Barret Bar review - Louisville, KY

When we walked into Barret Bar we weren't expecting to have an impressive culinary experience.  No one talks about this place.  Ever.  For that matter, it wasn't even listed on Urban Spoon.  I had to register it to be accepted to even be able to post this review of it.  We ended up here by accident.  After trying both Hammerheads and Come Back Inn, both of which closed at 10:00 (!!!) on a Friday night, trying The Back Door which was so crowded we could hardly move we knew Barret Bar served food so we thought we would give it a shot.

They have recently undergone a complete remodel.  I didn't see it before, but it's pretty swanky now.  Lots of booths, a long bar and pool tables make it a bar but the lighting, spacious floor layout and small stage make it a destination.  The night we were there a band was playing and of course, it wasn't exactly our scene but the crowd seemed to really enjoy it.  Imagine my surprise when the band was done for the night, Santigold started playing throughout the bar.  Score.  Our drinks were not too strong but not too weak and the bartenders were really attentive.  We asked for a food menu and the guy waiting on us got really excited.  Due to local regulations they have to make up a certain percentage of their profits in food so they've been working hard on developing a menu.  Under his suggestion we ordered the swiss cheese dip appetizer, the tequila lime sliders and the Barret burger with an extra beef patty.

The swiss cheese dip came with housemade tortilla chips and was tasty but not the "liquid crack" it was described to be.  Cheesy but also kind of oily it wasn't bad because we ate it all, but we were fighting over the list bite either.  As we ate our appetizer a waiter walked by with the most deliciously nasty chili cheese burger I've seen since the Slayer at Kuma's Corner in Chicago.

Jesse asked if he could get that instead and they quickly adjusted our order.  When the chili cheese burger (not on the menu but just ask and I'm sure they'll make it for you) was everything he had expected.  The burger was well cooked and didn't taste frozen and the chili was housemade and just the right amount of spiciness for a chili cheese burger but might not have been spicy enough on its own.  It looked and smelled so good that I actually took a bite and I can't tell you the last time I ate chili by choice and not under the influence.  Why this isn't a standard item on the menu? I just don't know.

The tequila lime sliders I ordered were described as Beef Temderloin medallions served on a freshly-basked Pretzel Roll and topped with Carmelized Onions and house-made Tequila Lime Sauce.  They were pretty good.  The meat quality was excellent and I am a VERY picky meat eater.  The pretzel rolls made for a perfect base with they great chewy texture and bite that only a pretzel roll can give.  I was skeptical about tequila, lime and beef but I was proven wrong.  The plate came with either slaw or dill potato salad.  I'm not a huge fan of slaw so I got the potato salad but I wish I had paid for an order of fries instead.  The potato salad was good but made no sense with the rest of the meal.  I felt like it was 'scavenger' night at our house.  You know, the night when you eat a make-shift quesadilla from the microwave and the rest of that muffin you've been staring at for two days.  Individually good, but together not a good combination.

My final verdict?  I don't know that I would make a special trip for either item, but it is definitely on our radar.  I love a good, reasonably priced bar with good, reasonably priced food and Barret Bar has it.  Plus, their pool tables are not skeezy and creepy and their outside patio is beautiful in the summer.  While our hearts belong to The Back Door, Barret Bar is quickly becoming a new favorite hangout of ours.

Christmas in Chicago - Dec 23-26

We came.  We saw.  We conquered.  We ate a lot of cheese fries.  Again.  Yes, I know, too many cheese fries.  Our intention this time was not as such, but downtown Chicago on Christmas Eve and Christmas is practically a ghost town.  Who would have thought?  Warning: this is a long post.

Our first night we stayed in Crystal Lake, IL.  Why?  It's a long story - don't ask.  We found Nick's Pizza and Pub on Yelp.  It had good reviews and was close.  The waitress was exceptional, the food was good, but it was a little overpriced.  Click that link.  If you like dead animals, then this place is for you.  Wanting to go out for a few drinks we stopped in at Duke's Alehouse.  Some drunk mess of a guy started a conversation with us and everyone else at the bar, we had a few drinks and then went back to the room.

The next morning, we had breakfast at Benedict's La Strata.  You can read my full review on Yelp.

Crab Cake Benedict with home fries

Crab Omelet with avocado and home fries

We were early for our hotel reservation at the Hard Rock Hotel downtown, but we called and they agreed to let us check in early.  The lobby was very modern and very "rock star."  Faux alligator walls, guitars behind the check in desk, slimline pool table in the lobby, low sitting chairs, etc.

