Jenn "Carb Zombie" L.'s Profile

I really do enjoy Kashkaval - not because in my head, I can actually pronounce it, but because they have some mighty fine wine, cheese, and various Mediterranean-style tapas.

The spot is tiny, unpretentious, and offers a reasonably priced wine for anyone's palette. It's probably one of my favorite spots in the Hell's Kitchen area. There are a couple of ways to dig in to your food of choice when you come to Kashkaval.
(1) Soup/salad/entree - pretty traditional
(2) Charcuterie with a selection of meats and cheeses
(3) Selection of Mediterranean tapas

I'll usually crave a charcuterie, but never end up passing up the Mediterranean food. Served with a side of sliced pitas, you'll get yourself a hearty platter of hummus, tabbouleh, brussel sprouts, tzatziki, and other various mushes and mixes. Oh my my my! Between all the dipping, stuffing of my face, and imbibing of the wine, I just can't help myself when it comes to Kashkaval - and odds are that you wont be able to resist the call of the platters either.

Quite frankly, the desire that fueled Harold and Kumar's infamous trip to White Castle confuses me. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great.

Despite the twenty million claims from (strangers and friends alike) that I would regret it while sitting en el baño, nothing of the sort happened. It was simply... meh. Flavor-wise, it's no surprise that everything tasted over-processed and bland. It's easy to see how this chain has quickly gained the reputation as the perfect food while you're sh--faced drunk or high, but I definitely don't see it in my future any time soon.

Not only did this event have not 1, not 2, but all 3 of the Yelp CMs in attendance, but there were some fabulous moustaches happening on the faces at Mustachio Bashio!

The spread was incredible! Delicious crab mac & cheese from Sweetwolfs paired nicely with the arancini (rice balls) and the calzone from Catania. We rounded our tummies out with sugary goodness from Robicelli's - the more to store away some fat for winter hibernation. After all - "Winter is coming."

It's always a pleasure to see friends who I haven't seen in what seems like forever. Shout outs to Ron C, Jocy C, Rich W, Rachel A, Radford T, John N, and the rest of the crew. Thank you thank you thank you to Peter D, Jane K, Jando S, and the rest of the Yelp team for putting together this event (and in such a gorgeous space too)!

All this AND it was for a good cause?! Yes, please!

Woof woof! Give me that sausage any day of the week!

All in all, this YEE at Bark Hot Dogs was a huge blast. One of the many reasons that I tend to like Brooklyn YEEs is that they're very intimate events. They are usually on the smaller side which allows attendees meet and greet with new and old friends alike.

The samples all had my stomach filled to the brim within the first 45 minutes of arrival. I really did enjoy the food - particularly the onion rings and the chili cheese dogs and bacon on everything (not really, but it could have been). Nom! I suppose that a major contribution to my food coma was the delicious Sixpoint brewed beer - a must try!

A huge thanks to Bark Hot Dogs, Peter D, and the Yelp team! And it was absolutely lovely to finally meet Jando in person. Yay!

You know when red flags start waving and alarm bells start going off in your head when you walk into a place? This was that kind of establishment. There was only one other party dining there. That being said, I made sure to order pretty "safe" items - vegetable tempura and a single roll. They weren't great, but they weren't terrible. The food ran strictly middle-of-the-road.

There's pretty much no atmosphere - no music being played, nada. In fact, we started playing music off of our phones because there was so little atmosphere.

But on to the whole reason my party had decided to stop into this shady looking sushi restaurant - HAPPY HOUR. Happy hour consists of $2 beer, hot sake, and wine (merlot, chardonnay, and plum wine). You know what that means, don't you? SAKE BOMBS all night long! (Well... until 9pm.)

I would go back, but only for happy hour sake bombs.

Go-go-gadget Helicopter! No?
Go-go-gadget CAMERA! No?
Go-go-gadget iPhone! No?
Go-go-gadget Curry! YES!

