Porubsky's: A Taste of Topeka History

I ventured down to Porubsky's, in Little Russia, on the outskirts of Oakland in the northeastern part of Topeka for an article I'm writing for TK Business Magazine. I decided I should order some food, just in case I decided to write a review. Of course, my experience was a memorable one so I had to write about it.

The full name is CW Porubsky Grocery and Meats, but most people just call it Porubsky's. Even though the area was populated by Germans before the Great Flood in 1951, people called them Russians because a group of them had previously settled in Russia, and the area became known as "Little Russia". People still call it that today. The restaurant and grocery has been here since 1947, and at that time main bridge to the Oakland part of Topeka was right there, instead of to the North, where it is today. Then in 1951 the flood came along and destroyed the bridge, but it didn't destroy Porubsky's.

If you mention Porubsky's to anyone in Topeka they will immediately talk about one of two things, the hot pickles or the chili. For me, it's the chili. Monday through Thursday, Sept. 1 to April 1, they make it fresh daily, which means, next week there won't be any more chili until September! I just realized this as I was typing it and it makes me a little sad inside. A lot of people like the hot pickles, but I'm not much into hot pickles, my favorite are dill and bread and butter and I'm not much into spicy foods. Although, over the years that is changing some.

The chili definitely is one of a kind and so good. It's got beef and beans and so many spices and seasonings I could't tell you exactly what is in it, but whatever it was, it was tasty and I can't say I've ever had chili like it. It comes with a slice of cheese on top, saltine crackers and a cup of raw onions on the side. I got a little slice of a hot pickle, too, but not a whole one, I honestly am not a big fan of horseradish and that's what they use to make these particular pickles hot. It wasn't as bad as I'd remembered the last time I tried one, but I don't think I'll be ordering one any time soon. The chili,
however, I will be back this fall for another bowl.

Their menu has more than just chili, and there's an entire deli on the other side of the store. Deli
sandwiches and a cold plate, and in the summer a special hoagie sandwich replaces the chili. I'm not sure where else in town you can get a pastrami on rye from a local restaurant, where it's sliced fresh daily. Please enlighten me if you know of a place.

When I was in there today, not only was I interviewing Cecilia Porubsky but there were a couple of students from Washburn University there interviewing her, too. They were asking questions about the history of the deli and I got to hear some interesting stories about the flood and the people who lived in the area who have supported the deli over the decades. Cecelia said that about 75 percent of the people who come in are regulars and the rest are people from out of town who have read or heard about the place from people raving about the food. Kansas state legislators and law makers come in during the legislative session on the regular and people venture out into the snow and sleet to get chili for home. If you haven't been to Porubsky's, you're truly missing a wonderful experience. The people and the food will keep me coming back every time.

Josey Baking Co.

This post was originally published on www.EverythingTopeka.com. Check out the website for information about what's going on in Topeka. 

A cute little bakery recently popped up in Westboro in the little shopping center on Huntoon and Oakley. It's been there for a couple months, but because I've been avoiding carbs, I haven't gone yet. I finally decided to venture over there today and I wasn't disappointed.

The first thing I noticed was the overwhelming smell of freshly baked bread and cinnamon rolls. Oh the bread! The items available ranges from sweet and savory kolaches, cinnamon rolls, cookies, croissants and much more. The lady working said they've been busy and even as the baker was bringing out fresh kolaches, people were ordering them just as fast because it was lunch time.

Before ordering I looked at everything that was to offer, and although it was lunch time, there was still a nice variety. As an advocate for locally sourced foods, I noticed Josey Baking Co. sells Hildebrand milk and uses the cream for coffee, too. On the Facebook page I learned the bakery also offers strawberry, chocolate, 2% or the mocha-chocolate milk at retail prices. Hildebrand milk comes in a glass bottle, though, so be prepared to pay the bottle deposit. Of course you get that money back when you return, or just get a new one without repaying that deposit fee. It’s simple. I have five bottles laying around on any given day because I forget them but it’s always nice when you

remember and end up with an extra $10.

 I ordered the Monte Cristo kolache and a cup of the tomato basil soup. I didn't want to go too crazy on the bread but I do wish I could have tried the bierock or even the BBQ pulled pork kolache. Everything available sounded tasty but I couldn't get it all. Even all the sweets looked amazing, I just can't eat all that or it will make my stomach upset anymore, so I passed. Everything I've heard about the cinnamon rolls and other sweet treats has been positive, though.

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The Monte Cristo kolache was sprinkled with powdered sugar and stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese. Served on the size was a little cup of jalapeno raspberry jelly that had a nice kick to it because there's little chunks of jalapenos throughout it. The bread was soft and fluffy but nice and crusty on the bottom, not soggy. I loved it, and the jelly had just enough spiciness that it wasn't overpowering and went smoothly with the powdered sugar and Swiss cheese.

