Laka Lono Rum Club - Omaha, NE

When I’m out of town, I’m always going to find the local tiki bar in town. I’ve been to Omaha before and have been to some cool locations (that closed) and one location that exists, but it straight garbage. I knew there was a new tiki bar in town, since the last time I was here, so I figured I’d better check it out after my buddy FFIII’s birthday party. I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but I also figured since I was riding solo, I’d better take a Lyft and not have to limit my enjoyment of rums and juices. (Turns out, I’m glad I did…)

It took me a minute to find, since I didn’t know it was downstairs below street level. I followed a loud crew of college-aged folks downstairs and walked into an absolute madhouse of people. Shoulder to shoulder and everyone was having a great time. If I was with three or four other folks, I wouldn’t have been able to convince them to stay, but since I was solo and flexible, I made it happen. I grabbed a menu while I waited in line and finally made it up to the bar to order. The bartender was surprisingly chipper and conversational for how busy it was and I appreciated it immensely (and tipped accordingly). 

Since I didn’t want to wait in line again, I just ordered two drinks. Veteran move, if you ask me. Puka Punch and a Zombie. You really don’t care what various rums are in these drinks, so I’m not going to bore you with details. However, I will tell you that these drinks were really surprisingly delicious. The Zombie, is of course super-boozy, but not in a way that burns every time you drink it. There’s enough other flavors to make it delightful and it’s sort of a barometer for how others drinks are going to be. 

The Puka Punch had some other flavors besides booze, including passionfruit, pineapple, and lime, and it was also really well-made. I was really pleased with my order and loved to watch people look at me as I walked around the dining room, two-fisting fruit-lade cocktails, while looking for a place to lean or sit. I was really into this place. Lots of people watching and lots of decorations to look at. 

I eventually found a spot at the bar that had opened up, so I plopped down and got comfortable and listened to people order coronas and coors lights and laughed as the bartenders made faces at them. Hilarious. 

Since I had just found a spot, I figured I’d better order one more, since I now had easy access to bartenders’ attention. I went out of my normal lane and got a drink called “It’s The Wind That Gets Ya” – chai-infused bourbon, apricot, coconut, and lemon. Actually one of the better drinks I’ve had at a tiki bar. Really good flavors that worked together. Super happy with this order. 

At this point, I’ve had a lot of rum and am really glad I was taking a Lyft back home like a responsible grown up. However, unlike a responsible grown up, I figured I’d turn a two-drink night into a four-drink night. It was raining out above ground, apparently, and I was still having fun watching everything and drinking tasty beverages. I decided against the Holy Diver that I Was eyeballing and went with the tried and true Mai Tai. I forgot to take a photo of this one, but again, it was really delicious. 

Don’t let anyone scare you away from tiki bars in the middle of the Midwest – they CAN be awesome. I’m glad I stopped in here for a quick visit (it wasn’t quick at all, I assure you). And I’m also glad I didn’t have anything to do until about 2pm the following day…

 

I’ll be back!!

 

https://www.lakalono.bar

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!

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

Dalles House Restaurant and Lounge – St. Croix Falls, WI

 

D and I were up near Interstate State Park and found this fun looking restaurant – she’s quite good at picking places, so I knew I was in for a treat. It’s got that old school Wisconsin lounge feel from the outside and we were even more happy when we went and saw how fun the inside was! It’s like a magical tiki land behind the bar and there’s a huge outdoor space that would probably be fun in the summer months! There is a fancier dining room, but the bar was definitely more our speed. The bar is the kind of place where you throw some wood on top of the pool table and call it a table (I’m serious).

 

We sat at the bar so we could take in the whole tiki grotto and see what was happening around us. When in Wisconsin, you order a brandy old fashioned. State law, I think. D bucked the trend and got a margarita. 

 

The menu is pretty much Americana through and through, but there are still some really good sounding items on it. We ended up splitting some raspberry chipotle wings and a honey smoked salmon salad. It all came out pretty quickly so we dove in.

The chicken wings were really good. I know it’s hard to do wings in a way that sets them apart, but we’ve also had plenty of wings that were straight trash. These were delicious and meaty and the raspberry chipotle sauce on them was really great. Great way to kick off a meal.

 

The salmon salad was much bigger than we expected. Aside from lettuce, it had candied pecans, blue cheese, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes. This all had a Caesar dressing mixed in, which ruled. We were both expecting a piece of salmon on top but this shredded version was actually much easier to deal with. The salmon had a great sweet honey taste and you could get some with every bite of salad. And despite the tomatoes being sort of out of season, all the veggies were really fresh. We had to fight over who got the buttery garlic toast, but splitting it worked just fine.

