Vincent "Vinny" F.'s Profile

If there's a better red velvet cake, I've never had it.  The 7" cake serves 4-6 people without a problem (although there probably won't be any leftovers) for $16 (with tax) and is perfect in every way.  It's moist, tasty, and the cream-cheese frosting isn't overwhelmingly cream-cheesey, something I often find with red velvet cakes.  They'll decorate it only as far as putting some basic writing on top for $1.

Their other cakes are pretty good, too.  They have a few chocolate cakes that will knock your socks off.

It's a wholesale-type operation, though.  You walk in to a counter and order based on a small showcase or some wall pictures.  Very no frills, but who needs frills when buying a cake anyway?

Overall, a fantastic bakery that does a fantastic job.  If you have the means, I highly recommend it!

(Oh yeah, and I went there this morning and now they accept credit cards!)

When I say this, I'm not being hyperbolic: they saved my cat's life.

Patches wasn't acting herself, so we took her to the vet.  They diagnosed her with acute kidney failure and then proceeded to begin treatment.  After a week of treatment, she's back to her old self.  We have to keep her on her meds now, but she's fine, playful, and the cat we love so much.

Both of our cats are patients at Hartsdale Vet. Hospital. The women that work the front desk are super helpful all the time, and Doctor Thayer himself is always available.  I know when I leave the girls in their care they're getting the best care possible and I never doubt that they have their best interests at heart.  They've consistently gone above and beyond for us and they've even been helpful in trying new courses of treatment for Patches (although we've come to find out, over time, that their original treatment path was the best; even so, they're always thinking about us).

Frankly, I wish human doctors were as good as Doctor Thayer and his staff, and I'm really glad they're around.  Nobody does what they do better.

After numerous ownership changes over the past 9 years, this current group really has it together.  The food is excellent, if not slightly pricey for "coffee shop" food and is made fresh when you order it.

Things to try:

1.  The turkey burgers are the best I've ever had.  They're juicy, done perfectly, and have just the right amount of seasoning.  Toss on some black pepper to kick things up a bit and you'll be very happy with the end result.

2.  The #14 Sandwich: Smoked turkey and cheddar on various breads (usually sourdough or country) with honey mustard.  Outstanding, and easily my favorite.

3.  The three-cheese steak: While technically just a hot roast beef sandwich, it's excellent and flavorful every single time.  I usually get mine without onions.

Breakfasts are good, although if you ask for bacon, make sure to get it well done or you'll be chewing a piece of meat flavored gum.  It's the one thing they never get right for some reason.

All in all, the Kitchen Door is a great go-to place.  Their sandwich list is extensive, their hot food is good, and their breakfasts hit the spot.  There isn't a lot of seating there, though, so be prepared to grab and go.

PS: On school days, avoid it like the plague between 1:30 and 3:00.  It's unbearably loud and rowdy with the kids from the local high school in there.  You've been warned.

Slice?  What's a slice?

Once you get over the weirdness of not being able to order a slice at a Pizza joint, you kinda get comfortable.  Pies are served in small personal sizes with any number of toppings and such.  You can even watch yours being made if you were so inclined.

My wife and I ended up there one afternoon as we picked up some stuff at one of the local stores and wanted a quick bite to eat.  While it wasn't the quickest ever, it was tasty when we got it.  The pies are a bit small for two people, but I think you could survive sharing one if you're just looking for a snack.  We shared one and two cokes and it cost about $10.

Overall, it was an interesting experience, and I would be open to trying them out again.

It's Starbucks.  If you have preconceived notions about the place, you've probably already made up your mind.

My wife and I have been coming to this Starbucks for years, and while the staff has rotated in and out a few times over that time, the quality of the drinks is still the same.  They get your order right, and once they get to know you, they even know your quirks and tendencies in a drink.  That, to me, is a sign of a group of people doing more than just shelling out cup after cup.

Sure you have to "wade through smokers" to get in, but my wife and I have gotten to know them and they're all pretty nice people. If you're looking for a good honest cup of coffee and don't feel like paying the fair-trade-independent-mom-and-pop-screw-the-man-I 'm-making-a-statement weirdos in some of the smaller establishments (very few of which are in the immediate area of this Starbucks) go in and enjoy. It's lively at times, mellow at other times, but always welcoming. I know this because every November, I spend most of my month in there writing my novel for National Novel Writing Month.

A long time ago, there was another diner on Central Avenue called Mount Parnasse.  it was easily the best diner on earth (okay, maybe not that good, but still!) and my wife and I went there at least once a week.  Then the owners bought Central Square Cafe, a totally overpriced trendy diner with crap food, and when it shut down, the owners moved on to Mont Olympos.

Mont Olympos used to be terrible. The food was barely edible, and no matter what you got it was cooked incorrectly.  When my wife and I found out the former owner of Mount Parnasse took it over, we decided to give it another go.  Since then, we've been very happy with our trips there.  The food has improved dramatically and we now have a diner in the area that's quite good!

The omelettes are excellent, as are the burgers (although avoid the turkey burgers; they're just downright disgusting).  The difference between the stale sitting out old days and the current freshly made food is quite obvious, and it's nice to see they've turned this diner around for the better.

The prices are reasonable, and the service (while occasionally spotty) is actually good.  It isn't the best diner you'll ever eat at, but rated against similar diners, it's definitely one of the better ones.  If you went back earlier than March or so of this year, consider giving it another go.  The new ownership really did clean the place up.

If you're a fan of roasted chicken, there is no better in this fine city (and potentially the world) than Delicioso's.  It's fall off the bone tender, perfectly spiced and very juicy (if not a hair on the oily side, but not in a bad way).

