Review – Varasano’s Pizzeria

Hey Gang,
Returning with another review of a local restaurant here in Atlanta.
This time I went to Varasano’s Pizzeria, located in Midtown Atlanta, about a mile north of the High Museum. I had a Groupon that expired on the 29th and didn’t want it to go to waste, so headed there for a late dinner on Monday Night.

source: http://www.varasanos.com

This pizzeria has recently won some national acclaim, making into the top eight of Rachael Ray’s Search for the Best Pizza in America. The owner Jeff Varasano has done his research and has happily posted it online for the world to see. Part manifesto parts reading as though from a master’s thesis, he discusses the intricacy of the crust, which is the whole part of Varasano’s Pizza Philosophy.
Located in Midtown, I found the restaurant easy enough, parked and entered on the street level. Nice entrance, open to the bar. Seeing the “Please seat yourself” sign, I choose a seat near enough to the kitchen and open oven/pizza prep area to keep an eye open on things but not at the bar, as those are not my favorite places to sit. The waitress seemed nice, service was a tiny bit strained as she seemed to be working the section alone, but all in all, was ok.
After ordering a soda and presented with the menu, I sat to work deciding what to order. Three things jumped out at me: the spinach salad, the Saluni pizza, and the Espresso Panna Cotta. So i place an order for the salad and the Pizza, deciding that the Panna Cotta could wait until later.
The salad came quickly. (sorry no picture) It had a nicely flavored dressing, sweet but not overbearing. Gorgonzola dotted the corners of the plate, which played nicely with the spinach and the pecans that also dotted the salad. A small salad, it served as satisfying appetizer.

When I go to a restaurant with an open kitchen like Varasano’s, I tend to sit nearby. I like to watch the movement of the staff, the ballet that is played out each night. Tonight, there were 3 in the pizza oven area, the part that was open, just behind a nice bar with stools for those who like to be on top. Two of the guys were all making the pizzas and a third was dressing them and the salads with the final shavings of cheese and garnish. (She left early and so did one of the guys, leaving the third to finish up the pies) What I found cool is that there were what appeared to be stacks of Gladware containers behind the cooks, each with a pie’s worth of dough. Out would come the dough, a little flour and stretching and tossing would begin.
As I was surveying my copy of Saveur, I looked up and thought I saw the owner himself. He was working the area in a separated air, aware both of his troops and with his guests as well. I nodded my hellos and he then proceeded to bring over a slice of pizza, explaining that they had an extra pie and offered me a sample of there house speciality, The Nana. After thanking him and introducing myself, I settled into my slice. Following the instructions on the menu, I left my fork and knife aside and dove in with gusto. Very Nice. Good sauce and cheese. It whetted my appetite for my pizza. Then along came my Salumi.

This arrived shortly after, piping hot from the oven. Apparently, they cook their pizzas at about 873 degrees, so it was like molten at first bite, but knowing what I was going to get, I kept on going. And I was not let down by my perseverance. The thinly slice Italian meats, not sure what varieties, but tasted real pepperoni, Hot Sopressata, Capocollo, and others, were crisp and meaty. Blobs of mozzarella and bits of katamala olives rested atop a thin layer of sauce which hovered on their crust. I have never had crust like this before. (read his manifesto) Light, airy and not at all dry, it was sublime. I reluctantly left behind the crusts as there was a lot of pizza. I persevered, devouring the entire pizza, not in record time, but fast enough to savor the flavor. The surprise was the olives, passing over their brininess to the meats and crust while melding with the sauce just enough. The owner checked back in with me about half way through my pizza, and we chatted for a moment or two before I returned to my meal; I didn’t want to leave any behind.

And I didn’t. I used my fork to finish up the final bits of olive and meat that had slipped off the ends of the slices, and sent my plate back to kitchen well satisfied.

The waitress returned, asking about dessert or the check. I decided for the Panna Cotta, as I try to order as often as I can out. Brought in a martini glass, it had a nice layered effect. The top had a delicate hint of orange to the firm gelatin assisted with chocolate shavings, the middle a thin rich coffee gelatin, barely gelatinized and the bottom was a nice subtle chocolate layer, leading all in all to a delicious dessert that was not overpowering nor detracting from the flavor memory of the pizza.