 

We liked this place probably more than normal people would, but it’s got that fun kitsch that we’re always looking for. Super friendly servers and good food and drinks just makes it all the more enjoyable. Looking forward to our next trip to the Dalles House!

Armored Gardens - Davenport, IA

BIL is a beer guy, so and I’ve heard him talk about this place in Davenport, IA that has a boatload of taps AND good food. Not sure why I haven't been before this point, but D and I made a point to go check it out when we were in town visiting my family. 

 

The beer menu is extensive. Literally, like 100 beers (maybe just shy when we were there, due to a keg or two running out the previous night). Good craft beers mostly. I was in the mood for beer, but D was in the mood for a fancy cocktail of some sort. She found the first drink on the cocktail menu and didn’t even go past it. Pineapple Tiki Punch, and when she found out they’d serve it in a giant palm tree cup, she had to have it. She’s the best.

 

The food menu is also pretty serious. Think of it like a very advanced snack bar where you order at the window and then they’ll give you a number and run it out to you. D decided we could split a Buffalo Chicken Salad and I have a weakness for fried samplers, so I picked “The Box” – which apparently is the best sampler in the whole world. It’s got 2 pretzels, 3 chicken tenders, 5 mini corn dogs, 2 chicken philly eggrolls, and French fries. More brown food, yes, thank you.

 

We headed outside to the beautiful patio (along with a ton of other folks who had just gotten done with a practice run for the local big-deal race we have in the Quad Cities each year – the Bix 7), and our food showed up pretty quickly after that. Meanwhile, people were walking past and taking pictures and asking about the giant palm tree glass that D was drinking from. 

 

The Buffalo Chicken Salad was pretty immense. TONs of buffalo chicken on top or lettuce, bacon, tomato, fried onions, and blue cheese dressing. We were both eating it and both really enjoyed this option. It ALMOST felt like we were eating something healthy, what with the lettuce and all.

The Box was really the killer item, though. It comes out in a pizza type box with the words “The Box” on it, so it’s hard to mistake it. We opened it up pretty quickly, so our crispy stuff didn’t get steamed and soggy and we must have done it right, since everything was really delicious and crispy. The pretzels were fantastic and came with dipping sauces. In fact, we weren’t exactly sure which sauces went with which items, so we just improvised and figured out what worked best for us. The chicken strips were super meaty and crispy. The corn dogs were really fun. The chicken philly eggrolls were really damn good, and the fries were also still crispy. 

 

This place tends to draw the younger crowd, which makes it fun and energetic. There’s a lot nearby in downtown Davenport, so I know we’ll be close enough to pop by again really soon. Even better food and beer selection than I expected, so now I’m all fired up about going back there!

Armored Gardens

Pro-Choice Potluck at Hai Hai - Minneapolis, MN

I don’t always post “reviews” (I use that term very loosely) for once in a lifetime experiences that you’ll never get to duplicate, because sometimes it comes off as bragging or something. But, in this case, I’m going to rave about an event that we went to that was pretty amazing.

After Roe v Wade was overturned recently, Hai Hai decided to host an event to raise money for reproductive rights and awareness. They called their closest chef friends and asked then to whip up a potluck-style dish that would bring some folks in for a fundraiser. They has so much interest that they needed to host two separate dates. Both of these dates sold out in under a day and we were lucky enough to buy some tickets.

The putluck brunches were both held at Hai Hai on July 31^st and also August 14. Some chefs made food for both dates, but it was a difficult decision on which date to pick because some of our favorite chefs were only cooking at one of the days. The events raised over $50,000 for Just the Pill and Whole Woman’s Health Alliance. There was also a raffle with multiple really cool prizes from local businesses that also support reproductive rights. Also, great work by DJ Keezy, who really nailed the songlist and got many people up from their chairs and dancing.

 

We started with some fancy cocktails that were also in partnership with some local restaurants like Hai Hai, Hola Arepa, and Meteor. There were also some N/A cocktails from Tres Leches and Hi-Lo Diner, but we were in the mood for some full-alcohol coctails. 

 

When you read this food list, though, you’re going to be very mad that you weren’t there enjoying these delicious dishes. 

