Showing posts with label Restaurant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Restaurant. Show all posts

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Authentic Mexican - El Cabrito, Pasadena

El Cabrito Mexican Grill Dinner
Pasadena, MD
December 29, 2023

 Dinner last evening was at an authentic Mexican restaurant. Definitely not americanized and even the menu was in Spanish!

It has been a long time since I escaped the fusion of American and Mexican food--Tex-Mex or Southwestern--whatever it is called. 

We visited the El Cabrito Mexican Grill in Pasadena, MD, and enjoyed a filling and tasteful dinner. I samples a taco and a burrito. OMG--in the end I had one taco, half of the burrito and was full! But the flavors were perfectly balanced and enjoyable as were the variety of sauces they provided for dipping. 

We had a great time, maybe more-so because they do not serve alcohol!

There are not many places where 3 people can eat their fill of dinner for less than $40. And I brought half a burrito home for lunch today!


-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Closing out the Week

Looking out to the Intracoastal Waterway
Tiki 52, Tequesta, FL
October 6. 2023
Finding a great happy hour location is one of the great ways to place the exclamation point on the end of the week.

Last evening we visited Tiki 52, which is located in a marina very close to home, to end the week and prepare for the weekend. 

The staff at Tiki 52 scared us a bit by suggesting that the snow-birds were beginning to return as some vehicle transports have begun arriving in the area. 

Despite the threat of the restaurants and highways being filled with northern visitors for the winter, it was a great afternoon under blue sunny skies. We had not had an afternoon so clear in a very long time. The ocean breeze kept the temperature in the middle of the comfortable range, which was nice although docking at the marina was difficult as the wind kept complicating the situation by moving the boats in undesired directions. 

We did not stay long, because we were just having happy hour and there was a band setting up to play and it always seems that the bands play their music too loudly and that stifles conversation. 

A great happy hour followed by a nice dinner at home. 


-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Friday, May 21, 2021

Escaping the Week

 

The Pointe Crab House Docks
Magothy River, Arnold, MD
May 20, 2021

Yes, Friday has arrived again. I am happy for that. 

Chris and I, however, decided to begin the weekend a day early by heading out for dinner last evening to a place I cannot remember visiting since the COVID epidemic began. We headed off to The Pointe Crab House in Arnold, MD. 

We enjoy The Pointe because it is situated on the Magothy River and provides a unique and enjoyable dining experience. I especially like the boat-up to the restaurant docks which provide a constant source of amusement and awe.

It was great to get out and we were in a facial-covering free environment for the first time in well over a year. It was freeing. The restaurant is open air and the light breeze and strong sun made the experience even more enjoyable. 

It is good to get out, midweek, to escape the house and to enjoy the great weather which has moved into the area.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Watching the Storm


We enjoyed a dinner on the Magothy River at The Point Crab House & Grill last evening with Nicole and Mike. Although the day was hot and sultry, the evening was pleasant. Sitting at the restaurant along the shores of the Magothy River was enjoyable. 
View from our Table at
The Point

The sky was threatening as we began our dinner and just as we finished the sky opened up with torrents of rain. The image does not clearly show the rain crashing down, but it is, I can assure you. At one point the sun looked like Jupiter.

The Sun Shining Through the Rain Clouds
Although we were eating outside under an umbrella, common sense prevailed and we moved inside as the rains began. Fortunately, we had finished eating--I left only a few fries behind on my fish & chips plate. 

It was a fun evening and a great time. The thunderstorm cooled the temperatures for providing a further respite from the heat of the day. 

A great day and a better evening even with the rain and storms--which were fairly brief.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Crazy Tuna - Review

The Dock at Crazy Tuna
What to do on a beautiful Sunday afternoon? Gather friends together and sojourn to the Crazy Tuna for an afternoon of conversation and fun. 

The Crazy Tuna is located in Essex--it is literally on the other side of the river, or bay from us and so the journey does take a bit of planning. 

The restaurant does have a boat up dock, which is a lot of fun to watch even for those who drive in. There is a beautiful sandy area for a relaxing game of Corn Hole, or on the beautiful day as was Sunday, relaxing at a table under an umbrella watching all of the action. 

The drinks were not spectacular, but the food was good. The group samples many of the appetizers and a few of the entrees. The appetizer winner was definitely the Prince Edward Island mussels--2 pounds for $11.99 cooked to perfection. On the entree side, the fish and chips were soggy, so I would avoid those on a future visit. 

