11 May 2011
ATTENTION: THIS IS THE BEST SALAD EVER!
It’s called the Bacon & Egg salad, and it’s from Logan in Ann Arbor.
Description: “Baby arugula greens tossed with a ponzu dressing. Served alongside a locally harvested fried egg and garnished with a bacon crouton.”
Actual experience: The tart ponzu dressing mixed with the spicy arugula, creamy egg, and salty/fatty/smoky bacon was a taste explosion that wholly elevated bacon and eggs to another level. I don’t know how they made that bacon crouton (I think the server mentioned something about bacon powder?!?), but it was delectable.
Seriously the best salad I’ve ever eaten. Put me on the show now!
2 May 2011
This weekend, I visited my younger sis in Memphis. She’s currently teaching third grade in the Memphis City Schools, and I hadn’t been to visit her yet.
Memphis is an interesting city, but I was (predictably) most excited about the food. Before I even set foot on the plane, I knew two restaurants I absolutely had to go to: Gus’s and Rendezvous.
We never made it to Rendezvous — there were lots of events happening in downtown Memphis this week, so traffic was INSANE. We did, however, get to Gus’s. And it was the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. EVER.
We started off with the fried pickle app (lower left), moved on to the white meat chicken plate with baked beans and cole slaw, and finished with coconut pie. It was my first time trying coconut pie, and it was perfect — just sweet enough with lots of coconutty flavor and texture.
The other meal highlight of my trip was a hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese place called Saigon Le. Locals know about this place because it’s a total hidden gem. It looks like nothing, but the food is outstanding.
For an app, we tried the birds’ nest egg rolls, which are sort of hard to describe. They’re crunchy strands of fried stuff on the outside, and flavorful meat (pork?) on the inside. You wrap them in lettuce and stuff it with fresh basil, mint, and cilantro. SO unexpectedly yummy. For my entree, I got a shrimp dish that was fabulous, though I honestly couldn’t tell you what it was.
I finally got to try the famous Memphis BBQ on my last night, when we headed to Central BBQ for dinner.
It was basically like fast food BBQ, but I loved it (any time I can get brisket fast and cheap, I’m a happy camper).
All in all, my eating experience in Memphis was pretty awesome. Have you ever been to Memphis? Where do you like to eat?
11 April 2011
Expect to see more evidence of my undying love for eating out now that I have a very portable camera! Exploring new restaurants absolutely ranks among my favorite activities, and this weekend, I got to indulge.
My boyfriend [henceforth referred to as A] took my parents and I out for a double date at a relatively new restaurant in town, Mercy’s. The ambiance was pretty subdued, but elegant. We got one of the booths.
The restaurant touts itself as French/Burmese/Asian fusion, though I would have liked to see a bit more Asian influence throughout the menu. There wasn’t a whole lot of fusing going on — a dish seemed to be either French or Burmese/Asian, but not a fusion of the two.
Take the apps, for instance. On the Asian side, there was the Drunken Shrimp.
I loved the texture of the udon noodles in this dish. Usually, I haaate udon noodles. The texture reminds me of slimy worms. But the sauce in this dish had a little bit of stickiness to it, so the texture of the noodles didn’t bother me. Plus, the flavor of the shrimp/noodles was really nice. Definitively Asian, but subtle.
The second app we got was from the French portion of the menu — a filet mignon that I didn’t take a picture of. It came with tiny asparagus and a tiny portion of rice. Good, but we all agreed the soy sauce-based glaze was a bit overpowering for the delicate meat.
My dad also got an amazing romaine wedge salad that looked so pretty I had to take a pic.
Our lovely dining companions. I mean, come on, how cute are my parents?
For my entree, I got (what else?) steak. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but steak au povire, mashed potatoes, and green beans is my dream meal (it was what I requested my dad make on my bday a couple years ago). So I asked them to sub mashed potatoes for the shoestring fries in their Steak Frites dish. A got the same thing, but with roasted potatoes instead of mashed.
HELLO. The green beans were so well-seasoned and garlicky — they’re often a throwaway component, so I was happy. And I loved the pepper sauce. It was perfectly spicy and peppery (I like my au poivre really poivre-y). The mashed taters (Yukons) were a little sweet for my liking.
My dad was loving his lamb shank dish, but lamb isn’t really my thing.
After a meal like that, we had to sample dessert. All four of us wanted the same thing, so we got two orders of the Challah Beignets — one for me and A, one for my parents.
They were just what you’d expect: crisp and full of cinnamon sugar on the outside, doughy and soft on the inside. I really enjoyed the beignets, but thought the accouterments (ice cream and chocolate/caramel sauces) were a bit lacking and sort of overpowered the star of the show.
All in all, I enjoyed Mercy’s. I have no complaints about a place where I can get a good steak au poivre and some challah for dessert! And I loved being able to take my new camera out for a spin at a very worthy restaurant. But I think my dad had a little too much fun playing with the effects…
Over and out.
