Location:
112 Salem Street
Boston, MA 02113
www.lafamigliagiorgio.com/
There are large portions, and then American super sized portions. La Famiglia super sizes it.
I ain't complaining. I know how to mangi.
The food is tasty, fresh and MASSIVE.
Best bruschetta to date.
If you plan accordingly you can feed your intera grande famiglia here for under $20!
Just kidding.
Not.
Location:
300 Hanover Street
Boston, MA
Is it touristy? Yes.
The woman behind the counter insisted that we take a plastic "Mike's Pastry" bag for our box even though we had a bag we were going to put it into. Nothing like advertising by carrying their logo, right?
Is it ridiculously crowded, ALL THE TIME? Yes.
Came here twice in one weekend and the first time, I was able to get to the counter.
The second time, it looked like this:
But are these the best mo-fo cannoli's you'll ever taste? You bet your a$$ they are!
Location:
3 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA
www.toryrow.us
YOU GUYS, I'VE FOUND MY FAVOURITE FRENCH TOAST!
It's at Tory Row, in Cambridge, Massachussettes!
At first I was a little dismayed by it's small portion size, making sharing all the more difficult.
But with the blueberry jam and the New England maple syrup, and for only $7, with a side of applewood smoked bacon,
I was in love.
And to think I almost went with the english muffin egg sandwich. Wtf.
(If you know me, or have been reading this blog) I always get french toast for brunch). Always.
N gave me a look when I said, "Maybe I won't get french toast, this time." hahahaha! Who was I kidding? SO glad I did. It was perfect...not soggy in the middle or eggy smelling, which I hate, but crispy and moist and just cinnamon-y enough..and with that blueberry jam and NE maple, I want to go back.
Besides that, the "hashbrowns", which are really cut up potatoes were incredible! Especially with the pico de gallo (salsa) it came with.
One thing they could definitely improve upon is to serve hotter coffee! As it was, when served, it was luke-warm at best and then our server took longer still to bring the as-is cold milk, which further cooled down the coffees. We asked to get our cups warmed, but then received new coffees, which were still not hot enough. And, no Earl Grey tea?!Fo' shame. I did enjoy my OJ, though and the Spiced Apple Cider was lovely.
The flatbreads are served on wooden boards, looking very rustic and also easy to cut into if needed. The jalepeño chicken sausage, black bean, egg flatbread ($9) was good, but the pico de gallo would have been better as the sauce spread atop the flatbread instead of the black bean.
The vegetable frittata arrived in an iron skillet. The only problem with this is that the egg overcooks sitting in its heat, and is too hot to eat before it overcooks because its sitting in it's heat - see where I'm going with that?
The greek yogurt filled with berries and bananas and granola (from Nashoba Brook Bakery) is a steal at $5 and a great light breakfast.
Next time, would love to try the parmesan prosciutto black pepper scone ($3) from the Nashoba Brook Bakery and something from the lunch menu - those burgers were massive!
The decor is simple and modern.
Perched on the high stools at long commune tables, the place was mainly filled with Harvard students, with their friends or parents. There are Shepard Fairey pieces on the back wall. That's the artist who did the famous Obama "Hope" poster.
As an aside: those coffee shop white mugs with the wide-as-your-lips-rims, have gotta go. Come on, people; drinking from them makes you feel as though the coffee's going to dribble over the side of your mouth.
That said, Tory Row is a keeper. Kept!
Location:
226 Lewers St
Honolulu, HI
www.roysrestaurant.com
After visiting Mama's Fish House in Maui three years ago, we didn't think anything could come close. Let me tell you, Roy's comes pretty close!
I've never been to a restaurant where there has been such incredible attention to my dietary concerns! Our server was worried that I would be in need of medical aid if I ate something I couldn't (dairy).
With that, the butter sauces came on the side and there was nary a smidgen of cheese on anything.
They started us off with edamame - nom nom nom- which disappeared in a matter of seconds.
Then, it was champagne paired with the ahi tuna, baby back rib and chicken spring roll appetizer, which was delicious (and this was pre-Kauai roosters, so I was still eating chicken).
Thank goodness I'm not allergic to nuts!!
Hello, macadamia encrusted opah! Get in my belly!
Served with simple but oh-so delicious potatoes and asparagus. Paired with a white and red.
Salmon ginger sauce with cucumber and radish salad. The fish was amazing, but the salad a bit too tangy for me.
For dessert, we had the chocolate souffle and ice cream and the macadamia nut tart.
Paired with ports, the chocolate souffle was divine!
The tart was overbearingly nutty but amazing for a couple of bites. If I hadn't already had the macadamia encrusted fish, this would have been heaven.
Service and presentation could not have been better; we had such an incredible time and were thoroughly stuffed and satisfied. 
The washroom signage was super cute, too.
If you're on Oahu, check out Roy's, there are three locations on the island, and several more throughout the States.
Location:
16 Rue Huchette
75005 Paris, France
As we were walking around the Latin Quarter, we noticed many touristy restaurants, none of which looked appealing.
THEN, we saw Amorino!
The famous gelato joint which was one of the must-dos on my list!
The line-up was huge, but the wait wasn't long until we had our very own giant cone with as many flavours as we wanted (that's right, as.many.flavours.as.you.want) arranged beautifully into a flower.
Ah.maz.ing.
Location:
Clam Shell
148 High Street
Edinburgh
Must. Try. Deep Fried Mars Bar.
The Clam Shell on High Street complied.
Even posing for pictures.
While we waited...
*
At last.....
That was one hot mess...
This much grease can't be good for anything.
Glad I tried it, but the DFMB is not for me...maybe it's the chocolate bar I don't care for...what about the DFAB (Deep Fried Aero Bar)? Then again, maybe not.
