Archive for "Food and Drink"
The BISTRO at 151
Posted on August 27, 2012 by Brian under Food and Drink, Travel.
Not to be confused with the “Cafe 151” in Wichita, KS. This is one of the restaurants that is located in the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
We ate at BISTRO at 151 on Sunday evening after our group decided that we were hungry around 8 PM, since we had such a late lunch at Giordano’s.
The menu is a variety of different items ranging from soups and salads to sandwiches and steaks. Since we got there so late in the evening they didn’t have a lot of seating. They had already shut down a large portion of the restaurant and we were being limited to the bar or a 35-minute wait. We chose the bar, of course.
We sat down got our menus and realized that the meals here were not going to be cheap. The cheapest item on the menu was around $8.00 and it went all the way up to about $30.00 for the steak.
I wasn’t that hungry and I really try not to eat that late in the evening so I just had a small chicken quesadilla appetizer.
I was not impressed with my meal. It was alright but not worth the $12 price tag. The guys in my group decided on more substantial meals.
We went there again for breakfast. This time we all had the $22 breakfast buffet.
This was a little better. Again, I am no longer a big buffet eater but for the money you do have a pretty vast selection. The buffet is definitely the way to go, though. The $22 buffet price also includes coffee and juice. It actually costs more to go a la carte. Yes, the coffee and juice were that expensive. I am already looking for a different place for breakfast. The food is good. It’s just too expensive. [Check Urbanspoon Chicago. ~ Ching]
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Paisano’s Ristorante
Posted on August 25, 2012 by Ching under Food and Drink, Reviews.
Paisano’s is another Topeka favorite. I’ve been here a couple of times, but someone has always taken me so I really don’t know where it is. I suppose I could enter the address in my GPS. The restaurant has been around a long time so it shouldn’t be a problem. Although, I didn’t have to worry about finding the place because Rachel drove and she is very familiar with the area. I was so happy to find her in the same training class. We used to work together in the same department about ten years ago. She started a month before I did. It was nice to be able to catch up. And, it was also nice not having to eat dinner alone for a change.
I accidentally ordered the Chicken Spidini Diavolo instead of the Carcciofi Spidini, which I probably would have liked better since I don’t really like spicy foods. That spicy diavolo sauce is no joke. It was so spicy, I couldn’t even taste the marinara sauce of the spaghetti. Unless, they put spicy diavolo sauce over it too. It was dark in the restaurant so I couldn’t tell. LOL.
I wasn’t a huge fan of this dish, but that isn’t the restaurant’s fault. I just don’t like spicy foods and I made the mistake of ordering the spiciest dish on the menu. It’s ID10T error, as Mel at work always puts it. LOL.
I don’t ever remember having a bad meal at Paisano’s and this was actually pretty good. Seriously. I ate most of it. Then again, that doesn’t say much, as Brian thinks I am a human garbage disposal and will eat just about anything.
I’m actually looking forward to going back to Paisano’s again and ordering the dish that I intended to order. I’m curious what it tastes like. I’ll have to make a mental note of this for the next time I have an overnight stay in Topeka.
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Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
Posted on August 25, 2012 by Ching under Food and Drink, Reviews.
I had the opportunity to eat at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit while I was in Topeka a few days ago. I always like trying places that we don’t have here in Wichita. Lucky for me, there’s a Dickey’s restaurant right in front of the my hotel.
I made the mistake of ordering a two-meat plate and had way more food than I could eat. My two meats were pulled pork (a must because I love, love, love pork) and spicy cheddar sausage. I was quite surprised at how much I liked the spicy cheddar sausage. I would totally order that again. Although, the spiciness creeps up on you.
My sides were coleslaw and potato casserole topped with grated cheese. While I liked both, they were pretty average. The coleslaw tasted just like the ones you get at KFC. The potato casserole was a little on the bland side, but then it could be that my tastebuds were numb from the spicy cheddar sausage. LOL.
Jokes aside, I actually thought the food was pretty good as barbecue goes. I would eat there again even if it weren’t located outside my hotel door (though that is an added bonus because I don’t like having to drive all over the place when I’m away from my comfort zone of Northeast Wichita). Also, the people who work there are super helpful and friendly. They even let me taste the spicy cheddar sausage to help me decide whether I wanted to order it. It is a shame that there isn’t a Dickey’s restaurant within 100 miles of us. I wish I could take Brian to one. He love barbecue.
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Dinner with Grandma
Posted on August 21, 2012 by Ching under Family, Food and Drink.
Brian and I spent some time with grandma on Sunday. We picked her up a little early so we could take her by the new house. She really liked it.
After looking at the house, we took grandma to dinner at her favorite restaurant. See if you can tell what her favorite restaurant is based on the photos that follow.
Guessed it yet? Surely, you recognized the plates.
Yep. You guessed it. Grandma loves Olive Garden.
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Date Night with the Hubby
Posted on August 19, 2012 by Ching under Date Ideas, Food and Drink.
Brian and I went bowling and rode go karts at The Alley the other day. We hadn’t had a bowling date in a long time, and I had a Groupon that was fixing to expire. The only downside about the Groupon was that it was only good for one person. Brian still had to pay for his bowling. When it came down to it, it really wasn’t that great of a value. We ended up spending more than we really wanted to, but then that’s usually the trick. They just want to get you in their establishment so they can take all of your money. I should just become a hermit. LOL.
We had an all-meat pizza for dinner that night. They were doing a BOGO so we ended up getting a second pizza (that was Brian’s crazy idea) which we ate for lunch the next day. Yes, as much as I don’t like pizza, I had to eat it two days in a row.
The pizza wasn’t bad actually. It’s not the best pizza in town, but it’s good enough that I will actually eat it. I’m not normally a pizza fan. The only downside about eating at The Alley is that the service at Back Alley Sports Grill is very slow. And, they’re not very attentive. They actually forgot to cook our second pizza. Not that we were going to eat it right then, but how do you miss that when you’re doing BOGO. Wouldn’t you automatically just make two every time? Or maybe Brian and I were the only ones who actually took them up on the offer? Who knows?
Anyway, the food isn’t too bad. If you don’t mind the slow, inattentive service and over-priced bowling, The Alley actually isn’t a bad place to go on a date. Brian and I had a lot of fun. I really need to stop buying these Groupons though, because they just make me spend money that I otherwise wouldn’t spend.
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