MAC 24/7 (HONOLULU, HI)

August 14, 2014 ravinnanda

So one thing about MAC 24/7 is that (obviously) they’re open 24 hours seven days a week, and they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner all time!

Coincidently, we came during the World Cup Finals so it was an even more enjoyable experience! We were seated at a nice table, with a great view (of the flat screen of course) and just…comfortable.

While reading the menu, I realized that this restaurant had been featured on “Man vs. Food,” one dish in particular, the MacDaddy Pancake! So of course, I decided to order it!

One) I couldn’t fit it on my table

Two) Carb death

Two giant butter milk pancakes with a twist pineapple and macadamia nut (a Hawaiian classic) served on a silver platter, with a side of butter, coconut syrup and maple syrup.

I took one bite and my mind was blown. The pancakes were so rich, soft and fluffy! I prefer the coconut syrup to the maple syrup, judging the dish on a level of sweetness (considering the added sugar in the batter). I watched a snow-white river indulge a ground of purity.

Here’s a tip: you should never be afraid to take a risk with food (if you’re at a decent enough restaurant). If it is on the menu, then there must be some value to the dish…the same is lame, so don’t be afraid to try new things, especially twists on common dishes, because you’re palette will be so much stronger!

This is the thing with MAC 24/7: the food on the menu is a twist on local Hawaiian food! Hawaiian food already is its own special cuisine, but a twist is something even more unique! I give MAC 24/7 a hands down 10/10 experience! Another must have in Honolulu!

Honolulu

Mitch’s Sushi Restaurant (HONOLULU, HI)

August 4, 2014 ravinnanda

Hawaiian cuisine incorporates distinct styles of food reflecting on it’s diverse history of food of settlement and immigration on the Islands. By this claim, Japanese cuisine has surely influenced the style of Hawaiian food, but also has a majority of original cuisine on the islands. Sushi is a renown treasure of the Japanese cultaaure, ranging from Sashimi, to rolls, to hand rolls, etc…Sushi restaurants in big cities such as New York or Los Angeles tend to serve run of the mill sushi, unless you know where to find the right places.

Before coming to Hawaii, I promised myself that I would not eat run of the mill sushi, and I think I kept that promise pretty well…

Mitch’s sushi house, “the freshest sushi in Honolulu” is only about a 3 minute drive from the airport. A rather hole in the wall, next to a warehouse could be a perfect spot for lunch…if the food’s good.

The minute I sat down and glanced at the menu, I knew I hadn’t done myself wrong. A whole variety of fish cooked (or served raw) in as many different styles you could imagine! And the best part was, everyday the fish are flown in directly from Japan. So this was authentic, real, fresh seafood.

FOOD: As I said earlier, the food here is unique. We ordered a type of seaweed salad, called the Mozuku, which was angel hair seaweed. Personally, I didn’t much care for it because of the immense amount of vinegar added to it, but it was a unique dish…Also, we ordered a horse mackerel. It tasted very fresh and it was sized pretty well…

Of course, hence the name “Mitches Sushi Restaurant” we need to order sushi! We ordered the sushi combo, which ranged from yellow tuna, to salmon to caviar filled seafood, etc…the best thing about the sushi was that it was fresh!

In conclusion, Sushi in Hawaii is a must have, especially at Mitches Sushi Restaurant!

New York City

Peking Duck House (NYC, NY)

July 16, 2014 ravinnanda

Unlike many other Chinese restaurants, Peking Duck house has linen table cloths for lunch. Located in Midtown and Chinatown, the Peking Duck House continues to satisfy their customers with welcoming service and delectable food.

I’ve been to the Peking Duck House about three times, and I’ve found that their Midtown location is “better” than their Chinatown restaurant. For one, it’s better situated (Obviously: midtown, easy to find, cleaner) and I found the service in Midtown amiable, rather than the indifferent dispositions of the servers in Chinatown. Before we could stand up, our server snatched the check up from the table, snarled in a disgruntled manner an insincere “thank you” and stormed off into the kitchen. At the Midtown location, we were given plenty of space, the servers were attentive and polite and frankly we felt more comfortable.
Now, let’s get down to business: FOOD!

