Jimmy B.'s Profile

I am really surprised at the disparity between the ratings among here for RA Sushi.  

First of, I've only ever come here for happy hour.  I think for happy hour, the prices are great, 3 friends and I ordered 8 dishes: crispy spicy tuna, spicy yellowtail, veggie roll, veggie tempura, kaisen ceviche, viva las vegas roll, kalbi, and lobster spring rolls.

Crispy spicy tuna: Like tuna tartare on a fried nigiri.  Really crunchy,but the spice overpowered the tuna.  Interesting concept, because you always eat tartare with something crispy (i.e., beef tartare with french fries).  Tone down the spice, and rework the fried sesame nigiri but otherwise, interesting.

Spicy yellow tail and veggie rolls: Both were as expected,  The rolls are small, but the veggies were very fresh and crisp.  The yellowtail was all right.

The veggie tempura was great.  Short story, our waitress wrote down the wrong thing and gave us veggie tempura instead of our veggie roll.  She took back the veggie tempura but later on we were so impressed by the amount we ordered it anyways.  The sweet potato was fried wonderfully and crisp, the insides were creamy and sweet. The same goes for the kabocha.  They fried an entire stalk of broccoli (love the stalk!) and it was good, too.  Didn't care for the massive onslaught of onions though.  Everything was piping hot and fresh, just like the way tempura should be!

Kalbi was just like kalbi should be, but it had a really nice mashed potatos with a hint of horseradish.  It really elevated the mashed potato and made it more light (?)  The ceviche is a steal during happy hour times, with shrimp, scallops, and avocado.  I thought it was OK, not the freshest but definitely great for happy hour.  I like the lotus root on the las vegas roll, although I think there was too much mayo.  The lobster rolls were probably my least favorite, it was a creamy lobster creation inside.

Overall, I enjoyed the food for happy hour prices ($37 for 3 people...) If I paid regular price I wouldn't be as satisfied.  I even generally disdain fusion sushi, but there is enough variety to satisfy anyone's taste.  If you want simple and clean, you can get it, if you want americanized, they have it too.  If you're looking for the freshest fish possible outside of Tokyo, look elsewhere.  My waitress was awesome, she always checked on us and filled our waters quickly.

YAY!!! The original creators of Froyo have arrived.  Red Mango was founded in Seoul, South Korea in 2002.  

Anyways, this is their 2nd self-serve store in the United States.  You weigh the froyo and its toppings and pay 45 cents an ounce.  The flavors available on Friday were coconut, madagascar vanilla, their secret tangomanium blend, original, raspberry, white beach, blueberry, key lime pie, and a few others.  They have a plethora of toppings of fruits and some really good mochi.

The whole experience was pleasant and as a larger establishment; nobody is bumping elbows.  They have lots of seating available.  I got tangomanium, white peach, and original.  I really liked their tangomanium in NYC, but this one wasn't quite up to par in flavor, it seemed to be missing some extra oomph.  The original was tart and tasty and not watered down.  The white peach was like eating a peach bursting in juices!  Overall, I really liked their froyo since it was really smooth and creamy, and I think they have the best mochi and cut fruit in town.  They get extra points for being certified with Live and Active cultures, and NO artificial sweeteners (I'm glaring at you, nasty diabetes inducing high fructose corn syrup)

I'm only decking a point since their tangomanium wasn't like what I experienced, but going on the 2nd day of opening they are probably still working the tiny kinks out.   Still, it places on the top of my froyo list in Gville in flavor, toppings, yogurt texture and ambiance.  They also have smoothies, shakes and teas which I have yet to try.  4.5 stars!

I was hungry for something new again so April O and I hopped over to the Jones Eastside Bakery.

Eastside?!  I rarely go over there, I think the last time I ate in Eastside was my freshman year of college where I went to some Southern Cooking buffet (the name escapes me...).  Pulling in, i could feel my heartbeat go up, where is April telling me to go?!  

Walking inside...*phew* it's fine. The first thing I noticed was the large chalkboard of specials and the tiny space.  The salmon omelet was screaming for me and that is what I quickly ordered.

The service was pretty fast, which was fortunate because I was famished.  I loved the saltiness of the smoked salmon inside the omelet, which mixed well with the cream cheese dill and perfectly cooked eggs.  The cream cheese was slightly overwhelming, but only because my health conscience was kicking me in the butt.  The bread from Flour Pot was fine, and my side salad was very fresh.  I had the ginger dressing which was a nice new twist.

Overall, I liked the food.  April O. had the  Le Coq Royal which was delicious because the french toast was not oily and the baconw as extra crispy yet still meaty.

This is a tough choice.  On one side, if I give a 3, you might next this restaurant, but a 4 also seems too lenient.  Oh well, I liked it, and I probably will go back :)

Hmm after an interesting exam some colleagues and I ventured out to explore the Gardens for their Thurs night special.  One of my colleagues exclaimed about how amazing their sweet potato fries were, although I replied back with my dietary plans for tonight.

