Been a While

hey guys,

Soooo, it has been a really long while since we've posting on TDR 😣
So truly sorry, between school, work, babysitting, tutoring, dealing with daily idiots, it's been hectic and there hasn't been enough time!
We have not abandoned you!

During this winter break, we shall be posting more frequently, starting with our pumpkin picking adventure because its too good not to post!!

SORRY ONCE AGAIN, we feel horribly terribly awful..
<3 <3 <3

Night Out: Jimmy Hays Steakhouse - Island Park, Long Island, Wednesday 10/1/2014

His Take: Happy birthday to my cousin Frankie!  Love ya cuz! Ok so Frankie and his girlfriend Jennifer set up a birthday dinner at a steak house called Jimmy Hays, located in Island Park, Long Island, NY.  I never heard of this place but Ariana and I have been dying to try a steak house and I would not miss Frankie's birthday.  9 of us set out to Jimmy Hayes to celebrate.

The decor in Jimmy Hayes was very nice and elegant.  Before I get to the food, let me tell you, the service in Jimmy Hayes was impeccable.  The waiters, yes plural because we had 2, were probably the 2 best waiters I have ever had.  Great job guys!  They did not come over too much or too little, provided a few laughs, served our food in our dishes for us, and gave us tips on what to order and how much to order for the group.  All their suggestions were spot on!

Now onto the food!  For appetizers the group split, baked clams, slabs of bacon, mac and cheese, and garlic bread in a creamy garlic sauce.  EVERYTHING was delicious.  The clams were really good, the bacon was nice and juicy, the mac and cheese were creamy.  Notice I left off the garlic bread, that is because it gets it's own sentence.  The garlic bread was so good and the creamy garlic sauce was great.  I loved it.

The main course was pretty straight forward, I ordered a steak and it was delicious.  I like my steak medium rare and it was cooked to perfection.  A few friends order the cowboy steak and this piece was huge, my brother order the filet mignon with crab meat and he loved it.  Ariana ordered the beef wellington, which looked amazing, and she really liked it.  A lot of left over meat was taken home.  For sides we ordered mushrooms, no thanks for me but the group ate it, plus garlic mashed potatoes.  The mashed potatoes were very good as well.  We skipped dessert but the waiters had heard us say it was Frankie's birthday so they brought us a few things to share and sang happy birthday to him.  Great job guys!

All in all, Jimmy Hayes was amazing from start to finish.  I have to warn you, steak houses are normally expensive and this was nothing that was not expected.  But it was worth it.  From the food to the service Jimmy Hayes gets an A+ in my book.  I cannot say I would go back for sure, only for the sheer fact that it is about a 45 minute drive from where I live, but if it was closer, it is definitely worth enjoying the meal!

Her Take: It was Frankie's birthday! So Jenn organized this dinner for 9 of us to attend at Jimmy Hays Steakhouse. The reservations were for 8 and we left at 7 because it was a bit out of the way, we arrived at 7:55. We were seated in a private room for just the 9 of us and I didn't expect it to be so fancy! It was beautiful in there and very romantic and elegant. We started off with some wine and ordered our apps, Garlic Bread, Baked Clams, Mac & Cheese and Bacon. Let me tell you they were DELICIOUS, I was blown away by the garlic bread because it had a cheese sauce and omggg drooling.
For dinner I ordered one of the specials, Beef Wellington. I have always wanted to try Beef Wellington! It sounded delicious: filet mignon, fontina cheese and sautéed onions all wrapped in phillo dough. and believe me it was as good as it sounded! it came with a side of asparagus which I didn't even taste because I was unbelievably full/satisfied. For sides we had ordered mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, mushrooms and
everything was yummy and the service was incredible; I have no complaints! Except maybe for the Pinot Noir, which I didn't like. But its ok, it was made up for.
Since it was Frankie's birthday they set up two nice plates of cheesecake, chocolate mousse, brownie, ice cream and other goodies and gave it to us on the house! Even the desserts were amazing.
Great place, really! If you are in the area, definitely give it a try. It is about an hour away, so I don't know if or when we'll be going back, but it was definitely a great meal with impeccable service!!
disclaimer: it is a bit pricey, but what else would you expect from a steakhouse?? :)

