Quality over quantity.

aaaaaaaaand i'm back! Wow, it's been a while huh?

Now that I'm done traveling the world (for the time being), I can finally come back to reality and start my posts again- finally

Well this past weekend I got to spend time with Schwartzy-bear! I haven't seen Jeff Schwartz since the night we won thousands of dollars at Foxwoods (I think he's my good luck charm) and so I was very excited when he asked me to go to a wedding with him!.. it got me thinking about our wedding. No, not me and Bruner's...... me and Schwartz's. :)

We had a great time at the wedding and were very quick to decide to extend our night with dinner (it was a day wedding) with Sundar and Shaman! (I haven't visited the cripple since he got his surgery, so Schwartz and I were pretty keen on seeing Sundar)

We ended up going to Esca for dinner- which is right by Sundar and Shaman's (cripples apparently can't walk far).

All I have to say is, I can barely write about the food at Esca. Why you ask? Well, it's not because the food wasn't good it was because it took so awfully long to get our dishes (I'm pretty sure I fell asleep after 2 hours at the restaurant) I can barely remember what it was like.

So we started off getting seated fairly quickly- which was great. We got the drinks menu.. and then... that's it. We sat there staring at the drinks menu for a good 15 minutes wondering where the regular menu was...

Finally after putting our drink orders in (20 minutes later) we got the actual menu where the server took about another 15 minutes describing every special thing about the menu to us. We know how to read buddy, thanks.

Finally deciding our order (4 entrees with 2 appetizers to share) the server highly suggested that we order more appetizers as they are not for sharing. He then pretentiously ended his statement with 'we aim for quality over quantity'. I hated him immediately- do you say that to girls too, buddy? He just seemed so unrefined after that point. How about you give me both.

After that point, it all went downhill. It literally took another 45 minutes to get our appetizers. What were they doing?! Fishing for the teeny tiny calamari that we got?! Planting and harvesting the extremely expensive tomatoes and corn?! Milking the goat for our goat cheese?!

When we finally got it though- it was pretty good. :)

Fiora Di Zucca- Zuchinni flower stuffed with goat's millk ricotta and herbs

Insalatina Di Pomodoro- Heirloom tomatoes with cheese and balsamic

Calamari with wheat oats (?)

Insalata di Granoturco- corn, chanterelle,walnut, goat cheese salad

I would have to say that the appetizers were definitely small and not enough for sharing. They were also all around $20 per plate which seemed extremely expensive for what we got. In the words of Jeff Schwartz: 'This is a $20 tomato.....'.

The corn appetizer was the best. Maybe because it was cooked with chanterelle mushrooms and therefore had that truffle-like aroma to it, but the sweetness of the corn was also amazing! The calamari, although very tiny, was also very flavorful and cooked perfectly. The goat cheese in the zuchinni dish was also great. Overall, I think we did a good job at picking the appetizers, minus the heirloom tomato salad.

Then.. we waited for our entrees... and then waited some more. A glimmer of hope surfaced when they came back 40 minutes later and put our silverware on the table. But then 30 minutes later, we still didn't have any food. Sadface.

Finally, 2 hours into our meal, we got our entrees. Sundar and Schwartz got the gnocchi while I got the Fritto Misto Amalfitano (mix of fried seafood). Shaman got the ravioli.

Fritto Misto Amalfitano

Gnocchi di Ricotta

The gnocchi that schwartz and sundar got were pretty good. The ricotta gnocchi was delicate and fluffy and the dish in its entirety seemed very light. Shaman's small ravioli dish seemed so excruciatingly tiny that I couldn't get a taste. But.. i'm sure it was good....

My fritto misto was.. eh. I'm not exactly sure what it was fried with/in (seminola flour maybe?) but the grainy texture of the dish was strange. Granted, the dish was not oily tasting and also seemed very light, it was not very flavorful and so I found my dish OK. Nothing too impressive- especially for 35 bucks.

