Road Trip: Next and The Aviary -- Chicago

Friends of ours have season tickets to Next, which is the second restaurant from Grant Achatz of Alinea (along with business partner Nick Kokonas). We were lucky enough to get invited to go with them recently to try the “Chicago Steak” menu (Next bases the menu around a specific theme and changes it several times a year). Honestly, this was the menu I was least excited about for the year food-wise, but was the only one we could do with our schedule. I don’t know I was just kind of wondering how good a steakhouse menu could be.

Well, as it turns out, it can be really, really good. This was no ordinary steakhouse experience, although they gave several nods to classic items. We were first served a perfectly balanced martini (shaken not stirred) with our crudité platter. So their version of crudité was vegetables that were tossed in a ranch seasoning and olive oil—giving you the flavor of ranch but not the creamy aspect. A fun take on it—There was kale, carrots, fennel, cauliflower, cucumbers, and breakfast radishes. It was interesting—and I preferred the kale above other things, but this was not my favorite of the courses.

The shrimp cocktail that came next was probably the most similar to the classic and also not the most exciting—one beautiful shrimp with a fermented tomato and horseradish cocktail sauce. Next was the course where everyone got to make a choice. It was a mussel dish, a clam dish or an oyster dish. I had the mussels with fried sweetbreads (“surf and turf”), which was really tasty, but a little sample of my friend’s oyster dish let me know hers was the best. The oysters were in a creamy sauce with bits of ham and with the most amazing wood-fired flavored broccolini. The clam dish hubby had was served with cold pasta and wasn’t my favorite. 

Next was their version of a steakhouse salad with watercress and a wonderful tangy dressing—I have never had so many chives in a salad, and never as one of the main greens. Interesting for sure. They were topped with pine nuts and bits of perfectly cooked frog’s legs—off the bone and the best I have ever had.

One of the most impressive dishes (and delicious too) was the “salmon coulibiac.” I loved that they presented this huge whole salmon wrapped in puff pastry first (surely a “stunt fish” but impressive nonetheless). We then were served a slice of the salmon—they had prepared it similar to a beef wellington except with a seafood angle. The amazing perfectly cooked salmon surrounded by a layer of pressed shrimp, a layer of herbs and a mushroom layer as well. I loved the little salad alongside—particularly the fried capers and large caper berry giving it some briny salt. There was a brown butter sauce as well. This was one of our favorites.

The food did not stop though—the lobster thermidor they brought out next was the pinnacle of richness. Chunks of lobster sat in a Sherry-based sauce--almost a soup with leeks and pieces of apples to give a little texture. The little piece of thyme focaccia was amazing that was served alongside. I was getting so full I had to decide how much I could eat at this point (and we hadn’t even had the steak yet!) so I judiciously picked out the lobster hunks and ate some of the bread and wished there was somewhere I could take a quick nap.

The steak course was great. The beautifully sliced dry-aged ribeye cooked perfectly medium rare was tender and flavorful. But the stars were everything that came with it. I just wished I had a back up stomach at this point. The “two jacket” potatoes were a favorite at the table. They were little half potatoes that were super crunchy and filled with bits of the insides of the potato that had also been fried in different ways. Pretty sure there was bone marrow involved as well. There was a dish of onion “paysan” which were creamed onions cooked in beef broth and crunchy topping. A trio of sauces was served for the steak; all were a play on traditional steak sauces. One with whole peppercorns, one was a take on A-1 and one a play on Béarnaise. The tangy Brussels sprouts salad was a nice break from all the rich, but was a little neglected at our table.

Seriously, I was ready to put my head down and surrender at this point, but the desserts started then. The first little palate cleanser was my favorite—it was a dollop of brown butter brioche ice cream and Champagne. Simply delicious (also, I need more brown butter brioche ice cream in my life). Then half of us received their version of a baked Alaska and half the crème brulee. I got the flaming baked Alaska and our waiter was very concerned about my hair going up in flames, which made me laugh. I preferred the crème brulee with the little brown sugary crunchy bits on top—the baked Alaska just too burnt tasting (maybe that was my fault for not blowing it out sooner).

Finally (for real—at this point I’m just taking a taste to be polite), we had a little chocolate mint parfait meant to be reminiscent of the little chocolate mints you might get with your bill at an old school steakhouse.

