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HD Cuisine 'Authentic Street Food' Wheeling

HD Cuisine 'Authentic Street Food' Wheeling
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  • HD Cuisine 'Authentic Street Food' Wheeling

    Post #1 - July 10th, 2021, 10:15 am
    Post #1 - July 10th, 2021, 10:15 am Post #1 - July 10th, 2021, 10:15 am
    Good stuff over at HD Cuisine. There's an upcoming group lunch there later this month, which I won't be able to attend but I wanted to check it out. So I and a couple of friends decided to head over for dinner.

    The menu ranges pan-Asian but there's some focus on Malaysian. Other than an odd dish I've had here or there over the years, this is a fairly unfamiliar cuisine to me, new flavors and combinations. HD Cuisine is a family-owned and run operation headed by Lyn -- the matriarch -- a remarkably kind and welcoming woman who takes a lot of pride in her operation.

    It's a storefront with one table inside and a few tables outside. We ordered as much as the three of us reasonably thought we could make disappear, and took some seats at one of the outside bistro tables. Shortly after that, the onslaught of food began, and it wasn't too long before Lyn saw how much we ordered and pulled a second table over for us (an LTH tradition :D). We chatted with her about a variety of topics, mostly culinary. It was a lot of fun . . .

    Image
    HD Cuisine - 27 Huntington Ln, Wheeling

    Image
    Set Up
    I thought the plates and cutlery were quite beautiful.

    Image
    Chicken Satay

    Image
    Special Fried Rice

    Image
    Vegetable Curry With Dal
    The dal is actually blended and is part of the curry.

    Image
    Broccoli With Garlic Sauce

    Image
    Malaysian Beef Rendang

    Image
    Malaysian Ayam Masak Merah (chicken)

    Image
    Chinese Pancake with Pork & Chives
    A throw-in for having ordered over a certain amount of food but I don't remember the exact number.

    Looking forward to heading back and trying some more items. The menu is large and there are a lot of great looking offerings. Way too many for three people to try at one dinner.

    =R=

    HD Cuisine (website)
    27 Huntington Ln (strip mall on north side of Dundee Rd)
    Wheeling, IL 60090
    (847) 777-1031
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #2 - July 10th, 2021, 10:53 am
    Post #2 - July 10th, 2021, 10:53 am Post #2 - July 10th, 2021, 10:53 am
    I also tried HD Cuisine a couple weeks ago and thought it was pretty good. I had only tried from the menu the Chicken Curry and Chicken Satay and both were very good. I recommend next time you go to HD Cuisine if you like it spicy to ask for their homemade chili oil/hot sauce on the side which is very tasty as well.

    I hope they add Laksa soup to menu in the future which is my favorite of the Malaysian dishes.
  • Post #3 - July 12th, 2021, 8:48 am
    Post #3 - July 12th, 2021, 8:48 am Post #3 - July 12th, 2021, 8:48 am
    was good for us as well... we did note that the more "Malaysian"/stuff you don't always find on a menu items were better than the "classic" asian mainstays. For example, we found the pad thai very average/unspectacular, especially compared to their other noodle dishes.
  • Post #4 - July 29th, 2021, 3:13 pm
    Post #4 - July 29th, 2021, 3:13 pm Post #4 - July 29th, 2021, 3:13 pm
    Oh, this place is good. Recovering from food coma from the LTH North Lunch Group outing today.

    I'm disappointed their lunch specials (which we didn't order) have few of the Malaysian specialties, being mostly Chinese standards (except for Panang Char Koay Teow and Malaysian Mee Goreng).

