So there it is, you strange vegetarians!

I've been noticing a pattern with my habits lately- I seem to be finding that my most favorite restaurant experiences have been with the Big Burrito restaurants- I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or not- but I have to say that they did it again! I must have had one of the best brunches that I can remember at Eleven- another Big Burrito restaurant.



Living in New York (ok, who am I kidding, New Jersey-but we can pretend right?) and being a native New Yorker, I figure that my best meals would be in this great city- and surprisingly it's not. It's either because a) I started this blog before I got the chance to explore New York when it was warm (since I am a hermit during the cold seasons) or b) New York food doesn't hold a candle to Pittsburgh food.

Since we all know that option b) is absolutely false- I figure that I am going to be in heaven when spring (real spring) time comes and I get to explore New York a little bit more. I can't wait!

But for now, I would have to say that Eleven in Pittsburgh was the best brunch I can remember- and that's saying a lot!

As mentioned in my last post about Lidia's, Eleven is right next door (located on Smallman Street) in the Strip District. Eric and I decided to go there Valentine's Day weekend. It's actually easy to miss if it wasn't for the valet sign (oh yes, they have valet!) but thankfully we were able to stop by right before I had to leave for my flight!

I've been to Eleven before, with Eric of course, and had a great dinner there- and I was excited to try the Sunday brunch menu* after the poor experience at Lidia's the morning before. What a treasure!

*The menu listed online is a little different than what is offered- just by a few dishes

The menu was so overwhelming- with the abundant choices available, Eric and I really had a hard time choosing. The brunch pre-fixe menu ($25) comes with an appetizer and an entree and an alcoholic morning beverage/cocktail (mimosa, bloody mary, etc.) of your choice- absolutely worth it. You can also order things a la carte if you're not that hungry, but I would say that $25 goes a long way!

Eric and I finally decided on our meal choices and couldn't wait! Eric got a special granola with yogurt, with pears on top as an appetizer and decided on the Smoked Lamb Huevos Rancheros as his entree. I decided to get the Crab Cake to start and the Rock Shrimp Spaghetti as an entree *both are not listed on the menu provided above*

Eric's granola with yogurt and pears

Smoked Lamb Huevos Rancheros

Crab Cake

Rock Shrimp Spaghetti

Eric very much enjoyed his meal- his sweet, crisp pears paired great with his tart yogurt and crunchy granola- so light and refreshing! His Huevos Rancheros was amazing- they did not skimp on the lamb at all! Full of that smokey flavor- it was very Bobby Flay-esque, which made it even more appealing to Eric.

My dishes were amazing. The perfectly crisp crab cake was full of sweet jumbo lump crab meat. The best part about my crabcake? There was no breading! Usually, crab cakes have loads of breading (and/or other additions mixed in), which really just acts as a substitute so restaurants can skimp on the crab (yeah yeah, and for binding purposes, but who cares). But Eleven didn't have any- my crab cake was just pure crab meat that was perfectly seasoned! (and it didn't fall apart- which proves that breading isn't necessary to keep it together). Delicious!

The Rock Shrimp spaghetti cooked with leeks in a light broth sauce was also great- light and full of that delicate onion flavor the leeks provide definitely hit the spot. Not too overwhelming in flavor, or too heavy and rich, the dish was great! And it had lots of shrimp! Yum!

Something interesting to note- Eleven is fantastic with their vegetables! As mentioned before, I visited Eleven for dinner and marveled at their Chef's Tasting Menu (boy, do I love those) but what surprised me most is that they had a Chef's vegetarian Tasting Menu! I found it a bit strange and unusual, and really appreciated the fact that they were accomodating to those (weird) vegetarians! The menu looked amazing! I thought to myself that Eleven must also be amazing at their vegetable preparations/dishes to have a special menu in that manner, and my thoughts were confirmed when the amuse bouche was served- baked brussel sprouts (so much better than it sounds).

So there it is, you strange vegetarians! Looking for some fine dining in the 'Burgh and sick of having to settle for the generic vegetarian dishes on the menu? Eleven is the place to go for some contemporary vegetarian cuisine! Yum!

