BananaWoo "Chomp, Chomp, Chomp."

We were hungry and in the middle of New York. Just wanting something to tide us over until the real dinner (Shake Shack – delicious!) we swung into a Metro Cafe. It looked like a NY version of a Panera maybe? Pizza in the window, build your own sandwiches and salads in the back. About 4 small tables and a whole bunch of tourist…woot. Then again, I was a tourist, so maybe it wouldn’t turn out so bad.

We each got a slice of pizza and something to drink. It was 9 bucks each so it should have been a lot better than it was. The crust was hard and crunchy, in a stale way. It was greasy, but not delicious greasy. The Perrier was the best part of the meal. I had mushrooms and pepperoni, while my friend had pepperoni and a slice of cheese too. I’ll post some pictures, but they might do this place more justice than it deserves.

That’s what you get for going to a chain in a place like NY. If you’re in a great foodie city like NY stay away from le chains. Should have gone with the proverbial dirty water hot dog. Next time.

Diner style and diner food, that is what you’ll find at the Americana Diner and restaurant. From the tile and stone outside to the neons and vinyl inside, the Americana sticks to its roots. Although I have never been there before it seemed busy and like people were enjoying themselves. I assume it is still living up to its more or less famous name.

The entrance was filled with people, young and old alike. We put in our name for a table for two and stood around the front of the building only briefly before we were seated. I enjoyed the outside which displayed a clock and the phrase “time to dine” on a stone structure which reminded me of the fireplace in my grandparent’s old house.

We sat at a small two person table near the diner bar. Trays with clear plastic covers hold mounds of greasy, sugary pastries. A man behind the counter dumps a box of oranges into a juicing machine. We went for coffee, but they squeeze their orange juice fresh everyday. The whole place was electric with mostly Jersey natives talking about who knows what. I was too busy trying to tackle the menu before our waitress got back.

The Americana serves breakfast, lunch and dinner fare. There are a few items special for brunch which is served during certain times. The menu is about 12 pages long and includes pretty much anything you could want from a diner. Since I arrived on the east coast my diet consisted of red meat and more red meat so I decided on something not in that category. I was hopeful for some disco fries (my east coast friend told me about these gravy covered wonders), but unfortunately Americana didn’t serve them and out waitress looked quite confused by our request. Damn. We opted for Ultimate Potato Boats instead (tato skins if you will). I went with the eggs benedict and my friend did the corned beef hash.

There was a little bit of a wait, given it was busy and our waitress wasn’t exactly what I would call ‘friendly’, but we managed to get our food so I was happy. The potato boats were awesome and rather artsy for a diner. The eggs benedict were also above average. The hollandaise sauce was super rich, the ham was salty and the english muffins were buttery and warm. Served with a huge side of sliced fried potatoes. I was definitely potatoed out when I got back to the midwest.

I guess I don’t know what the Americana used to be, but if I was looking for a good diner meal I would consider this place a good bet. If you don’t mind waiting a bit I would recommend the Americana Diner and Restaurant. If and when I’m back in Jersey I wouldn’t mind taking another visit.

We arrived at the Shack on a Saturday afternoon and the line had already formed. Located in Madison Square Park we didn’t mind standing in line and enjoying the weather and take in the burger smell. It did go really slow though. We probably ended up waiting for more than a half hour, but it was well worth it.

The small shack only has 2 order windows (probably the reason for the line), but the staff was friendly enough. If you stay in the park they give you a buzzer to let you know when your food is ready. I think we might have waited an hour totally from line to table with food, but all that aside, best cheese fries EVER! The burger wasn’t bad either. The shack sauce was a little spicy (excellent) and there was just enough to add a little flavor. The burger was juicy, not overly seasoned, just really good beef. The cheese fries were crispy crinkle cut with a cheddar cheese sauce. I expected nacho cheese, you know, the kind you get from the gas station, but it was nothing like that. It was actually sort of light. Really creamy, not too salty, just the right amount of cheese flavor. Add the scenery and weather and all memories of waiting in line don’t seem to matter.

My only regret: I should have ordered more. If you’re going to wait for an hour for food stock up! Also, the food was absolutely great, probably one of the best burger meals I’ve had and I would have definitely ate more if I had it. A word of advice, be prepared to wait so don’t come hungry.

I remember when this corner was a convenient store and a video and tan. Obviously not as swanky as what it has become today, but still very homey. In recent years this corner on Grand Ave has become very quiet. Old buildings remained, but nothing moved in. Finally, Café Ena brought some life by totally revamping the convenient store into a fabulous restaurant. The recently opened Kings will hopefully follow suit.

