Rob "Yelp's New Bad Boy" L.'s Profile

I have ventured back a few times since my first initial review and I still like it. I have been in not only for a client's going away party, (also her brother's birthday party), but for a casual Saturday brunch as well.

The place seems to be in a slight transitional phase. The menu has gone over quite a bit of change. Small dishes, mid size plates and large main courses, flat breads and cheeses and even breakfast on the weekends. As you creep in to the evening it becomes ever so much more lounge like and club style. A pretty decent beer list and some good wines as well. So perhaps the thinking is a restaurant in the early evening and lounge in the late evening.

I like the style of the place. Still a little classy, but nothing that doesn't make me feel at ease when walking in, so not too stuffy for when I have gone. The brunch I had was pretty good, though I do want to go back. They have a dish there, (the Hangover), which sounds like it might do some damage and satisfaction to me. I mean how could you not go for a fried egg, cheddar fries and short ribs? Okay technically I am sure when you are hungover that would be a great option, but even sober I want to try it.

Service has been very good to fine when I have been here. Prices are in line for the area. I usually have stuck with wine when I have come here, (okay except for brunch which was OJ), so I can't comment on the drinks. Since I am no late night person, I will probably be coming for just dinner or brunch, maybe I will get enough of a work out in to go for "The Hangover."

Admittedly, I have no hate for Jerry Kleiner or his restaurants. Why? Because I have only been to one and really liked it. Coming in here I had an open mind, an open heart and a hungry stomach.

Like quite a few people who have reviewed this place I came here for the after party, except I did not attend the before party. I came here a wee bit early to sit down with a friend, catch up and heave some tasty vittles in my mouth. Yes, the place is slightly over the top, but good lord do I believe this area needed something different and I like the style here. An updated version of an old style bar. Big bar, big mirrors,  loads of space and well, the place was jumping and pretty full. I was hushed to the downstairs private party room. Lovely and not over the top, I spied with my little eye my friend and an open seat next to her at the downstairs bar. I nestled up with a glass of Pinot Noir and gazed longingly at the menu... tracing every word with my finger, achingly imaging every descriptive morsel being wrapped around by my mouth... oh wait. Sorry about that... I sometimes tend to romanticize the past.

But here? No romanticizing the hefty and delicious burger I got. Cheese? Check. Bacon? Sweet Mama. Fried egg? Sorry for that pool of water there, that's my drool. Medium please and off my order went. Doc, (the bartender), was nice and informative on life. Never overbearing, forceful and could pour a mean glass of spirits, just like a good bartender should be.

Then out came my burger. The fries were good, the burger was infinitely better. Nothin' says lovin' like a classic breakfast combo on a cheeseburger , (or an artery clogging meal), than this burger. Prices aren't horrible and pretty apropos for the area. Certainly a welcome new face for the Old Town area and a place I can be happy coming back to.

Hands got a little messy, hungry stomach got satisfied, a growing smile on my face appeared as old friends drew near, I have to say, it was a good night.

I am so wavering... so so freaking wavering.

SS, you won me over on many points, but gosh darn it if you didn't disappoint me in others.

It was a triple date night, along with my girlfriend and two other couples we descended on a lovely fall night last Friday. Dark and sexy it is, but like some have put it, a little sterile. My gf even commented that she wished it provided a little more warmth, a little more color to the space. Perhaps some sort of light fixtures to add a little more light but invite to the space, like an old school chandelier or some artwork or colored napkins. Something to spice up the space. The high ceilings do lend themselves to make this a loud space, especially with the lovely brick walls, cuddle up close to that certain someone, it may be the only way you will be able to hear them. Plus the music, which I got a kick out of, (think 40's or earlier French mixed in with some Spanish/Mexican), at times, it was great and chill and other times it blared with loudness.

Really, my bitch-fest ends there, because I was really happy with everything else. The service was prompt and quick, bottles were happily open at our requests, (its BYOB as of right now), dishes were explained, opinions were dolled out as needed and always with an energetic smile.  

