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Lived right next door for a while. Wasn't all that impressed and only went if I was feeling really lazy. Dining room is way too hot in the summer, lounge area seats next to nothing. Drinks were...
Lived right next door for a while. Wasn't all that impressed and only went if I was feeling really lazy. Dining room is way too hot in the summer, lounge area seats next to nothing. Drinks were pretty strong and good.
Happy hour fare was good when I went for the first time. Got the shrimp and jerk chop-up. I thought they tasted better since I was tipsy.
Tried the jerk chicken entree, which could have been good had they laid off on the salt. Jamaican beef patties were made with weird frozen-grade pastry shells and bland taco meat.
Stay FAAAAR away from the gumbo unless you like random fish parts and meatless crab sections. And if you get to the bottom of the soup, it's mostly fish scales.
Salad was disappointingly small and mediocre
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My favorite time to visit is during the week when it's mostly empty. It's just waaaay too loud and crowded on the weekends. There's no place to sit and all everyone wants to do is scream about...
My favorite time to visit is during the week when it's mostly empty. It's just waaaay too loud and crowded on the weekends. There's no place to sit and all everyone wants to do is scream about football and knock people in the butt with pool sticks.
During the week is when you get to talk to the nice/hot folks who work there and the regulars who hang out. The atmosphere is chill, especially in the smaller bar area. They have good stuff on tap and some pretty decent eatins. Maybe we were a bit tipsy, but their Bleu cheese bacon burgers were to DIE for.
My first visit was by far the best. We strolled in on a lazy Saturday afternoon and watched as a liquor sales slut tried to flirt with the owner...while his wife was working the bar not five inches away. Hilarity ensued.
It's our favorite local bar.
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This place had a cozy atmosphere and we had fun. I think the owner got up and sang a few ditties, which were great.
The karaoke festivities were hosted by this little old asian man with very few...
This place had a cozy atmosphere and we had fun. I think the owner got up and sang a few ditties, which were great.
The karaoke festivities were hosted by this little old asian man with very few front teeth. He looked and acted drunk/retarded and ruled the lounge area with an iron fist of fury. He was very adverse to yelling and even mild swearing and he made his irritation known to all. Plus, the crowd liked to yell "Freebird!" whenever someone got up on stage.
Little Karaoke man felt compelled to say between each performance to "stop shouting names of songs at me. Do not be yelling songs at me. If you would like to request a song, write it on a request form. No yelling or swearing. No yelling of songs at me!" And he would often look in the direction of a noisy table, close his eyes and make a "shush"ing motion with his finger or he would close his eyes and put both his hands up in a "talk to the hand" maneuver.
When our friend's turn came up, our table started chanting his name and Mr. Meanie reprimanded us to "stop yelling songs at me."
He had everyone baffled.
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This place had a cozy atmosphere and we had fun. I think the owner got up and sang a few ditties, which were great.
The karaoke festivities were hosted by this little old asian man with very few...
This place had a cozy atmosphere and we had fun. I think the owner got up and sang a few ditties, which were great.
The karaoke festivities were hosted by this little old asian man with very few front teeth. He looked and acted drunk/retarded and ruled the lounge area with an iron fist of fury. He was very adverse to yelling and even mild swearing and he made his irritation known to all. Plus, the crowd liked to yell "Freebird!" whenever someone got up on stage.
Little Karaoke man felt compelled to say between each performance to "stop shouting names of songs at me. Do not be yelling songs at me. If you would like to request a song, write it on a request form. No yelling or swearing. No yelling of songs at me!" And he would often look in the direction of a noisy table, close his eyes and make a "shush"ing motion with his finger or he would close his eyes and put both his hands up in a "talk to the hand" maneuver.
When our friend's turn came up, our table started chanting his name and Mr. Meanie reprimanded us to "stop yelling songs at me."
He had everyone baffled.
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The Happy Hour menu wasn't incredibly extensive, especially with the alcohol, but the food selection was decent.
We tried their interesting martinis, some citrus-coconut thing, a lychee one, and...
The Happy Hour menu wasn't incredibly extensive, especially with the alcohol, but the food selection was decent.
We tried their interesting martinis, some citrus-coconut thing, a lychee one, and a "green dragon" made with sake. My friends are all weak when it comes to alcohol so I they LOVED the coconut one. Indeed, it was good but a bit cloyingly sweet towards the end.
The lychee martini tasted like a whole lotta vodka with some lychee juice and wasn't too bad but there was a little vagina propped at the bottom of the glass. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a lychee.
