ROC - Mochinut

I’ve been DYING to go here since I heard of their opening back in March and I’ve finally made it!

LOCATION: 544 JEFFERSON RD., ROCHESTER, NY 14623

I’ve been really wanting to try a Korean corndog and while I’ve been able to find frozen varieties, none of them come with outer toppings like potatoes which is key to this experience. I’ve also been so excited to try a mochi donut as I’ve seen them online and in youtube videos but haven’t seen a place that actually offers them in Rochester before this. Of course I’ve been to Rochester a few times since this place opened but I was initially waiting for the hype to die down a little because I’ve seen them all over social media and everyone has been saying the lines are super long and wrap around the building outside (granted it’s not a huge space indoors but still, that’s a lot of hype!) I’ve also been in Rochester with Caleb and he’s not a fan of hotdog/corndogs so I feel bad dragging him to a place where he can’t eat. However, this weekend is a solo trip and I’ve called in reinforcements to finally hit up Mochinut!

Julia has already scoped the place out with her husband Dan and told me she wanted to come back with me so we’ve started our adventure! We decided to get to Mochinut right at 11am to try to beat the rush. We ended up arriving a little early and there was already another car in the parking lot also waiting for them to open but aside from that, we were set to get in there as soon as the clock struck. We actually noticed a gentleman go in then the car next to us with two older women got out and entered right around 11 so we took that as our cue to go! I took a quick look at the case as they filled in the fresh donut flavors and Julia convinced me to get 1 donut, 1 ‘corn’ dog, AND a bubble tea. She is my true supporter to indulge and try it all. I love her. Thus, my plan was laid to get one of each item. I decided to go with the Milk (fruity) Pebble mochi donut, my classic Mango Fruit Tea with boba, and a Potato half & half hotdog. Go big or go home.

I was given my donut right away but there was a wait for my bubble tea and hotdog so after Julia finished her simpler order at the digital kiosk we went to sit down at one of the tables for the adjoining Seafood Harbor restaurant that’s currently under construction. It’s kind of a weird set up that there’s a full restaurant thats connected to Mochinut. I feel like it’ll be a little bit of an issue once the restaurant is open since Mochinut doesn’t really have seating for patrons. As soon as we ordered the line was already cramped up against the door too so it was a quick fill that I foresee being problematic.

Anyways, Julia convinced me that I should at least try my mochi donut while we were waiting. It might as well be a sweet starter to begin brunch. I took one bite and it was really sweet. It was a little oily which was disappointing and it honestly just tasted like a soggy funnel cake with frosting. The fruity pebbles helped give it more texture but I only managed a couple bites before needing a break from the sweetness. I understand why Julia didn’t order one and why her husband might not have wanted to come with us. She mentioned they had a couple when the went for the first time and made the same funnel cake comparison. It wasn’t really noticeably chewier than a funnel cake type of thing but it was more oily than I expected.

Not long after I tried my donut we got our drinks which came in a cute plastic ‘can’ with their logo stickered on and even had that can tab opening. Very fun in design but the opening of a can is barely enough room to fit a bubble tea straw through. Julia also lucked out with the kiosk and substituted her boba for lychee jelly which is honestly what I really wanted. Tips for next time, the kiosk leads to greater customization. This was a standard bubble tea and it wasn’t terribly special but satisfies the bubble tea craving.

A little later we got called up to get our hot dogs, the who reason for the trip! I was super excited and it came in a cute little box with a slot for the corndog stick. Julia wanted to come back with me so she could try the flaming hot cheetos corn dog and I convinced her to also go with the half & half so we could really have the whole experience of variety. This was a mistake. Important Lesson: don’t take menu advice from someone who’s never eaten at the establishment. We were already disappointed that these Korean corndogs aren’t coated in sugar like the original versions are but I’m just happy this isn’t a cornbread batter because I’m not a fan of cornbread in general. Instead, they’re typically made with a rice flour batter giving it a different texture and of course a different flavor. Unfortunately, the corndog was also very oily and my potatoes, while crispy, were also oil logged and so sad. The top of the corndog, the cheese half, was SO HARD to get through because the heavy combination of oil and dairy. Julia and I both hit a wall before we even made it to the hotdog half of our corndogs and were considering giving up. Instead, we took a small break just to talk and digest a little while trying to wash the oil down with our bubble tea. Eventually, we got back to the second half of our corndogs and it was a much better balance. Still oily but the meatiness of the hot dog halves made them much more enjoyable to finish off which made us realize that it would’ve been a better decision to just get a full hotdog. So many lessons learned for the future.

All in all, I’m not even sure I would go back. While there’s a great variety of flavors on their menu, everything was so heavy and oily it wasn’t enjoyable. I felt sick from the amount of sugar when I ate less than half of my mochi donut, and it was a battle to finish the Korean corndog. It was disappointing and while I’m not sworn off either of these foods, I don’t think this place represented either menu item well at all. After the excitement I felt in getting to try both of these things for the first time, it was such a let down. The only good thing about going was getting to spend time with one of my best friends. Fingers crossed for future trials of these things, somewhere else.

ITHACA - Zocalo

Today was a little chaotic but we' eventually fed ourselves so it all worked out! Caleb and I wanted to have a little lunch date to go see the new Guardian’s of the Galaxy movie and decided we would get lunch first, so far so good. We discussed getting some DiBella’s since it’s one of our go to’s whenever we get close to Ithaca and it travels well. While Caleb did want Dibella’s he didn’t feel like sitting in there for lunch so we eventually decided we would go after the movie to grab some subs for dinner. This still left us open for lunch and I threw Ithaca Bakery in to the ring but was hesitant to go get sandwiches for lunch when we would be eating subs for lunch. I like a little more variety in my meals for a day. Instead Caleb suggested we just hop over to Friendly’s. We’ve never been there together and it’s one of those chains we joke about going to but have never actually committed to. Well, it turns out the joke was on us because the location we were planning on going to by The Shops at Ithaca Mall has turned into a bank! So we were driving around parking lots debating just going to Ithaca Bakery when Caleb decided to pull the tigger and head to the mall food court! (Basically).

LOCATION: 40 CATHERWOOD RD., ITHACA, NY 14850 (next to food court)

That’s how we ended up in Zocalo, a Mexican restaurant in the mall that we always pass by shrouded in mystery. Zocalo is dimly lit and can get very busy, from what we’ve noticed when we’ve walked by in the past. The wait staff felt very indifferent to us and just customers in general, a very hands off approach to the dining experience and not welcoming in the least bit. Still, this doesn’t affect the food so it’s minor in the scheme of things and while indifferent, they weren’t rude which is the real deal breaker. The waiter brought over warm tortilla chips and salsa immediately too which is ideal honestly. A great snack to get while we ponder the menu.