The evening started as we all looked around and eagerly said starvation had set in and the need was to feed. We decided on four different appetizers, (got an additional order of the taquitos), for all of us to share. Loved the fondue, not as thick as I expected but the taste was spot on. As one dining companion put it, "You just want to pick it up and chug it... if that didn't make me look weird or something". Aye aye, I couldn't agree more. You might want to get some extra bread to dunk it in this warm and tasty concoction. The aforementioned taquitos were good, a little bit of spice and a little bit of sweetness, (um hello pomegranate! Where have you been in my savory dishes??), blended well. The shrimp ceviche I thought was all right, I liked the jicima that was in the spoon the shrimp was served on top of, but for some reason I felt like you could have kept the sauce underneath and then for more contrast taken the shrimp, do a little chili rub and cook those bad boys. Bah. What do I know? The other dish we had I was unlucky to be the last of the group to try so I merely had the dregs, but tasty dregs they were of that cream cheese and chipotle concoction.

We then went on to order rounds of soup or salad, my consume of chicken with cacti and chorizo dumplings was really good, though I really liked the dumplings. My gf's beet salad was tasty, though I am not the biggest beet fan and the other mixed salad, (which escapes me), was really good with its small little empanada.

The main courses were a split it seemed. I went with the pork tenderloin which I thought was savory and sensational, (take that H1 N1!). My gf's beef dish was really good too. The lobster enchiladas were okay, but nothing to write home about and the chicken was good, but nothing that outstanding.

We ordered one of each dessert, (five was the final tally), some really wonderful hits and some didn't slightly work for me. The napoleon, yes. Get it. By sweet merciful love that is holy and good, get it. The cinnamon and sugar coating the thin fried dough on the outside was magnificent and was only made better by the sweetened cream cheese in the middle. The rice pudding was good, though the texture was a little weird, a little too firm. The chocolate mouse I really liked, but not with the sweetened goat cheese, a little too tart for my tastes.

The final bill came out to be $65 per person, but dang if we didn't order a ton of food. I mean apps, soup/salad course, main and dessert?! I think it was a great deal.

So all in all, I ended up happy. For your enjoyment, a final wrap up:

Great:
Service
Fondue
Pork Tenderloin
Napoleon
Salads
Price point
BYOB

Good:
Taquitos
Chocolate Mousse
Beef
Chicken

Ergh:
Noise level
Ambiance

Really I had a 3.5 star experience, however I round to four because I see potential. Don't let me down SS!!

Ohhhh Bella... ummm not so beautiful to me. All right, but not what I was expecting.

I ordered dinner the other week. It had been a long day at work, I had opened a bottle of prosecco and a night of doing jack squat was to commence, except I needed dinner. Being all of less than two blocks away, I felt I needed to try this place out. I looked up the menu and gave a ring to place my order.

The woman on the phone was a little gruff, but fine, it sounded busy, perhaps she was a little rushed with other things. I placed my order, great, half an hour and in just a little over that time I would be home, savoring my prosecco, munching on some Italian and decompressing.

Just shortly before the appointed hour I grab my hoodie and head out the door. I step in, not bad place, dark though. Exposed brick, tables full, waiters running around in white dress shirts, black pants and tie, it gave the very feel of a nice upscale Italian restaurant. Great, can't wait to try the food. A large and busy bar with people all around talking up a storm. Hmmm kinda loud in here too. Then the hostess came up to me:

Can I help you? (hmmm a little cold, apparently this wasn't a good night)

Hi, I have a pick up. (and what ever happened to good evening or welcome?)

Name?

Um Rob...

$36.04, (money is exchanged) I'll be right back.

Okay so this hostess is not having a great night, not a smile, not very warm and welcoming. She comes back with two enormous bags... um wow. This is a lot of food. I get home and indeed it is a lot of food. A total carb fest. The chicken Saltin Boca was really good, good flavor on the sauce and the chicken wasn't dry either. I got a large side order of pasta with it, plus a salad, plus fruit, plus a half a loaf of french bread, plus a good size focaccia bread, plus the order of Fussili alla Arrabiata. Damn. The sauces were good, the pasta was a little over cooked and okay, no al dente here tonight. (Really, I live less than two blocks away so there was no sitting around in sauces to continue to cook).

I am not enamored enough to come running back here. I would like to come back and give it a shot and dine inside, but I am not running back. Hopefully the hostess will be in a little better mood and the pasta a little better.

