Here my March 2025 recommendations for restaurant dishes/drinks worth trying before they leave menus. Get them while you can!
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Beef rib goulash
Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails – Congress Park (E. Colfax)
I first discovered this dish when I popped into Molotov for a nightcap after my friends and I had a not-so-great dinner at another spot. Next to us, a couple was hunched over a bowl of the beef rib goulash, scraping the sides clean, with a giant bone sticking out above the rim. It looked so good that we all vowed to come back and get it while it was still on the menu. A few weeks later, when we finally got the chance to try it, and were fighting over who would get the last bites. I’m a big fan of stroganoff, and this dish is a close cousin. The beef is extremely tender, falling off the bone, and served with egg noodles, green peppercorn smetana-poached carrots, and sherry-pickled onions. We found the best way to eat it is to pull the meat off the bone, cut it up and mix the whole thing together. It’s on the winter menu, which will be going bye bye before the end of April, so get on it before the dish makes its exit!
Spam musubi
Adrift – Speer (S. Broadway)
I recently attended a hosted meal at Adrift, where I was sampling their new selection of low and no ABV cocktails. (I recommend the Anchored Tides, the least sweet option on the menu that blends ginger and lime with Pathfinder N/A Amaro, offering a pleasing bitter bite.) But the thing I really really want to talk about is their Spam musubi, which is only $4 during happy hour (normally $7). The Spam is marinated, seared, and topped with a touch of pineapple teriyaki, furikake. Neatly cut in half and stacked upright, the dish is served warm – the ideal way to eat musubi. It hits all the marks of a great bar bite: easy to eat with your hands, just the right amount of salt to get your thirsty for your drink, and tasty as can be.
Mussels escabeche toast
Traveling Mercies – Aurora
As I’ve said before, Caroline Glover’s cocktail bar on the mezz level of Stanley Marketplace is the spot to assemble the perfect girl dinner, but even knowing that, I’m still amazed by how good the food can be. Right now, there’s a mussels escabeche toast on the menu that I absolutely loved. First off, the mussels are pickled giving them a slight sourness, which is balanced by the creamy aioli. It’s all served on a slice of Bakey Four bread and garnished with pickled mustard seeds and dill. If you like high acid and brininess, this dish is definitely for you.
Friends In Low Places
Yacht Club – Cole
I made a doodle of this NA cocktail from Yacht Club called Friends In Low Places (Three Spirit nightcap, late harvest verjus, coffee, N.O.T. Chocolate vinegar). It’s kinda the perfect zero proof drink when you’re feeling moody and sophisticated: deep, rich flavor and a bit of caffeine to keep your night going a little longer.