When we walked up to the restaurant the first thing you notice is the seating area outside that makes this location look very French. The chalkboard menu was outside with some delicious specials featured for the evening. When we walked inside there were a few people seated and they seemed to be enjoying themselves, which I thought was a good sign. Patti and I sat down at a two top table by the window so we could look outside while we ate. There is limited seating in this restaurant, but it's still very inviting. The decor was French inspired with a modern American twist.
I never thought it could be true, but I had a bad crepe. That's right, it happened. It wasn't just the crepe that was bad which was even more unfortunate. When I arrived in LAX I was famished and I was ready to eat just about anything as long as it was fresh and warm. My sister Patti Reilly and I went to a cute little place called Creme De La Crepe which was in a shopping complex not too far from the airport. The restaurant looked very inviting and warm which was just what I was looking for.
When we walked up to the restaurant the first thing you notice is the seating area outside that makes this location look very French. The chalkboard menu was outside with some delicious specials featured for the evening. When we walked inside there were a few people seated and they seemed to be enjoying themselves, which I thought was a good sign. Patti and I sat down at a two top table by the window so we could look outside while we ate. There is limited seating in this restaurant, but it's still very inviting. The decor was French inspired with a modern American twist.
Our waitress stopped at our table and she asked for our drink order immediately and when we had questions about the wine she didn't seem to know anything about it. We asked about the house wine and she didn't know, a sweet wine she didn't know, etc. When I asked about a specific dish she said that she had never tried it before. Later I found out that she was a vegetarian, so I can understand why she didn't know what my dish tasted like. I ended up ordering the Exquise Crepe (pronounced 'Ex Keys') which had ham, brie and cherry tomatoes with a pesto sauce on top. It didn't mention a salad or any dressing, but one came with it. My sister ordered the tomato basil soup.
It wasn't long before our food came and it looked delicious. My sister started with her soup right away. She took one bite and I could see on her face that she wasn't pleased. She passed me the spoon and asked what I thought and after I took a bite I imagined that I made the same face. It tasted burnt and old. Almost as if it had been sitting on a burner all day long and it was getting to the bottom of the pot. Not even the side of cheese helped with the flavor. When I took a bite of my crepe my first reaction was to spit it back out (but I didn't). I realized that I had only taken a bite of the outer edge which was only crepe and pesto. As I worked my way into the middle I was able to taste the ham and brie with the pesto sauce. It would have been a nice flavor if the crepe wasn't wheat or if the pesto wasn't saturating the top of it. There was an odd flavor to this dish that I couldn't explain. I definitely didn't like the watered down pesto and the crepe being made from wheat gave it an earthy flavor that made the rest of the dish taste muddled. I decided to move onto the salad since that looked harmless, but the dressing tasted like hollandaise sauce. It had a mayonnaise type texture and flavor that didn't belong on Arugula.
When the waitress came back the only thing we complained about was the soup which she ended up taking off of our bill because we didn't touch it after the first bite. With my crepe I didn't complain because I was so hungry that I ended up eating about half of it just to fill my belly. I left the salad almost completely untouched. She was very kind and had a personable demeanor, but her knowledge on the menu was lacking. I wouldn't suggest this restaurant for anyone who is looking for a decent crepe or French inspired soup. Too bad that doesn't leave much on the menu to be desired. Oh wait, their Rose' was good. Thank goodness for wine.
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This is a pretty decent place to have some Mexican food here in Tarpon Springs where the Greek blood runs thick. It's hard to find anything other than Greek food and Seafood in Tarpon Springs. This location is nice because it has a large parking lot and it's large enough to see from the busy 19N Rd.
When my neighbor Linda and I went in here it was around 6:30 which is prime dinner time for the snow birds around here, but it seemed a little empty. This made me a little nervous considering Tarpon Springs is a hot zone for tourists especially around dinner time. The waiter that we had was pleasant and helpful, but not very social. He was there when we needed him and everything came as it should, but he didn't say much to us at all. This isn't a complaint considering she and I went to dinner to talk shop, but merely an observation.
When we sat down we were given a huge bowl of chips and a spicy salsa that wasn't chunky at all. My neighbor had been here before so she knew to ask for a mild salsa. This salsa came and it was chunky and warm and seasoned more like a marinara sauce. Both of us like that sauce much better.
