Alexander "Foodie Bear" C.'s Profile

Loved this place! Me and 3 other men hit this place for a guys clean up day.. we all got pedicures and manicures, which turned out so beautiful and shiny I feel very much in touch with my feminine side right now. *cough cough*, yeah, it was f*ckin' killer dude.

4 stars means I'm a fan, and yes Id agree with that. However what is putting them from a solid 3 to a 4 is the value and service. Seriously, a chopped or caesar salad for 3.95? 5-7pm Happy Hour that includes half off starters, pizzas, and glasses of wine, wow, for real!

So with that being said we had a great time at Marcella's, yes folks a chain, but a decent chain with only a few locations in Ohio. The straight forward menu makes for easy navigation and the helpful suggestive service was more than enough to make decisions easy.

Okay, we kinda freaked out when  we heard the half off starts and pizzas.. we ordered way to much but was so worth it.

Started with the meaty Sicilian pizza, topped with Capacola, Salami, Meatballs, Asiago Cheese, Red Onion, which was probably my favorite. The crust was thin and crunchy and all of the flavors of the meats and cheese really were balanced so I could taste each with one bite after the next.

Beef Carpaccio was a close runner up with its thinly shaved rare beef, toasted capers and wild arugula. The flavors were bright thanks in part to the lemon aioli.

The Braised Veal Meatball was so light and tender I wanted to order another as my entree rather than the Gnocchi con Bolognese . The problem with the gnocchi was the gnocchi themselves. Kind of like eating raw biscuit dough, but the lamb bolognese was simple and delicious.

The Chicken Parmesan was served how I like to eat with both alfredo & tomato sauce. My only wish is that it had just a bit more sauce so I could use the house ciabatta to sop up the extra.

Desserts are kept simple like the rest of the menu so we shared with Cherry Crustada. The crust was light and flaky, the cherries filling slightly tart and the ice cream rich and creamy, *pant pant* yum!

This was certainly a pleasant experience with a welcoming laid back feel, generous portions and affordable pricing. Oh yes, they also use http://Opentable.com for free online reservations, so yes, I'm definitely a fan!!!

Chef Matt Carter, already known for Zinc Bistro and the year-old The Mission restaurant, is getting a lot of buzz for his latest venture, Nine 05.

Named for its location at 905 N. Fourth St., the Asian restaurant occupies the former home of Fate. Carter and his team have completely changed and modernized the venue into an ultra-cool hip modern space.

The outdoor bar is great, and it comes with a weekend night DJ. The dining space outside is fairly large and can accommodate decent sized parties. With the cooler weather coming, this will be a good place to hang out for a drink and a bite.

Service at Nine 05 is what I like to call triple A: amazing, attentive and attractive. During two visits, my party felt so welcomed and taken care of, we almost wanted to take off our shoes and stay longer.

On my second visit, manager Jennifer Mara even remembered my favorite beer from my first visit, Xingu ($5). It's this kind of attention that shows in the service and every aspect of the experience, including the well planned menu.

Plate presentations are some of the prettiest I've seen in quite some time. During both occasions we shared appetizers, then each ordered an entree, which can be shared family style.
Portions are generous, and the chef does a fantastic job keeping things from getting too heavy.

The crisp, clean flavors of the Cucumber Salad ($8) was a great way to get things moving. The bright and light Octopus Sashimi ($12) had a wonderful flavor from the pickled chilies, more sweet than spicy, yet balanced, though the octopus was a little on the chewy side.

Fried items were piping hot, starting with the Tomato Katsu ($9), which was lightly breaded and nicely crisp. Beware of that first bite, these were hot, hot, hot! The heirloom tomato was nice and ripe resulting in deeply satisfying flavors.

The Rice Cakes ($7) had a nice crunch, but these were really to show off the tasty cilantro-lime coconut yogurt drizzled onto the plate. If I had a bowl of that yogurt I would have dipped everything into it. Good stuff!

Duck and Foie Dumplings ($11) were good, but I wish the foie flavor would have been more pronounced. It's a personal taste.

