Speedy Romeo Visited October 2018 3.5 Forks

Speedy Romeo  63 Clinton St., New York, NY 10002

My friends and I were originally going to a Cuban place for brunch in Bed-Stuy but sadly they had been broken into the night before.  While I always tout how safe Brooklyn is and how bougie it has gotten, it was still a sign that you never know these days.

So we had to quickly pivot and luckily Speedy Romeo was not too far away and it was early enough that we could get a table for 6 super easily.  While I love pizza in all forms at any time, my experience here lead me to believe that maybe I don't like breakfast pizza as much as I do regular pizza.  But I love a good runny egg and I wanted to try something different.  The breakfast pizza ($21) reminded me a bit more like a white pie as it didn't have all the best parts of a red pizza pie - namely the cheese and red sauce.  Instead, it was kind of like a dry pizza crust with an egg baked on it with ham, provel and some hot sauce.  I was just missing the moist, gooey factor for me.  It was have also used a lot more hot sauce for me to make up for the lack of tomato flavor.

Even though we got there pretty much right when the doors opened the service was still super slow and the table we got was a high top and it was kind of uncomfortable.  All this being said, I would still come back - maybe more for dinner and try out a regular tomato based pizza instead.

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Estancia 460 Visited October 2018 3.5 Forks

Estancia 460 460 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

Estancia is a nice neighborhood type place and not a destination dining place.  But sometimes you just need good classic joint as not every meal needs to be some crazy fancy night out.  Since two of my friends live in the Tribeca area, I met up with a few of my B-school friends here for a long overdue catch up.   The place is perfect for a casual meet up as it's not too crowded and it's not very loud. 

The menu has got a little bit of everything - salads, sandwiches and several eggy dishes for brunch.   I got the Milanesa sandwich ($14), which was a breaded chicken breast, arugula, tomato, mayo on a toasted baguette.  Overall, it was pretty tasty but I felt like they could have used a bigger chicken cutlet.  But the best part of the meal were the french fries.  They were like your classic MacDonald-like fries - perfectly salted and nice and crunchy. 

Like I said, we came here because it was low key and allowed us to have some good food and cocktails while not having to deal with lines or crowds.   I don't see myself running back here if I wasn't in the area but if you need a solid casual place in the Tribeca area give it a look-see. 

Photo Credit:  Yelp

1 Week in Amsterdam 9/15-9/22/2018 Part 2 3-4 Forks

Kantjil and de Tijger    Spuistraat 291-293, 1012 VS Amsterdam                                               3 Forks

One thing I didn't really realize about Amsterdam before I started going for work was the plethora of Indonesian restaurants.  It's not the type of SE Asian cuisine that you see a lot of globally - it's usually more Thai or Vietnamese.  But since it used to be a Dutch colony it all makes sense now.  I haven't really eaten Indonesian food since I was in Bali but there's only so much Dutch food I can take.

I hadn't seen Vik in a really long time and through the power of social media I found out he was in Amsterdam at the same time.  We picked a local Indonesian place that was near my office and met up for lunch.  We split the lunch Rijsttafel - which is basically a sampling of a bunch of different small dishes for 2 people (17 euros each).  It's a great deal and it allows you to sample a little bit of everything.  It included white rice, chicken satay with peanut sauce, beef cooked in a "spicy" coconut sauce, green beans in black sauce, steamed vegetables with "spicy" peanut sauce and shrimp crackers.  I put the word spicy in quotations because none of it was spicy at all.  Most of the food was simple but tasty but we both commented on how it could have used more flavoring and heat to it.  I wasn't sure if they dumbed it down for us or if it was not spicy in general but it was definitely missing something to it.

While there wasn't anything specifically to complain about the food, it reminded me of why Indonesian food isn't the most popular.   It just doesn't pack the same flavor punch as the other SE Asian cuisines but if you're tired of meat and fries, it's worth checking out while you're in Amsterdam.

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Restaurant de Utrechtsedwarstafel   Utrechtsedwarsstraat 107-109 1017 WD Amsterdam      3.5 Forks

Yes, that is quite the Dutch restaurant name.  I feel kind of bad that all my reviews lately have been pretty lukewarm but that's kind of the way things have been in Amsterdam food-wise this 2nd go round.  While I love the city and think it has a lot to offer, only on very rare instances have I been absolutely blown away by the food here.  Most of my experiences on this 2nd trip were honestly adequate at best. 

We came here for a partner dinner and we pretty much took up the entire space.  It's quite cozy and seemed like it was family run - the owner clearly took a lot of pride in the food and wine. 

It was a pre-fixe meal given how many people there were, so I didn't get to choose my meal but most of dishes that came out were dishes that I probably would have ordered anyways:  duck rillette (quite good and the best part of the meal),  sliced tuna steak with beefsteak tomatoes (well balanced) and veal cheeks with kale (cheeks were too thinly sliced).   The food itself wasn't bad but what was not great and brought the rating down was the wine.   I felt so bad because the owner was clearly super proud of his collection and brought out this one red that was just so funky that none of us could put it down. My client, who isn't shy about things, made a clear icky face while drinking it.  They ended the meal with a meringue dessert that was a good palate cleanser but also not anything super creative.

