Yesterday I dragged my husband to Miya sushi.
It was just as good as the first time. (Sorry, I didn't take pictures this time! I should have though! Bad Vanessa!)
They are super duper nice in there. And they apparently read all of their reviews, including our blog posts! So that was fun to talk about at the end of our meal!
The place was empty on a wet, rainy Labor Day afternoon.
I ordered tuna sashimi and a red dragon roll (shrimp tempura with tuna on top). Mike ordered a Butterfly roll (spicy tuna, salmon, avocado, and it said various roe on top), tuna and shrimp sushi, and a miso soup. I skipped the miso soup this time since I didn't really like it last time.
While we were waiting, we were brought a nice plate of seaweed salad for free! We like free! It was great!
Then we were brought our sushi and sashimi, and the butterfly roll. My tuna was still a little bit frozen, so they cut it up into thinner slices. It thawed quickly, so I was fine with that.
Mike said his tuna was good, but he wasn't super fond of the shrimp sushi. I actually forget why. My bad. He also liked his butterfly roll. BUT! He would have liked it a lot more if there was more roe on top, and more of the "various types" of roe as well.
The red dragon roll came out. And it was wonderful. Seriously, they make fantastic shrimp tempura. It is freshly made, and frankly, the best shrimp tempura I have had in a while.
Then we were brought a "slow" roll. I think that is what she called it. This was FREE also. I am really loving this place. This roll was wider with shrimp tempura, crab stick, avocado, and cream cheese in it. I popped out the avocado (not a fan of avocado) and tried it out. It was quite yummy! That was my first roll with cream cheese in it, so I was a little worried, but it was just enough to add flavor without taking over the roll. Mike really enjoyed it as well.
To finish up, I ordered tempura banana with tempura ice cream. It hit the spot. Just enough for the both of us to share, and not feel like we overloaded on sugar.
One more thing before I sign off, Amy and I walked last time. This time, my husband and I drove there. Parking is not their best feature.
Rating:
Food: 5 (still yum!)
Service: 4.5 (it takes a while, but the guys are super nice!)
Ambiance: 4 (it is a little small, but when you have the place to yourself, who cares!)
Take Home: I am very happy with Miya Sushi. Everything I have selected there was pretty darn good!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Friday, August 31, 2012
Mediterranean Delights (food cart) - Towson, MD
There is no website for this cart that I could find, but here's their "location" - https://foursquare.com/v/mediterranean-delights-cart/4f9ec5b9e4b044503c93faaa
It's located at the corner of Washington and Allegheny in Towson, just off the circle and next to the courthouse. We found it the other day when I was doing a 2-day liquid cleanse diet and Vanessa picked up some take-out sushi from Kyodai and we decided to walk to the little park by the courthouse and sit on the benches in the shade so she could eat. I made her get sushi so I wouldn't smell any delicious smells and have to tackle her and steal her lunch.
BUT... she forgot to buy a beverage. So we stopped at the Mediterranean Delights cart so she could buy a bottle of water, since it was right next to the park. As we stood there, I got to smell all of these absolutely mouth-watering smells and started to hate her a little bit for torturing me by making me stay there. I perused the limited but delicious-looking menu and decided that I was definitely coming back here soon to try it out.
And that is exactly what we did after our farmer's market excursion yesterday. This time SHE had already eaten and it was ME getting the eats! Their menu consists of lamb or chicken gyros ($5), lamb or chicken "platters" ($6 - rice, meat, onions, and lettuce/tomato salad with either white or hot sauce), and hot dogs ($2) - and it's Halal. There was another cart that looked like it carried the same kind of food at the other end of the block that had several people waiting in line, whereas this cart had people come up, get their food, and go. I'm not sure if that other cart is more popular, or if they are just slower.
I got the lamb gyro and said "yes" to a little white sauce. I was expecting tzatziki sauce, but turns out this was more of a mayo-based white sauce. I HATE MAYO!!!! The sauce wasn't horrible, even for a mayo hater, but I'll get hot sauce next time. The rest of the gyro was fantastic - tons and tons of meat - I can't believe how much! - (and you can even buy extra meat for $2, but there's just no way it would fit!), grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, and sauce. The meat was perfectly cooked - crispy grilled on the outside and moist inside. The gyro bread was very, very soft. Hard/stale bread is a pet peeve of mine and often the gyros I get have that hard edge. This one was awesome. I highly, highly recommend this place. I'm going to try the platter next time!
I'm also going to try the other cart on the to see which one is better. Put your dukes up, bud!
** Sorry for the lack of pics - I didn't consider reviewing this place until my food was half gone and Vanessa suggested it. Oops.
Rating:
Food: 5
Service: 5 (the guy running it was fast and very courteous)
Ambiance: 5 (right next to a cute little park with a bunch of benches and shade!)
Take home: Grab a nosh, then grab a bench! Go light on the sauce the first time in case you don't like it.
It's located at the corner of Washington and Allegheny in Towson, just off the circle and next to the courthouse. We found it the other day when I was doing a 2-day liquid cleanse diet and Vanessa picked up some take-out sushi from Kyodai and we decided to walk to the little park by the courthouse and sit on the benches in the shade so she could eat. I made her get sushi so I wouldn't smell any delicious smells and have to tackle her and steal her lunch.
BUT... she forgot to buy a beverage. So we stopped at the Mediterranean Delights cart so she could buy a bottle of water, since it was right next to the park. As we stood there, I got to smell all of these absolutely mouth-watering smells and started to hate her a little bit for torturing me by making me stay there. I perused the limited but delicious-looking menu and decided that I was definitely coming back here soon to try it out.
And that is exactly what we did after our farmer's market excursion yesterday. This time SHE had already eaten and it was ME getting the eats! Their menu consists of lamb or chicken gyros ($5), lamb or chicken "platters" ($6 - rice, meat, onions, and lettuce/tomato salad with either white or hot sauce), and hot dogs ($2) - and it's Halal. There was another cart that looked like it carried the same kind of food at the other end of the block that had several people waiting in line, whereas this cart had people come up, get their food, and go. I'm not sure if that other cart is more popular, or if they are just slower.
I got the lamb gyro and said "yes" to a little white sauce. I was expecting tzatziki sauce, but turns out this was more of a mayo-based white sauce. I HATE MAYO!!!! The sauce wasn't horrible, even for a mayo hater, but I'll get hot sauce next time. The rest of the gyro was fantastic - tons and tons of meat - I can't believe how much! - (and you can even buy extra meat for $2, but there's just no way it would fit!), grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, and sauce. The meat was perfectly cooked - crispy grilled on the outside and moist inside. The gyro bread was very, very soft. Hard/stale bread is a pet peeve of mine and often the gyros I get have that hard edge. This one was awesome. I highly, highly recommend this place. I'm going to try the platter next time!
I'm also going to try the other cart on the to see which one is better. Put your dukes up, bud!
** Sorry for the lack of pics - I didn't consider reviewing this place until my food was half gone and Vanessa suggested it. Oops.
Rating:
Food: 5
Service: 5 (the guy running it was fast and very courteous)
Ambiance: 5 (right next to a cute little park with a bunch of benches and shade!)
Take home: Grab a nosh, then grab a bench! Go light on the sauce the first time in case you don't like it.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
RB Kebob - Towson, MD
If you haven't been to RB Kebob - Go.
Seriously.
They are good, and the guys there are extremely nice.
Seriously.
They are good, and the guys there are extremely nice.
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| It doesn't look like much from the outside, but it is worth it! |
If you are looking for reviews on Yelp or other sites, these guys have gone through a couple of name changes, including Krazi Kabob, and I think there is a review under the name RB Kebab. If I recall correctly, that one was hilarious. Argh! I can't find it to link for you! Ah well, onward....
We found this place a few months ago, and for a while we were obsessed. Like, once or twice a week obsessed. We were getting the Chicken Tikka Wrap, which is fantastic.
The wrap is a naan bread that you then choose additions for. It is like an indian taco, and as such, we started referring to this place as Indican. I usually get mine with rice, chicken, plain tomatoes, cheese, and lettuce, and nothing else. What can I say, I like my stuff a little on the midwestern side. (= bland)
Amy usually gets something a little more spicy. They have in their selection: salsa tomatoes, corn, spicy chickpeas, cilantro, jalapenos, lettuce, cucumbers, cheese, and a few other things that I am forgetting. Everything is made to order, so it takes a few minutes, but even with the wait, we have never used our full lunch hour.
The inside of the place can only seat 6-8 people or so, so sometimes getting a seat is tricky. Outside, I think they can seat 4-6 people.
Today, we went there with a couple of friends, and Amy and I decided to branch out. We were quite happy with our results. Amy got the platter, which took a while to make because they skewer chicken and make it for you while you wait. The pieces of chicken were huge. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture. Urg. I blame newbieness at blogging for my transgressions.
I got a bowl this time. This included a large amount of rice, a scoop of chicken tikka, some sauce, my plain tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese. I also ordered a side of naan through Amy as an afterthought (I had already paid).
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| The bowl had the chicken and rice on the bottom, so I tried to mix it up a little bit so you can see the chicken. |
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| We had already broken into the naan before I remembered to take a picture! |
It was wonderful, as always! There isn't a huge selection, but if you like indican, you will love this place!
Rating:
Food: 5 (yum!)
Service: 4.5 (it takes a while, but the guys are super nice!)
Ambiance: 3 (it is a little small)
Take Home: If you like chicken tikka, you will love this place. The make the naan fresh each order.
RB Kebob - Towson, MD
This is one of my favorite places to eat lunch in the Towson area.
9 E Chesapeake Ave, across from the library
http://rbkebob.com/
We actually call it "Indican" because it's a mix of Indian food and a Mexican delivery of said food. They offer wraps, kebob platters, biryani bowls, and the "daily special" which I have never asked about.
They freshly make their naan as you order your wrap. The "wrap" is like an Indian burrito. They take the freshly made naan and fill it with your choice of fixins, like a Chipotle or Qdoba. Fillings are basmati rice, spicy chickpeas, masala sauce, your meat (steak or chicken tikka), tomato salad, spicy cucumber salad, corn salad, sliced cucumbers, green peppers, shredded cheese, sliced tomatoes, cilantro, diced jalapenos, red onions, lettuce, and two sauces (cilantro yogurt and tamarind). They wrap it all up (and they really need to squeeze to close that thing!), cut it in half, and you feast.
I have always gotten a wrap because they are soooo delicious but today I decided to branch out and get the kebob platter. It takes a good while to make, so don't order it if you're in a hurry. They take freshly marinated chicken, put it on a large metal kebob, and stick it in the tandoori oven. I'd say it was about 6 big chunks of chicken. That has to cook. The platter comes with basmati rice, your meat, spicy chickpeas, and a "salad" of lettuce, green peppers and cucumbers. I then picked out whatever I wanted to add from the toppings above (I chose tomato salad, spicy cucumber salad, jalapenos, masala sauce, and cilantro). It was huge. I ate how much I wanted and then took the rest home. It barely fit into the to-go bowl. I just ate a second portion 3 hours later. I still have at least one more portion left if not more. It will be dinner tonight.
