Restaurant Reviews Archives - Page 8 of 12

Velo Fellow, Greenville, SC

June 14, 2013

Last weekend, I went home to Greenville to visit some of my family and friends. I spent some quality time with my mom shopping at the Haywood Mall before being overcome with hunger pangs and deciding to go get lunch. My mom suggested we go downtown to the Velo Fellow–she’d been there before and really liked it. She read me the menu as I drove, and the food sounded amazing. So with high hopes, we entered into the Velo Fellow.

We so pretty!

They market themselves as a “british publick house,” and the interior was dark and filled with leather chairs, wooden booths, and mismatching furniture to make the place look like it had been there for years. I instantly loved the way it looked inside; it was so homey and comfortable. And the bar was really impressive. As we settled into our booth, our emotionless, condescending waitress (looking annoyed that we’d decided to eat there) came over to get us drinks (I ordered sweet tea. This was not southern sweet tea. This was unsweetened tea that someone put some sugar in. Not what I had hoped for). We asked her some questions about the menu, which she answered matter-of-factly and without any detail other than what was required. So far, our trip was not off to a great start. [My favorite Yelp review stated that “Hipster McHipster meetings here on Tuesday nights (bc Wednesday is just too middle of the road and complacent).” Very accurate…and hilarious]

*Photo taken from the Velo Fellow Facebook page

We decided to order appetizers first, before deciding what we wanted for entrees. The first dish we ordered was the fried green tomatoes with garlic pimento cheese ($8.95). The tomatoes came out hot and crispy, and we eagerly dug in. The breading was cornmeal based and a little thick for my liking, but they were fried to perfection. The garlic pimento cheese had a really good taste to it, but the texture was kind of weird–it almost tasted gritty. All in all, I’d say this dish was pretty good.

Also, only ice cream should keep the shape of a scoop after serving.

Our second appetizer was the Bowl O’ Tots (deep fried tater tots covered in melted cheddar cheese, $5.95). If you know me at all, you know I’m pretty obsessed with tater tots. And cheese. So this should have been my new favorite thing. And it was good, don’t get me wrong, but it was literally fried tater tots toped with shredded cheddar cheese. A monkey could make that dish. I was hoping for some housemade cheddar cheese sauce or something creative and awesome. And although it tasted good, I really just felt like they could’ve done more.

Judging from this picture, it’s apparent who I get my tot-obsession from.

Our third appetizer was a cup of the soup of the day (price varies daily). It happened to be creamy tomato-basil soup, topped with croutons and served with a nice hunk of bread. The bread was delicious. The tomato soup, however, would have made more sense being served atop spaghetti noodles instead of in a bowl. It was way too thick to be a soup, and although it tasted good, I just couldn’t get over the feeling like I was eating tomato sauce out of a jar with a spoon.

Sorry. I ate the croutons before I took the picture. I’m a monster, I know.

Our final appetizer was the basket of raw fries under bleu cheese crumbles ($6.95)…because we hadn’t gotten enough carbs with our carbs. My mom really liked these and ate basically the whole basket. I’m not a huge fan of potato chips, and I was hoping that these were going to be more on the undercooked, potato-y side, but they were very much potato chips. I think they would’ve been better had they been a little more “raw,” but to each his own.

Pictured: Blue Cheese Potato Chips… nothing raw about them.

After being unhappy with our appetizers, we decided not to bother with entrees. I was really sad, because I wanted to love this place. But from the service to the food, I was really disappointed. They have a 92% approval rating on Urbanspoon, which leads me to believe that maybe our experience wasn’t the norm. I’ll be willing to give it another shot sometime in the future, but I don’t think I’ll be ordering any of these appetizers again.

*Photo stolen from Yelp.

The Velo Fellow
1 Augusta St #126
Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 242-9296

2 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Verde

June 7, 2013

Ok, so I’ve been pretty busy the past couple of weeks, traveling around the Southeastern US, so I haven’t really had a lot of time to go out and eat at any of the places on my Charleston Restaurant wishlist. I’ve mostly been cooking at home and eating at all of my usual haunts. One place that I frequent at least once a week, is Verde. Verde takes up the space where Bruegger’s Bagels used to be, and is basically a giant salad bar. Now, historically I’ve been very anti-salad–I think people only order salads when they either A. don’t like the taste of real food, or B. are on a diet–but I actually really like Verde.

Lookin’ at you, Lauren.

First of all, the space is really nice. It’s very clean and open, with a white and lime green color scheme which make you think of freshness, health, cleanliness, and nature. You start by ordering at the counter. You can choose to either build your own salad / wrap, or choose from one of the “Signature Creations.” The first thing you notice when you step up to the counter is the wall of lettuce. At least, that’s what I notice. Maybe you notice the 50 some-odd toppings and dressings you have to choose from. Either way.

Behold, the wall of lettuce.

Back to the toppings: Seriously. They have any kind of salad topping you could want. Unless you want something weird, in which case–move back to Seattle, ya Hippie. Laura always chooses to build her own salad, which is never the same twice. You get 4 ingredients included in your salad (while proteins and avocado cost extra, and each additional topping after 4 is an extra $0.50). They also give you a piece of bread with every salad / wrap. Here’s a copy of the menu, so you get an idea.

See what I mean about the green and white?

