Wow…it’s hot! It’s pretty safe to say summer is will upon us and although I could definitely use a break from this heat right now, it has given us an opportunity to take advantage of the more “outdoor foods.” What am I talking about? Well, if you have read any number of PCC’s posts on the topic, you know that I love good barbecue; and if you if you missed two of our stand out favorites you can read them here and here.
Since moving away from Texas and the wonderful availability of BBQ there, I think I have become a little less picky, since I don’t have the accessibility to options as I once did. That being said, I’m still picky enough to know what I deem good and even over the top! We have been happy to find a local place that meets our standards for the “best bbq we can get right now,” but we know that it will likely never surpass some of the better spots. Still, this doesn’t mean I’m going to stop trying all the other Que meccas out there. I mean… I have to give them all a chance don’t I? 
Well, if you have read my other posts on barbecue, you know that I am a total ribs girl at heart. But, what actually drew us into this next place wasn’t any of your typical bbq dishes at all, rather it was their wings in an ‘Alabama’ bbq sauce that intrigued us, mostly because it was something we were used to seeing, namely….IT’S WHITE! I mean who’s ever heard of white barbecue sauce? Well, not us until we saw Guy Fieri from The Food Network’s “Diner’s, Drive-In’s and Dives,” and we figured if he was a fan…we had to give them a shot…
Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint is a fun and funky little urban smokehouse located in Noblesville, TN, a suburb of Nashville. We are lucky enough that my little brother lives there with his wife, so when we get the chance to visit, we like to try and hit up as many PCC worthy places as their town has to offer, and let me tell you there are A LOT! So when we decided at the last minute to take a little vacation down to Nashville for Memorial Day weekend and spend time with Chris, Amy, and our nephew Jack, Adam knew that Martin’s was for sure at the top of our PCC list!
Although it was almost 100 degrees that Saturday at lunch time, people seemed to be out and about, and we were lucky we hopped in line at Martin’s right when we did (because by the time we left the line was out the door!). It’s a really cool sight to see when you’re standing in line getting ready for some bbq and you’re mouth begins to water cause you can see the smoker and smell that smokey flavor. Needless to say, the atmosphere only heightened our hunger and anticipation and by the time we got to the counter, we wanted to order about ¾ of the menu! 😀 Well, we opted to share a large sampler platter so we could get a taste of their staple items (pulled pork, brisket, and ribs both wet and dry rub) and also added an order of those yummy looking wings. Our meal came with a couple of side options, so we went with the cornbread, coleslaw, beans, and potato salad.
Our food was out to us quickly, we hadn’t even got our drinks! That’s fast, and when you are craving the que, that is good. So we dug right in. I was pleasantly surprised to see that their cornbread looked like a huge pancake, which I was happy about cause it was totally right up Betta’s alley. She may be small, but she devoured all the bites I would give her. But, enough about the bread, cause what we really wanted was the meat, more specifically the ribs and wings. We both first tried one of the wings and I was floored… it was SO GOOD! Not only was the wing a decent size and meaty, but that white sauce is delicious. Although kinda indescribable, it’s close to the best BBQ sauce I’ve ever had. It isn’t really creamy but it isn’t really runny either. Also, it’s not like a vinegary Carolina sauce, but it does have a really nice tang to it. Regardless, we all went around trying to decide what all we thought was in in, but whatever it was I am now a fan!
Our meal pretty much turned into a huge free for all with all of us grabbing bites of this and that, but we still managed to go home with 2 huge boxes of leftovers. While this wasn’t my first barbecue rodeo, nor will it be my last I’m sure, I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and having now been introduced to the rare and illusive white bbq sauce, I will continue to be on the lookout for where I can try it again.
SIGNATURE DISH: While I would say they are really known for all of their smoked meats, what really stood out to us as new and different were their wings with the Alabama White Sauce. They were not only delicious, but a unique item we hadn’t really encountered before, so I was glad to discover them!
TASTE: Their meat was all very tender and flavorful. Adam really enjoyed the dry rub on their ribs, where as usual I preferred the sauced ribs. We thought their ‘cue was definitely some of the better we have had, but the piece de resistance were those wings… man, what a winner!
AMBIANCE: I loved the feel when you walked in…lots of corrugated metal, wood, and concrete. It’s just bare bones, urban and cool, yet still had a really open, friendly, and family type atmosphere. I didn’t feel out of place having a baby along, nor did you feel bad if she made noise or dropped food on the floor. Also, there is a huge garage door that opens up to the pit and adds to the overall down home feel of the place. It’s a really fun feature.
