Harry's Dining Reviews

Redrossa was a post-movie treat

Redrossa Napoli Pizza

3412 S. Western Ave.

Phone:  339-3675

Rating: 3 stars

Non-smoking;  wine and beer featured; wheelchair accessible; many non-meat choices

Hours:  11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun-Thurs; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri and Sat

Even if you encounter a short wait to order at Redrossa it"s worth it.  Once you have paid it's only a few minutes before your food is brought to your table.  Meanwhile pick up your tableware, napkins, water and softdrinks and settle down and sip your wine.

We ordered half-size salads because they are huge. A whole salad is a meal.  A half-size Chop Chop salad is very substantial with romaine, rosemary-sage chicken, salami, smoked mozzarella, tomato, garbanzo beans, Parmesan cheese and a zesty balsamic vinaigrette. The icy greens were crisp and fresh tasting, an appetizing bed for the antipasta toppings. ($5.50)  My walnut gorgonzola salad ($5.00) was also a bargain for so much crumbled cheese and toasted walnuts that dominated the salad along wirh mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, carrot strips and walnut-gorgonzola vinaigrette.

We shared a Capricciosa pizza ($9.75) which was just right for 2 people with average appetites. The thin trademark crust was nicely charred and blistered from the super-hot wood-fired oven and formed the base for the toppings:  tomato sauce, artichoke hearts, cremini mushrooms, Kalamata olives, fresh mozzarella and paper thin strips of prosciutto ham. The combination of light ingrdients was appetizing rather than filling. 

Redrossa is a sleek and inviting place with booth and table seating; or sit at the friendly counter with tall stools and get to know your neighbors.  The menu offers great variety and creative combinations of not so common ingredients. Service is immediate and friendly.  We 'll be back.

More on Joey's Seafood & Grill

With my inept typing skills, or lack of, I managed to cut myself off before finishing. I was talking about my fish and chips order, 1 piece for $5.49.  It was served with a coarsely chopped, creamy cole slaw that tasted fresh and a well-made tartar sauce, plus a heap of hot crunchy seasoned fries.  Malt vinegar is on the table along with sea salt and Bay's seasoning.  All nice touches.  The hand battered fish was crisp and crackly, hot inside and out, with flakey, moist flesh that was flavorful and fresh tasting.

Our server was friendly and helpful, checking often to see how we were faring.  Alas, we didn't take her advise on ordering dessert, so we plan to try the key lime pie and decadent fudge layer cake next trip. Infact, so many things untried, so little time and capacity.  A must is a return trip for a stab at the dinner menu  which features lots of variety including steaks, lobster and more fresh fish.  Stay tuned.

net a great lunch at Joey's Seafood & Grill

Joey's Seafood & Grill

2209 West 57th Street

(605) 275-5639

Hours:  Sunday-Thursday 11:00-9:00; Friday & Saturday 11:00-10:00

Alcohol:  Wine and beer

Smoking:  no

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Credit cards:  Yes

Rating:  Three stars

Cost:  Lunch mostly $6.99 to 9.99; dinner prices slightly higher but larger menu.

A long awaited sunny day beckoned us and we quickly picked a place for lunch.  Joey's, a fairly new fish and seafood place was a good place to shake the winter blues. 

Although a franchise operation, the place benefits from careing local management skills and imagination. Touches like house made sauces, desserts and hand cut fish filets elevate the operation from just one more chain fish house.  The crab cakes ($7.99) are generous with a fair amount of lump crab meat and minimum filler, artfully seasoned hand formed and cooked to order.

Clam choder (cup $2.99) is thick and creamy with lots of chopped clams.  It was rich and flavorful, although a bit starchy.

A Malibu coconut shrimp salad was appetizing with medium shrimp hand dipped in batter and dusted with coconut.  It was deep fried to a golden brown and nestled on a bed of greens with tomatoes, cucumbers, red and yellow peppers, red onion rings and Mandarin oranges.  We chose Asian Dijon dressing from a long list and it proved to be a wise choice that complemented to sweet crunchy taste of the shrimp and added spice and zest to the greens. ($6.99)

Mini sandwiches offer a lot of variety and a good way to sample tastes from charbroil hamburger, jerk chicken, smoked salmon salad to blue crab melt, which we ordered ($6.99 for 2 minis).  The cute little buggers had a generous mound of crabmeat blended with mayo and house seasonings, topped with a tomato slice and chedder and Parmesan cheeses, broiled and served open faced.  With the accompanying seasoned fries it was a light and lovely lunch.

Fish and chips are one of my favorite pub foods, but not always a wise choice.  If the place is redolent of deep-frier oders--especially acrid old grease smells--don"t order anything fried.  Joey's passed the test, in fact no kitchen odors were perceptable.  So I indulged in one of fishdom's classic dishes.  The portion of pollock filet was quite large and with a choice of l or 2 pieces I'm glad I ordered one($5

Tinner's Bar & Grill rewards Reuben lover

Through the years I have always been on the lookout for the perfect Reuben sandwich.  I have sampled dozens of them in different restaurants coast to coast.  Some of them were memorable, some quite ordinary.  What constitutes perfection?  The symphony of tastes and textures of quality ingredients deftly layered in correct proportions and skillfully grilled to a crunchy golden brown.  In other words, not too much kraut and not burned and greasy.

My Reuben sandwich at Tinner's scored high on all counts.  The corned beef was tender and crumbly in texture and tasted great.  Bavarian sauerkraut was grilled with the meat and lent its tangy flavor.  The amount was just right so it didn't overpower the rest of the ingredients.  A thin layer of Swiss cheese melted into the meat and kraut and the chef' secret sauce pulled it all into place.  Finally the marble rye bread slices were grilled to perfection achieving to goal of a hot, meltingly delicious though messy sandwich.  Mission accomplished!  A Reuben you can  love.