At the end of the night, we weren't very satisfied with the meal (and the price). Averaging about $70 per person we were still a little bit hungry. So yes, the food was good and I did appreciate the delicate details of the emlusion of flavors in each dish, but really the service and strangely overly pretentious attitude threw me off. Sorry Mario Batali, your food was good, but the overall experience, meh. I don't think I will be returning

Maybe Italy tainted me, maybe I'm not used to restaurants needing to flaunt the 'quality' of their food (I stand by the fact that if the restaurant is good, they dont need to make stupid comments like 'we aim for quality over quantity'), or maybe I was just drunk from Schwartz' love potion. Either way, thank goodness my brothers were with me.... they make everything and anything bearable.

I can't wait for our large group date this weekend! Love you brothers!

Love,

Brotherette

Price: $$$$

Food: B

Service: C

Ambiance: B-

I love my class!

Wow, it’s been a while huh?

And I still have so many posts to write! I have been out and about for these past few weeks dining out with Eric and some new friends, and have been getting soooooooo fat. Seriously.

Well I can tell you that although I have been getting out of shape, (perfect for my Italy trip in 3 weeks, huh?) I have been having a blast!

Last week was the start of ITLDP Training. Being an early start in this program, I have been working alone for the past 6 months and I couldn’t be happier to have others with me at Raritan! I no longer have lonely lunches at work and can procrastinate like the best of them!

With two weeks to get fully acquainted with my entire class during training, we all fully took advantage of our corporate cards and went out to team bonding dinners-yum!

For the first week, we went to a variety of restaurants- Evelyn’s, Cheesecake, Ichiban, Tulas- but I would have to say that Evelyn’s and Tula’s was most memorable- and not to mention right next to each other!

Evelyn’s was our first dinner as a group.

Located in New Brunswick, it was a short drive from our hotel (and a short walk from Stuff Yer Face) and we were all happy to get to know each other better. Although loud and rowdy, the atmosphere was perfect for our initial gathering and the food proved to be quite interesting.

Although not the best food I’ve had (I got the tilapia and had scales in my dish- if you know me, you know how much that grosses me out), I really enjoyed the company and ended up really liking Evelyn’s. Not the best quality or the freshest ingredients, I didn’t enjoy my food too much- but you can bet that I enjoyed the company! Perhaps not a restaurant I’d visit again, I would say it was the perfect restaurant for a hot summer night.

I love our class!

Price:$$

Food: C+

Ambiance:B

Service:C+

Next door is Tula’s. Although the food is a little bit better (although not that great- and very overpriced), we had the privilege to celebrate one of our classmate’s birthday! Although, not necessarily the best place to have a loud and rowdy crowd (we actually got yelled at, and plenty of dirty looks) we had a blast and the servers were very accommodating.

I first got a lemonade at the bar- it was disgusting. The tart lemon juice mixed with a little water was awful and I quickly switched to water. As for my entrée, I got the Wild Mushroom Ravioli (it wasn’t on the menu but it had truffle oil!) while I got the fried calamari to start. The calamari was awful. I used to say that you couldn’t really go wrong with calamari but my calamari was pretty bad. Hard and extremely salty, the rings of rubber were not appetizing and I was a bit worried about my ravioli to come.

The ravioli was OK. Definitely not worth the price I paid (thanks J&J), the tart eggplant/tomato salad on top threw me off a bit.

All in all, the food was pretty bad. The décor and ambiance misled me and made me think that we were perhaps going to get a good meal that night. False.

In the end though, I had a blast. We got to celebrate a birthday, be loud and obnoxious and in the end, I got to become even closer with my class!

Did I mention that I love my class?

Food: C-

Price: $$

Ambiance: B+

Service: B+

City of Brotherly Love

There is one obvious fact about Carnegie Mellon that none of us can deny: they don't understand the power of brotherly love.

And although many do not know what it's even like, I was fortunate enough to spend some time this past weekend with some of my Pi Kappa Alpha brothers, and let me tell you- there was a ton of brotherly love.

In the midst of disappointment, anger and shock due to recent events, it was inevitable to band together this weekend to remind us of why we fought so hard for this organization that we all hold very dear to our hearts. I was quickly reminded of the love we all share for each other, how powerful we can be when united and how we can get together after months apart from each other and instantly reunite the bonds that are oh-so priceless.


I originally had planned to have dinner with just one, and it quickly turned into an 8-some! Not only is more the merrier, the rapid growth of our dinner group really exhibits how well connected we still are to each other- I love it.

So after many changes to our reservation plans, we finally had a table for 8 at Trattoria Trecolori in the Theatre District- some of us felt like Italian.

