So Tuesday night I worked from 6-8 and me and my boyfriend decided a sushi night out was necessary. We decided to hit our staple restaurant kiku.
Arriving there was actually more people than I expected, which was fine though because we got the booth we were hoping for. When we sat we had an objective, order hot sake. We placed that order and than began to look at the menu. The reason this was prioritized was because KiKu has the best hot sake you will find, hands down. And it is reasonably priced as well. Looking at the menu we always order one of the sushi combos (labeled A, B, and C). We have only ordered A because it is always more than enough for us. If it was early and we were both not as tired, we may have ventured to a new one but because I really had an objective to get to sleep and wasn't too famished we stuck with A.
The best part of the kiku is that when you order you receive a complementary appetizer. This time was four fried spicy tuna balls, not for me!, and four slices of tuna sashimi. My boyfriend delve in to the spicy tuna and said it was delicious. I had two pieces of the sashimi and even though it was tuna steak, not my favorite choice, I still enjoyed it. As we sipped on our hot sake and tea, they actually use authentic japanese tea something I find hard to find now a days, we ordered the sushi combo A.
When our sushi boat arrived, I love sushi boats!, it was filled with sushi, sashimi and rolls. Digging in to the tuna roll everything tasted good. They sushi was not out of this world like our previous Nisen experience but it was definitely a bang for your buck. The only negative comment I had was that the yellowfish, one of my favorite sashimi pieces, was ice cold meaning frozen not fresh. That was a bit of a disappointment but honestly you get what you pay for. 6 pieces sushi, 12 sashimi and one roll for 23 bucks is a good deal.
After eating as much as we can handle we hang out for a little before the check. It was relaxing to not be rushed out, they never do here, and get unlimited tea (bonus!). This review is short because there is not too much to say about this restaurant other than stress free dining is a plus. Also, if you order a blaze roll they blow torch underneath the sushi! This is a restaurant to go to for a quick, bang for your buck sushi date!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Thom Thom, Wantagh, NY
Saturday night decided I was not much in the mood for cooking so me and my boyfriend were deciding on what restaurant to go out to eat to. We remembered we had a 50$ gift certificate, from restaurant.com, for Thom Thom and decided why not try to get reservations. On opentable the reservation choices were small, 615 or 845, so we tried to call and see if it would be different. We were told the same openings but than after getting off the phone, a 715 became available on opentable and decided it must be a sign. So we made the reservations and ventured off for dinner.
Upon arriving, the dining room was pretty bright, something I was not use to when dining here previously. We were seated right away in the back corner, nice to be away from the main crowd. There were enough people eating but the restaurant was not really packed out at all. We had in mind a sushi dinner, as Thom Thom is a steak, seafood sushi restaurant, and decided to stick to our plan. The one main comment about the food is that the sushi choices are limited but this is not a restaurant one would go to if they are having a sushi crave (try nissen in woodbury or kiku in massapequa).
Our waiter came to the table promptly, asking if we would like to order drinks/needed any suggestions. We were torn between two bottles of pinot noir and our waiter was extremely helpful, being that he worked in a wine distributor for a number of years. We went with the Sean Minor Carneros pinot and than continued to look at the menu. Our waiter brought our wine out pretty quick which was nice to just relax and have a drink before really looking at the menu. One thing to note, as our waiter even told us, they are not looking to rush you in this restaurant at all so you are free to sit back, relax and take your time ordering, something we definitely took advantage of.
The wine was delicious, very cherry taste to it with no harsh tannins at all, a very nice smooth finish. It was a great recommendation and nice to see a restaurant with a knowledgable waitstaff. With the wine came out a bread basket except here, they are little garlic pita triangles, soft and very warm, with a platter of butter, hummus and a cucumber mayo. I love the hummus and was happy to munch on that while looking at the menu. We decided to order one appetizer before looking at anything else, and went with the Ahi Tuna Tartar, the appetizer we like to order at seafood restaurants to test the quality since either it is going to be incredible or horrible, depending on the freshness. After a few minutes the tartar came, with avocado, yuzu and tobiko. The tuna was so fresh and the avocado had a really fresh taste to it, and the sauce that was surrounding the molding was delicious. That was a really great first impression to our dinner date.