Caleb went back and forth a little but landed on ordering the Chimichanga, an item I’ve never gotten for the shear fact that I have no idea what it is. A sauce covered burrito? Close. Turns out it’s a burrito (chicken for Caleb) that’s covered in queso which also came with a small side of lettuce and tomato (I wouldn’t quite call it a salad) as well as rice and beans. Pretty standard sides. I, of course, went with tacos. Now, unlike Village Taqueria, this place doesn’t sell them individually so I had to go with one type, choosing between chicken, steak, or their Al pastor. I went with the Al Pastor Street tacos which comes with pork marinated in pineapple, achiote and annato then grilled and served in corn tortillas and topped with onion and cilantro. This also came with a side of rice and beans. Also, to my surprised I got 4 tacos. The tortillas are a little smaller than typical but four tacos felt like a little bit of a challenge that I was willing to take.

Overall, the tacos were pretty good. I made it through all four enjoyably and was pretty full in a good way. I did get a little bit of flavor fatigue and I would’ve had more fun trying one of each taco they had to offer instead of getting 4 of one type. I was also too full to have any of the rice and beans but Caleb let me know that they weren’t great and were overly salted so I didn’t miss out on that at all. Not a bad choice for lunch but also not great. During the meal we agreed that it’s not a place we would crave enough to go back but it is a convenient spot so we wouldn’t knock it either. I think just being able to pick various tacos means I would prefer Village Taqueria over Zocalo.

DRYDEN - Village Taqueria and Grill

We’re back for round 2 here at Village Taqueria! We were passing by on our way home from our friend’s birthday nearby and decided it was the right place for dinner. We hesitated because we weren’t sure if they were open or if it was too close to closing, we don’t like being those people that push it down to the wire at all but a couple of people/groups came after we ordered which made us feel better for sure.

LOCATION: 2 E. MAIN ST. DRYDEN, NY

No tamale sightings this time so tonight was a taco only night. I couldn’t quite remember how I felt about the tacos the last time we went so it was a fresh slate for me this time around when I ordered. I decided to go with my standard order and went with a Carnitas Street Taco. an Al Pastor Street Taco, and a Baja California Fish Taco. Caleb found my order to be annoying since I got three different types of tacos but I’m convinced it’s totally normal. I always get three different tacos whenever I go to a taco place like this. There’s a reason that they sell them individually! He’s more of a burrito person though so I guess if he got tacos he would just order one type. Where’s the fun in that!?

Since I’ve already written about the Baja California Fish Taco last time I’ll glaze over it and just say it was a perfectly good battered fish taco. On to the meat! The Street tacos are listed as coming on a grilled corn tortilla with onions, cilantro, radish, and lime. The al pastor however, came with pineapple instead of radish which is a pretty typical substitute. This was a pretty good sweet addition but as you can see in the photo, the pineapple was a huge chunk and would’ve been a little more enjoyable if it was cut more uniformly for the taco. The Carnitas Street Taco was flavored well and had a good balance overall. It doesn’t stand out at all but it was a good taco.

I think my take away from the Village Taqueria after two visits is that it’s a pretty good place for tacos and Mexican food but it doesn’t quite live up to all our friends hyping it up. I haven’t been blown away by anything and while the ingredients are good, they don’t feel impressive or exceptional in any sort of way to me. They have a standard menu and if I’m passing by I’ll stop but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

ITHACA - Maru Ramen

We’re going on an adventure!! Caleb and I don’t have an official date for our anniversary so a couple of years ago I picked April 15th as an arbitrary anniversary date and every year I remind him that while it’s the date that I made up, it kind of marks another year together! Success! We typically don’t really do much for it but seeing as this year we hit 5 years together Caleb decided we should have a more adventurous date day and try a new restaurant for a meal. We decided to finally go to this ramen place that we pass often in Ithaca that we’ve continued to claim we would try one day. Well, today is that day.

LOCATION: 512 W STATE ST., ITHACA, NY 14850

Maru Ramen has a cute pink storefront with big front windows that’s hard to miss and while I love ramen and was excited to try this place, Caleb tends to be more weary to try something new. Their menu has a few different types of cuisine included baos and pho along with ramen and dishes with kimchi so they’re really running the gamut of asian cuisines. Whenever I see a menu like this I tend to get a little weary about the quality or the authenticity of ingredients but I was hopeful that the namesake ramen would be enjoyable.

I tend to try tonkotsu ramen when I go to new places because it can really tell how good the restaurant is and I love a good pork belly but this time I decided to mix it up and go with the Tantan-men Ramen which, here, is made with a chicken broth, spicy tantan dashi, and includes their pork belly chashu, soy-cured soft-boiled egg, toasted sesame seeds, seaweed. ginger, and scallions. Originally, Caleb was going to get a chicken bibimbop which a classic safe choice for him. Chicken and rice usually can’t go wrong and doesn’t stretch too far beyond his comfort zone but before our waitress came back he changed his mind and decided to venture out and try some Tori Ramen which is Maru’s spicy shredded chicken ramen option. This also comes with the soy-cured soft-boiled egg, sesame seeds and all the veggies included in my ramen as well.

When it came out the bowls looked very promising. Caleb felt the bowls were quite big and deep though his had a more conical shape which give the illusion of being fuller from above than it actually is volumetrically. That doesn’t discount that this is a very generous serving of ramen which excited me. The top of the broth had a spicy oily top layer and a creamier fuller broth underneath which is always a good sign. I could tell right away that I wouldn’t like the chashu as much as I was hoping based on the cut and the lack of pork belly fat swirled throughout the pieces. They looked much leaner and therefore more dry than I was hoping for. After mixing in the toppings and the broth I also quickly noticed the straighter noodles as opposed to the wiggly chewy ones that I also prefer. Straighter noodles typically indicate a softer noodle with less chew that tend to get soggy after sitting in the broth for too long. There are, of course, straight noodles that are thinner and tend to hold up better but these were not those noodles. A good broth with average ingredients mean this place likely won’t be top of my list to revisit. While it was still a tasty dish with a great amount of kick and eggs done well, the noodles make or break this dish for me. I’m glad we ventured out and finally tried Maru Ramen but I can’t say I’d petition to go back again soon (though I’m also not opposed).

CORT - Pita Gourmet

Another day, another lunch craving. Today, we’re headed to Pita Gourmet which is usually somewhere I like to go during warm weather just because of that Mediterranean feeling in the summer but I’ve struck a craving for Dolmas today so off we go.

LOCATION: 41 MAIN ST., CORTLAND, NY, 13045

I’ve eaten here before and I’m kind of surprised I haven’t written a post about it yet so here we are. When I think if Pita Gourmet I have positive thoughts but I think my expected vs. reality ideas of it don’t quite line up. I like walking in there and ordering at the counter from the founders of the restaurant who seem so nice and get right down to business. The place feels authentic and it makes me excited to eat the food so maybe I’m just ordering the wrong thing and that’s why it’s not quite living up to my expectations.