Beef Wellington

Date Night: Madison Square Eats - Flatiron, NY, Wednesday 9/17/2014

Her Take: I had heard about Mad Sq. Eats from two fellow classmates and I've also seen tons of Instagram posts about it, so I KNEW we had to go. Mad Sq Eats takes place in Madison Square Park in Flatiron and there are a BUNCH of food vendors there so you can basically have it all! Finally on a Wednesday, we didn't know what to do so I suggested Mad Sq. Eats after work. It was really a great time; Nicky and I met up around 7:30 and we walked together to Madison Square Park, we saw lights and a bunch of stands and we walked right in. First stand I saw was Roberta's Pizza. PIZZA! I WANTED. so we got that first, a small margherita pie split between the two of us. Then we moved to the next stand, we got Korean tacos. I got the pork taco and Nicky the beef taco. Next I got a pork bun and then a mini rice ball. Yes, I ate more than Nicky.. Then we both got tortas from a Mexican stand, torta means sandwich by the way. Then we walked around and stopped to buy some chocolate to take home and then we saw an empanada stand. WE HAD TO GET THEM. I got the pulled pork empanada and Nicky the Queso empanada. Both were very good but mine was the best ;)
We went around again and decided to spilt a crepe- nutella and banana crepe! it was reallyyyy good. And then I got a Thai Iced Tea Bubble Tea. Afterwards, Nicky got a cinnamon pretzel and we left and sat on a park bench and chatted.
Yea, so I ate like a fat. But I thought it was a fun time! I have to say the best thing I ate was my Pulled Pork Empanada. All the food was different and fun to try and taste! I highly recommend going to Mad Sq Eats! Unfortunately the Mad Sq Eats location was only until October 2nd :(! (sorry it too k so long to get this post up) But Urban Space, the company that runs these park food vendor events, has different locations as well that you should try out! The Garment District Market is running until October 17th!! CHECK IT OUT
It was something different! A different take on date night, and I loved it!

His Take: If you do not know by now, Ariana and I love to eat.  Seriously, we blogged about plenty of food places, so food is our expertise.  Ariana and I were looking for something different, something to really quench our appetites, just one thing would not cut it!  I believe it was Instagram and classmates that led Ariana to Madison Square Eats, and am I glad it did!

So Madison Square Eats, to sum up, was a group of different food vendors kind enough to assemble in Madison Square Park for your eating pleasure!  Perfect thing to satisfy our appetites, all different things!

We started with a personal pie from Roberta's, as expected it was delicious.  Pizza is Ariana's favorite food so we had to start there!  Next up, Korean Tacos, from Soul Lee Korean BBQ.  I got a beef taco and Ariana a pork taco.  The beef itself was good, but the soft taco shell was bluish-purple and was falling apart, a little disappointing but solid.  Ariana's pork taco seemed the same.  On to another Korean place, were we order just a pork bun, which is, you guessed it a slab of park in a bun. Really disappointed in this pork bun, because our last korean pork bun, from Bann (see blog) was amazing, this one could not shine the other bun's shoes!  Next stop, Mexicue, which sounds like heaven, a combination of Mexican and BBQ food.  Ordered 1 of each, the chicken sandwich and the braised beef.  These things were really messy and like sloppy joes, but they were good.  Not great, but good.  Arincini Brother's glad you were up next.  We grabbed an original rice ball, small of course, which I regret, and it was amazing.  Very good.  Finally we reached around the bend, walk passed some stands and found an empanada stand.  I wish I could remember what the name of this stand was because it was by far the best stand we tried.  We got a cheese empanada which wass great but pretty simple, and a spicy pulled pork empanada which was the best thing we had all night.  This pulled pork empanada was absolutely delicious.  We walked around some more and ended up at a Crepe place.  After much debate on which crepe to order, we settled on a nutella bananas, an excellent choice.  Good dessert after the rest of the food.  Next I got a a cinnamon pretzel, glad I did, great pretzel.  We tried to see what else we wanted to try, but ultimately we ended up taking some chocolate babka home and some home made chocolate.  Babka was ok, I tried a bit we brought to my parents, the choclate was really rich and dark.  Oh and they shorted us on some flavors!!!!  Ohh and Ariana got a Thai Iced Tea Bubble Tea, which I do not like, because I do not like those little taro balls.