    Highlights were
    * the satay, with a much chunkier peanut sauce than you usually see in Thai places (as shown above)
    * the bright orange sauce from the Chicken Rice -- the fried version -- the poached version has a ginger sauce that's good, but that orange sauce is garlicky and full of lots of flavor
    * Chinese pancake (now I want to try the roti and the murtabak)
    * Malaysian Ayam Masak Kicap - a deep brown sauce that I'd have kept eating if there was more rice on the table, with chunks of chicken, bell pepper (and plantain? sweet potato? something else orangey)
    * Green Beans with Shrimp - not sure where this is on the menu, a lighter dish that had lots of plump shrimp and crisp beans

    If the picture in the menu toward the bottom is their Kung Pao, I may have to try it -- no sign of useless vegetables like celery, although there might be B*by C*rn.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #5 - July 29th, 2021, 6:00 pm
    Post #5 - July 29th, 2021, 6:00 pm Post #5 - July 29th, 2021, 6:00 pm
    This is a report on our LTH North Lunch Group lunch today.

    HD Cuisine is a new restaurant in a small storefront.
    Image
    They were just barely able to squeeze in a table to serve eight of us, with no other tables inside and a couple of small tables outside.
    Image
    It appears that they are doing a good carryout and delivery business.

    The service was excellent, friendly and helpful. Despite their familiarity with one of our members. :lol:
    Image
    This was a terrific meal. Everything was very good; the standouts for me were the Penang Char Koay Teow, the Chinese pancake with ground beef, and the Malaysian Ayam Masak Kicap. As JoelF pointed out, the sauce on the latter was reminiscent of the manchamanteles mole in Mexican cuisine.

    Here's everything we had.

    Beef satay
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    Chicken satay
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    Chinese pancake with ground beef
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    Fried chicken and rice (daily special)
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    BBQ pork platter
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    Braised (?) chicken and rice (daily special)
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    C5 - Penang Char Koay Teow (stir fry rice noodles with shrimp, bean sprouts, Chinese chives, and duck egg in soy sauce)
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    Green beans with garlic sauce with shrimp
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    C1 - Malaysian Ayam Masak Kicap (chicken cooked with chili and spices in sweet soya sauce)
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    Stir-fry eggplant (daily special)
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    Chinese pancake with pork
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    And complimentary almond cookies.
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    I got their dessert special to go:
    Bo Bo Cha Cha
    Image

    I also had a taro smoothie, which was excellent.

    Good food, good people, good times!
  • Post #6 - July 31st, 2021, 7:22 pm
    Post #6 - July 31st, 2021, 7:22 pm Post #6 - July 31st, 2021, 7:22 pm
    Thanks for documenting our excellent lunch.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #7 - August 15th, 2021, 10:15 am
    Post #7 - August 15th, 2021, 10:15 am Post #7 - August 15th, 2021, 10:15 am
    Full endorsement from me for HD Cuisine's Malaysian dishes following my initial order.

    Nyonya Plate: Nasi lemak with Ayam Kapitan ($15)
    - Best coconut rice I've ever had, probably my favorite sambal too (they're all great). Included 3 bone-in thighs iirc in the curry. Fatty skin without texture is a flaw, but the meat was very tender. Not a pungent curry flavor, but a fine sauce.

    Char Koay Teow with shrimp ($11)
    - I requested extra spicy as the menu says is available. Was about as hot as one would expect a non-Aroy/Thai place to make it. Not stingy on well sized (26-30's?) tender shrimp. Decent dish I could easily come back to after trying more.

    I made note of the prices to reinforce that the restaurant's website menu is accurate, and online delivery platforms (one unfortunately linked by the restaurant for online ordering) are incredibly inaccurate, assuming you place the order directly with HD. Prices on Uber Eats and Grubhub are almost 50% higher than reality. It was the biggest disparity I've ever seen.
  • Post #8 - August 16th, 2021, 7:11 am
    Post #8 - August 16th, 2021, 7:11 am Post #8 - August 16th, 2021, 7:11 am
    My wife and I took our niece to HD on Saturday night. When we arrived, all of the outdoor tables were occupied and the inside table sat empty with a Reserved sign. We were next in line for a table. At Lyn's suggestion, we preordered our food while we were waiting for a table.

    15 minutes later we snagged an outdoor table. We made a meal out of a bbq pork platter, pork pot stickers, Chinese pancakes with pork, Singapore noodles, and sesame chicken. Throughout the evening, nobody snagged the indoor table that was reserved.

