Tag Archive | review

Jamaica Kitchen

Guy Fieri talked about this Jamaican restaurant in Miami Florida on Diners Drive Ins and Dives (http://www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/index.html). Of course I knew the next time I was in MIA, I was going to check it out. The food looked so good on TV.

When I got there, I was surprised that it was smaller than I expected. From the outside, it looked like an unassuming little store next to a Winn Dixie. Unless you know ahead of time, you would not think it was a restaurant. They had retail items like a mini Jamaican Wal-mart in addition to serving food. I wondered how did Guy get his camera crew in there to record the episode. Once I got over the size of the location, I was like a kid in a candy store in overload (see picture).

I got a menu but really wanted one of everything. I ordered curried oxtails (comes with rice and beans, plantain), curry chicken patties, rum cake, and ginger beer. Everything was DELICIOUS. It was just like I imagined it would be. The oxtail meat was falling off of the bones. The pastry dough of the patty was light and flakey. The patty filling was finely minced and full of balanced spicy flavor. To top it off, while I was eating, the owners/cooks came out of the kitchen and stood near the entrance. I approached them and said that I found out about the place from Triple D. They were really nice and friendly. I wanted to ask for a picture, but was too shy (that is saying a lot about me). I told them that I wish they had a restaurant that was closer to where I lived.

This is my type of comfort food and the next time I am in Miami, I am definitely going to eat here.
http://www.jamaicakitchen.com/

Brasa – Raleigh NC

Oct24

Brasa is a Brazilian steakhouse located in Raleigh, NC. This was my first time at a Brazilian rodizio style restaurant. Dinner with the rodizio service was $37.95. They offered other options, but why go to a Brazilian rodizio restaurant and not order the all-you-can-eat meat?

After I was seated and they took my drink order, they explained the set up. I had a rock that was painted red on one side and green on the other side. Green means to keep passing by with over 12 different cuts of meat (pork, beef, lamb, chicken, etc). Red means stop. In addition to the copious amounts of meat that was being offered, there was an extensive salad bar. I did look over the bar just to see what was being offered. I picked over one plate of food, and since I was there for the meat, I did not want to fill up on salad, rice, and bread.

My rock show GREEN and I was ready to eat. At this point, the service was a little slow. I am guessing it was because they had to cook the food. I am not sure. Maybe the time passed slower because I was so hungry. It seemed like I was waiting a long time to eat. It was not as I imagined, person after person passing by the table with different meats. The waiter would come with chicken and ask if I wanted some. If so, he would slice a piece for me. Then he would move on to the next table. Five or ten minutes later, he would come by again with another meat. One time he came by with chicken hearts. I decided to leave that alone. He was stingy with the lamb, slicing very small slivers (see picture). I kept asking him for more until he gave me what I thought was a sufficient amount.

When I was at the point that I felt I had enough, I turned my rock over to RED. Then the waitress asked if we wanted dessert. Grilled pineapple coated with cinnamon sugar was served. The caramelization of the grilled sugar gave the pineapple a little crunch exterior. On the inside, it was warm and juicy. I never had grilled pineapple before, but it was a satisfying end to a delicious meal.

They are little stingy when serving the meat, but if I kept asking for more, they kept cutting. They were also slow to come around with the more expensive cuts. Everytime I turned around, they were trying to serve chicken and sausage. This was another reason why I tried to get what I wanted when they had it because I did not want to have to wait a long time for them to return. Overall, I would eat here again.

SuckerPunch

Oct18

First of all, I have to say that SuckerPunch is a very interesting movie. It is a series of dream sequences within dreams because the real world is too unbearable to face. Through these dreams, one of the five girls finds the strength to cope with her situation and fight.

The main character Babydoll is placed in a mental institution by her stepfather. It is implied that he cause her mother’s death. After reading the will, the mother bequeaths everything to her daughters. In a drunken rage, he goes after Babydoll but decides to do evil things to her younger sister instead. Again, all of this is implied by his facial expressions. In a freak accident, she kills her sister while trying to save her. As a result, she ends up in a mental institution. Her stepfather has paid an orderly to schedule a lobotomy The rest of the story deals with her will to fight.

And this is where people might start to get confused. The scene changes from the mental institution and Babydoll is a dancer for shady club. Here is where you are introduced to the other girls. And while in that dream world, she is goes into another dream world that is more action packed. She, with her teammates, have to complete challenges that will result in their freedom.

I know guys will probably choose this movie because of the scantily dressed girls and all the action. More than that, it is ultimately a smart movie, meaning you need to listen to the dialogue to understand how everything ties together. Otherwise, it is a incongruous story line that jumps from scene to scene until an unsatisfying end.

If you want to buy the movie, click here. I recommend it.

Peek Intimate Dressing

Sep20

As I mentioned in a post on my other blog, after I tried the useless genie bra, I got my money back to head over to Peek Intimate. From the first time that I visited this establishment, I knew I was going to love this place. Bras, bras, and more bras. Now, before you think that I am not used to going to stores and seeing pretty bras, get that notion out of your head. In my less endowed days, knew all of Vicky’s secrets. As I grew a more womanly shaped body, their bras were not offered in my size (insert my sad face here).

But here, Megan let me know that she carries lingerie lines that were for bigger bust, full figured women. I LOVE IT!!! I bought 2 comfortable, cute, sexy that fit me perfectly. No ill fitting genie bra or playtex offered here.

Greenwood SC finally has a lingerie boutique. This place is classy and offers styles that you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.

Jacks Cosmic Dog

Sep19

<> Jack’s Cosmic Dog
I went to Jack’s Cosmic Dog in Mt Pleasant specifically because it was featured on Food Network “Best thing I ever ate” for their gourmet hot dogs. Because of the way that Alton Brown described this eating experience, I was expecting to be wow-ed but left there saying “Eh” and wanted some of my money back. To understand my disappointment, let me dissect the layers of this dog and tell you why I felt it fell short of my high expectations.
1. BUN- The bun was too big for the hot dog. The first bite was mostly bun and I actually took it out of my mouth see if there was any meat in the bite. There was not (visualize my sad face here). Because there was so much bread, I was not able to get the real flavor of the sweet potato mustard. It seemed to be totally absorbed by the bread.
2. HOT DOG WIENER- The hot dog wiener was a boiled basic all beef frank. Nothing special. I was expecting grilled perfection. It was as if I made it at home. I boil my hot dog franks because I do not use the grill (but I digress). Boiling is fine for regular hot dogs, but when I am paying extra for GOURMET…well that is a different story. If I was to chart my expectation level, the more that I pay is directly related to the how much I pay. If I pay $1 for a hot dog, I am not expecting much and I do not mind a boiled dog. If I pay $4 for a hot dog, I pretty much expect grilled, crispy skin with a snap when I bite into it.
3. BLUE CHEESE SLAW- This was the crowning achievement of this hot dog. I like cole slaw and I like blue cheese, so the combination worked for me. The cabbage was crisp and tasted as if it was freshly cut. The ratio of cabbage to cream was also balanced. It was not heavy, wet slaw but there was enough cream to hold the slaw together well. The slaw had a little tart bite because of the blue cheese but it was not overpowering. I wish I could just order this cole slaw and put on my own homemade hot dogs.
4. SWEET POTATO MUSTARD- At first glance it looked like honey mustard. From what I could taste of this (extracted from the copious amounts of bread) it did not taste like anything special. Maybe if there had been more of it, I would have a different opinion.

Final thoughts: It was tasty but not OMG-forsake-all-other-hot-dogs good. I can say that I went there, but I do not have to eat there the next time I visit Charleston.