonton tacos with chili oil, pickled shallots, green onions, and cilantro

Members Food Service

Chef Brandon Lopez

Gorgonzola panna cotta with pancetta, vanilla and honey popcorn, corn shoots, and lemon-basil microgreens

Stoke

Chef Chris Coleman

Smoked pork belly sweet fry bread with peanut, benne, and chili jam

Duke’s Bread

Chef David Quintana

Pork katsu with pickled cabbage, black garlic tonkatsu sauce, and potato bread

Barberry Lunchbox

Chef Majid Amoorpour

Wild mushroom and truffle-infused goat cheese crostini

Aux Bar

Chef Steven Goff

Braised rabbit with mustard whip and creamy Farm & Sparrow grits

The Fig Tree

Chef Greg Zanitsch

Smoked duck mousse profiterole with bacon fig chutney, bleu cheese butter, and pickled red onions

The Stanley

Chef Paul Verica

Beef tartare on brioche with pickled potato, truffle, yolk, and herbs

5Church

Chef Whitney Thomas

Harmony Ridge Farm duck liver mousse with pickled ramps, and huckleberry marmalade on brioche

Dessert:

Sweet Spot Studio

Chef Jossie Lukacik

Dessert of honey and lemon

Earl’s Grocery

Chef Jamie Turner

Apricot tangelo chiffon mousse cake with laurel-lime gastrique with white chocolate crumble

Who won, you ask? Okay, okay, it was none other than Scallionpancake Podcast favorite, Chris Coleman! His fry bread donut deserved all of the accolades and extra pug fairy dust to boot. That dish was definitely our personal favorite, and we also loved the pork katsu sandwich from Duke’s bread, the profiterole from The Fig Tree, and both desserts.

Drink:
Sensoria is all about the wine, but I am all about not having a hangover Monday morning. I stuck with water. Woo!

Atmosphere:
As Sensoria is presented in conjunction with CPCC, it’s held at the Philip L. Van Every Culinary Arts Building off of King’s Drive. It’s a lovely spot for an event like this with a large professional cooking space, but it does get super crowded with so many chef’s stations and people milling about. We recommend coming early to avoid peak crowds!

Also, the last two years the wonderful people of Blue Goat Dairy have been posted near the entrance sampling their wonderful selection of sweet and savory goat cheeses. They also sell delicious candied pecans!

Piedmont Region Hospitality:
Most of the chefs seem super happy to be at this event and talk to the people, which makes it a great way to get to know the faces behind your favorite restaurants and new discoveries. For restaurants who don’t have chefs who are as…uh, personable, we recommend that they send a smiley surrogate in their place. Trust us, we get it – we wouldn’t want to interface with the sweaty masses of plebeians either, but if you know making small talk isn’t your thing, send your food with an ambassador.

Frankie’s Notes:
The things that Chef Coleman can do with donuts defy logic and break the donut glass ceiling; When in doubt, put a duck on it; Everyone loves the girl drinking water at a wine event; Not all chefs are people-chefs, and that’s a-okay with Frankie; You know what doesn’t pair well with a spicy cabernet? A sweaty plebeian.

 

Enigma: A Review of Albert Adria's Barcelona Culinary Adventure

Background:
Albert Adrià is culinary royalty. Along with his brother Ferran, the Adrià brothers ran the most famous (and probably the most influential) restaurant in the world, El Bulli, which closed in 2011. El Bulli is where modern molecular gastronomy was born, and many of the world’s best chefs spent time at El Bulli, including Massimo Bottura, Rene Redzepi, the Roco Brothers, and Grant Achatz.

Once El Bulli closed, Albert decided to open up a series of restaurants in Barcelona under the El Barri group, the most famous being Tickets, which has been ranked in the top 20 in the world and is a modern play on Spanish Tapas. In 2016, Adrià opened Enigma, which only holds 24 people at one time. Enigma has one Michelin Star and is currently ranked #82 on the 2019 World’s 50 Best restaurant’s list.

Our journey to Enigma started in when we found out we were going to Scotland. We’ve been eyeing Barcelona for a while, because Barcelona is awesome and we like saying Barcelona with a lisp to each other. Plus, it’s one of the best food cities in the world. We were originally going to try to go to Tickets, but the reservation website for the El Barri group is, in a word, terrible. Apparently, in order for the system to accept your reservation, you have to set your computer’s calendar to Barcelona’s time zone. So we ended up “settling” for Enigma, which, spoiler alert, wasn’t settling. We also went with Yvonne’s dad, Wayne, who had never been to this type of restaurant prior to this. Except for the night before, when we went to El Cellar de Can Roca. Yes, we did El Cellar De Can Roca and Enigma on back to back nights. Do not try that at home boys and girls – leave that up to us professionals and Wayne.

Eat This:
Enigma is a tasting menu experience that involves traveling to different rooms throughout your time at the restaurant. The price is €220, which is not bad when you consider that you’re going to have between 25 and 40 dishes. Enigma was one of the most fun dining experiences we’ve ever had, as it truly was a journey through different rooms in what looked like The Penguin’s ice cave. When you make the reservation, you are given a code which is needed to get into the front door. As stupid Americans, we couldn’t figure out how to get the code to work (the numbers must have been in Spanish, ahem), so the hostess came down and helped us out. This was the only mishap of the whole night.

The entrance to Enigma

Once inside, you are brought to the first room, which is called La Cava. Here we were given our first few bites.

Sus

We were first handed a cocktail, which was gin and dry vermouth and a spray of Mandarin orange essence. Let’s get boozy, people. I think it’s nice when a restaurant starts you off with a drink, whether it be champagne or a cocktail. It’s a very welcoming sign that puts you in the mood. See pictures later for Yvonne’s mood.

Blini with Caviar

This was described as pancake air with caviar. It was good, but we aren’t going to remember this one.

Crystal Bread

Enigma served this dish at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants festivities this past April in Macao. It’s a clear bread that is crunchy with truffles shaved on top. Clear bread was a new one for us – pretty cool and innovative – and we’re only three bites in.

Aonori with Sea urchin & Wasabi

This crunchy aonori canapé with sea urchin and fresh mediterranean wasabi was served as a one bite. Notice we’ve gone from caviar to truffle to sea urchin already. $$$$$$$$.

Orange Blossom Kakigori

To round out the first room, we were given an orange blossom sorbet, which was a nice homage to our sus drink at the beginning of this section. A great palate cleanser for our raw bar experience ahead.

Next we were taken to La Barra, which was the raw bar.

Squid Veil

We watched as our chef sliced the squid so thin that it was transparent. She then put a drop of olive oil and a drop of soy sauce on each of our pieces. One of my favorite bites of the night – so simple, yet so good.

Lobster Claw & Lobster Roe

This was not how the lobster was served, but it looked so cool on the plate that I decided to use this as the picture. The claw was cut sashimi style and then topped with its own roe.

Barnacle & Codium

Have you ever had goose barnacles with codium seaweed? I doubt it. The barnacle was served with a sauce made of seaweed and sunflower oil. It was then served with a side of “barnacle juice” and actual seaweed. This was, as my buddy Branden would say, a taste of the ocean.

Anchovies Foie

The foie gras was cured in an anchovy salt while we were waiting at the table. The actual salt is cured with anchovies for over a year to bring out the subtle, extra-salty anchovy flavor. So smooth and delicious.

Off to the next room, La Planxa. This was a hot bar, almost like what you’d see at a Hibachi Style Japanese steakhouse.

La Planxa

Oyster with Iberian Ham

The best part of visiting Spain is the Iberian Ham. Sorry Italy, but I think Spain delivers on the best ham in the world, and I try to eat it as much as possible when traveling there. And who doesn’t love a little oyster confit in Iberico fat with Iberico broth? Poach anything in Iberian ham and it will be good, but pair it with a nice fresh oyster, and it’s the best.

Pea “Calcot”

I think i’ve come 540 degrees on peas. I think the smooshed, non-flavorful peas I grew up on soured me to what an actual good pea can taste like. When they are this crunchy and cooked so well you realize the magic of the pea.

Rabbit Tamal

The chefs wouldn’t tell us what this one was, for fear that we wouldn’t eat it once we learned it was rabbit brain. Come on bros, you know we’re not going to freak out on a little rabbit brain. Where Wayne comes from (Kentucky), this is a delicacy.

Wagyu & Sea Urchin

My dad has recently asked me 100 times what Wagyu is. God bless him. It’s technically any of the four Japanese breeds of cattle, but you can also just call it “really good shit,” k? The mix of the sea urchin created an ultra-upscale surf and turf experience.

Mushroom & Black Truffle Chawanmushi

I’m not a hot soup fan, never have been. So this wasn’t my favorite. I do love the mushroom + black truffle one-two punch that has found itself on a lot of menus recently (see Eleven Madison Park). It was good, and I ate it all, but it wasn’t my favorite.

Now we’ve made it to the central dining room where our main courses and desserts were served. What was cool was that the dishes were brought out and we were asked to eat them and then guess what we were eating. This was a fun exercise for all, and started a lot of interesting conversations. Wayne even made up a new type of plant – a sea orchid. We think he was trying to say lily pad or water lily, but we’re still going through the tapes to figure out exactly what happened.

The main dining room.

Wagyu pâté en croûte

Let’s admire the plating for a second on not just this dish, but all the dishes. I adore a small bite placed on a large plate. I love to see where they place it and if there are any patterns, etc. I’ve also been obsessed with pâté en croûte recently, as it’s been showing up on fine dining menus often. A great first bite to the dinner portion.

Aged Lobster

This was the outstanding dish of the night to me. The lobster is cured in aged cow fat and had the most delicious, marbleized meat essence. Plus, they made this sweet music video to show how they make it. Try not to start dancing when you watch, I dare you.

“Bisque”

Again, Soup Nazi here, but I’m not a soup fan so it isn’t fair for me to comment on the lobster bisque and its roe. Again, I ate it all, because I’m not a loser, but I just didn’t care too much for it. Sorry, soup lovers.

Morels with Coconut

Morels are my favorite mushroom now – let’s get that on the record. I also love the refreshing flavor of coconut. I would have never thought to put these two things together, as I think of Morels as a cold, forrest ingredient and coconut as a tropical ingredient; however, they combined beautifully. East meets West – let’s solve some world problems through food, people.

Warm Spring Salad

This was sea anemone served with lettuce heart and a lettuce vinaigrette. This is the course where Wayne famously invented the term “Sea Orchid,” as he tried to guess what this dish entailed.

White Asparagus

This one looks innocuous, but it’s not. It’s actually 4 asparagus in one – raw, grilled, cooked, and smoked. You have to see the video to see how it’s done. Pretty amazing.

White Anchovies & Trout Roe Dango

Trout roe in a roasted anchovy dashi with tapioca balls. Kind of like a boba tea, but with trout. A great looking and great tasting dish.

Tres Leches

A fun play on a traditional Spanish dish. Tigre, coconut ,and soy milk were a great transition from savory to sweet. Dink Travel says the soy sauce is 30 years old, and they seem reputable, so let’s go with that.

Banana & Foie Gras

A combination I’ve never had - banana and foie gras. Momofuku Ko in NYC always has shaved foie gras on the dessert menu, and it’s a nice creamy compliment to the soft banana and star anise sauce.

Baby Beans, Wasabi, & Lime

Lime and wasabi ice cream – a great combination of spicy, sweet, and acidity. Then you add the crunchiness of the beans and it leads to a well-balanced dish.

Cacao Bean

This dish only contains chocolate - freeze-dried chocolate air, frozen cocoa kombucha rock, and confit cocoa beans. I am a chocolate lover, so this was naturally my favorite dessert.

Soya, Soya, Soya

There are only soy beans in this dish, from the cracker to the sauces.

The main dinner was over, and we were taken through the main kitchen into a dark room that looked like the exit. They opened the door and boom – we’re in the secret back 41 Degrees bar. How fun is that! And we’re given more snacks. It never ends!

Drunk face

Lyo-strawberry & Truffle Profiterol

Each of these snacks were served with a cocktail. Who doesn’t love a nice strawberry with a truffle profiterol? This was a fun bite.

