Angela "Susie Babymaker" P.'s Profile

Fred, Milo and I went here after our friend's son's baptism for dinner.  I had never been tempted to try this place because of what it looks like from the outside...but this is definitely one of those classic cases where you should NOT judge a book by it's cover!!!!  The food here was excellent!  The decor...well...it's basically like the outside...kind of blah...but that's just the type of place this is.  A hole in the wall pizza place.  They had ordered pizzas, pasta and their FANTASTIC antipasto salad!!  YUM!!  I would go back for that salad alone! =]  And my friend said that they have very good prices on their food as well!  So overall...you really can't go wrong at this casual, DELICIOUS pizza place right in the heart of downtown Elmhurst!

So I stopped here for lunch with my sister and her fiance since my sister was off work.  Jeff has already been here, that is why we were going because he said he really liked it, and after eating there, I can see why!

Jason's is located in the new little strip in Naperville, just South of I-88.  There are a bunch of other restaurants in here like Maggiano's, White Chocolate Grill, Morton's and a few others.  So it is really the new little strip for the Naperville/Warrenville work lunch crowd.

So the concept here is that you walk in, pick up a menu at the door and wait in line to place your order at the register which will then be brought out by a server.  I got the special which was the Pot Roast Po'Boy, Jeff got the Beefeater which was roast beef with melted provolone on French bread and Missy got the Ranchero Chicken Wrap.  Everything was very good, especially the pot roast on my sandwich, it seriously tasted like it had been cooked for like 10 hours because it was SO tender and juicy!  Missy's wrap was really tasty, but it was definitely lacking in size...and Jeff and Missy both tried Jeff's Beefeater and said it was very good.  Oh yeah, I also tried the Broccoli Cheese soup which was SO cheesy and good! =]  The only bad thing was the Italian Pasta Salad which Jeff substituted for chips...it was basically flavorless from every angle!  It was sad...

But needless to say...we will definitely be going back here for their awesome sandwiches! =]

Okay...so I guess you can say I am obsessed with trying out these cupcake bakeries because I myself love baking cupcakes and like to see how mine stand up to the rest.

So...about this place.  It is a very small storefront in downtown Naperville...right next door to Cookie Dough Creations on Chicago St.  The outside is very cutesy with pink shutters and basically looks like a little doll house.  The inside decor doesn't match the exterior but was pretty cute.  Now to the cupcakes.  We tried 5 different kinds, Red Velvet, Chocolate/Chocolate, Vanilla/Vanilla, Cookies and Cream and S'mores.  I better break it down for you cupcake lovers out there like myself...

Red Velvet - Cream cheese frosting tasted very good...almost exactly like my homemade version, the cake was way too dense and tasted a little off

Vanilla/Vanilla - Buttercream was definitely too sweet and the cake was pretty moist but lacked flavor

Cookies and Cream - The best of the bunch, Oreos blended into the frosting and the vanilla cake was pretty good

S'mores - Chocolate cake was WAY overkill on the chocolate-ness...it almost tasted like chocolate was melted into the batter and I was not a fan and neither was my sister, the chocolate frosting with a tiny bit of graham cracker crumbs and marshmallow sauce on top tasted nothing like a s'more...it was WAY too chocolatey, too.

Chocolate/Chocolate - We couldn't even try it because we were so disappointed in the chocolate cake and frosting of the s'mores cupcake.

So overall, we would probably not go back here because at $3 a cupcake...I can almost make an entire batch from scratch at home and get a way better result.  Sorry Sugar Monkey Cupcakes...I tried to love you, but it just isn't gonna happen! =[

I can't believe I have never reviewed this place!!  I went back here the other day for lunch with my sister after not being here for seriously like 4 years or something crazy like that and it was AMAZING!!

We both had tortas, she had chicken and I had milanesa.  I also tried a Taco de Chile Relleno (stuffed pepper taco) which was pretty tasty.  We also shared a cheese fries...I know...you don't go somewhere like here and order a cheese fries...but let me tell you...they were DELICIOUS!!! =]  Seriously...so cheesy and salty and good!  Yum!!  

The people that work here are SUPER quick and friendly and the place is always clean, the food is great...really there is no reason NOT to eat here!  So go...try it out for yourself...you will love it too, I'm sure!

So...if I could break it down...I would give our waitress we had last night 5 stars for sure!  She was amazing...it's what came after her that wasn't so great!

We went here last night with my sister and her fiance for a later dinner (around 8 PM) and the place still had some people so I had high hopes.  We were given a basket of fresh, warm bread on the table which was sooo good!  Then we ordered the Saganaki and the Greek Meatballs appetizer...both were lacking.  The Saganaki was lacking in size...it was TINY...and the meatballs could have been out of a bag, I swear!

