LIGHT HORSE TAVERN

Light Horse Burger

Cyberspace: http://www.lighthorsetavern.com/

Where to Find It: 199 Washington St. Jersey City, NJ

How Much To Fork Over: $$$

The Grade: A-

Faves: Light Horse Burger; Crispy Pork Ribs; Tavern Greens Salad; Mussels; Beer List; Live music (piano & guitar) on certain nights of the week

Peeves: Average wine list

The Jibba Jab: Just a few blocks from Jersey City's Exchange Place PATH station, resides Light Horse Tavern named after Henry Lee III, "Light Horse Harry."  This cozy American colonial-themed restaurant, usually crowded with businessmen during the week, showcases charming artwork throughout and, for those history buffs, many reading materials on United States landmarks and events.  On a snowy day, their fireplace is crackling but on a gorgeous spring day, people are sitting on the beautiful outside patio surrounded by plants and flowers.

This neighborhood restaurant makes, what I believe, to be the best burgers in New York City and Jersey combined.  The marinated and juicy meat topped with fresh lettuce, tomato, and smoked onions is unlike any traditional burger I have ever had.  I, along with many others, also crave the salty and sweet crispy pork ribs appetizer that leave you wanting more and more.  The Tavern greens salad and steamed mussels are other delicious dishes to try.

Light Horse Tavern is one of my favorite places to eat in Jersey City and is wonderful for visitors, big groups, or a date.  They also serve a weekend brunch that is suppose to be great as well.         

        



Crispy Pork Ribs









Freebirds World Burrito

The Woodlands, TX location

Cyberspace: www.freebirds.com

Where to Find It: Any of their locations throughout Texas - or Oklahoma and California

Food Group: Burritos, Mexican

How Much to Fork Over: $

The Grade: A

Faves: The 3 B’s.  Any of the Burritos, their BBQ sauce and Beer!

Peeves: Where are the Margaritas??

The Jibba Jab:

Hippie Yippie.  A fast casual “design your own burrito” restaurant with touches of foil-made statues situated throughout, which is a “far out” compliment to the funky psychedelic décor and the upbeat friendly attitude that bounces off all of the employees. 

Being a former Aggie, (Class of ’02, Whoop!) it’s not shocking that I’m a big fan of Freebirds because it was, and still is, a staple in College Station; and I’m so proud to see that they have been expanding ever since I left A&M.  It’s a piece of my alma mater that’s within reach for me.  Pure nostalgia.  I find this place irresistible anytime I see one, especially because I know that no matter what kind of “food mood” you are in, Freebirds can feed it.  They have such a variety of ingredients to choose from that it can satisfy anyone. 

First, choose the size of the burrito, smallest to largest starting with the hybrid, Freebird, Monster, and finally the Super Monster.  Now, I can barely finish a hybrid, but to get a picture of how big the Super Monster is check out this link http://youtu.be/eQCUn2vTsAM.  This sucker is massive and should have its own zip code; ranging at 13 inches long and 4 inches wide!  At A&M, if you didn’t want to dunk your Aggie ring in a pitcher of beer, which is a tradition there, and one that I am absolutely proud of doing, you could order this burrito, hide your ring at the bottom of it and eat your way through it.  Gross huh?  Those who did not drink actually would do this, but I do not know how anyone could eat this gi-normous food creation. 

Second, decide on what tortilla flavor will satisfy your needs, flour, wheat, spinach or cayenne?  Next, what would you like to fill your burrito with such as carnitas, steak, chicken, veggies, and then you can add rice, 3 types of beans, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, 6 types of sauces, sour cream, queso (if you need more cheese), and this list goes on……  Not feeling like a burrito or want to stay away from the carbs; they also have the quesadillas, nachos, Burrito Bowl, Freedom Salad, soup and tacos; even something for the lil’ kid-lins….and some beer for the adults to tolerate them (depending on the location).  So, I don’t know about you, but Chipotle has nothing on this joint!

Menu

Outdoor Seating

Hybrid Size Burrito, Beer, BBQ sauce and hot sauce

Hybrid Carnitas Burrito with Cayenne Tortilla

Hybrid Veggie Burrito with Wheat Tortilla

The Hamilton Inn

Cyberspace: http://www.hamiltoninnjc.com/

Where to Find It: 708 Jersey Ave. Jersey City, NJ 

Food Group: American

How Much to Fork Over: $$$

The Grade: B-

Faves: Turkey Burger; poppy seed ricotta with bread; wine, cocktail, and beer list

Peeves: Doughy french onion soup dumplings; small tables

The Jibba Jab: Located in Jersey City's quiet Hamilton Park, this little restaurant mainly known for their drink specials and weekend brunch was packed with young couples and small groups, which is out-of-the-ordinary for most Jersey City eateries on a weekend night, when most tend to end up in NYC.  Even though busy, this dark and rustic place was similar in cuisine and design to many American food West Village joints.  It's overly-sized menu that took up most of the table consisted of your typical burgers, fries, fish tacos, ribs, and sandwiches. 

After receiving our undercooked french onion soup dumplings appetizer, I was sure that the entree would not impress but, instead, left me satisfied.  The turkey burger served, not on a bun but an English muffin, pleasantly surprised me that it tasted more like a juicy grilled beef burger than the typical lean ground turkey meat patty.  Other items ordered that are shown below, were average in taste but better than expected.  Although this place reminded me of your typical NYC American food eatery, I am looking forward in trying out their impressive weekend brunch and Thursday and Sunday night drink specials.         

