Date of dining experience: January 26, 2018
Place: Faccia Luna Pizzeria
Location: 1229 S. Atherton St. in State College, PA
Appetizer: Fresh Baked Garlic Breadsticks - Fresh dough is baked in a zesty butter blend and baked golden brown, served with their own marinara sauce. These were the best breadsticks I have ever eaten! The best part was that none of them were exactly the same size or shape, letting you know that they were made by hand. The marinara was not the best, but the breadsticks were so good I will be having them again!
Salad: Caesar Salad - Fresh romaine lettuce and radicchio tossed in a homemade Caesar dressing, topped with Roma tomatoes, croutons, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I chose to upgrade the Caesar salad as the starter for my entree because this place uses anchovies in their dressing. It is hard to find an authentic Caesar dressing with anchovies in it. To make things better, when I told the waitress I wanted it because of the anchovies, she asked if I wanted extra whole anchovies on top! I could not believe my ears! This place is amazing and truly knows how to prepare a real Caesar salad! I will definitely be coming back, even if only for another Caesar salad!
Entree: Vodka Sauce - A blend of vodka, fresh garlic, heavy cream, cayenne pepper, Parmesan cheese, and their marinara. The sauce was delicious, but the best part was the pasta. I chose the garlic-basil linguine and I was not disappointed! All of the pastas are homemade and prepared perfectly. They are thick noodles with just the right amount of chewiness. I will be back to try more of their other types of pasta.
Wine: A very nice half carafe of the house Chianti, a wine that goes very well with any Italian dish you can order. This was a decent wine, but nothing to write home about.
Desserts: Tiramisu and Cannoli - Audry and I decided to split two desserts. Both were very good, but neither was amazing. The tiramisu had a great flavor, but was contained to a small bowl instead of coming out in the usual cake-like fashion. It also had an adequate amount of alcohol and they did not ruin it by putting chocolate sauce on it. The cannoli was very good with a very flavorful filling. My only complaint is that the filling contained chocolate chips. Some people like it that way, but I prefer it without them.
I love Faccia Luna! Everything about the food is wonderful and I will definitely try one of their wood oven pizzas on my next trip! Seriously, if you have not tried a real Caesar salad with anchovies on it, you should. My only complaint at all is that they do not accept reservations, but probably because they are so popular that they do not need to. Try this place out for yourself and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Buck Hill Brewery - Blairstown, NJ
Date of dining experience: January 14, 2018
Place: Buck Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Location: 45 NJ-94 in Blairstown, NJ
Entree: Buck Hill Chicken Schnitzel ($22) - Pan-fried, breaded chicken breast, mashed potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and citrus caper chicken sauce. I love a good schnitzel and this one was fantastic. The Brussels sprouts were perfect and the caper sauce was amazing as well.
Beer Flight Samples:
Place: Buck Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Location: 45 NJ-94 in Blairstown, NJ
Entree: Buck Hill Chicken Schnitzel ($22) - Pan-fried, breaded chicken breast, mashed potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and citrus caper chicken sauce. I love a good schnitzel and this one was fantastic. The Brussels sprouts were perfect and the caper sauce was amazing as well.
Beer Flight Samples:
- Sweet Rack (Belgian Wit) - 4.6 ABV and 17 IBU - Light and effervescent with hints of coriander and sweet orange; light, fluffy body.
- Bud's Suds - 4.2 ABV and 20 IBU - Pre-Prohibition lager brewed with malted barley, flaked corn, and the oldest U.S.-cultivated hop variety, "cluster."
- Rockin Red Rye - 5.5 ABV and 31 IBU - Malty red ale infused with Bulleit Rye Whiskey.
- Hitchin' Post - 7.1 ABV and 62 IBU - West coast-style with an abundance of citrusy hop character, wet-hopped with hand-picked Jersey chinook.
- Big Hefe - 4.7 ABV and 5.4 IBU - Traditional German wheat beer with notes of clove and bubblegum; cloudy and effervescent with a big billowing head.
- Oktoberfest - 6.0 ABV and 20 IBU - An elegant, malty German amber lager with a clean, rich, toasty, and bready malt flavor, restrained bitterness, and a dry finish that encourages another drink.
- Cliff's Red Ale - 5.3 ABV and 31 IBU - Malt showcase of caramel and toffee with a mild, soft English hop aroma.
Overall, this was a very good experience. The beer was decent and the food was great. I could see myself eating here again if I ever find myself getting hungry while passing through New Jersey again. Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think! Enjoy!
The Greek Kitchen - New York City, NY
Date of dining experience: January 13, 2018
Place: The Greek Kitchen
Location: 889 10th Ave. in New York City, NY
Appetizer: A very nice Greek salad.
Entree: Mousaka ($15.95) - Baked layers of eggplant, potato, ground beef, tomato sauce, and spices, topped with a thick bechamel sauce. I absolutely love mousaka and this may be my favorite one I have ever eaten. It was delicious!
Wine: Kouros 2014 Agiorgitiko from Nemea, Greece - A perfect dry red to accompany and Greek dish! It was simply lovely.
Dessert: Galaktoboureko ($6) - Sweet custard pie with a hint of citrus. I wanted to try something a little different from the usual baklava. This was the perfect alternative and may be my new favorite Greek dessert!
Overall, the food at this place was extremely good. If I ever find myself in this area of NYC again, I will definitely be eating here! Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think! Enjoy!
Place: The Greek Kitchen
Location: 889 10th Ave. in New York City, NY
Appetizer: A very nice Greek salad.