Nori Candy

Hot take: I don’t like seaweed. It tastes like your brother dunking you in the ocean and you feel like you’re going to die. But maybe that’s my childhood talking.

Vegetal Ravioli

This ravioli was made with lychee, rose, and orange, and boy, was it good. It was a great bite to finish off the night.

Atmosphere:
We’ve been to a lot of restaurants all of the world, and Enigma is one of the coolest, most well-designed, fun restaurants we’ve ever been to. It feels like you’re in the dream from the moment you walk up the ramp to meet the hostess. I love the concept of moving around during a four hour tasting menu, because four hours is a long time for a millennial to sit in one place. We were at the restaurant for quite a long time, and it felt exhilarating and exciting for the entirety of our meal, which is a feat for any event of that length. Every detail and inch of space at Enigma was well thought out, and you can see why they’ve won numerous awards for their design.

The main kitchen

#elbarri4life

Some of us did the wine pairing

Did you know that Wayne is a full time Santa in his spare time?

Barthelona Hospitality:
The service from the moment you walked in was spectacular. Our main server was from Argentina, and it turns out she was only 20 or 21 years old. She was amazing, she knew every dish and every drink on the menu, and couldn’t have been more friendly. I know what I was doing when I was 20 years old, and there’s no way I could have been working at a place like Enigma, that’s for sure.

We don’t remember your name, but you were awesome

A little end of the night bar magic

Frankie’s Notes:
El Cellar de Can Roca and Enigma within 24 hours is almost as crazy as the time we did Maido and Astrid & Gaston tasting menus on the same day; Warning: only try this if you are a true eating professional; I felt like I was in The Penguin’s Lair in Batman Returns, and was half expecting an Emperor Penguin to walk across the room and hand us a glass of champagne; We couldn’t be prouder of Wayne for making it through two tasting menus and enjoying the experiences, plus he made up some fun new species along the way; Guessing what you’re eating is fun and should be done more often.

Rating: 5 out of 5 with 2 Michigan Pugs
Enigma’s overall experience is up there with the best of the best. In no other place we’ve been have we traveled through a restaurant as we did at Enigma. All the food was inventive. Some of the dishes were outstanding, some were forgettable, but none of them were bad. I wouldn’t put the food up there with Noma, but it was a close second for me.

 

The Updog Kombucha Origin Story

Olivia Wolff asked us to write an article on Updog Kombucha in exchange for a sick purple t-shirt. How could we say no to that? Instead of a lame article, we decided to write a short one act play in Shakespearean English. Feel free to read in a British accent.

A London Bar in the past

WILLIAM:

My Lady!

MARGARET:

My Lord!

WILLIAM:

I herald news not of your liking.

MARGARET:

Oh, Lord!

WILLIAM:

 ‘Tis Arthur. I am afraid his health and temperament have turned.

MARGARET:

Alas, I have feared such news for some fortnights.
My Arthur!
Why doth your health forsake thee?
Our love, in its spring and full of life.
Yet your illness stains the day.
By Jove, may this be a test?
For we shall not allow the King nor God
To cometh between our brave souls.
My William, ‘tis the prognosis?

WILLIAM:

‘Tis grim, my lady.
His gut doth protest too much.
The doctor, aged and wise
Has not viewed nor heard
Of a case this vile and less of hope.
My lady, my heart cries of sadness
To bring such news to thee. 

Lady Margaret begins to sob.

BARTENDER:

Friends, I suggest to thee a potion
From the Orient doth come.
Its power, witches envy;
Its magic, Merlin desires.
Your lover, deep in sorrow
Hope, forsaken thee.
Bring him to the brewpub
For his life is the stake.
’Tis the one last option
For your love, the risk is worth.

 William scurries out of the bar to go and retrieve the ailing body of Arthur.

 MARGARET:

Barkeep, this far east potion,
Of whose magic I doth hope,
Can save my lover’s biome
And thus, our future!
Doth it have a name? 

BARTENDER:

The shaman that delivered it
Hath named the potion Kombucha.
Of Japan, it’s origin

 MARGARET:

Dearest Kombucha!
May thy delivery to my lover
Remedy for his sickness.
So, once more, happiness doth cometh
In our house and in our hearts.

At this moment, Arthur is brought in on a stretcher, mumbling incoherently, William by his side.

MARGARET:

My Arthur!

WILLIAM:

‘Tis Grave.
Barkeep, deliver thy potion.  

BARTENDER:

Doth he prefer Mojito,
Or doth he prefer Hibiscus? 

MARGARET:

Give thee both,
For only god knoweth the preference.

The bartender drops in Arthur’s mouth two drops of each Kombucha. With each drop, Arthur’s body shakes dramatically. 

WILLIAM:

Up, my Arthur, my dog!

MARGARET:

Methinks his life has vanished.

 They all begin to leave the bar, with grave sadness. Then they hear a faint stirring.

BARTENDER:

Halt, thy friends!
Tis Arthur, his soul has vanished not!
Look! The ‘boocha’s magic
Has doth life brought back to thee.
A great miracle upon thy bar,
A life, doth saved.

 ARTHUR:

My Margaret!

 MARGARET:

A great miracle!
Even St Paul is shocked.
The Kombucha saved thee, my lover.
A great debt I doth owe to it.

ARTHUR:

We must spread thy word to all
Of the powers of the Boocha.
For my life is one,
Yet I shall dedicate myself
To the health of mine countrymen.
They shall all know the powers
This potion doth undertake.

 MARGARET:

A life together shared,
Full of love and full of drink.
To save thine with bacteria
Our health, we are sure to thank.

They embrace and curtains close.

And thus, Arthur and Margaret spent the rest of their lives spreading the good word of Kombucha, and a few years later Updog Kombucha is born.

Haar Restaurant: Dean Banks' St. Andrews Star

Background:
Dean Banks traveled the world for years working in Michelin starred restaurants, private chefing, and learning how to be awesome (my words not his) before he landed his big break on MasterChef UK in 2018, where he made it to the finals. He didn’t win, but his talent was made apparent to the UK. He landed his own restaurant in the 5 Star Kinnettles Hotel in St Andrews, which opened in early April 2019.

Of course, being stupid Americans, we didn’t know any of this. So, when we happened to be staying at the Kinnettles Hotel on our trip to St. Andrews in May and stumbled upon Haar, we had no background on Banks, or the restaurant. St Andrews is a small town with not a lot of restaurants, and we were tired the first night, so we decided we’d try the hotel’s restaurant on a whim, more out of convenience than anything else. Most restaurants we go to or review we’ve done research on before, so we at least know a little bit of what we’re getting into. This one we were flying blind, so there were literally no expectations. Oh, we were also with our parents on this trip, whom we affectionately termed “The Olds” about halfway through our week together. “The Olds are telling weird jokes again,” “The Olds can’t walk anymore,” you get the idea.

You know the feeling you get when you’re surprised, happy, and just kind of in awe of your luck for wandering into a magical place you had no idea existed 3 minutes ago? That’s the way we felt during and after the meals we had at Haar. Every dish, whether it was a side, entree, or dessert, were perfectly executed and full of flavor. Each dish left you wanting more and more (and more and more). This place is going to blow up, and we’re just happy that we were able to walk in and experience Chef Banks’ magic before there is a two- month long waiting list to get a reservation.

Eat This:
There were two options when we dined at Haar. You could do a chef’s tasting for £65 or you could do à la carte Both times we did à la carte, which was a nice way to meander through the menu and share with the table, especially since we were with our parents. Literally everything we had was incredible, so I don’t think you could go wrong if you tried.

Oyster, jalapeño, & Cucumber

We knew we were at a special place when the oysters came out in dry ice. The jalapeño added a nice spicy kick to the briny oyster.

Spiced Octopus, Citrus Barley, Burnt Tomato

This was the best octopus dish I think I’ve ever had. The octopus was cooked perfectly and served over a spicy tomato sauce with a nice helping of barley. The flavor of the octopus mixed with the tomato and barley was just incredible. This is the dish I think about the most and want again so badly that I’m considering a quick weekend trip to St. Andrews.

Scottish Grass Fed Beef, Black Garlic

Every sauce on every dish was a 12 out of 10. This black garlic sauce paired with the beef so perfectly it begged the question: “why don’t we always eat steak with a black garlic sauce?” Just incredible.

Fife Rare Breed Pork belly, Kimchi Puree

Chef Banks doesn’t have any “throw away” menu items. There is so much thought put into every dish. We were talking to Chef Banks and asked how he got inspired by his dishes. He said that most are inspired by his travel and watching street food vendors cook. This dish must have been inspired by a trip to Asia, but what is amazing about Banks is he puts a Scottish spin on everything (hence the Fife pork).

Lamb Rump, Café de Paris

Lamb and duck are my two favorite and go-to meats. The best part about Scotland is there is lamb everywhere (shout out Dolly), and Banks’ take of turning the lamb into a classic French steak dish was top notch. Besides the octopus, this was a favorite for me. What made it extra special? The potato straws, which soaked up the Café de Paris sauce and became soft and delicious.

Wild Halibut, Tomato Beurre Blanc, Sea Kale

My dad, aka Bernard, loves fish, but he normally stays away from Halibut because, in his words, “Halibut has no flavor.” I was interested to get his opinion on Haar’s take on the Halibut, and even he admitted that this was the best halibut he’s ever had. The Halibut was cooked perfectly and the tomato/kale sauce paired with the fish was just delightful.

Desserts

Rhubarb

This was a giant rhubarb ball that we poured whiskey over, which caused the ball to melt and turn everything into a kind of dessert soup. Normally i’m against a whiskey shot in a dessert, because all you can taste is the whiskey. But the whiskey merely added a nice edge to the dessert and definitely enhanced the experience.

Banofee

Banana seems to be a polarizing dessert. Olivia of Updog Kombucha throws up if she’s within 100 feet of a banana. I personally love them, and I loved this dessert, which mixed toffee, banana, chocolate, and whiskey together into a magical experience.

Drink:
Haar has a its own amazing bar in the back, with a wide variety of Scottish gins and whiskeys. Alex, the main bartender, let us try a variety of the best Scottish libations. The Ackermans’ new favorite Scottish Whiskey (they don’t call it Scotch in Scotland, FYI - don’t embarrass yourself America) is Dalwhinnie, a brewery located about two hours north of St Andrews. It’s a mild whiskey that went down smooth. We also discovered Aelder, which is a wild elderberry elixir made right in Scotland. It’s meant to be mixed with other drinks, but we drank it straight up and enjoyed the s*@t out of it.

Atmosphere:
Haar is easy to pass by, and is unassuming since it sits on the first floor of a hotel. But it has a very nice, casual vibe that makes you feel comfortable and really highlights the exceptional food. No frills, no bullshit –  just really freaking amazing food. St. Andrews is a golf town after all, so most people were wearing golf attire and that seemed to be the appropriate dress.

Scottish Hospitality:
Haar is located on the main floor of the Kinnettles Hotel, which only has 9 rooms. We were staying here so we got to know everyone working there, including all of the staff of Haar. Everyone could not have been nicer, especially to our parents who don’t understand that Old People American humor doesn’t necessarily translate well into Scottish. God bless them. Chef Banks himself came out to talk to us and ask how everything was (all of the Olds immediately said we had a food blog and embarrassed us), and spent about ten minutes talking with us about his story.

Frankie’s Notes:
It would be remiss to mention that Jason made a 60 foot birdie putt on the 18th hole of the Old Course and got a very large round of applause. He says this was one of the greatest moments of his life; The Olds would be a great TV show and would star George Clooney and Martin Sheen; Scotland’s food is underrated - don’t believe the myth that UK food is bad – it is if you go to a pub and eat there everyday, but if you seek out the good stuff, you’ll eat at restaurants that rival any other great food culture around the world.

The moment before the putt: The 60 foot make on the 18th hole at the Old Course.

Ranking: 5 out of 5 with 1 Michigan Pug
Haar deserves a Michelin Star. Every dish is incredible. It’s worth a trip to St Andrews just to visit Haar. Drink a whiskey at the bar and, of course, eat Chef Banks’ amazing food. If you’re planning a trip to Scotland in the near future, don’t miss out on Scotland’s newest star restaurant.