This place is definitely a bit more local and off the beaten path, which I totally appreciate.  Maybe it's all these pre-fix meals I've been having with large groups that skews the experience but it's still didn't feel up to the level of food I am normally used to in NYC.

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Tujuh Maret  Utrechtsestraat 73, 1017 VJ Amsterdam                                                                 4 Forks

This isn't a normal place I would give 4 forks too but I feel like I've been super harsh lately and needed to give some love.  Comparing this place to the other Indonesian restaurant, I definitely enjoyed this meal more.   

We walked in right at noon and the place was just being set up for the lunch hour.  There was literally one man doing everything - and when I say everything I mean everything.  From taking the chairs down, to taking our order, cooking the food and then finally serving us.  It was kind of crazy and as much as we complained about the slow service, it was very understandable.  A few people actually did walk out because they couldn't take it.  But once we finally ordered, the food came out relatively quickly.  I got a hard boiled egg in a sweet soy sauce as an appetizer, split the shrimp skewers that came with the same sweet sauce and then got as my entree chicken in a coconut sauce with green beans and fried noodles.  Similar to the other Indonesian restaurant, the dish was too mild but it still had better flavor to it, which is why I'm not going to ding it as much.  It honestly felt like I was eating in someone's living room (in a good way) and it was just nice to eat some white rice and Asian food for a change.

Photo Credit: Yelp

1 Week in Amsterdam 9/15-9/22/2018 Part 1 3.5-4 Forks

Omelegg Nieuwebrugsteeg 24, 1012 AH Amsterdam                                                              3.5 Forks

Another work week means another week back in Amsterdam (there are definitely worse places to be).  I had heard about this place from co-workers and didn't get to try it out last time, so I figured I would make a pit stop this go around.  It's exactly what you would expect from a place called Omelegg - it's a cute cozy brunch spot serving mostly students and young folks.  Also as you would expect, the menu is pretty focused on eggs.  It's actually a pretty impressive and extensive menu of omelets (some combinations I've never heard of before) and if you like breakfast food, this is definitely the place to go.

I kept it simple and got the Popeye with egg whites.  Not surprisingly, this was filled with spinach, mushroom, onion, farmer's cheese and oregano (7.95 euros).  All the ingredients were sauteed nicely, especially the onions.  It was served with toast and a small salad.  The food was totally fine and comforting.  It's a cute place to have breakfast and the service was surprisingly fast for Amsterdam.  If you're in the mood for a good old fashion egg breakfast, I would definitely recommend this place but it's also not going to be a life changing meal by any stretch. 

Restaurant Red   Keizersgracht 594, 1017 EN Amsterdam                                                          4 Forks

Do you like steak? Do you like lobster? Do you like french fries?  Who doesn't?  You can get all of this at Restaurant Red for a very reasonable price.  

This place was also recommended by one of the managers on my team - she said it's one of her go-to's in Amsterdam because it's near the office and in budget.  The prices are all very reasonable with a steak costing 22 euros, lobster for 30 euros or you can get both for 36 euros (you don't get a full lobster with the surf and turf - just half).  That's pretty much all they have on the menu except for a few small starters like steak tartare and caviar.  I felt like it was my duty to get the surf and turf but at the price point I wasn't expecting much.  The steak was surprisingly good - very juicy and nicely cooked.  It was a bit on the small side but enough for 1.  The lobster was only half and it was kind of skinny - with the claw being pretty non-existent.  Maine lobster this was not.  I actually don't like it when they cut the lobster length wise because you don't get the same feel from the tail that way.  The dish also comes with steak fries (my favorite part of Dutch meals) in case you're still hungry.  They were a bit dry, so I had to dunk them in mayo to keep them moist. 

The atmosphere is super dark and sexy and with the jet lag were were all about to fall asleep in our food.  But if you can stay awake, it's worth checking out if you're in the mood for meat and seafood. 

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Zuivere Koffie  Utrechtsestraat 39, 1017 VH Amsterdam                                                            4 Forks

This is one of those reviews where if I had written about it after my first experience I would have given it 3 forks.  But after having been there a few times afterwards, I've started to warm up to this place.  You just never know when you are going to catch a restaurant at a bad moment. 

So my first experience was bad only because of the super rude service - which I later learned is really just the Dutch way.  I know they are direct which I like in the business world but in cases like in the service industry, I prefer for them to be more warm and fuzzy.  I had ordered the 2 fried eggs on toast with roast beef (it's really prosciutto) and arugula but instead the waitress brought out another dish with fried eggs on it - it was fine, just not what I had ordered.  I told her that wasn't what I ordered and she was extremely adamant that I was wrong.  WTF? How did I not know what I ordered? After going back and forth unnecessarily several times, she brought me my food but I was so annoyed. Luckily, the food was quite delicious.  It's 2 perfectly fried eggs with cheese, thin slices of prosciutto and some salad on top.  The eggs were beautiful - they were these dark orange yolks and looked very organic/farm to table instead of the bright yellow yolks you see at home sometimes.   The orange juice there is also amazing - it's the freshest juice I've ever had.  You feel as if you're drinking 3 whole fresh oranges.

There's also a super cute cafe cat that hangs around the front tables.  She's super cute until she starts to step all over you and your food but if you nudge her away, she will generally comply. 