My favorite salad (obsessed is a good word) is the Mesa Verde (romaine, roasted chicken, grape tomatoes, red onion, avocado, black beans, corn, fresh cilantro, and tortilla strips with chipotle lime vinaigrette, finished with a fresh squeeze of lime). I usually don’t get the corn or tortilla strips (because… gross). I absolutely love their chipotle lime vinaigrette, it is so yummy. And the fresh squeeze of lime at the end just makes everything taste fresh and delicious. I freaking love this salad. I make it at home all the time (but it’s really just easier to let them do it).

I think I like it because it doesn’t actually taste like salad.

You also get the option of getting your salad chopped or tossed. If you get it tossed, they basically stir your salad up and then put it in the bowl. I always get it chopped, which is where they take this medieval torture-looking device (like a double-headed pizza cutter), and attack your salad until it’s mincemeat in a bowl. That’s my favorite part. They charge upwards of like $28 bucks to buy one from them, but if you’re trying to chop a salad at home you can just use a single-blade pizza cutter. It literally works exactly the same way (trust me, I’ve tried).

That second blade is pretty redundant, if you ask me.

Basically, if you’re on King Street and looking for a fast, healthy lunch that tastes as good as it is good for you, I highly recommend you visit Verde. Plus, they have a lot of cool, natural drinks to try, and they offer King of Pops popsicles (which are really good. TRY ONE). Also get their loyalty card–Buy 10 salads / wraps, get your 11th one free (I’m only 3 away!)

I’m kind of craving a salad right now. I feel like I’ve been body snatched.

Verde
347 King Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 579-2884

1 Comments

Restaurant Reviews

Abuelo’s Mexican Food Embassy, Myrtle Beach, SC

May 31, 2013

After a fun and busy weekend as a bridesmaid in Myrtle Beach, I decided to spend some time exploring the city with Ben. Ben was craving mexican food, and after some intense Google searching, we ended up at Abuelo’s Mexican Food Embassy at the Coastal Grand Mall. Pulling up to the restaurant, the first thought that popped into my head was “I found the Mexican P.F. Chang’s.” I normally reserve the restaurant building photo for the end of my review, but I’ll put it here just to emphasize my point.

I mean, all it’s missing is a giant horse statue.

Ben and I were starving, so we ordered enough food for about 4 people, even though it was just the two of us (we have a problem). When you first sit down, they bring you chips (which were thinner than typical Mexican restaurants, but they were still good) and a trio of their salsas–traditional Mexican salsa, a mild salsa verde, and a spicy hot salsa. They were all tasty, although the “spicy” salsa was not very spicy at all. We started with the chile con queso (traditional dip made with melted, blended cheeses and fresh roasted Poblano and Anaheim chiles), which was good but tasted not unlike the Superbowl cheese dip you make with Velveeta and Rotel. I was kind of bummed (but not really surprised) that they used a yellow cheese instead of white, but that’s what we get for going to Mexican P.F. Chang’s.

I’m still trying to get the hang of my new cell phone camera.

Our second appetizer was the Jalapeño Cheese fritters (crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside. Deliciously delicate hand-breaded fritters, oozing with minced jalapeño and melted cheese. Served with ranch dressing), from their new “Tapas And Small Bites” menu. These were freaking delicious. I wish we would’ve nixed the cheese dip and gotten two orders of the fritters, because they were seriously so yummy. They also paired really well with the ranch dressing, and I loved the little container they came in.

Apparently, Fritters are the new “It” food. Which I’m totally ok with.

The cheese LITERALLY oozes out.

For my entree, I ordered the chicken nachos (Individual tortilla chips baked with cheese and topped with seasoned ground beef, shredded beef, chicken or refried beans in any combination. Served with sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo and jalapeño slices). I was really confused by the waiter’s follow up question, which was “Ok, did you want 5 or 10?” … what. I ordered 10, thinking I was only going to get 10 of the little tortilla chips like the ones on our table, but they turned out to be HUGE chips. Like, we’re talking taco shell-sized chips here. I definitely should’ve only gotten 5. The presentation was really pretty, but the nachos left a little something to be desired. And I definitely was not a fan of their guacamole, which had a paste like consistency to it (and flavor to match).

More like disappointment nachos.

Ben ordered The Grande combination plate (Three enchiladas – one beef, one cheese and one sour cream chicken – a cheese chile relleno, tamale, crispy beef taco and guacamole). I was surprised by how much I liked the tamale–it was flavorful and not on the dry side like tamales tend to be. The cheese enchilada was seriously cheesy. They definitely did not skimp on the cheese. It also came with beans and rice, which were very good as well (but not anything special). The only thing Ben wasn’t a huge fan of was the beef enchilada, which he said was kind of dry. We were both too full to even try the beef taco, which came on its own separate plate, so I have no idea how that was.

When they say “Grande,” they are not joking around.

All in all, I’d say we had a pleasant experience at Abuelo’s, but I’m not in any hurry to go back. Partly because of the food, but mostly because I hate Myrtle Beach. Plus, I really prefer more authentic Mexican food to Abuelo’s Tex-Mexican fare.

Also this creepy statue

Abuelo’s Mexican Food Embassy
740 Coastal Grand Cir
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 448-5533

1 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

La Norteña

May 3, 2013

I have a new favorite mexican restaurant in Charleston. Technically, it’s in North Charleston, but it is 1000% worth the drive out to Rivers Avenue. Other than Real Mexico in Columbia, I think this is the freshest, most authentic tasting Mexican restaurant I’ve been to in a really long time… and I eat a lot of Mexican food.

