An evening with Soul

After our quick introduction to Soul in Plaza-Midwood, a few weeks ago, the Mrs. and I decided we needed to do a full investigation of the menu. So Friday night with little else to do and a grumble in my belly we gave a call to the Millers. Mr.Miller is the guitarist for the band I am in, Broken Napoleons if you are interested, and he and his wife live in the neighborhood and always make for good company. Luckily they were milling their food options at the same time so we decided to consolidate efforts and give Soul a working over.

When Soul first opened we feared it would be a hipper than thou bore fest that should be avoided at all costs. I was so pleasantly surprised to find out it was totally laid back and very welcoming. The interior is quite small with a bar a few tables and a couple of small "living room" seating areas as well as a DJ booth. We grabbed a couch and a couple of chairs and settled in for the evening. Joe and I recapped and critiqued an open mic night performance we had done earlier in the week. We placed drink orders and surveyed the menu. A couple of quick notes, one, they have no beer on tap but do have a decent bottle selection, two, do not order well drinks they appear to be watered down so pony up for the top shelf stuff. With that said our drinks came and we were introduced to the specials. First, was a corn and zucchini fritter with aioli and then a shrimp something or other. We opted for the fritters and an order of veal short ribs in hoisin-sesame sauce. The Millers got a ham plate and salmon-kopita which for those keeping score is exactly what is sounds and looks like. So I should mention here that Soul is a Tapas restaurant with small plates some larger plated and paninis. I really love Tapas places when the service understands the concept. Too many times the staff wants you to throw down one order and get out. I was very happy to find that, at Soul, we were made to feel comfortable in ordering however we wanted. When we are enjoying an evening with friends we like to linger.

And the first round shows up. One problem with the "living room" area was that the table was a wee small and we like to eat, so it took some Tetris like action to get everything situated on the table, but we managed. The fritters were fantastic, a little hot when I took my first bite, but so good. They were just crisp on the outside and perfectly done inside. The short ribs just fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. The sauce may have been a bit overpowering but I am nit picking. The ham plate looked nice. I did nab a taste of prosciutto which was soft and buttery. I was told the salmon-kopita was good but how do you even compare that to anything, an A for originality if nothing else.

The next round brought a Steak and egg panini and an order of Chimichurri beef skewers for us and after seeing ours the Millers decided to get an order of fritters with some chorizo. The steak and eggs was a skirt steak topped with greens and a fried egg. I am working on fried eggs so this was a good test. It was very tasty with the steak really shinning, not even a hint of chewiness. The Chimichurri skewers, however, were in my mind, miles ahead. The beef was perfectly cooked and seasoned with extra sauce on the side to add as you wished. The Millers were not disappointed by ordering the fritters, and the chorizo was good but not excellent. It was a little on the tough side but not to the point of making it unpleasant.

More? Yes, please. Next up, an order of bone marrow for the Mrs. and I and a bbq-cubanini with more fritters for the Millers. How could I not order the bone marrow. Sure, its like eating an animals soul but it is a very tasty soul. We were warned that it takes some time to roast the bones which i was aware of and had no qualms with waiting and having another drink. While we waited we got reports from the Millers on their orders. The fritters were again perfect and the cubanini was very tasty. I think I'll have to try that on our next visit. And then it arrived. Three, three inch tall tubes of roasted goodness with toast and red-onion relish on the side. While it was not the best marrow I have had, it was awfully good. Especially amazing for the time it took to get it on the table. It could have used a little salt but again I am nit picking.

Last but not least was a cupcake the size of a small woodland creature. I am usually so disappointed when we order cupcakes, they are often small and limp, sometimes bland as well. Not so at Soul. We ordered the seasonal cupcake which was lemon cake filled with lemon curd and topped with a blueberry cream cheese frosting. It was big and it was delicious, I feel that the cupcake had been redeemed.

My other problem with tapas is the shock at the end of the evening when you get your bill. When you say to yourself "but I'm still kind of hungry and it was how much". But tonight, though it was not inexpensive, I was satisfied and we did manage to milk two and a half hours out of the experience. All the while not feeling rushed or pressured by out waitress. For that I say "Thank you"

Soul Gastrolounge -Located at 1500 - B Central Ave. in Plaza-Midwood - Website

Cuban Pete's, Charlotte Squawks and a winter wonderland

So, here I am sitting on my couch with a lovely glass of port staring out the window as the town is blanketed with quiet. It is a great way to unwind from an evening of too much food and a healthy helping of laughter.

We started the evening, as the snow was just starting, at Cuban Pete's in Plaza-Midwood. They opened Wednesday and normally I like to wait a week or two before checking out a new restaurant. But, since the sign went up the Mrs. and I have been ravenously craving Cuban food so we had to go.

