June 2012

In Chelsea

Morimoto: Iron Chef’s Restaurant in New York

June 30, 2012

Morimoto is a very famous Iron Chef from Iron Chef (Japan) and Iron Chef America. He has opened up various restaurant all across the world. When I was in New York visiting Chelsea Market, I knew I had to come here. One does not simply watch Morimoto compete in Iron Chef. You gotta try the food to really see why he’s usually a winner. Morimoto is located on the outside of Chelsea Market and it has drapes of curtains by the entrance.

As Alvin was taking a vacation in Waikiki, he went to Morimoto Waikiki and I went to this one. Check out his site to see what the Waikiki location has to offer.

The interior is very gorgeous! Very large and spacious.

They even have an open kitchen concept so you can see what the chefs are up to. Unfortunately, Morimoto wasn’t here.

The big glowing centerpiece of the restaurant looks like it’s made out of cups. When you walk downstairs to the washroom, you can get a close up view of this.

Also downstairs in a bar area.

Morimoto Iced Tea($7) contains fruit flavored iced tea, calpico, and muddled blueberries. It was very refreshing and tasted like flowers. It’s a bit pricey, but it is really really good! Highly recommend it.

Bento boxes ($24.07) comes with your choice of:

grilled wagyu beef box
braised black cod box
vegetarian box

The boxes comes with miso soup, salad, tempura, sushi, seasonal fruit panna cotta.

It is an expensive bento box compared to Vancouver standards, but you are paying for the name of the restaurant, the ambiance, and of course the quality. The miso soup, salad and tempura is very very delicious! The best tempura I’ve ever had!

I ordered the grilled wagyu beef box. There are perfect grill marks and was very moist and tender.

The sushi that comes with it is just magnificent! Very delicate and packed with a good amount of flavour.

Braised black cod box has the same items but you get a different protein item. CanuckGirl got this one. She really enjoyed the overall quality of the box. It was her favorite meal of the trip!

Mango Panna Cotta with fresh berries was very yummy! It was a perfect dessert to end the meal

Also, the toilets are so pretty. I know it’s gross to take photos of the toilets but it’s very modern and cool! The seats are heated and there are so many additional functions.

Overall, the lunch at Morimoto was epic! The food was simple but had so much flavour. I would highly recommend this place if you are in New York.

Words of Wisdom:

Not too busy during lunch
Bento box lunch is the best bang for your buck

We Rate Morimoto:

Address:
88 10th Ave
New York, NY

Website:
http://www.morimotonyc.com/

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In Fairview

Thai House Kitsilano: Appe-THAIzing Dining Package Review

June 29, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Appe-THAIzing Dining Package” and write a review about it. I got a complimentary dining package and brought along NewsBoy.

DesignGirl is on her travels again so PineappleBun (me) gladly stepped in to do this review.

Thai House Restaurant has multiple locations and has been running their businesses in Vancouver for quite some time now. Heard of Samba Brazilian or Pink Elephant Thai? That’s part of their group too.

Dining passes are currently available for $18 each which gives you 5 courses (www.vaneats.ca):

Lettuce Wrap, served with lean ground beef with chopped onion, bell pepper, basil and a touch of oyster & chilli sauce
Peeg Gai Yaad Sai, deep fried chicken wing stuffed with vegetables and glass noodles
Keang Kari Gai Ma-Mung, fresh mango & chicken in yellow coconut curry
Pad Kee Mao, stir fry rice noodles with beef, fresh basil, chopped veggies, bell pepper, onions and fish sauce
Kluag Tid Ma-Mung Ice Cream, deep fried banana served with mango ice cream

NewsBoy and I decided to start off with a few drinks to celebrate the little bit of sunshine we had peek out behind the clouds. Is it summer yet? Well, I can dream. I got the Coconut Lychee drink while NewsBoy decided to go for the Lime Soda. The Coconut Lychee drink is rich and creamy so if you’e expecting the taste of young coconut, that’s probably not what you want.

I don’t really like the taste of lime but the soda had fresh lime juice and Newsboy found it very refreshing. For me, The Coconut drink really helped bring the heat down from the food I ate.

So this is the Peeg Gai Yaad Sai, a deep fried chicken wing stuffed with vegetables and glass noodles. What are glass noodles? They pretty much look like clear vermicelli. The chicken Wing looked like it was about to burst! It was crispy, hot, and went perfectly when you dipped it into the chilli sauce. I’d say there was medium heat to the sauce and had a great sweet spiciness to it which I really liked. The chicken was really moist too! Definitely worth trying out. I wonder how they debone it… there were no bones inside! Take a bite and you’ll be surprised.

The other appetizer was the Lettuce Wrap, served with lean ground beef with chopped onion, bell pepper, basil and a touch of oyster & chilli sauce. It came out hot and I just love basil! The lettuce wrap also had a medium spiciness to it but the oyster sauce also makes it have a sort of sweet, savouriness to it. The lettuce helps cut the heat to give a cooling effect.

