After doing my homework before vacation, I decided to try authentic Island Food at Goldie's, being that it had the highest ratings and most positive reviews. As we are driving there we pass Twin Brothers, where we ate on our last trip, and the line is out the door.. Good sign, right?
We come upon Goldie's and there's not a soul near the place. We get out, get closer, look around and now I am apprehensive about going further. It looks like a real dump. No one is saying a word, but I know they're thinking, where the heck did she take us to this time?
I get closer to the inside window and say, I am not so sure we should go in here. No one's around, it looks dingy. I venture in and indeed there are a few people inside. The waitress asks if we want a table inside or outside, we decide in cause it was freezing in there. We go out back and there's no table, no chairs, no nothing. Now, we are laughing, out of confusion, not funny things.
We come back in and decide to sit in the front of the restaurant where there's 3 tables with mismatched chairs and a fan. I figure my group is gonna kill me.. But brave ones that we are, we open the menus and start ordering. First up, the conch salad, served cold with tomato, celery, garlic, lemon & olive oil. Fantastic..
Next dish, conch soup. Creamy, tasty, thick and delicious.. We are on a roll.. Next we ordered the conch fritters. I don't usually eat fried food but I had to stop myself from eating more of these delicious little balls of dough & conch with a great spicy dipping sauce of probably mayo & ketchup and some other unknown condiments. Don't care, it was great.
The main dishes were Grilled Local Red Snapper which came wrapped in foil with assorted veggies and plantains in the most delicate, delicious, flavorful broth ever.. Okay, so it wasn't really grilled as we know it, but it was absolutely fabulous. Fresh as can be. And it was $13 with a side of rice and peas.
We had the pork chop stir fry which was again, fantastically prepared and perfectly cooked. The grilled shrimp was cooked, again, in foil with assorted veggies & plantains, same delicious broth. And I had to try the Mac N Cheese, cause the Island people, to me, make it the best. True to form, I loved it. The others in my group weren't crazy about it, but I did enjoy it. The sides, rice n peas, cole slaw, potato salad, all homemade and amazing.
So, the moral of the story is, this was a great, great restaurant and i am glad we weren't too scared away by the looks of it on the outside, cause we truly would have missed a fantastic meal. Oh, yeah, as the saying goes, "don't judge a book by its cover."
Jill-icious Food Adventures
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
The Meatball Shop. Gimmicky to me.
Sliders.. One bite and it's gone. |
My friend Joyce was dying to try this place and after hearing/reading so much about it on TV, magazine articles, foodie things, I wanted to go too. We decide to go pretty early on Saturday evening, making sure we got in. I get to the front of the place, packed already. The hostess asks for my name and cell number. She informs me she will send a text confirming that we were there and another text when our table was ready. I like it.. very cool, very techno efficient. We had a 25 min wait, as estimated by the hostess.
So, we go inside, there's stools at the counter on the right and table on the left. A pretty small place that I think holds maybe 40. There's an open kitchen, music and a bustling staff. We get the menus and boy are they confusing. Our waitress comes over, very nice, pleasant girl. She attempts to explain the confusion and really makes it worse, I think. They have erasable markers on the tables for you to mark right on the menu your choices. Ok. All 6 of us, pretty bright women, with the exception of one genius, figure it out.
Roasted cauliflower. Bland. |
No sauce, unappetizing spaghetti, agreed? |
Too dry, tiny portion, no flavor. |
Meatball hero with side salad. |
So here we go. There are naked meatballs that come 4 to a dish, you pick from beef, spicy pork, chicken, vegetable or the special of the day, which was lamb. It comes with a side salad for $7.
You can have sliders at $3 each (top picture), again, picking your ball and sauce. The sauces are marinara, spicy meat, mushroom gravy, parmesan cheese or pesto. You can order a hero on white italian or whole wheat, same set up, pick your sauce and ball, but there's the mozzarella or provolone for the top and a side salad for $9 You can have them over a salad. Why is beyond me. You can have 2 balls smashed on a brioche bun with a side salad for $8, also with the cheese.
