I know – its been too long since I’ve posted anything and I’m sorry! School, work, and the holidays kicked my butt. I’m going to do my best to blog as much between now and the beginning of next semester, I promise! (If anyone at all even cares.)  Here’s a little restaurant review I’ve been meaning to post!

My husband and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on September 6, 2011.  Being that we both love food and drinks, it is quickly becoming our tradition that we go out somewhere really fantastic to eat in honor of our special day.  This year we chose to go out for sake and sushi and ended up at Yama Zakura.

Yama Zakura is located at 369 West Main Street in Northboro, in a little plaza that doesn’t look like much from the outside. Once you step in the restaurant though you wouldn’t even know you were in the suburbs.  The restaurant expanded not long ago, opening up the place and creating a whole new atmosphere.  The decor is modern yet cozy with the lighting keeping the place casual yet sophisticated. Honestly I felt like I was in an establishment in Boston, not Northborough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now on to the reason we went to this establishment – sake and sushi!! Let me sum it up in this way – My husband said he will have difficulty going any other sushi place because all others pale in comparison to Yama Zakura.  We started with some edamame – a staple in any sushi outing if you ask me. Then for the main event we ordered four rolls – the rainbow, the Jennifer, the good life, and the volcano.  The Jennifer roll was one of the most delicious sushi rolls I’ve ever eaten!! Consisting of tempura sweet potato, avocado, cucumber, and topped with sweet potato, avocado, panko and Zakura sauce, this roll was an explosion of flavor that has yet to leave my mind or taste buds! The good life was a little roll of heaven with spicy tuna (I’m a raw tuna addict), and cucumber wrapped in more tuna and topped with panko, tobiko, and Zakura sauce. The rainbow and volcano, two common rolls my husband loves, were both fresh and delightful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We both had sake and Sapporo to wash down the delicious fish but opted for no dessert because honestly we were both so full I don’t think we could’ve fit anything else in! The bill was high but for two things of sake a piece, two appetizers, and four rolls I wouldn’t expect any less. Plus for sushi this good I was willing to pay!! The waitstaff was on their game and while the restaurant noise carried it didn’t bother me or force me to scream to speak to my husband.

If you are a sushi lover and haven’t tried Yama Zakura in Northborough yet I strongly suggest you plan a night out. There’s a reason that Anna, the owner, has been voted best chef by the readers of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette the last two years! Run, don’t walk, to Yama Zakura. I wouldn’t steer you in the wrong direction!

Pizza. What’s not to love.  Carbs, gooey cheese, and I’ll even acknowledge the veggie portion of the tomato sauce. While I love the traditional cheese pizza as much as anyone, I also love to try different varieties of pies. So when I saw an episode of Man vs. Food that showed off Bob & Timmy’s Legendary Pizza I hightailed it on down there from Central Massachusetts to see just how legendary it was.

Bob & Timmy’s is located at 32 Spruce Street in Providence, RI.  It is nestled in the quaint area known as Federal Hill. With an over abundance of restaurants to choose from it may seem like a difficult decision on where to eat. I can tell you one thing though – if you want friendliness, a cool atmosphere, and GREAT pizza then you want to head to Bob & Timmy’s.

The big deal about the pizza here is that it is thin crust and grilled on an open wood fire. The result is phenomenal. The crust is thin and upon first sight of the pizza we didn’t think we would be able to pick it up without all the toppings falling off. We were wrong. The crust was crispy and held the whole pie together perfectly!

One of the pies they are most famous for is the Spinach & Mushroom pie. It consists of sauteed mushrooms, spinach, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan, Romano and Feta cheese. Now, if you are like me, the idea of the Feta throws you off immediately. Having said that – just ignore that there is Feta on it and get this pizza. The combination of the cheese flavors with the spinach & mushrooms bursts in your mouth awakening all of your senses.

We also tried the grilled chicken pizza – grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, pomodoro sauce, Parmesan, Romano and Gorgonzola cheeses topped with parsley.  Equally as good as the spinach pie, this one really made my mouth happy. I’m a huge fan of pomodoro sauce and this one was fresh and tangy. The combination of cheeses again is an art that Bob & Timmy’s has mastered – they know just the right ones to top a pie with that compliment all the ingredients.

If you are indecisive (as my husband and I were this night) you can get a pie half & half. Pick two pizzas and they’ll make half of each. Does it get better than that?

The restaurant serves beer & wine and they have an excellent little patio on the side that is shaded by trees and provides a nice al fresco experience. If you like to people watch while enjoying delicious food then this is the place to sit. The inside was clean but small and it can get crowded by the front door if there is a wait. The servers were friendly and the patrons were too! We ended up chatting with a couple of people we were sitting beside.

Prices were very reasonable for the quality of the food. We had a total of four beers, a house salad (that was gigantic), and the half & half pizza and with tip our total came to $50. Plus we went home with some pizza – lunch for the next day!

The place packs them in so if you want to go and not have a wait I suggest getting there between 4 & 5. When we left around 7 the line was out the door for a table! Overall this restaurant exceeded my expectations. You can’t go wrong when you receive service with a genuine smile and food that jolts your tastebuds back from the dead. We left with a happy belly and a feeling of contentment – nothing wrong with that.

