Archive for "Food and Drink"
China Express
Posted on August 19, 2012 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
This didn’t taste nearly as good as it looked. I think I had my expectations set too high because it was so colorful and pretty. Broccoli was good and the water chestnuts had just the right amount of crunch. The scallops, however, were somewhat rubbery. I also did not like the texture of the fake crab. The shrimps were delicious, though. I also liked that they removed the tails so I didn’t have to deal with them.
Though I really wasn’t a fan of this dish, I would give China Express another shot. I think I just need to try something else on the menu. Good seafood is kind of hard to come by around these parts. I should have just ordered something with beef or pork or chicken or something.
I do like that the restaurant delivers because sometimes you just don’t feel like eating pizza.
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Coco Bolos
Posted on August 18, 2012 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
While in Manhattan for our leadership conference last week, Darcy and I had dinner at Coco Bolos. Neither of us are familiar with restaurants in the area so we asked another coworker of ours (who went to K-State for undergrad) for recommendations. He said that we would like Coco Bolos and so that’s where we decided to go.
We were both starving so we ordered the combo appetizer, which consisted of “Q” (their queso dip), guacamole, and salsa verde (subbed for salsa del fuego because I can’t handle food that is too spicy) served with corn tortilla chips. The “Q” was different and not as liquid or creamy as the queso I’m used to. The cheese was somewhat stringy and posed a challenge when scooping. I thought the salsa verde was good and the guacamole was just okay. The corn tortilla chips tasted like bagged chips that had been sitting out for a day or so. In short, the appetizer was disappointing and we should have just skipped it. We were really hungry, though.
Darcy had the Cox boys’ burrito – a giant flour tortilla with chicken, black beans, Monterey Jack, salsa, sour cream, Navajo rice and Bolo beans. She said it was very good. I had a piece of chicken, a small bite that was packed with flavor.
For dinner I had the Caribbean BBQ shrimp. It was delicious! Then again, everything tastes better with bacon. Seriously though, it was so good that I tried to make a happy plate despite being completely stuffed halfway through the meal. Darcy and I agreed that we really should have skipped the appetizer, which was nowhere near the quality of the entrees, which were both very good.
I was also really impressed with their freshly squeezed lemonade. You’re probably wondering why I had lemonade instead of a margarita (or two). Brian prefers that I do not drink when I’m out of town.
Anyway, I’m really glad that I tried the lemonade because it’s one of the best I’ve had. I would order it again even if I could have a margarita instead. Yes, it’s that good. So good, in fact, that I almost forgot about the stale tortilla chips. Oh, and did I mention that they give you free refills on the lemonade.
In conclusion, skip the combo appetizer unless you know for sure that the chips are fresh. Maybe ask for a sample before you order? LOL. The entrees seem solid. Darcy and I thought both of our meals were delicious. I have confidence that the other entrees on the Coco Bolos menu are good also. Finally, the freshly squeezed lemonade is not to be missed.
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Taco Tinga
Posted on August 18, 2012 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Brian and I found ourselves at Taco Tinga last weekend. There are few options late at night. The restaurant, which I had been curious about, just happened to be open.
Taco Tinga is located near Douglas and Hillside in the space formerly occupied by Dolci & Joe’s, Breezy’s before that, and Taco Tico even further back in the day. I’m not a huge Taco Tico fan so I never went back then. I missed going to Breezy’s and Dolci & Joe’s so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to check it out before it eventually closes. Sorry, but this location doesn’t have a great track record. LOL.
The concept is a lot like Chipotle. You basically build your own burritos, quesadillas, tacos etc. Although, I think Taco Tinga is more like Poblano in terms of food offering. The restaurant offers several good options including sopes, tamales, and fajita salad, but I was disappointed that I couldn’t order a bowl (which is what I normally get when I’m at Chipotle). The ladies at the counter were really nice, though. They let me make my “bowl” and just put it in a plate.
Brian was unimpressed. LOL.