We upgraded our room.  What a smart idea.  It was pretty fantastic.

We settled into the room but we were getting hungry and went out in the snow to find a place to hang before dinner.  Most things were closed, but we found Snicker's, a tiny little bar with decent drinks and decent food.  The greek fries were interesting in a good way.  Perfectly cooked fries, topped with feta, tzatziki and lemon juice.  I know!  Crazy, right?  Surprisingly good.  Macy's was open with a large crowd clustered around their windows looking at the displays and the skating rink was packed.  The bean was neat covered in snow.

The coldest bean in Chicago

After exploring, we were ready for dinner.  We found Rockit Bar and Grill.  There was an event going on, which we though sounded a little complicated and shady so we went across the street to Mother Hubbard's.  We drank and ate cheese fries and then drank some more and between the waitress (who we thought seemed so nice!) 'forgetting' she charged us for free wings and the couple beside us causing drama, it had turned into a long night.  So we lied and said we would meet up tomorrow, stopped for some beer at 7-Eleven and went to the room.

Christmas Day found us hungover and in need of something to eat.  We had indian delivered to the room.  Tasty, fun and WAY cheaper than room service.  After tending to our wounds we bundled up and hit the streets again.  It was quiet downtown but Blue Frog 22 was open for karaoke.  Jesse's song of choice, Monster Mash was a graveyard smash - har har har.  The tragic girl at the bar was disappointed when she realized she was going home alone and we met a former NFL player.  Though, I can't remember his name, he was very nice.  As Blue Frog closed we searched for somewhere to end the night - though our better judgement told us we should go home, we stopped back at Snicker's.  No trip would be complete without someone starting a completely inappropriate conversation with us while we're drunk at a bar, so why should this time be any different.  After a good verbal violation, traipsing back to the room was in order.  What a long night.

Sunday, we make the 6 hour drive back home, but not before a little brunch at Bandera's.  Mac and Cheese for an appetizer was perfect.  (They used sage!) A burger and ribs for the entrees.  Jesse LOVED the ribs and while my burger was good, it was a little sweet for my taste.  Between the ketchup, brioche roll and bread & butter pickles, it was a lot.  If we go again, I think ordering without the pickles would fix the issue.

It was a nice way to spend Christmas.  After the past year being about weddings and family and drama and learning a lot about the people we know - both good and bad, it was nice to have our first Christmas alone together and kind of decompress.  Who knows, maybe we'll make this a tradition.  Just don't tell my Mom.

P.S.  Thank you to the Hard Rock for being so awesome about returning my back I accidentally left with the concierge!  Quick, painless and not one thing out of place inside.  You guys rock.  Literally.  ;)

Asheville, North Carolina - December 3-5

Jesse's Mom, Micky lives outside of Asheville, so since we weren't able to make it for the holidays, we fit a trip in a little early.  We took Jesse's brother and his girlfriend, Angie with us on the 7 hour drive east.  We arrived late in the evening and stayed with Micky the first night.  She made dinner that night and we sat around and caught up since we hadn't seen her since our wedding in September.

When we woke up, it was raining with just the slightest bit of snow beginning to form.  Of course.  Since it was pretty cold, we didn't want to walk around too much without several places to duck into to warm up.  We headed downtown and after a bit stopped into Jack of the Wood.  The Garlic & Cheese fries sounded like a good, group-pleasing starter and Jesse and I split the fish tacos for our entree.  The fries were garlicky and gooey and just enough grease to make them the table favorite.  They were so good, it reminded you of how bad they are for you.  Now, the fish tacos on the other hand...hm....very good, but also VERY skimpy on the fish.  As in, one of the tacos only had a piece as big as a golf ball.  No kidding.  Normally I would bitch, but since we had other people with us, I let it go.  They did have the option to add more fish, but for $11 in Asheville, there should have at least been a moderate sized filet on each.  Pitiful.

It got colder and started getting a little slick out so we headed for the hotel.  Our reservations at Tupelo Honey Cafe were for 7, so we got ready for dinner and our night out and had a few drinks in the room.  Our cab arrived around 6:30.  Tupelo was still on a wait even with reservations, but we only waited 20 minutes or so.  Jesse and I ordered a single biscuit with gravy for the appetizer and then both had the shrimp and grits with crab as our entree.  Let's have a conversation about this, ok?  The biscuit and gravy?  I get it.  It was good.  BUT, I've had better.  And not to sound like an ass - but Cracker Barrel is better.  Just saying.  Though the gravy left something to be desired, the shrimp and grits was awe-inspiring.  I could literally eat it every day.

