Road Trip 2011: Lincoln (Pt. 2)

Lazlo's Brewery and Grill

For dinner one night, we checked out Happy Hour at Lazlo's.  Since eating out so much can really bring a lot of expense, including Happy Hours in your trip is a good means of getting fed and imbibed for less. 

On the night we were there, Lazlo’s was featuring $2 off their microbrews as well as $2 off appetizers. Lazlo’s features beers from Empyrean Brewing Company, their in-house brewery.  I tried two beers, the Dark Side Vanilla Porter and the Third Stone Brown, and Dennis had the Burning Sky Scottish Ale.  The Vanilla Porter has a pleasant mellowness without the excessive sweetness that is sometimes an unpleasant side effect of Vanilla Porters.   The Brown lives up to the description of being a dark beer that isn’t too filling.  I liked that it was nutty and smooth and very drinkable.  But, the Scottish Ale was the star being “sweet and smooth with a wee hint of smoked character.”

For dinner, Dennis ordered the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and I took further advantage of Happy Hour by getting the Slider Trio.  The Buffalo Chicken had a brazen hot sauce, tangy bleu cheese, and tender chicken.  The Slider Trio was a meal on its own and is a trio of the hamburger, cheeseburger, and BBQ bacon.   They are not afraid of slightly pink hamburger meat and I definitely approve.  All were juicy and flavorful, but the best was the BBQ Bacon.  I’m mean, the pictures says it all.  

With Dennis’s and my food, I have to mention a small detail that makes a huge difference.  With both, the bread was the perfect complement to the sandwich.  Sometimes the rolls are too dry, too much, or pull focus from the sandwich; Lazlo’s rolls are a perfect complement by being squishy, slightly tasty, and willing to accept a role as supporting cast.

Lazlo's also has wi-fi.  I know where my future favorite place to work on my blog will be.   

Next stop . . .  Chicago

Road Trip 2011: Lincoln (Pt. 1)

Because I will eventually be moving to Lincoln and will have lots of time for blogging about Lincoln cuisine, I didn’t feel as pressured to do as much scouting and tasting on this trip.   But, two food finds, the Dairy Store and Lazlo's Brewery and Grill, are worth mentioning and gave me high hopes for the foods that await me when I become a resident.

Dairy Store

Dennis and I spent one afternoon walking around the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.  While wandering around the Student Union an ice cream place caught my eye.  Turns out, in 1917 the dairy branch of UNL’s farming and agriculture department started the Dairy Store which produces ice cream and cheeses.  After eying the flavors, the idea of cool and creamy ice cream seemed like a good counterbalance to the warm walk.  I got in line with “chai chip” in my mind, when, at the last minute, my eyes were drawn to two words—Maple Bacon.   

I tried a little bit and then ordered a whole cone.  Rich, full, creamy ice cream with subtle warm maple made for a decadent ice cream on its own right.  But, they didn’t stop there.  Completing the flavor profile was finely diced-up pieces of real bacon scattered throughout.  It is ice cream that hits sweet and velvety and then finishes with chewy tidbits.  It is reminiscent of dipping bacon in your pancake syrup.  

I once wrote about kummerspeck, or “grief bacon,” but Maple Bacon ice cream is pure “joy bacon.”    

Road Trip 2011: St. Louis

Square One Brewery and Distillery 

Originally, there was a master plan for St. Louis: Gateway arch, dinner at Iron Barley, drinks at Square One Brewery and Distillery.  We had gotten into St. Louis around 3:30 pm and, after an hour rest up in the hotel, the plan seemed plausible.  The catch, I forgot to run the plan by St. Louis.  There was traffic from people going to the Cardinal’s game.  The arch area was crowded because of "Military Week." And, with lines and an IMAX film, we spent two and a half hours at the arch itself.  Given that it was 8:30 central time and all we had eaten since 2:00 EST was some Gateway Arch cheese curds, I had to choose between Iron Barley and Square One.  Since Square One was closer, that won out.   