So clearly I ended up (and possibly breaking my diet).  I ordered the fresh fish of the day sandwich which was tilapia (yuck! my least favorite, but I couldn't stomach a burger) with a side salad.  The fish is supposedly from NW Seafood.  The side salad cost a little extra, but normally it comes with chips.

I was surprised at the portion size of my burger, and the condiments of lettuce, tomato, and a huge slice of onion was equally nice.  I ended up throwing half the bread away but the part I did eat, I really really enjoyed (this coming from a non-tilapia lover).  The fish was pretty fresh, and it was grilled nicely and extra juicy.  The salad was crisp and fresh, and I liked the balsamic dressing on the side. It was a touch on the pricey side for $13 though.  I think the ~$2.50 is a little steep

Unfortunately, I ended up splurging (hehe) and I had a few of my friends' sweet potato fries.  The dill dip was really EXCELLENT with the fries, but the actual fries were kinda limp and not very crispy.  Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was just a bad night but the actual fry itself was just OK.  

Anyways, the service was great, the waitress was super friendly!  I might have to return to try their Midnight in the Garden, $4 burgers and $3 sake bombs, holla!

GO here.  I had the seafood soon doobo with the kalbi combo.  For $13.95, I thought it was a slick deal.  The soup came out BUBBLY hot which is perfect for dropping that egg in!  The broth was flavorful, delicious, and perfectly spicy.  Of course, you can customize to what you can handle :).

The kalbi was really good, too.  Even though it wasn't a large plate, I thought it was suffice (don't want to get obese, you know those short ribs are NOT good).  The banchan were really good, I loved the japchae the most.  I actually didn't really like their kimchi, since it was a little sweet to my taste.

All in all, a great meal with tons of food!  I think they can tone down the salt in their food though.

Now you all know (or can see) I don't give 5 stars out very often!

My friends and I owed a buddy after taking care of us after a previous too eventful evening.  I chose Embers because I heard and read the food is really good PLUS I've been meaning to try it, so I killed two birds with one stone.

The place is beautiful!  I was a little confused with the red carpet (I still think it's oddly placed) but they really took MT's old spot to the next level.  Walking in we all really enjoyed being treated as a guest rather than a number and the staff was working efficiently and was very knowledgeable over the menu items.  

I was leaning towards the Cobia (thanks to April O.'s flabbergasting :p) and ultimately decided on that with the vanilla whipped sweet potatoes and the grilled asapragus bearnaise.  My friend chose the duck with mac and cheese and spinach, and my other friend chose the braised beef short ribs with grilled zucchini and mac and cheese.

The bread that we were served was nice, fresh, and delicious.  We started with the crispy gator tail since my friend never had it before.  It was panko crusted so it was extra crispy and the zest remoulade helped cut the thick gator meat.  We were floored when we saw our entrees and getting them once the table was swept clean of bread crumbs (ooops).

My cobia was cooked perfectly where it was super juicy and soft inside with a slight crispness on the edge from being grilled.  The asparagus were grilled with bits of black from the wood that added a nice earthy taste with the bitterness of the asparagus.  I probably would not order the sweet potatoes again, even though they were excellent; they were probably the easiest for me to make myself :).

My friend's duck was absolutely amazing with a juicy red center and slightly sweetened edge.  I loved the mac and cheese.  But the real STAR of the show was the short ribs; it was HUGE.  The braised beef melts in your mouth and we literally had enough leftover to make a sandwich.  

After having a home run in all of our meals, we just HAD to get dessert to seal the deal.  I tried to convince my friends to get the chocolate chips after reading about it so much, but we go the chocolate bombe.   It was totally worth it!  The dark chocolate ganache was perfect with the creamy mousse.  

Impeccable service, stellar food, and the prices are ridiculously low for what they are giving you.  I'd chose this place over any other steakhouse in Gainesville at the time of this review.

April O. and I have been meaning to hit this place up since there are so many mixed reviews.  After de-briefing myself and looking at the tiny menu online, I wondered; are the few plates of food they offer going to blow me out of the water?

After racing there and nearly passing by the dark corner its on, I pulled up into the restaurant that doesn't look like your typical restaurant AT ALL. So be extra alert or you'll zip by it at night like I did!  I liked that its a mix of old and new, but the first thing I noticed is that his place is TINY and there are not many tables.  I think they should have more 2 person tables since we were among others hogging a 4 person table.  Unless they want to switch to chinese family dining and squish different parties in one table :).

I have been eyeing the Beer Battered Shrimp and was willing to sacrifice my diet for it.  April O. chose the gumbo special.   The beer battered shrimp was nice and large, and the shrimp was fresh and tasty.  I'm not a beer-whiz but the Mitchum beer notes were definitely there and added a nice kick, although I didn't really taste anchovy and capers.  My biggest problem with the dish was the breading, it was thick and crusted and offered no crisp, snap or crackle like I like. It literally was like eating toasted bread around shrimp.  In fact, after a while I just got tired of eating it and had to go to the potato wedges (which were hot, crispy, and really good) to try to refresh myself.

