Bar Food!

Another two in one post is on deck for two local bar/restaurants.

The first up is Uccello's. There are several around town. The one we ate at was the 28th and East Beltline restaurant. We ordered a starter of their bread sticks. 

Their breadsticks are basted in butter and topped with parmsean. They are very good bar bread sticks but they can be a little greasy and messy. But this is a bar and it works well for the setting. Paired with ranch and/or marinara they really start to sing. 

We ordered a pizza to split with pepperoni and onion. Uccello's does make a pretty good pizza. I would dare say one of the better pizzas in the area. They aren't really pan pizza thick, but not thin crust either. They are kind of in between. The crust is well cooked and crispy on the bottom without being burnt and does not get soggy. The cheese and toppings are of a good quality. I really like Uccello's, especially late at night after work. Their prices are already good, but when the clock hits 11 you can get on order of breadsticks for around $2 and a small personal pizza for $3.

The second eatery in this post is Saze.... oh wait, they had to change their name. We ate at the Reservoir, which used to be called the Sazerac Lounge. It had been a while since we had been there, and it is one of our favorite places to eat. The prices are very good and the service is top notch. As an example, there was a very loud group of people (I am pretty sure they were hammered) yelling and carrying on. Had it been later at night, say 11 or later, this would have been fine. But it was dinner time and everyone else was just trying to eat a nice dinner. The staff informed their boss and he took care of it. The staff were very apologetic and handled the situation perfectly.

On to the food. 

We started with some breadsticks. They are much cheesier than Uccello's and baked as a whole round of bread opposed to individual sticks. They aren't as buttery as Uccello's. It really comes down to a matter of taste as both are very good.

Mel had their braised BBQ pulled brisket sandwich topped with crispy onions and a slaw. The brisket was so good. It was spicy and sweet and moist. The sauce was killer. The slaw added a nice taste contrast to the heavy brisket as well as some texture. The crispy onions added much needed texture. The bun was really good as well. The chips on the side were homemade and seasoned in house with salt and pepper. They were nice and crisp without being over cooked.

I think the name for mine was fire and brimstone. I honestly don't remember, but it had to do with being spicy. It was too. It had a nice kick to it. I would not say that it was super hot, but then again I ate a ghost chili. But the heat was there. The plate was rice with shrimp, onion, celery, bell peppers, ground cayenne pepper and jalapenos. On top was a jalapeno cream sauce. First off the shrimp were cooked nicely. There were different sizes of shrimp too, with larger shrimp more prominent, but also with little bitty shrimp thrown into the rice. I almost missed they were even in there.The shrimp were not over cooked and avoided tasting rubbery. It wasn't fresh though, as we live in Michigan, not the Gulf coast. In fact, I had a short conversation with our waiter about not being able to get really fresh seafood up here and he agreed that it really makes a difference. The jalapeno cream added a nice extra touch to a good dish. On the side were two pieces of garlic toast.

I enjoy both Uccello's and the Reservoir. They offer good food at reasonable prices as well as provide nice atmospheres for both dinning as well as heading out to for a late night gathering with friends. I highly recommend both.