Mussel & Burger Bar - Louisville, KY

The CEO

I recently visited the acclaimed Mussel and Burger bar.  As with any food joint that is raved about in the local press, I was eager and excited to try this place out.  The vibe walking into the restaurant is one of causal elegance.  Customers walk through an awning into a a restaurant that spills out into several sections.  The red carpet and lighting within the space almost gives the air of fine dining, yet the booths and casual place settings keep the restaurant from being pretentious.  I was seated quickly in a booth off to the side and presented with formidable menu listing....surprise surprise! mussels and burgers! Don't feel as though you are limited to just these two items though.  For the non seafaring or beef eating customer you can still grab a chicken sandwich or small appetizer.  All I wanted to taste was the specialty that was offered- mussels and burgers!

Moules Basquaise

The menu is large so take careful time to review all your options.  You can stay safe with a basic cheeseburger and lemon marinated mussels or you can stretch your taste buds with a lamb tzatziki burger and greek themed mussels.  I chose to enjoy the Moules Basquaise which are mussels in a chorizo, olive oil, lobster, piquillo pepper, and onion broth.  I also tasted the CEO.  This burger was chosen both for its prodigious name and glorious toppings which include Gruyere cheese, truffle aioli, caramelized onions, baby arrugula, confit tomatoes, and steak truffle fries.

Truffle steak fries

The food arrived rapidly and was very hot.  The burger was sinfully delicious and the truffle aioli was a pleasant treat with the steak fries.  Make no mistake- the fries are none to be trifled with.  They are large and "rough cut" and are more like potato wedges than french fries.  The mussels can be ordered in a small or large portion and arrive absolutely swimming in broth.  The mussels were tender and perfectly cooked as was the burger.  And the sauce that the mussels were simmering was divine-spicy with hints of herbs and tomatoes and absolutely delectable.

This restaurant absolutely surpassed my expectations! The service was fast and friendly and the food was tasty, hot, fresh and creative.  Congratulations Louisville! The Mussel and Burger bar just helped take your foodie vibe up a notch.

Blue Dog Bakery and Cafe (Louisville, KY)

Croissant

Since it opened several years ago, Blue Dog has been supplying the Louisville community with crusty, delicious Artisan bread.  Having enjoyed their bread (and cookies!) for years I was eager to test the brunch repertoire they are now offering.  What can I say except the whole experience was a delight! 

Blue Dog has a very homy feel buoyed by the fact that it is outfitted primarily with customized wooden benches, tables, and chairs.  The pastries are displayed neatly and piled high behind the counter so they catch a customer's gaze when they first walk in the door.  Not only does Blue Dog have an amazing variety of cookies, macaroons, croissants, and brioche but all of their products actually taste good! The scones are tender and crumbly, the croissants are buttery and flaky yet avoid being greasy, and the bread is crusty, moist and light.

Bourbon French Toast

I have now brunched at Blue Dog twice.  On my first trip there I tried the Bourbon French toast and a croissant.  On my second trip I sampled the arugula, bacon, and poached egg pizza.  Let's start with the french toast.  It was light, fluffy, and very bourbony but not heavy or cloyingly sweet.  Also the toast arrived beautifully presented with a twist of orange on top which made me all the more eager to eat it.  The croissant was also a delight and was presented beautifully with Hero apricot jam and Plugra butter.  These garnishments alone convinced me to take Blue Dog seriously. Use of Plugra definitely indicates that a pastry chef is not messing around.

A week later I tried the bacon and egg pizza.  This pizza was.....heavenly! The crust was light, soft with a crunchy exterior.  The cheese base was delicious and not overpowering to the bacon and arugula toppings.   The pizza was, beautifully presented on a clean wooden board.  I would say the serving size was adequate for two moderately hungry individuals.

Bacon Arugula Poached Egg Pizza

The delicious treats coupled with the friendly staff, and buzzing ambiance implore me to give Blue Dog 4 out of 4 stars.   This place is a MUST if you are ever in Louisville.  Blue Dog....you rock my world!

Wiltshire Pantry - Bakery and Cafe (Louisville, KY)

I am not usually brunch person, being cost conscious and also aware of the fact that I can always scrounge together at least a bowl of cereal for a Sunday meal, but I made an exception today.  I made an exception because I heard so many rave reviews about a new brunch/breakfast place in town that I just had to try.  Thus began my journey to the Wiltshire Pantry.

The pantry is located off Barrett Avenue near downtown Louisville in a tiny little shop that backs onto its own catering premisis.  Arriving at noon on Sunday I was shocked to find a spartan selection of a few pastries and quiches.  To make matters more confusing, they had half-priced day old pastries displayed right next to the fresh ones.  So it was quite a shock to find out you weren't getting fresh goodies when choosing a particular item.  Well, I had gone this far so....I chose an apricot danish and a cappucino for breakfast.  My friend had the pain au raisin and a cappucino as well.  As the cash register was not located in a visible place it was confusing to even figure out how to pay for the meal but after that was finally accomplished we were seated.

