Bistro Cassis Restaurant

by Adrienne Wilson on

It is going to sound real sad when I make this confession, but I don’t think I’ve ever eaten at a French restaurant up until now. Gasp! I know. Surely I’ve had French fries, French breads, and oh, French toast and crepes, but nothing real fancy if you catch my drift. Can’t quite explain why I’d never tried more of it before, but I’ll make a guess in that I was probably too busy eating Thai, Indian or other super spicy cuisines. However, that is not the point right now. The point is I ate fancy French food at Bistro Cassis out in Long Island, NY and dug it!

My companion for the evening had her mind wrapped around eating steak tartar and as fond of red meat as I may be, I left her to eat the whole serving on her own. She did share the escargot, which was absolutely delish! It was my first time sampling the edible snail and I’ll be taste-testing this item more often in future French dining destinations. While it’s slipped my mind what she ended up eating for the main course, I remember very well what I devoured: Black fish (which is actually a white fish) with an assortment of vegetables. The vegetables included pieces of sunflower stem if I’m not mistaken. In summary the food was scrumptious and I would certainly visit again.

In regards to the atmosphere, the restaurant is medium in size and fairly intimate. The only thing that bothered both me and my companion was the first server, who just seemed a bit over-the-top in telling us the specials for the evening. He came off a bit creepy, but nice otherwise.

Bistro Cassis is located at 55 B Wall Street, Huntington, NY 11748. Ph. 631.421.4122.

Brasa Restaurant – Seattle, WA

by Adrienne Wilson on

Allow me to apologize before proceeding to discuss the incredibly mouth-watering meal my taste-buds recently tangoed with during dinner at Seattle’s Brasa Restaurant. I apologize because I attempted to take photos of my dishes, but the lighting was far from favorable for a food photo shoot and so I ditched the camera to nosh on my meal and give it full attention. So there – sorry.

Dinner at Brasa (‘live coals’)was a real treat compliment of my father who wanted to treat me and my friend to a post-marathon meal and Portuguese inspired foreign fare. It was also a huge change of pace when looking back at some of our previous dining destinations on our weeks long road-trip. In any event the atmosphere was cozy, intimate and warm. The hostess and wait staff were friendly and especially attentive, but onto the food! To start I had a Judy Jetson martini and ordered a cooked octopus appetizer to help move the wait along for the main course. Shortly after the meal I had been waiting for arrived and it was time to really get down. I was excited for one because I had never eaten monkfish before and the waitress made it sound absolutely to-die-for. My running and travel companion ordered the cod and after a short moment of silence and thanks we went in for the kill. It was like we had burned up everything in us from the race or like we hadn’t eaten for months. I found that the monkfish wasn’t exactly as great as the waitress described, but it had its fine tasting and texture qualities to it unlike other fish I’d tasted. Everything else was top-notch and I couldn’t have asked for a better post-race dining experience.

If you go take $$$ for a real nice meal, luckily mine was on my Dad! Check out their website for any additional details, like the menu for the month through from what I can tell it hasn’t been updated since June. Reservations recommended.

Brasa is located at 2107 Third Ave, Seattle, WA. Ph. 206.728.4220.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of October 22

by Adrienne Wilson on

Can everyone say TGIF? Boy, am I glad the first hint of the weekend has arrived. It’s been a long one and if your week happened to have been as hectic as mine then you may have missed some of these Gadling pieces, but never fear – they are here.

5. Paris Too Hardcore for the Japanese?:
Culture reads are always fun in my book and seeing how different tourists react in certain countries is also good info to know, but something about this piece on Paris being too tough on Japanese strikes me as odd. I’ve never heard of a city that caused one to seek psychological counseling after your return. Is there anyone out there who can back this up?

4. World’s Most Expensive Restaurants:
Follow poor Erik as he accidentally gets in on a dinner bill at one of NY’s most priciest restaurants and regrets ever showing up. After sharing his own personal story he points those that like having restaurant tabs starting at about $370 a person to this Forbes List of most expensive restaurants. Chow down for me, because you won’t find me there.

3. New York Times Looks at Los Angeles:
Erik lives in New York. Neil lives in Los Angeles. I live in Limbo. What better set of travel bloggers could one possibly find? While I stay out in the land of Limbo I can thank Neil for holding his ground in LA to help provide honest criticism on the City of Angels when folks like the NY Times try to sum it all in one go. If you’re considering travel to LA, read Neil’s blurb and this pretty good read from the NY Times as well. Then let us know what you think.

2. Dirty, Filthy, Nasty, & Unclean Airplanes:
Some find horror in film, but I find horror in real life. I call it soiled seats, filthy carpet and greasy windows 35,000 feet in air. I’m sure you’ve been on a dirty airplane a time or two. Well, reading this piece will probably have you reaching for that barf bag next time you fly.

1. Smoke-Free Hotel Rooms:
With this news I’m sure some non-smokers lungs are singing praise and screaming hallelujah! Yes, it looks as though Westin Hotel & Resorts along with the Marriott are banning smoking altogether in their chain of hotels. Good news for us, but I’m sure those not ready to kick the habit are either pouting or puffing it up in some shady smoked-filled motel room.

On Chinese Street Food

by Adrienne Wilson on

Go World Travel features a fine culinary travel piece by Larry Jer who after spending months in China decides to risk everything to sample – Chinese street food. We’ve all been tempted on one journey or another to give into the aromas drifting off the grill or pan from some street chef looking to tantalize your taste buds, fuel your stomach as well as make an honest living. Sometimes trying those delicious smelling street treats isn’t as easy as one might think. For Larry having Chinese street food was much like a trip to the circus. I can understand that, but it wasn’t until Larry found he needed to get the weight he’d lost by avoiding most foods in China that he gave in to the street vendors. In addition to developing balls or courage to try the food for weight concerns, he also found gobbling down silkworm added dimension to his stay in China. How about that? Dimension in silkworms? Mmm…

Read the rest for yourself. Foodies can surely appreciate Larry Jer’s very nicely written travel tale.

Shogun Sushi

by Adrienne Wilson on

Almost everywhere I turned in Jackson, WY I had someone tossing out a restaurant recommendation or two. This absolutely delighted me, however it is during these times when everyone wants to provide you with the most delicious dish on the most delicious dish, that you aren’t quite ready to saddle up and dig right in because your taste buds are craving something totally different. For instance, while walking around the Old Faithful gift shop trying to kill time before the big geyser blew, the manager heard my partner and me talking about where we should dine. Being as helpful as can be, he suggested we go to the nearby lodge that made an amazing bison burger or something. My stomach immediately felt heavy. As much as I like red meats I was in no mood for anything that could be the size of a small dinosaur. I wanted some lighter international fare which leads me to the moment I actually had the chance to nab some in Jackson.

It was the day after our big adventures in the park that we walked into Shogun Sushi. For the most part Shogun Sushi wasn’t knock-your-socks-off sushi, but it was decent. I ordered spicy hamachi maka and my pal had an order of shrimp tempura. I enjoyed my dish, but my friend found his only to be okay. Both of us each had a side of tasty plain inari. At Shogun Sushi they offer stuffed inari with items like crab, tuna, etc. It’s a bit unusual, but our super friendly waiter said it sales. The food was only slightly expensive considering everything in the mountains is slightly expensive, but it is certainly worth stopping in if your belly isn’t ready for bison burger.

Shogun Sushi is located at 265 W. Broadway, Jackson, WY. Ph. 307.733.9168. Lunch and Dinner 7 days a week. M-F 11 AM- 11 PM and Sat-Sun 5 PM to 11 PM. Take out or delivery.