From the Kitchens of Bunny and Brandy: Raw Spice Bar Review

Towards the end of last year, Brandy's attention was brought to a soon to launch subscription box called Raw Spice Bar that promised to deliver a selection of chef curated spice blends to one's door every month.  "I do like the sound of that," Brandy mused, "But being British, I'm not sure I know how to use exotic spice blends in my cooking."  Luckily for Brandy, each monthly delivery also comes with full recipes and helpful hints on how to use each one of the spices.

Fully intrigued, Brandy agreed to try out the service, and when her January delivery appeared in her mailbox, she couldn't wait to get into the kitchen.  January's theme was Southwestern Spices and had been curated by Chef Freddie Bitsoie from Albuquerque, whose Native American background was on full display in his choices of spice blends.  The inaugural box (which was really a sturdy brown envelope) contained four spice blends: Posole Spice Blend, Ground Chili Blend, Sumac and Herbs, and Juniper Berries and Spices.  Each spice was accompanied by a detailed description of its ingredients, tasting notes, and uses as well as separate recipe cards that could easily be added to one's recipe card catalog.

As she is nearly incapable of following a recipe to the T, Brandy decided to deviate from the suggestions a bit.  She used half the Ground Chili blend as a dry rub on a flank steak, which she cooked under the broiler, and then used the other half of the spices as directed in a hearty posole (a tomato based soup that is very commonly served in the Southwest).  The Posole Spice Blend obviously made a great base for the soup, and as Brandy is a bit of a heat wuss when it comes to food, she liked being able to control the level of hotness by splitting the chilis between the soup and the steak.  The Sumac and Herbs had a suggested use of adorning some Navajo flatbread, but Brandy decided to use that mix to coat some root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, and brussel sprouts), which she roasted with a little olive oil.  She very much liked the subtle sweetness and deep flavor the sumac added to her veggies.  Lastly was the Juniper Berry Mix, which came with a recipe for red wine poached apples, but as the wine portion was a bit more interesting to Brandy, she decided to use this one as mulling spices, simmering a bottle of fruity red wine with the warm spice blend and a few dehydrated apple slices for sweetness.

All in all, Brandy was mightily impressed by her first Raw Spice Bar delivery, not only with the quality of the spice blends and the ease of use, but even the simple, yet effective and professional packaging.  "I do like this idea of having specially curated ingredients delivered to my door," Brandy mused, "Now if only I could hire someone to come over and wash my dishes after all this cooking, I'd be set!"

The February Raw Spice Bar theme is Indian and comes with three brand new spice blends and recipes straight to your door for only $6, including shipping and handling.

The writers of this blog were provided with products from Raw Spice Bar free of charge in exchange for an honest review of the service.

Postcards from Bunny: Warm Comfort Foods at Pret a Manger

Bunny tends to pick the worst possible times to visit Chicago.  Recently, she was merely meant to be passing through between trips between Crete and Guam, but the surprise blizzard of 2015 grounded her flight and she found herself in a posh hotel room in the Loop and nothing to do.  "I do love you, my dear, but there is no way I will be going out in this snow," Brandy told her dear friend when she phoned her, "I mean, I might get stuck in a snow drift and never be heard from again!  And then where will Chicago get their brunch recommendations?!"  "It's perfectly understandable," Bunny sighed, "But how am I to pass the time?"  "Well, if memory serves, you're within walking distance of a Pret a Manger, and I've heard they are serving lots of new dishes.  Why don't you go try some of those?"
"Good idea!" Bunny grinned, instantly cheered.

First, Bunny took a look at the new Hot Pots, which came in Korean BBQ Pork and Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Curry.  Bunny most certainly would have gone for the curry, but sadly, a friendly worker let her know that he had just sold the last one, so she gladly settled for the BBQ Pork.  She found the bowl to be a hearty mix of the aforementioned meat, which was melt-in-the-mouth tender and smothered in a sweet, tangy sauce, with red peppers, and black sesame seeds, all topping a bed of red quinoa.  Bunny was instantly warmed by the Hot Pot, just as her tongue was tingled by the mix of spices in the sauce, and so smitten was she with the flavor that she found it hard to believe that the entire things was under 500 calories.

