Review: Broadway Cellars (Chicago)

Note: this also appears with my reviews over on Yelp.

After meaning to try Broadway Cellars for well over a year, my wife and I finally gave it a shot last Friday night. And it was great.

The place has a nice vibe. Stylish but not stiff. The decor is cool and contemporary, but has something of a personal or DIY feel.



I don't know exactly how to explain it, but it just didn't strike me as the rote implementation of a templatized corporate design or the pristine vision of some highly paid hotshot designer, but rather it's just the concept of the owners/management who may even have done it themselves and pulled off something pretty cool. (I could be totally wrong about this, but, for what it's worth, that's the impression I got.) Any slight imperfections kind of add to the charm. For example, it's hard to imagine an experienced design pro going with the unfinished wood wine racks in the back.



The artwork on the wall also provides a nice local feel. Applying the neighborhood coffee shop aesthetic to a sophisticated yet comfortable dining experience.



I suppose it has the risk of coming off as pretentious or contrived somehow, but both my wife and I felt like it worked. (Though, personally, I wouldn't be lining up to pay $425 for any of the pieces on display. That seems like a stretch. But then, I suppose having $50 price tags on them would run sort of counter to the semi-elegant vibe they are aiming for).

The mood is set from the beginning with the table setting. Sometimes the little details are everything, eh?



Here, the wine list is angled to reflect the votive light, the bread is warm and they set the oil and Parmesan dish up for you right off the bat. Voila. And the paper menu reinforces the casual, almost rustic kind of feel. The dishes may be sophisticated, but the atmosphere makes everything feel quite accessible.

We opted for the "Let's Hop a Cab" wine flight, despite my aversion to the cutesy name. One from California, one from Chile and one from Australia. Three 3oz pours for $15 - not inexpensive, but decent value for the option to sample such a range by the glass.



Our meal began with the crab cakes appetizer, which was excellent.



It took a little while to come out, but once we dug in it was clear that the time was more a function of perhaps a 'slow food' approach than any kitchen dysfunction. The dish was hot and fresh, the taste and texture of the cakes was sublime and the sauce added just the right spicy notes. Some places try to wow you with crab cakes the size or your head and some maybe crank out so many of them that you can tell they were made assembly line style yesterday morning, and others use so much oil that you might enjoy the first bite but need an iron stomach to get beyond two. These felt and tasted like they were made on the spot just for us. Really, really good.

For the main course, Judy ordered the seafood risotto and raved about it.



Seriously, every other bite triggered a "this is so good". She can be an easy grader at times, but she knows her seafood and this was the most exuberant she's been about a dish in a while.

I went with the Penne special of the night, which involved sausage and sweet peppers.



The sauce was nice, the sausage was good, but the Penne were a little overdone. The taste overall carried the dish, but it could have been excellent were it a bit closer to al dente.

Finally, though we were stuffed, our server got us to try the gelato.



Apparently it's locally made by a woman in her kitchen, very Recipe for Success style. It was good. I wouldn't say it was amazing, but it was definitely good. Of the three flavors we tried -- chocolate, graham cracker and cinnamon -- the cinnamon was the stand out. My wife was hoping for a bit more actual cracker in the graham cracker scoops and I agree it was maybe more subtle than it needed to be. But honestly, I was concentrating on the Selaks Ice Wine (just one of many nice postprandial options on their dessert menu) and the gelato was just an afterthought.

Mini-Review: Zanzibar (Chicago)

Note: This also appears with my reviews over on Yelp.

Finally.

I've lived across the street from Zanzibar's Bryn Mawr/Kenmore corner for 6+ years and it's great to finally have something useful and pleasant there. It's infinitely better than the depressing convenience store that used to fill this space (though that's an admittedly very low bar - an ATM and a newspaper box would've been a huge upgrade over that joint).

Last night Zanzibar had all the telltale signs of a just opened small business. Shelves not fully stocked. Customers outnumbered by an eager to help staff. Self appointed members of the neighborhood welcome wagon greeting / interrogating the owner. And a spotless, stage crafted look that will hopefully ease into a more 'lived in' feel over the coming months.



While their pastry and cake cases were a little thin last night, their ice cream counter was ready to go. I'd estimate they have two dozen or so flavors, all of which sounded pretty good. To his credit, the guy behind the counter offered me the try-before-you-buy tasting opportunity, but I felt confident with my order: one Espresso Oreo and one Snap-o-Lantern (spicy pumpkin ice cream with bits of ginger snap cookies).



Both were excellent. Great texture and consistency - fresh and light. Nicely done.

Looking forward to having Zanzibar in the neighborhood.

Sunset at the Top of Quito's TeleferiQo

We were lucky enough to have some inside contacts in Quito, as a friend/co-worker of Judy's has family there. And they were nice enough to guide us around parts of the city one afternoon / evening.



First of all, they couldn't have been nicer to us. But on top of that they got us to see things that we either would've blown off (and definitely shouldn't have) or would've only gotten a limited view of (and missed some great perspective along the way).

One of those was the TeleferiQo.

The TeleferiQo is a park / complex featuring aerial cable cars that take you up into the hills near the Pichincha volcano. The cable car rides takes about 10 minutes, during which time you're elevating from roughly 9,000 feet above sea level to about 13,400 feet above sea level.

I could have sworn I had pictures of the wife during this ride, but I can't find them. Bottom line - she wasn't thrilled with the ride. But I did snap this shot of some randoms after we got out of our car.