I've been here several times afterwards and while the service is still super slow, I've had different waitresses there each time and they're all been much nicer.  It's a convenient place for breakfast in the city centre if you're hotel doesn't serve it and it's one of the few places that opens before 9am, so you're able to get a good meal in and still get to the office at a reasonable hour. 

Photo Credit:  Yelp

72 Hours in Orlando Visited 9/10-9/13 3.5 Forks

Ocean Prime  7339 W Sand Lake Rd., Orlando, FL 32819

I'll keep this short and sweet because it's Orlando and let's be honest, there's not that much to write about here.  In fact, I'm not even going to review the other places I went to for dinner during the trip because that's how unmemorable they were and not worth my time.  Plus they were group dinners, so those are usually not indicative of the general experience. 

I had just gotten off the plane from Italy and turned around and headed straight to Orlando to meet my team for our annual America's meeting.  We were staying near Universal Studios and as I've mentioned before, most of the places in the city are big chains catered to tourists. 

Ocean Prime is also a big chain but it's slightly more upscale than a Margaritaville or TGI Fridays.  It's a steak and seafood house so they have a pretty decent line up of food options - steaks, sushi, crab cakes, etc.  I wasn't super hungry so I got the Cobb Salad ($22) while the rest of my team indulged in a 3 course meal for only $35, not bad and under budget!  The cobb salad was fine but it was mostly iceberg lettuce and the bacon was overly sweet but it had a decent line up of shellfish and other seafood.  I didn't try my team's 3 course meals but it included a steak which they all seemed to enjoy and the dessert was a huge hunk of chocolate cake.  

Overall, it was actually a slightly above average meal that you would expect from a larger chain restaurant.  I would gladly come here again vs. going to a Hooters any day of the week.  If you're tight for budget, the 3 course meal is definitely the way to go!  

Photo Credit:  Yelp

48 Hours in Varenna, Italy Visited 9/7-9/9/2018 3.5-4 Forks

Osteria Quarto Pass  Via XX Settembre 20, 23829 Varenna, Italy                                            3.5 Forks

If you've never been to Lake Como before, I can't high recommend it enough.  It is one of the most beautiful places I've been to in the world.  In terms of sheer natural beauty, there is nothing more spectacular than a view of the gorgeous lake on a clear sunny day where you can see across to the other cute towns.  Simply stunning.   I recommend staying away from the madness of Bellagio (way too many tourists and was my least favorite part of the region) and stay somewhere slightly less crowded like Varenna.  It was perfect there - a few shops and restaurants but overall super quiet.  The best part is that the train station is located in town, so it's easy to get back to Milan from here.

The only downside to Lake Como is that I would say the food scene is not as great as it is in other parts of Italy.  Let's face it, you're coming here for the scenery and not the food.  That being said, the food is decent, just not spectacular.  We went to this local joint our first night in Varenna as it was recommended by our Airbnb host.  It's a quaint neighborhood restaurant with a few local specials.  Every restaurant in town boasts about their "lake fish" entrees - I believe it's literally fish they pluck from the lake.   I'll be honest and as someone who loves fish, lake fish isn't the tastiest. 

I started off with a basic beef tartare - it's was pretty good except there weren't any capers or raw egg with it.  It was very plain and simple but good enough.  Next I got the mixed grill of lake fish - it was a variety of different grilled fish fillets prepared a few different ways.  None of it was really mind blowing.  Kinney got the fish pasta and it is actually wasn't very good - I have never really been a huge fan of mixing fish and pasta but this one just had that extra fishy taste to it.  Others at the table got the special ravioli with ricotta cheese, which I was told was pretty good.  So while I would usually tell people to get the local delicacies, I'd maybe steer people away from the lake fish and stick with the pastas in Lake Como.  As with everything in Lake Como, prices are a bit higher than in other cities because of the high influx of tourists.  Total bill: $344 for 6 people with tax, tip and wine

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Hotel Restaurant Azalea   Via Portici S. Pietro, 1, 22019 Tremezzo CO, Italy                         3.5 Forks

The best thing about Lake Como is the ability to hop around the lake and visit a bunch of gorgeous villas.  I now know why so many people get married here and why George Clooney has a house here.  We decided to take a boat ride to the town of Tremezzo to visit one of the villas and then stopped by this place for a leisurely late lunch. 

There aren't a ton of places to eat in this area so when we spotted an outdoor restaurant with a lake view we were sold.  It's attached to a mid-scale hotel, so we weren't expecting great food.  It was just nice to sit outside and enjoy the scenery.  I was feeling like I needed something healthy so I got the shrimp salad but then for an entree all they really had were pastas and pizzas, so I went for the 4 cheese pizza.  I actually hadn't gotten pizza on this entire trip so I felt like it was ok to finally get it.  The shrimp salad felt like it was defrosted frozen shrimp and it came with strawberries and balsamic vinegar which was kind of a weird combination but it strangely worked for me.  The pizza was actually really tasty - nice thin crust and it was super super cheesy.   Yumm! Everyone else also got some kind of pizza and Will got the rabbit which he said was really good. 