PRICE: I’ve come to the conclusion that BBQ is trendy right now, and for that reason, it’s expensive. While I wasn’t really paying attention to price, I think our platter meal was around $20-25 and coupled with our add ons probably brought our meal closer to $40 or $50. But given the amount of food we got and that it was a ‘left-over’ snack later for the guys, I thought that was pretty reasonable for good bbq.
SERVICE: This is an order at the counter kind of joint, but the girl who took our order was super friendly and everyone else we encountered was also really helpful and friendly. We even spoke to the owner real quick and he was very appreciative of our visit and thanked us for coming.
Although on our next trip to Nashville we will probably have list of new places to try, I may have to find a way to sneak me some of those Alabama-Wings. They’re worth the trip alone, which is why I have no problem awarding this BBQ joint a fitting 4 1/2 ‘Little Piggies’
**Disclaimer: This next restaurant was very dark inside, therefore our pictures aren’t great, please don’t judge too harshly!**
Who doesn’t love a good steak? Well I guess vegetarians or those crazy people who don’t like red meat, but let’s be real, they don’t count. 
Sorry if that came out sounding totally rude, but me really likes-a-da-red-meat! And I’m not so picky that I need some ridiculously pricy extravagant steak…not at all. In fact, my hubby just cooked us up some mean New York Strips from our local Kroger this weekend and they were AMAZING! We’ve learned what to look for in a good steak and have fun combining different seasonings and throwing those bad boys on the grill for a simple summer meal.
That being said, we are not opposed to shelling out some dough for a good steak in a restaurant, and we’ve had some great steaks. Unfortunately, however, we’ve learned over time that some places are way more hype and way more expensive than they are worth; and I hate to say it, but this next PCC spot more closely falls into the latter category. So without further ado, this week we at PCC bring you David Burke’s Primehouse.
What makes writing this post so sad was just how excited we were to eat here. I mean, celebrity chef David Burke’s premier restaurant has been voted one of the best steakhouses in not just Chicago but the country by a multitude of publications and critics and has gained national notoriety for Burke’s dry aged beef. Needless to say, it has a stellar reputation, and for all those reasons, Adam and I built it up a lot and couldn’t wait to try one of the steaks aged anywhere from 28 to 78 days.
The Primehouse is located in the popular and trendy James Hotel in Chicago, and has created a menu that “continues to redefine modern American cuisine by pushing the envelope of culinary creativity” (http://www.davidburke.com/restaurant_primehouse.html). While we weren’t familiar with the famed restaurant while we lived in the city, the Primhouse has gained a large following due to the increasing popularity of dry aged beef. To be honest I’m not really sure why (having never tried it before then) hearing the words “dry aged” illicit such a mouth watering response. But, it does, and I guess I am easily persuaded by what’s trendy (surprise surprise). 
So I couldn’t shake the idea of being able to try something that was not only dry aged but for 75 DAYS!!! And when we had the opportunity to go into the city for our first ever weekend away from the baby, it was hard not to consider really treating ourselves and sharing that steak with a few sides. I mean…what a better meal then a steak aged to perfection and some savory sides of comfort (baked potato hash, mac and cheese, and truffle fries just to name a few!)
Before I dive into the full-on review, I should be honest and say that this could very well be another case of “Adam and Katie get TOO excited and totally build up the entire experience in their head before actually trying it.” However, there have also been incidents where we have built it up and it has totally met our expectations. Unfortunately, this one just missed the mark. For starters, we had made a reservation for that evening, a bit later in the evening so we could actually take advantage of getting a nap in that afternoon and enjoy a late night dinner. So when we arrived, I was sort of expecting our table to be ready. It wasn’t. While this was not a huge deal (we each grabbed a very reasonable $10 cocktail each :-D), I just sort of don’t understand the point of taking a reservation if the table isn’t ready for you upon arrival? However, we quickly learned why…when we were seated, we were told it just so happened to be Restaurant Week in Chicago; and if you aren’t familiar with this concept, a great deal of the city’s top restaurants all offer a pre-fix menu so patrons who wouldn’t typically want to pay to enjoy that restaurant are allowed to get to still experience it. It is a really fun way to try a lot of top notch places that you might not typically go to regularly, but this concept leads to why we were not as pleased with our Primehouse experience.