Square One is on Park Avenue in a trendy part of St. Louis with lots of yuppie restaurants and hip bars.  Square One itself had a crowd of 20, 30, and 40 somethings and was even giving tours at 9:00.  There is lots of great beer kitsch all over the walls and is a fun place to soak in atmosphere. 

The beer list is a pretty impressive one--some fruity, some bright, some hoppy, some dark, and some mysterious.  Dennis and I each had a “plank,” which is a four beer tasting.  I got the Light Squared, Spicy Blonde, Honey Oatmeal, and the Single Malt Scotch Ale (the beer that also helped tip for Square One).   The Light was bright and crisp and a fresh sipping beer.  The Spicy Blonde is very similar to Hoegaarden, but a cleaner taste and not quite as cloudy as Hoegaarden.   The Honey Oatmeal was intriguing, but a little too sweet and was more suitable as a dessert beer.  And, the Scotch Ale . . . worth the visit and was the favorite.  It has caramel, toffee, subtle hops, and is so smooth.

From Left to Right: Honey Oatmeal, Single Malt Scotch Ale, Spicy Blonde, and Light Squared

For food, we started with Beer Pretzels which are served with jalapeno cheese sauce and Pale Ale grainy mustard.  The pretzels were buttery, soft, and fluffy light.  I preferred the jalapeno sauce which was creamy and captured the bright green quality of jalapeno’s while adding only a little heat.  The mustard, though, was also fantastic and was spicy and tangy.  

For dinner, I had the Smoked Salmon BLT.  It usually comes with a rosemary garlic mayo, but since I don’t always do so well with garlic I substituted with cherry sage mayo.  The sandwich was big, smoky, and with nice big hunks of salmon and chunky strips of bacon.  The salmon was also well-seasoned with light dill and the flavorful greens provided nice crunch and accent.  The roll was a little thick, but overall helped give the sandwich a nice texture that was almost like a crab cake.    

It was a shame that we didn’t get to try the “Ballistic Elvis Sammich” at Iron Barley, but that gives me a pretty good excuse to come back to St. Louis.  

Next Destination . . . Lincoln, Nebraska

Road Trip 2011: Lexington (Pt. 3)

Picture from "Cupcake War" in Ace Weekly

Brown’s Bakery 

Brown’s came to my attention when Dennis handed me an insert from the local paper that was titled, “Cupcake Wars.”  It ends up that a local cupcake creator is on Food Network’s CupcakeWars Season 3 line-up.  On the way out of Lexington, we stopped at Brown’s Bakery to grab to cupcakes for the road    

I chose a Bourbon Chocolate Pecan concoction.   I didn't know this at the time, but this is one of the cupcakes featured on Cupcake Wars. The yellow cake was light and spongy and the frosting was not too sweet.  There were good hints of vanilla and a slight touch of bourbon.   

Dennis got a German Chocolate cupcake.  Although I was happy with how good mine was, I was envious of the wonderfulness of the German Chocolate.  It was gooey and soaked with coconut syrup.  Plus, there is more coconut nestled between fluffy chocolate cake and rich chocolatey ganache.  Super moist.  Super decadent. 

I have never liked a cupcake so much that I contemplated eating the wrapper to get every bite.  But, looking at the sticky, coconut soaked German Chocolate paper, I gave it pause for thought.  

Please don't judge.  

That's it for Lexington, KY.  Next up . . . . St. Louis

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Road Trip 2011: Lexington (Pt. 2)

Horse and Barrel Pub

Last time Dennis was in Lexington, he and his friends discovered the Horse and Barrel, a bar voted one of Whiskey Magazine's "Icons of Whiskey" and one of the three best bars in the world.  The have a wall of glistening, gleaming bottles of the warm caramel-colored hues of bourbon, rye, and whiskey.  

 Horse and Barrel provides several tasting options.  There is a Wild Turkey tasting for $16.95 that lets you try 5 one-ounce tastes of different Wild Turkey varieties.  The tasting I did was the one for $15.95 and includes three one-ounce tastes of any of the bourbons, except the high end ones.  The tasting comes with ice to open the bourbon and a menu of tasting notes on all the bourbons. 