I'm not sure what to really write about in this post- do I talk about the great time I had with my brothers, or do I talk about the abundant amount of food we got?!?

We ended up getting an assortment of dishes off their menu: Piccata alla Trecolori (Veal), Farfalle Primavera, Rigatoni Foccacia, Gamberoni dello Chef (Shrimp with Risotto), Calamari alla Luciana (Calamari with Risotto), Petto di Pollo- Trefunghi (Chicken Marsala) and the Fritto Misto and Classico to start.

Petto di Pollo - Trefunghi

Franzi- care to share what this is?

Rigatoni Foccacia



Gamberoni dello Chef





Farfalle Primavera

Calamari alla Luciana

Piccata alla Trecolori

Although I am missing some pictures, I think we get the idea- lots of food.

Unfortunately, I cannot comment on how all of these tasted besides the two risotto dishes (fellas can comment on their own dishes if they would like). I got the Gamberoni dello Chef after long and careful thought- I really wanted the Spaghetti Carbonara, but after talking to Shaman he helped point out that I love seafood. Right you are Shaman.

My risotto was pretty interesting. I was expecting a risotto dish with shrimp mixed in but I got the opposite- plain looking rice with shrimp lined around the sides on top of a tomato cream sauce! Intrigued by the dish, I quickly dug in, appreciating the lemon-y risotto with the surrounding creamy red sauce. The shrimp were cooked perfectly and surprsingly, pretty big- especially when these days you get regular sized shrimp at restaurants when you order their 'jumbo shrimp' dish. Yum.

I then eyed Shellhammer's risotto dish- the Calamari alla Luciana. Undoubtedly the most interesting dish out of all the ones we got, Shellhammer's saffron risotto was topped with Calamari cooked in squid ink! After listening to Keshav comment on how 'indian' the dish was because of the saffron, I got to sample a quick bite of the dish itself! The risotto was great, although tasted more like rice cooked in some saffron broth versus a well-thought out risotto- but you can't help but to appreciate the beautiful saffron flavor. The squid ink was interesting- I've had squid ink pasta before but have never had a something cooked in a squid ink sauce. The texture it gives the dish is almost indescribable- the chalky, murkiness along with the rich, heaviness of squid ink is definitely unique and I believe can only truly be appreciated by individuals with unique palettes. I, sadly, do not have a unique palette and although I didn't necessarily not enjoy it, I don't think I got as much out of it as others would have- maybe I just need to eat more! Thanks Shellhammer for getting such an interesting dish- I will definitely try some squid ink dishes in the near future!

The food at Trattoria was good, not great, but it definitely did the trick. Located in the heart of times square, right by other great dining options, broadway shows, and various attractions, the location and prices are hard to beat!

Needless to say, I left Trattoria Trecolori quite satisfied- not necessarily because I had a great meal but because I had my brothers with me. I quickly thought to make this a monthly occassion, as such a short time with these great gentlemen is barely enough! I feel blessed to have them as my friends, but even more special to wear their letters....

Now I usually say that nothing is better than good food and good friends- but I have to say that I have proven myself wrong- what is better?? Well good food and my brothers, of course!

As we ended the night with more fun ahead of us....I think to myself... this really is the city of brotherly love...

Suck it, CMU.

Price:$$

Food: B+

Ambiance: B+

Service: B

Wish me luck!

So it seems like I live in Atlantic City these days...

Within the past two months, i've been to atlantic city twice, some type of casino establishment 3 times (yes 3 weekends in a row) and now i'm going back this weekend (tomorrow) to Borgata for father's day (my dad is making me!.. sort of)

Alright, my gambling habits are awful- but hey at least out of the bad habit, I gain a good habit of eating good food? I mean, how can you not go down to AC when you get free rooms at Borgata and the Water Club??? You can't resist it.

So two weekends ago, Eric and I decided to go back to Borgata to use our abundant amount of comps (and free room offers). We ate lots of good food and guess what- all of it was free!

Although, I will publish our dinner adventure at SeaBlue in another post, I thought I'd make this a post of two places I went to during my time in Atlantic City- Izakaya at the Borgata and Trattoria Il Mulino at the Taj Mahal.