Locally owned and run Kings is an interesting mix of deli sandwiches, wine bar, French cuisine, and a sort of Minnesota tapas. A small patio out back and sidewalk dining makes Kings very inviting and a great addition to the neighborhood. It feels like a community. This is how a neighborhood should feel. The inside is dark and modern and although the food is reasonably priced this could be an intimate location for a date.

There is a different menu for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner as well as dessert and a wonderful (and giant) wine list. We indulged in a number of ‘small bites’ including Fried Stickey Hill goat cheese fritters, lox on rye toast, and house made tater tots with bacon and gruyere cheese sauce. The goat cheese fritters were definitely the stars! For dinner we all did small things. Soups, salad, sandwiches, etc. The small bite appetizers were the highlight though. Pair those wonderful little guys with a bottle of Chilean wine and a couple beers and you have yourself an evening my friend.

Sure, there were a couple suggestions I might make, but what I hope and want is for Kings to come into its own. They have all the time in the world to work out the kinks. I have no doubt in my mind that Kings can become a successful business and a neighborhood staple and I’ll be back to make sure that happens.

For the price and the sushi quality, Tango is probably in my top 3. Don’t usually venture to Tango unless it’s happy hour (Mon-Wed 5:00pm to 7:00pm and again from 10:00pm to midnight. Thurs-Sun noon to 6:00pm and again at 10:00 to midnight. No late night HH on Fri and Sat), but there are a few menu items that I enjoy regardless of price.

This small restaurant is located on the second floor of Calhoun Square in Uptown. The place is dimly lit, black floors, black tables and red napkins. There are a few high top tables near the bar and the rest seat 2-4. A booth runs along one wall opposite the sushi bar and drink bar. You can also sit directly at the bar or sushi bar, just ask! The mood is mellow and low key and usually pretty quiet. I enjoy the service here also. We generally have the same waitress when we visit and she is always very friendly.

My favorite items to get at Sushi Tango are the Tuna Tataki and the Dynamite roll. My most recent surprise/discovery was their oysters on a half shell. They were fabulous, fresh and tasty! For $8.95 you get 4 pieces topped with ginger, garlic, togarashi, herbs and ponzu or what they call ‘Al style sauce’ which means spicy.

Sushi Tango may not be #1, but it does a pretty good job. The last few times I’ve visited some of the sushi was a little sloppily put together, but still delicious and that’s what really matters. No doubt, I will keep giving Sushi Tango my business.

Also, note they are moving to a new location with a patio! This might draw in some new business.

UPDATE: Tango is officially moved and now offer Hibachi as well. The menu has been revamped with a couple new items as well as some price changes. Also note that HH prices have changed a bit as well. However, they have an awesome new HH item called Happy Nigiri and Happy Sashimi, $8.95 for 5 pieces of nigiri or 6 pieces of sashimi.

The new digs are really beautiful, plus they have a patio too! Given it faces the parking ramp, but still, at least you’re outside. Go check it out!

The Town Talk Diner is an interesting twist on diner food. There are some of your basic breakfast items (pancakes, bacon, eggs) served all day long. Other diner type items include fried chicken, burgers macaroni & cheese, meatloaf and grilled cheese, but this is not your typical plastic plate, never ending coffee joint.

The patio out front overlooks busy Lake street. Although the area is steadily improving, the Town Talk is definitely ahead in the trend department. On the inside an old school diner bar houses hungry patrons on red vinyl stools. In the back is the dining area which is sleek and classy in an odd sort of way. Dim lights, brick walls, metal everything. Wait staff seems friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is fun.

As I mentioned, there are lots of comfort foods too choose from. The prices, on the other hand, might make you a bit uncomfortable. Makes sense I suppose, but if you’re looking for a cheap meal on the run, Town Talk is not that sort of place. I would have really liked to have tried the fried chicken, but at the same time I couldn’t bring myself to order it with a price tag of $18.

My party tried a variety of different dishes including fried cheese curds (It’s the Minnesota in me), the ham and brie sandwhich, a kobe burger with garlic and parsley fries, pancakes, and the biscuit and gravy special. Everything was above average and add a 40 of PBR served in an ice bucket and you have yourself a good time.

Overall, the service and food did it for me. My only complaint would be the biscuits I ate. Rather dense and dry for my liking. No complaints from the rest of my group though and the bite of the Kobe burger I had was to die for. I think this would be a fun place to go out with friends. Definitely has something unique to offer Minneapolis, but being the poor 20-something that I am I will have to save the Town Talk for special occasions.

Again, I’m not a big fast foodie. I’ll do the occasional spicy chicken when I’m feeling lazy, but I don’t usually seek out fast food to write about. I guess for B-Bop’s I will make an exception.