The tomato soup was chunky and seasoned just right. I love it when there are chunks of tomato and not completely smooth. I love texture.

My only complaint is that my schedule doesn’t mesh well with theirs and most of the time I have driven by, they are closed. But, it’s a small, locally owned business and a bakery. Usually bakeries close after noon, but at least these guys stay open until 5 p.m. most days except Saturday when they close at noon.

I’m excited to return and try the other pastries, but slowly, so it’s going to take awhile because there are so many varieties to choose from. I hear the cinnamon rolls are amazing and they’re huge.

Here's a direct link to my post on Everything Topeka, http://everythingtopeka.com/the-topeka-newsletter/667-experience-restaurants-with-tricia. 

A Taste of Lawrence: Ramen Bowls

 Ramen Bowls is my new favorite restaurant in Lawrence. I've been there twice in the past month and I want to return as soon as possible.

Chicken and Kimchi Tacos

Located on 10th Street in between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Ramen Bowls is in a two-story building with tight space. Downstairs is the kitchen and two small tables that can be scooched together to make a six-top. Upstairs are more tables and a small waitress station, and it's really more of a loft than an upstairs because there is a railing and it opens up and you can see downstairs. If you get there when it's busy, you may have a waiting period but it's worth it. We waited for 30 minutes the first time we went because we had four people, but we just went across to the Replay Lounge and had a drink. The host texts you when your table is ready so it was convenient, too.

The menu consists of traditional ramen bowls, modern ramen bowls, fried rice and dumplings.

For an appetizer we ordered the Chicken and Kimchi Tacos, soft, flour tacos stuffed with braised chicken, kimchi, micro greens and bread and butter pickles. The sweetness of the pickles and the spiciness of the red pepper aioli and the tanginess of the kimchi go together perfectly. The micro greens were a nice texture. I could just order these tacos as lunch someday, but I had to save room for my noodle soup, as this was just an appetizer.

For my entree I ordered the Goddess Bowl, which could be a vegan dish but instead of tofu I asked

Goddess Bowl

for chicken. I'm just not a fan of tofu. It's something about the texture, and sometimes it doesn't have much flavor. Other than the tofu, or the chicken in my case, there is half an avocado, somen noodles, mushroom miso broth, spinach, Napa cabbage, scallions, local micro-greens and roasted red pepper aioli. When the bowl comes out, the cabbage and other veggies are are just kinda piled on top of the noodles and broth so everything is nice and fresh. The broth is always piping hot so the cabbage wilts down and the scallions soften up quickly. The red pepper aioli has a little spice to it so it gives the noodles a nice kick.

My favorite dish is basically a bowl of fried rice. The Hawaiian fried rice is amazing and I wish I could make it myself so I could just make it for dinner every night of the week. It may sound weird at first, but once you try it you will jump on board with me and never look back. It's called the Hawaiian fried rice because it has pineapple, fried Spam, peas and carrots in it. The Spam is salty and seared crisp and the pineapple is sweet. The rice is fried just right and it's perfectly fluffy so you can scoop up nice sized bites onto your chopsticks.

Hawaiian Fried Rice

If you're not one for Spam, which I realize there are some of you out there, there are various types of fried rice on the menu and you don't have to get the Hawaiian variety. I'm sure those fried rices are tasty, too, I just haven't tried them because I always want the Hawaiian rice.

I can't wait to get back to this place. I just wish there was a location available in Topeka so I didn't have to drive all the way to Lawrence. Still, it's worth the drive and the possible wait time for a table.

Tequila's Mexican Restaurant in North Topeka

I work at a local bar part time and I've been hearing regular customers talk about the new Mexican place near the cloverleaf on North Topeka Blvd. I had to go see what they were talking about because half of them don't even know the name of the place, just that it's new and it has Mexican food. The name of the place is Tequila's and they have an original location in the Brookwood Shopping Center on 29th Street. I have never been to that location so this is my first Tequila's experience.

I went at lunch and I believe they had just opened their doors because there was nobody else in there, but after about 20 minutes the lunch crowd showed up.

The place is large and open with booths along the sides and tables set up in the middle. The bar is in the back corner and looks to be fully stocked. There are a few chairs at the bar so people can sit there and drink, eat and watch sports. We sat in a booth.

I started off with some guacamole as an appetizer. Avocados are one of my favorite foods and so guac is definitely up there in the top 10 so I always order it when at a Mexican restaurant. This guac was good, I enjoyed it but it did need a little salt and maybe some more cilantro. The chips always came out warm and fresh with lots of salt on them so that helped but I still found myself sprinkling a little in the guac itself.

