TheTripChick "Noshmaster"

We stopped in to Corrado for a quick coffee prior to our lunch engagement. We grabbed the last table and sat down to have a cup of joe while reading the paper. A gentleman at the table next to us commented that Corrado had the best cappuccino in the neighborhood, so after conferring with him we decided to change our order and got two cappuccinos instead of drip. While I am not a cappuccino expert, ours were wonderful and were savored to the last foamy drop.

Since we were meeting someone for lunch, we didn’t grab any food. However, the prepared pastries and sandwiches in the deli case looked amazing!!! We’ll definitely be back.

Whenever I am in the city I always head for Via Veneto ~ Massimo greets you like family with a ready smile, and will accomodate your every wish. I have tried many things on the menu but I am always drawn toward their veal, no matter how it is prepared it is consistently delicious.

This neighborhood restaurant always rolls out the welcome mat for it’s customers, and is wonderful about making you feel like you’ve come home to family! The food and the ambience are wonderful, and the service is fantastic!

Amazing! Abacus was the highlight of our trip to Dallas.

We went with a group and were seated in an intimate yet spacious rounded booth. The restaurant was packed but the atmosphere remained warm and inviting, almost cozy.

Our server immediately appeared and engaged us in lighthearted conversation while our host chose the first wine of the evening. She went over the highlights of the extensive menu and was also very knowledgeable of the wine list.

We all enjoyed our dinners immensely, loving the fresh ingredients and artful and inspired flavor combinations and plate arrangements. We didn’t save room for dessert but that didn’t stop us – we all ended up splitting several different desserts and there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch.

We’re not in Dallas often, but I’ll definitely hit Abacus the next time I’m in town.

I was not completely impressed with The Mansion on Turtle Creek.

Don’t get me wrong; I really, really wanted to be impressed. I read the reviews and sighed with pleasure, and then almost swooned with delight when I checked out the website and menu. I made reservations for our upcoming Dallas trip and then expounded the anticipated virtues of the Mansion to everyone who would be present for the amazing and life-changing dinner to be had.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. The evening started out nicely enough, and the atmosphere is absolutely amazing. However, once we were seated (we were a group of four) we were left alone with nary a menu or wine list for about 20 minutes. Granted, it was a weekend night but come on, that’s just bad service.

Moving along to about an hour later we began tucking into our appetizers, salads, and then main course. An appetizer and two entrees came to the table way under the ideal temperature. Not that piping hot was expected, but calling the temperature lukewarm would have been pushing it. One entree had to be sent back twice (embarrassing not only for the staff and chef but for us as well) and by the time dessert arrived, we were all pretty much mentally “done” with the Mansion.

I would try it once more because I am guessing that our experience was an anomaly, but unfortunately we were not too impressed.

My beau and I celebrated our anniversary at Fri. Sat. Sun. this past weekend, and it was positively enchanting. I read the reviews prior to going and since the mushroom soup was highly recommended, I tried it. WOW ~ definitely do not miss the soup! It was phenomenal. I requested a romantic setting as it was our anniversary, and the staff went above and beyond to accommodate us. The sushi-grade tuna was absolutely divine, I can’t recommend this restaurant highly enough ~ if you go to Philly, don’t miss this place!

We tried Susanna Foo this past weekend & after hearing the rave reviews, I thought we were in for a treat! There was a good-sized group of us, the waitstaff was indeed phenomenal. But, the venue was very loud and made it difficult to hold a conversation and the tables and patrons are crowded. Unfortunately by the time we sat down (we had a 7:30pm reservation on a Saturday) the chef was already out of the fish entree I wanted to order. I asked the waiter if I could substitute any other fish but keep the rest of the order (looking forward to the delicious-sounding sauce I’d chosen), and was informed that the chef would not do this. So, since I was holding up the rest of the table I made a quick decision to go with something completely different (scallops) and ended up giving about half of it away.

Third generation, way better than Pat’s!!! I grabbed a cheesesteak here this weekend while perusing the Reading Terminal Market ~ phenomenal!!!!! The best in the city, much better than Pat’s or Geno’s. Go here first for the best cheesesteak in Philly!

We enjoyed dinner at Davio’s on Saturday February 24th. The restaurant was located just two blocks down from our hotel, and was perfectly located for us. The dining room of the restaurant is located in a former bank, and the second-floor location revealed a huge open area with high ceilings yet was somehow still quite cozy.

We had a wonderful, knowledgeable sommelier and our server was terrific. Attentive, but not hovering. Instead of the usual bred prior to dinner, we were presented with a lovely array of fresh ricotta cheese, marinated mushrooms and olives. That in itself would have been a lovely feast! We started with salad; I enjoyed a Caesar presented with full romaine leaves intact and fresh anchovy. It was quite good, but nothing extraordinary.

Davio’s is known for their beef, so I went with a filet mignon. It was seared perfectly crisp on the outside and yet was warm, flavorful, and melt-in-your-mouth on the inside. I ate the entire thing with relish.

Dessert was tiramisu; it was better-than-average but I LOVE tiramisu and have tried it almost everywhere so I am a bit spoiled. It was good, but not worth sacrificing my first-born for.

Overall, I would highly recommend Davio’s to anyone looking for a great steak in the Philadelphia area. I will be back next year!

We headed to Alma de Cuba for dinner this weekend and had to sit in the bar, as we didn’t have a reservation. Disregarding the smokiness of the bar area, the drinks and meal were absolutely phenomenal!!!!! I didn’t know much about Cuban food, but the dishes we tried were expertly prepared and presented. We enjoyed it so much that we returned two days later! It is highly recommended.