Monday, November 9, 2009

Suzanne's Cuisine - Ojai, Ca

Like you have heard before, I am a Yelper. I like to research towns before I visit them. Through Yelp.com I can find out where the best places to eat or stay are based on actual experiences. I have yelped Ojai many times. Everytime I had, Suzanne's Cuisine had popped up as one of the top places to dine in Ojai. I just couldn't wait for the opportunity to visit it! And, tonight was the night!


On with the food! I ordered Mushroom Soup as a starter. It wasn't heavy on the cream so it had an earthy taste. There was just something very comforting about it. I wouldn't had minded more cream because as we all know cream and butter make everything lovely. But, all the same the soup was a winner.


Scott ordered the Butternut Squash Puree. He absolutely loved it. I mean, almost licked the bowl clean, he loved it that much! I didn't even get a chance to try it. Bummer!


Jan ordered the Duck Liver Pate. I was very excited she did. I had my eye on it but didn't order it. She was kind enough to give me a sampler. It was very tasty, I just try to not think of what it actually is... you know? I feel guilty enjoying it.


Order up! I saw Sand dabs on the menu so I just had to have them! They were a special for the evening and they really were great. Pan fried to perfection and the lemon butter sauce was a perfect compliment to the dish as a whole. There was rice underneath the fish that went untouched. I was too full! But the sauteed spinach made it into my tummy. It makes me strong!


Scott ordered a Seafood Sampler Masterpiece. Salmon, scallops and some other kind of fish, I forgot what the last on was! What a bad blogger. I do know that it was served in a ginger-curry sauce that I found to be quite interesting. He loved his dish and said, "These are the best scallops I have ever eaten." You can quote him on that.


Steve ordered the Chicken Scaloppini Piccata with lemon, capers and olives. He didn't say much about it but I was sitting right next to him and he appeared to have liked it. He ate the whole thing so I take it, that it must have been good.


Jan's order was the Cilantro Pesto Salmon. It looked very delicious and healthy too! I should have gone down that route. She was such a healthy eater! No bread, no butter. Yes, she was a very good girl.

All in all, Suzanne's was a wonderful experience. I would like to go back during the day with beautiful weather. They have an open air patio that overlooks their herb garden. The evening we were there it was late and quite chilly so they had the sides down. The specials menu was amazing. They had Butterfish with a ponzu-miso glaze that I was tempted to order. Hopefully it will be there when I go back. Ojai is just a wonderful place with so many fantastic places to eat. Two thumbs up for such a gem. Great service, delicious food and a beautiful environment!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

No Soup for you!

Winter is here! I love it because it means: SOUP! Soup of all different kinds, served at all restaurants! Winter is great like that. Well, I walked into one of my regular dining establishments and guess what... they ran out of soup. What? How does a restaurant, who caters to lunchers, run out of soup by 12:05? I mean really...

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Tell me what I am REALLY eating!

So, I just went to a sushi joint and ordered the Lobster Roll. Well, what I thought was a Lobster Roll, it was very delicious indeed. Then, the waiter comes back and was like, "How was that?" I reply, "Delish!" He then told me I just ate crawfish. Why do restaurants do this? I don't mind that it was crawfish because it was very good. But, own up and say it is crawfish and don't fool your customers! So weak, in my opinion. I will step off my soap box now....

Dark Chocolate Covered Pomegranates

Another Costco product review... Dark Chocolate covered Pomegranates. Oh joy. Great for snacking AND a natural source of flavinol antioxidants. Health food even! Enjoy...

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Villa Creek Restaurant - Paso Robles, CA

Villa Creek Restaurant is located at 1144 Pine Street in downtown Paso Robles. You must visit this place! It is so cute. I have to admit, I don't frequent the downtown portion usually because I am barreling down the 101 to my next adventure. Tucked on a lovely corner facing the park you will find Villa Creek.

If all you go there for is a bite, I urge you to follow my word... Order the Carnitas Tacos. I know you are probably thinking why order Mexican food again Melissa Good Taste? Because they are so delicious. I have not eaten something lately that has made me stop in my tracks like these babies did. I will brag on these for awhile. I go back to Paso on Thursday. Can you guess what I will be eating? Oh my...

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Don Vito's - Las Vegas, NV

Finally! A day of the cutting that got done early enough to eat a decent meal! Sick of room service, eating popcorn for dinner or downing ANOTHER bowl of clam chowder I decided something different must be done! Wandering through the casino deciding between Primarily Prime Rib, Baja Miguel's (nooo!) Silverado Steakhouse and then this...

An Italian place located within the South Point. It was empty and we said - ok! Serve us, serve us now! We are hungry!


Both familiar with La Crema Pinot Noir - Scott and I both ordered a glass! Cheers!


Our entrees both came with a Caesar salad. Very nice, very garlicky.



My entree was up first. I love fish if you have not noticed by now, the South Point has always had an incredible selection. So when I see the Garlic crusted Sea Bass on the menu I am sold. It was fantastic! Too large of a portion for me, I ate until I was totally full. Scott ordered the Lobster Milanese which was breaded, pan-fried and served with lemon butter sauce. This too was extremely delicious.

Pleasantly surprised! I am not normally a noodle fan, which is how I describe an Italian restaurant, but this place was ok! Not probably the most authentic meal I have had but it did its job. A decent meal among all the nachos, popcorn and candy I had ingested while in Vegas. Would I return? Yes. It is a touch pricey but then again, everything is in Sin City. You pay one way or another! 1.5 thumbs up for a beautiful meal.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Baja Miguel's - Las Vegas, NV

While staying at the South Point Casino for the NCHA Millionaire Aged Event I found myself frequently visiting the Oyster Bar and enjoying the Clam Chowder. But Friday afternoon I just could not take it anymore and decided I needed Mexican food. I am a true lover of the stuff.

Their Lunch Special was a good one. A Margarita, Fideo Soup - whatever that was - and two entrees. What a heck a deal! I order that and got my drink and soup. The soup was not too bad. In fact I felt it was a high point of the meal. Sort of like a tomato broth with angel hair noodles. Interesting. Yet, satisfying all the same.

The best part of the meal was by far the Chips and the Trio. Salsa was average, pretty sure straight out a bottle. Guacamole, my love! And the beans that were just beans, but sometimes that is ok. Yummo. Should have just stuck with this.

So this is it. The main event. Looks like a fiesta on a plate right? Wrong! Oh so wrong. This is not like any Mexican food I have had before. The enchilada sauce tasted like tomato water. I am very picky about enchilada sauce, obviously. The chile relleno which is hiding underneath all that cheese was actually pretty good. I had to dig deep to find it though. Rice was another downer. Forget about that carbohydrate during this meal. Eat more chips! In fact request more guacamole!


I am just such a Mexican food snob. I have been surrounded by the stuff since birth. I know the good from the bad and this is just your average Mexican food. I am sure they have lovers of the stuff but it just failed to hit the mark for me. I will probably come back because I foresee frequent visits to the South Point with my cutting adventures. Will I miss it until next time? Nah, don't think so. One thumb up for slammin' lunch deal, quick service and for it being in Vegas baby!