GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of December 31

by Adrienne Wilson on

With so many interesting stories coming out and into the New Year it made selecting this week’s five a bit difficult, yet I think I’ve gathered a well-rounded batch for you to review.

5. Think Before You Click:
Here is the sad tale of a German tourist who accidentally booked a ticket and flew into Sidney, Montana when he actually wanted to go to Sydney, Australia. The lucky fellow was able to make it to his intended destination with the help of family and friends, but talk about a costly mistake! Ouch.

4. Ask The Pilot:
Looking for the answer to all your flying questions? Why not “Ask the Pilot” or pick up the book to see if your question happens to make the selection of commonly pondered questions.

3. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum:
When a former president is no longer with us it is a big deal to say the least and many feel the need to pay some sort of tribute. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is just one place to start or perhaps you can think and thank him on your way from the ATM as he was the dude that made it legal to pull money from a machine. Not as grand as a trip to the museum, but its just a thought.

2. Paddling Baja Dispatch: Day 2:
After another great trip, Erik returns to share with us the details of paddling Baja. In this dispatch he talks about his guide Carlos, jagged coastlines, incredible rock formations, Mexican food, and rum and of course he does the favor of including some very cool photos from the affair. There is more to come, but in the meanwhile catch up on this if you already haven’t.

1. Chinese Shish Kabobs:
Death-wish or delicious? I don’t know about the food found in the pictures from Neil’s pal Pete, but I do know they make my skin crawl to the point where these Chinese shish kabob would be staying far from the taste-buds and only close enough for photo ops. Do proceed with caution.

Yekta

by Adrienne Wilson on

Towards the end of my work week last week sometime while working in Rockville, Maryland I decided to pop into Yekta, a restaurant specializing in kabob and other fine Persian dishes. It was a good decision too. Normally I would have tried the koobideh (skewered lean ground beef) or kabob-e barg (flattened strips of marinated beef), but since I’m shying away from red meat temporarily I went for the white meat. The chicken kabob was well done. From time to time I find chicken can just be a little too boring for my tastes, but the cooks seasoned this to perfection. I was impressed and the serving was of a decent size which included rice, tomato, and bread. Only thing that didn’t seem to impress me or the person who referred me to the spot were the prices. For kabob it seemed as though they could have lowered the cost by a buck or two, but a meal at Yekta won’t send you into debt either so give it a try!

Yekta is located at 1488 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. (Easily accessible from Washington D.C.) Ph. 301.984.0005. www.yekta.com

Jasmine Lounge

by Adrienne Wilson on

As some of you may remember I am on the road touring for HP. While I’m working very hard out here in the Northeast I’m making sure I grab every opportunity possible to stay far away from chain restaurants to try the local and new tasty flavors. I do this mainly because I love getting the word out on good food as well as bad food on menus less explored, but also because it gives something to serve you here on Gadling. (Yes, I know – everything I do, I do it for you.)

My latest stop for lunch was at the Jasmine Lounge found in Wilmington, Delaware. The Zagat rated restaurant serves Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese cuisines. When I drove by the first time all I spotted was Sushi so I had my mind set on a roll of Hamachi with scallion and some miso, although the Vietnamese dishes sounded extremely tempting too. Considering how I was on a late lunch break, the place was pretty quiet. There were a couple of patrons scattered throughout the large size restaurant and lounge. I soaked in the silence as I slurped down my miso soup. Something about the seaweed in this particular bowl was extra delicious. The Hamachi and scallion roll was equally tasty, though I’d have to say it didn’t knock my socks off. I also ended up ordering the house salad, which was okay, but the ginger dressing didn’t thrill me either. So my overall thoughts about the food – it’s good. There are tons of other items I’d love to come back and sample one day, but I don’t know what the chances of me spending time in Wilmington are like outside of work related reasons.

Anyhow, in the evening the restaurant turns into a lively lounge where people drop in for drinks, eats and after work gossip I’m sure. If you’re in Wilmington one day stop in to fill up and share your own thoughts.

