Sunday, July 15, 2012

Mediterranean Sweets : Ulker Icim Visne Sour Cherry Juice

            Hey everyone! Today is a short post on a Turkish drink I bought recently, Icim Visne
     Sour Cherry juice, by the brand Ulker. Like what you might suspect, the drink is good for
     people who want to drink something tart, that's only mildly sweet. It's a light drink, but if
     you like sour candy or sour/sweet foods, I recommend giving this a try. C: One last thing,
     I bought this at an Arab store called Damascus, in downtown Brooklyn, but if you can't find 
     a store nearby, you can probably find it online in some shops. (I did a quick Google search,
    and the Damascus I'm talking about is a grocery store, not a bakery. Didn't want any confusion!)

                                                                              
                                                                           

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Sky Modern Japanese Restaurant in Little Rock

                    Good afternoon, everyone! Today I'm going to post a review of Sky Modern Japanese
            restaurant, which is actually a fusion restaurant of Japanese and French food. I went there
            around June, before I left for New York, and went around the evening, so I'll be commenting
            on the dinner menu that they have.
                    When my friend and I went here, we weren't sure what to expect. Sky replaced Capi's,
            which I never went to, but this place had a more professional/elegant air than the previous
            restaurant. Knowing that there were a few other expensive restaurants nearby, we were a
            little worried, at first, so it was helpful to see they posted an outside menu to give an
            idea for prices. They also have all their menus posted in the website above, so I'll leave it at
            that, for questions on specific prices.
                          A juice/soda menu was not listed in the main menu, just various mixed alcoholic
             beverages, but since I didn't want to pay $7 for one glass of a drink, and didn't want any
             juices/sodas, so I just ordered water. They serve it very chilled, and it was free so I had no
             complaints. I was not familiar with many items on the menu, or rather I knew the main
             dish, like crab, or chicken, but was not really aware of some of the condiments they used
             on the dishes. I felt sorry for our waiter, ( and for the record ladies, a good chunk of the
             waiters they have are rather good looking men~), because of how many questions I asked,
             but he was polite, very helpful, and was very patient with me. ^^ In the end, I ordered
             the Soft Shell Crab, without the pepper salad, and got mochi ice cream for dessert. You
             could choose 3 out of 4 flavors, so I got mango, coffee, and strawberry to share with my
             friend. The crab did not seem very big at first, but after I ate it I was pretty full,ha ha. They
             give you a dipping sauce that I think had some garlic flavor in it, and the whole concoction
             was very tasty, in my opinion. As for the mochi, it was some of the best I had! It did not
             taste powdery, or rubbery, like some places make them, but was very soft and melted in
             your mouth. My first impression of this place, as you can tell, was a pleasant one, and I
             do intend to come back again! I tried to capture the lights in the ceiling; it formed an
             illuminated sky with clouds inside, that was so pretty! But my camera phone isn't good
             with lights, so there is a big fat glare instead. ><
                                                  
                                                                          
                                                                                
                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                                           
                                                                           

Monday, July 2, 2012

Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt in Little Rock (Closed)

                 Hello~ Today I'm going to talk about the first frozen yogurt place I went to, Orange Leaf.
          Like many other establishments I visited, it's located in the Pleasant Ridge Center in Little
          Rock, and I was first introduced to it by a friend. While many places have mochi as a
          condiment, Orange Leaf usually has boba with juice in them, so they pop in your mouth. XD
          The place is colored in orange, and like the other frozen yogurt places, it offers a fresh,
          modern look to it. And like many frozen yogurt places, (well, other than Red Mango), you
          put as much frozen yogurt as you want, and the payment is by how much it weighs. I do
          recommend the place, it's located in a nice location, and just about any flavor I have tried
          tasted pretty good. Images below show my concoction of  gummy bears, boba, and
          marshmallow, with a blue mystery flavor,( tasted like blueberry to me), cotton candy, and
          the last one was either mango or wedding cake. In their list of flavors I can recommend the
          tart, which is the original, the red velvet, cherry, and birthday cake. When available, the
          egg nog was pretty good too! So, if you're looking for an affordable frozen treat this
          summer, go give this place a look.~


            
                                                                            
                                                                                
                                                                          
                                                                                 
                                                                              
                                                                          
                                                                          

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Little Rock, Arkansas - Trio's