When you’re a college kid fast food is just sort of a given. In Ames sometimes fast food is your best option when you need something cheap and quick. I will be the first to give B-Bop’s credit for doing an above average job at their fast food burger. They also serve things like the pork loin sandwich, which isn’t a typical item on most menus. But my favorite part about B-Bop’s is the nacho cheese you can get with your fries! Their fries aren’t half bad either, but add in cheese and you have the perfect little snack. The burgers aren’t half bad either. Definitely not as greasy as most of the fast food burgers I’ve had. I usually stick to the breaded pork loin.

A little note: at the B-Bop’s in Ames you can drive-thru or walk up to the window and sit down at their outdoor tables. There is no indoor seating.

For a cheap bite, a shake or a way to make french fries even more unhealthy give B-Bop’s a try!

Yes, I mean Panda Express. It would have been light years better than Dragon House and that should tell you something.

I was in Urbandale, IA visiting an old college friend. While she was at work I went out to look for a bite. I was really in the mood for noodles and Chinese sounded like the most viable option at the time. I googled and found a place called Dragon House just down the street. The reviews from others seemed relatively decent so I went.

The parking lot was vacant on a Saturday afternoon. Located next to a run down Motor Lodge, the whole place looked a little shady. I maybe should have gone with my instincts on this one, but I did not.

The inside was surprisingly clean for what the outside looked like. I took a quick glance at the menu and just ordered something with noodles. The dish itself came with a soup choice and steamed or fried rice. For 8 bucks it seemed like a steal. After ordering I waited for less than five minutes before carting a giant bag of food back to my car.

Disappointing would be an understatement for this food. The noodles were beige and salty. The chicken was slimey and almost made a mush in my mouth as I was eating it. Even the steamed rice was bad. I think it was Uncle Ben’s instant from a box or something. If you can’t get steamed rice right you should probably just stop right there. I won’t be back and I would suggest you find another place for Chinese if you’re ever in Urbandale.

New Delhi on the Deck is an Indian restaurant located in the small town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. If you’ve never visited the town it is quite interesting and beautiful. However, the food culture might not be considered super advanced.

The inside of the restaurant is packed with small tables and eastern decor. They also boast ‘best burgers in town!’ And although the consumption of beef is becoming more common in India I though this sign was sort of funny…maybe it’s just me. Our waitress was very southern, but super friendly and helpful. The menu is fairly limited with a few sandwiches, burgers and a couple traditional Indian dishes. I should have gone with the Indian buffet (served in crock pots on the bar) but I thought if I wanted to make it through the night I should play it safe.

The samosas were surprisingly delicious and authentic. When the kitchen door swung open once I saw the chef and he was in fact of Indian decent. Not to say that good ethnic food has to come from someone with the same background, but in Arkansas it probably helps. I went with fried catfish. Yeah, I know, silly. It was…well…fried catfish. I did really enjoy the potatoes though. Thick cut rounds deep fried, YUM! I’d go again to try the buffet, the rest of it is neither here nor there.

The one great part of New Delhi on the Deck is the live music and patio. For a reasonably priced beer and some entertainment this restaurant is a unique way to do it. Say ‘samosa’ with a southern accent and what do you get? Answer: New Delhi on the Deck.

As I was browsing Menuism I noticed there wasn’t many reviews for Arkansas. I thought I’d take a stab at it. Don’t ask me why I went to Arkansas because I really don’t know. I did however encounter some interesting people, places and restaurants.

At Gusano’s it’s your standard sport bar/pizza joint. Located in a small strip mall with an amazing surround view. For those of you who haven’t been to Bella Vista the scenery is quite beautiful. Anyways, go to Gusano’s plop down at a table or at the bar.

The menu is limited to a few specialty pizzas, apps and build your owns. You can choose between thin or Chicago style deep dish. We went with the 3 topping Chicago style with pepperoni, mushrooms and green olives. We also had some bread sticks with cheese, which has a misleading name. The ‘bread sticks’ were actually a thin crust with garlic and cheese, served with ranch and marinara. Still delicious, but when I think bread sticks I think of fluffy bread…maybe that’s just my own problem.

The pizza 14’ and just enough for the three of us to share. When we placed our order the waitress asked if we knew what we were getting into. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but we easily demolished the whole thing. There was plenty of cheese and toppings underneath the sauce (the sauce comes on the top instead of the bottom). All in all a decent pizza (I’ll post pictures soon). The only complaint I might have would be about the crust. It was really dense and hard. Very difficult to cut through or chew for that matter. It was almost like a really thick cracker.

I guess if I ever end up in Bella Vista again I might return to Gusano’s. However, I think there are much more authentically southern joints that would be worth a try first.