Kolache Factory - Virginia Beach, VA

Date of dining experience: November 24, 2017

Place: Kolache Factory

Location: 460 S. Independence Blvd. in Virginia Beach, VA

Meal: 3 Kolache (Yes, kolache is the plural form; kolach is the singular form.)

1. Sausage & Gravy - The perfect combination of flavors. This one is by far my favorite!
2. Ham & Cheese - A nice blend of ham and Swiss cheese. 
3. Sausage - A smaller size containing a smoked sausage link.

Kolache originate from the Czech culture and are basically an upscale hot pocket, but taste so much better. The breading alone and is well worth the trip! I will be eating these again whenever possible. If you live in the area of a Kolache Factory, I highly recommend you try it immediately. When you do, let me know what you think! Enjoy! 

FYI: In the Czech culture, kolache are traditional only filled with non-meat items as they originated as a wedding dessert. The culturally appropriate terms for this type of pastry filled with meat items are the singular klobasnek (or klobasnik) and the plural klobasniky. However, you will only see them called kolache at a Kolache Factory. 

Gumby's - State College, PA

Date of dining experience: November 14, 2017

Place: Gumby's Pizza

Location: 300 S. Pugh St. #101 in State College, PA

Meal: All I ordered was standard medium one-topping pizza (ham) and a medium pokey stix. I have to say, this is the best pizza I've eaten in Pennsylvania so far! The crust is absolutely perfect! There is a ton of cheese and real chunks of ham! I usually like a little more sauce than what came on it, but that is an easy fix next time. I also see why everyone loves pokey stix so much, wow! My only complaint at all is that they are pretty pricey when compared to other pizza places. However, they stay in business because the pizza is so good!

The food reminds of being back in Missouri. The pizza is similar to Casey's Pizza, which is my second favorite pizza I've ever eaten. The pokey stix reminds of what my dad used to order from Godfather's Pizza when I was a child. All of it is delicious! Since you asked, my favorite pizza place is, of course, Epic Pizza in St. Louis. I would probably rate Gumby's as my new third favorite so far, but since it is the only one of the three I can get here in PA, I will be eating it more often than the others.

Anyway, Gumby's Pizza gets two thumbs up from me! I will definitely be eating here again in the future. This try place out and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Lychee - State College, PA

Date of dining experience: November 10, 2017

Place: Lychee Chinese Restaurant

Location: 1341 S. Atherton St. in State College, PA

Meal: Hot and Spicy Chicken with pork fried rice and a pork egg roll ($5.95). I also got an order of two spring rolls ($2.50). Everything was absolutely delicious! I think I have found my new go-to restaurant for fast Chinese food.

The size and location of this place reminds a lot of my favorite Chinese restaurant back home, Yang's. The food is really close as well. Suffice it to say I will be returning to Lychee many times in the future! Try it out and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Hog father's - State College, PA

Date of dining experience: November 1, 2017

Place: Hog father's Old Fashioned BBQ

Location: 1669 N. Atherton St. in State College, PA

Meal: BBQ Beef Brisket ($16.99) - Char-grilled BBQ beef brisket, garlic mashed potatoes, baked beans, pico de gallo, and a roll. The meat was a little dry alone, but add some BBQ sauce and it was delicious! The sides were excellent as well. I will be back here to try other menu items in the future!

Audry ordered the BBQ chicken half and really enjoyed it. Her sides were the green beans and mac and cheese. She especially liked the mac and cheese. I believe we may have found our new place to go for decent BBQ! Give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Primanti Bros. - Pittsburgh, PA

Date of dining experience: October 21, 2017

Place: Primanti Bros.

Location: 6 Anchor Dr. in Pittsburgh, PA

Meal: Original Pitts-Burger ($7.39) - Grilled meat, melted provolone cheese, sweet-and-sour coleslaw, fresh-cut fries, ripe tomatoes, and their house recipe Italian bread. All of that combined to make one very delicious sandwich. To top it all off, this is the absolute best coleslaw I have ever tried in my life. The Pitts-Burger is a tradition at Primanti Bros. You can't go there and not try it. Go get yourself one right now!