 

El Celler de Can Roca Review: The Roca Brothers Deliver

Background:
El Celler de Can Roca is considered by many to the crown jewel of Catalan cooking, taking over from El Bulli which closed in 2011 (and where the Roca brothers worked at El Bulli the late 1980s). The restaurant is led by the Roca brothers—Joan (head chef), Josep (sommelier), and Jordi (head pastry chef). Joan, the oldest, decided at an early age that he would become a chef after working at his parent’s restaurant, Can Roca, during his youth. Joan & Josep opened up El Cellar de Can Roca right next to their parent’s restaurant in 1986. The youngest brother, Jordi, joined the restaurant in 1997 at the age of 19 and the rest, well, is history. El Celler de Can Roca got its first Michelin Star in 1995, its second in 2002, and its third star in 2009, which it maintains today. It has been ranked #1 in the world twice, in 2013 & 2015, and has been in the top 4 since 2011.

Our journey to Girona started in January, when we planned to do a quick two day stop in Barcelona to get a little sun between our week in Scotland and London – oh, and also to try some of the best food in the world. Our main goal was to land a reservation at Tickets, but on a whim I decided to put us on the wait list for El Celler, which is about an hour drive north of Barcelona. El Celler opens up reservations 11 months in advance, quite a long time out for a restaurant, so we were way past this period. I figured nothing would come of it and went ahead making other plans in Barcelona. To my surprise, a few weeks passed, and we got an email saying that there had been a cancelation and asking if we’d like to reserve a table for three. When the #2 restaurant in the world emails, you accept that email and make the reservation work, no matter what hotels/restaurants/plans you had already made for that day. So, we were hopping off the plane in Barcelona and heading to Girona for less than 24 hours.

Our flight ended up being delayed into Barcelona (thanks, striking French air traffic controllers), so by the time we got to Girona, we had about 15 minutes to change and go to the restaurant. We can’t say we saw too much of the city, but from what we saw we wanted to go back and explore more. Until next time, Girona. Oh, you might have noticed I said a reservation for 3. That’s because Yvonne’s dad, Wayne, was joining us on this trip. More on this later, but let’s just say that he had never had a 20 course tasting menu before, so we were a little scared as to what his reaction would be, if he would make it through the meal, and whether he would wear a Traditions Golf Club sweater/jacket every meal. Spoiler alert - he only owns Traditions Golf Club branded clothing.

Eat This:
But enough about Wayne. When you walk into the El Celler compound, you walk through a courtyard to the reception area. There you are greeted by the hostess who takes you to the main dining area. El Celler has less than 40 seats, and the areas are arranged so that you feel secluded but still have a great view of the entire restaurant.

The patio outside the bar area

There are two options when dining at El Cellar de Can Roca, you can do the Classic tasting menu for €195/person or you can do the feast tasting menu for €215/person. There is also an optional wine pairing for €110/person. We did the feast menu, which I believe every table in the restaurant was doing, because if you come here you aren’t going to skimp out. We decided against the wine pairing because we were fresh off the plane and we probably would have fallen asleep mid-meal if we attempted that chicanery.

The World

Our first dish was an elaborate globe with dishes based on the Roca’s travels around the world. Mexico was represented by a taco, Singapore by a chili crab, Egypt by a pyramid, Turkey with lamb and yogurt, and Peru with a causa limeña. The last bite came with a lever which was used to guess whether the last dish was representing Peru or Turkey. If you turned the lever the correct way, the globe opened up and a sphere of edible seawater appeared!

Memory of a Bar in the Suburbs of Girona

Squids, Kidneys with Sherry, gentian and orange bonbon. Montse’s meat cannelloni, cod brandade

Here we’re taking a trip back to the Roca’s parents’ restaurant. These elaborate bites were meant to represent dishes which the Rocas grew up on.

Tuna belly with Ginger

Who doesn’t enjoy a perfect piece of tuna belly in ginger? The Roca’s play on a little sushi to cleanse the palate.

Pine pollen, Pine Nut, Avocado, Green asparagus, and pine cone vinaigrette

Notice that every dish has its own custom plates, cutlery, etc. We’ve seen custom dishes before, but never on every single dish. The attention to detail was amazing.

Scallionpancake is all in on the pine cone trend. We loved the subtle flavors, and this bite made us think we were in the forrest.

Green olive’s ice cream and black olive tempura

This is probably the signature dish of the restaurant. An olive tree is brought to the table with olives hanging from the tree. You pick them and eat them straight from the tree. The green ones were frozen and the black ones were fried. A “wow factor” dish if there ever was one.

Perretxicos consomé with cured veal

Consomé is a French dish of concentrated meat broth. This one is made with perretxicos (mushrooms) and a nice chunk of veal. This was good, but not one of our favorites of the night.

St George’s Mushroom Brioche

An amazing bite of mushroom flavor. This was mushroom forward, mushroom empowered, and a great step in the right direction for mushroom rights. We loved it.

Bread

So at this point, the bread man walks by with a tray of freshly made breads. Word to the wise—only take one. We have just started the meal and although these breads are amazing, they will fill you up and cause you problems later in the meal. Don’t be like us and exercise some self control.

Vegetable surf and turf

seaweeds, spring herbs, and flowers

Now the main courses have begun. The first two dishes are plays on salads, with the first being a surf and turf salad made with mushrooms and seaweed. A refreshing first main dish.

Orange Salad

This is also a classic dish of the restaurant which changes based on the seasons, but it’s always orange. This take included mullet roe, tuna jerky, sweet potato puree, carrot puree, saffron, Jerusalem artichoke, and mango. Basically everything that is or could be close to orange.

Spring pickles with walnut “romesco” sauce

I believe it’s a rule now that all the top restaurants in the world must serve a pickle dish. And why not when you can show off your fermentation skills? Plus, who doesn’t love a nice walnut sauce?

Charcoal-grilled green peas, emulsion of its pod and vanilla

This was my favorite dish of the night. Vanilla has kind of gone out of fashion, but I love the flavor of vanilla. The black “vanilla bean pod” on this dish is actually all made of green peas to look like a vanilla pod. The fresh pea balances the sweet vanilla perfectly in this plate. Also check out the custom plate with the greens specs embedded right in the glass!

Mackerel Ajoblanco

When is Spain, you should have Spanish mackerel. I believe it’s actually a law. Scallionpancake says, “Why not have it at the best restaurant in Spain?” Sorry we are using the third person so much in this post, we’ve been watching a lot of professional wrestling recently.

White asparagus with sea anemone

This is literally the most phallic dish we’ve ever seen. It’s kind of distracting in a way, especially from this angle. It is fun to eat sea anemone though - that’s something you don’t see on a menu every day.

Prawn marinated with Rice Vinegar

The prawn dish is also a signature of the restaurant, with its bright orange sauce and head of the prawn. In America we’ve taken the shrimp flavor out of shrimp, so we really only get the meat texture. This dish emphasis that flavor—the salty, ocean, seaweed taste that a great shrimp has.

Langoustine with Sagebrush, Vanilla Oil, and toasted butter

The vanilla flavor shows back up in this dish in the most subtle way, accenting the traditional lobster and butter flavors.

Semi cured hake, juice of its bones, asparagus and rocket pesto, and grilled piparras

This was the point in the meal where Wayne was asking the waiters to stop bringing dishes. He hadn’t trained for years for moments like this like we have. Little did he know we had 4 more of these meals coming in the next week.

Steamed Fresh-Caught Whole fish, stuffed with seaweeds and sea anemones

They brought to our table a whole fish which they said they were going to prepare for us. 10 minutes later, this baby comes out. You can see the progression of dishes, from bites, to salad, to fish. This was our final fish dish until we got to the last of our savory dishes - the meats.

Smoked Duck Nagret with Orange

Duck and lamb are my favorite meats, so whenever there is a duck on a menu I get excited. The smokiness really accentuated the duck flavor here – duck southern BBQ if we ever conceived of BBQing a duck.

Veal Pastrami with puree of celariac, marrow, and picked vegetables

Have you been to Katz or Langer’s? Then you know good pastrami. Add the tenderness of veal to a great pastrami flavor and you’ve got this guy. I would have eaten this on a #19 any day.

Petrichor

distilled earth, pine syrup ice cream, carob cookie, fir dust, cocoa biscuit

This dish is supposed to represent when the Rocas would play in the forrest. They have a full-time scientist on their staff, who they worked with to figure out how to get the essence of the earth edible. This dish tasted like your childhood in the mud, but in the best of ways.

whiskey Cake

This was one of the best tasting desserts I’ve ever had. The cake was so moist with the whiskey flavor, and whatever magical toppings they put on this balanced the cake out. I would have eaten this until I threw up, multiple times over.

White Flower

elderberry, acacia, orange blossom, soursop, lychee, and green apple

This silver globe contained edible flowers and a fruity ice cream. It was beautiful, delicate, and most importantly delicious. It was a perfectly refreshing course to end the meal.

At this point, the main courses are done, but then they wheel over not one, but two dessert carts that have a variety of chocolates, small pastries, and fruit desserts. We were full, but how could we say no to these? They also were kind enough to box up chocolates for us to have the next day, which we happily obliged.

Hello dessert cart my old friend

Golden balls that had pop rocks in them

Cranberry pastries

Atmosphere:
The details at El Cellar de Can Roca are unrivaled. Each dish has its own specific plates made specifically for that dish. Each table has three rocks on the table representing the three “Roca” brothers (Roca means “rock” in Spanish). It’s easy to see why both the Michelin Guide and the 50 World Best inspectors love this place. It’s fancy, but not pretentious. It’s modern, but still has the white tablecloths and servers in coats and ties that your grandma expects at a meal of this caliber and price point. The dining room is situated around a courtyard enclosed on glass, making the room feel open while still giving each table privacy, and there were a maximum of two tables near you. There was definitely a whimsical element to the place, with the dessert carts, inventive menu, and overall layout of the restaurant. It felt fun and not stuffy, yet still fancy. That’s really hard to pull off.

The view from our table into the courtyard.

Catalan Hospitality:
Everyone at the restaurant was amazing, from the greeter when you walk in to the three Roca brothers who were extremely friendly and signing books. Josep Roca walked around and asked how each table was doing, and took pictures with anyone who wanted. Our lead waiter was amazing and answered all of our questions, especially all of Wayne’s questions about Spanish politics and Donald Trump (j/k Wayne - you were well behaved and made us proud, unlike my parents). We felt welcomed and relaxed the whole meal, and had an overall fantastic experience.

Our awesome waiter showing us the freshly caught red mullet

The orb inside the globe

Us and the boss - Josep Roca

In the bathroom they had a jar from the Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy in Florence

Frankie’s Notes:
I wish I could travel with mom and dad but I guess I’ll stay home with my brother who attacks me relentlessly all day instead; Seaweed orbs are way better than weird alien orbs above New Mexico #webelieve; Wayne only wearing Traditions Golf Club attire no matter what the occasion is like when Jason only wears BNA logo apparel on every occasion; Girona is cool and we wish we could have spent more time there—thanks French Air Traffic Controllers; Roca meaning Rock is Spanish is way cooler than Ackerman meaning Farmer in German; Vanilla is underrated and was ruined by American mass consumption;

Rating: 5 out of 5 with 3 Michigan Pugs
Very few restaurants live up to the hype of top 5 restaurants in the world (looking at you, Osteria Francescana and Eleven Madison Park), but El Celler de Can Roca did. We were nervous taking Wayne here for his first top notch dining experience because spending €215 on a meal is a hard sell to anyone, but luckily for us El Celler de Can Roca did all the selling for us. It was a classic 3 Michelin Star experience from start to finish, and certainly a restaurant worth traveling across the world to dine at.