Another day stuck downtown necessitated another trip to Pret for more warm goodies.  This time, Bunny went for the Tomato Spinach Mac and Cheese, another shockingly low calorie option that also came in under 500 calories, having had it's creamy cheese sauce cut with cauliflower.  Bunny had seen that Brandy had sampled the Bacon Mac and Cheese last fall, so she knew she would love the rich, creamy dish, but she hadn't expected the delightful pops of sweetness from the slices of cherry tomato that really made each bite come alive.



On the last day of her snow confinement, Bunny's eye was caught by one of the new sandwiches called the Posh Cheddar, which came on a multigrain baguette with arugula and a tomato chutney.  Even though it wasn't hot, Bunny thought she wouldn't have minded if the sandwich was placed in a toaster oven briefly, which would have just slightly melted the sharp white cheddar, wilted the peppery greens, and brought out the flavors in the sweet chutney even more, but that being said, she actually quite enjoyed the sandwich cold as it was.  "Ah, this reminds me of home," she sighed, thinking of the Ploughman's lunches she used to enjoy as a child.

Luckily soon after that, Bunny and able to continue on her merry way to Guam for some sun and excavating with her husband, Benedict, though she did wish she could have stayed just a little longer in Chicago in order to track down that elusive curry Hot Pot.  "Ah well," she thought, "I'll just have to come back to Chicago sooner rather than later.  I wonder when the next blizzard will arrive..."

The writers of this blog were provided with the items mentioned above by the restaurant free of charge in order to facilitate the writing of this post.

Ceres Table or The Haunting of the Frog

The Slow and Savory Review

Ever since she became involved in the Chicago food scene, Brandy has been fascinated by just how quickly things come and go.  Year after year she watches as some of her favorite spots disappear from the map as chefs bounce from place to place and spaces are endlessly re-concepted, whether its out of boredom or necessity.  "It does make it hard on me, doing what I do, to recommend places I loved two years ago to people without being entirely sure the restaurant is still there or is as good as it once was," Brandy explained to her good friend Mama Bee.  "But on the plus side, doesn't the endless rotation give you endless brunch options?" Mama Bee replied.  "I suppose," Brandy sighed, "But now that I've been to several new places that have been built on the bones of old favorites, I never quite get over the feeling of dining in a haunted house."

Case in point, as Brandy and Mama Bee were having this conversation, they were headed to brunch at Ceres' Table, the new rustic Italian joint that took over the space of one of Brandy's all time favorites, Frog 'N Snail.  Though there neither of the restaurants had anything in common besides the space (different owners, chefs, menus, etc.), Brandy couldn't help comparing the two.

The interior layout of Ceres Table hadn't moved away too much from its predecessor, utilizing the narrow front space as more of a bar and lounge and the more open, dimly lit space at the back as the main dining area.  The decor was very modern and sleek, with antiqued woods, grey tones, and little pops of color here and there.  "It's a little stark for brunch," Brandy commented, "But I'm sure its rather lovely for dinner service."

Mama Bee and Brandy began their meal with a couple of house specialty cocktails ("I do love a good brunch cocktail list," Brandy smiled, rubbing her hands together in anticipation): the Top of the Morning for Mama Bee and the Breakfast in Milan for Brandy.  Brandy's cocktail professed to be an "upside down" Manhattan, as it contained more vermouth than bourbon, and though Brandy had initially been intrigued by the idea, she found she actually didn't care for the result that much.  "I'm not blaming the cocktail here," Brandy commented, musing over her drink, "I think that it's just that I'm more of a bourbon fan than I realized, and having it play second fiddle to the vermouth here just doesn't seem right."  She actually found the drink a little too on the sweet side for her liking, which made the cocktail over all rather astringent and less smokey than a typical Manhattan.  Mama Bee's cocktail, on the other hand, was a hit with both ladies.  The Top of the Morning had been made with coffee, dark rum, and just a little bitter herb liqueur which made the drink creamy, smooth, and just ever so slightly boozy.

The pair started off with a plate of Ricotta Pancakes.  Brandy, who is usually a little skeptical of ordering pancakes ("I've had some real hubcaps in my day," she warned Mama Bee), was actually quite smitten with their light, moist texture and deep caramel flavor, and especially with the burst of the fresh blueberries with in.  "It's rare that I can safely say I would sit down and eat an entire plate of pancakes by myself, but this is definitely one of those occasions," Brandy raved.