FOOD: Hence the name “Peking Duck house,” you can tell what we ordered. The Peking Duck House prepares their duck by using the most complex “formula.” I’ve ever heard of:
First, air is pumped into the duck to stretch and loosen the skin. They then repeatedly pour boiling water over the skin, which later is dried. The skin is rubbed all over with maltose syrup and is roasted in an oven for a long period of time until the meat is tender and the skin is crispy. The chef will then come and cut the whole duck in front of you. It’s served with homemade thin, pancakes, scallions, cucumbers and a special hoisin sauce. Your server would open the pancakes, swirl a little hoisin sauce on it, add cucumbers, the scallions and the duck, fold it and voiule!
Totally worth it. I had SIX “pockets.” The hoisin sauce was sweet, but a bit bitter, complimenting the whole concept of the salty pancake. The scallions were fresh but the cucumbers tasted a bit rancid…however, the Chef was spot on with the duck! Tender and crispy, and the skin peeled right off. As a side, we ordered fried rice. peas, spare ribs, egg you name it! All heaped up on a giant platter. It did go well with the duck I must say, a whole lot better than a soup would’ve

So again, another must try for a Manhattan lunch. Even if you’re not a duck fan (which I can guarantee that you will be after dining here) there a tons of other options to please your palette.

236 E 53rd St, Manhattan NY 10022,

(212) 759-8260

http://www.pekingduckhousenyc.com

Newark

Iberia (Newark, NJ)

July 7, 2014 ravinnanda

I’m going to be straight up honest: I’m a Manhattan kind of guy. Sauntering down 5th ave to relaxing in Central Park really puts the cherry on top of the sundae. However, when I heard I was going to Newark this weekend, my sundae melted. Look: compare Manhattan to Newark…self explanatory.

But clearly I forgot one element to judge: food.
Because of the large demand for Spanish, Portuguese and Mexican food, I decided to check out Ferry St.
Cruising down Ferry St. I found a few places, but one stuck out to me: Iberia.
In an exclusive square with live music and an “aquatic” feel. A rather casual restaurant with lots of tables pleases yourself and your pallete.

FOOD: So usually at a Spanish restaurant, we like to go family style. Of course, we’d go with a classic: Seafood Paella. Before I continue, let me just say…THE PORTIONS ARE HUGE! HUGE. HUGE. HUGE. So anyway: best. paella. I’ve. ever. had. It was very fresh, (unlike most ones in Miami) and I could taste all of the necessary elements. Saffron (of course), peppers, scallops, A WHOLE LOBSTER, and fish. Equal amounts of elements were portrayed, and a burst of flavor had a little fiesta in my mouth. I highly recommend this. So for a heavier dish, get the steak cooked to medium well. The dish comes with perfectly cooked, crispy potatoes and a huge slab of meat. Ask for tabasco though, it will really bring out the flavor of the steak. So staying with meat, you must try the pork. The pork was sautéed and had a citrusy, garlic cilantro marination an abundance of jumbo clams with fried, cubed potatoes. All of the components went so well together, and the pork was so tender. I could combine anything on that plate and it would taste amazing.

DESSERT: Because no one in my family can ever agree on anything, we ended up getting three desserts rather than one. Pineapple sorbet, Molotov and the Chocolate Cheesecake. The pineapple sorbet had a really cool presentation of being served in an actual pineapple rind. It was very soft, but a bit too sweet. More of an ice-cream than a sorbet. The cheesecake was good, not to sweet, like a good cheesecake should be, and the dark chocolate glaze went really well with the milk chocolate used in the cheesecake. However, the Molotov was just whipped up sugar. No cake, no glaze, just crust and foam which tasted disgusting. The dessert was disappointing after such a great meal.

New York City

All’onda (NYC, NY)

May 27, 2014 ravinnanda

I cannot believe I made a horrible choice of coming to All’onda. Of all the great Italian restaurants in NYC, I pick All’onda! First of all, it’s a small restaurant with bad service and small portioned food for over the top prices. In other words, this place sucks.

FOOD:
Appetizers: So I really like to try different foods, and I like raw fish, so I ordered the himachi. It was good, but more of like a pre appetizer. It. was. so. tiny. Little cubes of raw fish and a tiny bit of red kuri squash, in a soy blend. Over powering on the soy and the Himachi didn’t taste fresh. Honestly, I very easy going with fish…but I have to say, this was really disappointing. And guess what: they charged me $20 for it! I mean, who do they think they are? Per se? Any way. To get my mind off the Himachi, I ordered classic razor clams. Coming from a New Englander, I expect them to be at least decent. They were served with sopressata and miso, along with herbs. I mean, it was pretty good! I had a little “party of flavor” in my mouth, but only for a second; there was a very fish aftertaste.