My normal order is the Mazza combo which lets you try three of the five options: tabouleh, hommos, baba gannush, grape leaves or falafel. I love this option because it allows me to try a few different items and graze a little then switch it up so the flavors never get boring. I’m a fan of tapas or appetizer/sample platters for this very reason so ordering something that gives me multiple samples is ideal for me.

So when it comes down to it, I tend to order the mazza combo with hommos, grape leaves (my favorite Mediterranean dish), and falafel. This combo comes with warm pita for dipping which I also love. Warm Pita is just comforting all around. However, though this place delivers with options, I’m usually let down a little with the actual food.

The grape leaves (dolmas) are perfect to me and I love that they’re warm and zesty so there’s no complaint there but I could see them being a little too acidic/sour for some. The hommos is a little bit of a let down and isn’t really anything to write home about. It doesn’t have much interest to it and while it’s not bad, it’s not great either. The falafel really loses me and is so dry and overly salted. It comes on a little bed of tomato and lettuce that’s a little sad to look at and I can’t say that I rush to eat it either. It helps to eat the falafel dipped in some of the hommos to bring down the salt levels and add some moisture but I can’t imagine eating it with the pita because it would be dry dry dry. I could substitute out the falafel and get baba gannush or tebouleh but I can’t imagine getting the baba gannush AND the hommas as they’re too similar in texture. I also will admit that I’m not a huge fan of tebouleh so that’s not a great choice for me either. If it were, I would just order the Fabulous Five which is the combo with all of these options.

At the end of it, I want to love Pita Gourmet and I want to go more often but it’s tended to let me down the few times I’ve gone and my visits are few a far between. Maybe writing this post will be a reminder for me to expand my ordering and try something new next time. I just love the grape leaves so much and this combo always looks so appealing to me just on variety alone. Stay tuned. I promise I’ll order a different dish the next time I go. I’m sure there’s something wonderful here that' I’m just missing.

CORT - Wild Ginger Asian Fusion

This week leading up to the holidays is tricky with prepping to travel and not wanting to get too many groceries before we have to pack up and leave so it’s leading to more lunch takeout than I would typically like but I won’t say I’m upset that I’m getting lunch from Wild Ginger.

LOCATION: 47 MAIN ST., CORTLAND, NY, 13045

Typically, I just order sushi and call it a day but I’m craving something warm today and miso soup won’t cut it. I decided to be a little more adventurous and I ordered the Beef Negimaki Bento Lunch Special. I’ve never heard of Beef Negimaki before but I really wanted a beef dish (I guess my body wants iron) and I looked up Beef Negimaki and to seemed like something nice to try. Google says it’s a traditional Japanese dish of thinly pounded meat that's marinated in teriyaki sauce, wrapped around scallions and grilled. I’m never really drawn to teriyaki sauce dishes but it’s not usually bad either so it seemed worth the shot.

The bento boxes from Wild Ginger are a good deal since they come with a couple dumplings/mini eggrolls, rice, soup/salad, and a California roll along with the protein of choice. While I knew this was a filling order I also go a spicy salmon roll too because I really wanted that but there wasn’t a way to substitute the Cali roll for it when I ordered online. I was super happy I ordered the salmon roll though because the California roll just doesn’t cut it like it used it. I did have too much food and had to save some for dinner but it was a good order overall. I didn’t really love the Beef Negimaki because there was SO MUCH scallion on the inside which was very overpowering; not the dish for me though the grilled beef was still good. I also still don’t love teriyaki because it can be so salty so these were things I knew going into ordering that weren’t a surprise for me. If these things sound like your type of food, then Negimaki is good for you but it turns out to not be my thing. I’m still glad I tried it and it was a good deal for lunch so I’m happy about that as well. Wild Ginger doesn’t let me down.

CORT - Yori House

Yori House is back in rotation! At least for today. I always come back to it because I CRAVE Korean food and I always want Yori House to be good even when it continues to slightly disappoint me. They did just come out with their Winter ‘22 menu and there were some menu items I wanted to try so I had to give it another shot. It also happens to be the only restaurant in town that is remotely Korean so this is my only option for a fix. The struggle is so real.

LOCATION: 114 ELM ST., CORTLAND NY, 13045

One new item on their winter menu is the Creamy Seafood Pasta which I’m not sure is remotely Korean but this could be a good thing for my expectations. The pasta comes with shrimp, mussels, cream sauce, and pecorino cheese over a classic spaghetti. Seeing as my go to dish on their menu is the Seafood ‘Paella’, this option seemed like a safe choice for something I would enjoy and I wasn’t wrong. They use the same mussels and shrimp in their paella dish as well as the same cream sauce so the only difference was the carb that was switched out. I don’t recall if the paella has pecorino on it but boy did it add a lot more salt to this dish. It was a little bit of a salt bomb and I was really glad I decided to order edamame on the side to help me quell the saltiness of the pasta though the shrimp did help.

Yori House slightly disappoints again. This wasn’t a bad meal and was still edible but it wasn’t very good and I will go back to my usual Seafood Paella next time instead over this salty pasta. Oh Yori House, we’ll keep trying.

ROC - Allah's Kitchen

I’m in town for the weekend and have decided to finally take up my friend’s recommendation to eat at the vegan restaurant Allah’s Kitchen. They also happened to open a new location right by RIT’s campus in August which makes it so much easier for me to get to when I’m in town so I’m super excited for that aspect too.

LOCATION: 200 JEFFERSON RD, PARK POINT DR. SUITE 205, ROCHESTER, NY 14623

I knew exactly where this location was and used to frequent different restaurants there when I was in college so I went right in but boy was this a chaotic experience in terms of service. I came around 2pm just because that’s what time I arrived in town, and I was so hungry. There were a couple of women in the restaurant when I arrived and it seemed like they had already ordered and were having a fun little day out together. The counter at this place was sparse with space for food to be out for easy service but nothing actually out. Since it was 2pm I gave them the benefit of the doubt because I have no idea what it looks like during a normal lunch or dinner rush so that was odd but not a big deal. I waited for a little and there were two men working and one finally asked me what I wanted to order and I got the INFINITE BOWL. I will say that their menu is kind of crunchy and has these lofty names for their bowls that don’t indicate at all what’s in side of them, aka ‘infinite bowl’ but my friend highly recommends it so I’m along for the ride. The Infinite Bowl is gluten free and soy free along with being vegan so this place is a great option for people with any sort of dietary restrictions because most of their menu is soy free or gluten free as well. This bowl comes with coconut brown rice, aloo gobi (which is potatoes and cauliflower cooked in an Indian curry sauce), stewed chickpeas with spinach, kale, onions, peppers, zucchini, and plantains cooked in coconut oil. Now this sounds like so much food (which it is) but this infinite bowl had a lot of different sides combined into it so I wanted to try it in order to get a little sample of a lot to see if I liked this restaurant. Unluckily for me, they ran out of stewed chickpeas (which are often my favorite side dish) and they asked if a substitute of stewed cabbage was alright which was sad but fine with me.