For her entree, Mama Bee ordered up the Eggs Benedict Florentine, which was unbelievably, her first plate of eggs benedict ever.  "I just never used to pay attention to the savory side of the brunch menu before I met you," she told Brandy, "I used to just scan the thing for the first item with honey in it and order that!"  Mama Bee rather liked her first eggs benedict, especially the smooth and buttery hollandaise, though the eggs were ever so slightly over cooked ("That yolk should be a waterfall when you cut into it, not a mudslide," Brandy observed).  The side potatoes were also rather nice with a good bit of spice to them as well as lots on onions and peppers, though she did wish they had had a bit more of a crunchy texture.

Brandy ordered up the Shrimp and Mushroom Crepe, as once again, she was intrigued by the idea of the dish, but sadly, like the cocktail, it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.  The shrimp were cooked nicely, but what the menu had said were supposed to be cremini mushrooms looked to Brandy to actually be shitakes.  "Does it really make that much of a difference?" Mama Bee asked cautiously.  Brandy gave her a withering glance.  "There is a vast difference, both in texture and flavor," she replied patiently, "And for me, a shitake just doesn't work well here."  The cream sauce that saturated the dish was a little too salty for Brandy's liking, and even though seafood and cheese are usually a sacrilege, Brandy almost wished the sauce had more of a parmesan-like flavor.

Though the food was a little lackluster in places, the service helped to make up for it, as the friendly server actually picked up on Brandy's disappointment with her dish without even being told directly (when he asked if the ladies had enjoyed their meal, Brandy's non-committal "For the most part," was greeted with inquiries on what could have been improved).  For the quality of food, Brandy also thought that the prices were somewhat reasonable, with most dishes coming in well under $15 and the cocktails at an extremely reasonable $7 on average.  "Though this brunch didn't quite measure up to my old favorite," Brandy commented to Mama Bee, "I think I would certainly come back here to try some other things on the menu.  I'm not saying this will be one of my new favorites, but perhaps a few meals here will help me to see this place as it is and not for the ghost of what it used to be."

The Short and Sweet Review

Food News: J. Parker at Hotel Lincoln Debutes New Rooftop

Photo courtesy of The Door

Earlier this week, The J. Parker, a slick cocktail bar that sits atop the Hotel Lincoln in Old Town, opened up their brand new rooftop to the public.  "How can one even think about rooftops at this time of year?" Brandy wondered when she heard this, "I hope they're handing out blankets and ear muffs with the cocktails!" Fortunately for Brandy, this rooftop has a few tricks up it's sleeve, namely that the space is newly enclosed by a retractable roof that keeps revelers warm and comfy while still being about the enjoy the gorgeous lakefront view.

Photo courtesy of The Door

The glass enclosed section of the bar gives guests the feeling of being inside a living snow globe during the winter, but on warm summer nights, it can be pulled back so that guests can fully enjoy the city-scape below.  "It's quite a brilliant set up, I must say," Brandy said when she attended a preview of the space last week, "I'm not sure I feel like being inside a snow globe, but with the panels the way they are, I do feel like I am inside a giant diamond, which definitely does feel luxurious."

Along with the rooftop, the J. Parker is also premiering a new winter menu of small plates and bites by Chef Paul Virant (whose name sake restaurant, Perennial Virant, rests on the ground floor of the hotel) that includes things like hand cut fries, beef shank chili, and shrimp sliders.  Though the food is tempting, Brandy was truly smitten by the cocktails, created by seasoned bar vet Allie Kim.  The craft concoctions include a few warm unique cocktails, like the Rockin' Chair, a sort of spiced apple cider with rum and topped by a pad of melting butter, but Brandy's favorite was the Smoke Rings, a combination of boubon, white chocolate, root beer, and a whole egg that sounds like a sweet mess, but actually tastes sophisticated and surprisingly, well, smokey.

The rooftop at the J. Parker is now open to the public 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

From the Kitchens of Bunny and Brandy: Bacon Cheeseburger Lasagna with Red Gold Tomatoes and GIVEAWAY!

As loyal readers of this blog will know, Brandy loves coming up with recipes in honor of the Super Bowl.  The last few years, she's designed recipes for both teams participating, but since she's already come up with goodies for both the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, this year she decided to come up with an overall crowd pleaser.