    While I truly love this spot, I wonder how they're going to survive over the winter with the limited amount of indoor dining space.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #9 - August 17th, 2021, 8:56 am
    Post #9 - August 17th, 2021, 8:56 am Post #9 - August 17th, 2021, 8:56 am
    HI,

    I have been in Chinese restaurants with ample seating and I was the sole customer. Yet the delivery and pickup was very, very active.

    They will survive with carryout without the overhead of a restaurant space and servers. The headache of keeping servers is not incidental.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #10 - August 17th, 2021, 10:02 am
    Post #10 - August 17th, 2021, 10:02 am Post #10 - August 17th, 2021, 10:02 am
    Dave148 wrote:While I truly love this spot, I wonder how they're going to survive over the winter with the limited amount of indoor dining space.


    Most of these strip mall Chinese restaurants do 90% carryout/pickup business. I assume if the restaurant continues being successful they will look to expand into a larger space with more seating.
  • Post #11 - August 17th, 2021, 10:40 am
    Post #11 - August 17th, 2021, 10:40 am Post #11 - August 17th, 2021, 10:40 am
    I read something last year that said that Chinese and Pizza were the restaurant segments that performed the best during the pandemic as their business models were already predominantly delivery/take out. It's the restaurants which depended on in-house alcohol sales (with their hefty profit margins) that performed the worst.
  • Post #12 - August 29th, 2021, 10:51 am
    Post #12 - August 29th, 2021, 10:51 am Post #12 - August 29th, 2021, 10:51 am
    LTH,

    Disappointing first visit yesterday about 1400 hrs for takeout…only customer..,
    1 gristly yet tasty beef satay
    1 chicken satay… 1 ctr sauce for 2 orders?
    2 orders fried wings… not even close to
    edible… very dark brown and
    completely dried out.
    1 pork pancake…. this had to have been
    cooked hours ahead of time… no
    sauce
    1 eggplant…. creamy, tasty, one note, no
    textural contrast as I’m accustomed
    to….
    1 Singapore noodle…great textured
    noodles and full of flavor
    1 Malaysian stir fried wide rice noodle
    …also very good.

    $87…waited 30(?) minutes for order,
    bathroom in back of kitchen clean.

    One cook behind line. Several others
    on stools, doing mundane tasks.

    Don’t plan to return.
    If you aren't tasting, you aren't cooking.
  • Post #13 - September 1st, 2021, 5:24 am
    Post #13 - September 1st, 2021, 5:24 am Post #13 - September 1st, 2021, 5:24 am
    As of September 1, their original website has been replaced by a generic page, it's now https://www.hdcuisinewheeling.com
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #14 - September 6th, 2021, 2:53 pm
    Post #14 - September 6th, 2021, 2:53 pm Post #14 - September 6th, 2021, 2:53 pm
    Stopped at HD yesterday afternoon for take out.
    I ordered by phone and order ready on time when I arrived.
    C2, C3 and C8.
    C8 or lamb curry was judged the best by three of us. The curry mixed with the supplied white rice was just heavenly.
    I really liked the Beef Rendang (C3) and thought it had a hint of dill?
    The Chicken (C2) with spicy Tomato sauce was preferred over the Rendang by two of us.
    All dishes were very very good.
    I asked for typical Malaysian heat but if you really want heat you will have to ask them to up the ante.
    I have found that most ethnic restaurants that serve spicy food, dumb down the heat considerably from the cultural norm and even when you request heat, it’s minimal.
    I did have a little glisten on my brow after dinner though.
    My first foray into Malaysian cuisine and I like it.
    Note: the lamb beef and chicken were all large chunks.
    They have some Chinese items on the menu also and Kung Pao Chicken is next on my list.
    -Richard
  • Post #15 - September 14th, 2021, 12:34 am
    Post #15 - September 14th, 2021, 12:34 am Post #15 - September 14th, 2021, 12:34 am
    Sunday night's feast for the Small Household Food Exchange.