Another great restaurant, in Pittsburgh! What a delight- not having to worry about parking (thank you valet) and not having to ever return to Lidia's for brunch again, I would say that Eleven was the perfect ending to the weekend!

Price: $$$

Food: A+

Service: A-

Ambiance: A

*Dear blogger, I am very much sick of your spacing issues- please fix asap!!!

Skip the meal and go to Rivers instead

So.. this may be the first time I am doing this- but I think I want to retract my previous post on Lidia's. Over the summer, Eric took me to Lidia's for the first time ever on my birthday. He was really excited to bring me to a place that isn't 'fancy' but had great food at a reasonable price- and I too, was excited to try it.

I liked Lidia's so much that past summer, Eric and I decided to go back to Lidia's for their brunch menu a few weeks ago (when I went back to the Burgh to pay him a visit) and I was a little disappointed by my meal. To top that off, the week after (I drove back to Pittsburgh to visit Eric again), Shaman, Sundar and Jess decided that we should have dinner together- and we all decided to go to Lidia's again for dinner.

And now, sadly, I think I have to retract my post.

Ok, well to start off- I would like to say that Lidia's isn't awful- it's just not as good as I was expecting it to be- maybe my expectations were a little too high, or I was just drunk the first time I went...

So brunch at Lidia's is unique in that there is a buffet style appetizer portion and then an a la carte main entree menu to choose from. The buffet was great in that it had a lot of different options as well as a variety of desserts- but in terms of quality and flavor, it wasn't very happening. I found that my salads were overly seasoned and the other dishes just.. didn't taste good. The best thing from that table was the soup (Eric's favorite being the argula salad)

The appetizer buffet table

The dessert table

For my main entree, I ordered the crispy chicken livers while Eric got his classic Wild Boar Ravioli. My livers were good but there was just way too much of it- and the seasoning and method of preparation really just became way too overwhelming. I would not recommend this dish- even for the liver lovers.

Eric's wild boar ravioli were good- but I seemed to remember it being a lot better over the summer...

Crispy Chicken Liver

Wild Boar Ravioli

I was a bit disappointed after this meal- and became terribly disappointed after having brunch at Eleven the next day. At a fixed $25 for the buffet and the entree- I would say that this meal was definitely not worth it and I would go to Eleven (right next door) in a heartbeat, which has the same priced brunch menu ($25).

As for dinner....

I got the Almond Pesto Spaghetti (the same thing I got last time on my birthday), Jess, being the vegetarian, got the Cannelloni (*thanks for the correction Sundar), while the majority of the table went with the pasta trio. The pasta trio is one of Lidia's staples - unlimited portions of pasta, with 3 different preparations.

My Almond Pesto Pasta

The Pasta Trio

Jessica's Cannelloni

The majority of the table agreed that the pasta trio was good (for the price) but that the flavors and quality of the dishes weren't very impressive and a bit lackluster in terms of creativity (ok, i added that last part in)- but after having a few bites off Eric's plate, I was happy that I didn't go with that option myself! My almond pesto dish was OK. The best part being that there are a bunch of fried calamari and shrimp on top- I felt like the flavor of the pesto was too nutty- it just didn't work for me... (strange because I loved it last time....). Oh well. Jess said that her cannelloni was great and very heavy- but then again, she's a Fringe so I don't really trust/care about her opinion as it is most likely wrong. (Haha, just kidding Jess- I love you!)

At the end of the day- I had a good time with my friends but really wasn't impressed by Lidia's. I would much rather go to Eleven or just skip the meal and go to Rivers instead...

Food: B+

Ambiance: B+

Service: B+

Price: $$$

I mean come on- we're in New Jersey, not New York, people!

Ah, spring break. Sort of.

So obviously, being out in the real world, spring break no longer exists (unless you are Sundar and Shaman, of course). Sort of upset by this realization, Eric thought he'd cheer me up by spending his Spring Break with me- in lame ol' New Jersey.

I was super excited to see him and to think about all the fun things we can do in the city over the weekend, and the nice home-y activities we can do at home during the week! BUT he has the flu, which means two things: 1. I have to take care of a 200 lb baby and 2. I will also be getting the flu in the near future. Great.