We had the drink pairings with the dinner and they were all done well. You definitely can’t call it a wine pairing though unless you get the premium one, some of the drinks are beer and some cocktails. (The beer though was pretty cool—it was called “The One Horned Winder and his Fanciful Flying Fresno” by Piperworks Brewing. It smelled just like passion fruit and was served with the lobster thermidor).

Ok, so yes we were full. But yes, we still were going next door to the Aviary, which is their molecular gastronomy cocktail bar for a drink. We were there dammit, and we were getting the full experience. This was fun. And funny. My drink was the best by far—it was called the Zombie panda and involved little frozen orbs of housemade raspberry liquor (the orbs were in a drink of lemon, lychee and pisco) that slowly melted and became the best slushy ever. One of my friends ordered a drink that came in a teacup and served with a smoking teapot of fragrant things. As it turns out, the teapot is only meant for smelling and not for refilling, as she found out when she started to refill and our rather eccentric waiter swooped in a snatched it away before she drank it. He brought her a new drink and as he sat it down with the slightly less smoking teapot this time, admonished her simply, “No drink!” It was funny. For my bourbon friends, they also offered a full flight of all the Pappy vintages for $160. I am glad we went to the Aviary because like Next it is an experience (they consider their drink-makers “cooks cooking with liquids”) For instance, the ice for the drinks is cut off of a large block by hand, by a person known as “the ice guy.” And in our case, the ice in our water was rather phallic in shape. It was crazily crystal clear though. Most “ice” here though is not made of water, but of some liquid that will enhance the drinks as they melt.

Ok, so you can’t get the Chicago steak menu at Next anymore, as it ended in April, but I write this experience anyway to let you know what it’s like and to let you know that even though I went in with somewhat low expectations, I came out dedicated to getting tickets to the next dinner—the theme of which is “Chinese Modern.” I can only imagine what they can do with that.  This meal was great, and now I want to try them all. My advice though—they definitely don’t skimp here, so if there’s something you think is just okay, go easy, a lot more is coming.

Next

953 West Fulton

Chicago, IL 60607

www.nextrestaurant.com

The Aviary

953 West Fulton

Chicago, IL 60607

www.theaviary.com

Lucky Lou Seafood Restaurant

I met my friend @zigged the other day for some dim sum at Lucky Lou’s (I told you I’ve been having a dumpling issue lately). I hadn’t been since this place changed names from On Time—not sure what the deal is there, but they still have some carry out menus from there as well. 

Anyhow, they give you a big picture menu to order from (I am finding out the little carts pushed around the restaurant don’t seem to exist in the Midwest—even in Chicago’s Chinatown). We chose a bunch of stuff. The first couple of things they brought us were the fried bits (You know I like my mix of crunchy and steamed). There were fried shrimp balls ($3.50) and spring rolls ($2.60). I would say these two things were two of the highlights. The shrimp balls tasted just like they were ground shrimp formed into balls and lightly fried. They were quite dense and filling. The spring rolls were filled with more of a pureed filling of veggies with a little pork—you’re not going to look inside and instantly recognize the ingredients in there, but they tasted good and the wrappers were nice and thin and crisp. There’s no fancy homemade sweet and sour or mustard—you get little packets served alongside if you want either.

The next thing was the chive dumplings ($3.50). Normally, done well, these are one of my items in dim sum.  These were totally different. For one thing, this was the first time I have had them filled with pork instead of shrimp. They were also really big. I liked that they weren’t overly filled with the chives and scallions. But overall, I wasn’t a huge fan of these. Maybe because they weren’t what I expected (and wanted) but also because they were just so dense inside. They were just a little funky.

Last minute, we had thrown an order of rice in lotus leaf ($4.95). I enjoyed this one. The rice inside was nice and sticky (which I like) and was filled with bits of chicken in a sauce with some mushrooms and a bit of sausage. It was a nice dish to have along with the others—it was more of a composed things containing several ingredients. 

The final thing that we got (I chose this one) was the pan-fried shrimp roll ($2.95). I had had this before at On Time and really enjoyed it. This time, no, I did not like it. It was supposed to contain shrimp—didn’t really get much of that in there and there was just a strange flavor for me that tasted sort of like a lot of leftover stuff stuffed in there and not in a good way for me. I wouldn’t get it again.

As I write this, I realize there was probably more stuff that was decent than was bad, but when I left the place, I left feeling like it was some of the weakest dim sum I have had. It just didn’t have the lightness that I have enjoyed elsewhere. I always like that I can eat so many different things with dim sum and not feel like I’ve eaten heavy greasy stuff. Not so much the case here. I couldn’t finish much of what I ate (ok, some I just didn’t want to finish).

