El Keter "qaballist goat god rosy cross" B.'s Profile
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Don't get me wrong, this is still a relatively seedy strip-club located in an off-the-beaten-path location. You will not find four-star accommodations, but black walls, black lights and air-brushed paintings of scantily-clad women. The building itself is not-all-that large so it can be difficult finding a seat, especially for a group, on a busy night. But there are nude or nearly nude women on display and I think that's likely to be all that anybody with even a passing interest in an establishment like Anthony's is inerested in.
Being a large group we opted to monopolize all of the seats surrounding one of the hibachi-style stove-tops toward the back of the restaurant. There is plenty of non-hibachi seating inside and outside the restaurant for those with a taste for sushi or anyone just not interested in a show. But we were there for a show, and thanks to our chef Andy, that is exactly what we got. He came out swinging his utensils, chopping & flipping our meat, setting the scene on fire and, much to our delight, spraying saki all over the place! His performance was not only a sight to behold and a joy to participate in, but he cooked our food, including my Filet Mignon and chicken, to perfection, earning many a high-five in the process.
As I said, my order included Filet Mignon and chicken, egg-infused fried rice, vegetables, soup, salad, a beverage, and lots and lots of high-flying saki courtesy of Andy. The meat, rice and vegetables were delicious, but the salad was take-it-or-leave-it due to an unidentifiable orange paste that served as dressing, and I didn't even touch the mushroom soup. I would probably recommend trading out the soup and salad for more rice as two of my tablemates did because of a previous Osaka experience where, they said, they'd been skimpy with the rice. The drink, a Huckleberry Lemonade, tasted more like booze and blue food-coloring than anything resembling berries OR lemonade. But again, there was a TON of saki.
The experience really rested on Andy's performance, personality and grill acumen, as the other waitstaff were sort of douchebaggy. They didn't handle questions or special requests well at all and seemed really put off at having to talk to us. Andy on the other hand was just a beautiful human being and an awesome chef and more than made up for the lack of enthusiasm we were initially greeted with when dealing with the seaters and order-takers.
All told, the interaction with the hibachi chefs is just as important to Oasaka's appeal as the quality of the food is. Sure, the place whips up some good meat and rice, but meat and rice is just meat and rice. When it's meat and rice getting flipped all over the place by a really friendly, humorous, fire-and-saki-wielding Asian gentleman is when it turns into something SPECIAL. Make it a group event and that meat and rice turns into a HAPPENING.
I suppose that makes Osaka something of a "happening joint" as it were.
West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 733-5134
Rave Movie Theater W. Springfield 15
Category:
Cinema
That said, it's no small compliment to say that Cafe Lebanon, a Lebanese restaurant located centrally in the city's downtown business district, is hands-down one of the most beautiful-but-comfortable eateries in the city.
Seriously...The place is just NICE. But by the same token, it's also a place where you feel warm and welcome, so that you might relax, be comfortable and enjoy some REALLY fantastic Middle Eastern-inspired cuisine.
My favorite item on the menu is the beef kebab, which normally comes with rice pilaf which I always ask to have substituted with mdardara, a wild-rice dish prepared with red lentils and crispy onions.
The beef is just incredible, brazed to perfection with a garnish of onions and tastes like heaven with a mouthful of mdardara, a forkful of thoum (a garlic paste side) and a bit of pita bread.
I've also tried their lamb dishes (like the lamb kebab and the lamb stew) as well as their fish (the swai is always awesome) and have never been disappointed with anything I've had the pleasure to get a taste of.
Their appetizers, like their perfect spinach pie, the decidedly un-authentic but tasty as all get-out hummachos, and the cheese pie, all get my stamp of approval as well.
Oh, and don't let me forget the bar, which serves up a wide array of tempting mixed drinks, cocktails and special martinis, if that sort of thing is your cup of beverage, OR the belly dancers who perform on weekend nights.
With their flavorful fare and inviting environs Cafe Lebanon is something TRULY special in a Downtown Springfield in DIRE need of special things.
Springfield, MA 01129
(413) 783-9464
Wings Over Springfield
Categories:
American (Traditional),
Barbeque,
Cajun/Creole
1 Previous Review:
-
11/19/2008
There is no other place you should be ordering wings from in the Pioneer Valley with the possible exception of the OTHER Wings Over... location inside the Hangar in Amherst.
Their wings are boneless and ENORMOUS, and they are available in a mind-boggling array of flavors. I enjoy the Honey BBQ, the Honey Mustard, the Cajun, the Jerk and a few other flavors. But if you prefer your wings with the traditional Buffalo sauce they have that covered too, in a variety of strengths.
Their burgers and fries are solid as well, and compliment the wings perfectly. I often order a cheeseburger and a large fries to go with the huge tub of wings I'm sharing with friends or family.
I've been eating in this building for decades (since the '80s when there was a Burger King at the location) so unlike the other reviewer I don't see a problem with the amount of in-store seating they have available if you want to dine-in. In fact, they've recently renovated the place and made it bit more "swanky" for folks who plan to "eat in."