Having developed two previous lasagnas last year with Red Gold Tomatoes, Brandy again used one of their party packs, which this year consisted of 1 large can of crushed tomatoes, two cans of tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, a box of noodles, a Red Gold can carrier, a sturdy apron from Laura's Lean Beef, and a coupon for $10 off any Laura's Lean Beef product.

And because Brandy believes in sharing the wealth, she is giving away an identical Red Gold lasagna party pack to one of our lovely readers!  To enter, simple tell us what your favorite Super Bowl snack is in the comment section below, on our Facebook page, our Instagram, or our Twitter.  A winner will be chosen at random and announced on Tuesday February 3rd.

Not content to make a simple meat lasagna, Brandy went all out and combined the aforementioned pasta dish with another classic American favorite, namely the bacon cheeseburger.  This lasagna is so full of cheesey and baconey goodness that it's sure to be a hit with even the most diverse Super Bowl crowd (unless it's a crowd of vegetarians... in which case, probably don't make this).  If you do try out Brandy's recipe, be sure to let us know what you thought!

The writers of this blog were provided with products from Red Gold Tomatoes to facilitate the writing of this post as well as the give away.

Bacon Cheeseburger Lasagna

For the sauce:
1 can of Red Gold Crushed tomatoes
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of shredded white cheddar cheese

For the lasagna:
2 cans of Red Gold Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano
1 box of lasagna noodles (pre-cooked according to package instructions)
1 lb of lean ground beef
6 strips of thick cut bacon
1 1/2 cups of whole milk ricotta cheese
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1 lb of mushrooms, sliced
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Spread the bacon slices out on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.  Crumble bacon into large chunks and set aside.

Empty the crushed tomatoes into a medium sauce pot and cook on medium for 5 minutes.  Add in the cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese is fully melted and combined.  Turn the heat down to low and add in the cream.  Let the sauce simmer on low for 10 minutes, salt to taste, then take off the heat.

Brown the beef in a skillet and drain if necessary, then set aside.  Add the onions to the skillet and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, then add salt to taste and the mushrooms and turn heat up to medium, cooking for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat.

In a 9x11 baking dish, lay down one of the cans of garlic and herb tomatoes (this will prevent the noodles from sticking or burning to the bottom of the pan).  Lay down your first layer of noodles, then add 1/3 of the tomato cheddar cream sauce, half of the ricotta, 1/3 of the mozzarella, and half of the bacon.  Lay down a second layer of noodles, then 1/3 of the sauce, all of the beef, and then the onions and mushrooms.  Lay down a third layer of noodles and repeat the ricotta,bacon, sauce, and mozzarella layer.  Top with one final layer of noodles, the second can of garlic and herb tomatoes, and the last of the mozzarella.  Bake in the over at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden brown.  Remove, let cool, and serve immediately.

The Peasantry or High on the Hog

The Slow and Savory Review

Mama Bee was still stuck on the idea of opening up a new version of her successful business, Honey Bee Bakery, but she was having trouble pinning down exactly how she wanted to go about it.  "I'm not so sure I want to go after the tourist trade any more," she told Brandy one day, "But I still want to revamp my brand, you know?  Make it younger, hipper, more edgy!"  "You make baked goods.  None of those words should ever be used to describe pastries," Brandy grumbled.  "But this is how you keep something relevant," Mama Bee explained, "One has to adapt to the times."  "Well, maybe it's just me, but I think a restaurant should find a personality and stick with it.  That's how you keep your audience.  If you start out edgy, young, and hip, then you stay that way."

To prove her point, Brandy took Mama Bee to The Peasantry, a restaurant that has recently undergone some changes in the background, transitioning from focusing on street food to comfort food, but still maintaining an eclectic identity.

The Peasantry had a sort of edgy street vibe to it with it's quasi-graffiti walls, but also a rather comfy feel with its heavy wood communal tables, dividing brick wall, and full fire place.  Brandy rather liked the eclectic feel, which, judging from the menu, reflected the food in a way that decor rarely does.

A couple of cocktails were ordered up: A Naughty Chai Latte for Mama Bee and a Kir Royal for Brandy.  The Kir Royal was pretty typical, though the sometimes tooth aching sweetness of the raspberry liqueur was balanced nicely by a dryer champagne.  On the first sip of the warm chai cocktail, a smile spread across Mama Bee's lips.  "Oh, this is just the perfect thing for a dreary day," she sighed.  She thought that the warmth of the spices was perfect, as was the level of alcohol, which didn't overwhelm, but enhanced the flavor.