The Korean Chicken Wings ($8) were tender, crispy, meaty and interesting with the topping of chili threads. I've actually never had a chili thread before, so small and thin but wow, what a flavor explosion!

Entrees were a blast, beginning with n ample bowl of Red Curry Mussels ($18). These plump bad boys were made for the fragrant coconut and lemongrass curry broth. The chef also piles on thick slices of bread so as not to waste even a single drop of the complex elixir.

Eating the Pork Belly Fried Rice ($13) was a pleasure, savoring each bite of tender hog and sweet spiked caramelized pineapple. I asked for a side of their pickled chilies to add a spicy sweet dimension to the tender rice.

Be sure to use the chilies also on the Tonkotsu Ramen ($15). A huge steaming bowl of richly flavored broth and noodles topped with pork belly, scallions and an egg. You know how I get when there is egg yolk involved, the flavor just drives me wild, while it adds a certain richness to just about any dish.

Desserts ($7 each) are limited to only a few thoughtful selections. The Blueberry Mochi Cake was moist and chewy, adorned with fresh berries and a scoop of lychee sorbet was refreshing. However, I would have preferred a different flavor of sorbet, since I'm one of those few people who think lychee tastes like soap. It's just a preference.

The Coffee and Chocolate Torte was more my style. With its fudge-like texture and smooth and flavorful chai ice cream, it's real winner.

With great attention to detail, delicious food and a superb staff, I think you will find plenty to be happy about after a visit here. On my way out I couldn't help but think of an excuse to come back, then I was told that the lunch menu is outstanding. What a perfect reason.

Now we stand at a crossroads; perhaps a dilemma. Is it truly Mexican when it's not made by Mexicans? Is a taco a taco just because someone said it is? Or a burrito? The philosophies and debates of Mexican food can go on for hours. But I like to think of it like this: If it tastes good, who cares?

This is the case with Two Hippies Beach House. Opened by the same Two Hippies, Andy and Jan Goldstein, who brought us Two Hippies Magic Mushroom Burger, they use words like tacos and burritos but never actually say they serve Mexican food.

What they do serve is an accessible, mostly delicious, well-priced menu. Really, any three tacos are $5, anytime!

If you've ever been to some of the surf shacks in San Diego, you'll notice it's like they picked one up and dropped it on the corner of Camelback Road and 5th Street â€" sans the sand of course.

In true Two Hippies fashion, every square inch of this small establishment is absolutely covered with kitsch of all kinds; such blissful tackiness. The front is about the size of a postage stamp, barely enough room to stand after ordering at the counter. Once your order is ready, they call out your name. You can take your stash home or go around back and pull up a picnic table.

While you wait, take in all the decorations, though if you have some condition of OCD, you might have a problem with the clutter and want to start arranging and organizing. I had to put my hands under my seat so as not to give in to my secret urges.

The emphasis on the menu is tacos, as well as the hot dogs and lemonades. Two Hippies also can make any of the taco flavors into a burrito like the Red Beef ($5). The burritos are massive. If I had to guess, I’d say they probably are close to a pound. They are loaded with tender red chile beef, rice and beans, and they fill you up big time.

The Cheese Crisp with Chicken ($4.50) is also huge and fully packed with tender chicken, onion, guacamole, tomato and cabbage. It’s much lighter than the burrito but still very filling.

On another other visit I stuck with the tacos, ordering up the Taco 3 Pack ($5) and choosing fish, cactus and chicken. These tacos are massive, like all the food at Two Hippies. You’ll never leave hungry.

Interestingly, Two Hippies does not use corn tortillas, opting instead for the medium sized flour variety.

I'm always leery about ordering fish since we live hundreds of miles from the closest ocean, and on one visit my instincts were spot on. The fish was so strong I could only manage a few bites, even with the delicious red salsa it couldn't help that poor fish.

Although another visit revealed the fish to be spot on, flaky and mild, so the fish taco could be a crap shoot. The chicken taco was a chicken taco, good with a nice balance of veggies and meat. However my favorite was the cactus taco, tender sliced cactus topped with cabbage, onion, tomato, rice, beans and cilantro. The cactus had a delicate sweet flavor and with so many textures was a delight to chow.