I’ve never had Keang Kari Gai Ma-Mung (fresh mango & chicken in yellow coconut curry) before but I was definitely surprised! Again, the sweet spiciness theme came up and I was surprised to find mango slices in the curry dish. I’ve had curry where they give you a lychee with it but mango was a nice change.

Say hello to Pad Kee Mao, stir fry rice noodles with beef, fresh basil, chopped veggies, bell pepper, onions and fish sauce. It kind of looks like the Cantonese beef fried noodles but the Pad Kee Mao noodles are a bit thinner in width. Overall, I thought this dish was good and I do prefer this over the typical Pad Thai which usually tastes a little more sour.

This dish wasn’t part of the package but it was the Red Curry Tiger Prawns. I came with a guy so one package to share definitely wasn’t enough. I expected that I’d order another dish so we chose this one. The prawns were a good size, fresh, and plump. I just thought that curry sauce on its own was a bit salty but together with the prawns in your mouth balanced the taste. This also came with rice.

To end the night and as part of the package, we were presented with Kluag Tid Ma-Mung Ice Cream, deep fried banana served with mango ice cream. To tell you the truth, i’ve never had a deep fried banana before but it was good together with the ice cream! The mango ice cream was great and together with the warm banana just made it comforting. On the dish, they’d look like two separate things but give it a try and eat them together.

For 18 dollars, this deal was amazing for the amount of food you get. Actually, I can’t imagine myself finishing all 5 of those dishes. If you like spice and would like an introduction to Thai food, you’ll really enjoy it. I hate making decisions about food so this is perfect for those indecisive people. Less work and more bang for your buck.

Purchase the deal at www.vaneats.ca

We Rate Thai House:

Address:
1766 W 7th Avenue
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.thaihouse.com

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In Bakery

Magnolia Bakery: A Taste of Sex in the City in New York

June 29, 2012

If you have ever watched Sex in the City, you will know about this famous bakery. CanuckGirl and I were just walking around Rockefeller Center and suddenly just saw the bakery and immediately lined up. Since this isn’t the original location, it wasn’t too busy. It wasn’t too difficult getting a few of their cupcakes. For those who have never seen the clip of Carrie eating Magnolia Cupcakes, the clip is below.

The exterior and interior is very beautiful and a bit retro. You order on the left and you pay at the cashier in the back.

I went straight for the cupcakes and they had a few different varieties.

Once I picked my cupcakes, they all went into a very travel friendly box!

Your cupcakes won’t be moving around the box! Definitely very travel friendly! Too bad I couldn’t wait to eat it…so we ate it on a street corner. We couldn’t find a table.

S’mores Cupcake ($3.50) was very messy to eat! The wrapper was sticky so it will definitely need some napkins.

The cupcake is comprised of a graham flavored cupcake dipped and filled with chocolate ganache with a meringue icing. It was good, but not the best cupcake I’ve had.

Red Velvet Cupcake ($3.50) was bright red and topped with a meringue icing.

It was very bright inside and obviously has a lot of food coloring. The color of the cupcake is very vibrant, but the flavour wasn’t anything exciting.

Overall, its a great place for Sex in the City fans to go to and reminisce, but the quality and the flavours aren’t there.

Words of Wisdom:

Very close to Rockafeller Centre
Is not the original location
Can get a bit busy during peak hours

We Rate Magnolia Bakery:
Address:
1240 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY

Website:
http://www.magnoliabakery.com/

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In East Village

Ippudo: Ramen in New York with Huge Lines

June 28, 2012

Ippudo NY is the first overseas branch of the famous Japanese ramen chain. It was open in 2008. Ippudo was founded by Shigemi Kawahara in 1985 in the Daimyo District of Chuo Ward, in Fukuoka City. By the time Ippudo NY was opened, there were over 30 branches throughout Japan. By 2012, Kawahara had expanded his ramen empire to over 40 locations.

I arrived at 5pm for 1 person and the wait was already one hour! I wanted to give up at this point since that wait was ridiculous. Fortunately, CanuckGirl really wanted some noodles and they take same day reservations…so we made a reservation for 2 at 10pm.

The bar at the front of the restaurant has some nice decor.

There is even a wall of ramen bowls!

The East Village location features two dining rooms, a sake bar, an open kitchen for non-ramen dishes, and an open ramen bar. The noodles are made in-house in the basement.

It’s very dark inside, but it made for good ambiance.

Complementary tea is something I definitely needed on my travels.The servers were very good about refilling my cup.

Miso Ramen ($15) has soy bean paste flavored noodle in Tonkotsu (pork) based soup with pork chashu, cabbage, menma, ginger, and scallions. CanuckGirl did enjoy her ramen.

