Fare Photography

2012-02-09T16:09:00.000-05:00

Royal Oak, MI - Chow Catering; The best way to experience any food truck is at a Food Truck Rally recently held at the Farmers Market in Royal Oak, MI. Chow Catering was one of the seven to attend and we had to wait in line for about 30-45 minutes to just ORDER! Yeah, it's worth it! Almost every truck had the same line, but isn't the rule of thumb, if there's a long line, you know it must be good. Stay away from the short line right?

I went with a few friends so we could try multiple dishes and I'm so glad we did. We ordered: Cubano, Pork Belly Sliders, Beef Brisket Sandwich, and Wild Mushroom Pasties.

Starting with my absolute favorite was the brisket sandwich. This was perfectly marinated and pulled brisket, grilled pineapple, lettuce on Hawaiian bread. The brisket was tender, flavorful, but perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the pineapple and Hawaiin bread. I almost made my group stop eating it, just so I could take their portions. I could go for another around of this sandwich.

My next favorite, but it was almost a tie, the cubano. It was a traditional Medianoche (cuban sandwich), roasted pork, ham, swiss cheese, spicy mustard, dill pickel slices, on a pressed grilled bun. For a sec, I thought I was in Miami. The pork and ham was juicy (so many places over cook it and dry it out), just the right amount of pickels for flavor and texture crunch, and finishing with that lasting flavor of the spicy mustard. The brisket is a grandslam, but this is a three-run homer, so it's pretty close.

Surprisingly, the wild mushroom pastie past my expecations. I really didn't expect much on this dish and you wow'ed me. It was a mushroom pate, blended cheeses in a puff pastie with a mushroom bechamel. I was expecting a flatten pastie, dry, and one portabella mushroom in the center. I was wrong, I'll admit it. It turned out to be a delicious fluffy and flaky pastie and a wonderful blend of wild mushrooms and cheeses on the inside. It had a delightful earthiness flavor and featured the mushroom, but not over powering. Excellent balance.

The pork belly sliders I saved for last and wished I didn't. I had really high expectations for this one, but it really didn't meet expecations. I thought it was fine, but all the fat was removed from the pork belly, drying it out and taking away all the flavor. It was served with asian slaw with wasabi aioli, giving it some nice texture and the needed flavor that the pork lacked. Thank goodness for the slaw.

My order from favorite to least loved:

1. Beef Brisket
2. Cubano
3. Wild Mushroom Pastie
4. Pork Belly Sliders

I will find this truck on facebook and meet up where ever they are to try more from them. Hats off to the owners, chefs, and staff.

2012-02-01T22:39:00.000-05:00

Madison Heights, MI - China Bar-B-Que; How does China Bar-B-Que compare to other asian BBQ's, they fell short. The glass case, hanging duck, pig intestines, and bbq pork, are all present to give you the full effect, but it still has to deliver on flavor.

I tried the bbq pork and it really didn't compare to other asian bbq places. The pork was dry and lacked the strong bbq flavor usually present. Maybe I caught it on an off day and I'll have to try it again to see if they deliver the same uneventful, dry, and disappointing bbq pork.

2012-01-30T22:54:00.000-05:00

Ann Arbor, MI - Cafe Zola; Which do you choose? The restaurant that has a 45 min wait, a crowd loitering amongst the tables on their outside patio or stop in a place that has no wait and you're the only souls?

You go with the wait! Your taste buds will thank you happily for waiting. Cafe Zola is a must on the Ann Arbor culinary tour. There is a reason it's packed and you'll wait, because it's good, very good.

Lets start with the pretty latte they brought out. Flavors were good, but it's worth noting that the design they drew gave a very nice presentation.

The good stuff now! The salmon hash with horseradish creme sauce. How often do you get to eat salmon hash. The hash was prepared very well, rich with the salmon flavor, but not too fishy or overpowering. Cutting into those fried eggs and allowing the yolk to soak up in the hash, creates a perfect mortar, tying the salmon, hash, and eggs all together. It now has a full body flavor. Just when you think the dish is complete, comes the horseradish creme sauce with a little bite to the flavor complimenting the salmon. You want that spicy, horseradish kick to the hash to really make it sing.

We couldn't resist and had to try the chocolate and banana crepe as well. Since this was an eating adventure post Big House Big Run 5/10k event, we were craving some more food and carbs. Onto dessert! Many chocolate and banana crepes, served traditionally without ice cream, Zola's comes with it. I would say the bananas were a little mushy and not caramelized enough, but still went well with the chocolate nutella, ice cream, and a thin sweet crepe.

2012-01-29T21:35:00.000-05:00

Ann Arbor, MI - Seva; Finding an almost vegetarian restaurant isn't an easy task. One must travel to the streets of Ann Arbor to test your pallet for vegetarian fare. I recently saw that Seva has opened another location in Detroit now, so for us people in the D, we now have a new place for vegans and vegetarians. From the write-up in the Metro Times, they have a pretty identical menu at that location as well.

As for the Ann Arbor spot, they have a wonderful outdoor seating area, taking advantage of a wonderful summer or fall evening. I tried an entree on their specials menu, corn ravioli in a pablano sauce. The pasta was fresh and cooked very well, stuffed with a nice blend of mashed corn and spices, in a creamy but rather bland pablano sauce, and topped with pumpkin seeds giving it the necessary crunchy texture. Without the pumpkin seeds, it would have been a very one dimensional soft and creamy dish, therefore, it was a necessary addition. The pablano sauce lacked the flavor of a pablano pepper and not that it needed any "heat", it would have been nice, but not necessary, the sauce wasn't very complex in flavor and mostly tasted of heavy cream. I think it didn't balance the corn puree in the ravioli enough and if the puree would have had more power to its flavor, maybe the dish would have been elevated to the next level.

I was excited to see the variety of options for vegetarians and vegans. The other dishes at the table were also pretty good, but not spectacular. However, it deserves several tries in my opinion to find the dish that really sings there.

2012-01-07T22:38:00.000-05:00

Bloomfield Hills, MI - Gallery Restaurant II; Moving to the neighborhood, I was in search for a new unique breakfast place. I was hoping for a place that had delicious, unique, and creative breakfast, but it fell short. It's a standard deli with all the usual typical items.

They do have some items that I was surprised. My grandmother use to make salami and eggs all the time, so it was a staple in our household. I was excited to see it here, but it really wasn't the same. The cuts of the salami were small and a stronger flavor salami should have been used. Its flavor was masked too much by the eggs, therefore, only giving it texture.

It's not one of the typical chain restaurants, so its nice to support local businesses, but their food needs to be elevated just a bit. The decor, oh, it needs some help. The place definitely would not win any awards other than the "Haven't Redecorated in 20 Years" Award. It's that 20 year-old diner feel.

2012-01-02T12:58:00.000-05:00

Warren, MI - Pho Viet; This area of Warren and Madison Heights is scattered with Vietnamese restaurants and you really have to stand out with amazing food or something unique. I tried their fresh spring roll and their Pho with crispy beef. While it was good, it didn't stand out as something unique or you can only get it at Pho Viet.

The fresh spring roll had all the necessary elements, rice wrap, noodles, cucumbers, shrimp, and some mint, but it really needed more mint leaves. It did lack that "pow" of mint flavor needed throughout the whole roll.

I ordered the Pho with the crispy beef. I've never had crispy beef, whatever that is right. I asked if it was deep fried, but the server said no, it's some gelatinous parts of the meat, so not crunchy at all. It's very soft and gelatinous and if texture throws you off, avoid this, but if not, try it out. It really doesn't have any flavor, but at least you know that all parts of the animal are being used.

The place is pretty large for a "mom and pops" Vietnamese place. I went during a late lunch and was expecting it to be a little busier, but it was only me and one other table. They also have a dance floor with a stage for a band, so they must have some live entertainment at times.

2011-12-29T22:40:00.000-05:00

Orlando, FL - The Bistro: Oh the restaurant inside of the hotel. Well, if the restaurant is as nice as the hotel, it'll do just fine. The Bistro is a pretty nice place to catch breakfast or brunch. It has a nice view into the courtyard and it's beautiful on a sunny day.

Even though The Bistro is pricey, it's worth the short trip downstairs for your fare. We tried other breakfast chains in the area, but they get packed very quickly and you'll easily wait 30-45 minutes. Here, you'll get right in and start eating, but you'll be paying for the convenience.

They have a good menu to select from, but also have a buffet with a variety of choices. Fresh fruit, waffles, bacon, sausage, customized omelets to order, grits, yogurts with wonderful fruits and jellies on the bottom, challah french toast, juice bar, etc...

The biggest advantage of the buffet, you can also order anything off the menu that is not available on the buffet. I couldn't believe that I could get anything off the menu in addition to the buffet for the same price. I tried their eggs benedict, the server mentioned that the hollandaise sauce is made in house. The sauce was probably about a million calories, but it was very good, rich but not too heavy and filled with flavor. The eggs however, one was cooked correctly and the other was well done, not runny at all.

I also tried their smoked salmon on a baguette. Although the quantity of the salmon seemed to changed daily, it was fantastic to have lox each morning. Good quality nova lox served with capers. I definitely got my intake of sodium during this trip.

2011-12-16T22:11:00.000-05:00

Tostada

Sides

asacado

ceviche

guacamole

mushroom tacos

mole tacos

Birmingham, MI - Barrio; It was promising to see that their tacos were served with corn tortilla and not flour, but the impressiveness stopped there. Their plating is nice and presented well and clean, but if only I can just look at it instead of eating it. Not sure if they fail on execution of the dish or in the conception of it. We tried lots of food, so get ready.

Starting the meal with their guacamole and chips. It's served in a nice stone bowl, its nice and creamy and flavored well. We thought we were in for a good dinner.

Since our first dish was successful, so why not the next. Well, this one fell flat on it's face. The tuna ceviche, well, it's not a ceviche at all. It appeared and tasted just as though they took tuna sushi-grade, and mixed it with a watermelon lime juice. I'm not sure how long it was marinated in the sauce, but the fish didn't take on any of the flavor. Not a ceviche.

On to dinner. We ordered a variety of tacos to try out as many as we can. Starting with my least favorite were the tacos I picked, asacado, fish tacos. To sum it up, too little fish, and too much cabbage. I could barely taste any fish in it. I think the cabbage was added for texture and feeling of freshness, but really it was a corn tortilla with a cabbage salad. Not a winner. Next were the mushroom tacos, a step up, a little. The mushroom tacos were better with the choice of tomatoes giving it a freshness and the acidity needed with the mushrooms. The mushrooms had a nice earthiness to it, but still not enough mushrooms and its flavor was also masked by the condiments. Lastly, the mole tacos, the better of all the tacos. I could have easily just ordered these and sent the rest back. I made sure that I ended with one to have at least one good taco in the meal. It was pulled pork, marinated well, still juicy, and served with a nice cheese on top to compliment it well.

On the side, we tried the green rice and beans, and grilled corn. The green rice was a "lime" rice, but really lacked in flavor. It was really only rice with a tint of green and didn't help to compliment the beans well. The beans were only black beans. It lacked in flavor and heartiness. It was a sad representation of beans in a Mexican restaurant. The corn was grilled well, a little over done, but the grated cheese on it gave it a little extra to make it better.

Our last dish was the tostada. I probably would have given a rating of one star, but the tostada is worth one extra star by itself. After mentioning how good it is to the server, she then mentioned that it's their most popular dish. We should have heard that in the beginning. It has a nice crispy shell on the bottom, served with pulled pork that was on the mole tacos, black beans, avacados, lettuce and cheese. This was the saving grace of the whole dinner. It was really really good, an exceptional dish. I would have been sadly disappointed with the experience if we didn't end with the tostada. Get it, you won't be disappointed.

2011-12-05T22:20:00.000-05:00

Petosky, MI - Staffords Bay View Inn; My rating was either going to be four or five stars based on the decor, bedrooms, view, staff, use of gift certificates, and food. Most categories I would give it four and a few five starts, therefore, I'll give them 4.5 rating.

Lets start with the gift certificate. I had a certificate (not gift card) dating back seven years ago, given to me by a friend. I didn't think they would honor it, but after speaking to the manager, he gladly accepted it. I thought it was great customer service.

I initially thought it was going to be a small bed and breakfast, but to find it to be much bigger as a hotel. It's an old hotel dating back to probably 1800-1900s. The view from the porch or a small walk to their garden or beach is spectacular of the bay. It's perfect for a sunset.

That morning, we had breakfast in their restaurant and we started with their sticky bun cinnamon roll. I thought it was a good start. It would have been nice if it were heated up, but it was okay. I moved onto the Michigan Cherry French Toast. It was much better than the sticky bun. It did have enough cinnamon and cherries to give it a nice balance of flavor and texture. The service was very good.

2011-11-13T09:47:00.000-05:00

Royal Oak, MI - Penn's Thai Kitchen; When you ask for heat, they bring the heat on! They don't joke about spicy here, if you ask for it, you're going to get it. That's what I like about it.

Penn's is a cute little Thai place that has switched hands a few times, but hopefully it will stick with her now.

I tried two dishes, the red curry with tofu and the papaya salad. The red curry was rich with flavor, coconut-iness, and full with curry flavor, nothing watered down. I ordered it medium, what I remember from this dish, is the wonderful flavor of the curry, but the heat, man, the heat. I may have had a few beads of sweat on my forehead.

The papaya salad was also good, but I had slightly higher expectations. It didn't have as much flavor as I was expecting, but it's also wonderful to have a salad once in a while with a kick. You get to order this salad also with the spicy level you wish. I chose medium of course and here is this nice slightly acidic refreshing salad, that has a kick, some heat, and you're sweating again! It's a neat contrast if you're not use to it.

They are super nice inside and I would gladly go back to try more and more.

2011-11-13T08:39:00.000-05:00

Royal Oak, MI - What Crepe: Are you a savory or sweet crepe person? Are you both? It's easy to be both at What Crepe? They have several delicious ones and probably many more that I haven't even begun to try, but I want to!

I started with the spicy chicken crepe, which was extremely good. It was very savory, chicken extremely tender, but the "spicy" part needed more heat. I can understand that they try to pick a middle ground so it fits for many, but when I hear spicy, it should have some heat to back it up. The crepe gives the savory some sweet balance necessary to make it a harmonious dish. I recommend trying this one if you have the opportunity.

After my friend and i stuffed ourselves with a huge crepe each, my friend was compelled to try another. We split it, but I felt overly stuffed at that point. We tried the wild mushroom crepe. It's an excellent vegetarian option if you like mushrooms. It does have a strong earthy mushroom flavor, since it's the predominant ingredient. Not sure if I was stuffed or just too much of a singular flavor on this one, I was happy with just the half.

Lastly, had to try the caramelized banana and nutela crepe. This of course should be a staple when you go. The sweetness from the crepe, and nutela match the banana perfectly. The chocolate drizzle on top gives it that extra sweetness needed in any dessert.

Only downside is a long wait, but when you have to wait, you know it's going to be good.

2011-10-14T22:25:00.000-04:00

Detroit, MI - Avalon Breads; Is there anything better than walking by a bakery in the morning and stopping because of the aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries? Avalon puts off that wonderful aroma and eve if you were not hungry, you can't resist going in and getting something.

