Rachel A.'s Profile

Momos for beginners, that's how I refer to Namaste Tashi Delek Momo Dumpling Palace. It took me awhile to find this stall, to brave past the Tandoori chicken and chaos. For an outsider who is used to everything so formulated in the restaurant business, it can be daunting to step inside the Merit Kebab and Dumpling Palace. People are shouting all over the place, the line is scattered, and the people are so engrossed in their food you will wonder how to break through that barrier and become one of them sinking your fingers into a plate of colorful orange, yellow, and hot pink rice.

All the way in the back is Nepalese/Tibetan food. I like to buy their momos. They come eight pieces in a Styrofoam container. I started out with beef. Once, I watched the juice of the momos quickly coagulate. I now shy away from the beef fat and have moved on to the chicken momos. The veggie momos take 10 minutes to steam and I like my food fast when I'm starving off the train. I have yet to try the healthiest option of momos. The beef and chicken ones are just always readily available.  

There are two dipping sauces that come with the momos- a buttery sweet Tamarind one or the put your mouth on fire tomato chutney one. I like to get both and switch back and forth.

A lot of people say that the momos at Namaste Tashi Delek Momo Dumpling Palace are not the best but I like them. They are a nice introduction to momos and to me they most resemble a Chinese dumpling, plump and crescent shaped. The dough is not too thick. The wrapped is strong enough to hold the filling and hearty enough to warm the belly. I eat them like a meal.

On cold days I like to buy the chicken soups with Thukpa thin noodles almost like spaghetti or Thentuk hand pulled thick noodles. The soup tastes homemade and are quite substantial. I like to put the soy based sauce into it with the peppers. It gives it a nice spicy, sour, vinegarish flavor.

If you pay in cash, they charge $1 cheaper. The steam table looks good with lots of potatoes and chicken. You won't run out of options with  Namaste Tashi Delek Momo Dumpling Palace. You just gotta be a little adventurous.

$1.99 is all it costs to go back in time 28 years.

Beat that Botox.

When I first heard about Princeton Record Exchange, I thought, "Oh another second hand music store... A room full of records and I don't even own a record player."

But I do remember records and my first record ever purchased was a single of Bananarama's Cruel Summer in 1984. It was small since it was only one song but I felt so cool to own a record just like my big brothers. I will forever remember that jam. I was ecstatic when I came across a CD of Bananarama's greatest hits for $1.99. Venus and Cruel Summer would be mine once again. I'm not too familiar with the rest of the British group's songs but I figure at $1.99, it's not so much of a loss. Take that iTunes.

Most CDs cost $1.99 at PREX. Take that Amoeba and Rasputins of the Bay Area, California. I see that those two record shops are mentioned quite a bit in these Yelp reviews for comparison. Well going to PREX is like going to those two. All those memories of just roaming the aisles and getting lost in the variety came back. While PREX is just a fraction of the size, it's selection is right on par. They also carry used DVDs and new music.

It seems like PREX has everything from reggae and ska to metal and electronica. However, I could not find the one artist I was looking for: Cat Powers. But I did have a grand ol' time reading every title in every category and shelf. It was like hunting for gold with a metal detector and I did find a few gems.

I thought 4:45 PM would be an early dinner. Apparently not at Jose Tejas. People were already waiting for their buzzer to go off, the parking lot was full, and there was a long line of people. WOW. And I thought waiting for brunch in Manhattan was crazy. Jose Tejas is crazy!!!

It's also loud but I supposed that's the margaritas talkin'. Large and in charge those margaritas will get you twisted.

Alcohol not your thing? Soda at Jose Tejas is served Big Gulp size. Woo wee how I love my Coke. An ice cold one tastes like the Summertime. Such a treat.

Chips and salsa are complimentary but not as good as Chevys. I think next time I will try the Chili Con Queso. I think the thick chips would be good for soaking up the cheese.

Our meal consisted of two entrees: a mixture of beef and chicken fajitas and Chicken Bandera. I knew it would be plenty. The fajitas came sizzling on cast iron with a whole lot of spices, all the fixins', and sautéed onions. The beef was definitely better than the chicken but really it's preference. They are both good, tender, and spicy! The Chicken Bandera was mesquite grilled and came with this chipotle lime glaze sauce. There was so much sauce we ended up dipping the fries in them! The fries were great on their own, very crispy, and did not need ketchup or seasoning at all. I loved that they were cut very thin. Perhaps my favorite part of this dish besides the chicken and fries was the half grilled avocado with mango salsa. I have never seen that done before a straight avocado grilled and served in its skin.

