Pasta Plus

Type: Restaurant
Address: 209 Gorman Avenue Laurel, MD

Review:
I cover the city of Laurel for The Gazette newspaper so one day I decided to find a restaurant in my beat, in an effort to get to know the area better. My friend Samira and I began Googling different restaurants in town and that's how we found Pasta Plus.
Sure, the name is unassuming. It's not frou frou at all. And at it's location in a strip mall near an Arby's, many people probably drive by without giving it a second glance. But as soon as I walked through the doors of this apparent hole-in-the-wall restaurant, I was transported back to Italy. Inside resembled a romantic little restaurant off Via Palestro in Rome.
During my first visit to this place, I ordered the tortellini aurora (tortellini stuffed with meat served in a tomato cream sauce). It was literally perfect. Oh, and as an appetizer I got the bruschetta.
When  I wrote my review of Piazza Italia in Luxembourg last year, I said they served the best bruschetta. Well, I was wrong. Pasta Plus has arguably the best bruschetta I've ever eaten thus far in my life.
The second time I went to Pasta Plus I ordered the sausage calabrese (Italian sausage in tomato sauce with garlic and mozzarella cheese served with fusilli). That was a mistake. The italian sausage was way too salty.
So my advice is don't order anything from the "Plus Meats" section of the menu. Stick with the delicious pizzas and pastas.

Mandalay Cafe

Type: Restaurant
Address: 930 Bonifant Street Silver Spring, MD

Review:
Spicy. The waiter at this Burmese restaurant wasn't exaggerating when he warned us that asking for spicy food might make us sweat. But I took that risk and got the HtaMin Gyaw (fried rice entree), extra spicy. The flavors were on point. Hints of ginger and coriander gave the carrots and cabbage extra punch. And the rice was cooked to the perfect texture, a nice halfway point between al dente and risotto. But boy, was it spicy. I downed a glass of pineapple juice in hopes of soothing my on-fire tongue. But it didn't work. I learned one thing that night. Mandalay has excellent, flavorful food. But don't order extra spicy unless you have an extra towel to wipe off the beads of perspiration that ensue.

Avenue

Type: Restaurant
Address: 23 Ocean Avenue Long Branch, NJ

Review:
When you think of the Jersey Shore, the first things that come to mind are probably drunken beach brawls and excessive spray tans. But that doesn't have to be the case, especially if you go to Long Branch. There, nestled in the corner of a shop-filled street by the water is Avenue, a restaurant that serves the best steak tartare ever.
Now, I've lived in France, where steak tartare is popular, so I've had my share of it. But the steak tartare I ate at Avenue was bangin' (pardon my slang). And yes, it's raw beef... hand chopped filet mignon to be exact, served with quail egg. However, here it's seasoned so perfectly one almost forgets it's raw. So don't be a wimp. Try it. And that's just the appetizer! For the main course I highly recommend the steak frites.
Avenue is pretty pricey, averaging about $25 per entree. But it's okay to treat yourself every once in a while. Enjoy!

Figlmuller

Type: Restaurant
Address: Wollzeile 5 A-1010 Vienna, Austria

Review: This place is quite pricey. While that's usually a major turn off for me, it was very much worth it this time. My friend Sam and I found out about it from a nice young medical student on our flight from Athens to Vienna. Think Bradley Cooper and Dane Cook in one. Anyway, I digress big time. I ate my very first schnitzel at this understated yet classy restaurant. It was a pork schnitzel, to be exact, and it was amazing. It was huge, and since it was my first time I didn't know what to expect but I was definitely satisfied by the end of the meal, even though I couldn't finish it (in no way a reflection of the taste, just the massive size). I did, however, finish my potato salad, which was literally the best potato salad I've ever eaten in my entire life. It had a slightly tangy/sour flavor that worked extremely well against the smokiness of the schnitzel. I highly recommend this place.

Hi-Phi Grill

Type: Restaurant
Address: Athens, Greece

Review: This off-the-beaten-path restaurant is a bit difficult to find but the food is worth the journey. I didn't list the complete address because it's literally Greek to me but the phone numbers listed on the menu are 210 36 45 525 and 210 36 22 009. Don't forget to dial the country code and city code as needed. However, if you plan on going to Athens, I don't suggest calling. Just go to the front desk of the Athens Backpackers Hostel at 12 Makri Street and ask for George. He usually works the overnight shift, and he's adorable. Ask him where you can get really good authentic Greek food, and make sure you tell him distance doesn't matter. He'll send you to this place, and you'll love it. Although the menu is entirely in Greek and the waiters don't speak the best English, they try and they're really friendly. I recommend the chicken or pork gyros, the fried cheeseballs, and the flat, round, fried  appetizers stuffed with zucchini and other green veggies. I hope that helps. It's really cheap, too. One gyro is 1.80 euro. In fact, you can get an entire meal for under five euro per person so hop to it!

Pastarito

Type: Restaurant
Address: Via IV Novembre 00187 Rome, Italy

Review: This place doesn't look like a five-star restaurant because it doesn't have to. What it lacks in awkwardly placed candles and stuffy maître d's it more than makes up for in rich flavor and culinary variety. The food is affordable, filling and delicious. And when I say it's filling I mean you'll walk out of there feeling as though you look like Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince. For me that's a great feeling. It represents the utmost gastronomical satisfaction. It represents money well spent. On both nights I ate there I ordered the tortellini bolognese, and it was amazing. In fact, it's probably the best tortellini I've ever eaten and it cost me less than eight euro. Go. Eat. Enjoy. And think of me with every bite.

Piazza del Secolo

Type: Restaurant
Address: Via Palestro Rome, Italy

Directions: Take the Via Marsala exit from the Termini Train Station. Turn left on Via Marsala then turn right on Via Vincenza and walk for about 10 minutes. Pass the Alessandro Palace Hostel and turn left on Via Palestro. Walk a foot. Stand there and look across the street. Piazza del Secolo will literally be across from you on the corner of Via Vincenza and Via Palestro on the other side.

Review: If you're traveling on a budget, this is definitely the place for you. You can get three yummy three-by-three inch squares of mushroom pizza and a bottle of water for three euro. I'm not sure what they call it but I call it the three-by-three special. It is awesome. The guys who work there are so friendly and there's a television inside so you can watch BBC while you eat. It doesn't get much better than that if you ask me.