Excellent polenta |
Just meatballs with sauce |
The sauces were just ok too. The pesto was very good though. The Polenta really was the best thing I tasted here besides the dessert. The hero bread was crappy. All the great bread makers in NYC, there is no reason for crappy italian bread. One of my dining companions, Patty, opted for the special balls of the day, which was lamb with Tzatziki sauce, couscous and a salad, (below). It looked great and she was quite pleased.
Chocolate Chip cookie with vanilla ice cream |
Strawberry lavender ice cream. Yummy. |
All in all, the idea of this place evidently is genius. Packed day and night. Why? I think cause it's sort of fun, at least to the crowd of mostly late 20s and 30s people. But the food all in all, not impressed, not so great.
I know at least 5 people on Staten Island who make those meatballs at The Meatball Shop taste like dog food. I am not saying it's dog food, but these friends of mine who make meatballs, theirs are just far superior. t
The bill arrives, they took off a few of our ball dishes, desserts were free.. Smart business people.
I gotta get a meatball truck or something. People eat anything.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Pizzeria Giove.. Pizza worth staying on the Island for.
My third trip to Giove sealed the deal.. The pizza is truly fantastic. The plain & simple margherita pie has a very thin, crunchy crust while the fresh mozzarella (made daily on premises) has a soft, creamy & just a tad of salt taste. The sauce is the boss, just the way I like it, a little sweet and a really true tomato flavor. SAN MARZANO, the only way to go.
I don't usually order specialty pies, but they have so many tempting ones that next trip I am gonna try two different ones and get back to you on them.
We ordered mussels marinara and an arugula salad for appetizer. The mussels were cooked perfectly and the sauce tasted like mine.. No bull...
A nice full glass of Chianti and I was in.. for 4 slices that is.. Brick oven pizza like it should be.
I can't say enough about Pizzeria Giove.. well, maybe, I can.. I can't wait to get back there. PRONTO.
Pizzeria Giove
278 New Dorp Lane
347-286-0635
Hours:
Sunday - Thursday,
10:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday,
10:30 a.m. until late-night closing.
I don't usually order specialty pies, but they have so many tempting ones that next trip I am gonna try two different ones and get back to you on them.
We ordered mussels marinara and an arugula salad for appetizer. The mussels were cooked perfectly and the sauce tasted like mine.. No bull...
The salad was okay. It needed some more shaved parmigiano and a bit more olive oil.
White pie with broccoli rabe.. I opted for no sausage tonight.. It was fantastic anyway.
The crust is impeccable.
I can't say enough about Pizzeria Giove.. well, maybe, I can.. I can't wait to get back there. PRONTO.
Pizzeria Giove
278 New Dorp Lane
347-286-0635
Hours:
Sunday - Thursday,
10:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday,
10:30 a.m. until late-night closing.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Seaside Turkish Mediterranean, Staten Island
I love, love, love Middle Eastern food. Whether it be Greek, Turkish, Lebanese, it's all good to me.
I have been to Seaside before and thought it just to be okay. Passable. But I was dying for some Middle Eastern food and didn't want to travel, so I figured I'd give it another try.
We get there at 6pm on a Wednesday and the place is packed.. Promising? Maybe.
We receive the menus and the choices are many and sounding delicious. Then I notice a large Italian menu with pizza. Really? I figured at this point, maybe not so promising. Not a good idea to advertise your Turkish restaurant and then feature Italian food and different kinds of pizza.
I much prefer Sahara, Turkish, in Bklyn, or Elia, Greek, also in Bklyn. But this is five minutes from my house.
We order the Shepherd Salad which I love. Once again, it falls short. Not even the shredded feta could save the salad, nor the freshly baked bread, which to me, was not freshly baked. It was decent, but not hot out of the oven. The salad needed salt and perhaps some lemon. I do not want to add things to my food in a restaurant. If it's good food, you shouldn't have to do anything but eat and enjoy...
Seaside
I have been to Seaside before and thought it just to be okay. Passable. But I was dying for some Middle Eastern food and didn't want to travel, so I figured I'd give it another try.
We get there at 6pm on a Wednesday and the place is packed.. Promising? Maybe.
We receive the menus and the choices are many and sounding delicious. Then I notice a large Italian menu with pizza. Really? I figured at this point, maybe not so promising. Not a good idea to advertise your Turkish restaurant and then feature Italian food and different kinds of pizza.