That something you pick up could be the gigantic challah, a variety of cookies, or brioche with a chocolate ganache. So far I've tried all three of these and non lasted very long. The challah was the longest, maybe two days. The challah had a nice crispy outside with a soft inside. It's not a traditional braided challah, but still had that sour dough flavor.

The brioche with chocolate ganache was good, but not the best I've ever had. The disappointing part of theirs as well as other places is that there isn't enough ganache. There is a little bit of chocolate in there, but it turns out to be a hallow pocket inside with only a small layer of chocolate.

The pumpkin whoopie pie was very nice. The pumpkin cookie outside was sweet enough and perfectly soft while the cream inside was smooth and not overly sweet. After a few bites, it was gone.

One of their specialties that I keep going back is for their cookies. So far, I've tried oatmeal, trail mix, salted chocolate chip. I had high expectations for the salted chocolate chip, but it was only a chocolate chip cookie with a little bit of sea salt ontop. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but it could be much better. The trail mix cookie though is another story. It's an oatmeal cookie foundation, but with trail mixed in with it. this one is my favorite. I'll seek out these cookies either at the store or in one of the specialty market bakeries. It has just the amount of trail mix, seeds, etc...to the oatmeal flavor.

Word is out about this place in the neighborhood. I had to wait in line for about 5-10 minutes, but well worth it. This place is a keeper.

2011-10-12T21:49:00.000-04:00

Ferndale, MI - Anita's Kitchen; To successfully try a variety of their offerings and really get a flavor of each dish, I highly recommend the Mixed Mezza either meat or vegetarian. Take a one or two friends and split it. With two people, we were stuffed and both took some home.

The kabobs were probably the best of the dish. They were seasoned well and had a nice chard edges for the extra flavoring. The shwarmas, chicken and beef, were both marinated well and not dried out, which is so important. So many places dry out their shwarma and it gets chewy. Anita's does a great job of have excellent cuts of meats, all seasoned and cooked well on the same platter.

With so many middle eastern restaurants, there has to be something that sets them aside from other places. Their Baba Ghannouge is one of those dishes that usually tastes the same every where you go. However, there was only one place that truly made the best I've ever had outside the middle east, which was Yossi's in West Bloomfield. Since they closed, I have not been able to find anything like it. Anita's is the closest so far. It is creamy and smooth, but most importantly without that sharp tartness that most babas have.

2011-10-06T21:44:00.000-04:00

Bloomfield Hills, MI - Bangkok Thai Bistro; This is the former Rexy's Bangkok Thai Bistro that was located on Woodward in Royal Oak. It's the same owners as before, but it's not as upscale as the former location. It's designed to be more casual and faster to order. When you walk in, you go straight to the counter, order and then sit down, much more informal.

So far, I've only tried one dish, their Pad Ped. It's an eggplant dish in a red coconut curry sauce. The curry sauce was good, probably not strong enough though. The portion was also smaller than I anticipated. However, I also ordered Pad Thai, which I didn't try, and that portion size was better.

Since there isn't any consistency for spicy levels across Thai restaurants, I usually like dishes with a nice kick. Medium in most places in the Detroit area has a kick, but not too spicy. I usually order it Medium or Medium Plus. Their medium was more like mild. It didn't have any heat, barely noticeable.

One trace of flavor that was present, different from any other Pad Ped, was a hint of fried or charred flavor. The tofu and veggies did have a hint of visible grilled or burnt side. Surprisingly, I liked it. It added a new element to the flavor that I didn't expect.

I'm looking forward to seeing what other dishes they put a twist on.

2011-09-26T22:01:00.001-04:00

Royal Oak, MI - Cafe Muse; So far, three different breakfasts and each one was a home-run or at least a triple. Each dish is well thought out, the flavors compliment each other well, clever flavor combinations, and each dish was truly unique. The atmosphere is very nice and elegant, but not enough where you have to dress up. Remember, it's just breakfast.

The first breakfast was the Orange Yogurt Pancakes. These hotcakes had a nice hint of orange zesty flavor. Not too much, but definitely enough were you knew it was there. It was accompanied with candied pecans and a sharp cheese on top, but I don't remember the name of it. The cheese by itself I thought was too sharp, but when eaten with the pancakes and a little syrup, it was a perfect combination. The portion was a little small, but I guess it's better that I don't over eat. Good portion control I guess.

A standard menu item is the Exotic Mushroom Scramble. It's a wonderful scramble for mushroom lovers. The mushrooms are earthy, oily, and with a touch of truffle oil, the eggs are mushrooms are a great combination. It's not your ordinary mushroom and eggs. It also came with a sweet potato mash, which I've now tried twice. The mash is slightly sweet from the potato, but it can be a tiny bit bland. They are creamy, blended well, but just missing something.

The Ammoglio Scramble is also a stand item and right up there with the mushrooms, it's a great combination of flavors. The sauce on the eggs is tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil. I would compare it to a "salsa and eggs", but much better. The only weak part of this dish is that the ammoglio sauce is cold served on top of the hot eggs. If you like the contrast of temperature, it's perfect for you. If you think the temperature is going to through you off, just wait a minute or two and the eggs will do all the work to heat up the sauce. By the way, the scrambled eggs are probably one of the best I've had so far. They are cooked perfectly, fluffy, and they don't have a strong eggy flavor. Some how they soften the flavor, brilliant.

2011-09-17T08:54:00.002-04:00

Detroit, MI - Jamaica Jamaica Restaurant and Bakery; This is the diamond in the rough. Jamaica Jamaica is truly the real deal between the man behind the counter or the food you can experiment with. Other reviewers have mentioned the bulletproof glass and not a great neighborhood. Get past all that and go. If you're a real foodie, you'll know why once you start eating.

We walked in and started chatting with the fellow about different dishes. He gave us some fried dumplings while we were looking at the menu and said to enjoy while you decide. Seriously, I love fried food, but this little fried dough ball, it makes you weak in the knees. He was a good marketer because while eating that, I could have said, give me everything on the menu if it's as good as this.

So we started with the dumplings, which are flour, butter, and honey rolled and deep fried. At first the honey doesn't come through, but then you get this wave of sweetness that really makes it a spectacular little dumpling.

On to some main courses, we started with the curry goat. I think it may be my first time having goat and it was just like eating beef. It was extremely tender and fell apart when you were eating it. The curry sauce was also wonderfully thick and extremely aromatic and flavorful. Each entree comes with a fried dumpling, plantains, rice and beans. Of course the fried plantains were so perfectly oily and sweet, just fantastic.

Course two, oxtail. This is my first as well and as I can't say there is a ton of meat on it, you get the meat on the bone, and it just doesn't fall off the bone being so tender, it almost melts in your mouth. It does have a slightly meatier taste than the goat, but still very very good.

Last entree, the jerk chicken. Now we're really talking. Pow, the smell hits you and you dive in. This is the dish right here that I've been waiting for. It's also extremely tender and the flavor just isn't on the skin where the spices are, it's through the meat so you know it's been marinated in it for some time. It will leave this wonderful flavor that really makes you say that it was the best dish.

With all these dishes, we also had the traditional bread, roti, with it. Use the roti with your hands to scoop up any rice and beans, curry sauce, anything. The roti by itself really doesn't have a whole lot of flavor, but it is two small layers of a corn-like tortilla with spices in the middle of it. You can almost separate it to see it if you want.

Lastly, do not leave this place with out trying some of their juices. They are hand made in the morning and we started with the mango, then onto ginger beer, and lastly punch back. The mango was out of this world. The perfect mango flavor with still small bits of mangos in it. Definitely not from any kind of concentrate. If you don't like ginger ale, stay away from the ginger beer. It's really strong in ginger flavor, not alcoholic. Actually, it doesn't have any alcohol in it. It does almost have some kind of carbonation, I felt the tingle, but not exactly sure. None of us liked that one very much. For the last drink, we tried the punch back which is peanuts, raisins, and other things he didn't tell us. It was like an eggnog consistency, but not much of the same flavor. It was very good though and I recommend trying that one too.

Enjoy!

2011-09-13T23:04:00.000-04:00

Traverse City, MI - Tuscan Bistro; We settled on this Italian restaurant when we couldn't go to the original Italian place we picked. The original didn't have any reservations available and could have been at least a two hour wait. However, I called Tuscan and they had didn't have a wait at all. That's a good thing right? What also scared me was that we had a two hour wait at one place and this one, no wait at all. I think the other people know something I didn't

They were right. I would come back here for an entree or dessert. The appetizer was fine, but I had the Cavatelli for dinner and bread pudding for dessert.

The server warned me that the Cavatelli is a heavier dish, however, not only was it heavier, but it was also very bland. It was extremely weak in flavor, the pasta was extremely dense, and it was very oily as well. Stay away from this dish if you happen to find yourself there.

The bread pudding looks good, it's better to look at it than to try and eat it. It was not good at all. It was extremely dense and we almost had to use a knife to cut through it. The chocolate sauce around it was overly sweet and I tried to avoid dipping in it or any piece of the bread pudding that was touching the sauce. The table next to us ask if it was any good. I first thought about giving the usual response, good good, not bad, etc...Oh no, he saw me hesitate and start shaking my head back and forth and I told him my thoughts.

Stay away from both of these dish.

2011-08-26T14:31:00.002-04:00

(Left to right: tongue, chorizo, pork, beef)

Torta

Chicken

Tripe

Madison Heights, MI - Tienda Mexicana; It's as almost as good as it gets. Tiny little supermarket in a strip mall, hidden from the usual typical passerby, with a hidden secret in the back, authentic and delicious Mexican food. What's ironic is that it's just down the street from Taco Bell, with people marching in like a scene out of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis". They walk in oblivious to the real stuff just a few hundred yards away.

One mistake I made when I first went here was I stood at the back counter waiting to order, after a few stares from people, I realized I need to order at the cash register in the front. Save yourself the mistake.

Other yelpers are absolutely correct, why go down to Mexican town when you have this right in your backyard. Save the gas and try their selection.

I've now tried six different tacos and their steak torta. I've yet to be disappointed. All the tacos are served, by request, with cilantro and onions, don't forget to ask.

All the tacos are served on a wonderfully hot small corn tortilla, the way it should be. I now have tried chicken, beef, pork, tripe, chorizo, and tongue. Every single one was tender, seasoned well, and moist and not dried out. I would gladly eat any of them again, but my favorite is a tie between the pork and chorizo. Both are filled with so much flavor, it's hard to ignore it. The tongue and tripe are excellent exotic choices if you're willing to try them.

Onto the torta, being the great sandwich it is. It has lettuce, mild pepper, avocado, choice of meat, and mayo on a grilled bun. What more do you want. It becomes a heavenly combination of flavors that makes you ask on your last bite, "I may be able to eat another one, because it's that good."

Enjoy!

2011-08-07T18:29:00.001-04:00

Birmingham, MI - Rugby Grille; Instead of having breakfast in the dining room, how about breakfast in bed? Rugby Grille serves their food to Townsend guests, so if you don't want to have it in the dinning room, why not in your room?

I tried their eggs benedict with side of bacon and turkey sausage. The english muffins were toasted well and not soggy from the eggs. The eggs were cooked well and perfectly runny to mix well with the hollandaise sauce. The sauce was delicious, creamy, and salty and sweet. Both the bacon and the sausage were very good, salty, charred nicely, and perfect to dip into the hollandaise sauce.

The fruit was nice, fresh, but nothing out of their ordinary. It certainly lightened the dish up a bit since the rest of it is pretty heavy. It was actually nice to have that instead of potatoes, which would have made it a really heavy dish. Enjoy!

2011-08-04T23:24:00.000-04:00

Ferndale, MI - Fly Trap; Fly Trap is a unique place, probably in it's own category. Breakfast, lunch, I guess either. They have some unique items on the menu and especially their specials menu. Fly Trap was also featured in Food Channel's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, which attracted me to here.

Get ready to wait in their no waiting area. They have a tiny waiting area right in front of the door. So, when you wait, you're just keep looking at each table hoping they are done. Obviously making the situation awkward for people at the tables. The grill is right in the dinning area as well, so be prepared to smell like lots of dinner food when you leave.

I've tried their green eggs and ham, from the menu, and their Moroccan mole, off the specials menu. I thought both dishes were pretty good, interesting flavors, well developed, and both were unique. I thought the green eggs were going to be eggs with some food coloring, but it turned out to be roasted pablano pesto, giving it a nice sweet flavor. The Moroccan mole was not a traditional mole sauce. It's traditionally made with chocolate, but this was a white mole sauce. I'm not sure how they made it, but it was also a nice combination.

On their standard menu, they do offer multiple vegetarian and vegan options for those with food restrictions. Enjoy!

2011-07-20T23:44:00.000-04:00

Birmingham, MI - Chen Chow Brasserie: Are you at Chen Chow for the atmosphere? How about the flavor and caliber of food? How about for the price of the food? The first yes, two maybe, third no.

I started with the Octopus & Soba Noodles. It's a staple on many sushi menus. It was prepared with the same flavors and texture as any other sushi restaurant, just half the cost. However, it was served with a ginger sauce that isn't usually typical and it was a nice addition, complimenting the flavor. However, it also included a small cube of jello and I'm not sure why it was there. The flavor was extremely subtle to where it didn't have any flavor. It didn't add anything to the octopus and I would go as far as saying it had slightly a bad flavor. I was not a fan of that and it had no place on that plate. If it covered it in the ginger sauce, it could eat it, but what's the good in that?

Moving onto the main course, pork three ways. They redeemed themselves almost. It's served with cinnamon brine tenderloin, pulled shoulder with white kimchi, orange hoisen glazed pork belly, with a side of broccoli. Each one was cooked very well and flavored the same. Each one was unique in its own flavor and you'll want to eat take a bite of each one and change up frequently to capture their flavors. Then tenderloin was cooked very well, nice and pink in the middle, and wonderfully tender. The pulled shoulder was very delicious. The sauce complimented the tender shoulder very well and it was my second favorite of the dish. the pork belly however, stole the show. It had the crispy edge it needed while having the fatty inside capturing all the flavor. It was the home run of the dish. Now I want a whole plate of this dish.

Why include the broccoli on this dish? It's steamed broccoli with very little flavor. It's an after thought. Bad choice on the chef's part.

Lastly the dessert. Make sure you get it. It's another amazing dish that the pastry chef did an amazing job. We had the Molten Chocolate Cake with a ctrus sauce, orange, and powdered sugar. When we cut into it, the chocolate just poured out. It was fantastic, make sure you get it.

The only downside is that it's too expensive. I don't think it's worth the cost of the meal though.

2011-07-10T09:10:00.000-04:00

Detroit, MI - Neighborhood Noodle; This is a scene out of Chicago or New York, not expected here in Detroit. Neighborhood Noodle is a traveling food business that operates about once per month by special order only. You place your order in advance and show up at the designated time to pick it up. They use another business' kitchen until they complete their purchase of their own food truck. The last month was in May and it was Korean. Particularly, they prepared bibimbap, carrot soup prepared cold, an apple potato salad, and an almond cookie with a mixed citrus marmalade.