 

·      MEKONG SALAD I Chef Christina Nguyen I Hai Hai

Lao sausage, tom yum coconut milk dressing, herbs, peanuts

·      BRAISED CORN I Chef Alex Roberts I Alma

on the cob with whole spice coconut sauce

·      JAHPCHAE I Chef Ann Kim I Pizzeria Lola

sesame-soy dressed sweet potato noodles with marinated vegetables

·      EMPANADAS DE HUMITA I Chef Daniel Del Prado I Martina

creamed corn & provolone with chimichurri

·      BUDIN AZTECA I Chef Gustavo Romero I Nixta

Mexican lasagna with layered corn tortillas, chicken tinga, queso chihuahua, nopales salad

·      SMOKED CHICKEN LARB I Chef James Winberg I Travail

with sweet rice, shiso vinaigrette, herbs

·      SPICY SPINACH PANEER I Chef Janene Holig | Hot Indian Foods

coconut rice, mint-cucumber raita

·      BIRRIA ENCHILADAS I Chef Jon Wipfli I Animales BBQ Co

Braised beef, adobo, cheese, salsa, corn tortillas

·      ALBONDIGAS I Chef Jorge Guzman | Petite Leon

en mole poblano with sesame seeds

·      BORICUA “ARROZ CON POLLO" I Chef Nettie Colon I Red Hen Gastrolab

Puerto Rican rice with chicken, Longaniza sausage & pigeon peas

·      CHICKEN SKEWERS I Chefs Nikki & Brian Podgorski I The Salsa Collaborative

mojo marinated chicken thighs with deep fried plantain

·      PAN-FRIED DUMPLING | Chef Peter Bian | Saturday Dumpling Club

with brisket, carrot & onion, Chinese vinegar chili crisp sauce

·      MINI PRETZEL DOG I Chef Sun Cowles | Create Catering

with kimchi scallion ranch

·      SAVORY DOUGHSCUIT I Chef Tim Niver | Muccis

with tomato tartare and chèvre vinaigrette

·      STRAWBERRY PANNA COTTA | Chef Katie Elsing | Lynhall

with roasted plum & salted white chocolate crumb

·      PASSION FRUIT DIVA CAKE I Chef Zoè Francois | Zoe Bakes

almond jaconde cake, passionfruit buttercream, blackberry, ganache & toasted meringue

 

In the food line, I didn’t tell a single chef “no thank you” – just put them anywhere on my plate that you can find room. It ended up being a really impressive display of food. I felt like it would be MORE rude to tell someone you didn’t want the one thing that they brought to the potluck. Plus, I REALLY love to eat and I didn’t want to miss anything stellar.

It’s basically impossible to rank these in order of my favorite, since I’ve changed my mind about 20 times on what was the best. Just know that ZERO of these dishes were bad. In fact, none of them were even ho-hum or average. They were all fantastic. I can probably narrow it down to the best five dishes that I can determine as of me sitting on my couch right now writing this. So, in no particular order, I’ll list five of my above-and-beyond favorites:

·      Mekong Salad

·      Albondigas

·      Spicy Spinach Paneer

·      Savory Doughscuit

·      Strawberry Panna Cotta

·      (And yes, I’ve already gone back and edited this list – DAMMMIT! They were all so good!)

 

We didn’t end up winning anything in the raffle, but honestly, this was one of the best ways to kick off a Sunday that we’ve had in quite some time. I know the pandemic isn’t over, but it really is nice to ease into social events like this again. Of course, now the bar is set really high and we’ll never be able to assemble quite a lineup like this again, unless it’s at some spectacular event like this one. All the people working the event were having a good time; all the chefs and food servers were having a good time; all the people eating and drinking were having a good time. It just made you feel good!

 

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Buckhorn Exchange - Denver, CO

My BIL thought we should go to Denver for his birthday. The one thing he wanted to do while he was there was to eat Rocky Mountain Oysters. So, STOP READING HERE if you’re grossed out easily. Yes, there are pictures.

I did a little research to find out where we should go for such a delicacy. There a re few places that come up when you search, each prepared/sliced/served in different ways. But, the one that had the most bragging rights was the Buckhorn Exchange. It’s Denver’s oldest steakhouse and also a bit of a history museum and taxidermy showcase – and their house specialty is Rocky Mountain Oysters. We got reservations and dragged our spouses along for the ride (this sounds much easier than it actually was in real life).

The restaurant itself is pretty amazing. Two stories and literally hundreds of animal busts and heads on the walls of every room, including the restrooms. Full size mounts are in pretty much every room, so you really get a feel for the wildlife in here. Which is apropos, since the menu also contains a much larger variety of meats than your run-of-the-mill steakhouse. Beef, buffalo, elk, lamb, chicken, pig, quail, duck, game hen, salmon, alligator, and rattlesnake. Impressive. 

