La Provence Patisserie: Pretty much "meh". I've been having a craving for waffles for weeks, but I haven't been able to work up the effort to go to a highly rated (and probably packed) restaurant for breakfast. So today I searched on Yelp for waffles nearby, sorted by highest rating and picked this place. I tried: Belgian waffle, chocolate covered brioche french toast, machiatto, apple/carrot/orange juice, croissant, red velvet cupcake, caramel macaroon, and raspberry macaroon. The waffle and french toast were pre-made and then toasted, a big letdown because they were missing that freshly made texture and cooled off quickly...in fact they were pretty forgettable, though the waffle was better than the french toast (flavorless except for the chocolate sauce...so like eating chocolate sauce on a slice of bread). The machiatto was ok, but not strong enough...it's not a european macchiato, but americanized so there was more foam than coffee. The apple/carrot/oj was too carroty and didn't have that fresh oj flavor (and oranges are so good around here right now). The croissant was made with real butter, but had an odd aftertaste. The caramel macaroon was super salty, super sweet, without enough toothiness for me (more just mushy with the slightest crust). The raspberry macaroon was better...same texture, and the flavor seemed just a bit artificial (but maybe that was just because I needed to wash the sugar salt out of my mouth first, but simpler. Finally, the red velvet cupcake had some pretty tasty cream cheese frosty over a very moist but relatively flavorless cupcake...maybe it tasted slightly like chocolate.
So, meh.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Monster Thai, and Cafe Bolivar
Monster Thai: Yay yummy Thai food. And cheap too. Double thumbs up on the fried banana in springroll wrapper with coconut ice cream, and also for the excellent soup. Pad Thai and Red Curry and Pineapple Fried rice were all good. The vegetables in the red curry were great. They also spice the way you ask...medium means medium, good job. My thai ice tea was pretty good, though just a bit light on tea. It's a tiny restaurant...about 6 tables inside and another 2 outside, but they deliver. And they were empty between noon and 1pm on a Saturday, which for yummy Thai food is a bit distressing.
Cafe Bolivar: Our fifth time here. The limeades have been amazing four of those times, and still pretty good the other time. The arepas are always great....yum warm corn bread-like sandwich. This time I tried one of their sandwiches, serrano ham with roma tomatoes, olive oil, and black pepper. Very good.
Cafe Bolivar: Our fifth time here. The limeades have been amazing four of those times, and still pretty good the other time. The arepas are always great....yum warm corn bread-like sandwich. This time I tried one of their sandwiches, serrano ham with roma tomatoes, olive oil, and black pepper. Very good.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Vizzi Food Truck
Vizzi Food Truck: Saw this while passing by the Daily Pint. Tried the slider sampler (beef, chicken, chickpea), the chicken piadina, and the carnitas tacos (special). They each came with spicy popcorn mixed with thinly sliced figs. The chicken was the least interesting, ok flavor but boring. The beef and carnitas were excellent, and the chickpea patty was spicy-hot but little flavor. I would eat there again, though I would avoid the chicken next time.
Monday, July 5, 2010
King Hua, SinBala
King Hua: Went out for Dim Sum. It was ok, but nothing special. Less deep fried foods than Boston's dim sum, but more MSG and not as flavorful.
SinBala: We then stopped for shaved ice. This place was completely packed, with a waiting list, even though the place next door was empty. So we got our shaved ice to go. We chose condensed milk, small red beans, rice-flour balls, taro balls, and I forget the fifth thing. It came in two containers...toppings in one and ice with maple syrup in the other. So that made it tough to eat on the go, but it was still very yummy. The lunch food here looked good too.
SinBala: We then stopped for shaved ice. This place was completely packed, with a waiting list, even though the place next door was empty. So we got our shaved ice to go. We chose condensed milk, small red beans, rice-flour balls, taro balls, and I forget the fifth thing. It came in two containers...toppings in one and ice with maple syrup in the other. So that made it tough to eat on the go, but it was still very yummy. The lunch food here looked good too.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Al Watan Halal
Al Watan Halal: Good-to-great food, diner-level decor. Good service. Spicy pakistani/indian food. I really liked the butter naan, garlic naan, and the nehari (?, spicy beef). The lunch special was good too (variety plate). Mango lassi shake wasn't a shake, but was great. Chai was pretty good. All in all a very nice place for lunch, though not a "date" restaurant.
Sauce on Hampton, Inn of the Seventh Ray
Sauce on Hampton: We were looking for a special/romantic breakfast, but the first impression when we got there around 9am on a weekday was not good. The tables are small and close packed, and there was only one table occupied. They (the other couple) were outside, a choice necessitated by the music blaring inside the restaurant. We also chose to sit in the blinding sun with the rather poor view, so we could at least hear each other talk.