“The Kuro Kasane, or Kasane Black is a limited time special ramen at Ippudo NY. It has an authentic “Kasane” tonkotsu & chicken soup with noodles, topped with pork loin chashu, cabbage, sesame kikurage mushrooms, red pickled ginger, naruto, scallions, and fragrant “Black” garlic oil.

It was pretty good, but with the addition of the garlic oil and the broth, it was a bit salty for my liking. It’s still a pretty solid bowl of ramen.

Overall, the waits for a table are ridiculous, but if you make a reservation on the same day, you should have no issues at all. The prices are a bit high compared to what you would find in Vancouver, but you’re in NY, so be prepared to pay more.

Words of Wisdom:

Make same day reservations
Has daily specials
Ramen is a must!

We Rate Ippudo:

Address:
65 4th Ave
New York, NY

Website:
http://www.ippudony.com/

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In Midtown West

Carnegie Deli: Huge Expensive Reuben in New York

June 27, 2012

Carnegie Deli was founded in 1937 and has attracted visitors from all over the world. Even notable celebrities have visited here. They have a few locations in other parts of the States as well. They are best known for their huge sandwiches! I came here since I heard the reuben is something I must try.

At 5pm, there was quite a long line up already, so I opted to just do take-out and eat it back at the hotel.

If you do take out, just walk to the left counter and put down your order. Once you grab your order, you can pay at the counter on the right.

Ah, There`s the Reuben Sandwich ($24.95) was so expensive!! I actually didn’t expect it to be over $20, but it did hurt my wallet. There are layers and layers of pastrami underneath, then topped with sauerkraut and swiss cheese.

It also comes with a container of their mustard and Russian dressing. I love the mustard so much since it complimented the dish so well.

I thought the taste was quite average and nothing too amazing. For $24.95, I expected it to be much larger that what was presented to me. I think I would have had a better time eating a sandwich from Carnegie instead.

Overall, you can definitely get better food for the price of this reuben. I wasn’t too impressed.

We Rate Carnegie Deli:

Address:
854 7th Ave
New York, NY

Website:
http://www.carnegiedeli.com/

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In Dessert

Wafels and Dinges: Throwdown Wafel by Bobby Flay in New York

June 26, 2012

Wafels and Dinges has been featured on Eat St. and even Throwdown with Bobby Flay. I was at Columbus Square and this cart caught my eye. I saw them a few months ago being featured on Food Network and I just had to see what all the buzz is about. They have won several awards and were well publicized by various publications in New York.

If you were wondering what dinges are…don’t get it confused with dingus. Dinges = toppings.

You can watch the video below from the episode from Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

Looking at the menu, it makes for a nice snack and it’s all under $10. The line wasn’t too long and the staff at the cart were friendly.

de throwdown wafel ($6) was the wafel that beat Bobby Flay. It’s crunch on the outside and light on the inside. The wafel is topped with spekuloos spread and then a load of whipped cream. Spekuloos is like a spread that tastes like gingerbread cookies. It’s simple , but I did have to use a fork and knife to eat it. There was way too much whipped cream to eat it with my hands. I didn’t want to get any on my face or my clothes.

Overall, it was a great experience and I can see why they have won so many awards. Definitely check it out when you’re in New York.

We Rate Wafels and Dinges:

Location:
Outside the Time Warner Centre
Website:
http://www.wafelsanddinges.com/

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In Fast Food

Chipotle Mexican Grill: Late Night Eats in New York

June 25, 2012

Chipotle Mexican Grill is awesome Mexican Fast Food in America. Since there were a few locations in New York, CanuckGirl and I decided to go have a cheap dinner during our first night in New York. There aren’t any locations in Vancouver, so we were definitely craving some.

Their hours on Mondays to Sundays are 11am to 10pm.

Burrito Bowl has your choice of rice or beans, meat and additional toppings. I loaded by bowl up. I prefer the burrito bowl over the usual burrito is because it’s easier to eat.

The meat I chose was the carnitas, which is braised pork. The meat was very tender and juicy. I added additional guacamole and the server was very very generous. She put on tons of guacamole and sour cream! Yum!

Overall, Chipotle Mexican Grill is awesome fast food. The quality is pretty standard amongst all locations, so the taste shouldn’t vary too much. It’s easy to do take-out too.

We Rate Chipotle Mexican Grill:

Address:
2 Broadway
New York, NY

Website:
http://www.chipotle.com/

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In Midtown East

The Original Soup Man: No Soup For You in New York

June 24, 2012

If you watched Seinfeld many years ago, you will know about the Soup Nazi. This is the place where the character Soup Nazi is based from. They are known to have some really good soup. They have locations all around North America and are looking into selling their soups at grocery stores off the shelf. This place has definitely expanded.

There are a few rules that Al has in order to be served.

Al’s Rules:

Pick the soup you want
Have your money ready
Move to the extreme left after ordering

Al wasn’t there and the line up was not long, so if you didn’t follow the rules, you would still get soup.