 

Dorothy Creamery Scallionpancake Loaded Nachos

Background:
Earlier this year, we partnered with Dorothy Creamery to participate in a cheese recipe contest! That’s right – Dorothy Creamery did the impossible: they got us whipping up food in our kitchen rather than ordering off a menu. We were up against a very worthy competitor, Cheese Sex Death, who ultimately took home the crown in our round for her awesome Rose Honey-Baked Brie with Pistachios. Even though our nachos didn’t win, we think they make for a damn fine lunch or game day snack, so we wanted to share the recipe with you! These come together in less than 15 minutes and the end result is colorful, cheesy, and downright tasty. Here’s how we made them!

Who wouldn’t want a bite of these bad boys?

First things first: grab your Dorothy Creamery cheese!

Recipe:

Step One: Fry Up Some bacon

Is there any sweeter sound and smell in the world than that of bacon frying in a pan? We cooked ours in a large cast iron skillet. Once the bacon is on the verge of crispy, remove it from the pan and place it on a paper-towel lined plate, reserving the bacon grease.

Step Two: sauté scallions & banana peppers

I love and adore banana peppers (I eat them right out of the jar), and you know that we can’t have a recipe without scallions! When you’re chopping the scallions, reserve about a quarter cup of the top bright green part (keep them raw). Put these in the already hot cast iron pan with a bit of the leftover bacon grease.

Step Three: Add Kettle Chips

Jason had the idea to make nachos for our recipe, and it was also his idea to use kettle chips, which I loved! Everyone uses tortilla chips, but how many people make nachos with a crunchy kettle chip? Genius. I knew I married him for a reason. Add the kettle chips to the pan with the banana peppers and scallions, and then add the cooked bacon back to the pan and mix it all up.

Step Four: Cheese TIME

Let’s get cheesy, people. Grab your Dorothy Creamery cheese. We used two rounds of Comeback Cow and one Keep Dreaming. Cut the rind off of the cheese, and add it to a medium-sized saucepan with heavy cream. Cook on medium heat, stirring consistently until the cheese and cream have melted into a perfect, lump-free cheese sauce.

Step Five: Plate the Nachos

Add the kettle chip mixture to a plate and spoon the cheese sauce over the top. Sprinkle some of the reserved scallions on top, along with some cilantro, if you’re a fan!

Et voila! Optional step: take the cheese to your backyard and get some sexy photographs.

Want to buy some Dorothy Creamery cheese of your own? Use this link to order online, or click here to see where you can buy it locally!

Harper's Restaurant

Background:
Harper’s has been a Charlotte institution for years. Jason came here often growing up, and it was his grandmother’s favorite place (she ordered the burger, which also just so happens to be my go-to order). Harper’s has grown from the South Park location to several other locations in Charlotte and beyond.

ALL HAIL FRIED FOODZ

For us, the OG South Park locale is where it’s at, and we were beyond excited to be asked out for a formal tasting last month. Truthfully, we are at Harper’s at least every two weeks, so to be formally invited was such an honor. We think Harper’s is a sleeper hit and that it often doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Read on to see what makes Harper’s such a great part of Charlotte’s dining scene.

Eat This:

“Secret Menu” Blue Cheese Chips

We’re going to let you in on our little secret: Harper’s “secret menu” blue cheese chips. Apparently these used to be on the menu, but you can still get them if you ask nicely. Personally, I like to douse these in a HEAVY pour of hot sauce, but Jason doesn’t like that one bit. You do you. But whatever you decide hot sauce wise: GET THE CHIPS.

Asian Chicken Salad

Asian chicken, mixed greens, mushrooms, almonds, scallions, and crispy wontons

The chef told us that this salad is one of their most popular menu items, and it’s a solid option. I’m not usually a chicken breast fan, but theirs is juicy and flavorful, and the crispy blackened bits take it over the top. This was my first time trying this, and I’d order it again!

Harper’s Original Chicken Supremes

These are Jason’s FAVORITES. Seriously. He says Harper’s chicken supremes are the best chicken tenders in town, and just look at that crispy fried batter. You can get an appetizer portion or an entree portion, and they come with their house-cut fries.

Do you think Harper’s Chicken Supremes could be the next SUPREME WITCH in the coven? image credit to SYFY Wire.

House-Cut Fries

These fries take two days to make. They are cut in house, brined, and then fried up to absolute perfection. That golden-brown color isn’t fry face tune, it’s just the mark of a potato treated right. Don’t expect to be able to share these with anyone.

StreetSide Grilled Fish Tacos

Grilled white fish, fresh corn tortillas, grilled pineapple pickled onion, salsa verde served with Spanish rice & black beans

Did someone say Taco Tuesday? Who wants to crowd into the same old tired taco joint as the rest of Charlotte when you can get these beauties? That’s what I thought.

DANISH RIBS

Do you want to eat the screen? Uh, yeah you do. These ribs were fabulous and right outta Denmark, which you know we love. Danish ribs really do come from Denmark, are known for being more tender than traditional American ribs, and have 13 ribs instead of the usual 12. These babies are GOOOOD.

Dessert:

IRON SKILLET COOKIE

Do you like cookies? How about warm cookies? Well, you’re in luck. This iron skillet cookie checks all the boxes, ya’ll.

Drink:
Harper’s has a full bar, and a great bar area with booth seating and lots of TVs that are always turned to whatever sporting event you want to see. Jason and I always choose to dine in the bar, so he can watch TV while ignoring me. On second thought, maybe this is why he likes Harper’s so much?

Atmosphere:
Harper’s at South Park is huge, which means they rarely run a wait, even when they’re busy. The decor is simple and laid back, and it’s the kind of place you feel you can come as you are. It’s a great place for family get togethers, since there’s something on the menu for everyone. We actually came here after I officially become a Jew, and I still had wet hair from my Mikvah dip. Good times.

A Charlotte classic.

All-American Hospitality:
The service at Harper’s is so fast and efficient. One of the things we love about dining here is that we can get in and get out in under an hour, even when they’re busy. Although the visit we’re depicting here is a media visit, we have never had anything but great service, and we seriously come here all the time.

Frankie’s Notes:
The bread at Harper’s is also a secret menu item – they don’t bring it out automatically, but you can get it if you ask! ; Jason loves a restaurant with a TV so he doesn’t even have to pretend to feign interest in whatever I’m talking about;

Disclaimer: This meal was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are our own, and we were not compensated for this review.

 

Noma: A Review of the Seafood Season Menu

Background:
We visited Noma last summer for the Vegetable Season (Read about the background of Noma and our experience here), and we had such a magical damn good time that we decided to fly to Copenhagen for 96 hours to go back for the Seafood Season. This is our first repeat of one of the top restaurants in the world, and part of us didn’t want to go back simply because we had what is the closest we’ve come to a perfect meal that we didn’t want to tarnish that experience. But thanks to the NBA All Star game coming to Charlotte, we made some nice AirBNB money renting out our condo to a fancy LA producer. And what better way to celebrate living with my parents for a week then to treat ourselves to a trip to Noma?

Pro Tip: People are always asking us how we score these reservations. A great way is to get on the restaurant’s mailing list. I’ve been on the Noma mailing list for 2 years and they email at least once a season saying that they are opening up a few additional days for shared tables or regular sittings.

This visit we did a shared table, which Noma offers from time to time in their private dining room. This meant that we would be sharing a table with 16 strangers. We’ve done this a few times, most notably at Noma Under the Bridge, and recently at the Hello Sailor/Buxton Hall collaboration dinner. We’ve enjoyed this in the past, as we’ve been able to make friends and share our dining experiences with other people who care as much about food as we do. This time 17 of the 18 at the table were amazing humans, but one guy got a little too drunk and became obnoxious and, to be honest, dampened the experience slightly. It’s a roll of the dice if you’re sitting at a table like this, and both Yvonne and I agree that if possible at Noma it’s better to have your own table. Noma is a fast-paced, frenetic show encompassing all of your senses. Just eating and observing the food takes up so much energy that trying to make conservation with strangers distracts you from your main objective, which is enjoying the experience. Of course, if the shared table is all you can get – don’t pass it up. And if you’re an extrovert, you might feel differently from us.

When we walked onto the grounds, we were all herded into one of the greenhouses until everyone at the shared table arrived. We were given some cider and allowed to hang out in the greenhouse or just outside. We went on a beautiful Copenhagen spring day, and there is nothing more fun than hanging out at Noma just taking in the magic. And magical it is. It’s hard to describe it, but as soon as you walk through the rope gate you feel like you’re in a special place.

Welcome to our greenhouse

Once everyone had arrived, we were escorted down the long path by the green houses, past the bee hives and the test kitchen where Rene Redzepi and team were working on the upcoming vegetable season, until we reached the front door to the main dining area. We were then paraded around the prep kitchen through the sea of servers and chefs to the private dining room.

Oh hi it’s us

The parade into the dining area

Eat This:
Noma has three distinct culinary seasons: Seafood, Vegetable, and Game. This being our second trip to Noma, it was interesting to see the similarities in the progression of dishes between the Vegetable and Seafood season. Both seasons built up a main larger course - the celeriac shawarma of the Vegetable Season and the Arctic King Crab of the Seafood Season. What was cool about the Seafood Season was that dishes were grouped into progressions based on the type of animal being served. First it was raw seafood, then shrimp, then fish, and finally finishing with crab before the dessert courses.

There is so much intricacy and thought put into everything at Noma, from the progression of dishes to the fact that a different type of wood is used in each of the dining areas (the shared table area is made entirely of Douglas Fir), that it’s pretty much impossible to take it all in. It’s a place worthy of study, and a place the more times you go you pick up on concepts and notice things you’ve never noticed before. This is the case for the food itself, and in particular with the Seafood Season. The Vegetable Season gave a “wow factor” with almost every dish. Comparatively, the Seafood Season was a much more subtle, slow-burning wow. There was so much going on with each dish beyond just the initial flavor and main ingredients that it’s going to take us a long time to fully comprehend what we ate. There are very few restaurants in the world that keep you thinking about the experience for so long after the meal, and as a patron of Noma you want that feeling to linger as long as possible.

Fresh Norwegian Scallop

As you walk in, you can see the chefs opening the scallops to keep them as fresh as possible. They were delivered to our table and we were instructed to use the top part of the shell as a fork to scrap off the scallop and eat it with its roe.

seafood Platter

Carpet Clam, Venus Clam, and Mahogany Clam

One of my favorite bites of the night was this Carpet Clam, which was served with a delicious paste underneath. The Mahogany Clam is a rare clam that lives to be over 100 year sold. The clams we ate were around 100 years old, and we were told we could count the rings on the shell to see the exact age. We got to about 10 before we gave up.

One of the coolest parts of the dish is we were given quince to squeeze over the clams like you would typically squeeze a lemon. A great unique Noma touch.

MarInated sweet shrimp

How cute are these little shrimps? Kristen Wile from Unpretentious Palate described them aptly as spooning the herbs/flowers. This bite reminded me so much of the shrimp tacos from Noma Under the Bridge we had a few years prior.

Grey Shrimp Cooked with sea Lettuce

This was described as a lettuce ravioli, and it was one of the best bites of the night. A danish shrimp ravioli.

Lumpfish roe & cured egg yolk

Lumpfish roe had just peaked in freshness, so this dish replaced the sea urchin dish served earlier in the seafood season. The roe was served with the egg yolk, Mirabelle blossoms, and rose oil. The rose oil added a great aftertaste to the savory and decadent lumpfish roe. This roe tasted like you were having the finest sturgeon caviar. We’re sad we missed the sea urchin, but we were very happy with this dish.

Ramps

Ramps had just been delivered to Noma, and the fermentation lab has been using hundreds of kilos for something exciting – probably for the vegetable season. We got to experience some as a side dish to the lumpfish roe, and they added a nice earthy balance to the richness of the roe.

cured Turbot

The turbot was served with a corn miso from the fermentation lab. The miso added a hint of sweetness to the dish that gave the fish a pineapple flavor, which I think is what Noma was going for with the tiny pine needles in the presentation. This was one of the coolest and most subtle dishes for me, but a lot of people at the table thought it lacked flavor.

medium rare Blue Shell Mussel

When we were given this dish we were instructed to eat the mussel and then drink a mushroom broth which was hidden underneath the seaweed. I am a sucker for these multi-sensory experiences, and I loved tasting the soup while smelling the seaweed. It felt like you were at the beach.