The Bibimbap is a traditional Korean dish and I was surprised to see how good it was. It was prepared very well with rice, tofu, spinach, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, bulgogi (sauteed marinated beef), and a fried egg on top. It is eaten with a wonderful spice sauce that is perfect to bring all the elements of the dish together.

The carrot soup was a fantastic puree of a carrot and curry soup. I didn't expect the curry flavor, giving it an element of surprise and bold flavor.

The apple potato salad is a three-to-four star dish compared to the others. It was ok, not bad, apple slices with red skin potatoes in a light dressing. I didn't think it was spectacular, a little more bland than I would want it. Especially the bold flavors of the other dishes. It didn't seem to match the others. The apples did elevate the flavor of the dish with it's sweet addition.

Lastly, another home run, the almond cookie. It is two cookies held together by a mixed fruit marmalade. Oh my, how goooooood this is. Each cookie probably has a stick of butter in it and why its so good, but who cares. They are very greasy, but if you like soft, very soft, almond cookies and like marmalade, it's worth seeking this place out for just this. I recommend a store just be opened up for these cookies, yes it's that good. I actually took small bites so it would last longer and I could extend the enjoyment.

I'm looking forward to when they have their food truck and on a regular basis. Its an exciting and fun experience to put in your order days in advance and seek them out to pick it up.

Cash Only****

2011-06-22T23:21:00.000-04:00

San Antonio, TX - Liberty Bar; Walk, drive, bike, carpool, hitchhike, crawl, or however you want to get here. I'm not sure about anything on the menu except one dish that you have to try, the Goat Cheese with piloncillo & chile morita sauce. You will want to order this appetizer, maybe for the whole table, or maybe just for you. Just be prepared to place another one to-go for when you're ready to leave. This dish is a home run, wait, it's a grand slam, the ball may even sore into the parking lot. Like I said, I can't speak for any other dish, I literally just ordered this, ate it all, then ordered another to go for my wife to try (but really just so I could eat it again later).

If you ask, they'll give you the ingredients for it, not that I could every duplicate it. It's served with some basic but nice toast, lightly buttered, but really waiting for a huge schmear of the cheese. I do feel bad for the toast since it has to share the plate with the cheese. It has to follow up after an amazing act. The cheese is served warm, and so smooth. It has a smokiness to the flavor, carries just enough sweetness, with just a little bit of heat at the end. It has a chipotle tangy and spiciness with this wonderful creaminess of the goat cheese mixed with heavy cream.

If I had the money, I would fly to San Antonio, just for this. The city couldn't keep my interest, but I would go back for this, hands down.

2011-06-19T08:41:00.001-04:00

San Antonio, TX - Biga on the Banks; I believe to receive five stars you have to have, outstanding food and excellent customer service. That's it. If you get these perfect, then five are easy to achieve.

We truly had a wonderful experience here and they deserve every earned star. I made reservations a week in advance and inquired about their vegetarian options for my wife. The lady on the phone indicated that the menu changes each night based on what the executive chef has available for local fresh fare. However, she also included that when we arrive, mention it to your server and they will make anything you want to her liking. Wow, ok, that sounds like good customer service. We arrive for our evening out, seated at our table (a wonderful table along the glass over looking the river), and our server comes over and immediately says to my wife, "I understand you're a vegetarian, please allow me to show and describe our vegetarian options. If any of these don't sound attractive, please describe what you're interested in and I'll speak to the executive chef." My wife and I both paused and were in shock. This means the woman I spoke to regarding the reservation, noted she was a vegetarian and spoke to our server for us. I feel like I'm in the home-run derby right now. We don't even have our food and we're blown away.

I started with the wild mushroom truffle soup. I am a sucker for mushroom soup. What adds an element of elegance and sophistication is that it's assembled at table-side. The bowl came with the mushrooms and truffle oil in the center of the bowl, but the creamy soup wasn't too be found. After the plate was set down, then the server poured the soup on top of it. I was absolutely ready to dig into it. Of course it was delicious. It maintained that wild mushroom flavor, still a little rustic, but the truffle oil blended the creaminess of the soup with the rustic of the mushrooms.

I chose the venison and quail, and she ordered the roasted beat dish. I was so impressed with the complexity and caliber of both dishes favors. They were very well developed, harmonious, and complimentary in flavor and texture. The venison was perfectly cooked medium-rare. The quail was so delicate and had just enough charred flavor on the skin. It also came with a wonderful reduction sauce to compliment both meats very well. The surprise of the dish was the pureed potatoes and the sauteed brussels sprouts. Initially I tried the puree and it had flavor, but needed a bit of salt, however, then I tried the sprouts and they had the salt the puree was lacking. Putting them together was a perfect symphony. The crunchy and saltiness of the sprouts were perfect for the soft and smooth puree. Bravo!

My wife absolutely loved her beat dish, which came along with some kind of wonder cheesy grits-like puree underneath the vegetables. I have to admit, this may have been the only time I've seen her eat the entire vegetable dish. It also had asparagus that were so interesting. The only way I could describe it was that it seems as though it had been cooked in liquid nitrogen because it was fully cooked, but somehow it maintained this crystallized crunchiness to it. Bravo!

Of course the desert was a perfect way to end the meal.

Compliments to the host, server, and chefs!

2011-06-11T09:14:00.001-04:00

San Antonio, TX - Boardwalk Bistro; The description of two stars fits perfectly, "I've experienced better." It's perfect. I selected this place because it stood out as a place for vegetarians. Well, I guess they have vegetarian options, but the real question is, are they delicious vegetarian options? My vote goes for eeeehhhh.

The description of their Grilled Tofu Salad sounded much better than it looked or tasted. It's description is: "A large Caesar platter topped with artichoke heart, fresh grated parmesan cheese, roma tomato and strips of grilled tofu". It would have been much better if they did something with the tofu. I don't even know if it was grilled or not. It didn't taste like it. It looked and tasted as though I opened the package of tofu, heated it up and put it on top of the salad. It didn't have any grill charred marks, nor any seasonings to give it flavor.

My wife had the pita works, grilled vegetables on a pita with a side of tabbouleh. The vegetables were ok, but the tabbouleh, huge miss. You can't cut up parsley and call it tabbouleh. It still has to be prepared correctly and once again, the flavor just wasn't there.

BB would receive one star, but I gave it two because at least they do have multiple vegetarian options. Many places have one or two options on the menu, and at least here they had almost a dozen.

I also didn't really care for the inside decor much. It felt like an trip into Threes Company at the Regale Beagle. Kind of funny at the same time.

2011-06-08T23:13:00.001-04:00

San Antonio, TX - Rasario's Mexican Cafe Y Cantina; I'm an adventurous eater and always looking for interesting places, but also interesting dishes that are not common. Rosario's accomplished this by offering some traditional Mexican ingredients not found frequently on menus.

The three items on the menu that were calling my name were tongue, tripe, and sweet bread. I've had tongue and tripe lots of times, prepared all different ways, but the sweet bread? First, if it's called sweet bread, you know it really has to be something else and they're afraid of disgusting people out. You certainly have my interest. It turns out, sweet bread can be used for several different organ meats, but in this case, it was thymus. I've never had the opportunity and I can't let this pass me by.

It is breaded and deep fried, similar to country fried steak. Eating it alone, it does have a gamey flavor, which may put some people off. I didn't mind it at all, but if you eat it with some of the rice or beans together, it really complements each other and the flavors work very well. It is very tender and cooked very well. I would certainly get it again without any hesitation.

Also to note, they specifically have a section for vegetarian fare. It has traditional dishes, but also unique entrees that vegetarians will find very interesting.

The place is nice in decor, clean, a large dining area with lots of tables with little wait time.

2011-06-08T09:25:00.000-04:00

San Antonio, TX - Guenther House Restaurant; There is a reason when you go to the Guenther House to get there before 9am, there's an hour wait. All the yelpers say to go before 9, and even during the week, it was still an hour wait.

If you decide to wait, go into their cafe to get a coffee and danish. They offer multiple flavor danishes, which are perfect for that hour wait while you sit outside on their quaint tables and grounds. When you're seated, you can choose to sit inside or outside in their covered tent. Outside was so pleasant.

We started with the black cherry strudel. I'm not sure if they make these inhouse, but whom ever made it, it made two very waiting hungry people happy until the table was ready. I moved onto another wonderful carb filled breakfast, one of their specials, almond pancakes. They were wonderfully sized, browned well, and cake with a delightful surprise of thinly sliced almonds cooked in the batter as well as in between each pancake within the stack. The almonds gave it a nice addition to the texture of the syrup soaked pancakes.

They also offer freshly squeezed orange juice that comes with delicious pulp floating in it. Enjoy!

2011-05-31T19:45:00.000-04:00

San Antonio, TX; El Mirador Restaurant - I arrived in San Antonio and just about everyone tells me to make sure I get a puffy taco before I leave. El Mirador gave me the first shot at it. Here we go, what I've been waiting for since I arrived.

Lets start by saying that we were able to sit out on their wonderful patio taking in the breeze and fresh air. Ok, margaritas are flowing and all around at almost each table. The puffy taco arrives, one chicken and one beef. I ate the first one, which one was it, not really sure since I don't remember, and on to the second, yeah, the same feeling. The shell had the "puffy"ness to it, but it was still soggy and very greasy. If I'm going to feel guilty in eating something like this, let it knock my socks off so I could care less about how unhealthy it is. Now I just ate an artery clogging dish and didn't even really taste anything. My verdict, not very good and hope to try the puffy taco somewhere else.

Wait, wait, it's not over. They are able to salvage the 1, maybe 1.5 star rating into a 3! All credit goes to the Chamade Vegetarian Enchiladas. Ok, now we're talking about a truly unique dish with a fist full of flavor. These aren't standard enchiladas with bean and cheese, but unique flavors and wonderful ingredients. They are potato filled, but it's the sauce you want. It has this wonderful citrus undertone with fantastic cheeses and assortment of greens to compliment it. I had to give my compliments to the chef on this dish. This could easily turn carnivores into omnivores. Enjoy!

2011-05-30T22:37:00.000-04:00

San Antonio, TX; Twin Sisters Bakery and Cafe - The draw to the Twin Sisters was the sweet potato muffins. I have a weak spot for sweet potatoes, so all you have to say is that its used in some unusual fashion and I'll show up. On this case, they didn't disappoint. However, on the other levels, they missed their mark.

This is a nice little place to stop in for a breakfast that's off the regular path downtown. I tried the Huevos Rancheros and overall, not too bad. I would have given the place three stars for it. It was average, I ate the whole thing. They would have also received three, maybe four stars with the muffin because I thought it was pretty tasty. However, where they lost a star was the Huevos Rancheros came with one tortilla shell. I could purchase more, but could I at least get three maybe? There was no way I could extend the life of that poor single tortilla, I'm setup to fail. The other hit against them was that the place wasn't that clean. We sat at a table in the window, nice view, but noticed there was food on the floor, little pieces of scraps. Ya, not what I really wanted to see while I eat. Enjoy!

2011-05-07T18:17:00.001-04:00

Birmingham, MI - Le Petite Prince; Le Petite Prince is truly a gem on multiple levels. First and foremost, their pastries. Every level of their showcase has real French pastries with labels also in French. Can this shop get anymore French? No, because there's more to convince you. How about the French daily made bread behind the counter? Want more evidence? Lastly, when the owners come out from the back room speaking French, that should do it.

You can practice your French, which I try to do, but they probably just laugh at my terrible accent, grab some freshly baked bread, but whatever you do, do not leave without an almond croissant. I have tried them at so many places after here and none of them compare. They are perfectly flaky on the outside, has thinly sliced almonds on the outside that have been slightly toasted from the oven, and the inside is heaven. It is soft, moist, wonderful almond paste that isn't strong at all, but has enough flavor to remind you its there. The paste is delicate and the rest of the pastry finishes with that same delicate flavor. Make sure you go early enough because they'll sell out later in the day.

If you go, please save one for me!

***CASH ONLY

2011-05-04T20:58:00.001-04:00

Birmingham, MI - How About Lunch; This is a basic little place. Not much to it though. Its only for lunch and plan on taking it to go since that's your only option. It is perfect for a quick lunch on the go and from the name, you can probably guess when you can stop in for, lunch only.

I tried the fruity albacore tuna Pita and I'm not sure why but I did have higher expectations. I was thinking of nice large chunks of tuna and it turned out to be tuna salad. You can see my disappointment. However, they saved it by adding wonderful chunks of apples to it. It gave it some texture, sweetness, and that addition flavor it needed. I should also add that it was not made with too much mayo, just the right amount.

The other downside was the pita bread. It was just regular old pita. I'm not sure if its baked there, but it doesn't seem as it is. It looks, feels, and taste like plain old store bought pita bread.

In the showcase they did have pretty tasty looking salads that I'll go back to try.

With it being a locally owned small business, I'm willing to give it a few more tries.

2011-04-20T10:55:00.002-04:00

San Francisco, CA - Contigo; Out of all the restaurants I tried either by walking, trolleys, and/or buses, this is the one place I would happily sit on a train and bus, then have to walk a bit. This was as good as it gets. It was recommended by a friend and I'm so glad we went. It has a wonderful atmosphere, but it comes down to the food, right?

Well, it receives five stars, so you can guess I enjoyed the food. Dish after dish was spectacular. Unfortunately I don't remember the actual names of each dish, sorry, but I'll do my best to describe them. After all, we had nine dishes while we were there. Maybe someone who works there will stumble upon this and tell me the actual names.

Our first tapas was mangos with cheese. It truly was a great way to start. It was fresh, ripe, wonderful combination of the fruit and cheese. (4.5 Stars)

We moved onto toast with tomato bruschetta. The toast was wonderfully crunchy despite the tomato spread on it. This was probably the least favorite of all the dishes, not a home run, but a double or triple. (3 Stars)

I was the only one who wanted to try the monidito (sardines), which worked out well, all three for me. I was expecting a very salty piece of fish, but it was prepared in a way where it wasn't and the toast underneath helped to make the whole bite very mild. (4 Stars)

Next on our palette was the albondigas (meatballs). It is pork meat balls in a tomato sherry sauce. OUT OF THE PARK HOMERUN! Wow, was this one out of two favorite dishes that night. After the meatballs were done, I was still scrapping the tomato sauce. It was slightly spicy, just enough heat, making you want more. (6 out of 5 Stars)

The second favorite dish was the brussels sprouts. Up until this evening, I never ate brussels sprouts. This dish made me do an about-face for brussels sprouts. I now say I eat them. I feel like they blanched them before cooking them because they were cooked, yet still deliciously crunchy. It also had a lemon dressing that made you lick your lips and hoping there were some sauce on them. As a surprise, there was a layer of thinly sliced almonds underneath giving it just an additional flavor, but the right amount of texture. (5 Stars)

I didn't see this one on the menu today, but if it's not, what a loss. The next one was Pimientos de Padron (small peppers sauteed and sprinkled with sea salt). These were yummy and zero were left. I was expecting them to be spicy, but were not. They had just enough charred flavor that was complimented with the salt. (4 Stars)

The crispy potatoes arrived with a tomato dressing. I think I would have enjoyed these more if it wasn't next to my favorite ones. Since it was competing side-by-side, it fell to waste side. We finished them, don't get me wrong, they were tasty, but couldn't compete with the brussels sprouts and meat balls. (3 Stars)

Moving onto dessert, we tried two. The first one was an ice cream dish, but I don't remember what type, once again competing side-by-side with a better dish. (3 Stars)

The dessert that left us wanting more was the chocolate caliente con churros. These were delicious Mexican cinnamon sticks that we could dip into hot molten chocolate. Once the sticks were gone, we were using our spoons to dig out the chocolate. Yummy! (4.5 Stars)

2011-04-19T15:34:00.001-04:00

Royal Oak, MI - Falaffel King; I'm going for a stretch, trying beef schwarma at Falaffel King. Verdict...maybe stick with falafel. When I think of schwarma, I always think of the rotating rotisserie. One of the reasons why it's so effective is that it keeps all the flavor and moisture in the meat. When it's thinly sliced and put onto a grill, say goodbye to all the juices.

