Ian "Popstarstrucked" W.'s Profile
Date
The place seems very busy and hectic each time I've been here and there's a wait to grab an open table. I've also gotten takeout during a few work breaks and enjoyed my food on the road. The service is prompt and the food is made to order while waiting.
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I dined here several days ago with a friend who wanted to check out the sushi bar at the revamped Mint Bistro. The long space was redone with tables to the right and the long bar/sushi bar to the left. We sat up at the bar and were promptly served by the bartender.
My friend ordered the Sushi & Sashimi Combination ($30) served with miso soup & salad. He proclaimed the sushi "BEST IN DOWNTOWN MANCHESTER" with authority! He also enjoyed a Cappuccino Martini after dinner.
However, my dinner experience was very different. I decided to stick with traditional items. The complementary bread came out warm and soft, served with herb butter and olive tapenade. For a starter, Mini Fish Tacos ($8 for 3 tacos with chopped Key lime blackened cod, lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, sour cream, & cilantro in soft flour tortillas) were spicy and had a pungent fishy odor. For dinner, I ordered Nana's Turkey Meatloaf ($13) with red eye gravy, served with soft cheddar mashed potatoes with carrots and green beans. The 2 moist pieces of turkey meatloaf were wrapped with bacon along the edges. The mashed potatoes with very smooth and soft. The vegetables were very sweet. For dessert, I ordered the Fruit Parfait ($5) which had fresh fruit & berries, Kirsch crème Anglaise, whipped cream, topped with a mint leaf and a sugary wafer.
After dinner, things for me started to take a turn for the really bad. I will note that after eating the Turkey Meatloaf entree, I started to feel an immediate small buzz and quickly assumed it was a minor headache since I also had "zero" alcoholic beverages at the bar and was the DD for my friend. Something about the bacon and ground turkey with gravy did not seem to mix.
About two hours after dining at Mint Bistro, I was about to post a good update on Mint Bistro. However, the "buzz" grew more intense and I started to feel very dizzy and nauseated. I decided to call it a night before 10:30 PM and went to bed. As I lay in bed, I could not fall asleep as I began to also get stomach cramps. Did I just eat some bad food? Also, I did not eat all day before dining at Mint Bistro and felt fine.
Around 11:45 PM, I went to the bathroom and vomited in the bowl and went back to bed and fell asleep. However, I awoke around 2AM and rushed to the bathroom very nauseated and violently upchucked the rest of the food (3 courses) into the bowl.
That was not the end of it. I endured the miserable stomach bug for over three days with frequent trips to the bowl (around the clock). I missed most of work on Friday including a pizza party (which I paid for ahead of time). I had to call it a day before noontime since I was so ill. I spent more time cleansing out in the restroom stall (a second office space for some of my coworkers) than doing actual productive work. I had to run to the pharmacy during work to purchase Kaopectate.
I consulted with a health professional about my symptoms and what I ate. I was told to be careful what I order especially with seafood and dishes with gravy.
I spent the rest of Friday and a long miserable weekend (Saturday & Sunday) couped up at home with abdominal pain and long durations in the bathroom and still feel very tired. I was supposed to go out on Saturday too but I had to abruptly cancel. At least on Sunday, I was able to catch (hear the TV) both AFC and NFC games. I did report to work on Monday and completed a whole shift without emergency trips to the restroom stall.
The management addressed my concerns regarding the food (quality & freshness), food preparation and handling, and keeping things clean. Also, if a staff member is sick or ill, they should not report to work and handle food since germs spread easily.
The customer should be able to enjoy a great dinner and not have to worry about getting very sick over the food. Show owner comment »
2 Previous Reviews:
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6/16/2009
I returned to Mint Bistro, but I brought a friend with me this time. We arrived here around 6:30 PM on a warm and sunny Tuesday evening. The place was pretty busy since there was a Fleetwood Mac concert at the Verizon and a weeklong AASHTO Conference (federal and state transportation officials from all around the country) at the Radisson going on as well.
We were seated immediately and water glasses were filled. There was no music playing in the background, instead there was plenty of crowd noise around the dining room. There was a small group of engineers from the AASHTO Conference at the next table enjoying dinner. My friend ordered a Martini, very dry, with green olives on the side, a very good maritini.
For starters, we shared a Bistro Greens Salad ($7) which was very fresh with field greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, onions, croutons, and sherry vinaigrette dressing. We were also given bread with 3 dips: sweet tomato salsa, hummus, black olive tapanade.
For dinner, I had the Bistro Chicken ($18) which was a roasted juicy bone-in chicken breast with skin served with mashed potatoes, and aspagus and pan au jus, great with the mashed potatoes. I really enjoyed this dish. My friend went with the Elm St Filet Mignon ($28) served with mashed potatoes and asparaus and requested the filet as rare as they could serve it. The cut of filet was excellent and of sushi quality and served very rare and very tender. My friend gave complements to the chef who nailed it to a T and the filet at Mint Bistro rivals the filet served at the Chophouse.