The pair of ladies started by splitting an order of Dutch Apple French Toast.  This was a heavier French toast than Brandy was used to, as it had been made from Irish soda bread, studded with dried fruits, and covered in a tart apple cider gastrique.  Though it wasn't the typical eggy, sweet French toast, Brandy rather liked the dish.  "This is most certainly a wintery dish," she said, chewing over the last bit of bread, "It's rather hearty in a stick to your ribs sort of way, as you Americans would say."

Mama Bee picked the Vegetarian Hash as her entree, which consisted of onions, peppers and butternut squash with crispy potatoes and two fried eggs.  She felt the dish was a little on the salty side, but the veggies were nice and crisp, including the potatoes.  "I do like when breakfast potatoes aren't coated in grease," she commented, "And these are just perfect.  Light crunch on the outside and soft on the inside."  What surprised her about the dish was the poblano cream sauce, which she had expected would have a bit of heat to it, but was actually quite mild and smokey, which helped to liven up the eggs.

Though tempted to go for the Brunch Dog, which she had previously eaten at Franks 'N Dawgs (The Peasantry's sister restaurant), Brandy instead went for the Shrimp and Grits.  When she was presented with the head on prawns, laying on their bed of cheesy, corny goodness, Brandy was rather amazed and slightly horrified.  "I don't usually like my brunch to look back at me," she said, avoiding the gaze of the shrimps, "But today I'll make an exception."  She found the shrimps to be extremely tender, almost melt in the mouth soft, but a little on the bland side flavor wise.  Once Brandy tasted the grits, however, she could see why the shrimp had been a little more subdued; there were little chewy bits of bacon throughout the golden grits, which were on the denser, more polenta-like side texture wise, (this is how Brandy prefers her grits, as opposed to the more Southern creamy style).  The over all flavor of the dish was brilliantly smokey from the roasted corn salsa with just a little zing of lemon to brighten up the richness.

Brandy and Mama Bee were rather impressed with the edgy "comfort food" style of The Peasantry.  The food was unique, nicely presented, and priced around $10 per entree, which is par for the course at most Chicago bunches.  "I still sort of like the idea of giving my bakery an edgy twist, especially after seeing how well it worked for them," Mama Bee said.  "Or you could, you know, stick with what you've been doing," Brandy suggested.  "No, no.  I'm ready for a change.  What do you think of a croissant in the shape of a Mohawk?" Mama Bee mused.  "I don't think it's ever a good idea to make your food remind people of hair, dear," Brandy replied.

The Short and Sweet Review

Unite Urban Grill or A Study in Contradictions

The Slow and Savory Review

"You have got to talk to Bailey for me!" Hawk cried to Brandy over the phone one day, "She spent all of the Christmas break watching food documentaries on Netflix and now she's terrified to eat anything but kale and quinoa!  You have to help me, Brandy.  A man cannot live without bacon!"  "Calm down!" Brandy said, "I'll have a chat with her, don't you worry.  If there's one thing I can't stand, it's someone with no sense of balance in their life, and I'll be damned if one of my friends is going to start lecturing others on what they should or should not be eating based on fad diets and unproven testimony."

Brandy decided to take Bailey out to Unite Urban Grill, a West Town hidden gem that recently launched their brunch service, which featured a lot of brunch classics with their own signature twists.  Brandy thought this choice was particularly apropo because of it's back story: opened by married couple Joe and Megan Krouse, the name itself came from the fact that Joe based the restaurant's concept on a combination of his love for grilling and meat with Megan's love of grains, vegetables, and semi-vegetarian cuisine.  "The two of them have come together to to create well balanced cuisine, which is what we should all be striving for," Brandy explained to Bailey.  "But is their food gluten free, organic, heirloom quality, fair trade, cold processed, and raw?" Bailey asked in a panic.  Brandy rolled her eyes.  "Now listen here.  You're going to order a cooked meat dish, you're going to eat it like regular food, and you're going to like it, just as you always have," she said, to which Bailey gave a frightened whimper.