I much prefer Sahara, Turkish, in Bklyn, or Elia, Greek, also in Bklyn. But this is five minutes from my house.
We order the Shepherd Salad which I love. Once again, it falls short. Not even the shredded feta could save the salad, nor the freshly baked bread, which to me, was not freshly baked. It was decent, but not hot out of the oven. The salad needed salt and perhaps some lemon. I do not want to add things to my food in a restaurant. If it's good food, you shouldn't have to do anything but eat and enjoy...
Next we had the grilled calamari, at $8 a serving. And after counting the rings, there was 7, 7 rings of calamari. I have never seen such a small portion of calamari in my life.. And again, it was just okay. I didn't think it was worth a photo, so I didn't take it.. But I should have.
The mixed salad looked great, came with craisins,, walnuts and cheese, but the dressing was bland. It wasn't awful. Just needed something, again.
I will say that the chicken shish kebob was very very good. The chicken was flavorful and moist, the rice pilaf was delicious as well. The accompaniments, the red cabbage slaw with slice red onion and the grilled tomato and pepper also were very tasty and the flavors all complimented one another, especially when adding the tzatziki sauce.
The beef kabob also was good, but the vegetables on the side were mostly red & green peppers that were sauteed and it really didn't go with the dish.
So, basically, if you are on Staten Island and have a jones for some Turkish food and you don't want to travel, this will suffice. But if you prefer really great Turkish food, head on into Brooklyn.
Seaside
Turkish Restaurant
124 Ocean Ave., Staten Island, NY 10305 Ph: 718 556 9000
Friday, June 1, 2012
Watermark Asbury Park
Polenta Cakes |
Spicy seared Ahi Tuna |
Chicken Quesadilla |
Waldorf Chicken Sliders with shoestring fries |
The service, the food, the drinks, the locale, all told was a great night out and we can't wait to go back. They have outside seating as well, if you prefer, also loungy (couches, large comfy seats), cocktail tables. It's great for groups and you can spend hours there just having a great time.
Watermark
800 Ocean Avenue Asbury Park, NJ 07712 |
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Aurora Restaurant, Williamsburgh, Brooklyn, NY
As you enter the restaurant you almost feel like you could be in a Tuscany spot in Italy. There's an outside area as well, really nice atmosphere, albeit you're in a Brooklyn yard. SMILE.
We ordered a bottle of Chianti, $48. Excellent choice. Smooth, soft, nice flavor. The first bottle we ordered was a Nero D'Avola which was very acidy so we sent it back. Not a problem.
We had a very nice waitress who gave us the specials and we were oohing and aahing at them all.
Crostini |
Gorgonzola & Cauliflower croquettes |
There were so many tempting choices for entrees that I was in a dilemma.. Well, I had to go with my
The next pasta dish that I tasted, compliments of one of my dining companions, and I tasted everyone's, is the Agnolotti ai Porcini, which is similar to ravioli, but different shaped. It was stracchino cheese and porcini filled pasta with asparagus and preserved lemon. Absolutely delicious. The flavors all melded together in a very soft, smooth yet savory dish. Again, just a drop more on the plate would be perfect.
The next pasta dish was a spaghetti frutta di mare which was just exceptional. It wasn't a traditional thick red sauce smothering fish. This was a light blend of tomatoes, but not a tomato sauce, and there was shrimp, clams, mussels and fresh, real crabmeat. Wonderful flavors, loved this twist on an old favorite.
The final pasta is a familiar dish, again with a different twist. Homemade large rigatoni wheat pasta with roasted eggplant, tomato, buffalo mozzarella and pesto. The best pasta a la Norma ever.
The desserts, each of them that we shared, were just magnificent.
AFFOGATO. Gelato rolled in chopped hazelnuts and chocolate, then drowned in espresso.. What a surprisingly delicious experience.
CHEESCAKE with grain, ricotta and a caramel sauce.
The desserts were of a really nice size portion. Wish I could say the same for the apps and entrees. But still, all in all, I'd go back in a second.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Jill-icious Food Adventures: The Office in Cabo.. on Playa Medano
Jill-icious Food Adventures: The Office in Cabo.. on Playa Medano: The Office restaurant is centrally located on Playa Medano in CABO San Lucas, Mexico. What a delightful night out with great drinks, live ...
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