I settled my bill, leaving a nice tip based on the total purchase price before the discount of the Groupon.
This is a place i will be coming to again, hopefully with friends, sitting where i was again to watch the pizza makers do their magic.

5 pans

Varasano’s Pizzeria
2171 Peachtree Road Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 352-8216
www.varasanos.com

Review: The Glenwood

There are small neighborhoods in Atlanta with their own special personality.  Most of these small neighborhoods nurture smaller businesses so major chains are virtually non-existent.  One of my friends lives in a very nice neighborhood in east Atlanta.  Interestingly, just outside the upscale neighborhood is an artist-friendly, local-driven, almost-Bohemian-esque neighborhood much like Little 5 Points.  For dinner, we decided to hit up one of the local restaurants, The Glenwood.

It’s actually a bar/restaurant.  You wouldn’t think you could get really great food from a bar but you can.  The restaurant part is actually separated from the bar but is part of the same establishment.  The Glenwood has a very homey feel and upscale look, a hard combo to create really.  The floors are a nice dark hardwood, the side wall is a rocky granite of some sort.  The atmosphere is warm and friendly.  I could see myself frequent the Glenwood on a weekly basis.  In fact, as we were dinner, I could overhear banter from the proprietor and patrons that seemed friendly and close as if the patrons have been dining there for years.  I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.  The staff was super friendly and the service was attentive.

The menu had some interesting offerings.  It was apparent that the Glenwood was an American bistro type place.  I wanted to try their Wild Boar Meatloaf featuring a wild mushroom gravy, bleu cheese mashed potatoes, and asparagus.  The meatloaf was moist.  It wasn’t gamey as I thought it would be.  Also, it seemed leaner than a regular beef meatloaf would be.  It was slightly salty, peppery with a savory scent of mushrooms much like the gravy it was topped with.  The gravy had a nice consistency, not too thick and not too thin.  Plus, there was a generous portion of wild mushroom.  The asparagus was the only slight disappointment; they seemed a little on the small side, but they were nicely sauteed and retained their nice crispness.

Normally, I don’t do dessert, but their homemade cheesecake beckoned and I had to heed the call.  I’m skeptical of most cheesecakes to be honest.  It seems difficult to get one that isn’t too light as if it were to fall apart and one that isn’t too dense as if you needed a jack hammer to penetrate the cake itself.  The Glenwood Blackberry Swirl Cheesecake was just right.  It had the perfect consistency and the perfect creaminess.  Granted, the blackberry flavor was feint but it’s hard to truly get a bright blackberry flavor in baked goods.  The crust was graham cracker but with a light dusting of cocoa which gave it a slight bitter chocolate flavor.  It was a perfect crust for a super creamy cheesecake.  It was one of the best cheesecakes I had ever had.  Period.  Bravo.

The Glenwood was a comfortable, neighborhood bistro place that serves some serious eats.  Also, their food is quite affordable; there are entrees that can be pricey but most dishes are around $10-12.  For the quality of fare, the prices are great.  Add a great atmosphere and friendly staff and you have a sure winner.  I left with a warm smile on my face on a cold night.  That’s a good enough recommendation I would think.

-jj

The Glenwood

http://www.glenwoodatlanta.com/

Eating my way through Boston

This past weekend I was lucky enough to visit with one of my co-hosts… Chuti!

An extremely gracious host, he took me all around Boston to some of his favorite places, and he even cooked a Thai meal for me. I can say this about Chuti… he is spot on in his reviews of the places in Boston and he is an amazing cook.

We started off at a place called Mary Chung’s where we had some Chinese food, it was pretty good but I especially enjoyed the sweet corn with minced chicken soup. The next morning we visited a diner in the South End for breakfast called Mike’s City Diner.

Wow, not only was the food amazing, but the waitress was a so sweet and the atmosphere was perfect. Expect a review from one of us very soon.

We also had a neat visit to H-Mart, a giant Korean Market where we filmed our first video podcast. Be sure to check it out!! For dinner on Friday, we ate late and we went to a place that I had eaten at before but was eager to return to… Shabu Zen, a Japanese Hot Pot or Shabu-Shabu restaurant. It was exactly what we needed, a lovely warm meal on a very cold Boston evening.