Drink: Regular coffee - Just because I felt like it. Don't judge!

This is a great place for a quick lunch or a full meal with friends. I will definitely be returning. Try it out and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Red Chopsticks - Bloomington, IN

Date of dining experience: October 12, 2017

Place: Red Chopsticks Japanese Restaurant

Location: 1420 E. 3rd St. in Bloomington, IN

Drink: Hot Green Tea ($1) - Perfect!

Appetizer: Shumai ($3.95) - Five pieces of steamed shrimp dumplings. Delicious!

Meal: Sushi rolls! Everything was wonderful!

1. Philadelphia Roll ($4.95) - Smoked salmon and cream cheese.
2. Chicago Roll ($5.50) - Tuna, avocado, and cream cheese.
3. California Roll ($3.95) - The standard that you can get anywhere.

Red Chopsticks was great and I will definitely be returning if I ever find myself in Bloomington again. Try it out and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Nick's English Hut - Bloomington, IN

Date of dining experience: October 11, 2017

Place: Nick's English Hut

Location: 423 E. Kirkwood Ave. in Bloomington, IN

Appetizer: Sink the Biz Fries ($10.95) - A bucket of fries tossed in Romano and Nick's spices with their famous garlic mayonnaise for dipping. The fries were amazing! Definitely a "must" if you ever find yourself here!

Meal: 7" pizza with ham and black olives ($9.55) - A pretty good pizza with pretty good sauce. Not something to shout about, but definitely not the worst pizza I've ever eaten.

All-in-all, this place is pretty iconic in the Indiana University culture. It's worth a stop if you ever find yourself in the area. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Pho 11 - State College, PA

Date of dining experience: September 22, 2017

Place: Pho 11 Vietnamese Restaurant

Location: 146 N. Atherton St. in State College, PA

Appetizers: Audry and I split an order of Spring Rolls with Shrimp and Pork ($5.50) and an order of Vegatable Rolls ($5.25). Both were delicious, especially with the dipping sauce! They were slightly different from others I've had before because they contained basil instead of cilantro. It's different, but still good!

Entree: Satay Chicken Noodle Soup ($9.95) - Perfect noodles and shredded chicken served in a homemade satay sauce with the flavor of peanuts and sesame, served with a side of bean sprouts and a sprig of fresh basil. You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu here. This dish just happens to be the one our server recommended. As I was discussing authenticity with him, he said that all of the dishes on the menu are authentic in Vietnam. However, he also said that due to some ingredients being unavailable (or less plentiful) in this country, they have had to make close substitutions and even leave a few things out. Obviously, this changes the flavor. I really want to go to Vietnam and just tour all the local food places!

Drink: Fresh Lime Soda ($3.50) - This was amazing! Just the right amount of lime flavor and not a lot of carbonation. However they made it, it was great!

As far as I have been able to find, Pho 11 is the only Vietnamese restaurant in State College, making it the best one in State College. I will definitely be returning to Pho 11 in the future, especially if I have a craving for spring rolls or fresh lime soda! Try this place out and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

100 Degrees Hot Pot - State College, PA

Date of dining experience: September 22, 2017

Place: 100 Degrees Hot Pot Chinese Restaurant

Location: 428 Westerly Parkway in State College, PA

Dim Sum - Those of you who know me, know I love some good dim sum. This is the only place in State College where the dim sum is fantastic. Well, it's really the only place that offers real dim sum at all. A couple other places have a tiny dim sum bar, but never very many options.

