Tag: restaurant review

Restaurant Review: Carrabba’s – Orem

Something about the hustle and bustle of the holidays, just makes us want to eat! And being so busy, seems we’re never home. Luckily, there are some pretty good restaurants around so that we have a variety to choose from when we want to eat.

For a late lunch, we stopped at Carrabba’s in Orem, UT. Haven’t been out for Italian food in a long while… and don’t want to consider Olive Garden as real Italian food.

Klint had the Manicotti and about two loaves of bread with dipping sauce. (Note: Since this edible experience, Klint couldn’t get the dipping sauce out of his mind, so he researched and found the dipping sauce recipe on-line.) Jeanette, the fabulous waitress, even hooked him up with a loaf to go and a small container of the dipping herbs. Now, that’s service!

Jen had the Tilapia Nocciola, which is a hazelnut encrusted grilled tilapia fillet with steamed broccoli. Wow. Really flavorful dish, but also a light meat. Love fish, when it’s prepared right.

Mangia-mangia! (That’s Italian, for “let’s eat!”)

Restaurant Review: Shoga – Orem

shogaLooking for a New Year’s Eve lunch and we stumbled into Shoga – located in Orem, Utah.

Jen had the sushi which was common and expected. Frankly, it’s hard to find good sushi in Utah.

Klint, on the other hand, enjoyed the hugest pile of steak yakisoba. Heavenly tender steak pieces with lots of vegetables. Definitely a dish to get again.

The service was okay. The restaurant was little, crowded, but cool decor. Guess this restaurant would be okay to check out again… Until we find a better sushi joint in Utah County.

Restaurant Review: Blue Skies Cafe – San Rafael

blue skiesSoup and salad… one of my favorite lunch meals.

Sunny fall afternoons on the patio… my favorite way to consume lunch.

If you find yourself in San Rafael, CA and are looking for a peaceful, yummy lunch, check out Blue Skies Cafe.

Lunch today was Lentil soup and Cobb Chop Salad. Perfect serving sizes. The seasonings in the Lentil soup were really earthy and Mediterranean. I love that they have local products in their food offerings. I’m all for supporting local.

Another bonus about Blue Skies Cafe is that they hire and train people who have disabilities. This program helps these employees gain useful job skills so that they’ll be able to work in other eating establishments – of which, Marin County has many! This is a great example of tax dollars put to good use (at least from what I can tell!).

When you stop by, ask for Laura Lee. She’s my Mom. Tell her that I sent you!

Restaurant Review: Orange – Roscoe

Holy good food, Batman!

If you find yourself in Roscoe, a suburb north of Chicago, you MUST go to Orange. The breakfast was amazing!

We started off the meal with Frushi – this is sushi made only of fruit and rice. Apples were Julienne sliced like cucumbers would be in the center of a real fish sushi roll. Slices of watermelon like tuna sashimi. The dipping sauces were blended fruit concoctions. So beautiful! Didn’t want to eat! But that didn’t stop us!

I ordered a custom-made fruit juice. Order slips on the table where you choose from a long list of options what you want in your fruit juice. I did cucumber, carrot, peach and mango. The flavors revealed themselves in my mouth one-by-one. Wow. A little pricey, but worth the experience to have the juice.

My host, Terri had the Chai French Toast. Even though I don’t drink Chai tea, I had to try a little bite. Ohhh man. An explosion of sweetness with the earthy-ness of tea. She swears by that dish and gets every time she goes to Orange.

My corned beef and potato hash had an assortment of spices that I couldn’t quite make out, but it was delicious! Egg made to order on top – of course I ordered it fried because can’t stand the running yolk. An interesting side of green salad with balsamic dressing made the dish more like lunch or dinner, but I found it refreshing.

I can’t thank Terri enough for taking me to Orange. I think I’ll be telling a lot of people about this little gem in Roscoe. Seriously, go. You will be so happy you did.

Restaurant Review: Rosebud – Chicago

Italian food + Chicago + a good friend = fabulous eating experience.

While on a business trip to Chicago, spent the afternoon and evening tripping around downtown. Of course I asked my friend and colleague, Terri to take me to the quintessential Italian food establishment… off to Rosebud we went. And I enjoyed every bite of the tomatoey-cheesey-tender “Brick” chicken goodness! And the real-deal minestrone soup… heaven in a bowl!

Terri, being the good vegetarian that she is, loved her eggplant parmesan.

