Bainbridge Street Barrel House Review

To celebrate our anniversary, the GF and I went to the Society Hill Dance Academy for some private ballroom lessons. Afterwards, we decided to stop by Dmitri's for lunch. Unfortunately, they were closed, so we walked a few blocks west and came upon Bainbridge Street Barrel House.

In addition to providing bar bites, they host Quizzo and do bottomless brunch with Bloody Mary's and mimosas for $20!

The Farmhouse [$13]

8 oz. blend of Pat La Frieda ground beef, farm fresh goat cheese, cremini mushrooms, red onions, greens, St. Somewhere Saison Athene aioli, brioche

The GF was in the mood for a burger and luckily for her, Pat La Frieda beef was on offer. The burger came out medium as requested and was nicely crusted and juicy. The savory mushrooms and the tang of the goat cheese helped to create a great bite. The sesame-studded brioche held the innards nicely. The vinegary tang of the aioli showcased the floral notes of the beer and the accompanying fries were well-seasoned.

Pork Belly Benedict [$10]

When I saw that pork belly was on special, I obviously had to order it. Unfortunately, the pork belly was lacking and this particular dish was not exactly on bar with Green Eggs' iteration. Still, the pastrami-cure on the thinly sliced pork belly was interesting, with the mustard seeds providing some pop in the hollandaise. The potato hash was creamy and well-seasoned and the fresh fruit helped as a palate cleanser. Still, a bit disappointed in the dish overall.

Genji Japanese Steak House Review

This is part of a series of posts for Michigan 2014.

Other posts in this series include: Tony's Original Restaurant, Whitehouse, Cops & Doughnuts, Levi's Food & Spirits, Genji's, Clam Lake Beer Company, and Grand Traverse Pie Company.

There aren't many Asian cuisine options in Saginaw, Michigan, but there is a Genji's, which offers teppanyaki grilling a la Benihana.

Providing a sleek atmosphere with a bounty of teppanyaki grills and sushi bar counter seating, Genji makes for a good date or family night out.

Onion Soup

With less salinity than miso soup, the clear broth offered a nice green onion taste.

House Salad

The house salad offered standard ginger dressing found in most sushi restaurants.

Sushi Deluxe [$23.95]
10 assorted deluxe nigiri, spicy tuna roll

The GF's dad decided to try sushi for the first time and really enjoyed it. He was most leery about the eel, but was surprised at the fact that my BBQ description was spot on. These were fairly straightforward offerings including striped bass, tuna, and salmon - all were fresh.

And with that, our friendly teppanyaki master came by and started his show. For those not in the know, expect flips of shrimp and friendly snark.

Shrimp Appetizer

The shrimp were slightly overcooked, but still had good flavor.

We were offered both a soy glaze and a mayo-based sauce for dipping.

Vegetables

Grilled veggies included carrots, mushrooms, onions, and zucchini.

Hibachi Vegetable [$14.95]
Carrots, peapods, broccoli

IF you're ordering the hibachi vegetable entree, expect a larger portion including peapods and broccoli as well.

And in the spirit of all the couples at our table (there were 4), our chef created heart-shaped fried rice!

Fried Rice

The fried rice had great sesame flavor and I appreciated that it wasn't over-salted compared to other hibachi grills I've been to.

Hibachi Steak [$25.95]
10 oz. premium ribeye

While I requested my ribeye medium rare, these choice cuts of beef were still decently marbled and delicious when prepared medium with a light soy glaze.

Teriyaki Chicken [$19.95]

The GF went with the teriyaki chicken which offered moist bits of salty and sweet chicken.

Rainbow Sorbet

For the dessert, we had a range of ice cream options. The GF went with the sweet offering of rainbow sorbet.

Green Ice Cream

I opted for the muted sweetness of the green tea ice cream to cleanse the palate.

So if you're in Saginaw and are craving hibaci/teppanyaki eats, Genji has got you covered without overdosing you with sodium.

