This post is the same as any frugal post...focusing on good food at an even better price. However, this post is about a restaurant experience from my visit to Tallahassee last weekend. This restaurant is cool, fun, and different from anywhere I have ever been before.
Chris took me to Circa Sushi for lunch on Saturday. This restaurant serves Thai and Japanese food, but that is not the cool part. The frugal part of this restaurant was the lunch deal of all you can eat sushi, salad, soup and a drink for....$12!!!!!!! Yes that is $12. That will normally just cover 2 rolls but this was all you could eat. So the deal was amazing. The cool part though was the conveyor belt that brought out the sushi. Yes this place had a conveyor belt. The sushi chef would make the sushi and then put it on the belt and you could just pick up whatever you wanted as it passed by your table. The restaurant was not very busy when we were there so the only sushi they made for the belt was common (Philadelphia roll, spicy tune, California roll, shrimp roll). The chef did offer to make us any sushi on the men, but we were pretty full from what we had already eaten. The sushi was simple but very fresh and well prepared. The pickled ginger was spicy and sweet and the wasabi was HOT! The salad with the ginger dressing was fresh and cold, however the miso soup was tasteless and cold.
As far as deals go, this was a great deal with really good sushi for a nice Saturday afternoon lunch. The addition of a conveyor belt going past your table was just interesting. Plus I got to enjoy some time with my favorite dining companion. So if you are ever in Tallahassee, try Circa it is a cool experience.
We were going to try "Mo Bettas". A unique little BBQ/Smoker set-up in a parking lot of a gas station. Yes...BBQ and a smoker in a gas station parking lot. It smells amazing everytime we would drive by it. But the weekend got away from us and we never had a chance to stop by and try a pulled pork or beef brisket sandwich. Maybe on the next visit we will stop by and I can add it to the blog!
The next blog will be about my experience at Downtown Cleveland Restaurant week. Right now I am thinking XO, Prime Rib, or Johnny's Downtown.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Best Valentine's Ever
The restaurant in tonight's blog is an old favorite that I have written about in the past and I promote to all who will listen....Pier W. Everything on the bar menu is half off, martinis and wine are discounted as well. I promise that this is not a repeat of the past as there was one reason for a trip to Pier W tonight...the Chocolate Bar! Not only is Pier W amazing for Restaurant Week and Happy Hour, but also for Valentine's Day. If you do not have plans for Valentine's Day then make plans right now for Tuesday night to go to Pier W for Happy Hour and...the Chocolate Bar!!!!!!!!!!
So in true frugally classy fashion let's start with the great deal. The half price happy hour is amazing as always. My dining companion, her beautiful 1.5 year old and I started our meal with fresh bread that they provided for the toddler's enjoyment. We ordered the pizza and short rib pierogies for our "meal". (we felt as though we should have some sort of real food and not just chocolate for dinner, that would be a bad example for the child with us). The total cost of these bar bites for happy hour was $4.5 and $4 respectively. The pizza was a great thin crust, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella cheese. Each bite was fresh and a perfect meld of flavors. The short rib pierogies were stuffed with this amazing braised short rib meat with a thick caramelized onion jus. It tasted like the beefiest, meatiest, heartiest flavor you could imagine. It was Sunday roast beef. We used some of the bread to sop up the juice. My martini was originally $9 but only $5.75 for happy hour and my companion's wine was 20% off.
After dinner...we had the delectible chocolate bar. The deal is one trip for $8 and unlimited trips for $12. We tried almost one of everything and some were favorites, but all were great. The favorites were the red wine truffle and the twist on a buckeye. The red wine truffle was this thin dark chocolate shell with a sweet but dry red win inside. It just melted as you bit into the juicy piece. The buckeye cup was a beautiful light peanut butter mouse in a thin chocolate cup. The other pyramids that we enjoyed were filled with cheesecake that melted, cherry chocolate cordial with the light creme, and a white chocolate macadamia nut pyramid. We tried only one round truffle that was a soft ganache of espresso flavored chocolate dusted with chocolate. There were two types of chocolate that were 2 biters. The first was a coconut macaroon covered in chocolate with toasted chocolate on top. The second was the amazing buttery shortbread topped with the silkiest creamiest carmel and covered in chocolate. It was not milk chocolate but not a super dark chocolate either. They also had several types of cake. We tried the chocolate cake like brownie topped with homemade marshmallow. There were also several types of bark. We tried the bark with peppermint. To be honest, we could not tell exactly what was under the peppermint bark. It was a layer of chocolate and then a layer of toffee flavored graham cracker consistency crust. The round out the night....there was a chocolate fondue fountain with strawberries, pineapple, cookies, pretzel rods, and all kinds of other things that could be dipped. We stayed away from that as it was too ordinary for the other things that were on the table.
I have been on a low sugar diet, but broke all rules to be able to enjoy this amazing buffet of chocolate. To make things even better it was well worth the $8 price for a trip and an even better deal for a $12 plate with unlimited trips. Anyone looking for a Valentine's date idea at the last minute should stop by Pier W tomorrow, it is the last day for the chocolate bar.
So in true frugally classy fashion let's start with the great deal. The half price happy hour is amazing as always. My dining companion, her beautiful 1.5 year old and I started our meal with fresh bread that they provided for the toddler's enjoyment. We ordered the pizza and short rib pierogies for our "meal". (we felt as though we should have some sort of real food and not just chocolate for dinner, that would be a bad example for the child with us). The total cost of these bar bites for happy hour was $4.5 and $4 respectively. The pizza was a great thin crust, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella cheese. Each bite was fresh and a perfect meld of flavors. The short rib pierogies were stuffed with this amazing braised short rib meat with a thick caramelized onion jus. It tasted like the beefiest, meatiest, heartiest flavor you could imagine. It was Sunday roast beef. We used some of the bread to sop up the juice. My martini was originally $9 but only $5.75 for happy hour and my companion's wine was 20% off.