The manager came over to our table to check up on us and he did read my previous review and apologized to me about the Paella which was missing calamari and fish. He spoke with the chef and apparantly they did not get a delivery that day for the missing ingredients.
For dessert, we shared a Red Plum Fancier ($8), red plum compote, toasted almond ice cream, almond Florentine cookie with orange reduction, which was a nice ending with a cup of cappuccino.
Overall, the food we had was very good and the service was pretty good on a busy night. Our water glasses were always full. The dinner bill for 2 came out to around $100 with tax and tip. -
6/9/2009
I went here by myself on a rainy and cold Tuesday night. The Mint Bistro was formerly Ciao Baby and Baldwin's On Elm before that. The atmosphere inside is pretty nice and intimate, a long room with linen covered tables, C-shaped booths, a bar with HDTV and a small back dining area. The kitchen is open, so I could see some of the action going on. Light upbeat background music pumps through the speakers. The staff dons white shirt and tie and the owner is in a nice suit.
I was greeted by the hostess who said I could sit anywhere I wanted, so I picked a table with a decent view of the Red Sox/Yankees game on the HDTV. The waiter arrived momentarily and poured some cold house water into the glass. I was given a wine list, but I decided to skip the alcohol and the mojitos for tonight. I looked over the food menu which offers starters, salads, and a variety of appetizing entrees such as the Elm Street Filet Mignon, Herb Encrusted Rack of Lamb, Coriander Duck Breast, and more, entrees priced $18-$32.
I was brought out some complementary bread with three dips: hummus, olive puree, & sweet tomato salsa, which were very good. For dinner, the Paella ($25) was served in a bowl and had a pan seared scallop, 3 mussels, 2 shrimp, over a firm risotto with peas chicken and chorizo, where's the calamari & fish? This dish was okay and I've had better paella.
After dinner, I was given a Dessert Menu, all desserts were $8. For dessert, I went for the Mint Creme Brulee, which was very good and creamy and topped with a very crumbly chocolate mint cookie and a sugary mint leaf.
The service throughout my meal was good and my water glass was always topped off. Overall, the meal was good tasting, but very pricey, Boston prices in Manchvega$. I spent over $40 with tax and tip for an entree and dessert and no alcohol.
This small convenience store offers the basic convenience store items, cold drinks, cold beers, snacks, newspapers, and a full service deli counter which also offers fried chicken, made to order subs & sandwiches, a good selection of cold deli salads, baked goods, and heat and serve microwave meals. The prices here are reasonable.
I stopped in here around 7PM on a quiet evening to pick up some food to eat for later on. I was going to pick up some fried chicken, but the pile of chicken looked like it was sitting out for a while in the heated case. Instead, I got a "heat & serve" Chicken Parm Dinner ($6.99) and a Greek Pasta Salad with Feta ($2.30) for takeout. I was also going to get a Red Skin Potato Salad, but they sold out. The girl at the counter offered to heat up my dinner, but I decided to get it cold and I zapped it in the microwave when I arrived home.
The Greek Pasta Salad was delish, which had firm bowtie pasta, crunchy peppers, feta cheese, & seasonings in a tangy oily dressing. The Chicken Parm Dinner was decent. The breaded chicken breast was tender. The ziti was very soft which was covered in a thick tomato sauce and melted cheese.
I would stop in here again for food and cold drinks if I'm traveling through the area.
Peabody, MA 01960
(978) 538-7599
The Cheesecake Factory
Categories:
American (New),
Desserts,
American (Traditional)
I've been to several TCF locations throughout the US and have had very good meals each time, but there was usually quite a wait to be seated. I found some TCF gift cards (a few years old) which I needed to use up. My friend and I decided to make a special trip from NH to The Cheesecake Factory at the Northshore Mall for an early dinner and arrived here around 3:55PM on a Monday. We were seated immediately at a table in the bar area. Our server Todd arrived promptly and went over the specials and also informed us about the "bar menu" with several $5 appetizers listed.
For appetizers ($5 each/normally $9.95 each), we ordered the Fried Calamari and the Fire Roasted Fresh Artichoke. The Fried Calamari (rings & tentacles) were coated in a light and crisp tempura batter (not too greasy) and served with a creamy garlic dip and tangy cocktail sauce. The Artichokes (3) were messy to eat, but were very good and fresh and the artichoke hearts were very tender, served with a creamy garlic dip and vinaigrette dressing.
