goodbye, famous dave’s and hello to the haze

tonight we tried another new restaurant.  it’s called “the haze” and it’s by the same folks who created our favorite sushi place *so we were pretty sure it would be yummy.  and we weren’t disappointed.  the thing that sets it apart from other bbq places is that you order your meat (brisket, chicken, pork, etc.) and then you specify whether you want it “eastern” or “western” (see the menu at the link above if you want more details).  we both decided to go western tonight.  i got brisket (falling apart tasty), mr. happy stuff got ribs (huge and meaty).  i got coleslaw (fresh, crisp and not sopping with sauce) and an acorn squash soup with apples (lovely texture and flavor–much better than your standard squash soup) and some gingered beets (surpringly light, served cold, yummy!).  he got fries (salty deliciousness) and beans (a very interesting mix of beans with an unusual but really good flavor).  because we ordered our meats “western” we also each got a slice of texas toast (which was homemade bread–not the stuff out of a bag from the grocery store) and just for good measure, we added a slice of cornbread to our meal (full of kernels of corn, a sweet, crispy top, yummity yummers).  we both had plenty left over for at least one more meal apiece (maybe two for me).  the bill was maybe (literally) only a few dollars more than our last few visits to famous dave’s (the local-ish bbq chain that is on mr. h-s’s bike commute home) and we both agreed that the food was about 10 times better tasting.  plus, they use local sources for their meats!  no competition at all.  here’s a picture of my leftovers sitting in their box:

i think that even my vegetarian friends would enjoy a meal of the “sides” and go home happy and full.  (in addition to the ones i listed above, they also had soy-glazed carrots, curried sweet potatoes, potato salad, and something else yummy i’m forgetting, but some of those are seasonal.)  we might have to try their lunch sometime soon too….

*which we visited recently and were thrilled as usual.  the highlight of the evening?  a dessert that featured a deep, dark chocolate truffle-like base, a tiny, oval pistachio cake, and a large shard of… bacon brittle.  oh my.  it was surprisingly fantastic.