Pots & Pens

Abe & Louie’s – Boston

on by in Food, Steak ⋅ Leave a comment

I love Abe & Louie’s. It’s easy to make that statement because the food is always excellent, the service is top notch, and the overall experience is always pleasant.

I’ve eaten here a few times and each time I have had a wonderful dining experience.

I typically order the bone-in rib eye with sauteed mushrooms, brussels sprouts, and sauteed spinach for sides.  All are great accompaniments with the steak. In addition, the Abe & Louie’s salad is a great way to start. It has bibb lettuce, apples, pistachio nuts, blue cheese, and dijon vinigarette.

Another plus of A&L’s – a fantastic wine list. Lots of choices spanning a large range geographically and varietally.

Abe & Louie's Salad - bibb lettuce, apples, pistachio nuts, great hill blue cheese, dijon vinaigrette

Abe & Louie’s Salad – bibb lettuce, apples, pistachio nuts, great hill blue cheese, dijon vinaigrette – Abe & Louie’s

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts – Abe & Louie’s 

Bone-in ribeye - Abe & Louie's

Bone-in ribeye – Abe & Louie’s

Key Lime Pie with vanilla meringue,raspberry sorbet - Abe & Louie's

Key Lime Pie with vanilla meringue,raspberry sorbet – Abe & Louie’s

 

http://www.abeandlouies.com

5/5

-pap-

 

Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe – Concord, NC

on by in Cajun, Southern ⋅ Leave a comment

I went to Concord, NC for a business trip recently and was at a loss when it came to dining options.

I stumbled upon Razzoo’s and must say….I was pleasantly surprised.

From the gumbo to the rat toes to the seafood stuffed shrimp. It was all very good. Not healthy, but definitely tasty.

If you’re in Concord, NC and want to try some local flavors, then check out Razzoo’s. The service is very friendly and the environment is casual.

Kick back, relax, and enjoy.

 

Seafood Gumbo - Razzoo's

Seafood Gumbo – Razzoo’s

Rat Toes (Deep fried jalapenos stuffed with seafood)

Rat Toes (Deep fried jalapenos stuffed with seafood)

Stuffed Shrimp

Stuffed Shrimp

 

Cat Fish Po'Boy

Cat Fish Po’Boy

 

http://www.razzoos.com/

4/5

-pap

Sticky Fingers Smokehouse – Concord, NC

on by in BBQ ⋅ Leave a comment

I went to Concord, North Carolina on business trip recently.

I wanted to try something recommended by the locals and wound up at Sticky Fingers.

Along with y colleagues, we all tried the sliced beef brisket lunch special. It came with 2 sides.  I chose fried corn and gravy & mash. All of it was delicious. Don’t forget to ask for a piece of corn bread to complete the meal.

It’s worth noting that they have an array of different BBQ sauces for the meat. I really liked the Habanero sauce. It wasn’t that spicy, but very flavorful.  I also enjoyed the sweet sauce.

We topped off our meal by sharing a couple of desserts: peach cobbler and pecan pie. I loved both. I’m not a huge fan of pecan pie, but now I am. It was so good.

Everything was washed down with a big gulp’s worth of sweet tea.

This place is very casual, a great value for the money, and the food & service will not let you down.

 

Beef Brisket, Fried Corn, Mash with Gravy, Toast

Beef Brisket, Fried Corn, Mash with Gravy, Toast

An array of sauces!

An array of sauces!

Peach Cobbler

Peach Cobbler

Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie

 

http://www.stickyfingers.com/

4/5

-pap-

 

Tsunami Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi – Concord, NC

on by in Sushi ⋅ Leave a comment

Never thought I’d be eating sushi in North Carolina, but my colleagues and I were craving something less heart attack inducing that what we’d been eating all week.

This place is ok. Very casual. The sushi isn’t particularly the freshest or the best, but they did a decent job. The service was ok. Not great, but nt horrible either

We shared a bunch of rolls, as well as other items like nigiri, sashimi, miso soup, and fried oysters.

Can’t say I’m a fan, but if this is the only sushi option in Concord, NC, then I really have no choice when I have a sushi craving.