The green dragon looked like a heavenly glass of absinthe with a bright happy cherry drowning in the glowing green elixir. I thought it tasted a way a martini should. Like ALCOHOL. The sake came through nicely and they didn't put a lot of Midori in it, so I didn't taste the melon. But by then, I prolly couldn't taste ammonia.
For food, my friends got some oyster shooters, calamari, mochi something or other that looked like ice cream you were supposed to dip in soy sauce. I didn't get none of that crap.
I opted for pure sushi. The spicy tuna roll was delightfully true to its name. The salmon was...salmon. The tuna was great! Not fishy and had little surface moisture, which is good. The yellowtail was also thick and delectable though too pre-wasabi-ed for my taste. Overall, I'd say it was FREAKIN' EXPENSIVE!! My bill was $28 for three drinks 5 nigiri sushi and a tuna roll. Boooooooo!
It was not a happy hour.
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The only downside at this place is the distance from the main part of Cleveland. I LOVED shopping here! They have plenty of different vendors to comparison shop from and lots of variety. Tourists...
The only downside at this place is the distance from the main part of Cleveland. I LOVED shopping here! They have plenty of different vendors to comparison shop from and lots of variety. Tourists abound at some times, but the walkways are wide enough to sidestep them.
You could get meats, cheeses, spices, teas, sashimi-grade fish, pasta, sausages, fruit drinks, pastries, SO many good things. We'd have to contain ourselves and budget each trip so we didn't get more than we could eat that week. I just absolutely love this place.
When I moved back to Seattle, I thought Pike Place would compare. It SO doesn't. Not even close. West Side Market is strictly for buying great food.
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I used to live a few blocks from this place and I was SO excited....at first. Ugh, I was so turned off by all the damn tourists who don't know how to walk, the pricey ingredients, the lackluster...
I used to live a few blocks from this place and I was SO excited....at first. Ugh, I was so turned off by all the damn tourists who don't know how to walk, the pricey ingredients, the lackluster quality of the food, and overall uselessness of the place.
It's a giant souvenir pavillion!
We went there several times to get seafood, fruits, breads, cheese, etc but we felt pretty gyped each time we got home and saw what we got for the amount of money we paid.
One time, we paid $100 for these giant Australian lobster tails and they had the taste of chemical FUNK. No amount of salt and butter could salvage it. We got crab multiple times and there was a 50% chance that they would give us one with a rotted off leg.
As for produce, sometimes they'd let you pick but most times they'd do it for you and it's never consistent. We bascially had to toss batches of fruits and veggies cause they janked us SO BAD.
Go there to experience "Seattle" or whatever, but don't go there to buy anything fresh or edible.
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I used to LOVE going to this place with the 'rents after church, then they changed the dim sum skins and it wasn't quite as tasty. Instead of the succulent/chewy texture, it became too soft and...
I used to LOVE going to this place with the 'rents after church, then they changed the dim sum skins and it wasn't quite as tasty. Instead of the succulent/chewy texture, it became too soft and overcooked. Plus, we were getting tired of all the shrimp, shrimp, SHRIMP!
The thing I miss most about this place is the SAUCE. I LOOOOOOOOOOVE their chili sauce/paste. It's a gorgeous mix of chili oil and savory hot bean paste. We would ask for vats of this stuff. I can't find it anywhere else.
Word of advice, if you're stuck with a bad spot on the floor, just order what you want from the waiter instead of waving the carts down and picking through leftovers.
UPDATE: Went there on New Year's Day for evening cocktails. Hot and sour soup was quite savory and had a ringing spiciness to it. Bravo. Rum and Cokes were well-mixed and strong. Beer was served at an unfortunate room temperature.
Companion was satisfied with their Szechuan-style oyster appetizer. Other companion got a custom-made tofu dish (they're so accomodating) that was pretty good. Tofu had a WONDERFUL texture; all firm and held together but really soft and silky on the inside. Stirfry broccoli was crisp and good. Szechwuan sauce was a bit bland though.
I got the Schweshwan shrimp with Chef's sauce (I don't know how we ended up ordering 3 Shweshan dishes). It was SOOOOO GOOOOD. The shrimp was deliciously meaty and dense. The sauce gave it a great General Tao-like sweet-sticky coating of the very spicy sauce. It tasted wonderful, though the heat of the dish plus the spiciness made it a bit painful to finish.
Waitstaff was very attentive and visited frequently, though the place was pretty empty. They rang up our drinks in such a way that they gave us a bit of a discount (intentional? I don't know). They even gave complimentary fortune cookies *and* orange slices to end the meal. Will definitely go back more frequently.