You have to love a day when things are going right and then the universe throws you a curve ball. Or perhaps a sinker. Maybe even a fastball right down the center of the plate when you least expect it and catches you looking on strike three. (Cracks bat over knee in frustration)

So imagine my glee when I sliced my hand on some dirty metal last Sunday. Oh joy! I looked at it, looked at my friend and said, "We've got a bleeder!!" Well, knowing I would probably be okay, I still figured, (okay convinced by several friends), to go and get a tetanus shot just to be on the safe side. No one likes lock jaw.

Since it was Sunday I was weighing my options. Wait until tomorrow and try and see my doctor? A trip to the emergency room? (Both probably would mean several hours of my life lost for a four minute procedure). One of my friends suggested I head over to a CVS Minute Clinic, they should have all the shot. Quickly looking on the internet, I found a few and all of them had shots for me. Oh joy!

I came to this one because I knew they had parking, I knew the area and I had to be up on the north side anyway for other errands. I came in, signed up on the computer and waited. I wasn't the first in line, I was fourth. Ergh. However to my pleasant surprise the women in front of me didn't see the large sign above the sign in area that said that they were out of the flu shots which bumped me up to next. Sadly, the one woman was leaving to go on lunch break and said the other attending would help me shortly but happily deferred her lunch break when she found out all I needed was a tetanus booster. I got my health insurance card out and we began.

She was super pleasant, friendly, warm and went through thoroughly all the information I needed. When she found out that it had been quite some time since I last had a booster she let me know that the CDC was asking people to get a vaccination of TDP, (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, aka. the whooping cough), since whooping cough was making a come back. We shared some chit chat, we exchanged some tips about avoiding the flu and before you knew it I was out of there with a sore left shoulder and a clearer mind.

Hopefully I won't need to come back to a minute clinic and keep myself fairly healthy, but if I have some minor issues that I don't need to see my doctor about, I am headed back here in a heartbeat.

There is a mix of people who like and dislike Bill Kim's flagship store, Urban Belly, (I being on the side of like), but I dislike that I live now much further away from said restaurant. So imagine my happiness when I hear of a new place opening up closer. Um yay! And this one is a twisted version...

Mix cuisines can be a difficult and quite often nasty combination. However this new mix of Puerto Rician and Asian flair... well stop me dead in my tracks, slap me upside the head and call me later. (If you get a voice mail, just leave me a message, I will get back to you as soon as I can.) Excited? Yes. Intrigued? Fo' sho'. Starving to the point of weak standing and light headedness? Kinda. Could have been the leg workout I did earlier. The place was popping, the layout simple, the idea, counter service and then sit yourself down and wait for your food to be brought out to you.... or like me, a carry out.

The menu is small, but packed with Latin twists with some good Asian panache. Sammiches, (yes... they are called smirches, about five of them), one soup, two salads, about five sides and several desserts and drinks. I was starving, so I needed to throw down the hammer and order a good amount. Well, I had no hammer so I went with just walking in and ordering. I went with the BBQ Kogi beef and the Asian meatball sammich, brussel sprouts and tostones. I couldn't wait to get home. The smell was filling my car, my nose, my head which was making me all starving even more, so when I got home, I quickly laid down everything and laid the food out. Grabbing several napkins I went to town.

The BBQKB was the best out of the bunch. The beef was tender for the most part through out, flavor was definitely there,  though it was four slices of flat bread with a mesh of beef on the side with kimchi. Oh darn, like I minded....  the Asian meatball was pretty good, but I kept feeling like it needed something, perhaps a sauce or something, it seemed slightly dry in a way. Perhaps its my memory of a meatball sandwich having some marinara sauce. The brussel sprouts... yes, I said brussel sprouts. Those nasty little things I had as a kid, those little nasty cabbages I hated, well... if my mom had made them like this, perhaps I would have liked them better. What made them that way? Chorizo. Lots of it. Fab. Total fab. And then the tostones, fried twice green plantains They were good, crispy and well fried but a little salty and I wish it came with more chimichuri sauce, but really I was happy.

