tautog
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Posts posted by tautog
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Gnocchi w/ Pesto Sauce at Monte's
No. 1 Spicy at Saigon Banh Mi
Oyster Panroast at the Oyster Bar
Toro Handroll at Yasuda
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Haven't stopped to eat there in a few years. Usually stop in Roanoke at have a late lunch at El Palenique or an early lunch at the Southern Inn in Lexington if I am going visiting in Blacksburg/WV. Eating down that way gives me a bad memory of a beautiful, barely legal girl I was dating who had no idea what good food was. Thought Taco Bell and Kabuki were the best thing going. Actuially told Frank Galvan at El Palenique that the food was almost as good as Taco Bell..*LOL*.
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There was a half way decent Vietnamese/Thai place near the Mall. Not sure if it is still open. Nothing special, but great for the area.
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Went to Dumpling House and the pork and chive dumplings were not well browned as the place was slammed. Beef sandwich was decent but a bit cold.
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Fried Dumpling at Mosco still going strong. My cousin from Ireland was amazed at the price. He couldn't get 5 similiar dumplings for less than $5 in Dublin.
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I like the scallion pancakes a lot, light and flakely and not oily, but they could use a bit more scallion flavor in my opinion. I also enjoy the steamed pork dumplings which are very juicy.
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I'd recommend Monte's too. I love their gnocchi w/ pesto sauce. It has good red sauce cuisine too.
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Never made it. First day, Fri, was so rainy that we didn't feel like a 20 minute drive in the dark. Next day we were too tired after a marathon 5:00am-6:30pm trip. Anyone have a similiar recommendation for Quincy? We are only doing a few half day trips so hopefully we'll have the energy to actually go somewhere this time.
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I am looking for a relatively inexpensive and casual place for plain but tasty seafood in the Scuitate area that is open in late April. A group of us are doing a cod charter in the area next weekend and will be too tired to travel very far. Thanks in advance
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Bonefish Grill is actually pretty good in South Florida where it started. Not sure how well it does outside of that area.
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I went last night with 3 other guests. The food was very good. Most appetizers were $10-11 and entrees were $19-$24. I had the crabcake appetizer which was very sweet, in a good, natural way, and had no filler. For a main I had pasta with broccoli rabe, sausage and sundried tomatos. It was good, but maybe a bit too mellow. Would have liked a touch more garlic and broccoli rabe, but it didn't skimp on the sausage. I also had a small taste of the scallop with bacon entree which had a nice smoky flavor and was not overwhelmed by the bacon, as well as some nice fresh squid from the frutti di mare, which was a light seafood salad, rather than a fried dish. The fried oysters appetizer looked good. A special of fluke with crab meat was raved about and another diner liked the tilapia with crab meat. We had no desserts.
I think there could be a few changes in the way the front of the house works. First off, it still looks like a pizza parlor. I understand it is supposed tto be a simple restaurant, but they could put a few thousand into decor to at least make it look charming. Secondly, I hate they they use plastic glasses for water, soda and the like. I'd rather they add one dollar onto the entree prices and have real glasses. I also thought the bread could be of better quality, given that so many dishes called for dipping. It was mediocre supermarket quality Italian bread. Also our waitress was rather old, slightly grumpy and somewhat inattentive, i.e. never refilled water or bread. Sort of charming for a diner and a lobster shack, but not so good where bills are $45 a head just for food. The other waitresses seemed to be a bit better though. I do however love the BYO and ultimately think it's a nice place.
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Note to self, never go on a date with Jeffrey Chodrow's mother.*LOL* Sure the guys just loved him tagging along.
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I had the steamed crab buns at Shanghai Park last thursday along with the 3 ingredient dumplings from King's Village. Both were unbeleivably good and both were inhaled rather quicly.
I've finally learned to call ahead enough in advance that I don't burn my mouth with the Shanghai buns. They warn me every time to wait. Everytime I know I should wait. Everytime I don't wait. I bite into one, parboil my mouth with liquid lava broth, chide myself for being stupid and then immediately put another in my mouth and do it all over again.