Now, before I talk about the actual dish, let me just say that the service continued to be chaotic. There was no one that was at the counter full time, and even though there were only two men working they were not good at communicating with each other or with the (few) customers in the building. The man who took my order seemed more like the owner/manager and relayed my order to the server in the back well enough but then the server came out and packed a bag of food while asking the other two women if they were dining in or not (they were). Without saying anything else he places the bag of food on the counter and walks back into the kitchen to get the other order ready. The bag sits there and I stand at the counter with the other women and we’re all waiting for someone to come so we can pay. It takes about 5mins until the owner/manger comes out and lets us know that the ipad/credit card machine isn’t working and asks if we have cash. I have cash in my car but not small bills so I tell him I do but need change to which he replied there is no change. At all. So now, we’ve all ordered and don’t have a means to pay for our food because there is no cash change and no credit card machine. He goes into the back and starts making calls to see if someone can bring cash to him so we can all pay for our meals. Luckily for him, they also allow for payment via CashApp or Venmo and after 5 more mins of standing at the counter wondering what we should do he lets us know that this is an option. Now I’m looking for them on Venmo and he walks away. I have no idea how much my meal costs with tax and i stand there for another 5mins waiting for him to return just to tell me that the $17 list price on the menu is fine and I can just Venmo that amount. All 5 of us in the restaurant stand there staring at each other, he asks me if the food at the counter is mine (how should I know??) then looks inside and asks the server who confirms it’s my meal. He brings out the order for the other ladies who are unbothered by this chaotic transaction, and I Venmo my money and leave with my food. At this point it’s been at least 20mins for a transaction that shouldn’t have taken more than 5, and my food is no longer hot but at least it’s warm and I head to my parent’s house where I can reheat it quickly.

All suffice to say that I was very hesitant to ever return because, while they staff were nice, I do not do well in this chaotic unstructured food service space and miss the automation of Chipotle.

Still, I try to shake it off and get ready to try some of this food. I do realize that I did not get any spinach/kale/onions/peppers but there’s still plenty of food in this container and I’m beyond hungry I just dig in.

This food smells so good and warm/cozy. I realize it’s best just to mix everything together but I set the plantains to the side because I want to save them as a palette cleanser/pseudo dessert since they get sweet when cooked like this. The Aloo golbi, stewed cabbage, and coconut brown rice are such a good combination and it fill’s be up so fast. I eat more than half in this sitting and am just stuffed. The rice is a little harder than I like for it to be but that kind of comes with the territory of brown rice and isn’t off-putting in any way. I love the coconut-y flavor from their use of coconut oil to cook their food and it’s so good that I start to rethink not going back. The food saves the awkwardly weird service and I decide that they’re worth the chaos. I’m still hopeful that next time it might be a little more structured and professional in terms of a business but the meal is great and I’m ready for more. I need to get some chickpeas next time so maybe when I’m in town again, I’ll give this location another shot before switching over to their first location father away. In either case, they’ve won me over as a non-vegan.

FL - I Heart Mac & Cheese

We’re back! And even though Karie is lactose intolerant we’re going to I Heart Mac & Cheese because it’s a must between me and Michael and this is the last meal I get before we have to head back to New York.

LOCATION: 15999 Pines Blvd. Pembroke Pines, FL 33027

I didn’t feel the need to order anything extravagant this time and went with a basic mac and cheese with broccoli. You can’t go wrong and I love this combo even if people think it’s weird. The main goal of this trip was that Michael told me they came out with new bowls for their mac and cheese shaped like a heart. This place is super cute with their branding and I love it.

While we were there Michael and I saw a sign for their new special Tacoroni which is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of a bowl you get your mac and cheese in a taco shell and while I think it’s totally hilarious to put noodles in a taco shell, this item isn’t for me. Luckily though, Michael is all about absurd menu items and ordered one to try along with his pasta order. It turns out, the tacoroni tastes exactly how you expect it to taste. It has a nice crunchy texture with the cheesy noodles and it makes me laugh to hear Michael eat it but I’m glad he did so I didn’t have to. It honestly doesn’t look bad either but I’ve passed my phase of noodles inside more carbs so mac and cheese tacos or sandwiches are a thing of my past.

ROYAL CARRIBBEAN - Chef's Table

Our big finale on this cruise was the CHEF’S TABLE dinner on our last night. It started of a little rocky because we kept asking around and were told to meet up at a bar on deck 5 but there were no signs and no indication of who we were supposed to meet so it was a little awkward figuring it out. Not the best system. Then when we did figure it out we learned it was less Chef’s Table and more food and wine paring. I’m not a big drinker and wine is definitely not my favorite but we already reserved the spot and I was hoping the food would make up for it. Also, Chef’s table is a dinner with 12 people total, so we were going to be eating with strangers and that’s not what I would call a fun time. Our group was a person short but half the diners were 1 family and my personality was not outgoing enough to mesh with theirs so it was a tiring experience. The upside was that the Chef’s Table took place in the main formal dining area which we had failed to make it to the whole cruise, so it was nice to be able to eat there with the giant chandelier and the white table cloths.

For some reason I can’t find a photo of the bread basket that started off the meal but it was a pull apart garlic roll that was about the size of a softball for each individual diner. It was sooooo buttery and warm and had us all very excited to eat. A couple of girls asked for the extra rolls to take with them after the dinner because they ate their whole serving and it was so delicious. I’m sad I didn’t take a photo to remember it by but it was so tasty I don’t think I’ll forget it.

(Excuse the sad lighting in the photos, it wasn’t the best but it is what is is.)

COURSE 1: SCALLOP CARPACCIO - Yuzu Vinaigrette, crispy quinoa

This was a great start to the meal; very light and delicate. The scallop just fell apart in my mouth and it wasn’t fishy or tough at all. The flavor was very mild and citrus-y from the yuzu and it was a good cold starter. It was a little tricky to eat because the scallop slices stuck to each other but it was enjoyable overall.

COURSE 2: SMOKED TOMATO SOUP - Garlic Focaccia croutons, Parmesan

This course started off with some showmanship but in the most basic sense. The waiter placed all our plates/bowls? then came back around and poured a warm tomato broth on top which helped keep the croutons crunchy. This was a perfect serving and even though I didn’t grow up eating tomato soup (or liking tomatoes for the majority of my childhood) I really enjoyed the smokey warmth of this course. I love soup in general and this was top tier.