The place has a takeout counter, so there is no place to sit and eat. People usual take it back to their house, office, or eat near the park. They do have a few varieties of soup.

I grabbed my soup to a nearby benched area to enjoy the soup. It’s put into a paper bag.

Small Clam Chowder ($7) was very thick and hearty. There is a good amount of clams and it tasted good. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but it was decent.

You also get some crackers, Lindt chocolate, spoon and napkin with your meal. They are definitely prepared so their customers get everything they need for their meal.

You also get an orange too. It was a bit random, but it was a nice thought. I didn’t eat it since I wanted to save it for later. I left it in my suitcase and well…when I got home it looked super bruised. haha.

Overall, it was a good experience and make for a nice snack. If you aren’t a fan of Seinfeld, you won’t find this place super cool.

Words of Wisdom:

Follow Al’s Rules
Under $10
Lots of extras that come with your soup

We Rate the Original Soup Man:

Address:
259 West 55th Street
New York, NY

Website:
http://originalsoupman.com/

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In Bakery

Momofuku Milk Bar: Crack Pie in New York

June 23, 2012

When visiting New York City, we knew we had to try the Momofuku Milk Bar. People around the world rave about their amazing desserts. I’ve never heard of a milk bar before, so this would be a fun-filled adventure to East Village with CanuckGirl. They have various locations around New York. They even sell their popular Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook here too.

Blueberry Miso + Cereal Milk Soft Serve Ice Cream ($4.50) I didn’t know which flavour to get since they were so good, so I asked them to twist the two flavours. To my surprise, they were able to do it. I think my favorite would have to be cereal milk because it reminded me of the sweetened milk after you eat your cereal. Highly recommended.

Another item on the menu that really intrigued me was the crack pie. Looking at the first few ingredients, you know this isn’t a pie if you are on a diet. Butter, sugar, brown sugar and cream.

Crack Pie ($5.25) was so good. Bad for the hips, but very delicious. It will definitely satisfy any sweet tooth.

All the items that was sold at this shop was all pre-packaged, so don’t expect a bakery type of setting. There are very little seats inside, so most people just do take-out. The locations do vary, so not all locations have all their items.

Words of Wisdom:

Order anything with Cereal Milk!
Crack Pie is a must!
Under $10
Very little space to sit and eat

We Rate Momofuku Milk Bar:

Address:
251 E 13th St
New York, NY

Website:
http://www.momofuku.com/restaurants/milk-bar/

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In Four Beakers

Kaza Maza: Syrian Cuisine in Montreal, QC

June 22, 2012

We met up with BraisedandConfused when I was in Montreal for a few days. She suggested we have dinner at Kaza Maza as they have stellar Syrian food. I’ve never had Syrian food, so it was definitely an adventure. They can be pretty busy, so reservations are highly recommended especially when you are going in groups. Montreal is big on reservations, so on busy weekends…you are basically out of luck without reservations.

On certain nights, they will have live music as you dine. The interior isn’t large, but you should be able to be ok with a group of 4.

Complementary olives and peppers arrive at the table. The peppers are quite spicy and contains a bit of liquid inside, so you will need to be a bit careful eating those. Olives tasted great too, but some people naturally don’t like the taste of olives. It’s a personal preference kind of thing.

Fattouch Salad ($11/$14) has lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, radishes, parsley, mint, pomegranate, sumac and fried pita. CanuckGirl loved this salad and so did I! It contains various types of greens that go well together quite nicely.

Mutabbal Beets ($7) has mashed roasted beets, tahini, yogurt, lemon, garlic, parsley and olive oil. It’s a very pretty color due to the natural color of the beets. You could dip this into pita bread. This was CanuckGirl’s favorite dip.

Baba Ghannouj ($7) has grilled eggplant, tahini, yogurt, garlic, lemon, parsley, olive oil and pomegranate. I really enjoyed it’s amazing taste! I would definitely order this again!

Lamb shank with Friki ($19) has lamb shank, wheat whole smoked, roasted nuts mixed with butter, yogurt cucumber sauce with mint, garlic and raisins. The lamb is quite meaty and tender! I loved the texture of the wheat and the ingredients in it. Definitely my favorite dish of the night.

This is the yogurt cucumber sauce the comes on the side for the dish.

Kabab with cherries and pine nuts ($19) has kefta grilled and then simmered with sour cherries and topped with pine nuts. I personally didn’t love the cherries in the dish because savory and sweet things that are combined together is a bit strange for me. It’s just a personal preference of mine. CanuckGirl did enjoy this dish a lot as the meatball were moist and full of flavour.

Overall, Kaza Maza has good food and I was glad I was able to try it during my time in Montreal. CanuckGirl said it was one of her most memorable meals during our entire trip.

