Steak... yum!

Sometimes I scroll through my photo albums when I am trying to decide what to eat. I came across pictures from Lawry's in Taipei, and my mouth started watering. Steak is one reason I could never be a vegetarian. Lawry's Prime Rib is another. So darn good.
Dinner sets are available, beginning with a salad, followed by prime rib and sides of yorkshire pudding and mashed potatoes. I usually order a California Cut for my entree, which is the smallest size. The salad is mixed in front of you and includes romaine and iceberg lettuce, beets, egg, croutons, cherry tomatoes, and a sweet salad dressing. Oh, I also love to order a side of creamed corn. The recipe for the creamed corn is on Lawry's website. I tried it at home and it came out perfectly! It is so easy to make, check it out the recipe here.
Okay, so what I like most about the prime rib at Lawry's: it is always so juicy, tasty, and tender. Every bite is satisfying. I also love sauces, and the Lawry's horseradish dabbed on top of each bite of meat makes it even better!

Loooove Lawry's...

Here is the website.



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Disappointing Pizza

I just realized I never posted about my pizza lunch at Lombardi's in New York. I was excited to try the pizza for 2 reasons. 1: a 4 out of 5 rating based on 765 reviews on Yelp. 2: It's "America's First Pizzeria, established in 1905".

What. a. disappointment.
My friend and I ordered a pepperoni and onions pizza to share. The pepperonis were good-- tasty and crispy, but the most important part was missing: enough cheese! Had we known there was going to be so little cheese, we probably would have ordered cheese as a topping. Just look at the picture! Not enough cheese at all. Pizza can't be saved at that point.
On top of the sad pizza situation, the restaurant doesn't accept cash. Lovely.

Here is Lombardi's website.



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Always a favorite...

Isola!


Sirloin with parmesan cheese on top and arugula on the side



I could never get sick of Isola. The service and quality are always consistent, and with huge windows looking out onto the harbour, it is a delightful experience every time. I prefer going for lunch because of the choice for having an appetizer and dessert buffet. The potato salad is excellent, the melon under the proscuitto is fresh and juicy year-round, and the chocolate mousse is divine.
The set lunch is $248 per person and that includes a choice of an entree and also coffee or tea. Sadly, their wonderful pizza is not a choice for the set lunch.

Take a look at the menu on Isola's website.

Shop 3071-75, 4011, International Finance Center, Central. MTR Exit A.
Phone number: 2383-8765

Oh Chocolate...

How wonderful you are.



I am not sure if it is possible to express just how much I love chocolate. I just had such an amazing and inspiring (yes, chocolate can be inspiring) truffle that I immediately ran over to my computer to make a blog entry about it.
I have yet to try the piece on the right, as I'm not a big fan of dark chocolate, but if it makes as big an impact on me as the piece on the left did, then I will be sure to tell you.
There were unexpected little crunches of goodness in the middle of the creamy milk chocolate filling that made the experience of my first bite even more pleasant than I could imagine.

Oh Leonidas, can I marry you?

New York Pizza

Bleecker Street Pizza is now one of my favorite pizza places. My friend and I got there at around 12pm, right before a mad rush of people arrived. There are only around 20 seats in the pizzeria, so we were lucky to get seats. I wanted to get a slice of pepperoni, but there were none available at the time and I didn't want to wait, so I got a Grandma (mozarella, parmesan, marinara sauce on thick crust) and a regular (mozarella). My friend also ordered a regular, as well as a Nonna Maria (similar to the Grandma but on thin crust). It's great when pizzerias put the already baked pizzas into the brick oven to heat up so that you do not have to wait too long for a hot slice of pizza!
I cannot stress enough how tasty the pizza here was. The thin crust was perfect, and the cheese and other toppings tasted very fresh. The prices are very reasonable too. Slices range from $2.25 to $2.75

The menu!



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Home Again!

I say that with a British accent and in a man's voice because I love the part in The Parent Trap (with Lindsay Lohan) when Martin says that to Hallie who pretends to be Annie returning to England.
Anyway, I made chocolate banana pancakes this morning, inspired by the chocolate waffle at Norma's. It was not the same. Now I am thinking about the blueberry pancakes from Clinton Street Baking Company... Delightful!



My friend lives near this restaurant and told me that it has been voted Best Pancakes in NYC before. I went on a Sunday (bad idea) with 3 others, and we put my name down at 11:30am. We were told the wait would be approximately 2 hours. It was 2 and a 1/2. My sister and I went to Dunkin Donuts nearby while we waited and had coffee first. At 2pm, we got a table and ordered: 1 buttermilk biscuit and raspberry jam, 2 spanish scrambles, 1 onion rings, 1 country breakfast, 1 beets salad, and 1 blueberry pancakes. The blueberry pancakes were heavenly. So very light and fluffy, and full of blueberries! On top and inside there were just blueberries everywhere. The buttermilk biscuit was hot and flaky. The jam was very liquid-y, so you could pour it over the biscuit. The onion rings were very crispy.
Everything was pretty good, but my favorite was the blueberry pancakes. A few days later we went back at dinnertime to order the blueberry pancakes before going to the Halal Stand. Wait time? None. Way more satisfying.
The restaurant does not take reservations, but the pancakes are on the dinner menu as well, which is really nice. Who doesn't like pancakes for dinner?

Here is the menu.



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Don't Make Me Leave...

Magnoliaaaaaaaaa! Got a red velvet and chocolate cupcake. I wanted the banana cream pie again because I love the crust so much, but it was out for the night. I sampled the famous banana pudding, but one bite was all I could handle at the time. Sometimes I fail myself.

If only I could bring this to HK...



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