Deb and Vanessa got the biryani bowls. It was basically what I got except they got the chicken that was already cooked and sliced/diced up. Mine had more chicken and it was only like $1 more. Mine came on a plate and theirs came in a bowl. They also got side orders of naan ($1.50) and Deb got an iced chai. That took a while too because they had to cook the tea. She said it was SUPER SWEET, so be warned about that one.
I gotta say that normally I wouldn't have ventured in there because it's on a side street, so I wouldn't really have seen it, and it is very, very small. There are 3 little tables that seat 2 people each inside and then 2 small tables outside. Most people do take-out. We found it by searching around on Yelp for a new place to eat and it got excellent reviews from everyone. It used to be called Krazy Kebob but now has a new owner. The owner is fantastic - super friendly, remembers your name, and great service. The guy that makes the wraps is also very nice and he goes as fast as he can. Getting your food does take a few more minutes than you'd expect but it's because they make the naan right then and you get to pick all of your toppings from a long bar and they put them in the wrap. It is worth every minute, though.
Rating:
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ambiance: 2 (wish it was bigger and not so hot - the huge glass storefront faces the blazing sun right around lunchtime and the tandoor is obviously a blast furnace)
Take home: Don't be scared by the looks of it. Absolutely go! Give yourself the time so you don't feel rushed. Make sure you choose the spicy chickpeas (they aren't THAT spicy) and the masala sauce. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
9 E Chesapeake Ave, across from the library
http://rbkebob.com/
We actually call it "Indican" because it's a mix of Indian food and a Mexican delivery of said food. They offer wraps, kebob platters, biryani bowls, and the "daily special" which I have never asked about.
They freshly make their naan as you order your wrap. The "wrap" is like an Indian burrito. They take the freshly made naan and fill it with your choice of fixins, like a Chipotle or Qdoba. Fillings are basmati rice, spicy chickpeas, masala sauce, your meat (steak or chicken tikka), tomato salad, spicy cucumber salad, corn salad, sliced cucumbers, green peppers, shredded cheese, sliced tomatoes, cilantro, diced jalapenos, red onions, lettuce, and two sauces (cilantro yogurt and tamarind). They wrap it all up (and they really need to squeeze to close that thing!), cut it in half, and you feast.
I have always gotten a wrap because they are soooo delicious but today I decided to branch out and get the kebob platter. It takes a good while to make, so don't order it if you're in a hurry. They take freshly marinated chicken, put it on a large metal kebob, and stick it in the tandoori oven. I'd say it was about 6 big chunks of chicken. That has to cook. The platter comes with basmati rice, your meat, spicy chickpeas, and a "salad" of lettuce, green peppers and cucumbers. I then picked out whatever I wanted to add from the toppings above (I chose tomato salad, spicy cucumber salad, jalapenos, masala sauce, and cilantro). It was huge. I ate how much I wanted and then took the rest home. It barely fit into the to-go bowl. I just ate a second portion 3 hours later. I still have at least one more portion left if not more. It will be dinner tonight.
This is after my second helping. There's STILL that much left!!
I forgot to take a pic before I ate my platter. Figures.
This was taken on my desk at work. Sorry.
Deb and Vanessa got the biryani bowls. It was basically what I got except they got the chicken that was already cooked and sliced/diced up. Mine had more chicken and it was only like $1 more. Mine came on a plate and theirs came in a bowl. They also got side orders of naan ($1.50) and Deb got an iced chai. That took a while too because they had to cook the tea. She said it was SUPER SWEET, so be warned about that one.
I gotta say that normally I wouldn't have ventured in there because it's on a side street, so I wouldn't really have seen it, and it is very, very small. There are 3 little tables that seat 2 people each inside and then 2 small tables outside. Most people do take-out. We found it by searching around on Yelp for a new place to eat and it got excellent reviews from everyone. It used to be called Krazy Kebob but now has a new owner. The owner is fantastic - super friendly, remembers your name, and great service. The guy that makes the wraps is also very nice and he goes as fast as he can. Getting your food does take a few more minutes than you'd expect but it's because they make the naan right then and you get to pick all of your toppings from a long bar and they put them in the wrap. It is worth every minute, though.
Rating:
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ambiance: 2 (wish it was bigger and not so hot - the huge glass storefront faces the blazing sun right around lunchtime and the tandoor is obviously a blast furnace)
Take home: Don't be scared by the looks of it. Absolutely go! Give yourself the time so you don't feel rushed. Make sure you choose the spicy chickpeas (they aren't THAT spicy) and the masala sauce. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Miya Sushi - Towson, MD
I really, really, really want to love this place. I really do. But I can't just yet. Hang in there with me for a minute, people.
The front of this place makes you think, "I dunno. Raw fish? Here? Maybe not such a good idea...". However, it was cute inside. I hear it's new and they are still working on their "decor" but even so, it wasn't bad at all. The owner and chef greeted us warmly and we sat down. We were the only people there, but we did get there kind of early - a little before noon, I'd say.
I ordered the "Double Roll" which is spicy tuna tempura, snow crab, and cucumber in the usual rice and seaweed roll and an order of gyoza. The gyoza was OK - a little fishy to me, but still, I ate them all. The roll, though.... that was a mistake. Meaning MY mistake. I didn't understand what I was ordering. I expected the usual raw spicy tuna somehow fried in tempura batter, nestled against some crab and cucumber in a roll. That's not what it is. It's COOKED, CANNED tuna (which wasn't spicy at all, by the way) in it's OWN roll, fried in tempura batter, and then inside another roll with the crab meat and rice (no cucumber that I saw). I guess that's why it's called "Double Roll" and on the "cooked menu" side. Wellll.... I assumed the fact that it was in tempura was why it was on that side. I did not like it. At all. I don't really like cooked canned tuna. It tastes like cat food to me (well, how cat food smells). I think the owner saw that I was confused and wasn't into eating it because a few minutes later, she brought over what was kind of what I was expecting. Still no cucumber and not spicy, but it was the raw spicy tuna (maybe it was salmon?) wrapped in seaweed, fried in tempura batter, with big chunks of crab on top. THAT's more like it. Of course, I was stuffed to the gills by then so could only eat one bite. It was pretty good but I was so completely stuffed, I couldn't really taste anything. She gave it to us for FREE! That's not a cheap roll to make...
Vanessa really, really liked her tuna sashimi and shrimp tempura roll. A lot. The miso soup she said was just 'OK'. "I've had better, I've had worse."
The owner kept checking on us, which is nice. She even gave us tempura banana for dessert for free after we asked if they had it (it wasn't on the menu)! 3 other diners came in while we were there, and their food looked great - 2 plates of the shrimp tempura and one plate of some kind of sizzling teriyaki.
So as you can see, I'm not in the best spot to review this restaurant since I mistakenly chose the wrong menu item. The great thing is that she could tell by my reaction and gave me what she figured I must have wanted FOR FREE!
I still say too few sushi places know how to make "spicy" anything. It's never spicy.
Rating:
Food: I can't comment on this yet. I just can't. I'll let you know after I go next time.
Service: 5+
Ambiance: 3
Take Home: I am willing to go back again and try my normal foods that I KNOW I am picking properly - spicy tuna and spicy salmon. And I'll tell them to make it extra spicy. And per Vanessa - get the tempura!
The front of this place makes you think, "I dunno. Raw fish? Here? Maybe not such a good idea...". However, it was cute inside. I hear it's new and they are still working on their "decor" but even so, it wasn't bad at all. The owner and chef greeted us warmly and we sat down. We were the only people there, but we did get there kind of early - a little before noon, I'd say.
I ordered the "Double Roll" which is spicy tuna tempura, snow crab, and cucumber in the usual rice and seaweed roll and an order of gyoza. The gyoza was OK - a little fishy to me, but still, I ate them all. The roll, though.... that was a mistake. Meaning MY mistake. I didn't understand what I was ordering. I expected the usual raw spicy tuna somehow fried in tempura batter, nestled against some crab and cucumber in a roll. That's not what it is. It's COOKED, CANNED tuna (which wasn't spicy at all, by the way) in it's OWN roll, fried in tempura batter, and then inside another roll with the crab meat and rice (no cucumber that I saw). I guess that's why it's called "Double Roll" and on the "cooked menu" side. Wellll.... I assumed the fact that it was in tempura was why it was on that side. I did not like it. At all. I don't really like cooked canned tuna. It tastes like cat food to me (well, how cat food smells). I think the owner saw that I was confused and wasn't into eating it because a few minutes later, she brought over what was kind of what I was expecting. Still no cucumber and not spicy, but it was the raw spicy tuna (maybe it was salmon?) wrapped in seaweed, fried in tempura batter, with big chunks of crab on top. THAT's more like it. Of course, I was stuffed to the gills by then so could only eat one bite. It was pretty good but I was so completely stuffed, I couldn't really taste anything. She gave it to us for FREE! That's not a cheap roll to make...
My original "Double Roll"
The freebie "This is what I meant" roll
The owner kept checking on us, which is nice. She even gave us tempura banana for dessert for free after we asked if they had it (it wasn't on the menu)! 3 other diners came in while we were there, and their food looked great - 2 plates of the shrimp tempura and one plate of some kind of sizzling teriyaki.
So as you can see, I'm not in the best spot to review this restaurant since I mistakenly chose the wrong menu item. The great thing is that she could tell by my reaction and gave me what she figured I must have wanted FOR FREE!
I still say too few sushi places know how to make "spicy" anything. It's never spicy.
Rating:
Food: I can't comment on this yet. I just can't. I'll let you know after I go next time.
Service: 5+
Ambiance: 3
Take Home: I am willing to go back again and try my normal foods that I KNOW I am picking properly - spicy tuna and spicy salmon. And I'll tell them to make it extra spicy. And per Vanessa - get the tempura!
Miya Sushi - Towson, MD
Today we ate at Miya Sushi in Towson.
http://www.miyasushi.co/
We were wondering what to eat today and decided to try someplace new. We went to Yelp and the first thing I saw was Miya Sushi, with good reviews all around.
A sushi place that I didn't know about! It had to be tried.
We walked down there from work, which wasn't too bad of a walk from the Towson Town Center area, and found the bright yellow sign for Miya Sushi just south of Towsontowne Boulevard.
We walked in the door and we were the only people there. The two staff, they might be the owners, I am not sure, greeted us warmly at the door and told us to have a seat anywhere. I felt a little bad, since one of them was eating, and I hate interrupting other people's meals, but they were so friendly that I forgot about it quickly.
We ordered and got our drinks pretty quickly, and Amy needed a minute to finish reviewing the menu.
This is a tiny place, only about 8 tables, give or take, but it is quaint, and clean. Some reviewers on Yelp mentioned that it was sparsely decorated and stuff, but I don't think it needed it. Cleanliness and staff can contribute so much more to the ambiance of a place than the decor can ever merit. I liked it.