There is a Tiki Bar seemed to be a lot of fun. The day was an awesome one with perfect sun and temperatures. 
At the Crazy Tuna

What better war to enjoy a day with friends--except around my own pool? But, it was great to be on the river experiencing life. 

Summertime is great! And living outside is what it is all about.

RECOMMENDATION: Visit the Crazy Tuna and enjoy a sunny afternoon.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Toby's Dinner Theater Spamalot -- A Review

Chris and I enjoyed Valentines Day dinner at Toby's Dinner Theater in Columbia, Maryland, watching their production of Monty Python's Spamalot, which is a theater adaptation of the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. We enjoyed the show with a number of our closest friends and had a great evening of dinner and theater.

I am going to state, right up front--I do not enjoy the Monty Python humor as do many other people. But, despite that, I felt that the production last evening at Toby's was a first class production. 

View from My Seat at Toby's
Toby's provides an intimate setting to watch a theatrical event. Being close to the action and the actors increases the enjoyment of being part of the show. However, the seating is tight and uncomfortable similar to a real Broadway show and the buffet style food is just that--standard fare buffet style food.

Toby's Dinner Theater production of Spamalot was excellent. The actors were extremely talented and the musical production was big very well executed. I found that Toby's unique stage area made for a very involving and engaging production. Two actors stood out as worthy of additional mention. Lawrence B. Munsey, playing King Arthur was clearly the star of the show and carried the production.  David James also turned in a spectacular performance playing the Historian, Not Dead Fred, the Nun, a French Guard, Minstrel, and Prince Herbert. There were no weak performances and each of the multiple roles played by most of the actors was enjoyably and professionally executed.

Recommendation: It was an enjoyable evening of theater and friends. If you enjoy Monty Python humor--go see this production.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Charleston Restaurant: Dinner for a Really Special Anniversary

Chris and I, upon the recommendation of Mike and Nicole, decided to do something really special for our anniversary dinner. Something even a bit over the top for us. We decided to eat at restaurant which earned four of five number 1's in the current Zagat rating--Charleston.

We had a 6:30pm reservation, which is early, but it allowed us to enjoy an unhurried evening which did not end until after 9:00pm at the restaurant.

The restaurant is fabulous and opulent. We were greeted by the valet to park our car and there the experience began. Everything was top notch and first class. We enjoyed some time together in the bar, sipping some champagne to begin our unhurried dining experience. A high point that happened right there, in the bar, was that the staff recognized that Chris was cold and they offered her a wrap to improve her enjoyment of the evening.

From there, we were ushered to our table. There were apologies that our table request could not be accommodated due to a small function in that room, but the table offered in the wine room was more than adequate--and perhaps even better given our early hour.

We chose the "The Season" from the menu and the wine pairings. We were just too overwhelmed on our first visit to try to develop our own unique menu for the evening. What we had provided a good sampling of the menu items. And in our case this was a seafood themed meal which was very well paired with some excellent wines.

The meal--served in courses consisted of:

Rich Lobster Soup with Curry accompanied by Amontillado Viejo, Byass "Del Duque"

Local Heirloom Tomato Salad, Warm Goat’s Cheese Medallion, served with Sportoletti Rosé, Mas de La Dame (Les Baux de Provence) 2009

Jumbo Lump Crabcake, English Peas, Roasted Sweet Corn, Mustard Cream Chardonnay, accompanied by Dehlinger "Un-Filtered" (Russian River Valley) 2006

Pan-Roasted Halibut, Grilled Local Baby Squash, Creole Sauce Valtellina Superiore, wi
th Conti Sertoli Salis "Sassella" (Lombardia) 2006

Stilton – cow’s milk, blue, creamy, rich, mildly spicy (Nottinghamshire, UK) and topped off by being served with Heitz Cellars Port "Ink Grade" (Napa Valley) NV

finally,
Local Blackberries & Madeira Sabayon


Fabulous. Each course was perfectly cooked and expertly served in gourmet style. The portions were just the right size--not too much and not too little. The wine pours were also perfectly matched to the course.

They also added a small pastry platter for dessert and a melon starter that I never really understood exactly what it was composed of--but suffice it to say, it too was awesome.

In the end, I did not want for more--except more of the atmosphere and the ambiance which in the wine room was absolutely perfect. The wait staff led by the Captain, Ryan, were spectacular and attended to our needs before we even realized we had them.

