Each Friday, this list will track five of the best things Heavy Table’s writers, editors, and photographers have recently bitten or sipped. Have a suggestion for the Hot Five? Email editor@heavytable.com.
The Hot Five is a weekly feature created by the Heavy Table and supported by Shepherd Song Farm.
The Wisconsin Old-Fashioned
New York can keep its “authentic” old-fashioned (whiskey, sugar cube, bitters). On a cold evening in the holiday season, we want the sweet, indulgent Wisconsin kind, preferably in the low-lit dining room of a supper club (like the Dirty Oar on Lake Petenwell, above). That means brandy, simple syrup, and Sprite. Actually, that’s a little too much, even for us: Order it “press” (with soda water to cut the Sprite) and with olives instead of fruit. Perfect.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Tricia Cornell]
The French Exit at Lowry Hill Meats
When your ingredients are good, stick with simplicity. That’s the theory behind the always delicious ham-and-Comté sandwich at The St. Paul Cheese Shop, and now it’s the theory powering the French Exit, a similar (but very different!) baguette-based sandwich at the newly open Lowry Hill Meats. The French Exit brings the lovely funk of Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese to this salami sandwich, along with a hearty wallop of artisan mustard, making it a much tougher contender than its soft-and-buttery Cheese Shop rival.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by James Norton]
Kara-age from Ramen Kazama
Ramen Kazama’s Kara-age is a generous portion of Japanese fried chicken with a lemon wedge garnish and a side of seasoned mayo. The shattering, bubbly-crisp fried exterior of the chicken gives way to perfectly moist dark meat. These are McNuggets elevated to art, pairing up perfectly with a mug of cold draft beer.
[Last Week on the Hot Five: #1 | From a review by Peter Sieve]
Falafel at Naf Naf Grill
Certain foods are magnets for arguments about authenticity. Sushi. Ramen. Bagels. And for anyone who has ever set foot in the Middle East, falafel. And that’s falafel in the broader sense: not just the balls themselves (should be light and full of green herbs) but the whole surrounding experience, from the pita to the salad to the bread to the tahini sauce. We have it on good authority (homesick Israelis) that Naf Naf — from the cloud-soft pita to the sour pickles — is the most authentic experience in town. We’ll let anyone who disagrees with them battle it out, because we think it’s delicious.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Tricia Cornell]
Spectra Trifecta by Founders Brewing Co.
Brewed to benefit ArtPrize, an international art competition that I can’t quite wrap my head around, Founder’s Spectra Trifecta is equally difficult to wrap your head around (in a good way, of course). The perfect antidote to the Yet-Another-IPA Blues, it is basically a Kölsch-style beer spiked with ginger, chamomile, and lemongrass. The ginger is most pronounced, way more forward than the mild sweetness of chamomile or the citrusy aroma of lemongrass. Tasting at turns of beer, tea, and ginger ale, it’s kind of a head-scratcher, but particularly fun to pair with food. Not an everyday brew, but definitely worth tasting if you are able to find it.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Ted Held]