Then amongst the four of us we ordered 2 Pastitsio, Gyros Plate and the Spaghetti with Braised Beef.  The guys said the Pastitsio had a bit too much cinnamon and I'm guessing allspice, the gyros plate was actually really good, but when is it not?!?!  And the braised beef with spaghetti is what I had because I had gotten something similar at Artopolis in Greek Town which was PHENOMENAL.  But let me tell you...this one SO did not add up!  The beef seriously needed to be braised for about another hour and a half, at least, and the sauce looked like one of those orangy-red sauces you get on something at one of those Greek-owned family diner-type restaurants, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about...with the chopped onion and celery in it?!?!  Well...that's what it had...definitely not homemade!  

We finished with the Baklava and my husband got the Greek coffee.  The Greek coffee was very good but the baklava was pretty much dookie shoe!!  What...I just tell it like it is!

So will we be returning to give them a second chance? Def not!  You would be much better off going to a local gyros place for better food with a cheaper price tag!

So finally tried their cake at my baby shower which was both cute to look at and DELICIOUS to eat!  It was half yellow and half chocolate and was super moist and delicious...the only thing they could do different is to not put such a thick layer of frosting in the middle...but besides that, it was yummi!!

And, of course, had another doughnut the other day...AMAZING!! =]

So I stopped in here yesterday with my sister after talking to some women at our jeweler in Geneva who told us we should check it out.  They spoke highly of the cupcakes and toffee so we decided we HAD to check it out!

When you pull up to the little place...it is so cute and inviting that you can't help but want to walk in.  Then you walk in and the place smells great and there are toffee samples on the counter.  Of course, we tried it, and it was GOOD!  But we were really going for the cupcakes so we passed on buying any.  They have a list on a chalkboard behind the counter that has what cupcakes they have available for that particular day.  We decided to go with 1/2 a dozen and the prices are $2.50 for a regular flavor (vanilla/vanilla, vanilla/chocolate, chocolate/vanilla...) and $3.00 for specialty (carrot, red velvet, black bottom).  We got the vanilla/vanilla, vanilla/chocolate, chocolate/vanilla, 2 black bottom and a red velvet.  The only one I can really speak highly of is the vanilla/vanilla.  It was moist and the frosting was pretty good too.  But I could have really done without the rest.  The red velvet was not velvety at all...it was kind of dry actually but did have a decent flavor and the chocolate/vanilla was the other one that had a decent flavor but was not too moist.  Overall, neither of us were too impressed (especially since I make some tasty, moist-ass cupcakes myself, from scratch) and probably would not go back unless we were shopping in the area and just wanted a quick vanilla/vanilla cupcake.  But it really was nothing special...and believe me...I really wanted to love the place because there is no other place like it in the suburbs as of yet.  Guess I better get my business plan together and give them a little competition! =]

I cannot complain about anything during my visit here on Saturday.  My sister, our husbands and I decided to take my mom here for her 50th birthday since it's not too far and we know the food is good from experiencing the downtown location.  We had a reservation at 6:30 PM on a Saturday night and walking in at about 6:10 PM and got sat right away.  A nice touch was that the reservation was under my name and all the servers greeted me as such.  Very cool.  Our waiter came over right away to take our drink order and we ordered the Calamari at that time for an appetizer.  Seriously, some of the best calamari any of us have ever had...delicious!  It was tossed with a Thai sweet chili sauce or something and tasted SO good!  We then ordered our meals...between us we had the Crabcakes, Stuffed Double Chicken Breast, Ribeye, Cowboy Ribeye and the Filet.  For the sides we chose the Ziti with Cheese, Potatoes Gratin and the Asparagus with Hollandaise.  Everyone loved what they had and couldn't say enough about it or about the sides, the definite show stopping side was the Ziti with Cheese!!!  Seriously...probably the best macaroni and cheese type dish I have EVER had!  Mmmm...I want to go get some right now...the baby wants me to! =]]  And I asked them to bring out something for my mom's birthday which they said was what they do...they let me choose the dessert, I chose the the special that night which was this warm chocolate cake from moistland with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and a salted caramel drizzle.  Seriously...I could probably eat like 10 of those right now!  Again...perfect service, perfect food, great atmosphere...really can't say one bad thing about it!

I have always loved going into this store since I was a little girl and my mom would take us to Hinsdale to look at all the big houses and window shop!  Even though it is called Whole Foods now, it is still exactly the same inside.  A huge selection of organic fruits and vegetables, a station to make your own peanut and, I think, almond butter.  An AWESOME cheese and beer/wine selection and my favorite part...they carry Callebaut chocolate pellets which make my famous chocolate chip recipe that much better!  YUM!!  And they sell them for cheaper then I have seen them other places, surprisingly, since this store is on the expensive side.  I just can't say enough about this place...it's one of my faves!

On my outing yesterday, I decided to stop in here before I went to Kramer's to shove my face with a doughnut.  After reading Carol K.'s review...I decided I had to stop in.  Upon walking in I noticed instantly that this place seemed some much more bright and open than it did when it was C. Foster's Toys.  They carry a lot of unique and cute items perfect for a gift for a child's birthday or something.  I particularly liked that they carried a lot of this brand called Melissa and Doug, which I LOVE because they are modern versions of old fashioned style wooden toys like puzzles and blocks.  So cute!  I will definitely be back here!