For dinner, the Cajun Jambalaya Pasta ($16.95-full sized portion) was very spicy which had tender shrimp, soft boneless chicken sauteed with tomato, onions, and peppers over soft linguini (regular and green noodles) and topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese (optional). My friend ordered the Vietnamese Shrimp Summer Rolls ($5/normally $9.95) three rice paper rolled with bean sprouts, carrots, asparagus, shittake mushrooms, green onion, cilantro, & shrimp, served chiiled over crispy rice noodle & red cabbage and spicy peanut dipping sauce.
The food was enjoyable and filling and we needed a box for the leftovers. Unfortunately, we did not save room for cheesecake and coffee, but probably next time. The service was very good, very attentive and informative. The food arrived in timely fashion, the ice waters were refilled and our server made recommendations from the menu.
We will be back!
The atmosphere in the dining room is cozy with sushi bar, table seating and seating (high chairs) at the bar, walls painted orange. There's also a flatscreen TV at the bar.
The menu offerings include a good selection of sushi rolls and sashimi as well as other Japanese dishes such as teriyaki, tempura, udon & soba, tataki, Bento boxes, and appetizers. The prices here are fair, most lunch entrees $9-$13 and most dinner entrees $9-$18, a few sushi/sashimi entrees over $20.
The place was not that busy when we dined here on a Saturday afternoon. We started out with hot tea (2 for $1). For lunch, we ordered Lunch Bento boxes, which included salad and miso soup. The salad was good, which had a tangy ginger carrot dressing over crisp iceberg lettuce salad mix. The miso soup was also good, which had miso paste, seaweed and small tofu cubes in a hot broth.
My friend ordered Box C ($10) Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura, California Roll, Gyoza & White Rice and I ordered Box E Yoshimama Bento ($12) Sushi, Sashimi (Salmon Roll) & Japanese Appetizer (Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura, Gyoza, Shumai) & White Rice. The California Roll and Salmon Roll were both good and the white rice had a nice firm texture. However, the gyoza and shumai were very soft and overcooked. The shumai tasted pretty good, which had a sweet taste. The tempura were not so good, the batter coating the vegetables had a cakey & chewy texture and not light and crispy like at most Japanese restaurants I've been to. The shrimp had a greasy crispy breading.
As for the service, it took a while for the waitress to take our food order, almost 10 minutes after dropping off the hot teas. The salads and soups did arrive to our table 5 minutes after ordering and the Bento boxes arrived 15 minutes afterwards. However, I received the incorrect Bento box and I waited another 5 minutes for the correct Bento box to arrive. The check came out to around $25 and change with tax and before tip.
Overall, the food was filling and reasonably priced, sushi and sashimi were good, but the gyoza and tempura were not impressive and the service was on the slower side on a not so busy afternoon.
(2.3/5.0 stars)
The place was very busy on a very frigid winter evening. I placed my dinner order at the inside counter and was given a number which was called out over the loud speaker 10 minutes later. They were generous with the tartar sauce cups.
I ordered the Fried Calamari Dinner ($10.95 plus tax) served with golden fries (freezer to fryer) and the sweet creamy cole slaw and helped myself to the free ice water across from the counter. The good portion of fried calamari had a mix of soft rings & tentacles coated with a crispy sweet breading. The fries were the "freezer to fryer" kind which were deep fried golden & crispy and not greasy. The minced cole slaw (cabbage & carrot) was dense and very creamy which had a good crunch and a sweet taste.
Overall, the food was solid good, filling and not too greasy.
The menu offerings include traditional & specialty pizzas (12"-14"-16"-18"), calzones, hot & cold subs (6"-10"-14"-30"), salads, bread stix, wings, fried appetizers, bagged Cape Cod chips, and Coke products & fruit drinks from the cooler. The prices are fair, pizza prices $7.99 (12" cheese)-$16.99 (18" specialty).
Driving through the north end of Manchester around suppertime recently, I made an "emergency pizza stop" at Pizza 911 after I noticed it was no longer North Side Pizzeria and I also wanted a cheese pizza for dinner.
"Pizza 9-1-1! What's your pizza emergency?"
"Yes, I need a great tasting cheese pizza fast and at a good price!"
Just to note, the phone number here is NOT 911, but the same phone number as its predecessor 625-2201.
Since it was Tuesday, I ordered the $5 Medium Cheese Pizza special (normally $9.49 and good on Mondays too!). The pizza was hot and ready in 10 minutes as promised.
The 14" cheese pizza was very good, which had a very tasty thin pizza crust, light crisp on the bottom crust baked with wheat flour and the texture inside of the crust was firm , soft & moist, edges not too thick and topped with the right amounts of sweet tomato sauce and melted/browned mozzarella cheese (greasy on top from the cheese). I enjoyed a couple slices for dinner and enjoyed the rest of the pizza at work (lunch) for the next two days.
