Had the pleasure of dining at Tupelo Honey Cafe in Charlotte, North Carolina. First things first, if you plan on going, make a reservation because this is definitely a hot spot. Thankfully, we had one so we were seated right away. I had perused the menu prior to visiting for brunch so I had a few options ready for my taste buds. Seeing the various dishes that other diners chose nearly changed my mind so I needed to give the menu another once over. 

For an appetizer we decided to go with the Avocado Toast Points. To say that it was delicious would be an understatement. Topped upon rustic bread the presentation resembled guacamole. Consisting of farmers cheese, aleppo pepper, and red chili honey drizzle I came away thinking of making it for myself at home. It was a dish worth going back for just to order it. I accompanied the appetizer with one of their featured drinks perfect for brunch. I ordered the Tupelo Bloody Mary and from first sip I was quite pleased. Adorned with salt on the rim along with an okra, lemon and pimento cheese stuffed  green olive, the Bloody Mary was a great compliment. 

For my entree I went with the Eggs Betty a take on the classic Eggs Benedict. Consisting of poached eggs, smoked ham and hollandaise sauce atop buttermilk biscuits the Eggs Betty were accompanied by cracklin potatoes and fresh seasonal greens. I was quite enamored with the look of the dish and looked forward to diving in and eating. The meal met the visual expectations and had it not been for the fact that the toast had filled me up quite a bit I would have wiped my plate clean. Filled with the right blends of flavor and southern charm I leaned back after my last bite and sip and felt fulfilled.  My mother, went with the Southern Shakshuka which she described as delicious and filling. The dish actually looked like a bowl of pasta but consisted of goat cheese grits, creole sauce, avocado slices and two baked eggs. As appetizing at it looked I was too enamored with my own meal to even delve into her dish for a taste. 

Tupelo Honey Cafe led my pallet through a journey that will not only live on in my blog but also in my memory. I look forward to my next visit to Charlotte and a visit to this delightful restaurant that did not disappoint. If you're in Uptown head over there or one of their many franchises throughout the Carolinas. 

If life's a Bitch and then you die, hurry over to Sweet Chick. I went to the one in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. The restaurant is small and therefore there is a wait. Thankfully, we went early enough and the wait was only about 10 minutes or so. Upon entry I immediately noticed that there was no sign of Nas being a co owner. I looked at the menu expecting to see a drink called Ether or a dish called Nah Mean Collard Greens or something. But nope. Nothing indicating God's Son had any affiliation with the Chicken and Waffle Joint.The music was as soulful as the menu ranging from tunes from Sade to EWF. However, if my only complaint is that it wasn't hip hop enough or Nas themed enough...and it is, then hey that's not too bad. 

After perusing the menu before being seated as well as while sitting, I decided to for sure get the bloody mary. I mean the drink came with a slice of bacon for goodness sake. In addition, I ordered the Eggs Benny and a side of Carolina grits. The bloody mary was a bit spicier than I'm used to. It was delicious though. The glass had old bay around the rim which always puts me in a summer seafood mood. So, the drink culminating with the unusually warm September morning was the perfect season extender. 

My friend ordered a lemonade and the chicken and waffles which is what the restaurant is known for. She said her meal was scrumptious and based on the presentation I'm inclined to believe her. My meal was sensational. I ate damn near every morsel. The Eggs Benedict or as they called it Eggs Benny, was so good. It was prepared in a way that I had never had before. Presented on biscuit half, with shredded chicken, hollandaise sauce, and poached eggs with a a side of potatoes I ate each bite wishing the location was closer to where I lived. The bowl of grits I added to my meal only helped to enhance my experience. Every dish was pleasing to my palate, not to mention reasonably priced. I walked out of Sweet Chicks full and happy. 

Last night It was my pleasure to dine at the Chop Shop in Smithtown. It wasn't my first visit to the long time restaurant and once again I left knowing it wouldn't be my last. Located on Main street in Smithtown, our wait was longer than I had anticipated. Although we arrived on a Friday night with no reservations,I fully expected to be seated kind of quickly. The beautiful night weather proved to be a hindrance as the bar and the restaurant was packed. Told that the wait would be 15 minutes, we ended up waiting about 40. As you might  imagine hangry entered the picture but memories of my previous dining experiences calmed my nerves and I was able to patiently await a table.

The food at the restaurant is primarily focused on traditional American fare ranging from burgers, seafood, steaks, chops and pasta. I chose to order the skirt steak. My steak was delicious. Accompanied by a potato and asparagus hash, the steak was marinated, grilled and topped with shoestring onions. I forced myself not to eat the entire meal at the sitting because I wanted leftovers. My friend, chose to order the Rigatoni ala Vodka which was presented as a healthy portion that featured smoked mozzarella, prosciutto and pomodoro cream sauce. I can't speak on the tastiness of that dish but if looks could kill I wouldn't be writing this review right now. 

Speaking with my friend, I mentioned that I had a hankering for apple pie but most restaurants don't serve that anymore. To my delight, the Chop Shop did have apple strudel on the menu which I readily ordered. My friend went for the cinnamon roll. As with my steak, I chose not to eat my entire dessert so that I could enjoy it the following day for breakfast. My friend and I were equally satisfied with our choices. My beverage of choice was a glass of Merlot which I slowly drank and finished up during my dessert which actually paired well with the strudel. My friend opted for a Tom Collins and paired the dessert with a cappuccino.