The guy in the jeans and jacket might look rugged, but if I remember correctly he was squealing a little bit like a nervous child. Embarrassing, really.

Signs like this one didn't soothe Judy's nerves at all.



But I just thought the image would make a kick-ass t-shirt. (And it wasn't nearly as disconcerting as the time we were driving in Costa Rica about to cross a small narrow bridge in the middle of nowhere with a sign reading "Puente en mal estado". Terrific. We rolled the dice and got lucky there.)

While it was relatively warm and mostly sunny down at 9,000 feet, it was definitely cooler up at the top. Judy didn't have the right footwear for the snow / hail mixture that we encountered.



But we were able to warm up with some traditional Ecuadorian adult beverages and comfort food.



The drink, called canelzao, is served hot and involves aguardiente and cinnamon. I liked it, Judy less so. You can check out this canelazo recipe, but maybe just don't serve it all fancy and wimpy like the pictures there suggest. Go strong with the hearty mug like it's meant to be enjoyed. The dish is an humita, which is something like a tamale. Simple and filling, it hit the spot.

Though the food and drink were nice, the real highlight for me was the view. Pretty amazing. Definitely something you don't get in the city.

Pit Stop at Mitad del Mundo

On our way between Quito and Hacienda Pinsaqui we made a quick stop at Mitad del Mundo. I mean, you have to, right? Would be foolish to be in the vicinity and miss out on this iconic souvenir and photo opportunity. So we shelled out our $2 entrance fees and strolled in.



What made our visit interesting was the wild weather. It was windy and foggy, with some brief bursts of mist, too.



Had a somewhat otherworldly feel.



We snapped a few obligatory shots ...





... assumed a few obligatory poses ...



... and snagged a couple obligatory t-shirts (though, sadly, they don't really sell the short, extra wide sizes that I can readily get here in the U.S.)



... and we listened to a few minutes of Hermanos Nunez before departing.



All in all, a nice visit. Maybe took 45 minutes to an hour total. Definitely glad we made the stop.

Good News from American Airlines - "PriorityAAccess Privileges"

This is welcome news to me. One little thing to make the airport experience a bit easier. Nice work, American.


Click for larger image size

Review: Flatotel (NYC)

Note: this also appears with my reviews over on Yelp.

Some rooms here might merit a 4-star rating, but room 910 gets 3.

I wanted to like this place more, but it fell short on a couple of fundamental things.

On the positive side:

- the room was huge





- the bed was huge and comfortable



- you can open the window a little bit (I love fresh air, so this is great for me)

- the bathroom is big and modern




- they have a nice little flat screen tv in the lobby near the elevators, which does help distract you during what can be kind of a long wait for the car to arrive



- there is an mini fridge and microwave in the room (and the brilliant, well stocked Cafe Duke is a 1 minute walk away, so giddy-up)



On the negative side:

- there is no mini bar in the room (I prefer the fridge anyway, but it's worth mentioning since some people need the mini bar)

- the TV is dated and the reception is rough on a few channels

- the temperature control in the shower stinks out loud

- there is no wireless internet and room 910 did not have an ethernet jack, even though the front desk and the guy who trucked up a cable to my room tried telling me it did. There were a couple of dial up jacks, but really? 2008? $535 room? Dial up? No.

Add an internet connection and this is easily 4-star for me. A colleague I was traveling with had a better experience, getting an enormous room with a full kitchen and living room (and a working internet connection). So, check out your room carefully before unpacking and maybe request an upgrade or something.

Micro Review: Cafe Duke (51st St., NYC)

Note: This also appears with my reviews over on Yelp.

Brilliant. I was staying at Flatotel, which provides a mini fridge and mini microwave in the room, but no mini bar. I checked in at 11:15 pm and I wanted to get some water, maybe a juice, something small to eat in the morning. Nothing big. I ask the front desk guy where I might find a little store. He directs me to Cafe Duke. I was hoping for at least a hole in the wall to buy a bottle of water, but I found an oasis of variety in a clean, well lit place. Belgian beers. Fine cheeses. At least 5 different kinds of refrigerated Starbucks drinks. Genius. I might even elect to stay at Flatotel again (really just a 3 star experience) just so I could make another run to Cafe Duke.

The Afternoon We Spent in Otavalo (Ecuador) - Part II of II

(See also Part I)

After schlepping our souvenirs back to the Pinsaqui and resting for a bit, we had a taxi take us over to Estadio Municipal, which is an unassuming little place from the outside.



We paid our $2 each for tickets and walked into the stadium via this inclined ramp, which does a nice job of keeping you in suspense.



The big reveal, though, is kind of underwhelming. Altogether the crowd couldn't have been more than 100 people.



And I think it's safe to say that they don't regularly have American couples strolling in to catch the action.



And though it wasn't necessarily the kind of pulsing hotbed of futbol enthusiasm I had envisioned, it was still a pretty cool setting to catch a game. Sun starting to set. Hills all around. Locals getting pretty animated.






We watched a little more than half of the game then headed back into town on foot.



Being a bit off the main track, we got to experience some behind-the-scenes Otavalo. You can see that the food/produce market serving the locals is a bit more straightforward and less of a spectacle than el mercado artesanal.









And we ultimately found our way back to the main market, which was in pack up mode. Folks who were already deep into a long day clearly still had a couple hours of clean up ahead of them.









All in all, we were glad to see more of Otavalo than just the famous market.