For the night that went wrong, Amy Ruth’s was the perfect way to get us back on track. The fun and friendly atmosphere had smiles back on the faces of tired and frustrated group trying to make their way home at 11:30pm.

As for the food, I enjoyed the smothered chicken and waffles. I received a hunk of chicken (a very large breast, wing, and some something else) that had been dipped in gravy. Although the extremely garlicky brown gravy did not allow me to enjoy the crispiness of the fried chicken, I was impressed with its unique taste.

This was my first attempt at the chicken and waffles combination. It hasn’t won me over, but I’ll definitely try it and Amy Ruth’s again.

Having been told that it is hard to find good Mexican food in NYC, I was skeptical about Taqueria Tlaxcalli. My experiences with the “Mexican” restaurants in Philadelphia had prepared me to expect the worst. Fortunately, Taqueria Tlaxcalli surprised me.

The establishment’s interior was clean and new, and the free chips and salsa hit the spot for my hungry companions. Our waitress was also very friendly and was helpful in making suggestions and accommodating us.

I ordered a carnitas burrito as a first test. When it came out, I knew that I was in for something different. The plating was excellent with three sauces crisscrossing the plate and burrito. The burrito had all the standard ingredients that you would expect, but had a different taste than what I am used to eating in California.

Overall, I would get another burrito here, and I actually want to try other dishes from their extensive menu.

I had the cravings for something different for lunch and stumbled upon Pio Pio (aka Pio Pio Express) on the Upper East Side. This Peruvian restaurant is small, but seems to have a strong following. Even though I got there around 1:30pm, the restaurant was almost filled with other late lunch goers. Based on other reviews, Pio Pio is an even more popular for dinner.

I ordered the $8 lunch special. This includes a quarter of succulent, well-seasoned roasted chicken, a salad (with avocado, tomoatoes, and cucumbers), your choice of a side, and a drink. A deal, especially since the portions are pretty big.

To go with my chicken, I orded the fried yuca (a starchy root like potato). Both the yuca and the chicken went very well with their spicy green sauce.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal. The large party at the adjacent table seemed to be having fun with their sangria, so I’ll have to get a glass next time!

Having read reviews of this place, I knew that it was new and pretty good, but I didn’t expect a ten minute wait for a table. Once we were seated though, the appeal became obvious.

The Counter is a trendy gourmet burger/grilled sandwich restaurant. The patrons range from coworkers out for a drink at the bar to families out for some good food. The ambience leans toward the younger hip/hop and r&b crowd, but I think every demographic would find it pleasing.

Our waitress was a perky retired flight attendant who did a tremendous job making sure we were happy without being annoying or overbearing. She chatted with us at just the right amount and made sure we knew what we were doing.

This was necessary since the menu is basically just a clipboard with an order sheet. You design your own personal burger by choosing the type of meat you want (beef, chicken, veggie, turkey), the size of the patty, the cheese, toppings, special toppings, sauce, and bun. There a lot of options in each category and that’s what makes this place fun. Extras can be had for a fee. There are premade creations, a variety of fries options, shakes, and desserts.

To start off, we ordered cheddar cheese fries and a “fifty-fifty” that came with fried onion strings and sweet potato fries. I was pleasantly surprised to find three sample sauces included with these ample appetizers.

I had a 1/3 lb beef burger cooked medium with jalapeno jack, on a whole wheat bun. For toppings, I ordered roasted red peppers, black bean and corn salsa, tomatoes, grilled onions, and their garlic aioli sauce. The burger was expertly prepared and decently easy to eat despite its height. All of the wonderful flavors were a bit muddled though since there was so much going on. That’s probably my fault since I wanted to try multiple things.

My friend ordered a chocolate shake that tasted more like vanilla. When we commented on the lack of chocolatiness, our helpful waitress immediately offered to add more chocolate. She stated her flight attendant days instill the mantra of customer satisfaction.

Overall, the experience was great. Burgers/Grilled sandwiches for $8-15 is not bad considering the amount of options you have.

wow… the tacos here are the best i’ve ever had. The meat is very well seasoned/marinated and the salsa is tasty. At $1.25 they’re a great deal too.

i’m glad I don’t live near El Taurino, otherwise I’d be incredibly fat from eating here everyday.

there’s usually a long wait at katsu-ya, but the sushi is worth it. try the crispy ricy tuna!

I hear this place is quite popular and I guess I can see why. The yogurt is tasty, light, and refreshing. With a variety of fresh toppings, its hard to feel bad when you’re eating here.

I chose to get the orginal yogurt with mango, strawberries, and blueberries (not the best combination). The toppings were fresh and plentiful, but I’m not sure why this yogurt is hyped up so much.

Simply amazing. I was afraid the Iron Chef would fail to live up his name, but he more than exceeded his reputation. Morimoto’s doesn’t look like much from the outside, and the decor might shock you initially. However, once you’re sitting down and enjoying the Iron Chef’s creations, you know you’re someplace special.

Each dishes from the chef’s tasting menu (Omakase) was original and delicious. My favorites were:
halibut tartare – this was the perfect start to omakase. the tartare was extremely refreshing and the textures went together perfectly.
panko-crusted lamb chops – probably the best dish of the night. the dish sounds simple, but somehow the chops made me so so happy.

For those of you used to good and affordable sushi, Philadelphia can be quite a disappointment. Mizu, however, offers some decent sushi that won’t break the bank. Its definitely a safe and good place to grab a bite when those sushi cravings surface.

The spicy tuna was quite spicy (korean owners know spicy) and the salmon rolls weren’t bad.

If world class crepes are what you desire, look no further. They have a huge selection of savory and sweet buckwheat (its actually really good) crepes along with some other traditional French fare.

Being more used to traditional style triangular crepes, the SQUARE crepes at Beau Monde seemed quite fancy. The urge to pick my short rib and broccoli rabe with pepper sauce crepe with my dirty hands, it seemed all to natural to use proper utensil etiquette and cut bite-sized pieces. All of the formalities were worth it as the crepes are well thought out and artfully created.

A looming thunderstorm shortened a nice outdoor meal and prevented me from trying one of their sweet crepes, but that just means I’ll have to make another trip!