Words of Wisdom:

Good service
Make reservations

We Rate Kaza Maza:

Address:
4629 Park Ave
Montréal, QC

Website:
http://www.kazamaza.ca/

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In Fairview

Suika Snackbar: Suika Punch Dining Package Review

June 21, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Suika Punch” dining package and write a review about it. I got a complementary dining package for myself and I brought along M and CandiedZen to keep the review as unbiased as I could.

Suika Snackbar is owned by the same people who bring us Kingyo Izakaya. It is located on Broadway near Fir St. I’ve been to Suika Snackbar a few times and it’s a great place to dine with friends over yummy Japanese food.

The guys at VANEATS.ca is offering a new dining package called Suika Punch for $25, where you get 6 courses consisting of:

Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki
Tomato Kimchi
Yellowtail Carpaccio
The Hellz Chicken
Chinese Poutine
Pitcher of Sapporo

I always end up taking a picture of this because it’s so pretty.

Pitcher of Sapporo is an awesome addition to this package because everyone wants to relax and have a drink with friends. CandiedZen and I shared the pitcher since M was the driver for the night. Sapporo is one of my favorite beers since it’s light and pairs really well with Japanese food. No joke, I actually prefer Sapporo over Asahi.

Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki, Tomato Kimchi, and Yellowtail Carpaccio come on one plate. It’s not 3 full courses, but it’s more of a sampler.

Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki is topped with chili oil and scallions. M really liked it since it’s nicely seared on all sides. It was a nice change to have the chili oil on top of this instead of the usual ponzu sauce. It’s not spicy! There are 4 pieces that come with it, so if you come with an odd amount of people, someone is gonna fight for the last piece.

Tomato Kimchi has kimchi marinated tomato with chinese chives & cilantro oil. I loved this since the taste just tickles your tongue. It’s not spicy at all. I am not sure if I was crazy, but it seemed like there was a bit of sesame oil to this dish as well.

Yellowtail Carpaccio has thinly sliced yellowtail topped with sesame soy dressing, tobiko and mayo. I thought the mayo was a bit too much since it just killed the light delicate taste of the fish.

Chinese Poutine has french fries topped with spicy ground pork sauce, mozzarella, chili oil, sansho and minced cilantro. It’s actually not spicy either. It’s a really weird spin on poutine. It tasted good, but it seemed a bit peculiar for the menu.

The Hellz Chicken has 4 balls of deep-fried chicken tossed the most most evil sauce imaginable. (It’s a lie, but it’s spicy! Wing’s Bobby wings are hotter.) The sauce is made with a combination of jalapeno, hot sauce, lemon, garlic, vinegar & tabasco. Since I knew this was coming, I had to bring a Korean to see how intense the spice really was.

M loves his spicy food, but he did not feel like there was a yummy spicy taste to this dish. I had to agree with him since it just burns your mouth. I ate 2 of the pieces and I drank a glass of beer and a glass of water to quench the burn. I can usually handle my spice since I eat jars and jars of spicy kimchi at home.

At the end of the meal, you get some awesome frozen grapes. I always look forward to these since it’s very yummy.

Overall, we felt that the ‘Suika Punch’ is not for everyone. If you can’t handle your spice…or have weak friends, someone is gonna end up crying because of the Hellz Chicken. For $25 for the dining pass, it’s a good price since the pitcher of Sapporo does come with it. It’s a good package for 2 people. If you have 3 people, you would be ok ordering a few more additional dishes.

You can purchase the Suika Punch Dining Package at VANEATS.ca for $25!

Words of Wisdom:

Pay parking on Street
Reservations highly recommended!

We Rate Suika Snackbar:

Address:
1626 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.suika-snackbar.com/

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In Dessert

Big Gay Ice Cream Shop: Twist Cone with Sprinkles in New York

June 21, 2012

When visiting New York, I knew I had to go try te Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. I saw it on Food Network a few months ago and I had to see what all the buzz was about. It was a very hot day in New York, so ice cream was definitely needed!

They also have a Food Truck called Big Gay Ice Cream Truck!

The interior is very small, so you can’t really sit down anywhere. You basically go in, give your order, pay, get your order and leave. A lot of people were eating outside or were walking around.

Vanilla and Chocolate Twist Cone with Rainbow Sprinkles

So many sprinkles! I had the choice of choosing between chocolate sprinkles or rainbow sprinkles. I think I made the right choice! It really does turn you into a kid again.

The taste was quite good, but it wasn’t super amazing. It’s something simple that’s enjoyable. They also have other more adventurous types of ice creams too. I really wanted to try something more basic. I did enjoy my visit!

We Rate Big Gay Ice Cream Shop:

Address:
125 East Seventh Street
New York, NY

Website:
http://biggayicecream.com/

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In Back Bay

Casa Romero: Mexican Cuisine in Boston, MA

June 20, 2012

On our first night in Boston, we decided to go to Casa Romero in the Back Bay area. We heard they had some great authentic Mexican food. It took us a while to find this place because it was hidden in an alley of a residential area.