We were really there for one thing, but we decided to get a sampling of appetizers, in case we were unable to actually eat the aforementioned Rocky Mountain Oysters. We got some fried alligator tail, sirloin game tips (beef, buffalo, and elk), and a half order of RMOs. And of course a couple of cocktails to make sure we were good and loose for game time.

The fried alligator was absolutely fantastic. I have always been a fan, but these folks know their way around a fryer and they were cooked perfectly. You didn’t just taste the fried part, you tasted the meat, as well.

 

The Sirloin tips were really quite good, as well. Served with mushrooms, and a different sauce each day, these had a great smoky flavor. My only complaint is that it’s always difficult to tell what kind of meat you’re eating when it’s all mixed together like this. Thankfully, every bite I had was delicious, so not really much of a complaint, after all. 

The RMOs came out with some horseradish dipping sauce, but since my sister and I are solidly from the Midwest, we also had some ketchup. Sad, but true. If we were thinking, we should have ordered BBQ sauce, since it would have been a totally different flavor. These RMOs are served sliced thin and in relatively large pieces, good for dipping. The fry on these things are really thorough, so you’d be hard-pressed to know that’s what you were eating. Both of our spouses ate a few of them, and more than we expected, so we’ll call it a win. They are actually quite delicious. I’d for sure eat these again, but I’d have to have help since a half order filled an entire basket. 

 

When we were done with them, our server came back around and asked how things were. She was pleased with our progress of fried foods, clearly. She said that she always has to ask, but would we like to see the RMO before it gets sliced and fried. Only two of us said yes, which must high enough on the percentage threshold for her to bring one out for us to gawk at. These things are huge. Bigger than my hand (as shown in the picture). And, now that we’ve eaten a half order, we know how the original uncooked ball translated to the fried version. Really a fun way to see it, but I could tell this thing shouldn’t sit on our table for too long as some people at the table were visibly horrified. Still glad we saw the after and before versions!

Rocky Mountain Oysters may not be everyone’s jam, but if you’re near the Rocky Mountains, you should probably just try them, even as a dare/bet. You may just end up liking them. After all, the folks at Buckhorn Exchange have been mastering this art for more than a hundred years. Really happy we got to try some local delicacies!

www.buckhorn.com

Lolo American Kitchen - Hudson, WI

We had taken a trip to one of our favorite breweries in Wisconsin – Oliphant – and needed to get some dinner before we headed home. We always love driving through Hudson and had passed by Lolo enough times to know they were always busy, so we had to check it out. 

The place is upscale, but not quite fancy. The prices aren’t outlandish and the food is much better than average, so you should probably check this place out. They’ve got fancy cocktails, too. We got some!

I got a “That’s a Bold Move Cotton” – cachaça, passion fruit, mango, and lime, and D got the mango passionfruit margarita. Both were extremely tasty (so tasty, we forgot to take photos of D's!).

We started with some Spicy Ahi Poke tasters, with sriracha, sesame, tamari, lemongrass, and nori crisp. Delicious bite-sized snacks that we always want a bucket of, but we know they’re just to get our taste buds going. But, we STILL want a bucket of these things.

We also got the charred asparagus with lemon, parmesan, and guanciale. This was a really stellar dish with so many good flavors. They don’t hold back on this dish, and we were very happy to accept their generosity of flavors.

We got a burger to split a Jamz Burger, which is a really delicious and flavorful burger patty covered in bacon jam, gorgonzola, and lettuce, served with fries. Happy to split this one!

We also got the coconut curry chicken soup, which is always a gamble at a non-Thai restaurant. But, they did a really good job with this. Tons of flavor and just a bit of heat. Glad we ordered this one.

Since you’re really not done until you get dessert, D ordered the flourless chocolate torte, which comes with dulce de leche, hazelnuts, and caramel ice cream – right up her alley.

And, I got the Butterscotch Budino in a tiny mason jar. Perfect ending to the night.

 

Top 5 things about Lolo

1. Coconut curry chicken soup

2. Jamz burger

3. Charred asparagus

4. Spicy Ahi Poke

5. Really comprehensive menu

 

Bottom 5 things

1. There may be a wait

2. It’s pretty loud inside

3. It might be too fancy for some people, but they truly do serve everyone – it’s Wisconsin, so that just means it’s a good mix of people to watch!