    ImageMalaysian Beef Rendang

    ImageSpecial Chicken with Blue Rice

    ImageLast bits of Indian Murtabak, with Dal Curry

    ImageMalaysian Lamb Currry

    ImageSpecial Shrimp dish

    Probably needless to say, but HD Cuisine i easily worth the trip to Wheeling. I was amused by Lyn's story that they couldn't call the restaurant Hawkers Delight, because, as a single storefront, they couldn't fit all the letters over the front door.
  • Post #16 - November 16th, 2021, 11:19 pm
    Post #16 - November 16th, 2021, 11:19 pm Post #16 - November 16th, 2021, 11:19 pm
    Sula had a really nice write-up about HD in the Reader last week . . .

    at ChicagoReader.com, Mike Sula wrote:The six-page menu is filled with familiar pan-Asian dishes, but it’s important to zero in on the Malaysian ones, particularly two chicken dishes, ayam masak kicap and ayam masak merah; sturdy, full-flavored halal birds, hacked crosswise against the bone, hard fried, then braised in chili and soy, or an herbaceous chili-tomato sauce, respectively.

    Otherwise the menu catalogs the most internationally represented Malaysian classics: murtabak, the Indian-style chicken-and-egg-stuffed, pan-fried pancake; or roti paratha, each served with a cup of curried dal. There’s thick beef rendang, its smoldering spice concentrated in its dry braise; and rich coconut milk-based lamb and chicken curries. There are smoky noodle stir-frys, like ribbony char koay teow or the relatively delicate mee goreng; and deep bowls of noodle soup such as Grandma Soo’s curry mee, or the shrimp-based Hokkien mee, each covering the textural bases with a thick egg noodle and thin rice vermicelli combo.

    But the menu alone doesn’t reflect what this little kitchen is capable of. It seems like every inch of the walls and windows is covered in full-color posters of less common specials, most of which are available anytime—or at least by advance ordering. (You can also find many on the website, designed by Randazzo’s daughter Michelle.) There’s the Penang assam laksa noodle soup, its broth packing a mackerel punch, and seasoned—when she can get them—with torch ginger lilies. And there’s mee rebus, prawn fritters and noodles in a sweet potato gravy, along with the rich Hakka pork belly and yam dish kiu nyuk. The nasi lemak, Malaysia’s national dish, is made Nyonya-style, the coconut rice grains tinted blue with butterfly pea flower, along with dried anchovy, peanuts, cucumbers, and a heaping serving of ayam Kapitan, or captain’s chicken curry.

    Grandma Soo salts the duck eggs for the minced pork congee pei tan chok, and she stuffs bao with barbecue pork, sweet custard, pumpkin, and dried bean paste, while Tony keeps tight control of the desserts, such as the painstakingly constructed, multicolored seven-layer rice flour pudding kuih lapis.

    The Malaysian family recipes at HD Cuisine are worth a journey

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #17 - November 17th, 2021, 5:51 am
    Post #17 - November 17th, 2021, 5:51 am Post #17 - November 17th, 2021, 5:51 am
    ronnie_suburban wrote:Sula had a really nice write-up about HD in the Reader last week . .
    Clicked the link. Reading on my phone, but even if it's not the case on a desktop browser, I find it completely inexplicable that the review doesn't have the address, phone number, hours, and link to their website. What the hell is the Reader doing? I checked because of the comment about the website, knowing that it had changed once before.
  • Post #18 - November 17th, 2021, 6:53 am
    Post #18 - November 17th, 2021, 6:53 am Post #18 - November 17th, 2021, 6:53 am
    bweiny wrote:Reading on my phone, but even if it's not the case on a desktop browser, I find it completely inexplicable that the review doesn't have the address, phone number, hours, and link to their website.

