gmi3804

I'm sure you know this, Josh, but Margie's Candies isn't very far from Schwa! I'll add my applause to the ever-growing band of Schwaficionados. I can't wait to go back, but fear I'm going to have to plan further in advance with each subsequent visit; I think the secret's out. This place is a keeper!

Two of us had this exact menu on Valentine's Day. While the food was delicious, the portions were so tiny that we left hungry and were in and out in a little over an hour. Everyone else in the place finished at the same time too. I know VD is not a good day to judge a restaurant (tables were jammed so close to one another that waiters couldn't even reach our table without having everyone in our "row" squeeze their chairs in), and I know that Sweets & Savories is capable of great things on a "regular" evening, so we'll go back. I just can't help but wonder what first-timers thought based on that evening's experience.

We had dinner last night at Prairie Grass; we've been going at least once a week for a long time now. The service and quality are consistent as always. If I posted about a new discovery each and every time I had one there, I feel I'd come off sounding like a broken record, as each and every item I've sampled has never failed to impress me. Last night's revelation was the new Banana Cake on the dessert menu. This two-layer banana bread cake was sandwiched with a light, sweet cream cheese layer and the entire cake frosted with a thin buttercream frosting. Almost like a dessert version of the breakfast menu's amazing Banana Bread French Toast, this cake is light and delicious. The ancho-marinated skirt steak remains stellar. The now-ubiquotous Non-traditional Shepherd's Pie is being served in a slightly taller, crock-like vessel. Flavors of the short rib base are rich and satisfying as ever. Bill Kurtis's Tallgrass (all-grassfed) Beef is now being featured on the menu; in NY Strip and Tenderloin versions it's simply grilled, and it also turns up in the Shepherd's Pie's short ribs. Wonderfully complex, the beef has rich mineral notes. As usual, the menu changes ever-so-subtly every week or two, which helps to keep things interesting. This place is one of the shining stars of the North Shore.

Orchids at Halekulani is always a classy choice. Try the kalua pork and foie gras dumplings - heaven on earth!

Thanks for the report! We're on island now, getting ready for our 11pm flight home this evening. Fortunately, we tried both Hukilau Lanai and Scotty's - and thought both were terrific! Had a wonderful time here. I must say The Beach House is running like a well-oiled machine; we had two dinners there and each was fantastic. This place has had its ups and downs in the last ten years or so, but it's as good as it's ever been, maybe better.

We had an extraordinary meal there last night. The menu is HUGE (two pages of "regular" items, plus a sheet of about a dozen specials updated daily, and a vegetarian tasting menu - so much to ponder!); the service was spot-on, the room was humming, and everyone seemed to be having a great time. The place operates like a well-run ship. I wouldn't have any qualms about working there. Hope this helped.

I'm going tonight! I'll report back tomorrow.

Ron: Couldn't have said it better myself. And now, come to think of it, I don't have to try! One dish after another amazed and intrigued. Service was friendly and interactive; the staff has its synergy down to a science. It's nice to be able to relax after the first course or so, knowing you're in good hands.

Any recent reports on Hukilau Lanai or Scotty's Beachside BBQ?

Anyone care to chime in on any of the following? Sam Choy's Diamondhead Mariposa The Pineapple Room Mariposa and The Pineapple room certainly sound wonderful, but am I being snobby for being skeptical about going on vacation and eating in a department store? I need a casual place for dinner on our first of three nights. We'll be staying at Halekulani, and will probably not be up to La Mer after a nine-hour flight, and we've dined at Orchids several times in the past. The next two nights will be at Chef Mavro and Alan Wong's.

I beg to differ - sort of. Chain restaurants like Olive Garden and Red Lobster lure you in with enticing, "specials," then blindside you with expensive drinks (ever notice the special drink menus have no prices?), mostly unnecessary appetizers (who needs that much food), and desserts. So that $15.95 "special" will cost you an extra $10-$20 when all is said and done. Sure, some can resist the marketing huckstering from the waitstaff, but I'm sure many don't. Of course, independant restaurants also have extras that one may order, but I'd rather pay a few bucks more for the veal parm at an independant than $15.95 for flavorless deep-fried shoe leather drenched in boil-in-bag sauces at Olive Garden. Truth be told, however, I'd never order veal parm in the first place because it's a sin to cover a presumably good piece of veal with all that gunk.