The service was a bit off - although there was only 1 guy there so I did feel bad.  Several people came after us and even sat down with menus but then he told them that there was no more food? or that the kitchen was closed?  Either way, we got there in the knick of time.  Again, similar to our meal the night before, the food wasn't some culinary wonder but it did hit the spot after a long day wandering around the lake.  Total bill:  $186 for 6 people with tax, tip and wine

Photo Credit:  Discovercomo.com 

Hosteria del Platano  Via Statale 29, 23829 Fiumelatte, Italy                                                      4 Forks

This was the most surprising restaurant of the trip.  It was our last meal of the trip (sob!) and I'm not really sure how we even found this place but it was a bit of a hike outside of Varenna.  While it was beautiful to watch the sunset while we walked along the road, it was along the highway and it wasn't really the safest of walks but if you're in a group, it's not too bad.

The restaurant is in this random place off the road, not near anything.  We walked in and it felt kind of weird - there weren't a ton of people there and it didn't have this cute cozy feeling that we had in a lot of other places and at first glance the menu was less than inspiring.  But this is where looks can be deceiving because the food was excellent.   The clientele is definitely much more local and there wasn't a single American tourist in sight which is always a good sign (although there might have beens some European ones around). 

We started with a vegetable puff pastry, sort of like a spanakopita, that was a nice palate starter.  We then had the fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta which was sadly kind of meh - it didn't have a ton of flavor to it.  Luckily the main entrees made up for the lack luster appetizers.  Despite proclaiming I was sick of pasta, I split the deer ragu pasta and it was fantastic.   The pasta was perfectly al dente and the deer was not gamey tasting at all.  For my other main, I got a beef fillet and it was perfectly pink and tasted fantastic as well.  In the end, you can never go wrong with a pasta and meat dish, even if they aren't the most creative of dishes.  The dessert here was also shockingly delicious.  We got a refreshing mango and blueberry gelato - two very unusual flavors but really good at the same time.   The cream brulee was also a nice end of the meal - a good glazed top and creamy sweet inside. 

The service was painfully slow but it was just 2 women managing the entire restaurant and they were incredibly nice and sweet to us, so it was hard to be mad at them.   While it wasn't a fancy blinged out way to end the trip, it was all about being with friends in a cozy environment that made it a great night and fitting way to end our trip.  Total bill: $342 for 6 people with tax and tip

Photo Credit: TripAdvisor

72 Hours in Florence, Italy Part 1, Visited 9/1 - 9/3/2018 3 - 4.5 Forks

Trattoria San Pierino Via dell'Oriuolo 18R, 50124 Florence, Italy                                            3.5 Forks

Yes, Florence is super touristy but if you have never been to Italy before it is a must visit.  It's beautiful, full of art and culture and has great shopping.  It's not really known for it's amazing food but there are definitely great places to be had if you do some research or ask around.  We arrived in Florence by train and took a twisty cab ride to our lovely Airbnb, which had a nice outdoor terrace and was located within walking distance to everything but away from the madness of everything. 

After we dropped our stuff off, we were starving and our nice host recommend a restaurant near the Duomo that she said was owned by her friend.  It's indeed super close to the city center but it still felt local.  We were all still reeling from our pasta/veal/risotto overload from the night before, so we all started with a starter salad and I went even more healthy and got the octopus "salad".  Aarti got a ravioli, Will got the pasta with clams and prawns and Kinney got the pasta with tomato and anchovies (Sorry, Nat, I didn't write down what you got!).  The starter salad was perfect - served with fresh bib lettuce, juicy tomatoes, fennel and carrots.  I like that they gave it to us naked but with simple bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for us to use.  That's how a salad should be - I'm not a fan of restaurant salads that are pre-dressed because they're usually overly dressed.  I thought my octopus salad was going to be like what I had in Croatia which was sliced with olive oil but this was super chopped up pieces mixed with potatoes and drenched in garlic and oil.  It wasn't bad, in fact is was relatively light despite how I described it but it just wasn't what I thought.  It was still delicious and relatively healthy. 

I love how in Italy no one rushes you and everyone just sits around drinking endless amounts of wine.  We did just that and it was a great kick off to Florence.  It wasn't my favorite meal but it wasn't a bad one either.   Total bill: $145 USD for 5 people with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Vini e Vecchi Sapori  Via dei Magazzini 3R 50122 Florence, Italy                                          4.5 Forks

This was one place in Florence that I really really wanted to try and made a reservation way in advance.  I'd recommend you do the same as when we got there, there was a sign that said "Complete" and the place was super packed to the gills.  Even though we had a reservation, we still had to wait a good 30 mins for our table (which they were super apologetic and nice about).  But it was worth the wait.

The restaurant is rustic, cozy and a combination of locals and tourists.  The waiters are super nice and I took a quick peek in the kitchen and there is a legit Italian grandma making pasta in the back.  The menu is hand written on a piece of paper outside the restaurant but they also have copies for you at the table.  We started with an arugula salad with crazy good salty local shaved parm (I mean we are near Parma) on it and a sliced zucchini salad with lemon and olive oil.  So simple but so delicious at the same time that we ordered a 2nd one.  Nat and I both got the duck ragu tagliatelle which was perfection.  The ribbons of pasta were perfectly al dente and the ragu was salty but not overly done.  Aarti got a thick tube pasta with zucchini flowers and a light cream sauce, Will got the lamb chop while Kinney got the beef fillet.  Everyone had nothing but fantastic things to say about their food.

