The Foodologist

Pasta Plus

2011-02-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-22T22:00:00.000-08:00

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

2010-06-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

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

2010-02-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-24T14:08:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-24T00:10:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-23T23:49:00.000-08:00

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.

Caffetteria Mariotti

2010-02-23T23:13:00.000-08:00

Type: Restaurant
Address: Piazza Navona 00186 Rome, Italy

Review: The location of this restaurant is very convenient because it's right at the entrance of the beautiful Piazza Navona. It's quite touristy but that's okay because it sells gelato, which makes it all better. Anyway, on to my review. I was in the mood for something more "Amurrcan" when I ate here so I ordered the burger and fries. Well, to say that this meal left me wanting would be an understatement. The burger had no bun so essentially what I had was a patty. The fries were perfect, though. I mean perfectly salted, perfectly crispy. I loved them. But my burger... I mean patty... was a tad too salty, and frankly it didn't fill me up. The meal did come with a garden salad, however, so I wasn't too sad. The waiter was also very charming so that helped. But I learned a very important lesson that day: When in Rome, eat as the Romans do.

Les Mystères de l'Ouest

2010-02-23T22:47:00.000-08:00

Type: Bar
Address: 30 Place du Marché 57100 Thionville, France

Review: This bar should be called Les Mystères de la Merde. Last time I made the mistake of going there my margarita tasted like Listerine and burned like acetone. The bartender who made that drink should be fired immediately. I was just looking on the Web site (yeah, they have a Web site but maybe they should spend their money on something else, like better training for bartenders) and the ingredients of the strawberry margarita are supposedly Tequila, Triple sec and crème de fraise. Well let me tell you, mine tasted like just Tequila and Triple sec with some red food coloring. I took two sips and was done. Ironically, the best drink I've ever had at this bar was the Elephant Blanc, which is non-alcoholic. Go figure.

Indian Curry House

2010-02-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

Type: Restaurant
Address: 6 Scheelegatan 112 23 Stockholm, Sweden

Review: This restaurant is so nondescript that it would be easy to unknowingly pass it on the street. But boy am I glad I didn't! The food there is anything but dull: It's hot. Literally, it's spicy and steamy, just the way I like it. The first night there I ordered beef vindaloo, the hottest item on the menu. For me it wasn't unbearably hot because I grew up on spicy food. But the important thing is the flavors popped. I thought it couldn't get much better, until the second night I ate there and ordered the beef masala. One word: wow! Although it wasn't as spicy as the vindaloo, the flavors were even richer. I loved the diced green and red bell peppers in the stew and the strong but not overpowering touch of curry. It was perfection. I've eaten at Indian restaurants in the U.S. before but, frankly, they have never quite hit the spot. Who knew I'd have to travel all the way to Stockholm to hit the culinary jackpot. I suppose such is life. I must also mention the yogurt dressing used for the salad. It was exquisite, and although I couldn't decipher exactly what spices were used to season it, I loved whatever was in there. Overall, this place was pure win. I highly recommend it. And be sure to also try the samosas and the garlic nan bread.

Piazza Italia

2010-02-01T13:54:00.000-08:00

Type: Restaurant
Address: 21 Rue de La Tour Jacob L-1831 Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Review: One word: bruschetta. Really, you could just eat that and your trip to this quaint little restaurant would still totally have been worth it. In fact, I often look forward to this appetizer more than I look forward to the pizza because it's so mind-bogglingly yummy. The lightly toasted bread is topped with perfectly seasoned diced tomatoes, basil and olive oil. I'm salivating now thinking about it so I'll move on to the pizza. Whereas the bruschetta gets a 10 out of 10, the pizza gets a 9.5 out of 10. Still, not bad at all considering the great price. You can get an entire pan pizza for 11 euro... I'm talking nine inches in diameter. If nine inches can't satisfy you, I don't know what will. I usually get the pizza mergherita, which is just your basic pie with sauce, mozzarella cheese and olive oil. If I'm in a meaty mood I usually get some sort of sausage topping. So, if you're ever in Luxembourg you should definitely check this place out. Hopefully your waiter or waitress will be friendlier than the the lady I got last time. I'm not trying to be unkind, but she was sorely lacking in the customer service department. She even refused to give us a caraf of water, which is customary in restaurants throughout the region. We ended up having to pay for bottled water which made her tip that much larger since it's a percentage of total cost and is automatically included in the check. As Tracy Junior from 30 Rock once aptly said, "Bitches can be tricky."

Fassbender & Rausch Chocolatiers

2010-01-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

Type: Shop/Café/Restaurant

Address: 60 Charlottenstrasse 10117 Berlin, Germany

Review: Guess what? You don't have to die to go to heaven. You just have to go to the corner of Charlottenstrasse and Mohrenstrasse in downtown Berlin. There you will find some of the best chocolate treats in the world. It is indeed heavenly. What makes this place paradise for your palate is not the chocolate sold in the shop downstairs (although that is quite good too), but the array of chocolate creations served upstairs in the restaurant. My favorite is the Hazelnut-almondcreme-tartlet. There's no way I can adequately convey to you its deliciousness by using mere words so I'll leave it to your tastebuds. I promise you won't be disappointed. Also, if you ever happen to visit Berlin, specifically heaven, be sure to check out the chocolate art displayed in the shop downstairs. It's quite marvelous.

Le Pub

2010-01-24T10:53:00.000-08:00

Type: Café/Bar
Address: 12 Place de La Gare 57400 Sarrebourg, France

Review: I've only been to Le Pub once but that was enough to win over my tastebuds, and now I can confidently say I've found the best hot chocolate in France. There's nothing I love more than thick, creamy hot chocolate garnished with a gigantic dollop of equally thick, creamy whipped cream. It sounds decadent doesn't it? Well, it is. And that's what makes it so utterly gratifying, the way hot chocolate is supposed to be. Besides, life is too short for diets so don't hold back. Let your tastebuds be aroused by the delectible drink that is Le Pub's hot chocolate. You can thank me later.

Marius

2010-01-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

Type: Bakery
Address: 38 Allée de La Libération 57100 Thionville, France

Review: Have you ever had a dream about a croissant? I have. It was from a bakery called Marius. Luckily for me, there are two in my town. One is only five minutes from where I live, and every time I walk by I can smell the fresh breads being baked by people who are undoubtedly experts in their field. I've had many other croissants in my life but they don't even begin to compare to those from Marius. A croissant from Marius is above average in size and below average in cost at only 80 cents for one. The thing I used to hate about croissants was their flaky crust which often translated to a dry, tasteless interior. Such is not the case with croissants from Marius. These are moist and buttery on the inside, the way they are supposed to be. Thanks to these suckers I'll be hooked on carbs forever. But I don't mind.

O'Delice

2010-01-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

Type: Restaurant
Address: 44 Rue de L'Arsenal 57370 Phalsbourg, France

Review: I've had my share of kebabs in France, but the ones served in O'Delice are by far the best I've ever eaten. The sauce blanche is impeccably spiced, making it the perfect condiment for this meaty meal. Every square inch of your tongue will dance with delight as the medley of flavor fills your mouth leaving you oh so satisfied. I once ate there three nights in a row while visiting my friend. Did I feel guilty afterward? Not at all. It's just that good.