Saturday was definitely the highlight of my weekend in Boston. We skipped breakfast and headed to the Super 88 Mart (another asian market) to do some shopping for the dinner Chuti was planning on cooking. While there we ate a food stall called Pho Viet. I had Grilled Lemon Grass Chicken over Vermicelli, so good. So much flavor!!

After shopping we went back to Chuti’s place where he proceeded to prep and cook a simply amazing meal of Thai dishes. Red Curry Duck, Chicken Basil, Tom Yum Koong Soup and fresh rolled Spring Rolls. Everything he made was simply divine. Each dish was delicious and I think if I had to pick a favorite, I’d say it was the Red Curry Duck. I had not really had duck before, but after this dish, I can not wait to have it again. Each dish was so colorful, beautiful and full of flavor.

Perhaps even more enjoyable than eating the meal was watching and helping Chuti cook. A true professional, I’m seriously surprised he’s not a chef. His knife skills were impressive, and every plate of prepped food looked so beautiful that you wanted to take photos of it. On top that he seemed so laid back, relaxed and in control. I only hope that at some point I can be half as competent and happy in the kitchen as he.

If Saturday was the highlight, Sunday was the gravy. My flight home on Sunday was cancelled, which not only afforded me some more time to hang out with Chuti, it also gave us the opportunity to head to the North End for dinner. We spent Sunday recording the DLE podcast together, which was so much fun. To be in the same room with one of my fellow co hosts really enhanced the experience. I hope some day all four of us can be in the same room during a show. Prior to the show, we headed off to one of his favorite places for breakfast called Sofra Bakery and Cafe. A Middle Eastern bakery, we had some amazing pastry and a dish called shakshuka, an egg poached in tomato curry… so good! I’m sure he’ll be writing a review but I wanted to show a picture of the “morning bun with orange blossom glaze”. Kind of like “Monkey Bread” but with a lovely orange glaze. So good.

As tasty as brekfast was, dinner was so worth missing my flight. Chuti took me to Giacomo‘s, which after reading his review, I was very much looking forward to visiting. He was spot on about the place. The food was fantastic. Perhaps the best Italian food I’ve had. I ordered the Chicken Parmesan and it was just perfect. The thing that I think surprised me the most about Giacomo’s was how small it was inside. He mentioned how people would stand and wait to get it but I had no idea how small it was, there were perhaps only six tables. It felt like eating in your grandmother’s kitchen. Simply amazing.

We capped off our weekend at Modern Pastry, another place that Chuti wrote about that I was dying to try. Once again he was completely right about the place. I was blown away by the cannoli. The shell was so crisp, the filling so delicious. At his suggestion, we also had the tiramisu, which I don’t particularly care for, however, Modern Pastry completely changed my mind! I’ve never had tiramisu that tasted that good. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the evening.

All in all, my weekend in Boston was one of the best weekends I’ve ever spent hanging out with friends. Low pressure, new experiences, good food and great company… what more could you ask for? 5 Pans!

Review: Seven Stars

Last week was my partner’s birthday. We decided instead of making a big deal out of it that we would just head out for a nice dinner. I decided to use his birthday as an excuse to check out a very well known, old restaurant in our area called “The Seven Stars Inn”. The history of the Inn dates back to 1736, when the then owner of the land petitioned “His Majesty’s Justices” for the right to conduct a public house (inn) to house travelers from Philadelphia out to the Old Iron Works. The Inn was named “The Seven Stars” two hundred years ago in 1809.

Many people have recommended the Seven Stars to us. A steakhouse in Chester County, it’s a very old school place. Quiet, intimate dining rooms, with tables decked out in white linens it was very upscale, if not a little dated. I have to apologize in advance for the photos as the dining room was very, very dark. I did my best to clean them up, but they are what they are.

We walked in and were led thru the bar and lounge into a small, empty dining room. The decor was not my taste (It was very “country”), but the atmosphere was extraordinary.

Our waitress was one of the most enjoyable part of the meal. She was just our waitress. Not waiting on loads of customers, she spent lots of time speaking to us, and it was lovely. She noticed me taking photos and asked me just why I was doing so, I told her I was writing a review for my food blog and she offered to bring us samples of some things to try, even tho we didn’t order them. That was a nice touch.