*What was so disconcerting was hearing (and seeing) Katy Perry on the tele. To be that far away (and so removed) from North America, yet...obviously..not far enough, was eerie.
Caaa-LI-FORnia-GIRls-Are-Un-Den------
Great, now I have it stuck in my head.
Location:
38 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1LL, United Kingdom
As I sit here on what is officially the first day of Fall, I'm thinking about what else? Food. Especially all the goodies that Thanksgiving brings followed by more hot treats eaten during Christmas.
Mainly. PIES.
Then I remember the truly scrumptious pie eaten in Edinburgh a month ago.
Hot, flaky, oozing with delicious chicken filling. I thought I'd died and gone to pie heaven.
See this?
That's what I would most like to eat right now. Add an Iron Brew to the mix and it would be perfection.
Location:
427 Amherst St., Nashua, NH
Who knew such a tiny, hole-in-the-wall, strip-mall restaurant could rival some of my fave Thai restos in Toronto!
For the $8.95 Lunch special, the Green curry chicken, salad & pork dumplings and the Chicken with cashews, salad & pork dumplings were special, indeed.
As always, I could have done without the side salad, but the portions were generous and the flavours were authentic.
And who doesn't like their rice shaped into something fancy?
Location:
77 avenue Kléber, Paris (16th Arr)
This was my First Taste of Paris:
I think I did well.
We stopped by this bakery on our way to our hotel...and they line-up was huge! Am not surprised at all. We wanted to go back again, but got distracted by some sort of tower in the area. ;)
Location:
428 Clarence Street, London
www.rajafinedining.ca
Had a family anniversary celebration here. The space is up-scale and elegant and nicely done up for large groups, such as us.
The service on the other hand, could use some tweaking. Although it wasn't busy, our server took a while to come over. Then he failed to correctly explain the lunch specials to us so that when we ended up ordering the lunch specials, thinking they were smaller dinner portions, we were surprised to find they really couldn't be shared at all as there was barely enough for one!
Only then were we told that the lunch specials were "individual" portions not to be shared and that each special came with a side of rice, chick pea curry and salad. Something we wouldn't have ordered had we understood the server. They were also overly intrusive with the "How are you enjoying your meal?", "Can I take this away?" stuff.
As it is, I'm sure you'll agree it's the most annoying thing EVER, to have a server ask how your meal is WHILST your mouth is full of your very FIRST bite, forcing you to respond..."ITSFSFIIEN".
The papad chutneys were beautifully arranged.
The onion bhajis were lovely.
The side of rice, chick pea curry and salad.
I disliked that all the meat dishes were served with side salads, as well. I find it so unappealing when Indian restaurants do that. Pickled carrots and onions are much more appropriate and flavourful when eaten together.
Variety of naans and breads.
The other curries (not part of the lunch special)
Altogether, the flavours were good, but the portions were far too small for the cost of them ($15-20) and the service could be better.
Location:
2 Baker Street, Stirling
As far as pubs go, No. 2 Baker Street (yes, sounding very much like a popular 80s TV show) is the No. 1 place to go. A local favourite, it serves up my favourite beer Guinness, and serves it EXTRA COLD.
They don't serve food at the pub, but bags of chips sure hit the spot.
And you can't go home without trying the Scotch.
Needless to say, we frequented No. 2 Baker Street muchly during our two day stay in Stirling.
Now, if only they could change the address to 1 Baker Street.
Location:
201 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA
www.mrbsbistro.com
So, this is another one of those overdue/back-burner pieces.
Better late than never, right?
Located in the French Quarter, and coming highly recommended from many a source on the world wide web, my first impression of Mr. B's was that it seemed more suited towards a 40+ suit crowd.
Suits and in our case, bibs.
The bibs for de-shelling the shrimps in Mr. B's signiture BBQ shrimp dish!
(Gulf shrimp barbequed New Orleans style, served in the shells with a peppery butter sauce, and French bread for dipping $18.00)
Apart from the de-shelling, this dish was fantastic! And I love that they share the recipe online!
The other dish was less painful. Also, a bit bland. Catfish with beans (Pecan crusted farm raised catfish topped with Creole meuniere sauce $15.00 )
The fried oysters $6.75 were excellent.
Blueberry Cobbler $8, perfectly old fashioned.
Suits or not, bibs or not...Mr. B's Bistro is everything you imagine "N'awlins" to be.
Location:
Third Floor, City Square Mall, Rajouri Garden, Delhi
www.yo-china.com
Definitely one of the highlights from our trip to Delhi was eating chinese food. That may sound weird, but chinese food in India is simply superb! It's spicy and flavourful in the way that chinese food isn't in the west. The closest you can get to that taste is haka chinese and Spadina Garden comes close, which is why it's a fave of mine.
We were treated to an open menu dinner by the wonderful owners of Yo China!
The service was outstanding, and the presentation of the dishes, exquisite.
Just take a look:
Honey Chilly Potato Fries, which is their signature dish - crispy potato fingers, stir fried in the wok with honey chilly sauce & sesame seeds
Honey Chilly Potato - RS 79
Chilli Chicken, Dry:
Chilli Chicken Dry - RS 89
Prawns tossed with ginger lemon coriander sauce:
Prawn Singtu RS 159
Chicken Satay:
Chicken Satay RS 139
Legendary Malha Sizzler:Babycorn, Beans, Broccoli, Mushroom and black mushroom, red and yellow peppers tossed in the legendary Malha sauce served on a sizzler
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Chicken Satay RS 139"]
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Dumplings 
Dumplings 
Inside the dumplings
Lobster (off menu)
ChickenFried Rice 69
American Chop suey
Devil's Chocolate Cake With Ice Cream
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