Jacey S.'s Profile

we were initially supposed to be at japanois but it was just too difficult to make ressies, even as a planner! so we decided to take on a diff twist and go somewhere a lil more low key and stumbled upon sushisamba...  i mean, it was either 10pm or 6pm, but sushisamba had all these openings... and you wonder why... look at my rating...

anyhoo,

sushi samba is a chain. from miami to nyc, so if you don't hit the chicago spot, you can venture elsewhere...
a blend of a restaurant/lounge/club combined. the interior is actually a lot more nicer when you look at the pictures than it actually really is since it's a lil bit more darker, but it's still sleek in its own way.

has such a cute lil ring to it, and much to my surprise/disappointment the food wasn't all that spectacular... i could save my appetite elsewhere but i do have to say their coconut rice (yum!) and their waygu steak sushi for $19! o my nightmare! was quite worthy... for one to pay $19 and for a place like sushisamba, it was just ... eh... what's the word... too early to think of a word that's not TOO mean, and not TOO nice.. tsk tsk* i just never really liked asian FUSION so i guess if you like asian FUSION, this place can be an okay place to be... lets just say it WASNT worth $19, but i don't regret getting it... but make sure to have the rice, because it was simply waygu steak on the outer layer stuffed with crab and asparagus. his entree, was mmm? why pay $30 for something here when you could've made yourself over to tru? *rolls eyes* .. ok, fine, ill be nice. their miso covered chilean sea bass was nice... lol.. kudos to that

service was absolutely horrible and not to mention, the waygu WAS a lil bit too salty for my own taste buds but i have accepted that it is what it is in the life of chicagoans... o shoot me.

the ambience was quite fun, and has a "date-y twist" to it.... and it's def a great place to have festivities with friends or not...

i just didn't understand their bathroom, however...  it was quite, interesting.

MUST ORDER their speciality cocktails because even though i'm not a drinker, it was quite yummy...

quartino ... why yes, why thank you...

i was pleased and i was most definitely happy...

eating at quartino has this feeling of eating in italy! the whole setup, from the patio dining to the french doors and more... the ambience? can't be beat!

quartino: italian tapas FO SHO! :D

when one thinks of quartino, i think, EXCELLENCE! in service, in quality, and in food! for you wine lovers, you will be NOT*, NOT* be disappointed.. extensive is the perfect word for it...  as for food, prices were fairly appropriate ranging from $9 (pastas) and up... tapas $10 and up, you get the picture...

definitely a great place to come on a date or not (semi casual) or whether it be kid friendly, quartino is it! :D

awwwww.  what an elegant lil cupcake store! :D

cute flower shaped frostings...

every lil cupcake had a flower frosting on them, and they were just simply SO cute ...

lol. i have this silly habit that i make sure to get a cupcake/froyo/pastry fix whenever i'm in a new city... and even though i did make it to sweet mandy's, i have to say im more of a fan of bliss!

after shopping around the loop in chicago, we decided it was time for dessert... mmmmm! sugar bliss is a fantabulous choice! basically, it's like any other cupcake place in every other city to be...

staff was friendly, and the cupcakes were mighty scrumptious! i really like how they weren't super heavy with the frosting and the cupcake wasn't super sweet either ...  you can get a mini for $1.10 or spoil your fat buns for a regular ... i mean, you're still in for the same guilt trip, so why pay more?

definitely a treat while you are in the Loop.

simply average...

i came in with strong hopes and expectations as i was stoked to hear that they were known for their infamous PROTEIN roll... i'm no health guru but i do know that protein is good for you and i have been tryin to get into shape and get a certain type of figure, so i've been on a major PROTEIN BINGE or so you speak.

it was aright. $14.50 was a bit bogus...

service was just whatever. im sry but it's owned by koreans! :( and ummm, i'm korean... koreans shouldn't own sushi restaurants. period.

plenty of free parkin in the back...

superly uberly tiny .... maybe i'm just a lil bit too spoiled by spacious cafes, but this place is tiny, you could practically pack a group of 6 sardines in this cafe and be gasping for air.