Clam Lake Beer Company Review

This is part of a series of posts for Michigan 2014.

Other posts in this series include: Tony's Original Restaurant, Whitehouse, Cops & Doughnuts, Levi's Food & Spirits, Genji's, Clam Lake Beer Company, and Grand Traverse Pie Company.

The city of Cadillac, Michigan was originally known as 'Clam Lake.' Thus, what was formerly Shay Station became a 139-seat tap house / restaurant known as Clam Lake Beer Company.

Custom metal artwork evokes the early industrial feel of Cadillac and provides a cool and comfortable atmosphere for food and drinks. 

Guinness [$5.50]
 

I started off with some Guinness - can't help but enjoy the dark stuff. 

Build Your Own Pizza [$12 + $4.50]
Italian sausage, pepperoni, pineapple
  

We had some of their brick-oven pizza, which featured italian sausage, pepperoni, and pineapple, creating a nice savory-sweet bite.

Portabella Wrap [$8]
Grilled portabella, zucchini, sauteed vegetables, goat cheese, lettuce, sun dried tomato pesto, flour tortilla 

The GF had a portabella wrap, which was nicely crilled on the outside and feature a veritable garden of veggies within, including tangy goat cheese and a nice sun-dried tomato pesto.

Mac n Cheese 
 

She got a side of mac n cheese substituted for fries for a $1.50 surcharge. This wasn't exactly al dente, but was nicely creamy and semi-sharp, with some bread crumbs for texture.

Southern Heat Burger [$11]
Bacon, chipotle pepper jack, house BBQ & jalapeno onion jam
  

I went with the burger, though expected a bit more heat and spice. This was actually sweeter than hot, but the crisp bacon and the jalapeno bacon jam provided nice texture and flavor. The burger itself was juicy and moist, with the bun providing a perfect vessel for the innards.

House Chips

We also got house-made chips, which were thick-cut and well-seasoned.

So if you're in the Cadillac, Michigan area, stop by Clam Lake for some beers and some pub fare. They've got you covered. 

Tony's Original Restaurant: Saginaw Review

This is part of a series of posts for Michigan 2014.

Other posts in this series include: Tony's Original Restaurant, Whitehouse, Cops & Doughnuts, Levi's Food & Spirits, Genji's, Clam Lake Beer Company, and Grand Traverse Pie Company.

You may have heard of Tony's in Michigan - in particular, the one on I-75 which features a bacon sandwich of mammoth proportions - 20 strips! But on a recent trip to Michigan, the GF was at the original Tony's in Saginaw meeting up with a close friend and picked up a steak sandwich for me . I've had the breakfast burrito here at the original location (also huge!), but was in the mood to see what a Michigan steak sandwich entailed. 

Steak Sandwich [$5.50]
Cheese, pizza sauce
 

While the bread was nicely buttery and grilled, the bread and fries had become soggy because the waitress didn't wait till after the meal (as instructed). The innards of the sandwich features what seemed to be breaded steak and cheddar cheese, along with some pizza sauce. Despite the cold temp, it was still satisfying in a late-night drunk food kind of way. Not ashamed to say it.

I'll definitely have to stop by Tony's again and give it due justice by reviewing the bacon sandwich when I'm in the restaurant.

Rice and Mix Review

The dearth of good Korean food options in the city is understated. Unless you're venturing into Northeast territory, Center City Philly is a barren wasteland. New Jersey/New York or bust, really.

So the GF was itching to get me to try Rice and Mix, where she's had lunch a few times with coworkers. So on a recent weekend stroll through Center City, we stopped in for lunch.

Rice and Mix has a contemporary design and there's plenty of seating for the weekday lunch crowd. Quite a few booths available for some comfortable seating as well. You place your order, receive a number, and grab a seat.