Yesterday, we decided to pretend that we were both well and ignore the fact that Eric was still sick and that I am slowly feeling crummy and went out to try some sushi at Kiku Sushi!

Kiku Sushi, located on Burnt Mill Roads had great reviews and we were both excited to try their creations!

Eric's favorite sushi place back home in California is also called Kiku sushi, and so he was excited that there might be another Kiku sushi on the east coast that he would like to frequent.

When driving to the restaurant (as if you could walk to any where in New Jersey), it was at first hard to recognize; it looked like a home! We were a bit skeptical and sketched out by the location, but soon after entering the restaurant itself, we were pleasantly surprised by the decor!

Bright and well decorated (and clean, might I add), Kiku sushi seemed to be a new favorite. I had already looked at the menu online before hand, and I was excited to order my dishes and start my meal!

However, with Eric being sick, and me progressively joining him, my appetite seemed to wane and Eric and I barely ordered anything.

I got the Firecracker Roll while Eric got the Spicy Spider Roll and two orders of Toro and Yellowtail.

Eric's Roll and sashimi

Yum!

Firecracker Roll

So I would first like to note that I took these pictures on my new iPhone 4 (it is so much easier than dragging my camera around). Seeing as the pictures turned out pretty good, I'm excited to be posting more pictures of my meals- even when I do forget my camera!!

My firecracker roll was very interesting. Spicy Tuna on top of a spicy soft chell crab roll, the roll most definitely had a kick to it- and with my at-the-time delicate palette, it turned out to be too much to handle. I was, however, very intersted/happy that the spicy tuna wasn't the usual 'paste' that you think of but really a spicy tuna tartare!

Eric's spicy spider roll was also very spicy and he too could not finish the roll (we both ended up taking the rolls home). Eric commented that his sashimi was fresh (even though it was already 9pm) and he very much enjoyed the quality of the fish.



At the end of the night (and a lot of leftovers) we got our bill and were not pleasantly surprised with the price. Rounding up to a little over $60 for two rolls and 4 pieces of sashimi (and two miso soups), Kiku Sushi, I would say is ridiculously overpriced.

Perhaps I will one day take that comment back, when I return and order some other items off the menu (and actually finish them), but for now, I would have to say that Kiku sushi is not worth it.

Yes, the food and quality seemed good (not great, obviously) but the prices seemed a bit ridiculous- I mean come on- we're in New Jersey, not New York, people!



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

Not as perfect as my pot pie

Back from Pittsburgh (again)! This past week, Shaman, Sundar, Jess and I thought we'd pay a trip to Pittsburgh! Although I did go last week for the EOC, the plane flight there versus the roadtrip with Zeus is uncomparable- I had a blast!

This past weekend was really fun and I got to again, go to my favorite places in Pittsburgh!

Saturday night, Eric and I went to Avenue B for an early dinner.

Avenue B, located on Centre Avenue, right near Market District is a great place for some new and inventive dishes. Although the menu isn't posted online, most of their dishes are written on the wall on a large chalkboard- which changes seasonally! (sometimes even weekly/daily- thanks Pragna!)

Eric and I have been to Avenue B for Sunday Brunch a few months ago and it was absolutely delicious. So naturally, we were even more excited to try out dinner!

*I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures- I had to take it on my phone as Eric lost his camera. Boo.*

For our appetizers, Eric got the Arugula Salad with walnuts and goat cheese while I got the Pear and Gorgonzola Flatbread.



The flatbread was amazing. Crisp and warm from the oven, the tangy sauce paired with the salty goronzola and crisp pears was a delight! Portioned perfectly and not too heavy of a dish, I was ready for my main entree! I would say that my flatbread was the winner and Eric was most definitely jealous.



Although, I don't have a picture of the Arugula Salad, my flatbread won the show (at least the appetizer show) by far so you really don't need to see the salad anyway ;)

As for our main entree's, Eric got the Fresh Fish and Chips while I got the Mushroom and Butternut Squash Pot Pie.

