NOLA - Cafe Beignet

It’s our first night in New Orleans and we’re settled in our hotel right down the street from the French Quarter and Bourbon street. We set our stuff down, talk to the concierge and head out to explore the city. Christel and I aren’t huge drinkers so this may have been a mistake but we’ve both been meaning to come to New Orleans and Christel’s mom vetoed our plan to go out west to Antelope Canyon so here we are. We’re just aimlessly walking around trying to see what’s good and since it’s September, the streets aren’t terribly touristy but we’ve got some people around exploring and maybe getting a little bit more drunk than we are. We decide to rectify this and grab a daiquiri slushy at one of the many bars that line Bourbon street. But it’s just the two of us and we’re both light weights so we just test it out on our first night and order one to share of the staple “Hurricane” flavor which seems pretty much like cherry to me but we won’t question it. In our wanderings we just happen to stumble on to one of our ‘To Eat’ places and pop in.

LOCATION: 334 Royal St. New Orleans, Louisiana

It’s a fantastic welcome to New Orleans, frozen daiquiri in one had and Beignet’s in the other, I think we’re doing alright. This location of Cafe Beignet is super cute and cozy, there’s a small indoor dining area and we head all the way to the back to the counter to place our order. We decide to split and order because it comes with three beignet’s for $4 and we take it to eat outside on their patio. The great thing about New Orleans is that there’s live music everywhere. It’s just a fun relaxing place to be and we’re enjoying our first day easily.

We don’t have a benchmark yet for what beignets should be like because these are our first but we’re impressed. They taste great and the powdered sugar gets everywhere but that’s the fun of eating something like this. They just remind me of fried dough at festivals in the summer time and I love that feeling so I’m in. Christel is in love and wants to come back every day for these but we know there’s also Cafe Du Monde to contend with so we’ll head over there later this trip to scope out the competition and pick our favorites so stay tuned.

ROC - Reunited

Christel is here visiting me in Rochester and I seriously could not be happier right now. I’ve planned a bunch or Rochester highlights this week before we head of to New Orleans for a mini vacation but you can’t take the asian foodie out of us so of course we some how end up back at Taisho Bistro.

LOCATION: LOCATION: 100 Marketplace Dr. Henrietta, NY 14623

One of my stops planned this week is to go to Abbot’s Frozen Custard, a Rochester staple but we can’t just eat ice cream because we’re too hungry so right next door to Abbot’s is Taisho which sounds like a perfect stop for lunch.

Christel has been set on having me try Okonomiyaki another Osaka style pancake appetizer that has shrimp, bacon, and vegetables served with okonomiyaki and mayo sauce. This is literally a Japanese style pancake thats made with flour, egg, shredded cabbage, and the meat and vegetables of our choice. This is my first try at one and Christel has told me of places that make it right in front of you on a flat top. Taisho isn’t one of those places but the Okonomiyaki comes out and it smells amazing and looks huge.

She cuts me a quarter of the Okonomiyaki and I dig in. I like the blend of batter and cabbage, it makes it a little lighter and fluffier. For me the sauce is a little overpowering and heavy and I’m not sure I’m convinced. I would rather have takoyaki but Christel says okonomiyaki is the way to go. I’ll have to try it again somewhere else.

For the main course I order Beef Udon Soup. We’ve been discussing it recently and I’m totally in the mood for some Udon but I don’t like it fried as much as I like it in a soup. This Udon soup comes with beef, scallions, corn, egg, fish cake, and cabbage. It’s nothing special but it hits the spot for sure.

Taisho’s menu is so big, they don’t make particularly amazing tasting dishes but when I’m craving something, this place is sure to have it and it’s adequately made so I’m pretty happy that it’s around the help me hit the spot whenever I may need it.

ITHACA - Taco Time

I’m back in New York and I’ve driven back to Cortland to visit Caleb. I’ve been craving tacos and will not shut up about them so Caleb has decided to humor me and take me out for some in Ithaca today for lunch. I’m pretty sure he’s just happy that I’ve made a decision about a meal for once, my love for tacos is a benefit to us all.

LOCATION: 101 N Aurora St. Ithaca, NY 14850

In the heart of downtown Ithaca is Viva Taqueria. We don’t tend to come down here because parking is tricky or expensive and Caleb isn’t a fan of these kinds of things but thanks to google and yelp he’s decided to make the effort to get me good tacos and for that I’m grateful. I’ve never been in this area and Viva Taqueria is a bustling place. Right on the corner, you can spot it from down the street streaming with people and packed with patrons on this weekend lunch hour. We go inside and the place looks big but jam packed with tables all over the place and very little room to walk. We only have to wait a few minutes before we’re seated at this small table near a couple of little girls on a play date. It’s going to be an interesting lunch. We each order a bottle of root beer and I finally get the tacos I’m craving.