Of course, we couldn't leave without dessert, so we got a tiramisu (which was heavy on the ricotta and had raspberries and strawberries in it) and a mille-feuille with gelato inside.  Both were sweet and not too heavy and a perfect way to end our meal.  As usual, we had some fantastic red wine, this time a reserva Chianti.  This place was a definite winner in my book and was one of our top meals on our trip.  Total bill: $226 USD for 5 people with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Di An Di Visited Visited 8/26/2018 3.5 Forks

Di An Di  68 Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11222

Di An Di is one of the most buzzed about restaurants this year and given the dearth of really great Vietnamese places near me, I was super jazzed to try this place out.  Louise was visiting from SF and she was staying in Williamsburg so it was a perfect excuse to give this place a try.

As with any talked about place in Brooklyn, the place was jammed packed and despite having a reservation we still had to wait 20 mins for our table.  As you would expect from a place in Greenpoint, the place is totally hipstered out and is by no means a traditional Asian restaurant (not that I was really expecting it to be).  I'll give it credit and say it's beautifully designed and very Instagram worthy with gorgeous plants and pale pink accents on the walls.

The menu is a pretty authentic line up of Vietnamese dishes - pho, bun bo, banh xeo, spring rolls,  summer rolls, etc.  It's modern but still recognizable traditional dishes.  We split the "vegan pizza" ($15) and the eggplant appetizer while I got the pho hanoi #3 ($16) as my main entree.  It kills me a little bit to be paying these kinds of prices when my favorite pho place in Maryland is $8 a bowl but I'm paying for the upscale ambience and trendy crowd.  The prices in general are slightly overpriced for what I would pay for good Vietnamese food but it's pretty on par for what you are going to pay in the neighborhood in general.

The veggie "pizza" was really grilled rice paper filled with veggies and it was pretty meh.  There wasn't anything really good or bad about it - it wasn't very memorable or something I'd order again.  The eggplant was super overcooked so it turned out too mushy and it was a bit too spicy as well.  I had higher hopes for the pho and it was better than the appetizers,  although it still didn't measure up to Pho 75.  The broth was good and flavorful but there wasn't enough meat to the bowl.  It was just brisket, which I love but I felt like I could have used more meat variety.  Perhaps I should have ordered the Pho Bo #1 which had rare beef and brisket to it.  The menu says that this dish is covered in scallions and they weren't wrong.  The soup is practically green when you get it - I love scallions but it was a bit too much for me.

Overall, I left feeling a bit let down by the whole experience.  I like the concept and I read that the owners were Vietnamese folks from Houston where there is a huge Vietnamese populations, so it's not like it's run by people who don't know what they are doing.  It continues to get a ton of buzz and recognition from a bunch of well respected food blogs, so maybe it was an off night for me.  Despite my initial disappointment, I would still go back and order completely different things just to give it one more try.  Fool me once...Total bill:  $60/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

72 Hours in Seattle/Bellevue Part 2, Visited 8/9-8/12/2018 3.5-4 Forks

Mamnoon  1508 Melrose Ave., Seattle, WA 98122                                                                     4 Forks

I was able to stay a bit longer in Seattle to see some other friends over the weekend, which was great.  My friend Anthony suggested a delicious Middle Eastern place in a fairly cool looking part of the city (no idea what it was called) on a Friday night.  Definitely make a reservation in advance, especially if it's the weekend because this place was jam packed.

It's been a while since I was there so I apologize if my review/memory is a bit hazy but I know we got the triple dips which came with incredibly addictive soft pita, kefi, fried cauliflower, a large mixed grill plate and a fish stew that came with salmon.  It was all fantastic and super flavorful.  I remember the mixed grill having a lot of different kinds of meats to it and the stew being quite unique (who has stew with salmon - I probably wouldn't have it again but it was worth trying)?   But the star of the show was the famous fried cauliflower - it was covered in a tzatziki-like sauce and really played with the flavors in your mouth.

As I've said before in the past, Middle Eastern food is often an overlooked ethnic cuisine but it's really quite satisfying and with the exception of the pita, pretty healthy for you too!  $73/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Duke's Seafood and Chowder 500 Bellevue Way NE, Ste 212, Bellevue, WA 98004              3.5 Forks

When you get to my age, most of your friends are not only married but they have kids (often times several), and they don't really live in the city anymore.  Which is totally fine - sometimes being in a more suburban pace is nice.  I was staying with my good friend Neera and she lives about 20 mins outside of Seattle in a very picturesque suburb called Issaquah.  It's actually much closer to Bellevue than it is to downtown Seattle, so with the two girls, it was easier to grab food near there instead. 

We went to Duke's which is standard family restaurant found inside a shopping mall.  As you can tell from it's name, it's focused primarily on seafood and chowder which was great.  They have tons of different chowders to choose from:  traditional clam chowder, Northwest seafood chowder, lobster chowder, chicken and corn chowder, or a veggie one if you really don't eat seafood.  It almost makes you feel like you're in Boston.  I couldn't decide so I got the chowder sampler (triple dinghy - $10) and opted for the clam, seafood and lobster options.  They were pretty small in size but it was a nice concept so that you can try all 3 options.  I was feeling like I needed to be healthy again, so I opted for the seafood salad here as well ($20).  This one was also huge and came with scallops, prawns, avocado, feta, bail, lemon, and olive oil and it was super finely chopped.  It definitely wasn't as good as the one at Elliott's and it was way too heavily dressed.  It also didn't have quite the variety of seafood that I would have liked.  I don't remember even finishing it but it was probably more because of the amount of food than anything else.  