Cod bladder simmered with quince

This was the beginning of the cod sequence, which started with this cod bladder with quince. I’ve never had cod bladder before, but I really enjoyed it. It had the texture of a cross between pork belly and well cooked octopus.

cod Tongue Schnitzel

The cod tongue still on the bone had been deep fried and then covered with wasabi leaves. I think at this point it’s good to take a step back to understand how unique this dish is. Did you even know that Cods had tongues? Did you know they could be fried and served on it’s bone to taste like schnitzel? It’s easy at Noma become jaded by the uniqueness and amazingness of each dish, as that’s what you’re expecting, but hot damn, each dish is so good it’s just hard to wrap your head around it.

Salt Cod Pie

Here they made a cod pie out of milk skin, very similar to the caramelized milk and cheese dish we had during the Vegetable Season. This is served with oyster leaves on top. Why are they called oyster leaves? Because they actually have the flavor of oysters! So cool.

beach Crab Gel and Pinecones

Here we have a crab gel with pinecones. As you’ll see in the first dessert dish, the pinecone has become one of the best things we’ve eaten. The presentation of this dish was done in a hollowed out crab shelled that had been covered in wax. Naturally, this takes a long time to make, and the overall effect was well worth it.

Boiled brown Crab on Flatbread

This crab cracker was prepared using a technique that Noma had picked up in Tulum, Mexico. The cracker had been deep fried twice to allow for it to puff up and be able to be stuffed with the crab. This dish itself is so time consuming to make it – the crackers are hand cut to look like crabs and then hand stuffed.

hot smoked, then barbecued arctic King Crab

We’ve made it to the main dish, which is barbecued arctic king crab from Finnmark, which is basically the North Pole. Each crab was served with a QR code showing you when and where the crab was caught, its size, and who caught it. Ours was considered XXXLarge, weighing in at over 10 pounds! The crabs are kept alive on sight at Noma until they are ready to be served. The dish is served with a side of horseradish juice, and you could tell it was good because the table got quiet for five straight minutes as people were eating and enjoying their crabs.

Crab Salad

Right after the large crab meat was served we were presented with a warm crab salad. This was my favorite savory dish of the night. The salad was hot and delicious, and was just seasoned and dressed to perfection.

salted & dried berries from Summer

This dish was literally everything to us. It was both of our favorites, and I think maybe the most perfect dish I’ve ever had. We were served sheep’s milk cheese with last year’s preserves, including pine cones.

We had one of these pinecones on the Vegetable menu, and we had been dying the try them again. The fact that each of us had 4 or 5 of them made us so happy. The broth was perfect. The ratio of cheese to fruit to liquid was perfect. It was all just perfect. As Yvonne said, if she were allowed she would have unlimited quantities of this she would have eaten so much as to make herself sick. Weirdo.

Cardamom scented sea Star

Noma told us they tried hard to serve actual sea stars, but apparently they taste terrible. So they settled for the second best thing, which was a cardamom toffee sea star made to look and feel like an actual sea star. A great tasting, and fun play on the seafood theme. Overall, we felt that these desserts were stronger than the ones we had during the Vegetable Season.

Chocolate Cod Skin

You knew we had to end with seafood, and we ended with fried cod skin covered in chocolate from Mexico. It was served with a “dagger” to help cut up the skin. The chocolate was not too sweet, but provided a nice balance to the crunchy skin. A great last bite.

Drink:
At the shared table, we had to do either the wine or juice pairing. We both chose the juice pairing, because Jesus, who can drink ten glasses of wine during a meal and walk two miles home? I had the juice pairing during the Vegetable Season, and all of the juices had completed changed just as the menu had changed. We started off with green gooseberry, which is Yvonne’s favorite fruit of all time and was my favorite juice of the day. Yvonne really enjoyed the saffron and pumpkin kombucha, which was spicy, sweet, umami, savory, and bitter all at once. We both agreed that getting the juice pairing is like getting a whole other meal to itself. With the wine pairing you get wine, but it’s not like the wine is made at Noma. The juices are all house-made and curated just for the current menu and each one I’ve had at both meals have been incredible. Don’t be afraid - go non-alcoholic and you won’t regret it. You can get wine anywhere.

Apple and Herbs Juice

Tomato and Fig Leaf

Atmosphere:
This time, even more than the last, Noma felt so alive, bustling with service, the fermentation lab going full force, and the test kitchen preparing for the Vegetable Season. Noma is a science experiment with counterculture vibe and the best food in the world. No table cloths, you eat with your hands, guests are wearing polos, a million people are moving around, all the doors are open, and people are yelling “Yes, Chef” like it’s the chorus to a Justin Bieber song. It’s a sensory overload, yet everything fits together and makes sense. No moment is boring. It’s the dining show to rule them all.

The clock in the main kitchen that says “FASTER”

Rene Redzepi hangig out with us for a few minutes

A view of the main dining room with the power plant in the background.

The private dining room looking out to graffiti from Christiania.

Under the Sea Hospitality:
Now that we have a new logo, we’ve been creating Michigan Pug plaques for restaurants that have received a coveted Michigan Pug. Our first one was at Bardo in Charlotte, and I decided since we were going back to Noma that I would have one made and carry it over myself. I did not want to make a scene about it, so when we got to the gate I gave it to the greeter and explained that we had enjoyed our meal so much the past summer that we had a small token of our appreciation for them. The guy then took it and presumably told Rene Redzepi about it, who instructed them to put it up immediately in the private dining room. This was so amazing to us and something Noma didn’t have to do, but it make our time there that much more special. I’m sure they’ve moved it now, but just seeing the other diners and wait staff look at it throughout the meal made us so happy. A touch of class.

The overall service was top notch, except for a few snags. We did ask one of the waiters if we could keep the QR code as well as if we could take a picture of one of the drinks, and we never received an answer back, which is rather abnormal. It must have been the guy’s first day. Other than that, everything else went smoothly and without any incident.

The one thing we weren’t allowed to do on this trip was have a drink in the Hygge room. We figured this was because it was lunch and we were at the shared table, but it was still sad as that was one of our favorite experiences from our first visit.

Oh wow

Sorry we just ate your brothers bro

Frankie’s Notes:
The only thing that Noma is missing is a room full of pug puppies to hold and play with after the meal; if you’re sitting at a Noma shared table by yourself in your late 30s and are obnoxious the whole time, you’re probably going to be single forever; I didn’t record the entrance again, and I immediately regretted it again - next time; If anyone goes to Noma after reading this, let us know where the plaque is now! Yvonne has announced she’s moving to Copenhagen to open up Scallionpancake’s first satellite office dedicated to hygge and sweater weather.

Rating: 5 out of 5 with 3 Michigan Pugs
Yvonne flat-out at the end of the meal came out and said she enjoyed the Vegetable Season better than the Seafood. Upon reflection for me, our first experience was so magical and blew our expectations away so much that it was going to be almost impossible to come away feeling like the Seafood Season lived up to our lofty expectations. Both menus were so different, purposefully so, that it’s like comparing apples to oranges. Like the Vegetable Season, there was not a miss on the menu when it came to taste, and the experience felt as magical as before. All of that being said, I have to agree with Yvonne that I felt the Vegetable Season was a slight step above the Seafood Season. However, I also feel that the combination of the shared table and the fact that it was our second trip played a factor in this feeling.

 

Yume Ramen Sushi & Bar

Background:
Yume opened last summer in South End (the Gold District, if you subscribe to such labels #stoptryingtomakegolddistricthappen) after enjoying many years in Matthews. Co-owners and husband and wife Tony Yum and Rosena Tong are serving up mainly Japanese cuisine at Yume, with a focus on sushi and ramen. We sadly never made it to the Matthews location, but we have been in to the new spot for two media events in the last six months, and we wanted to share the beautiful dishes we’ve sampled with you fine folks. We’re hoping to get in for a full meal soon, but in the meantime, feast your eyes on all of this fabulousness.

Jason “Always Ready to Roll at All Times” Ackerman

Eat This:

Hana Roll

Crab, Wagyu, & gold leaf

An assortment of glorious sushi!

Edamame

Does sushi even exist without edamame?

Curry Fries

A brilliant combination.

Grilled Avocado

Well, there’s a damn fine idea.

Karaage & Takoyaki

Karaage is essentially a delicious Japanese chicken nugget, and takoyaki is basically an octopus hush puppy. If you haven’t had either of these, DO NOT PASS GO & RUN STRAIGHT TO YUME.

Gyoza

The staple.

Pork Belly Steam Buns

As far as the eye can see.

All the ramen!

Dessert:

Matcha Cheesecake

A match made in heaven.

Drink:
The drinks at Yume are so creative and delicious, and they go down like actual candy. Watch out, people.

Yume Masa

AKA “Dreams Come True”

Vodka, plum rosé, melon Japanese soda, and cranberry juice. Lined with pop rocks.

UbeSawa

Made with Japanese sweet yam & tastes like Pez candy. What’s not to love?

Atmosphere:
It’s a fairly intimate space at Yume, but the restaurant is lined with full length windows to let in gorgeous light on sunny days, and there is ample bar and sushi bar seating in addition to the tables (no booths).

Gold District Hospitality:
Since we’ve only been for media events, we can’t give an unbiased opinion on the service, but we will say that everyone on the staff seems very excited for all of the great things happening in Yume’s kitchen and bar. We also got to meet the awesome Ted, pictured below, who was sadly only a part of Yume’s staff for a brief time.

Meet our friend Ted

Frankie’s Notes:
Will you sign our petition to #stoptryingtomakegolddistricthappen?'; Someone has to fight for the big causes in our lives, you know?; Why is this the first time I’m having gold leaf on sushi?; Every culture needs a chicken nugget and taco of some kind; Our friend Ted certainly wasn’t having his best day; Maybe we should have covered him in gold leaf before taking this picture?; RIP Ted.

 

Disclaimer: This meal was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are our own, and we were not compensated for this review.

Buxton Hall + Hello, Sailor Collaboration Dinner

Background:
On January 31st, 2019, Elliot Moss ventured to Cornelius to partner with The Kindreds for a collaboration dinner at Hello, Sailor. As soon as we heard that this was happening, we immediately bought our tickets. As we’ve mentioned many times before, we go to Buxton Hall every New Year’s Day to enjoy the culinary delights of Moss and his Head Pastry Chef Ashley Capps, so a short drive to Cornelius to enjoy both Moss AND The Kindreds was a no-brainer.

This view never gets old

Family style!

The best ribs we’ve had outside of Texas

Eat This:
The other allure of the collaboration dinner was that it was family style, which is something we fell in love with at Noma Under the Bridge. There’s just something about the camaraderie and good vibes at a table filled with like-minded foodies. I was actually worried about the amount of food, since we would be sharing, but that turned out to be a crazy concern, as there was SO.MUCH.FOOD, and even plenty to take home to eat the next day! From the moment we walked in to the moment we left, it was a glorious onslaught of FOOD, FOOD, FOOD.

Sweet Potato Biscuit

Pimento cheese, smoked pork tenderloin ham, garlic jam

This was hands-down my favorite bite of the night – what a way to start! I love a good ham biscuit, and this was better than any I’ve had. These biscuits were passed along with the below sandwiches and some un-pictured, delicious chicken wings!

Crispy Clam Roll

On milk bread

OH THE MILK BREAD MADE AN APPEARANCE. How could you have any sort of meal with The Kindreds without milk bread? This was one of Jason’s favorites and mine, and the texture of the lettuce, clam, and milk bread made for such a show-stopping combo.

pâté en croûte

With Bresola & various mustards

On our podcast with Piedmont Culinary Guild’s Kris Reid, she said this was her favorite dish of the night! And we can see why. She spoke to how difficult it is to get every part of a pâté en croûte right, and that Moss and Kindred knocked it out of the park.

Assorted Vegetable Ferments & Pickles

This was the portion of the meal where the amount of food got insane. These pickles were delicious, but I felt they didn’t get the appreciation they deserved because at this point the dishes started coming out fast and furious!