Tupelo gets a lot of negative reviews from people who think it's overrated but honestly, I eat a lot of southern food at southern inspired restaurants and this place deserves the hype.

It's always sad leaving Asheville.  We really enjoy it everytime we go.  Good thing that since Jesse's Mom lives there we have a legit reason to visit often.

Central Illinois Oct 7-Oct 9

Oh, Central Illinois.  We've spent many moons together and you never fail to surprise me by how boring you are.  While I always enjoy mindless driving, I do wish you would give me more to look at than corn fields and those giant, creepy electric-generating windmill things.

I drug Jesse along on a work trip to install a few price patches at a dozen locations scattered around Central Illinois.  Of course, we took this opportunity to eat at a few interesting restaurants since that's pretty much responsible for 75% percent of the traveling we do.  We knew of a place called Bacaro Wine Lounge in Champaign, IL that our friend, Sunshine had mentioned.  She met the chef while working in New York and hadn't been able to make the trip herself.   The atmosphere was nice, though a little dark.  We sat at the bar only intending on ordering off the limited bar menu but opted for dinner instead.

The truffled fries were good as were the specialty drinks we ordered.  I ordered the gnocci, which was also good, but not better than Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington D.C., which is a shame since Old Ebbits is kind of touristy.  Jesse had the Risotto of the Day, which featured scallops.  Also, very good but lacking that push over to great.  I hate to say it wasn't good, because that wouldn't be true.  However, I think since it's located somewhere that doesn't offer a lot of competition, the dedication to perfection may be lacking.  If I ever end up in Champaign again, I will order an entree from the regular menu and see how that stands up.

The next day we hunted and hunted for a place to eat and almost ate at Hofbrau, an apparently really good German place in Peoria, IL.  I'm not a fan of German and it was a little expensive (despite what you see in that picture on their front page) for me to not actually want to eat anything there so after a drink we kept moving.  (Also, it was really early in the afternoon and it was full of creepy old guys that had been there drinking all day.)  After scouring Yelp, Jesse decided on Burger Barge.  Why, you ask?

This.

Yee haw, ya'll!  This is the Buy The Farm.

This thing was a 9oz. burger patty, butterflied pork chop and a chicken breast with all the regular burger toppings, plus something they call 'dock sauce', which Jesse asked them to leave off.  He said it sounded like it tasted stupid.  He's funny.  I had a 'Barge', otherwise known as a cheesesteak.  It was terrible.  I gave most of it to Jesse.  All was not lost though, the Cheese Blobs, though gross sounding were good, even if they were just battered and fried cheese cubes, I'll take it.

The next day we pulled over in Decatur and had lunch at Firewater Cafe.  The bubble bread was good and much less greasy than cheesebread typically is and I had a shrimp and bacon pizza, which doesn't look like it's still on the menu, but was killer, in a good way.  Seriously, shrimp and bacon were meant to be 2getha 4eva.  The service was slow, but don't let that discourage you.  It was really that good.  Maybe if you ask real nice-like, you can convince them to make that shrimp pizza for you.

Bubble Bread

Honeymoon - Day 10 - September 29, 2010

It was raining when we woke up so we decided to do something indoors and visit the Smithsonian American History Museum.  Before though, we stopped for a little breakfast/lunch at Old Ebbitt Grill.  This place is apparently a hot spot for politicians, though if we had seen any, I wouldn't have known one way or the other.  That's bad isn't it?  I had the Gnocci which was done is almost a carbonara style with bacon but with the addition of mushrooms.  It was by far one of the best thing I had during the trip.  It's a shame we didn't get a picture.  It was amazing.  I think Jesse ended up eating half of mine along with what he ordered.  I'm pretty sure he had the crab cake sandwich.  Whatever it was, it was also really good.  And you should have seen the surprised look on their face when Jesse had finished his first drink and when he asked for another they wanted to know if it was a Arnold Palmer (1/2 tea, 1/2 lemonade) and he said, "No, a Bloody Mary" at 11:00 in the morning.  Ha!

We walked through the United States Navy Memorial and the National Sculpture Garden on our way to the museum.  Once in the museum, that had a lot of really great exhibits going on.  The Julia Child one was pretty neat-o and seeing the actual Star-Spangled Banner was incredible.

