Thursday, December 17, 2015

Vietnamese

My brother in law took us here once..may he be forgiven.

Restaurant:  Pho Binh Minh

Location:  6709 Strawberry Ln, Louisville, KY 40214

What I had: Some kind of rice dish I never learned the name of, another rice dish that is basically a chicken fried rice, Bahn mi, and salty lemonade.

What I liked: Every last bit of food we shared..even the salty lemonade.

Why I liked it:  According to my brother in law, who has actually been to Vietnam, and enjoyed the food he had there, he said this place was the closest flavor wise to what he had over there.  I believe it. att the food was prepared by a husband and wife team. They spoke just a little bit more English, than I can speak Vietnamese, and their menu was very difficult to read. (You're probably wondering why this is in the "Why I liked it" category...hang in there, I'm getting to it!)

All I could make out were some of the ingredients in the different menu items, so this kid of forced us into an adventure in Vietnamese cuisine..I basically picked a number and prayed it would taste good (based on ingredients I recognized).  My wife ended up with some kind of noodle dish, I ended up with some kind of rice dish that was similar to an Indian biryani, but with definite southeast Asian flavor.

The Bahn Mi (a sandwich of meat and vegetables on crusty french bread) were outstanding.  I had one with beef and one with pork. Both were spicy, but not too spicy to eat, and that crisp french bread made the whole sandwich one of my all time favorites.

The salty lemonade is exactly what it sounds like.  Made from salt cured lemons, it is a most savory drink.  It was so horrible I couldn't stop drinking it. My wife liked it so much we even went as far as curing our own lemons to make this drink at home.

What I didn't like:  The place the restaurant is in.  There are only 3 tables in the place, and one is taken over by the husband's laptop where you as a customer are interrupting his MMORPG game.  Since his wife did all the cooking, everyone's dishes arrived at different times, so you had to watch others eat while you waited for your own meal. I will say that the food quality and flavors overcame the atmosphere and mediocre service.

I will say that the food quality and flavors overcame the atmosphere and mediocre service.

What the kids liked:  Danielle liked most of the things she tried. Aidan kind of liked the chicken fried rice..a little (we got him Mcdonalds later).

Budget:  Pretty inexpensive compared to the quality of the food.



Another pizza place review already??


Restaurant: Fetta Specialty Pizza and Spirits

Location: 118 St Ann St, Owensboro, KY 42303

What I had:  the Smothers Park Special, Mashed Potato Bacon and Scallion, Sausage and Vidalia Onion (mushrooms added), Garlic Knots, and a Brownie/Chess bar (for dessert).

What I liked:  The Smothers Park Special.  Quite possibly the best meat loaded slice I've ever had.  The Mashed Potato Bacon and Scallion pizza...I'll explain. The Sausage and Vidalia, The garlic knots, and the dessert.

Why I liked it:The fact you can buy gourmet specialty pizza by the slice. The friendly and helpful staff and the level of service they provided consistently over 3 different visits. They have Coke Zero on the fountain. Most of all, the pizza(s)!

The Smothers Park Special! If I like anything on a pizza, I like meat the most. This thing comes loaded with salami, pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage, and olives.  The thing is, I'm not a fan of olives on pizza.  I won't pick them off if they're on there, but they're not my favorite.  The olives they use (kalamata) just add to the overall meatiness that this pie offers.

Mashed Potatoes on a pizza?? Think that sounds weird?? I thought so too until I tried it. Tasty, tasty carbs.  Not my favorite, but a true winner.  If I hadn't tried the Smothers Park Special, it would have been my favorite.

The Sausage and Vidalia was delicious and the garlic knots were sublime.  The knots themselves had the texture of a soft pretzel like you'd get at a ballgame, but covered in garlic butter and parmesan.  With nacho cheese and marinara to dip them into, they made a great appetizer.

What I didn't like:  It is in Ownsboro.  Not that I don't like Owensboro, I do.  It is just not a direction my family goes often (although we did go 3 times in one month, and all 3 times we ate here).

What the kids liked: The garlic knots. I think they each got their own order of them the last time we were there.  Aidan particularly liked their cheese pizza.

Budget:  If we lived closer to Owensboro, we would go there quite often. The by the slice option is economical, and handy for a lunchtime meal. Dinner too for that matter.

I've been told of other places to try in Owensboro, but I'm going to have a hard time passing this place up if I'm in the area.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Fast Casual Greek??

Restaurant: Little Greek

Location: Louisville (Shelbyville Rd. area)

What I had:  Gyro, Chicken Skewer, Cheesecake.

What I liked: The gyro. It was better than I expected with this being a "fast casual" eatery. The seasoning in the lamb-beef mixture ubiquitous in all gyros was spot on, the tzatziki cool and creamy. Not the best I've ever had, but much better than most.  The chicken skewer. Again, this was another example of near perfect seasoning, and the fact that it was char-grilled gave it a wonderful smoky flavor.  The cheesecake was serviceable. Again not the best I've ever had, but better than some.

Why I liked it:  It's kind of a Greek version of Qdoba/Chipotle where you walk up to the counter to order. If you want, you can watch them prepare your food.  Their service was extremely friendly, and they went out of their way to accommodate my son who after pointing this place out, suddenly become totally against eating here. The owners made him what they called an off menu "Aidan Special" which was noodles in a marinara with some cheese and some grilled chicken.

What I didn't like about it:  I'm not sure if there was anything I didn't like, except maybe being still hungry enough after eating the gyro to need to order a chicken skewer (which, like the cheesecake, I shared with the kiddos).

What the kids liked:  Danielle had a gyro like I did, seemed to like it.  Aidan's "Aidan Special" was a hit with all of us.

Budget:  This is a place that could fast become one of our regular stops.  We spent less here than we typically spend at Chipotle (initially, before the extra skewer and dessert). The flavors were fresh and good, and overall I feel there was good value for the money spent.