I did want to highlight that the waitress was super sweet and really great with the kids (again this is what happens when you go to a restaurant in the suburbs).  It was a great place to take a family because of the booths and they have a kid friendly menu.  The rest of the adult menu is also huge and frankly super overwhelming because there's literally every kind of seafood you can think of and then they put it all together in various combo dishes too.  If you love seafood, you'll definitely find something good here and even if you don't, they tons of other options too (even for vegetarians).  Total bill:  $242 for 3 adults, 2 kids with tip and tax

Photo Credit:  Yelp

72 Hours in Seattle/Bellevue Part 1, Visited 8/9-8/12/2018 3.5-4 Forks

Sushi Kudasai  10900 NE 4th St., Ste 270, Bellevue, WA 98004                                             3.5 Forks

I was excited to spend some time in the Pacific Northwest - I was in the Seattle/Bellevue area for work to visit the West team and then I tacked on a few extra days to hang out with Neera.  Shockingly, I had never been to Seattle before and I had heard the food scene it pretty good there, so I was excited to see what it was all about. 

I took the first flight out and needed some lunch before heading to the office.  I figured the fish and hence sushi should be pretty good, I looked for a place that was near the office/hotel I was staying at.  This place popped up as a 5 min walk from my hotel and it looked to be a popular lunch time spot for the Bellevue crowd.  It's a walk-up counter sushi place, so it's very informal and casual.  You order and pick up your food and then take it to a table.  They got a a pretty extensive line up of rolls and poke bowls.  I decided to try out the ichi roll  ($7) and a creamy poke bowl ($14).  The ichi roll was a tuna, spicy tuna, avocado and cucumber roll.  It was huge and way to big to eat in one bite.  The tuna was also too mashed up so I kind of left like I was eating bad tuna - even though it tasted totally fine.  The poke bowl was pretty tasty and had all of my favorite things to put in a poke bowl - tuna, salmon, crabmeat, seaweed salad, cucumber, avocado, scallion, ginger and masago.  The "creamy" sauce was ponzu sauce, spicy mayo and sesame oil, but it was a bit too heavy on the mayo part for my taste.  It was on a bed of salad and rice.  

Looking back, I would have been fine without the roll for lunch but I felt like I had to try it out.  It was definitely full by lunch time - there were people from Expedia, Microsoft and other tech companies in the area.  It definitely felt like a mini-SF scene with everyone looking like they walked off the set of "Silicon Valley".   Total bill:  $21 with tip and tax

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Elliott's Oyster House 1201 Alaskan Way Ste 100, Seattle, WA 98101                                       4 Forks

Everyone has been asking me how I like my new job so far and the answer is that I like it!  One of the reasons is because of the great people there.  It's always fun to be surrounded by like-minded folks who share your interests and luckily the one thing we all love is food!  The West team took me out to the Pier in Seattle and we all gorged on pretty delicious seafood (I mean, when in Rome right?).  

We started with a bunch of fantastic West Coast oysters and the celebration platter (chilled dungeness crab, more oysters, snow crab claws, and a variety of sauce - $90) while I got the white clam chowder ($5)  to start as well.  I got suckered into also getting the crab cakes because it was made with dungeness crab ($18) but to be honest, it wasn't that great as it had too much filler (when will I learn?!?!).  For my main, I had the seafood salad ($26) which I know is a bit unusual for me but I remember last time I was at a team dinner in NYC and I really wanted the seafood salad but got a lame steak sandwich instead and I really regretted that decision.  I figured if I was going to get seafood salad anywhere, it should be Seattle.  And you know what?  It was pretty damn good.  It was a huge portion, so I definitely felt full and it was full of shrimp, scallop, crab corn relish, avocado, heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, mixed greens and a dijon-shallot vinaigrette sauce.  Not only did I enjoy it but it was pretty healthy too. 

The one negative to our meal was that the service was beyond painful.  It was so slow and we had to wave people down constantly.  I know it's a busy restaurant in a pretty touristy spot, but it really was ridiculous.  Someone else picked up the bill so I'm not sure how much the total bill was but I thought the prices were fairly reasonable for the quality and amount of seafood.  

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Din Tai Fung 700 Bellevue Way NE #280, Bellevue, WA 98004                                                4 Forks

Din Tai Fung has a pretty huge cult following and I know that in the past I kind of poo-poo'd it when I was in Taiwan but the truth is that it's pretty damn good.  I'm not sure it deserves the insane devotion that most people give it but if you're looking for a consistently solid, tasty Chinese food place, this is a winner.  Luckily for the Bellevue team, there is a location right across the street from them and it gets super packed at lunch time. 

We had to lie and say we had a smaller group of people just so we could get a booth and squeeze in about 8 people into it.  We pretty much ordered the entire menu:  every kind of soup dumpling, delicious green beans (I know it sounds lame to love green beans but there were amazing), spinach, shrimp shu mai, fried rice with pork, spicy wontons, and steam buns.  It looked like we had never eaten before judging by the amount of food we ordered.  But we devoured all of it.  The best part of the whole meal is that nothing is really that expensive - I think the most expensive thing on the menu is $12 or $13.  The joys of Chinese food. 