I hear the Chimichurri Steak is the dish to get at Jose Tejas. I will be back. I want to try everything. And hey the Tex Mex / Cajun thing actually works. The jambalaya is quite jammin'.

Now I want some blackened catfish to go along with that.

Ask anyone who lives in Chicago or who has gone to visit. Where to eat? They will surely recommend The Purple Pig. It will surely be on one's eating itinerary. Eating itineraries! They do exist!

The Purple Pig was on our list for dinner but we just never got around to it. We were too tired out, side tracked, and other Chicago staples (pizza, gasp!) took precedence. Imagine, on our last day in Chicago the faces of my friends and family when I texted them, "I am at The Purple Pig". Without them! And by myself! Yes, I am cruel! And smart.

There are advantages to dining for one. First, no wait for a table. I walked up to the hostess and she pointed me directly to the bar. Second, being able to flirt with the cute bartender without anyone cockblocking. Third, being able to get exactly what I want without compromise. The downsides? Not being able to try more things and not being able to share them with my loved ones, who were in fact super jealous of my whereabouts.

I had no idea The Purple Pig was open for brunch. I was just walking by and it looked open so I went to check it out. Sure beat eating a burger at Marcus Samuelsson's marc burger on top of Macys.

With the help of the really nice bartender I settled on an appetizer of Braised Baby Artichokes, Fingerling Potatoes, Asiago, and Salami Toscana , a main course of Mussels with Pancetta, Creme Fraiche, and Majoram and then for dessert the Lemon Panna Cotta. Amazing! It is no wonder why The Purple Pig gets so many rave reviews and awards. It was one of the best meals I have ever had. There is a lot on the menu and while what I got may not necessarily be the most novel or inventive, the dishes were done really well, simple, and infused with flavor. I was in a foodie bliss and giddy. The Lemon Panna Cotta was the icing on the cake. I have had bad panna cotta before but this one was far from it. It had a new twist and totally un-frou-frou. The panna cotta was set in a ceramic bowl and topped with crushed pistachios. As I got to the bottom, the dish unveiled a cute little piggy design on the inside of the bowl. What fun The Purple Pig was! And full of surprises too.

You heard it was good. Visit and taste for yourself. It's even better than all the tales.

"This is How We Do It" - Montell Jordan
"Regulators" - Warren G
"When I Come Around" - Green Day
"Stay" - Lisa Loeb

That playlist sounds soooo coooool and un-hip! And I love it because K & M is not trying to be so hipster and cutting edge. This place is clean.

I am reviewing K & M Bar as a venue, rather than a place to spend my Friday night or the local watering hole. I never knew it existed before and I certainly would not have gone out of my way for it, if not for my friend's party. The bar said we could have the back space for three hours until the band showed up. We had quite a few tables and it worked out perfectly because we had a large party that pretty much filled the bar and we even had a pizza party. They let us bring in outside food and we also livened up things a bit with a piñata.

The bar has a movie screen and we were able to play our own dvd for a backdrop. Earlier in the day the tv was on. This is a good place to watch sports. The bar has cheap beer, beer on tap, and pretty much anything else you want. It's a bit of a dive but just is. Music was 80's and once the band stepped in it was early 90's. The band was interesting. Giant bass and they rocked covers and 90's tunes.

There is outdoor seating and tables in front. This was great as towards the end of the night, fresh air was needed since M & K Bar did get crowded.

Hosting large parties does not come easy in NYC. K & M Bar was perfect. I also dig the old pierogi sign. It's what Williamsburg once was before the neighborhood went.

P.S.- Crif Dogs is a block up.

Got a jackknife? Something sharp? How do you carve into a wooden table? Utensils? Bobby pin? I ended up using my ball point pen. I pressed as hard as I could into the table, making indents and filling them in with ink. "This is what I learned in prison," I told my friend.

Shenanigans.  That's what happens at Pj's Pancake House. It's where one would go after a long night of drinking at some college party. Gossip fills the tables as the Princeton students hash over the week's events. It's where you fuel up right before finals. Pj's is a college institution. I couldn't imagine it anything else or any other reason why people would LOVE this place. There is not much competition for breakfast in the area and the long lines outside the door are a proven fact that people in Princeton love their Pj's.