So besides the huge gambling loss that weekend, I would have to say it was a great weekend with Eric. We got to go to the boardwalk, play some carnival games and pretend that we weren't addicted gamblers! Really, we had a great time.

Last time, with Shaman and BJ, we didn't do anything but stay at the BJ tables, so I was really happy to get out- and go to the Taj Mahal. Oh the memories that place brings back! My family used to go to AC every other weekend (you wonder where I get my gambling habits from) and i met my first boyfriend when i was 2 years old here- yes he was a white blonde boy- coincidence?

On our tour of the grand Taj Mahal, we thought we'd stop by and grab some lunch at Trattoria Il Mulino (really, i just wanted the corndogs they were selling on the boardwalk outside, but Eric forced me to eat here).. and i'm not really sure if I'm happy I came here or not...

The place was empty. Maybe it was the weird timing (2:30pm) but there was nobody in the restaurant and we were a bit hesitant to even go in- but they saw us.. so we had to :(

The menu was a bit limited for lunch so I got the items off the pre-fix menu while Eric got a caprese salad and farfalle pasta.

For my appetizer, I got some type of egg, spinach soup- i forget the name.. but it's really not that important because it wasn't that good.

As for my entree, I got the seabass sauteed in a light garlic caper sauce with a side of spinach. Surprisingly (after my mediocre soup) this dish was pretty good. The portion of fish was huge and the spinach was great! I didn't end up finishing my entree, but that was mainly because I was eating off of Eric's plate.. i can't help it.. I love pasta..

His farfalle dish was also good, but it really isn't hard to mess up pasta with garlic and olive oil. The vegetables were actually overcooked and really made the dish unappetizing.. next time, we're staying at the Borgata honey (... and i'm pretty sure my corn dog would have been better)

Soup

Sea Bass

Farfalle with Garlic and Olive Oil

Alright, so our meal at Trattoria Il Mulino wasn't that impressive- but I would have to say that the service was friendly... don't mistake that for 'good service'. I really liked the servers there.. but mostly because they liked booboofuku- the 60 dollar stuffed animal Eric won for me.. :)

I'd give this place an overall B.

And now on to Izakaya.

So Eric and I ventured to Izakaya, a Japanese restaurant at the Borgata around 11:30PM. We wanted a late night snack and were suprised by the number of people still waiting to be seated! We were excited for a quick roll or two at a seemingly good restaurant and hoped to get back to the tables in half an hour or so!

Eric and I decided to get two rolls to share and leave it at that. We 'stayed safe' with a shrimp tempura roll and he got the dragon roll (tuna, salmon, yellowtail roll with spicy tuna and avocado on top)

What a disappointment. Not only did we leave there way later than we wanted to, the food was not good.

Maybe it was because we got there so late into the night, but the rolls were not very good and were extremely pricey! (Thank goodness we got this meal for free- thank you comp dollars). My shrimp tempura roll smelled. Yes, smelled. It smelled like overcooked, rotting asparagus.. which i feel like is what they used in the roll. The taste wasn't appetizing at all and I made Eric finish the rest.

Eric's roll was a little better, but nothing too impressing. The fish wasn't necessarily the freshest (ok, again, we went at 11:30PM) but really, this place sucked. Not only did we not get our waters filled.. the server didn't even get us soy sauce! We waited for a good 10 minutes for some soy sauce but eventually I had to convince Eric to run over to another table and grab theirs.. boo.

I would have to say that Izakaya was a disappointment and they will be getting a C+ from me.. at least for this experience. Hopefully next time (if there is a next time) will be better for me.. but as for now, i'm sticking to Bobby Flay.

And that's it for me now.. will have more to report on this weekend when I go back!!! Wish me luck!

Yay for you, boo for me.

Happy Birthday Honey!...ok.. maybe i'm a little bit late. Just about a month?

But hey- this was all Shaman's fault- it took him like a year to get me these pictures!

Oh yes, the dear boy is finally 21! I now no longer have an excuse to stay in when my friends all ask me to go out with them- Eric can now come too! woot!

We all know we've been waiting a while for this time to come, I think the only people more excited than me and Eric that he is finally 21 are... the casino managers all over the country. Yes, Eric can now legally come to your establishment and gamble away his inheritance... yay for you. Boo for me.