Yeah, that’s pretty accurate.

I’ve been a bunch of times, so I have a lot of pictures to share. When you first get there, they bring you chips, salsa, and a plate with 4 different kinds of sauces. Many of them are spicy, so I’d recommend waiting until you have a drink in front of you before you try any of them. I really like the thicker red one, which has a nice smoky taste to it and the green goopy one because it isn’t spicy at all and is really refreshing and helps to put out the fire that the other start in your mouth.

The “goopy one” is the one at the very top, by the way.

When I went there last week with my dad, he wanted to try the shrimp cocktail, which came out more like a shrimp soup. It was served cold in a tomato sauce with pico de gallo, which kind of threw me off at first. I couldn’t really get over the cold tomato soup part, but the shrimp were cooked to perfection and tasted yummy. My dad said it was “very refreshing,” and ate the entire thing.

If the words “Cold Shrimp Soup” throw you off, you might not enjoy this.

We also tried the guacamole which came with 3 chicken taquitos, which was kind of cool. I liked the taquitos and ate pretty much all of them immediately. The guacamole was good, but not the best guacamole I’ve ever had. Definitely better than most mexican restaurants, though. You could tell it was pretty fresh.

Sorry for the poor quality. I was in a hurry to get to eatin’

We also tried some of the tacos, which ranged from your normal chicken, ground beef, and pork, to more unusual options, such as beef tongue (lengua), beef cheek (cabeza), and beef intestines (tripa). We ordered three- al pastor, cabeza, and lengua. I loved the al pastor, which ended up being my dad’s least favorite. We both really liked the beef tongue (lengua) tacos, which had the taste and consistency of pulled pork. My least favorite was the beef cheek, as it was just a little too dry for me.

I have to say, eating tongue was not as gross as I expected.

The first time we went, my mom ordered the barbacoa platter (marinated, shredded beef served with Mexican rice, refried beans, and a small salad), which I really liked, and I don’t usually like beef.

Also, they have amazing refried beans

Ben always gets the enchiladas verdes with chicken because those are his favorite, and I love to steal bites from his plate because they’re so yummy. They’re listed on the menu as “your choice of four enchiladas topped with green sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and queso fresco. Served with choice of salad on top or Mexican rice.” I don’t know what the green sauce is, but it’s delicious. Ben always gets the rice, which is really yummy. Lots of times Mexican rice can be really dry, but the rice at La Norteña is never dry and always very flavorful.

I promise there are enchiladas under all that sauce.

When Ben was visiting with his friends from Auburn, we took them to La Norteña and they each got burritos. The burritos there are huge and they have seemingly endless options on what to put in them. Everything from cheesesteak, to fajita meat, veggies, beans… you can even get a seafood one stuffed with octopus, shrimp, and scallops. They opted for the basic Burrito La Norteña (Made with refried beans, Mexican rice, lettuce, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and choice of meat filling) and raved about how delicious it was. Forgot to take a picture, so enjoy just screenshot from their menu.

Pixellated burrito!

I usually get the order al pastor (marinated, sliced pork and steak layered and slow-cooked on a rotisserie served with charro beans, sweet onions, cilantro, and soft tortillas). It’s my favorite thing and unlike anything I’ve eaten at other mexican restaurants. The charro beans (Delicious combination of bacon, chipotle sauce, beef franks, Mexican sausage, and onions) are like a Mexican version of beanie weenies, and are surprisingly good.

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve ordered this.

On my most recent visit, I decided to be more adventurous and get something other than al pastor, so I decided to try enchiladas poblanas (four enchiladas with choice of grilled chicken or steak, topped with poblano sauce and cheese. Served with choice of salad on top or Mexican rice), with chicken. The poblano sauce turned out to be a mole-like sauce (savory chocolate sauce) which was pretty good. My only issue with molé sauce is that I really want to like it, but in reality I usually don’t. This one was good, but I don’t think I’d ever order it again. If you like mole sauce, then I definitely recommend you order this.

I love chocolate, so I don’t understand why I don’t love mole sauce.

We also tried the Sopes once (specially made thick tortillas with your choice of meat with refried beans, tomato, lettuce, sour cream, and fresco cheese) with chicken, and it was good, but kind of strange. It was almost like eating a savory funnel cake.

Obviously I didn’t take this picture.

They also make pretty delicious margaritas. I tried a “Texana margarita” which is made with tequila and grand marnier, so it’s sweeter than your typical margarita. It was really good and they definitely give you your money’s worth of liquor.

It’ll get you drunk!

Basically La Norteña is fast becoming one of my favorite restaurants in Charleston. Even if I do have to drive all the way out to North Charleston to get there. Plus they have really awesome live music on Friday nights, and they have a special loyalty card where you buy 6 meals and your 7th one is free. How can you beat that?

Thank you Google Maps for being so creepy.

