Julius Meinl Cafe
3601 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 868-1857
Cuisine:
Coffeehouse, Tea, Coffee
March 1, 2008
Just as good as the first time...
My girlfriends and I came here for brunch…and the place was already packed! We had to wait about 20 minutes to get a table, but it was worth the wait.
Dishes I tried:
Smoked Salmon
Very yummy…comes with tomatoes, a huge croissant and smoked salmon (obviously =P). See picture! The croissant tasted like it just came out of the oven, the tomatoes were also very fresh and the smoked salmon was just perfect.
Petite Abeille
44 W 17th St
New York, NY
(212) 727-2989
Cuisine:
Breakfast, French, Belgian
January 24, 2008
How well can you handle all-you-can-eat mussels?
Nice little restaurant that’s cozy, romantic, and a good place to hang out. My cousin and I came here for the all-you-can-eat mussels on a Wednesday night (this special is only good on Wednesdays) and were nicely impressed with the service and the food.
Dishes I tried:
all-you-can-eat mussels
there are 4 different flavors of mussels and you can try different ones every time you ask them to bring you more. my cousin and I challenged each other to see how much we can actually eat…and surprisingly, we did very well!! It was her first meal of the day and my first real meal of the day, and we each ate 3 pots of mussels! they’ll also bring you an order of fries. The fries were also really good…but make sure you eat them within the first 5-10 minutes. We probably consumed more than enough cholesterol for the rest of the year. i would highly recommend this if you like mussels and want to see whether you can beat our record!
EN Japanese Brasserie
435 Hudson St
New York, NY
(212) 647-9196
Cuisine:
Japanese, Sushi
February 17, 2008
One of the Best Japanese restaurants
I took my cousin there for her birthday and we both really enjoyed our experiences. The restaurant is spacious and has a great ambience. You can see the kitchen when you walk into the main dining area and there is pretty much no barrier between it and you. It was very nice for us to see what was being done to our food. The service was fast and friendly…many good looking people working there, too. It is also a great place for a romantic date. Although it was the most expensive Japanese food I’ve ever had, but it was worth the $$.
Dishes I tried:
Assorted Sashimi
Possibly the freshest sashimi I’ve ever had!! The fish tasted like they just came from the ocean…
Saikyo Miso Black Cod
Very satisfying cod (both to my eyes and my taste buds)…a little on the sweet side, otherwise, it would have been a 5/5. However, I have to say that it was grilled to perfection. I’ll upload a picture of this later…and you’ll see what I mean…
Green Tea Ice Cream
the best green tea ice cream…i don’t remember how much it was…it made me feel so healthy and guilty at the same time. =P
Pachamamma Restaurant
17040 Collins Ave
Sunny Isles Beach, FL
(305) 957-1990
February 23, 2008
Pachamamma Restaurant
A Peruvian restaurant with friendly service. Unique wall hangings put together by pieces of wood throughout the restaurant. The lighting is a little too bright for us. The biggest “problem” here might be the language barrier…our waitress spoke very little English and we had trouble communicating with her. About 80% of the residents in Miami speak Spanish…so be prepared.
Dishes I tried:
Shredded chicken in yellow sauce w/ white rice
Presentation of the dish wasn’t all that impressive since it looked like a blob of yellow paste next to a pile of rice…but it tasted pretty good. There are shredded pieces of chicken along with potatoes. Come with a bowl of white rice.
Spicy seafood plate
Once again, presentation not impressive at all…shrimp, mussels, octopus, and scallops embedded in very heavy sauce. Come with a bowl of white rice.
Irie Isle
168 NE 167th St
Miami, FL
(305) 354-7678
February 26, 2008
Tiny Place, Good Food
The place is tiny…there are only 3-4 small tables inside this restaurant. Service was just all right and kind of slow, too. Make sure you check your receipt before leaving the restaurant b/c they charged me $410 instead of $41, but I think it was a honest mistake and that it wasn’t their intention to charge me 10x more than they were supposed to. So, check the total amount!! However, food was pretty good. The portions are rather big and you will most likely not be able to finish the food in one meal.
Dishes I tried:
Curry goat
It’s got an Indian kick to this dish. It comes with plenty of rice and cabbage/salad. The goat was kind of tough but it tasted pretty good. Slightly on the salty side.
Brown stew chicken
Good tasting chicken but it made me feel like it’s something that I can cook at home with soy sauce +/- other spices/sauces. It comes with 3-4 pieces of chicken that are very tender and tasty.
Ackee and salty fish
Never had ackee before and have a rather good impression of it after eating it. It looked like duck liver (but much much brighter…it’s actually yellow) and tasted buttery. Salty fish…a little too salty but goes well with white rice. If I were to order this again in the future, I’d order A LOT of white rice to go with it. It’s worth the try.
