Wednesday, December 30, 2009
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!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
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!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Friday, July 03, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
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.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
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!
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
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.
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!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
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.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
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!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
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!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
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.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
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.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
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!
Sunday, February 01, 2009
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!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
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.
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!