She ended up ordering something called Pollio Fundido which was delicious. She said that it's the only place around that will make it. Pretty much it's a fajita without being all cut up. It comes as a whole chicken breast with green peppers, onions and cheese on top. Then it has a side of rice and tortilla shells to use.
I'm boring and I just ordered the fajitas because I couldn't kick the craving. I asked for my peppers and onions to be cooked very well which they did perfectly. The seasoning on mine was delicious and not too oily. I've had a lot of fajitas in my day and most of the time the chicken and vegetables are overly oily or under seasoned. This was not the case here.
When our meal came we both ate about half of the meal and decided to take the rest home. Their portions were a little bit bigger than most Mexican restaurants that I've been to. They had a list of desserts, but I have to say that we couldn't even look at that portion of the menu after eating so much food for dinner. I will definitely come back to this place the next time I'm craving Mexican.
On a visit to see my parents and sister Patti over the weekend, my sister and I decided to grab some sushi. We love having sister time and Celebration is a great place to enjoy a Starbucks, dinner and nice walk. Ari Sushi has been a favorite on the food review sites so we thought it only appropriate to check it out for ourselves.
Upon walking into Ari Sushi around we first noticed that the place was only half full on a Friday night. This is odd since all the places around us were spilling with people inside and out. When we looked around we both agreed that we liked the calm feel that you get with the dimly lit lights and darker decor'. We waited in the front to be seated, but after a few minutes went by and no one came to seat us Patti and I decided to go sit at the sushi bar. We said hello to the sushi chefs and asked if it was okay that we sit there and they immediately said yes. We waited a few minutes longer and no waiter or waitress came by to say hello or to give us a menu. Finally my sister got up to go get a menu and after she sat back down she realized it was the lunch menu. Two minutes later a waitress came by to grab the menu and said "I'll take that, it's not the right one. I'll send someone over to you with the right menu." I felt it was a rude introduction considering we had waited a while before even having anyone ask if we had been helped. Luckily we were given a server who was outgoing and perky to help mull over the tension that was stirring.
We ended up ordering a cucumber salad and gyoza to start. The cucumber salad had a nice light dressing on it and beets to sweeten the flavor. The gyoza was delicious and filled to the brim, but the dipping sauce which is normally sweet and salty was extremely spicy and salty. We ended up using the dressing from the salad on the gyoza which gave it a much better taste.
When our meals came from the sushi chefs in front of us they were beautiful. I ordered a West Coast roll which had baked salmon on top and a crab salad with cream cheese on the inside and a Mexican roll. My sister ordered a Lobster roll which had a mango drizzle on top. All of the rolls came out looking beautiful. I found that the West Coast roll was a very flavorful, but it could have used a cucumber or asparagus for crunch. The Mexican was very good and it wasn't greasy from the fried shrimp either. My sister seemed to like the Lobster roll, but she commented that the mango drizzle made it taste a little more like a dessert. It didn't stop her from eating a couple pieces though. We both ate about half of the meal and ended up taking the rest home for my dad. These rolls came out a little larger than most sushi places that I go to. Maybe the next time we go we'll be able to try some of the other amazing rolls that they have listed. They definitely had a special variety of rolls and sauces. Hopefully next time the service will be better from the start so we don't feel like we're putting anyone out by actually eating there.
I truly enjoy a good day out with the girls! It's always a pleasure to meet up with the girls for a delicious lunch and girlie conversation. I had never been to Cafe Ponte before, but my friend Bonny kept telling me how amazing the food was. I looked up the website and menu before I went, just so I had an idea of what I wanted.