1. Shrimp Dumplings (L - $4.25) - You can never go wrong with the standard shrimp dumpling. They are always amazing.
2. Dumplings in Chaozhou Style (M - $3.75) - I had never eaten this type of dumpling before. Since I like trying new things, I obviously had to try it! Basically, this type of dumpling contains meat and peanuts. It's pretty good and has a slight crunch to it.
3. Shark Fin Dumplings (L - $4.25) - This is my absolute favorite dumpling! So, of course, I had to have it! Let me tell you, the seasoning they use on the meat in this dumpling is superb! These dumplings were absolutely perfect!
4. Fried Stuffed Taro (S - $3.25) - I chose to go the taro route instead of the typical rice route this time, mostly because I had never tried taro before. This was interesting. It tastes a little like bland mashed potatoes, but there was some filling to it. Being fried, it was a little dry. However, dipping it in some oyster sauce solved that problem immediately!
5. Jasmine Tea ($2) - You simply cannot have dim sum without a pot of tea! Jasmine tea is my favorite hot tea. Even if the dumplings weren't very good, I would return just for the tea! 

Obviously, I get really excited about dim sum. 100 Degrees Hot Pot serves dim sum via menu Tuesday-Friday and with traditional cart service on Saturday and Sunday, but they stop serving it at 4:30, so plan your dim sum trip accordingly! Once you try it, let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Federal Taphouse - State College, PA

Date of dining experience: August 16, 2017

Place: Federal Taphouse

Location: 130 S. Fraser St., Suite 200 (above Target) in State College, PA

Appetizers: Audry and I split the Housemade Soft Pretzels ($7), which came with beer cheese fondue. The seasoning on the pretzels was absolutely perfect, and the beer cheese was some of the best I have ever eaten. We also split the Warm Brussels Sprouts ($11), which is tossed with smoked bacon, bleu cheese, red cabbage, and cranberry-sherry vinaigrette. These were delicious when they first came out, but soon got cold. I wish the dish had been called Hot Brussels Sprouts.

Entrees: Audry and I split two pizzas, Margherita ($12) -- tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil -- and Polpette ($14) -- tomato, mozzarella, meatballs, and Parmesan. Both of these pizzas were wonderful, especially the Margherita. I had given up hope of finding even a decent Margherita pizza in this town until I had this one! It actually has enough basil on it to give it the right flavor! I've mentioned before that it is hard to find good pizza in State College, but this place has some pretty good pizza. Some friends recommended Hi-Way Pizza, but I have yet to try it. You'll know as soon as I do!

Beers: The best thing about Federal Taphouse is the amazing selection of draft beer and wine.

1. I started with the regular size La Fin Du Monde by Unibroue. As I'm sure I've pointed out before, this is my number one favorite beer. I was giddy with excitement when I saw it on their draft list! You really can't go wrong with a nice tripel.
2. Audry had a regular size Son of a Peach by RJ Rockers Brewing Company, a tasty unfiltered wheat ale made with buckets of peaches. With a description like that, she couldn't pass it up! I must admit it was very good!
3. I then tried two new beers. The first was the small size of Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale Ale by Elysian Brewing Company. This was a very nice, crisp pale ale that were very well with the strong flavors in our pizzas.
4. The second new beer I tried was the small size of Sunshine Daydream Session IPA, with pleasant notes of citrus, peach, and tropical fruits with a light malt backbone. This beer went wonderfully with the bleu cheese in the Brussels sprouts. 

I will be returning to Federal Taphouse in the future. Even if you are just in the mood for a beer, this is a great place to get one! This location just recently opened in State College, so you probably haven't tried it yet, but you should! I recommend doing it soon, before school starts! Either way, they take reservations, so be sure to call ahead. Once you try it, let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Tadashi - State College, PA

Date of dining experience: August 4, 2017

Place: Tadashi Japanese Restaurant

Location: 206 W. College Ave. in State College, PA

Appetizer: Shumai ($5) - steamed shrimp dumplings. This was the perfect appetizer to prepare Audry and me for our meal. I would have liked it a little better if there had been a bit more shrimp in the dumplings, but they were still delicious!

Salad: As an accompaniment to our meal, we had some great salads with the always-wonderful ginger dressing.

Entree: From the Omakase menu, Audry and I split the Sushi Sashimi Tasting ($50) - 8 pieces of nigiri, 15 pieces of sashimi, and a chef's special roll.