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These people do what the masters of chefery do: create a good balance of salty, sweet, bitter, sour and spicy.
The Tom Young Goong smelled so savory and tangy with lime but the first taste was...
These people do what the masters of chefery do: create a good balance of salty, sweet, bitter, sour and spicy.
The Tom Young Goong smelled so savory and tangy with lime but the first taste was delightfully sweet and refreshing. The broth was thick with savory ingredients. Plus, there were actually more than THREE prawns in there! What a twist!
The Phad See Ew was outstanding. Noodles were perfectly seasoned and had that wonderful succulent texture I'm always trying to find. It had tiny patches of dry/crisp bits that added to the wonderful texture. The broccoli was fresh and crunchy. Chicken was a little dry but that's difficult to avoid.
The recommended Pumpkin curry will be recommended again by me. Creamy sweet chunks of pumpkin eccentuated the classic Thai red curry. The spiciness was very refined and sneaks up on you after several bites. But it's so good that you're willing to suffer through the pain.
Word of warning, their spice measurements lean towards the spicy side. Two stars would be death for the sensitive and gives seasoned spice-eaters the sniffles. I'd suggest downgrading one star from what you normally order to actually enjoy the wonderful flavors in their entirety.
We called for delivery at 9:30 and they got here a little after 10 (when they close). The person who took our order was very helpful and extremely friendly. I expect their service in-person to be just as welcoming.
Highly recommended.
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I'm the type of person who goes to Maine and orders the turkey sandwich (it's true, ask my parents) so it's not quite ironic that I would review a pizza joint without actually having their...
I'm the type of person who goes to Maine and orders the turkey sandwich (it's true, ask my parents) so it's not quite ironic that I would review a pizza joint without actually having their pizza.
Pros: Open LATE (until 3AM daily), Delivers FAST, food arrives hot/cold as needed, chicken wings, pizza, good value, broad menu
Cons: Broad menu, onions
Let's start with the dish we LOVED. The spicy chicken wings. They were spicy in a recreational way and were satisfyingly savory. The meat literally slipped off the bones. My fiance gleefully showed me each wing piece he successfully stripped in one bite. The accompanying dipping sauce (ranch with chunks of bleu cheese) was delish.
The menu had a mediterranean slant to it so it wasn't too odd ordering the lamb gyros. I really enjoyed the gyro meat. They were pretty tasty for something that can be delivered. The tszsazssikki sauce was tangy, cucumbery good. It would definitely satisfy a late night craving.
We got tried the Antipasto and Cobb Salads. They were pretty good with the balsamic-based Italian dressing. There were spring greens mixed in with chunks of fresh iceberg lettuce. Classic ingredients, tasted fresh, par for the course.
Minestrone soup perfectly adequate. You could taste the variety of fresh veggies and the broth was flavorful and clear.
On the downside was the Spicy Prawn appetizer. We were expecting actual prawns and not the previously frozen tough shrimp nuggets we got. Also, we were expecting the prawns to have a lovely savory rubbing of seasoning...but they weren't. Tabasco could be tasted (per the description) and they were drowned in a lemon butter cream soup with diced mystery veggies. However, the soup did taste pretty good with the pitas that came with it.
To sample their pasta, we got the chicken fettucine alfredo. The alfredo sauce was pleasantly garlicky and creamy but needed a little ooomph with some fresh pepper and a dash of Lawry's seasoned salt. I was a bit disappointed with the tiny diced chicken pieces on the pasta. I mean, the chicken in the Cobb salad was of better quality. By the time you ate all the pasta, what was left was a pile of cream-covered, dry, chewy chicken bits. Not the fancy feast.
For the hot sammich, we got the simple melted cheese on ham and salami. We didn't get to it until the next day, but it was ok. I reheated it in the oven and the bread was satisfyingly crusty. Could've used more zing, flavor-wise.
As for delivery, I dunno why but they seem to come WAY faster than we expect them to. Both times we were wowed and amazed.
Overall, a wide selection of food available for late night delivery but none of the dishes really stand up on their own. They're all good, but not great. Except for the spicy chicken wings.
UPDATE: Tried the Taco Pizza. AWESOME!! Great thin, soft, pillowy, but sturdy crust. LOTS of toppings and tasted great! The bacon cheeseburger was quite good and had that great flamebroiled taste. The steak fries were thick cut and good (with some seasoned salt added).They came SUPER fast once again even with all the rain. Added one star!
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