Hotel Fiesole

Dec9

There is a little hotel and restaurant in Skippack, PA called Hotel Fiesole. I went there a few times for catered company dinners.
Happy hour started with an assortment of cheeses (Parmesan, Blue, Brie), cream crackers, honey, walnuts, raisins, dates, and apricots, flatbread
with hummus, chips and guacamole, and meatballs. I could not stay away from the Parmesan/honey/crackers. Such a tasty combination! The bar
served beer, wine, and basic liquor drinks (e.g. rum and coke, amaretto sour, gin and juice, gin and tonic, margarita, martini). I asked for pina colada but unfortunately they could not make because they did not have a blender >>imagine my sad face<<. I ended up ordering amaretto

sour and then margarita on the rocks.
When we were called to the dining room, the main course was served buffet style: beef in puff pastry, Parmesan encrusted salmon, green beans with walnuts, mashed potatoes. The food tasted good, but it was not food that I would have preferred if I had ordered my own meal. The quality of the food and the preparation should be applauded though.
My favorite part of the meal was dessert. They had strawberry crunch, mini fruit tarts with vanilla cream filling, chocolate covered strawberries, and brownies with walnuts. The crusts for the mini fruit tarts were thick, buttery, and flakey. The vanilla filling was creamy and the fruit on top was sweet. When I requested hot tea to drink, I like that they brought a small tea pot with hot water and a selection of Mighty Leaf teas.

Overall: The whole experience was classy and the restaurant was what I would call "quaint".

Pascal’s Cafe and Grill – Greenwood SC

Dec9

When I want to treat myself or celebrate a special occasion, one of the places I like to go is Pascal’s This restaurant is considered upscale for Greenwood. They serve French-American style cuisine. Reservations are recommended to make sure you get a table in this small restaurant because they tend to get crowded. Some people have told me that they consider Pascal’s to be pricey, but I have been to other upscale restaurants and their prices are about par for what I expect. That being said, do not try to eat here if you are on a budget because plates average prices are probably about $20.

I am not very adventurous when it comes to trying different plates on their menu because I love the pork osso bucco. The meat is so tender that it falls off the bone. The rosemary demi-glace sauce is a wonderful complement to the mashed potatoes. And the asparagus qualifies as my serving of vegetables for the day because it is served al dente without having the life cooked out of it.

I do not know how many pork osso bucco Pascal cooks each night, but I always try to get there early so that I can get my order before they run out for the night. Pork osso bucco is so delicious that even after I am full, I might try to eat a little more. The only thing that keeps me from stuffing myself is the knowledge that I will be able to eat Crème Brulée for dessert.

Pascal’s Crème Brulée rivals Maggianos. I love the textural differences of the crunch of the burnt, slightly bitter caramelized sugar mixed with the soft, sweet, creamy, vanilla custard. It is like velvet in my mouth.

Overall: The service is good. I have never had a problem with any of the waitstaff. The quality of the pork osso bucco and Crème Brulée has always been top notch for me too.

Senor Chicken – Washington DC

Dec8

Senor Chicken was located in a little strip mall in Langley Park VA. I was hungry and wanted something other than McDonalds or Taco Bell. I found this place while shopping. Incidentally, I saw a lot of restaurants that said they served “Peruvian style chicken” and “Pollo a la brasa” (broiled chicken usually over fire). Of course you know that my mouth was watering at this point.
Since I was with my brother-in-law and his wife, we decided to order a whole chicken. It came with salad and a side. We got rice and beans. The
salad was average- cut up pieces of iceberg lettuce and small wedge of tomato. The rice and beans was well seasoned. I could taste the time and
effort that was put into preparing it.
The reason for the restaurant, the main course, the CHICKEN was delicious! Each piece, regardless if it was white or dark meat, was juicy. The seasoning permeated all parts of the chicken. It even seems as if the bones were seasoned well. It was not overly salty or spicy.