So how did we celebrate his birthday you ask? At Atlantic City of course!!! (Did you even have to ask?)

From lots of gambling to good food, the whole gang (and by gang I mean Shaman, BJ, Eric and I) had a great time! Risky bets (Shaman), rudeness to the dealers (Shaman), lots of money loss (Bruner) and high limit tables basically sums it up! After it was all over we decided to retire to Bobby Flay Steak.. a steakhouse.. by Bobby Flay (surprise surprise!)

We got a ton of food. The menu had interesting dishes and we all got different entrees and were able to sample each other's steaks.. yum! Included in our assortment of dishes were: New England Clam Chowder, Surf and Turf Skewers, Philadelphia Style Strip Steak, American Kobe Strip, Spicy SouthWest Ribeye, Filet Mignon Lousiana, Cauliflower Goat Cheese Gratin and Wild Mushrooms Mashed Potatoes with White Truffle Oil (oh yes, truffle oil)

Wild Mushrooms Mashed Potatoes with White Truffle Oil

Cauliflower Goat Cheese Gratin




Filet Mignon Lousiana

Spicy SouthWest Ribeye

American Kobe Strip

So I obviously forgot to take a picture of my own steak (whoops)- but it was just too good that I had to dig in!!

Everything was delicious (dammit Bobby Flay! why must you always prove me wrong!) I would say that the flavors of the specialty steaks really made the dishes as I am not a steak expert and really can't decipher how good of a quality a steak is (sadface).

Shaman's Spicy SouthWest Ribeye held most true to Bobby Flay's traditional flavors. The blend of spices give it a kick, the ribeye was juicy and tender and was delcious. BJ's Filet Mignon Louisiana was also delicious. I prefer the flavor of the crawfish sauce in the dish more than the spicy southwest dish (boo, big lips) but I definitely prefer the ribeye over the filet mignon! (I love fat, what can I say).

My entree was also great (and very large). A large strip steak smothered with a creamy, smooth cheese sauce- the classy philly cheesesteak, I would say, had the best sauce out of all three! Eric of course had to get the Kobe Strip Steak (since, I was paying, of course). Never having tried kobe beef, i didn't know what to expect. When Eric was kind enough to give me a bite, I was surprised by how tender the meat was and how the steak didn't even need any sauce- it was perfect on it's own!- and that's how it's served!

The side dishes were also delicious. BJ and Shaman, having been there before, were raving about the cauliflower gratin. They placed two orders. I, however, was more excited about the mashed potatoes with the truffle oil!.. good thing both ended up being delcious! The thick, creamy goat cheese binding the softly broiled cauliflower was amazing and provided a burst of cheesy flavor while the mashed potatoes were a bit more subtle with chunks of wild mushrooms in every bite, blended with the earthy truffle oil... mMmmm. I'm hungry.

We also got some clam chowder and surf and turf skewers to start- just so we could get some more food in! The Clam Chowder was amazing. With abundant amounts of thick bacon, the chowder was thick and creamy filled with the aroma of bacon (and who doesn't love bacon!). The skewers were also good- although I would have to say they were not the star for the night..

Well I have to say, Bobby Flay Steak was a great birthday dinner. The service was wonderful and the portions were huge!

If you're not a steak eater, don't you worry- they also have huge ass lobsters. Seriously bigger than my head...

If you're looking for some good steaks with some interesting twists, try out one of Bobby's specialty steaks- you won't go wrong with whatever you choose!

Comparing to SeaBlue (the seafood restaurant by Michael Mina) next door, I would have to say I would return to Bobby Flay Steak in a heart beat. And to think about it- I'm definitely returning for Father's Day!

At the end of the day, we had a great time with our great food and.. of course, great company.

Food: A

Service: A

Ambiance: A

Price: $$$$

I love tender meat!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend everybody! I hope everyone had a great long weekend and enjoyed the weather! (Did you hear it's going to be amazingly nice this week?!)

This past weekend, I ventured to Saratoga, CA to hang out with the Bruner's. Although my stay was short, it was most definitely sweet! I am glad that I got to spend time with Eric's family, but even more importantly- Eric!

Being in a long distance is tough, but the best part of a long-distance relationships? Getting reunited! Eric came to visit two weeks ago after a fortunate gambling trip, and I of course, made him celebrate one of our anniversaries at Verve!