We were staying at a Radisson outside of the city in Delaware, so before our dinner reservations at Sei, we went back to the room to get ready in anticipation of our long awaited special sushi meal of the trip.  We had done weeks (literally) of research in our decision to find a great sushi place to go while on the Honeymoon.  We decided on this place because of its inventive rolls and since we were doing Le Bernardin while in the city.

We arrived and were seated immediately in the ultra modern dining room which is partitioned away from the bar area.  We ordered a couple of cocktails and began mulling over the menu.  We started with the sea bass sliders and pork buns.  The sliders were crispy and sweet and tangy and perfect.  I could eat those every day.  The pork buns were also tasty.  Not a typical style of pork bun, it was almost a cake-like bun, spongy in texture and the pork was more like pulled pork.  Sweet and tangy as well, the textures, melded together well.  For our entree we chose the Fish and Chips (flounder, malt vinegar, potato crisps, wasabi tartar), Kobe Tataki (spicy crunch, watercress oil, red wine ponzu) and Surf n' Turf (kobe, lobster, yuzu horseradish aioli) rolls.  All were good, but not amazing.  Not as satisfying as the starters for sure but decent rolls.  We've found that despite being in Louisville, Sapporo is really difficult to beat in quality, flavor and value.

Looks like a mess, but was good.  Obviously too much aioli.

Still hungry but not wanting to bust the budget for the night we headed to Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant for a drink and an appetizer.  Keeping with the fish theme, we had the seared ahi tuna appetizer and a couple of drinks.  The waitress was incredibly rude, but the food was good so it's a wash.

We returned to the hotel and headed for the hotel bar.  We are apparently friendly-looking folk so a few people began to talk with us.  So friendly in fact, that I'm about 95% sure that I was rufee'd by someone sitting next to me.  I supposed he thought that when Jesse went to the bathroom that he wasn't coming back and he had an opening.  Boy was he surprised we he wasted that pill on a girl he couldn't take advantage of.  *eyeroll*  What an asshole.  What is it they say, "It isn't a honeymoon until you get drugged by and dirty man at a hotel bar in Delaware?"  No, I don't think they say that.

Honeymoon - Day 9 - September 28, 2010

We jetted out of Atlantic City and wanted to stop and have lunch in Philadelphia since we have never been there.  The place we originally planned on eating ended up being closed so we pulled out our handy dandy smart phones and found a place close by called, Honey's Sit 'n' Eat.  Ok, so let's have a conversation about Honey's.  It's awesome with a really comfortable menu.  What I mean by that is that it's things you're familiar with, but done well or done differently, but not in such a dramatic way you would be uncomfortable ordering something.

I had the Spicy Avocado Tuna on wheat.  It had pico de gallo, sour cream, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion
and came with french fries.  The fries were better than the sandwich, which could have been a little spicier, but there were plenty of hot sauces on the table to remedy that.

Spicy Avocado Tuna on Wheat with those amazing fries, which surely had truffle oil or something.

Decent selection of hot sauce.

Jesse had the Brisket Soft Tacos which were topped with red onion and avocado sour cream and served with beans, lettuce, and pico de gallo.  They were really good.  Like really, really good.  The brisket was well cooked and well seasoned.  This is something he plans on replicating in our own kitchen eventually.

I mean, seriously, how good do these things look?

We also ordered two sides, the asparagus casserole and the mac and cheese.  The mac and cheese was creamy and rich and delicious, and the asparagus casserole would have been too had it not been actually cold when we got it.  It was even topped with onion rings!  We could have sent it back, but as everyone knows, that's kind of a crap shoot so we just picked through it.

The casserole and mac and cheese.

Oh, and while we were waiting to eat, this ad was on the place mat.  I mean, I get it, but really?  I wonder if this works...

Anyway, we finally made it to Washington D.C. where we met up with our friends Robert and Yenny Rivers.  We were staying at their place this night and they were nice enough to escort us not only out to dinner but also on a late night tour of the most popular monuments.  We went to dinner at Rosemary's Thyme.  Get it?  Rosemary's Thyme.  You know, because they're both spices but it also sounds like a name and/or phrase, right?  Get it?  Let's keep moving.  We planned or Peruvian, but it was closed to this menu looked decent.  The food wasn't terrible, just not quite there.  I had the Seafood Ravioli, which was black ravioli stuffed with crab and shrimp in a vodka cream sauce.  Like, I said, edible, but for $16 there should have been at least less shell if there weren't going to be more ravioli's.  Just saying.

We visited the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Reflecting Pool and Lincoln Memorial and of course got glimpses of the White House and Capital, Jefferson Memorial, etc.

The escalator from the Metro.