COURSE 3: MAIN LOBSTER SALAD - Hearts of palm, pineapple, cilantro, vanilla dressing

This was a very surprising course and nothing that I’ve had before. I wasn’t a huge fan of a cold lobster in general but overall it was a unique take on a salad. The lobster was cooked perfectly and wasn’t tough and it had a great flavor to it that was surprisingly well balanced with the pop of flavor from the pineapple and the texture from the hearts of palm. I wasn’t in love with the little greenery on the plate and ate it just to clear my dish but it didn’t add much to the overall course.

COURSE 4: ROASTED BRANZINO - Grilled Zucchini, peppers, lemon confit, pesto, black olives

Apparently, I also failed to take a photo of the branzino which might also be an indicator of how I felt about a fish course. Fish is alright to me but I’m not a huge fan of branzino and while it was still a good course, having to eat around bones starts making me frustrated and takes me out of the experience of eating a ‘fine dining’ meal. This was also the course that had the most items that I’m not a fan of including the peppers and black olives. Add to this that I felt very rushed eating this course and spend a majority of my time trying to pick around the things I didn’t like and making sure I didn’t swallow a fish bone, this was my least favorite course of the night.

COURSE 5: GRILLED FILET MIGNON - Truffle Potato purée, asparagus, bordelaise sauce

Redemption! I’ve gotten my second steak of this trip, the downside is that while I was hungry at the start of this experience, by course 5 I was absolutely stuffed. So, once again, my poor filet, which I never get to eat at home, was partially wasted by a full stomach. I was beyond disappointed in myself. This was such a delicious course that was cooked so perfectly. The purée and the veggies were just right and helped me balance out the richness of the steak. I’m not great at eating meat because I hit my quota of how much protein I want pretty quickly but I’ve always been a huge fan of vegetables and no matter how full I am I can always eat another piece of asparagus.

I’m so sad this course came so late but this is a traditional course setting it the meal overall was good up to that point that it was bound to happen that I would be stuffed by the time the meat came out.

DESSERT - THE WORLD - Peanut Butter ganache, valrhona chocolate mousse, salted caramel gelato.

Let me start off this course by saying that I am not a dessert person, so I wasn’t terribly sad that I was full for dessert especially when I realized it was heavily chocolate based - I’m not a big chocolate fan and will take a bite or so of chocolate sometimes but I don’t typically crave it and I never what THIS much of it. It’s also quite lofty to name a dessert “the world” just because it resembles a sphere.

(A view of Karie’s dessert being melted)

Still, this was a fun course and the server again came around and poured a warm caramel sauce on top of the chocolate dome to melt it and reveal the inside. The idea was better than the execution and while the server was great all night, he decided to hold the pitcher of caramel sauce right in front of me while he poured it onto my dessert meaning I didn’t get a very good visual for my experience and the caramel sauce wasn’t warm enough or the chocolate dome was too thick that it didn’t melt impressively at all and was kind of anti-climactic. This is also a very rich chocolatey dessert and I kept checking the menu description because it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. The “salted caramel gelato” tasted more peanut butter-y than caramel and was so icy and chunky it wasn’t enjoyable. The wateriness of it did help cut through how much chocolate was in this dessert though and I did end up eating only the peanut butter/salted caramel. I was much happier with the desserts at the specialty restaurants the past few nights.

In general, I did feel pretty rushed for some of the courses and felt like I needed to eat everything quite quickly so I wish that it was paced a little slower so that I could really savor the food and not feel so stressed about the timing with 10 other people. As nice as people at the table were, I still didn’t have a great time eating with so many strangers and that always comes down to luck and chance. We had 2 couples on either side of us that I would’ve liked to talk to more but it just wasn’t the way the conversation went and that’s going to be different each time with a different group so I wouldn’t take that aspect into consideration. Overall, it was fine. I probably would’ve considered it differently if I knew it was more of a wine and food paring but it was still fun to get that experience and now I know.

ROYAL CARRIBBEAN - Izumi

It’s a full day at sea today and we’ve decided to spend it eating at IZUMI. They have a sushi bar that we want to eat for lunch and hibachi which we’ll do for dinner so we can wrap up our dining experience at all the restaurants on board. We made our reservation for closer to 1pm before lunch service ended which was good in the sense that it wasn’t too crazy and loud from the hibachi tables, but bad in the sense that you could tell the wait staff was ready to wrap things up and the service was just fine.

We started off with MISO SOUP and shared SHRIMP & VEGETABLE TEMPURA both of which were pretty standard. I decided I wanted to mix things up and try something special so I ordered their CHAMPAGNE LOBSTER ROLL which is blanched lobster, avocado, daikon sprouts, soy wrap, champagne sauce, and chili thread. It honestly tasted like sushi rice which was pretty boring and disappointing. I was full though just from all the eating so I didn’t order anything for dessert especially since it was just lunch and we had leftover key lime pie and cheesecake in our room hanging out in the cooler to snack on later. Not to mention all the dining areas on board the ship that were free if we wanted something to eat before we came back for Hibachi dinner.

HIBACHI: I was a little disappointed in Izumi for lunch but was hoping dinner would be more fun/better. It was not great. I forget that in terms of food, hibachi isn’t that good. It’s about the fun of the show but we didn’t have an amazing group of people at our station, our chef was a little awkward (though very nice and he tried very hard) and the food ended up being just salty and oily which is the norm for hibachi.

Overall, Izumi was the worst on board restaurant and while it wasn’t bad it wasn’t good either. Also, even with our dining package, Izumi is and extra $10ish to go to so we would’ve been better off going back to any of the other restaurants or getting food that was open to the whole ship at the buffet or at El Loco Fresh on the pool deck. At least we tried it though and it would’ve been a question mark for us if we didn’t go everywhere so it was good to go to in that respect. Would not go again or recommend that one to other people though.

ROYAL CARRIBBEAN - Chops Grille

It’s night two and we’ve had a nice day at Coco Cay but we ate lunch late so we’re not super hungry 4 hours later. This is the danger of having to make reservations before knowing what our day would be like. I wish I was more hungry because tonight is dinner at CHOPS GRILLE and I’ve been dreaming of steak for the past week so it’s so sad that I’m not more hungry to really savor it.

STILL! We started off our dinner splitting the COLOSSAL SHRIMP COCKTAIL and a CAESAR SALAD. Nothing out of the ordinary but they were both pretty good and it was a nice start. The shrimp was a little sad to share seeing as there were so few pieces but it didn’t taste so amazing that I wanted more.

For my entree I, of course, had to order a steak and went with the 6oz PETITE FILET the perfect amount for how full I already was from the late lunch. It looked a little sad on the plate but it tasted great and our server offered various sauces that sat in the nice little ridge of the plate to dip with our meat. I did have a bite or two left at the end but if I had been properly hungry at the start of dinner it would’ve been a great amount. Karie ordered a larger regular filet and it was way too much food. Super sad to see quality meat like this go to waste. Sorry steak.