My belly is happy, my body is happy so that makes me happy. The space is simple but nice, the food is great, the service was great, the prices were fine, many of the mains were around the $9 to $11 range. I can't wait to try their hot and sour soup, (hominy and Asian spices), and the quinoa salad.

And the desserts.

And the Korean BBQ beef sandwich.

And the desserts...

crap... I have to go work out and work all this off before my next trip... the sacrifices I make...

For those who know me, I have a little bit of a sweet tooth. A very teeny tiny sweet tooth. Miniscule. Microscopic even.

And the lil' bugger can easily take control of my every action when chocolate or carmel pop in to view.

Bastard.

Pretty much every morning and many afternoons about every day I drive wearily to work. Bleary eyed and tired. I think of what I need to do during the day I have often missed even recognizing that this place existed. Until yesterday when I needed to grab lunch and having perused their web page a few scant days earlier, I knew they had some sandwiches which would be perfect for a lunch on the go.

Walking in, cute. Uber cute. As in, super super cute and cool, give off friendly and warming, "c'mon in and stay awhile" vibes. Wood decor all around, glass coke bottles, (love them!) in the back of the register.  People on laptops typing away, sipping on coffee or tea, friends catching up and then... then... I stare beyond them and the iil' bugger starts to kick in. My first instinct is to push people out of my way and run up to the glass and press my nose against the glass, smearing my drool all around it and going I want that one! And that one! Oh and definitely that one!!

I am far beyond 6 years old, so I calmly and quietly walk over and order a turkey sandwich and peruse the sweets while my sandwich is being made. Cupcakes, brownies, mini pies all making my body twtich and quiver as I resist the urge to buy a large box of sweets to take home. Then I spot the brownie. This massive brownie the size of my fist. Thinking...

Oh yes... you will be mine. You don't know it... but you will be mine...

Quickly I asked for a brownie to be scooped up in to my bag and voila! Dessert included with my sandwich and bag of chips and off I went. When I finally sat down, the sandwich was good, really good. The bread was great, not too much fillings, but still nicely balanced. After I finished that, I sighed, because being a good boy and cleaning my plate, I saw it was time. Time to delve into my treat. Soft, rich and chocolaty and oh so good. My inner sweet tooth was happy. I was happy. Smiles abound, dreams of the next visit danced in my head.

For months, my brother in law would go on and on about how great the burgers were at the Paramount Room.

"Oh Rob, these burgers are great! Kobe beef burgers, get a beer and a burger $10! Can you believe it? How are they making money on this?"

On a strange and chilly night a miracle happened. I got done with work early and KM and RL had dinner together. It was a very exciting night.

I finish with work and quickly make my way over to PR. KM had already secured a table for us in the corner and was half way finished with his beer when I got there. Again. Raving about the burgers. How he got his with blue cheese and bacon... blah blah blah... well I found out a few things that night that I'd like to share.

1. The $10 burger and beer deal is on Monday's until 7pm only. We were there at 7:30pm.

2. The burger was pretty delicious, (though be warned it has rosemary which I like, but you may not). I don't know if I would get their special sauce again, but I wouldn't get it dressed again, (tomatoes, lettuce, onion). Mainly because when I got the burger, with the gruyere and cheddar cheese, the bacon, I quickly forgot about any veggies and had to go to work on my burger.

3. Apple. Smoked. Bacon. And a few slices to boot. No skimpy half a slice on these bad boys.

4. Fries were not particulary crispy so you may want to ask for them extra crispy, but the garlic aoili that came with them... well its addictingly good, but note no vampires will be coming near you after eating it. Well, perhaps neither will your date unless they had some too.

5. The tempura fries were tasty, but definitely shareable and should be. Squeeze some lime, the tang enhances the hot sauce you get on the side.

The service was good, in fact the bartender was more than happy to shoot the shiznit on beer, the place or anything we needed or asked. Even calling over from the other side of the bar to see if I wanted another Malbec, (um yes please). No fancy stuff, but plenty of good stuff.

There is a downstairs lounge but we never made it down there. The place is small, slightly cramped, (ie cozy especially if you are cozying up to some one you want to cozy up too... ), slightly dark, slightly askew in not a bad way and yes, its not an extensive menu, but the burgers are good, ($9 for the Kobe beef, the only burger they have).