With a limited choice in rolls, we decided to order two, one speciality and one classic. The specialty was the rainbow naruto roll, which had tuna, salmon, white tuna, kani kami, avocado, thinly sliced cucumber and mustard soy. We also ordered the bbq eel. When our rolls came out, I was surprised to see the specialty roll was wrapped in the cucumber, not seaweed something different and interesting. My boyfriend got an order of spicy mayo too. The speciality roll was very good, very fresh seafood but it was served a little too cold temperature for me. I did like the variation using the cucumber instead of seaweed it was a nice surprise. The bbq eel roll was just as the other roll, fresh but served a bit too cold. But this is not a sushi restaurant so I knew it was not going to be out of this world.
Finishing off our bottle of wine we both wanted a little something else but decided to go with dessert instead of another roll just because the sushi was decent but not amazing. We ordered the chocolate purse which was a dark chocolate shell with one scoop of vanilla ice cream, one scoop of chocolate ice cream, one scoop of raspberry sorbet with a chocolate drizzle and whipped cream and caramel sauce on the side. Also we ordered a bottle of hana awaka, a sparkling, floral and fruity sake. As our dessert came out it looks great, towered very high with everything. Taking the first bite, everything was delicious. My favorite part was the raspberry sorbet, it was so smooth and refreshing. The sake was very good, this being my first sparkling sake. I think the dessert was a very pleasant ending to our night out.
Overall I would definitely recommend Thom Thom, the tuna tartar appetizer was great, but I would not order sushi. I have had seafood here before and the cooked seafood dinners are excellent, much more worth it. Next time I will stick to exploring the seafood dishes (and definitely would always recommend taking advantage of their great price fix menu!)
Upon arriving, the dining room was pretty bright, something I was not use to when dining here previously. We were seated right away in the back corner, nice to be away from the main crowd. There were enough people eating but the restaurant was not really packed out at all. We had in mind a sushi dinner, as Thom Thom is a steak, seafood sushi restaurant, and decided to stick to our plan. The one main comment about the food is that the sushi choices are limited but this is not a restaurant one would go to if they are having a sushi crave (try nissen in woodbury or kiku in massapequa).
Our waiter came to the table promptly, asking if we would like to order drinks/needed any suggestions. We were torn between two bottles of pinot noir and our waiter was extremely helpful, being that he worked in a wine distributor for a number of years. We went with the Sean Minor Carneros pinot and than continued to look at the menu. Our waiter brought our wine out pretty quick which was nice to just relax and have a drink before really looking at the menu. One thing to note, as our waiter even told us, they are not looking to rush you in this restaurant at all so you are free to sit back, relax and take your time ordering, something we definitely took advantage of.
The wine was delicious, very cherry taste to it with no harsh tannins at all, a very nice smooth finish. It was a great recommendation and nice to see a restaurant with a knowledgable waitstaff. With the wine came out a bread basket except here, they are little garlic pita triangles, soft and very warm, with a platter of butter, hummus and a cucumber mayo. I love the hummus and was happy to munch on that while looking at the menu. We decided to order one appetizer before looking at anything else, and went with the Ahi Tuna Tartar, the appetizer we like to order at seafood restaurants to test the quality since either it is going to be incredible or horrible, depending on the freshness. After a few minutes the tartar came, with avocado, yuzu and tobiko. The tuna was so fresh and the avocado had a really fresh taste to it, and the sauce that was surrounding the molding was delicious. That was a really great first impression to our dinner date.
With a limited choice in rolls, we decided to order two, one speciality and one classic. The specialty was the rainbow naruto roll, which had tuna, salmon, white tuna, kani kami, avocado, thinly sliced cucumber and mustard soy. We also ordered the bbq eel. When our rolls came out, I was surprised to see the specialty roll was wrapped in the cucumber, not seaweed something different and interesting. My boyfriend got an order of spicy mayo too. The speciality roll was very good, very fresh seafood but it was served a little too cold temperature for me. I did like the variation using the cucumber instead of seaweed it was a nice surprise. The bbq eel roll was just as the other roll, fresh but served a bit too cold. But this is not a sushi restaurant so I knew it was not going to be out of this world.
Finishing off our bottle of wine we both wanted a little something else but decided to go with dessert instead of another roll just because the sushi was decent but not amazing. We ordered the chocolate purse which was a dark chocolate shell with one scoop of vanilla ice cream, one scoop of chocolate ice cream, one scoop of raspberry sorbet with a chocolate drizzle and whipped cream and caramel sauce on the side. Also we ordered a bottle of hana awaka, a sparkling, floral and fruity sake. As our dessert came out it looks great, towered very high with everything. Taking the first bite, everything was delicious. My favorite part was the raspberry sorbet, it was so smooth and refreshing. The sake was very good, this being my first sparkling sake. I think the dessert was a very pleasant ending to our night out.