Main Courses: So for a main course here, we ordered the “Lumache” which is a duck ragu with chocolate. Yeah, I know right? Chocolate? Who puts chocolate in pasta? Well, we thought it would be interesting to try…Crap on a plate. It was horrible. The ragu tasted like cardboard and the chocolate added unneeded sweetness to the dish, completely ruining it. So after that, we were kind of edgy on what else to order, but after hearing such great things about the rest of menu we gave it another shot. Apparently, the “house specialty” is the Bucatini, which is a smoked uni pasta with spicy breadcrumbs. All right. First things first when naming the food. If an Indian doesn’t think the pasta’s spicy, then it’s spicy. But when an American Indian doesn’t think the food is spicy, we have a problem. “Spicy” is like “rotten” here. The dish lacked flavor and the uni was bits and pieces of chopped up uni, flash fried. It was way too creamy (I felt like I was eating a bowl of oatmeal) and there was no protein whatsoever. So much for a “house specialty”…Anyway! After that, we were sick of their so-called pasta, so we ordered the Monkfish. The monkfish was served with sea urchin polenta, arugula and squid ink. We couldn’t even taste the monkfish because of the unappealing squid ink and basically a soup of polenta. The only average dish here was the risotto astice. It was served with lobster, saffron and fennel. The saffron gave it a nice color, but the lobster was a bit chewy. Again, the portion was really small.

So at the end, we left the restaurant hungry. We then ended up going to Eataly, Joe Bastianich and Mario Bitalis food hall. Now that was real Italian food. Do. Not. Come. To. All’onda.

New York City

Annisa (NYC, NY)

May 27, 2014 ravinnanda

Okay. Manhattan is home to thousands of culinary experiences, ranging from Classy to Hole in Wall. Annisa takes classy to a whole new level, treating us with a culinary we will never forget.
A quaint, but formal ambiance suits the food and the location (West Village) in a perfect manner, along with a dressy attire.

FOOD: On a rainy day, a nice, hardy piece of meat will suit us just fine. The seared Buffalo shell steak with marrow, vegetables and horseradish is a must have at Annisa. The steak is served rare, but upon request may be cooked to a different level; you can never go wrong with medium well. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium well; so juicy, and the vegetables complimented it just fine. For our fish fans out there, the sautéed filet of rainbow Trout, is another smart choice. The fish is served with artichokes, chamomile and enoki mushrooms. Just the right portion with just the right components, set out the perfect dish for me. The mushrooms went perfect with the chamomile and the fish was a light delicacy. Also, try the seared scallops with Foie Gras, Asparagus and hazelnuts. This dish blew me away, with it’s unique turn out of such delicate, yet simple ingredients, that transformed into a unique, one of a kind dish. As well as that, try the pork loin. The pork loin is served with radishes and smoked avocado. It’s a grilled Koji-Marrinated Berkshire Pork Loin. It was very tender and the radishes balanced out the meal with a nice vegetable touch of avocado.

So Annisa is very formal, but they only seat 13 tables, so book your reservations quick!

New York City

Le Colonial (NYC, NY)

May 23, 2014 ravinnanda

New York City is filled with thousands of cuisines, ranging from French to Asian, but why have one, when you can have both? Le Colonial brings the elegance to 57th Street, giving the tourists and New Yorkers a taste of unique fusion to wow our minds.
Beautiful plants line classy tables, with outstanding service and a sheik ambiance, making us feel like we’re in France and Vietnam at the same time.

APPETIZERS: For appetizers, we ordered the Ca Bam, which is minced monkfish with turmeric, basil, roasted peanuts and sesame crackers. First of all, I could tell that the monkfish was fresh, and second…WOW. All the spices, herbs and flavors blended so well together, converting simple household ingredients into a five star dish. As well as the monkfish, we needed to try a classic Asian delicacy: spring rolls. Spring Rolls are found all over Eastern Asia, and have a huge variety of different kinds. Coming back to classic, of course we’ll have fried. “Cha Gio”, the spring rolls at Le Colonial, are filled with pork, shrimp and crab, and are served with lettuce greens, fresh herbs and Nuoc Cham sauce. We each had one spring roll, wrapped it in lettuce and mint, then dipped it in the sauce and ate away. This dish blew my mind. Hands down to the best spring rolls I’ve ever had! They were light, flavorful and very refreshing.