We took time trying to find the right things to order (no pancakes/waffles/crepes on the menu). We got the Mexican omelette with a side of bacon, the Traditional breakfast plate (eggs over-easy), a pomegranate lemonade, and a coffee. In order of experience:
1) The eggs came out sunny-side-up. Though well prepared, that's not what we ordered.
2) The omelette was the best part, delicate yet filling, cilantro adding flavor.
3) The bean salsa did not "go" with the omelette; it washed out the flavors and wasn't flavorful/spicy enough itself.
4) The salad that came with the omelette was drenched in way too much dressing.
5) The side of bacon that came with the omelette was very tasty and just-right crispy.
6) The bacon that came with the breakfast plate was soggy and only tasted ok...not so flavorful.
7) The potato chunks with the omelette were soggy and had no flavor.
8) The roast tomatoes were cold. I love roast tomatoes, and these were charred on the outside, but didn't have any flavor.
9) The toast (on both plates) was fine/serviceable.
10) The lemonade was very dramatic looking, though the flavor wasn't so impressive. It was too sugary though not too-too sugary...it didn't have that fresh taste.
11) The coffee was poor...diner-level coffee...too bitter and yet not strong enough. They had just brewed a fresh pot, so I feel sorry for people who arrived later after it'd been sitting longer.
12) The coffee cup had three bits of napkin stuck to the inside (hidden under the coffee). It had obviously not gotten clean in the dishwasher and wasn't visually examined before use.
13) The waitress was fine...not so experienced but friendly.
I will not go back. Zabies could show these people many things, and I'm not all that fired up about Zabies.
Inn of the Seventh Ray: We made a second attempt at a romantic meal for a weekday lunch. This time we chose from Yelp based on location and "romantic" in the reviews. We called ahead trying to get special seating, but were brusquely told that there's no hostess for lunch. When we got there the sign said to grab a menu and seat yourself, so we did. Then we were told we couldn't sit there. Apparently half the seating area was off limits...the quiet part that wasn't cramped seating next to big tables of loud people. So we sat down, and waited and waited and waited. Ten to fifteen minutes later we yelled out "I'd like some bread too!" And sure enough, a couple minutes later we had bread and a while after that we got our drinks. I'm sure it's hard for a single server to cover 24+ people spread amongst 8+ tables, but feeling neglected does not make for a romantic setting. Thankfully, a second person started bringing waters and bread. Unfortunately the bread was no-fat, no-flavor...though it did have plenty of seeds. Oddly enough it was served with a bitter olive oil (not high grade), and a strong/young balsamic vinegar. Not only did the bread not go with either, but the oil didn't go with the vinegar. If only they'd given us a bit of butter maybe it would've had a good taste. We also got a lemonade (fine, not great), and one of their special drinks (Around the World) which had a very interesting flavor but reminded me so much of Kombucha that I wasn't impressed in the end.
Anyway, the setting was why we were there, right? Not the service or the food, apparently. Unfortunately, the setting was outdoors/rustic, plus a white ribbon around the wooden fence. The stream was nice enough, I suppose, but I've seen woods before. This one even had an old wooden chair just randomly sitting out there near the stream/crick. And the constant sound of traffic completely ruined the "nature" vibe. The wobbly chairs and smallish round "patio" tables didn't help...nor the way I had to lean forward so the waiter could pass by me to reach the table next to us.
When the appetizer arrived, things started looking up. We ordered a three beat appetizer and got a beet salad (with two types of beets that I could tell), that had very nicely done golden beets (and beautiful yellow with red swirled edges), overdone red beets, some salad, pecans, a touch of blue cheese, and a bit of salt and olive oil. The golden beets, touch of salt, and salad made things much happier, though the overdone beets were disappointing. The main courses were a steak sandwich and a flatbread with olives and chicken. The sandwich was ordered medium rare, came out well done. The best part of a steak sandwich is biting into a thick steak, with a bit of bread to keep it from getting your fingers messy. This had thinly sliced steak of pretty high quality, with a really thick ciabatta bun and some not-so-helpful toppings (I remember some fresh spinach and a flavorless tomato). Disappointing...I suppose it's my fault for ordering steak at an apparently "new age" restaurant. The sandwich came with uninspired potato salad...potato salad needs something in it other than potatoes...maybe some green onion? Finally, the flatbread was ok, way too salty. The chicken was prepared well, but didn't have that wonderful poultry flavor, and it was all pretty overwhelmed by the olives anyway.
I will not go back.
We took time trying to find the right things to order (no pancakes/waffles/crepes on the menu). We got the Mexican omelette with a side of bacon, the Traditional breakfast plate (eggs over-easy), a pomegranate lemonade, and a coffee. In order of experience:
1) The eggs came out sunny-side-up. Though well prepared, that's not what we ordered.