La Norteña
6275 Rivers Ave
North Charleston, SC 29406
(843) 225-7055

Restaurant Reviews Washington, DC

Eatonville, Washington DC [CLOSED]

April 26, 2013

When visiting Washington DC from Charleston, SC, the first thing any true Southerner starts to miss is sweet tea. Even southern transplants like Lauren find themselves craving that sweet nectar that, for some reason, is only found in the south. Asking for sweet tea and receiving a glass of unsweetened tea and a packet of Sweet’n Low, just isn’t the same. Not by a long shot. Which is why Lauren decided to we needed to eat brunch at Eatonville, because they have “homemade sweet tea” on the menu.

We love sweet tea so much we infuse it in our liquor. That’s dedication.

I was worried that they were going to try to cater their sweet tea to more northern palates, but they surprised me by actually having legitimate southern-style sweet tea. It was delicious. Plus it came in mason jars with plenty of ice, which for a moment made me forget I was in DC. Our waiter had personality oozing out of the ears and was hilarious, attentive, and generally just a very fun dude. I wish more waiters were like him. The restaurant itself was also very cool. The whole restaurant is themed around Zora Neale Hurston and is in fact named after her Florida hometown. They have lots of cool murals on the walls, which I quite enjoyed looking at while eating my brunch.

Sorry for the unflattering picture, Sara, but that artwork is just so cool!

We were joined by Lauren’s roommate Ashley and friend Sara (who’s a vegetarian. But a real one, not like Naomi). Sara got the arugula-spinach frittata (sautéed shiitake mushrooms, grape tomatoes, avocado, crumbled feta cheese, basil pesto with a buttermilk biscuit). It actually looked delicious, and I’m assuming it tasted good, too, as Sara definitely did some damage. They do a really good job of identifying vegetarian- and vegan-friendly items on the menu, so this is a good place for herbivores and carnivores alike. Sara also got a mimosa, which she said was especially yummy because they used fresh squeezed orange juice instead of that slop from a carton. The rest of us skipped out on alcohol with brunch because we were recovering from the night before.

This has Christine’s name written all over it.

Lauren stuck with your basic breakfast fare of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a biscuit. She also ordered a side of fried okra, which came unlike I’ve ever seen fried okra before. They cut the okra into strips before breading them and frying them, almost like okra fries. I actually liked them a lot, despite how different they were. Lauren loved them and ate all of it, which is surprising because she doesn’t actually eat real food.

But you can cut basically anything up into strips and fry it and I’d think it was delicious.

Ashley opted for scrambled eggs with cheese (which looked delicious), macaroni and cheese, a bowl of fresh fruit, and a biscuit, which she seemed to enjoy.

Mmm…. Cheeeeesy

I was the only one who didn’t get eggs. I decided to get “The Callahan,” a fried chicken breast on a buttermilk biscuit, covered in jalapeno-sausage gravy, served with a side of mac and cheese. I thought the the mac and cheese was delicious (hooray cavatappi!) and I applaud any restaurant who decides to serve macaroni as a bunch side dish. My only complaint is that I would’ve liked a more detailed description of what cheeses it was made with on the menu. I thought the fried chicken biscuit was delicious; the biscuit was perfectly buttery and flaky and the chicken had just the perfect amount of breading. The jalapeno-sausage gravy was good, although I was a bit thrown off by the fact that it was brown (it’s camouflaged in that picture, blending in with the chicken), but it was still tasty. I do wish they would’ve put more on than the tablespoon I received. I like lots of gravy with my biscuit. I also thought the collard green garnish was a nice touch.

Man, that macaroni looks delicious. I have a problem.

I couldn’t resist the temptation to try their jalapeno-gruyere grits because I’d never had grits with jalapeno before. I think part of me wanted the grits to be bad so I could hold onto some shred of superiority, but I was sorely disappointed, when they turned out to be de-freaking-licious. They came out after we’d all pretty much finished eating, and although Lauren had been complaining of being “stuffed” only moments before, she miraculously regained some of her appetite after one spoonful of grits. They were that good.

Gosh, I love grits.

I didn’t expect to get good southern food at a restaurant in DC, but Eatonville pleasantly surprised me. Whether you’re a seasoned Southern cuisine connoisseur or have no idea what “grits” are, I’m confident you’ll have a positive and memorable experience.

I love that font / logo. #Nerd

Eatonville
2121 14th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 332-9672

1 Comments

Restaurant Reviews Washington, DC

Pound The Hill, Washington DC [CLOSED]

April 19, 2013

Lauren went a little Groupon-crazy for my visit to DC, and even though she doesn’t actually eat real food, she actually picked some pretty delicious restaurants. For the second of my three DC restaurant reviews, we visit Pound The Hill, this little coffee-house-slash-cafe-slash-tapas-slash-bistro-slash-I’m-not-really-sure-how-to-classify-them.

It is butter? It’s not butter? But it tastes like butter? MAKE UP YOUR MINDS PEOPLE

After looking at the menu, Lauren and I decided that we basically wanted all the appetizers. Luckily, we had 2 other people joining us, so we could do that without feeling like disgusting and terrible human beings (we literally ordered 7 appetizers, one entree, and 2 desserts to split). I’ll go ahead and go through the list of everything we ordered, although they seem to have changed the menu a bit since we went. First was the “Pan Seared Crab Cake,” all lump crab cake, red pepper aioli, mixed pepper. They did a really good job of having big pieces of crab only lightly held together with some bread. I hate when crab cakes come out and they taste more like crab-flavored bread balls. These were pretty good, especially with the red pepper aioili.

They couldn’t even wait the 2 seconds it took me to take the picture. Savages.