To say that my pastry was lack luster may be a bit of an understatement.  When I'm getting charged $3 or $4 for pastry, especially at a place known for their pastries I expect beautiful, flaky goodness. The danish I ate was dry, flavorless, and totally unspectacular.  My friend said that her pain au raisin was no better than one of Kroger quality (and those pastries are only $0.99!).  The coffees were strong but average.  Also they were not served with sugar, a saucer, or even a spoon so it was difficult to properly adjust them for taste.  The ambiance was a bit dim and we ended up getting shafted to a dark table on the side since most of the tables near the window were taken.

I understand that as a baking graduate of the Culinary Institute of America I have high standards.  But c'mon guys these pastries were not even barely adequate.  I may be a bit harsh but I still maintain that Blue Dog Bakery on Frankfort Ave. is the only place to get a good breakfast pastry or for that matter, a loaf of bread.  Blue Dog, you can take a sigh of relief.  No competition here.

Pappas Bros. Steakhouse Zinfandel Wine Tasting - Houston, TX

On September 13th I had the privilege to attend a wine tasting at the famous Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Houston, TX.  The event was well organized and enjoyable- akin to being invited into a neighbor's living room for a drink.  It was held in a private room right off the dining room. There were five tables set up inside  the room, each with four tastings of a Zinfandel wine.  A sommelier walked guests through each tasting at their respective tables.  A lovely presentation of charcuterie, cheeses, fresh honeycomb, and crusty bread was prepared to enjoy with premier bottles of Zinfandel chosen for the evening.  Servers, dressed crisply in white shirts and long black waiter aprons, were also walking around, offering guests nibblies like seared duck and sweet potato, quail wrapped in bacon, and fried chicken on a stick.  The fine, hot hors d'ouevers definitely helped to accent the elegant wine that we were sipping.

Some highlights and tasting comments from the evening are as follows.  I found the A. Rafanelli 2011 Dry Creek Valley to be a watered down, but smooth tasting wine.  I greatly enjoyed the Mounts "Old Vines" 2009 Dry Creek Valley Wine which tasted of very dark, black fruit and was very robust.  Other highlights include a Robert Biale "Monte Rosso" 2009 Sonoma Valley which was spicy yet smooth, and tasted aromatic and fresh.  The most elegant wine I tasted was a Hartford "Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard" 2011 Russian River Valley which had the dual benefit of having the aroma and flavor of oak and wood.  If you are looking for a wine which literally feels like drinking silk then the Chase "Hayne Vineyard" 2009 Napa Valley is the choice for you!.  Or if you prefer a wine that is as soft as velvet on the palate try the Elyse "Black-Sears" 2009 Napa Valley.  For a fully luxurious experience bring home a bottle of the Turley "Dusi Vineyard" 2011 Paso Robles.  This beautiful wine will be sure to take your next evening to great heights.

The Pappas chain is known for their sommeliers, elegant atmosphere and diverse wine menu.  If you are looking to experience many new wines in one night then I suggest you attend the next tasting event!

Four Roses Distillery-Kentucky

Another trip down the bourbon trail and I can't say that I mind.  The latest visit was to Four Roses Distillery which resides in Lawrenceburg, KY.  Their product has a unique taste and flavor although they, of course, adhere to the normal laws for creating bourbon.  All bourbon must be distilled in new, charred, oak barrels and be distilled from a mash which is at least 51 % corn.  When bourbon leaves the still it must be no more than 160 proof and when it enters the barrel it cannot be higher than 125 proof.  All bourbons must be at least 80 proof in the bottle.

Four Roses has their own twist on this traditional process.  They have 10 distinct bourbon recipes and 5 proprietary strains of yeast which they use to create their signature flavors.  All of their bourbon ages for at least 5 years. The other key difference at Four Roses is in how they age their barrels. While most distilleries age their barrels in tall warehouses, Four Roses uses only single level warehouses.  In multilevel warehouses the barrels must be rotated since the temperature at the top and bottom of the warehouses creates different flavors of bourbon.  Four Roses prides itself on having barrels that do not need to be rotated, thus ensuring a greater consistency of flavor.

The tour at Four Roses was one of the best I have completed by far, as guests actually get to ascend the warehouse floor and look right down into the stills of bourbon as well as the tanks of mash.  It really feels like you are part of the process.  Additionally, both the tour and the tasting at this distillery are free!  And although, Four Roses does not have the innate Kentucky beauty that is found when visiting Woodford Reserve, it does have a lot of charm, since the buildings were designed with Spanish architecture and are immaculate.

In the tasting session, guests have the opportunity to taste Four Roses Yellow Label, Four Roses Small Batch, and Four Roses Single Barrel.  The nose of the Yellow label is fruity and spicy and the taste has mellow notes of apple.  The Small Batch bourbon also smells spicy and fruity but has a much creamier and smoother taste than the Yellow Label.  