There was a little hint of smokiness since it was cooked over a fire in a brick or stone type of oven. It was served with two types of sauces. I
am guessing that the green sauce was supposed to be spicy. The cream sauce was almost like a thousand island type of sauce. I liked both so
much that I dipped my chicken in both sauces. This is not to say that the meat needed sauce. It did not need any sauce, ketchup, honey mustard
etc. It seemed to be more civilized to eat the sauce with my chicken instead of tipping the cup up to my mouth and drinking the sauce. I
think other customers would have agreed with me.

Overall: The chicken was scrumptious. IF can restrain yourself from eating a whole chicken and you are fortunate enough to have leftovers, the chicken does not lose flavor when it is reheated.

Post Corner Pizza and Restaurant

Dec5

I chose this restaurant because it was walking distance from the hotel where I was staying in Clearwater Beach. This place serves diner food with some Greek and Italian dishes that cost just a little bit above regular diner prices. I suppose location is the reason for the slightly higher prices because it is located on Gulfview directly across from the beach.

I ordered Gyro platter which consisted of Gyro, French fries, and a small Greek salad. It cost $12.25. That was more than I wanted to pay, but I was hungry and did not feel like driving anywhere. The gyro was standard. I was not overly impressed but I was not disappointed either. Of all the varieties of French fries, my least favorite is the steak fry cut. And this is what they served. Needless to say, I ate them but I did not ENJOY them. The Greek salad was good mainly because of the Feta cheese. Love Feta.

I ordered cheesecake ($5.25/slice) for dessert. The cheesecake was rich and creamy as it is supposed to be. I was happy about that because it was a satisfying end to my meal.

Overall: This is a good diner choice if you are staying in Clearwater Beach. I don’t know if I would make a special trip for it.

Post Corner Pizza and Restaurant

431 Gulfview Blvd Clearwater Beach FL

Open 7 days 8:00 am – 11:00pm

****sorry no pictures****

Ben’s Chili Bowl – Washington DC

Dec2

Ben’s Chili Bowl has been a Washington DC landmark forover 50 years. I found out about it from watching No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain on the Travel Channel. This place is famous for chili half-smoke. A half-smoke is a large sausage dog (pork and beef) that is grilled. I chose the vegetarian chili because I don’t like regular chili. My order confused the server because he asked me if I wanted a turkey dog instead. He was probably wondering “Who orders a meaty half-smoke and then smothers it in vegetarian chili?” Answer: I do.

When we arrived at Ben’s Chili Bowl, the line was almost out the door. We were not the only ones looking to sample the famous food. On the wall, there were pictures of the celebrities and dignitaries who have also visited. President Obama and Bill Cosby (he likes the half-smoke) have been there.

As I waited in line, I hoped it was all that I expected it to be, especially since a chili half-smoke was $5.45. Dave ordered a regular chili dog for $3.99. I did not know that they give potato chips with the chili dogs, so I ordered a side of fries also. All the booths and tables were occupied, and I thought we would have to stand and eat. But at the last minute, a family vacated a booth and we were able to sit.
Sitting down, I was undecided how to approach this massive chili half-smoke. Opening wide, I bit into it. There was a snap as if the sausage casing had been perforated, breaking perfectly with my bite (I hate it when the casing does not break cleanly). The veg chili was so hearty and delicious. I thought that there was meat in it, but on further inspections I could see the beans.

This was the best chili sausage dog EVER.

Dave asked if I would have to eat at Ben’s every time we go to DC. I had to admit yes. Suddenly the $5.45 did not seem expensive. This was not a jacked-up price to gouge tourist who want to visit a DC landmark. This was a small price to pay for sausage dog perfection.

Overall: HIGHLY RECOMMEND. The half-smoke is so filling that you might not be able to eat all your fries. I will forgo the fries next time and snack on the chips that come with the half-smoke order.

Ben’s Chili Bowl
1213 U St NW Washington DC 20009
202-667-0909
www.benschilibowl.com