Rockville MD: The Big Greek Cafe

The Big Greek Cafe is not too far off the Georgia Ave ramp from the ICC.
It is one of the best Greek restaurant in the area.

The Big Greek Cafe
4007 Norbeck Rd, Rockville MD 20853

We particularly love their gyro meat, whether it be in a pita or on a greek salad.
Both choices are great, depending on whether you are in the mood for a salad or not.
But if you go on a Wednesday, you should definitely get the gyro sandwich, as it is the special of the day at half price.

Today we showed up at Cat's high school volleyball match with a half eaten gyro salad and fresh pita bread with yogurt sauce, to Sam and her mom's delight.
They finished our food, and agreed with our high review of the gyro salad.

Reviewed by scout and mvpcoachphil, with Sam and Joy's help, for food on 7 Sept 2017

Los Angeles CA: Osteria Mozza

We’re not used to taking pictures when eating out, and would only remember half way through the meal.  We made sure to remember when we went to Osteria Mozza to celebrate a friend’s birthday.  We knew about this restaurant for a while, but only decided to go after watching Chef’s Table episode featuring chef Nancy Silverton on Netflix.

Osteria Mozza is famous for their mozzarella bar, and when our server told us that they had a special burrata from Puglia, Italy (only a few left), we had to quickly place our order (we joked that the server probably said that to all the tables), along with some grilled octopus.

The restaurant is also famous for its pasta, and we tried three dishes from their primi menu: tagliatelle with oxtail ragu, orecchiette with sausage and Swiss chard, and sweet corn cappellacci with mushrooms.  For the main courses, we got the pork shank and orata (fish), with a side of Jimmy Nardello peppers.

Our friend is not a fan of desserts, but since our server told us the pastry chef won the James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef last year, we had no choice but to order three desserts (plus a complimentary birthday ice cream):  rosemary olive oil cakes with olive oil gelato, melon sorbet with mixed berries, and watermelon lime sorbet.  We forgot to take a picture of the desserts when they first came out, so everything looked half eaten in the picture below (expect more of these kinds of picture in the future).  Everything was really good.

Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA

Fort Lauderdale FL: Kelly's Landing (a Seafood Restaurant)

Kelly's Landing was recommended to us by volleyball friends who ate there the day before.
It was walking distance from the Broward Convention Center, so it was very convenient for us to try.

Kelly's Landing New England Seafood
1305 SE 17th St, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33316

The special of the day was twin lobsters (Florida lobsters) broiled.
We shared the New England Steamers (tasty Ipswich clams served with clam broth and drawn butter), and the special-of-the-day twin lobsters, with a bowl of clam chowder.

It was a satisfying meal.
We would recommend this restaurant due to its convenient location to the Convention Center.

Reviewed by scout and mvpcoachphil. We walked to this restaurant on 4 Sept 2017.

Fort Lauderdale FL: Padrino's Cuban Cuisine

If you are looking for a great sit-down Cuban restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, search no more.
Padrino's has nice decors, and serves excellent Cuban food.

Padrino's Cuban Cuisine
1135 N. Federal Hwy. Ft. Lauderdale FL 33304

As appetizer, the plantain chips with garlic sauce are great starters.

The limeade is delicious.

For our main entrees, we ordered the classic Bistec Palomilla (left), which is a traditional Cuban marinaded minute steak topped with sauteed onions.
Our second choice was the Churrasco (right), a skirt steak char-grilled with homemade chimichurri sauce.
Both entrees came with white rice, black beans, and sweet plantains.

The food was fabulous, and we would definitely come back again to sample more on their menu.

The restaurant's website is www.padrinos.com

Reviewed by scout and mvpcoachphil for a meal on 3 Sept 2017

Fort Lauderdale FL: Laspada's Original Hoagies

We had the best Italian subs ever when we lived in Ft Lauderdale many years ago.
The restaurant is called Laspada's, and we were pleased to find out it still exists, and was within walking distance of our hotel during our stay.

Laspada's Original Hoagies
1495-d S.E. 17th St. Ft Lauderdale FL 33316

Our favorite subs are the Italian (top) and the Monster (bottom) subs.

What is special about these subs is that the meat is sliced to order, and they put the meat in the bottom, and on top, so that the meat wraps around the veggies.

The closest thing we have in Maryland is Jersey Mike's, but both mvpcoachphil and scout agree that Laspada's subs still taste better than Jersey Mike's.

We plan to grab a sub on our way to the airport when we leave Florida, that is how good they are.

If you have a chance to be near one of these Laspada's location, be sure to stop and order yourself a sub!

The restaurant's website is www.laspadashoagies.com 

Reviewed by scout with the help of mvpcoachphil for a sub consumption on 3 Sept 2017.

Rockville MD: East Pearl

East Pearl Hong Kong Cuisine 

838 Rockville Pike B

Rockville, MD 20852

East Pearl is our favorite place for Chinese food.  We have been eating here since scout and mvpcoachphil introduced us, and have been getting the same dishes as well.

 Our favorites include the house special fish filet (bottom left), crispy beef (top left), snowpea leaves (middle right)

and the salt and spicy seafood (top left).  A meal here never disappoints!

visit their website: www.eastpearlrestaurant.com/

Fort Lauderdale FL: Sweet Tomatoes

Went to an ALL YOU CAN EAT - Salad Bar today.

This buffet is at:
2906 Oakwood Blvd, Hollywood, FL 33020
(Hollywood, Florida is a suburb of Fort Lauderdale).