Kimchi Pork Pancake [$12]
 

The GF loves pajun, which is a Korean pancake. Most restaurant pajuns don't turn out as crispy as I normally like, so I didn't have high hopes. Sadly, and as expected, this wasn't as crispy as I normally like. Though a bit gluttonous, I'll admit it still had some good flavor. A decent mix of pork and kimchi helped it. But at $12, seemed like a bit of a premium for a dish that lacked texture. 

Signature Dolsot Bowl & Korean Fried Chicken Combo [$16.75] & Shrimp [$3]

Carrot, radish, broccoli, red cabbage, egg, mixed greens 

  

The GF's absolute favorite is dolsot bibimbap, which is essentially stir-fried rice in a stone bowl. The stone bowl helps to add a nice textural element to the dish, because there's a crispy layer of rice at the bottom, known as nurungji.

This was spot on in terms of texture, albeit overpriced. There was a nice mix of fresh veggies, though the shrimp were chewy/overcooked, and likely frozen. The egg was pre-scrambled a la Korean sushi style, so the lack of a gooey fried egg was disappointing. 

Korean Fried Chicken
Spicy
 

Korean Fried Chicken or KFC has been all the craze over the past 5 or so years. Popularized in NYC thanks to the likes of Bon Chon Chicken, the news that Philly would finally get an outpost came as welcome news. In the meantime, I was hopeful for Rice and Mix's version. This was a decent iteration, with huge, juicy pieces of chicken that were crisply double-fried. The spicy sauce had only a bit of heat, so don't be deterred. The accompanying sesame-vinegar slaw was nice, but I prefer Bon Chon's radishes. 

Overall, I'm glad there is a Korean option in Philly that isn't completely horrid. I'd rate it average overall, though it is certainly one of the better ones that are available in Center City and I'll admit I tend to have a higher benchmark for my homeland cuisine. The fact that the prices are so high and kimchi isn't gratis is off-putting. But most of the flavors are there and it's a nice change of pace.

Sumo Sushi Review

On a recent weekday night, the GF and I were craving sushi. So we hopped on Seamless and noticed that Sumo Sushi had won an award from the delivery service. So with the recommendation in mind, we ordered a gauntlet of sushi to satiate my cravings.

Edamame

Perhaps due to the size of my order, Sumo Sushi sent over some complimentary edamame. Salty and meaty, the GF loves these.

Gyozo [$4.95]
Fried pork dumplings

In the mood for dumplings as well, we weren't disappointed. The pork was juicy and moist and these had a nice deep fry on the outside for some texture. It was accompanied by a tangy, sour sauce.

California Roll [$4.95]
Crab stick, cucumber, avocado

California rolls were prototypical and the sushi rice had a nice vinegary tang. The roll was studded with sesame seeds as well for some texture. 

Hamachi Negi Roll [$4.95]
Yellowtail, scallion 

We ordered some standard yellowtail scalloin rolls as well, which had a dash of wasabi heat that wasn't overpowering.

Sweet Potato Roll [$4.50]
 

On the other hand, the sweet potato roll was a bit starchy and frankly, there wasn't much sweet potato in the roll. It was also doused in eel sauce, which rendered each bite too sweet.

Spicy Salmon Roll [$5.25]
Spicy salmon, avocado
 

The spicy salmon roll was nicely creamy, but could have used more heat. The texture of the sesame was nice though. 

Red Dragon Roll [$10.95]
Spicy tuna, tuna crunch, avocado 

We also went with a few specialty rolls. The red dragon roll showcased tuna two ways. The outer tuna was fresh and within the roll, the spicy tuna was creamy and had nice heat that was tempered by the fresh avocado. The tempura crunch added texture to each bite as well.

Sakura Roll [$12.95]
Soft shell crab tempura, cucumber, pepper tuna, avocado, tobiko, special sauce 

The sakura roll featured soft shell crab that was nicely fried and was meaty within. The pepper tuna added some spice, with the special sauce providing that Americanized sushi touch.

Overall, Sumo Sushi isn't a bad choice for takeout sushi. Delivery was fast and the sushi was fresh. I wish they had more roll specials, but you can't always win them all!