Quick Review: Nova Bar - Hudson, WI

This less of a review than a plug to go check out this place. The former Nova Wine Bar and Restaurant in Hudson has opened up as a local drinking establishment called Nova Bar. It’s in the same building as Casanova Liquors (also known as the beer cave), so many of you already know where it’s at. So get this – liquor store in the same building, DQ 200 feet away, Air B&B across the street, and beach walkable. Sounds like we’re going to be spending a lot more time here…

It’s got a great cocktail list (the owner and his wife can pour a kick-ass Painkiller), has wine by the glass, robust whiskey/bourbon/scotch collection, and offers a really impressive craft beer list. They also have Miller High Life on tap at all times, for those of you that partake. 

The place is decorated in a pretty whimsical and fun way (just use the same decorations for the holidays up through mardi gras!) and everyone in the place is genuine and fun. They also offer various food trucks and pop-up situations, so you can often grab a bite to eat there. Check out their Instagram page for updates – that seems to be the best and most often updated. No full-time kitchen offerings, but they’ll feed you once in a while and you’ll just have to focus on drinking. 

Go support this business. Check out their cocktail list and drink specials. I bet if you bring them a funny story or video on your phone, they’ll be happy to return the favor. They’re great folks!

Phi Chay Thai Cuisine – St. Paul, MN

 

D and I wanted to check this place out, since we saw it had changed names/ownership. It used to be called Supatra’s and we really liked that place. So, we had high hopes as we went into check out this new iteration. 

The person working the register and hosting was really polite and helpful. And the interior of the restaurant looks like they didn’t change it a huge amount, so it still felt home-y. The menu is very large, so it took some time to narrow down what we wanted. We went the adventurous route today and tried some things we wouldn’t normally get. 

We ordered the Salt and Pepper Tofu Puffs, Coconut Curry Noodles with Chicken, and Pad Woon Sen, (stir-fried silver thread noodles) with pork. 

The tofu puffs arrived quickly, and piping hot. The little cubes of tofu were fried crispy and came with some peppers and onion, and also two dipping sauces – one was a rice wine vinegar sauce and the other was a peanut sauce. The tofu was seasoned with salt and pepper and the fry on them was perfect. I liked the peanut sauce a little more than the other, but both were very good. Really a much better appetizer than we expected. 

The coconut curry noodles were different than we expected. D took a bite and said, it’s sort of like the Thai version of macaroni and cheese. The noodles were in a very mild and light curry sauce with a couple pieces of broccoli and chicken. The sauce was good, but didn’t have much kick, despite us ordering it medium. However, D added a scoop of the dried pepper that was on the table and it totally changed this dish. Made it much better and more flavorful. Even seemed to bring out more of the curry flavor. This dish ended up being really good, after we massaged it a little bit. 

The Pad Woon Sen was perfect right off the bat. A rich brown sauce coated all the silver thread noodles and vegetables. It had good spice level to it and the pork was really delicious, as well. I always wish there was a ton more when I’m done eating it, even though I was super full. This is one of those dishes that I would probably order again and I’m not usually an -order-the-same-thing-twice kind of person. Really good. 

Overall, an impressive showing from Phi Chay and an excellent replacement for a restaurant we really loved when it was around. We’ll be back here again. 

Latte Stone Brewing Co. - Wisconsin Dells, WI

On a recent road trip, we felt like a brewery pit stop in Wisconsin and fortunately, Latte Stone Brewing opened during the pandemic in Wisconsin Dells and looked like a good place for brews and bites. It looks like a small taproom from the road, but once you get inside, there’s a back room, a small gift shop, and a sort of front porch, as well. One of the owners is from Guam and wanted to show Guam culture to the US. What better place than the hodge podge melting pot of cultures that is the Wisconsin Dells. 

 

We found a table in the main tap room and scanned the printed-out beer list and food list. The menu today was small (the owner apologized), but it sounds like it changes from day to day, so sometimes, there’s a lot and sometimes there’s only a few items. It worked out perfect for us and we ended up ordering both food items. We ordered the Fried Rice Bowl and the Lumpia. The beer list is really nice – lots of Wisconsin brews, some other smaller microbrews, and six or seven of their own brews. I got a flight so I could try a few different things. The owner Ryan is able to answer any questions about the beer or food that you have, so don’t be afraid to ask. Supremely nice guy!

 

I got the Taotao mo’na douple IPA, the Coco’s Island Kolsch, the Sinahi Black Coffee Stout, and Westallion Brewing’s Generale Scottish Ale. All of these were solid beers, but the Sinahi Black Coffee Stout was the stand-out performer. Smelled deeply of coffee, but the flavor wasn’t overpowering. Really delicious beer here.

 

The food arrived pretty quickly and for those who are environmentally conscious, it comes on palm leaf eco plates with bamboo cutlery. The fried rice was simple, but surprisingly flavorful. It's fried rice with ham, bacon, and smoked sausage, onions, and scrambled egg. It also comes with this Guam version of soy sauce called fina’denne’ – it’s sooooo good. One of those dishes that’s more filling than you want it to be since you just want to keep eating it. Really good work on this and no wonder it’s on the menu – easy to make, a little salty, and fills you up!

