Bright Eats

Late night snack, Hoja Santa.

June 28, 2014June 28, 2014 by Brightgirl, posted in Dinner, Drinks, Restaurants, Snacks

There have been quite a few moments where I’ve had a little more alone time then I wanted. I have been making the best of it and going out by myself. I saw a pic of a taco with mac and cheese, fried chicken and collard greens. I decided to try it. I grab a seat at the bar and order a classic margarita. It was served with a spicy salt rim, delicious! I order guacamole while I waited for my tacos, it was a big portion. I find that I crave a little heat in my guac, besides missing that it was great. Flavorful, enough to really dip the chips which were warm I enjoyed it. I took the rest of the guac home an it was still great the next day. The tacos were amazing. They were served with a side of hot sauce the ultimate combination. The mac and cheese could use a stronger cheese in it. It was soft which fit for the taco. I would go back for a full meal and more drinks.

Bonus Post!! Aqua Bar and Grille, Tampa

June 16, 2014June 16, 2014 by Brightgirl, posted in Dinner, Drinks, Out of Town, Restaurants

Last year I needed a warm and sunny break and happened upon Tampa. I try to go a least twice a year now. There’s a Waffle House, Chick-fil-a and I always find chili cheese Fritos all my down south faves. This visit I ran into my dear friend, we met up for dinner. Aqua was recommended by the hotel staff. It was in the lobby of the Westin, it was beautifully decorated. I was a little under the weather, very rare for me. My appetite was on the light side. I went with a soup and salad. I still startwwith a dragon berry mojito, sick or not I needed a drink. My partner had an Iced Coconut, it was pretty good, very strong. I had a salad that had everything in it, apples, goat cheese, candied walnuts and a champagne vinaigrette. It was great. I had the chef’s soup which was butternut squash. It was pureed nicely, had hints of nutmeg and cinnamon but not a sweet soup. I also had the brussel sprouts, they have become my new favorite vegetable. They were roasted and slightly sweet. My partner had calamari to start and steak with seasonal roasted veggies and black rice. The calamari was crispy a little lack luster on taste. The steak and veggies were both cooked well and were alright. The black rice was amazing. A hint of sweet, the rice was cooked perfectly best part of the meal. I skipped dessert, I barely made it through my dishes. I would go again, have a full course meal including dessert. Being sick, my menu choices were a little off. The ambiance was really nice too, open kitchen big booths and they have outside seating.

What time is it? Thai time, National

June 9, 2014 by Brightgirl, posted in Dinner, Restaurants

My sister is studying nutrition and science in school. She heard of the World Science fair and we decided to take the kids. It was a Sunday, we went after work. There was lots of hands on activities and the kids had a blast. We left there starving. We were originally looking for burgers, somehow we ended up at a Thai place. My mother and sister had both been to this place, it was my first time. We were seated right away. My sister knew what she wanted, chicken fried rice. It had the right amount of ginger and vegetables in it. It took me a minute to figure out what I wanted. The kids ordered wings and white rice. The wings were spicy, sweet, their version of bbq. My mother had a vegetable dish in a spicy curry sauce. We all loved the sauce, it was creamy, with a hint of sweet and kick of spice. We all threw it on our rice. I ended up with chicken satay. The chickend was seasoned well and grilled perfectly. I had a little of everybody’s dish. The food came out dish by dish, hot and fast. I would definitely go again, and explore the menu a bit more.

Late dinner date at, The Cardinal

May 31, 2014June 3, 2014 by Brightgirl, posted in Dinner, Restaurants

Sometimes I get these vouchers for places, this was one of them. I don’t need a real excuse to go out and eat. My date on the other hand absolutely did this time. Everyone wins. We got there on time. They have deviled eggs on the menu, I was looking forward to them. They were sold out, first disappointment. I got a kale salad and a pickle plate. I love homemade pickles. This had everything in the jar, carrots, cauliflower, it was good. I got the family fried chicken dinner with mac and cheese and collard greens. My date got steak, mac and cheese and sweet potatoes. Everything was good, chicken came out hot, juicy, crispy ad seasoned enough to not be overwhelmed by flour, collard greens with smoked turkey served with cornbread. The mac was hot and super cheesy. My date had a Cherrwine, his first. The service wasn’t great. If I went back I would for takeout.

Brunch, Black Swan

May 21, 2014June 3, 2014 by Brightgirl, posted in Brunch, Restaurants

I had a two people I know mention this place to me. They both said the mac and cheese was great. I found an available moment and went with my friend, her family and my son. We just beat the brunch rush and were seated right away. The ambiance was rustic, high open ceilings it was nice. That also made it a little loud, though. May not have been the best choice for our crowd, which included children. We ordered drinks first. Somehow they managed to forget mine, I ended up getting it with my meal for free. We were a party of five, the food took longer than what we were expecting. Once it arrived, I had no complaints. My son ordered the full English breakfast, eggs, English pudding, English bacon, fried tomatoes, beans, turkey sausage, black toast, potatoes and mushrooms. It was a lot of food, they all went pretty well together. He couldn’t finish it all. I had chicken and waffles. The waffle was light and had whipped cream on it. I barely needed any syrup, that was great. The chicken was crispy, tasty, lots of flavor and piping hot. We also had two orders of steak and eggs, one with potatoes and one with french fries. The fries were great, I skipped the steak. And finally wings, hot and the mac and cheese. You could smell the heat from the wings on the table, they were good. The mac was served in an individual skillet, I love that. It keeps it hot the whole time. It lived up to its hype, it was hot, melty and the used a smoked gouda, wonderful. My late drink was a ginger beer, it was worth the wait. I would go back, sans children.