I'll admit that I really love the meal and wished that there was one in NYC but I can only imagine the shitshow it would be if there was one.  There aren't that many locations in the US and they are all on the West Coast, so for that reason alone, it's definitely worth a visit unless you'll be in Asia anytime soon. 

Photo Credit: Yelp

Vice Versa Visited 7/27/2018 3.5 Forks

Vice Versa  325 W 51st St., New York, NY 10019

If you're wondering did I have two dinners in one night?  The answer is yes.  I had double booked myself but I didn't want to cancel either of my plans so I had the early dinner with Allison at Kyma and then headed over to a birthday dinner at Vice Versa for my friend Dan.  I was originally just going to go for "1 drink" but since it was his birthday, I ended up staying for the whole dinner and ordering yet another full meal.  Opps.  Needless to say, I did not feel the best the next day.

I've been here before to meet Dan for drinks and it's a classic Hell's Kitchen/Pre-Theater joint.  The clientele is a bit older but the crowd always feels like they are regulars here with the staff.  The nice thing is that it's never super crowded and everyone is super chill here (maybe too much so).  The menu here is traditional Italian with a nice line up of antipasti dishes, vegetables, lots of home made pastas and fish and meat dishes.  So there is truly something for everyone.  The table split the grilled calamari and some other appetizers and I got the spaghetti with crab ($25) because lord knows I needed another full meal at that point.  The calamari was fine, nothing really special.  But the crab pasta was delicious and not too fishy.  Since it was Dan's birthday, we got several desserts and the stand-out was the tiramisu.

Overall, it was a fun night because it was such a lower stress place where you could really relax and hang out with friends.  The food got the job done but what docked this place half a fork was the shaky and uneven service.   It just felt a bit disorganized.  If you're looking for a low key place in Midtown, it's worth a visit but I wouldn't necessarily go with you're in a hurry or don't have a ton of patience.  Total bill:  $110/pp with tax, tip and lots of drinks

Photo credit: Yelp

Wanpaku Visited 7/20/2018 3.5 Forks

Wanpaku  621 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11222

Another Asian opening in the area!  I was super excited to see this new place because like sushi, there is a dearth of ramen places within walking distance of where I live.  I came during lunch on a hot July Friday afternoon, which is so not ramen weather.  But I was still excited to try it out anyways.  The decor is lovely and when I went it was totally empty but then again it was 12pm on a weekday.

The menu has a nice line up for Japanese small plates like homemade tofu, Japanese eggplant, pork buns and salmon tartare.  They also had one of my favorites:  fried oysters ($8), which I had to try!  They also have a good variety of ramen - from chicken broth to beef broth to even 2 vegetarian versions (one is even gluten free - welcome to Brooklyn).  They also have katsu dishes (Japanese curry) and donburi.   When I went they also had seasonal specials like the cold ceviche ramen.  Since it was so hot outside and because I love raw seafood, I had to try this dish. 

The fried oysters came our first and they were served with a Japanese tartare sauce.  Usually I find it hard to go wrong with anything fried but this one was mushy and not that great.  It's almost like it was under fried.  The best part of any fried dish is the crunch and this one didn't have it.  Plus if the crunch isn't there then at least the oyster part should be nice and plump and this one wasn't.  So I was a bit anxious about what was to come.  Luckily the cold ramen was much better.  I will say cold ramen just doesn't stack up to a nice hot ramen with fatty broth and sliced pork in it.  But this tasted healthier and there was a good portion of shrimp (cooked), raw tuna and salmon with masago and avocado.  It could have used a bit more flavoring or even a cold broth to add some saltiness to it. 

The place leans more towards the trendy hipster side and I wouldn't say it's super authentic but if you're in the mood for some Japanese small bites and ramen, it's worth checking out.  There's also a super cute hidden bar in the back called The Hidden Pearl that is like a speakeasy with tiki drinks.  It's small, dark and kind of random but also worth checking out if you're in the area, on a date or have out of town friends.  Total bill:  $33 with tax and tip

Okozushi Visited 7/15/2018 3.5 Forks

Okozushi  376 Graham Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211

I was beyond excited when I saw the first signs of this place a few months ago.  First, there is a severe lack of ANY sushi (let alone good sushi) in the neighborhood and second, it's by the same people as Okonomi and Osakana - both places that I love in my area.  These two places focus on more authentic Japanese food and locally sourced fish and the mentality here is no different.  