The menu was very much what I’d expect from a steak house but I was overwhelmed by the size of the entrees. We started off with soup. I had the clam chowder, he had the crab bisque. The clam chowder was just right. Sometimes clam chowder can be kind of “sandy” and I don’t really like when the potatoes are super huge, and this chowder had neither of those problems. The bisque was also much better than I had anticipated. Super creamy and full of crab it was delicious. Our waitress was also nice enough to bring us a sample of the snapper soup as well. It was unlike any other snapper soups I’ve had. Thick and flavorful, it was almost more like a stew than a soup. There was a very strong flavor of nutmeg in it. It was the best snapper soup I ever had.

For our main courses, we chose two classics on their menu. My partner chose the “Seven Star’s” specialty… the 40oz Prime Rib. I went with the King’s Cut of Filet Mignon. An equally huge 20oz filet and I ordred it “oscar style”. I’ve eaten large cuts of meat before in other steakhouses, and in those places everything other than the meat is usually a la carte, but at the Seven Stars.. it wasn’t. Each entree came with a salad, bread, and two side dishes. This yielded entire too much food for both of us. The prime rib was as humongous as it was delicious. I had no idea just how big 40oz of prime rib, served on the bone would be but as you can see below… it’s huge!

My filet in my mind was even more ridiculous than the prime rib. When my plate arrived I could not believe how piled with food it was. The steak, since I ordered it “Oscar Style” was accompanied an enormous amount of lump crab, a huge handfull of asparagus and a lovely hollandaise . Add to that the fresh cut and fried onion rings, the baked potato and broccoli! There was hardly any room on the table! My steak was cooked perfectly and the crab meat was amazing. The hollandaise was great and the onion rings were the best I’d ever eaten!

Even tho I had an enormous amount of food left on my plate, we decided on coffee and dessert… why not right? I ordred the Molten Chocolate Lava Cake. A lovely devil’s food cake with hot chocolate truffle filling inside. It was amazingly delicious. I had it served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which we were immediately able to identify as “Turkey HIll” brand. Turkey Hill is a local dairy that makes fantastic ice cream and it was nice to see them give the nod to a local place.

In short, the Seven Stars Inn is amazing. Not the best decorated place, but a great atmosphere, fabulous wait staff and unbelievably large portions and just outstanding food make this place a must visit in my book. 5 pans!

The Seven Stars Inn
Rte 23 & Hoffecker Road
Phoenixville, PA 19460
610.495.5205
http://www.sevenstarsinn.com

Review: Landmark Americana

After a very rough first day back to work after a very long, restful vacation, I decided that I surely needed a drink and a good meal and so I hit my trusty Yelp! to search for a new place to visit for dinner. I decided to look in another nearby area which usually has plenty of great restaurants, West Chester, PA. West Chester is a small college town, full of unique and fun places. We decided on a place called the High Street Cafe. A Cajun restaurant on the the main drag, we were disappointed when we arrived at 4:30pm and found out that it doesn’t open until 5:30pm. I asked my partner if he had any suggestions and he said there was a nice place across from our favorite Sushi place in West Chester but he could not recall the name so we took a quick drive over to Gay Street, parked near that favorite sushi place and found it… the Landmark Americana.

Nestled on the corner of Gay and S. Darlington Street Landmark America has a nice clean exterior which fit very well into the surrounding area.

We were seated almost immediately and I was impressed with the decor of the place. Though it was billed as a tap room first and a restaurant second, it was well thought out and the bar was far enough away from the dining room that it did not disturb our dinner.

Once we were seated, I ordered a Guinness as we perused the menu, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of selections.

The menu, aside from being gilded, was full of lots of delicious looking and sounding food. We had a hard time deciding amongst appetizers and main courses. The one thing that caught my eye straight away was one of the appetizers called the Triple Dip. It was a platter with three different dips… a crab dip, a spinach and artichoke dip and a roasted garlic hummus. It was served with flat bread, crostini, veggies and nachos.

Each of the dips were fantastic. The hummus was particularly delish. We of course ran out of veggies and such long before we ran out of dip and just as I was going to ask for more, our salads arrived. Right on schedule. The waitress was obviously keeping a close eye on us as she was never late on a drink and all our food came our right on time.