               Good morning everyone! Today I will talk about Trio's.  I only went to Trio's twice, and have had a good experience both times; though people I know seem to have differing opinions depending on what they are ordering. The owners of Trio's used to own a restaurant called Capi's, (which you will see mentioned on the website here and there), that was located in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center, but has since run out of business and closed some few months ago. However I was told upon going there that some of the more popular Capi's items have been added to Trio's menu, so if you were a Capi's fan, Trio's is not a bad place to check out! The menu has an assortment of cuisines, some Mediterranean, some Spanish, some American, so there is a little something for everyone.~

           The restaurant itself is designed in a sleek and professional manner; it's a dressy casual type place; going in like you just woke up from bed might be a bad idea, but you do not have to dress like your meeting royalty either; just keep it nice, simple, and put together.( This all my opinion, of course, from visiting the place twice; I did not see a dress code actually listed though I know those types of restaurants exist.)  The place has a private hall as well, right next to the main restaurant, which can be used for any event, parties, business meetings,etc.

      
          Now before I continue, I want to state my main reason for wanting to go to this restaurant. I found some tourist guides at the airport, and in almost every magazine, Trio's had a giant ad saying," The best desserts in town!" I just needed to hear those words to want to go to the place, what with all my sweet tooth cravings, haha.~

           I don't have photos of food on my first trip, but we went there around lunch time, and I remember ordering a sandwich with chicken and ranch and other condiments and loving it. (It doesn't seem to be in the online menu.) I also ordered dessert of course, and got their key-lime pie, which I fell in love with; and gobbled it all in one go! (Go and try it!) XD

           The second trip was a family event, and was at dinner time, so they had a different menu.
(They do not offer other menu's at the same time, if you go in a certain time of the day you will only get that menu. So dinner time is only the dinner menu, lunch only offers the lunch menu,etc.)  I liked how it sounded, and heard it was a specialty, so I ordered the Voodoo Pasta, which I think tastes awesome! (I had it without the jalapenos, but I think great food tastes great even with taking condiments off!) The second time around, I didn't order dessert myself, but my mother and brother did, and I ended up sampling both of theirs. (One had chocolate pie, and I think the other had coconut. I forgot to take photos of them,sorry!)

           Both times, the restaurant had a friendly and quiet staff, and the place itself is not stuffy or very formal. If your looking for a place for a date or family event, or even just with friends, go give it a look! (The photos below were taken at night, so some of them are dim or have a glare.The fourth photo was an appetizer; Breaded Chicken, and the fifth photo is my Voodoo Pasta.~)

                                                                           

                                                                                  
                                                                                
                                                                                 
                                                                                
                                                                                

Friday, March 2, 2012

Little Rock, Arkansas - Black Angus Cafe'

           Hey everyone! Today I'm going to be talking about Black Angus. (This is not the steakhouse restaurant, though they share the same name.) The place is small and comfortable; it's the size of an average diner. Black Angus is known for their burgers, but they have a hearty soup and salad menu, as well as a steak menu selling things like Shish Kebab, or T-Bone Steaks, and a large sandwich menu. For the weekday, they have weekly specials not on the typical menu, like Shrimp Stir-Fry, Meatloaf, or Catfish.~
       
         Me and my friend have been to this particular place many times, and I can't recommend it enough. For one thing, you can find something to stuff your stomach for under $10. If your a meat lover but short on cash, this is a good place for affordable steak and burgers. Drinks are also affordable here, and it's self serve; after you get your cup, you can refill as much as you want. The place is stated to be a cafe' on their website, but the interior is something in-between a diner and a cafe'.

          The photos were taken sometime in December, and I ordered their burgers and fries,(both tasty), and a side of mushrooms for the cheeseburger,( might have been the Bacon Swiss or Mushroom Swiss, something along those lines.) Burger and steak lovers should give this place a look, in my opinion.~ (Sorry some photos had a glare and are blurred.)