I ordered the miso soup, Crispy Ebi Roll (Shrimp Tempura Roll) and Tuna sashimi. Amy got some dumpling things that have a name I have since forgotten and a Double Roll off the cooked menu.
We got our soup and dumplings in fairly short order. There was a bit of a wait for the sushi, but not so long that I was getting antsy. And when it came out, it was fresh enough that I was quite happy with waiting for it!
Take Home: This place, while small and looking a bit like a hole in the wall, was wonderful, with wonderful food, and wonderful people!
http://www.miyasushi.co/
We were wondering what to eat today and decided to try someplace new. We went to Yelp and the first thing I saw was Miya Sushi, with good reviews all around.
A sushi place that I didn't know about! It had to be tried.
We walked down there from work, which wasn't too bad of a walk from the Towson Town Center area, and found the bright yellow sign for Miya Sushi just south of Towsontowne Boulevard.
We walked in the door and we were the only people there. The two staff, they might be the owners, I am not sure, greeted us warmly at the door and told us to have a seat anywhere. I felt a little bad, since one of them was eating, and I hate interrupting other people's meals, but they were so friendly that I forgot about it quickly.
We ordered and got our drinks pretty quickly, and Amy needed a minute to finish reviewing the menu.
This is a tiny place, only about 8 tables, give or take, but it is quaint, and clean. Some reviewers on Yelp mentioned that it was sparsely decorated and stuff, but I don't think it needed it. Cleanliness and staff can contribute so much more to the ambiance of a place than the decor can ever merit. I liked it.
I ordered the miso soup, Crispy Ebi Roll (Shrimp Tempura Roll) and Tuna sashimi. Amy got some dumpling things that have a name I have since forgotten and a Double Roll off the cooked menu.
We got our soup and dumplings in fairly short order. There was a bit of a wait for the sushi, but not so long that I was getting antsy. And when it came out, it was fresh enough that I was quite happy with waiting for it!
These pictures were taken with Amy's phone, since mine was still acting up.
I enjoyed everything I ordered. The miso soup was a touch bland, but not the worst I have ever had. I cleaned my plate.
Amy did not have as much luck. She really enjoyed the dumplings, but she ordered her Double roll, consisting of spicy tuna tempura and crabmeat (real lump crab!). It was cooked. All the way cooked. I wasn't too surprised, since she ordered it off the "cooked" portion of the menu, but she wasn't paying that much attention. So she didn't enjoy the roll too much.
I think the lady recognized this, so she brought out another roll, on the house, and gave it to Amy. It had spicy salmon and crab with some tempura around it. If Amy hadn't been so full, she would have devoured it. It was exactly what she had wanted. Well, maybe not as spicy as she could have wanted, but it is not unusual for places to make things not too spicy.
Afterward, we asked for tempura banana, and they brought us out 4 little pieces of banana, which was the perfect amount! We got that for free as well. I love this place, and this lady serving us! I promise next time (and there WILL be a next time!) I will find out more about you, like your name and stuff!
Rating:
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ambiance: 5
Take Home: This place, while small and looking a bit like a hole in the wall, was wonderful, with wonderful food, and wonderful people!
El Rodeo - Towson, MD
Monday we wen to El Rodeo in Towson, MD.
http://www.elrodeomd.com/
They are a fun place. I really like the atmosphere, and the lunch is always good. The wait staff is always friendly, and since we have been going there practically since they opened, we have watched the wait staff learn the ropes.
On Monday, I wasn't feeling Mexican, but Amy was. I figured I would get the Mushroom Quesadilla that I typically get, but I felt like that was too much food for me today.
So, I asked the waiter if I could order off the kids menu. He said sure. Amy said "What?!? You are ordering off the kids menu?" And the waiter tried to take some of the sting (even though there wasn't really any sting) away by giving the token, I like the kids menu response. Good for you Mr. IAmReallySorryButIDontKnowYourName waiter. We could tell you were new in the beginning, but you have really grown into it! Couldn't ask for a nicer waiter!
So. Despite the continuing face of disbelief being displayed by Amy, I ordered a hot dog off the kids menu. And Amy roared (literally, I kid you not, roared!), "A HOT DOG!"
I tried, and succeeded, I might add, to hold in a snort of laughter.
This was a good lunch folks.
He brought out our food, and since Amy was ordering an entree for take out as well, I got my kids meal for FREE! YES! Apparently they have free kids meals with the purchase of an entree on Mondays. Awesome! Gather your kids folks, and head out for some Mexican at El Rodeo! They have hot dogs, chicken tenders, little tacos, and more that I can't remember! There were at least six items on the list.
I took some pictures, but my phone is being silly, so I can't post them yet. But I will!
Food: 5 I love getting what I want when I want it, even if it is off the kids menu!!
Service: 4.5 and getting better
Ambiance: 5 They have some pretty cool decor, it is bright and spacious.
Take Home Message: We have never gone wrong at El Rodeo, and we love the chips and salsa!
http://www.elrodeomd.com/
They are a fun place. I really like the atmosphere, and the lunch is always good. The wait staff is always friendly, and since we have been going there practically since they opened, we have watched the wait staff learn the ropes.
On Monday, I wasn't feeling Mexican, but Amy was. I figured I would get the Mushroom Quesadilla that I typically get, but I felt like that was too much food for me today.
So, I asked the waiter if I could order off the kids menu. He said sure. Amy said "What?!? You are ordering off the kids menu?" And the waiter tried to take some of the sting (even though there wasn't really any sting) away by giving the token, I like the kids menu response. Good for you Mr. IAmReallySorryButIDontKnowYourName waiter. We could tell you were new in the beginning, but you have really grown into it! Couldn't ask for a nicer waiter!
So. Despite the continuing face of disbelief being displayed by Amy, I ordered a hot dog off the kids menu. And Amy roared (literally, I kid you not, roared!), "A HOT DOG!"
I tried, and succeeded, I might add, to hold in a snort of laughter.
This was a good lunch folks.
He brought out our food, and since Amy was ordering an entree for take out as well, I got my kids meal for FREE! YES! Apparently they have free kids meals with the purchase of an entree on Mondays. Awesome! Gather your kids folks, and head out for some Mexican at El Rodeo! They have hot dogs, chicken tenders, little tacos, and more that I can't remember! There were at least six items on the list.
I took some pictures, but my phone is being silly, so I can't post them yet. But I will!
Food: 5 I love getting what I want when I want it, even if it is off the kids menu!!
Service: 4.5 and getting better
Ambiance: 5 They have some pretty cool decor, it is bright and spacious.
Take Home Message: We have never gone wrong at El Rodeo, and we love the chips and salsa!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
El Rodeo - Towson, MD
So we didn't TECHNICALLY have a coupon THIS TIME when we went to El Rodeo - I just really wanted their chips and salsa. I have used several coupons here in the past, though, so I don't totally feel like I'm cheating by doing a review.
It was strangely empty when we got there yesterday, but then again, we left for lunch at 11:30 (we walk) because Vanessa was starving (there's a point to me telling you this, trust me). We were seated in our booth and our server came right out to take our drink orders. He brought back the drinks and their fantab-amazing-delicious-just the right spicy salsa. I love that stuff. He asked if we were ready to order, and I was, but Vanessa was still debating. He asked if we needed more time and I wanted to say "No", learning from our trip to Havana Road. She still needed time, though, so I distinctly said, "JUST ONE MINUTE! JUST ONE!". He came back in a minute. Good man! Actually, when we went there the first time, they had JUST OPENED this new location so they were all figuring out what they were doing and we had this same server. He wasn't so great that first time - all nervous and kinda flailing around but he was VERY good this time!
I ordered the tortilla soup (which is absolutely excellent there - it's even better than the one I make myself, and I make a damn fine soup) and the veggie fajitas.
Vanessa orders a HOT DOG from the kid's menu. Oh, and some spanish rice. Oh yes, she did. She ordered a kid's hot dog at a Mexican restaurant. Miss "I'm so hungry can we go to lunch right now??!!!". And it came in a cactus shaped bowl/plate.
My soup was fantastic as always. I decided to take at least one bite of my fajita veggies (I don't know why I order so much all the time. I was full after the soup and chips/salsa) so I stabbed a broccoli bit and popped it in my mouth and started screaming, "Hot!!! Hot!!!". I mean, duh.... it came off a sizzling fajita plate, idiot. It was tasty, though.
I ordered takeout of chicken fajitas for the bf. He said they were "OK". He said they were better last time and didn't have the same "bite" he's used to there. Must have been an off-day.
I ate some veggie fajitas as a snack later that afternoon and they were delicious! Zucchini, squash, onions, peppers, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms.
I wish I could find a way to sneak out their salsa in the big purse.
Rating:
Food: 4.5
Service: 5
Ambiance: 4.5
Take home: Fantastic salsa, good servers, nice place. Good lunch specials! AND they have a loyalty card - six lunches and you get the seventh for free!
It was strangely empty when we got there yesterday, but then again, we left for lunch at 11:30 (we walk) because Vanessa was starving (there's a point to me telling you this, trust me). We were seated in our booth and our server came right out to take our drink orders. He brought back the drinks and their fantab-amazing-delicious-just the right spicy salsa. I love that stuff. He asked if we were ready to order, and I was, but Vanessa was still debating. He asked if we needed more time and I wanted to say "No", learning from our trip to Havana Road. She still needed time, though, so I distinctly said, "JUST ONE MINUTE! JUST ONE!". He came back in a minute. Good man! Actually, when we went there the first time, they had JUST OPENED this new location so they were all figuring out what they were doing and we had this same server. He wasn't so great that first time - all nervous and kinda flailing around but he was VERY good this time!
I ordered the tortilla soup (which is absolutely excellent there - it's even better than the one I make myself, and I make a damn fine soup) and the veggie fajitas.
Vanessa orders a HOT DOG from the kid's menu. Oh, and some spanish rice. Oh yes, she did. She ordered a kid's hot dog at a Mexican restaurant. Miss "I'm so hungry can we go to lunch right now??!!!". And it came in a cactus shaped bowl/plate.
I ordered takeout of chicken fajitas for the bf. He said they were "OK". He said they were better last time and didn't have the same "bite" he's used to there. Must have been an off-day.
I ate some veggie fajitas as a snack later that afternoon and they were delicious! Zucchini, squash, onions, peppers, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms.
I wish I could find a way to sneak out their salsa in the big purse.
Rating:
Food: 4.5
Service: 5
Ambiance: 4.5
Take home: Fantastic salsa, good servers, nice place. Good lunch specials! AND they have a loyalty card - six lunches and you get the seventh for free!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Gino's - Towson, MD
I need to remember to take pictures of my food.
Between the two of us, we had way, way, too many of these coupons.
On one hand, we have multiple Gino's experiences to rely on when writing this post. On the other hand, we are getting sick of Gino's. Not offense Gino.
When Gino's first opened, there was a line out the door and around the corner. There was an apparently nostalgia element to this opening, as Gino's had been in Baltimore in the past, and was a favored eatery before it closed down for some reason. I'm from Illinois. Nostalgia portion of this post ended.