We didn’t make any reservations, but they were able to seat us right away. We got quite lucky because the restaurant was packed. The only issue that bothered us as we entered was the Host, he seemed a bit rude.

Since it was a nice day, we decided to eat outside in their patio.

Complementary tortilla chips and salsa come to the table. It’s freshly made and very delicious. You can also order a side of guacamole for $7.50.

Ceviche ($9) of Fresh Fish with Tomatoes, and Onions in a Citrus Marinated. It also have a lime and avocado on top. I enjoyed the tart taste that accompanied the dish, I just wish it had a bit more sourness to it. CanuckGirl thought this was a strange dish…so I had it all to myself!

Casa Romero’s Legendary Signature Dish – Puerco Adobado en Chipotle y Naranja ($25) has a tenderloin of Pork Marinated in Oranges and Smoked Chipotle Peppers. It also comes with a side of rice and beans. CanuckGirl loved it, but I wasn’t a big fan of the dish. It really comes down to personal preferences. The pork was nice and tender.

Overall, this restaurant was nice and pretty good ambiance for a date type of situation.

Words of Wisdom:

Make reservations to guarantee seats
A bit expensive for some dishes

We Rate Casa Romero:

Address:
30 Gloucester St
Boston, MA

Website:
http://www.casaromero.com/

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In Bakery

Mike’s Pastry: Holy Cannoli in Boston, MA

June 19, 2012

Mike’s Pastry is very famous and popular amongst tourists. I’m not exactly sure why it’s so famous, but there were tons of people lining up to get a taste of their pastries. CanuckGirl and I decided to come here for a snack because Trip Advisor told us we had to check this place out.

There are no lines here, you have to budge and shove your way to the counter to get someone to take your order. Even though there are tons of people, you can get out of here with your box of pastries quite fast.

Pistachio Cannoli ($3.50) is a traditional Italian pastry, but with bits of pistachio at both ends.

Don’t be fooled by the pictures because it is packed full of cream! It’s quite dense and will make you full. It was so rich that I could only finish half of it in one sitting. The outside shell was nice and crunchy. What I didn’t like about it was how green and artificial it looked. I had to make sure it didn’t dye my lips green.

Hazelnut Cannoli ($3.50) was similar except for the bits of hazelnuts on both ends. The flavour was similar since a majority of the cannoli was the Ricotta Cheese in the center.

Overall, it was great to try out their famous cannoli’s, but you can get quite sick of the after a while. Most people take the pastries to go. One of the servers said to CanuckGirl that it would last a few days…but I don’t think you should leave these uneaten for more than a day. The crust do eventually begin to get soggy due to the Ricotta Cheese. It’s best to eat them right away for within a few hours.

Words of Wisdom:

Very Touristy
Best to share with a friend
Long lines but it goes quick

We Rate Mike’s Pastry:

Address:
300 Hanover St
Boston, MA

Website:
http://www.mikespastry.com/

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In American

Parish Cafe: Sandwiches by Famous Local Chefs in Boston, MA

June 18, 2012

CanuckGirl and I were looking for a place close to our hotel for dinner. After surfing on Urbanspoon, we decided to go to Parish Cafe. It was created by Gordon Wilcox and he had a simple concept. He approached all the famous local chefs and asked them to create a sandwich for the Parish Cafe menu.

Each Sandwich is named for the chef and the restaurant they are from. Since most of our menu items are created by other chefs, the standards are high and that’s how they have become quite popular.

On the walls, there are tons of articles about their restaurant.

On a busy weekend, it was quicker to get a table inside than sitting on the patio. 45 mins wait for the patio or a 5 min wait for inside the restaurant? Of course we chose to sit inside.

The Lumiere ($10.50) was created by Michael Leviton, the Chef/Owner of Lumiere, Newton. The sandwich is a slow-roasted pork butt sandwich on a seeded bun with a lime and green curry tartar sauce. Served with an ocean papaya salad topped with peppered peanuts.

The Schlow ($13.25) was created by Michael Schlow, the Chef/Owner of Radius & Via Matta in Boston. It s a roasted rare sirloin, sliced thin, with caramelized onions, tomato confit, arugula and a horseradish-cream sauce. Served on Tuscan wheat bread with coleslaw and mixed greens.

It was quite delicious and had a good amount of rare sirloin.

Overall, the sandwiches were great. The service was quite mediocre as the servers were always in a rush. We would signal to them that we were ready to order but they would not return. It took a while to get their attention.

Words of Wisdom:

Decent prices for lunch and dinner
Good quality food
Get their sandwiches!
Close to Arlington Station

We Rate Parish Cafe:
Address:
361 Boylston St
Boston, MA

Website:
http://www.parishcafe.com/

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In Four Beakers

Neptune Oysters: A Must Visit For Seafood in Boston, MA

June 17, 2012

Neptune Oysters is the place to go for Oysters and seafood when you are visiting Boston. Usually tourists go to the Union Oyster House for seafood, as it is the oldest restaurant in America. We chose Neptune Oyster House because it was highly talked about and MedicalGiraffe told me I had to go.