Hushpuppies

These famous hushpuppies are on Hello, Sailor’s regular menu, and the crispy bites with yuzu kosho-honey butter are always a crowd pleaser.

Little Gem Lettuces

With Rock crab & winter citrus

This is very similar to the Citrus Crab Louie salad on Hello, Sailor’s regular menu, and similar to that salad, it was freaking amazing. I actually enjoyed the bulk of my serving the next day for lunch, and it really held up!

CHarred Napa Cabbage Salad

Granny Smith, cucumber, avocado, smoked catfish

I didn’t like this salad quite as much as the one above, but Jason liked it more – and he doesn’t even really care for salads, so that’s saying something!

Pit-Smoked Crispy St. Louis Ribs

Goat cheese white BBQ sauce, onion & poppy seed breadcrumbs, & pickled fennel

OKAY OKAY OKAY. These ribs. They were the best we’ve had outside of Texas. The goat cheese white BBQ sauce was a mind-blowing, savory flavor explosion, and we pretty much could drink it by the gallon. More goat cheese on ribs, please.

Whole Smoked Duck

With coconut rice & curry

I loved this one. A spicy, complex curry sauce paired with perfectly cooked duck. No one does meat like Moss.

Green Beans

Cooked under a BBQ pig

These green beans were one of three sides, and they were essentially the same as the green beans cooked under the hog from Buxton Hall. Love them in Asheville, and loved them at this dinner, but they weren’t standout enough with everything else going on, and I felt they could have cut the sides from the menu, as a lot of them went to waste on our end of the table. They also had fingerling potatoes and collard greens, which we didn’t grab a photo of.

Whole FLounder

Mojo verde & roasted chile mayonnaise

Loved the flavor and preparation here. This is on Hello, Sailor’s regular menu, so you can drive to Cornelius and get it any time. At some point, we just dug into this spicy, crispy fish with our barehands. That’s the kind of bonding that happens at family style dinner – you get so comfortable with the people you’re dining with that you feel like you can be yourself and eat with your hands. It’s a beautiful thing.

Dessert:

CHess Pie

I was waiting all night for Capp’s desserts, as I knew she was shipping some down for the event (I am not 100% positive, but I don’t believe she was at the event herself). Unfortunately, these two desserts were not my favorites I’ve had from her. They were both a bit too sweet and one-note for me. But she is still my one true NC dessert love, and everyone else at the table loved both of these, so it might have just been me.

Toasted Oatmeal SAndwich Cookies

With butterscotch curd, cardamom mallow cream filling, & cacao nibs

I liked these better than the chess pie, but still – far too sweet.

To-Go Desserts

‘Nilla wafers & passionfruit caramels

I loved that Capps did goody bags to-go, and I ate the ‘Nilla wafers and caramels for my “lunch dessert” at work the next day.

Drink:

MAMA Ain’t Home

For some reason, sugary cocktails at Hello, Sailor just sound irresistible, even though I usually don’t order them. This rum-based drink was so good, I had two. And had a very tipsy and fun evening with my new best friends.

Mocktail

Jason’s mocktail! He said it was very good. Look at that adorable little flamingo.

Atmosphere:
The retro, chill vibe at Hello, Sailor is my favorite in all of the Charlotte area. It just makes me excited every time I walk in, and the anticipatory feelings never let me down – it’s always a good night at Hello, Sailor.

Family Table Hospitality:
We’ve never had anything less than great service at Hello, Sailor or Buxton Hall, and this night was the same. The servers had a lot going on with so many guests and plates, and they managed it all beautifully. Even the lovely Katy Kindred was serving, and she came out at the end of the meal with the chefs to thank everyone for coming, and let us know they’re planning to do more collaboration dinners soon – especially once the weather gets nicer! She is a gem, and her great personality added to the night’s good feelings.

Frankie’s Notes:
If we are breaking bread together, I am going to consider us new best friends; After two Mama Ain’t Home cocktails, I am a damn good time (and also prone to dropping something or putting my foot in my mouth); If you drive north of Charlotte and don’t enjoy milk bread in some form or fashion, you’re doing it wrong; Why can’t we cook everything under a hog? Even hogs?; Frankie and Ollie would like to join for the next collaboration dinner, because they say they’re family too, goshdarnit.

 

Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Background:
Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barnes needs no introduction, but if you want to get up to speed watch Season 1, Episode 2 of Netflix’s Chef’s Table or read the reviews by the NY Times, The Telegraph, or GQ. It’s currently ranked #12 in the world and the #2 restaurant in the US, only behind Eleven Madison Park, which, spoiler alert, we believe is a mistake.

Like most top 50 restaurants, Blue Hill is an exceptionally hard reservation to score, especially on a Friday or Saturday night. The reservations open up 60 days out, and literally they were all gone in seconds. I’ve scored reservations at Noma and Osteria Francescana, so it was a little surprising to see all the times gone so fast. I think part of the problem was that they were using Reserve, probably the worst of the big reservation systems on the market. However, last week Blue Hill switched to Tock, which is in my opinion the best system out right now.

A slight aside, but there has to be a better way for these top restaurants to do reservations. For the little guys like us, it’s extremely frustrating that it’s so hard to get a reservation, especially since it seems like people literally write computer programs to score these reservations right as they come out. I’d almost like to see a lottery system in place for a few tables, where a week or two out you could put your name in the lottery, putting everyone on the same playing field.

After a few minutes of trying we ended up getting a 10 p.m. reservation. A 10 p.m. reservation is bad enough, but Blue Hill at Stone Barnes is 30 miles north of the city, and the last train from Tarrytown, the closest train station, leaves at 1:00 a.m. This meant that in order to get back to the city after dinner we had to take an Uber. We were even debating renting a car, as we didn’t know what the Uber or cab situation would be like at that hour in Tarrytown. Luckily, there were ample Ubers available, and it only cost us about $45 to get back to the city. If you have a reservation this late, Uber is definitely the way to go.

The restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns is situated on Blue Hill Farms, an 80 acre farm and learning facility. Pulling into the facility, you feel like you’re approaching a palatial country estate in a Charles Dickens or Thomas Hardy novel. The restaurant is located in a castle-like building with a large courtyard. The actual dining room was formerly a cow barn! It’s quite the setting for a meal, even pulling up in the darkness. Although we wish we could have seen the farm in daylight, arriving at night only added to the mystique and charm.

We arrived two hours early, hoping we could eat a littler earlier, but we ended up spending the time in the bar area, complete with cozy chairs and a fireplace. A few drinks make the time pass quickly, and before we knew it we were at our table, which was situated against the back wall and overlooked the entire dining room. It felt like we were sitting in a theater watching a grand show take place on a culinary stage.

Eat This:
At Blue Hill you only have one option, and that’s a $258 tasting menu, including a mandatory 20% “administrative fee.” Tipping is not expected or allowed. Now that they are using Tock, the $258 is paid at booking, so you’re just in for the ride and whatever drinks you order (wines or cocktails by the glass, or you could do the $168 wine pairing) as soon as your table is booked. Each month has a theme based on what’s happening on the farm during that month. We dined in March, and our theme was “charcoal.”

The menu always consists of between 20 and 40 dishes. Many of them small, some of them big. Of all the top tasting menus we’ve done, we left this one the most full.

The food here is meant to showcase the farm, local ingredients, and pure cooking. Barber is most famous for his work with scientists and breeders to produce better tasting, more sustainable products. On the night we went they were highlighting the Badger beet, which was a collaboration with a scientist at Wisconsin (hence the name Badger) to make a beet taste less earthy. If you’ve seen the Chef’s Table episode, you know that Barber is famous for his butternut squash that he bred with vegetable breeder Michael Mazourek.

Blue Hill isn’t trying to do molecular gastronomy, like a lot of the other top restaurants in the world. Their cooking techniques are not high tech (a chef told me they almost never use a sous vide), and you’re tasting the ingredients in their pure form. This is not to downplay the cooking or the wow-factor of the dishes, because they were some of the coolest dishes we’ve ever had. The creativity of Blue Hill’s cooking is second to none.

What really surprised us is that not only is the menu each day different, each table in the restaurant got different dishes depending upon the availability of ingredients. The table next to us got a potato ceviche which we never got, and we got a squash burrata which only a few tables got. Normally, if a restaurant of this caliber changes the menu daily, everyone at the restaurant gets that set menu that day. It is extremely difficult to produce such a varied menu by table. Not only do the chefs need to be spot on with everything, but the front of the house has to be synchronized and in-tune with what’s coming out, so they can be sure they’re delivering the proper meal to the proper table. It is so easy to screw this up, and the ingenuity and creativity that everyone on the team has to have to execute each seating is something we have never seen.

What we had on this night no one else will have again, although there are some staples that seem to stay on the menu, like the liver and chocolate and, of course, the Barber wheat bread. So, even though on your visit you’ll get a different menu, rest assured that you, dear readers, were there with us, especially since we’re always eating for more than two (more like two dozen, if we’re being honest).

Vegetables from the Farm

A classic. They serve fresh picked vegetables from Blue Hill on some nails. No one got tetanus, but if we did, it would have been an honor. A great first few bites.

Flower Delivery

Right after we finished the vegetables, then the fireworks started. It was small dish after small dish all in a row and on top of one another other. We couldn’t even take a picture before the next two were out. For the flower delivery, a chef runs out and says “Flower Delivery,” and hands us a cup and instructed us to each pick out one of these carrots to eat whole. You don’t know carrots until you’ve had one of these carrots.

Beet Jerky

This really reminded me of Noma’s Vegetable Season. It was a dried beet jerky that tasted like a beef jerky. You’ll notice that beets played a heavy role in our entire meal,.

Needles in a Haystack

How fun is this! There were two breadsticks in here to eat. Yvonne couldn’t find them, so I had to do her work for her. Typical.

Chufa Milk and Sassafras

At this point, so many things were coming out I lost track of what I was taking pictures of, so this is the only one I got of the chufa milk. Chufa is apparently mentioned in the Bible (sorry, I only read it in Hebrew and didn’t know what I was reading, so we’ll take Blue Hill’s word for it). This was one of my favorite dishes, as the milk was so tasty, especially with the shaved sassafras. It tasted like a better-than-you’ve-ever-had almond milk.

Fermented sweet potato and stone barns lonza

Olivia Wolff from Updog Kombucha is the only other person we know that’s been to Blue Hill, and this reminded me of her saying soppressata like a Jersey girl. Lonza is a distant cousin of soppressatta, two times removed.

Sweet Potato and Fermented Leaves

The sweet potato was warm and savory. This bite was fantastic, and one of the sleepers of the early dishes.

Bresaola and Lettuce

Another house cured meet, first cousin to soppressata and second cousin to the Lonza. So much was happening at this point that we were thoroughly overwhelmed in the most wonderful way. Each bite seemed to be better than the next.

Lion’s Mane Nuggets and honey mustard

It looked like a freaking Chick-fil-A chicken nugget, yet it tasted 100 times better and was made from a mushroom. This dish could bring peace to the Middle East, it’s that good. I pushed it away from Yvonne to clear room for another plate and she almost chopped my hand off to get more of the honey mustard.

The wintermelon that wanted to be a watermelon

Wintermelon is much closer to a squash than a watermelon, so the texture was much more meaty than a watermelon. This one we thought was one of the disappointing bites of the night. Also, we’re not sure if it’s a nod or plagiarism, but this is very similar to the name of a dish at Athens’ Funky Gourmet, “The Feta that Wished to be a Beetroot.”

Liver and Chocolate

Duck liver, you sexy, underused liver. This tasted more like foie gras to me than liver. The sweetness of the chocolate added a perfect balance.

Cabbage Sushi

We forgot to mention that so far each dish had been eaten by hand, with no utensils in sight. When this one came out I was a little skeptical, because cabbage sushi doesn’t inherently sound appealing, but boy, was I wrong. They literally tried to take the plate when there was a grain of rice left, and that was a mistake on their part. I was still eating that, bro!