    It IS the case on a desktop browser as well.
  • Post #19 - November 17th, 2021, 9:48 am
    Post #19 - November 17th, 2021, 9:48 am Post #19 - November 17th, 2021, 9:48 am
    I just came here to say the same thing. No link or address that I could find. Not that it's a problem to find the info here or online, but it's odd for a restaurant review.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #20 - November 17th, 2021, 9:57 am
    Post #20 - November 17th, 2021, 9:57 am Post #20 - November 17th, 2021, 9:57 am
    nsxtasy wrote:This is a report on our LTH North Lunch Group lunch today.

    You had me at Add Duck Egg!

    click to enlarge
    Image

    Duck eggs, count me a Fan!
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #21 - November 17th, 2021, 12:35 pm
    Post #21 - November 17th, 2021, 12:35 pm Post #21 - November 17th, 2021, 12:35 pm
    *Sigh*

    Image

    I really wish people wouldn't invoke LTH when interacting with restaurants. It's simply not good practice.

    Thanks,

    =R=
    for the Moderators
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #22 - November 17th, 2021, 12:59 pm
    Post #22 - November 17th, 2021, 12:59 pm Post #22 - November 17th, 2021, 12:59 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:*Sigh*

    Image

    I really wish people wouldn't invoke LTH when interacting with restaurants. It's simply not good practice.

    Thanks,

    =R=
    for the Moderators

    Ron FYI = I didn’t “invoke LTH” when I made the reservation. I assume they overheard our conversation during lunch.
    Last edited by Dave148 on November 17th, 2021, 3:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #23 - November 17th, 2021, 1:44 pm
    Post #23 - November 17th, 2021, 1:44 pm Post #23 - November 17th, 2021, 1:44 pm
    I just noticed something: If you search Google Maps for HD Cuisine, it provides the following link: https://www.hdcuisinewheeling.com/. The Menu link on that page takes you to an online ordering interface, with no photos or descriptions. Okay, but kind of annoying. Practically nothing else on that website except the address and phone number. If this is the online face of the restaurant, it's unimpressive to say the least.

    Then I reread this thread and followed the link posted: https://www.hdcuisine.com/, which is the (much more attractive and informative) actual website of the restaurant. Click on the Menu link on that page, and it takes you to an actual page of menu items, photos, and descriptions. That's what I was looking for. (p.s., If you click on the Order Online link on the restaurant's website, it takes you to an online ordering interface, but it's not the same one that Google Maps sends you to.)

    I assume this is not unique to HD Cuisine and so maybe is a conversation for another thread (Today's discovery? Restaurants in the era of social distancing?). I'm just surprised to discover that Google Maps is apparently providing links that redirect people to online ordering interfaces rather than actual restaurant websites. I wonder how many times I've fallen for this in the past. Do the restaurants consent to this? Maybe so. Maybe they have no say in the matter. My gripe here, just to be clear, is with Google Maps, not with this HD Cuisine or any other restaurant.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #24 - November 17th, 2021, 2:07 pm
    Post #24 - November 17th, 2021, 2:07 pm Post #24 - November 17th, 2021, 2:07 pm
    Katie wrote:I just noticed something: If you search Google Maps for HD Cuisine, it provides the following link: https://www.hdcuisinewheeling.com/. The Menu link on that page takes you to an online ordering interface, with no photos or descriptions. Okay, but kind of annoying. Practically nothing else on that website except the address and phone number. If this is the online face of the restaurant, it's unimpressive to say the least.

    Then I reread this thread and followed the link posted: https://www.hdcuisine.com/, which is the (much more attractive and informative) actual website of the restaurant. Click on the Menu link on that page, and it takes you to an actual page of menu items, photos, and descriptions. That's what I was looking for. (p.s., If you click on the Order Online link on the restaurant's website, it takes you to an online ordering interface, but it's not the same one that Google Maps sends you to.)

    I assume this is not unique to HD Cuisine and so maybe is a conversation for another thread (Today's discovery? Restaurants in the era of social distancing?). I'm just surprised to discover that Google Maps is apparently providing links that redirect people to online ordering interfaces rather than actual restaurant websites. I wonder how many times I've fallen for this in the past. Do the restaurants consent to this? Maybe so. Maybe they have no say in the matter. My gripe here, just to be clear, is with Google Maps, not with this HD Cuisine or any other restaurant.