I like my pjs in the form of pajamas. As for pancakes and breakfast food? Give me an IHOP any day. Pj's is not that good!

We ordered the Pj's "Two-Fer" Breakfast (two eggs, two buttermilk pancakes, two slices of bacon, & one large sausage link) and two over easy eggs with Pj's "Mashed Brown" Potatoes & an English muffin. Our waitress, who had as much enthusiasm as a cardboard box,  got my order wrong. The menu offers "Egg-Beaters" upon request. My request? Not honored. I deemed my eggs inedible but luckily my friend ate my leftovers. The potatoes were an ice cream scoop of mashed home fries. They were good but hardly an even trade for pancakes.  The side meats were great. Four pieces of really meaty bacon and a sausage that really is large.

As for the pancakes, they are not anything special. They are the heavy kind that don't sit too well in your stomach. They are also pretty sizeable. The pancakes come in a variety of flavors from blueberry to buckwheat and raisin. I substituted for coconut pancakes. They were okay but I just wondered why Pj's Pancake House doesn't go the extra mile. No fresh hot maple syrup? No macadamia nuts? No fluffiness like Clinton Street Bakery? No blueberries from Maine? For an establishment that boasts famous pancakes, their pancakes are quite lackluster. You probably cook better pancakes at home. As for IHOP? IHOP is way better.

Pj's is breakfast, it fills you up to get you going, and it's a staple in the neighborhood. I just wish I had followed in Brad N's footsteps. The non-breakfast menu sounds way better. Give me some fried chicken.

You never forget your first visit to a orchard. My visit incorporated a variety of activities from wine tasting and watching sheep get sheared to walking through mud and staring at a pony.

Wine tasting. Thank God for that. Aside from shopping for fresh produce, wine tasting is about the only adult activity at Terhune Orchards. Everything else, I recommend bringing a small child. We didn't have a small child with us so we quickly glossed over Terhune Orchards and made a beeline for apple cider donuts.

Sheep shearing. It's quite a site to watch from the men push and drag the sheep from the stable to the "beauty salon". First of all the sheep are frightened since they don't know what's going to happen except they are being wrangled with rope. The sheep only get sheared once a year. Their coats are fluffy and once in position they lie there quietly as the barber shaves them in one direction like a pro until they are about seven pounds lighter. Sadly, there is no market for sheep's hair since no one wants to clean it or spin it into fabric. The hair is thrown away. There were some kids passing out patches of hair stapled to a makeshift business card. Kind. Of. Gross. But yes I took one and gave it away as a present (accompanying apple cider donuts of course).

The wine tasting was fabulous. Normally they charge $5 for five pre-measured tastings but on this particular weekend the tastings were free. I tried the Dival Blanc and Just Peachy. Vidal Blanc had a peace essence. It won bronze in the NJ State Wine Competition 2011. The Just Peachy was a dessert wine. I like fruity wines and the other one I wanted to try (Front Porch Breeze) was sold out. It had hints of Strawberry. All that wine tasting made me want to visit the wineries upstate and in Long Island.

The rest of the orchard I did not care for. I found it quite bizarre to watch little children milk a fake cow. I'll skip describing the synthetic udders. I will say that Terhune Orchards is a great place to take kids. There was a kite flying festival, lots of animals like chickens and bunnies to ogle at, tiny tractors to ride, etc.

Lastly, no visit to Terhune Orchards would be complete without a visit to the general store. I got a cup of ice cold apple cider for a buck. It was so refreshing. We also got a few bags of their apple cider donuts. They were fresh, fluffy, cake like, and dusted with cinnamon and sugar. They come 8 to a bag for $3.50. What a deal. I've already added them to my grocery list for my next visit. So. Very. Good.

So this is what people in the East Coast suburbs do? What people do on their weekend getaways from the City? Um, okay.

Wrong. Wrong. 3rd times not a charm because there will be no 3rd time in the form of white toast.

Food Exchange got my order for a breakfast sandwich wrong two days in a row. Today was just a colossal failure. Yesterday I ordered an egg white, bacon, tomato, and cheese breakfast sandwich on white toast. When I unwrapped my sandwich, there was no cheese. I can live without the cheese. Even if I paid for it.

