Food Review: Fish House (Santa Barbara, CA)

(photograph from fishhousesb.com website)

FISH HOUSE IN SANTA BARBARA 

My first thought when I passed by this gorgeous restaurant was Pacey's restaurant in Capeside in the last episode of Dawsons' Creek. So chic yet filled with character.

This place is big and appropriate to have right by the ocean. =0)

(photograph from fishhousesb.com website)

Came here one weekend, and down the street we found this cozy "big" place.

Yelp had some good reviews and I liked that Yelp gave prices on certain items. After reading their reviews, we opted for take-out!

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The drive from our hotel was about.... one minute. =0)

Sorry for the lack of food photos (or any pleasing ones), but we were hungry!

No plates, so we made do with our take-out boxes.

Food we ordered:

Ahi Poke .......................... $12.95

(drizzled in sesame soy dressing, with ripe avocado, cilantro, cucumber salad, crispy wontons)

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese .............. $12.95

(Fresh Maine Lobster and macaroni pasta blended in a three cheese sauce, topped with panko bread crumbs and baked golden brown)

Sesame Wonton Crusted Mahi Mahi ........... $24.95

(Hawaiian mahi mahi rolled in sesame seeds and crispy wonton, served with pineapple-fried rice and sauteed seasonal vegetables, topped with roasted red pepper beurre blanc)

Everything tasted fresh and flavourful! I couldn't have enjoyed it more than I did. This was my first time trying Ahi Poke and I fell in love! It was soft and melted like butter! Surprisingly, the lobster mac and cheese took third place. It's not hard to see that since we are by the ocean and fresh fish is right there!

Overall, I absolutely loved this restaurant and would go again and again!

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5/5 stars

Price .............. $$$

Food Review: Insomnia (The Annex)

If you read my blog, you'll know I'm a big fan of Insomnia. 

Great food

Great atmosphere

Great art

Very friendly service (especially the weekdays)

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Today.... I tried something new (because I usually go for their burger)

Avocada Smoked Chicken

What I absoluately loved about this dish was the fact that it was a sandwich but they jammed pack it and made it an open sandwich! More for the buck.

Great stuffing:

Creamy avocadoes

Slices of melt Brie cheese

Smoked and tender chicken

Very soft and chewy focaccia bread

And I always always enjoy their side salads. It has a variety of leafy greens giving every bite a punch of flavors.

I also tried a bite of my friends'pancakes, and I must say, it was very thick and tasty. The egg mixture soaked well into the bread giving the whole pancake a soft and sweet.

If you're in the Annex area (Honest Ed's area), you must try this place out! You won't regret it.

Instgram

#insomniarestaurant

Or search:

location, "Insomnia Restaurant and Lounge" 

WiFi pwd: insomniac (for the last few times I've been there)

Food Review: Lou Dawg's (King West)

Heading further west into King Street West area, I tried out a pretty chill looking place called Lou Dawg's.

It was raining and pretty empty when we arrived around 5:00pm. 

But the wait staff was very nice and friendly.

I thought their wood-decorum was nice and the place is very clean.  Most of the tables are the high-bar stools and a few regular seating at the front.

Lately, I've been trying to choose healthi"er" choices, and so I got the Smoked Turkey Wrap ($8.95).

Presentation was not very appealing, but in the end I really enjoyed my wrap. It was jam packed, so I was only able to eat one side and I packed up the rest.

Overall, I liked this place a lot. 

Price ...... $ - $$

Atmosphere ......... 3.5/5

Customer Service ............ 4.5/5

Food Review: Brassaii

Where better to eat then at a TIFF hub where you might be likely to star gaze while enjoying a fancy meal.

Of course, with all its "celebrity" guests, our party was pushed back to the patio "lounge" sitting area.

The VIP treatment was down on the hush hush, but it was quite evident of how "happening" this place was for TIFF out-of-town guests.

On the lunch menu

.... a very nice selection. However, they seemed to be running out of many items (drinks & food) due to the out-of-town guests.

We did get a very sweet waiter that made sure we were good and he kept the fresh and hot bread coming to our "sofa/table".

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I lucked out and got a Turkey club sandwich with a side salad.

The salad and dressing was very tasty and full of colour and textures.

The club sandwich was actually quite filling. I had one side and had to wait to eat the other side for later.

Okkkk... so you're probably wondering, "Did you see any celebrities during your lunch at Brassaii?" 

YES!!!

When we arrived, we got lucky and bumped into Tom Felton (Draco from "Harry Potter Series"). There was a handful of people surrounding him just outside of the restaurant and he was very sweet -signing autographs and taking photos with fans.

Tom Felton (TIFF, "Belle") posing with fans =0)

Not one, but two celebrities caught my eye.......

And I was lucky to catch a glimpse of Mr. Adrien Brody (TIFF, "Third Person") as he rushed out from the restaurant. Unfortunately, this is the only photo I got of him.

I watched Third Person as well, and I loved it. The story follows 3 different men -one from NYC, Roma & Paris, and the writer intertwines their lives in a very mysterious way. A must-watch!

Overall, I thought Brassaii was a very nice and classy restaurant to enjoy a meal with friends and/or a romantic rendez-vous. 

Price (lunch) ............. $$$

Atmosphere (outdoor only) .......... 3/5

Customer Service ........... 4/5

Taste ............... 4/5

Food Review: Jump

Going off the grid and trying one of the popular winterlicious/summerlicious restaurants, my friend and I grab a nice dinner @ JUMP.