When I pulled up I was surprised to see that Cafe Ponte was in a shopping center instead of a stand alone business. Once I walked in I was pleasantly impressed by the white table linens, crisp decor and the light tone of today's best hits. The restaurant was crowded, but it never felt cramped and it wasn't so loud that you had to talk over people. It was a great place to take a date or to have lunch with the girls when you need a break from the craziness of life. After the day that I had, I was the first to order an alcoholic beverage. Mojito for me and apparently the rest of the girls felt like following suit. I ordered the Trio for lunch which offered a soup, half a club sandwich and a salad. The daily soup was a butternut squash with apples and pumpkin seeds and I chose the arugula salad with house dressing. My friend ordered the daily special pizza which was a white pizza with 4 different types of mushrooms and artichoke. I don't know how the pizza tasted, but she seemed to love it. As for my dish... the butternut squash soup was to die for. It was filled with flavor and spices that made my taste buds go crazy. It was creamy but there were small bits of apple in it that gave the soup some crunch and sweetness to offset the pepper notes. The club was very tasty and it was on a fresh Focaccia bread which made it incredible. There are definitely some more items on this menu that I'd love to try and hopefully I'll get the chance to check them out for dinner some time. I'd also like to try a dessert when I'm not so full from devouring my entire meal. This was a great experience for lunch and the service was exceptional!
Recently I was introduced to Pho by some of my amazing foodie friends. They showed me how flavorful broth can be and how adding just a few simple veggies and raw meat can change the flavor to make any type of Pho you'd like. While having homemade Pho was never on my "to do list" I have to say that it should have been and will be on that list again. It's bound to happen that I'll be craving it as much as sushi.
We stopped into a place called Tasty Pho after a 5k walk because I was cold from the 70 degree breeze. All I knew was I had Pho about a week ago and I needed more ASAP. Tasty Pho is a smaller restaurant with not much decor. It reminded me of a plain Jane sushi place that you'd stop into during lunch time. This wouldn't be a place to take a date, but it was perfect for us since we were dressed in workout clothes. I ordered the Thai Iced coffee (New Englander at heart) and the Thai Pho, which is just broth, scallions and raw meat. They put a tray of limes, sweet basil and bean sprouts in front of us to add to our Pho. I ended up trying the wonton wrapped shrimp which was very simple, but had lots of flavor. Then we tried some type of Thai pancake thing (the thing in the bowls, in the picture) that I was NOT a fan of. Way too fishy flavored for me. Thank god the Thai Iced Coffee was sitting next to me because it helped kill the flavor. Mmmmm Thai Coffee. So sweet and delicious. I can feel the caffeine high as I write about it now. Soon our server comes to the table with a bowl in his hands and two other servers behind him who were also holding bowls. When he got to the table he says "Who ordered the Pho"? I couldn't help but point out that he may want to be a little more specific since they have about 10 types of Pho on the menu and the name of the restaurant is literally called Tasty Pho. We had a little giggle about it and then moved on to eating out delicious Pho. For those of you who have never had Pho before, I highly recommend it. However, keep in mind that this dish is typically HUGE and a regular size is about 3 times the size of a normal bowl of soup. I ended up having two days worth of left overs from this dish.
It was a surprise to walk into this adorable place with no one seated or eating. Typically this would be my first red flag for me to make a bee line to the door. On the other hand it had a beautiful almost meditative type feeling from the moment you step in the door. White walls with amazingly huge colorful paintings on the walls with real orchids on each and every table. At first glance I just felt as if I had found a gem.
After being seated I took one look at the menu and the prices were average for a lunch at a Thai restaurant. I was a little disappointed at first when I ordered my meal and I couldn’t change the soup for a salad. However, after getting my cucumber soup I quickly realized that they obviously knew what they were doing. The smell was warm and inviting and the taste was even better with a cool crisp flavor of cucumber and tofu.
A few moments later my Red Curry Chicken came with an amazing display of culinary talents. Between the selection of vegetables in the Red Curry Chicken to the side of Pad Thai and carrot butterfly on my plate I couldn’t hold in the excitement. It smelled delicious and tasted even better. I didn’t expect to have a side of Pad Thai on the side and I had never tried it before. I’m not sure how its suppose to taste, but after I took my first bite I knew I was in love. While the Red Curry Chicken was delicious and oozing of flavor the Pad Thai reminded me of a bar-b-Que. I realize how that must sound, but it really was my first thought. It had a light flavor of sweet and spicy with a smell similar to bar-b-Que sauce. Plus with noodles being so light it reminded me of summer. Maybe I should have tried Pad Thai earlier. Yum.