I left with a smile on my face, a good time had in my heart and an all too good memory of a tasty burger that I will be longing for quite some time.

Sadly this place is coming to an end. In a way, I am okay with it, not a gambler, never a fan of horse racing, never enjoyed it nor got in to it. However there are some remarkably awesome things up here that you have to love.

Celebrity sightings. Gotta love them. Mel Brooks, (demi-god of my childhood and movies that I still love to watch), Dick Van Patten, good ol' Tom Bradford. My sisters loved him more than I, but still interesting to see these two, who are apparently stalwarts of this park, here most Saturdays to watch and bet on the tracks.

The thrill of the excitement as the horses make the turn, yours is in front... only to see it fly back in the end and take fifth. Yes. Sweet. So glad I made a $2 bet.

$2 bets. For those of us who don't like to really gamble, but like to think we do.

The food. Um yeah... let's not and say we had a decent diet Pepsi.

The park. Really, its pretty nice and well maintained. The inside is gorgeous, plenty of levels to deem how important you feel you are. High Roller? To the top to sit with Mel and Tom... and me. Not such a high roller? Down below my fine fellow, just a one level.

The scene. You can see some people who are lifers. I mean who are here every day or at least once a week and know pretty much everyone here. Every one we ran into was nice, but really, you can see some interesting characters here.

What you might run into... or wish you had, if you got here before it closed, was a fun time. I on the other hand going through every race and the 30 + wait in between for 2 minutes of action got old really quick. Thank goodness for games on the Iphone.

A fond farewell to an age gone by and best wishes to those it has left behind.

I feel like I'm in grade school all over again. Sitting waiting to hear the news, does she like me? Or does she LIKE me? Oh... she likes me... likes me like a friend, but not like that... I'll be in my room crying.

Ergh... I am a bit on the 3.5 side with a round up of four, so no crying in my room tonight.

I guess my expectations were really high. I had heard such amazing things from some of my most wonderful friends, so walking in for a date night, I was planning for this place to blow me away. In some respects it did. In some, I was just left with this is good, but just good. In some ways, I was meh...

Really good: Our host, whom I assume is the owner. A little over the top energy certainly got our night off right and ended it with a smile. Friendly, exuberant with effervescent energy, my girlfriend and I were a little smitten and swept off our feet with his charm. Which was good since we were starving. Desserts, especially the s'mores one. I couldn't finish it, (and that's saying something), it was delicious, all the flavors of a s'more and my goodness good and rich. It left me saying, I can't do any more, really... I can't... okay one more bite....

Good: Mains. I liked my chorizo stuffed pork loin with maple glazed beans with kale and chevre, it was good, but I wished I had a little more spice from the pork and chorizo or a little less sweetness from the beans. It was good, but perhaps I was looking for a little more umph. The flat bread we had was good, a little chevre, a little squash, chive, black olives and a little pesto, fairly well toasted, but good. The place is a good romantic little stop, perfect for a date night or small gathering. Soft lighting, but not too dark you can't see what is going on, exposed brick, pretty, sensual, but nothing to take away from who you are dining with, unless you don't like them and there for I have nothing to do with that. That's your own fault.

Meh: The fried green tomato salad. It was okay. The actual green tomato was good, but I wished for a little less dressing and a little more seasoning on the rest of the tomatoes. I have to say this... and I hate this. The service kinda annoyed me. I thought our server was nice, well informed of what we had and suggestions. Seriously though, if we aren't completely done with our appetizers, please don't clear away all our plates and silverware leaving us with just our plates of food and no way to eat it. The service here just seemed awkward. I can understand going to work, being tired and not on your 'A' game, I can sympathize. We talked about how tired our server looked, so I will chalk it up to a one time deal. He seemed to get better as the night went on, so perhaps he got some caffeine in him. It wasn't a huge issue, just weird, annoying and didn't leave that warm feeling I usually have.  

So maybe its okay that she just liked me... the cute brunette over there... well I think she LIKES me. I am sure I'll be back on the chase again in no time. The menu seems to change, so I want to see what else they have, see what happens and well... get that s'mores dessert again!