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Wine and dine at Pasta Freska without the headache
Alex and I recently tried out Pasta Freska on our 7 year anniversary. We've driven by this Westlake restaurant a number of times, and after reading some raves from other JBers decided to give it a...
Alex and I recently tried out Pasta Freska on our 7 year anniversary. We've driven by this Westlake restaurant a number of times, and after reading some raves from other JBers decided to give it a shot. Let me tell you, everyone was right!
We were warmly greeted at the front my owner, Mike, who promptly showed us to our seat. Mike asked us if there were things we would not eat, were allergic to or really loved and then headed off to get our meal created. There's no menu, and no one gives you any kind of indication about what's in store--which surprisingly for even this control freak was rather charming.
Plate after plate of absolutely delicious food came out. From this amazing eggplant appetizer (and I HATE eggplant) to this to die for what I think is a ricotta stuffed chicken in red wine sauce with pine nuts, to a white sauce pasta that was topped with a huge prawn, artichoke heart and what may have been sole everything made my mouth hum with delight.
We don't know what the wine was, but even that was excellent as well. The beauty of Pasta Freska are the excellent service (we were constantly being check on in an unobtrusive manner), the great food which you don't have to pick, and the excellent deal--our meal for two roughly came out to be a little over 20 bucks a person. (excluding tax and drinks)
If you're looking for an easygoing place to get an excellent meal that will wow your date, try Pasta Freska.
But if you want to be able to do anything afterward, leave a little bit on each plate :)
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The Madame has it going on
Located in Old Ballard, Madame K's is an ex-brothel turned pizza place. There are so many wrong things that I could say, but I'm going to take the high road just this once. Actually, I really liked...
Located in Old Ballard, Madame K's is an ex-brothel turned pizza place. There are so many wrong things that I could say, but I'm going to take the high road just this once. Actually, I really liked going there. There are pictures of Madam's painted on the walls, quirky little signs behind the bar, costumes if you so dare, and of course--pretty good food.
I can't remember the name, but try the artichoke dip for an appetizer. And if you have room you can top off your night with the Chocolate Orgasm. Yup, it's really a dish. It's a freshly baked HUGE chocolate chip cookie topped with melted ice cream. Definitely something to share.
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A slice of pleasure--for cheap
So you might get caught in line behind a whole lotta teens who are out to get some grub. But Pleasure Pizza is so worth it, especially on the days when you can get it for a buck.
I loved going...
So you might get caught in line behind a whole lotta teens who are out to get some grub. But Pleasure Pizza is so worth it, especially on the days when you can get it for a buck.
I loved going here when I was in Santa Cruz. It's been a while so I can't remember what day of the week the special dollar slices falls on. Does anyone out there know? But it's a steal it if you figure it out. They retoast your pizza in the oven so it comes out so crisp and crunchy. And it's HUGE. However, only the cheese slices are on special.
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Ya got my heart, Pizza My Heart
Ohh, one of the pleasures of being in Santa Cruz is the number of scrumptious pizza places around. You almost can't go wrong eating pizza in Santa Cruz. One of my first finds when moving there is...
Ohh, one of the pleasures of being in Santa Cruz is the number of scrumptious pizza places around. You almost can't go wrong eating pizza in Santa Cruz. One of my first finds when moving there is Pizza My Heart.
Yeah the name sounds lame, but darn is it good. Crunchy pies, tasty and zesty sauce, and abundant, but not overindulgent toppings. What more could you ask for?
Parking can be a pain, but one of the pluses of Santa Cruz is that it is pretty cheap, and there are a number of free spaces about if you know where to look
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So so Tutta Bella
I first discovered Tutta Bella in Columbia City. Pretty good find. Then, I found one closer to home off of Stone Way and thought I'd give it a shot.
We'll, it was okay. Our waitress was very...
I first discovered Tutta Bella in Columbia City. Pretty good find. Then, I found one closer to home off of Stone Way and thought I'd give it a shot.
We'll, it was okay. Our waitress was very nice, but the server was a young teenager who acted very young. Not rude, he just didn't know or care to practice social serving niceties, like not plopping the pizza at the edge of the table.
The salads were great. Alex and I ordered one small one apiece, and they could have made the entire meal. The pizza was again, okay. Good flavor, but rather soggy. It could have used just a few more minutes in the oven.
In their defense, it may have been an off day. The place had a good amount of customers. Another plus is they have their own parking lot, so you don't need to drive around searching for a spot.
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Did you say deepfried twinkie?
Oh yeah, if you thought twinkies couldn't get any worse, try the deep fried ones on the Boardwalk. While disgusting sounding, they're actually not all that bad.
I don't go to the Boardwalk often,...
Oh yeah, if you thought twinkies couldn't get any worse, try the deep fried ones on the Boardwalk. While disgusting sounding, they're actually not all that bad.
I don't go to the Boardwalk often, too touristy. And I moved away a couple of years ago, so may be out of the loop. But if you play your cards right, they have dollar or fifty cent or something stupidly cheap rides night. Or maybe its the hotdogs that are stupidly cheap. Anyhow, it's worth it when they have to specials to go. And you can probably find out information on the website.
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Stick to the omelets at Mama's
Mama's is another good breakfast spot in San Francisco. Unfortunately, it can get a bit touristy inside, and the lines can stretch halfway down the street. It's a little more chic than most places...
Mama's is another good breakfast spot in San Francisco. Unfortunately, it can get a bit touristy inside, and the lines can stretch halfway down the street. It's a little more chic than most places I like to go to. As a tip, stick to the omelets. The pancakes, etc. just don't hit the spot as well. I also heard the Monte Crisco was pretty good, but also very bad for you.
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The Tacoma Chevy's needs to visit Cali stores
When we moved here from San Francisco, we saw Chevy's and thought, here is a place we know will give us decent food. Well, boy were we wrong. I can't put my finger on just one thing, but it seemed...
When we moved here from San Francisco, we saw Chevy's and thought, here is a place we know will give us decent food. Well, boy were we wrong. I can't put my finger on just one thing, but it seemed that everything was a bit off at this Chevy's. From the tortillas to the meals, there was not much that met the standards of the restaurants back home. The food was the same, but it wasn't...
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Absolutely Delicious!
I was reading a post on JB about Cafe Besalu and decided that I had to try it. Oh my gosh, boy was the food there good!
On a Sunday morning, Alex and I dragged our doggies for a brisk walk to...
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