We used to have the Longhorn Smokehouse. Awesome Texas barbecue. Good ribs. Solid pork loin. Best brisket within at least 50 miles. Then they changed their name to Hickory River, and expanded, opening up places in Springfield, IL and somewhere out in Ohio. And now, they're downgraded to just so-so, because they lost the touch when it comes to brisket.
Good brisket (and really, and smoked meat) should have the red "ring" around the outside of the meat so that you see that it's smoked. And the brisket still does. The other thing that makes a brisket good is that you get the accordion effect when you pull on the ends of a slice. You can feel that the meat is juicy and tender, but not mushy and falls apart. If the beat just breaks apart, then the brisket is overcooked. You want there to be enough connective tissue left in tact so that the brisket still feels like you're eating a chunk of meat, and not ground meat. But, if you're into chopped brisket, you'll be in luck. Because even when you order the sliced brisket, it sort of becomes chopped brisket anyway.
Happily, everything else is still solid out there. Decent sides. Good pork loin and turkey. Good ribs. But man. That brisket used to be so good. Now, I would have to say that the best brisket in town is found at Famous Dave's, much to CJ's chagrin. Oh well. At least it's not that monstrosity that they serve over at Smokey Bones, which has a ton of fat on it and is sliced the wrong way.
-foodgeek
Monday, March 19, 2007
Hodgepodge
It's sort of sad. I only had 9 posts last year, and this is my first post this year. The funny part is that back when I first started blogging in Xanga, I actually had a lot more hits from random folks on my food blog. And it's not like I've been eating less. But for some reason, I've fallen away from the goal of posting once a month here. But, hopefully, I can change that around. So, to catch up, we'll do a few short briefs of places that I've been meaning to talk about, as well as some stuff on what's going on in my kitchen. I'll still do the full blown reviews, but only for places that deserve the full review (either good, bad, or indifferent).
I do hear from a friend in my program that we've got a Turkish restaurant that's opened up here in SW Champaign. I'll need to go try that out. I just saw that Pasha's, a Greek/Turkish place opened up in downtown. We've also got a sorta fancy Korean place, as well that opened up, B-Won. So, there are places to try. And there are some newer places that I have already tried. I've had a couple nights at Radio Maria's new tapas bar, with some good results. And I've also eaten at Escobar's, a place that's self-described as "Nuevo Latino Cuisine." More on these places later, as they'll get a full writeup. It's been busy. But, hopefully, I can still get back to the mission of documenting the things that I experience when I eat.
-foodgeek
I do hear from a friend in my program that we've got a Turkish restaurant that's opened up here in SW Champaign. I'll need to go try that out. I just saw that Pasha's, a Greek/Turkish place opened up in downtown. We've also got a sorta fancy Korean place, as well that opened up, B-Won. So, there are places to try. And there are some newer places that I have already tried. I've had a couple nights at Radio Maria's new tapas bar, with some good results. And I've also eaten at Escobar's, a place that's self-described as "Nuevo Latino Cuisine." More on these places later, as they'll get a full writeup. It's been busy. But, hopefully, I can still get back to the mission of documenting the things that I experience when I eat.
-foodgeek
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Restaurant Review: The Great Impasta - It's Real, and It's Spectacular (Sort Of)
Well, sort of. It certainly isn't an imposter. Though, it's not "spectacular," The Great Impasta is a pretty good restaurant. It's is a fun place to have some pretty good Italian food in the heart of downtown Champaign. The place has a lot of flexibility. I'll stop in there on my own for a late dinner and want to snack at the bar if I want to treat myself, or use it as one of my regular date places. The ambience is solid - fun wall murals, interesting lighting, though when it's busy, the place can be a little loud. But overall, it's a good experience for dinner. I have to confess that I've never eaten there for lunch. That may change, though I would probably order the same stuff, so who knows if that even matters for me.
This restaurant has a number of the things that this place has going for it. The first is fresh pasta. Not everything is made in-house. The stuffed pastas (tortellini, ravioli, etc.) are bought, but they make their own noodles. And they're tasty. There's a very different mouthfeel to fresh pasta, when compared to the dried. I think that it tastes a little heartier. I don't have a strong preference for the fresh pasta, but I enjoy the change of pace when it's there.
My personal preference is one of the two lasagnas that they serve - the seafood lasagna which layers spinach noodles with cheese, shrimp, scallops, and crab, and tops it off with bechamel (white sauce), and the traditional, which uses ricotta, beef and pork, and has both the tomato and bechamel sauce. Other solid dishes include the Papa Piero's Chicken, which is sauteed chicken in a garlic cream sauce, over fettuccine, and the Mardi Gras Pasta, which has chicken, shrimp, and smoked sausage in a creamy, spicy cajun sauce.
And another highlight is the service, which has generally been solid every time that I've been there, with a few instances of genuinely excellent service. The servers are knowledgable about the food, do a good job of bringing drink refills (and bread refills!). And when I am just parking it at the bar for a solo dinner, the bartenders have always been friendly and have made good company.
But that's not to say that The Great Impasta has it all figured out. Maybe there's not enough demand for it, but I'm a little dismayed that there's no risotto on the regular menu. And similarly, if I want polenta, it can only be found in a shrimp appetizer or in the Veal Piccata, and it's always creamy. I've never ordered the Veal Piccata, but the shrimp appetizer is generally wonderful. The current incarnation is a Shrimp Scampi, with 6 decent sized shrimp, served over a pretty generous portion of creamy polenta. In the past, it has been a spicy, red-chili shrimp sautee over the same polenta, which I actually preferred. However, if I wanted grilled polenta or polenta cakes, they are not available, either, which is unfortunate.