 

Spicy tuna roll, spicy scallop roll, unagi, sake at Tsunami

Spicy Tuna Roll, Spicy Scallop Roll, Unagi, Sake 

Spider Roll, Spicy Scallop, Spicy Tuna

Spider Roll, Spicy Scallop, Spicy Tuna

Special Tsunami Roll, Spicy Scallop, Unagi

Special Tsunami Roll, Spicy Scallop, Unagi

 

http://www.tsunamisteakhouse.com

2/5

-pap-

 

Rosa Mexicano – Waterfront, Boston

on by in Mexican ⋅ Leave a comment

*Originally Reviewed on 03/04/13*

 

I really enjoyed the food and ambiance.
From the yummy guacamole that they make right in front of you to the delicious slow roasted duck tacos. The ceviche sampler was also very good. All very tasty!

Their bartenders are also very good. Excellent margaritas all around and they carry Dobel Tequila, which is one of my favs. yay!

Check this place out if are on Boston’s Waterfront. it’s worth a try.

 

Freshly made Guacamole at Rosa Mexicano

Freshly made Guacamole at Rosa Mexicano

Ahi Tuna Tacos & Filet Mignon Tacos at Rosa Mexicano

Ahi Tuna Tacos & Filet Mignon Tacos at Rosa Mexicano

 

http://www.rosamexicano.com/

4/5

-pap-

 

Amelia’s Trattoria – Cambridge, MA

on by in Italian, Pasta ⋅ Leave a comment

I met up with a friend in Kendall Square tonight and we decided to check our Blue Wave. Neither of us had been there in a while and thought we’d give it a try. Unfortunately, the menu was very limited and not very appealing. We headed to Emma’s but it was crowded and the wait was long. Since we were hungry we decided not to wait, and headed over to Amelia’s Tratorria.

 

I have never been to Amelia’s, but my friend had dinner there once.

We settled in and enjoyed a nice glass of wine. I had the (house) Cortijo Rioja and my friend had the house Chianti. Both were reasonably priced glasses at $9 & $7 respectfully.

 

We opted out of appetizers, but the complimentary bread and white bean puree was enough to get started.

 

I ordered one of my favorite Italian dishes – and typically the one that sets the bar for me for Italian restaurants – Linguine alla Vongole (fresh clams, house made linguine, and a garlic and olive oil sauce – $24). I love that they used fresh whole clams and didn’t skimp on the quantity. However, $24 is a bit pricey for this meal. Typically, this dish goes for $17-$21 at other restaurants in the Boston area. I was pleased with the dish and didn’t feel ripped off due to the quality of the pasta or the quantity of the clams. Overall the meal was quite tasty.

 

My friend ordered the House-made Spaghetti (plus tomato ragu, basil, shaved parmesan – $17).  She enjoyed this dish so much from her previous visit that she decided to order it again. She enjoyed it again this time. However, the onions in the ragu sauce were too big and thick for her liking. She ate around it and didn’t finish because it was becoming too much of a nuisance. She really enjoyed the flavor and would love to have this dish with a more “melted down”  version of the onions.

 

We finished our meals with after dinner liqueurs. I had the Sandeman’s Tawny Port and  my friend had Sambuca.

 

The service was good. The atmosphere was quaint and nice. The overall vibe was chill and quiet.

 

I would recommend checking this restaurant out. If you live in the neighborhood, then I can see this becoming a regular spot. I enjoyed the experience and would be happy to go back for something relatively uneventful. Nothing wrong with that. It’s solid and reliable.

 

Our meal came to about $90 pre-tip. Parking is street parking. No valet.

 

Linguine alla Vongole (fresh clams, house made linguine, and a garlic and olive oil sauce ($24))

Linguine alla Vongole (fresh clams, house made linguine, and a garlic and olive oil sauce) – $24

House-made Spaghetti (plus tomato ragu, basil, shaved parmesan ($17))

House-made Spaghetti (plus tomato ragu, basil, shaved parmesan) – $17

 

3/5

http://ameliastrattoria.com

-pap-

 

 

Dosa – The Mission, San Francisco

on by in Indian ⋅ Leave a comment

*Originally reviewed in 2008, but I have been back numerous times*

 

I never could understand why there was a line outside of this little South Indian Dosa spot.  However, I had the pleasure of finding out for myself whether the wait was worth it.