For our main dishes, we ordered the braised short ribs and the steak and crab combo. The braised short ribs were definitely the better of the two dishes. The rib were perfectly cooked and seasoned, braised in a Guinness au jus, the flavors were deep and intense. My steak was no slouch, it was a flat iron steak that was cooked perfectly. The crab was delicious and served with a very interesting cocktail sauce that seemed to have a hint of mango or peach in it…YUM!

I really enjoyed the Landmark Americana. I found out while looking for the site online that it’s a small local “chain” of restaurants, two so far and a third opening soon. I am giving the Landmark Americana 5 pans. I loved the food, and I’m definitely heading back nit just because it was so good, but because there are so many things on the menu that I still want to try!

Landmark Americana – West Chester
158 West Gay Street
West Chester, PA 19380
610.701.9900
http://www.landmarkamericana.com/wc-home.htm

Review: Theresa’s

I mentioned in my last post that I had a chance before my Christmas break to review a few restaurants, the second place I went that week was a place called “Theresa’s Cafe”. Located in Wayne, PA just off the Main Line… Theresa’s is actually two restaurants, the Cafe and The Bar Next Door. I originally thought were headed to The Bar Next Door, which Yelp! said was well known for their mussels and beer, but we ended up at the more upscale, but really, really tiny Theresa’s Cafe. The restaurant was very cozy and warm, with nice deep earth tones and an exposed kitchen at the back of the very narrow dining room.

We were seated in the middle of the dining room, and started to look over the menu. Theresa’s Cafe is 100% an Italian place and the menu looked amazing. They brought over some bread and olive oil to start and we noshed while deciding from the many wonderful choices just what we wanted to eat. One of the things that caught my attention was the Bruschetta menu. Not just one choice but four choices of bruschetta to choose from… yum! We decided on a very standard tomato and mozzarella bruschetta, and boy was it good. The cheese was rich and creamy and the and the tomatoes were perfect.

For our main courses we decided on the Spinaci salad for her and the Gnocchi Sorrentino for me.

Both of our dishes were spectacular. I mean really outstanding. I’m a huge sucker for gnocchi… I mean PASTA and POTATO… come on! The gnocchi was served very simply with a light marinara and tons of basil, just like I like it. My lunch mate’s salad however was definitely the better of the two. It was a spinach salad topped with warm butternut squash, goat cheese and a maple vinaigrette. I was really unsure of how all those strong flavors would come together but they did exquisitely and that dressing was really something I had not expected.

I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere at Theresa’s Cafe. This is one place that will be added to my favorite’s list. 5 pans.

Theresa’s Cafe
124 N. Wayne Avenue
Wayne, PA 19087
http://www.teresas-cafe.com

Review: Sammy’s Noodle Shop – NYC

When I first started writing for Dammit Let’s Eat… I sat down and made a short list of the restaurants that I loved and that I wanted to make sure I wrote about. This weekend I got to check another one of those restaurants off my list… Sammy’s Noodle Shop.

I first visited Sammy’s about five years ago on a weekend trip to the city with another friend of mine. He had told me about the place and insisted that we visit. I love the place so much that I try to make it a point to eat at Sammy’s every time I go there. In a city full of restaurants to try… I almost always eat at Sammy’s.

Sammy’s is located in the Village and not too far from Union Square, it’s on 6th Avenue between 10th and 11th. It’s a busy place, but to be honest I’ve never had to wait long. On this trip to Sammy’s, it was absolutely freezing in NYC and the windows were covered in condensation, it made the place seem so warm and inviting. We entered and found the place about as empty as I’ve ever seen it. We were seated quickly in a nice quiet corner and started to look over the menu. Sammy’s menu is simply amazing. It’s a huge and very robust Chinese menu. Lots of appetizers, noodles, soups, entrees and more.

One of my most favorite dishes at Sammy’s is their “Cold Sesame Noodles”. It’s a delicious, huge bowl of Sammy’s Noodles (made fresh every day at the shop) covered in a tasty peanut/sesame sauce. It’s served cold, so on this day I decided it might not be the best choice. We looked the menu over and decided to get three dishes, so that we’d have a nice sampling. We started with a Noodle Soup with Chicken and Bean Sprouts.