• The nigiri course included salmon, tuna, sea bass, whitefish, shrimp, scallop, eel tail, and a wonderful piece with salmon roe. This was my first time having salmon roe and I absolutely loved it. Each little egg is full of a deliciously salty liquid that bursts in your mouth. I just wish I had put a little wasabi on it instead of, or maybe in addition to, soy sauce.
• The sashimi course included three pieces each of salmon, tuna, scallop, eel tail, and sea bass. Each piece was perfect. I can't stress enough how much I love good fish. The last piece in this course was a fried shrimp head, which came with it's own special sauce. While there was not a meat to this, the meat that was there was very flavorful. 
• The final course was a chef's special roll. This roll was not on the menu as it was unique to the day and the chef. I'm not even sure exactly what was in it, but I do know it tasted great! It both contained and was topped with a mix of fishes. The roll was topped with masago and a cream sauce. All together, the chef's creation was aesthetically pleasing, appetizing, and delectable. 

Drink: Hot Green Tea ($2) - A delicious accompaniment to any Japanese meal.

Dessert: Mochi Green Tea Ice Cream ($4) - Two balls of always-fantastic green tea ice cream wrapped in dough, served with whipped cream and a cherry.

Tadashi is an absolutely wonderful restaurant, serving authentic Japanese dishes in a small setting where you can see your food being prepared. My favorite part was that they do not have silverware. There are bins of chopsticks on every table. If you don't know how to use them, you should learn! If not, feel free to ask for a fork.

Tadashi is now my go-to restaurant for sushi and sashimi in State College. I'll probably still try other places because I like the adventure of new foods, but I expect Tadashi to be a top choice going forward. If you haven't tried this place yet, you should! Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Trolley Tap House - Wilmington, DE

Date of dining experience: June 9, 2017

Place: Trolley Tap House

Location: 1616 Delaware Ave. in Wilmington, DE

Appetizers:
1. Beer-battered Green Bean Fries - Made with house-pickled green beans and served with lemon aioli. These were very good. They were seasoned with Old Bay, but the flavor of it was covered up by the vinegar flavor if the green beans being pickled.
2. Battered Broccoli - Broccoli fried golden brown and served with beer cheese for dipping. These were pretty good. I like the concept of this, but I would have liked it better if it had been roasted broccoli. Roasted broccoli is my favorite. :-)

Entree: Hot Pastrami Sandwich ($11) - With Swiss cheese and grainy mustard, served with kettle chips and a house-made pickle. This was a really good sandwich. My only complaint is a standard one: the flavor of a sandwich like this is extremely powerful and gets boring to the taste buds before you are able to finish it.

Beers:
1. Flying Fish Exit 4 (9.5% ABV and 24 IBUs) - This was a very tasty Belgian Tripel, which is my favorite type of beer!
2. Yards Brawler (4.2% ABV and 14 IBUs) - This is a standard English Dark Mild Ale and is always a very drinkable option.

I love trying new places, which is why I started this blog. Trolley Tap House is a nice place located in the oldest area of Wilmington. If you ever find yourself near it, give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Hershey Grill - Hershey, PA

Date of dining experience: June 1, 2017

Place: The Hershey Grill at Hershey Lodge

Location: 325 University Dr. in Hershey, PA

Bread: Very nicely toasted and served with a plate of butter possibilities. In addition to traditional butter, there is also a chocolate butter option, which is delicious and less sweet than it sounds.

Entree: Thursday Special Sirloin & Shrimp Surf & Turf ($23) - A 6 oz sirloin steak and large prawns with the tails already removed, served with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. I don't eat steak often, but when I do I want it to be good. This one was really good, perfectly cooked, tender, and juicy.