I really didn't know what to expect out of our main dishes- they sounded very simple. But once the dishes hit our table, we were astonished by the creativity of the preparation as well as the beautiful presentation!

Eric's Fish and Chips

So Eric's fish and chips was not your ordinary run of the mill fried fish filet with french fries. First off, the chef gives you the option of having the fish pan-seared or tempura fried. The server recommended that he get it pan-seared as the skin of the fish already makes the fish crispy and you can appreciate the flavor of the fish more this way.

A huge portion of pan-seared fish on top of lightly fried homemade potato chips, topped with a drizzle of aioli sauce made the dish perfect. But not as perfect as my pot pie.

When I think of pot pie, I immediately think of a small pot/bowl, however, this dish was any thing but!

When getting my main course, I was pleasantly surprised by the presentation. Two large puff pastries on top of a bed of arugula and a creamy blend of wild mushrooms and butternut squash- I couldn't wait to dig in.



The creamy wild mushroom and butternutsquash mixture was out of this world. The nutty mushrooms were perfectly cooked and were well complimented by the sweet squash. The arugula gave the dish a bit of crunch while the puff pastry took it to a new level. Flakey and crispy and super buttery and light, the pastry (with a bit of balsamic glaze drizzled over top) was such a great addition to this dish and really pulled everything together. (And is also a great sauce dipper, I might add).

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, we thought we'd try some dessert. We got the coconut cream cheese flan.





I'm not flan expert, but the creamy cheesecake like consistency was not what I was expecting. More like a very soft and light cheesecake, this dessert was also amazing. Creamy and sweet, paired with fresh pineapple and orange bits, the dessert was the perfect end to the perfect meal.

I was, not only insanely happy from the meal, but very impressed by chef Bonfili! His creations are truly unique, and I can say that I am very happy that he has opened a place in Pittsburgh (although I am no longer living there- boo)

What do I not like about Avenue B? The location/view (or lack thereof). First off, located right in front of a bus stop, you can't help but be distracted by the individuals waiting in the cold for the bus to arrive. In fact, when looking out the window, all you see are the buses/cars and run down buildings. Although pretty and elegant on the inside, Avenue B's location makes it anything but on the outside. If you want to submerge yourself into a truly great dining experience, I would say avoid the window seating and try to get a table way in the back.

Besides that, the service and food are great and now I can't truly mean it when I say that I miss Pittsburgh!

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

Could it be good luck?

Alright, last weekend was definitely better than this past weekend. In fact, this past weekend pretty much sucked (besides being able to see Jess, of course). Besides the obvious reasons on why this weekend was pretty awful, I, on top of that got sick again and just feel like poop today.

Last weekend, however, was amazing. Leaving the casino, substantially richer after spending a great night with wonderful friends was only one perk (although a very big one). I got to try another great pizza place with Sundar and Shaman!

Before we left for our prosperous weekend, we decided to get pizza at Nick's located at 108-26 Ascan Avenue in Forest Hills, Queens. We were debating on a few different pizza places in Queens but finally settled on Nick's and hoped to get a great meal before our weekend trip!

I'm not sure what we were expecting when we walked in, but Shaman and I definitely got confused and didn't think it was the right place! Maybe it was because Di Fara's was a run down pizza shop, but the last thing we were expecting Nick's to be was a nice sit down restaurant!

Pleasantly surprised by the decor, we sat down and couldn't wait to order our pizza! We decided to get half plain (Boo sundar) and half garlic and pepperoni!

Yum! Maybe one of the best pizza's I've had in Queens, Nick's prices are reasonable (especially when compared to Di Fara's prices) and the quality of the ingredients is great! The fresh mozzarella cheese with the tart tomato sauce was a great combination and the perfect meal to start of the great weekend!

We also ordered a small white pizza but it wasn't nearly as good as the regular.

I do think that Di Fara's tasted better than Nick's, but at half the price, I'll settle for Nick's anytime. Although you can't purchase this treasure by the slice, and can only pay in cash, Nick's is definitely a gem of a restaurant. In fact, could it be good luck????

Price: $$

Food: A-

Ambiance: B

Service: B

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Happy Lunar New Year!!