Next up was the Sweet Potato Gnocchi (cinnamon, sage, brown butter sauce), which were really, really good. I think this was one of my favorite things that we ordered. It was a good mix of sweet and savory, and I think all of the flavors really melded well together.

Plus, it comes in a mini skillet. How can you go wrong with that?

After the gnocchi was the Parmesan Herb Croquettes (crispy croquettes with aged parmesan, shallots, fresh herbs, paprika dijoinaise), which were also pretty good. I kind of was hoping for a little more, they weren’t really unique or outstanding in any way, but they were still good.

I mean, it’s fried parmesan potatoes. Basically all of my favorite foods.

Next up, the Prime Rib Sliders (shaved dry aged prime rib, blue cheese spread, BBQ sauce, cucumber pepper salad). They changed the name on their menu online to “Beef BBQ Crostini” which is a way more appropriate description. When I think of a slider, I think of a mini sandwich of some kind. What we actually got was prime rib bruschetta. Not the same thing. It was pretty good, but I was too busy being disappointed in their presentation to really care about the taste.

Maybe you’re supposed to put the 2 halves together? Somebody must be drunk in the kitchen.

Our next appetizer was the Fish “in” Chips (fresh cod fried in crunch potato chip crumbs, saffron lemon tartar sauce), which were interesting and surprisingly good. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, the way a good piece of fried fish should be. I don’t know that I would’ve liked them as much without the saffron lemon tartar sauce, though.

It would’ve been nice to get more than 1 tablespoon of it, though.

Next up was the menu item I had been looking forward to the most: The Bacon Tasting Plate (Benton’s couple smoked pork bacon, Tennessee wild boar bacon, New England mallard duck bacon, ancho chili maple dipping sauce). I’m not sure that I’d ever had boar before, let alone boar bacon (it’s the fatter piece), but it was delicious. I also really liked the duck bacon (darker, skinnier piece)…albeit I was the only one, but I thought it was really good with the chili maple dipping sauce. The pork bacon was really good too, but it was gone pretty fast between the 4 of us.

Bacon tasting plate. Let me repeat that for you. BACON TASTING PLATE. Why isn’t that a thing everywhere??

Following the bacon, we got the hummus of the day, which was a black bean hummus with arugula salad, sour cream, pico de gallo and pitas for dipping. It was good, but definitely not better than Dell’z Deli black bean hummus, which is the bomb.

I just kind of love hummus, no matter what it’s made out of.

The one entree we got was the Beef Tip Fondue (dry aged beef tender, pan seared onions, peppers, and mushrooms, creamy blue cheese sauce, arugula and chive salad), because that sounded delicious. It was another one of those cases where the name definitely did not match the dish that it belonged to. First of all, this wasn’t fondue at all. It was a cup of beef with a tiny dish of blue cheese sauce to dip it in. They changed the name on the online menu to “American Style Beef Stir Fry,” which is way more accurate. It was really good, but I would’ve loved more than a thimble full of bleu cheese sauce for my “fondue.”

I like how they give you a pound of arugula, like that'll make up for the lack of bleu cheese.

I like how they give you a pound of arugula, like that’ll make up for the lack of fondue in their fondue.

Apparently they recently started using a new reservation service on their website, so they bribe you into using it by offering a free dessert with your reservation when you enter “dessert me” in the promo code box. Don’t expect your server to know this, however, because ours certainly didn’t. We had to remind her of it and then explain what it was before she had any idea what I was talking about. Our “free” dessert was the Warm Winter Apple and Pear crisp with spicy sea salted honey. I liked it ok, but thought that the apples were a little undercooked. Plus I think there was way more pear than apple in that crisp. Lauren liked it though, so I guess that counts for something.

Again with the little skillets. I want a bunch of these, just to serve random stuff in.

Our second dessert, which I liked better, was Warm Spiced Doughnuts with powdered sugar. I think they tasted just like a funnel cake from the fair (read: delicious), but were really rich so I didn’t really eat more than one bite. Plus I’d eaten 7 other appetizers so I was kind of running out of room.

Seriously. Everything tastes better in a little skillet.

All in all, I’d say I had a pleasant experience at Pound The Hill. The one thing that really bothered me was that even though we had 4 people at the table, they kept bringing out our appetizers with only 2 or 3 servings each. Considering they ranged from like $8-$12 you’d think they would’ve been considerate enough to bring enough servings for the number of people at the table. Or at least specify on the menu how many servings each appetizer comes with. I get that it’s a little bistro/cafe/whatever, but still. If you’re going to have tables that seat 4 people, you should be prepared for that. Also, it was super pricey for the amount of food you actually got. Lauren kept saying that “that’s just DC, everything is expensive” but after 5 days there, Pound The Hill was the only place I thought was ridiculously overpriced, especially for such tiny portions.

I still have no idea what kind of restaurant this is.

Pound The Hill
621 Pennsylvania Ave SE
Washington, DC 20003
(202) 621-6765

Restaurant Reviews Washington, DC

Ethiopic (Washington DC)

April 12, 2013

So I just spent 5 busy and wonderful days in Washington DC visiting Lauren in her new city. It was the first time I’d been to DC as an adult and not in the company of my classmates and chaperones. It was nice to have to freedom to do whatever I wanted to. Although that was usually just seeing touristy stuff, eating, and shopping. So basically all the same things I did on my 11th grade field trip (only this time I added alcohol and Starbucks).