Thank you, my dear friend, for giving me a true Chicago Italian food experience! I look forward to going back and visiting again.

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Restaurant Review: Gators – Randolph

gatorsRoad trip food = greasy joints along the way.

On our way between Grand Tetons and Uinta Mountains, we were hungry for something else than what was packed. So, we opted to stop at Gator’s in Randolph Utah. Perhaps not the best choice.

Klint had the Gator Burger:

1/4 lb patty
Swiss and cheddar cheese
Diced white onion
Shredded lettuce
Thick slice of ham

Overall a tasty burger.

Jen had the Chicken Finger Basket:

Lightly breaded chicken breasts were actually really good. The extra black pepper in the breading was really good and added some good flavor.

But, the fries were DISGUSTING. Limp, mushy, oil tasted old. Not sure why I ate them other than I was hungry.

We definitely agreed that next time, we’ll continue to Evanston, WY and get something more reasonable there instead of stopping in Randolph, population 500.

Restaurant Review: Ruchi Indian – Folsom

ruchiEver want to know where there is good food? Ask a local.

I’m in Sacramento area and consulting with a technology company. Not be cliché, but I asked one of the engineers for a recommendation for good Indian food in the area. I’m glad that she didn’t get mad at me for singling out her ethnicity. Actually, I know that she was pleased I asked.

I picked up an order to go and headed back to my hotel room for a FEAST!

  • Chicken tikka masala
  • Vegetable Samosas
  • Naan
  • Basmati Rice
  • Mint curry sauce

Fantastic meal!

If you find yourself in Folsom – which is northeast of Sacramento – go to Ruchi Indian. You’ll be glad you did!

 

Restaurant Review: Donuts – Seattle

One of the oldest vendors in Pikes Place Market, the Doughnut shop is quite a charming little place. Klint said that the doughnuts were amazing… warm, crispy on the outside, moist on the inside.

While I didn’t eat the doughnuts, I loved the smell… ahhhhhh. Plus it was really fun to watch them make the doughnuts. I wonder how old that equipment is?!

Restaurant Review: Boat Shed – Bremerton

boat shedTaking the ferry from Seattle to Bremerton is divine on a sunny afternoon. Classic way to start a dinner date in the Puget for sure! Destination: Boat Shed. A local hot spot.

Dinner started off with the customary calamari. Delicate squid battered but not fried long enough… bummer. The aoili was pretty authentic and the wasabi mayo had the right amount of kick.

Clam chowder was categorical for the restaurant’s location. Creamy. Chunky. Texture. Clam bite surprises in all the right places.

Coleslaw contained some of its own surprises. Napa cabbage added to the traditional green and purple cabbage with carrots. Instead of a heavy mayo medium, the rice vinegar-ish sweet Asian tang had a mild bite… Black sesame seeds for added crunch.

Though the beer batter was more doughy than flakey, the halibut was moist and bursting with natural flavor.

Cobb salad was piled high with tomatoes, cucumber, egg, bacon, and blue cheese crumbles. A healthy serving of grilled chicken and an added serving of chilled bay shrimp. Voila! A perfect cobb salad, Seattle style.

Service was great. Our server was funny and scarce. The water-bearer was on the ball and didn’t let the randomly angled umbrellas stop him. Definitely take advantage of outdoor seating if a nice day. Great views and elegant boats whisping by.

Do differently: Request calamari be cooked for 60 seconds longer. Not get fish and chips, rather get grilled salmon or halibut, etc. Ask for the bread earlier… very tasty.

Overall rating: 3.5/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4.5/5
Price: $25 per person

Restaurant Review: Red Mill Burgers – Ballard

red millIngredients for one of the best burgers, ever:

  • Juicy burger patty
  • Flame broiled Anaheim chile
  • Red Mill mayo sauce
  • Tomato
  • Lettuce
  • Jack cheese
  • Kaiser bun.

Fries were so-so. But, what a tasty burger! The Verde Burger at Red Mill Burger is a must eat if you find yourself in Ballard, north of Seattle. Plus if Oprah says it’s one the 20 burgers to eat before you die, then you know it’s good!

Do differently? Keep the red onion, which is standard issue. We usually request to have onion removed because of the overpowering taste, but seems like this Verde Burger would be even better with the onion.

Another point: Even though they’re screaming busy ALL the time, service is great. Small place has enough tables because they’re turning fast. Tables outside for sunny days.

Overall rating: 4/5 stars
Food rating: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Price: $8