The first time we went, it was great. The burgers were goo, large, and they had a whole bunch of stuff to put on them. And they had chocolate malts. I am so in.
The next few times we went (remember, I said we had way to many of these things?!) it was still good. Rockin'!
The time before last, we had let a couple of months go by. Let's be honest here, as out friend Cathy would say. We had burned out on Gino's.
Then we noticed that our coupons were about to expire. Tragedy! We can't let a coupon expire! So we went to Gino's. Hmmm.
The burgers were smaller. And not just our memory of them either. The buns seemed different. Maybe it was an off day for the cook. These things happen, and I am very generous with my benefit of the doubt. The chocolate malt wasn't a malt, it was a shake, but whatever, it was chocolate. My cherry soda was, as always, fantastic.
They took a picture of our Groupon. Weird, never seen anybody to that before. But maybe they have been burned a few times. New security measures. I can dig it.
We went back yesterday. I think if we didn't have two more of these coupons, we would probably take a year or so off from Gino's. Truth.
Sick of burgers, I tried the chicken breast. It was juicy, but it tasted like vinegar. Cathy said it always tastes like vinegar. Odd. For me at least. I guess some people like that sorta thing. Whatever, it was edible, and juicy, so no big thing. Cathy got the same thing as me. Amy got chicken tenders. Amy will probably never get chicken tenders from there again. They were juicy on the inside, but there was no crispiness to them. Last I checked, fried foods are supposed to be crispy. Maybe they weren't fried.
And to top off the experience: their shake machine was broken. No chocolate malt for me! I am crying inside.
I think we have another coupon that expires on the 29th of August, and one or two that expire in December.
Lesson learned, don't go overboard with these coupons! We were a little out of control there for a while, but then Gino's seemed wonderful. Now they are the equivalent of mall food. I don't particularly like eating in the food court, but you do it because it is convenient. I think that is why I do it. I am questioning my motivations as I write. Hmmm.
Ratings (0 bad -5 fantastic)
Food: 3.5 at the beginning of the year, I would have said 5
Service: 5 they are always friendly there
Ambiance: 5 they clean off your table for you!
Take home message: I am overly biased because we have eaten there sooo much now. If you have never eaten there, I think you will enjoy the burgers. I need a break.
Food: 3.5 at the beginning of the year, I would have said 5
Service: 5 they are always friendly there
Ambiance: 5 they clean off your table for you!
Take home message: I am overly biased because we have eaten there sooo much now. If you have never eaten there, I think you will enjoy the burgers. I need a break.
Gino's - Towson, MD (Our like 20th visit....)
Gino's, Gino's, Gino's. What has happened to you, my friend? We were once so close! Then I think we spent too much time together. That's not often a good thing. I need to see other restaurants. Use other coupons. I think our time together has almost come to an end.
It seemed like every day we'd get emails about more Gino's coupon deals from many different sites. When we first started going, things were good. It was always slam-packed, but they moved quickly and the burgers were VERY good, IMO. So... we bought a lot of coupons between Vanessa and I. Like 8. And they were all due to expire by 8/29. Most were set to expire earlier, but at this point, I'm just counting on our last visits. We still have one more due 8/29 and one 12/31.
Since we had to keep going, and going, and going, we were honestly getting a little worn out with Gino's. Even being a burger fanatic, it was getting to be a bit much. The lines were now non-existant (what happened to the line going out the door?) The last few visits, I started feeling like something had changed with the burgers. They seemed WAY smaller. And the bun changed - seems more potato roll-ish. I no like. At the beginning, Vanessa and I would each cut our burgers in half, eat half, and take the leftovers back for the bf (plus his usual double-burger). (FYI, he doesn't eat the bread). Then, Vanessa started eating her whole burger, even while in a mood where her appetite has gone down. Then the bf started asking for 2 double-burgers. I was taking the top of my burger bun off and all 3 of us (we always recruit a local friend to meet us) stared curiously at my dinky hamburger patty wondering where it went. Is that little nugget really it? What's going on here??
So I switched to the chicken tender snak pak. The chicken flavor itself was good, but the coating wasn't the least bit crispy. Kinda soggy and falling off. Vanessa got the grilled chicken breast. She said it tasted like vinegar (which may be a good thing for me - I like all things vinegar).
We have to muscle through one more coupon in the next 2 weeks and then have 4 months off to use the last one. It will probably be the last one.
The employees and service are still really good. The place is clean, family-friendly, decently priced, they have fab milkshakes and the employees clean up your trash, get your refills, etc. I just think the food has gone downhill. :(
Rating:
Service: 5
Food: 2
Ambiance: 4
Take home: No more coupons for me. It will be a WHILE before I go back. Go to Five Guys - WAY better.
It seemed like every day we'd get emails about more Gino's coupon deals from many different sites. When we first started going, things were good. It was always slam-packed, but they moved quickly and the burgers were VERY good, IMO. So... we bought a lot of coupons between Vanessa and I. Like 8. And they were all due to expire by 8/29. Most were set to expire earlier, but at this point, I'm just counting on our last visits. We still have one more due 8/29 and one 12/31.
Since we had to keep going, and going, and going, we were honestly getting a little worn out with Gino's. Even being a burger fanatic, it was getting to be a bit much. The lines were now non-existant (what happened to the line going out the door?) The last few visits, I started feeling like something had changed with the burgers. They seemed WAY smaller. And the bun changed - seems more potato roll-ish. I no like. At the beginning, Vanessa and I would each cut our burgers in half, eat half, and take the leftovers back for the bf (plus his usual double-burger). (FYI, he doesn't eat the bread). Then, Vanessa started eating her whole burger, even while in a mood where her appetite has gone down. Then the bf started asking for 2 double-burgers. I was taking the top of my burger bun off and all 3 of us (we always recruit a local friend to meet us) stared curiously at my dinky hamburger patty wondering where it went. Is that little nugget really it? What's going on here??
So I switched to the chicken tender snak pak. The chicken flavor itself was good, but the coating wasn't the least bit crispy. Kinda soggy and falling off. Vanessa got the grilled chicken breast. She said it tasted like vinegar (which may be a good thing for me - I like all things vinegar).
We have to muscle through one more coupon in the next 2 weeks and then have 4 months off to use the last one. It will probably be the last one.
The employees and service are still really good. The place is clean, family-friendly, decently priced, they have fab milkshakes and the employees clean up your trash, get your refills, etc. I just think the food has gone downhill. :(
Rating:
Service: 5
Food: 2
Ambiance: 4
Take home: No more coupons for me. It will be a WHILE before I go back. Go to Five Guys - WAY better.
Original Giorgio's - Cockeysville, MD
The bf and I went to Original Giorgio's on the expiration date of our deal coupon. We had $20 to spend, but we weren't that hungry yet so we got take-out. There was only one other person in the restaurant eating in, but it was a Monday, after all. We did the take-out for dinner. We ordered and the food is very, very reasonably priced. In order to use our full $20, he got the chicken kebob platter, I got spaghetti with meat sauce, and he we shared an italian salad.
The place is kinda small, but I think it's mostly take-out customers dropping in for a pizza or quick sub. It's cute in there - more decorated than you'd think for a pizza/sub shop in a tiny shopping strip. It was very hot inside, even with an industrial window air conditioner going. I guess that's not surprising since it's small and there some huge pizza ovens in there. They had a pretty diverse menu of italian, subs, pizza, chicken, salads, and Greek food.
We did have to wait a while for our food - longer than I expected. People were coming and going picking up pizzas and subs (not a ton of people... but enough), but I was still wondering what was taking so long. Maybe they had to cook my pasta from scratch, including boiling the water? That takes some time. The owner was very nice and would let us know, "It's coming! Just another few minutes!". I think she was Greek based on her accent.
We got home and dug in. The bf's chicken kebob was "good" he said. It was a skewer of grilled, marinated chicken on a big, big bed of jasmine rice. There was also a half of a grilled green pepper and a half of a grilled tomato. They looked kinda lonely, though. My spaghetti tasted ok, but I like it REALLY REALLY saucy and it was a little light on the sauce for my standards. I'll bet others would be fine with it, but I wanted more. Not a ton of meat in the sauce, either. It was tasty nonetheless and a decent portion size. It also came with some garlic bread. The salad was tasty! Plenty of rolled up meat and cheese on top, iceburg lettuce, tomato wedges, red onions, green peppers, olives, and pepperocini. The bf pretty much devastated the salad.
Rating:
Service: 4
Food: 4
Ambiance: 4 (because it was hot in there)
Take home: Very reasonable prices for decent food of a decent size. I'd totally go there again for take-out if I wasn't in the mood for anything in particular. Oh! And their pizzas are 50% off on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
P.S. - I found a way to make it a little saucier on my third time eating it! Just go out to the garden and make some sauce, silly....
The place is kinda small, but I think it's mostly take-out customers dropping in for a pizza or quick sub. It's cute in there - more decorated than you'd think for a pizza/sub shop in a tiny shopping strip. It was very hot inside, even with an industrial window air conditioner going. I guess that's not surprising since it's small and there some huge pizza ovens in there. They had a pretty diverse menu of italian, subs, pizza, chicken, salads, and Greek food.
We did have to wait a while for our food - longer than I expected. People were coming and going picking up pizzas and subs (not a ton of people... but enough), but I was still wondering what was taking so long. Maybe they had to cook my pasta from scratch, including boiling the water? That takes some time. The owner was very nice and would let us know, "It's coming! Just another few minutes!". I think she was Greek based on her accent.
We got home and dug in. The bf's chicken kebob was "good" he said. It was a skewer of grilled, marinated chicken on a big, big bed of jasmine rice. There was also a half of a grilled green pepper and a half of a grilled tomato. They looked kinda lonely, though. My spaghetti tasted ok, but I like it REALLY REALLY saucy and it was a little light on the sauce for my standards. I'll bet others would be fine with it, but I wanted more. Not a ton of meat in the sauce, either. It was tasty nonetheless and a decent portion size. It also came with some garlic bread. The salad was tasty! Plenty of rolled up meat and cheese on top, iceburg lettuce, tomato wedges, red onions, green peppers, olives, and pepperocini. The bf pretty much devastated the salad.
Rating:
Service: 4
Food: 4
Ambiance: 4 (because it was hot in there)
Take home: Very reasonable prices for decent food of a decent size. I'd totally go there again for take-out if I wasn't in the mood for anything in particular. Oh! And their pizzas are 50% off on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Havana Road - Towson, MD
Vanessa and I went to Havana Road for lunch this week with a deal. Why am I trying to do all of these restaurant deals during Baltimore Restaurant Week? I dunno! Either way, they once again let us use the coupon but we couldn't order off the special menu. Not a problem.