While I think Restaurant Week is an awesome concept, what we were unaware of when we made our reservation was that we would only be able to order from a pre-selected menu, not their full dinner menu which we had planned out earlier…remember us planning on sharing that 75-day aged steak? Of course we didn’t find this out until we had already been seated and were looking for the 75-day on the menu…it wasn’t there! At that point we seriously had some discussions about leaving and trying it another time, but decided to stick it out and order the dry aged steak option they were offering, which mind you was not the 75 day dry-aged we were hoping to try, but rather only the 55-day.
I’ll be the first to admit this whole “only being able to order off a certain menu” kind of put a bad taste in my mouth, especially when we were so amped for something that wasn’t offered that night. I wasn’t trying to be rude, I just had gone in expecting to try certain foods and now I could only order limited items that were less appealing to me. This, coupled with the fact that our waiter somehow convinced us we had to each order a whole meal and if we wanted to order the dry aged steak it was another $30 or so, didn’t make us very happy either. I ended up ordering the salmon, which was decent, but really not what I was in the mood for and ordered simply because I thought I HAD to order my own meal. I just felt duped
We both enjoyed bites of Adam’s steak, but agreed that it wasn’t near the best we’ve ever had and that the price tag was pretty hefty for what it was. In fact, we had steaks the next day with our family at Kelsey’s in Valparaiso that were just as good if not better tasting for more than half the price! But I digress…I think we were just very disappointed with first and foremost the fact that we were not allowed to order off their regular menu (which when we added up the cost of what we wanted, would have been more than what we paid anyway), that we were given the impression that I needed to order a full meal in order to eat there, and that nothing was so outstanding that it was worth the price. Even the mac & cheese tasted weird, which for Adam is unheard of!
Allow me to say that I was not unhappy with Primehouse because of the price. I am not above paying a lot for a meal. However, I think the meal should be the whole package, taste, service, overall experience when you shell out a lot. If I am going to pay a lot, I want to be “wined and dined.” I want to be treated respectfully, enjoy the ambiance, enjoy some drinks, and have food that is “the best I’ve ever had.” For a top notch trendy steakhouse that some folks would have to budget for, I was hoping that Primehouse would fit this bill, and well… it just didn’t. When I feel I can grill up a better steak at home, you’ve failed as a high end steakhouse in my opinion…sorry.
SIGNATURE DISH: Dubbed a Modern American Steakhouse, Primehouse has a pretty major focus on steak, in particular that they are dry aged…up to 75 days to be exact!
TASTE: While we both agreed the flavor of our steak was good, it didn’t blow us out of the water by any means; and considering its price, I was expecting more WOW! We also were sad we didn’t get to try a lot of the side dishes we had our eyes on, so while the dishes we tried were ok, again nothing over the top with flavor.
AMBIANCE: The restaurant was not what I was expecting, especially when it is dubbed as ‘The Modern American Steakhouse.’ It felt more like a high-end bistro and nothing like a steakhouse. Being in downtown, it is very nice on the inside, but honestly…it wasn’t unique and I could have been anywhere. Plus, the ambient lighting (which did make photo taking a bit tricky), didn’t work in this space.
PRICE: HIGH!!!! STEAP!!!! A LOT!!! If you hadn’t guessed already, this was an area where we were quite disappointed. We expected to drop close to $200 on this meal, but we figured it would be worth the price. It wasn’t, which made the bill at the end more disheartening.
SERVICE: I would say our waiter was as helpful as he could be given the circumstances. I think he could tell we were disappointed that we weren’t allowed to order off the regular menu, and once that was realized, we both got the feeling that we were not his favorite customers that night.
So while we didn’t particularly enjoy Primehouse, I would encourage you to go if given the opportunity and make your own decision. But I will say that I’m not completely sold on this whole dry aged business quite yet, and I’m not sure it really adds much more than a lot of hype which is why I am giving Primehouse a disappointing 2 ‘Little Piggies.’
Well it’s officially June and in my book that means it should feel like summer, but while we have had a few warm summer like days, when it is only a high of 55 like it was last week, I would much rather curl up and eat a bowl of hot chili than the summer salad I brought with me to work. But, I’ll guess I’ll take advantage of this weather (and thinking about chili) and use this occasion to share with you a version of the comfort food (chili) that I have grown up eating and am very fond of…”Cincinnati” chili.