Wine - Two glasses of Hess Select Sauvignon Blanc from California. Smooth and delicious! ($10 each)

There are many restaurants in Hershey, so I'm not sure if I'll make it back to this one. The Hershey Lodge even has six restaurants, four of which serve dinner. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic meal. Try this place out and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Troegs - Hershey, PA

Date of dining experience: June 1, 2017

Place: Troegs Brewing Company

Location: 200 East Hershey Park Drive in Hershey, PA

Meal: Grilled Mac & Cheese ($15) - Served with pulled pork, collard greens, and hot sauce. This was very good. The mac & cheese part was a little surprising as it was served as a type of patty under the pulled pork. The hot sauce is mostly mixed in with the collard greens, so I ordered it without that part so that I didn't have heartburn the rest of the day.

Beer Samples (Pick Three for $6):

1. Scratch #276 Farmhouse Rye Ale (7.0% ABV and 8 IBUs) - This was a very nice, light ale. It reminded of a cross between a Saison and a Hefeweizen. 
2. Scratch #282 Brotherly Suds Ale (5.9% ABV and 34 IBUs) - This was an extremely tasty Dunkelweizen created as a collaboration with six breweries in addition to Troegs: Flying Fish, Victory, Yards, Stoudts, Iron Hill, and Sly Fox.
3. Scratch #283 Boysenberry Gose (5.4% ABV and 9 IBUs) - This was pretty tasty, but really made me pucker up! I think this may actually be the most sour beer I've ever had, but definitely worth a try!
4. Troegenator Double Bock (8.2% ABV and 25 IBUs) - This was a great, light Double Bock. Only slightly thick, notes of caramel and chocolate are present both in aroma and taste.
5. HopBack Amber Ale (6.0% ABV and 55 IBUs) - This beer was slightly misleading with a name like Amber Ale, so be sure to check out that it has 55 IBUs! This was much more hoppy than I was expecting, but still delicious! You know me, I don't discriminate. I drink all beer equally! :-)
6. Cultivator Helles Bock (6.9% ABV and 25 IBUs) - This was a light, crisp Helles Bock that was extremely drinkable with obvious floral notes. 
7. Rugged Trail (5.0% ABV and 38 IBUs) - This was a very nice spin on a classic Nut Brown Ale. It was slightly lighter and more hoppy than expected, but certainly delicious!

Troegs is a wonderful brewery with fantastic beers! I will definitely be back the next time I find myself in Hershey, PA. Try this place out and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Kelly's - State College, PA

Date of dining experience: May 27, 2017

Place: Kelly's Steak and Seafood

Location: 316 Boal Ave. in Boalsburg, PA

Wine as appetizer: A bottle of 2015 Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc. You really can't go wrong with a Sauvignon Blanc, especially one from New Zealand.

Entree: Yellowfin "Ahi" Tuna ($26) - A large 6 oz tuna steak encrusted with sesame seeds and flash-seared rare, served on ginger-jasmine rice with a Beurre Blanc sauce and soy reduction and garnished with sliced pickled ginger. This was a delightful meal. My only complaint is the the tuna was overdone, closer to medium rare than to the true rare sear that is customarily associated with "Ahi" Tuna.

Wine with entree: A very nice glass of Malbec. ($6)

Dessert: Tiramisu ($8) - Ladyfingers soaked in espresso and coffee liqueur, layered with a silky mascarpone mousse flecked with European chocolate and finished with sweet chocolate cocoa, served with a drizzle of tart raspberry sauce. This was an excellent tiramisu! I was worried at first about the raspberry sauce, but it came on the side. I would rate this one third out of all the times I've eaten tiramisu (the first is Brave New Restaurant in Little Rock, AR and the second is Ciao in Cape Girardeau, MO).

As I stated before, I really like this restaurant. I highly recommend Kelly's for any evening outing. Try this place out and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Dhafer's - Dexter, MO

Date of dining experience: May 16, 2017

Place: Dhafer's Mediterranean Steak House

Location: 117 S. Locust St. in Dexter, MO

Meal: Barramundi! Okay, so sea bass is my favorite fish dish and Dhafer makes the absolute best sea bass I have ever eaten in my life! That being said, the way he prepared his barramundi has made it my second favorite fish dish ever. I never would have thought to add cumin to fish! Add the green beans and the roasted red potatoes, on my! Dhafer is a genius.