2) The omelette was the best part, delicate yet filling, cilantro adding flavor.
3) The bean salsa did not "go" with the omelette; it washed out the flavors and wasn't flavorful/spicy enough itself.
4) The salad that came with the omelette was drenched in way too much dressing.
5) The side of bacon that came with the omelette was very tasty and just-right crispy.
6) The bacon that came with the breakfast plate was soggy and only tasted ok...not so flavorful.
7) The potato chunks with the omelette were soggy and had no flavor.
8) The roast tomatoes were cold. I love roast tomatoes, and these were charred on the outside, but didn't have any flavor.
9) The toast (on both plates) was fine/serviceable.
10) The lemonade was very dramatic looking, though the flavor wasn't so impressive. It was too sugary though not too-too sugary...it didn't have that fresh taste.
11) The coffee was poor...diner-level coffee...too bitter and yet not strong enough. They had just brewed a fresh pot, so I feel sorry for people who arrived later after it'd been sitting longer.
12) The coffee cup had three bits of napkin stuck to the inside (hidden under the coffee). It had obviously not gotten clean in the dishwasher and wasn't visually examined before use.
13) The waitress was fine...not so experienced but friendly.
I will not go back. Zabies could show these people many things, and I'm not all that fired up about Zabies.
Inn of the Seventh Ray: We made a second attempt at a romantic meal for a weekday lunch. This time we chose from Yelp based on location and "romantic" in the reviews. We called ahead trying to get special seating, but were brusquely told that there's no hostess for lunch. When we got there the sign said to grab a menu and seat yourself, so we did. Then we were told we couldn't sit there. Apparently half the seating area was off limits...the quiet part that wasn't cramped seating next to big tables of loud people. So we sat down, and waited and waited and waited. Ten to fifteen minutes later we yelled out "I'd like some bread too!" And sure enough, a couple minutes later we had bread and a while after that we got our drinks. I'm sure it's hard for a single server to cover 24+ people spread amongst 8+ tables, but feeling neglected does not make for a romantic setting. Thankfully, a second person started bringing waters and bread. Unfortunately the bread was no-fat, no-flavor...though it did have plenty of seeds. Oddly enough it was served with a bitter olive oil (not high grade), and a strong/young balsamic vinegar. Not only did the bread not go with either, but the oil didn't go with the vinegar. If only they'd given us a bit of butter maybe it would've had a good taste. We also got a lemonade (fine, not great), and one of their special drinks (Around the World) which had a very interesting flavor but reminded me so much of Kombucha that I wasn't impressed in the end.
Anyway, the setting was why we were there, right? Not the service or the food, apparently. Unfortunately, the setting was outdoors/rustic, plus a white ribbon around the wooden fence. The stream was nice enough, I suppose, but I've seen woods before. This one even had an old wooden chair just randomly sitting out there near the stream/crick. And the constant sound of traffic completely ruined the "nature" vibe. The wobbly chairs and smallish round "patio" tables didn't help...nor the way I had to lean forward so the waiter could pass by me to reach the table next to us.
When the appetizer arrived, things started looking up. We ordered a three beat appetizer and got a beet salad (with two types of beets that I could tell), that had very nicely done golden beets (and beautiful yellow with red swirled edges), overdone red beets, some salad, pecans, a touch of blue cheese, and a bit of salt and olive oil. The golden beets, touch of salt, and salad made things much happier, though the overdone beets were disappointing. The main courses were a steak sandwich and a flatbread with olives and chicken. The sandwich was ordered medium rare, came out well done. The best part of a steak sandwich is biting into a thick steak, with a bit of bread to keep it from getting your fingers messy. This had thinly sliced steak of pretty high quality, with a really thick ciabatta bun and some not-so-helpful toppings (I remember some fresh spinach and a flavorless tomato). Disappointing...I suppose it's my fault for ordering steak at an apparently "new age" restaurant. The sandwich came with uninspired potato salad...potato salad needs something in it other than potatoes...maybe some green onion? Finally, the flatbread was ok, way too salty. The chicken was prepared well, but didn't have that wonderful poultry flavor, and it was all pretty overwhelmed by the olives anyway.
I will not go back.
Monday, June 14, 2010
La Dijonaise
La Dijonaise: This place was recommended to me for good almond croissants. Unfortunately they didn't have any when I stopped by, though I did have a pretty good butter croissant (great crunch, nice flavor, but not enough to chew on inside)...probably my second favorite behind Le Pain du Jour's. I also tried a bearclaw but was not impressed...lacking in flavor and the first bite tasted burnt, which doesn't go well with marzipan.
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