Located in the Financial district, you'll find JUMP inside one of the many similar looking plazas.

JUMP is also an affiliate of the Oliver & Bonacini restaurant chain (O&B Canteen, Luma, Bannock, Biff's Bistro, Canoe).

The dinner selection is quite limited. But the selections looked very enticing. 

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Complimentary to our meal, was fancy (and crispy) bread and a beet and apple salad.

The bread was good but the dipping sauce had little to no taste.

The beet salad was not as pleasant. The only thing I enjoyed were the thin slices of apple - for its sweetest. The celery leaves left a horribly bitter taste in my mouth.

And for dinner... I opted for theccgirl way.....

The Jump Beef & Short Rib Burger

The burger was cooked perfectly, but I found that the bun was way to chewy and harder to bite into for a pleasurable experience. The dip for the fries was delicious and the cut of the fries were just right, not too thick and not too thin.

Overall, the dinner experience was very professional and nice.

The dining decor was exquisite and the chairs were very comfortable.

Food ......... 3/5

Atmosphere .......... 5/5

Customer Service ........ 4.7/5

Pice ................ $$$

Food Review: Banh Mi Boys Sandwich Shop

It's been a very talked about sandwich shop.

Have you read the reviews?

Toronto Star reviewed it's nutritional contents

Word of Mouth
Passerby (Queen St/Spadina)

A local go-to shop for all your vietnamese sub-kimchi-fries-pork belly needs.

Start here (photo below)
1) Walk deep into the slim narrow restaurant and at the corner you'll sort of see the cashier/staff. I say that because it's so packed with  people hanging out along the wall -looking as though they are waiting in a line yet they're not in a line (go figure).

Menu is right above the cashier on 2 TVs

2) After you order, stand in another line to get your food. After you order, depending on how much you ordered, (for a simple sub) and if it's during their busy time, it can take as long as 20 minutes.

It's a semi-open kitchen. 

3) You wait along this area and when they call your name (you give your name to the staff when paying at the cash register), you go up to the semi-open kitchen and they will ask you what else you would like on it.. etc.

I've been here a couple times, but this trip I wasn't too too hungry, so I ordered a Kalbi taco ($3.99). For a girl, the size portion is okay. But if you're hungry, you'll definitely need to order more than 1. =)

For me, it was the softness of the bun that made it that much better. The Kalbi beef was seasoned superbly and the veggies tasted fresh. But that bun, yum. It tasted like the chinese "green onion pancake" but without the green onions.

Overall, I loved it. 

Only complaint: Get a bigger place OR make it just a take-out place, because the little tables they have (in the front) crowds the place that much more.

Price: $$ ($3.99 tacos/$5.99 avg sub/$5.99 avg fries)

Service: Good (even though they're pretty busy)

Location: Spadina/Queen (west of Spadina on Queen St)

I go back whenever I'm in the area. 

It's good decent priced food!

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Food Review: Piazzetta (Montreal)

Another day in Montreal with my friends. 

And between meals, we thought we'd grab a drink somewhere with a nice patio. Unfortunately, everyone had the same thought. So, we stopped by Piazetta (St. Denis) for some snacks and drinks.

We ordered a pitcher of red Sangria & Egyptian bread with olive oil and crushed spices

I must admit, this was the first time I've ever had Sangria and I absolutely loved it. It was sooo tasty. I'm not a good drinker, I turn red and I easily get tipsy, so it's just not good in any way. However, when it comes to drinks made in this way, I'm totally down for it. It wasn't too sweet and it was very refreshing enough to drink it up quickly.

The Egyptian bread was something very unique. It was first time I've ever seen this on a menu. So you rip some of the bread off, dip it in the oil and then dip it into the spices and eat. It wasn't an overwhelming spice, but it had a hint of flavour. I thought it was different and quite nice. I wouldn't mind having that again.

The place, after checking it out was quite amazing-looking too.

The patio was medium large. They had 2 sections. One was the main section just outside of the restaurants' entrance. But the more unique part was that lining up to the curve, they had a couple bar tables/chairs that could fit 4-6 people on each table -I thought it was very cool.

From the outside, it doesn't look very big, but once you walk in, go up the narrow stairs, it becomes a sea of space. 

Overall, I was very happy with the service, food, location and the prices weren't bad ($$).

Food Review: Tandoori House (North York)

Just around the corner from my neighborhood, I finally decided to try this Indian restaurant. Tucked between  many other restaurants, Tandoori House sticks out as the only Indian restaurant on that strip.

We made reservations for 6pm and when we got there, there were but few patrons already seated. However, once it passed 7pm, the restaurant was getting filled quickly.

Very traditional looking decor. The space could accommodate many patrons. 

The menu prices were fairly regular, same as I've seen with any other Indian restaurants.

Lamb Curry ($11.99)

Butter Chicken ($11.99)

Chicken Curry ($11.99)

Rice ($1.50)

The Butter Chicken was the best dish! It had a great taste! It was creamy with just enough spice to tickle our taste buds. The rice, as usual, was deliciously amazing.

Overall, I rate this 3/5

I'm not usually a big fan of Indian food, but I did enjoy all the different dishes! 

The service was very good

The location is central

The atmosphere was good

The price was average

The taste was good

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