This is the case for their beef schwarma. The flavor with the spices were fine, but because it's thin and on the grill, it turned out pretty dry and chewy. The rice underneath wasn't bad, spiced well, but also a little dry.

The salad that came with it had a typical "fattoush" dressing and it probably was the best part of the lunch. It also came with hummus which was creamy and pretty good flavor.

Another disappointment, the garlic dressing. Another yelper pointed it out and they were absolutely right. It tastes like ranch dressing mixed with garlic. I usually wipe the garlic sauce clean, in this case, it's going in the trash. Don't worry, I'll recycle the container!

2011-04-17T08:45:00.001-04:00

San Antonio, TX - Little Rhein Steakhouse; This definitely wouldn't have been my first choice to try with a vegetarian, and as a omnivore, it isn't mine either. Inside is nice and cozy, while the outside is very nice on the river, it's the food and prices that lose me.

If I'm only going there to have a steak, then maybe I would generous with my stars, but I tend not to only order a steak for dinner. I mean only a steak.

Lets start with the Texas Stew that accompanied our meal. Not bad, similar to an appetizer chili. Okay Little Rhein, you're off to a good start.

Now for the Iceberg Wedge Salad. Okay, you lost me. Doesn't your executive chef know how to prepare a salad? For $9, I get a half of a head of lettuce. Literally! It was a head of lettuce, stem chopped off, then one chop in half, then onto my plate. For $9, I have to do all the work in cutting this piece of lettuce too? There better be someone at my table cutting it up and feeding it to me also, but no. This alone I would have given this place one star.

Time for a little redemption, the Ribeye On the Bone. This is a no joke steak. It's seasoned well, basically salt and pepper, and was prepared the way I requested. I also had the sauteed mushrooms on the side complimenting the steak very well when eating together. My other observation about this steak, observation because you can't miss the thing, it's huge, HUGE! It could really feed two.

Moving onto dessert, Sticky Toffee Pudding. During their "presentation" of dessert, they said it was "one of a kind". Not so one of a kind when we saw it also on the menu at another restaurant and I have had better at home at another restaurant. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't as original as they said it was.

I forgot to mention what's available for the vegetarian. Don't worry, you don't have to read much longer because it was a baby greens salad. That's it. It was the size of a side salad. Vegetarians stay away!

2011-04-09T13:34:00.001-04:00

San Francisco, CA; Boccalone - Plain and simple, the pork shop. AKA, awesome meat shop. The cooler that has hanging pork should be enough to make you walk in. If that isn't enough, how about the hand slicer on the counter and watching the thinnest slices come out. The only next best thing is digging in and eating.

You can purchases sandwiches, but I wish I could buy bread directly there and put together my own. Luckily, there's Acme Bread just down a few shops and you can buy the supplies to put it together.

I asked which ones should I definitely try without leaving, maybe ones that I can't find everywhere, and the gentleman suggested coppa di testa, lonza, and soppressata.

The coppa di testa, I thought was okay, but not my favorite. It was peppery, and most remembering gelatinous. That certainly made it the most interesting. Next was lonza, very delicate and flavorful. I would characterize it as my favorite of the three. It is cut so thin, it is almost transparent. You can hold it up and almost look through it. It means you can taste its distinct flavor with each bite. Lastly, was the soppressata, which he said is spicy, but I didn't think so. When I think spicy, I want it to have some heat, a kick, but I could taste that they were trying to give it something, but it was heat. It was a nice cut of meat, similar to a salami, but not spicy. Enjoy!

2011-04-06T23:49:00.000-04:00

San Francisco, CA; Tartine Bakery - Why take the bus on a beautify day from downtown when I can walk there. It's only a few blocks right? My mistake, city blocks, yeah, after walking, what felt like 4.5 miles, I took the bus the remaining way. Well, now I worked up an appetite. Just as many yelpers described, there was a line to the door, but it moves quickly. I had enough time to drool all over their showcase.

I decided on two croissants, the almond (it's a must) and the chocolate (also a must). The almond one was huge, flaky, covered in powdered sugar, and sliced toasted almonds on top with almost paste in the middle. I will admit that it looked better than tasted. It taste was good, just not great. The component that was disappointing was that there was too much powdered sugar. It masks the flavor the beautiful almond paste in side, the main attraction.

The chocolate croissant was also a base-hit, but not a home-run. It also had the same characteristics, large, golden brown, flaky, but when it came to the chocolate, there just wasn't enough.

All in all, the inside is very neat and I could see myself eating, reading a paper or book, eating again, sipping some coffee, etc... I would certainly be willing to try it again, but this time I would take the bus the whole way, it wasn't worth walking. Enjoy!

2011-03-25T08:19:00.000-04:00

San Francisco, CA - Miette's Patisserie; You cannot walk by Miette's showcase and not stop, little alone walk by without looking. Then of course since everything looks so good, you cannot purchase just one, I have to try at least two.

I tried the gingerbread cake with cheesecake buttercream and the second one was chocolate cake with coffee buttercream. They both were absolutely delicious with the gingerbread cake being my favorite. The chocolate cupcake was nice and moist, soft, and the frosting had a nice hint of coffee flavor. However, I think the buttercream could have had a stronger coffee experience. With that said, the cupcake could have also had a more chocolate flavor, the cupcake all around needed a more bolder flavor. I still enjoyed it though. The gingerbread cake was a totally different story and experience. It secured the fourth star in the rating. It had all the right qualities of a good cupcake: flavor, moisture, softness, texture, sweetness, spices, complimentary flavors, etc... The frosting was a wonderful match-up with the gingerbread spice. It had balance of flavor and boldness that it needed to wow you.

Enjoy!

2011-03-16T18:24:00.000-04:00

San Francisco, CA; Acme Bread Company - Meandering around the Ferry Building, owner of Boccalone, suggested I try Acme Bread Company to put together the sandwiches I was attempting to assemble. I was very glad that he did suggest Acme. They had a selection right on the counter for you to see, smell, and compare to other baguettes and loaves.

I settled on the sourdough baguette that went perfectly with the fromage blanc from the creamery next door and sliced pork from Boccalone. It was wonderfully crispy on the outside giving it that nice sensation and sound of the crunch, while soft on the inside. A perfect baguette. I almost didn't even need to put anything on it, I just wanted the bread it was so delicious.

Enjoy!

2011-03-12T17:13:00.000-05:00

Ferndale, MI - Treat Dreams; Finally a local creamery that specializes in unique flavors. You can head to TCBY or Dairy Queen for vanilla or chocolate, but when you want something good, something unique while delicious and flavors you probably never had before, you have to try Treat Dreams.

If you happen to be there on Fat Tuesday, they experimented with blueberry and raspberry paczki. They mentioned they made the filling, then made the batter mixed with the cream and then froze it. Surprising enough, it did taste like paczkis. It had just a small undertone flavor of it, not overwhelming.

You can try as many flavors as they have, but I had to stop before I couldn't eat my scoop. I tried the blueberry paczki, a pint went home with me, breakfast with coffee, salted caramel, and chicken and waffles. The breakfast with coffee was good, but I couldn't really pick out specific flavors on it. Salted caramel was fantastic. It did have a little trouble finishing my whole scoop because the salt can get a little over whelming. It's not a hint of salt, it's definitely there and you get the salty and sweet deliciousness together. Lastly, I didn't know what to expect for the Chicken and Waffles. It is prepared chicken broth, giving it a slight salty flavor in what seemed to be vanilla ice cream. The other nice addition is the soggy waffle pieces giving it texture and a nice addition to the ice cream.

I also tried their bumpy cupcake. It was smaller, but better than I expected. At first I was disappointed that the cupcake wasn't as large as other places, but the flavor made up for the missed expectations. The cake was very moist and the icy wasn't too sweet, letting you feel happy with the choice.

Enjoy!

2011-03-12T15:13:00.001-05:00

West Bloomfield, MI - Hong Hua; There are not many places where I can find traditional congee and after seeing it on the menu, I had to try the traditional dish. I have to remind you that have to get the menu off their website because I still haven't seen it in the restaurant.

Congee is a rice porridge, commonly eaten for breakfast. It taste just like a rice soup, not filled with tons of flavor, but it's very distinct and you can choose what type of meat in it. Since this was my first time having it, at the recommendation of the server, I had beef congee. It also contained some sliced scallions and very small vermicelli noodles, not much of it, just a little. I also tried scallop congee, which had a different, but similar flavor. The scallops were cooked in the congee so it was extremely soft and almost melted in your mouth. They're similar because the base flavor is practically the same, however the meat just gives it a little undertone flavor of what it is. So, mine had a slight beef flavor, while the other had a slight seafood taste.

Although my friend didn't like it, I enjoyed both. It definitely has a breakfast feel to it and could easily have it in the morning. I see why it's a breakfast meal.

Enjoy

2011-03-09T22:52:00.000-05:00

San Francisco, CA; Cowgirl Creamery - Going through the ferry building, I attempted to put together my own sandwiches with ingredients from different shops. The owner of Baccolone suggested a few places and the creamery was one of them.

I had the fromage blanc, which was recommended by an individual behind the counter. It was creamy, sour cream flavor, a delicate cheese spread and it went perfectly with freshly baked bread and veggies from the market.

They had so many different kinds of cheeses, I wanted to try them all. The only downside was that I couldn't purchase a few slices of different cheeses, I had to purchase by the block. It made the variety of purchasing limited, leading me to the fromage blanc. Since it was delicious, I'm not worried, but I wish I could have had more choices. Enjoy!

2011-03-02T19:22:00.002-05:00

Royal Oak, MI - Al's Famous Deli; Al's comes across as a pretty standard Jewish deli. They have all the right items on the menu and in the showcase. Lets see: corned beef, check; Pastrami, check; chicken noodle soup, check; ah, matzo ball soup, check (now we're talking); beef tongue, check (you have my attention), lox, check (smoked salmon for those who don't know what lox is), and new dill pickles (not noodle pickles, if the person behind the counter says "noodle pickles?" you know you're not in a Jewish deli.

So, Al's has all that going for it. It also has Kreplach soup, but when I asked about it, it turns out they don't make it anymore. :( So, how does it stack up to a Jewish deli. I tried their corned beef on rye with coleslaw and russian dressing. Any staple for the deli. I asked for it to be grilled and they said no problem. That's a big plus certainly getting you close to four stars for it. However, the corned beef was more fatty that I usually like it. It had several pieces that were gelatinous, not so pleasant in the sandwich. Even though they did have new dill pickles, they were getting a little old and mushy for my taste.

With this, I would have given it three stars, but there is one thing they do that is near and dear to my heart, bumping it up, almost everything is bought and made locally. Starting from the corned beef, to the pickles (topors), to the chips, and then to the breads and cakes. I love supporting local business and it means even more when those business are supporting our local community. You get a star for that Al! Enjoy!

2011-03-02T10:37:00.000-05:00

Ferndale, MI - Chazzano Coffee; Do you consider yourself a coffee expert? How about going to a coffee place that is owned by one? This is a coffee shop, probably borderline coffee snob.

Ask the owner/barista about what's bold, bitter, smooth, strong, dark, light, imported, or what ever you wish your coffee to be and he'll make that cup for you. If your going staight for a cup, it'll be french press.

How about where was the last coffee house you where in where they roasted their own beans? Want to ask about the process, he'll even show and explain it to you.

I would give it four stars, but the downside for me is, its only coffee. I mean only coffee, no scones or muffins or cookies or pastries or anything to mask or alter the flavor and experience of your cup of coffee. I would like something that compliments the flavor and I look to the barista for that guidance and vision. However, if you want to know about Bolivian or Ethiopian or any other coffee, stop in and start learning. Enjoy!

2011-02-26T21:19:00.000-05:00

San Francisco, CA - Sears Fine Food; In the heart of San Fran, as a tourist, you'll want to get out of your hotel and try different breakfast places. Take a quick walk over to Sears and although it'll be better than your hotel and CHEAPER, it's a basic dining place. Although, the decor is drastically different from the upstairs to downstairs, not what I expected. Upstairs was also packed and downstairs, basically deserted.

We were in a carb mood, so lets try out their French Toast and what they're famous for, their Swedish Pancakes. The French Toast, was good, but nothing really memorable about it. Again, just as good and cheaper than the hotels. As for the Swedish Pancakes, they're little, delicate, thin, sweet, and very quick to eat. The regular order comes with about 18 pancakes, it sounds like a lot, so I got the half order. Yeah, I was still very hungry afterward. Therefore, get the full order and you'll probably be carbed out while satisfying your sweet tooth. Just by themselves, they are good, just thin little pancakes. You can also request a side lingon berries that really helped give it some more flavor. I would recommend including this on them.

Enjoy!

2011-02-19T09:05:00.000-05:00

San Francisco, CA - Samovar Tea Garden; Part of a good meal is the atmosphere and the surrounding environment. The tea house definitely has that going for it. Right there in the middle of the city is a beautiful park, garden, waterfall, decent food, and surprising enough, almost silence, at least the closest you can come to it in the middle of the city.

We started with the Ryokucha Tea, nice and warm on a cool day, sitting outside, and the flavor, not what I was expecting. It actually had a sweet potato flavor, that was from left field. I could only drink so much of it before I was tired of the flavor, but it was good in the beginning though.

It was saved by their sandwich, which was Grilled Agor Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato, Pesto. Now we're talking. I enjoyed every bite. The bread is freshly made, nice and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The pesto complimented the cheese and sun dried tomatoes very well. It all worked well together. It came with a small salad on the side with a balsamic vinegar dressing, which was pretty good, but by the end it could have been slightly over powering.

The tea is overly expensive, but I would expect that since you can grab some tea and sit there for hours. They have to make money some how, right? Enjoy!

2011-01-30T09:44:00.000-05:00

Detroit, MI - Lafayette Coney Island; I had to try Lafayette and American Coney Island's coney's side by side and I came to the conclusion that American won out. I still enjoyed Lafayette's, but I thought it didn't have just as much flavor as American did. It lacked something compared to the other, some spice that I can't put my finger on.

Also, I thought the fries were not as crispy as American. Maybe it was bad timing and the batch wasn't fresh, certainly possible.

Next time, I'm going to literally get one from each, take one bite from one and then a bit from the other place and really do a side-by-side comparison.

We'll see how that experiment goes, at least I'll have a full and happy belly!