Pizzeria Regina At South Statn
650 Atlantic Ave
Boston, MA
(617) 261-6600
Cuisine:
Pizza
February 17, 2008
Did someone say, " Pizzeria Regina?"
I’ve never been a big fan of pizzas until I tried Pizzeria Regina! It’s hard for me to believe this, too. If you happen to be in Boston, don’t miss your chance to try a slice of their pizza! Fast and friendly service. I heard their pizzas used to be better until new management took over some years ago…but hey, their pizzas are still very good. Give it a try! However, beware of their website…my friend’s computer crashed after she opened their site…hmmmm…
Dishes I tried:
The Giambotta
This slice of pizza was great from start to finish! Usually, I don’t eat the crust, but I did this time b/c it was so good. You can really taste the freshness of their ingredients. Wish I had more time to try their other pizzas…
Calle Ocho
446 Columbus Ave
New York, NY
(212) 873-5025
Cuisine:
Latin American, Seafood, Casual dining
January 24, 2008
yummy yummy Calle Ocho
Nice place to hang out with friends. The place is cozy and relaxing. Service is friendly but tend to be slower than I had expected. If you come here, be sure to try the Chicharron for the appetizer. I would recommend it to anyone who’s up for Cuban food.
Dishes I tried:
Chicharron
Here’s what’s in this appetizer: Crispy Calamari, Dominican Honey, Organic Sprout Salad. I really like it and thought that it is one of the best calamari dishes I’ve tried. It tends to be on the sweet side, but I liked it a lot. If you like calamari, don’t forget to try it.
Salmon
What’s in this dish: Panella Glazed Salmon, Calabaza Hash, Coconut Essence. Honestly, I wasn’t too impressed with the salmon. Also, it came in 2 small slices (about 2-3 ounces total) and a little bit of mashed potato. Kind of expensive considering the amount of food you get for the price. If I were to come here again, I would probably order something else.
Domino
This is a dark chocolate cake with dulce de leche ice cream. I liked the presentation of this dessert. The cakes were in the shape of dominos…hence the name…but they tasted more like brownies than cakes.
Be My Guest Thai Bistro
951 Clement St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 386-1942
Cuisine:
Thai, Casual dining, Asian
January 20, 2008
Hot, juicy, tasty chicken
Contemporary and romantic restaurant. Friendly service. They serve shrimp chips, which were good and very different from what other restaurants serve. Great ambiance to bring a date or to hang out with friends and chat.
Dishes I tried:
Volcano Chicken
Best “chicken on fire” we’ve ever had! So juicy and yummy! I loved the drum sticks. We also ordered the coconut rice, which complimented the chicken really nicely. You have to get this if you come to this restaurant.
Guava ice cream shake
Very different and it satisfied my sweet tooth. You can definitely taste the guava and the ice cream was also quite rich. I would recommend this to anyone who likes/won’t mind guava.
Lala's
7229 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 934-6838
Cuisine:
Steakhouse, Argentinean, California
January 20, 2008
LaLa's Argentine Grill
The place has both inside and outside sitting areas. There are plenty of heaters to keep you warm if you decide to sit outside. The bread and the dip were so goooood that we ate 3 basket full of bread! =) The dip was amazing!
Service is pretty fast and friendly. I would recommend it to others.
Dishes I tried:
salmon
Crispy salmon with salsa and salad, which I would recommend over the mashed potato. The portion was just right. I would also recommend the swordfish, which is also very good. Try out the restaurant if you’re in the area. It’s worth the trip!
Iron Sushi
840 Washington Ave
Miami Beach, FL
(305) 532-6500
Cuisine:
Japanese, Sushi
February 21, 2008
Pretty Good Sushi
This place probably deserves a 3.5/5. The restaurant itself is really small…there are no more than ten chairs inside, but you can find a seat to dine outside as well. There aren’t much decorations inside the restaurant…however, if you need cash, there’s an ATM right by the entrance. They’ve got friendly service…although our food took a long time to come. Overall, it’s not the best sushi place I’ve been to, but it’s rather affordable.
Dishes I tried:
Tuna Tataki
Rather fresh tuna…it comes in about 6 pieces and a small cup of light soy sauce that you can pour over the fish. My friend recommended this to me and both of us thought it was good.
Mega
The exact description from their website: Eel, Salmon, Cream Ceese, Fried w/Bread Flake. I thought it was pretty good…but a little bit on the salty side. I did taste the eel but not the salmon…i would recommend this if you want hot sushi and wanted to try something different.


justin
03/01/2008I definitely check it out! I’m a sucker for crepes and smoked salmon.