After tiring ourselves out at Comic Con, my friends slyly suggested that we head to Go! Go! Curry! to put some much deserved food in our bellies. As you enter this little eatery and make your way to the counter to order, you'll notice a few different things:
(1) Everyone has the exact same silver plates.
(2) All of the food pretty much looks the same.
(3) Not much talking is going on because people are too busy scarfing their food down to talk to their eating companions.

These all bode well for your starving stomach.
The classic Japanese curry is served with your meat preference over rice with shredded lettuce. I prefer the chicken katsu, but that's just me. It's crispy and tender and moist all t the same time without being too overpowering. There's a decent sauce to meat to rice ratio as well, but you can always add a side of extra curry sauce. In addition, it's nice to toss a boiled egg on the side to mix up the flavors as you hurriedly shovel your remaining food into your every-growing gut.

On the plate:
2 eggs, sunny side up
2 sausage links
2 strips of bacon
potato hash
and a side of toast

Price in NYC (Manhattan): at least $8
Price at Luna Rossa Cafe: $4

You read that right. Four freaking dollars. The fare was decent, nothing special, but after a couple days of camping, it hit the spot just right.

Cheap. Unpretentious. Homey. I'd visit her again.

It's easy to see why the Earl of Sandwich has made a name for itself in Vegas. Although it constantly sports a long line, the Earl is one of the cheapest, filling meals you can grab in the City of Sin (short of trekking to one of the over-franchised food court locations). Compared to food around the world, the Earl wouldn't earn a full five stars. But when you take into account that you're on the strip, probably some degree of hungover or drunk, and looking to save your money for alcohol, gambling, and female escorts, it's probably one of your best bet in the area.

I enjoyed my sandwich much more than my other dining companions seemed to enjoy theirs, but then again, I went with their "famous hot sandwich" - The Original 1762. It sports a huge pile of roast beef, sharp cheddar, and plenty of creamy horseradish sawwce.

The Earl is open 24 hours. I don't usually crave sandwiches at 4 in the morning in Vegas. But when I do, I make sure it's an Earl of Sandwich.

Ward III has quickly become my favorite work neighborhood bar. Although it's slightly pricier than any of the couple dive bars around, Ward III makes up for it in quality.

The bespoke cocktails are made based on your preference of five things - spirit, texture, spice, flavor, and/or fruit. The bartenders definitely know their way around drinks.

Not only are their cocktails superb, the food is delicious. The bacon-wrapped dates are flavor exploding in your mouth. The deviled eggs are creamy and make you salivate as you eat them. But what I most enjoy off of the menu are the pulled duck sliders. They are served with a side salad, and are superb in flavor. One of my absolute favorite things on the menu is the jar of duck liver pate. It is served with toast points. The richness of the pate suffuses your mouth. It's one of the most reasonable-priced snacks in the Tribeca area.

tl;dr Personalized cocktails. Flavorful snacks.

Verlaine is a diamond in the proverbial rough. From the outside, she looks like any of the many bars that dot the lower east side, and even just peeking in, you'll wonder whether or not you should stop in here or go to the next bar. It's super crowded past 7pm on Thursdays and Fridays. Never dear, Verlaine has your back.

She has one of the longest happy hours I've ever seen - 5-10pm! And the best part about said happy hour? $5 lychee martinis. Yes. You read that right, but I'm going to repeat it for you because you really need to read it again. $5 lychee martinis. And... because hearing - I mean reading - things in threes tends to help it stick in your mind - $5 lychee martinis. They are just flavorful enough, but super strong. This serves as the end of this public service announcement. Please stay tuned for more.

If you can manage to wrangle a couple seats at the bar, make nice with the bartenders - they are your ticket to winning for the night. We met the bartenders, Oscar and Keith, and they were complete sweethearts the whole night through. They even made us a shot which they coined as the Mosmo Shot. It is one of the best shots I have ever had in my life. It tastes like Hot Dog on a Stick's pink lemonade. But in a shot. Excuse me while I go clean this drool off my keyboard.