Tag Archive | review

Yuet Lee – Chinatown San Francisco CA

This is one of the many Chinese restaurants inChinatown. We chose this restaurant because (1) it was midnight- theyclose at 3 am on Friday and Saturday nights (2) we were hungry and (3)it was walking distance from our hotel.

First of all, no egg rolls served at this establishment. So don’t ask! It surprised me because I thought that eggrolls were a Chinese food staple. I thought the waiter did not understand what I was talking about. He did understand and, shaking his head emphatically, was telling me "No egg roll here".

I ordered spareribs with tender greens rice plate. I wanted BBQ ribs but did not realize that was not what I ordered. In any case it was a great value for $6.25 and there was enough food for two people. Dave and I shared this.

The ribs were cooked well and have a brown gravy covering it all. The greens were bok choy (I think). I cannot explain the flavors because
there is nothing to compare to it. It was delicious though. It was not spicy so I added Siracha chili sauce.

The wait staff were nice enough. The guy that took our order seemed to be no nonsense, taking his job more seriously than I thought necessary. He made sure our drink glasses were filled at all times and he was very attentive, so that was fine by me.

As we walked by the counter when we left, I saw all the comments about the fame of Yuet Lee as it was rated one of the city’s best seafood restaurants. Had I known that, I would have probably order seafood instead of ribs. Go figure. At least I know for next time.

Yuet Lee
1300 Stockton Str San Francisco, CA 94133

Genos Philly Steaks

Nov28

There is a great debate among people who profess to be Philly cheesesteak aficionados- Geno’s or Pat’s. Located at opposing corners in Philly, it would be easy to buy from both and do a true taste comparison. Well I only had the opportunity to try one and it seemed to me that Geno’s restaurant looked better.

I had high expectations because the best Philly chicken cheesesteak (I know that for the purist, chicken does not count but beef turns my stomach) I ever had was in NY at 99 miles from Philly. It was so delicious, it was "This is the BEST" **drop mic** good. Period.

I say this to set up how I expected Philly to be able to do it better than NYC. After all, Philly cheesesteak started in Philly, right? First
of all, neither Geno’s or Pat’s had chicken. >>Picture my sad face<< They did have pork. Okay, I like pork so I began to perk up. When I
ordered, they asked me if I wanted cheese whiz. Maybe my taste buds are too refined, but I cringe at the thought of eating fake, plastic looking cheese. I pass on that unless I am ordering nachos at the bowling alley (tastes buds give me a pass on that one- that is just the way it is, I don’t make the rules).

When I got my sandwich, the first thing that I noticed was how soft the bread was on the inside. The bread was perfect for me. The meat, on the other hand, was very dry. I thought to myself, "Maybe that is why the people drown the sandwich in wiz, so as not to have all the moisture in their mouths absorbed by the dry meat." I added the sweet peppers (see picture) and that helped a little bit. In the end, I slathered a lot of ketchup on my sandwich to make it palatable. My friend had the Philly cheesesteak (made with beef) and she was not impressed either. She said the meat was dry to her.

Overall, I was disappointed. The bread was really good but could not make up for the overcooked, dried out pork. It is my opinion that the
meat should be the star of the sandwich and everything else should complement it. But I think that the great Philly cheesesteak debate
continues to rage on. And if I can get to Philly again, I want to try Pat’s. And in the meantime, I need to get to NYC for the best Philly
chicken cheesesteak EVER.

Milanos Greek and Italian – Pelzer SC

Nov28

I went to Milano’s because there was no other restaurant around and I was hungry. There were no cars in the parking lot and I had low expectations of the place. I expected it to be a dive with mediocre food. Since they serve Italian and Greek food, I figured that there was not too much that they could mess up with that. Spaghetti is usually easy to cook. With enough hot sauce, I could make the marinara sauce palatable if I needed to do so.

The menu looked good, but keep in mind I was hungry too.

I ordered the Slovaki (know I spelled that incorrectly) chicken, steamed vegetables, pita bread with a Greek side salad topped with blue cheese dressing. Might as well live on the edge and try something different. It was so good. The chicken tasted as if it had been marinating for days in the liquid seasoning. The seasoning was heavy, but not overpowering, on Mediterranean spices. The Greek salad was mainly iceberg lettuce with 2 black olives and a pepperonicini. I would have preferred more olives but that is because I like their briny flavor. I had the option to get the steamed veggies or the greek potatoes. I am glad went with the veggies because I think that the potatoes and the pita bread would have been too much starch for one meal. The veggies tastes as if they might have been cooked in the same marinade as the chicken so they were full of flavor too.