After finishing my meal I noticed that more people were coming in for a late lunch. I suppose that this area of town could just eat lunch later then people on the west coast of Florida. As I began to people watch I listened to this one business woman tell the waiter to have his wife make her something special. He did exactly that and she did make her something special indeed. She also brought the meal out to the woman personally so I was also able to thank the chef for a great meal. If you’re ever in the area and you have the option to check this place out I would suggest it for sure. It might be a little quiet and you may not find it to be a place to meet new people, but your taste buds will thank you in the end.
Today I was Boca Raton and there was a ton of places to choose from in this area. While I looked on Urban Spoon for a selection of places I realized that almost everything in the area was more expensive then back home. Finally I found something that sounded healthy and fair in price. Meza Mediterranean Grill & Bar in Boca Raton sits in a little shopping center with other eateries available just doors away. I was surprised to see that when I walked in at lunch time it wasn’t busy at all. Usually it’s not a good sign if the parking lot is packed and there is no one in your restaurant around lunch time, however I wanted to give it a try.
I was greeted at the door and seated wherever I like by a waiter named Robert. He had a smile on his face and he took my drink order immediately and he told me to ask if I had any questions about the menu. At first glance I felt that I was just sitting in another dinner or deli style restaurant, but after looking around I realized that this was a place to come at night. They are set up for live music, there’s a covered patio where you can choose from a huge selection of hookah and they even have belly dancers on weekends. The décor inside is mainly a mural painted on the walls that makes you feel like you’re in another country and then simple neutral colored booths and chairs. The bar is in the back and although it doesn’t seat many people it looks inviting.
With the lamb kabob sandwich you are offered French fries or Greek salad. Based on my choices I opted for the Greek salad. It came as a chopped salad with pickled beets and fresh feta. When I say fresh feta I mean it was fresh and delicious. The lamb kabob sandwich came perfectly wrapped up in pita bread and tin foil for those who are messy. It was filled with lamb, tomatoes, red onions, feta, tahini sauce and lettuce. The lamb was tender and moist and cooked to perfection with some seasoning that I couldn’t seem to put my finger on. Either way it was a delicious addition to my already amazing meal. I ended up taking three boxes of food home with me, just from the leftovers of this meal. I can’t wait to enjoy it for a second time as I’m sure it will taste just as good. Overall my experience with Meza's Mediterranean Grill & Bar was far superior to any local Greek restaurant we have in the Tarpon Springs area. I might even go as far as saying this is probably the best Mediterranean food I've ever had.
I would like to point out that in other reviews someone had mentioned the service being bad and I would like to say that things may have changed since then. The ipads that they mentioned are still being used, but they aren’t being brought to the table. My waiter took my order and went back to the bar to type it in the ipad. I did witness someone cleaning off a table which was right next to me and I didn’t smell any bleach once he was done. Maybe they saw your review and changed up some of the ways they handled business, which in my opinion is a great way to take constructive criticism. They did a wonderful job of checking in on me and they gave me plenty of attention during the course of my meal.
One of the things that I like about their menu is that there’s a description of the food and ingredients next to the original name. Being that I have tried a lot of Greek food before I wanted to see how they were different from the local Tarpon Springs area. I ordered the Middle-Eastern Sampler which came with a large portion of hummus, eggplant dip, grape leaves and Falafel. It was served with a side plate of pita bread for dipping and the Falafel was sitting on a bit of lettuce and cucumbers which worked well for dipping. The food was amazing! The eggplant dip (eggplant hummus) and the grape leaves were my favorite. The flavors in both were so unique and fresh, I could tell that I was eating a meal from a recipe that came from a traditional Mediterranean family. When I asked Robert about the dish he confirmed that these meals came from the mother’s recipe box. The grape leaves were made fresh and the eggplant dip was made earlier today. The Falafel didn’t look as appealing, but the taste was incredible especially once it was dipped in the tahini sauce. After taking a few bites of everything on my plate I asked Robert to tell me what his favorite meat plate was on the menu. He told me that I couldn’t leave without trying some lamb.
The gyoza was very tasty and it was cooked perfectly. It was hot and crispy with soft fresh ingredients inside. I wasn't a fan of the sauce because it had an unusual taste unlike any other Asian sauce that I've had. When my red curry and chicken came out I was so pleased with the amount of veggies in it. The portion or red curry and chicken was huge compared to the small scoop of rice that they give you. I also really didn't like the smell of the meal compared to other red curry dishes that I've had in the past. The flavor was amazing though and it made everything worth it. The chicken was tender and the veggies were fresh and slightly crunchy giving the whole dish some great texture.