    More likely than not, a data broker associated with an ordering platform updated Google Maps. If a business has not taken ownership of their listing on Google Maps, any information can be overwritten if it passes muster with moderators. It's a system designed to keep listing information current, but can be abused if the business owners are not aware.
  • Post #25 - November 17th, 2021, 2:22 pm
    Post #25 - November 17th, 2021, 2:22 pm Post #25 - November 17th, 2021, 2:22 pm
    Katie wrote:I'm just surprised to discover that Google Maps is apparently providing links that redirect people to online ordering interfaces rather than actual restaurant websites. I wonder how many times I've fallen for this in the past. Do the restaurants consent to this? Maybe so. Maybe they have no say in the matter. My gripe here, just to be clear, is with Google Maps, not with this HD Cuisine or any other restaurant.
    This makes the Reader's failure to provide the actual website more egregious. They're actively facilitating ignorance that then lets the middlemen swoop in and eat at the restaurant's revenue. One step forward with a positive review (which is earned by the restaurant's product, not a gift), two steps back by omitting key details. Really disappointing.
  • Post #26 - November 17th, 2021, 2:54 pm
    Post #26 - November 17th, 2021, 2:54 pm Post #26 - November 17th, 2021, 2:54 pm
    Sula writes a lengthy article about a suburban restaurant that very few people know about, and dude complains about something that takes 30 seconds to find online. That's some good stuff
  • Post #27 - November 17th, 2021, 3:01 pm
    Post #27 - November 17th, 2021, 3:01 pm Post #27 - November 17th, 2021, 3:01 pm
    WhyBeeSea wrote:Sula writes a lengthy article about a suburban restaurant that very few people know about, and dude complains about something that takes 30 seconds to find online. That's some good stuff
    The fact a poster has shown that the online search leads a prospective customer to a 3rd party ordering platform instead of the restaurant's own website, that's praised in the article itself, shows how ignorant your condescending comment is.

    And it isn't a criticism of Sula, because it's rare that he would be responsible for it instead of an editor.
  • Post #28 - November 18th, 2021, 5:56 pm
    Post #28 - November 18th, 2021, 5:56 pm Post #28 - November 18th, 2021, 5:56 pm
    The article has been updated to include address, phone and link to restaurant's own website (hdcuisine, as opposed to hdcuisinewheeling which is the 3rd party listed on Google). They have several specials (unclear if all/some are Fri-Sun only) on their own website. https://www.hdcuisine.com/
  • Post #29 - December 12th, 2021, 5:39 am
    Post #29 - December 12th, 2021, 5:39 am Post #29 - December 12th, 2021, 5:39 am
    Dinner from the new Malaysian hotness HD Cuisine in Wheeling. Neighbor grew up in Singapore so was enthused at the thought of Malaysian. Add positive LTH reviews plus Mike Sula, of the Chicago Reader, glowing review and we were in for a treat. In a nutshell, fantastic meal, though 45-minutes in light traffic is a downside.

    Delicious food, friendly people, tip-top value, looking forward to another meal. Take out expertly packed and there are at least two more meals leftover. HD Cuisine, count me a Fan!

    click to enlarge
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    HD Cuisine, count me a Fan!
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #30 - December 12th, 2021, 4:47 pm
    Post #30 - December 12th, 2021, 4:47 pm Post #30 - December 12th, 2021, 4:47 pm
    polster wrote:go to HD Cuisine if you like it spicy to ask for their homemade chili oil/hot sauce

    I meant to thank you for the suggestion. HD’s chili oil is terrific. Roasty, spicy, deep flavor.

    I also wanted to comment on the broccoli. I saw in Ronnie’s post he ordered it. When I took a bite I thought “right up Ronnie’s alley”
    And it was delicious. As were the green beans.
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow

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