MAIN COURSES: At Le Colonial, there are two options: One, is a classic entrée menu, and Two is a pre fix called the “Express Lunch” ($20). If you order the express lunch, you have a choice 2/3 of a soup, salad or sandwich. The soup is a Pho, a Vietnamese classic soup, served with rice noodles, scallions, beef, all cooked in a hardy ox tail broth. The soup was quite nice actually, but not too light. A perfect sized portion was served along with a burst of flavor, but remember to pace the soup, it’s a bit filling. The sandwich, is a twist on the typical American Slider, turned into a beautiful Vietnamese sandwich. I was very surprised when I tried the slider, mostly because it had Kim Chi, a pickled Korean vegetable. It gave the sandwich a nice “tangy” taste, also complimenting the beef and vegetables served under the toasted french roll. For our meat lovers out here (Oh and yes, I know there are PLENTY of you) the pork shoulder is your way to go. Tender pork served with bean sprouts, lily buds and a Vietnamese Jus, is honestly one of the best meat dishes I’ve ever had. It’s SO flavorful, but simple. Also, you need to order some rice to go with it; you can’t have an Asian meal without rice. It’s basically the number one Asian cuisine rule. Anyway, turning to another side of the world, a French lemon grass chicken is a nice, hardy but light delicacy. Served with roasted corn, Shitaki mushrooms and cilantro, with a coconut basil sauce. The chicken was very tender, but the sauce made it seem like I was dining in Paris; well, that and the ambiance. The mushrooms balanced out the dish, leaving me full but not too full, and the corn complimented the chicken; balancing the textures with the dish, as well.

So when you’re in the New York area, you must come to Le Colonial. Even if you’re in New Jersey, this is worth the trip, because you’ll never find anything else that’s as unique as Le Colonial.

Montreal

Toque, Montreal QB, CANADA

November 30, 2013 ravinnanda

Toque

If you’re looking for a high scale, amazing restaurant near the heart of Montreal, than you can’t miss toque. The service was amazing and the food was too. The ambiance was like the cherry on top, which tied everything together. Toque is contemporary in their food and ambiance.

Recommendations:

Appetizers:

When you go to Toque you MUST try the rabbits leg for an appetizer. It is served with sliced radish and pickled squash, carrots and cucumber. It sits over a glaze, which gives the lamb a kick and brings the dish together. The lamb is tender and there is an abundant amount of it so it will fill you up just enough to get you ready for the main course. Another appetizer that is great for lunch is the parsnip soup. It was creamy yet at the same time light. There is not much to say about it. The simplicity lets it shine. Another light lunch appetizer is the chicken liver mouse. It comes with popcorn on the plate along with mixed greens and a little bit of sweet jelly. It wasn’t to my liking but other people on the table who tried it liked it.

Main course:

For a main course at toque when you go for lunch, you have to try the venison. It looked so good three people on our table had it. The venison wasn’t too gamey which was good. It was served with cauliflower purée, edible flowers, mushrooms and an amazing glaze. The glaze and all the components on the plate really shined and went well together. The flowers and purée cut out the very strong gaminess of the venison and the mushrooms tied everything together, which made an amazing dish. Another dish you try for lunch is the lamb parmentier. It is kind of like a “fancy version of shepherds pie”. It was just DELICIOUS

DESERT:

For desert we had the maple moose. On top was a maple carmalized cookie like dessert, and under a breath taking moose. The moose was so soft and smoothe and the cookie gave it a nice crunch.

SERVICE: *****

AMBIANCE: *****

FOOD: *****

Montreal

Bouillon Bilk, Montreal Quebec CANADA

November 29, 2013 ravinnanda

Bouillon Bilk

In a neighborhood with not much to do, here’s a reason to go. Bouillon Bilk is a high scale restaurant in not such a great area in Montreal. The food is great along with the service. The simplicity of the ambiance really let’s the food shine, with a minimalistic decor.

It’s located at 1595 Boulevard Saint-Laurent and you can reach it at (514) 845-1595

Recommendations:

APPETIZERS:

For the one of the appetizers at Bouillon Bilk they have a DAILY SOUP. We went there on a Wednesday for lunch and the soup was zucchini. The soup was creamy and heavy, with just the right amount of soup. Served on the side of the bowl are slices of pear, blue cheese and grilled zucchini. They are meant to be mixed with the soup to in-hence the flavor. Another another appetizer you should try is the DEER TARTARE. It was just the way tartare should be. The deer was strong but the cracker made it taste just right. It was chewy and brought serenity to the mouth. It tasted sort of like steak tartare but gamey. When you go there you should definitely try it. Another appetizer you should try the SMOKED SALMON. Smoke salmon was amazingly amazing. It was no ordinary smoke salmon that you spread on your bagel, this was Scottish smoked salmon. It was served with papers which enhances the flavor, which created delicious smoke salmon it was. Another appetizer you should try is the SALAD. It was dressed in a beautiful mayonnaise like dressing. In it was pears shredded carrots cabbage and grapes along with other assorted greens. It might’ve been the best salad in Montreal because of the dressing.