We decided to sit outside because it's quite small inside and it was gorgeous outside. This MAY have been a bad choice, though.... Very shortly after we were seated, the server asked if we were ready. It had only been like 2 minutes, so I said I needed another minute. Bad idea. Vanessa looks at me and says, "I'm always nervous saying that. You never know when you'll see them again." Smart girl. It took the server a very long time to ever come back outside again. I was actually about to get up and go inside to order when she came out. There was only one server for the whole restaurant, but there really aren't many tables at all.
We both got the arroz con pollo, which is NOT cheap (I'm thinking like $15? $17?). It again took a while for it to come out. It was a decent-sized portion and it came with a little ramekin of spiced black beans. We both took a bite and I said, "Huh. Not that good." Vanessa said, "I don't remember it being this tomato-y". We kept picking at it, but I gotta say... I just didn't like it. It didn't have much flavor to it. It just kinda sat there on my plate taking a nap. I don't remember it tasting like this last time (this was our second visit - both with a coupon) or I wouldn't have gotten it again. I'm not going to say it was "BAD" but it just was "meh". Unremarkable. I even made Vanessa take our much-uneaten leftovers home for her and her husband because I knew I wouldn't eat it. And I steal OTHER PEOPLE's leftovers! (People I know.. not strangers...) That should tell you something.
Overall impression? Not much of one. Service kinda slow. Food unremarkable and bland (in my opinion). Kinda expensive. Would I go back again? No. I won't even buy another coupon. Too many other good places around.
Rating:
Service: 2.5
Food: 2
Ambiance: 4 (because we WERE outside and it was gorgeous out)
Take home: Spend your money elsewhere unless you have it to throw away and want to sit outside on a nice day. Since that's the only item I've ordered from there, I can't comment on the rest of the food. Maybe we picked the wrong dish? I dunno but it's not worth my money to find out.
We decided to sit outside because it's quite small inside and it was gorgeous outside. This MAY have been a bad choice, though.... Very shortly after we were seated, the server asked if we were ready. It had only been like 2 minutes, so I said I needed another minute. Bad idea. Vanessa looks at me and says, "I'm always nervous saying that. You never know when you'll see them again." Smart girl. It took the server a very long time to ever come back outside again. I was actually about to get up and go inside to order when she came out. There was only one server for the whole restaurant, but there really aren't many tables at all.
We both got the arroz con pollo, which is NOT cheap (I'm thinking like $15? $17?). It again took a while for it to come out. It was a decent-sized portion and it came with a little ramekin of spiced black beans. We both took a bite and I said, "Huh. Not that good." Vanessa said, "I don't remember it being this tomato-y". We kept picking at it, but I gotta say... I just didn't like it. It didn't have much flavor to it. It just kinda sat there on my plate taking a nap. I don't remember it tasting like this last time (this was our second visit - both with a coupon) or I wouldn't have gotten it again. I'm not going to say it was "BAD" but it just was "meh". Unremarkable. I even made Vanessa take our much-uneaten leftovers home for her and her husband because I knew I wouldn't eat it. And I steal OTHER PEOPLE's leftovers! (People I know.. not strangers...) That should tell you something.
Overall impression? Not much of one. Service kinda slow. Food unremarkable and bland (in my opinion). Kinda expensive. Would I go back again? No. I won't even buy another coupon. Too many other good places around.
Rating:
Service: 2.5
Food: 2
Ambiance: 4 (because we WERE outside and it was gorgeous out)
Take home: Spend your money elsewhere unless you have it to throw away and want to sit outside on a nice day. Since that's the only item I've ordered from there, I can't comment on the rest of the food. Maybe we picked the wrong dish? I dunno but it's not worth my money to find out.
Happy on Hooves - Hampstead, MD (Horseback Riding)
I had a LivingSocial or something for 2 people to ride on a guided trail for 90 minutes for $50. Can you say "GREAT DEAL"?? Even better, they did a group ride for all 6 of us (we all bought the same deal).
When you show up, you feel like you have walked onto the scene of a Dr. Doolittle movie or into a petting zoo. Animals everywhere! There were even little chicks pecking at the base of a tree when you turn into the driveway. So cute! There was a goat chillin' under someone's truck, chickens, roosters, emus, DOGS, cats, you name it. All delightful creatures! There were 4 dogs hanging out. Two enjoyed just laying in chairs or on the ground, but there was one chihuaua that looked just like a bat so I kept calling him "Batdog", and he listened! They also had a 9 or 11 week old super-adorable chihuaua named "Oreo" that Robert kept trying to steal away in his pocket. The little guy fit in one hand easily. I've never seen people coo at a dog like we were with Oreo. And such a happy and friendly fella!
We checked in with ease with Mandy (owner) and were on our way. I was the first to get on a horse and he was awesome. His name is Marco. He just stood quietly while the other 5 were saddled up, which as you can imagine, takes a little while. The bf's horse got a little impatient and kept walking him out of the stable area towards the road, around in circles, all over. Mandy realized that perhaps this wasn't the horse for him and switched with mine, who was as docile as can be. The "impatient" horse, Polo, was awesome. He didn't make me nervous and when he tried that mess with me, I firmly told him "No", pulled his reins a few times and then he was as perfect as could be. I actually LOVED riding him because he had a little spunk but totally behaved and listened to me the entire time. He wanted to lead the pack, actually. I think he was walking the bf around because he just wanted to WALK!
The trail was great - it was a perfect day. There were little streams we crossed, beautiful foilage, and a meadow. Mandy and three of us kept a nice pace. Carisa, Robert, and Deb's horses were more interested in eating all of that lovely foilage than walking. Carisa kept saying, "This horse only has one speed!" as it slowly walked along. Then every once in a while they'd trot up to catch up, with the ladies giggling like ninnies! Little Oreo-puppy got to ride on Mandy's shoulder and in the crook of her arm, happily looking around on his first trail ride ever. He is adorable!! We all got to trot back together at the end, which was really cool.
Mandy was great, and was able to match the right horse to the right personality. She made sure we all stayed together and yet had enough room that we weren't in constant fear of being kicked by the horse in front of us or anything.
I know that the bf and I will DEFINITELY go back for another ride. This is a must-do if you are looking for a pleasant way to take a trail ride. I definitely recommend trying to get 6 people together and do the group ride. And be sure to say hello to little Oreo and pat him on the head for us!
When you show up, you feel like you have walked onto the scene of a Dr. Doolittle movie or into a petting zoo. Animals everywhere! There were even little chicks pecking at the base of a tree when you turn into the driveway. So cute! There was a goat chillin' under someone's truck, chickens, roosters, emus, DOGS, cats, you name it. All delightful creatures! There were 4 dogs hanging out. Two enjoyed just laying in chairs or on the ground, but there was one chihuaua that looked just like a bat so I kept calling him "Batdog", and he listened! They also had a 9 or 11 week old super-adorable chihuaua named "Oreo" that Robert kept trying to steal away in his pocket. The little guy fit in one hand easily. I've never seen people coo at a dog like we were with Oreo. And such a happy and friendly fella!
We checked in with ease with Mandy (owner) and were on our way. I was the first to get on a horse and he was awesome. His name is Marco. He just stood quietly while the other 5 were saddled up, which as you can imagine, takes a little while. The bf's horse got a little impatient and kept walking him out of the stable area towards the road, around in circles, all over. Mandy realized that perhaps this wasn't the horse for him and switched with mine, who was as docile as can be. The "impatient" horse, Polo, was awesome. He didn't make me nervous and when he tried that mess with me, I firmly told him "No", pulled his reins a few times and then he was as perfect as could be. I actually LOVED riding him because he had a little spunk but totally behaved and listened to me the entire time. He wanted to lead the pack, actually. I think he was walking the bf around because he just wanted to WALK!
The trail was great - it was a perfect day. There were little streams we crossed, beautiful foilage, and a meadow. Mandy and three of us kept a nice pace. Carisa, Robert, and Deb's horses were more interested in eating all of that lovely foilage than walking. Carisa kept saying, "This horse only has one speed!" as it slowly walked along. Then every once in a while they'd trot up to catch up, with the ladies giggling like ninnies! Little Oreo-puppy got to ride on Mandy's shoulder and in the crook of her arm, happily looking around on his first trail ride ever. He is adorable!! We all got to trot back together at the end, which was really cool.
Mandy was great, and was able to match the right horse to the right personality. She made sure we all stayed together and yet had enough room that we weren't in constant fear of being kicked by the horse in front of us or anything.
I know that the bf and I will DEFINITELY go back for another ride. This is a must-do if you are looking for a pleasant way to take a trail ride. I definitely recommend trying to get 6 people together and do the group ride. And be sure to say hello to little Oreo and pat him on the head for us!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Havana Road - Towson, MD
Yesterday we ate at Havana Road. Amy had a Groupon for $20 that I think she paid $10 for.
http://havanaroad.com/
There was nothing to be impressed about. And I tried.
We got there, went inside, and told the lady that we would sit outside. It was a beautiful day. Warm with nice breezes blowing. As with so many of these outings, we chose something we could walk to from work.
Sidebar: We didn't realize that it was Restaurant Week. Oops. There was a guy with a camera on Pennsylvania, and a girl with a microphone. The stopped us to interview us. I quickly stepped out of frame, leaving Amy to bask in the glow of the camera. The interviewer said "Are you going to just leave her like that?" with a smile on her face. I said, "Yup." And smiled right back. Amy is the more outgoing one. I am a programmer for crying out loud! TV is for watching other people on, not myself! Haha. The lady asked how we relieved the guilt about eating at Restaurant Week. Amy smirked and answered, "Well, we walk here from work, so we are getting our exercise!" The funny thing being that neither of us remembered it was Restaurant Week before they had stopped us, and we try to walk to lunch whenever possible. Gotta take all the exercise we can get! :)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
We ordered drinks while inside. We had been here once before and remembered that it was very, very slow last time. Then we sat down. She brought us our drinks, and Amy made the fatal error of telling the lady we needed more time browsing the menus.
She finally came back like ten minutes later. Yep, this is the slowness I remember. She came back as I was getting up to go get her.
We ordered the Arroz Con Pollo. I remember it as being good last time. When it finally came out, my memory was breaking apart around the edges. I didn't remember this taste! It was very tomato saucy.
Well, we finished and needed boxes. So we waited for what felt like ten minutes or so and finally got the boxes and the check.
Walking away, I told the waitress Thank You. She said "Yeah". I think they call that service here.
Ratings (0 bad -5 fantastic)
Food: 2
Service: 1.5
Ambiance: 3, cause it was a beautiful day in Towson
Take home message: You better have a pretty compelling reason for dragging me back here if I am not feeling like having a leisurely lunch.
http://havanaroad.com/
There was nothing to be impressed about. And I tried.
We got there, went inside, and told the lady that we would sit outside. It was a beautiful day. Warm with nice breezes blowing. As with so many of these outings, we chose something we could walk to from work.