What are the three ingredients? Usually get the fried pork buns but they were out. Sounds like I should have went for the 3 ingredient dumplings voer the soupy dumplings.
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Went to King's Village for a light lunch. No special dumpling menu at lunch. I had the lamb sticks, steamed lamb dumplings and soupy buns. Soupy buns were just good but the two lamb dishes were very good. I enjoy that most of the steamed dumplings have lots of juices inside. Gf had some sort of pork and noodle dish as she is more of a plain eater. I see so many good looking entrees that I never get to try because I don't have a group. This would be a good place for a weekend lunch meeting.
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What should I order at King's Village other than the lamb sticks? Are the soupy buns like soup dumplings?
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I second Teitel Brothers. It is usually $5-6 per pound cheaper than anywhere else. Good quality also. Just beware, if you ask for a pound and a half, your piece will be 2 pounds and so forth. Also very good for other Italian basics, olives, everyday olive oil, canned tomatoes, etc.
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Do you have any idea if the West Orange is of similiar quality? The old locations are mediocre and greasy in a bad way in my opinion.
Yesterday I went to Jimmy Buffs E. Hanover location for the first time. This is the newest of the 4 Jimmy Buffs that are currently in operation. East Hanover and West Orange restaurants are owned by Jim Raccioppi, grandson of Jimmy "Buff" Racioppi, founder of Jimmy Buffs and inventor of the Italian Hot Dog. The Scotch Plains and Irvington locations are owned by Jim's uncle Mike.The Italian Hot Dog at Jim's 2 locations don't have the excessive oils that his uncle's restaurants are known for. It's a matter of taste. Some people like their sandwich with extra oils. Jim's are more to my liking. Just the right amount of oil without being what many consider too greasy. The East Hanover Buff's also has a bigger menu selection than the other 3. Here you can get an Italian Hot Dog, footlong, (the same 5 to a lb natural casing dog served at Syd's) pushcart, (the same 8 to a lb natural casing dog served at Jerry's) and a giant quarter pound Schickhaus dog. This is a beef and pork dog that is very popular. Served at Max's and other hot dog restaurants at or near the Jersey Shore. You can also get hamburgers, cheesesteaks, shrimp, fish and chips, homemade soup, and many other items. Check out the menu at http://www.jimmybuff.com.
On this visit, I stuck to hot dogs. First I had a single Italian Hot Dog. It was excellent. Good fresh pizza bread that was hard and chewy. Each location gets their bread fresh from a local bakery. This bread was perfect for an Italian Hot Dog. The dogs are from Best, as are all of the beef dogs used here. But you have a choice of getting yours skinless or with natural casing. The peppers were plentiful and prepared perfectly. The potatoes were tasty and fresh. Not in chunks like Dickiee Dees, but sliced fairly thin, although thicker than Tommy's. I would have to say that this dog and Tommy's are the 2 best Italian Hot Dogs I've ever had. To make a comparison, I would say that I like the bread and peppers better at Buff's. The dogs are equal, while I prefer the potatoes sliced very thin like they do at Tommy's.
I also had a footlong. This is the same dog used at Syd's, which happens to be my favorite hot dog. Natural casing, 5 to a lb with a prefect snap and blend of spices. E. Hanover Buffs is the only place I know of that serves this dog other than Syd's. The popular gourmet grilled cheese restaurant in Jersey City called Melt, also used this dog before they closed. The footlong is prepared a unique way here. It is sauteed in oil like the dogs that are used for the Italian Hot Dog sandwich. Then it is taken out of the oil and put on a charcoal grill. The dog is then put on a toasted bun and topped with a tasty deli mustard. The result is a dog, that if you can believe it, is even better than Syd's! It's the same dog, and while similar in taste, the frying plus char grilling really brings out the flavors and spices in this dog. The dark char marks give the dog an attractive appearance. The grill is a charcoal grill, while Syd's uses a gas grill. I was going to sample the Schickhaus dog, but the footlong was so good, I had to have another one.