Overall I would definitely recommend Thom Thom, the tuna tartar appetizer was great, but I would not order sushi. I have had seafood here before and the cooked seafood dinners are excellent, much more worth it. Next time I will stick to exploring the seafood dishes (and definitely would always recommend taking advantage of their great price fix menu!)
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Besito, Roslyn, NY
I don't particularly love mexican but when I find a great mexican restaurant, I love going there. That is how it is with South of the Border and one cute little restaurant I dined in in Old Town San Diego, Casa Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant. I have heard much hype about Besito and since last week was restaurant week on LI, decided to give it a try with my boyfriend.
Thursday I had an interview in the city so I took the train straight to the Roslyn station for a 6:45 reservation. We decided on Roslyn because since it was restaurant week, we figured the Huntington location may be a bit crazy and we just wanted a relaxing date night after I ran around in the city. The roads were a bit confusing in the area but we made it to the shopping center Besito is in. They have a cute outdoor patio area for eating but unfortunately it was raining so we headed inside.
The bar in directly in front when you arrive and it is a very nice size with a good vibe. The atmosphere is a little darker, perfect for a date or a night out with the girls or some friends. We were seated immediately in the back left corner, a corner booth. This was probably the best seat in the house for a romantic dinner, away from everything and able to snuggle in the corner. Right away we were brought the menus and some salsa and fresh chips to snack on. The salsa was really good, a nice spicy bite with some jalapeno and the chips were not greasy at all. I saw the great drink selections and had a feeling this was going to be a great experience.
I ordered their signature frozen margarita, the only frozen drink on the menu, while my boyfriend ordered their signature margarita on the rocks. The difference mine had a house tequila and one other flavor while my boyfriend's had patron. Before the drinks arrived I went to the bathroom, which was relatively small with two stalls, but clean.
Returning to the table my margarita was waiting for me. It was definitely really string but tasted really good, perfect for a summer evening. My boyfriends drink was a lot less strong tasting, for me would be more dangerous! Restaurant week is known to have price fixed menus, app, dinner and dessert for 24.95. Besito opens the whole menu for the deal, but a few entrees cost a bit more if ordered. I decided I just wanted the chile rellenos al hongos (something new for me) and didn't want any appetizers so I didn't do the price fixed. The only appetizer that really was appealing was the tableside guac, where they bring out a cart, make the guac in front of you to your flavor preference. But since my boyfriend doesn't like guac, and it was not included in the price fixed, I went with the entree. My boyfriend decided to order for an app the empanadas hongos, entree filete de res al chipotle. I was excited to try my new food.
We had plenty time to actually enjoy our drinks before our food came out, something I prefer at restaurants. I hate the feeling of someone rushing me and at Besito, you do not feel even close to rushed which is relaxing. For foodies and those out there looking to find a restaurant that encourages the appreciation of food, this is your place.
First my boyfriend appetizer came, empanadas filled with wild mushrooms, goat cheese and salsa manzana (a green sauce). He said it was really crispy and cooked perfect. He let me try a little bit of the filling with the salsa and it tasted so so good, getting me excited for my dish since it was filled with similar ingredients.
As the food came out I ordered another frozen margarita. The margarita came out within minutes, which was perfect since I was able to enjoy my food with the drink. So on to my entree. The description is poblano peppers filled with wild mushrooms, baby spinach, goat cheese pine nuts and topped with salsa ranchera. It was topped with a big spoonful of goat cheese. I cut a piece of the pepper and dipped it in the salsa. It just melted in my mouth. The combination of melted goat cheese with everything else was just amazing. I was so pleasantly surprised with ordering something I usually do not.
My boyfriend's entree was grilled beef filet mignon, rajas, queso chihuahua and chipotle quemado salsa. He said the meat was so tender and juicy, and had a nice smoky taste to it. The portion was so big he was not able to finish it all but definitely was enticed to keep eating by just the smell. He still had a dessert coming though and was ready to wait after the quality of the food so far. He ordered a cheese flan with a chocolate fruit sauce, something we both never had. I am not a big flan person but decided tonight was trying new things so why night. It's presentation was very nice on the plant and we both took a small spoon full. It actually was delicious. The cheese was creamy but not over powering, with a nice balance with the sauce. An unexpectedly yummy taste. We hung around a bit after dessert, neither of us able to finish up everything.