Now I’ve had chili all around the country in all kinds of varieties, but I don’t think it is more popular in any other place than the Cincinnati area. In fact, the city of Cincinnati serves up more chili per year than any other place in the U.S., and it is not what you would typically think of when thinking of chili. “Cincinnati Chili” is a version of the dish that has a lot of Greek spices and is served over spaghetti noodles and covered in shredded cheddar cheese…yum!
If you regularly follow PCC, you’ve read about 2 other Cincinnati locations (here and here) that specialize in this signature dish; and while there are still many places in the Cincinnati-area that focus on this style of chili, one place is definitely king among them all and easily the most well know. I’m, of course, referring to the iconic Skyline Chili.
The first Skyline was opened in 1949 by Greek immigrant Nicholas Lambrinides, and is typical amongst Cincinnati chili his chili had a wonderful sweet Greek taste. Lambinides named his spot for the view he had of the skyline from his first restaurant. Probably little did he know at that time this small chili shop would grow into the chain it has become today, with more than 100 locations now and its chili even being sold in grocery stores. So…how does Skyline compare being that it is so mass produced?
Adam and I have visited plenty of Skyline locations, separate and together. Most recently we got the opportunity to meet for lunch with our friend Garrett in Louisville while he was on his way from Dallas to Cincinnati of all places; and while Skyline isn’t necessarily a hot to hit up in Louisville, when you get the chance to see an old friend and one of his favorite restaurants is Skyline…you take it. Plus, we had yet to actually take any pictures of us dining at a Skyline, so it was win-win. So we arrived in Louisville on that Friday mid-day, picked up my dad (also from Cincinnati) and headed over to their local Skyline to meet Garrett.
While I’m sure the original Skyline location was as quaint and homey as the other two local Cincinnati spots we have featured, a lot of the Skyline locations nowadays are very “chain-like,” and feel like any other fast food type restaurant. But while this might turn some people off, I encourage you to still try it based on its history and they are still churning out a great product. I ordered my typical cheese Coney and this time opted to also add on an order of fries. Adam, also, stuck to his standard Cincinnati chili order…a “3-Way” (spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese) and 2 chili & cheese Coneys w/ mustard no onion.
These Coneys (and the standard 3-way) are always just as good as I remember and I consider to be the “gold standard” I compare every other Cincinnati chili against. There is something so simple yet so delicious about their recipe and I have never found another who gets it quite as perfect as they do. Part of that could be nostalgia talking…, I have been eating these since I was a kid, but I also think they have found the perfect combination for their recipe (hint…I think it’s the chocolate) and have never tried to mess with a good thing. I’m kinda glad we don’t have one by us, because I can’t imagine it’s that healthy…and as much as Adam loves it…it would not be good! 
SIGNATURE DISH: While their menu is pretty similar to every other Cincinnati style chili restaurant out there, they also order a variety of other dishes since they now a restaurant that is scattered throughout the Cincinnati area, they have realized they also need to cater to other people and tastes if they want to continue to bring in steady business from chili and non-chili lovers alike. However, Cincinnati Chili is still the main attraction and makes up a vast majority of why people frequent.
TASTE: I mentioned that I may be biased since I have been eating this chili since I was in the womb, but as far as Cincinnati chilis go, this to me is the best and what I compare all others too. If you remember I really did LOVE what Blue Ash had to offer, but Skyline’s still outranks it!
AMBIANCE: As I mentioned above, please don’t enter a Skyline and expect to feel all nostalgic and original anymore. Although there still exist a few that have the old feel, due to the sheer number of them, they have branded themselves in such a way as to allow for recognition and modern appeal. There are still touches from their early days, but it does lack a little bit of that original charm.
PRICE: Like most other local Cincinnati chili favorites, it is hard to beat a couple of bucks for a Coney or a little more for one of their “ways.” To feed the four of us was under $30, which is a steal these days!
SERVICE: Our server was very good. I can’t say she was memorable, but everything came out fast and our drinks were always full. To me, that’s good service.
This review may be short and to the point, but it really doesn’t take much to describe this chili. Adam and I both love it and think everyone ought to give it a try. They are truly a favorite and while we have tried others from the area, I am not sure they will ever really compare for us. That being said, I urge you try any Cincinnati chili to decide first and foremost if this is a dish you even enjoy. I know it isn’t for everyone and on the sweeter side, but I would say give it a try before you automatically decide you don’t like it; and if you want to start with a great base line standard, then Skyline Chili is the where it’s at! For that reason I am giving them 4 ½ ‘Little Piggies’