Today I ordered the same and after they repeated my order back to me three times they still got it wrong. First of all they gave me a sausage patty instead of bacon. This was beyond them so I just let it go. Then they switched the contents of my sandwich with the contents of another sandwich. Third, I bit into my sandwich and then noticed something green on the bread. It was mold and I had taken the other half of the moldy bite in my mouth. I immediately spit it out. I inspected the sandwich and there was more green mold all over the white bread. So disgusting. This was circular forest green mold with hairs coming out of it.

Now I had to say something so I went back to Food Exchange and the kitchen did not understand why I requested a new sandwich. I had to tell them, "Your bread has mold on it." about three times, each time getting progressively louder because they could not understand me. I didn't get an apology but I did get a fresh sandwich and this time on a croissant rather than the white bread. I didn't want any of the old bread from the bread box. I took what was on the counter. I believe it to be fresher.

I come into Food Exchange about three times a week whether it is for breakfast or lunch. Stale bread happens but I'm kind of traumatized. It's going to be awhile before I buy another sandwich from them.

I prefer XOCO over Frontera Grill. There I said it. Why? Because I am a simple girl. I want my food now without feeling fancy and I want it with churros without waiting in line for two hours. XOCO is pretty much a fast food cafe with alcohol and adopts the same seating policy as Hot Doug's: you can sit down when there is space for you. Luckily the turnover here is fast as well as the service. WIN WIN WIN.

We were first in line and were dawdling for about 20 minutes. The staff was really nice and apologetic. Believe me, compared to waiting two hours next door, the wait at XOCO is nothing. Plus they let you drink while you are in line indoors.

We only got snacks since we were planning to eat next door at Frontera. We got the Cochinita Pibil, chicharrones, guacamole, and churros with Mexico City Thick hot chocolate and dulce de leche. Amazing! I think I could have been content with XOCO and had called it a day. Definitely stopping in at XOCO is a meal. We had to stop ourselves not to load up too much. The sandwich was awesome. The lechon was juicy and had pieces of skin with it. It had a spicy sauce on the side which was hot on fire spicy. It's nice that we could go up to the water fountain at any time to refill our glasses. The guacamole was to be expected. I actually preferred it more on the chicharron than the chips. The churros? OMG. BEST THING EVER! Churros at La Churreria in NYC are a sad pale comparison. Yes, different styles from different countries but XOCOs are so much better. They are dusted with cinnamon and sugar, delicious alone and heightened to heaven dipped in the chocolate. Also, the chocolate was nice enough that it could be drunk as is. I finished every last drop of it.

Frontera Grill, if you are wondering why your customers arrive with a smile on their face when you finally call their name, it's because they've come from next door. Churro still fresh in their mind. Oh... yes!

Rick Bayless still watches over Frontera Grill despite his numerous restaurants sprinkled about Chicago. We saw him walking around and then he sat down with a large party. It was someone's birthday. Unfortunately, our waitress didn't offer to drag him out of the kitchen when we asked about him.

We started out with cocktails- a classic mojito and Manhattan. Manhattans in Chicago? The Manhattans in Chicago are made with Templeton Rye, Al Capone's whiskey of choice. It's a 100% gangsta choice of a cocktail and very much Chicago. Make no mistake and it goes down smooth.

The menu at Frontera Grill recently changed and has more small plates now made for sampling and sharing. This was perfect as we had pre-eaten at Xoco while we were passing the 1 and a half hour wait.

Everything we had was fantastic. I'd definitely return to try more things. The spices were very prominent without overwhelming any aspect of the dishes. It all tasted very fresh and as if they had been stewing all day in the kitchen.

We tried the Beef-and-Poblano Tamal, Mole Trio, and Fresh Corn Tamales. It was a nice balance of dishes as we had some sour flavors as well as savory and sweet. I was most impressed with the trio of moles as it had the most common one I was familiar with (dark sauce) and a new one I found quite tasty and a nice alternative to all things heavy with meat: the epazote (roasted vegetables in pumpkinseed mole).

Frontera Grill is a large restaurant with a large crowd and long wait. Even at 9 PM at night expect to sit down around 11 PM. It's all worth it, just make sure you get your churros next door at Xoco. The two sort of go hand in hand for the total Bayless experience.