Madison Square Eats, great job!  The food was all good to great, and I loved the desserts!  Ariana gets the credit for this date, great choice.  Next "pop up" food mart that comes up, I would definitely like to attend, why not try a bunch of different restaurants!

Roberta's Pizza Oven

Korean Tacos

Mexicue Tortas

Arancini Bros

Empandas

Fat

Nutella & Banana Crepe

Thai Iced Tea Bubble Tea & Nicky

Greatest City in the World

Night Out: 230 Fifth Rooftop - Flatiron, NY - Saturday, 8/30/2014

His Take: 230 Fifth, a few years back was rated the most popular place in NYC ages 20-40 for men and women, according to Zagat.  How the mighty have fallen.  So this is the second celebration for Ariana’s birthday, Ariana and I grabbed a bunch of friends, maybe 15-18 people total and decided to go out for her birthday.  I had been to 20 Fifth multiple times, but this time here might be the last time I go.  Yes I was that disappointed in the place and the service.  First and foremost, I called to reserve a table with bottle service because I know it is hard in NYC for a group that large to all get into a place together, whether it be a club or a lounge.  230 Fifth, in my opinion, has the stupidest reservation policy.  I had to make my reservation and based off the number of people I told them were going, I had to purchase a minimum amount in bottle service.  This policy is pretty standard around NYC.  What shocked me was then I was told I needed to select my bottles right then and there over the phone and PAY for them in advance!  No thanks 230 Fifth, I mean what if less people show up or a change of plans? Then I am stuck with the bill? NO. 

 

So we arrive at 230 Fifth, I walk right up to the security at the door and tell them I am with 15 people and want a table upstairs.  No problem, they hook me up with the girl who does bottle service, Ariana, I and our guests walk right in, no reservation required.  We get a nice large table upstairs on the roof, a little disappointed it was all the way in the corner but hey, whatever.  The whole point of going to 230 Fifth is to be on the rooftop where you get a great view of NYC and the Empire State Building.  230 Fifth never fails in this, and again we were right in front of the Empire State Building and that was great.  That was about the only good thing about 230 Fifth.  Well that and our waitress who was a sweet heart.  After we picked our bottles and spent about $1,100 already, more people wanted to come meet us upstairs.  I told the other guests to tell the people at the door we had a table upstairs under my name.  Apparently 230 Fifth would not let them upstairs unless I brought down a signed receipt from a manager stating we had a table and more room at our table.  This is incredibily stupid, but again I obliged and asked the waitress to get it for me.  I went downstairs with my receipt and got our other 2 guests in.  Here is another problem, I tell the security downstairs who took my receipt from, so he knows I had already paid and spent money upstairs, and he made me and the other 2 guests wait on a 20 minute line for the elevator with the general public.  The table reservations upstairs have their own elevator.  So after 230 Fifth took $1,100 from my party, I had to wait downstairs like every one else who had not paid $1 to be there?  What was the point of spending money then? That really put me off to this place.  Lastly, our typical think at 230 Fifth was to enjoy outside, then head inside to the dance floor.  This time inside did not have a dance floor.  I do not know if it was a slow night and no one was dancing or what not, but inside I did not see a single person dancing.