Sidebar: We didn't realize that it was Restaurant Week. Oops. There was a guy with a camera on Pennsylvania, and a girl with a microphone. The stopped us to interview us. I quickly stepped out of frame, leaving Amy to bask in the glow of the camera. The interviewer said "Are you going to just leave her like that?" with a smile on her face. I said, "Yup." And smiled right back. Amy is the more outgoing one. I am a programmer for crying out loud! TV is for watching other people on, not myself! Haha. The lady asked how we relieved the guilt about eating at Restaurant Week. Amy smirked and answered, "Well, we walk here from work, so we are getting our exercise!" The funny thing being that neither of us remembered it was Restaurant Week before they had stopped us, and we try to walk to lunch whenever possible. Gotta take all the exercise we can get! :)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
We ordered drinks while inside. We had been here once before and remembered that it was very, very slow last time. Then we sat down. She brought us our drinks, and Amy made the fatal error of telling the lady we needed more time browsing the menus.
She finally came back like ten minutes later. Yep, this is the slowness I remember. She came back as I was getting up to go get her.
We ordered the Arroz Con Pollo. I remember it as being good last time. When it finally came out, my memory was breaking apart around the edges. I didn't remember this taste! It was very tomato saucy.
Well, we finished and needed boxes. So we waited for what felt like ten minutes or so and finally got the boxes and the check.
Walking away, I told the waitress Thank You. She said "Yeah". I think they call that service here.
Ratings (0 bad -5 fantastic)
Food: 2
Service: 1.5
Ambiance: 3, cause it was a beautiful day in Towson
Take home message: You better have a pretty compelling reason for dragging me back here if I am not feeling like having a leisurely lunch.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Spice & Dice, Towson, MD
http://www.thaispiceanddice.com
This week we went to Spice & Dice in Towson, MD using a Groupon/Living Social/I really can't remember which "deal-pon" we used. It doesn't matter, I guess!
This was an interesting experience. Since this was done before we decided to start the blog, I don't have any pictures.
But here is our experience, from start to finish
A group from work had gone to Spice & Dice the previous week. All reported that it had been good all around, from service to food. Amy had a coupon for some amount, and I hadn't been able to go the week before (car was in the shop), so we decided to go, the first time for me, and the second or so time for Amy. As far as I can remember, the only complaint about Spice & Dice was that the food was not as spicy as some could have liked, but that isn't too unusual.
We came in, we sat down. Our friend was joining us, so we ordered waters and sodas and waited a few moments for her. In short order, we had ordered and the waiter brought us these spring roll things. They were very tasty! Amy tried to steal mine, and I had to fight her off with my fork. True story!
Then Amy yells "OW!" We both look at her, only slightly askance as we await her explanation. She is scratching her ankle/foot at this point and says that something bit her. Hmmm...
I peek under the table. There is a long line of ants travelling directly under her! Apparently, as our frind had pointed out, these little guys had found a noodle and were attempting to extricate it from the restaurant. I guess one of them thought Amy's foot looked like a noodle? Who knows.
Well, ants will be ants, and even the most fastidious of kitchens can have trouble keeping the little buggers out when they want to be in, so we decided to ignore our little bout with nature, and still in good humor, we switched tables.
When the server returned with our food, he looked perplexed at our location change for a moment, and then gave us our food. We took pity on him in his confusion and explained that we had moved because of the ants.
Then he goes, cleans the table, then seats another party at the ant table.
Seriously, dude! Ants tried to eat Amy, you really shouldn't seat people at a table where there be man eating ants. Oh well.
We did tell the latest party that there were ants. They inspected the ants, then also chose to move tables.
I guess at this point the guy decided that the ants were real. We saw him doing something to the table after the second party relocated. I am not sure what.
So what did I have to eat you might ask on a blog about eating? Really, I don't know. All I can remember is that Amy got bit by an ant. And we all had the heebie jeebies for the rest of the day. Is that how you spell heebie jeebies you ask? I don't know. So there you go!
I do recall getting something with shrimp. Oh, and broccoli. Oh, and big, fat, flat noodles. In some kind of sauce. No clue what kind. I think this was Thai food? Beats me.
The broccoli was very good, perfectly cooked! Noodles are noodles. And the shrimp was nothing to write home about, so I won't.
Then we got some chocolate ice cream to take with us. We took it with us because even though he was very prompt and attentive for the first part of the meal, he took a while getting back to us with the check and boxes and stuff.
And I have no idea what anybody else ate.
So, I can't guarantee you will see ants if you go, but the food was good in all of its unremarkableness.
Ratings (0 bad -5 fantastic)
Food: 3.5
Service: 2.5
Ambiance: 3, cause the ants weren't their fault
Take home message: I would go back...if somebody asked me to. Probably not on my own though.
This week we went to Spice & Dice in Towson, MD using a Groupon/Living Social/I really can't remember which "deal-pon" we used. It doesn't matter, I guess!
This was an interesting experience. Since this was done before we decided to start the blog, I don't have any pictures.
But here is our experience, from start to finish
A group from work had gone to Spice & Dice the previous week. All reported that it had been good all around, from service to food. Amy had a coupon for some amount, and I hadn't been able to go the week before (car was in the shop), so we decided to go, the first time for me, and the second or so time for Amy. As far as I can remember, the only complaint about Spice & Dice was that the food was not as spicy as some could have liked, but that isn't too unusual.
We came in, we sat down. Our friend was joining us, so we ordered waters and sodas and waited a few moments for her. In short order, we had ordered and the waiter brought us these spring roll things. They were very tasty! Amy tried to steal mine, and I had to fight her off with my fork. True story!
Then Amy yells "OW!" We both look at her, only slightly askance as we await her explanation. She is scratching her ankle/foot at this point and says that something bit her. Hmmm...
I peek under the table. There is a long line of ants travelling directly under her! Apparently, as our frind had pointed out, these little guys had found a noodle and were attempting to extricate it from the restaurant. I guess one of them thought Amy's foot looked like a noodle? Who knows.
Well, ants will be ants, and even the most fastidious of kitchens can have trouble keeping the little buggers out when they want to be in, so we decided to ignore our little bout with nature, and still in good humor, we switched tables.
When the server returned with our food, he looked perplexed at our location change for a moment, and then gave us our food. We took pity on him in his confusion and explained that we had moved because of the ants.
Then he goes, cleans the table, then seats another party at the ant table.
Seriously, dude! Ants tried to eat Amy, you really shouldn't seat people at a table where there be man eating ants. Oh well.
We did tell the latest party that there were ants. They inspected the ants, then also chose to move tables.
I guess at this point the guy decided that the ants were real. We saw him doing something to the table after the second party relocated. I am not sure what.
So what did I have to eat you might ask on a blog about eating? Really, I don't know. All I can remember is that Amy got bit by an ant. And we all had the heebie jeebies for the rest of the day. Is that how you spell heebie jeebies you ask? I don't know. So there you go!
I do recall getting something with shrimp. Oh, and broccoli. Oh, and big, fat, flat noodles. In some kind of sauce. No clue what kind. I think this was Thai food? Beats me.
The broccoli was very good, perfectly cooked! Noodles are noodles. And the shrimp was nothing to write home about, so I won't.
Then we got some chocolate ice cream to take with us. We took it with us because even though he was very prompt and attentive for the first part of the meal, he took a while getting back to us with the check and boxes and stuff.
And I have no idea what anybody else ate.
So, I can't guarantee you will see ants if you go, but the food was good in all of its unremarkableness.
Ratings (0 bad -5 fantastic)
Food: 3.5
Service: 2.5
Ambiance: 3, cause the ants weren't their fault
Take home message: I would go back...if somebody asked me to. Probably not on my own though.
Spice & Dice - Towson, MD
This will be a hard one... I've been here twice now. The first time with no deal coupon, this last one, I had a $10 for $20, I believe. I'll review the first visit as well, since it was a better experience and perhaps it was an off-day for them on my last visit.
First visit: Pretty busy - meaning over half of the tables were occupied. Cute interior and funky furnishings. Seemed a little odd since the other side over the 3/4 wall is a comic book store, but ok. I'm good with that. Our server was prompt and we got our complimentary little spring roll with sauce (I really like that idea) and then orders were taken. My friend, Rob, said he wanted his REALLY spicy and the waitress basically said, "I dunno.... I'll make it a half-spice and bring you the spice tray to compensate if it's not hot enough." But... but... but he asked for super spicy??!! He didn't argue and went with it. Our food was tasty and fresh but there wasn't a HINT of spice in it. It's Thai food. Should have some heat. She was good about refilling our drinks and keeping up with clearing our plates, etc. and they brought out the complimentary chocolate ice cream (again... love that). All is well and good.
Enter SECOND visit: Only one other table occupied. Still the same 2 servers there, so I'm not worried. It took a LOOOONG time for our server to come over. We ordered and I asked for "VERY spicy". He asked "1, 2, or 3?" I said a resounding "3!!!!!". Ok. A LONG time later, we got our spring rolls and then another LONG time later we got our food. Let me digress for a moment. While we're waiting this very long time, I suddenly screamed like a banshee and knee-planted the underside of our table because I was sure a freakin' scorpion had just bit my foot. I had on flip flops. When I was able to untangle myself from the table I found an ant still clinging for dear life to my foot. WHAT??? Cathy then looks down and sees an ARMY of ants under our table carrying noodles off in formation like a cartoon. SWARMS of ants. We changed tables and the other occuppied table looked at us in concern and curiosity until I informed them (and the waitress) that I had been bit by one of the ants in the army under our table.
Moving on... we get our food. Not a HINT of heat in my drunken noodles. Not a BIT. ("Level 3" where?") Another couple now occupies our old ant table. Nobody tells them to move. Cathy turns around and informs them that there is an armada of ants under the table and that they should move. They do, and thank her profusely. Why hasn't anyone fixed this yet? I dunno.
After we are done eating and waiting.... and waiting... and waiting for our ice cream and check, Cathy finally summons our server and says, "Um... our lunch hour is DONE. Can we please get the check??". He then takes a long time to BRING the check and asks if we want our ice cream. Uh.... YEAH!!!
Rating:
Food: 2
Ambiance: 2
Service: 2
Take home: Don't go unless you like your Thai pretty bland (although fresh), you have time to kill, and you wear footwear that covers the entire foot. And don't sit near the ant window.
First visit: Pretty busy - meaning over half of the tables were occupied. Cute interior and funky furnishings. Seemed a little odd since the other side over the 3/4 wall is a comic book store, but ok. I'm good with that. Our server was prompt and we got our complimentary little spring roll with sauce (I really like that idea) and then orders were taken. My friend, Rob, said he wanted his REALLY spicy and the waitress basically said, "I dunno.... I'll make it a half-spice and bring you the spice tray to compensate if it's not hot enough." But... but... but he asked for super spicy??!! He didn't argue and went with it. Our food was tasty and fresh but there wasn't a HINT of spice in it. It's Thai food. Should have some heat. She was good about refilling our drinks and keeping up with clearing our plates, etc. and they brought out the complimentary chocolate ice cream (again... love that). All is well and good.