But, it's not like there isn't enough starch in your meal there. The bread service is good - solid bread with butter, olive oil, parmasean, and ground black pepper at your disposal makes a carbo-overload pretty likely. And if you want, they also serve a tasty Sausage in Crust, which is a big chunk of sausage (with no casing), wrapped in a rich, pastry crust, as well as a Mediterranean Stuffed Bread, which is basically a loaf of bread, with the interior of the loaf scooped out, and replaced with olives, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and a bunch of mozzarella, and baked again. So, there are definitely starch options.
I will say that the salads and soups are rather pedestrian. They are decent openers, but they aren't anything that are memorable, though I do remember that the bacon on the Spinach Salad was cripsy, which many places will screw up. The wine list is somewhat limited, and not a real attraction, though it has been functional for me (I'm not a super wine guy, though). I will say that I've always enjoyed the moscato that they serve for dessert.
The entrees could be a little more inspired. They seem very typical - seared ahi tuna, grilled salmon, chicken marsala, veal piccata, a steak dish. I would love to see places take more chances - slow cooked braised dishes like osso bucco, an Italian version of Coq au Vin, or pork shoulder would be a welcome addition, as would a variety of seafood like grilled calamari or octopus, and more shellfish options. Of course, the problem is that in a place like Champaign-Urbana, demand is likely limited, so places will tend to play it safe.
Which makes for pretty decent dining, but doesn't exactly capture the imagination.
-foodgeek
Rating: 1 star
The Great Impasta - 114 West Church Street, Champaign, Illinois. 217.359.7377. Lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday. Dinner only on Monday and Weekends. Appetizers, Salads, and Soups - $3.50 - $7.50. Pastas - $9.50 - $13.50. Entrees - $13.50 - $20. Reservations recommended on the weekends.
This restaurant has a number of the things that this place has going for it. The first is fresh pasta. Not everything is made in-house. The stuffed pastas (tortellini, ravioli, etc.) are bought, but they make their own noodles. And they're tasty. There's a very different mouthfeel to fresh pasta, when compared to the dried. I think that it tastes a little heartier. I don't have a strong preference for the fresh pasta, but I enjoy the change of pace when it's there.
My personal preference is one of the two lasagnas that they serve - the seafood lasagna which layers spinach noodles with cheese, shrimp, scallops, and crab, and tops it off with bechamel (white sauce), and the traditional, which uses ricotta, beef and pork, and has both the tomato and bechamel sauce. Other solid dishes include the Papa Piero's Chicken, which is sauteed chicken in a garlic cream sauce, over fettuccine, and the Mardi Gras Pasta, which has chicken, shrimp, and smoked sausage in a creamy, spicy cajun sauce.
And another highlight is the service, which has generally been solid every time that I've been there, with a few instances of genuinely excellent service. The servers are knowledgable about the food, do a good job of bringing drink refills (and bread refills!). And when I am just parking it at the bar for a solo dinner, the bartenders have always been friendly and have made good company.
But that's not to say that The Great Impasta has it all figured out. Maybe there's not enough demand for it, but I'm a little dismayed that there's no risotto on the regular menu. And similarly, if I want polenta, it can only be found in a shrimp appetizer or in the Veal Piccata, and it's always creamy. I've never ordered the Veal Piccata, but the shrimp appetizer is generally wonderful. The current incarnation is a Shrimp Scampi, with 6 decent sized shrimp, served over a pretty generous portion of creamy polenta. In the past, it has been a spicy, red-chili shrimp sautee over the same polenta, which I actually preferred. However, if I wanted grilled polenta or polenta cakes, they are not available, either, which is unfortunate.
But, it's not like there isn't enough starch in your meal there. The bread service is good - solid bread with butter, olive oil, parmasean, and ground black pepper at your disposal makes a carbo-overload pretty likely. And if you want, they also serve a tasty Sausage in Crust, which is a big chunk of sausage (with no casing), wrapped in a rich, pastry crust, as well as a Mediterranean Stuffed Bread, which is basically a loaf of bread, with the interior of the loaf scooped out, and replaced with olives, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and a bunch of mozzarella, and baked again. So, there are definitely starch options.
I will say that the salads and soups are rather pedestrian. They are decent openers, but they aren't anything that are memorable, though I do remember that the bacon on the Spinach Salad was cripsy, which many places will screw up. The wine list is somewhat limited, and not a real attraction, though it has been functional for me (I'm not a super wine guy, though). I will say that I've always enjoyed the moscato that they serve for dessert.
The entrees could be a little more inspired. They seem very typical - seared ahi tuna, grilled salmon, chicken marsala, veal piccata, a steak dish. I would love to see places take more chances - slow cooked braised dishes like osso bucco, an Italian version of Coq au Vin, or pork shoulder would be a welcome addition, as would a variety of seafood like grilled calamari or octopus, and more shellfish options. Of course, the problem is that in a place like Champaign-Urbana, demand is likely limited, so places will tend to play it safe.
Which makes for pretty decent dining, but doesn't exactly capture the imagination.
-foodgeek
Rating: 1 star
The Great Impasta - 114 West Church Street, Champaign, Illinois. 217.359.7377. Lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday. Dinner only on Monday and Weekends. Appetizers, Salads, and Soups - $3.50 - $7.50. Pastas - $9.50 - $13.50. Entrees - $13.50 - $20. Reservations recommended on the weekends.
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