From Left to Right: Old Charter, Henry McKenn, and Blanton's Single Barrel

I tried the Blanton’s Single Barrel, Old Charter, and Henry McKenn.  The Blanton’s was probably the least interesting.  It has honey and caramel notes but leaves an almost soured caramel taste in your mouth.  The Henry McKenn was slightly more complex, having a sweet nose, a spicy kick, and licorice on the finish.  The Old Charter was the best and had pepper and fire on the first sip, smoke in the middle, and finished with honey and vanilla.  The complexity and the subtlety of the changes made it exciting and complicated.

Dennis had a glass of the Old Fitzgerald 1849.  It was a great sipping bourbon that has a long finish that builds with every sip.  The bourbon has fruity notes to start, but the long finish dissipates and mellows those fruity notes for a nicer balance.

 The star of the bourbon tasting was not just the bourbon.  Horse and Barrel also has KentuckyAle’s Bourbon Barrel Ale on tap.  I’ve had quite a few Bourbon Barrel Stouts in my life and am a sucker for the heavy, thick beer with the creamy vanilla and caramel finish.  But, as much as I like the stout version, the ale variety is quite a force to be reckoned with.  To me, it is like a beer ice cream float.  It has notes of caramelized banana, vanilla, brown sugar, and all in the lightness and effervescence of ale--quite an addictive combination.  

Horse and Barrel is a great place for both bourbon novices and experts: novices get to test the waters and experts get to explore undiscovered territory.  For the really bold, you can join their bourbon club to keep track of every bourbon you taste.  Once you try them all, you get your name up on a plaque with the other bourbon champions.  Just a little something to strive for.    

Road Trip 2011: Lexington (Pt. 1)

Lexington, KY, is a place that is a bourbon and wine and late night bars and food delight.  It is a good stop on the way place, but a better go a week and wantonly bumble through the bourbon trail.  On leaving, one exit contained two bourbon distilleries, a winery, a cigar place, and a candy store.   Intrigued?  

Image from Bourbon n'Toulouse's Website

Part I: Bourbon n’Toulouse

Picking where to eat in Lexington was a combination of research, previous knowledge, and luck.  I found Bourbon n’Toulouse on a Top 10 Best Value and Urbanspoon's Best Cheap Eats list.   

They have a menu (that also has gluten-free options) of Cajun and New Orleans inspired dishes and are all under the same pricing scale: $4.50 for a small portion, $6.50 for a regular size, and $7.50 to get two instead of one.  Dennis and I both chose two so we could try as much as possible.  Each dish is served on white rice with a slice of bread that is dipped in garlic butter.  All of the dishes are waiting in a long line of pots kept hot.  So, once you order and pay at the counter, the dish is ready in almost no time.  

Southwest Etouffe and Gumbo

Red Beans and Sausage and Jambalaya

  Dennis had the Southwest Etouffee with Crawfish and the Gumbo while I had the Jambalaya and the Red Beans with Smoked Sausage.  Although I’ve never been to the “big easy,” Dennis has experienced cajun food in New Orleans on several occasions.  He said that the flavors are not quite as strong and lack some of the intensity, but that overall he really enjoyed the food, finding it solid with the general idea of New Orleans.  I, who suffers from a lack of Cajun cuisine, liked the culinary change of pace and enjoyed the thick, full sauces that I loaded with hot sauce.  Dennis’s favorite was the Crawfish Ettouffe and mine was the Gumbo.     

I'd also recommend getting an Ale-8-One to have with the meal.  It is a Kentucky a ginger-flavored soft drink that has been around since 1926.  It is bright and refreshing and works really well with spicy hot Cajun food.

Bourbon n’Toulous strikes me as the perfect college hangout.  Located near the University of Kentucky, it is a quick, easy, and cheap way of getting a warm, satisfying meal.  I think they would be the perfect comfort food during final exams, and I imagine that if there were one near me, you would catch me there with my laptop on a regular basis.    

Shouldn't every restaurant have a hot sauce station like this?