I will start by saying, as I spent the vast majority of my youth in South Florida, I feel uniquely qualified to judge a Cuban restaurant. It is located in a spot previously occupied by a slew of contenders that fell by the wayside including Joe's Raw Bar, The Graduate and most recently The Nook. I had not been to any of these establishments so I had no frame of reference for which to judge the new interior. I am guessing though that it is quite a drastic change. It's a little gimmicky for my taste but fun none the less. There are beach cabanas in most of the corners and tables here and there. After being warmly greeted and seated quickly we got our menus and knew immediately what we wanted to start with. Ham croquettes when done right are a magnificent pairing of crunch and soft and sweet and savory. Cuban Pete's did not disappoint. As we were munching, the owner came by to check on us and chat a bit. And as we were talking a second order of croquettes showed up. Who am I to turn down free food. Our waitress came by often to check on us and refill water. She was a bit on the chatty side but sweet as could be. With ham goodness only so satisfying we moved to our main courses. The Mrs. ordered the thing she came for, a Cuban sandwich. I did get a bite of it and it was pretty spot on; very delicious. On the side of the sandwich was an odd pile of potato sticks. I myself ordered Picadillo, which is a beef hash. It came with a side of rice and Cuban black beans. The hash was just a tad dry but very tasty and easily moistened with a splash of bean juice. Ahh the beans. They were fantastic. For dessert we had a flan. I am not the biggest flan fan but the Mrs. had just had a tres leche cake the day before. The custard was fine; but the topping was odd; it was hard; like peanut brittle without the peanuts. With dessert we ordered a pair of Cuban coffees, which came in the traditional tiny cups and were just the right blend of bitter and sweet. All in all definitely worth the visit.

After our meal we trudge back out into the snow and moved on to spirit square for Charlotte Squawks, where we met up with Mr. and Mrs Whiskey. We got there a little early so we could catch up with them and then moved into the theater. For those unfamiliar, Charlotte Squawks, is a musical sketch satire based on local and national current events. This is the third time we had been and we were quite glad to see an almost entirely new program. The basic gist is that they re-write universally known songs with topical lyrics. The highlight of the night was the "Thriller" skit done as "Twitter". Other highlights included "Que Cera Cera" done as "Oh Sarah Sarah" about Sarah Palin as well as a good "Take it easy" as "Take it Easley". A good time was had by all. We bid adieu and made our way home in the winter wonderland.

Cuban Pete's - is located in Plaza-Midwood at 1308 The Plaza

Whiskey Warehouse and Wanderlust

Finally getting the chance to make plans with friends who recently went to Paris and wanting to get the low down. We decided we would meet at Whiskey Warehouse. This is a new restaurant located in the former home of Creation (R.I.P) on Plaza Rd in the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood. This was the second time for the Mrs. and myself. We were not particularly impressed the first go round but they had just opened and we thought we would give them the benefit of the doubt. We were not rewarded for our kindness.

The decor is exactly what you would expect from a place called Whiskey Warehouse, dark woods some leather couches and barrels. There are also cardboard boxes of cheap bourbon everywhere you look. Its done well, except for the fact that it is a relatively small space and all hard surfaces. It is a bit of an echo chamber and last night it was packed.

We did go a little early so they still had some of the after work crowd blowing off some steam.

Our friends got there first and had already gotten a table, so we sat immediately. Our server turned up fairly quickly to take our drink order but there was no drink menu to be found so she just grabbed the one from the closest table and gave it to us. I find this practice unacceptable, no one should have there meal interrupted because you didn't do your job. I know it is a casual restaurant but it still bothers me. The beer selection is sparse so I ordered a Highland Gaelic Ale and settled in for the details of a trip to Paris. Which were unfortunately brief since our friends had gotten sick immediately upon arrival. But hearing about dinner at the Eiffel Tower definitely began to feed my own wanderlust.

Our meal started with an order of Fried Green Tomatoes which were slightly under cooked but not bad. They had a nice tartness and the breading was well seasoned and hung to the tomato admirably. For the main I ordered fish and chips while the Mrs. had a burger. Our companions has a burger and a chicken sandwich. Our server made a couple of trips back to the table to confirm various details of our order, get a notepad. Between courses we continued to discuss their overseas adventure as well as our plans for our own. When dinner arrived a set of knowing glances shot around the table. This was a sad looking meal indeed. All of the sandwiches were served on weak white sandwich rolls and the burgers were thin frozen patties akin to those found in your local supermarkets freezer section with slices of Kraft cheese on top . The sweet potato fries that accompanied them were soft and flaccid with no discernible flavor of their own. My fish and chips looked more like fried catfish than a proper fish and chips. It was a cornmeal batter on a sad fillet of whitefish, the batter was not crisp and the whole thing was a bit limp. The fries were fine but fairly generic.

When the meal was finished the general consensus was that it was a fine place to meet and have a drink, maybe watch a game, but not to have a meal. With that we beat a hasty retreat and vowed to meet again soon.