As I mentioned in other posts, this is my favorite dog to have at home. I buy them from the factory. And on occasion I get one at Syd's. Voted best grilled dog by the Munchmobile, this was the favorite overall of the S.W.A.T. Team. I didn't think that this dog could be made any better. But Jim Racioppi has proved me wrong. The combination of this dog, prepared the way it was, with the toasted bun and delicious deli mustard, makes this the best hot dog I've ever eaten. I was just blown away. Had the S.W.A.T Team gone here, I would have voted it best dog. It goes for $3.25 tax included. Syd's is $3.48.
You can get any of the dogs here made the way you like. If you ask for a footlong, it comes the way I described it. You can also get it boiled, then grilled, like Syd's if you wish. Or just boiled. They have a griddle as well, so you can have it that way. Next time I'll try one of the Schickhaus dogs. Again, you can get it the way you want, but if you just order it without specifying how you want it prepared, it gets cooked on a griddle and finished off on the charcoal grill.
The footlong was so good, I had both of mine with just mustard. But I sampled the homemade chili on the side. It was unique and very good. One of the best that I've had. Meaty, with a nice sweet flavor and a touch of greeen pepper.
Service was quick and efficient. You place your order at the counter and it comes out from the back. If you want to eat in, you pick it up at a side door which leads to another room where there's tables and a long counter with stools that used to be a bar. This sure beats having to go through the hassle of being waited on like at a Diner and having to wait again for your check like you have to do at Syd's. There is also a game room in the back that is available for private parties.
Tuesday's are called Fat Tuesday's. All double Italian Hot Dogs are sold for the price of a single. I highly recommend this place. I've been to other hot dog restaurants that try to do more than one type of dog. Rarely are they all done well. Jimmy Buff's is an exception. All the offerings are top of the line. The only negative part of my experience is realizing what I have been missing these couple of years since they opened this location.
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I meant Thai, mispelled. The area has a wealth of decent Thai and Vietnamese places that were very happy to trade fresh fish for meals. I usually go to the one that is on the Clearwater side of the bridge to Madiera Beach, not far from Dave's. They do a great sweet and sour fillet, not gloppy and definitely sour, also steamed fish. Not sure if any of that is actually on the menu. We catch grouper, snapper, porgies and Amberjack. As for Crabby Bill's, I have only been to the branch in Madiera Beach and they had good smoked fish, but we also used to do business with them in providing fresh grouper and snapper. However I don't think that is legal anymore do to regulations.
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Dockside Dave's is a divey place in Mad Beach. Good for a nice grouper sandwich and onion rings but not any sort of destination place. I would save it for lunch. Then again I usually just bring my fresh caught fish to a Htai place and have them cook for me.
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Greenbrier is at least 60 miles away. Not sure about Tamarack but I wouldn't bet on it. Make sure you visit the New River Gorge. Once you go skiing and see that, you've exhausted the charms of the area.
Is there any food worth seeking out the Tamarack/"Bset of West Virginia" complex?A friend from WVa, who hasn't been Tamarack but knows of it, mentioned it as an idea. There wasn't much info on the web but there appeared to be restaurant?/concession? operated by staff from Green Briar Resort.
I guessing the Green Briar itself and the town it is in are too far away?
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The bar and grill at the Glade Springs Resort is quite good and about 30 minutes away.
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Restaurants I have enjoyed in the area are Castaways, for fresh seafood in a casual setting, Barracuda Grill for more upscale seafood, Annette's Lobster House for the fried seafood platter, and Keys Fishery for fish sandwiches and the like.
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Monte's in the Village might about fit the bill. Salads for 2 for $9, Spaghetti and Meatballs for $11.50 and Ravioli for $10. Probably a bout a dollar too much on each entree to truely qualify. Only annoying think is that owner is too much into kissing and hugging, even the male patrons. Rocco in the same neighborhood is in a similiar price range and quality.
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Southern Inn, http://www.southerninn.com, or Cafe Michel, www.michelcafe.com, in Lexington, not too far from Natural Bridge. El Palenique. good relatively authentic Mexican, in Roanoke.
Need a place to eat in Lexington, VA! ASAP!
in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining
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Southern Inn is good for casual but quality American. Wilson Walker House is also pretty good.