At Chops, apparently the sides come in little dishes for the table to share so we ended up getting GRILLED JUMBO ASPARAGUS, YUKON GOLD MASHED POTATOES, and SAUTEÉD MUSHROOMS. Everything was good so it was really sad we were so full we couldn’t finish everything.

Our waiter was nice too, and he kept trying to get us to order more so we would get our money’s worth so when we ordered the NEW YORK CHEESECAKE to share he offered to pack up two more desserts to take back to our room so we got another slice of cheesecake and some KEY LIME PIE. Both good choices but so rich when we ate it later.

So! Chops was pretty good. A classic steakhouse, again nothing too fantastical or amazing but it was a quality meal and worth it to me to get seated in a nice dining room instead of hustling through a buffet looking for free tables.

ROYAL CARRIBBEAN - Giovanni's Italian Kitchen

Andddddddd we’re cruising!!

It’s my first cruise and I’m here with my friend from college, Karie. Since it’s my first cruise, we’ve decided to splurge a little and we’ve gone in for the UNLIMITED DINING PACKAGE which comes as multiple entrees and multiple specialty restaurant visits every night of sailing, lunch at specialty restaurants on sea days plus discounts on wine at dinner. I’m not really a drinker but food is the reason for vacation so I’m all in. There are 3 specialty restaurants on the FREEDOM OF THE SEAS ship that we’re sailing on for our 4 night cruise so we can hit them all plus a CHEF’S TABLE dinner (for an extra $50 but more on that to come).

I’m so excited. We made our trip’s worth of dinner reservations as soon as we got settled onto the ship. We can still check out the buffet at breakfast tomorrow but let’s see what these specialty restaurants have in store.

Tonight is night 1 and we’ve decided on going to GIOVANNI’S ITALIAN KITCHEN and get filled with carbs to fuel our day at Coco Cay tomorrow. We got seated right away in the second room closer to the pizza oven and we were the only one in that dining area so it felt like a fun private dinner for most of the night. Our server, Clinton, was super sweet and was very chatty since he didn’t have too many tables. He told us that night 1 is usually quieter because people are still getting settled so it’s a fun night to eat because we get more attention from the staff and I’m so happy about it because Clinton was amazing. I want to go back there just to see him again. In terms of food, it was pretty basic Italian, nothing to write home about, but you really can’t go wrong.

Every meal is started off with their signature AMORE DELLA CUCINA which was the garlic cheese knots topped with parm. It came with pesto, tomato basil ragout and herb marinated olives. You can’t go wrong with garlic knots and they were so warm and soft. A great start to the meal.

Karie wanted to split the ASSORTED MEAT & CHEESE PLATTER which I was fine with but it honestly felt more like basic deli meat and felt kinda meh. It was supposed to be mortadella, porchetta, prosciutto, salame, ham, gorgonzola, mozzarella, olives, breadsticks, and focaccia. The focaccia was a letdown because it was just a toasted piece of whatever bread but the mozzarella helped it out at least. Overall, not a great option.

For our main, we both got the LINGUINE CON LE VONGLE which was just linguine, fresh clams, olive oil, parsley, and white wine. The portion looked small on the plate but it was actually filling (as an overall meal) and I finished all of the pasta and felt comfortably full. There was just enough clams to balance well with the amount of pasta and I was pretty happy with the choice.

I wanted to share one dessert but Karie ordered TIRAMISU CLASSICO AND PANNA COTTA ALLA ROMANA which was a pistachio panna cotta topped with blueberries and basil. Both were good, the panna cotta tasted odd but we figured it tasted like it was made with coconut milk. It was still a good balance to the coffee in the tiramisu though.

So, overall, this was a pretty good meal. Nothing amazing, but it didn’t disappoint (aside from the deli-meat-like board) and was perfectly filling. Clinton pushed it over the top with his great service and fun conversation the whole night and if I had to pick, I would go back just for him.

CORT - Dasher's Corner Pub

It’s my birthday and my parents have come to town to visit me for the day. We’ve just been driving around and spending time together but decided to go out for a birthday dinner. There aren’t a ton of choices in town and decided to go to Dasher’s Corner Pub since it’s right by our apartment.

LOCATION: 2 N Main Street, Homer, NY 13077

I’ve been to Dasher’s with Caleb before but we’ve only gone for lunch so their dinner menu is new to me. We got there a little before 6pm so my parents could go home after dinner and not have to drive back to Rochester too late and we were seated upstairs in an empty dining room. Caleb and I have only ever been seated downstairs in the back room which can be a little cramped and loud especially when there’s a big party at their long table. It was really nice to be in a quieter space upstairs that was more spacious. The building is pretty old though and you can feel the slanted floors more so upstairs which is kind of funny to eat in.

My parents treated me and I decided to order the Scallops Pépin which is seared scallops on fresh croutons and potato slices with lemons, capers, and a brown butter sauce. Clearly it came with a side of asparagus as well. I don’t typically get to order seared scallops in the area so I was so excited to get this and it came out looking really fun and unique. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the dish was so well portioned. The ‘croutons’ on the bottom were so rich and buttery though so I ended up leaving a few slices of that in the end but ate all of the scallops and potatoes as well as the asparagus. I was perfectly full at the end and it was really nice to have a ‘fancy’ meal like this which made the day feel special. While the food at Dasher’s isn’t mind-blowing, it’s still a nice place to go for dinner and the quality is worth the price (which isn’t unreasonable at all) and it feels fancy enough to be special and out of our ordinary. It was really great to spend the day with my parents too so it was a really good finish to a nice birthday.

CORT - Wild Ginger Asian Fusion

I’ve decided to mix things up today and order something a little different from Wild Ginger for lunch!

LOCATION: 47 MAIN ST., CORTLAND, NY, 13045

I’ve been craving Takoyaki but unsurprisingly, it’s quite difficult to find in the area. For those unfamiliar, takoyaki is a is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a batter, cooked in a special pan. It’s typically filled with minced or diced octopus. I did a little bit of research and today is the day, of course Wild Ginger would offer it as an appetizer! I decided to order some with a side of Tomago (egg) sushi and my classic Ika (squid) sushi. I usually get Ebi (shrimp) sushi but was really craving the eggy flavor and texture today instead too. A real wild card of a lunch compared to my usual.

This lunch turned out to be EXACTLY what I was hoping for. The sushi was standard and, while not my usual, it’s nothing new to me from this restaurant either; just a little out of the ordinary but always a classic choice. The takoyaki was so good! It was warm and gooey on the inside but crisp on the outside. The flavors were totally balanced and the texture was what it should be. Very happy with this choice and it might be my new regular order!