 

Sorry 230 Fifth, but you lost an unhappy customer.  I had been to 230 Fifth a hand full of times, and now I cannot see myself going back.  Go at your own risk!

Her Take: My birthday celebration still continued. After our great dinner, family dinner and drinks, we still had to dance. So I decided on 230 fifth.
I had been here once for Nicky's birthday last year and I had a good time! It's a rooftop bar overlooking the city skyline and the Empire State Building is right there! If you go downstairs, there's a dance floor to, obviously, dance to the good music playing. That's what I expected this time around. I was excited and ready to shake my booty. We sat on the rooftop and the music was playing, but I couldn't wait to get a couple drinks in me and go down and dance.
There were 15 of us so we got 3 bottles. But then they gave Nicky a hard time because his uncle wanted to come up and join us and we only bought enough for 15 people so no. WTF? Nicky was gone for a half hour arguing with the waitress and the security's guard wouldn't let him back up when he only went to get his uncle. A big shpeel for no reason! But it disappointed us with their service. Finally we came up but had to buy another bottle. So stupid and the manager didn't even try to accommodate us or "make the customer happy." I wanted to dance, we went downstairs excited and when we got there we saw that there was no dance floor, it was just a lounge now and the music was louder outside! But there was no room to dance outside. It was disappointing. No dancing, no good music, no good service. 230 fifth changed a lot and not for the better.
We were all disappointed in the way we were treated and how the night turned it. Nevertheless I made the most of it because I wanted to have fun for my birthday. But I saw other didn't have a good time and really didnt want to be there, and one person even told me "this sucks", which annoyed me but you know what I wasn't gonna worry about them and let my mood go down because of them. To make a long story short, 230 Fifth, we will not be returning or giving you business anymore.

Date Night: La Boqueria - Flatiron District, NY - Thursday, 8/28/2014

Her Take: August 29th is my birthday, so Nicky said he wanted to surprise me with a place to take me out to dinner! :) :) :) He always does a good job at picking places so I was excited!
Thursday, I rush home from school, get ready and meet Nicky and then hop right back on the train to the mystery place. Turns out he had TWO options so he said left or right?? We decided to go left but sadly saw that the first place, La Bota, was closed down, so we walked to the other option, (thankfully they were near each other!) La Boqueria. Both places Nicky had in mind were Spanish Tapas bars/restaurants which, if you've never had tapas, means that its basically a whole menu of appetizer sized dishes, so you would order a bunch to pick on!  We got to La Boqueria and saw that there was a wait, we went in and the hostess told us there would be a 30-45 minute wait, we said "sure!" and waited outside on a bench. Luckily, we only waited about 20 minutes, which wasn't bad at all! We walked in, the restaurant is quite small, no wonder it gets packed so quickly and believe me when I say packed, I mean PACKED! We were lead to a cute two-top towards the back of the spot and I took the "booth" side (for once!)
What I liked about La Boqueria, right off the bat, was that there were allll types of people in there. It wasn't just a restaurant for a younger scene, or just hipsters, or just older people; the crowd was very diverse and I think that's what makes the place welcoming! There are people of all kinds, from all different places and couples ranging from first dates, to married dates- and there were we, right in the middle. :)
My only complaint about La Boqueria would be that the noise level is a BIT too loud, hey I'm no grumpy old man complaining about noise, believe me I like noise, but in a nice place like this that has a great "date" atmosphere, you want to be able to hear/speak to your date! I felt like Nicky and I didn't speak, we had to scream over the din and music just to have a conversation. If it was just a little less loud in there it would have been perfect!
We looked over the drinks first and I saw they had Sangria de Mora, Blackberry Sangria, and we were sold, we got a pitcher of it and not only was the pitcher was bigger than we expected, the sangria was delicious, probably one of the best we've had!! We had picked out 7 things that really caught our eyes, so we got them all! Remember, tapas are like appetizers, so we aren't just really fat and eating the whole menu! (but we probably could have done that anyway..) We ordered the Maiz Rustido, a special that night, which was roasted corn, lime segments, with smoked pimenton oil and manchego cheese melted on top! It was AMAZING! Nicky's favorite dish! We ordered chorizo and Idiazabal cheese which is made out of sheeps milk, is semi-hard, buttery and lightly smoked. The cheese was really, really good and the chorizo was cut thinly, like sopressata, I liked it but Nicky didn't "enjoy" it. I'm proud of him for trying it though! We also order Pan Tostado: which was basically toasted bread rubbed with tomato and garlic, Patatas Bravas: diced potatoes, fried and atop a spicy tomato sauce and drizzled with fresh cream, Bombas de Barceloneta: potato and beef croquettes that also came with that same "salsa brava" (spicy tomato sauce) and fresh cream, and last but not least we ordered the hanger steak which came with their version of chimichurri salsa! Everything was excellent, literally everything, I couldn't decide which dish was my favorite! They were all so tasty and full of different flavors, textures, spices! We loved it all, I loved it all, it was the perfect birthday dinner! After eating 7 dishes, that were pretty good portions, we decided NO dessert for us because we were full and satisfied! Our waitress was sweet and she didn't seem pushy, she didn't come over too frequently (which I like, especially if you're on a date and holding hands at the table) or rush us being there were people waiting for a table. The food came out perfectly timed - not all at once, it was two dishes at a time and when we finished on they brought the other a few minutes later; so it didn't seem like they were throwing food at us, it gave us time to digest a bit between dishes!
I really really enjoyed La Boqueria, it was a great place with great food, great service, a great atmosphere and I had a great date to take me ;) Really, Nicky, you did a great job!!
I highly recommend it to everyone! As I said, mixed crowd, so anyone fits in! I told my mom about it and she wants to go! I will definitely go back!!! And can't wait to!