A combination to instantly make any trip more exciting.

Since I’d never had Ethiopian food before (and Lauren suddenly got all adventurous with her palate now that she’s a big fancy DC gal), we went to what she claimed was the “best Ethiopian restaurant in DC.” We were joined for dinner by Lauren’s roommate Ashley, and my childhood friend Monika. We had 9:15 reservations, and the place was pretty packed when we got there. First, let me talk about the bread. This is one of those restaurants, like Moroccan, where you don’t eat with silverware, you use your hands and bread as utensils. The bread at Ethiopic was unlike any other bread I’ve ever eaten before. It tasted kind of sour, and had a spongy consistency not unlike play-doh. It was good, but also kind of weird. Not sure if this is what it’s like at all Ethiopian restaurants, but I’d imagine this kind of bread is pretty typical of Ethiopian cuisine–heavy, easy to eat, and I’m pretty sure it expands in your stomach to make you fuller faster.

Also, it comes rolled up like a rug.

To start, Monika and I ordered the Azifa (lentil salad seasoned with red onions, garlic, jalapeno peppers, olive oil, lemon juice, herbs & spices), which probably tasted delicious, but I wouldn’t know because it was literally THE SPICIEST THING I’VE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFE. Which wouldn’t have been as big of a deal, if our waitress didn’t disappear for most of the time, leaving my water glass empty. I felt like a fire breathing dragon. Monika thought it was great and ate most of it. I stuck mainly to the weird play-doh bread, because it hadn’t betrayed my trust the way the lentils did.

Who knew some little lentils could bring me to tears.

Lauren and Ashley got the Timatim (fresh diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeno pepper, olive oil, lemon juice & spices) to start, and also had the same complaint about it being spicy. Lauren said when she got it last time, it wasn’t nearly as spicy. She thought maybe because we had a later dinner time, they prepared all the appetizers ahead of time and just let them stew in their own juices. Which makes sense, because I usually can handle jalapenos ok.

Yay, more bread carpets!

For main courses, Monika and I got the Ethiopic Signature Tibs (tender boneless leg of lamb marinated & sauteed with red onions, garlic, jalapeno pepper, fresh tomato, rosemary, herbs & spices served sizzling hot). I ordered the appetizer and my entree at the same time, so I ended up being really worried that my lamb was going to be inedibly spicy, but it actually was perfect. Very mild and flavorful, not fatty at all–some of the best lamb I’ve ever eaten. All of the flavors really came together well, and I loved the big fresh sprigs of rosemary with the rest of the vegetables (although I avoided eating anymore jalapenos to prevent future mouth fires). I almost smacked the waitress in the face when she brought a little dish of “spicy chile sauce in case the lamb isn’t spicy enough.” STOP TRYING TO BURN MY TASTEBUDS OFF OF MY TONGUE.

Apparently, the key to getting silverware is to order the hot food.

Lauren and Ashley split the vegetarian sampler #1 which consisted of gomen (fresh collard green simmered in mild sauce seasoned with spice and herbs. Mild.), miser wot (split lentils simmered in spicy hot berbere sauce. Spicy), kik aletcha (yellow split peas simmered in a mild and flavorful onion and herb sauce. Mild.), dinich wot (curried potato simmered with red onions, garlic, jalapeno peppers, olive oil, fresh herbs & spices). I thought it was really cool that the used the bread as a plate for the different vegetarian dishes. I really liked the collards, although they kind of surprised me a bit. Being from the south, I’m used to eating collards a certain way, and this was very different. Still good, though! I also liked the yellow and red lentil dishes, although the red one was a bit spicy. I didn’t get to try the potatoes but Ashley said she really liked those, so I’ll take her word for it.

I think sampler platters are my favorite food.

We didn’t get dessert because we were so full (it’s that bread, man, I swear). But I did try a glass of Ethiopian red wine, which was good, but kind of bitter for my taste. When the check came, I was surprised at how inexpensive everything was. I’d definitely go back here again and get the lamb tibs (and try to avoid all of the outrageously spicy stuff). I’d definitely recommend Ethiopic if you’re ever near H-Street in Washington DC!

It almost looks like this picture could’ve been taken in Charleston.

Ethiopic
401 H St NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 675-2066

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Wild Olive

April 5, 2013

So, I’ve mentioned before that Wild Olive is my mom’s favorite restaurant in Charleston (and possibly all of South Carolina), but I’ve never actually taken the time to write it up before. Since I had the pleasure of dining there a couple weeks back, I made sure to take lots of photos to put on this blog. Looking back at the photos, the’yre pretty terrible (low light + cell phone camera = crappy pictures), so I’ll just have to woo you over with my words (and pictures I find on Google). Here’s an interior shot I took before the sun set.

And this is one of the better ones.

I’ve been with my mom a couple of times. She absolutely loves the “marinated warm olives,” so we always end up ordering those.

This picture comes from the Wild Olive website and makes me really wish I liked olives.

I love the “house cured salumi with mozzarella, caponata, chicken liver rustica crostini” appetizer because it is delicious. I know a lot of people see “chicken liver” and get grossed out, but trust me. It is so freaking good. I also love the fresh mozzarella, but let’s face it, I am a sucker for fresh mozzarella. Plus, salami/salumi is delicious, and they give you a bunch of different kinds of salami on a platter, so how can you go wrong with that?