Alright, So I'm a day late- but that's only because I could not stop myself from stuffing my face from all the great food my mom made!!

This specific New Year is really special- born in the year of the rabbit, I am very excited to celebrate this particular new year- since the 12 year cycle has made this year the year of the rabbit!! Although I do feel a little old, I am excited for this great year to come.

Chinese New Year in general is a really special day for the entire family- besides the traditional celebration and welcoming of the New Year, my family keeps it very traditional by cooking the special and unique foods that represent wealth, longevity and health throughout the year. Not only are the dishes meaningful and special, boy are they tasty!!!

Without going into detail of why these dishes are cooked on the New Year, I can tell you that they're great. Fish, noodles, vegetables, pork, chicken, soup, etc. you will not have a better (and more heartfelt) feast than on Chinese New Year. I hope that all of you out there were able to enjoy some food with your family on this special occasion and you all were able to welcome in the new year with happiness and love.

Wearing my red underwear, excited for this new year to come, I will leave you will Gong Xi Fa Cai, have a happy and proserous year!

Great night with my family

What a great weekend!! This past weekend a few of us went to Foxwoods Casino and had a great time gambling, dancing and just being plain ol' silly :) I'm really happy I got to spend some time with some good friends and hope to do it again soon!

I would have to say, besides the awful weather that we have been getting, January has been a pretty eventful month for me- at least on the weekends.

Last weekend, I spent soem time with my family and went to see Memphis (voted best musical last year btw). I had a great time and really loved the show- I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in seeing a Broadway show- it really was great! The talent was incredible and the music was fun and exciting! I went with my aunts and uncle and we had a great time watching the show. But what was even better than the show?? The food afterwards!

After the awesome show, we thought we'd go eat at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse located on Avenue of the Americas near the Theatre District. I haven't ever been but I was really excited to try this place with my family- and boy did we try this place. We basically ordered everything we saw off the menu- and it was all incredibly delicious

I unfortunately do not have pictures- but I mean, I would've looked like an idiot if I did take pictures- so I apologize in advance!

Alright, so between the 6 of us we started off with two orders of the crab cakes and two australian lobsters. I would have to already say that the appetizers were the best part of the meal. The Australian lobsters were huge- two lobsters were able to feed 6 people and proved to be a really great appetizer. The meat was tender and succulent and cooked perfectly. It came steamed with a side of butter but, the sweet lobster meat was enough for me- and I wouldn't have added or changed a thing.

The best thing, however were the crabcakes. This is a must-get item on the menu. The crabcakes came warm on top a wonderful sauce. The jumbo lump crab meat was sweet and full of flavor and really worked well with the delicate sauce. There is no breading in the crabmeat, so really it was just a huge pile of baked crab meat, seasoned perfectly. It was amazing. The creamy sauce with the delicate crab provided a great contrast and really got me excited for my meal to come.

As for our entrees we ordered an assortment of dishes: The Sauteed Scallops, the Pan Roasted Sea Bass and assortments of differently temperatured Filet Mignons. On top of that we got a ton of sides: The Fresh Vegetable (which turned out to be broccolini for that day), Sauteed mushrooms, Aspargus, Spinach Supreme, Skillet Potatoes and Onions, Onion Rings and the King Crab Gnocchi. It was a crap ton of food.

I got the scallops and it was delicious. Roasted scallops topped with wild mushroom, the scallops were cooked perfectly and the soft texture of the scallops with the mushroom sauce was to die for. The Filet Mignon was also good as well as the Sea Bass but I would have to say that the Scallops were the winner for the night-in terms of our entree's at least.

Out of all the side dishes we got, the King Crab Gnocchi was by far the winner. Most definitely the more unique side dish out of the ones we got, the gnocchi were soft and light and the creamy cheese sauce was amazing (although probably added on 5 lbs).

I really do hope that I get to go back to this place- I hear loads of celebrities stop by all the time! With the crabcake, scallops and king crab gnocchi I was in seafood heaven and couldn't wait to give the filet mignon bones to Zeus. It truly was a great ending to a great night with my family.

Price: $$$$

Service: A

Food: A

Ambiance: A