I would definitely order from Pizza 911 if I ever had another pizza emergency!
(4.4/5.0)
This Ramunto's serves up New York and Sicilian pizzas (by the slice & pie), calzones, hot & cold hoagies, pasta, salads, appetizers, Coke beverages, and desserts. A children's menu is available and lunch specials on the blackboard are offered Mon-Fri until 3PM including 2 specialty pizza slices and a soft drink for $5. 20 beers on tap and wine by the glass are also offered. The prices here are moderate and the pizza prices tend to be on the higher side, starting at $12.95 for a large 16" cheese pizza and $15.99 for a Sicilian pizza. See the menu & pricing (PDF) at http://ramuntos.com/ME...
While passing through Bennington, I stopped at Ramunto's Pizza for dinner takeout. The place was fairly busy on a Monday night. The place is cozy and casual which has finished picnic table seating in the front dining area and a bar section. Also noted, the other Ramunto's locations I've been to use brick ovens, while this location uses conventional pizza ovens (hence no "Brick Oven" in the name). The selection of specialty pizza slices behind the glass counter was pretty good.
I decided to order 2 specialty slices (1 NY pizza slice and 1 Sicilian pizza slice) for carryout. The pizza slices were not huge and warmed up quickly in the oven and the total came out to $5.45 with tax.
Both pizza slices tasted good, but definitely could've been hotter temperaturewise. The NY slice was topped with sundried tomatoes, grilled chicken, pepperoni, broccoli, red sauce, and plenty of cheese (browned on top), the crust was thicker and soft along the edge, and firm and thin towards the point. The Sicilian pizza slice was topped with green peppers, onions, ground sausage, black olives, sauce and plenty of melted cheese on top, the thick crust was crisp on the bottom and soft inside with a dry texture.
Overall, the pizza slices at this location were decent and counter service was very prompt.
I ordered the L33 Shrimp Lo Mein ($5.25 plus tax) with Roast Pork Fried Rice and Wonton Soup, which was ready in under 10 minutes. The portion of food was good. The shrimp lo mein dish had a mix of vegetables (carrots, celery, cabbage, onions, sprouts) and tender shrimp (some not deveined) with mostly firm noodles, not oily. The pork fried rice (light yellow color) was standard with roast pork cubes and fried onions (no egg), rice had a firm texture. The wonton soup had four wontons with ground pork in a hot light chicken broth (not salty) with scallions, crispy fried noodles on the side.
The food was good and I would order Chinese takeout again from Taste of China.
DELIVERY FEE: $1
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Pelham, NH
Yelping SinceFebruary 2007
Things I LoveRoad Trips, long drives, Coffee Bean iced coffee, Pinkberry, fish tacos, dim sum, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard STL, pop music, old school hip hop, Disneyland, Top Chef, pasta, pizza, casino buffets, diners, blue nuggets
Find Me InSouthern NH, Eastern MA, Southern ME, Upstate NY, Southern CA, & Canada too, eh.
My HometownThe Five-Eighteen
My Blog Or WebsiteYelp
When I'm Not Yelping...On the road for work all around NH and for non-work purposes
Why You Should Read My ReviewsMy reviews are personal and full of details
My Second Favorite Websitehttp://www.facebook.com & http://www.myspace.com...
The Last Great Book I ReadSeveral Images of America books
My First ConcertDef Leppard at SPAC
My Favorite MovieBack To The Future (1-3)
My Last Meal On EarthCarnival World Buffet at Rio in Las Vegas
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I listen to lots of pop music and old school hiphop covertly at work
Most Recent DiscoveryNew backroads around the USA & Canada
Current CrushSeveral pop singers
They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner offering plenty of breakfast dishes, sandwiches, burgers, salads, comfort dishes, and desserts (ice cream treats, pie, cheesecake), plus a kids menu too. The prices here are pretty reasonable and daily specials and breakfast specials are offered here. They also offer wi-fi too!
I stop at this Norm's location for a good hearty breakfast before heading into Disneyland for a long day of fun, meeting characters, and standing in long lines for those popular rides. I usually get a bottomless cup of coffee and the Sunrise Serenade which includes 2 bacon, 2 sausages, hash browns, 2 eggs, & 2 hot cakes.
On my last visit for breakfast, I ordered the Bigger Better Breakfast for $5.99 plus tax (weekdays 6AM-2PM) which included 2 bacon, 2 sausages, ham steak, hash browns, 2 eggs, & 2 hot cakes. This was definitely a pretty good deal and the food was very filling. Since I had a good breakfast at Norm's, I was able to minimize eating breaks at the Disneyland food stands, which can get very pricey.
With refills on the coffee, I was "golden" for the day!