1 Previous Review:
-
8/29/2010 First to Review
I grew up eating pizza cooked in this building. For years, the restaurant on the corner of Dickinson and Oakland provided my family with pizza, grinders and other delightful dishes. I'm sure the place changed owners a few times over those decades. And there was a period of time during the last owner's tenure where I wouldn't eat here due to an incident that I won't elaborate on here.
The truth of the matter is that any feelings I may have had about the previous iterations of "Family Pizza" are irrelevant now though. This is due to the fact that they've been under new management for a hot minute now and are a completely different restaurant than any of the many I'd done business with at this location before. This, it turns out, is a really, REALLY good thing.
After eating there a few times recently I'm happy to report that the all new Felix's Family Ristorante may in fact be my favorite restaurant in the Forest Park neighborhood and it's DEFINITELY my favorite of the handful of Italian eateries in the city of Springfield. This is saying a lot because there's another nearby Italian spot that really impressed me with their fare, but for the quality, and the money, I'm now inclined to prefer Felix's Family Ristorante over them.
So far their appetizers, pasta, chicken, grinders and pizza have all been sampled and all have been solid-to-impressive in quality. Their hand-made fried mozzarella in marinara sauce is heavenly. Their pasta alfredo, paired with an order of their crispy, juicy chicken fingers for a makeshift chicken alfredo is pure gooey, cheesy, crunchy, poultry-y goodness. Their pizza is fluffy but hearty and loaded with melty cheese and fragrant toppings. And their cheeseburger sub -- which actually tastes like meat and is imbued with the smokey flavor of flame broiling or char-grilling -- and steak bomb sub -- loaded with tons of shaved steak and aromatic veggies, also smokily grilled -- are nothing short of the best subs I've ever eaten in my life!
As of yet I haven't enjoyed sit-down dinner service at the Family Ristorante, only take-out service from the window. But the people who work here are all incredibly friendly and really do help create a family atmosphere that makes you want to sit down and eat. Oh, and the last time I went in to place an order on a Friday night they had an amazing guitar/accordion duo walking around playing and singing Italian folk songs and standards in the dining room. These guys were awesome and, despite the crowd, made me wish I was eating in the dining room.
Whether you're feeding your family, or just your face, Felix's Family Ristorante is the place to do it in the Forest Park neighborhood.
Last week I decided to stop in at the Hot Table conveniently located in Baystate West...I mean Tower Square...right on the corner of Main Street in the space formerly occupied by Gus & Paul's and before that Friendly's.
I found they offer an eclectic selection of truly hearty pannini-style deli sandwiches with an array of flavorful filling options ranging from traditional to original.
I played it safe and bought a large pannini stuffed with fresh, tasty shaved turkey meat, roasted red peppers, pickles and red onions, on a thick slab of bread slathered in honey-dijon.
Accompanied with a sack of kettle chips it made for a tasty and stomach-stuffing lunch which I wolfed down in record time once tucked safely back in my cubicle.
Of course, if you have the time, you might want to eat in the restaurant itself, which is sleek and stylish but still warm and welcoming (there's a fireplace!) while also being uncommonly clean.
If I have one gripe it's that the place seems woefully understaffed (there only seem to be two people on duty at any given time with one making sandwiches and the other operating the register) which can mean that food preparation and checkout is accomplished at a snails pace.
This can make copping lunch while on a short lunch-break at work a little tough, which I found out this past Saturday when I walked in on my half-hour to find a looooooong line and only one person making sandwiches.
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Springfield, MA
Yelping SinceNovember 2008
Things I LoveDiet Dr. Pepper, Vitamin Water, money in the bank
Find Me InForest Park
My HometownSpringfield, MA
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I blog, podcast, shop, people-watch, and yearn for quality cuddle-time.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI'm already respected for my opinions on music, why not everything else?
The Last Great Book I Readwas 'Schrödinger's Cat Trilogy' by Robert Anton Wilson.
My First ConcertPrince's Purple Rain tour at the Hartford Civic Center
My Favorite MovieGhost World, Lost In Translation, Me and You and Everyone We Know, etc.
My Last Meal On EarthNumerous White Castle cheeseburgers and sacks of fries!
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I'm an integral part of the Jewish banking conspiracy.
Current CrushOrange...definitely Orange.
Since then much time has passed. The place, though it still offers the "super slice," has apparently changed ownership and management. They've made minor changes to the outside of the building and I've even seen a few commercial on local TV touting their fare. That all being the case, I thought I'd give an old favorite a try a few days ago when I had a hankering for pizza but wanted something "different" than what I get from my usual haunts.
Before ordering I mentioned to a friend from the neighborhood that I was going to give Nucci's a shot. His response was to shake his head and say "bad news bears." In hindsight I should have heeded his warning as the pie that the "new" Nucci's delivered to my house proved to be pretty damn terrible. It wasn't quite as egregious as the pie that had originally earned Nucci's a spot on my blacklist. But it was bland and tasteless, things I don't want from my pizza.
Sorry Nucci's, you're still on my "list."