A heads up that the space is tiny but cute.  The 3 of us sat the bar and we sit perfectly but other than that there are only 2 other small tables inside.  It's walk-in only so I would say come on the earlier side if you don't want to wait around a while.  While it's sushi, buyer beware as it's definitely not your typical sushi.  There are no spicy tuna rolls, sashimi or anything of the like.  They say that the sushi here is Kyoto style sushi, which to be honest, I'm not really sure what that means since I've sadly never been to Kyoto (yet!).   But apparently it means box pressed sushi (hakozushi) and temari (ball shaped sushi) style.  The fish used here is also untraditional - it was more tilefish, grouper, mackerel and the like and you had to pay extra for salmon.  They have several price points depending on how much you want  to eat (ranging from $25 to $50).   I went for the middle option of $35 - 6 pieces of hakozushi, 2 pieces of temari and 2 hand rolls.  The fish here is lightly cured and topped with unusual toppings like pickled vegetables and blue cheese.  Interesting combination and flavor profiles for sure.  I am a bit of a fish snob and I wasn't a huge fan of the white fish nor the blue fish but the other types were fine.  My one big gripe was that the ratio of rice to fish was too high - sometimes I felt like all I was eating was rice.  But I will say the rice was delicious and perfectly made so at least it was tolerable when you are eating all those carbs.  You are also served a hearty fish broth in the beginning which is a nice touch and I would also highly recommend getting the green tea.  It's almost like a matcha green tea and it's delightful.   It's all very interesting and tasty but I'm honestly not sure if it's something that I would come back for on a regular basis (even though it's <5 5="" a="" also="" and="" apt="" broth="" face="inherit" fish="" font="" from="" get="" green="" highly="" house="" i="" mins="" my="" nbsp="" nice="" ou="" recommend="" start="" tea="" the="" to="" walk="" would=""> 

I'm really glad I tried it and they even have take-out now but I think I prefer the more "traditional" style sushi places with spicy rolls and salmon, tuna yellowtail sashimi type place.  I love the fact that they are trying something new but in a neighborhood where you can't get any decent sushi, it's a bit too far out for me to want to come back and order from it regularly.   One nice thing here is that gratuity is included.  Total bill:  $38 with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

1 Week in Sweden - Part 5 - Visited 6/30/2018 - 7/8/2018 3.5 Forks

Leva Kungslador  Toftavägen 20, 622 59 Visby, Sweden                                                         3.5 Forks

It was a bit of a bummer that we couldn't rent a car in Gotland to check out the other parts of the island.  I tried to ride a bike but apparently one can forget how to ride one, so we were stuck walking around the immediate area near Visby which I don't really recommend.

I had read about this farm place that didn't look so far away on the map but you do have to walk through a highway and then a giant lily pad forest to get there so having a car is still preferred.  Once you're there, you feel like you're on a hippie commune  - there's a greenhouse, small farm, playground and organic food/craft store on site.  Inside the main building there is an all-you-can eat buffet that is primarily vegan with some meat dishes.  I know, it kind of sounds gross but it wasn't wasn't that bad.  I got a plate of potatoes, salad,  bread with dips, chickpeas, corn, steamed eggplant and they also had a pot roast like dish.  Not surprisingly, everything needed a bit of salt to it, especially the eggplant but it felt very healthy and farm picked. 

But the best part of this place are the desserts.  Oh my god, they are delicious (and separate from the buffet).  I actually went back twice because I wanted to try some many different things.  The above dessert, the dromtarta, was my favorite.  It was like a soft chocolate sponge cake filled with yummy custard - it was basically a chocolate roll but very moist and delicious.  I saved it for the World Cup viewing but wished that I got more for the rest of the evening.

It was definitely an adventure to get here and even though it was a bit of a hike, it was still nice to see a different part of the area.  Plus that chocolate roll was definitely worth the trek.  Total bill: $25/pp for the buffet

 Kitchen and Table 6 Strandgatan, 621 57 Visby, Sweden                                                         3.5 Forks

For better or worse, I have this weird aversion to hotel restaurants when I travel.  I know they have gotten better and in some cities, they are the hot spot to go to and many celebrity chefs are now putting their names all over them.  But in my mind, I still think of them as kind of a list ditch resort when you have no other options.   Not surprisingly, Marcus Samuelson (who was raised in Sweden) has a good presence in Sweden but what's surprising is that his restaurant is in a Clarion in Visby of all Swedish places (although I just read that Visby has more restaurants per capita in all of Sweden!).  

To be fair, Clarions in Europe are much nicer than the Clarions in the US and this one was actually pretty decent.  We decided to give this place a go on our last night here before we hit up a bar down the street.  The menu claims to be New York meets Sweden but I'm not sure what that really means.  It was a mish mosh of items from burgers, pizzas, tacos, meat platters, and an "urban garden" section which was veggies with a choice of protein.  I opted for the cheese burger simply because there wasn't anything else speaking to me. 

I will say that cheese burger was super tasty.  It was a soft potato bun, with a moist patty and yummy melted cheese with all the fixins.  Who knew Visby would be the place for a spot-on American burger?  It also came with super crunchy fries to round out the whole Americana experience. 

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by my meal.  Unfortunately, the downside was the service.  I feel a bit bad crapping on it because it was just 2 girls running the whole place but the service was abysmally slow.  Like extremely painful.  What also sucked is that my cocktail was only half full - it's like they started to pour it, got side tracked and then never finished.  For $15, I should be getting the whole damn cocktail and then some.   Luckily, we got more (and better cocktails) at this bar/restaurant down the street called Supper which was apparently THE place to be.  It was jammed packed with all sorts of beautiful people and super fun.  I wouldn't poo poo Kitchen and Table, I would probably just double check to make sure they are fully staffed before you sit down.

Photo Credit: http://gotlandstips.se/kitchen-table/