His Take: Happy Birthday to my dearest Ariana!  Ariana’s birthday is here and I wanted to take her somewhere special, somewhere different, and most of all somewhere I knew (or hoped?) she would like.  I know Ariana loves Mexican, South American, and Latin food.  I did my homework and looked up places, trying to find the perfect one.  I stumbled across, La Boqueria, a tapas bar located on W. 19^th street, in the Flatiron district.  Boy am I glad I stumbled across this place, but well get to that in a second!  Tapas bars for those who do not know, are places that basically serve only small dishes, roughly the size of an appetizer.  The point is to share these dishes, and as you probably guessed it, Ariana and I ordered quite a things to share!

 

La Boqueria is a nice little place that the entrance starts narrow, and the place widens up in the back.  I called to make a reservation and was told that they only accept reservations for parties of 6 or more.  Ariana and I may eat for 6 people, but unfortunately we do not count as 6 people.  The lady over the phone told me every one else is first come first serve.  Ariana and I arrived to La Boqueria and walked in to see the hostess.  Great sign already was EVERY seat was full.  This included all the tables, as well as all the seats at the bar, La Boqueria was full to capacity of people eating and drinking.  The Hostess told us it was be about a half hour wait, so Ariana and I went outside and sat on the little bench right in front.  About 15-20 minutes later the Hostess came and got us.  Not bad of a wait at all!

 

La Boqueria’s menu was full of things Ariana and I wanted to try.  I think if we could have eaten everything, we would have ordered 1 of everything!  We decided to order a pitcher of Blackberry Sangria to start while we looked over the menu.  We finally settled on 7, yes SEVEN things to order.  We ordered the Idiazabal cheese (goat’s milk), a type of chorizo, bread with tomato paste and garlic oil, patatas bravas (fried potato pieces with crema fresca and a mildly spicey sauce), hangar steak over peppers, maiz rustido (corn with manchego cheese and lime), and bombas de barceloneta (meat and cheese croquettes with that same mild spicey sauce from before).  Sounds like a lot? Well it was, we had a tough time finishing everything because the portions were a very good size!  Let me tell you, everything we ordered was excellent.  Except for maybe the chorizo, I never had chorizo before, and I did not enjoy it, so that is just me personally.  La Boqueria’s food was delicious, and I could have eaten 50 plates of the maiz rustido, I absolutely loved it.  The service was great as well.

