Month: July 2018

Canter’s – Las Vegas, NV

There are a variety of restaurants in Las Vegas up and down the strip. Anything you could possibly want from sushi or tacos. I passed Canter’s near The LINQ and decided to check them out.

Canter’s is a classic New York style delicatessen. They make their own bagels, breads, and pastries in their bakery right there at the restaurant. They also ship in all their meats directly from New York.

    

I started off with a bowl of matzo ball soup. This homemade chicken broth was loaded with chopped up carrots and celery. They included two large matzo balls.

The matzo balls were slightly firm on the outside to help keep their shape but they were soft and tender when I cut into them. They had a slight salty taste. I loved how it paired with the heartiness of the vegetables in the soup. It was very comforting.

I was excited to try the potato knish. They actually ship these in from New York. The pastry was stuffed with mashed potatoes and sautéed onions. The pastry was slightly crispy and really thick. It had a slight sweet taste to it. The potatoes and onions had a savory flavor. They were the perfect combination. There was also a side of their house made deli mustard. I tried one bite with the mustard but I preferred it without anything. I enjoyed the savory taste alone.

I ordered one of their hand-carved sandwiches. I got a Reuben with the pastrami. The pastrami was piled high with melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. They served all of this on their homemade rye bread.

The grilled the bread so it had a great crunch when I took a bite of the sandwich. The Russian dressing was extremely creamy and it cut down on the sour taste of the sauerkraut. The pastrami was astounding. It was tender and had the perfect amount of pepper around the edges. It was not as salty as other pastrami I have had. This was the perfect combination of ingredients to make a satisfying and filling sandwich.

The sandwich also came with a side. I went for the macaroni salad. This homemade salad was extremely creamy. The noodles were perfectly cooked, not too soft or hard. They chopped up celery into small pieces that added a surprise crunch. There was an overall sweetness too. It was the perfect pairing with the sandwich.

This deli was a great find in Las Vegas. They really know what they are doing. They have a long history out West. The main location can still be found in Los Angeles on Fairfax Avenue.

Check them out at www.canterslv.com

Enjoy!

T

Avondale Common House – Birmingham, AL

I have written about Avondale Common House before. When I was back in Birmingham I knew I wanted to make another visit.

As always I sat at the bar. The service there is top notch. It was great to see the same bar staff from my last visit.

     

I started off with a strawberry smash. This was a newer drink on the menu. They used gin with fresh strawberries and mint with a splash of sprite. The strawberries were the star of this cocktail. They were muddled so that the flavor was released. This helped hide the taste of the gin. Toward the bottom of the drink the hint of mint shined through.

What I remembered from my previous visit was that the Kung Pao cauliflower was fantastic. I ordered them again because it was good for sharing. The cauliflower was cut into small pieces which were breaded and deep fried. The have the perfect crispy texture. They were covered in the Kung Pao sauce which is where the heat came from. The sauce added a salty taste to the dish as well. There were chopped up cashews mixed in with the cauliflower that I forgot about; they added crunch and not a whole lot of extra flavor.

For my main course I ordered the shrimp and grits. My bartender said it was one of their most popular dishes. The grits were creamy, cheesy, and slightly salty. They piled on the shrimp and andouille sausage and then covered in a creamy sauce. What I was not expecting was the fried egg on top. I took the egg off and ate it separately.

The shrimp had a great grilled taste to them. The sausage had a wonderful savory taste. The shrimp and sausage tasted great on their own but paired extremely well when eaten with the creamy grits.

I am glad I got to make another visit to Avondale Common House. They were just as good as I remembered. Visit them at www.avondalecommonhouse.com

    

Enjoy!

T

Avondale Brewing Company – Birmingham, AL

Just down the street from Avondale Common House in Birmingham is a brewery by the name of Avondale Brewing Company.

They are located in a cool old building that had many uses over the last 100 years.

They are a full blown craft brewery that has a huge menu to choose from. They have everything from IPA’s to high gravity tripels.

     

I always enjoy visiting the brewery. It is a great place to hang out with friends. I enjoyed a glass of their Mill at White. It was light with a hoppy taste.

They do not serve food but on the weekends they sometimes have food trucks that park out back where they have seating and an amphitheater for live music.

Avondale Brewing Company has several of their beers in restaurants and other bars all over Birmingham. However, I find it the most enjoyable to have it at the source.

If you enjoy beer, you definitely should check out Avondale Brewery. www.avondalebrewing.com

Enjoy!

T

Wheat + Water – Bradenton, FL

I was getting together with my cousin in Florida for dinner. She left it up to me to pick the place. I found an Italian restaurant called Wheat + Water. It was tucked away in a shopping center in Bradenton.