Eight Row Flint Corn tamale and cardamom Leaves

We all know of Yvonne’s corn fear, but she braved this little bite of Blue Hill corn. This corn variety had almost gone extinct, because although it’s very flavorful (people describe it as complex and buttery), the variety does not produce a lot of cobs, so it fell out of favor with mass producers. Barber and a seed enthusiast helped revive the corn at Blue Hill 15 years ago, and it’s still used today in a variety of ways. So many ingredients at Blue Hill have a story like this, and it feels as though you’re eating a history of the American farmer and the renaissance of the humble seed, whose poster boy is Chef Barber.

Last Year’s Preserves

We were then brought a jar of pickled fruits and vegetables. Some of these foods we’d never eaten pickled, including squash, strawberries, and a special red pepper. These were on the sweeter side, and provided a nice transition before the larger dishes.

Koginut Burrata and Malted bread

It’s time for THE squash, the famous Barber mutant squash that has gone mainstream (it’s now served at Sweetgreen locations around the country). This had just hit the menu, and our server said this was the dish she was most excited to try. We ride hard for burrata in any form, so adding the special squash and their malted bread to the equation made this dish one of the best bites of the night.

Badger Beet and Beef

This is our first introduction to the Badger Beet, a beet designed to taste less earthy and be more palatable to the masses. We are weird and like the earthiness of beets to begin with, so we were predisposed to like this dish from the beginning. As you’ll notice, Blue Hill loves to serve sides of meat with their main dishes, as if to remind us that the vegetables are the real stars here.

Winter fruits and Vegetables with Diver Scallops

To me, this was a great scallop with some fruit. It was well-prepared, of course, and the fruit mixed into the scallops was cool, but it didn’t wow me. Moving on.

Red Pepper egg, Nash’s Rye, and Cheddar

A few dishes before this, a chef walks out and says that we are going to play a game. Some of the hens on the farm had been feed grains with red pepper, turning their yolks red. This was done in an effort to prove “you are what you eat.”

Two raw, shelled eggs were presented, and one had red yolk inside and one was regular. We were asked to pick an egg and brand it somehow with a Sharpie to show it was ours. I let Yvonne pick first, because i’m a gentlemen. She ended up picking the regular yellow egg, so I got to have the red pepper one. The flavor of this egg was so amazing, and the pairing with the rye and cheddar just blew me away.

This was the outstanding dish of the night for me and the one that I thought epitomized Blue Hill the best. If you didn’t know the story, you would think this is just an egg, but literally from the hen to the plate, every flavor was beautifully planned to the nth degree.

Whole wheat einkorn bread/
white bread/
Whole Barber Wheat bread

At this point, we were asked if we’d like to go on an adventure. We were taken to the bread room, where all the bread is made not only for Stone Barns, but also their sister restaurant in NYC. We are told that not only do they make their own bread, they grind their own wheat. We were given a sampling of breads, including the famous Barber wheat.

Pheasant, Jerusalem artichoke and hazelnut

Okay so every picture I took of this dish is blurry, so you get a picture of an actual pheasant. Beautiful bird, eh? They brought out a dead one to show the table next to us, but I guess they thought we were too chicken (pheasant?) to handle the truth. This was our one meat dish, and I throughly enjoyed it. The Jerusalem artichoke and crunchy hazelnuts were great complements to the tender pheasant.

Bread and Butter

Our server brought the bread and butter to the table, finished churning the butter, and then plopped it onto the plate with a healthy pour of buttermilk, and said, go at it, young people. Go at it, we did. Is there anything better than freshly churned butter from Blue Hill? I don’t know if there is. Combine that with the Barber Wheat and you’ve got a great bread course. At this point in the meal, we are so full we could barely eat another bite, but we eventually finished it all because we aren’t quitters. Especially not when it comes to bread.

dry aged parsnip and carrot steak with blue hill farm beef

The main dish was a showcase of the farm’s vegetables, served with a side of beef steak. It was also served with “duck” chips, which were actually made from a root vegetable, though we can’t remember which one. Such a fun and unique dish that highlighted the magic that is Blue Hill.

The Stages of Maple Sap Reduction

Dessert time. Maple ice cream with a fermented maple jelly. Yvonne loved this one, but I didn’t care for it. To each their own.

Badger Flame Beet Pie

The beets are back! This time in pie form. It wasn’t too sweet and highlighted the flavors of the beet. It was right on the edge of being savory, yet it ended up being the perfect amount of dessert for this stage of the meal. A beautifully executed dish.

100% whole wheat chocolate cherry bread and milk jam

The last bite, and boy, was it a good one. The chocolate cherry bread was so moist it was basically like eating cake. Yvonne didn’t finish hers, and we should all judge her for this.

Drink:
Before you are led into the dining room you are brought to the bar, which includes a fireplace and fully stocked bar. The cocktail menu is presented as a map, where each part of the farm is made into a drink with ingredients from that part of the farm. How fun is that?! They also make most of their glassware from ground bones from late Blue Hill animals, so nothing goes to waste.

Blue Hill’s Cocktail Map

They had three non-alcoholic cocktails, and I tried all three. My favorite was the Silos, which had corn, quinoa, clove, and cinnamon. It tasted earthy, and carried the sweetness of the corn, the spiciness of the cinnamon, and the crunch of the quinoa flakes. Such a complex and unique cocktail. Yvonne had pink champagne, and two cocktails, the Apiary and the Vegetable Field. The apiary was brought out in jar lined with bees wax which you poured yourself into a glass. The flavor I think best could be described as drinking a potion from the woods. The Vegetable Field was her favorite, with a rich fattiness from the tallow and the siren song of her go-to spirit, mezcal.

Once seated at the table, you are offered a wine pairing for $168 or you can do a la cart wine or cocktails. We elected for the a la cart option, as who can have a full wine pairing at our age at 10:00 p.m.?

Vegetable Field

Herb Garden

The Silos

The Apiary

Atmosphere:
The attire says coats and tied preferred, absolutely no shorts. To me, that says you need to wear a lime green cashmere sweater from Uniqlo, which is about as dressy as I get, unless it’s a funeral. I was the only guest on the property without a tie. At first this scared me, as I thought that the experience was going to be stuffy and too serious, but the meal couldn’t have felt less stuffy. The setting was magnificent, but you could tell that the place had a real sense of humor and playfulness - not only with the activities and games we played with the servers, but also the plating and presentation of the dishes. It’s what we hoped the experience at Osteria Francescana would be like – fancy yet friendly. When you go to a top restaurant, you want to have an experience you remember for a lifetime. You don’t want to feel like you’re visiting a museum of food. Blue Hill pulled off the perfect experience.

The dining room, where the decor changes by the season.

Farm Hospitality:
The service here, as one would expect, is top notch. When you are waiting to be sat in the lounge, one of the heads of service comes and asks you how you are doing and gets to know you for a few minutes. What they glean from you - why you are there, where you are from, etc - is communicated to the rest of the team who continue the conservation throughout the night. There is a frenetic energy to the service, very similar to Noma, where there is constant activity throughout the dining room. The servers sometimes line up with your dish, then notice it’s not quite the right time, and will circle the room like bees until it’s the perfect moment to drop off the next dish. They also would answer any question you had and not seem pissed off that you were asking it. There was no snobbiness or no snootiness - everyone seemed genuinely happy to be working at Blue Hill and supportive of the mission.

Case in point: normally at the end, they print out a menu for you to take home. Their printer was down, so we asked if they could email us one. Not only did they email us one the next day they were open, but they also overnighted us a printed menu on their letterhead. That’s going above and beyond.

Frankie’s Notes:
Having dinner at 10 p.m. is insane and we’re still tired; I hope when I die my bones are ground up and made into Blue Hill bone china; We feel we made a lot of best friends in the servers at Blue Hill, and we hope the feeling is mutual; Bears, Badger beets, and Battlestar Galactica; When we get our palatial estate, our first pet will be a pheasant named Neville; Wearing a sweater to Blue Hill is definitely rich man/poor man scenario.

Rating: 5 out of 5 with 3 Michigan Pugs

Blue Hill is the best meal we’ve had in the US and nowhere else even comes close (we’re looking at you, Eleven Madison Park). The attention to detail, the creativity, setting, and overall experience are second to none (Okay, we still have Noma slightly ahead, but this was the first place we’ve been that gave it a run for its money). It’s tough to get to, but worth the visit. If you ever have the chance to dine at Blue Hill, it’s a can’t miss opportunity.

 

Legion Brewing Brunch

Background:
The OG Legion Brewing opened in Plaza Midwood in late December 2015 and quickly became a power-player in Charlotte’s competitive brewery scene. While we aren’t huge beer drinkers, we’ve always picked Legion as our favorite brewery because they have a good selection of sweet, fruity beers and a relaxed vibe. Three years after location number one, they opened up a grand South Park location with tall ceilings and an abundance of square footage. We recently checked out brunch at the South Park Legion, and we were very impressed with their offerings. As folks who just don’t drink beer, we both agreed we would come here for the food alone. Chef Gene Briggs runs a very professional kitchen, and we loved everything we tried. Check it out!

Not again, portrait mode!

Hi! We are friends!

Eat This:

The CUre

Roasted pork hash skillet with baked egg, green onions, and Legion hot sauce aoili

This is one of the most popular brunch items, probably because hungover people love potatoes. And really, who doesn’t? This is a classic brunch dish, and we really liked the aioli.

The ABLT Breakfast Pizza

Avocado, bacon, arugula, tomato, eggs, and parmesan aioli

Can you go wrong when breakfast meets pizza? That’s a rhetorical question. I hope you didn’t answer aloud to yourself while you were reading – that’s embarrassing!

I found this dish a bit hard to eat, but structure aside, Legion makes their pizza crust in-house, and wow, it’s a winner. Make this a fork and knife situation and you’re in business.

Baby Spinach & Avocado Salad With Steak

Fresh baby spinach, ripe avocado, Campari tomatoes, pickled red onion, toasted pumpkin seeds with an orange lime dressing

Love the amount of avocados and eggs on the menu. I felt so strong after this brunch, like I could lift a car off a baby (or a baby pug). And now steak! My protein cup runneth over. I would order this again, but I would like to sub out the spinach for another lettuce, because I firmly believe that spinach only belongs in a smoothie and/or out of my life forever.

Pork Belly Grilled CHeese

Collard greens, cheese, and a fried egg

This was a special on the day we went, and they actually kept it on for a while because it was so popular. And yes, it was as good as it looks. They had been making it with pork cheek, but they ran out and were using pork belly. We had zero complaints on this substitution.

Also, it was super nice of that alien to drop in and pose with this sandwich, but his creepy pink hand is making me uncomfortable!

Dessert:

Caramel APple French toast

Caramel apples, toasted pecans, whipped cream, honey butter, & maple syrup

That’s right: I put French toast under dessert. Because I eat dessert after breakfast, brunch, lunch, elevensies – you name it. I would also just order this on its own, too. In fact, this was my favorite dish of the tasting. FIGHT ME, JASON. Just kidding, he liked it also and we are getting along just fine, thanks for asking.

Drink:
Okay, okay – we don’t drink beer. Seriously, they brought it out and we didn’t drink it. So embarrassing. However, we do indulge in a cocktail, and hot damn, they had one of the best we’ve had in a while. They use (Scallionpancake podcast featured guest!) Farmers First coffee to make a perfect martini. Of course, we didn’t take a picture of it, because we were too busy fighting over it. Jason drank 3/4 of it, for the record. They also had a good “Southern Mary” made with jalapeño bacon and house-made Bloody Mary mix, but seriously, get the Farmers First Martini if you aren’t a beer drinker!

Artsy af bloody

Look at all these beers that starving children could have gotten buzzed on!

No picture of the martini, but plz enjoy this picture of my son and me! Also my weird hairline and the close-up on my leggings digging into my flesh.

Atmosphere:
Again, this location is downright impressive – it wows you as soon as you walk in the door. Three huge taps are the focal point of the bar and restaurant, and they span all the way up to the second floor. Yes, a brewery with two stories. The decor has a very similar vibe to Asheville’s Sierra Nevada (granted it’s a heck of a lot smaller) in that it’s brewery with a touch of upscale class.

