Personally, I can't go anywhere without my best friend. Wherever she goes, I'm right beside her. Wherever I am, you can bet that she's not far behind.
Our friendship began in college and was founded on our mutual, overwhelming love of music. Now that we live together, most of our time is spent doing one of our favorite things: cooking. We stand in our tiny kitchen after we get home from our respective jobs and gab about everything that happened during our time apart. When we go out to eat, it's not much different, so of course I chose her as my dining companion during Inlander Restaurant Week.
Skewers opened their brick and mortar location (1009 W. First Ave.) last September after running a food truck of the same name. I was always a huge fan of the food truck, so checking out its Inlander Restaurant Week menu was a must for me and my best friend.
I had made a reservation a week in advance just in case, and I'm sure glad I did as hosts were having to turn away hungry walk-in customers at the door. If you want to try out this food, call ahead!
Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for, the food.
For our appetizers, we picked the chicken curry and the falafel bites.
The falafel bites were exactly how you'd expect them to be: crunchy on the outside and impossibly soft on the inside. The hummus dip was perfectly garlicky and smooth and the pickled radish on the side served as a palate cleanser for the feast to come.
As for the chicken curry, I simply cannot overstate how absolutely divine it tasted. No doubt, one of the best bites of food I've had in my life. The rich, deep flavor of the Armenian spices and the tender morsels of chicken didn't last more than five minutes in my bowl and I suddenly wished we had ordered two helpings of it so I could relive that moment all over again a second time. I'm so thankful that this dish is on their permanent menu because I'll be back especially for this.
Once the waitress brought out our second course, I knew we were in for it. The portion sizes were huge — leftovers were definitely in my future.
I ordered the chicken shawarma wrap and my best friend settled on the lamb kebab, both items from their menu that we hadn't previously tried.
Now, if there's one thing that me and my best friend love, it's condiments and sauces.
Luckily for us, both of our second courses had ample dip options. The wrap had toum (a garlic sauce) and taratour (a tangy sesame sauce) inside of it and also a whipped feta sauce for dipping. The lamb kebab course offered a side of either toum or jajukh (cucumber mint yogurt), of course we went with the deliciously garlicky toum. (Don't come within 15-feet of us for the next five business days if you know what's good for you.)
The wrap consisted of flavorful chicken shawarma, pickles, tomatoes and lettuce. It was the perfect balance of salty, umami and sweet in one lavash-wrapped package. The kebab was tender and charred sitting upon its bed of soft rice pilaf topped with crunchy, oily Marcona almonds.
For the sweet treats at the end of our meal, we chose the cardamom rice pudding and the warbat.
The rice pudding came in a martini glass and was topped with rose petals for a wonderful floral aftertaste. The pudding was soft and had a bit of a spicy kick due to the cardamom which complimented the rose flavor well. The warbat (clotted cream in phyllo dough soaked in syrup) was crispy and soft in the middle, a texture-lovers dream.
And all of that for $25 — the most affordable Restaurant Week price point. Skewers is perfect for the adventurous, frugal and hungry diner. (MP)
WILEY'S DOWNTOWN BISTRO
While Mondays are often treated as an afterthought when it comes to eating out (with many restaurants not even opening their doors on the first day of the work week), it has long been a favorite dining day of mine. Mondays typically offer a less crowded and frenetic dining experience compared to weekend madness while also making the start of the week seem a little less bleak. And when the food is really good? Well then it sets a positive tone for the week.With that in mind, I headed to Wiley’s Downtown Bistro. And my Monday habits paid off with one of the best Inlander Restaurant Week meals I’ve ever had.
For starters, the friends I was dining with actually bumped up our meal to a four-course experience by ordering the baked brie off Wiley’s regular menu to share as an appetizer. The puffed pastry filled with cheese and served with apples and a huckleberry reduction was an ideal light starter (though maybe too sweet to start for some).
My actual Restaurant Week meal began with the classic Caesar salad, a robust serving with plenty of croutons and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. But the star of the plate is Wiley’s Caesar dressing — it’s an extremely rich and creamy take on the staple. While I have no strong preference between light and heavy takes on Caesars, this one squarely fits in the latter and is up there with the best Caesar dressings I’ve ever had.
I also took a moment to sample one of my friend’s first course choices — the jalapeño cheddar chicken soup. If you’re a fan of well-seasoned soups, this one’s for you. The spice profile is incredibly complex and hits your tastebuds in waves.
This being my first jaunt to Wiley’s, I wanted my main to be one of the regular dishes offered on the menu, so I went with the braised beef short ribs. (Generally, I try to order only things on the normal menu, because I want to know that if I love something, I can come back and have it again.) This turned out to be an excellent choice. The boneless square of beef was a blissful entree. The super tender meat came apart easily with just my fork — almost becoming like a delectable pulled pork consistency — and each bit was rich with rosemary and thyme flavoring bolstered by the gravy-like red wine and peppercorn pan sauce. The accompanying mashed Yukon potatoes were also a delight, having just a hint of a toasty top layer that was incredibly flavorful. As someone who indulges in way too many Restaurant Week meals, I can safely say that Wiley’s braised beef short ribs is an elite-tier offering.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the second course my friends shared — the yellow curry with tofu. It was… fine. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, it’s a serviceable option, but the tofu itself was a touch tough and overseasoned. This dish can also be ordered with prawns instead of tofu, which might be a tastier choice.
For those considering heading to Wiley’s, there's actually a fourth choice for the main course that doesn't show up on the Inlander’s Restaurant Week menu. While it’s not listed among the three options, our server informed us that the duck confit — one of Wiley’s staples — was also among the possible choices.
The curry was the only hiccup overall though, as the desserts at Wiley’s totally hit the mark. I indulge in the creme brûlée. The creamy custard was on point and rather than a fully burnt top, the bourbon-nutmeg caramel on top gave it an especially gooey, caramel-y flair. My pals went with the also great mini margarita key lime pie, its thick green custard being sweetly tart without delving into the realm of sour.
My favorite part about Restaurant Week is trying the fine dining options that, for whatever reason, I’ve yet to sample. Needless to say, Wiley’s will have me coming back in non-Restaurant Week times. (SS)