As you can see, I took this from the Wild Olive website. I wish my pictures looked this fly.

I also really love the arancini balls there, or as they’re listed on the menu, “suppli al telefono risotto fritters stuffed with sausage, spinach, parmesan, mozzarella.” So delicious. They’re not big like the ones they make in Boston, but they’re still really yummy. When you bite/cut into them they’re hot, cheesy, and really delicious.

Also, I am always a huge fan of anything deep fried and stuffed with cheese.

The most recent time I went with my new friend Regina, we started with the beef carpaccio (beef carpaccio with parmesan, horseradish aioli, melba toast, arugula, Sicilian sea salt). It’s basically like a beef salami and I really loved it. I think the sea salt and horseradish aioli added a nice element to the dish as a whole. The consistency kind of threw me off a little bit, because it’s very soft. I’m glad they gave me the crostini to balance it out.

As you can see, I took a piece from the middle of the plate before I remembered to take the picture.

We also got the bruschetta which is different than normal bruschetta as it came topped with rapini, purple cape beans, chile flake, garlic, and pecorino sardo. I think they change it out seasonally, because I’ve seen different pictures online. It was kind of weird eating bread with beans on it, but I think I really liked it. They did a really good job of balancing the flavors of each ingredient.

I’ll have an entire salad on my bread, please. Thanks!

I usually try to be adventurous, so I was intrigued by the “squid ink linguine with local shrimp, tomato, garlic, fresh spicy red chile, basil.” However, I’m not crazy about shrimp pasta, but I really wanted to be able to say that I’ve had squid ink pasta before. I asked the waiter how it was and he said “It’s good, but it basically tastes like seafood pasta. If you don’t like fishy tasting food, don’t get it.” So. Instead I was lame and basic and opted for the chicken parmesan. I know, I know. But it’s SO GOOD. It comes with “potato alfredo, marinara, mozzarella, arugula,” and it is SO good.

This picture I grabbed from Charleston Crafted

Last time we went, my mom got the “Grilled Stevenson Place Farms grass-fed steak with smashed fried and truffled Yukon gold potatoes,” but she doesn’t love truffle oil, so instead she replaced the potatoes with an order of potato gnocchi in marinara sauce. As I recall, she loved it.

Even though that steak is the size of her whole head.

Regina and I also got dessert, because apparently she considers herself something of a tiramisu connoisseur. Luckily for me, she was nice enough to share it with me, and let me say. Wow. That tiramisu is damn good.

This picture I grabbed from Urbanspoon.

I’ve always had a really positive experience every time I’ve gone to Wild Olive. From the food, to the ambience, to the service, to the wine, it’s always a good time. It’s definitely worth driving out to John’s Island!

Ok. Time for my lunch break.

Wild Olive
2867 Maybank Highway
John’s Island S.C. 29455
(843) 737-4177

3 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Crave Kitchen & Cocktails

March 29, 2013

The first time I visited Crave was June of 2011 with my mom for Sean’s birthday (and because I had a Groupon). I remember it was really delicious, so I don’t really know why it took me so long to go back again. Probably because it’s all the way out by the Isle of Palms connector and I rarely venture out in that direction if I can avoid it. Both Crave and its executive chef, Landen Ganstrom follow me on twitter, and tweet at me pretty much anytime I post anything food related, (ie “Looking for somewhere to eat lunch in Charleston,” etc) with suggestions, which can be really helpful.

Plus, those are some excellent suggestions.

After I saw that Crave won “Most Life-Changing Mac and Cheese in America” from Esquire Magazine, you can bet they shot to the top of my list of restaurants to try. I had their mac and cheese at the Mac Off in October where they won People’s Choice Best Macaroni and Cheese, and it definitely stood out from the crowd.

It’s especially good with pulled pork or brisket!

So I dragged Becca out there last Saturday for lunch to try it for ourselves. I started with the Macaroni and Cheese, which I reluctantly shared with Becca, and I have to say, it was pretty damn delicious. It reminded me of that Mitch Hedburg joke “Fettucini alfredo is macaroni and cheese for adults,” because it had a similar flavor. I was almost tempted to cancel my entree and just get another order of the macaroni, but I had just enough self-control to resist.

Creamy, cheddary, deliciousness.

Becca got the Greek dip to start (Creamy garlic hummus and Mediterranean olive tapenade, served with flat bread and mixed greens topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese), which I gladly shared with her. We were surprised at how good the hummus was. For some reason, I was expecting it to be really generic tasting, but it was actually really yummy. I don’t do olives, but Becca said she loved the olive tapenade.

Gosh, I love hummus.

For my entree, I went with the turkey club (oven-Roasted half pound turkey club served with toasted ciabatta bread, apple wood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and cajun remoulade), which was outstanding. You could really tell that the turkey was fresh and not lunchmeat out of a package. It was thick and flavorful and so good. I also love that the bacon was nice and crispy. I hate when restaurants serve chewy, rubbery bacon. This was perfect. And the cajun remoulade was the perfect condiment. The sandwich just went together really well. I got a side salad to accompany my club (to try and cancel out some of the damage I did with the Mac), with the lemon vinaigrette which was good also. It had olives, feta cheese, and cucumbers on it, and it was really good for a side salad, but I wouldn’t say that it blew me away at all. Then again, it’s really difficult to get me excited about a salad, no matter how good it is.