Located in Somerville, NJ down on Main Street (where Wasabi was located) I was excited to try Verve out after looking at the menu! To my disappointment the menu listed online was far different from the one they had- so don't even bother looking.. haha

To start, Eric got the Caprese Salad while I got the Wild Mushroom soup. For an entree I got the duck while eric got the pork shank. Delciousssss

Eric's Salad

Wild Mushroom Soup


Glazed Duck

Pork Shank

What a great meal. When entering the restaurant, I actually didn't have any high hopes- especially after the menu confusion. The menu was quite small and I realyl didn't know what to get until the server came with the specials. To my delight they had a wild mushroom soup with white truffle oil drizzled on top! I also decided to get the duck since I always complain about how I never get duck and wish I had...

The soup was great. Very thick and creamy, I was basically full after. The white truffle oil was of course, a delight but I didn't really taste it all too much- I think that the mushroom flavor overpowered the truffle flavor (if that is even possible?)

My duck was great- tender, soft and juicy, I was most definitely happy I finally got a duck entree! Eric's shank was tender and fell right off the bone as well- I love tender meat!

Although the sides that came with the entrees weren't too good, I would say that we had a great meal at Verve.

Although not one of the best, I'd say Eric and I had a good time- now off to Borgata again this weekend to make more money for meals like this!

Price: $$$

Food: B+

Ambiance: B

Service: B

My Favorite Part of the Day

Oh New Jersey, how you never cease to.. appease me. Yes, just appease. So maybe I'm still being a bratty New Yorker, but seriously.. New Jersey is boring and lame. There is nothing to do here and I have resorted to acrylic painting to entertain myself on the evenings (i am officially a grandma). I have communicted (complainted about) this to Eric many times (ok, let's face it, every night) and he was determined to find something interesting near my area during his visit!

Before I fell down the stairs at work this Friday (yes, I fell down the stairs like a grandmother) Eric thought he'd do some research and take me out to lunch! He told me that he wanted to go to Somerville for some sushi at Wasabi and really, i had very little to no expectations on how good this place was going to be... i mean.. it's New Jersey.. So while on our way to Wasabi, I was pleasantly surprised by the little town the restaurant was located in! Although a bit quiet, it reminded me a bit of Shadyside, and I was really excited that a cute little town was near my office! I couldn't wait to get to Wasabi by then and was even more excited to walk around after lunch to explore the stores!

Located on West Main Street, I walked into Wasabi and felt instantly blinded- it was incredibly dark. It surprisingly was a nice, warm sunny New Jersey afternoon yet the lighting in the restaurant was awful- I'm not sure how this place would be like at night! Excited to try a few new dishes off their menu, Eric and I quickly ordered our miso soup and ginger salad (obvi) and perused the specials menu for any interesting dishes.

Miso Soup

Salad with Ginger Dressing

I read some reviews on the chilean sea bass crunch roll and knew I had to try that. Along with my sea bass roll, I opted for the lucky maki on the special menu- a fried calamari roll with lobster on top. Eric and I got the appetizer sampler to share, just so we could get a taste of the variety of appetizers available! Eric went with the sashimi lunch special and a spider roll (obvi!).

Appetizer Sampler

Chilean Sea Bass Crunch Roll and Lucky Maki

Sashimi Lunch Special with Spider roll

I would have to say that the overall meal was good but nothing really wowed me- again.. I wasn't expecting much. The miso soup and ginger salad was ok, the salad was a little smaller than what I was expecting but, meh. The rolls were flavorful and filling while Eric's sashimi was fresh and tasty. Eric did get a lot more sashimi than we were expecting (their a la carte menu was pretty pricey) and so that was a nice surprise.

All in all, we had a good meal and enjoyed our food. I will return again one day, since it's so close to work and is a good place to eat with co-workers, but again, it wasn't anything too special in my book.

The decor/lighting was unappealing, their tables strangely low (i was knocking my knees on them) and their service was OK. Wasabi is a good place for a quick getaway with some co-workers, but I wouldn't say it would be a place to bring your sushi conneseiurs.

My favorite part of the day? Getting to have lunch with this smiling face :)

Price: $$
Ambiance: B-
Service: B
Food: B+