Restaurant Roundup: Pop-up charcuterie, new cookie cakes, burger practice
Dec. 14, 2023
Cultivated in Love is having a build-your-own charcuterie board pop-up shop Friday at WilLiquors. Hours are 11 a.m to 1 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. The business will make custom creations for customers. It’s also stocking charcuterie boxes in the store every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through the holidays. Holiday platters can be ordered online at cultivatedinlove.com.
Cookie Co. at 6004 S. Cliff Ave. has added cookie cakes to its offerings. They’re available in quarter-sheet sizes that will serve 12 people. Pick from two flavors: chocolate chip and birthday cake. Order 24 hours in advance.
Cheezy Noodlez Gourmet Mac & Cheeze is partnering with Glacial Lakes Distillery & Brewhouse for the Downtown Burger Battle. Since burgers usually aren’t on the food truck’s menu, it’s serving burgers and fries this week for practice – but not the one that will be part of the January competition. This offering is a spin on an In-N-Out burger. Cheezy Noodlez will be parked outside the tasting room but orders will be placed inside. Hours are 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and noon to 8 p.m. Saturday.
The butchers at Look’s Marketplace have crafted a Scandinavian delicacy that won’t be around for long. Rullepolse includes layers of butterflied pork belly and flat iron with onions, allspice and other seasonings. After curing, it’s smoked for nine hours over white oak. The market also is stocking lutefisk and Swedish potato sausage for the holidays.
In case you missed it, La Plaza Fiesta now has a full liquor license. That means the margaritas are made with tequila and not a malt-based version of it. And you’ll find rum for pina coladas and other options for cocktails.
Roundhouse Brew Pub has a new featured menu with crab cakes, an herb-crusted porterhouse pork chop and the Tropical Dream Burger that’s a smash burger with coconut shrimp, lettuce and pineapple cocktail sauce. There’s also a bratwurst pizza with beef gravy, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and mozzarella, and strawberry shortcake that uses a buttermilk biscuit.
22Ten Kitchen Cocktails released its holiday feature menus for food and cocktails earlier this week.
Maribella Ristorante’s featured entree for December is Pollo Saltimbocca. It’s a prosciutto-wrapped chicken breast stuffed with fontina and sage that’s served with three-cheese tortellini, wilted spinach and a brown butter sage sauce. The featured dessert is panforte, a traditional Italian holiday fruit cake. The featured cocktail is Baciami, with Branca Menta, green Chartreuse, creme de cacao, cream, sugar and chocolate bitters.
Crumbl Cookies has a special cookie this week for the premier of “Wonka.” It’s a red velvet sandwich cookie with vanilla cream cheese frosting that’s rolled in rainbow candy-coated chocolate chips and topped with a gold-dusted W.
For the fourth year, R Wine Bar & Kitchen is offering holiday gift boxes. Get two white and two red wines from around the world, with tasting notes and a letter from owner Riccardo Tarabelsi explaining the reason for this year’s theme: family-owned wineries. Reminder: The restaurant recently added lunch, so it’s open at 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
If you’ve been missing Chef Omar Thornton’s jambalaya, stop by Cooks & Bakers Kitchen from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday for Taste of the Big Easy. The former owner of “O” So Good in Garretson will be at the Dawley Farm Village shop serving food and answering questions. Get a bowl for $5. The store will be selling beer, wine and mimosas and offering free samples from its Jura automatic coffee machines.
Chef April is having her annual holiday pop-up shop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 3210 E. 10th St. New this year is a personal size treat box. Customers also will find lefse, hot cocoa bombs, snack mix, cookies, decorate-your-own cookie kits, soups, appetizers and entrees.
The sisters behind Sinless Sweets and One Smart Cookie are having a holiday pop-up sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 4916 E. Fernwood Drive.
Krav’n is hosting an ugly sweater party Saturday to collect donations for Hungry Hearts. Donate coats, pajamas, sweatshirts or similar items to get registered for door prizes. Amazon gift cards or cash donations also will be accepted. The party starts at 8 p.m. with music by the Guilty Pleasures Orchestra. Ugly sweaters will be judged at 11 p.m. If you can’t make the party, drop off a donation anytime this week.
Blue Rock Bar & Grill is opening early Sunday before the Oregon-Syracuse game at the Sanford Pentagon. Starting at 10 a.m., the restaurant will be serving $2 tacos with three choices: chorizo, cheese and potato, or steak and egg. A limited amount of caramel rolls will be available for $6. Get specials on Busch Light and mimosas. The regular menu will be available at 11 a.m.
Stop by Blue Rock anytime to get a $10 mystery wine grab bag. Wines range in value from $10 to $50.
Thunder Road Family Park is hosting brunch with Santa from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. The menu includes pancakes, gluten-free pancakes, bacon, sausage, egg, breakfast pizza and French toast sticks.
Firehouse Subs is celebrating the holidays with its Name of the Day special. Each day features different names, and those people can get a free medium sub with the purchase of a medium or large one. Check here each day to see the chosen names: firehousesubs.com/nameoftheday.
Check out the holiday drink menu for Yakkity Yak Coffee Shack in All American Gymnastics Academy on South Cliff Avenue. The drinks are named after members of the Brew Crew staff. If you stop by Saturday morning, you’ll find Santa and the weekly all-you-can-eat waffle bar. Earlier this fall, the coffee shop received a 2023 Governor’s Award for “outstanding achievements in improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities.”
Dunn Brothers Coffee has a holiday drink menu with choices like Candy Cane Mocha, Cookie Butter Nirvana, Spiced Sugar Plum Latte and Spiced Eggnog Nirvana.
Changes in hours, service
- JJ’s Bar at JJ’s Wine Spirits & Cigars has merged its lunch-only and evening-only options into one all-day menu. Find everything from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Preview the offerings or order online for carryout at jjswine.com.
- Kenards Grille in The Gaslight Lounge has dropped lunch hours. New hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Here are other food and drink headlines from the past week.