 

Ariana did not want me to tell the waitress that it was her birthday, BORING, so she got away with it.  La Boqueria you will be seeing me again, the tapas and the service were excellent.  Our waitress brought us a little of our food at a time so we got to eat and enjoy it.  We finished our pitcher of sangria and enjoyed an amazing dinner to celebrate Ariana’s birthday!  I hope you go to La Boqueria and enjoy it as much as I did!

 

Day Date: Popbar - West Village, NY - Sunday 8/17/2014

His Take:  I was watching the Food Network one day, and what I was watching did what the Food Network always does, MAKE ME HUNGRY.  This time they were showing a place called Pop Bar, which serves different flavors of frozen gelato on a popsicle stick.  MMMMMMMMMMM, I mean who does not like gelato?  Lo and behold, PopBar is in New York!  I immediately looked up the location of Pop Bar (Carmine Street in the West Village) and took a screen shot of the place in my phone so that I would 1) remember to tell Ariana and 2) remember where it is when we were going to go.

 

Here we are, Sunday afternoon after a wonderful Sunday dinner (side note: big thing for us Italians!) I met up with Ariana and we decided we wanted to head out for a bit and enjoy the day.  During the week Ariana had remembered that we still had not gone to Pop Bar, so on Sunday I suggested that we did.  And were off to Pop Bar.

 

I have to say I was a little fooled by the show on the Food Network, I thought the place would be much bigger!  But let me tell you, size does not matter, especially when it comes to Pop Bar.  As we were walking in a family was walking out and the Father saw us peeking in and said “it is delicious, you should definitely get one.”  Walking in staring at the display off all the flavors my eyes were immediately drawn to one, PEANUT BUTTER.  Peanut Butter gelato, I never had it before but it sounds perfect to me, I love peanut butter.  Off to the dipping station, where they can dip your frozen gelato in, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate amongst other things, me I prefer white chocolate to it all, so peanut butter dipped in white chocolate is already two for two in my book.  Now onto the toppings, they have various toppings they will coat your frozen gelato in, mostly nuts, but caramel corn is the one I chose.  Thankfully I did because it was heavenly and my frozen peanut butter gelato, dipped in white chocolate, coated in caramel corn, tasted absolutely amazing.  Just reread that again, my mouth is watering thinking about it.  Ariana got pistachio gelato, dipped in white chocolate, covered with hazelnuts, good yes, but it could not hold a candle to mine!  We sat on the bench right outside and I marveled over how delicious my pop was from Pop Bar.

 

Cannot wait to take another leisurely trip to Pop Bar.  Walk right in pick from one of the many flavors of frozen gelato, but don’t stop there, dip it in something and finish it off with a topping!  Incredibly delicious and who knows maybe next time I will grab two different flavors because pop bar is DELICIOUS!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

 

Her Take: On Sundays I like to go out. Do nice day things, take walks, go to the city and take in the scenery. I like to enjoy the day because on Sundays, we eat dinner at 1:30, so I have the rest of the day free! This Sunday, like every Sunday, Nicky was coming over, but this time he was in the mood to do something so we said POPBAR! 

We've been wanting to go and never got the chance to, so Sunday was the perfect day, it was beautiful out and what else goes hand in hand with a sunny day better than handcrafted GELATO (on a stick)? So we hopped on the train towards the West Village and we must have gotten out of the perfect stairwell cause Pop bar was just up the block on Carmine Street. 