I wish they delivered downtown. I’d eat that sandwich every day.

Becca got the “Wedge salad” (local Butter lettuce with Humbolt Fog Blue Cheese, Duroch pork lardons, crisp fresh red onions, apples and a cracked black pepper and dill dressing), which more accurately should be called a “butter lettuce salad with a wedge of bleu cheese.” She liked it, but was a little disappointed that it wasn’t actually a wedge of lettuce.

I, however, think all “wedge salads” should actually be a wedge of cheese and a side of lettuce.

For dessert, I was really excited to try the Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake that they tweeted me about a couple weeks ago when I was looking for a dessert place in Charleston. It’s a “rich Gluten-free chocolate cake with salted homemade caramel butter crème and sea salt chocolate frosting topped with caramel drizzle.” It was, in the words of my mother, “The Bomb.” It was so yummy. I don’t think I would’ve known it was gluten-free if they hadn’t specified it on the menu. I loved that it was sweet without making me feel like I had diabetes by the second bite (I’m looking at you, Applebee’s). They have a bunch of other desserts that look good, too, like Baked Alaska, Seared Pear, Hot Fudge Snickers, Coconut Cake, and an array of ice cream. I definitely know where to go next time I’m looking for dessert.

Omigosh, it’s so good.

I also see that they have a bunch of options that are gluten-free, paleo, and cross-fit friendly for people like me who are trying (keyword here being TRYING) to eat healthier. Despite the fact that our service wasn’t really that great and I really wish they had a better website, the food more than made up for any issues I may have had. I highly recommend stopping by Crave whenever you’re out in Mount Pleasant or Isle of Palms.

Now, I’m CRAVING Crave! hyuck hyuck

Crave Kitchen & Cocktails
1968 Riviera Dr
Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
(843) 884-1177

1 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

The Owl, Greenville, SC [CLOSED]

March 22, 2013

This review comes to you from my amazing mother, Tina. She’s beautiful and crazy and has relatively good taste (most of the time). Here goes!

…And this is one of her BETTER moments.

Sydney posted a link on my Facebook wall the other day for a write-up from a Greenville food blogger about a new restaurant in called The Owl on Pleasantburg Road. The article made it look so good we decided to go there for dinner that same day. After reading the reviews we thought it would be packed, but luckily for us, 5:30 on a Tuesday evening must be the calm before the storm, because we were their only customers for a while.

The bar scene has definitely been kicked up a few notches. We had visited this building a number of years ago when it was a private club known as Gumby’s. Though it’s a small place and sparsely decorated, this once shabby tavern has been transformed into a chic establishment. I really like the cool bar stools and open kitchen.

The atmosphere was pretty neat. I like that it was really simple in the way of decor. Each of the tables had different color candle holders and a nice cold bottle of water.

I was really looking forward to trying some of the stuff mentioned in the blog post we read, but when we looked at the menu, none of the dishes we read about were actually on the menu. Apparently their menu changes seasonally, so what you see here might not actually be on the menu when you visit.

The menu is made up of appetizers, “small plates,” and full-plated entrees. We started with the Fruit Plate and the Lamb Meatball Plate. The Lamb Meatball plate wasn’t considered an appetizer, but it could have been and we were curious. The Lamb Meatballs were scrumptious. I loved the duck fat mashed potatoes. Not sure on what the sauce was on top. Looked like a mustard or a cheese but was neither. The pistachio pieces on top made the whole thing look pretty. Tasted wonderful. Interestingly, while eating it as I first bite into a pistachio piece I thought I was a seed or shell because I forgot there where nuts on it and that threw me off at first. You don’t think about nuts when chewing on a meatball. But altogether it was fantastic.

This is the Fruit Plate. Not what I pictured, but tasted amazing. I could eat this all day long. The pear and parsnip slices were warm, the nuts pieces were toasted and the ricotta was cool and creamy. It was simple, but the flavors came together really well. I’d go back for the fruit plate alone, it was that good.

For my entree, I ordered the steak well done. I know I’m “not supposed to do that” but that’s how I like it, and I’m the one who has to eat it, so just deal with it. Lots of places have problems cooking steaks well done, but The Owl cooked my steak just the way I like it. It came with Fried Brussels Sprouts which were the bomb. I should cook my Brussell Sprouts like this forever. The pile of cheese and mound of butter tied everything together. This can only be described as a mouthful of yummy flavor.

Russ got the Pasta Pomodoro, with something called “parmesan foam,” whatever that is. I have to say that The Pasta Pomodoro was my least favorite thing. I tried it once, went about eating my steak, then tried it again and I have to say–it did not get any better. I wanted it to be yummy. It looked yummy. It wasn’t so yummy. I don’t know if it was the Hazelnut, or “basil chip” or something in the spice department but the taste wasn’t where it could/should have been. Maybe this for someone else’s palate but not mine.

The service was wonderful. Everyone was very welcoming. The Chef even came out to thank us for stopping by…And stopping by is what we will do again and again. Can’t wait for the new menu change to try new and exciting entrees and revisit a few favorites. A very enjoyable dining experience.

The Owl
728 Wade Hampton Blvd
Greenville, SC 29609
(864) 252-7015

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