Beach House also serves up several different topped all beef hot dogs. I had the pleasure of trying the No. 6 ($3.75), which is pretty much the kitchen sink model. A soft squishy bun covered with pinto beans, cheese, jalapeos, mustard, ketchup, mayo and guacamole. Whew, this is like the daddy of all hot dogs. I think this could have been even a plain dog and I would have loved it.
I'm not sure where they get their hot dogs, but the meat in this one was just so tasty, the toppings only added to my pleasure.

There are eight other hot dogs that also piqued my interest like the No. 4 ($4) that has feta, pesto-mayo, bacon, tomato and onion and the No. 8 ($3.75), which is covered simply in guacamole. I had forgotten how much I enjoy a good hot dog, look out Costco!

With 16 base flavors, the lemonades ($3) are a great way to to complete your meal. They use shaved ice so it's almost like having a slushy â€" complete with a brain freeze if you don't take your time. You can also combine different flavors to come up with your own custom lemonade flavor. The fun part is trying your different creations. Cherry and raspberry were nice and tart, but one combo was even better, the strawberry and peach. For me this almost had a creaminess from the round flavor of the peaches, this could be my signature drink on any upcoming visits if there weren't so many other choices.

Two Hippies Beach House does a pretty good job of bringing the walk-up taco shack to Central Phoenix, and it certainly entices all sorts of people. So if you decide to check this place out and you see a big bear stuffing his face with a yummy hot dog or one of the cactus tacos, please feel free to say hi.

This latest hybrid might sound different but after trying the Filipino-Mexican fusion at Karey's Kitchen, you'll ask yourself why no one had done it sooner?

Situated at the southeast corner behind Blockbuster at 40th Street and Thomas Road, Karey's is in one of those blink-and-miss-it locations.

From the good luck kitty at the register to the rich looking hardwood floors and dark wood furniture, it's actually charming. There are a few tables as well as counter seating for eat in, and the tables can be pushed together to accommodate a party of eight or more.

Karen, once an accountant, has turned restaurateur in this family-run venture, which includes her mom, Puring, husband, Ray, and brother, Michael.

It brings me so much joy to see the love and care that goes into a place that is family owned and independent. The warm smiling faces that greet you at the counter are so genuine and welcoming. Karen and Puring run the front of the store and tail it back to the kitchen to cook.

For the unfamiliar, many Filipino foods consist of stews, braises and roasts of beef, pork and chicken, which work perfectly for this concept. For the purist you can order a combination plate of classic Filipino dishes and select your own items, or you can go for something more unconventional, yet accessible, like many of its tasty hybrid burritos, chimichangas and flautas.

I must add the menu is more of a guideline rather than something set in stone. If there is something on the menu you find yourself craving, maybe call ahead to make sure she has it that day. Sourcing top quality has been tough, and on a several visits the restaurant was out of one thing or another.

Daily specials play a large part of Karey's menu, and there are always three to five specials per day. If you'd like to know about those dishes, you can choose to follow Karey's Kitchen on Twitter.

On one visit I created my own three-item combo ($5.99), which included a couple of out-of-this-world pork spare ribs. The barbecue sauce was house-made and had a wonderful slightly smoky and sweet flavor.

I also chose the chicken curry, which was fall-off, the bone tender and not heavy like most I've tried.

To round off the combo, I chose the pancit, which is the Filipino version of Chinese lo mein. Though rice sticks were used instead of egg noodles, it has a lighter sauce. Of course this was made to order and the vegetables were still slightly crisp.

The pancit is probably the lightest item on the menu and had plenty of chicken breast and vegetables for those who are watching their figures.

Adobo is to the Philippines as Pho is to Vietnam. Essentially a method of stewing meat brought to the Philipines by the Spanish in the 1500s, it has become the national dish.

Karey's version is absolutely delicious with its rich savory flavors and tender meats. You can have this in a combo or rice bowl, but do yourself a favor and get the Pork Adobo Burrito ($5.99). A huge flour tortilla stuffed with pork adobo then rolled in Parmesan cheese. With the outside rolled in cheese, it adds a depth to the burrito that I've never quite experienced.