2011-01-29T08:15:00.001-05:00

Detroit, MI - Pupusería y Restaurante Salvadoreño; Truly a gem, what can I say. The food was delicious, unique, handmade, surprising flavors, locally owned, and where else can you find food in Detroit from El Salvidor.

When you go on a day that's about 10 degrees outside, I'm can't wait to get inside in a nice warm place, well, that's not this place. I think the only thing heating this place the kitchen, it was so cold, but I'm willing to look past that no matter what. Why? I go for the food, I can warm up when I'm back in my car.

There was so much I wanted to try here, but my stomach could only hold so much, so I had to stick with a squash and cheese pupusa, pork and cheese pupusa, rice and beans, curtido (cabbage slaw), and their fried plantains. By the way, this was just for me, yeah, I pigged out.

This was my first experience with pupusa's and they now set the bar very high. The pupusas are corn handmade stuffed tortilla, but thick tortilla, not as thin as a whimpy burrito. What's so unique and wonderful of the pupusa is truly the handmade mesa (corn tortilla). You can immediately taste the corn starchiness to it, giving it it's unique flavor and texture. I thought the squash pupusa sounded unique and interesting to try and I was glad I choose it. I did like the pork better, but you have to adventure out of your comfort zone and dive head first into any dish that you've never had and sounds interesting. The squash is a bright green giving it a contrast to the cheese and mesa. The pork pupusa had a little more flavor, but I enjoyed both. It's served with a side of curtido, a cabbage slaw that from the looks of it, was standard cabbage, but it had some unexpected heat. You'll see the vinegar dressing at the bottom and unexpectedly, there's jalapenos mixed in, to give it a nice surprise kick. It almost raw cabbage wasn't for me, so I continued on to the other good stuff.

I did not expect the rice and beans to be so unique. I was expecting the standard "Mexican" rice, but turned out to be a unique blend of rice, lima beans, peas, and corn. It also taste as though it was cooked in a chicken broth or something other than straight water. It had a bit of hardiness to it, complimenting the beans very well.

Lastly, how can I not order the plantains when they're on the menu. It's a must, and after having it, it's definitely a must. A keeper, a staple to any dish! They are deliciously sweet and soft. It's served with beans and crema, a Salvadoran cream. When you mix all three together, you get a wonderful blend of sweet and savory. However, the plantains by themselves is also fantastic.

I forgot to try their licuado, so I'll save that for next time.

***CASH ONLY

2011-01-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

San Francisco, CA - Banana House; Walking back from China town, we happen to stumble upon this inconspicuous Thai restaurant. You're not going to ever stop me from going into a Thai place. It was decent inside, standard decor, but I'm ready for the fare.

We started with their spring rolls, which were very different from any other place. The texture was similar to an a Filipino Lumpia, very crepe like. It was surprising, to get that instead of the traditional fried or fresh rice noodle wrap. I had a bite of the pad thai, which was good, rich in flavor and having it's own unique touch from this place.

However, I concentrated on the dish Traffic Jam. It's a dish that has all three curry styles; regular, red, and green. What's wonderful about this dish is that you can literally go from one curry flavor to another and each time refresh your pallet with an amazing new flavor. It's genius! One minute, I thought green was my favorite, then it was red. Amazingly confusing to have them side by side like that. For several bites, I was loving the green, it's a little sweeter and tart compared to the other two, but when I switched back to red, I'm sold, throw in the towel, I'm a red curry kind of guy. This was so much fun to eat. The regular curry flavor was my least favorite, that's not to say it wasn't good, just not my favorite compared to red. I would certainly get this if you want to have fun eating and playing around with flavors.

2011-01-13T17:10:00.000-05:00

San Francisco, CA: Stinking Rose - One of the most aromatic and delicious spices/herbs is the garlic, technically part of the onion family though. The more the better is my philosophy.

We heard about this restaurant who is known for using an enormous amount of garlic in their food. That's all I needed to hear for me to be convinced. I shouldn't have created such high expectations for garlic. The food was okay, but not really the caliber that I thought it was going to be. Apparently I like the taste of garlic more than others because it just wasn't enough.

We started with the Garlic Soaking in the Hot Tub, which is roasted cloves in olive oil. Looking at it, I wanted to dive in immediately and spread it all over the toast that accompanied it. Oh, looks are deceiving. it was rather disappointing. The garlic was stripped of all its flavor.

Moving onto the entree, I had the Neon Ravioli. It's ravioli filled with potato & cheese garlic basil in alfredo sauce. It was prepared well, soft and the pasta made well. The sauce had a fairly plateau flavor, meaning it was flat, not complex, or layered. it was just okay. Not surprised to say, it needed more garlic.

During the meal, I tried their garlic wine. Now we're talking. You can smell it and it has a nice garlic after taste. This is the type of garlic impact I was expecting. If you're there, you should definitely try it.

We finished with the garlic ice cream. At least the meal finishes with expectations met. First the wine, now the ice cream. It's garlic ice cream with a caramel mole sauce. It was very good. It had a wonderful garlic flavor and the caramel sauce complimented it well.

When you go, just go and get the wine and ice cream. Skip the rest, unless you ask for extra garlic.

Enjoy!

2011-01-09T09:32:00.001-05:00

Farmington Hills, MI - Hong Hua: Finally a second Chinese restaurant in the Detroit area where I can get real Chinese food. Not the American food, sweet and sour chicken, almond chicken, General Tso's Chicken, etc... Well, actually you can get all these things, but why? There's a Chinese menu waiting for you, if you ask, and "Demand" it. That is, if you look like you shouldn't be ordering off that menu.

I heard from some colleagues that I could order "real" Chinese food here. After checking out their site, particularly the "Special Lunch Menu", I was convinced I would be able to find some "off the beaten path" dishes. Next time, I'm trying some Congee, but this time, I set my sights on braised shredded BBQ duck, salted fish, vermicelli, and bean thread.

However, it took some convincing to get it. Here's how it played out. After sitting down, I asked the server for the traditional Chinese menu, the "Special Lunch Menu". She said, oh, it's all on page 1. Looking through the list, it did have a few things on there, but not the real stuff. It didn't have Congee or any of the other traditional dishes I wanted to try. I was already discouraged. Thank goodness for smartphones. I pulled up their menu on my phone and pointed to this dish and said, this is what I want. She looked at me and said, are you sure? Oh yes, was my reply. She looked at my phone again and said, "are you sure you like salted fish?" Oh yes, was my reply. The real answer is, I'm not sure, I've never had it, but you can't talk me out of this now. I'm hoping to get a real dish in front of me and I don't care how much you try to discourage me, now I'm getting it.

I'm so glad I was forceful. It was very good and I can't wait to try something else now. The noodles where cooked very well, but what I liked mostly about it was the BBQ duck. Normally, I don't prefer duck since it has a greasy flavor, but it was prepared very well and didn't even have a hint of that greasy oily-ness to it. So, you take one bite, mmmm, I have noodles, duck, but no fish. In fact, I don't even see any fish. Interesting. Next bite, boom-pow I had a bite of the salted fish. It's hidden in there and it packed a salty punch. mmmmm, I said again. Now we're talking, a hidden treasure.

The portion was enormous and I took lots of it home. If it wasn't for the hidden dishes, I would probably have given it 2 - 3 stars, because I don't like the American-Chinese fare, don't really care for the idea of a hidden menu, and it's a little too upscale for me. There is a sign that says, proper attire required. I like the mom and pops' dives that you can where you pajamas if you want and get really good traditional food. However, their rating is saved by the dish itself and I'm looking forward to trying some more traditional dishes.

2011-01-06T21:51:00.000-05:00

San Franciso, CA - Zero Zero: Reviewing the menu, there are several dishes that come across and peak your interest. So, why not try a few pizzas and some dessert. Well, one was a hit, and one not so much.

Starting with the pizzas, Townsend and the Margherita. Well, strike one on the Margherita. It was standard pizza, it taste like pizza. No surprises. It didn't have enough basil, so it lacked the herb flavor. The townsend on the other hand, hit. It was much better, had flavor and I was looking forward to another piece. The Townsend comprises of garlic, potato, prosciutto, mozzarella, and rosemary olive oil. This pizza had flavor and I enjoyed the garlic and potatoes.

I was intrigued by their desserts because you get to make up your own. You get to put what items you want on it and so we tried two different ones. Both of them, ah, it was ok. The first one we tried was the chocolate peppermint patty brownie. With lots of chocolate, you can't go wrong, unless it's store bought ice cream and peppermint patties. I'm not sure if the brownies were made fresh or bought, but you can easily put this one together at home and taste the same or better. Now for the dessert I really wanted to try. The vanilla, toffee, olive oil and sea salt. The ice cream was just that, probably store bought, toffee was tasty. I'm such a toffee lover that I wouldn't care if it were store bought or not, I'll get it if it's available. What I really wanted to try was the olive oil and salt. We saw this option on multiple menus throughout SF and is apparently very common. Well, anytime you have sweet and salty, it's a great match. The salt did give it a nice contrast to the sweetness and the tiny bit of texture with the coarse salt. Olive oil? Intriguing? Ah-huh...Satisfied with the flavor...nope. I'm not sure if they don't use a high quality enough olive oil or it really doesn't add any flavor to the dessert. If I took a larger spoonful of oil with a tiny bit of dessert, I could taste it and it gave a smoothness to it, but it's just oil. Naw, I'm set, I don't need that again. I'll do without.

Enjoy!

2010-12-28T09:27:00.000-05:00

Detroit, MI - The infamous Detroit debate, American or Lafayette Coney Island? The verdict - American, only slightly. The best way to do a test is to walk into one place, have a coney and fries, walk outside and about five feet to your right or left and have another coney and fries to do a comparison.

Next time I go, the new test will be to buy one from each and once I have them both in hand, do a bite by bite test. Then I'll see which I prefer.

In this test, American is the winner, only by a slight margin. I thought the chili was slightly more spicy, giving it more flavor. The fries were also slightly better with a better crunch and didn't find any soggy fries.

If you're not familiar with coneys, allow me to introduce two places to you. First either place is legendary in Detroit. The coney has a slightly toasted bun, grilled and not boiled all beef hot dog. Boiled dogs don't have the charbroiled flavor nor the snap when you bite into them. They are also not as firm since they absorb water. Getting back to the coney, its grilled and has an excellent snap when you bite into it, fresh diced onions, homemade chili and the flavor is unique here in Detroit, and lastly the homemade blend of mustard.

Either place, you won't be disappointed. I'll see how my next comparison test goes.

2010-12-12T08:53:00.002-05:00

San Francisco, CA - I'm hooked, I'm sold, my heart now seeks out almond croissants from french bakeries. If I see it in their display case, I can't stop from ordering it now. After having an amazing almond croissant at one place, I was so surprised on how delicious they are, I now have to try it anywhere I go.

La Boulange de Market is no exception. However, it really wasn't as good as other places. Since they have multiple locations, I wonder if they don't make them in-house, making it not a unique personal recipe. The croissants I love are ones that have beautifully toasted almonds on top and the almond cream in the middle should have only a slight flavor of almonds and should not overpower the croissant. In La Boulange's case, it was too strong. It was still good and for picking up a quick bite to eat while walking past, I would get it again. I just would not seek it out and drive across the city to try it.

It is a cute little shop inside, not much room though. The patio outside is very nice for grabbing a croissant, sit out there, read a book or people watch. Enjoy!

2010-12-10T07:57:00.002-05:00

Farmington, MI - There are lots of middle eastern restaurants in the Detroit area, but not many Chaldean places. Growing up, I ate at all my friends' homes who were Chaldean and always looked for those dishes at restaurants, but could never find them. I had to start wondering why?

New Saharas and the one in oak park both have Chaldean dishes that are not on the menu. In this case, what I came for, kari, which looks like tomato soup in the picture. As a kid, my friend's mom would make rice and kari in the morning and it sat on the stove all day for whenever you wanted it. Kari is a stew of tomato sauce, curry, and potatoes. I'm sure so much more, but that's the basics. Well, this version didn't disappoint. I was prepared to lick the bowl.

The falaffal was good too, not the best I've ever had, but not bad. The other highlight you'll want to make sure you try is their ranch dressing. I know, you're saying, ranch so what. They make it in house and it has some tangyness not typical for ranch. Its very good and I almost finished the little dixie cup when I typically never finish any dressing. Its also tasty dipping your bread in too.

Lastly, if your in the mood for a delicious heart attack, try the cream chop. Wow is it good. Its pounded and flattened steak or chicken then deep fried. Its delicious.

Service is good and the bread is prepared in the stone oven on the premises.

2010-12-04T23:09:00.000-05:00

San Francisco, CA - Hotel restaurants, most of the time, you hate them. They are convenient, but really, it's hotel food, not fine dining. However, sometimes it's really easy to decide to try it when you just arrive and you really don't know the city yet. Ducca's is just this situation.

Alright, lets try it. Well, for the rest of the week, you can guess that I was finding all kinds of other breakfast places. I tried their "Breakfast Buffet", looks average to decent. Lets see if they'll knock my socks off because it better for the price the buffet, it better be fantastic. From the star rating I gave it, you can guess that it did not do that.

Lets start with the positive feedback. Service was very good, very attentive, welcoming, and warm. Food, well, it was food. That's really it. The only component that I thought was delicious, was their french toast. That was the best part, not worth the cost of the buffet, but still it was very good. They were very large slices of cinnamon raisin bread with a soft egg flavor, but not overpowering. I would certainly order that again. The only other item that was helping to add worth to the buffet was having lox. I'll load up on that with any opportunity.

The biggest negative feedback is that the rest of the items are just average. The meats, eggs, etc... could have been ones that you found on the buffet at Big Boys for a third the cost.

Just get the french toast, that would be worth going. Enjoy!

2010-11-25T22:29:00.000-05:00

San Francisco, CA - When you're looking for beef jerky, the only kind I try to stick with is fresh meat that's dehydrated and prepared by the butcher on site. I don't waste my time or money on packaged kinds. Now I do make exceptions and as I was walking through the Ferry Building in SF, I passed this meat company and based on the varieties and freshness of the meats in the window, I thought I could try this place.

They gave me the bad news that the only jerky they had was in the package, I almost said, thanks, but not interested, but even the pieces in the prepackage looked decent, similar to the standard packaging, but it's a local butcher and they use sustainable meats. Why not try it?

I tried their original flavor. At first I thought it was very basic flavor, nothing really special. However, it grew on my quickly. The flavor was delicate, but peppery. Surprisingly, it was not dried out as much as it looked. It turned out to be a delicious snack and the package only lasted about two days. I found myself grabbing a little piece here and there. I wish the pieces were larger chunks and wasn't so dried out, but even with those criticisms, I still give it three stars. Enjoy!

2010-11-25T08:23:00.000-05:00

Berkley, MI - Never judge a book by its cover right? Ellies Grill is no exception. A little mom and pops place disguised as a coney island, but secretly is a Hungarian/Macedonian restaurant.

Its a standard looking place both on the outside and inside. Server were very nice and helpful for questions on the menu. With several reviews about the mix grill, its a must and contains all the Macedonian specialty meats.