For my entree I ordered the Chef's Special Enchiladas with two over-easy eggs on top and it comes

Chef's Special Enchiladas

with rice and beans. It is $2 added for the fried eggs, but I think that still put my entire meal around $9, so I went with it. I wish the eggs would have been runnier as they were cooked more over-hard than easy, even an over medium would have sufficed. I think maybe their grill was too hot for an over easy egg because it was pretty browned. The meal was tasty, although I felt everything needed a little more seasoning, like each item was lacking something. That being said, I still ate my meal until I was full because it was good, just not "special" as the name of the item promised.

The enchiladas were made with corn tortillas, ground beef and red sauce. It was served with rice and beans. For lunch the portion was a little large, but I could see it being just right for dinner.

The atmosphere and waitstaff were friendly and inviting and the food was good. I've heard a lot of positive things about the food, maybe it just wasn't my personal favorite. Everyone in this town has their favorite Mexican spot because there are so many of them; not everyone can agree.  I'd still recommend checking it out for yourself.

Wing Fling 2016

My father in law won tickets to the Wing Fling at the Expocentre and I ended up with them, lucky me. All you can eat wings from eleven restaurants in Topeka on a Saturday sounded perfect to me.

When I walked in, the person at the door handed me a cardboard drink carrier, like the ones you get at McDonald's. That way you can just sit your container of wings in the holder and it makes it easier to carry around with one hand. I thought it was a clever idea. The guy also handed me a red ticket for voting so I could vote for my favorite wings at the end.

Mike's Bar & Grill, BBQ wing

I hit three booths first, Henry T's, Mike's Bar and Grill and the Pallette Restaurant. I've been to Henry T's many times and had their wings and they're always good.  The wings that stood out to me the most was their Christmas wings. The sauce seemed to be like a chocolate cinnamon flavor. It was more of a dessert or sweet flavor, and it was good, but when I want to eat wings, I want savory. I did like the flavor, though and the wings were juicy.

Mike's Bar and Grill had my favorite barbecue flavored wings in the whole place. Although they had my favorite barbecue wing, they still weren't my favorite wings of the whole day. The sauce was sweet and tangy and I believe they make their sauce. I went back for another one, and it was the only wing I had seconds of.

The Palette Restaurant had chicken and waffles wings. Interesting and they were served with whipped cream. Maybe I would have liked them a little more if there hadn't been so much breading on it, but the flavor was good. There was just too much breading and it made it hard to get to the meat on the drumstick. My sister in law really liked it though and she said she would eat more of them. So, it just wasn't my preference because I haven't been eating much bread or breaded foods.

Next, we went to The Burger Stand and HHB BBQ booths. The Burger Stand had an interesting take on

The Burger Stand serving up
 their PB&J wings

peanut butter and jelly. The peanut butter wing was my favorite of the two because it was like a Thai peanut sauce which was a little sweet but not too much. I love peanut sauce. The jelly, however, was not my favorite. It was sweet and extremely spicy. I tasted the sauce and knew immediately it was going to be spicy, but I still insisted on trying it. I could only take one bite and it was enough for me. I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to spicy foods so I was done.

My favorite wing of the entire day came from HHB BBQ. Their Strawbenero wing was the belle of the ball for me. I liked it because it was spicy, but not so spicy that it burnt a trail down my throat, but just enough that there was a kick. I thought it would be worse than that because the name implies habenero and those are spicy. I'm glad I still tried it despite my hesitation. It was also sweet and I could taste the strawberry so that's why the spicy wasn't so intense. I think what helped is that they were serving huge drumsticks that seemed to have a ton of meat on them. This wing stood out to me above the rest and everyone in my party agreed.  I could taste the smoke, the sauce and the chicken all together and it was just a well executed wing.

HHB BBQ's strawbenero wing

I tried all the other booths but really none of the other wings stood out to me. All of the wings were good, just nothing that I just need to tell people about. Abigail's won last year's Wing Fling but their wings were all breaded, and like I said before I'm not a big fan of heavily breaded wings so I wasn't a fan of the wings.

Overall, I enjoyed the Wing Fling and plan to return next year. I liked that it was all you can eat, although I couldn't have gone back through even if I'd wanted to, I was so full after hitting every booth. I also enjoyed being able to sample eleven restaurants at once and being able to compare wings side by side. If you like wings and eating as many of them as you want, I'd recommend getting tickets.

I'm not sure who won this year, but I believe there are various categories. Really, all the wings tasted great and I'm ready for next year.