great point gmi3804 - the split plate option is a great way to go at these joints. as well, cheesecake does offer "1/2 portions" on their salads at a lower cost. u.e. Yes, but only at lunch. And they're STILL huge. I'm pretty sure that the cheesecake at CF is not made onsite. I defend The Cheesecake Factory and Maggiano's because the food is actually made onsite, unlike Bennigan's or The Olive Garden, where most of the food arrives onsite already prepared. I think what it, er, boils down to for me is the freshness of the ingredients and the hand of the chef in the preparation. Chipotle and Baja Fresh, for example, are chains and fast food places, yet I go regularly because it's REAL food that's prepared before my eyes. I don't mind chain restaurants as long as there's a goodly amount of quality and the marketing huckstering is not too transparent: a zombie-like query of, "Would you like to try one of our Bloomin' Onions or Loaded Cheese Fries or a Wallaby Darned?" offends me a lot more than, "Would you like an appetizer or drink to start off?"

If I'm dining at one of the places with gargantuan portions (Maggiano's, Cheesecake Factory, etc.) I'll either split something with someone at the table or count on having lunch the next day from the leftovers. When the former happens, often times the server will stand there looking hurt, but that's really not my problem.

Isn't this consistency of quality at The Olive Garden more a function of boil-in-bag soups, sauces, and salad dressings procured from distibution centers than good cooking from an onsite chef?

Very nice! So . . . what's the minimum quantity on the anti-plates? Do I have to order a full pallet? =R= ← Maybe interested eGulleters can split a pallet of them?

So is Esperanza THE place to stay? I've heard it's toss-up between here and Las Ventanas. How was your room at Esperanza? Anything else to share? Thanks! ← I can only say that we loved Las Ventanas! In fact we are going back there in Feb. for two weeks! Their dining room is excellent! We ate at several places - including the main dining room which has one of the best views in Cabos - and is very good indeed. I can't speak for the rooms but have heard nothing but good reviews of the hotel ← We loved Esperanza; the room was beautiful (900 square feet, killer bathroom with open shower and separate soaking tub, huge terrace, comfy bed, etc.) and the service spot-on. We checked out Las Ventanas for dinner one night; extraordinary (and pricy) dining room and remarkable wine list. Las Ventanas seems to be a bit more of a "scene," but Esperanza has remarkable views, stunning architecture, and peaceful grounds. Also a bit more "laid-back" than Las Ventanas.

LOVED Las Ventanas! World-class cuisine, screamingly expensive, but great wine list and fantastic food and service. Worth every penny! We were staying at Esperanza, whose dining room couldn't hold a candle to that at Las Ventanas. Are you sure you don't mean Mi Cocina? This was one of our favorite finds of the trip, and it's been almost two years. Exceptional atmosphere, fabulous and sexy without being overstated. We went to Mi Casa in Cabo San Lucas, which was very good but traditional Mexican (it's been there for decades), a very different experience than Mi Cocina. For those wishing another wonderful meal, try Agua at Palmilla. Charile Trotter's C at the same resort didn't look half as interesting and totally non-Mexican to boot. I'll put my money on Agua any day of the week. And for an "are we going to get dysentary here?" experience, go for the carnitas at Carnitas Michoacanos. A few blocks off the main drag in CSL, the best carnitas you'll ever eat. Just drink the beer or Pepsi through straws. Last but not least, I'll put in a good word for French Riviera. So good we went twice.

I won't attack, but will gently point out that a restaurant (especially a landmark "institution" restaurant) is about way more than its food. I haven't been around for the hundred-odd years that The Berghoff has, but I'll venture to say that the food is probably just as good now as it's always been. Or not.

"Why are they doing this? Why are they doing this? They said when you got here, the whole thing started. Who are you? What are you? Where did you come from? I think you're the cause of all this. I think you're evil! EVIL!"

Doesn't Hecky's count? ← Maybe if they didn't drench everything in sauce and had better sides... Still, Hecky's works. But I crave "Suthrin" BBQ - and banana pudding for dessert!

For the north suburbs ('cause that's where I live): Real BBQ joints. Casual (and authentic) Chinese. Old-fashioned diners. May be too late for that to happen.

I'll bet we would have jumped all over anyone who'd have guessed The Berghoff a couple days ago.

First Marshall Field's, now The Berghoff. What's this world coming to?

Menu translations do tend to vary throughout Mexico. Reminds me of the time I saw "Pork Shops" on the menu. But at least language glitches are easier to overcome. Not like the time the "peppercorn steak" came studded with cloves! Thanks for the report!

Is there a preferred dining area at Alan Wongs, i.e., window or lanai? How 'bout Chef Mavro?