It was just what we needed after being out in the cold. The broth was salty and warm, the noodles (also Sammy’s fresh made) were perfect and the chicken was so fresh and shredded so that it was light enough to eat with the noodles without too much trouble. It was a huge bowl of soup for the two of us. The size of the dishes is just something else that I love at Sammy’s.

My friend decided to try the Shrimp Fried Rice. Not as a side dish, but as a full entree. To be honest, the serving size is so huge that it’s just perfect for a meal. One of the things I like about their “Fried Rice” is that it always has a brown sauce on it no matter what it added to it. It gives the rice a much bolder and savory flavor that I think really brings out the meat that’s added to it. It was amazing.

My selection was another of my Sammy’s favorites… General Tso’s Chicken. Perfectly friend pieces of chicken covered in a delicious, rich sauce. Just the right amount of kick too. I think that when you order such a common dish at a restaurant and it stands out as much as the General Tso’s Chicken does at Sammy’s, shows just how good the food is there.

I’m sure at this point in the review it should come as no surprise that I’ll be giving Sammy’s Noodle Shop a five pan rating. Great atmosphere, huge portions, reasonable prices and delicious dishes makes this a must visit restaurant in NYC. Have you been there? If so, please let me know your thoughts!

Sammy’s Noodle Shop
453 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 924-6688

Review: Chima Brazilian Steakhouse

The week before Christmas is always a busy one in my family, not only do we have to prepare for a huge feast on both Christmas and Christmas Eve, but it’s also my father’s birthday. Having a birthday in the middle of the summer, I never really have to worry about my birthday being combined with another holiday. My father however having to celebrate his birthday just a few days before Christmas is used to getting combo gifts and often not having a party. Ever since I was old enough to do something about it, I’ve always tried to make sure that he gets a major gift, never one combined and that we always take him out for dinner to make a big deal out of it. This year I wanted to take him to a new place that I had not been but had heard tremendous things about… Chima Brazilian Steakhouse.

Chima, is a sort of upscale Brazilian Steakhouse located in the Center City are of Philadelphia. It is a “chain” of sorts… there are 4 other locations on the East Coast in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. I have decided that one of my new years resolutions is to head out to the city more often, no easy feat considering how far I live from Philadelphia, but I’m going to make an effort and tonights was worth it. We arrived a little late for our reservation (damn traffic!) and the hostess was very understanding and accommodating, definitely a good start to the evening. The lobby area was warm and inviting and decorated very modernly and as we were walked to the table, I was more than overwhelmed at the buffet table.

Now for those of you who may not have heard of a “Brazilian Steakhouse”, permit me to explain as I had never heard of one before. It’s basically an all you can eat buffet of meat. Seriously there are so many kinds of meat you might not even believe it. Now, I know you’re thinking “Okay… so it’s a buffet…” but what makes the Brazilian Steakhouse experience a little different is that waiters dressed as gauchos bring you the meat on giant skewers and slice it for you on your table. The premise is simple, they give you a plate, a pair of tongs and a card that has “Yes” on one side and “No” on the other.

When you are ready and you flip the marker to the “Yes” side, waiters come from every angle offering you amazing cuts of meat, Leg of Lamb, Sirloin, Ribeye, Filet Mignon, Swordfish… I mean the choices are endless.

One of the things that I thought was nice was that amazingly each piece of meat had just about all the temperatures you could ask for. You want it medium, the waiter flips the skewer, cuts the meat you grab it with your tongs and away he goes, while another waiter is right there to offer you another succulent cut of meat! This will continue non-stop until you flip the marker to “No” at which point they will give you a chance to catch up! I tasted just about everything and while I was too embarrassed to take a photo of them slicing the meat, here are two shots of my plate at two different periods during the meal…

Along with the meat, there are three side dishes served. Unlimited amounts of fried bananas, polenta and super creamy mashed potatoes are offered, and there is a huge buffet table with many kinds of salad from Caesar to Waldorf, Tomato and Mozzarella to Potato Chicken Salad and melon and prosciutto, smoked salmon and fresh asparagus as well.