12 March 2011
I’ll be honest: I wasn’t very excited about my birthday before yesterday. I’m a birthday person — meaning I expect plenty of festive celebration on the big day/weekend — but this year, I sort of just wanted it to be over as quickly as possible.
But thanks to my boyfriend, my birthday this year was truly special. He told me he was going to surprise me, and I should pack various types of outfits (going out, casual, etc.) for the evening. When I got to his house after work, he rushed me into the car. Before I go any further, let me say that I didn’t take any of my own pics last night, but I’ll try to give you an idea of how great the night was anyway.
After I was whisked away, we landed here:
The MGM Grand Detroit.
The MGM Grand is Detroit’s newest hotel and casino, and it’s luxury on a grand scale for sure. Once we arrived, I was told I had to go straight to the spa for my massage appointment (!!). The spa at the MGM Grand is amazing, though I didn’t get to check out the most amazing feature… the infinity saltwater heated pool.
Don’t you want to dive in? Right after my massage and session in the steam room, I headed back to the room to get ready for our 8pm dinner reservations at one of the MGM’s three restaurants. My man chose Bourban Steak for us (he knows me well). The room itself was awesome. My favorite part? The plasma TV in the bathroom. Yes, I WILL watch TV while peeing, thankyouverymuch.
Let me tell you, I was SO excited for the menu at Bourban Steak. It was almost my perfect menu — lots of different steak options with delicious potato and veggie sides.
After being seated, we were served three different types of fries — cajun, ranch, and plain with wasabi dipping sauce, BBQ sauce, and homemade ketchup. We also got complimentary cornbread with a lightly sweetened butter.
We started with Ahi Tuna Poppers with ginger, sesame oil, and ponzu. Ridiculously delicious — a ball of flavorful tuna atop a small potato croquette. Imagine the best sushi roll you’ve ever had and multiply it by five. That’s how good this was.
For my entree, I got the Peidmontese beef KC Strip. Peidmontese beef is super tender, flavorful meat. I’ve only had it in burger form, but the steak version didn’t disappoint. They also had Kobe beef on the menu, but I wasn’t about to order a $72 steak. Someday, maybe.
For our sides, we chose the Spaghetti Squash & Prosciutto Gratin (I was thrilled to see spaghetti squash on the menu!), Truffled Mac & Cheese, and Creamed Spinach with Sauteed Onion (this one had a coconut curry flavor). We wanted to order the Artichoke & Crab Scalloped Potato also, but our waiter told us it would be too much food. Sadly, he was right. We barely made a dent in most of our food.
Though the dessert menu at Bourban Steak looked aaaamazing — adult milkshakes and beignets, among other seasonal picks — we were too full to partake. Not feeling like gambling or clubbing%2
8 March 2011
After returning from my third visit to South Beach, I admit, the dining there is mostly overpriced and geared toward desperate tourists. But there are some gems. Here are the highlights from this trip:
Yes, this is a (GASP!) chain, but the menu is creative and the food is extremely fresh-tasting. The highlight: Calamari with a Latin spin — “cornmeal crusted calamari with tomato, mint, plaintain, tamarind.” One of the best calamari dishes I’ve had, hands down. Plus, the restaurant has a pretty unique interior and I love the ambiance.
This restaurant, located at the Z Ocean hotel, came recommended by our concierge. We were wary about their commendations at first (sometimes hotels have deals with each other!), but this was easily one of the top five brunch spots I’ve been to in as long as I can remember. The highlight: green eggs made with pesto and pepper jack cheese. Pesto, as we all know, makes everything better. Also, the weather was gorgeous when we sat on the “front porch.” That can make even a mediocre meal seem fab.
Again, we dined here on the recommendation of the concierge at our hotel. Again, we were skeptical because we didn’t want to end up at one of those dime-a-dozen South Beach restaurants that hawk their food/drinks as you walk by (you know the ones I mean if you’ve been there!). But Quinn’s (located in the Park Central hotel) was great. When we walked up, we knew it was a little different. They didn’t hawk us, and they had a little display out front with all their reviews in local papers (their key lime has been called the best in Florida by the Miami Herald!). It was definitely pricey, but worth it. The highlight: The steak au poivre my boyfriend ordered. I LOVE pepper steak and this was definitely one of the best versions I’ve had.
I’ve never been a big fan of tapas — they just don’t do a lot for me. But this tapas restaurant, located on Espanola Way, made me a believer. Their small plates are flavorful, authentic, and rich. And their sangria isn’t bad, either! The highlight: baked goat cheese in tomato sauce. I mean, it’s hard to go wrong with goat cheese, but this dish was extra hot, creamy, and flavorful. Definitely won me over.
What we missed: Authentic Cuban food! We went to one Cuban restaurant for lunch, but it didn’t impress me much.
South Beach isn’t a foodie paradise, for sure, but you can find good stuff there if you look. We didn’t wander off the beaten path much, but I think we did pretty well!