I thought the food was just okay. It could be that we got there too late and the food had been sitting out there a while. Who knows? I found the carnitas too watery. Same with the rice. Then again, I’m partial to the cilantro lime rice served at Chipotle. Food issues aside, the restaurant offers a good value. You get plenty of food for the price, which I thought was more reasonable than Chipotle. Also the people are really helpful and super nice. I’m not running back to Taco Tinga, but I would give it another shot. Perhaps go around lunch time and see if the quality of the food is better then.
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The Beacon Restaurant
Posted on August 14, 2012 by Ching under Food and Drink, Reviews.
Brian and I arrived at Tracy’s an hour too early on Saturday so we decided to eat breakfast at The Beacon to kill time.
Neither Brian nor I had ever been there but my sister Jenni was been there a few times. We’d heard some pretty good things so we were excited to give it a try.
Brian wasn’t quite awake yet.
I’m not sure how often the specials board is updated, but this is what it looked like that Saturday. I usually gravitate towards specials because of the discounted pricing (read: I’m cheap). Brian and I ordered the first two items on the list.
Brian got the Beacon traditional with country potatoes, which he normally likes, but he didn’t like them as much because they had onions and a bunch of other stuff. Also, they were cold. The temperature inside the restaurant was cold (according to Brian; I thought it was fine) so I’m wondering if they were cold because we were seated close to an air vent or because it had to sit and wait while they re-made my omelette. Probably a combination of both.
I got the New York omelette minus the Swiss. That’s the reason why they had to re-make it. The cook put cheese in the first one. At least the server noticed and had it corrected before bringing it to the table. At other restaurants, the servers are not attentive enough to notice or they serve it to you anyway hoping that you won’t notice and/or complain about it. The downside is that our food took longer and I think that’s part of the reason that Brian’s food was cold. Overall the Beacon is not bad. There are definitely better places to eat breakfast, but I think the good service at the Beacon makes up for its deficiencies.
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Newport Grill
Posted on August 13, 2012 by Ching under Food and Drink, Reviews.
I thought Bonefish Grill’s happy hour was really good. Newport Grill’s happy hour specials are even better. You can never go wrong with $3 off starters and appetizers and $5 cocktails. Woot!
Some coworkers and I ate at Newport Grill (at Bradley Fair) on Friday in celebration of Darcy’s 10th service anniversary. Her anniversary was actually last month, but July was really hectic so we couldn’t find a good day/time to get together until last week.
It worked out for the best, though. It would have been too hot to sit out on the patio in July. We had a table close to the waterfall. Actually, Newport Grill has the best patio in town. There’s not a bad table out there. Anyway, the weather last Friday was awesome. The cool breeze and the sound of the waterfall made for a wonderfully relaxing anniversary celebration lunch.
I got to try a couple of their starters: fried calamari (pictured above) and the warm olives and fresh ricotta served with sliced ciabatta bread (below).
Both were very good.
Amy and Isaac both had the grilled chicken sandwich. I only took one photo because their plates looked identical.
Guest of honor Darcy had the lobster roll sandwich. I didn’t get a picture of Jan’s or Ginger’s meals. My phone takes too long so I’m never quick enough to get pictures of everyone’s food before they start digging in. I can usually only get pictures of plates that are easily within reach.
I was trying to be good so I opted for a Caesar salad in place of the fries. I regretted it after though, because everyone’s fries looked so good and the salad was just okay. It was prettier than it tasted.
My crab cake sandwich was delicious, though. That had to be one of the best crab cakes I’d ever had. I guess Jan tried to order the same thing, but they brought her out the crab cake appetizer instead of the sandwich. I made sure to specify sandwich to our server because of the $2 difference. The sandwich is $13 and the appetizer is $15. It doesn’t make sense, but whatever. Oh, I also noted that it read crab cake rather than crab cakes (as it does at other restaurants) so I figured that you only get one. Call me cheap, but $15 for a single crab cake is expensive. No matter how good it is.
Then again, people don’t go to Newport Grill for cheap meals. You go because the seafood is fresh and the food is delicious. The fancy patio and wonderful outdoor ambiance is just an added bonus. It was also nice that the weather was on our side.
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