Crush them like ants hahahhah

That’s a scary mask, bro

South Park Brewery Hospitality:
Since this was a media tasting, we can’t rate the service, but we really loved our server, Brooks, and we have had good service whenever we’ve visited the Midwood location on our own. You tell us, have you had good service here? We’re really trying to get our comments section bumping. If you’ve never been to Legion, then comment anyway and tell us your favorite type of muffin!

Pretty bar!

Frankie’s Notes:
What’s it like being the jerks who go to a brewery tasting and don’t drink beer? We’ll never tell, sorry; Frankie doesn’t want to go into great detail, but in all honesty beer makes him bloat up like a little pug balloon; Has anyone ever tried to fly by jumping off the second floor of Legion onto the ant people? You should try it!; Just kidding, don’t sue the Pancake; You know who’s my favorite muffin? YOU.

Don’t say it, don’t say it…ugh fine: YOLK PORN

Disclaimer: This meal was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are our own, and we were not compensated for this review.

 

Meat & Potatoes: Redefining Charlotte's Stereotype

Background:
We were so honored to receive an invite to Unpretentious Palate’s Meat & Potatoes Dinner back in February. At the time of the dinner, we had just recently heard about the fabulous Kristen Wile on NPR, and we were so intrigued by this amazing rockstar food journalist who had just struck out on her own. Of course, now we are BFFs with Wile, who recently joined us on the Scallionpancake podcast!

Wile held this event at Uptown’s Stoke, one of our favorite places, which only made us more excited. However, this day we had TWO other food events, so by the time we got to this one we felt as though we were taking part in an extreme eating competition.

An aggressive day of eats

The premise of the event was simple and brilliant: to redefine Charlotte’s stereotype as a “meat and potatoes” town by creating dishes with unusual preparations of meat and potatoes, and also to showcase different cuts and varieties of meat in an effort to build a more sustainable dining scene. We ate beef tongue, liver, venison, and more – and we loved every second. Wile invited our city’s premier culinary minds to each create a dish for the event, and the menu showcased a true “who’s who” in the Charlotte food scene. We got to geek out over Chef Alyssa, Chef Jamie Barnes, and other chefs we got to know by name after sampling the evening’s delicacies.

Graphic design on point

BISCUITS!

Eat This:

Off-Cut Grillade

With a sweet potato grit cake

Chef Matthew Krenz

This was our “opening bite,” and it really started the night off strong with bright flavors and a richness that didn’t translate into heaviness. The grillade in this instance was made from beef brisket, which is one of Jason’s favorites. Krenz was the Executive Chef at The Asbury until November, and as of right now he is a stay-at-home dad, so we were lucky to taste his food at this event! Krenz also emceed the event along with Wile, and we enjoyed his humor and personality just as much as the food.

Venison Tartare

With coriander, gin gastrique, and potatoes

Chef Ben Philpott

Chef Philpott is from The Stanley, and if you’re familiar with Paul Verica’s restaurant, you know that this dish’s artistic style has The Stanley written all over it. We loved the color and the flavor the romanesco brought, and we’re always game (get it) for a tartare. I’d never tried venison tartare, and it was at once lean and full of flavor.

Beef Tongue Marmalade

With tallow and potato biscuits and potato peel “cracklin’”

Chef Jamie Barnes

We hadn’t actually tried Chef Barnes’ popular What the Fries food truck until after this event (Jason has gone since!), but we were already huge fans of him on Instagram (welcome to modernity, am I right?). This dish was hands-down my favorite of the night, and I have that opinion in common with our recent podcast guest, Ashley Boyd, who sat next to me at this event. #blessed #touchedbyanangel

I had seen Barnes post about these biscuits on social media prior to the event, and I was drooling. Anything made with potato and beef fat and I am SO there. I had never had beef tongue anything, but spooning the sweet and savory mix on top of the biscuits just made my night, honestly. The crispy potato on top was the icing on the proverbial cake.

Chicken-Fried Liver

With potato crust, marinated fennel salad, oxtail and mushroom gravy, and potato puree

Chef Alyssa Wilen

Chef Alyssa, as she’s known in Charlotte, is just that: known in Charlotte. Everyone loves this fabulous lady’s brunch and cooking classes, and she is a Queen City staple. Everyone at our table, us included, just lost it over this dish. Who knew liver could be such a hit? I found out this night that Jason apparently grew up eating liver, but this was another first for me. I don’t know that I’d love just anyone’s preparation of liver, but the potato crust and fennel salad on top made this liver-nirvana. I’ll eat liver every night if Chef Alyssa is making it.

Smoked & Braised Goat

With whipped chèvre, spiced crispy boniato sweet potato, herb verde, and petite greens

Chef Chris Coleman

To quote my husband and Borat: “GOAT.” We are huge goat fans, so its deliciousness wasn’t new to us, but man – the spices in this dish were so unreal. Very Mediterranean-inspired, and the texture of the potatoes and greens with the tender meat just blended together perfectly.

Chef Coleman works at Stoke, so it’s no surprise that we were fans of his dish. He has a way with making just a few ingredients pop. I also loved the plating on this one – it was even prettier in person.

Dessert:

Potato Truffle Tart

Porter & pork fat butterscotch, banana crémeux, hazelnut crumble, potato crisps

Chef Sam Allen

Meat and potatoes in the dessert? To quote our lord and savior Sarah Palin: You betcha. We had somehow made it to this event without hearing about Chef Allen, who formerly worked as the pastry chef at The Fig Tree and is now full time at her own business, a “dessert camper” named Wentworth + Fenn.

This dessert was not only a chocolate vision, it tasted heavenly, too. The butterscotch was richly complex with the added pork fat, and I loved the crunchy potato chip on top.

Mignardise

Pine nut tassie with foie jam

Chef Sam Allen

Chef Allen: I love you, can I purchase 1000 of these from you? I actually liked these bites more than the main dessert, because I am just a foie gras monster, I guess (according to some overzealous PETA Instagram ambassadors who like to follow Scallionpancake, ahem). The buttery cookie with the jammy sweetness of the foie jam? HEAVEN.

Drink:
There were amazing cocktail and wine pairings provided by Stoke’s sommelier Todd Brinkman. We didn’t get the pairing, because they are usually lost on us because we can’t keep up with the pace of one drink every one to two dishes without vomiting (not great etiquette, vomiting at the table), so I stuck with a glass of “Pink Belly” rosé (the wine paired with the venison) and Jason had unsweet tea. However, I fell in deep, deep love with Brinkman, who came around and poured me a second glass when he had just enough left for one glass in his bottle after everyone who had the pairing had been served. He came around and simply said: “Because I can” and poured me another. Hat’s off to you, Brinkman. A gentleman and a scholar.

Atmosphere:
We have waxed poetic about Stoke and its interior on another blog post, but this was really just a perfect spot for this event with the open kitchen and abundance of family style tables. It also has a great warm, glowy light that I think makes any evening that much more special.

Forever rapt when it comes to food slash SITTING NEXT TO ASHLEY BOYD

Meat & Potatoes Hospitality:
The night could not have been lovelier or filled with better vibes. Being in a room of people who care about food and sustainability is like Disney World for Jason and me. Being hosted by Wile and Krenz provided a great mix of friendliness, humor, and information that made this more than a meal – it was a well-rounded culinary experience. We can’t wait to go to more events hosted by Wile and Unpretentious Palate. We highly recommend that everyone reading signs up to become an Unpretentious Palate member. You’ll get access to unbiased food reviews, breaking culinary news, and VIP invites to great events like this one.

Up-close on that grillade

Frankie’s Notes:
Going to three food events in one day is a sure-fire recipe from a stomach ache, FYI; I am going to start making beef fat arts and crafts: beef fat caftans, beef fat paintings, etc.; You do not want to get too wild at an event and throw up on Ashley Boyd; Mr. Brinkman is the magical wine genie we all need but don’t deserve; I also have a “dessert camper,” but it’s just me eating Trader Joe’s snacks in my Toyota Corolla – does that count?; If you haven’t already signed up to be a UP member, Frankie wants you to know he isn’t angry, but he’s certainly disappointed.

Disclaimer: This meal was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are our own, and we were not compensated for this review.

 

Flour Shop

Background:
Flour Shop opened early 2018 under Trey Wilson, the owner and chef of Customshop in Elizabeth. Jason and I are big fans of Customshop (although we haven’t been in forever), so we were super excited when Flour Shop came to the Backlot of Park Road Shopping Center. We like Flour Shop so much that it made our Top 25 Restaurants in Charlotte list last year, and we can’t believe we haven’t given you a more detailed run down before now! Read on to get the scoop on what we deem the best pasta in Charlotte.

Eat This:
The star of the show at Flour Shop is the house-made pasta, but the other offerings on the well-curated menu shouldn’t be ignored.

House-made Foccacia

I wish they brought out this bread in unlimited quantities. That’s my only complaint.

Grilled UGF Mushrooms, January ‘19

Caesar-style, with radicchio

I love, loved the bitterness of the radicchio with the whole mushrooms. This version was better than the previous iteration below.

Grilled UGF Mushrooms, March ‘18

Caesar-style

Good last March, but definitely much improved in the latest version.

Barbecued Spanish Octopus

With stewed corona beans, house-made chorizo, & grilled ciabatta

So rich and savory. Perfect for a cold night.

House-made Burrata

Butternut squash and burnt-honey vinaigrette

This dish has to be a top-seller for them––it’s all over Instagram, and I always see it at nearly every table. And for good reason: it’s fabulous. This one looks a bit different these days (this photo is also from the March visit), but I am confident it’s just as delicious.

Butter Lettuce Salad

With Granny Smith apples & pickled onions

This salad inspired me to go out and buy butter lettuce. Why is butter lettuce so good? The most refreshing salad I’ve had in a while.

Benton’s Ham Croquettes

with Manchego fondue

These have been on the menu since the beginning, and we can see why. Whenever we see Benton’s ham, we go for it. And with hot cheese? Oh dang.

Ricotta Stuffed Ravioli

With mushrooms & squash

Little pillows of flavor perfection. The sweet squash purée added such a lovely dimension to the mushrooms and cream sauce.

Ricotta Ravioli

Red sauce, red peppercorns, Marcona almonds, crispy kale and pecorino Romano cheese

I liked this red sauce version of the ricotta ravioli (from March), but I must say the above, more recent version is better. And that’s coming from a girl who nearly always goes red sauce over cream sauce.

Prime Rib

On special, served with a baked potato

Jason’s order. His thoughts: well-cooked, but the sauce was far too sweet and spoiled the flavor of the meat.

Squid Ink linguine

With shrimp & chorizo

Wayne’s order! He said he liked it very much, and I can concur, since I ate his leftovers. Fabulous! Wayne isn’t always easy to please, so you know this one’s a keeper.

Dessert:
The dessert offerings are slim. On our first visit, they didn’t have dessert yet, and the last time we were in they had cookies and a bread pudding.

Bread Pudding

With ice cream

Good, not great. They need a more robust dessert menu, stat.

Drink:
A great wine selection and fun cocktails. On our last visit, I saw a lot of people drinking their Blood Orange Spritz, which looked quite refreshing.

Atmosphere:
Flour Shop is super tiny. There are only about 15 tables, and you can also order the full menu from the bar. The bar is a great place to sit, since you can watch the chefs in action in the open kitchen. The feel is rather fancy and very Myers Park (in the Myahhs Pahhk way), and there are lots of couples on dates.

Image courtesy of Charlotte Agenda

Backlot Hospitality:
Hm. We’ve had great service here, and rather rude service. As in, our server made us feel that our visit was a massive inconvenience. This was on our last visit, and truthfully, it has possibly put us off going back in for a while. As you know, service can make or a break a dining experience, and I hope that our bad one was an anomaly.

Close-up on those croquettes

Frankie’s Notes:
The parking situation at Park Road Shopping Center is a literal hell on Earth, which is rather ironic considering the word “park” is right in the name; Myahhs Pahhk is a state of mind, not an area of Charlotte––if you know, you know; A dessert menu should not be an afterthought, in Scallionpancake’s opinion; Do you think Wilson would be willing to call his next restaurant Pug Shop?

Rating: 4 out of 5