Here, we will bring you up to date on unresolved issues that we’ve previously covered. In this edition, the ABCs of restaurants (get it?)
• On Monday, we talked about the opening of Alhambra Palace, the West Loop Middle Eastern Extravaganza (the monumentality of Alhambra forced us to capitalize extravaganza). Two developments have happened since. First, we put up the full menu, although the Epicure menu is still in effect until the end of the week. Second, Madeline Nusser at the TOC blog thought that place was pretty crazy (“the haze of the smoke machines and a throng of turbaned dancers”), but the food wasn’t anything special. We will, of course, let you know when the reviews start coming in for the real stuff (lobster ravioli, with sautéed crab mushrooms, roasted garlic, fresh parsley & elegant lobster broth, $26).
• We have been talking about Baccala since the earliest days of the blog. Well, as you can tell from the link, we finally got their menu! Just in time for them to launch a website. Sigh, and we thought we were going to have exclusive information for the world. Oh well, at least we’re good at organizing things. Anyhoo, it’s rather inexpensive; entrees top out at $15, and sound pretty filling (pork butt with soft polenta, onions & pancetta, $14).
• Finally, we have harbored what amounts to a small vendetta against Carbón, and frankly, we don’t even know why anymore. Oh wait, yes we do - they still don’t grill over charcoal. Yeah, gas. This is the last we’re going to mention it unless we have a compelling reason to reprise the issue, but why, oh why would you name a restaurant after a cooking process, laud its advantages in your promotional material, and then make no attempt to actually use that cooking process at your restaurant? As Otto once said, “flagrant false advertising.”
Alhambra Palace [MenuPages]
Alhambra Palace [Official Site]
Arabian night [TOC Blog]
Baccala [MenuPages]
Baccala [Official Site]
Carbon [MenuPages]