The food was outstanding. There were three choices of meal, the full buffet with all meats, the full buffet with just fish (swordfish and salmon) and just the buffet with no meat. We ate until we were stuffed and then were extremely tempted and finally gave in to their desert menu. We ordered coffee and three deserts to share among the table. First up was a very tasty Key Lime Pie. Nothing to write home about, but certainly nothing to complain about. Next was the Apple Strudel. I was not fond of the crust as it almost too flaky outside and too tough inside. Last but certainly not least was the unbelievable cheesecake. New York Style, extra thick and covered in honest too goodness icing. It was so delicious I was beside my self.

All in all, the meal was spectacular. The decor was elegant and cozy, the food was plentiful and perfectly prepared, the desert was to die for and the company was sublime. I seriously can not wait to go back. With that said, be prepared… all this food and drink did not come cheap but I have spent far more on a meal for two than I did for four. I rate it 5 pans and I recommend to anyone who loves meat and is near a Chima, or near any Brazilian steakhouse to go and give it a try.

Chima Brazilian Steakhouse
1901 John F Kennedy Blvd
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
215-525-3233
http://www.chima.cc

Review: Five Guys

Prompted by Chuti’s post about In-N-Out burger, I decided I wanted to head to my favorite burger place… Five Guys.

I first ate a Five Guys on a business trip to Columbus, OH. My coworkers took me there raving about the burgers and fries. Since then it has blossomed into quite a large chain all over the US. I visited two different Five Guys over the past two weeks to write this review. Last weekend, I took my dad who had never been to get his unbiased opinion and today I took my partner to make sure we got a good sampling of the menu (hee hee).

The decor of Five Guys is very simple and clean. White and red tiles on the walls, exposed red ventilation ducts and a fully open kitchen so you can see exactly what they are doing. The walls are simply adorned with signs displaying some of the awards they’ve won and boy have then won a lot of them.

Now the menu is pretty straight-forward. Four burgers the Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Bacon Hamburger and Bacon Cheeseburger in two sizes and three hot dogs, two sandwiches and fries. That’s pretty much it. The “Little” burgers are a single patty and the “Regular” burgers are two patties.

All burgers are cooked well done and after you choose which burger you want, you can choose from about fifteen different toppings from Mayo to Jalapeño Peppers to Hot Sauce all for free. It is really nice to be able to get a burger just the way you want it without it costing you a small fortune. Another nice touch is that each burger is cooked and assembled in the open so you can see what’s going on.

The first week we visited Five Guys, I went small and had just a “Little Bacon Cheeseburger”, I had it topped with tomatoes, onions and ketchup. On the second visit, I went big and had the “Bacon Cheeseburger” topped with Onions and Ketchup only. Just for good measure and to be sure we sampled the whole menu, I also ordered a Bacon Cheese Dog! I know it has nothing to do with the food, but I love that the food is served in a brown paper bag and aluminum foil!

Lunch in a sack


My lunch!


Little Bacon Cheeseburger


Bacon Cheesebuger


Bacon and Cheese Dog

The burgers at Five Guys are just outstanding. Yes I know that they are cooked “well-done” but I’ve never had a well-done burger so juicy and moist. They are never burnt, never over done and the cheese is always perfectly melted. The toppings are what makes it your own and the range of toppings leaves you with countless choices. I will say that it is honestly the best burger I’ve ever eaten and very much worthy of all the awards that they have won.

This weekend was the first time I’ve ever had the hot dog and I can say that the hot dog was also out of this world. The hot dog is a beef hot dog and served dog split down the center and grilled. The beef dog combined with the lovely saltiness of the bacon and the ooey gooey cheese was just scrumptious.

So we know the hot dog and burgers are on point but let’s talk about the other star at Five Guys… the french fries. Seriously delicious. They are fresh cut, and fried in peanut oil each time someone orders them. You can actually watch someone come out into the dining area and grab a huge 50lb bag of potatoes (stacked up as part of the decor) to take back to the kitchen when they need more.

The fries are served skin on and come in two sizes regular and large (both served in styrofoam cups). One of the nice extra touches that Five Guys does is no matter how many fries your order or what size, they always throw an extra heaping helping of fries into the bag on top of everything else! The fries are so delicious I could make a meal out of them alone. Piping hot, not over fried and super fresh. Just amazing.

Every time I visit Five Guys I’m blown away by just how good the burgers and fries are. If you have one near you and you like hamburgers and good fries, I highly recommend you go and visit. Be sure to let me know if you agree that it’s one of the best burgers you’ve ever eaten!