The people were very nice who waited on us, even though there was a bit of language difficulty. With the pictures on the menu, it wasn’t bad. And it’s pretty darn cheap. Anyone else been here lately? What do you think?

Lucky Lou’s

3623 Commercial Drive

Indy 46222

317/293-8888

Tow Yard Brewing

I met my friend @wibia for lunch downtown at the new Tow Yard Brewing—several of you had recommended it to me. It’s a big place, mainly a brewpub sort of feel—you have to walk to the back to order your food and then they give you a number and bring it to you when it’s ready. The interior of the place is pretty stark I would say other than the one big wall of beer cans, which is pretty cool. When it’s full of people, you probably don’t notice as much.

I kind of questioned them asking us when we ordered if we were here for the NRA convention, or if we worked at a couple of places nearby (we do not). It seems they would have given us a discount if we had said yes to any of them, but it kind of makes you feel unloved when you’re just a local without a gun or a job and you don’t get a discount. I get trying to build business with these groups, but… (Or I guess just lie and say yes).

Anyhow, I ordered the “Prohibition” sandwich ($7), which is a roast beef sandwich with smashed avocado on the bun, and then topped with tomatoes, melted cheddar and chipotle mayo. It was an extremely messy sandwich to eat—there was a lot of stuff in there—but it was quite tasty. Honestly, you couldn’t taste my beloved avocado that much for everything else, but I really enjoyed the chipotle mayo that was drizzled on top. It had a nice balance of flavors. I had a side of the loaded potato salad which wasn’t bad—it had bit of bacon and cheese mixed into a standard potato salad base. You really don’t even need a side with the size of the sandwiches.

Wibia had the “Pig Vicious” (cute name) ($7), which was pork shoulder, bacon, ham, onion jam, ale mustard, and Alabama white barbecue sauce. This sandwich was certainly not lacking in pork products. It wasn’t bad, but other than the zippy mustard on top, it was pretty darn sweet. If you like a sweet taste, you would probably dig this one. I really preferred my sandwich though.

It’s a nice addition to downtown and is spacious enough that you don’t have to worry about it being overcrowded at lunch (although it was nearly full while we were there). The service was a bit off—my sandwich, which I ordered after wibia was the first thing to come and it took quite awhile then for his to come. And make sure you get your own utensils etc. if you order something that needs them. I do like that they’re selling a smaller independent soda. Strangely though it is cheaper to get a soda combo with your sandwich than to just get water, which was the only reason I had soda.

I am intrigued by several other items on the menu, and just noticed that there are some things online that weren’t there when I was there (uh, totally want to try the fried oyster sandwich), but it also looks like the prices have gone up since I was there. Seems like they have some strange idiosyncrasies with their pricing and they might want to standardize on something. Every time I look up the menu online it is different. Maybe they are still working through the kinks.

My one recommendation—if you don’t have a huge appetite, get a sandwich and share it, because they are quite large.

Tow Yard Brewing

501 S. Madison

Indy 46225

317/638-YARD

http://www.towyardbrewing.com

Road Trip- Phoenix Restaurant- Chicago

I am a fan of dim sum—and you can get some good dim sum in Indy, but it is a little sparser than it used to be. And I am not sure if any places do the carts anymore (traditionally they push little carts around with various dishes and you choose what is appealing to you). And even at this place, apparently the carts are saved for the very busy times, which is breakfast at the Phoenix.

I have been wanting to try Phoenix for awhile now though, and since hubby and I were arriving fairly early to Chicago, we decided to just start our little mini-vacation there for lunch. At this point, they were just giving you the large colorful menu of dim sum to choose from. It was nice to have all the pictures because it made communication easier in a place where most of the servers didn’t speak a lot of English.

We got our classic favorites—the shrimp dumplings (ha gao), the spring rolls, and the pan-fried chive and shrimp dumplings. We also had an order of pepper and salt fried baby octopus and the pan-fried crepe.

My favorite singular item was the chive dumplings. They were just the perfect mix of big pieces of shrimp, a fair amount of chives and scallions, but not so much that it was the dominant taste. The dumping was pan-fried just the right amount to give a slightly crispy edge to it. Ok, we liked these so much that we had a second order.

