Rain Cafe Revisited
Posted on April 9, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink, Life.
Now that I’m back in working the office again, I’m getting to visit some restaurants downtown that I have not visited in a while. One such place is Rain Cafe and Lounge on Kellogg. My coworker and friend Chris Townley and I went there for lunch a few weeks ago.
Chris got a burger and fries and I ordered the chicken skewer item, not because I felt like eating chicken, but mostly because the table next to us ordered it and, when I asked, our server mentioned it was the most popular item on their lunch menu.
I’m glad I ordered it because it was really good. The teriyaki flavor was excellent. If we make another trip back, I would not hesitate to order this again. Until next time, GNG.
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Downtown Cocoa Dolce
Posted on April 7, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink.
The downtown Cocoa Dolce is one of our most favorite spots to visit. Not only do they have the most decadent truffles but they also have great cheesecake. And, it’s hands-down my favorite place to get a mocha because they have 10 different flavors to choose from. Besides that, they also have cocktails and drinks that you can pair with chocolates. If you do the pairings, the truffles are only $2.50 each. Anyway, I can’t do the pairings during the day but I am seriously contemplating going back this weekend to enjoy a flight with Brian for date night.
Since Easter is just around the corner, they currently have their seasonal Easter treats on display. I would love to get one of these chocolate bunnies.
Most of their products are available for purchase online, except for these giant bunnies. I think you actually have to visit the store to snag one of these bad boys.
I forgot to mention that Cocoa Dolce also have a great selection of gelato which can be paired with caramel or peanut butter whiskey (or any other spirit for that matter). I like my gelato with Bailey’s personally.
Speaking of Easter treats, I would love to get a box of these colorful macarons.
Their lounge has tables equipped with outlets so it’s a great place to work remotely for those who wish for a change in scenery.
I can think of nothing better to spark inspiration than the delicious aroma of fresh coffee and truffles. Anyway, Brian and I are due for another visit to this place. I may have to talk him into a wine or beer truffle pairing this weekend.
Until next time, GNG.
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Dining by the Alphabet – Part C
Posted on April 6, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink.
It’s taking us quite some time to do this whole “Dining by the Alphabet” thing. Part of it is, we don’t want to count any places when we are doing takeout — we have to dine in and we have to purposely go specifically for the dining project. Like if we happen to eat somewhere that starts with the correct letter but we didn’t plan to use it for the project, then it doesn’t count. For instance, if we happened to eat at Carrabba’s because we eat there all the time and it works for the letter C, we’re not going to count it just to cross off a letter. We are going to purposely select a place that either we’ve never visited or we don’t visit all the time. Thus, we started with Albero Bistro for the letter A and then Blue Hook for the letter B.
We had a couple of options for the letter C — Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, where we haven’t been in years, or College Hill Deli, where Brian has never been.
As you can see from this awesome mural, we ended up choosing College Hill Deli. Here’s a picture of Brian carefully studying the menu because it’s his first time there. Although, I don’t know what he does since he usually gets the same thing at every Mediterranean restaurant we visit.
The interior space of the restaurant is not huge but they do have outdoor patio seating which is great on nice days.
We began our dining adventure with a plate of hummus with chicken. Their hummus is great and one of the best in town. The chicken had excellent flavor.
Brian got the chicken shawarma wrap with fries. Surprise, surprise.
I got the chicken biryani, which was excellent.
College Hill Deli has a dessert case stocked with all sorts of delicious pies. We didn’t have room for dessert on this visit but Brian and I decided we will have to have pie next time. The chicken and hummus was quite filling so we could just have that and dessert and be completely satisfied.
We have many more letters of the alphabet to go to complete this project but, suffice it to say, Brian’s first time at College Hill Deli was a huge success. He loved the food and it’s definitely going to be one of our go to places for the future. Until next time, GNG.
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BBQ for Lunch
Posted on April 5, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink.
On one of our first days back in the office Chris and I decided we wanted to go to Norton’s for lunch. Much to our disappointment, Norton’s reduced their hours during the pandemic and they’re still operating on limited hours — which meant they weren’t open for lunch. We ended up walking across the street to Bite Me BBQ and had that instead.
I really had my heart set on just having bacon crack and calling it good because I wasn’t that hungry. Anyway, I ended up having ribs and sliced brisket with mac and cheese and coleslaw (pictured above). It was way too much food. I ended up taking much of it to go.
It was quite good — I mean, you can’t really go wrong with BBQ — so I was looking forward to having leftovers for lunch the next day but it was not to be. We were walking back to the office when this random guys stops us and asks for cash for food. I told him, I didn’t have any cash but could give him my delicious leftover BBQ. Wanting to help, but having no cash on me, it was the best I could do.
I know sometimes people ask for money for drugs or booze but they just say food because they know people will give them money for food but not for drugs or booze. I really hope that guy ate my leftovers and didn’t just throw it away because that would have made me really sad. It was good food and I would hate for it to have gone to waste.
Anyway, I made a mental note to not go back there unless I’m hungry so I’m not wasting my food in the future. Until next time, GNG.
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Espresso To Go Go
Posted on April 4, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink.
One of the best parts of working downtown is the multitude of coffee shops within walking distance. It’s not so great when it’s cold outside but, now that the weather is getting nicer, it’s fabulous!
Espresso to Go Go is one of our favorites. My friend Chris loves their Icy Queen Ann. He’s one of those people who drinks iced coffee all year round whereas I usually drink hot drinks in the winter and don’t switch to iced drinks until the weather gets warmer.
I love their drinks but I’m not as much a fan of having to wait for your drink outside the building. Their lobby has been closed since the pandemic. I’m hoping that it’ll reopen so you can order inside again. In the mean time, your best bet is probably to order online so that your drink is ready for you by the time you get to the window.
Despite all this, it’s still a favorite among the plethora of great coffee shops downtown. Having lots of coffee shop options is one of the things that I will miss most about working downtown so I’m enjoying it now while it lasts.
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