I definitely recommend you let them give you a cup of the garlic sauce (in fact, grab a few; it's the highlight) to dip your chicken in and spread on your white rice.  My wife's partial to the rice and beans, also, which are apparently top shelf.  I can't say so myself because I don't really like rice and beans, but considering how much she does, her word is a pretty good endorsement.

They re-opened recently after a long rennovation and are back and better than ever.  In fact, it's not unheard of for my wife to make a trip down there just to pick up dinner even though we live about 10 subway stops away.

The price is right.  The food is great.  Frankly, Delicioso stands as a hidden gem in a borough most reviewers have forgotten.

After spending an afternoon on Sunday purchasing a car that was literally sold out from under us, after letting that car out of the showroom with insurance I was paying for, and after the unbelievably bad high pressure crap I had to deal with trying to replace the aforementioned car, I would never even consider returning to Curry Chevrolet ever again.  I have never left a car dealership so utterly frustrated in my life.

From the constant attempts at upselling to the mediocre offers to make good on their mistake to the unauthorized attempt to make changes to my insurance policy after the deal was already dead and we had walked away, Curry Chevrolet is, at best, a dealership you should be really careful walking into.

My experience is too long to recount here, so if you're interested you can read about it on my personal site here:

http://www.insignifica...

Either way, stay away.

It's always refreshing when you go into a restaurant expecting nothing and get a good meal at a good price with good service.  The first time I went into California Pizza Kitchen, I did so expecting nothing.  Since then, I've come back again and again trying new things every time and loving everything I've had.

The pizzas are quite good.  You would expect that, seeing as it's called California Pizza Kitchen.  These aren't your standard run-of-the-mill cheapo deluxe mass produced chain pizzas, though.  The crust is pretty much perfect every time and there's a great variety of toppings, cheeses, and sauces on the menu.  Styles range everywhere from the traditional to the extremely insane, and for the most part all of the ones I've had are very good.  In fact, of all the varieties I've tried, the only one I hated was the Carne Asada pizza.  I don't think there was necessarily anything wrong with it, I just really have an extreme dislike for cilantro.  Pizzas are all designed for one and a half people.  I say this because they're slightly larger than a dinner plate, so if you're hungry you can easily do one on your own.  Wifey and I made the mistake of ordering one pizza the first time we went to share and we ended up starving afterward.  Order your own and take what you don't eat home; you're probably going to be happier that way.

The beauty of CPK, though, is that you don't have to stick with Pizza.  My favorite appetizer is the Adobe Chicken Chowder.  It's rice, corn, chiles, onions, bell peppers, and a hint of cilantro (you really can't avoid cilantro in a lot of the dishes, but in this one it isn't too bad).  Get the cup, though.  The bowl is too much to eat if you want to finish your pizza.

The Garlic Cream Fettuccine is also delicious, and another great go-to dish.  I don't know if I'd recommend getting the chicken in it because it doesn't really add much to the dish.  I usually get it just because I like chicken in my pasta, but that's more of a personal preference / habit than anything else.

My favorite dish here, though, is a recent addition.  The Four Cheese Ravioli is absolutely spectacular.  The ravioli are stuffed with Asiago, Mascarpone, Ricotta, and Parmesan cheeses.  Together it's one of the most satisfying combinations of flavors you can imagine and when you combine that with the creamy pomodoro sauce it comes with, you're really talking about some good eating.  You can even add mushrooms for another $1.00.

Desserts are also very good.  I'm a big fan of the hot fudge brownie sundae, and my wife, a key lime pie connoisseur, loves theirs.  I've also heard that the red velvet cake is to die for.

I always joke with my wife that CPK is a chain restaurant that never got the memo that it was a chain restaurant.  The quality of the food, the friendliness of the wait staff, and the variety of menu options are far more than you'd expect in a chain restaurant.  If you've been passing on CPK because you think it's all about the pizza, give it a try.  There's a good chance you'll find plenty more on the menu you'll like even more!

I have to admit I'm a bit jaded about cheese steaks.  I've eaten so many in my life that it would have to be pretty amazingly exceptional to stand out.  While I don't think Pat's is the best ever and I think you'd survive without it, it's quite good and I found it to be a great representation of what a cheese steak is.

When my wife and I arrived there, we thought we'd be on line for an hour.  In reality, the line moved insanely fast and the 100 people ahead of us (no exaggeration) moved to the window like lightning.  When I got to the counter and ordered my Wiz Witout (a Cheez Wiz steak without onions) I had it in my hands before my money was in Pat's hands.  I'm not kidding.  I don't think I waited more than 30 seconds for my food.  Fast is the understatement of the year.

The steaks used by Pat's are boneless ribeye and sliced extra fine then griddled up and slapped on fresh Italian bread.  A nice slathering of Wiz goes on top (along with your choice of Peppers, mushrooms, onions, etc. and a few different kinds of cheeses if you don't want Wiz) and you're good to go.  Prices range from $7 to $9 per steak, but it's worth it.

I thoroughly enjoyed mine.  It wasn't head and shoulders above the rest but it was definitely tender, soft, and hot.  My wife's, however, was an utter disaster.  It was greasy, drippy, and messy.  The only difference between hers and mine was that she ordered onions and peppers on hers.  Maybe that's the difference; I don't know.  We also both noticed the smaller slathering of Wiz on hers.  Because of the grease, she was sick the entire night.  I had no ill effects from mine.

While I wouldn't make the trip down there just for a cheese steak, I can say that the next time I'm down there, I'll definitely stop in for a Wiz Witout.