MAIN COURSE:

A must try at Bouillon Bilk are the BRAISED PORK CHEEKS. The cheeks were so tender they fell apart on your fork. They lay under clams and chorizo sausage. All of the other components on the plate made everything come together into one big delicious dish. Another main course you should try is the BEEF. The beef was served with mashed potatoes and melted cheese on top. If you try that for lunch make sure to have a late dinner, because it was very heavy. There was an abundant amount of cheese and mashed potatoes with mixed with the beef like bread-and-butter. The beef was cooked to a perfect medium, the most popular way. Another main course we tried is the DORE FISH. It was a little fishy, but otherwise it was good. It was served with a carrot pure and a tossed salad.

ATTIRE: You should wear something semi formal, but a tuxedo isn’t necessary. Jeans and a nice sweater are fine, and if you’re on a business meeting it’s the perfect place for you!

Montreal

Maison Boulud, Montreal Quebec, CANADA II

November 29, 2013 ravinnanda

Don’t you just wish that you can hop on a plane and take off to the beautiful country of France? It’s so hard sometimes with school or work or taking care of the kids, and you know you deserve a break once in a while. Just head up North to wonderful city of Montreal! Montreal is full of places to see, things to do and my favorite, restaurants to eat at. Montreal is one of my favorite places to go and you can never go wrong with some classic french food. Now I know what you’re thinking. WHERE DO I EAT?!?! Well, let us help you with that. There’s this one restaurant that stands out in my mind: Maison Boulud.

This restaurant is so amazing I just had to come here twice. Maison Boulud opened about 18 months ago, by non other than Chef Daniel Boulud! Daniel Boulud was mostly well known around 1993 in the south of France, where he originated. He has opened about 14 other restaurants some in NY, Miami, Palm Beach, Singapore, Beijing and around the same time as Maison Boulud, he opened one in Toronto. “He is a very passionate man, very humble and great to work with” quotes Sommelier at Maison Boulud. Daniel Boulud has also received 3 missional stars.

Maison Boulud is connected to the Ritz Carlton on 1228 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal.

You can reach it at (514) 842-4224

When you arrive, you get treated to a nice BUTTERNUT SQUASH CROQUET. It’s filled with fresh butternut squash and a rich cheese, and a light cauliflower puree on a bed of rice. It was light and delicate and I could still taste the flavor even after I ate it.

For the gluten free guests, you will have a nice GLUTEN FREE PUMPKIN SOUP. It’s savory sweet with just a touch of cream added, and it’s balances well with everything.

APPETIZERS: For appetizers, try the BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP. It comes with chestnut potatoes, butternut squash Gnocchi and nutmeg with sage. Just by looking at it you can see it scream flavor! The Gnocchi has a smooth texture and the squash just slips out of the pasta. The nutmeg and sage give it a nice edge to it, making it more unique than simple. If you’re saving your stomach for the main courses or you’re just not that hungry, then there is nothing wrong with going with a salad, but of course it’s a French restaurant so you’re bound to get an elegant one like the BEET SALAD. It is served with baby beets, fresh goat cheese and pistachio with a sherry vinegar dressing, with micro greens. The sweetness of the beet complimented well with the saltiness of the goat cheese and the tanginess of the dressing made every bite well balanced. If you’re in a mood for fresh seafood go for the SARDINES. They are flown in from Portugal every Tuesday and Wednesday, which we were lucky to try. It was lined with grape and shaved radish. It was crispy, crunchy with no metallic taste unlike the usual sardines.

MAIN COURSES:

If you’re a pasta fan like I am, then have the EGG YOKE RAVIOLI. It comes with Bufala Ricotta cheese, black truffles and chanterelle mushrooms. When you first bite into it, you get a warm mouthful of ricotta with pieces of walnuts. You finally get to the center where the egg yoke breaks and coats your ravioli, making it a genuine gastronomic dish. If you want a nice fish for dinner, then have the SALMON. It is candied with olive oil served with creamy cauliflower, Romanesco and Capers and Lemon. The salmon was heavy with a nice light touch with the cauliflower. If you want a heavy meat dish, then I suggest the VENISON. It’s a red deer venison with a brown butter squash and berry juice. It’s topped with fresh juniper and Lardo. The meat was so tender and cooked to a perfect medium, and it’s juices just burst with flavor.

DESSERT: At Maison Boulud we had a chocolate caramel lava cake with 2 different kinds of ice creams. Similar style to the ravioli, the caramel flowed onto our spoon and gave the chocolate a nice delicate touch, complimented by the ice creams which smoothed out our palette.

ATTIRE: Maison Boulud is a very fancy and elegant restaurant, so for the men a nice shirt and some slacks would do. For the women a nice dress is fine with some minor jewelry.

SERVICE: *****
AMBIANCE: *****
FOOD: *****