I was surprised at how tiny this spot is, but then again do they need that much space? No! They have a glass "showcase" of all the different flavors of gelato pops and on the side they have 6 dips, 2 batches of each: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and a handful of toppings. I picked pistachio pop dipped in white chocolate and topped with hazel nuts. It was yummy but Nicky's was DEFINITELY yummier! The caramel corn on his peanut butter pop topped it off, I don't know why I didn't get caramel corn, I LOVE CARAMEL CORN! 

But I digress, I do wish Popbar had more toppings that weren't just nuts, I was expecting crazy or diverse toppings! What if I wanted, I don't know, crushed chocolate-covered cone or something weird! They had crushed nuts and chocolate sprinkles, that was it! I think that is the only thing Popbar should update, but other than that, this place is delicious! The gelato is creamy and the taste it on point. Plus when you dip it in chocolate.. MMMM.. so good!!! The size of the pops are just the right amount of gelato, not too little, not too much (is there a such thing as too much gelato??)

I really loved it here, they have 4 little stools to sit at and a bench outside, we sat on the bench, for 3.4 seconds because we inhaled our gelato because it was that good! 

Definitely going back to Popbar soon soon soon! I've been craving it every day since. 

 

 

Date Night: Mr. K's - Midtown East, Manhattan, NY - Thursday 7/31/2014

Her Take: Ahh, Summer Restaurant Week. Another week to indulge in $38 per person goodness. This time we went to Mr. K's on Lexington Ave and 51st street. We had looked up a bunch of places to go and Mr. K's menu and ambiance really got us. Ergo, reservation for 2 at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday the 31st of July. Nicky and I agreed to meet straight after work and we did just that, we came out of the subway station at the same time it was perfect! We must have been on the same train and just not seen each other. It was 5 to 6, we were early, so we walked around the block and then decided to go in. In we went through the revolving door and into a beautiful, luxurious, grand restaurant! It was a vision of Pink art-deco elegance. The hostess was very nice and showed us to our table set with gold cutlery, wine glasses with "Mr. K's" etched on them, chopsticks placed neatly on a gold stand and a velvet armchair each! I felt like royalty; so elegant! Speaking of our seats, the waiter pulls them out for you and then pushes you in. And soon after, our waiter came back with an orchid corsage for me! :) :) The lighting was dim and the ceilings very high; it offered a very romantic feel.
We took a look at their Restaurant Week menu and we instantly knew what to order. We each got a Grey Goose and sprite; our drinks came with "Mr. K's" stirrers. Nicky ordered the Chicken Corn soup and I the Hot & Sour Soup, for entree Nicky got the Empress Beef and I the Basil Ginger Chicken and for dessert Nicky got the Vanilla Ice Cream and I the fruit medley with sorbet on top!
Before they bring out your food, they give you a hot towel to clean your hands with and they place it on a gold rectangular dish!
Let me tell you that the way they present everything to you is just exquisite, with so much detail and care. Our soups came out and they were beautifully presented, you have to see for yourself (see photos) They came in a gold stand with the soup in the middle covered and a tea-light candle under it to keep it warm. So NICE! And not only was presentation excellent, the food was too! My soup was deliciously smooth with just the right amount of "hot" and Nicky's was the prefect combination of chicken and corn. In between courses, they bring you a perfectly sized taste of Lemon Sorbet to cleanse your palate. This was the best lemon ice I have ever had, it was so creamy and it tasted like lemonade. Our entrees came along with our sides of Lo Mein and Fried Rice. My Basil Ginger chicken was excellent, and the ginger glaze was amazing, very basil-y but I really enjoyed it, the taste was so yummy. Nicky's Empress beef was so tender and nicely cooked, the sauce was flavorful and yum!! Both of our portions were a very nice size! Finally, our desserts, mmm my fruit medley was so fresh and refreshing after that meal, and sorbet on top (i couldn't tell if it was mango or pineapple) was SO DELICIOUS and was the perfect topping to the grape, pineapple and melon medley. With our check they brought over two chocolates in a (you guessed it) gold dish! :)
Our dinner was impeccable and the service was incredible. You can really tell that Mr. K's is an upscale, top notch restaurant. The atmosphere, amazing food, friendly staff and great service make Mr. K's a world of it's own. I HIGHLY recommend Mr. K's to all of you! Just be aware that it is a bit pricey, but remember, you get what you pay for!