Five Guys
Numerous Local Locations
http://www.fiveguys.com

Review: The Drafting Room

I have been meaning to write this review from the very first time I was invited to blog on Dammit Let’s Eat. It’s just about my favorite restaurant in my area and a place I frequent at least once a week. This won’t be a review of a specific visit to the place but rather an overall review of The Drafting Room.

Years ago when I lived in Exton, PA, I found a very nice restaurant called The Brickside Grille. It’s a great restaurant and I will get a review of it up eventually. One night while eating with some friends one of them mentioned that the Brickside owners had another restaurant in the area called the Drafting Room. More of a tap room/upscale bar and restaurant than The Brickside Grill, they raved about the food and the service and with that my love affair with the place began. It’s an assuming place, again sort of in a strip mall, but once inside you forget that you’re on a very busy road running through the center of town. While it is dark inside, it’s cozy and warm, not too big and not too small. Sadly the place is actually so dark that taking photos of food and decor are tough. It’s one of the reasons it’s taken so long to get this review done, that was until I found out that they opened a SECOND location near my parent’s house. It is MUCH bigger than the original, better lit but still decorated exactly the same!

One of the first things I want to talk about at the Drafting Room is their incredible beer list. Deep and varied, you can find just about anything you want on there from local breweries to domestic microbrews to imports. For me, I love the fact that they have one of my favorite “beers” Framboise. It’s a Raspberry flavored Lambic Ale that I first had at Maison (see Chuti’s review here) and have trouble finding at most places. They get extra credit for having my favorite beer!

Now on to the food. I won’t even pretend like I don’t have favorites but… everything I’ve ever had at the place has been wonderful. I usually try hard to get an app, an entree and dessert. My favorite app is their Tri Color Nachos. I seriously go there just for the nachos! red, blue and corn nachos with refried beans, jack cheese and their own home made salsa and sour cream… they are simple but absolutely amazing!

Now that’s not to say that the other appetizers aren’t just as amazing. The Belgian Cheese Fondue with it’s three cheeses and cubed Rye & Black Bread is just so smooth and tasty and they give you so much bread that I can’t even finish it!

Now if appetizers aren’t your thing they have a daily soup special and this time of year, they have my favorite soup… butter nut squash soup. Their soup is so creamy and decadent, I could eat bowl after bowl until I burst!

So enough about appetizers and on to the entrees! My hands down favorite is the Texas Smoked Brisket. The brisket is slow roasted with molasses BBQ sauce and served with veggies and buttermilk whipped potatoes. To die for! Of course in the past few weeks since I decided to write this post, I’ve been ordering everything but the brisket to make sure I had a good feel for the rest of their menu.

Recently I’ve tried the Irish Bangers and Mash with it’s Dijon mustard demi-glace, beer braised sauerkraut and the intoxicating cheddar & chives whipped potatoes.

And the Crab and Shrimp Fettuccine, a delightful bowl of pasta with fresh crab meat, creole scampi and Roma tomatoes… quite tasty!

My most recent trip to the Drafting Room with my Dad and my partner was to the one near my parents and once again I resisted ordering my favorite brisket to try the decadent and indulgent Southern Fried Pork Chop. A huge pork chop, fried and served smothered in Apple Molasses Syrup, served with collard greens with bacon and three cheese baked Mac & Cheese. Talk about a heart attack on a plate!

Even their lunch menus is packed with some tasty unique sandwiches. Two of my faves are the Crab and Spinach Melt and the Buttermilk Chicken BLT. Both a little taste of nirvana!

And of course no trip to the Drafting Room would be complete for me without one of their scrumptious desserts! There is always something tasty on the menu from Key Lime Pie to Warm Apple Pie to another favorite of mine this time of year… Pumpkin Cheesecake. Oooh so rich and smooth with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor on a plate drizzled with caramel sauce… mmmm!

I’m sure it will come as no surprise at this point that the Drafting Room gets a five skillet rating from me. This is the place that I drag people to when they come to visit, and if any of you ever visit you’ll be in for a fabulous meal!

The Drafting Room
635 N. Pottstown Pike
Exton, Pennsylvania 19341
610-363-0521
or
900 N. Bethlehem Pike
Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477
215-646-6116
http://draftingroom.com