CanuckGirl and I came here after a day of sightseeing and shopping. It was around 5:30 and we put our names down. We still had to wait a little bit. Even though there are no physical lines outside the restaurant, there will be one on a piece of paper. Usually people just walk around the area and come back.

We sat at the bar area and it was fine for a group of 2 people. The servers were very nice and for some reason they were all women.

They also have a few larger tables too, if you have a big party, definitely come early as they do not take reservations.

You order all your oysters on a sheet and it comes with all the information you need. It was great having the descriptions so you know what to expect if you are an oyster noob. CanuckGirl just ordered the oysters that originated from the West Coast. Since we were near the East Coast, I decided to try the medium-sized ones.

The oysters do range in price, but they aren’t too expensive. It comes with cocktail sauce, vinaigrette, and lemons. The descriptions of the oysters are accurate and the people who shuck these oysters do a great job!

Maine Lobster Roll ($25) the lobster comes on a toasted roll with the lobster in hot butter. You can also have the lobster cold with mayo instead. Canuckgirl liked it better in its hot form with butter. The pieces of lobster were massive and worth the price. It also comes with a side of fries and ketchup. Highly recommended!

Neptune Burger ($16) has cheddar cheese, burger, fried oysters, garlic mayo and relish. It also comes with fries and ketchup on the side. You can choose the degree of wellness of your burger, I chose mine to be medium-rare and it was AMAZING.

It was a bit too big to hold with my hands, so I used the fork and knife to devour this bad boy. It was very very delicious! Probably one of the best burgers I have ever had. The oysters were lightly battered and had such a delicious taste. The burger was perfectly done and the juices that poured out of the meat was so yummy. Highly recommended!

Overall, we had a great time here. The food was great and the service was great as well. If I was to visit Boston again, I would definitely come here again!

Words of Wisdom:

Oysters are a must!
Good service
Long waits at peak hours
No reservations
Neptune Burger, Maine Lobster Roll and Oysters are a must!

We Rate Neptune Oyster House:

Address:
63 Salem St
Boston, MA

Website:
http://www.neptuneoyster.com/

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In Four Beakers

Regina Pizzeria: Boston’s Brick Oven Pizza

June 16, 2012

Regina Pizzaria is Boston’s original brick oven pizza. It’s been around in 1926, so they have a long history of serving delicious pizza. Of all their locations, I think this is one of their better ones. I guess you can’t really beat their original location right?

CanuckGirl and I decided to come here for pizza since we heard it is a must when visiting Boston. It was a game night, so it was quite busy inside. Luckily, we were able to be seated right away!

It’s not super cool or anything inside, but it gave me a bit of a bar type of vibe. We were seated near a booth and we could see the portraits of all the celebrities that have been here.

Pint of Miller Light ($2.50) was super cheap. I didn’t know what to expect, but it tasted good and was light and crisp. It definitely goes well with pizza.

Everything else comes in paper cups. I don’t know, but I found this quite odd.

We were also given paper plates too…which I found odd again. Then, they gave us metal cutlery.

#17 Pollo Regina (Small – $11.99) has grilled chicken breast, ricotta, parmesan, romano, mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce and roasted vegetables. This was a really good pizza! The crust was a good thickness and it still had tons of cheese and topping sitting there. Definitely really good pizza. CanuckGirl and I just shared this as the Large size was HUGE. The small size has 6 slices.

Overall, we did have a good experience here. It’s nothing fancy, but it has a solid selection of pizza. There was a reason why they are named Boston’s Best Pizza.

Words of Wisdom:

Busy during game days
Pizza is best shared
Well priced menu! Cheap beer!

We Rate Regina Pizza:

Address:
11 Thacher St
Boston, MA 02113

Website:
http://www.pizzeriaregina.com/

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In Chinese

Richmond Night Market 2012: Bakudanyaki, Le Tigre, Icy Bar + More

June 15, 2012

The Richmond Night Market is back! You may be confused why there are 2 night markets in Richmond, I am also confused but I heard there was a feud of some sort. After a four-year hiatus, Raymond Cheung, the founder of the original Richmond Night Market brings it back to a new location close to the Canada Line. There are 250 booths sellingitems such as Korean socks, colored contact lenses, stuffed animals, iPhone accessories, and other cool gadgets. There are also 80 vendors serving up the oh-so-delicious food that definitely attracts the whole city to come here.

Unfortunately, there is a fee of $1.50 to enter the night market, but the parking is complementary and very close! Imagine the admission is the cost of parking…much better than getting a parking ticket right?

By 7pm (the start of the night market), there were already lines into the parking lot of the night market. There is only one entrance and one exit out of this huge parking lot, so be expected to wait. You can also alternatively park at a different skytrain and just take transit down here.

