Author: gatorgirl.outoftheswamp@gmail.com

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

 

Happy 4th of July

Mom’s Kitchen & Bar – New York, NY

There was a fun, hipster restaurant that I ate at in New York that served classic comfort food. Mom’s Kitchen and Bar has a retro diner feel. Instead of a juke box, the music symbols and band names are all over the menu.

They offered a fun selection of cocktails with equally fun names. I did not even know you could still get Bartles and Jaymes wine coolers. If you are craving one of those 80’s treats then Mom’s is the place for you.

Since I was there with a friend, we went for the “Big Ass Cocktails” that they offered in 32oz. pitchers. They were only $16 which is an amazing deal for New York City! We ordered the Dirty Shirley. I loved Shirley Temples as a kid. So I could not wait to try the adult version.

It was a playful presentation with bendy straws and a rubber duck.  The drink had that great grenadine taste. They used a generous amount of vodka, which made it pretty strong.

The menu was full of homemade comfort foods. I went for the crispy chicken and gravy, which came with two sides.

The serving size was huge. I got two large chicken breasts that had been marinated in buttermilk. They were tossed in a breading that was loaded with their house secret seasonings. The outside coating was extremely crispy. That crust helped seal on the juiciness of the chicken.

They served a side of peppercorn gravy with the chicken. I dipped a few pieces of chicken in the gravy and it added a whole new level of flavor to the chicken. The gravy reminded me a little of the gravy that comes with chicken fried steak.

I got the homemade mac and cheese as one of my sides. The cheese on top created a nice crispy layer. Past the top layer was the creamy macaroni. It was cheesy, salty goodness.

The other side I got was the Brussels sprouts. Unfortunately these were just steamed, so they were kind of mushy. They would have been better if they were fried or sautéed in a little garlic.

Mom’s Kitchen and Bar  was a fun, unexpected find in New York City. I will be going back because I want to try one of their adult soda floats. Check out their menu at www.momsmidtown.com

Enjoy!

T

Pio Pio – New York, NY

I was visiting a friend in New York and she wanted to take me to a great restaurant she found in her neighborhood. It is a Peruvian restaurant called Pio Pio. I had never had Peruvian food so I was excited to get to experience it.

Like all New York restaurants it was fairly small inside but luckily we were able to get a table. The smell of food filled the air.

     

What perfect way to enjoy dinner with friends than with a pitcher of sangria. They offered both red and white options. We went for the red. It was semi-sweet. All the fruit was chopped up into bite size pieces.

There were several items on the menu that sounded delicious. It was a hard choice but I went with the Salmon Guajillo.

This was a large piece of salmon that was baked in a guajillo chili and chardonnay sauce. The skin on the salmon was extremely crispy. I loved the crunch. It had a great salty taste. The fish was super flakey which made a few of the bites difficult to eat because I could not get the salmon on my fork. The chili-wine sauce was amazing. It was a savory sauce.  The salmon came on top of mashed potatoes and steamed spinach. The potatoes were nice and creamy and tasted great with the extra chili-wine sauce.

My friends I was dining with let me try the dishes they ordered. They knew I would want to write about them. The one dish was the Ceviche de Conchas. These were scallops in a cream sauce. The scallops were very tender. The cream sauce paired so well with fresh scallops. The sauce helped make this simple dish filling.

The other dish was the Pollo a la Brasa. This was a rotisserie chicken that Pio Pio is actually known for. You can order it as a small piece for yourself or as a whole chicken to share family style. The chicken had a great savory herb flavor. The meat was extremely juicy.

It was dessert time. We decided to get something that we could all share. We went for the Tartufo.  This was a blend of vanilla and chocolate gelato. It had a cherry and almond center. Then the whole thing was coated in a chocolate shell. Luckily for us they cut up this dessert into four pieces. It made it much easier for each of us to take a bite.

The gelato was creamy and smooth. The combination of vanilla and chocolate was a classic pairing. The cherry center mixed with the chocolate shell and gelato to recreate the taste of a chocolate covered cherry. This dessert melted fast, so you have to eat it quickly.

I had a wonderful meal at Pio Pio. I am glad I got to experience Peruvian food. Plus I had amazing company. If you are visiting New York and want to get away from the tourist areas, head to Pio Pio. Check out their menu at www.piopio.com

Enjoy!

T

 

Beerhaus – Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas is always evolving and changing. One of the newest additions to the strip is The Park. This new area of bars and restaurants is nestled in between New York, New York and the Monte Carlo (which is actually closed down). This area is also not far from the new hockey arena.

One of the restaurants/bars in this area is Beerhaus. It is a fun place inside with lots of tables for folks to sit at and play a variety of board games that are available. When I arrived they had just started happy hour. They offered several of their beers on special as well a nice offering of $4 munchies.

Since I am not that into beer I ordered some creative cocktails. The Mai Tai on Draft had the most unusual name and sounded delicious. It was a combination of Captain Morgan white rum, orgeat, pineapple juice, and topped off with a floater of Captain Morgan spiced rum.

To start with I needed to find out what is orgeat – it’s a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar, and orange flower water. With this ingredient the drink had an abundant orange taste. The pineapple juice was not that noticeable. The rums helped make the drink have a tropical feel.

I ordered a couple of the happy hour munchies since they were such a great price. The deviled eggs were perfect to start with. I am starting to see these on more and more menus. These were simple, classic deviled eggs. Nothing fancy, no special ingredients, just a simple creamy filling just like my grandmother would make at Easter.