*BREATHES HEAVILY*

me like a place that is nice and spacious where you can enjoy one's company but i will give it an extra star only because i know when i was last in europe, it's typical to have these teeny places to serve the general public.. see, im not all THAT mean....

i haven't really tried their paninis but when we were sippin our teas/coffees, the crowd was out of control. panini left, panini right... we should've gotten one for the heck of it, but when you're ready for dinner that is moments away, you just have to sit on it. they were pretty  cheap, average prices, ranging from $8 and up. typical.

3.5

great customer service! i was extremely impressed with their thai iced tea, however. for $3, you were literally sinking inwith your iced tea. it was worth $7!  i shouldve taken a picture, which i did, but my friend doesnt want to be exposed... :D the best deal ever!

anyways, we actually stumbled upon this place because the other 2 vegan restaurants we wanted to go were closed, at 8pm! 8pm! we're not in boonville, what in the world? were in san diego! i guess those are the best surprises when you drive around aimlessly and go to the first place you see that is opened... but it was 8pm!!! but nonetheless, it was a pleasant surprise!

we had one of their green curries with duck as our meat. for $11, that was quite tasty!!! price varies as you choose the stuff you want on your curry... and we had tofu pad see ew. no complaints there either....

parking, was annoying tho... next to the 7/11 lot creates lots of problems! if parking was better, i wouldnt mind coming back....

a girl can't ever forget thee wine whenever she goes outside of her comfort zone...

after dinner @ roaring fork (http://www.yelp.com/bi...), we decided to take it another step further and get our drink on....

it took us 15 minutes to find this place, only to find that it's SO hidden! you're literally in for a real trap/tweet because the entrance is behind some alley back door, which i did kind of find it pretty neat to find this rare gem of scottsdale.

it's a great place, homey decor, friendly, folks, but what can i say? we ARE in scottsdale, and now, i know, when people say that scottsdale is equivalent to newport or malibu or any pretentious place to be ... was it just me or what? lots of kens and barbies within... i believe i was the ONLY asian person there... WACK!

prices were fairly appropriate, a place i would totally get my guilty pleasure on... from egyptian flatbreads to finger lickings and more...

caprese salad = yay! soo yummy!

wine = damn! you call yourself a wine bar but the wine i ordered definitely had a sour touch...

coolio... it's actuallly more of a zoo in my opinion ...

so, i haven't really explored arizona other than the spankin grand canyon as a lil kid, and the older i get, i find myself exploring outside my horizons and stumbled upon sonora's desert museum ....

lots of cactuses and desert animals and more ...

you get to get super upclose with a few animals too which was pretty cool... especially their "raptor free flight" which is pretty much where you get to see these birdies flying from one end to the other and if you have a mind of a 5 yr old like i do, it was actually worthwhile... so check it out!

and not to mention, such breathtaking views of the surrounding mountain ranges!! if anything, think of this as a hike too because there were several paths you could take but you're honestly in for a real treat if you find a few friendly visitors that greet you along the way...

bring lots of h20!!! we literally killed 4 bottles in 2 hours!

PS. you really have to put your 5 yr old cap on to enjoy this place because most people would think of this as a pure desert with nothing to see while the others may enjoy a few wrinkles or two....

well..... yea ...

this is scottsdale original sushi bar that has been awarded for the best sushi for more than 16 yrs? reallly? wait a second.. we ARE in arizona, so hmm, mebe the standards are quite different ...

i, for one, was not thrilled ...  must say the sushi was quite ginormous but it sure didn't taste all that yummy and fresh... an average sushi ranged from $4 and up but honestly, if i was living in scottsdale, i would TOTALLY come for lunch... where can you find a deal for less than $5? whether you get chicken teriyaki/cutlet or whatever it was literally $3.50. YES! for lunch!!!

$3.50 for lunch! so unheard of! +1 for that

dinner?

an average dinner is $20/up... SO not worth it...

and who puts big chunky mushrooms in miso soup and sadly, there wasn't a SINGLE TOFU! is it just me or is that simply weird?

cant help but have a major sweet tooth ... :D

if anything, i always make it part of my trip... i always ALWAYS try to make sure i squeeze in a quick sweet fix and for my AZ trip last weekend, i made it to frost ...

it was yummy alright ... no complaints!