My mom is in town this weekend, so for our first evening out we went to Silver Palm. First, of course, we stopped at the Matchbox, which wasn't too crowded, relatively speaking. Of course, crowded at the Matchbox only takes about 16 people...
My mother's town in Kentucky only recently became wet (she refers to it as "damp" since only restaurants can serve alcohol; there are no bars there, officially)so I wanted her to experience the heaven that is a Matchbox cocktail. She had a Maker's Mark manhattan and I had a vodka gimlet, both of which were perfect, as usual. And of course, in this day of weak $10 cocktails, a bargain at $6 apiece.
It is almost impossible to linger over a drink at the Matchbox, as they are really too good to be drunk slowly, so we soon headed next door to its sister establishment, the Silver Palm. We sat in the train car, which has been remarkably preserved from its days in service on the railroads. The chairs are surprisingly comfortable, the lighting is nice without being too dim, and the volume of the Rolling Stones on the stereo was just right. We ordered a cheddar burger and a duckbreast club sandwich to share, both opting for roasted vegetables on the side instead of fries; my mom got an Abita Turbodog to show support for our Louisiana friends, I got a Fin du Monde to show support for...um...tasty high alcohol content beers. When our food arrived they had already split the sandwiches onto four little plates, which was really nice. The sandwiches themselves were great. The cheddar burger was done just the way we had asked, nice and red on the inside with a nice bit of char on the outside. It came on a good, substantial bun, and the cheese was copious and nicely melted. The duck club (easier to get into than the Stork Club, so I hear
) had a nice thick layer of juicy-but-not-too-greasy duck breast, some good bacon, and three slices of good toasty bread. Both sandwiches had non-mayo slaw on the side with a slice of pickled tomato. Condiments on the table included ketchup, a strong, grainy mustard, and sriracha sauce. The generous sides of roast vegetables were divine, as usual, including beets, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and rutabegas. I continued to eat them long after I was full.
Service was quick and friendly, the beers were good, the train car was fun and comfy (and smoke free, unlike the bar), the food was high-quality and definitely filling, and our bill came to $33 with a big tip included. A very good meal altogether.
Anthony Bourdain on Barack Obama: "He's from Chicago, so he knows what good food is."