UPDATE: It’s about a week or so later and I’ve gone back because I love takoyaki and this is a great order. Unfortunately, things did not go well today when I went to pick up my food and I’m hoping it was just a fluke but now I’m hesitant to keep getting this order. Typically, I place my order online and walk over to the restaurant (a quick walk down the street from the office) and I time it well enough to grab and go. Today, I had to wait an extra 30mins after my estimated pick up time for my takoyaki to come out while my sushi just sat on the counter waiting for me. I FINALLY got my food after a couple of people checked in on it and when I got back to the office with it, my takoyaki was cold and deflated. I have a feeling it was cooked and just sat in the kitchen slowly dying while the front of the house neglected it. It seems there’s a risk in me ordering sushi + hot food. I’ve never had this issue with I get my usual sushi rolls since it’s all coming from the sushi counter. I have to rethink the logistics of this now which is making me very sad since my first experience with the takoyaki was so good.

ROC - Tai Chi Bubble Tea (SUSHI BURRITOS!!)

That’s right. I’ve taken the plunged and finally tried a sushi burrito. It’s been a big step.

I know these have been a thing for a few years and I’ve seen them before but I’ve never had any desire to eat one. I’m JUST starting to get into raw sushi and pushing my food boundaries because whenever I watch videos/shows and people are eating sushi it looks so good but honestly, there’s only so much shrimp/eel/crab I can eat and it never feels as satisfying as raw sushi looks.

Then, introduce the idea of a sushi BURRITO which doesn’t FEEEEEL right. The point of sushi is to eat it in one bite and get a little bit of everything at once for the perfect flavor combination. A burrito is just impossible to do this with because you can’t get everything in one bite, it’s too large! I’ve had this discussion with a couple of my co-workers and they seem more open to the idea of a sushi burrito so I told them to try it and let me know if it was worth it, since a location of Tai Chi Bubble Tea opened nearby. One person took my up on this challenge. She took one of her sons (who loves sushi) to Tai Chi as a mother-son date day and they got sushi burritos for lunch and also ordered bubble tea for the first time. She said while it was messy (her son completely unwrapped the paper around the burrito and it disintegrated in his hands) she told me it was worth a try and not a bad experience overall. Since she went through the trouble of taking up my recommendation (and challenge) I promised her I would, in turn, give it a try.

It’s taken me a little bit of time but I’ve done it. I had to be in the mood for sushi and today was the perfect day. I’ve met up with one of my best friends, Julia, in Rochester and we went out for sushi burritos on this swelteringly hot day in May and it was a lot of fun.

I based my burrito on one of their pre-built burritos and modified it a little. Their ‘signature’ SALMONopoly is Spinach, Salmon, Spicy Salmon, cucumber, avocado, edamame, corn, carrot, spicy mayo, masago, and fried onion. It seemed difficult to me to put things like corn or edamame in a burrito and not have it fall out but they make it so customizable, that whatever floats your boat - goes. So, from the top, I ordered a Sushi Burrito with white rice, (skip the greens - i.e. lettuce, spinach kale or red cabbage), Spicy Salmon, cucumbers (for crunch!), avocado, (shredded) carrot, spicy mayo, masago, and fried onion and of course a seaweed wrap (you can get this with a tortilla to make it more burrito like. Looking back now, I wish I’d gotten some Tamago to fill it out a little more because it was very wet and could’ve used something else that was solid and absorbent.

Overall, our sushi burritos were pretty good. They looked smaller than expected when they finally came out but they were actually super filling and I was a couple of bites short of finishing it. My co-worker was right, you have to keep the paper on and peel as you eat or else it will disintegrate seeing as it’s a seaweed wrap that breaks apart as it gets wet. The last few bites of each half that I had were thoroughly a mess and the sauce and some fillings were seeping out but luckily the paper caught it all and i kept my hands pretty clean. I didn’t actually have an issue with not getting a little bit of everything in each bite. It worked out okay and it tasted as good as generic sushi would taste so I can see myself getting one of these again if I’m in the mood for sushi. Sushi burrito’s aren’t so bad after all.

ROC - Juicy Seafood

I’m going to start off by reminding everyone that I live in upstate/central/western New York (whatever you wanna call this region) and it’s a terrible thing when you crave seafood, but we find a way.

I’ve been watching Try Guy (Food Babies) videos involving seafood boils and amazing cajun flavors (curse them for living in LA with their abundance of good food) and I think it’s quite clear that I’m susceptible to wanting to eat food I see in videos. Advertisers must love me.. they get me all the time.. but it’s unfortunate living where I do and loving seafood because aside from lakes, theres not a lot of fresh catching to be had here, so I do take this review with a grain of salt.

I’m back in Rochester for the weekend and found a free lunch where I could order whatever I want. Cue the seafood craving that’s been brewing for weeks. I tried to do a quick yelp search and read some quick reviews and ended up at Juicy Seafood.

LOCATION: 3020 S WINTON RD ROCHESTER, NY 14623

Of course I had to order a bag of seafood boil. I placed an order on the phone and boy did the person who picked up talk fast. It took me a second to get up to speed but it was pretty simple to place and order for pick up and they were speedy about it all too.

I decided to quell my craving by ordering a little bit of everything and went with a Combo B which is 1/2lbs Crawfish, 1/2lbs Shrimp (no heads), 1/2lb of Snow Crab Legs and of course 1 corn on the cob and 2 potatoes (they snuck me in some extra and I wasn’t complaining). I also got this with their Juicy Special seasoning which is just a combination of all their seasonings (cajun, lemon pepper, and garlic butter) and I chose a hot spice level for that extra kick. Go big or go home.

Honestly, the quality of the seafood was a little disappointing but it’s Rochester in February so do I really have a right to complain? I’m not really setting myself up for success here but cravings will be satisfied!! I still happily ate everything in this seafood boil by myself and I was stuffed and happy as a clam by the end. The snow crab and the crawfish were as good as I could hope for under the circumstances but the shrimp actually blew me away. It was soo flavorful and juicy and there were solidly quality shrimp. The hot special sauce was great. It was a builder and I had to take a few breaks (bless the corn and potatoes) but it was such a good sauce and they gave me a container of extra sauce on the side which I happily dipped every piece of seafood into fully. I even saved the rest of the sauce and had it with some rice and some home-cooked shrimp for leftovers.

I think if I play my cards right and go in the summer, the quality of seafood might be better just based off of the seasonality of it. The seasoning was so good and the cook on all the food was perfect so I didn’t have any issues with that. Worth going back to if this is what you’re craving and you happen to be unlucky like me and live in a landlocked area.

The Date Night Cookbook - Spaghetti with Creamy Poblano

It’s Date Night Cookbook time again, kind of. Full transparency, this is not my first time making the Spaghetti with Creamy Poblano Sauce I just didn’t document it before. But I’ve gone on a cooking spree making eggplant parm and I’m in deep into cooking so I’ve decided to go with a twist for some of the eggplant that’s leftover. I decided to split the eggplant that I breaded into half regular red sauce and half creamy poblano. Two batches of sauce was well worth it, especially since I used jarred red sauce and because the creamy poblano whips up super quick.