There were bacon wrapped dates that sounded very fancy, especially for a beer joint. These sweet dates were stuffed with cheese and then wrapped in bacon. The bacon was super crispy. The bacon was perfect; if it had not been as crispy it would have made the date chewier. The saltiness and crunch of the bacon complemented the soft sweet date. Then the tanginess of the cheese set in. The three flavors all rolled up perfectly on my taste buds.

I did try another cocktail, the strawberry mojito. They made it with Bacardi Silver, fresh lime, strawberries, mint, and a splash of soda. The strawberry flavor really shined through. They included many slices of fresh sweet strawberries. There was only a slight hint of mint.

The next munchies that came out were the French fries with beer cheese. The fries were thick and extra crispy. I really liked them on their own, However, after dipping them in the creamy cheese I was in heaven. I really liked the fact that I could dip the fries in the cheese rather than having the cheese drizzled all over. This kept the fries crispy through each bite. They were perfect for sharing too.

The last of the munchies that came out was the bacon cheddar potato skin. This was not your typical potato skin. This was half of a jumbo potato. There was no way I could eat this without a fork or knife. It was a lot of potato. The bacon was nice and crispy and the cheese added the necessary saltiness. But after cutting it up there were a few pieces of potato that had no toppings. Luckily I had a little beer cheese left over from the fries. I poured that on top of those potato pieces. So as a pointer, I would suggest ordering a side of beer cheese.

The Beerhaus was a fun placed to hang out. I would definitely go back to try something else on their menu, perhaps a burger or a hot dog. Check them out at www.theparkvegas.com

Enjoy!

T

 

Taller De Tapas – Barcelona, Spain

So during my trip to Barcelona I enjoyed tapas, pastries, sandwiches, churros, and even a hot dog. The one thing I had yet to enjoy was Paella. I could not leave this beautiful city without having some. Taller De Tapas off of La Rambles looked like the perfect place to get paella.

The restaurant was much larger inside compared to some of the other restaurants I had been to. The staff was extremely friendly and very welcoming. Before ordering any drinks I made sure to put in my order for seafood paella because it takes 20 minutes to prepare.

    

Once I got that ordered I glanced over the drink menu. I was excited to finally see Cava Sangria listed. Cava is Catalonian champagne (sparkling wine). I ordered 1 Liter (a pitcher) because I knew it would be at the restaurant for a while.

They had a nice assortment of fresh fruit that included strawberries, pineapples, and sour apples. The Cava was blended with gin, ginger, and apple liquor. This was not super sweet but still had a slight sweetness. I really liked the bubbles, it made the drink even more refreshing. And the gin was hidden nicely within all the other flavors.

While waiting for the paella, I ordered a few tapas. The Brie Cruixent sounded really good. The brie was covered in panko breadcrumbs and fried. They served it with a red pepper jam. This was simply a high end fried cheese. It was an ooey-gooey cheese that tasted great with the jam. There was a slight heat and a whole lot of sweetness.

The three tapas that came out were actually warmed up. That made them taste so much better.

  • Matrimoni d’ Anyova i Seito – This was anchovies and cheese on top of sliced tomato. It all rested on top of a sliced banquette. It was kind of like a piece of pizza, just without the sauce.

    

  • Esparrecs Baby, Formatge Brie, Fos i Piquillos – This was asparagus wrapped in red pepper with brie cheese. This was perfect warmed up because it melted the cheese perfectly.

    

  • Formatge Fresc amb Salmo Marinat i Tortora de Mongo – The salmon was wrapped around fresco cheese and topped with a cherry tomato. The salmon was extremely fresh and tender. It went well with cheese.

    

It was perfect timing when the paella came out. I was just finishing the tapas. It was a pretty big pan. Good thing I was sharing.

The rice was mixed with cuttlefish (which was local), squid, prawns, and mussels.

The shrimp still had their heads and shells. After peeling all that off I got to taste the shrimp. It had great flavor from the seasoning in the paella. The muscles were extremely tender. They were pretty easy to get out of the shells. The cuttlefish was cut up into bite size pieces. It really reminded me of chicken. The rice was cooked perfectly – not too soft nor hard; it was the prefect al dente.

I actually left Taller de Tapas stuffed. The food was amazing, a perfect way to end my trip. This was a great place for people to enjoy a more traditional meal. I would recommend a visit for sure.

http://www.tallerdetapas.com/

Enjoy!

T

Forn de Sant Jaume – Barcelona, Spain

One of the things I enjoyed doing in Barcelona was having coffee and dessert in the evening. The great part about these desserts is they were bite size just like the tapas. The sweets in the window of Forn de Sant Jaume were calling me.

   

They had so many things to choose from. It was hard to pick.

    

    

I got the cream puffs because I love those things. The pastry was filled with a sweet whipped cream. It reminded me of the éclair I had enjoyed earlier in my trip.

The Bulgar De Xocolata was a rolled yellow cake with a chocolate ganache inside. Then they dipped the whole thing in chocolate to create a shell. The cake was very moist and the chocolate was extremely rich.

Finally I got pieces of chocolate. It looked like a little cupcake. This was actually a chocolate truffle that was sitting on top of creamy caramel and then dipped in a chocolate shell. This was a very, very, very rich piece of chocolate, plus it was extremely sweet. It was good but almost too much. I needed something salty to balance everything out.

If you have a sweet tooth, this is definitely the place for you.

www.facebook.com/forndesantjaume.com

Enjoy!

T