Overall I would highly recommend Besito, though it is a little pricier for the normal restaurant. But the food and drinks, service, atmosphere and overall experience make this mexican restaurant worth a little extra splurge to have a nice night out.
Thursday I had an interview in the city so I took the train straight to the Roslyn station for a 6:45 reservation. We decided on Roslyn because since it was restaurant week, we figured the Huntington location may be a bit crazy and we just wanted a relaxing date night after I ran around in the city. The roads were a bit confusing in the area but we made it to the shopping center Besito is in. They have a cute outdoor patio area for eating but unfortunately it was raining so we headed inside.
The bar in directly in front when you arrive and it is a very nice size with a good vibe. The atmosphere is a little darker, perfect for a date or a night out with the girls or some friends. We were seated immediately in the back left corner, a corner booth. This was probably the best seat in the house for a romantic dinner, away from everything and able to snuggle in the corner. Right away we were brought the menus and some salsa and fresh chips to snack on. The salsa was really good, a nice spicy bite with some jalapeno and the chips were not greasy at all. I saw the great drink selections and had a feeling this was going to be a great experience.
I ordered their signature frozen margarita, the only frozen drink on the menu, while my boyfriend ordered their signature margarita on the rocks. The difference mine had a house tequila and one other flavor while my boyfriend's had patron. Before the drinks arrived I went to the bathroom, which was relatively small with two stalls, but clean.
Returning to the table my margarita was waiting for me. It was definitely really string but tasted really good, perfect for a summer evening. My boyfriends drink was a lot less strong tasting, for me would be more dangerous! Restaurant week is known to have price fixed menus, app, dinner and dessert for 24.95. Besito opens the whole menu for the deal, but a few entrees cost a bit more if ordered. I decided I just wanted the chile rellenos al hongos (something new for me) and didn't want any appetizers so I didn't do the price fixed. The only appetizer that really was appealing was the tableside guac, where they bring out a cart, make the guac in front of you to your flavor preference. But since my boyfriend doesn't like guac, and it was not included in the price fixed, I went with the entree. My boyfriend decided to order for an app the empanadas hongos, entree filete de res al chipotle. I was excited to try my new food.
We had plenty time to actually enjoy our drinks before our food came out, something I prefer at restaurants. I hate the feeling of someone rushing me and at Besito, you do not feel even close to rushed which is relaxing. For foodies and those out there looking to find a restaurant that encourages the appreciation of food, this is your place.
First my boyfriend appetizer came, empanadas filled with wild mushrooms, goat cheese and salsa manzana (a green sauce). He said it was really crispy and cooked perfect. He let me try a little bit of the filling with the salsa and it tasted so so good, getting me excited for my dish since it was filled with similar ingredients.
As the food came out I ordered another frozen margarita. The margarita came out within minutes, which was perfect since I was able to enjoy my food with the drink. So on to my entree. The description is poblano peppers filled with wild mushrooms, baby spinach, goat cheese pine nuts and topped with salsa ranchera. It was topped with a big spoonful of goat cheese. I cut a piece of the pepper and dipped it in the salsa. It just melted in my mouth. The combination of melted goat cheese with everything else was just amazing. I was so pleasantly surprised with ordering something I usually do not.
My boyfriend's entree was grilled beef filet mignon, rajas, queso chihuahua and chipotle quemado salsa. He said the meat was so tender and juicy, and had a nice smoky taste to it. The portion was so big he was not able to finish it all but definitely was enticed to keep eating by just the smell. He still had a dessert coming though and was ready to wait after the quality of the food so far. He ordered a cheese flan with a chocolate fruit sauce, something we both never had. I am not a big flan person but decided tonight was trying new things so why night. It's presentation was very nice on the plant and we both took a small spoon full. It actually was delicious. The cheese was creamy but not over powering, with a nice balance with the sauce. An unexpectedly yummy taste. We hung around a bit after dessert, neither of us able to finish up everything.
Overall I would highly recommend Besito, though it is a little pricier for the normal restaurant. But the food and drinks, service, atmosphere and overall experience make this mexican restaurant worth a little extra splurge to have a nice night out.
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