I order the Hard Shell Tacos because I love corn tortillas but most places use flour for their soft tacos so I tend to order hard for safety, plus I love that crunch. The hard shell tacos come as 1 chicken, 1 beef, and 1 chorizo filled with beans, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and salsa fresca and a side of rice, beans, and escabeche on the side. Caleb orders a burrito because he feels they’re superior but we’ll not talk about that. These tacos are what I’m looking for. I like the variety of meats that I get to try and I enjoy all of them. I’m not a huge fan of rice and beans so I pick at that a little but the escabeche has a great tart kick to it that reminds me of out pickled carrots and radishes too. I’m not blown away so I don’t know that Caleb and I will come back down here with the hassle of parking and the plethora of college kids everywhere but it hit the spot for the day and I’m pretty happy that we’ve come down here to get food. I do like the area and we do some light shopping on our way back to the car on this really beautiful, sunny day. Theres a book store and record store that we stop in and I love it. Tacos, books, and music, I’ll take it.

FL - I Heart Mac & Cheese

The summer Emily travels continues with a trip to visit my Aunt and Uncle again but this time back in Florida. One of my cousins, Kevin, from Germany and his friend have come to America to visit some beaches and take time off so I’m meeting up with them to lend a hand and give my Florida cousin, Michael, a break from the hectic family life. Pembroke Pines has been my second home since I was old enough to fly on a plane by myself and I love it here. Of course, it’s been a little while since I’ve visited and new places to eat have popped up and Michael has set aside time while the adults are working to have lunch at his new favorite spot by the house.

LOCATION: 15999 Pines Blvd. Pembroke Pines, FL 33027

I’ve never seen a grilled cheese and mac and cheese place that’s made to order before but I’m already wishing there was one of these in Rochester. It’s our new go to place and any time I come back to florida, we’re coming here. I love grilled cheese now but for me, pasta wins out over a sandwich. I heard mac & cheese has counter lineup that allows you to customize your dish and since I’m here visiting and Michael is treating me to lunch, I’m going all out.

This place has a set menu for people who like examples of options or for those who don’t want to get too complicated in building their own. Kevin and his friend order pepperoni pizza mac and cheese off the menu because their English is a little less than handy and I pick the Lobster and White Truffle Mac and Cheese off the menu because it looks too good to pass up on my first time here but Michael goes custom, all day. My Lobster mac is pretty expensive, coming in at $17.95 but Michael loves me an I’m okay with being the baby of the family sometimes. This mac comes with lobster, munster cheese, lobster cream, white truffle oil, and Scallions but i also add mushrooms and have them top it with some breadcrumbs before they toast it in their pizza oven like toaster with a conveyer belt.

I love mac and cheese. It’s great and I’m so pumped to have a place like this that does it to order with the cheese all melted and mixed in right in front of me. This is for sure our new must whenever I visit from now on and I’m already looking forward to coming back.

ROC - Lanai

I’m everywhere this summer, it’s the summer Emily travels and it’s a little tiring but I’m getting the most out of it for sure. I’m back in Rochester from that week in Bolton Landing and I’m ready to see some friends. I meet up with Victoria again and she’s agreed to go to the Seneca Park Zoo - August Zoo Brew with me where we drink beer/wine and walk around looking at all the animals. It’s a really great event the Zoo puts on as a fundraiser for specific animals each month and the first time either of us have gone. After a lap and a drink, we decide to go out for dinner and try yet another new place that’s sprung up while I was away in Chicago.

LOCATION: 295 Alexander St. Rochester, NY 14607

I’ve heard of this place being known well for it’s frozen alcoholic slushies which sound amazing to me but I’m driving and have a super low tolerance so after one drink and a lap around the zoo to walk it off I’ve decided to skip out on it this time, instead taking a few sips of Victoria’s drink and getting ready to eat to my heart’s content.

Our waitress tonight is super nice and helpful for our first visit here. Downstairs is the bar area and I’ve been to this place before when it was previously Mex, a Mexican themed restaurant that had killer margaritas back in my RIT days. Now it’s taken on a new shape as an Hawaiian tapas place with amazing alcoholic slushies. There’s a demographic their aiming for and I think they’ve hit it. We head upstairs instead to sit down at a table and while the dining area is pretty large and consists of a few different rooms, we are one of two or three tables eating. I guess everyone else is downstairs getting ready to drink.

Victoria is great and we go family style which is what this place is kind of known for with their tapas. I love trying a bunch of different dishes so tapas is like home to me and I’m super pumped by these Hawaiian inspired dishes. We order Mauna Pua which are Barbecue char sui pork in a sweet bun, Larb - a seasoned ground pork appetizer with lime and fresh herbs over lettuce, and Tofu Jap Chae which is a sweet and savory Korean noodle dish with spinach, mushroom, onion, red pepper, and carrot.

This asian blend speaks to us and we get super pumped to try it all and everything ends up being super amazing. Nothing is terribly out of left field and I feel like I’ve had these dishes before. The price range is great for the amount of food we’re getting and it’s actually really great bar food as well that soaks up alcohol and is super quick to make. We clear off a lot and end up taking a couple small boxes home with us. The Larb is plentiful and I wish it came with a couple more pieces of lettuce to eat it with but that’s easily fixed at home. The Mauna Pua is well balanced but I love those buns plain so I’m not hard to please and the Jap Chae is a great addition to round out or meal. I’d for sure some back again and enjoy the experience a lot, but maybe not on a Friday Night when the bars are about the get busy and parking get trickier with all the college kids coming in. I mean, I used to be one of them.