Is was a chilly day out so why not start with their cabbage soup. The soup was the perfect temperature for a nice cold day and deliciously hardy with small chunks of cabbage, veggies, small pieces of slow cooked meat that really disintegrated when you ate it. They mentioned that they prepare the soup from scratch onsite.

Now for the real deal, the mix grill. Boy, can I get it again? It was that good. I didn't know which meat to end with, but finally decided on the pork skewer. All of them are absolutely delicious, medium to medium-rare cooked, and fresh with a balanced layer of spices and saltiness. The rice below it was cooked nicely and had a nice tomato base without looking like it has it. It also soaks up some of the juices from the meat giving it some extra flavor. At first I didn't think the fries needed to be there and added an American element that was unnecessary, but decided the it gave some a textural component and acted as a palette cleanser between the meats. The only thing that was unnecessary was the diced onions with paprika. Tried it, but didn't care for that.

Lastly, I enjoyed Ellie's food and if you do to, ask her to come out and take a break from cooking to let her know you enjoyed it. That's right, the owner is right back there cooking for you. It's like she invited you over for dinner. Enjoy!

2010-11-17T00:05:00.000-05:00

San Francisco, CA - The name and location wouldn't be the first thing that screams Vietnamese, but it has several Bahn Mi options that surprised me. Cafe Dolci is so small, you can only fit two employees and maybe two customers. Did I mention that the only way for the employees/owners to get into their "kitchen", behind the counter, is to duck under the counter? Yes, it's very small, but you get to talk directly to the owners.

FYI...vegetarians, they have vegetarian bahn mi sandwiches too. As for you carnivores, they have several options for the sandwich. Advice to adventure eaters and those unfamiliar with bahn mi sandwiches, you have to ask for pate to be on your sandwich. The pate was average, but I was happy to have it on there. The pork isn't grilled onsite, definitely no room, but the lady told me that she grills them at the restaurant and then brings it here. It wasn't bad, but you can tell it wasn't grilled a minute or an hour ago. It did have fresh veggies, cilantro, cucumber, etc... The only other disappointing piece is they asked if I wanted it hot, of course! So they included the jalapeno peppers on it, but they were extremely mild and not spicy at all. I could taste them, but no kick. However, one aspect I was impressed with was that they did toast the bread right there. I wasn't expecting that, so they did pass those expectations.

Other yelpers mentioned that the line gets pretty long for lunch, so you can call ahead and put in an order for a sandwich before you show up so you don't wait so long.

If I had time to go up to China Town to get another bahn mi sandwich, I would take the time, but if I didn't have the time, it's better than a pbj from home!

2010-11-11T22:53:00.001-05:00

San Francisco, CA - Tucked away in an alley along with five or six other restaurants in the financial district, you'll find Taverna. I had to go during the world series, so the places was pretty deserted, but they did have the game on, therefore, our server was a little distracted. I completely understood, so no stars deducted for that.

Taverna does have some really nice outdoor seating sitting adjacent to all the other restaurant's outdoor seating, creating an alley reminiscent of a small street in Italy. The decor is decent and updated, but not spectacular. Our server did tell us they have a full bakery in the back where they make their biscuits on-site each morning.

I tried the Bouillabaisse; Shellfish Stew in a Tomato Saffron Broth. The shellfish were scallops and mussels. I thought the scallops were cooked very nicely, but I think the mussels had a very strong mussel flavor, too much for my palate. It's the sauce that I'll write home about. The saffron broth, I wanted to drink it. I did finish it all and used the toast with garlic butter that accompanied it, to soak it up. Once the toast was gone, I used my spoon to scoop it up. It had a very nice balanced flavor, complimenting the seafood very well.

We finished with the Warm Chocolate Cake Caramel Sauce & Vanilla Ice Cream. This is certainly a must to try. The chocolate cake was very nice, but not spectacular. It did have a nice gooey center, but not as much as a lava cake. If it were a lava cake, I think it would have gone up a notch. However, the component on this dish you want to save for last is the ice cream in the crispy delicious bowl. It was crunchy, salty, sweet, and perfect with the ice cream. I would be tempted to get this dessert each time there.

2010-11-10T22:33:00.000-05:00

San Francisco, CA - I never expected the variety and choices of food here at the Moss Room at the Academy of Sciences' cafe. I expected the typical fare, pizza, burgers, etc..., but Dim Sum, Bahn Mi, Pho, Italian, etc...? Wow, I was really shocked! I guess if I were to merely rate the Moss Room on variety, it would be three stars. However, you do have to consider flavor a part of the experience, right? It always comes down to flavor.

Therefore, I tried the Bahn Mi, expecting it to be very terrible. I know that you can't expect something so Vietnamese to be excellent at a cafe in a museum. Well, it wasn't terrible, not bad, but ok. So, it's certainly not a Bahn Mi sandwich you would get walking through China town, but I still would rather have a ok Bahn Mi sandwich than a bland piece of pizza, wouldn't you? Mainly, it was very greasy, veggies were ok, but the most important piece of Bahn Mi was missing, the pate. I know many people don't like it, but it is what makes the sandwich. I also shared a vegetarian spring roll which also was ok. It did have fresh veggies, but certainly not the veggies that are traditional in the roll. It did have mushrooms that gave it an unusual texture.

I do like all the outdoor seating it has. When you go to California, who wants to sit inside!

2010-11-09T23:03:00.000-05:00

San Francisco, CA - I was looking for a nice little breakfast place to check out and I came across Honey Honey Cafe. When you walk in, you notice that it's a really cute little place inside, seats probably 40-50 or so. One of the walls has the complete menu, in very large print.

I wanted to order so many crepes, but I wanted some protein and substance, so I went with the Huevos Rancheros. I would give it 3.5 stars. The tortillas were nice and crispy and eggs and cheese were pretty good. The black beans were good, but it did lack a bit of flavor. Some may appreciate it, but I like when black beans have a little meaty, porky flavor, but it did not.

The extra .5 star goes for the cute atmosphere, but also something that you rarely see in a restaurant, but was fantastic, the bathroom door has a vacancy/occupied sign. It's a single bathroom and you usually have to knock and wait, but they have a convenient vacancy/occupied sign attached to the lock, similar to porta-johns. It makes perfect sense and I wish more places had it.

Honey Honey also has a very nice little outdoor seating place where you can enjoy the outside, people watch, and eat on the streets of SF.

2010-10-21T23:43:00.001-04:00

Clinton Township, MI - Rheinland Baked Goods. There's something about bread that is so delicious. I can sit and eat freshly made bread any day and all day. The Bagel Factory started selling this bread out of their shop, but stopped shortly after. I later found the baker and owner at the Birmingham Farmer's Market with their large assortment of bread made that day, right here in the Detroit area.

I should really try all their breads, but once you fall in love, you can't stray. I tried their German Sweet Bread and I was sold. Why would I want any other bread. The best things about this bread is that it's slightly sour dough flavor, very faint, but then the contrast of the sugar on top. It has chopped dates and almonds inside to give it an extra sweet flavor, but also texture. Really, the best part is the coated sugar on top. It gets all over your fingers and you're just forced to lick them all.

One more thing, don't think this loaf is going to last very long in the house. I promise it'll be gone in two, three days max.

Since driving to their store is just too far, I pick up their bread at Plum Market. It's not as fresh as it would be right out of their store that morning, but I'm satisfied with the trade off. Get it, it's delicious and the owner/baker was so nice when I met him.

***In their store, CASH ONLY****

2010-07-05T08:28:00.002-04:00

West Bloomfield, MI - Ninja Sushi is one of my coworkers and I, favorite sushi restaurants to visit for lunch. Why? The staff is amazingly wonderful, but that's not why you go out to eat, right? It's for the food...and for you to return and return and return, it has to be very good. Ninja Sushi is one of those places. The owner treated us to a special appetizer, Snapper Tempura. I'll just call it heavenly appetizer. It's red snapper prepared tempura style with a blend of three sauces on the side. One of the sauces was a soy sauce reduction, one of the others I believed was a mango reduction, and I'm not sure what the third was. With the combination of the three, we wiped the plate clean. I think when no one was looking, I may have used my finger to wipe up more of it. When you're there, ask for it, you'll enjoy it. Enjoy!

2010-03-20T07:47:00.002-04:00

West Bloomfield, MI - Looking to order an item not on the menu? Feeling a little adventurous? At La Shangila during lunch, you should try their Dim Sum. They are small Cantonese appetizers that you pick right off a cart they bring around. Be prepared to be a little aggressive on what you want and what you don't want. If you don't, they be happy to put down on your table what they want. You can also special order dishes from the back. Here's the opportunity to order a dish that doesn't come around on the cart.

This is Salty Shrimp, dim sum portion. They will ask you if you want it whole or cut. If you're adventurous, order it whole. It comes with the head on it. If you're not so much, then tell them "no head". Salty shrimp is a common Chinese dish that many Chinese people order whole, according to the waiter. The other piece of advice he gave me was to make sure you chew well because the head and the shell can sometimes be a little sharp. Good advice I thought. :) The shrimp is lightly battered and salted and deep fried. They are very delicious and I now get it every time I'm there. I think the head gives it a little extra flavor, don't miss out on it. Enjoy!

2010-02-14T18:24:00.002-05:00

Warren, MI - Are you an adventurous eater? Willing to take a chance and eat something you've never had before. This is chicken and duck balut from Kim Nhung grocery store. The grocery store is truly a place where you can find asian ingredients not found in common grocery stores. I heard they carried Filipino Balut. This is not for the faint of heart. Balut is a fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. It also is a luck of the draw on how developed the embryo is inside. The large white egg is the duck and the brown is the chicken.

I was very luck on the chicken egg, it wasn't developed very far at all. The egg white taste like the white chicken meat and the yolk was the dark chicken meat. Actually, the chicken balut wasn't bad at all.

As for the duck balut, that was a different story. It is not shown here, but after opening it and taking a few bites, I couldn't finish it. It had a very strong duck flavor and a bit slimy. I rarely not finish something and the duck balut, well, it was one that I decided not to complete. Score one for the food. Enjoy if you're courageous!

2010-01-26T21:56:00.002-05:00

Warren, MI - Ready to become an adventurous eater? Liang's Oriental BBQ immediately makes you feel like you're either in China town or actually in China. If you've never really walked around China town, you may not be familiar with butcher shops that have hanging ducks, pigs, geese, etc..., but here, you get to see exactly what you are going to eat. In the first picture, there is hanging duck and a pig, then underneath are pig intestines, stomach, and other things that I didn't get to try. This place is amazing, plain and simple.

So, I had some bbq pork, duck, and pig intestines. I of course have to try as much as I can eat. Both the duck and the pork were prepared so well and packed with flavor. The duck, which I normally don't like, was excellent. I haven't had it in a long time, but thought it was very good. I particularly don't enjoy the meat because it's so greasy. The pork was by far the best part of the dish. I literally could have eaten plates of it. I didn't want to stop. Now for the pig intestines. Well, I can't say that I've tasted it before or anything like it. It was very chewy and did have a dirtiness flavor, if you will. I could really only muster what was on my plate. I really don't think I could order it again. Don't get me wrong, it was terrible, but if I have a choice between that and the bbq pork, I'm going for the pork. Enjoy!

2010-01-24T08:46:00.003-05:00

Pontiac, MI - Fried food is great isn't it? How about candy bars, also delicious. How about putting them together? Last year at Arts Beats and Eats Festival, Union Jack's had Fried Mars Bars. The treat was probably what you would expect. It was delicious, having the fried flavor with the sweetness of the candy bar. Since it's being deep fried, you can image what the heat does to the Mars bar inside. I pretty much melts it, not quite into a soup, but a very very soft candy bar. One thing that was nice was when it does melt, it mixes the candy bar's flavors, still tasting like a Mars bar, but not an ordinary one. For as little as it is, it is quite heavy with the fried batter and the candy bar combined. What a nice treat, try it next time. Enjoy!

2010-01-19T23:13:00.002-05:00

Frankenmuth, MI - Not the best looking food pose, but it's the best I could do with it. Recently I was in Frankenmuth, a very neat little German town in MI and there is a very famous sausage shop called Kerns. It's a very well known place and I thought I would try something from there. They of course had a variety of cut meats, it's a standard butcher shop, but I saw Smoked Blood Sausage. I've only seen it on Bizarre Foods, but now that it's staring me in the face, I have to try.

Well, I tried it, and I don't think I'll be getting it again. The texture is slightly different from regular smoked sausage. It has a softer texture, but something you can easily palate. It does have a hint of the regular smoked sausage flavor, but what it does have the regular smoked sausage doesn't, is the ripe flavor of iron. The blood in the sausage gives it an irony flavor, one that becomes a bit too much for me. After eating half of it, I had to stop. I really couldn't eat much more of it. Sorry. Enjoy!

2010-01-18T20:29:00.002-05:00

Clawson, MI - Can you find vegetarian Vietnamese food? How about vegetarian Pho? Good luck! For vegetarians, Vietnamese food, particularly Pho, has traditionally been ruled out because it is made with a beef broth. Even if you ordered it without the beef and tripe, etc..., you still couldn't get around the beef broth. Well, now the wait is over. At Da Nang Restaurant, they actually have Vegetarian Pho on the menu. The whole idea completely intriguing me. I ordered the vegetarian pho to go and I was extremely impressed with it. Starting with the broth, it did taste just like the original. I spoke to the owner the last time I was there inquiring about it and she was very happy to describe all the vegetables they use to make the broth. I did not do a side-by-side comparison, but just by itself, wow, I really enjoyed it. Then you add the rest of the additions to help compliment the dish such as noodles, tofu, fresh mint, bean sprouts, jalapenos, lime, chili sauce, and hoisen sauce. After you put it all together, you have a perfect Pho dish.

If you're a vegetarian and you've wanted to taste Vietnamese food, here's your chance. Great job Da Nang! Enjoy!

2010-01-06T22:10:00.003-05:00

Birmingham, MI - How would you like to wake up, walk to the local bakery and pick up muffins that were made that morning for YOU? And they are still warm? Bagel Factory Cafe is a place that makes all their bagels and baked goods from scratch that morning.

I used to come in and have to pick what they made, but sometimes not exactly what I want. So the owner told me to call the night before and she'll make the muffins that I want that morning. Every Friday night, I call and leave them a message for low fat oat-bran blueberry on Saturday mornings. I can wake up, walk over, and pick up warm muffins. Where can you find another place. The picture above is the blueberry muffin that we order and it is perfect. They are warm, perfectly moist, and slightly crunchy on the outside, but nice and soft in the middle.

Definitely go and pick up one of these muffins, you'll start ordering them each week. Enjoy!

2010-01-01T09:54:00.002-05:00

Detroit, MI - You want real Mexican food? I mean REAL Mexican food? You first start by going to Mexican town in Detroit. The next best thing is to get off the beaten path and head to Los Altos. This place not only has authentic food, but the experience is authentic as it comes. I've been there twice now and both times I had to order in spanish. My server didn't speak english either time. Since they could tell my spanish was horrible, they called over someone else who could speak some english so I could at least ask some questions. I loved the experience!