Enter SECOND visit: Only one other table occupied. Still the same 2 servers there, so I'm not worried. It took a LOOOONG time for our server to come over. We ordered and I asked for "VERY spicy". He asked "1, 2, or 3?" I said a resounding "3!!!!!". Ok. A LONG time later, we got our spring rolls and then another LONG time later we got our food. Let me digress for a moment. While we're waiting this very long time, I suddenly screamed like a banshee and knee-planted the underside of our table because I was sure a freakin' scorpion had just bit my foot. I had on flip flops. When I was able to untangle myself from the table I found an ant still clinging for dear life to my foot. WHAT??? Cathy then looks down and sees an ARMY of ants under our table carrying noodles off in formation like a cartoon. SWARMS of ants. We changed tables and the other occuppied table looked at us in concern and curiosity until I informed them (and the waitress) that I had been bit by one of the ants in the army under our table.
Moving on... we get our food. Not a HINT of heat in my drunken noodles. Not a BIT. ("Level 3" where?") Another couple now occupies our old ant table. Nobody tells them to move. Cathy turns around and informs them that there is an armada of ants under the table and that they should move. They do, and thank her profusely. Why hasn't anyone fixed this yet? I dunno.
After we are done eating and waiting.... and waiting... and waiting for our ice cream and check, Cathy finally summons our server and says, "Um... our lunch hour is DONE. Can we please get the check??". He then takes a long time to BRING the check and asks if we want our ice cream. Uh.... YEAH!!!
Rating:
Food: 2
Ambiance: 2
Service: 2
Take home: Don't go unless you like your Thai pretty bland (although fresh), you have time to kill, and you wear footwear that covers the entire foot. And don't sit near the ant window.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Patrick's - Cockeysville, MD
Tonight's dinner was at Patrick's in Cockeysville, MD. I had a $20 for $40. We kept putting off using it because we think of it as "the old people place" but it does expire kinda soon, so we muscled up and went. I mean, I bought it... I better use it. Turns out it's the first day of Baltimore Restaurant Week, which usually means you can't use a deal coupon, but they kindly said that as long as we didn't order off of the Restaurant Week special menu, we'd be fine. Fine with us. We chose to eat in the "Lounge" (read "BAR") area and it was actually almost full. There are probably 10 real tables and a long bar that was full except for the last 3 seats at the end. We took the last 2. We were definately the youngest people in there, but hey... old people know a deal, right?
The menu had so many tasty things on it, I had a very, very difficult time choosing what to get. I wasn't super-hungry after our FEAST at lunch at India Palace so I went with the broiled parmesan red tomatoes appetizer and the clams casino. I never order clams casino because they're expensive. I mean, for 6 clams, it costs $10?? But when you're using a deal coupon, I feel like everything is half off, so I can do it for $5. I'm sure glad I did. The Boyfriend (hereon referenced as "bf") ordered the filet mignon sandwich.
The tomatoes came out very quickly, which was nice. I can't say the tomatoes themselves were all that great - kinda mealy like you know they came from a grocery store and not a farmer's market and they certainly weren't heirloom, but they didn't claim to be. They were HUGE slices, however, and had a deliciously addictive super-herby-cheesy breadcrumb crispy topping. They also came with a little pile of shaved aged parmesan that the bf tried to eat with a fork until I gave him a beat-down. "You can only have the parmesan if you are eating a tomato." He didn't like that a bit.... Between the 2 of us, we ate 3 of the 4 massive slices.
The rest of our food came out shortly after we were done with our appetizer, which is just how I likes it! His sandwich looked very tasty - plenty of meat and carmelized onions and cheese. It also came with a large serving of french fries (and I didn't even eat ONE!! Yay, me!!). My clams casino looked drool-worthy. And they were. They didn't have "bacon crumbles" or "bacon bits". They had a big ol' slice of smoky, crispy bacon on top of each one. The breadcrumb topping was so light that at first I wasn't even sure it was there - it was the perfect amount. The buttery, peppered sauce was to DIE FOR. I limited myself to only slurping the juice from 4 of the 6 clam shells since I felt all that butter and richness would make me sick (although I was almost ready to throw caution to the wind and do it). Turns out I could have slurped the other 2 because I didn't have any problems after all! GRRRR. (Here's a secret, though... I picked the crunchy cheesy topping off the last tomato and started dunking it in those last 2 juicy clam shells and it was even freakin' better). I ended up giving the bf the last of the topping AND put the shards of parmesan he had coveted earlier onto a fork and handed it over. That's love, people.
As for the ambiance - it was great. Yeah, lots of older folks but it was quiet and felt friendly. The bartender, who was also our server, was magnificent. She made sure we always had everything, asked how things were, cleaned things up quickly, and was working her tail off making drinks for the rest of the restaurant at the same time. Since we were at the end of the bar, I was next to where all the servers go to enter in their orders and get their drinks and they were all very friendly to each other and trying to help each other out and just felt like a nice family.
Our $40 coupon more than covered our food bill, but with our drinks, we ended up paying a little more. Good deal!
Rating:
Food: 4.5
Ambiance: 4
Service: 5+
Take home: Go. And definately get the clams casino!!! Sit at the bar if you can.
The menu had so many tasty things on it, I had a very, very difficult time choosing what to get. I wasn't super-hungry after our FEAST at lunch at India Palace so I went with the broiled parmesan red tomatoes appetizer and the clams casino. I never order clams casino because they're expensive. I mean, for 6 clams, it costs $10?? But when you're using a deal coupon, I feel like everything is half off, so I can do it for $5. I'm sure glad I did. The Boyfriend (hereon referenced as "bf") ordered the filet mignon sandwich.
The tomatoes came out very quickly, which was nice. I can't say the tomatoes themselves were all that great - kinda mealy like you know they came from a grocery store and not a farmer's market and they certainly weren't heirloom, but they didn't claim to be. They were HUGE slices, however, and had a deliciously addictive super-herby-cheesy breadcrumb crispy topping. They also came with a little pile of shaved aged parmesan that the bf tried to eat with a fork until I gave him a beat-down. "You can only have the parmesan if you are eating a tomato." He didn't like that a bit.... Between the 2 of us, we ate 3 of the 4 massive slices.
Our $40 coupon more than covered our food bill, but with our drinks, we ended up paying a little more. Good deal!
Rating:
Food: 4.5
Ambiance: 4
Service: 5+
Take home: Go. And definately get the clams casino!!! Sit at the bar if you can.
India Palace - Cockeysville, where did you come from?
This all started as Vanessa and I finished once again verbally "reviewing" the restaurant thus far (we hadn't gotten our food yet, but there was plenty to comment on) and Vanessa pipes up that we should "write out own Groupon restaurant blog". As the idea swam around in our heads, it became a better and better idea. We both have a lot to say about restaurants, and we both like trying out new ones when we can find a good deal. We both also go looking at Yelp and Urbanspoon before going ANYWHERE. So, as you can imagine, Vanessa had our blog SET UP before we even finished lunch. Yeah, she's like that.
Anywhoooo.... on to the restaurant.
I'd been to India Palace several times years ago and was less than impressed with it. It was always dead empty and the food was unmemorable. The buffet was adequate but again not memorable. Since then, I've been going to other local Indian restaurants that were marginally better. However, Groupon stepped in and offered a $15 for $30 deal and I couldn't resist. So, off we go! You couldn't use the Groupon for the lunch buffet, but that's fine, because neither of us can eat even a quarter of our worth in buffets so we order meals and take the leftovers home. (Actually, I got her leftovers today, too!!) The first thing we noticed (other than in addition to the Indian grocery story on one side of the restaurant) was that there is now a threading salon on the other side. Maybe when we come back next time, there will be another Indian establishment! I love Indian ingredients AND threading.
When we walked in, we were AMAZED at how crowded it was! Almost every table was taken up and one of them had about 20 people at it. I swear I saw monkeys and trapeez artists swinging across the roof because it was as loud as a zoo and people were just zipping around with plates piled high with tasty-looking food. There were only 2 workers in the entire place (well, out front - I'm sure others were cooking in the back, or I'd be REALLY impressed!) and one of them half-heartedly showed us to a table in the back/side and when I said I was going to order from the menu (which I had to grab from the front desk myself), he said, "That's fine" without even looking at me. Okaaayyyyy.... questionable so far. When he came over to take our order, I ordered chicken tikka masala, SPICY PLEASE, a diet Coke, and a water. Vanessa then says, "I'll take chicken tikka masala, too. And a regular Coke and a water." He just kinda turned around and left. We stared at each other and I said, "I think you're getting yours spicy, too." Vanessa does NOT like spicy. At all. She just kinda resignedly said something like, "Yeah, I know." Sigh. After a while, we were kinda wondering how bad it really was going to be since we hadn't gotten our sodas yet. The whole time the two servers were rushing around cleaning tables, refilling the buffet, etc. All of the diners were just happily chatting away and shoving mounds of food in their mouths. They didn't seem to want to leave, which gave me hope. When we finally got our food, the server put down my dish and it had a jalapeno pepper on top. He put down Vanessa's and it was noticeably lighter in color and had no pepper on it. Score! He turns and walks away and Vanessa says (with sad puppy dog eyes), "But we didn't get our drinks." I told her I think he was coming back because we had no rice, either. He did come back - with rice, a diet Coke and a regular Coke. Things are looking up.
The chicken tikka masala was amazingly delicious and was loaded with big chunks of chicken. It had a lot of depth of flavor and they actually DID make it hot for me. Like Indian-spice hot. Nobody else does that, to my annoyance. The naan was good. I wish they offered garlic naan. hmph. I went up and inspected the buffet table and it was lookin' goooood. They offered two kinds of soup, veggie pakoras, samosas, the typical salads, a bunch of vegetarian dishes but also tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, and Chicken Curry. Or maybe it was Butter Chicken. Or maybe they're the same thing. I can't remember. It made me want to eat the buffet next time. Until Vanessa spotted this..... The two creepy guys at the table behind us took their DIRTY PLATES UP TO THE BUFFET TO RELOAD!!! So I says, "Maybe not the buffet next time after all."
So, 2 ample-sized servings of chicken tikka masala, an order of naan, and two sodas came to like $32. With tip and tax, it cost us $8 after using our Groupon. AND he brought us out complimentary dessert! We decided that the servers were focused and not necessarily rude. They were just not interactive, but then again... I don't know how they did it all so calmly! That place was packed!! And people are rude - like the couple that had their 2 kids there, eating Chik-fil-a and left their trash on the table, the chair pulled out, and the cloth napkins on the floor. Watch your kids, people.
Ratings (0 bad - 5 fantastic)
Food: 5
Service: (wow, hard to say since they did it all right, just weren't "nice") 3
Ambiance: 2 (it was like a zoo in there... I couldn't even hear Vanessa)
Take home message: AMAZING food. I'm totally going again and getting the buffet if there aren't any creepy old men nearby.
Anywhoooo.... on to the restaurant.