Cost? Well, it is not for the faint of heart. It is well worth it, but I have had complete meals for four for less than what I left as a tip.

Will I return? You bet! I am a definite fan.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Azul 17 - Restaurant Review

Saturday night we wanted to go out to dinner to some place different. So we spun up the I-pod application for places to eat and decided on Mexican and then came upon Azul 17. A place in Columbia that we had never heard of, much less visited.

This place is not to be missed. It bills itself as a Mexican cuisine and tequila lounge---and it truly is.

The food was upscale and well prepared. The service was fantastic and the atmosphere was not your classic Mexican taco-bar dive. Azul-17 truly is a nice place to take friends and visitors for a true dining experience. The atmosphere is very professional and elegant and the service was outstanding.

The restaurant is located off Snowden river Parkway in Columbia is a small plaza with somewhat limited parking. But it is well worth the effort to go there.

Before dinner, we had the guacamole made at the table. It was very tasty and spiced exactly the way we desired it to be. For dinner I enjoyed the Carnitas Patria which is listed as consisting of roasted pork sautéed until crispy with a trio of bell peppers & onions served with boniato mash over a black bean chorizo broth. It was fabulous and served in a most attractive manner.

The margarita that Chris has with her dinner was equally fabulous and one of the smoothest margaritas that I have tasted.

RECOMMENDATION: This is a place to experience and enjoy on multiple occasions. I will be going back for more, soon!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Before Cell Phones--How Did We Ever Do It?

A not so amusing return to life before cell phones (B.C.?) occurred in our family the other evening.

It reminded me how dependent we are on these little boxes that I could only dream of having when I was reading Dick Tracy comics as a kid. My how science fiction has become reality. And are we ever hooked!

I was at home, beginning work on the taxes (yes, it is tax season) when the home phone rings--it is Chris with an immediate invite to dinner at a restaurant in the mall with her, Nicole and the boys. So I quickly clean up the tax mess and charge out the door--forgetting the cell phone. Without knowing it, I hd traveled through a time warp into the days B.C.

And boy, did I pay for that.

I got stuck in rush hour traffic and wanted to call Chris to tell her--that is when I realized I was without the critical piece of technology which keeps us all in touch. I worried, but continued on my journey. After all--how difficult could this be--we were meeting at a known place.

Yeah!

I arrived at the mall and jockeyed for a parking place. Speeding into the the restaurant, I told the greeters that I was meeting someone and sped past--knowing that I was late.

Guess what I found upon searching the whole place? Chris, Nicole and the boys were NOT there! What happened I wondered. If only I had my cell to call them. But no, I was stuck in time B.C.

I waited a bit and wandered to the last known location where they had been--when Chris had called. Not there!

I wandered around a bit looking for them and began wondering if something had happened and plans had changed or if the boys were too tired to go out or something. All good questions--but with no way to obtain an answer.

Ugh! So I got a bit upset--at myself, at Chris, at the situation, at life, at traffic, at mall parking, at my truck (because I still can't drive my new cat because of the weather).

I decided the only good play was to return home to find the answers. In this case--home is about a 10 minute drive. In traffic--15 minutes.

So off I sped.

My blood pressure was rising to stroke levels because of the situation. I was B.C. in a big way.

As I returned home and walked through the door--the phone was ringing. It was Chris--she said--"where are you? We are at the restaurant." I know I unleashed a string of fairly vile words at that point because the phone went silent--I think I was burning out a transistor or a capacitor or something.

Because we've been married almost 35 years--Chris waited for the fire storm of emotion and frustration to subside a bit and calmly reinvited me to dinner with the words--"so what do you want to do?"

I was hungry by now. I decided to return to the mall for dinner--with my cell. I didn't want to be in the time of B.C. anymore.

I hopped back into my truck and realized that since they were at the restaurant, they would be waiting to order--and with two smallish children--that was problematic. So I grabbed my cell and called my order in to Chris. My beer was waiting for me when I got there and dinner was served with everyone else's.

I had a great dinner sitting next to my best bud-Jax. Much more relaxed now that I was back in the present day with my cell in my pocket--and fully connected to the world and my life.

I never want to be in the time B.C. again! I don't know how we ever did it.

And back then we only had one car, too! But that is a story for a different day.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Blue Heaven Restaurant Review

Dinner at the Blue Heaven Restaurant in Key West was an exciting experience.