All around, we were quite pleased. So much so that I decided to write a review. I've gone out to dinner plenty of times over the past year but since July of 2016, I haven't written a review. It looks like the Chop Shop reawakened my mojo. Looking forward to checking them out again during the spring months. 

I knew I had to visit the historic site of the Four Seasons in Manhattan before the closed shop and switched locations. My visit didn't disappoint. I knew I'd be in for a treat having been to the Four Seasons in Ireland. I had expected a beautiful ambiance, delicious food, a great drink and good company. I got that and more. 

I decided to order from the pre-theater menu. The only bad thing about that was that I wasn't going to the theater afterwards. Hamilton tickets would have been perfect but I digress. I started my meal off with the Crisp Shrimp, mostarda di frutta and lord it did things to my pallet that to this day makes me crave them. So damn good. I ate every bit of them. I followed up my appetizer with the  Grilled Hanger Steak with  stir-fried bok choy, shitakes, lotus root, and asian chimichurri. It was great. I ordered my steak medium well and ate every morsel. The steak was juicy and flavorful and was only enhanced by the chimichurri. I had only wished I didn't eat it all so that I could take a bag home. In between each bite I sipped on my dry martini with three olives. It was the quintessential accompaniment to my meal. 

Eating, and drinking while watching the impromptu fashion show  courtesy of the "rich" women that dined at the restaurant I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I capped off my meal with a cup of cappuccino and with the Milk Chocolate-Salted Caramel Bar, malted sablé, brown butter ice cream. Perfection. The appetizer, the entree, the beverages and dessert were the main four reasons for the four seasons but the added bonus of my company, view and ambiance made me annoyed that I hadn't gone sooner. The restaurant is closing next month but I know for sure I'll be dining at the new location upon its reopening. 

It's been a while since I've blogged about my latest food experience. Not because I haven't gone out, but mainly because it was an intense holiday season that left me burned out and too tired to type. So, today on this blizzardry day on Long Island I figured, let me share the details from my last visit to a new local restaurant in Huntington, NY.

This past week I went to TOA for lunch. The whole time I kept saying it was TAO and then when I got home I realized similar intitials but not the same as the popular celebrity hot spot. Well, if the food at TOA is anything at all like the food at TAO I have to say TAO must have great dishes. I began my meal with a Miso soup which was perfect. It wasn't too salty and there was just enough tofu and seaweed in it to make me think about getting a bowl to go. Instead, I decided to slurp it all up and partake in my appetizer of avocado rolls. I know, what's so great about those. Well, usually when I go to a Japanese restaurant the rolls have less of the main ingredient that you want and plenty of rice. At TOA, the opposite was true. The rolls had a nice chunk of avocado in each piece and I couldn't stop eating them. I was supposed to share them with my friend but she ended up getting assed out. They were too good.

Sipping on my glass of Merlot provided the perfect anticipation for what I could only imagine would be a great meal. Arriving, in a good amount of time my main dish was presented before me. I took just a second to snap a picture before devouring my order. I chose the Kitchen Bento Box, specifically going with the Terriyaki Salmon and Brown Rice, Mini Spring Rolls and Shrimp Dumplings. Pure perfection. I also tasted the tender steak that my friend ordered and would have been pissed with my choice had I not had the delectable salmon to drool over. My food was absolutely delightful and I'm looking forward to going back. 

A friend of mine suggested we go to Izumi for dinner, and I definitely was looking forward to it. I had been before but never reviewed their dishes so I felt like that was a great opportunity to blog about it. I arrived before my friend so I decided to sit at the bar and wait. Lucky for me I made it in time for their Happy Hour so I ordered a glass of Pinot Noir. For four buck that was the best glass of wine I could have had that evening. The menu also included appetizers including sushi for five dollars which for a girl on a budget like myself I know I'll be returning. 

Once it was time to order, I knew I would be getting Hibachi. I contemplated ordering a  sahshimi roll as well but thought better of it. I wanted to finish my entree and I knew that by ordering a roll I probably wouldn't have enjoyed my the rest of my meal. I made the right choice. As is traditional with many Japanese restaurants, the entree was preceded by soup and salad. The soup was a bit more salty than what I prefer. Although Miso tends to be salty in nature, this particular bowl leaned more on the sodium side which leads me to believe that the overwhelming main ingredient was store brought chicken stock. The salad on the other hand was quite good. Small in size it packed a punch in terms of flavor. Consisting of tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber it was the orange dressing and the amount placed on top that made it satisfying. In addition, because it was perfectly chilled I do believe the taste made it more appealing. 

I chose to order Hibachi Chicken and Shrimp for my entree. I was not disappointed. The chicken was seasoned absoulutely well and the shrimp were cooked to perfection. It's hard to not be pleased when it comes to a Hibachi dish and I wasn't at Izumi. The veggies were the right mix of crunchy and soft and when I mixed it with my brown rice I knew I was happy that I chose Hibachi rather than a grilled or baked dish. All in all, Izumi failed to prompt me to write a bad review. If there is one negative I can share other than the Miso soup it would be that the restaurant doesn't set itself apart from the many Hibachi locales throughout Long Island. It's in a great location so that helps them, but I'm not sure that people would go out of their way to visit them if they weren't in a strip mall. But I digress. If you're in Commack near Rt. 25 try them out, at least for Happy Hour.