Wine: (tolerable) Merlot

I'm not going to go into too much detail here because I've already written some blogs about Dhafer's. In fact, this post is basically the same as my last visit because I had the same meal. If you haven't tried this place yet, you really must! Now! Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Robust - St. Louis, MO

Date of dining experience: May 15, 2017

Place: Robust Wine Bar

Location: 227 W. Lockwood Ave. in Webster Groves, MO

Robust is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the St. Louis area! No matter what you get, it's always going to be amazing!

Shared Appetizers:

1. Roasted Cauliflower - Carmelized cauliflower florets with caper-brown butter, parsley, thyme, shaved Pecorino, and garlic bread crumbs.
2. Farmhouse Meatballs - Pork and beef meatballs over masa grits griddlecake with salsa birria.
3. Sweet Pepper Hummus - Puree of chickpeas with roasted red peppers, piquillo peppers, Piment de Espilette, and smoked paprika. Topped with Spanish olives and Cotija. 
4. Spinach and Artichoke Dip - Spinach, roasted red peppers, and artichokes with mozzarella, Parmesan, cream cheese, and crostini.

Entree: Crab Stuffed Trout - Seared rainbow trout stuffed with blue crab, lemon, piquillo peppers, and bread crumbs over fingerling potato-broccolini hash.

Dessert: A very nice creme brulee with strawberries.

Wine: An extremely tasty dry red blend containing my favorite kind of wine, Cabernet Franc.

I highly recommend Robust for anyone looking to go out to dinner. This restaurant is great for any occasion! Whether you're going out to dinner for a date, business meeting, birthday, anniversary, or just to hang out with friends over a good drink, Robust is the place! If you haven't tried it yet, do it! Let me know know what you think. Enjoy!

Kelly's - State College, PA

Date of dining experience: April 28, 2017

Place: Kelly's Steak and Seafood

Location: 316 Boal Ave. in Boalsburg, PA

Appetizer (from the weekly specials menu): Thai Fried Alligator ($10) - Domestic alligator tail meat marinated in buttermilk and tossed in a Thai spice flour, fried crisp, and served with a creamy coconut-chili dipping sauce. This was some of the juiciest alligator I have ever eaten! It was very delicious and I would order it again. However, there really was no spice to it. With a name like that, I was expecting some spice in the breading and the dipping sauce, but neither had it. The dipping sauce was good, but could have been quite a bit less sweet.

Wine with appetizer: A very nice glass of Malbec. ($6)

Entree (from the weekly specials menu): Jamaican Grilled Swordfish ($26) - A large swordfish steak marinated in Jamaican jerk seasonings, served with flash-seared South Sea prawns, on a bed of ginger-jasmine rice with a mango beurre blanc and tropical fruit salsa. Doesn't that description just make your mouth water? It did for me! The flavor combination was fantastic and I would definitely order this dish again. However, I do have two things that were not quite right. With Jamaican jerk seasonings, I was expecting a little of spice, which this dish did not have. The swordfish was also slightly overcooked. It was still juicy and delicious, but just a tad overdone. This is really just my personal preference, so it's really not a big deal in the grand scheme of life.

Wine with entree: A very nice glass of Sangiovese. ($7)

Honestly, I was expecting this place to be a normal little steakhouse, but when I saw all the seafood options they had to offer I became very excited. I think this might be my new go-to restaurant for a very nice meal that isn't going to cost an arm and a leg.

I highly recommend Kelly's, especially if you are with an amazing group of people like I was. (Shout out to Dr. Keith Thompson and Dr. Alice Hammel.) Try this place out and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Barrel 21 - State College, PA

Date of dining experience: March 25, 2017

Place: Barrel 21 Distillery and Dining

Location: 2255 N. Atherton St. in State College, PA

Starter: Seafood Chowder ($6) - A hearty blend of vegetables and seafood in a rich and creamy chowder. This was an absolutely wonderful soup with an awesome flavor.