With bridge down, thoughts of lunch

On a snowy day, with traffic slowed and driving more hazardous, we pretty much stuck at home.  I don't mind so much, since a dental mishap has limited the foods I can eat.  Not a good situation for a food reviewer.  So we play the where would I go for lunch game.  There are so many favorites.

A recent lunch at Sanaa's 8th Street Gourmet (401 East 8th) was delightful.  The place bustled with the lunch crowd--a good place for people watching; as usual, the Senator's (Jim Abourezk) table was humming with a diverse bunch of highly opinionated people.  I has the lunch plate of Fatayer (baked, filled pita dough) with fresh spanach and walnuts, house salad and basmati rice. A real steal at $4.95.

Or, Rosie's on West Madison street is always a good choice for some home cookin'.  We love the daily specials like meatloaf, scalloped potatoes and ham; on Fridays order Salmon loaf with creamed peas nd mashed potatoes; always, the hot beef sandwich is a winner.  The prices are moderate and the small town ambiance is priceless.

Don't forget Sushi Masa for perhaps the best bargain for hand crafted Japanese food.  The lunch specail ($7'95) with a choice of 2 items plus soup and salad is unbeatable.  Choose from such favorites as sushi,teriyaki, tempura shrimp and vegetables and luscious salmon katsu (breaded and deep fried).The place is always busy, so go before 11:30 a.m. or after 1 p.m.

New entrees add depth to Tre's menu

Tre Lounge

• 601 S Spring Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57105
• Phone: 605-274-7017
• Hours: Monday through Saturday 4:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.  Food until 10:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.  Daily happy hour 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
• Cost: Small plates and lounge favorites $5.00 - $13.00; Entrees mostly $16.00 - $25.00
• Smoking: In bar only
• Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
• Alcohol: Full bar and extensive wine list
• Credit Cards: Yes
• Vegetarian Options: Yes
• Rating: Three and one-half stars (out of four)

The main bar at Tre Lounge is sleek and inviting.  It's a promise of good times and a cozy place to nestle by the fireplace on a cold evening.  Although a smoking area, that doesn't deter too many people, since it seems to be the most popular room in the place, continuing the trend set by Theo's a few years ago.

Tre, as the name implies, has three areas:  the main bar; a middle dining room with booths, tables and club chairs, and a fireplace.  The third room has an attractive bar, booths and table seating.

On a recent cold week night we were seated in the middle room.  Our server, Wendy, was friendly and helpful with menu suggestions.  As we sipped our Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec ($7.00 a glass) we checked out the menu choices.  The number of sophisticated and tempting "small plate" choices was impressive.  The choices ranged from the usual grilled bread with toppings, several pizzas, salads and pastas to chislic, crab cakes and giant nacho platters.

We chose a pre-course that was light and appetizing.  Wonton Encrusted Shrimp ($11.00) was hot, with a cirspy coating over the medium shrimp which ended up being overcooked.  A Thai chili dipping sauce added lively flavor and heat.

My companion's pan seared Chicken with Cajun Cream Sauce ($16.00) was attractively plated with two boned breasts over Yukon mashed potatoes, bright green steamed broccoli spears and tender carrot ribbons.  The cream sauce napping the chicken was mildly flavored with Cajun spices but mostly imbued with a rich chicken taste.  The bird itself was tender and flavorful.

My Grilled Sockeye Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce ($22.00) was flaky and richly flavored, as sockeye should be.  The butter sauce with lime juice, zest, and herbs formed a luscious glaze that gave the dish its final flavor boost.  Asparagus spears and mashed Yukon potatoes were amiable partners to the fish.

The desserts were so tempting that we shared two.  Raspberry Espresso ($6.00) was served in a coffee cup.  A generous base of dark chocolate ganache was layered with rum infused raspberries and a topping of espresso creme chantilly and a sprinkle of crushed espresso beans.  The decadent Midnight Chocolate Layer Cake ($7.00) was dense with layers of rich chocolate ganache between the cake layers.  The tower of cake was beautifully plated on a cold dish with a vanilla bean cream sauce and chocolate sauce garnish - and fresh strawberries.

Tre Lounge has a lot to offer.  The food we ordered was well prepared and showed skill and intuition on the part of the chef and staff.  It was attractively plated and appetizing.  Although the entrees were good enough to invite another visit, the huge array of smaller plates would certainly get me back again and again.

The bartenders, who are friendly with a wealth of information about wine and the beer and spirits they serve, are another plus.  In all, I can't think of a more relaxed and comfortable place for late night dining or for a light meal after a concert or other evening event.

Welcome to thoughtforfood by Harry Poletes

Welcome.  After a silence of about  year I'm pleased to be back writing about area restaurants and the local food scene. I appreciate the continued interest my former readers have shown during this interim, mostly from people I've run into at Hy-Vee, social events and many public places.

Well, the wait is over.  I plan to post new blogs on a regular basis beginning around February 1 with a restaurant review.  These will be interspersed with inspired gems about such topics as "best breakfasts", where to find memorable chili and favorite lunch and dessert spots.

We will also continue Wine Notes, a place to read about locally available wines that won't break your wine budget.  So with lots to talk about, I hope I can quickly get in the writing mode.  Meanwhile I'm trying to master this new medium.  And hope my typing won"t drive readers away.

I enjoyed writing free lance reviews for the Argus Leader for around 10 years but feel I will have more freedom on my own.  I will miss the paid-for meals (by the Argus) and hope to attract some sponsors to help off-set the costs.  As always, no free meals from restaurants are accepted.  No payola here.

Please keep reading and feel free to add comments, suggestions for review topics, and places you have liked.  Remember to eat well but not too well.