The first dish was a taco platter so I could try multiple kinds of meats. It's not on the menu, so just ask for the four taco dish. Since I couldn't decide on only four, I got five. MMMM. All the tacos are on a double-layer corn tortilla, served with fresh onions and cilantro. You also get a lime with chips and salsa before the meal, make sure you squeeze the lime onto your tacos. It really enhances the flavor and is quite delicious. Some of the tacos were tripas (tripe), lomo (pulled pork), and carnitas (beef). My favorite out of all of them was the lomo. It is marinated shredded pork. It's very moist and has intense flavor to it. There are also some other taco options that are typically not on menus and I highly encourage you to try them... The tacos are served with real means and rice...beans with bacon in it.

The second dish is Nopales (cactus leaf). I've never had cactus before, but it can be common in Mexico. Once I saw it, I had to try it. It's sliced into long pieces, which almost resemble green beans. However, the flavor is far from it. It's actually quite sweet and really delicious. It's not terribly filling, but it is delicious. I would get it again on the side, but not as a main dish. Enjoy!

2009-12-30T10:28:00.001-05:00

Detroit, MI - I've heard lots of good things about Slows BBQ and finally had the chance to go. I went during the week at 2pm, and still had to wait 30 minutes. That's how popular this place is. We ordered combination dishes to try several dishes and were very happy we did. I immediately fell in love with the pulled pork. That is the best combined with the NC sauce. Mac-n-cheese, was also fantastic. Vegetarians also have the option of fake chicken sandwich was also delicious. The corn bread was dry though. That was the only below expectations review I would give.

I tried the sauces individually and was shocked that the least one I liked by itself was the NC sauce, but that it was the best actually on any of the food. I could put that on anything. It truly is my favorite now.

They also have an amazing beer list, including several from MI to support your local breweries.

Lastly, I noticed a seal on the menu that all the meat comes from farms who feed their livestock vegetarian fed meals and are not given growth hormones. This is attractive for the environmentalist in me. Enjoy!

2009-12-20T09:06:00.002-05:00

Clawson, MI - A semi-new Vietnamese restaurant opened some time ago in Clawson called Da Nang. They are the closest Vietnamese place to me, not the best, but if I'm in the mood for Vietnamese food, I would certainly go there. It has a trendy atmosphere and their food is fantastic. Their prices are higher than other Vietnamese places in Warren. This is Bun Thit Heo Nuong, which is grilled boneless pork served on a bed of fresh vegetables, vermicelli topped with crushed peanuts and house special sauce. This is a classic Bun dish and of course it's delicious. The pork is seasoned well and with the fish sauce, it's fantastic. I also had to try some of their fresh spring rolls. They have shrimp, vermicelli noodles, cucumber, and mint. It's served with a peanut sauce which compliments the roll very well. It's definitely a must for an appetizer. Enjoy!

2009-11-14T09:14:00.002-05:00

Birmingham, MI - Cannella Patissarie is a petite place that transports you to France. This is a Crep Chocolat with Bananas. Bananas and chocolate compliment each other so well and they do the same in this crepe. It was very light and crispy on the outside with delicious rich chocolate on the inside with slices of bananas mixed in. It could probably have used a little more bananas on the inside, but there were enough for you to still enjoy them. It is served with sliced bananas slightly caramelized. If you've had crepes in Paris, then when you eat this, you'll think you're there again. It's not as good as one off the street vendors in Paris, but it's very close. If you've never been, well, it will certainly make you feel like you're there. Enjoy!

2009-09-29T13:43:00.002-04:00

Auburn Hills, MI - One of my Indian friends took me to his favorite Indian restaurant, Rangoli. They had really really good food! If you like Indian food, you should really check this place out. We started with Cut Mirch, banana peppers stuffed with a tangy peanut and tamarind paste, batter-fried, sliced and topped with chopped onions, cilantro, and a blend of powdered spices. Other than a little greasy, it was very flavorful and surprisingly not that spicy. It was very delicious and everything was gone.

The spicy appetizer prepared me for my entree, Rangoli Special Spicy Dosa. Dosa is a crisp crepe made of rice and lentil flour, usually served with sambar and chutneys. This dosa is lined with chutneys and spicy curried potatoes and also served with sambar and chutneys. Well, it was spicy alright. It wasn't unappetizing, but it had quite a kick. I couldn't finish the dosa, the portion was too large, but it was excellent left overs. Both dishes were vegetarian and delicious! Enjoy!

2009-08-09T08:27:00.002-04:00

West Bloomfield, MI - There are lots of places for sushi in West Bloomfield and several people told me to try out Mene Sushi. So I stopped in for a quick bit and had their ginger salad, miso soup, salmon sushi, and a hand wrapped eel roll. I don't think there is a salad dressing better than ginger dressing. I literally can drink it, I love it so much! Mene's salad and soup was up to par with other places, but not the expectations people placed onto it. The salmon sushi and hand wrapped eel roll were both fresh and delicious. The flavor of the food hit it's mark, but the restaurant and the price is, to me, what missed. The place squeezes tables in so you're practically on top of each other and the prices are higher than other sushi restaurants. The food was good, but the place let me down. Enjoy!

2009-07-18T09:12:00.002-04:00

Warren, MI - I was first tipped off about Golden Harvest by a friend and also saw an article in the paper about how "authentic" this Chinese restaurant is. I rarely go to Chinese restaurants because the dishes are Americanized for our tastes. However, at Golden Harvest, there are menu items I have never seen before and would love to try out. This was the first one I saw that I have only seen on TV. This is Chinese Conch, a large salt water snail served in a very light soy sauce base with mushrooms. I loved that it was a dish I have never had before and how delicious it was. Since it is a large snail, it's hard to compare it to escargot, but it is slightly chewy, similar to calamari but softer. I highly recommend the restaurant to try something new and definitely the conch too. Enjoy!

2009-07-03T07:48:00.002-04:00

Troy, MI - There is a very good Korean restaurant by my house called Shilla. I've always been very impressed with their food and this time I was hoping to get a Korean dish not on the menu. I asked, but unfortunately they didn't have it, but they did have another dish not on the menu called Seafood Basket. Since it's not on the menu and they make it, you know I have to try it. It has standard veggies like red and green pepper, broccoli, and celery. For meats, it has mussels, octopus, and shrimp. The shrimp were the best on the dish, prepared tempura style, but it then soaks up all the sauces and makes it a very flavorful batter around the shrimp. The sauce was very interesting, delicious, but very hard to describe. It was a brown sauce, but not really a soy sauce base, sweet, but I pretty much drank it, it was so delicious. Korean food also comes with lots of side dishes called banchan. The most common is kimchi, fermented cabbage mixed with garlic, chili spices, and lots of other spices. Kimchi is actually any vegetable that is fermented and rolled into the spices, etc... In this case, the banchan I had was cabbage kimchi, cucumber kimchi, bean curd, broccoli, potato and pickled radish. It's customary to take a little of the banchan with a little of the main entree and eat together. I'm not that big of a guy, but the dish was very good and everything you see here, it's gone. Enjoy!

2009-06-27T08:43:00.002-04:00

Royal Oak, MI - Tapas! If you've never had tapas before, this is a great place to try it. These are tapas, Spanish appetizers, from Sangria. Most I really enjoyed and another I wouldn't get again...

This is the first dish we tried called, Manchego and Chorizo. Chorizo is a Spanish smoked sausage and gets it deep red color from dried smoked red peppers. It has a distinct smoky sausage flavor, but I was rather disappointed with this dish. The Chorizo really didn't have a lot of flavor as well as the manchego cheese. Manchego is a sheep milk cheese, usually aged for at least 3 months and also has its own distinct flavor. In my opinion, the sharper the better and this one wasn't aged enough. It had a very mild flavor and I think it should be much stronger to get the excellent flavor it offers. Both ingredients were very mild, making the dish very bland.

This by far was my favorite of the night. I could have ordered a whole plate of this and then ordered another. Another tapas called, Pincho de Solomillo or Tenderloin in Black Pepper Oil. The beef was medium-rare, extremely tender, and really melted in your mouth. The black pepper oil complimented it very very well, giving it a slight pepper heat if you will. This is the dish when you end up closing your eyes immediately after you put it into your mouth because it's so good! Definitely get this when you go there.

Lastly, we had Pulpo a la Vinagreta or Octopus and Potatoes in a Lemon Vinaigrette. This dish is served cold and also a very delicious tapas. The octopus is cooked nicely where it is not too tough and rubbery. The vinaigrette enhances the flavor of the octopus and compliments the potatoes very well. Also a dish I would get again. Enjoy!

2009-06-21T08:59:00.002-04:00

Trenton, MI - Did you know you could order a little dessert and breakfast at the same time at the TV Diner? This is a Creme Brulee Belgian Waffle. It is exactly as it sounds, Belgian waffle, then topped with creme brulee and slightly caramelized as creme brulee should be. Well, needless to say, you do not need any syrup for this dish, it's sweet enough. However, it's not overly powerful and really compliments the waffle quite well. If you're really hungry, I recommend ordering some protein with it, because it's all carbs, but it is quite delicious. I ate the whole thing and enjoyed every bite. Enjoy!

2009-06-13T12:24:00.002-04:00

Southfield, MI - This was a new item to Sweet Lorraine's menu recently so I thought I would try it out. It is Spicy Southern BBQ Shrimp and Crispy Grits. Surprising enough, it was a very light dish, even with the grits. The shrimp were very good, but not the best I've ever had. The sauce isn't overpowering the shrimp flavor, which I thought was very good, it does compliment it well. The sauce is flavored with applewood smoked bacon, given it some extra flavor. However, I think the spicy part of it just wasn't there. The girts on the other hand, fantastic. I've never had fried grits this way and I would prefer to get it like this every time from now on. The grits are mixed with small amounts of chili spice and peppers to give it an extra kick. I was expecting the grits to be heavy, but they were surprisingly light and creamy. You taste the chili peppers right at the end of the bite. That little kick is very well placed and really give the grits a home run flavor. Enjoy!

2009-06-10T07:40:00.003-04:00

Clawson, MI - Usually when you go to a restaurant, you take a look at the menu and decide what you want. I, on the other hand, look at the menu and ask the server if there are dishes they make that are not on the menu. In many times at different ethnic restaurants, the staff makes what is traditionally eaten and what's on the menu can be more "Americanized". Not always, but sometimes. So, I've gotten into the habit of asking places what else do they make that's not on the menu. This is a Vietnamese sandwich from Da Nang, often referred to as Bahn Mi, but they told me the official name of this sandwich is Mi O. It is almost like a Vietnamese Bahn dish, minus the noodles. It has all the other topics, lettuce, cilantro, marinated strips of pork, carrots, cucumber, and jalapenos. Many Bahn Mi sandwiches also have a spicy mayonnaise and pate, but they didn't have both so I settled for the fish sauce that comes with Bahn dishes. To get this sandwich, you have to specifically ask them for it because it's not on the menu. They told me they could make it, but they didn't have all the ingredients such as the mayonnaise and pate. Even without it, it was still very good and enjoyed every bite. I do think the sandwiches are much better with the two ingredients, but when you have no other options in town that offer it, well, it's the best in town! Enjoy!

2009-06-04T12:46:00.002-04:00

Birmingham, MI - The local bakery called Bagel Factory, you can call in orders the night before for fresh muffins. After doing this many many times, the owner's now use to me coming in and thought he would treat me to a new item. This is Manna La Simma (probably spelled incorrectly, sorry). The owner had family just return from Iraq and he said that a very common snack is this. So he pulled some from his personal amount and sent me home with it. As you can see, they are clumps stored in flour, otherwise they dry out, with walnuts in the center. The texture is very chewy, similar to taffy. At first it's kind of dry because of the flour on the outside. The taffy part is a mixture of flour, sugar, and not sure what else. I generally do not like walnuts, however, I enjoyed it because it was very light and the flavor of the taffy-like part covered up the walnuts. It's not too sweet, but just has a slight sweet after flavor. I thought it was very good and would definitely have it again. Between the taffy and walnut texture, it has a very good balance. Enjoy!

2009-05-30T08:22:00.002-04:00

West Bloomfield, MI - Feel like Italian? This will sound crazy with all the interesting food I eat, but I have never had Gnocchi. So, I was Antonios, an Italian restaurant recommended to me and thought it was a perfect opportunity to try it. This particular dish is potato gnocchi. I can say that I liked it. I wouldn't say that I love it so much I would get it every time, but it was interested. Gnocchi in Italian means "Lump", and as you can see, it's a lump or dumplings. These did not have a lot of flavor, but it does retain some of it's original flavoring. Sometimes they are made out of flour, so they take on that flavor as well. Due to the original ingredient, potato, by the end of the meal, it becomes a little too starchy. The sauce on the other hand is made from scratch and was very delicious. Most Italian sauces prepared for Americans are very salty, but this was prepared more traditional style and very little salt is added. Therefore, you get a delicious fresh tomato marinara flavor. For vegetarians, it's an excellent choice. In the future, I would prefer this dish as an appetizer rather an entree. Enjoy!

2009-05-23T09:21:00.002-04:00

Southfield, MI - This is not for the weak hearted. This is an Ethiopian dish called Kitfo from Taste of Ethiopian. This is beef mixed with lots of spices that give it a BBQ flavor. However, it's a unique flavor, one in that I have not tasted before. It comes with goat cheese to help balance a nice smooth flavor and texture, salad, and extra cayenne pepper on the side to make it spicier if you like. The meat has a very interesting texture, very smooth, and surprising that it was so tender. The reason why its not for the weak hearted is because its raw! Raw beef! It's like raw kibee, but much better. The spices make it. I highly recommend it. Enjoy!

2009-05-19T23:30:00.003-04:00

Southfield, MI - Dessert should have that flavor and experience where you take a bite, close your eyes, and just enjoy. This is definitely the case with the Chocolate Mousse Cake with three layers mousse glaze from Sweet Loraines. They have very elegant, simple, but delicious deserts. The cake is very thick and fairly dense, but not too rich though. It doesn't overwhelm you to where you can't finish it. It will be gone by the end of your evening. It is plated with a drizzle of chocolate and raspberry glaze to help compliment it. With the different layers, the density and texture differ slightly, adding to the complexity and how delicious it is. Enjoy!

2009-05-11T22:51:00.002-04:00

Madison Heights, MI - I'm going on a Vietnamese food kick. I'm back to my favorite Vietnamese restaurant Thuy Trang having two things I've never had before.

They had a new dish, Bun Bo Hue, on the specials that I had to try once they described it to me. The server explained that it is like Pho soup, but it is more spicy than the standard Pho, and it has some unorthodox items, such as pigs feet, brisket, some kind of salami, and pigs blood. I've never had this before, so the minute I heard that, I had to try it. I told her to stop there, I'll take it. It was spicy, but not as bad as I thought. The pigs feet were actually very gelatinous and not very tasty. The salami and brisket were very tender and delicious. I was so excited to try the pigs blood. I know, it sounds disgusting. It turns out, it's solidified into cubs, like tofu. It actually looks, tastes, and feels just like tofu. It has a slight irony flavor because of the blood, but other than that, it was very basic. I definitely recommend trying it.

This time, I tried a new milk shake. It turned out to be much better tasting than the one last time. It is a Jack Fruit Milk Shake. I did finish this one, even though I was very full. It was definitely tasty, very delicious. I highly recommend trying this one! It was sweet, but not overly sweet and has a very distinct flavor. Enjoy!