                                                                            
                                                                               
                                                                                 
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Little Rock, Arkansas - Five Guys

                             Hey everyone! I'm in an energetic mood tonight! So much that I'm
                                                     doing a third post in one day! XD
                         
                            Have any of you seen a Five Guys before? Five Guys, for those who don't know,
              is a burger joint. It's a chain diner, but the burgers take time to prepare, and they make it
             after you specify what condiments you want, so it's not fast food. ( The whole meal might
            take some 10-15 minutes, if you include fries.) I've been to a location in New York, and in 
            Arkansas, and from what I've seen, they design all their locations in a similar style. The
            decor is primarily in white and red, and looks like a mixture of an old industrial factory
            cafeteria and a 1950's diner all in one. This might be due to the fact that although anyone
            can go in and there is no alcohol anywhere, the target demographic seems to lean towards 
            males a bit more. (Well, that's the impression I get from it, and the name adds on to that
            theory in my opinion. Actually when I first passed by one in Brooklyn, I mistook the place
            for a bar that truck drivers like to go to! Haha~)

                   The menu is limited; their are no soups or salads here; just fries,hot dogs, and
            a very wide assortment of condiments to put in your burger. That doesn't make it bad to  
            me, it just means if you go to one, just don't expect too big of a menu. The drinks served   
            here are regular coke beverages too, so they keep it easy and simple. The burgers are
            worth it in opinion, and they're good, but keep in mind you have to wait a bit and the
            price is a bit higher than other popular burger places. Something cute to note, the locations
            also offer peanuts! No idea why, but in every location I've been they sell peanuts! The
            photos are the location in Little Rock, and the burger I got was a cheeseburger with ranch.~
            The fries are are good with the cajun spices, so I recommend that.~

                                                                               
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                 
                                                                               

Little Rock,Arkansas - Izzy's

                              Today is such a nice day that I decided to make two posts! Ha ha~
                                                  We'll be talking about Izzy's today.
     
        This post will be based on my second trip to Izzy's, which I did because I wanted a better experience before I judged it. To explain briefly ,the food didn't do it for me, and I tried to order some flavored tea, which you had to make yourself. Even though I read the instructions carefully, the tea tasted like water with a light tea flavor, and the food I ordered, some grilled chicken on pasta, tasted too bland for my liking. But the rest of this review is much better!
                          
           First, of all, before anything else, I'd just like to say, I feel right at home in the quirky, artsy way that the owners shaped Izzy's. The exterior decor of random flowery things around the bushes and seasonal decor add that special atmosphere it gives. The inside is original as well; you can tell the owners love art; the walls are covered with paintings you can purchase, the store has their own brand items to sell, the entire place has different sections of colorful decorations, and each table is decorated with  hand made collages from magazines and other cut out photos. (All protected with a glass cover!)

         I went many times after this particular trip, (which I will add here; their pizzas are awesome!), but on my second trip I purchased an order of chicken quesadillas, which me and a friend split, as it was too much for one person.~ It's very  appetizing and cheesy, and it is very flavorful, so I do recommend everyone to try it! That day I ordered a slice of their famous Lemon Ice Box Pie, which is very soft, and flavorful. However the pie is very thick so I couldn't finish it in one go; I got full after the first few bites. XD The drink I got this time around was sweet tea I think, (it was a few weeks ago), but the waiters always come around the minute they notice your drink is low, and refill for you as many times as you want for free.~

           So do I recommend Izzy's? The staff is polite and friendly, the atmosphere is quirky and not tense at all, and the majority of their food is very good. Yup, I can whole heartedly say yes, go check this place out if your in town!

                                                                                    
                                                                                
                                                                           
                                                                                
                                                                                 
                                                                          
                                                                      
                                                                               
                                                                                     
                                                                                 
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                            Table from my first trip.
                           Update: I tried their shrimp Alfredo pizza with zucchini.I'm in love.~

Little Rock, Arkansas, Quiznos Sub Sandwich

              Hello everyone! I'm late for school today,haha, and while I'm waiting for my ride thought of making a quick post here.~
                 
               So how many of you tried Quiznos ? For those who don't know, Quiznos is a chain in the United States known primarily for their sub sandwiches; a little similar to Subway. The one I went to was located in the Park Plaza Mall, and as it only had a little store front, I'm not going to critique the place itself, but the service there is polite and good.

                 Now I haven't tried everything in the menu, obviously, but what I do want to say is I think
 everyone should try their Chicken Carbonara on Rosemary Parmesan bread! Exactly as it's listed on the menu,with no changes! (Now this is rare for me, as when I order sandwiches, I usually ask for something to be taken off...) Everytime I go there, I almost always get it! (This is it here .)
 Well that's it for now. Here is some photos of me enjoying it,lol.