The regular shrimp dumplings were also good—as long as the shrimp is good, I don’t find a ton of variation among these—and the shrimp was big pieces and tasted fresh. They were super hot out of the steamer basket. I do find a fair amount of variation among spring rolls, but these were very good. They actually had a fair amount of minced pork in them and less of the cabbage and veggie-type fillings. So a little less healthy, but mighty tasty. And the skin was super crispy, pretty much shattering when you bit into it. I would want these again (as well as the shrimp rolls wrapped in the same crisp wrapper).

The pan-fried crepe wasn’t exactly what I was sort of hoping for—I have had one in the Bay Area that was similar but had shrimp in it. I have never been able to find one like it anywhere else. There are regular crepes stuffed with different meats and seafood, but the only one that had the lightly crisp edge from the pan-frying was this one, which wasn’t stuffed with anything, so it was sort of bland. Like eating a thick dumpling with nothing in it.

The salt and pepper octopus was a pass—the crust was really good and flavorful (and so hot it burned your mouth), but the octopus was super rubbery. I am pretty sure a lot of people don’t think they like octopus or squid because of the tendency to get it like this (rubbery), which is a shame, because both things can be so good when they are tender.

Overall, we definitely enjoyed this place. It’s hard for me to repeat places very often in Chicago because I like trying new places every time, but I would certainly throw it in there for a dim sum craving (although there appears to be several other options as well in Chicago’s Chinatown).

What’s your favorite Indy dim sum?

Phoenix Restaurant

2131 S. Archer Avenue

Chicago, IL 60616

312/328-0848

Hino Oishi Hibachi and Japanese Cuisine

Of course when we heard there was a new sushi place in Carmel, my friend Suzanne and I had to give it a try.  We have eaten sushi all over this town. This place is also a Japanese steakhouse (hibachi restaurant) although we just sat on the sushi side. It is a clean, modern looking place in a strip mall (next to Goodwill) and they have done a nice job with the décor. It kind of reminds me of that Izakaya place over on 96^th Street décor-wise.

As is our standard practice when we do sushi together, we ordered the agedashi tofu ($6), which is deep fried tofu. Usually you get 3-4 large blocks of the tofu that have been battered in a tempura-type batter and fried. This one was different, and superior in my mind, because they cut the tofu into little cubes and then deep-fried them. You got more crunch to tofu ratio and I really appreciated it.  Normally, you get to the middle of the others and it’s just a little soggy.  This was nicely done. It was served on top of dashi stock, which is a very lightly flavored fish-flavored stock—but it is a very delicate flavor. We both really enjoyed this dish.

We then perused the roll options and negotiated our choices. We had the dragon roll ($11), the Hino roll ($11) and the Spicy Skittle roll ($12).  I would say overall, the quality of the sushi was good. The fish was fresh and the rolls put together well. 

My favorite (as this kind of roll usually is) was the dragon roll. It was shrimp tempura inside (and it was nice and crisp and you could tell recently prepared) topped with eel, avocado and a drizzle of the slightly sweet eel sauce. The roll wasn’t too big to eat, and they were generous with the avocado, which I love. I love this combo because it has the right mix of crunch and softness.

Next I would probably say I liked the Spicy Skittle, although it was definitely bigger and a little more challenging to eat. It had spicy tuna inside (but it was clearly mainly large chunks of good quality maguro) and was topped with nice pieces of salmon, tuna and yellowtail as well as a bit of mixed tobiko (those teeny little fish eggs that are more for decoration than taste as far as I can tell). The fish was good quality but for me this one just lacked the little bit of texture variation---the tobiko couldn’t give you enough.

My least favorite was the hino roll. I was hesitant, yet excited to try this one described as shrimp tempura inside and topped with spicy crab and tempura flakes and drizzled with eel sauce. I knew it would have the requisite crunch I like (it did) from the shrimp and the tempura flakes but the spicy crab didn’t come across as real crab. I know it is common for sushi places to use fake crab in sushi, and this one listed “krab sticks” several places on the menu, but it also listed real crab in several items (using “crabmeat” or the particular kind of crab in the descriptions) so I was hopeful. But this was stringy and not very good. By the end, I just knocked the top off and ate the roll by itself. I would skip “spicy crab” on this menu and go with something else. Heck, the “spicy tuna” was much better.

All in all though I liked this place. The have a nice menu of not just sushi and the hibachi items, but also things like ramen and other noodle dishes. I would like to go back and give some of them a try.

Hino Oishi 

10491 Walnut Creek Drive, #160

Carmel, IN 46032

317/228-0888

www.hinooishi.com 

U.S. Adventures: Minibar- Washington, D.C.