4. Nothing else

5. N/A

 

www.loloamericankitchen.com

Mudd Room – Mendota, MN

The Mudd Room is a speakeasy-style basement bar that’s done pretty darn well. It’s basically through the side door of Lucky’s 13 Pub in Mendota (NOT Mendota Heights). I was worried the entrance was going to be a bit more hidden, but they dumb it down pretty well for folks. Inside the door, there’s a phone on the wall that you’re supposed to pick up and it gives you a code. I’m not sure if it worked, because the door was slightly ajar, but we managed to find out way inside. You go down the stairs to a dimly lit, but beautiful bar and small dining room.

The bar is lit up red and looks really classy. There’s fancy bottles and booze infusions happening, so you know they’re making some good cocktails. There’s also a small stage for bands or solo acts – which is why we had popped in – and an occasional television showing old-timey shows. The bartender was very good and helpful (and patient with us). I can’t remember his name, but he was making sure everyone was well taken care of.

This place also has a “chef series” where they steal fancy chefs from local establishments and give them reign to do whatever they’d like food- and drink-wise. This month’s chef is Shane Oporto, formerly of La Belle Vie and Octo Fishbar. There are also some killer chefs coming up that you’re going to want to check out. Shane Oporto was rocking
a sort of Asian-inspired cocktail and food menu and really knocked it out of the park. (There are also regular menu items that the Mudd Room always has, which also sound amazing.)

We literally ordered one of each of the menu items Oporto had created. Pork belly steamed bun, shishito peppers, cod sandwich, and gyoza. But we started with some fancy cocktails. I got a Mudd Room Press – pineapple vodka, muddled cucumber, soda, and a splash of Sprite. D. got a Charlie’s Rita – El Jimador tequila, Tattersall Orange Cream, lime, and pineapple juice (she skipped the usual muddled jalapeno). The drinks were amazing, as you’d expect. They were both completely getting us ready for summer. Refreshing and strong – we had seen some comments about the drinks being strong, which is accurate, but that’s how we pour them at home, so it works out.

While we waited for our food, we listened to the musical stylings of Denny McGovern, playing all kinds of really solid songs from the 60s-90s. Some Eagles, Tom Petty, and related artists. Great work, Denny.

 

Our food looked amazing when it arrived. The pork belly was perfectly cooked, and covered in Bulldog Glaze (hopefully, FROM the Bulldog) and Japanese mayo. Since it’s a relatively small items, D and I had to do our best to share.

The shishito peppers were more up my alley than hers. They were served “elote style”, which I think means with some mayo and cheese, as well as Bonito flakes and furikake. I really liked these little bite-sized peppers, especially because about one in 5 peppers really packed a kick. I pretty much ate about 90% of the order, since D passed them my direction to focus on other items.

The cod sandwich sounds like it might not be stand-out, but it was really awesome. It was a fried cod filet with curry coleslaw and Japanese pickles. We both really liked this one and it’s a pretty generous portion.

The gyoza are like almost bite-sized dumplings filled with pork and ginger sauce. The dipping sauce was also magical and I ended dipping pretty much everything into it.

D had finished the first beverage and needed another – she went with the Tokyo Tea (Oporto’s nod to the Long Island Iced Tea) with gin, vodka, sake, rum, Midori, and ginger beer. I got the New York Sour – Redemption Rye Whiskey, housemade sour mix, fresh lemon & lime, egg white, with a red wine float.

We had a great time eating killer food, listening to great live music, drinking crafted cocktails, and just chilling after a long Thursday. We are looking forward to more amazing artists, both on stage and in the kitchen. I love this concept of showing off some local talent and letting them get a little mad-scientist in the kitchen. Brilliant. We’ll be back!

Top 5 things about The Mudd Room

1. D and I did not agree on the order of our favorites, but we DID agree that there wasn’t a bad menu item that we ordered. My vote order was cod, peppers, gyoza, and bun. D’s vote order is bun, gyoza, cod, and peppers

2. Great diverse menu for both the chef series and standard menu

3. Cocktails and the gent that made/served them

4. Atmosphere – dark and mysterious, but very clean

5. Live music never hurts

 

Bottom 5 things

1. No reservations, but you SHOULD be alright

2. If you have trouble seeing menus when there isn’t light, you’re going to need to turn on your cell phone light

3. Only open Thursday, Friday, Saturday (but they do open at 4 those days, so you can maximize your drinking time)

4. Nothing else is negative here

5. N/A

 

https://www.facebook.com/MUDDROOMSPEAKEASY