We were greeted so warmly when we walked in. It was like walking into a family home. As soon as we sat down the waiter brought over some fresh made bread. It was hot which was perfect because I could add butter and it melted into every inch of the bread. There was a crunchy crust and the inside was soft. It was ideal to snack on as I looked over the menu.

I ordered a sangria because they make it homemade. It was red wine based. There were several spices mixed in with the fresh fruit. The flavor reminded me of a mulled wine, just chilled.

We started off with two appetizers for the table. The first were the Risotto Bites. They blended risotto with Italian sausage, sweet peppers, and Pomodoro sauce. Then they are breaded and fried up. They were presented in a paper cone which was fun. It made passing them around the table much easier.

They were very crispy on the outside but when I cut into them the cheese oozed out. The sausage added a savory element. The peppers did add a slight sweetness that balanced out the saltiness from the cheese.

The other appetizer we ordered was the meatballs. This plate was huge. Unless you were making this dish your entire meal, it was definitely meant to be shared. These homemade meatballs were a blend of ground beef, veal, and Italian sausage. They were covered in a Pomodoro sauce. They included huge slices of garlic bread and enormous dollops of fresh Ricotta cheese.

The meatballs were full of flavor. Even with their size the meat was moist and tender. The bite was great just with the sauce however, when I added a little of the creamy Ricotta cheese it took the taste and texture to a new level. The garlic bread was perfect for scooping up the extra sauce and cheese. I could not let anything go to waste.

For my dinner I ordered the Sacchetti all’ Vodka. These were little dumpling like pasta that were filled with Ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and Pecorino Romano cheese. They were then tossed with a vodka tomato cream sauce. There was crispy pancetta mixed throughout the sauce.

The salty cheese blend poured out of the pasta as I cut in. Since the sauce was slightly sweet it helped tone down the overall saltiness. Because of all the cheese in the pasta and the creamy sauce, this dish was rich. Had I not ordered any appetizers I probably would have been able to eat more. Nevertheless the food would not go to waste; I got a to-go-box so I could enjoy for lunch the next day.

My cousin ordered a small pizza. It was a thin crust with tons of pepperoni and sausage. I made sure to at least have a small slice so I could write about it. The pizza dough was slightly sweet. I could taste the smoky flavor because of the wood fire oven. The pepperoni was crispy and the sausage was full of herbs.

I am glad I got to pick the place for dinner since I got to try something new. You should check them out at http://wheatpluswater.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

 

 

 

Urban Pops – Hoover, AL

With the temperatures rising outside, the best way to cool off is with a popsicle. Urban Pops satisfies with an assortment of homemade popsicles. They offer creamy and juice styles. They are made fresh and it’s possible they will be sold out of a flavor when you visit because of their popularity.

     

     

I visited them on three separate occasions so  I could try three different flavors.

For my first visit I went for the Cookies and Cream.

The ice cream was super creamy. The flavor of Oreo was throughout the ice cream.

They also included a full size Oreo cookie in the middle. It was like dunking the cookie in an ice cold glass of milk.

On my second visit I went for one of their juice popsicles, Strawberry.

There was a great sweetness and there were fresh slices of strawberries throughout. This version was extremely refreshing.

For my third visit I chose the Banana Pudding.

The ice cream was even creamier than the cookies and cream. The banana flavor was exactly what you would find in an actually banana pudding dessert.

They even included full size vanilla wafers in the pop.

They really captured the essences of the dessert.

There are so many more flavors I want to try. This place is great. The owners are extremely friendly. They really remember their customers as soon as you walk in. Definitely check them out either at their shop or find out where their food truck will be.

http://urbanpopsbham2.wixsite.com/pops

Enjoy!

T

Yuki – Hoover, AL

There is a Japanese restaurant that I had passed by for a while but never tried. Well, I finally decided to check out Yuki in Hoover, Alabama.

The majority of the restaurant is filled with hibachi tables. It is perfect if you are going with a big group. I was not there for hibachi. I wanted something off their regular menu. Luckily they had a few tables I could sit at.

I started off with their ginger salad. This has become a tradition for me to always start with this. Their fresh lettuce was covered in a creamy ginger dressing. It reminded me of a yum yum sauce I usually get with the grilled vegetables at the hibachi table.

Since I was there by myself I knew that whatever I ordered there would be leftovers. But Asian food leftovers are my favorite and are always perfect for lunch the next day.

The chicken lettuce wraps are diced up into bite size pieces, along with water chestnuts, onions, and pine nuts. The sauce had the flavor of sesame oil which added a slight nutty taste. They served it alongside large leaves of iceberg lettuce. The lettuce added extra crunch and helped cut down on the saltiness.

There were a few noodle dishes on the menu. I went for the Yaki Udon. The udon noodles were thick and cooked perfectly. They were stir fried with carrots, onions, broccoli, and mushrooms.

The chicken they used was all white meat that was thinly sliced. The meat had a smoky taste from the wok it was cooked in. The sauce tied it all together by being both salty and sweet.