2009-05-03T08:24:00.002-04:00

Madison Heights, MI - This appears to be an ordinary milk shake. Maybe even a vanilla milk shake. MMMMMM. Well, it's a little different than that. It's a Durian Milk Shake at one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants called Thuy Trang. Durian is a very interesting fruit grown in Southeast Asia and is banned in many hotels throughout the region. It's banned mainly because of it's smell. It literally smells like rotting and decaying garbage. Not a pleasant smell at all. I did not have the opportunity to smell the whole fruit, just the shake, but it was enough. Without even tasting it and just putting your nose up to you, you can immediately smell how rancid it is. Tasting it almost is the same experience. I recommend drinking it in larger quantities rather in sips. I've never had this flavor before, but when you take a drink the smell immediately rushes through your nose to give you a wonderful smell of garbage. After that, the smell goes away and the flavor is actually good, not excellent, but good. It's just when you stop drinking and decide to take another sip, that's when you hesitate. I didn't finish it, got about half way through, but was massively full from my meal. However, if it were a chocolate or strawberry milk shake, I think I would have forced myself to eat it. Eating something that smells like garbage on a full stomach, not my first choice. Enjoy!

2009-04-26T09:14:00.002-04:00

Detroit, MI - An evening out at the Whitney, well, it's going to be a very elegant evening with excellent food. The Whitney is a beautiful restaurant in downtown near Wayne State University. The ambiance is extremely nice and the food is perfect to go along with it.

We started with the salad called Tree Fruit. It is apple satsumas, forelli pears, topped and bottomed in a flaky pastry, pecans, bleu cheese, some salad greens, and roasted shallot vinaigrette. It was an excellent excellent dish to start the evening. The apples gave a perfect citrus flavor, while the bleu cheese helped to balance the flavor and help mild down the citrus and vinaigrette.

My main course was the sea scallops on top of mushroom peared barley and butternut squash, deep fried peppers, and beurre rouge. I would rate the dish as outstanding! The scallops were cooked perfectly, the mushrooms and butternut squash balanced the salty flavor the scallops, the rouge sauce enhanced the flavor of the two, and the peppers added the counter-texture to the scallops that finished the dish off very well. I could get this every time I'm there.

For desert, I had apple and brown butter cheesecake, wrapped in phyllo, and topped with rum raisin sorbet. Texturally speaking, it is a perfect balance between the smooth cheesecake, crunchiness of the phyllo, and the icy-shaving of the sorbet. The taste was a home run as well.

I also tried the Sweet Pleasure, layers of chocolate cream hazelnut, chocolate ganache, and hazelnut anglaise. The chocolate was decadent, but I didn't prefer the hazelnut. I usually like it, but I thought it was too much and had a stronger nut flavor than it should. Presented beautifully, but I would get it again. Enjoy!

2009-04-25T02:42:00.002-04:00

West Bloomfield, MI - The only Israeli restaurant I know of Yossi's in West Bloomfield. Some of their dishes like their baba ganoush, no one compares. Well, their deserts are top class as well. Above are home made Israeli donuts. They are jelly filled, covered in powdered sugar, and with a drizzle of caramel. It's very sweet, but fresh and absolutely delicious.

Yossi's also makes banana pancake deserts. He also offers apple flavor, but I preferred the banana. It is a delicious pancake, sweetened, covered with fresh bananas and strawberries, then topped with ice cream. Yes, it's as delicious as it sounds. We didn't leave anything left on the plate. If you save room for deserts, definitely try these, they are outstanding.

2009-04-19T08:31:00.002-04:00

West Bloomfield, MI - There's one thing that Detroit doesn't have a shortage of, and that's Greek restaurants. Detroit has them all over the place. It allows you to get very good Greek food virtually any time and any place around. This time I tried a place called Honey Tree with some friends. I had the Gyro Plate that had the gyro meat, typically lamb, fresh tomatoes and onions, Greek pita bread, gyro sauce (typically a yogurt base with either cucumber or garlic mixed in), and rice with tomato sauce on top. At first, I admit I didn't think the place was going to have a good gyro plate, but they proved me wrong. The gyro, veggies, sauce, and pita were excellent, but the rice was so so. It didn't have a ton of flavor and just a bit too bland for my taste. If I were to get it again, I would just get the whole thing minus the rice. The gyro, the main attraction, was definitely up to par, was deliciously prepared and seasoned well. Enjoy!

2009-04-16T09:14:00.002-04:00

Ferndale, MI - Who would have known there is a little bit of France in Ferndale. At Josephines, you can pick up some really tasty crepes that almost transports you to the streets of Paris. After returning from Paris, I was hoping I could find a French restaurant that serves excellent crepes. Joesephines is pretty close to it. Above is a Banana and Nutella (chocolate sauce) crepe, one that is very famous on the streets of Paris among the street crepe vendors. It wasn't as delicious as the one in Paris, not surprising, but it was close enough. The combination of bananas and chocolate are perfect together. Add a nice little sweet crepe and whip cream, really, you can't go wrong.

After dinner, they brought out a little surprise. This is a Raspberry Port, dessert wine. However, the surprise goes even further because it's difficult to see, but it's served in a dark chocolate shot glass. After sipping this deliciously sweet wine, you get to eat the cup. Imagine dark chocolate with a slight flavor of raspberry port on it. I know, it sounds delicious. Enjoy!

2009-03-25T16:01:00.002-04:00

Troy, MI - I happen to stumble on this Thai restaurant called Bangkok Bistro Cafe. They had Pad Ma Ker on the menu, a dish I don't believe I had before. So, as you can see, it was one of the coconut curry dishes, but they prepared it differently that others I have had. This was much more creamy than what I was used to having. The main item is eggplant that is sauteed in the curry sauce. I about licked the plate clean. I would bet the restaurant owners thought I was crazy, it was so delicious. The creaminess was what made the dish a huge hit. The eggplant was also prepared perfectly, very tender and full of flavor. Enjoy!

2009-03-22T08:47:00.002-04:00

Royal Oak, MI - Back to one of my favorite restaurants, Red Coat Tavern. I realize I do eat there too much! There is an appetizer that I've been wanting to try for so long, but it's not the healthiest option. It's the Scotch egg, which is a hard boiled egg, wrapped in ground sausage, then deep fried and served with spicy mustard. Can you stay heart attack? Well, that's exactly the reason why I couldn't have this all the time. So, I built up the courage for the artery cloger, and well, I have to say, it's worth it. I made it a little more healthy by not eating the yolk, but it probably would have been great as well. Not that it's any better not eating the yolk, the rest of it for you will surely still kill you. On the other hand, the deep fried sausage was delicious and when dipped into the spicy mustard, well, all I can say was that it was worth it. Enjoy!

2009-03-14T08:19:00.002-04:00

Clawson, MI - Since the food was so good at Due Venti, we had to try desert as well. These are the two we had and did not regret any of the calories! :)

The first dish was Zeppole. These are fritters of ricotta cheese, eggs, spices, and flour, deep fried into a donut. It is served with warm espresso and dark chocolate sauce. This was total heaven. The fritters were served warm and almost melted in your mouth. Once you dipped it into the sauce, they were irresistible! This dessert is a must.

We also tried the Torta Barozzi, a flourless dark chocolate cake, made with ground almonds, butter, espresso, and peanuts. It is served with homemade mascarpone ice cream. Legend has it, this recipe was invented at a pasticceria in the village of Vignola, Italy in 1897. The cake was excellent. It is rich and full of flavor and not as dense as many flourless cakes though. I loved that it wasn't as dense as other cakes. The ice cream is the home run of the dish. It is absolutely worth getting again. It has a delicate flavor and you don't often have the opportunity to have ice cream made of mascarpone. Enjoy!

2009-03-08T09:14:00.002-04:00

Clawson, MI - I always look for a locally owned restaurant and one in which cares about their community and environment. My friends took me to an Italian restaurant that is just that, called Due Venti. They purchase their food from local farmers and purchase organic when they can. Their passion for their food comes out in their presentation of the dishes, but also in the flavor and execution. These are all the dishes we shared, I hope you enjoy and take the time to make it out to Due Venti.

We started with the Fritelle Ripiene de Cavolflore, cauliflower cakes. They are pan fried in olive oil, have a hint of garlic for some extra flavor, and then served with tomato caponata and a garlic-herb aioli. Make this dish part of your repertoire. Don't miss this one. The aioli sauce highlights the cakes very well.

I am a garlic lover. I would put garlic in anything, so when we had the opportunity to have Zuppa Dell'aglio, garlic soup, I wasn't going to pass the opportunity. This is a garlic and sage housemade vegetable broth, topped with mozzarella and apple crostini. It didn't have as much garlic flavor as I was hoping, but for those casual garlic lovers, it would be perfect for you.

I ordered the Tortella di Carciofi, vegetarian ravioli. It is handmade white wine pasta filled with artichokes, carrots, garlic, pecorino, basil, and mascarpone cheese, tossed in a brown butter sauce and topped with shaved pecorino. The pasta is down-right delicious when it's made from scratch. The sauce compliments the pasta very well and I left nothing on this plate!

This is Torta della Melenzana, baked eggplant. If I could have changed my dish through the dinner, I would have changed it to this one. I tried this and really didn't want to return to my own. It is eggplant, layered in a tomato sauce, caciocavallo cheese, and topped with an egg and cream custard. Even though it is much heavier than the pasta dish, the flavor is very sophisticated and delicate at the same time. It's able to deliver the individual flavors of each component without being to heavy. This is one of the best dishes that night.

Lastly, we tried the Pesci Crostosi con Pistachio, sea bass. It is pistachio crusted sea bass, pan seared and served with a citrus butter, sauteed zucchini, garbanzo beans, mint, and crumbed goat cheese. This was my least favorite. The sea bass was prepared and seasoned well, but it was a very weak flavor. It didn't have enough impact as the other dishes. Standing alone, I thought it was good, but in comparison, it fell short. The vegetables on the side tasted very well though with the sauce, mint, and cheese.

Enjoy!

2009-02-15T08:47:00.002-05:00

Jerusalem, Israel - I forgot to include these dishes when I was blogging about Jerusalem and the definitely deserve to be up here. I can remember the name of the restaurant, but it was something like Zala's.

We started with a Bruchetta that had absolutely delicious fresh tomatoes and Parmesan cheese on top. The other dish was an Endive Salad, which was very good. The strong flavored endive is complimented with Roma tomatoes and a light oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. The last appetizer was the french onion soup that was topped with filo doe. I love filo doe and to put that on top of the soup, superb.

We then shared the Pumpkin Ravioli. Excellent. I wish it came with more, but I would have over eaten. It was spiced very well, light in flavor, but smooth. Very good and I highly recommend it. All the dishes are perfect for the vegetarian in Jerusalem. Enjoy!

2009-02-01T19:38:00.002-05:00

West Conshohocken, PA - While in Pennsylvania, I went to dinner to Stella Blu. It's a little local restaurant that has very delicious food. By some crazy chance that you're there or traveling through, stop in.

We started with the Artichoke Heart appetiser. I recommend you starting with this as well. They are lightly seared, prepared very well, and topped with a delicious spicy mayonnaise. I could have ordered another plate of this for dinner.

My entree was spaghetti with littleneck clams prepared in a white wine and garlic sauce. The pasta and clams compliment each other very well. The clams very very good and I didn't leave a single one on the plate. I probably would have one criticism, which would be that the sauce didn't have a enormous amount of diverse flavor and powerful enough flavor of one thing, but overall, it still was very good. Enjoy!

2009-01-24T07:24:00.004-05:00

Paris, France - On our way back from Israel, we had a day layover in Paris. So, we get to walk around and grab some food before we leave. I wish I could say we had the opportunity to get really good French food, but unfortunately not.

Right along the river, there are several food stands that we could take advantage of for a quick lunch. There wasn't a line, so it should probably tell you something about the food. It was something simple like a chicken salad Baguette. Not bad, bud pretty straight forward, nothing adventures. Then I saw on the menu Sausage Fries. Well, that sounds adventures, so I ordered that, well, it turns out to be two sausages (not that different from hot dogs) on top of my fries. It was okay, but I was hoping for something much more crazy.

That evening I stopped in at a Brasserie to grab some food, sit outside and just observe. The kitchen had pretty much stopped making any kind of food except for the ham and cheese sandwich. So, my options were quite limited. It was a perfectly fine, ordinary, ham and cheese, with the only thing different was the cheese was grilled on the outside.

Along with the sandwich, I thought I would try their French Onion soup. The broth was very good, but I think for the onions, they used dried chopped onions. That part wasn't very good, but the broth, cheese, and fresh bread in it, was very good.

Lastly, when you're in Paris, make sure you seek out a crepe. We walked and walked and it was too late to find one, but one of my friends was successful and left a few pieces for me. The crepe made the stop over in Paris. It is so good. This one is banana and nutela chocolate. It was rich, but not too heavy, filled with flavor, and all around delicious. This was the best part of any meal there. Enjoy!

2008-12-20T08:19:00.002-05:00

Tiberias, Israel - The largest freshwater lake in Israel, sitting 209 meters below sea level, it is also the lowest freshwater lake on Earth. Tiberias has several excellent restaurants right on the water, which also includes a fabulous boardwalk for nightlife and shopping. We stopped at this restaurant, recommended by our bus driver. He was absolutely right, it was delicious. I wish I new the name of the place, but alas, it escapes me.

As every Israeli dinner, it always starts with the salads. This of course included hummus, pickled carrots, pickles, olives, a cabbage salad in a oil and vinegar dressing, eggplant with a tomato base, corn, and fresh pita bread. One of my favorite salads was the eggplant in a tomato base sauce. I hadn't seen this yet at any places and it was filled with flavor. Eggplant has a distinct flavor, and it was complimented with the sauce and spices.

For the main course, the restaurant sits adjacent to the lake, so what better dish to have is Tilapia caught that day. Several people didn't realize that it would be served whole, so they were taken back by the appearance. However, those of us who didn't mind seeing the whole fish, really enjoyed it. It is lightly pan fried and lightly spiced for additional flavor, but not too much to mask the flavor of the fish. It is served with chips, which were just standard fries, but when you dip it into some of the Israeli salads, the fries no longer taste like ordinary fries, I recommend doing this.

For desert, was fresh fruit. I'm not sure if they grow watermelon in Israel, so it might be imported, but I really don't know. It was nice to have watermelon given it was turning into winter at home and there was no chance to have it there. The highlight of the fruit desert was the dates. Usually, dates are dehydrated, when served, but these were not. These were served fresh and although they have the same flavor and texture as the dehydrated dates, they are much more juicy on the inside. It's not too much were it squirts out when biting into it, but it contains more moisture. Different and delicious.

After every Israeli meal, either tea or coffee is usually served. They offered us Turkish Coffee. Usually I don't drink coffee, but since I'm in Israel being served Turkish Coffee, I thought I would try it. I was pleasantly surprised! It was delicious. It was strong as Turkish Coffee should be, but they also sweetened it up. The coffee I've had in the past was bitter, so I'm not sure if it was prepared incorrectly the first time I had it or if this places prefers to prepare it differently, but I would rather choose this style any day. Enjoy!