On a random Sunday afternoon a friend and I decided to walk over and take a chance on getting post brunch time seating.  It worked! No wait (yay!!).

The dosa’s were quite good, however the price was not.  Imagine paying $13 for a burrito???  Well, that’s how I felt paying $13 for a dosa.

Having just come back from India and devouring some of the yummiest home made dosa’s on the planet, I find it difficult to understand why these folks would rip off innocent (read: dumb city “foodies” of non ethnic origin) by offering really good (not great) tasting dosa’s at high prices.

Let’s remember people, the food is from India….which means it’s supposed to be CHEAP!!

I’m glad that there is a place like Dosa in the Mish.  Now…..if we could just get them to fall in line with Mish-like and India-like prices, that would be awesome!

 

3/5

-pap-

 

Trattoria Contadina – North Beach, San Francisco

on by in Italian, Pasta, Wine ⋅ Leave a comment

*Originally reviewed in 2008, but I’ve been back many times*

 

On a random Wednesday evening some friends and I decided to try this place.  when we walked in it was obvious that many locals frequent this joint.  It’s likely that this is the case because parking is really tough in the neighborhood, but ifyou can snag a spot, the definitely try Trattoria Contadina.

One thing that we really appreciated about TC is that we were not charged a corkage fee for our wine.  I don’t care what type of restaurant you are, corkage fees should be ILLEGAL!  So big points for TC on this alone.

We started our evening by sharing the spinach salad and the roasted bell peppers with cheese.  Both were extremely yummy.  I was hesitant at first about the bell peppers, but the waiter suggested it so we tried it.  I’m glad we did. It was different and quite tasty.

For my main course I had the gnocci.  I am huge fan of good gnocci and when it’s done right (not too dense and flavorful) I get really happy.  On Wednesday, I got really happy :)  The tomato cream sauce for the gnocci was fabulous and the quantity was enough for 1 meal at dinner plus a small lunch the next day.

Side note: my bf had the tortellini which he just devoured and my friend had one of the 2 chicken dishes (I’m not sure which one).  Both were happy with their meals and commented that they were satisfied and look forward to returning.

I love it when I leave a restaurant feeling good :)

 

http://www.trattoriacontadina.com/

4/5

-pap-

Eric’s Restaurant – Noe Valley, San Francisco

on by in Chinese ⋅ Leave a comment

*Originally reviewed on 03/06/09*

 

Dishes ordered:

Eric’s Eggplant – very yummy and lived up to the hype created by friends

Sesame Beef – OK.  It tasted like something you could get at Panda Express

Kung Pao Chicken – not very spicy and actually kind of bland (boooo!)

Garlic Shrimp – loaded with sliced celery sticks.  The flavor was a bit too tangy.  Just a strange combo all around

The bill – $14 each for 4 people. Not bad, and the reason why I leaned towards 3 stars and not 2.

Ambiance – Nice.  Very different than most Chinese food places in that it’s not your typical hole in the wall.  You can actually take a 1st date to this one.

Service – Poor.  The guy who claimed to be Eric was very pleasant , but the others were rude and not very service oriented.

If I lived i this neighborhood I might visit again, but I think I’ll stick to the average Chinese Food restaurant in my own hood.

Sorry Eric’s, you let me and my friends down when we were craving good Chinese food.  And nothing is worse than disappointment when you’re HUNGRY  :(

 

http://www.ericrestaurant.com/

2.5/5

-pap-

Bonne Sante – Burlingame, CA

on by in Sandwiches ⋅ Leave a comment

*Originally reviewed on 04/14/2011*

 

The sandwiches here are delicious!! I’m not a fan of going out for sandwiches that I think I can make at home, but this place changed my mind!

I especially like the Napa (Smoked Turkey with brie) and the Reuben.  The crab cakes and the burgers are also very good.

Also, the sandwiches are fairly large. I usually eat one half and save the other for later.

Try this place out if you’re into “fancy” sandwiches. They really hit the spot.

 

http://www.enjoybonnesante.com

4/5

-pap-