The Single Barrel is the finest bourbon with a nose smelling fruity and earthy and a taste of caramel and mahogany wood.  This bourbon is exceptionally smooth.  The Single Barrel comes only from one recipe of bourbon and as the name implies, comes out of one barrel.  The Small Batch bourbon is created from 5 distinct recipes while the Yellow Label is a blend of 10.  Like with any bourbon, the flavors from barrel to barrel vary greatly even within one distillery.  So a Single Barrel recipe always has a unique and pronounced flavor with its own character.

Bourbon mash with yeast added

Four Roses is a thriving distillery in Kentucky today and they welcome visitors.  The drive is about 40-50 minutes from Louisville and definitely worth the trip.  (The bourbon is worth the trip too) Bottoms up!

White Oak Kitchen- Houston, Texas

Hummus Plate

A friend and I visited White Oak Kitchen in order to participate in Restaurant Week in Houston and try out a new place to eat. Its hard to know where to start when talking about the many disappointments I experienced at this restaurant.  First, the parking is nearly impossible since the restaurant is in the Galleria.  So the first decision any guest must make is whether to succumb to expensive Galleria valet parking or park at Dillards and make the hike across the street to the restaurant. It's definitely not a relaxing start to a night out.

Fried Calamari Appetizer

When we finally arrived at White Oak (where we did indeed have reservations) it took twenty minutes for a server to even arrive to take our drink order.  Fifteen minutes later our drinks finally arrived and we hadn't even ordered our food.  When our server finally appeared my friend and I practically had to pounce on him to get our food order in.  Suffice to say the food was slow to arrive as well.  Additionally, the restaurant was already out of their shrimp appetizer and I was forced to order the hummus instead.  Didn't the restaurant think to plan ahead for restaurant week?  Strike one.

Wok-seared Beef and Shrimp

When the hummus did arrive it tasted worse than a hummus I could buy from Kroger and the pita bread it was served with was dry and had quite obviously been sitting out.  When I noticed my friend demolishing her calamari appetizer I assumed she was enjoying it but she confessed that she was just so hungry from waiting that she would have eaten about anything.  Strike Two.

Luckily when the entrees arrived, wok-seared beef shrimp for me and spicy clam linguine for her, they were hot, tasty, and surprisingly, served in a timely fashion.  I absolutely loved the sesame sauce served with my shrimp and the tangy beef and succulent shrimp were a great combination.

Chocolate Brownie and Ice Cream

However, just as I assumed things were starting to look up for White Oak, it was dessert time.  Naturally, the restaurant was out of the bread pudding I wanted to order so I was forced to order a chocolate brownie instead.  It was, at best, average, but at the very least it was world's better than the chocolate cake my friend ordered.  Since we are both pastry chefs my friend and I are hardened dessert criticss.  We both decided the desserts looked as though they had been frozen at some point and we also felt that they were incredibly bland.  Strike Three.  You're out White Oak Kitchen.  After enduring the poor food and service here once, I will never eat here again.

Sable Kitchen and Bar- River North Chicago

Shrimp and Grits

Sable Kitchen and Bar is situated in the new, modern Palomar Hotel in the affluent River North area of Chicago.  The restaurant's proximity to Michigan Avenue, downtown Chicago, and the financial district make it the perfect place to stop and have a bite.  Sable has a comprehensive menu for lunch, dinner, and brunch.  And the best part is that the menu is designed for sharing so a guest can choose to order either a half or whole portion of any one item to share with the table.  I would definitely rate the food as excellent.  For brunch I enjoyed the shrimp and grits made with laughing bird shrimp, white cheddar grits, and ham.  The shrimp was cooked perfectly and was tender and juicy.  The grits are soaked full of shrimp flavor and served in a spicy, tomato sauce which perfectly complement the shrimp.  The half sized portion was hearty and was just the right size for your average eater.  For lunch I tried the proscuitto pizza with Fontina cheese, arugula, and balsamic reduction.  This pizza is a flatbread so don't expect your traditional deep dish.  The peppery arugula contrasts with the salty proscuitto quite well.  If you stop by the hotel lobby at 5:00 they serve this flatbread as well as other varieties with a complimentary glass of wine orjuice.  

Prosciutto flatbread

Although the food items were good I would rate this restaurant poorly in regards to service.  The staff was very inattentive and kept forgetting drink orders.  They also neglected to refill water glasses without constant prodding.  Additionally, although we ordered our cappucinos almost upon arrival they took about 20 minutes to actually serve them and the waiter did not accompany the beverage with sugar.  By the time we received the sugar for our coffee it was already getting cold.  So overall, this restaurant has great ambiance, cuisine and the addition of a beautiful bar but it lacks a sense of urgency and hospitality on the service side.  Definitely, do not eat here if you are in a hurry.  The servers take their time.