Although the address is Thomas Street, the entrance is really around the corner on Petronia Street.

The atmosphere includes dining outside under large palms and in a courtyard setting complete with cats and chickens. It is fun and creative as well as relaxing. There is something for everyone here. I did enjoy watching the chickens run across the roof of the building--how did they get up there?

The food was excellent. The wine list is extensive and has something for everyone. The menu is not inexpensive--if you are looking for entrees in the less than $20 range--go elsewhere. But if you enjoy good moderately prices food--eat here. I had the scallops and they were fantastic. The portions are large and filling-so you won't leave hungry.

One of the specialties seems to be the Key Lime Pie which comes piled with a mountain of meringue. Not my idea of the perfect Key Lime pie--but a very interesting version which is something to admire--how high the meringue is piled.

Recommendation: Go there. Enjoy the dinner and the experience. Plan to spend some time to experience everything the Blue Heaven has to offer.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Bojangles Saloon, Alice Springs - A Review

An evening at Bojangles in Alice Springs, Australia is a great way to relax and unwind. You should check out their website and if you like log into their in saloon cameras to enjoy the nightlife vicariously.While at the saloon/restaurant call friends and have them log in an monitor your activity.  Could be interesting.

They say it is authentic Australian, and the interior is a visually stimulating and rustic place to enjoy just looking around at the displays on the walls and some which even coming out of the ceiling. Don't miss the big snake in the Bat Out of Hell display case.  Also--the restrooms are not to be missed. If you've been drinking a bit much, the placement of handles and knobs could become a problem.

Ah the food. Well, the portions are big and filling--just as you would expect from authentic Australian. The food was cooked very well. I had the mixed grill which featured five Australian meats: buffalo medallion, emu sausage, kangaroo fillet, camel kabobs, and crocodile rissoles.  Each of the meats has a different texture and taste and was cooked very nicely. The only one I didn't enjoy was the croc, as it was mushy and somewhat tasteless.  I don't think it cooked quite long enough. No, it didn't taste like chicken. The other diners, some who had eaten at Bo's before relayed that everything on the menu was good except for the barramundi fillet. Seems they tend to overcook fish a bit. However, the barramundi fish and chips, enjoyed by one of the other diners in my group, was excellent.

The service was extremely quick and the food was served piping hot. Everyone in our party of six got served at the same time and the orders were correct.

The restaurant has an adequate wine selection, but I enjoyed a Victoria Bitter (a/k/a/ VB) beer with my meal.

Recommendation: A must visit and enjoy while in Alice Springs. Check out the website to get a feel for the rustic interior of the saloon. The food is tasty and not expensive. Bojangles is located at one end of the town and is easy to find as it is right off the Todd Mall.  Bo's is an icon in Alice Springs and with good reason.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Yellowfin Steak & Fish House Review

The Yellowfin Steak & Fish House in Edgewater, Maryland was the chosen location for our anniversary dinner. We selected this restaurant for our very special dinner based upon the recommendation of our daughter and her husband--they had recently celebrated their anniversary there.

Making reservations was a breeze--just do it from the website--nothing could be easier. The location on the water in Edgewood at a marina provides a fabulous view of the river and is a great backdrop for dinner. Ask for a table by the windows (to better enjoy the view). 

Although reservations were easy, parking is at a premium. Be prepared to park on the street leading under the bridge. It is a short walk, but parking in the main lot, which is shared with the marina, is tight.

The facility is pleasant and nicely abuts the water. The service during our meal was superior. We had a reservation, arrived early and were seated immediately on a Saturday night and were lucky enough to get a window seat looking out on the river.

The wine list is sufficient and has a good selection of wines at moderate prices. We chose a Pinot Grigio,  Ecco Domani, to have with our meal since we wanted something light and European to compliment our fish dishes. We were not disappointed.

I chose the Japanese Sea Bass which was excellent. The presentation was especially nice and the entree had a nice light flavor. The hot potatoes and broccoli were done to perfection. Chris chose the Bang Bang Mahi Mahi--the entree again was tasty and nicely presented with good flavor; however the rice was very dry. Her asparagus was excellent, however.

We were treated to a dessert, we told them it was our anniversary and they provided the dessert totally unexpectedly. We also enjoyed coffee after dinner. It was a very nice dinner and very enjoyable.

Recommendation: Definitely a place to visit again. Thoroughly enjoyable meal in a comfortable setting with a dynamic view at reasonable prices.
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