After dinner...we had the delectible chocolate bar. The deal is one trip for $8 and unlimited trips for $12. We tried almost one of everything and some were favorites, but all were great. The favorites were the red wine truffle and the twist on a buckeye. The red wine truffle was this thin dark chocolate shell with a sweet but dry red win inside. It just melted as you bit into the juicy piece. The buckeye cup was a beautiful light peanut butter mouse in a thin chocolate cup. The other pyramids that we enjoyed were filled with cheesecake that melted, cherry chocolate cordial with the light creme, and a white chocolate macadamia nut pyramid. We tried only one round truffle that was a soft ganache of espresso flavored chocolate dusted with chocolate. There were two types of chocolate that were 2 biters. The first was a coconut macaroon covered in chocolate with toasted chocolate on top. The second was the amazing buttery shortbread topped with the silkiest creamiest carmel and covered in chocolate. It was not milk chocolate but not a super dark chocolate either. They also had several types of cake. We tried the chocolate cake like brownie topped with homemade marshmallow. There were also several types of bark. We tried the bark with peppermint. To be honest, we could not tell exactly what was under the peppermint bark. It was a layer of chocolate and then a layer of toffee flavored graham cracker consistency crust. The round out the night....there was a chocolate fondue fountain with strawberries, pineapple, cookies, pretzel rods, and all kinds of other things that could be dipped. We stayed away from that as it was too ordinary for the other things that were on the table.
I have been on a low sugar diet, but broke all rules to be able to enjoy this amazing buffet of chocolate. To make things even better it was well worth the $8 price for a trip and an even better deal for a $12 plate with unlimited trips. Anyone looking for a Valentine's date idea at the last minute should stop by Pier W tomorrow, it is the last day for the chocolate bar.
Friday, February 3, 2012
New Year....New 50 food places or things
As the new year is underway I wanted to have a fresh idea for the blog. My thought...inspired by a crappy list of 50 things to eat in Cleveland that was listed in the Plain Dealer today...50 new places or trying things I have never eaten under $20~! I need to have something in the mix to keep it loyal to my frugal brand.
Tonight XYZ tavern. I love this bar and just think it has a fun vibe in general. I decided to stop there on my way home from work tonight. So I tried 2 things I have never had before...Rooster Cocoa Porter and Bouillabaisse Risotto. The total for tonight's dinner, with leftovers for lunch tomorrow, was $20 for dinner, drink, tip and tax! Not bad for the night with leftovers to boot!
The Rooster Cocoa porter was very interesting. It was slightly sour with a taste of cocoa. It was dark but not too hoppy. I actually liked it and I typically do not like beer. Dinner was a new experience as well. I realize that bouillabaisse is not exactly exotic, but it is something I never ate before. I do not like mussels...but decided to try it anyway. The meal was yummy. half a dozen mussels, 4 large shrimp and white fish cooked in a great spicy tangy tomato broth with onions, green peppers, carrots, celery and parsley. All of it was served over top of rice that was perfectly al dente. It is going to soak up the remaining broth and not get soggy by tomorrow.
I have discovered that I still do not like mussels. Seriously, the texture is just too much for me to get past. I cut them up really small and they seemed to melt into the dish so as not to be as offensive to me. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and had fantastic flavor. This dish needed nothing more added to it. Once again XYZ Tavern did not disappoint and while for the most point the food is not extremely interesting it is well prepared.
For my first outing for the blog...it was not that exciting but it stayed under my $20 budget and it was 2 items I have never had before. Now to start thinking about my next outing!
Please comment with your suggestions and possibly new items for me to try!
Happy eating!
Tonight XYZ tavern. I love this bar and just think it has a fun vibe in general. I decided to stop there on my way home from work tonight. So I tried 2 things I have never had before...Rooster Cocoa Porter and Bouillabaisse Risotto. The total for tonight's dinner, with leftovers for lunch tomorrow, was $20 for dinner, drink, tip and tax! Not bad for the night with leftovers to boot!
The Rooster Cocoa porter was very interesting. It was slightly sour with a taste of cocoa. It was dark but not too hoppy. I actually liked it and I typically do not like beer. Dinner was a new experience as well. I realize that bouillabaisse is not exactly exotic, but it is something I never ate before. I do not like mussels...but decided to try it anyway. The meal was yummy. half a dozen mussels, 4 large shrimp and white fish cooked in a great spicy tangy tomato broth with onions, green peppers, carrots, celery and parsley. All of it was served over top of rice that was perfectly al dente. It is going to soak up the remaining broth and not get soggy by tomorrow.
I have discovered that I still do not like mussels. Seriously, the texture is just too much for me to get past. I cut them up really small and they seemed to melt into the dish so as not to be as offensive to me. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and had fantastic flavor. This dish needed nothing more added to it. Once again XYZ Tavern did not disappoint and while for the most point the food is not extremely interesting it is well prepared.
For my first outing for the blog...it was not that exciting but it stayed under my $20 budget and it was 2 items I have never had before. Now to start thinking about my next outing!
Please comment with your suggestions and possibly new items for me to try!
Happy eating!
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