Hopefully next time I go to Lemongrass Asian Bistro I'll get a chance to try some of the sushi that I hear is incredible. Everyone raves about the lobster roll, but I wasn't in the mood for sushi this evening. After enjoying that salad so much I'm positive that I'll be back to have more and a roll of sushi with it.
Who would have thought that this would be a surprising delight. I was in the mood for meatballs or something hearty and yet Lemongrass Asian Bistro looked cute and possibly tasty. I was right.
When I walked in I felt that it was kind of small, but it had an Asian home/family kind of feel to it. People were nestled up with pillows next to them on the cushioned benches or they were enjoying a quaint little table for two by the window. The decor was simple and not all that fresh, but the colors were modern and the place settings made this place feel a bit more fancy. I was immediately seated at a table for one on a cushioned bench with a couple pillows to relax on. The waitress waited for me to get off the phone before asking me for my drink order. I try not to be on the phone when walking into a place but sometimes you just can't help it. Most places just interrupt because they feel that it's rude to be on the phone (as I do agree, I appreciate it more if they give me second to handle my business). This waitress was very understanding about it. After looking through this menu I knew that if I'm planning on staying in this area for a week then I am going to have to come back to this place. There was so much to choose from on the menu I could hardly decide what type of food I wanted. They had a Thai, Sushi, Salads and tons of different noodles and soups made in several different ways. I wanted to try some of their gyoza so I ordered that for an appetizer along with the red curry with chicken for dinner. The first thing that came was my house salad that had ginger dressing on it. Honestly this was the best ginger dressing I've ever had. When the gyoza came and it had a side of shredded carrots as a garnish I almost poured the dressing all over it, but the bus boy picked up my empty salad bowl as soon as I put the fork down. Granted he did ask me if I was finished, but I didn't want to look pathetic grabbing it and pouring the dressing on what was meant to be a garnish.
While I was in town for work I wanted to try out some new restaurants to review. Being that I had been in the car for a few hours and I was starving for lunch I thought it would give any restaurant the advantage of me liking anything that I was about to eat. Sadly I was mistaken.
When I walked into Russell's Blue Water Grill I was greeted with a picture frame of a review by Zagat.com. I'm not a huge fan of Zagat.com as it take a while to load webpages properly and their reviews have such a unique method that it would take some getting used to. I suppose I could grow into them. The review in the picture frame looked pretty good, but I didn't let that cloud my judgement. It was a little after lunch and this place was dead. There were only two tables seated with under 4 people at each table. When I walked in a noticed a piano to my left along with a nicely set up bar. To my right and also in front of me were several tables that were already set up for fancy dining. My waitress Erika placed me near the bar in a well set up booth. She immediately took my drink order and told me about their 3 course lunch special. That seemed a little much considering this place is in a strip mall and the decor was set up like a clearance section at Pier One. After looking more at the decor I noticed that it was a mixture of different styles. I like the idea of the large mirrors and vases set up around the place, but the Denny's style glass partitions kind of take away from the copper and candle lit glow this place could have. Everything seemed clean at first, but at second glance the partitions had food stuck on them and the dishes had dark spots on them that looked like they were dirty (they weren't dirty, but the dingy dishes gave that illusion).
I ended up passing on the 3 course lunch meal and I ended up getting a Caprese Chicken Sandwich. It was described as a piece of grilled chicken with tomato and smoked mozzarella topped with a balsamic reduction and a side of French Fries. When it came out it looked okay, but I was a little disappointed with the presentation. Nothing was really bright in color like you would expect from Caprese. The French Fries were home-made and even though the texture and heat was there it lacked in any flavor or seasoning. Don't get me wrong, these fries beat out Wendy's any day of the week. I'm just pointing out that they needed something on them other then just placed on the plate. The Caprese sandwich had an odd flavor too it. Although the chicken was seasoned well and the tomatoes were fresh I felt like the mozzarella wasn't giving off a fresh flavor. The bun had been toasted with butter, but it didn't give it any flavor just a greasy feeling. If it weren't for the balsamic vinegar reduction I would have probably sent this sandwich back. BVR can make just about anything taste good and it was covering up for something on this sandwich.