With the burrito you also have your choice of Spanish rice, white rice, garlic rice or beans. The Spanish and garlic rice are moist and flavorful, but my favorite were the creamy beans. Karey's doesn't have a traditional Mexican salsa but instead chooses to use Asian chili paste. The spicy vinegary heat is the perfect complement to every dish I tried.

I love eggrolls in about any shape and form, including Karey's outstanding Filipino version called Lumpia ($2.95/$4.95). These are smaller than what you'd normally expect at an Asian restaurant, but the crunch factor is far bigger. Simply filled with seasoned ground pork and served with a side of sweet chili sauce, these little bad boys are fantastically crispy and light.

Keeping with the hybrid fusion theme, desserts are few but interesting and worth the calories. The Halo Halo ($4.95) is made of shaved ice, beans, purple yams, sweetened condensed milk and ice cream.

Okay, I know, it sounds a little crazy, and when it is served, the first thing that comes up is, "What have I gotten myself into?"

This dessert is brightly colored and unusual in its presentation with so many different layers. Once you brave the first bite, it won't be your last. Creamy, icy, tender and smooth, it's a textural and flavor overload that should be experienced at least once. I have a feeling I'll be having another one on my next visit.

Ask about Puring's Cassava Cake ($1.29). It's served warm and is made from shredded cassava, coconut milk and sugar.

From the crispy lumpia to the tender, melt-in-your-mouth adobo, Karen and company cooks how they want to eat and treat their customers how they want to be treated, like family.

This used to be my goto Chinese place over 10 years ago. Well let's just say my tastes have become more sophisticated 'cause it's just your average run if the mill Chinese/American food with no surprises or intrigue.

The Chow Fun was pretty good and the Tofu was acceptable I just cant imagine how this was my goto place so long ago.. was I really that blind? I was still in my twenties, what did I know?

Two Hippies Dropped Out of College and Opened Up a Pizzaria, whew what a name eh? Well it's finally open and looks to be promising with only a few things to work out. Ill keep this one short and sweet without doing a disservice to the Hippies.  

First off there is NO place to eat here, its carry away only. We were actually going to have a few friends meet us up there but changed our minds after finding this out. Knowing this we still made the drive to Phoenix from Scottsdale to check it out, with mixed results though it is there second day.

A killer thing about this place is the pricing. The 12" pizzas are $7 for either paper thin or hand tossed. If you don't specify, you get the hand tossed. They also have loads of different kinds of wings, $6 for a dozen. So many that its pretty hard to make a choice though we went with the Spicy BBQ and the Garlic Parmesan. The wings here are killer and worth ordering again! Sauced up nice and sloppy and perfectly tender, way to go!! Plus you also get a ton of carrots and ranch dressing. I can go on and on about the wings but this is after all a pizza place.

Okay, I'm not a fan of the pizza, well, not yet anyway. I have to cut them some slack since they just opened and might be still working out sourcing and such. We ordered 2 pizza's, the Sausage as well as the Cheeseburger. For $7 these are quite hefty and have ample toppings. The Two Hippies never skimp on ingredients! The bummer was that the sausage tasted right out of a bag, this is where the price point finally factors in. I would have preferred a better quality sausage, this stuff tasted much like the same stuff Papa John's might use, not good. The other problem is that the sauce was just tomato sauce and lacked any sort seasoning, including salt. The Cheeseburger suffered from the lack of seasoning as well though it was surly piled high with cheese, fresh tomatoes and ground beef. The crust was tender but for me, pizza crust should be chewy and crispy, this was neither. Maybe just a preference and I'm out of line.

All in all I like the new Two Hippies pizzeria, though my feeling right now that it's just ordinary and not much different from a chain. Ill be sure to go back in a week or 2 to see how they are doing. Id imagine that they will be just fine!

PS.. the Pizzaria spelling isnt an error.. hmmm..

RIP

LOVE the pizza here. It reminds me of being that fat little kid who loves pepperoni pizza, you know the one.. he's got pizza sauce all over his face and doesnt care what anyone else thinks!