The abomination came with April's gumbo.  I'm used to red gumbo, but we were pretty excited and anxious when we saw it as a grey gumbo with chunks of seafood.  

I had a taste and wondered why there was no flavor.  Another taste confirmed it.  After seeing poor April pour copious amounts of salt in it, it was already too late to salvage this code grey.  We couldn't use any amount of salt to try to bring out the spices.  We let the gumbo sit there unfinished.

The service was OK, but we had to wait a bit to get our bill and water.  Based on the high prices and eh food, we left underwhelmed.  We didn't dare try the dessert.  Maybe give this place a few more months to work out the kinks.

So I had the thicker steakburger...meh.  It was a big letdown.  Nothing different from your usual fast food burger joint.  Actually, it was pretty disappointing because the bread doesn't really go along.  As a matter of fact, I felt it even LACKED flavor.  The lettuce, tomato, mayo ketchup is just dressing a lump of meat.

OTOH, the onion rings were fried beautifully and were super tasty.  They don't give a lot, and I am inclined to keep the delicious fries.  Maybe next time I'll get a DOUBLE of their regular patty...hehe (why, oh why do I keep coming back?)  The staff is still as crazy and funny as ever.

Upon entering the this tea shop, you are greeted with friendly staff and the vast menu.

The extensive menu covers everything from milk tea, shaken tea, slushes, frozen yogurt, some food items, and more.  You also have your choice of coffee and hot teas behind you.  All in all, there is a flavor that can appease anyone.  I ordered the lychee bubble tea, which is a shaken iced tea with lychee.  You also have your choice of boba, which are tapioca pearls, or fruit jellies.  Some people enjoy them, others don't.  I always get mine with boba, and they do it right.  The consistency of the boba is perfect - slightly chewy and with a small bite.  There's a hint of syrup mixed with the boba which makes it enjoyable and tasty with the tea.  

The tea itself is definitely a nice refresher after a long day.  The lychee blends well with the slight bitterness of the tea.  However, I find it slightly too sweet, and if you have a sensitive sweet tooth like myself, I'd order it with half the sugar.  That way, the tea flavor comes out more, and oh, less calories :).

I did try the frozen yogurt.  They always use the freshest fruits available since there is no puddle of juice on the bottom of each tray.  They also carry some seasonal fruits such as pomegranate, which is nice.  The majority of the fruits are fresh, not canned.  Ordering the froyo is done a la other shops: you pick the flavor, the toppings, and pay a set price.  Unfortunately, I can't say I really enjoy the frozen yogurt.  The yogurt is a little too runny and soft.  Moreover, it lacks that mouth-zinging tart that you expect from yogurt.  I'd like to eat my frozen yogurt like I drink tea, you still taste the (bitter) tea/ (sour) frozen yogurt, and the flavors build on top and incorporate into it.

I do give props that the frozen yogurt here is Live and Active Cultures certified,  meaning that they use the correct process and you can say confidently that you will get the probiotic benefits.  

Lollicup also has an assortment of board games and Wi-Fi that make it a great place to hang out and chill! 4 stars for tea, 3 stars for yogurt, 4 stars for staff and amenities: 3.67 stars overall!

So April O dragggggged me (ok somewhat willingly, I have been meaning to try this place since my roommate got some delish looking pizza from the Micanopy one) to Tioga to try this place out.

It's in the really nice Tioga area, although the restaurant kinda sneaks up on you if you don't know where you are looking.  We came early, but I suppose you could easily spot a line out the door later in the evening.  We started with the special "Prosciutto di San Daniele" which is actually a variety of prosciutto they use.  It's a touch sweeter and darker than your di Parma variety.  Anyways, the dish was served in this huge plate of fresh arugula, shaved aged cheese, prosciutto, orange scented figs, and flatbread.  When you combine them, the flavors DANCE in your mouth, sweet, salty, oily, fatty, and a touch of bitterness. A simply wonderful dish to start out your dinner, and I'd definitely return for that alone!  The flatbread provided a nice crunch to go with all the ingredients.  And they don't skimp on the prosciutto or cheese!

For the pizza, we got the Sicilian abruzze which had a nice heaping of meatballs, shaved garlic, parsley, and cheese.  I felt that it could use a little more sauce, which is perhaps my fault for ordering a Sicilian, since they cook it longer than a regular pizza, it tends to dry out.  You won't see that in a coal oven since you flash cook the pizza, but the crust was still tasty and extra crunchy.  I'd order it with an extra heaping of sauce next time.  But otherwise, the flavors went well and the meatballs were tasty.  The cheese was a good amount to still stretch out when you pull the slices apart but it was not overwhelming.  Overall, probably the best pizza I've had in Gainesville.

The service was impeccable.  Our very nice server constantly checked on us without being overbearing, refilled water quickly, cleaned our plates, and even brought out a tray stand to put the pizza.  Even in such a hectic restaurant, I felt special as a guest, and not just a customer.

Prices were very affordable for what you get ($10 for special, $17 for pizza?) *glares at you, overpriced sloppy pizza on the other side of Gainesville...*