As you all know I realize that sometimes restaurants have an off day and I would be willing to try this place again, just not if I'm paying. The cost was high on a lot of the menu items and the food wasn't at the same level. My waitress Erika was good at what she does, but keep in mind that by the time my food hit the table I was the only person left in the restaurant. I'm not really a high maintenance customer (mostly because I try to keep a low profile when I do food reviews). Maybe this place is really only meant to have a dinner menu instead of a lunch menu, but if you're open I'm stopping in. Sorry but Russell's Blue Water Grill restaurant is going int the "No Doggy Bag For Me" list.
I was a little pessimistic about trying out this restaurant especially after all the blog reviews on it. There were so many bad ones with all the same type of comments "too expensive", "the food wasn't good" and "the service sucked". Needless to say I was nervous to even try Eggstyle because of these reviews, but my friend was adamant about having me try it.
We ended up going on a weekday which kind of gave Eggstyle a fair shot of impressing us with their food. Although I agree that food should be good at any time that you visit, breakfast is one of the hardest meals to make when there are extremely hungry people in line on a busy weekend morning. This being said the place was almost empty. Aside from two tables that were both almost finished with their meals we were the only ones being seated. We didn't have to wait at all and the waiter was extremely pleasant. While getting a quick walk through as we were being seated I noticed that they had a juice bar to my left with two top tables for those that are just getting a quick bite and there was a full seated restaurant area ahead. We were seated at a booth near the kitchen and immediately our waiter got our drink order. Looking around I noticed that everything was bright and cheerful. Eggs were definitely a theme in this restaurant, not by egg decor rather the color of eggs and other breakfast foods. The restaurant was very well lit and it gave the appearance of a posh restaurant while still maintaining the family breakfast atmosphere. It was really nicely decorated and very clean.
While my friend had her order already at the tip of her tongue I had to glance at the menu and choose something in fear she might stab me with a fork unless I chose quickly. (I'm kidding, she just really likes this place). I was surprised to see all the amazing foods that they had to offer. Nothing was ordinary and each item had a unique twist. One item that stood out for me was the Pears and Brie Blintz. While it's described as being a crepe with fresh pears and brie I was surprised to find that it was covered in a delicious caramel and confection sugar topping. At the time I was ordering it I was watching my diet and trying to be a little bit good. However, once this masterpiece came out my diet went out the window and I almost didn't even take a picture of it because I wanted a bite so badly. My girlfriend ordered the Sandwich Surprise which even the waiter knew what she was going to order because she had been there before. This sandwich was described as Egg, Ham, Swiss Cheese French Toast sandwich dipped in their batter and topped with fresh fruits and English Cream. (Stating the obvious, this would be an item I KNOW wouldn't make my diet list). Not only did this item look amazing it tasted better then you could imagine. One of the reasons why this friend and I call ourselves friends is because we can share food without even asking. My fork was on her plate and hers on mine as soon as I put the camera down. My pears and brie crepe tasted fresh and hearty with a bit of sweet flavor due to the diet damaging toppings that were to die for. Her French Toast sandwich had so many flavors going on it was hard to determine what part I liked the most.
Although many reviews marked this restaurant as a disgusting mess I would challenge any other breakfast restaurant to come up with these amazingly flavorful dishes. How hard is it to put a spin on crepes or a Monte Cristo recipe? I realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion (and we all know that I've had my fair share of bad opinions), but seriously this place needs to be given a second chance for those that didn't like it the first time. A good breakfast restaurant is going to be a little more expensive because each dish is a masterpiece and not a precooked production house like many of the breakfast houses out there.
This restaurant is going on the Best Served list on my blog. I would gladly go back to this restaurant and wait in line if I had to. You can find more of their amazing food selections here on their menu. |
Jenni Reilly
I love food, but who doesn't. Having a good meal in a nice atmosphere with good service makes all the difference in the world when having a meal. Otherwise, wouldn't we all just eat at home? Check out my reviews on local restaurants. Make sure to leave me your take on the restaurants that you've been to! Archives
April 2015
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