Now that I'm a fat little man, I still get the same pleasure out of the pizza at Spinato's, you know the pleasure.. you've got pizza sauce all over your face and you don't care what anyone else thinks!

I LOVE French food.. in fact when we travel abroad, me and the Mr always make a point to visit a Frenchie place in another city. So when I got wind of a new French place right here in our own backyard I was stoked! The best part, its owned by chef James Porter, who did amazing job over at the now closed Tapino, so my excitement turned to elation when our reservation was confirmed!

So now that I'm home from my dinner with the Mr, I guess I'm slightly indifferent. While they had a strong opening night, it wasn't the service or food per-se but more like the other diners.

The dining room is small and extremely intimate with an amazing looking patio, we chose to sit on the inside. The interior is covered in wood, really, the floors, ceiling, walls but nicely contrasted by very stylish crystal chandeliers. I do have to say that I'm sure glad that they chose larger tables for the diners, since you can never have enough space. So there is plenty of room at the table to simply spread out and relax.

Service is pretty shiny and have no complaints, in fact our server was outgoing, attractive and knowledgeable. The bar staff was also very competent since both of our cocktails, Bohemian Sidecar ($9) and the Le Matador de Nimes ($9) were mixed perfectly and tasted great, putting us both into great moods until... a 6 top was sat down right next to us.. I know the old saying, you can't choose your family and in this case, you cant choose your dining neighbors either. They were so loud the Mr and I just looked at each other then decided to check email and stuff on our phones. We couldn't even talk which was a real bummer since this was going to be a romantic evening out. Anyway, the food will make up for it, right?

Of course I have high expectations.. new Foodiebear rule of life, never have expectations of anyone, or anything or you're going to set yourself up for irritation, heartache and misery. With that being said they were out of f*cking Pate! Can you believe that?! Out of the one thing that Ive been looking forward to this entire week. Opening night, first thing on the menu, first table in the place, out of something. I know, I know, things happen but come on, this is opening night!!!! *Sigh* Ended up ordering the Steak Tartar ($8) and the Mr ordered the Foie Gras ($10). Both were excellent both in presentation, quality and taste. While my tartar wasn't pate, it was still excellent with its fried egg on top and crispy potato crisps. The foie was much like the tartar, deliciously perfect and for the price, major value. In fact all of the food that we ordered was really big, surprising for the price points.

Let me tell you what, the Onion Soup ($6) was prefect. In fact Ive never had onion soup that was that good! Perfectly sweet, savory and the right amount of cheese crouton to compliment the soup, not over power it. The Mr liked his Vichyssoise ($6) with it smooth creamy texture and a quenelle of salmon mousse in the center which added a smokey complexity to the soup. Again, the servings were quite large and could have been halved pretty easily.

Entrees were a kind of hit and miss. The Mr had the Steak Frites ($17) which was well cooked but came covered in compound butter thaqt had anchovy in it. First bite I was immediately turned off to the slight fishy undertone. Thank goodness neither of us have fish allergies, very unexpected. The frites were nicely crisp and well seasoned. However the side of sauce for dipping was just strange. Was made from vinegar and had a decent texture but just tasted odd with the fries and the meat all together. Would have preferred something a little more basic, again a preference. I ordered the Porc et Lardon ($16) as my entree and Im pretty happy with the result. Grilled bacon wrapped pork tenderloin with roasted pork gratin which was made with roast pork shoulder, shaved fennel and celery root. The contrast in the flavors and textures was right up my alley aside from the tenderloin being a tad over cooked, it is again opening night.

Desserts were limited to three choices, Chocolate Brulee, Biegnets and Grande Marnier Souffle. We went with the Biegnets de Nutella ($6) and the Souffle ($6). The biegnets had a filling of Nutella which was alright but wasn't a fan until, I took some of the Mr's creme anglaise and dunked them into that. Delish. The souffle was so light and and was just brown enough to caramelize the sugar. You cant go wrong with either dessert.

All in all Petite Maison is an excellent value and with Chef James Porter at the helm expect solid French fare nightly with breakfast and lunch being added soon. Looking forward to back soon but this time Ill go with no expectations.