Entree: Mousaka ($15.95) - Baked layers of eggplant, potato, ground beef, tomato sauce, and spices, topped with a thick bechamel sauce. I absolutely love mousaka and this may be my favorite one I have ever eaten. It was delicious!
Wine: Kouros 2014 Agiorgitiko from Nemea, Greece - A perfect dry red to accompany and Greek dish! It was simply lovely.
Dessert: Galaktoboureko ($6) - Sweet custard pie with a hint of citrus. I wanted to try something a little different from the usual baklava. This was the perfect alternative and may be my new favorite Greek dessert!
Overall, the food at this place was extremely good. If I ever find myself in this area of NYC again, I will definitely be eating here! Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think! Enjoy!
Ocean Dragon - New York City, NY
Date of dining experience: January 13, 2018
Place: Ocean Dragon Chinese Restaurant
Location: 877 10th Ave. #2 in New York City, NY
Appetizer: Shu Mai ($5.50) - I can never pass up any sign of dim sum on a Chinese menu. These dumplings were not bad, but a little undercooked.
Entree: General Tso's Chicken ($12.95) - Crispy golden tender chicken morsels served in a mildly seasoned spicy sauce. I was looking forward to this dish because it was listed as a chef's specialty and has the word spicy in the description, but it was not very good. The chicken was overdone to the point where you could taste fryer oil through the sauce.
Drink: Hot tea - This was the one good thing about my meal. You can never go wrong with some nice hot tea.
Overall, I chose this place because it was the closest to the hotel. I read the reviews beforehand, but wanted to check it out for myself. I often do not believe the reviews as they are generally wrong. Most negative reviews are written by angry, dumb people. However, the reviews of this place were all absolutely correct. The older lady hostess/waitress was a little mean and the food was not very good. I will not be returning to this restaurant. If you want to try it out for yourself, let me know what you think. Enjoy?
Place: Ocean Dragon Chinese Restaurant
Location: 877 10th Ave. #2 in New York City, NY
Appetizer: Shu Mai ($5.50) - I can never pass up any sign of dim sum on a Chinese menu. These dumplings were not bad, but a little undercooked.
Entree: General Tso's Chicken ($12.95) - Crispy golden tender chicken morsels served in a mildly seasoned spicy sauce. I was looking forward to this dish because it was listed as a chef's specialty and has the word spicy in the description, but it was not very good. The chicken was overdone to the point where you could taste fryer oil through the sauce.
Drink: Hot tea - This was the one good thing about my meal. You can never go wrong with some nice hot tea.
Overall, I chose this place because it was the closest to the hotel. I read the reviews beforehand, but wanted to check it out for myself. I often do not believe the reviews as they are generally wrong. Most negative reviews are written by angry, dumb people. However, the reviews of this place were all absolutely correct. The older lady hostess/waitress was a little mean and the food was not very good. I will not be returning to this restaurant. If you want to try it out for yourself, let me know what you think. Enjoy?
Monday, January 15, 2018
Pazza Notte - New York City, NY
Date of dining experience: January 12, 2018
Place: Pazza Notte
Location: 1375 6th Ave. in New York City, NY
Entree: Risotto di Aragosta ($25) - Lobster risotto with diced lobster, white wine, shallots, green peas, and fresh herbs. Definitely the best risotto I have ever eaten. It was an absolutely perfect dish.
Wine: Ala Nera 2014 Nero d'Avola - A perfect light, dry red to accompany any pasta dish.
Dessert: Tiramisu - Not the best I have ever eaten, but definitely not bad. I am a little bit of a tiramisu snob; I really think adding any kind of chocolate sauce to it makes it worse.
Overall, this was a delicious restaurant that I will be returning to in the future. Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Place: Pazza Notte
Location: 1375 6th Ave. in New York City, NY
Entree: Risotto di Aragosta ($25) - Lobster risotto with diced lobster, white wine, shallots, green peas, and fresh herbs. Definitely the best risotto I have ever eaten. It was an absolutely perfect dish.
Wine: Ala Nera 2014 Nero d'Avola - A perfect light, dry red to accompany any pasta dish.
Dessert: Tiramisu - Not the best I have ever eaten, but definitely not bad. I am a little bit of a tiramisu snob; I really think adding any kind of chocolate sauce to it makes it worse.
Overall, this was a delicious restaurant that I will be returning to in the future. Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Little Szechuan - State College, PA
Date of dining experience: January 5, 2018
Place: Little Szechuan
Location: 228 W. College Ave. in State College, PA
Meal: Kung Pao Chicken - This was a nice dish with good quality meat. There was not very many peanuts, which was a little upsetting. There was also an overabundance of celery, which is such a strong flavor that it detracted from the other flavors present.
Though my experience was not perfect, I have heard from multiple people that this is the best Chinese restaurant in State College. As such, I will eat here again and try something else before I make any kind of judgement. Like I always say, I will try anything twice. Try this place out for yourself and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Place: Little Szechuan
Location: 228 W. College Ave. in State College, PA
Meal: Kung Pao Chicken - This was a nice dish with good quality meat. There was not very many peanuts, which was a little upsetting. There was also an overabundance of celery, which is such a strong flavor that it detracted from the other flavors present.
Though my experience was not perfect, I have heard from multiple people that this is the best Chinese restaurant in State College. As such, I will eat here again and try something else before I make any kind of judgement. Like I always say, I will try anything twice. Try this place out for yourself and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
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