CORT - Wild Ginger Asian Fusion

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.