Shared Small Plate: Smoked Deviled Eggs ($5) - Classic deviled eggs smoked and topped with crispy Hogs Galore bacon crumbles, fried capers, and paprika. These were delicious! Of course, adding bacon and capers to anything makes it better!

Shared Entree: Artichoke Pasta ($16) - Fasta & Ravioli Co.'s fresh lasagnetti pasta tossed in a creamy asiago alfredo sauce with artichokes, wild mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and spinach. I was initially hesitant to try this pasta, but it was fantastic!

Beers: Otto's Ottonator and Otto's Trippel ($5 each) - These are two of my three favorite beers from Otto's. I get them every time they are available, unless the Maibock is available (it's my top favorite).

I am sorry I did not get to try any of the cocktails or desserts, but I will be back another time to try some of them. Barrel 21 and Otto's are definitely my two favorite restaurants I've been to in State College, and they happened to both be owned by the same people! I highly recommend them both. If you haven't tried either of them yet, you definitely should!

Give this place a taste and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

First Watch - St. Louis, MO

Date of dining experience: December 22, 2016

Place: First Watch - The Daytime Cafe

Location: Woodbine Center, 491 S. Kirkwood Rd. in Kirkwood, MO

Meal: The Traditional - Two fresh eggs (over medium) with a choice of meat (grilled ham steak). Served with an English muffin and fresh, seasoned potatoes. Fantastic!

Great breakfast food with great friends at a great place with great coffee for a great price. You can't beat it! If you have never tried First Watch, look one up and add it to your next trip to the city. Let me know how it turns out. Enjoy!

Dhafer's - Dexter, MO

Date of dining experience: December 20, 2016

Place: Dhafer's Mediterranean Steak House

Location: 117 S. Locust St. in Dexter, MO

Meal: Barramundi! Okay, so sea bass is my favorite fish dish and Dhafer makes the absolute best sea bass I have ever eaten in my life! That being said, the way he prepared his barramundi has made it my second favorite fish dish ever. I never would have thought to add cumin to fish! Add the green beans and the roasted red potatoes, on my! Dhafer is a genius.

I'm not going to go into too much detail here because I've already written some blogs about Dhafer's, but if you haven't tried this place yet, you really must! Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Honada - Kenosha, WI

Date of dining experience: December 17, 2016

Place: Honada Shushi and Hibachi

Location: 8501 75th St. G in Kenosha, WI

Appetizer: Famous Roll ($7.95) - Tuna, avocado, salmon, cilantro, and crunch, with spicy mayo sauce. I really love sushi. It was nice to try a roll that I had never eaten before.

Meal: Hibachi Chicken and Scallop Combo Dinner ($20.95) - I love grills like this. They always provide great entertainment and soup and salad before your meal. The salad dressing is always fantastic!

Beer: Sapporo is always a good choice at a restaurant like this.

I definitely recommend this place and others like it! Try one of them out and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Various Restaurants - Chicago, IL

My wife and I attended the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago in December (2016). Below are our dining experiences that week.

#1: Ruth's Chris Steak House

Date: December 14, 2016

Location: 431 N. Dearborn St. in Chicago

Steak: Filet - 11 ounces of the most tender cut of lean, midwestern beef. A filet is always a wonderful cut of meat, but Ruth's Chris knows how to prepare a steak better than any restaurant I can think of. Add a nice red wine and you have a wonderful meal!

Side: Creamed Spinach - Chopped spinach in a New Orleans style cream sauce. A Ruth's Chris classic. As far as I can think, this is the absolute best way to prepare spinach!

#2: East Asian Bistro

Date: December 15, 2016

Location: 333 S. State St. in Chicago

Appetizer: Alaskan Sushi Roll ($5.95) - Salmon, avocado, and crab meat, topped with black tobiko. A delicious sushi roll. The black tobiko added an amazing flavor!

Meal: Rama Chicken ($8.75) - Chicken sauteed in a lemongrass peanut sauce, garnished with Chinese broccoli. This was very good! The waitress was worried that I wouldn't like Chinese broccoli, but I assured that I loved it. Asian food is my thing!