I'd been to India Palace several times years ago and was less than impressed with it. It was always dead empty and the food was unmemorable. The buffet was adequate but again not memorable. Since then, I've been going to other local Indian restaurants that were marginally better. However, Groupon stepped in and offered a $15 for $30 deal and I couldn't resist. So, off we go! You couldn't use the Groupon for the lunch buffet, but that's fine, because neither of us can eat even a quarter of our worth in buffets so we order meals and take the leftovers home. (Actually, I got her leftovers today, too!!) The first thing we noticed (other than in addition to the Indian grocery story on one side of the restaurant) was that there is now a threading salon on the other side. Maybe when we come back next time, there will be another Indian establishment! I love Indian ingredients AND threading.
When we walked in, we were AMAZED at how crowded it was! Almost every table was taken up and one of them had about 20 people at it. I swear I saw monkeys and trapeez artists swinging across the roof because it was as loud as a zoo and people were just zipping around with plates piled high with tasty-looking food. There were only 2 workers in the entire place (well, out front - I'm sure others were cooking in the back, or I'd be REALLY impressed!) and one of them half-heartedly showed us to a table in the back/side and when I said I was going to order from the menu (which I had to grab from the front desk myself), he said, "That's fine" without even looking at me. Okaaayyyyy.... questionable so far. When he came over to take our order, I ordered chicken tikka masala, SPICY PLEASE, a diet Coke, and a water. Vanessa then says, "I'll take chicken tikka masala, too. And a regular Coke and a water." He just kinda turned around and left. We stared at each other and I said, "I think you're getting yours spicy, too." Vanessa does NOT like spicy. At all. She just kinda resignedly said something like, "Yeah, I know." Sigh. After a while, we were kinda wondering how bad it really was going to be since we hadn't gotten our sodas yet. The whole time the two servers were rushing around cleaning tables, refilling the buffet, etc. All of the diners were just happily chatting away and shoving mounds of food in their mouths. They didn't seem to want to leave, which gave me hope. When we finally got our food, the server put down my dish and it had a jalapeno pepper on top. He put down Vanessa's and it was noticeably lighter in color and had no pepper on it. Score! He turns and walks away and Vanessa says (with sad puppy dog eyes), "But we didn't get our drinks." I told her I think he was coming back because we had no rice, either. He did come back - with rice, a diet Coke and a regular Coke. Things are looking up.
The chicken tikka masala was amazingly delicious and was loaded with big chunks of chicken. It had a lot of depth of flavor and they actually DID make it hot for me. Like Indian-spice hot. Nobody else does that, to my annoyance. The naan was good. I wish they offered garlic naan. hmph. I went up and inspected the buffet table and it was lookin' goooood. They offered two kinds of soup, veggie pakoras, samosas, the typical salads, a bunch of vegetarian dishes but also tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, and Chicken Curry. Or maybe it was Butter Chicken. Or maybe they're the same thing. I can't remember. It made me want to eat the buffet next time. Until Vanessa spotted this..... The two creepy guys at the table behind us took their DIRTY PLATES UP TO THE BUFFET TO RELOAD!!! So I says, "Maybe not the buffet next time after all."
So, 2 ample-sized servings of chicken tikka masala, an order of naan, and two sodas came to like $32. With tip and tax, it cost us $8 after using our Groupon. AND he brought us out complimentary dessert! We decided that the servers were focused and not necessarily rude. They were just not interactive, but then again... I don't know how they did it all so calmly! That place was packed!! And people are rude - like the couple that had their 2 kids there, eating Chik-fil-a and left their trash on the table, the chair pulled out, and the cloth napkins on the floor. Watch your kids, people.
Ratings (0 bad - 5 fantastic)
Food: 5
Service: (wow, hard to say since they did it all right, just weren't "nice") 3
Ambiance: 2 (it was like a zoo in there... I couldn't even hear Vanessa)
Take home message: AMAZING food. I'm totally going again and getting the buffet if there aren't any creepy old men nearby.
India Palace, Cockeysville, MD
Today, Amy and I went to India Palace in Cockeysville to use a Groupon she bought last week.
I think we had both been there before, but neither of us recalled a remarkable experience, so it was time to try again. And we had a Groupon. And we wanted Indian. Not too hard of a choice really!
The Groupon was bought for $15 and gave us $30 worth of spending power. It was not available for use on the buffet, but that wasn't surprising. For the most part, they never are.
First of all, we got there and the place was packed. Our memories of this place was one of abject emptiness, so having almost every table full was a complete shock.
Eventually, one of the two guys running things in the front found us, and took us to a table. Amy grabbed a couple of menus on the way, correctly surmising that this guy thought we were here for the buffet.
We sat down.
And we waited.
The other guy gave us some water.
And we waited.
He finally came back and took our order. Amy ordered a diet coke, chicken tikka masala - spicy, and some naan. I, being entirely unoriginal and not very experimental, ordered a coke and chicken tikka masala. The waiter kind of grunted noncommittally, we weren't entirely sure that he had really paid attention, then ran off to somewhere else. I don't think he even wrote my order down. Amy said, "I hope yours doesn't come back spicy." I agreed. In addition to not being very experimental when it comes to food, I also don't like spicy.
Then we waited.
We were at lunch, and lunch is supposed to be one hour long. Well, looks like an extended lunch for us.
And we waited.
I was starting to wonder if he had forgotten about us. In that time, we had plenty of opportunity to speculate that the large party taking up most of their resources was probably a retirement party, that there were only two waiters working the approximately 30 or so tables, that the two men behind Amy took their dirty plates back up to the buffet for their next fill, the fan kept tickling my neck, causing Amy to wonder why it hadn't actually sucked up my ponytail and try to kill me, that is was getting a little bit warm in there, and finally, the idea to start a blog about our dining experiences.
We were both so intrigued by this idea, that we talked about it quite a bit during our incredible wait, and, as such things go, a blog is born!
Finally our food arrived. Well, the chicken tikka masala and the naan arrived. We still hadn't gotten our cokes. and he hadn't brought us rice yet. I'll be the first to admit that I don't really know much about Indian food, but I was reasonably certain that chicken tikka masala came with rice. We nibbled on the naan, dipping it into the sauce. Amy's dish had come back pretty spicy, and mine, not so much. He was listening to us after all!!
I mentioned to Amy that I thought he had forgotten our drinks. Then lo and behold, I see him coming back with two cokes and some rice! Finally!
First, a drink of my soda. I waited so long for that soda, I thought it might be something special. Well, it was just coke, but whatever.
Then rice went on my plate, followed by some chicken tikka masala. This was the result:
And it was good! I very much enjoyed the food. I never got my soda refilled, but the water was always refilled, and at least the food wasn't terrible. Quite the opposite in fact.
Finally finished, it took us a while to get the boxes for our leftovers. But he brought out some more rice for us to take with us, so that was nice. Then he brought the check and some rice pudding stuff that wasn't really sweet, and some donut like things that were pretty sweet, soaking in honey. They were both fair on their own. The donuts were a little to sweet for me at first, but when I followed it up with the rice pudding, it kind of evened itself out.
Overall, not too bad of an experience, though the service wasn't all it could have been, but considering the place was packed and there were only two servers, I got the idea this wasn't their usual speed. And while at first the waiter seemed rude, by the end, he just seemed harried.
On a side note: We scoped the buffet out a little bit. It looks like it has a good selection, better than some other places I have seen. They had naan on the buffet, the classics - chicken tikka masala and tandoori chicken - and two soups. I didn't look to see what kind of soup they had, I am not really a soup kinda gal.
Service: 2.5
Ambiance: 2.5
Take home message: I would go back for the food.
I think we had both been there before, but neither of us recalled a remarkable experience, so it was time to try again. And we had a Groupon. And we wanted Indian. Not too hard of a choice really!
The Groupon was bought for $15 and gave us $30 worth of spending power. It was not available for use on the buffet, but that wasn't surprising. For the most part, they never are.
First of all, we got there and the place was packed. Our memories of this place was one of abject emptiness, so having almost every table full was a complete shock.
Eventually, one of the two guys running things in the front found us, and took us to a table. Amy grabbed a couple of menus on the way, correctly surmising that this guy thought we were here for the buffet.
We sat down.
And we waited.
The other guy gave us some water.
And we waited.
He finally came back and took our order. Amy ordered a diet coke, chicken tikka masala - spicy, and some naan. I, being entirely unoriginal and not very experimental, ordered a coke and chicken tikka masala. The waiter kind of grunted noncommittally, we weren't entirely sure that he had really paid attention, then ran off to somewhere else. I don't think he even wrote my order down. Amy said, "I hope yours doesn't come back spicy." I agreed. In addition to not being very experimental when it comes to food, I also don't like spicy.
Then we waited.
We were at lunch, and lunch is supposed to be one hour long. Well, looks like an extended lunch for us.
And we waited.
I was starting to wonder if he had forgotten about us. In that time, we had plenty of opportunity to speculate that the large party taking up most of their resources was probably a retirement party, that there were only two waiters working the approximately 30 or so tables, that the two men behind Amy took their dirty plates back up to the buffet for their next fill, the fan kept tickling my neck, causing Amy to wonder why it hadn't actually sucked up my ponytail and try to kill me, that is was getting a little bit warm in there, and finally, the idea to start a blog about our dining experiences.
We were both so intrigued by this idea, that we talked about it quite a bit during our incredible wait, and, as such things go, a blog is born!
Finally our food arrived. Well, the chicken tikka masala and the naan arrived. We still hadn't gotten our cokes. and he hadn't brought us rice yet. I'll be the first to admit that I don't really know much about Indian food, but I was reasonably certain that chicken tikka masala came with rice. We nibbled on the naan, dipping it into the sauce. Amy's dish had come back pretty spicy, and mine, not so much. He was listening to us after all!!
I mentioned to Amy that I thought he had forgotten our drinks. Then lo and behold, I see him coming back with two cokes and some rice! Finally!
First, a drink of my soda. I waited so long for that soda, I thought it might be something special. Well, it was just coke, but whatever.
Then rice went on my plate, followed by some chicken tikka masala. This was the result:
And it was good! I very much enjoyed the food. I never got my soda refilled, but the water was always refilled, and at least the food wasn't terrible. Quite the opposite in fact.
Finally finished, it took us a while to get the boxes for our leftovers. But he brought out some more rice for us to take with us, so that was nice. Then he brought the check and some rice pudding stuff that wasn't really sweet, and some donut like things that were pretty sweet, soaking in honey. They were both fair on their own. The donuts were a little to sweet for me at first, but when I followed it up with the rice pudding, it kind of evened itself out.
Overall, not too bad of an experience, though the service wasn't all it could have been, but considering the place was packed and there were only two servers, I got the idea this wasn't their usual speed. And while at first the waiter seemed rude, by the end, he just seemed harried.
On a side note: We scoped the buffet out a little bit. It looks like it has a good selection, better than some other places I have seen. They had naan on the buffet, the classics - chicken tikka masala and tandoori chicken - and two soups. I didn't look to see what kind of soup they had, I am not really a soup kinda gal.
Ratings (0 bad -5 fantastic)
Food: 4Service: 2.5
Ambiance: 2.5
Take home message: I would go back for the food.
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