Jasmine is located at 3618 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803. Ph. 302.479.5618. www.jasminelounge.com

Makeda in New Brunswick, NJ

by Adrienne Wilson on

A friend of mine thought after a long holiday celebrating food and feasting for days would slow down my appetite and for a second I did too, until I walked into the Ethiopian spot she had been talking about on our ride from the airport to my hotel. The only thing is I hadn’t eaten much during my travels my earlier that day, so by the time we made it to Makeda I felt like a lion who’d gone months without a meal. As we walked in and through the restaurant I saw the cutest set-up of African chairs and tables in the bar/lounge and several great pieces of art hanging from the wall. Before I even caught sight of the menu, I knew Makeda had flavor. Our hostess seated us in the main dining area towards the back, but close enough for me to look into the bar area. It was empty and quiet at the time of our arrival, but my friend states Makeda is the place to be on Friday nights when there is live music and lots going on. I tried to imagine handsome couples sitting together starring into the others eyes and digging into their delicious dishes with their hands. Passion being exchanged between each bite taken from the meal and love secrets being exchanged with each whisper across… Using my imagination started making me hungrier so I stopped to look at the menu and get some real food action going at the table.

To start I ordered Zaalouk, a diced pan fried eggplant in virgin olive oil with a blend of garlic, ginger, chopped parsley and cumin with a hint of lemon. It was too spicy according to my friend, but that only meant more for me and less for her. I gobbled down all the egg plant on my own after she sampled two. I thought it was well-seasoned and the right kick-off for any dinner. The main course followed shortly after I devoured the appetizer and what my waitress sat in front of me was by no means a small portion. The plate was filled with a hefty amount of everything I had ordered. My plate consisted of the following: Assa Tibs, marinated filet of Cape Hadie seasoned with fresh herbs, sautéed in Shiba wine with African salsa; and from the veggie menu Atakilt Wat and Ful with Ethiopian bread. I don’t recall breathing much as I wrapped my food into the bread almost taco-style and inhaled it off my plate. I was in an Ethiopian food lotus land. What had taken me so long to dine like this before? I’ve longed to visit the country for centuries almost, yet I’d never even taken the simple pleasure of eating out at an Ethiopian restaurant with so many past opportunities! Sometimes I don’t even understand myself or how I managed to finish the evening off with a serving of vanilla gelato, but I don’t question these things too long.

Although it was my first time eating Ethiopian cuisine, I’m going to highly recommend you go if you’ve never been. If you have by chance please share your thoughts.

Makeda Ethiopian Restaurant is located at 338 George Street, News Brunswick, NJ 08901. Ph. 732.545.5115. Meals range from $13-36.

Riodizio Churrascaria

by Adrienne Wilson on

If my memory serves me correctly, it had been three years since I last pleasured my taste-buds with non-stop meat sliced off the skewer from a Brazilian steakhouse. So to have had the opportunity to samba with well seasoned lamb, prime rib, sirloin, chicken, and all the meat imaginable, I was extremely overjoyed! The only problem was I didn’t have a huge appetite and when you walk into the doors of Riodizio Churrascaria you’re going to want to be very hungry. Having had a large lunch earlier and no plans to swing by Riodizio, I was a little unprepared, but that didn’t stop me from gormandizing for the night.

Green means go and red means halt, but for the most part my coaster was green all night and even when it was red, with a smile I would be offered a warm succulent piece of meat from the skewer. How could I refuse? Yes! With big eyes I said, “yes, yes,” to almost every piece of meat that came around and this was only after I had tackled the salad bar. I knew I was probably way in over my head, but there is something about Brazilian cuisine that has that effect on me. I’ll spare you every greedy detail of my personal feast, but I offer you the same advice as earlier if you plan on going.

Be hungry. The dinner is a flat rate of $40 excluding wine and other beverages to wash it all down.

Riodizio Churrascaria is located at 388 Willis Avenue, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577. Ph. 516.621.4646