I blame my daughter for this review…read more
Last week we were headed to sushi when the smell coming from Parkside Tap House ambushed us on the sidewalk. Being pregnant, she's operating with heightened food detection abilities that rival military technology, so she immediately declared, "We're coming back here."
A week later we returned with her boyfriend and brother, and what followed can best be described as a competitive eating event.
The hostess greeted us warmly, got us seated quickly, and we settled into the lively outdoor patio. Great atmosphere, cold drinks, sports on the TVs, and just enough energy to feel fun without feeling chaotic.
We started with ahi bites, beer cheese pretzels, jalapeño poppers, and Brussels sprouts.
The ahi bites were fantastic. Fresh ahi, creamy avocado, crispy wontons, and a little heat at the finish line. The pretzels were soft enough to pull apart with your fingers and the beer cheese was rich and addictive. The jalapeño poppers got an unexpected upgrade from the blackberry BBQ sauce, which gave them a sweet, smoky personality all their own. Then there were the Brussels sprouts. Whoever thought of pairing Brussels sprouts with blackberry drizzle deserves a raise. Sweet, savory, crispy, tender, and impossible to stop eating.
For dinner we sampled the taco bowl, brisket bowl, rice bowl loaded with brisket, and a house salad.
The taco bowl was colorful, fresh, and loaded with flavor. The brisket bowl was my personal favorite. Smoky brisket over fried rice with vegetables, crispy wontons, cotija cheese, and a sweet-spicy sauce that kept me digging in long after I should have stopped. The rice bowl with added brisket was almost comical when it arrived. Massive chunks of brisket perched on top like they owned the place. Tender, smoky, juicy, and worth every penny. Even the house salad was fresh enough to remind us we were technically eating vegetables.
What stood out most was that every dish felt like someone in the kitchen actually cared. Nothing felt thrown together. Portions were generous, flavors were bold, and everything hit the table looking as good as it tasted.
We originally found Parkside by following our noses.
After this meal, we'll be following our cravings back