Wow, this meal is a tough one to write about. I mean, it was amazing, but so intense in every way—taste, visual appeal, smells-- and there were just so many courses (over 20, I kind of lost count), there is just no way to talk about them all. But I will talk about a bunch, at least a little.

If you aren’t familiar with Minibar, it is a petite little place (they do 4 seatings of 6 people all night) in Washington D.C. from Chef José Andrés. You sit at a bar, and watch as the staff puts together all of these little treasures. It is molecular gastronomy at its finest as far as I can tell. We’ve had a fair amount of these kinds of meals in our lives, and hubby and I both agreed this was one of the best experiences. The food for sure, but even the atmosphere—so friendly and even for the intricacy of the dishes, very laid back. The staff all chatted with all of us a fair amount and hubby and one of the head guys even discussed the merits of hot pockets. You gotta love that.

We started with “pressed flowers.” Seriously, they were edible flowers that were pressed in a pane of some sort of starch and served in a book. Ok, this wasn’t my favorite for taste, but a damn cool presentation. Some of my favorite little bites were a tiny little almond tart that was an almond flavored bowl that was made of some sort of custard-type stuff that was dropped into liquid nitrogen, filled with a blue cheese cream and dusted with marcona almonds. It literally melted in your mouth. They told us do not touch it for more than a second and to pop the whole thing in your mouth or you’d have a melty mess. Super delicious. Also, presentation award for the meringue duckies filled with foie gras ice cream. “Eat the head first” he said. I did. There were several tasty little tidbits served in the beginning as well.

There was a version of chicken shawarma and  Vietnamese pig’s ear. This one was really tasty and served in crumpled brown paper to look like the street food. And a little individual dropper of hot sauce to spice it up a bit if you wanted to—and with a side of Thai Basil “iced tea” (including Aperol—and Italian aperitif). A great combo with the spicy pig’s ear and the gingery, citrusy drink.

There was a raw spot prawn served with apple miso ice and then an uni shaved ice dish. It was literally ribbons of frozen uni-flavored frozen ice with a piece of uni and tapioca pearls hiding in the bowl underneath. The pesto fusilli that came next was one of my favorites—the pasta was unlike any you’ve ever seen, served with egg, parmesan and pine nuts (kind of a deconstructed pesto) and then some lovely black truffles shaved across the top. 

There was coconut with cuttlefish (odd flavor combo) and Andalucían tofu (cubes of tofu with a gazpacho sorbet (interesting texture combo). The “Iberico tendon” was actually a gelatin made of beef tendon broth and served in a wonderfully rich beef broth with a quail egg yolk to thicken it up.

One dish smelled so damn good, but actually was a bit bland in taste—it was little beech mushrooms that had been steamed in plastic bags with truffle. When they cut open that bag and placed it in front of you, the smell….seriously.  But when you ate them, they just didn’t quite live up to the scent.

One of the last savory “large” dishes was a piece of lamb neck topped with this film of whey and little rounds of cucumber and fresh dill. That lamb was super tender and rich. Also, very good.

There were these little bon bons they served us next that I will not forget. If I could just get a box of those, I could give up chocolates. There was Bonne Bouche cheese inside a crisp coating (like a chocolate bon bon) then super-thin shaved nuts on the outside. They also did a dish called “Spring Thaw” that looked like frozen green slush and a bit of snow. It tasted distinctively grassy (parsley I am guessing).

Then came the barrage of sweet desserts—a minty cake, their version of a pocky stick, yuzu marshmallow, little frozen ice cream doughnuts and gummy whiskey bottles. We had the wine pairing with our meal and thoroughly enjoyed it—the sommelier that explained each new wine was super friendly and approachable.

This is one of those “experience” restaurants and I enjoyed the interactivity of the meal, talking to those preparing the food and our neighbors as well. We had the wine (and a beer) pairings too (really well done and explained) but they gave you just the right amount so that you could still remember the end of the meal by the end of the meal. (Although you forget some of the courses just because of the sheer number of courses.) But this is the first place of this ilk that hubby and I agreed we would like to repeat—the food was just that good, even for the exorbitant price tag.

Minibar

855 E St NW

Washington DC 20004

202/393-0812

www.minibarbyjoseandres.com 

Blaze Pizza

I met my friend @wibia the other day for a quick bite downtown. He had wanted to try this new Blaze Pizza place (what is it about men and pizza?) and I liked the idea of a quick-fired thin crust pizza (thin crust is usually my favorite).