The plate serving was more than enough food for me. I had to fight the urge to overstuff myself because the food was so appetizing.

Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant. Do not let the empty parking lot fool you. Their food is awesome.

Milanos Greek and Italian

508 Highway 8 East Pelzer, SC 29669

City In Review: Las Vegas

Nov23

Whether you are a single person who wants to party or a parent who wants to enjoy time with your family, Las Vegas has something for everyone.

If you do not care about staying off the Strip, the Orlean is a location and they have family activities like a cinema on site.

If you want to stay on the strip, here are some suggestions

Caesar’s Palace, Venetian, Bellagio – All their rooms look like luxury. If you are trying to go to Vegas on the cheap, you probably will not be able to afford to stay here. They have deals sometimes, but these hotels are usually going to be the higher priced options.

MGM (My favorite) – All of their rooms clean, neat, look like new. You can find rooms at affordable rates without worrying that the quality will be similar to a Super 8 or Motel 6. I have stayed here for as low are $59/night.

At the Stratosphere, Excalibur, Luxor, Tropicana and Circus Circus, it is best to stay away from the cheapest rooms they have to offer. Most of the time, the cheaper rooms have not been renovated as the premium rooms. Those rooms could be on par to rooms you might find at a Super 8 or Motel 6. I pay the extra few dollars for the upgrade instead of taking a chance on the quality of the room.

When deciding on a hotel, check what coupon books you receive with your room. Most likely you will receive discount coupons for hotel stores and restaurants. For example, Stratosphere offered a coupon for a free pass to the observation deck which was a $13 savings. Many of the hotel restaurants have 2-for-1 offers or hotel credit too.

Wherever you stay, Saturday night is probably going to have the most expensive room rate. Many shows have “dark” days when they are not performing, so keep that in mind when planning what days you are going to be in the city.

There is a lot to do in Vegas. You can go shopping, pamper yourself in the spa, try out different celebrity chefs’ restaurants, visit museums, or see one of the many shows. Any time of day or night, there is fun to be found.

If you are not going to rent a car, you will probably not leave the strip. If you rent a car during your stay, do not worry about parking because many places have valet parking. Be nice and tip the hard working people though. Whatever you do, make sure you have comfortable shoes. There are taxis, buses and a monorail, but everything is farther than it appears. It might seem close, but after walking for 20 minutes and you have still not reached your destination, you begin to realize that.

Also with a car, you have to plan a day to ride to the Hoover Dam. It is only about an hour away and worth every minute. Since you are so close, it is also worth the drive to go to the Grand Canyon too. Be prepared to spend close to $50 for entrance to the Hualapai Indian Reservation Grand Canyon West to see the Grand Canyon. The tourist trap of a skywalk is located here and you can walk on it for an additional $29.95. The Grand Canyon may be breathtaking, but I was still grumbling about the entry fee. It seemed to be excessive to me.

Since I love desserts, I have to go by Freed’s Bakery every time I am in Vegas and get some of their wedding cake (white cake with strawberries and Bavarian cream between the layers and buttercream on top).

Overall, Vegas is a fun town and there is something for every budget. It is not all about playing in the casino. There is no doubt that Vegas is an extremely commercialized that is designed to get you to spend your money, but there are ways to spend as much or as little as you want. Whether on or off the Strip, you can have a great time. And remember “What happens in Vegas, STAYS in Vegas”

Kickers – Greenwood SC

Nov23

This is a small restaurant that is known in Greenwood SC for big flavors. There are a lot quirky flavor combinations that look questionable on paper but are delicious in execution. I call them gourmet burgers with international flavor.
My favorite flavor combination is the Caribbean turkey burger which pairs jerk seasoning and pineapple in the ground turkey meat. The burger is moist, savory from the spices, but with a hint of sweetness from the pineapple.
They also serve a pimiento cheeseburger that is DELICIOUS and full of cheese goodness!!!
Various sides include but are not limited to pasta salad or fries. If you do order the onion rings, prepare to share since it is too much for most people.
Each day, they serve different types of soup. The sweet potato soup is very good. The gumbo is a little spicy but delicious. You can always ask for a sample before deciding which one is best. Whether it is a sample, cup or bowl of soup, be careful because the soup temperature will be HOT and could burn your tongue if you eat it too fast.
Kickers is mainly open for lunch. Come early (11.30am) or late (after 1pm) if you do not want to wait for a seat. Since the location is small, it does not take many people to fill up the place.
The service is good. The wait staff was attentive and kept my drink glass full while I was waiting for my food.
Prepare to spend about $10 on lunch. Before you balk at the price, know that it is worth it.