Stepping inside Unite, Brandy was greeted with something she didn't quite expect: a bright and vibrant rather modern and chic looking lounge with comfy blue sofas, warm woods, and colorful pillows, with a sparkling bar area beyond and a dining area with high tables beyond that.  "Perhaps this is rather ignorant, but I was thinking a place with "grill" in the title would be a bit more...pub like," Bailey ventured.  "Exactly," agreed Brandy, mischievously.

Quickly after being seated at one of the tables near the bar, the ladies ordered a couple of drinks.  Bailey took advantage of the customizable Bloody Mary menu and ordered one made with scotch instead of vodka and a skewer with salami, mozzarella, and a pickle.  Bailey thought the Bloody Mary had a nice subtle kick of spice with an extra richness from the scotch.  Brandy went for a cocktail called the Noble Square, which consisted of vodka, lemon, port, and chocolate mole bitters, which she found to be positively enchanting with its bright flavor, warm spices, and sweet, zingy finish.  "Strangely, it makes me think of summer and winter all at once," Brandy commented, "Yet another harmonious contradiction."

As for food, the ladies started off with a shared plate of the Brioche French Toast, which came topped with roasted apples.  Though simply plated, the French toast was actually quite unique in texture: the outside of the thick cut bread was lightly crisp and caramelized as though it had been rolled in cinnamon and sugar before being put on the griddle, while the inside was airy, creamy, and rich like a bread pudding.  "I've had a lot of French toast in my day," Brandy said thoughtfully, "And this is probably one of the most unique and delicious ones yet!"  The roasted apples on the top were also a nice touch, adding a bit of tartness and spice to each bite, though Brandy and Bailey wished there had been just a little bit more of them, as they found themselves silently wrestling over the last two slices.

For her entree, Bailey ordered the Steak and Eggs, which consisted of a hanger steak with a Worcestershire glaze, crispy breakfast potatoes, a garlic Bearnaise sauce, and two eggs, which Bailey requested scrambled.  Bailey found the steak a little on the chewy side, but the flavor was spot on with the silky, umami rich glaze.  The Bearnaise sauce was beautifully buttery with a very light veil of garlic flavor that Bailey rather liked, as it didn't overwhelm the palate, and went extremely well with the lightly crisp potatoes.  "I especially like the fact that they used some herbs in the sauce because it adds not only a bit of flavor, but a nice little touch of greenery to the plate, so at least I can pretend I'm eating some vegetation" Bailey observed.

Brandy ordered the Unite Reuben with a side of fries.  The fries were much like a Belgian frite; thin and crispy.  Brandy found them very easy to munch on, enhancing them by dipping them into some sriracha aioli, which their server had strongly encouraged her to try (Brandy was at first terrified of the spicy aioli, but her fears were at once quashed when she tasted the smokey, creamy, and slightly tart sauce).  The main event, the sandwich, looked like a typical Reuben, with its succulent pastrami, melty Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and sauerkraut on marble rye ("I've never noticed how international a Reuben sandwich is!" Brandy exclaimed), but Brandy was pleased to see that, while fairly traditional, it had been done very well.  "It's not too vinegary or overly burdened with spice from the meat," Brandy mused, "Though I could do with a little more cheese."  "There's never enough cheese to satisfy you!" Bailey laughed.  Brandy began to rebuff her, but found her friend was probably speaking the truth, and so she just continued enjoying her sandwich.

To finish off the meal, the ladies enjoyed one last cocktail, the Bridgeport, which came beautifully presented with a purple orchid in it.  The cocktail itself was a little herbal and floral from some Petal and Thorn Vermouth, and quite citrusy from the use of lime and grapefruit juices.  "Really quite a nice finish to a meal," Brandy observed.  "It's such a feminine drink, yet its strong and bold," said Bailey, "Would you just listen to me!  I think I'm getting the hang of this critiquing thing!"

The well balanced food of Unite Urban Grill certainly did seem to calm a lot of Bailey's food fears with their well prepared versions of classic dishes, knowledgeable service, and bright, friendly atmosphere.  "Now do you understand how one can eat healthy and mindfully without sacrificing needless deliciousness?" Brandy asked her as they headed out of the restaurant.  "Yes," Bailey smiled, "But I still kind of like kale and quinoa."  "That's fine," Brandy sighed, "But for Hawk's sake, when just throw some bacon in there next time."

The writers of this blog were invited to dine by the restaurant free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

The Short and Sweet Review