His Take:  Restaurant Week, back in action!  If you missed our last post on Restaurant Week, I will give you a little recap, but you should really go read it because Bann was one of my favorite places!  Anywho, this time Summer Restaurant Week is where something like 300 restaurants participate in a special for $25 lunches per person or $38 dinners per person.  Naturally Ariana and I do the dinners!  The dinners consist of an appetizer each, an entrée each, and a dessert each, all selected off a smaller menu that the restaurant provides, drinks not included.  Side note, do not know why they call it Restaurant Week, considering it lasts three weeks, but hey all the better for us!

OK, on to Mr. K’s, the restaurant of choice.  Ariana and I did our research again on the Restaurant Week website trying to find the best place to go, look at a bunch of menus and places and settled on Mr. K, and let me tell you right from the jump, I am glad we did.  We looked up photos of Mr. K’s and the place looked beautiful and elegant.  Ariana and I made a reservation on Open Table for 6:30, and naturally we arrived early.  We walked in and were seated at a beautifully set up table for two.  First thing that caught my eye were the chairs.  They were this big, I guess, arm chairs that were so soft and cushioned.  Really comfortable to sit in and enjoy this dinner to come.  Next thing I, well we, really liked was the table set up.  The table was dimly lit, with a light centered on the middle of the table, from UNDER the table. Cool ambiance, but it gets better, in front of us was a Mr. K’s engraved stone that was there as a place setting and our chop sticks and spoons were being help on a little golden server for us. A + on the presentation, the place is perfectly set up to take a date.  Please excuse the not so clear pictures, we did not want to be super obnoxious and have the flash go off every 5 seconds, but were working on taking better photos for you guys!

Now the food!  The best part and probably the only reason you are reading this blog.  For appetizers, I started with a Chicken and Corn soup, which is exactly what it sounds like.  The soup was excellent, and again right up to Mr. K’s standards of presentation, it came in a little gold goblet with a candle underneath, and the lovely waiter took the top off my soup for me.  Thanks guys!  The soup was so tasty and the broth was excellent!  Ariana got a hot and sour soup, and her reaction seemed to be the same as mine, DELICIOUS!  Next up I ordered the Empress Beef, which is a cool name for beef and broccoli.  Not your run of the mill beef and broccoli, this was easily the best beef and broccoli I had ever had.  The beef was so tender and sliced perfectly.  Mmmm mmmm mmm, very very good, plus it came with a side of fried rice in another one of those golden goblets.  It’s like a little golden ball with the gift of food!  Ariana ordered the basil ginger chicken, which I tasted and was also very good.  For dessert I got a scoop of vanilla ice cream, can’t really mess that up and Ariana got a fruit cup, which she loved.  We ordered a cocktail each with dinner, sat, ate, and drank.

Mr. K’s, the place looks great and tasted equally as great.  I am glad we settled on this place, especially during restaurant week, as their normal menu seemed a bit pricey!  Although for the delicious food I would not mind paying anyway.  The staff here were all very nice and Mr. K’s gets a great review all across the board.  Hopefully one day I will return to Mr. K’s for some delicious Chinese food, because their menu was like a  book, there was plenty to order and try!  If you like Chinese food, and want more of an upscale delicious place, Mr. K’s is the place for you!

The Outside & Revolving Door

Interior

My Corsage

Chicken & Corn Soup

Hot & Sour Soup

Lemon Sorbet

Basil Ginger Chicken

Lo Mein

Empress Beef (dark picture)

Ice Cream

Medley of Fruit

chocolates