Yenny and I on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

We had such a great time with Robert and Yenny and a big thanks for staying out so late with us on a 'school night!"  Mwah!

Honeymoon - Day 6 - September 25, 2010

After a long night of drinking, we were a little hungover.  We started the day at 'wichcraft in Bryant Park since it was close to the hotel.  It's a small chain partially founded by Tom Colicchio of 'Top Chef' fame.  I had cold sandwich of goat cheese, avocado, celery, walnut pesto and watercress on multigrain bread.  It was fair.  The bread was dry and the walnut pesto wasn't strong enough to rise above the celery and watercress.  Jesse had a sandwich from the 'warm' section of the menu with roasted turkey, avocado, bacon, onion relish & aioli on ciabatta roll.  He liked his more than I liked mine.

Waiting at 'wichcraft

We didn't have anything specific planned so we wanted toward Herald Square for a while.  It's an area with a lot of shopping and Jesse needed socks so we breezed through but didn't stay long since the crowds were pretty big.

We then headed towards Washington Square Park.  Since our early lunch at 'wichcraft had been small, we ducked into a little restaurant called Cafe Reggio.  We had a couple sandwiches and some really delicious tea.  The place was tiny but cozy and charming at the same time.  We actually liked the idea of the mis-matched tables and chairs so much that we may incorporate it into the restaurant we plan on opening in a few years.

TORINO:  Brie, Avocado & Dill

PARMA:   Prosciutto, Mozzarella & Fresh Basil

We made it to Washington Square Park, walked around, took some pictures, saw a show of street performers and caught the last 30 seconds of the dumbest looking fitness class I've ever seen.

 

The Washington Square Arch and that dumb workout in the same picture!

We Foursquared and found out there was the 2010 Dumpling Festival going on.  Too bad it wasn't as cool as it sounded so we made our way to the Union Square Greenmarket.  It's too bad we still had another week of vacation or we would have left with our arms full of food.

After all that walking around we decided to stop yet again for a small snack (and a few drinks) and ended up at Old Town Bar.  The atmosphere was good and there were quite a few people there even though it was only 4 pm on a Saturday.  We had the Crispy Spuds, which were essentially uneaten baked potatoes that had be sliced long ways into wedges and deep fried.  While the potatoes had been cooked to death and most likely over and over again, the Cheddar Horseradish dip was pretty good.

Mike and Elaine were taking us to dinner this night at Il Vagabondo.  I had the cheese ravioli which was really good and surprisingly light.  Jesse had the special of Osso Bucco that wasn't really up my alley but he almost pissed himself over.

We finished off the evening with a visit to PJ Clarke's and Jack's.  The word on the street is that PJ Clarke's has amazing mac and cheese with peas.  Had we not been so full, we would have ordered a dish, but we'll have to put that on the list for next time.

Honeymoon - Day 3 - September 22, 2010

Our first full day in New York.  We realized early in the trip that we had forgotten our sunglasses so after a quick trip to Fossil for a couple pair, we headed the long way through Central Park (which I had never been to) on our way towards Shake Shack.  Shake Shack is one of those places that you rarely hear anything bad about.  They have a special blend made for their burgers and it's know to be an hour wait to simply pick up food at the window of their original location.  When we arrived, there was a slight line but seating downstairs, so we didn't wait long.  Jesse and I both had ShackStacks and fries and Jesse had a vanilla milkshake.  What exactly is a 'ShackStack' you ask?  According to their website menu:

A Cheeseburger and a 'shroom burger topped with lettuce, tomato and Shack Sauce.

What is a 'shroom burger', you ask?

Crisp-fried portabello filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheese topped with lettuce, tomato and Shack Sauce.

ShackStack at Shake Shack in NYC

Exactly.

Amazing.

After lunch we headed to a taping of the Jimmy Fallon show.

Waiting in the NBC Experience Store to be ushered into the studio.

In deep thought about Al Roker.

The featured guest was Josh Brolin, which was pretty cool, but the other guests were the suck.



If you can find a clip of the end of the show you can see Jesse and I in the front row.  You can also see me reach for a cupcake and miss.  It made me look pretty lame.

For dinner, at the recommendation of the front desk clerk at Chelsea Pines Inn, we went to Vynl.  It was a lot of fun with a projector going showing Lady Gaga videos and old Whitney Houston.  I had one of their build-your-own style grilled cheese sandwiches and I would wager Jesse had a Burger, but I don't really remember.  The true piece de resistance was to come tomorrow though, when we visited Le Bernardin.