I love Italian food. I could eat pasta every day of the week. And don’t even get me started about my obsession with basil (I seriously eat the leaves on their own). So when my sister told me about this quaint little Italian restaurant that she found where she lives, I knew I had to have her take me there when I went to visit. Consider this my love letter to PT.

PT is located at 331 Bedford St. in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn. As a bonus, you can walk down Bedford and browse the funky little shops they have which will help you work up an appetite! We walked into the restaurant, past a few tables right by the open windows, and down a couple of steps into the establishment. I immediately fell in love the with place (and all without seeing the menu yet)! Its dimly lit with small candles on each table & the bar. The tables are all a dark wood which fits in nicely with the rest of the place. There is a brick walll and a fireplace that has tiny Christmas lights lit in it. The bar is sleek & clean and very inviting.  You really can’t help but feel at home in this establishment.

So lets discuss the most important thing – the FOOD! All I can really say is OH MY GOD. I don’t think I will ever have Italian this good, unless I actually decide to hop a flight to Italy. The meal always starts with imported, organic goat cheese flown in from Italy. You also get a basket of bread & seasoned oil, along with these wafer crisp, almost potato chip like things that I have yet to ask about but I should because they are addicting! Between the cheese & bread, I could easily fill up quickly on just that and wine.

I’ve actually eaten at PT 3 times in the past 3 months (yes, I visit NY as often as possible)!  Each time I’ve had something different and each time I’ve been completely floored by the excellence of the food. On my first visit I had the rigatoni bolognese. I’m picky about my sauce and this did not disappoint. The sauce had a nice zest and you could tell the meat was very fresh! This isn’t sauce that sits around for months on end. I’ve also had the spaghetti pomodoro, which comes with fresh mozzarella & fresh basil (refer back to the first paragraph and know my excitement of this feature). Perfect dish and I ate the whole thing, leaving satisfied but not feeling disgustingly full! Last dish I tried was the tagliolini all’emiliana – a nice homemade pasta with ham, peas, parmigiano & a cream sauce. It is so rich and creamy with flavor exploding on your taste buds from the first bite to the last!

I’ve also had the caprese salad and the calamari. Both excellent starters that will not disappoint. If you save room for dessert, make sure you get the tiramisu. It is one of the BEST tiramisu’s I’ve had…period. The sweet flavor isn’t overbearing and I believe they use something other than lady fingers in their recipe. Its light & fluffy yet decadent with that lovely espresso soaked kick. Trust me…get the tiramisu when you go.

The food, the service, the ambience – you couldn’t ask for a better place to eat. I am taking my husband there in a few weeks for his first time. I almost feel guilty that I’ve eaten there three times without him. With food that good though I can try to erase that guilt though.

Mangia!

 

So the hubby & I went and enjoyed the day in Boston yesterday. Started off by participating in the AIDS Walk Boston – what a great day for it & a great turn out! We personally raised $470 – not my goal but still good none the less. After the 6 mile walk we were slightly hungry & parched. I had heard of Vapiano’s on the TV show Phantom Gourmet so we decided to check it out.

The restaurant is located where the old Bennigans used to be down in the theatre district. They completely remodeled the place & it looks great! Clean, crisp, & modern. Inside there is a tree – which is a very cool look. They also have doors that open up to outdoor seating. Since it was 70 & sunny with a nice breeze we chose to sit outside. In New England you take it when you can get it. The tables were clean & surrounded by a border of plants which slightly separated you from the sidewalk – a very nice touch. If you go to Vapiano’s & its nice out I highly recommend you sit outside!

The restaurant concept is a little different. You are handed a menu & plastic credit card upon arrival. You then proceed to the station of what you would like to eat & order there from the chef. There is pizza, paninis, pasta, salads, & appetizers. One of the best things about this place is that all of the pasta is made fresh there, a key selling point for me when picking an Italian restaurant. You pick your pasta & what you would like on it. My husband got the chicken alfredo with fusilli pasta and I chose tagliatelle with pomodoro & mozzarella. We also ordered a bruschetta trio. You order, tap your card, and they send you on your way with a buzzer for when your food is ready.

You then proceed to the bar (if you are choosing to drink, and really why wouldn’t you be!). Same deal here – order, tap the card & the bartender provides you with your beverage of choice. We ordered a bottle of red and the bartender brought it out to us at our table, opened it and made sure it was to our liking. That was one of the best things about this restaurant – you don’t lack for staff service because it is somewhat of a self serve restaurant. Our bartender was so nice and we chit chatted with him for so long, that he actually went & got our food & delivered it to us! He went above and beyond my expectations as far as service.

The food – bellisimo!! So fresh & so good. The restaurant has fresh basil plants throughout it at each table that you can pick leaves off of for your dish. I can’t tell you how happy this made me & also how rare it is to come across!!!

The prices were reasonable too! Our total bill came to about $70 for the two pasta dishes, bruschetta, a bottle of wine, an additional glass of wine, and two mixed drinks. With tip we spent about $80. For what we got I thought that was reasonable.

Our entire experience – ambience, service, food & beverage – were all above my expectations. I was 100% satisfied with our dining experience and even though I live an hour away, I will definitely be returning! Check it out if you ever are in the area! You won’t be disappointed.