So you walk in and this place is sort of a taqueria-style (or Subway-style I guess)—you wait in line and either order one of their specialty pizzas or you can build your own. They press the (handmade) dough in front of you constantly and then pass it down the assembly line. At the end they throw it in a hot oven for like 3 minutes, cut it and serve it. It only takes 4-5 minutes from ordering to getting your pie.

I went with one of their combinations—the “veg out.” This was mozzarella, Gorgonzola, zucchini, mushrooms, red onions and dollops on red sauce. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the zucchini knowing that sometimes pieces of zucchini can make a pizza soggy because they contain so much water. But they had this all figured out—the zucchini was diced and pre-seasoned and cooked so that it wouldn’t leach water and make a soggy crust. I enjoyed it—and I liked the smaller bites of the zucchini. I also like that since you are walking through the pizza assembly line, you can easily customize a little as you go if you see something you want. For instance, I saw olives and wanted some, so I had them do the zucchini on only half and black olives on the other half. No problem.

Overall, for the $7 pizza cost, I thought it was pretty good and a pretty good deal. The crust was pretty crisp (the way I like it) but still soft enough to fold in half. I really enjoyed the kick from the Gorgonzola on mine. They know just how many toppings to put on the pizza so as to not overwhelm the crust. One thing I would change next time is I would not get the dollops of sauce—those bites were just too saucy. I would just go with the even sauce on the pizza. They also offer a spicy marinara and a white sauce. I might try the spicy one just to maybe zip it up a little.

I didn’t try @wibia’s pizza—he designed his own with sausage, olives and pepperonicini. He seemed to genuinely enjoy it though and agreed it was a good deal.

In a strip mall that is full of chain restaurants (of which Blaze is one) near IU downtown, I can see how this might be a choice above some of the others (except maybe City BBQ, I love that place). They are offering a freshly made product and the ingredients seem pretty decent. It’s fast and it’s cheap for a fair amount of food.

What do you guys think? Have you been there?

Blaze Pizza

913 Indiana Avenue

Indy  46204

317/624-1500

www.blazepizza.com 

U.S. Adventures: The Roosevelt - Richmond, VA

We recently took a family trip to Williamsburg and Washington DC. Since we were starting in Williamsburg, we flew into Richmond, VA. Never one to pass up an opportunity to eat in a new city (I don’t think I have ever spent any time in Richmond), I did a little research and we ended up at the Roosevelt. It was a Sunday so we were in prime brunch hours—and my kids love a good brunch, so it seemed perfect. 

It’s a cute little restaurant—quite busy, but the tables no so crowded together that you felt like you were on top of people. They don’t have a kid’s menu per se, but several items on the regular menu that were quite appealing to my kids. My son had the biscuits and gravy ($7)—there were two fluffy biscuits with lots of sausage gravy—some pretty big chunks of sausage in there and two slow cooked eggs—assuming they were sous vide eggs because they were still wonderfully runny inside. It was a big meal for him, but he enjoyed it. Although not as much as my fried oyster omelet ($8). 

That fried oyster omelet was so good. I don’t normally order omelets because I find the eggs so often to be overcooked and too firm. Wow, this was super light and fluffy. It was almost like a soufflé. They eggs itself made the dish special and biting into some spicy fried oysters certainly didn’t hurt. Ok, so then add homemade bacon hollandaise and homemade hot sauce and this dish was a clear table favorite.

Hubby’s pork cheek and potato hash ($11) was unique and very good as well. I was torn between whether I liked his or mine better and still unsure. It was pieces of the pork with chunks of fingerling potatoes with another one of those slow cooked eggs and topped with salsa Verde. I really liked the freshness that the salsa verde added to the flavors.

My daughter’s fried catfish sandwich was pretty well spot on too. Super moist fish with a corn meal type breading—nicely spiced though. They served it with a good tangy remoulade and buttermilk slaw. The fries served with it were also really good, homemade and fresh and crisp.

This is the kind of (reasonably priced) brunch place Indy needs. The food is really well done and creative—it’s all approachable but with just the right of pizazz. As far as something like it in Indy, I for one am really looking forward to Milktooth.--based on the preview brunch I have been to, I think they might be on to something similar here in Indy.

The Roosevelt

623 N. 25^th

Richmond, VA 23223

804/658-1935

www.rooseveltrva.com

And we got some Dixie Donuts later on in the day. Can't go wrong there!