I am glad I finally stopped into Yuki. It is a good place and all the families that were there seemed to really enjoy the hibachi tables.

Check them out at http://yuki-japanese-restaurant.business.site/

Enjoy!

T

Soong Thai – Ocoee, FL

If you like Thai food, I have found an amazing place called Soong Thai in the Florida town of Ocoee. It is a family run restaurant located in a small shopping center.

I was greeted right away when I walked in. I could not wait to sit down and get started. There were wonderful accents of the Thai culture all around the restaurant.

     

I started off with a salad. It was a simple iceberg lettuce salad. There was a wonderful peanut dressing drizzled on top. The dressing was sweet and something very unique.

The chicken noodle soup was classic comfort food. It was loaded with tender rice noodles, crunchy bean sprouts, and roasted garlic. The garlic really added a robust flavor.

It was suggested to me to try the fried wonton. These crispy wrappers were stuffed with ground pork, carrots, chopped up water chestnuts (which added even more crunch) and potato.

The potato was an unexpected treat. It added more texture. These morsels had a great savory taste. They came with a Thai chili sauce that was sweet. It was the perfect blend of flavors.

One of the dishes for the table was the Siam Tofu. The pieces of tofu were lightly fried and then sautéed with a chili sauce that had garlic added. The tofu was then mixed with fresh vegetables. The tofu was cooked perfectly; the outside was crispy while the inside was soft. The tofu also soaked up all the flavor from the sauce.

The other dish was Lad Nah. This was soft rice noodles mixed with carrots, broccoli and chicken. The chicken was cut up into bite size pieces and still remained juicy. The noodles were amazing. These also soaked up the gravy from the dish. I thought these were the best part of the dish.

I enjoyed my meal and would love to go back to try something else. Check them out if you are in the area. www.soongthai.com

Enjoy!

T

Graffiti Junktion – Clermont, FL

I was visiting my sister and she was excited to take me to Graffiti Junktion. She said they had amazing burgers. She also knew I would want to write about them too.

The first thing I noticed when walking to the restaurant was their beautiful view. They overlook the town since they are on a pretty big hill (Yes, there are parts of central Florida that have hills).

The inside of the restaurant is wild and fun. They definitely stuck to the graffiti theme. There were great works of art on the walls and tables.

     

If you are a Pokémon fan, they have a table for you.

Since my sister has Graffiti Junktion before, I took her recommendation of what to order. Since we got there in time for happy hour, we made sure to order something to kick off our visit.

They have zucchini fries on the menu that my sister says are a must have. These zucchini were sliced thin and covered in seasoned breadcrumbs. They were fried till extra crispy. All I needed to do was sprinkle a little salt on top and these beauties were ready to eat.

The zucchini was tender and not too soft. The crunch from the breading was perfect. The seasoning they use was delicious. It was a great starter to share.

There were a dozen different burgers to choose from on the menu. Plus you can build your own. I went for the Graffiti Double.

This was two of their all beef patties that are made fresh to order. The burger was extremely juicy. The meat was so tender too, it’s like it melted in my mouth when I took a bite.

The burger also came with creamy slices of American cheese (you can choose a different option if desired) and crispy pieces of bacon. The bacon added great crunch to the burger. It also came with a side of fries that were fresh cut.  No burger would be complete without fries.

The burgers at Graffiti Junktion were amazing. My sister was right, plus they were also voted Orlando’s Best Burgers. You should definitely check them out. www.GraffitiJunktion.com

Enjoy!

T

 

Jackson’s – Homewood, AL

I have written about Jackson’s a few years ago. I really enjoyed myself the last time I was there so I was looking forward to going back.

What I remembered about my last visit is that they make a great sangria. It’s a fun layered sangria that I have not seen anywhere else.

It is not too sweet; it’s a great blend of red wine, orange juice, pineapple juice, and a splash of grenadine. It tastes best after mixing up all the layers. It is a shame I had to mess up the rainbow layers.

I made sure to order the Brussels sprouts. They were sprinkled with lemon juice and had Parmesan cheese crumbled on top. The cheese was crispy but the Brussels sprouts themselves were not. What I remembered from last time is they put them in the wood fire oven, but this time they did not. I wish this batch would have been prepared that way.

I also ordered their Buffalo Feathers to try something new. These were unique and very different from typical chicken “fingers”. They took shredded chicken breasts which were flash-fried to be crispy, and there was no breading. They then tossed the chicken in a Nashville hot sauce. But to me the sauce tasted more like a classic Buffalo wing sauce. The chicken came with a dill ranch dip. This had a crisp taste, full of dill flavor.

I am glad I got to visit Jackson’s again. The food and drinks were just a good as I remembered. Check them out at www.jacksonsbarandbistro.com

Enjoy!

T