***** (5 stars)
This is a great little find in downtown. Authentic croissants, and very un-authentic but yummy omelets in a croissant. I had cheese and bacon in mine, but you can invent anything you like. At $4 including free coffee, it’s a steal!
Le Gourmet Break
150 S Magnolia Ave
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 371-9476
http://www.yelp.com/biz/le-gourmet-break-orlando
*** (3 stars)
Sad to say, this favorite haunt of my youth has fallen on hard times, and now just seems a bit seedy. The views are still great, except that the former dark and romantic lighting has been replaced by a brightly lit (and completely empty) dance floor and a big screen TV, both of which are brightly reflected in all the windows. Drinks are decent if pricey (presumably to pay for the view), and the menu is basic bar food, although nicely presented. Service was efficient.
Top of the Mark
1 Nob Hill
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 392-3434
http://www.yelp.com/biz/top-of-the-mark-san-francisco
***** (5 stars)
This place never changes. They invented the Irish coffee (or at least did a darn fine job of copying it) and I don’t know of anyplace to get a better one. Perfect balance of coffee and liquor (and obviously very good coffee to start with) plus an amazing cream that is thick and rich yet floats and remains distinct from the liquid. Great on a cold day, but even on a warm one thesis an essential stop on any visit to San Francisco.
Buena Vista Cafe
2765 Hyde St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 474-5044
http://www.yelp.com/biz/buena-vista-cafe-san-francisco
*** (3 stars)
This is the third venue I’ve been to in this space, and they don’t seem to be getting any better. I’m not sure what differences account for the emptiness of this place when there are lines on the sidewalk for places across the street.
But clearly one difference is the food quality, which is not improving through the various iterations. On a recent visit we sampled several appetizers that were half price during happy hour, including a very soggy flatbread made with limp naan bread, some mediocre mussels, and a very tasty “pork wing.”
We then preceded to the tomahawk steak for two. This was an excellent and perfectly cooked piece of beef accompanied by average asparagus and almost inedible au gratin potatoes.
I will say, though, that the steak was an excellent deal since it included the sides, two salads and a bottle of low end wine, all for $35 per person. Including additional drinks and all these courses, dinner only totaled $108, so definitely a good deal, mostly due to happy hour pricing.
The irony is that the best things we had were both meat, and this is a seafood restaurant.
There was nothing dreadful about the meal, but also nothing that would draw us back, so I think I’ll wait for the fourth iteration before trying it again.
Mingos
100 S Eola Dr
Ste 105
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 781-2539
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mingos-orlando
Voted Orlando’s Best Bloody Mary
**** (4 stars)
This is the nicest interior of any Dexter’s location, bright and cheery. The dining room and bar are one area, which works well for the dining room, but makes the bar someplace that isn’t very cozy to hang out in.
Dexter’s menu has a great assortment of salads, sandwiches, and small plates. I’m particularly fond of the Rustic Cast Iron Skillet Salad, a delicious blend of oven dried tomatoes, grilled asparagus, artichoke hearts, rosemary roasted potatoes, feta cheese chunks and mixed greens. Ask for the lemon dill dijon dressing on the side, as it doesn’t take much. The rosemary potatoes on this dish are particularly delicious.
Service is friendly and quick; it’s easy to get in and out for lunch in under an hour.
Dexter’s
4757 The Grove Dr
Windermere, FL 34786
(407) 258-7028
http://www.yelp.com/biz/dexters-windermere-2
*** (3 stars)
This gastropub has a bright, airy indoor area and a lovely patio out back. There is an interesting variety of beers, and an assortment of sandwiches and other pub food.
The chicken panini we tried was nicely pressed, but the brie cheese was mostly rind, which gave it a bit of a musty flavor. The accompanying fries were a bit limp, but tasty. The quinoa salad was fresh, although not particularly flavorful.
We received great service from Caitlyn.
While I don’t know that I would plan on dining here again, it would be a fun place to go for a beer after work.
Peckish Pig
623 Howard St
Evanston, IL 60202
(847) 491-6778
http://www.yelp.com/biz/peckish-pig-evanston
***** (5 stars)
If anyone had told me I would wait an hour in line to get breakfast I would have called them crazy, but boy was it worth it. This isn’t a tiny restaurant by any means, but it could be several times as large and would still be packed.
There are three dining areas: the front patio could be a bit hot in the sun; the front room which includes a counter, but is quite noisy; and the back room, which is quieter and more nicely decorated. We were pleased when we were seated in the back room.
Three items stood out:
The monkey bread is crusty on the outside, soft on the inside, and has a wonderfully complex cinnamon flavor. It didn’t need the whiskey dipping sauce.
The hashbrowns were wonderfully buttery and bursting with potato flavor, and crisp on top.
The Hoppel Poppel was an amazing mix of scrambled eggs, sausage, cherry-wood bacon, caramelized onions, shredded potatoes, spinach, all topped with hollandaise sauce. I had to stop myself from eating the whole thing, which was really enough for about four people!
Service was friendly and helpful.
I’m so glad I live far, far away from this place, or I’d be there every day!
Blue’s Egg
317 N 76th
Milwaukee, WI 53213
(414) 299-3180
http://www.yelp.com/biz/blues-egg-milwaukee
*** (3 stars)
This is a great setting for a restaurant, where you can watch the endless parade of boats and the drawbridge going up and down. The service is fine, and there is an interesting menu and drink list.
The sushi itself is unremarkable, although on Sunday there are some good specials that make the pricing attractive. A lot of the rolls are extremely spicy, so if you like that, it’s a good place to get some real heat, especially in the wasabi and mustard based ones. But the reason to visit is the view.
Screaming Tuna
106 W Seeboth St
Milwaukee, WI 53204
(414) 763-1637
http://www.yelp.com/biz/screaming-tuna-milwaukee
**** (4 stars)
I really enjoyed my lunch here, and they were able to accommodate my limited time frame.
The meal includes a simple green salad or soup. I had the salad with balsamic dressing.
I chose the broiled fish sandwich, which was a nice serving of salmon on a good bun. The sandwich was accompanied by lettuce, tomato, cole slaw, pickles, cucumbers, tartar sauce and thin slices of carrot, so I had no trouble finding an interesting way of dressing it! There was also a large mound of hot, crisp french fries.
This was a good sized lunch, all fresh and quickly prepared, and I felt the $11 price tag was quite fair.
Noyes Street Cafe
828 Noyes St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 475-8683
http://www.yelp.com/biz/noyes-street-cafe-evanston
**** (4 stars)
If you like English food, this is a great spot for it. Most is authentic, and what’s not authentic is in general an improvement. The BLSt used English bacon, and was a delicious combination of ingredients. The Ploughman’s Platter was more extensive than any I’ve had in England. And the chicken salad had just the right amount of curry.
The decor is really charming, much quainter than most real English pubs.There’s a cozy dining space and also a more traditional pub. There’s also an extensive outside dining area along the sidewalk.
Next door is an English shop where you’ll find many hard to obtain foodstuffs.
Ye Olde Kings Head
116 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 451-1402
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ye-olde-kings-head-santa-monica