The poblano starts off with charred poblano peppers, surprise! I cut 3 peppers in half, remove the seeds and broil them in my oven for about 5mins until they’re blackened and I start to question if the smell of smokey poblano peppers will set off the fire detector. So far we’re 0 for 2. I put the peppers in a bowl and cover it for 10mins to let them steam so the charred skin is easier to peel off when I’m ready.

While this is going on I boil some spaghetti. Easy.

Then I throw the peppers into my mini food processor with 1/2 cup of sour cream. Now the Fulmer’s go all in and use crème fraîche in their recipe which I tried the first time I made the dish. I’ve switched over to sour cream because it’s cost effective and once it’s mixed in with the rest of the sauce, I can’t tell the difference. Minor changes, in my opinion, but use the real deal if that’s what you’re in to. Once that’s all blended and pretty smooth, I sauté some garlic and I’ve actually started adding in a protein like pancetta or bacon for a more umami, meaty flavor. The original recipe also says to include corn but Caleb isn’t a fan so I leave that out. I think its a good swap with the meat but who says you can’t have it all i that’s what you like. Once the garlic and meat are cooked I carefully add in the poblano mixture and another 1/4-1/2 cup of my sour cream (I honestly just used a whole 8oz container of sour cream so I’m not sitting on a tiny bit of leftover in the fridge and it works out perfectly.) I combine the sauce and stir everything together and let it simmer before adding the pasta and coating it. Season with salt and pepper to taste (this needs a lot of salt because everything is so heavy and fatty but if you’re like me and add in bacon or pancetta be careful!) Then it’s topped with Cotija cheese and paprika. I never have cotija cheese and I don’t want to buy it just to sprinkle on top of this one dish so I skip that part and it’s all good. The sour cream makes the sauce creamy enough for us and I never need more but that’s up to you isn’t it?

On this special occasion I’ve topped my pasta with eggplant parm that I’ve made using some poblano sauce as well and it’s amazing though I can’t say I would put in that effort all the time. Eggplant parm is a PROCESS and I don’t know that I can make that kind of time commitment regularly but this pasta is in the rotation at least once a month for me though I have noticed a shortage of poblano peppers at our grocery store recently. I’m not sure about subbing in a different pepper but we’ll cross that bridge if it comes to it. Until then, creamy poblano sauce is my new favorite creamy sauce to make at home.

The Date Night Cookbook - Italian Shakshuka

I’ve recently gotten the Date Night Cookbook by the Try Guys’ Ned Fulmer and his wife Ariel for Christmas and I decided I would try my hand and one of their recipes. The appeal of this cookbook for me was that Ned and Ariel are just normal people, aka not professional chefs. So, a book of their favorite things to make feels much more doable than someone who cooks food for a living. These recipes feel easier to take on and honestly, i was hopeful that they would be appealing enough to Caleb that I would have ideas for what to cook us for dinner. This isn’t totally the case seeing as Caleb is quite picky but it’s given me a few more things to add to the rotation and some fun desserts I’d like to try and make to get back into cooking.

First up this fine morning, I decided to take on the Italian Shakshuka. I’ve made a Shakshuka before and thought it was fine. I used to see a café on campus in Chicago sold it around breakfast time and I was always intrigued but never got it. So here is my second brush at making a shakshuka and also my second taste at it.

A little unconventional for our breakfasts but I’m down to experiment. Everything in this was in Caleb’s realm too so I did manage to get him to share it with me as well. Score.

The great part of Ned and Ariel’s recipes are that they’re easy and quick. Throw some things together and boom, you’re ready to eat. In this case, you heat some garlic, onion, and chili flakes in a vessel and once it’s fragrant you add 26oz of crushed tomatoes and let simmer. They say to add basil, crack some eggs on top and season with salt. The Fulmers top it with feta and cover it to let the eggs steak for 5mins and it’s ready to go. Easy peasy. We also happened to have some tuscan garlic bread from Wegmans leftover so that was much better than regular white bread to dip in it. The eggs were a little over for us so our stove must run a little hot or I left it on a little too long (I do get a little nervous with baked eggs because they look raw up top but I have to live a little more free here for a better outcome.)

In the end, it was good, but not good enough to crave. It’s an easy dish to make and cooks fast with one dish quickly so I’m a fan of all of that but we’re not huge breakfast people so throwing this into the mix doesn’t seem very likely for us. I would recommend it though, I’m sure for some people, it would fit right into a regular breakfast routine.

FL - Litchi Delights!

We’re back for a limited time to see ALL THE FAMILY! And while we’re here in the Pines, we’re stopping off at Litchi. My cousin loves Litchi. He’s an honorary employee with how often he comes and how much money he spends at this establishment and recently the owners of Litchi Snow Ice have opened their own food spot, Litchi Delights (right down the plaza from their original boba location. So now that I’m here for a visit, we’re going to try out Litchi Delights and see what the fuss is all about

LOCATION: 15973 PINES BLVD PEMBROKE PINES, FL 33028

What really motivated me to come here was the signature foot-long fries!! Nothing screams Emily like a good ole potato and the novelty of a ‘foot long french fry’ is enough for me to make a dedicated stop. I’m sharing today’s snacks with my two cousins from Germany so we can have a little bit of everything and really test out the menu. We’re skipping on the ‘hibachi’ today for the ‘Asian snacks’ and a couple french fry toppings.

We decided to try the takoyaki and the Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken from their ‘Asian snacks’ portion of the menu and a couple of signature foot long fries one order with cheese and the other with their signiature sauce. For whatever reason, they gave us the fries with the sauces and toppings on the side but that’s fine with us. Our full group of 6 can be intimidating at once because we order a lot and it’s easier this way so we didn’t mind dipping instead of having the toppings on, especially since we were new to the fries and didn’t want to commit to the sauces if we didn’t like them.

Honestly, the snacks were alright. The fries were kind of disappointing because they’re quite oily and don’t taste like potatoes, just fry oil. From the way they ate, it seems like they were made into a potato batter/mash and then extruded into the fryer in order to obtain their foot-long length. This makes sense seeing as a potato isn’t typically a foot long in length to cut fries out of but it feels like there was a lack of seasoning in the potato mix at all because they just taste like oily air. The saving grace is that these end up being a vessel for for sauce or cheese but plain, it’s not a great taste. Even dipping it in a generic cheese sauce couldn’t save it and the signature sauce wasn’t anything to write home about. Thankfully, the Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken was seasoned well and flavored nicely as were the takoyaki which I always love getting at places.

In the end, Litchi Delights was a little disappointing, and while the staff and owners are nice and the establishment is clean and friendly, I think I’ll just stick to their bubble tea whenever I come to visit.