Sweet Tomatoes is a chain restaurant.
So there are many locations.
There was a franchise very close to work when we lived in Fort Lauderdale.
(As you can guess - we went there a few times).

There's a big salad bar.
You can make your own salad or choose from a pre-made salad.
Today's pre-made salads were:
Caesar Asagio, Orange Salad (with little oranges), and Wonton Salad (with fried wonton noodles)
(that's the order I would rate them)





















Here's everything you can get:
Salad
Soups (they had at least 6 different ones today - the clam chowder and mushroom were the best today, there was also minestrone, tomato cream, chicken noodle, and black bean chili)
Bread (3 different Cheese breads)
Pasta  (3 different ones today - mac and cheese, marinara, and  oriental noodle)



And of course, DESSERT.














this one is a brownie and vanilla ice cream, with cookie crumbs.
(ok - maybe this part was the unhealthy part...)

While maybe a little disappointing for animal lovers, Sweet Tomatoes is still a great deal.
$10 per person at lunch for all you can eat salad buffet.

this post was written by mvpcoachphil (who is trying to eat better and still enter new posts)

Fort Lauderdale FL: Quarterdeck Seafood Bar and Grill

mvpcoachphil loves his tater tots.
As a matter of fact, he was given the nickname of "Coach Tater Tots" by the Carlson twins after showing an over-enthusiasm of the tater tots side dish at Quarterdeck restaurant.

Quarterdeck Seafood Bar & Grill
1541 Cordova Road
Ft. Lauderdale FL 33316

The tater tots at Quarterdeck are special in that they are deep fried, and so are extra crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.

We return to Quarterdeck at least once every trip we take to South Florida for their tater tots.
As you can imagine, we have been there several times within the last couple years.
However we do not remember much of the rest of Quarterdeck's large menu.

Today we had a light dinner at Quarterdeck, and ordered tater tots (of course), stone crab chowder, and salmon sashimi.

The meal was excellent.

If you are like mvpcoachphil and love your tater tots, this is a must-stop if you are in the area.

Reviewed by Scout with the help of mvpcoachphil for a meal on 1 Sept 2017

Fort Lauderdale FL: 925 Nuevos Cubanos (a Cuban Food Stand)

South Florida is well known for its Cuban community, and Cuban cuisine.
It was no surprise that our first stop immediately after we landed in FLL was a Cuban restaurant.

We found this 925 Nuevos Cubanos from yelp, as it was conveniently located about 15 minutes from the airport.
However to be specific, this is not really a restaurant but rather a food stand by the side of the road.

925 Nuevos Cubanos
925 North Andrews Ave
Ft. Lauderdale FL 33311

Once there, we ordered their two most popular sandwiches: the Cuban sandwich (left), and the Los 3 Compadres sandwich (right).

To Ric Ric's chagrin, the sit-down at the counter was outdoor under the summer heat of South Florida (see the slightly grumpy Ric Ric.)

As noted by other Yelp reviewers, the sandwiches were ginormous, and even shared three-way, were too much for us to consume.
The Cuban sandwich consisted of ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard.
Los 3 Compadres consisted of chicken, steak, roasted pork, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and Cuban spicy sauce.

We enjoyed Los 3 Compadres more than the popular Cuban sandwich, as the roasted pork was on the dry side.

Reviewed by Scout, with the assistance of mvpcoachphil and Ric Ric for a meal on 1 Sept 2017

The Tater Tot

Did you know the 'Tater Tot is an American Ingenuity at It's Finest'?

if you are interested, please read this:
https://www.eater.com/2017/8/28/16159710/tater-tots-ore-ida-history

Yep.  I also love Tater Tots.
An American Invention.

Columbia MD: Hickory Ridge Grill

The Hickory Ridge Grille
website:  http://hickoryridgegrill.com/
address:
Hickory Ridge Village Center
6420 Freetown Road,
Columbia, Maryland 21055
443.535.9876

While this is a lunch spot we go to often since it is close to work and the sandwiches are really good, this is the first time I have posted about the restaurant.

The menu has a large amount of sandwiches.  All the ones I have tried have been excellent.

Today i had the 'pig on a stick'...
basically a cubed pork shish-kabob wrapped in a pita with tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, and greek sauce.  (not a gyro - but same basic idea with pork cubes)

here's what the menu says:
Tender pork, grilled to perfection, on pita bread. Topped with tomatoes, onions and feta cheese. Served with a side of dressing.



Big M ordered the 'firecracker pork sandwich'



Scout ordered the 'shrimp BLT'



You've gotta love those skinny fries.

my other favorite sandwiches are:
the full mozzy (a mozzarella cheese sandwich)
[OK these are both vegetarian - but they are both really good]

in case you are all worried...i still love animals because...
also favorite are:
salmon BLT (salmon and bacon - a win + win)
the philly (not because it is like my name)
the chicken philly (slightly healthier version of the philly)
the cowboy burger (a little less healthy than the philly but has onion strings on the burger)
meatball grinder (a meatball sub)

the chinese chicken salad is also good.
but really big.

if you get a chance to go...the service is good.
at peak lunch hour, they are a little slow,
but the service is super nice.

i really recommend trying if you are nearby.

this review was written on 1 September 2017 by mvpcoachphil
we visited the Hickory Ridge Grill on 30 August 2017
(i'm also slow at posting my food blog)