Bonus Post!! Eleven 14 Kitchen

May 15, 2014May 23, 2014 by Brightgirl, posted in Dinner, Out of Town, Restaurants

My life has hurdles have been causing me to do lots of things alone. I decided to travel to Connecticut for a staycation. I found a restaurant first and planned my trip around that, cause hey…it’s about the food. A quick Google search gave me a few restaurants. This one stood out the most to me. I went on a Sunday after work, the drive was short and sweet. I called to see if I needed a reservation, she said it wasn’t necessary. I got there a few minutes after 8. The place is actually in the bottom of a boutique hotel. The bar had a quite a few people but the restaurant was pretty empty, I was seated right away. As I walked to my seat I admired the decor. It was designed beautifully. I immediately ordered a margarita, my signature drink. After perusing the menu I decided on pasta with fresh marinara and broccoli and onion rings as my appetizer. The bread basket had breadsticks and bread, served with olive oil. I liked the variety in the basket. The onion rings were thick, light and crispy. The pasta was amazing. Cooked perfectly, fresh black pepper and parmesan cheese on the side. The bowl was layered, broccoli, pasta and sauce. I managed to save room for dessert. My choice was called the Chocolate bar. It was superb. A shortbread cookie with caramel and chocolate. It reminded of a homemade Twix. I would absolutely go again, totally worth the drive.

The chocolate bar!

The layers of it

This chair has a cable knit cover

Chocolat, a night out in Harlem.

April 18, 2014May 23, 2014 by Brightgirl, posted in Dinner, Restaurants

One weekend, I had a moment to myself and I made the most of it. I heard of a spot in Harlem and made my way there. Thankfully there was no wait, I like to make reservations but this was on a whim. I wasn’t moved by the appetizers. They were mostly seafood and I wasn’t in that mood. I ordered a bottle of wine. I ended up with Chardonnay, they didn’t have a bottle of what I originally wanted. I ordered the Emily’s Sweet Fried Chicken. It was served with watermelon salad, corn on the cob and this honey pepper sauce. The chicken was hot, juicy and crispy. That sauce was amazing. Peppery and slightly sweet, a perfect mix. The mint with watermelon salad made it really refreshing. The corn was okay, I would have enjoyed it more if it was warmer. I did not enjoy the service from my waiter. He didn’t seem knowledgeable, he wasn’t informative, luckily the front house staff was great. And more importantly the food was fantastic. Would definitely go back, they have a lounge across the street. Might try that for a different experience.

CRONUT! Again….

April 2, 2014 by Brightgirl, posted in Restaurants

This month’s flavor is Milk and Honey with a touch of Lavender. So yummy!! Last month’s raspberry lychee was okay, the fruit was a little too strong for me. The overall taste of it was still great. This month’s flavor I devoured. The lavender was definitely a taste I was expecting but was delighted with. My sisters were the first ones in, I arrived shortly after. I was still able enjoy the loveliness that is a Cronut. He has a new item, Milk and Cookie. That will be my venture for next month.

Ricardo’s Steak House, birthday dinner

April 1, 2014May 23, 2014 by Brightgirl, posted in Dinner, Drinks, Restaurants

My very dear friend turned 30 this year. She went to Puerto Rico on a couple’s trip, I love that. We got to celebrate upon her return. She is a lover of meat and choose Ricardo’s for her celebratory dinner. I was on time, she was her standard late. I ordered a strawberry Patron margarita, while I waited. In my haste to order I forgot to get salt on my rim, it was great without it. She ordered a pink colada, the waitress warned her it would be weak and wasn’t the best drink. She was absolutely right, it was mediocre. The garlic bread was grilled with butter, it was crisp and warm, great combination. We skipped appetizers, we both have been here before. She ordered the Ricardo’s special platter, skirt steak, pork chop, plantains, mashed potatoes and rice and beans. Although she enjoyed it, it was a lot of food. She shared her plantain and rice and beans with me and still had a plate to go home. I ordered the chicken piccata. It was served with mashed potatoes and grilled veggies. The veggies were great, the mash was okay, it was a little cold. The chicken was amazing, no complaints. It’s a birthday dinner, so there had to be dessert. She ordered cheesecake with fresh strawberries and I ordered the crepe. Her’s came with a firecracker like candle, it was a nice touch. My crepe was more like a burrito filled with an espresso filling, fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream on the side. I was disappointed in my dessert. I am a foodie and was looking forward to the light airy crispness of a crepe. All in all I enjoyed my meal. This was my second time here, I would definitely go again. Next time, I will skip dessert and have a salad instead.

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