Shonda "Oh how I miss the 90's" K.'s Profile

So we headed over to Woodfire for a birthday get together for a friend who is a huge fan of Kevin (Top Chef).  I must say first off that the service was excellent.  I actually lost count of the waiters who were serving us (we were a party of nine) but they were pleasant and attentive, especially considering our reservation was after 10pm.  I was not overly impressed by the decor/styling of the restaurant, nothing special.  But the group dining area we were seated in upstairs was fine, rustic and cozy on a cold night.  
The Food:
Appetizers: Glazed Shrimp (nice flavor but the portion size was just insulting for the price.  There were like 6 popcorn size shrimp on a mound in the middle of the plate...c'mon guys)
The chanterelle mushrooms weren't bad and someone in my party had the scallop which was not a favorite for me.
Our main courses were the duck and the pork loin.  The duck was fine but the pork loin was the star of the evening.  It was moist, perfectly seasoned and cooked.  It was paired with apples, cabbage and bacon slaw, it was simply delicious.  I did not want to stop eating this and I was sharing with my boyfriend who absolutely loved it also!
I struggled with trying the banana fritters dessert but I am a dessert girl and I just had to try bacon on a dessert (though I am just repulsed by the idea and roll my eyes as they prepare it for desserts on all the television cooking competitions).  I should have followed my first mind and left it alone.  Gross.  Bacon does not belong on a dessert period.  Though without the "distracting" bacon the dessert was not memorable at all so...All in all I had a good time.  While I would not put this on "must visit again" list, I think it is a good restaurant with excellent service and food you should give a try.

Ok, I am not really a burger girl.  I grew up on those lil McDonald's cheeseburgers and I will grab one of these on the go if I am really hungry or just for that taste of ketchup mixed with onions that takes me back to my childhood.  But honestly I might eat less than 10 burgers per year.  I went down to the Grindhouse because my boyfriend has been talking about this place for weeks.  He has been here with co-workers on several occasions and Loves these burgers and so do they.  So he arranged a "family field trip" down to the Grindhouse this past Saturday.  
So we arrive 9 deep (a multicultural group ages 1 to 65) to sample these much talked about burgers.  
The Verdict-Delicious!!  I had the single traditional burger, though they all sounded delicious.  It was nestled on a soft potato roll, it was moist juicy and the perfect size.  I hate having to fight to get a bite of a burger or have all the contents fall out all over the place.  This was a good burger plain and simple.  I enjoyed every bite.  I had the seasoned fries also, they are salted with seasoning salt but not too much.  I love some Lawry's baby so...nice touch.  The finale, soft serve ice cream on a cone.  Tasted just like homemade.  The service was slow (take a peek around at some of the produce in the curb market while you wait. Or sit and watch the movie projected on the wall a la Elvira narrating horror flicks..nice:) but the product is worth the wait.  The waitstaff was friendly and thanked us for stopping by, always nice.  Grindhouse...go check it out.

Wasabi is located in the Castleberry Hill area right down from No Mas Cantina.  The food was good and tasted fresh.  We ordered unagi nigiri, Candy Box rolls, Supercrunch rolls and another with cream cheese (that was my boyfriend's idea, but wasn't bad) and he always orders like tuna and salmon.  We also had the sake (more about that later).  This is my fourth sushi experience, having been to a spot in N.O., MF, RuSan's and now Wasabi.  I would have to say it is my definite second choice behind MF.  And the price was not as steep, not cheap but not as steep.

The best part was after we had 1 1/2 carafes of sake and decided to go into the women's bathroom (me and my boyfriend) and write on the chalkboard walls and take pictures in front of our retarded chalk written messages. BAM then the door opens just as the flash goes off, with my boyfriend standing camera in hand in the women's bathroom.  He said her eyes were as big as saucers and she quickly walked away.  I screamed out through the door that I promised I was fully clothed.  And I WAS for those with a nasty mind:) We had a great time.  Wasabi=Good food and a Good time.

You cannot go to RuSan's after you've recently been to MF Sushi. "No, No, No" she says, walking away whistling with her head down.

The service was great.  I enjoyed playing the old school video game.  But the pizza was just okay.  Not terrible.  But not good either.  I would put it in the same category as school/cafeteria pizza (ouch).  But I didn't hate it though....

I just liked the feel of Grant Central, just kinda warm and cozy.  I could have just curled into a booth with a glass of wine and a good book.  I did not have the pizza, but I will next time.  I had the blackened chicken salad and it was just ok.  I also had the ravioli and it was ok also.  But they had a lemon cake that made me smile:) It was yummy but  the slice was a little thin.  Not so stingy with the cake next time Grant Central!!

Oh this is a hole in the wall club.  It's tiny.  It's dark.  But man was it fun.  The music was hot courtesy of DJ's Apple Juice and Jay Sol.  These guys were red hot!  And though some of the kids in here are probably young enough to be my kids (lol).  I enjoyed just the raw energy and vibe and people coming out to have a good time.  No posing, faking or holding up walls.  I had a blast!

I live In The City so going here was like traveling to Tennessee because it is deeeep OTP.  It is in a strip mall and I didn't really know what to expect.  When we walked in it was like the set of an Indiana Jones movie.  The lighting is very dim and there are rugs covering the beds and cool pictures on the wall.  I have never been to this type of restaurant or ever really eaten food from this region so the whole experience was interesting.  They were playing traditional music that sounded like it was remixed with house beats.

Food- It was okay.  I had the buffet and had curry chicken (tasted very dry, maybe it was on the line too long), some sort of beef and rice and goat.  The goat looked and tasted like ox tails. The goat was tasty and probably the highlight of the meal.  Now the kicker is they were charging $12 a plate for this stuff.  Are you kidding me???  And since we were here for a 1yr old's birthday party and were with a group, they were adding 18% gratuity making a grand total of $16 per plate for this stuff.  Unreal and definitely a rip.  This food was not worth more than $7 per plate.

Service-Just very chaotic.  This place is cramped and the server did not seem to know who was who and who was doing or having what.  A mess but he was trying bless his heart.

We were too early for the belly dancer and did not get to see the hookah and these probably would have been fun to experience.  All in all it was a new, interesting experience for me and the kids had a good time.  2 1/2 stars.

This was ok pizza.  Nothing to holler about.  But I Loved the lemonade!!  So much so, I ordered a second glass.  I got my bill- a medium pepperoni pizza 9about 5 slices) and 3 lemonades $25.  Uh, what was the lemonade, like $3 a glass??  Everybody's doesn't fit into my budget in terms of bang for my buck, but I sit here craving that lemonade.  Sigh....

Went to I Too on a Tuesday afternoon and there were two workers and two clients.  Guess I picked a good time.  I was in and out in about 10 min.  Love that because I can't stand sitting around with a bunch of women (rather have root canal:) I like threading because I have sensitive skin and it doesn't break me out.  Shoba did mine and I like how clean they look.  I didn't know if I loved the shape initially but they have grown on me.