Quinton's Bar & Deli

Five years ago, or so, I wrote a review about Quinton's for the Washburn Review when I was an undergraduate at Washburn University. My experience there wasn't the best, but I did return on occasion for drinks and lunch. It was only recently that I realized I didn't have slot on my blog for Quinton's and I kept seeing their ads on Facebook for their specials, so I decided to give them another shot.

As I said before, Facebook kept running the ads and the one about their Olympic Burger really caught my attention. The burger has beer-candied bacon, Granny Smith apple slices, caramelized red onions, sharp cheddar and maple mayo. I was a little hesitant about the maple mayo because I'm not a fan of maple flavored things, but I figured with the bacon it couldn't be too bad. I've had a few sandwiches in the past with Granny Smith apples and for the most part I've always enjoyed them. Also, it's worth mentioning that I went on a Tuesday and after 5 p.m. their burgers are half price.

Since that's what kept catching my eye on the newsfeed, I ordered the Olympian. I went ahead and got it the way it comes since people build sandwiches a certain way for a reason. I figure I can at least try the sandwich the way it's supposed to be and if I don't like it, after that I can remove items. In this case it was the caramelized red onions. I'm just not a fan of onions on burgers so I ripped those off after my first couple bites.

Another ingredient I wasn't sure about was this maple mayo, which would have been pretty difficult to remove. Luckily I didn't hate it. The mayo had a maple flavor but it also wasn't like maple syrup like I had in my mind for some reason. Glad I tried it because I actually liked it -- on the burger, I don't think I could just spoon it into my mouth like peanut butter, but it added a nice flavor to the burger. My only complaint is my own fault -- I should've ordered the burger medium because I'm not a fan of well done burgers, but this one was still juicy so no biggie. I'll try to remember that next time.

What I did like was the Granny Smith apples. They were crispy and tart and added a nice contrast to smoky bacon and maple. It was a nice touch. And bacon. Bacon is always good and this bacon was thick and crispy.

The burger comes with French fries and as I've said in the past, fries are fries. They were nice and crispy, though.

I've seen where Quinton's is now going to start having bands play so I might check that out sometime. I enjoyed the burger, but it's only there until the end of this week so go get it now if you want to try it.

Monsoon.Express on College Hill

Today I tried the Monsoon.Express on College Hill. It's been open for a couple months, but it's taken me a minute to get over there even though it's in my neighborhood. I shouldn't have waited.

I remember back when this location was the Boca Cafe, and although I was sad to see it go, I'm also glad to see a new restaurant open. I like the College Hill area and hope it continues to thrive. As a Washburn University graduate, I spent a lot of time in the College Hill neighborhood, eating at the Burger Stand and checking out the Pizza Pub when it first opened. Plus, it's close to my home and that's always a plus.

Although it's called "Express" implying carryout or on-the-go eating, there are booths and a couple tables to sit at if you so choose.

The menu is pretty simple. The Tikka Tacos were the first item on the menu and stood out to me because I love tacos. Who really doesn't? I have yet to meet that person. The fact that these were tacos and not Mexican tacos had me intrigued, so I went for it. I love chicken tikka masala and that is usually what I get when ordering from an Indian restaurant for the first time. Usually, you can't go wrong with this item, but I knew from the original Monsoon Grill on Wanamaker, their tikka masala is always good.

If you aren't into tacos, there are other options. Biryani bowls are on the menu and their Express Box. The box is probably the most popular because you choose 2-3 entree items and it's served with jasmine rice and some naan bread.

But, as I said before, I got the Tikka Tacos. Soft flour tortillas, stuffed with chicken tikka masala, lettuce, sour cream and a spicy salsa of some sort. I enjoyed my choice. I had to eat it slowly because I'm sensitive to spicy foods, but have found that I like spicy as long as I take my time. The tikka is kind of a light curry with cumin, garam masala, coriander and yogurt. Garam masala is used in many Indian dishes -- it's a blend of many spices and varies by region. That's probably what was causing the heat. These tacos were pretty messy, so don't wear a white shirt like I did. Luckily, I didn't get any on my shirt, but I did get it all over my face and hands and it was a mess. I'd still order it again, though.

I'm hoping they start delivery soon, so I can sit at home and order it while watching a movie or whatever. I think that's in their plans, or so I have seen from their Facebook page.

If you are scared to try Indian food, I'd recommend trying Monsoon Express. Go get the Express.Box and try a couple entrees with rice and bread. the price isn't bad, only $7, which is better than going to a sit-down restaurant and spending over $10 on one entree you may not like. Monsoon Grill on Wanamaker also has a buffet where you pay a set amount and could try multiple menu items. Either way, go check it out and give it a shot.