Most people come here just for the food. There is always a crowd near the food area. It’s best to come early before huge lines begin to develop.

There are also a few table that you can sit down and eat your food. Don’t be afraid to eat with strangers if you desperately need to sit down to eat. Near this area are washrooms too.

Whatever you do…don’t buy the drinks from the Coca-Cola staff, they are severely over-priced! Might as well spend your money on something more delicious.

Daikichi Bakudanyak

Bakudanyaki was originally a food truck near the River Rock Casino a few years ago and they are back!! They were the originators of the huge takoyaki balls.

Cost: $5 per huge takoyaki balls
Flavours: Original, Chili, Wasabi, Curry, plus one special feature
Filling contains: Squid, cabbage, corn red ginger, shrimp, rice cake, quail egg and green onions
Website: http://www.bakudanyaki.com/

They cram an enormous amount of filling inside.

Wasabi Huge Takoyaki ($5) is the size of a baseball. All the huge takoyaki’s have the same fillings, the only thing that differs is the sauce they put on top. I chose wasabi since I wanted to be adventurous. The taste of wasabi is quite mild, so it won’t be super spicy. I really enjoyed it and the filling inside the takoyaki is very hearty. You must try this!

Le Tigre – Modern Chinese Cuisine

Le Tigre is one of the new Food Trucks that will be hitting the streets of Vancouver this Summer. They have a stall at the Richmond Night Market, so we had to have a taste of their skewers. What we noticed was the skewers were cheaper than some other stalls, plus they had some very enticing skewers. You definitely need to check out this place!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeTigreCuisine
Twitter: @leTigre_Cuisine

These are way cooler than all the skewer stands at the Richmond Night Market. It’s not just a skewer of meat, they dress them up with sauces and other cool ingredients.

Wouldn’t you want men in hipster hello kitty glasses serve you? We thought it was quite cute.

FoodQueen ordered:

Kickass Rice -$3.50
Pork Belly Skewer – $2.50

FoodPunk ordered:

Mochi Skewer
Pork Belly Skewer
Beef Skewer
3 skewers for $6.50

I ordered:

Beef Skewer
Chicken Skewer
Pork Belly Skewer
3 for $6.50

BBQ Squid

If I could read Chinese, I would let you know what the sign says. Sadly, I dropped out of Chinese school very early so I am no help at all. I really wanted to find some BBQ squid since I kept seeing people’s tweets about them. I didn’t know which ones were good, so I just went to the stall with the longest line up.

You pay at the right and then you line up again and pick up at the left side.

They don’t give you a piece of paper or anything…so I think they trust their customers to be honest. When you get to the man grilling all the squid, he will ask you if you want it regular or spicy.

Spicy Grilled Squid ($6) was spicy. I thought I had a high tolerance for spicy food, but I guess I was wrong. The squid was a bit chewy, but the flavour was good. If you can’t handle your spice, just get the regular one.

Cherry Fruit Juice & Icy Bar

I’ve fallen in love with this stall many years ago. It’s my go-to place for anything mango related. I’ve also been to their location in Crystal Mall a few times for their shaved ice and it’s never disappointed. I would highly recommend this place too.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cherryicybar
Additional Locations: Crystal Mall, Parker Place

Mango Tapioca Icy ($5) was definitely needed after all the salty and spicy food. Plus it was a hot day too. It has layers of mango, icy, tapioca and milk. I loved it!

Red Bean Ice Cream Mochi Icy ($5.50) was what FoodPunk ordered. It was big, but she said it wasn’t as thirst quenching as the mango icy.

QQ Egg Puff

QQ Egg Pugg is a bubble waffle stand at the night market. They have some very unique flavours of bubble waffles. I think they use the Bubble Tea powder in the bubble waffle to give them the color and taste. There are a lot of bubble waffle stands in the Richmond Night Market, so you have tons of options. FoodQueen and FoodPunk chose this because their banner was very cute.

Original, Chocolate or Strawberry – $3.50
Coconut, taro, mango, red bean, cheese or matcha – $4

Coconut Bubble Waffle ($4) looks like the original bubble waffle, but don’t be fooled. It did have a very subtle taste of coconut. it tasted ok, but the waffles looked pretty squished and deformed.

Taro Bubble Waffle ($4) is bright and purple inside due to the taro powder. It was very sweet and tasted like artificial taro.

Rotato

Rotato serves up the hurricane potatoes. The line up was quite long and was about a 30 minute wait. It seems to be the only stall that served these. We didn’t line up, but they do have this really cool illustration about what you can do with your Rotato.

Care For Life Foundation – Wishing Tree

At the Richmond Night Market, the Care For Life Foundation set up a series of artificial trees for people to make a wish. We browsed around and looked at a few wishes. We found a lot of wishes about relationships and how people want their relationship to last till the end of time. Very cute!