Beer; Asahi - Always a good choice at an Asian restaurant. 

#3: Miller's Pub

Date: December 16, 2016

Location: 134 S. Wabash Ave. in Chicago

Meal: London Broil - A very good dish, but the meat was a bit dry. It probably didn't help that our waitress was just awful. She would ask us a question and before we could answer, even while still in the middle of the question, she would be reaching to take away a plate that still had food on it! Anyway, the food was good enough to go to this restaurant again if I'm ever in this area of Chicago again.

Beer: A nice Belgian beer is good any time of day! 

#4: Pittsfield Cafe

Date: December 17, 2016

Location: 55 E. Washington St. in Chicago

Meal: Corned Beef Scramble - The perfect blend of eggs, corned beef, and hash browns. One of the best brunch meals you could possibly ask for!

Drink: Coffee that was slightly old, with a very bitter flavor.

Various Restaurants - New York City, NY

Over Thanksgiving (2016), my wife and I went to New York City where we saw Chicago on Broadway and we to a couple comedy clubs. We ate a few restaurants, some okay and some really good. I thought it would be best to list them all here at the same time.

#1: Foxy Diner

Date: November 20, 2016

Meal: Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon - Seared salmon served with wild rice pilaf, mixed vegetables, and creamy mustard herb sauce. It sounds good, but it really wasn't. Everything was slightly soggy and bland. It tasted as if it had just been heated up in a microwave prior to coming out. I would have thought this was an accident, but Audry had a pasta dish and said the same thing. Overall, probably a tourist trap and not worth the time.

Beer: Stella Artois - always a good choice.

#2: Pure Thai Cookhouse

Date: November 21, 2016

Location: 766 9th Ave. #2 in NYC

If you know me at all, you know I love Asian food. This place was exceptional. It was a little out of the way and definitely a tiny little restaurant. We felt comfortable going here because we figured it wouldn't be a normal tourist trap restaurant. Audry saw that they made their own noodles and thought it would be fantastic. She was right!

Appetizer: Vegetable Spring Rolls ($7) - Shitake mushroom, jicama, glass noodles, and Thai chili plum sauce. Extremely tasty. We were so sad when they were gone. 

Meal: Pad Thai with Shrimp ($11) - Rice noodles, dried shrimp, peanuts, egg, bean sprouts, scallions, and tamarind sauce. Delicious! This was definitely the best Pad Thai I have ever eaten.

Daily Special Drink: Longan Juice ($4) - This was absolutely delicious. 

Beer: Singha (lager) from Thailand ($4.50) - We asked our server which of the beers from Thailand were the best and she recommended this. It was very good!

I absolutely loved this restaurant and would go back here if I ever find myself in NYC again.

#3: Ipanema Restaurant: Brazilian and Portuguese

Date: November 22, 2016

Location: 43 W. 46th St. in NYC

I wanted to eat here to experience some of traditional foods from this region of the world. I was not disappointed! And my experiences were verified as traditional by another graduate student here at Penn State who is from Brazil.

Appetizer: Salgadinhos Sortidos ($10) - Sampler of traditional Brazilian and Portuguese croquettes. These were all very good. Audry and I split each one to taste them all and we had no complaints about any of them! 

Meal: Moqueca de Camarao ($18) - Sauteed shrimp in a tomato, pepper, and onion stew. This was absolutely gorgeous and the flavors were amazing! I will have this again, hopefully if I ever get the opportunity to visit Brazil!

Drink: Guava Juice ($4) - This was very good. It served as a nice complement to the meal.

Dessert: Doce da Casa ($8) - Portuguese egg custard pudding topped with a coffee soaked cracker and fresh homemade whipped cream. This was one of the best desserts ever! It was the perfect amount of sweetness. American desserts are often entirely too sweet, but this one was perfect.

Coffee: Cafe ($3) - Some black coffee was great with the dessert. 

I would love to go to this restaurant again if I ever find myself in NYC. I highly recommend it!