 

The Lumpia is a sort of Filipino deep fried eggroll. It has ground beef, ground pork, carrots, and cabbage. It comes with an apple mustard which is great, but it also comes with that fina’denne’ sauce, so we basically fought over that. It’s the perfect accompaniment to these crispy little eggrolls.

 

The vibe here is good. The beer is good. The food is good. The story and history is good. Do yourself a favor and when you’re driving anywhere near the Dells, just go here. You won’t regret it. If it helps, there’s a Carr Valley Cheese shop across the street, and a Root Beer Museum across the street in another direction. I’m glad we stopped, and we’ll be back there again soon!

 

http://www.lattestonebrewingco.com

Latte Stone Brewing Co.

514 Broadway

Wisconsin Dells, WI 

Hala Khaki Lounge - River Grove, IL

As many of you know, D and I enjoy the Polynesian culture and have found ourselves at more tiki bars than we ever admit to anyone. When we were in the Chicago area recently, I knew we needed to check out Hala Kahiki Lounge. I wasn’t sure what we were getting into, but I’m glad we went. 

 

The lounge is in a relatively residential area along the Des Plaines River and it’s an expansive building. Thankfully, it also has an expansive parking lot. People have commented that there are only two windows and you don’t actually know which door to go in – all of that is true, but do your best to find the entrance (the “front” is off the main road, if you consider the parking lot the back – that might help). The bar owners got out of the funeral business and into the tiki culture accidentally buy buying cheap paneling that looked like bamboo. It all makes sense when you walk in the door.

 

Hala Kahiki doesn’t take reservations, so you may have to wait. But, as I said, it’s huuuuuuuge. It just keeps going back. There’s a back room that apparently is sort of private like an event center, and there’s a heated outdoor space (not open when it’s crazy cold, but that makes sense), so just when you think you’re at the back of the building, it just keeps going a little further. You can peruse the small gift shop at the front if you have to wait, but I’d suggest getting your hands on a menu. It’s the largest list of tiki drinks I’ve ever seen. It’s maybe 25 pages and split into 17 different sections. There’s an impressive selection of non-alcoholic tiki drinks, so please bring your sober friends and family here. There are traditional and old familiar tiki drinks, and then there’s a large number of drinks they’ve either invented or borrowed from other famous places. There’s a number of ice cream drinks. And, to no one’s surprise, they are also known for their Malort cocktails – it’s the Chicago Handshake, if you didn’t know. hahaha

 

While you’re headed back to your table, check out the decorations on the walls and ceiling. There’s an incredible number of unique pieces on the walls (and a ton of Will Farrell Elf cardboard cutouts during the holiday season, which is hilarious). 

 

My wife matches the decor. She rules.

It looks like they have a limited food menu on weekend, and maybe some sort of chips and dip offering during the week, so be ready for that. But hopefully, you had a chance to look at the menu ahead of time. It’s really difficult to narrow down the list, but thankfully, we were able to. Also, make sure you’re familiar with the little icons on the menu. A skull and cross bones means it’s strong. A pineapple logo means it’s sort of a lounge favorite. They also go the extra mile and put other notes on the drinks that indicate if something Is spicy or cinnamon-y or floral. Really considerate. I got the Hala Kahiki – I try to get the namesake when I can – and D got the Kokomo with banana.

 

The Hala Kahiki is a combination of a zombie and a scorpion – two of my favorite drinks. What it actually means is that it’s a bunch of rums and a bunch of tropical juices and then topped with overproofed rum. It’s also got a skull and cross bones next to it on the menu, so it’s reeeeeally strong. The juice cuts the bite of the booze and it really is a fantastic drink. I’d highly recommend this drink if you’re new to tiki drinks. It’s what other drinks hope they become when they grow up. 

 

D got the Kokomo, which is sort of a pina colada style drink. DiSaronno, cocoa rum, coconut cream, and non-dairy cream. And, she got it with banana, so it comes blended up and topped with whipped cream. It’s like a banana coconut milkshake and not like most standard tiki drinks. We keep talking about this one, since it’s so good.

I knew I needed (at least) one more drink before we left. Since D’s blended drink was so darn good, I decided to go against my norm and check out the ice cream section of the drink menu. So many of them are good, and my favorite part is they really don’t steer too far from traditional tiki flavors. I decided to check out the Lava Flo – dark rum, coconut cream, bananas, strawberries, pineapple juice, vanilla ice cream, and topped with whipped cream. It was top-notch! Even better than I expected it to be. It even comes with a giant straw so you can suck up the strawberries and not get all clogged up. All the flavors go well together and it’s one cohesive drink, not 5 different flavors. Super glad I got this one as a finisher. 

 

This tiki bar is absolutely worth a special trip out of your way and I’ll be back here for sure. I know there are other tiki bars in the Chicago area, but this one is my kind of vibe – exactly what I was looking for.

 

http://www.chicagotikibar.com

Hala Kahiki Lounge

2834 River Road

River Grove, IL 60171