Oysters



Turkey Burger




 

Chopped Greek Salad



Complimentary bread with ricotta







Jeng Chi Restaurant and Bakery - Revisit

Cyberspace: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/13/164703/restaurant/Jeng-Chi-Restaurant-Bakery-Richardson

Where to Find It: 400 N Greenville Ave, Richardson, TX 75081

Food Group: Chinese

How Much to Fork Over: $

The Grade: A

Faves: Small Juicy Steamed Dumplings, Green Onion Pancakes, Seafood Noodle Soup, BYOB!

Peeves: Not enough Wine Glasses

The Jibba Jab:

Practical and Matter-of-fact Chinese.  It doesn’t take much to convince the customer that this place serves credible Chinese food, especially the dumplings with 3 names.  On the menu they are called Small Juicy Steamed Dumplings, then according to anyone who’s only language is English and has an opinion they are called Soup Dumplings, and finally in Chinese they call them, and I know I am butchering the word, Shalumbow.  Whatever the name, they are incredible and you should always order them!

Now, I know that I’ve reviewed this place before (click to read review), but I wanted to share my most recent visit, which involved a big group, lots of wine, and my adventurous palate, as stated by my co-diners. 

Dos Tragos Members

My good friend David was up to host Dos Tragos, which is our Supper Club, and since he’s a bachelor with a kitchen that hasn’t been used since Julia Child lived in France, he opted to choose a restaurant instead of cooking.  And that restaurant was Jeng Chi, under my recommendation.  Most of our members had other plans that evening, so it was a small group of 15, but we brought wine for a group of around 50, which we were able, and always able, to put a decent dent in.  On the other hand, Jeng Chi didn’t have enough Wine Glasses for our group, so a couple of people had to make do with little white dipping ramekins.  We are a resourceful bunch.

For starters, we ordered quite a few helpings of the Soup Dumplings, of course, the Green Onion Pancakes, and Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings.  All were gone within seconds of each helping being placed on the table.  As for the main course, and due to our previous visit (click to read review), myself and one of my best friends, who is also a person that shares my Firemouth-ness, shared the Seafood Noodle Soup – Korean Style, extra spicy.  The rest of the table ordered everything from Kung Pao Beef, to a few Chicken and Shrimp dishes, to Mofo Tofu, but finally I had to throw in a more audacious dish and try the Salty Duck, just because I liked the name.  Little did I know that it would be the topic of conversation once it was placed on the table…..all pale, shriveled and boney?  It looked like a chopped up murder victim that had been in the Hudson River for a few days.  Not appetizing to the eye at all, but I was still going to try it!  I grabbed a hunk, took a bite and……it’s cold, first of all..weird….and sweet…not really that salty, interesting, and….yep, that’s a bone.  It was not something that I would order again, A) because there are so many other daring menu items that have my attention and B) the look of it just scared too many people, but as foolish as it seemed, I actually liked it!  Later, with a table full of picked over dishes and an embarrassing amount of empty wine bottles, we packed up ship and headed to the nearest bar with Karaoke on a Saturday….and that place was Billiard Ben in Richardson.  Everyone was slowly fading, so we were never able to witness anyone humiliate themselves on stage, but we did get to drink Pabst Blue Ribbon from tap.  I never would have thought that I would see that anywhere near Dallas!

Green Onion Pancakes

Small Juicy Steamed Dumplings

Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings

Salty Duck.....Scary Right??

Kung Pao Beef

Seafood Noodle Soup - Korean Style

Mofo Tofu

KIN SHOP

Cyberspace: http://www.kinshopnyc.com/

Where to Find It? 469 Sixth Ave. New York, New York

The Grade: A-

How Much to Fork Over: $$$

Food Group: Thai

Faves: Stir fried rice flakes, steamed red snapper, warm sliced snap peas with diver sea scallops

Peeves: Need to place full order at once; received all food (salad, appetizers, and entrees) at the same time

The Jibba Jab: For most Thai food restaurants, the usual consists of noodles and curry with chicken, beef, or shrimp.  Kin Shop, on the other hand, had a less than ordinary approach with their dishes, which featured items such as braised goat meat, salad with spicy ground duck, and squid ink and hot sesame oil soup. 

Although it's difficult to outdo my mother's curry, Kin Shop's diver sea scallops in a savory curry sauce came close in the ranking.  The fresh red snapper with green curry sauce and the garlicky stir fried rice flakes with shrimp (actually a noodle dish) were also enjoyable.  This West Village eatery definitely got our group of "Supper Club" ladies talking and left us with smiles when trying each of our seven dishes, all of which were served family style.   




Goat

 


Diver Sea Scallops

 

Flat Bread



Duck Salad



Stir Fried Rice Flakes

















The Blue Fish (Greenville)

Cyberspace: www.thebluefishsushi.com

Where to Find It: 3519 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75206

Food Group: Japanese, Sushi

How Much to Fork Over: $$$

The Grade: A

Faves: Daily Drink Specials, Edamame, Piñata Roll, Outdoor Patio

Peeves: Screechingly loud chairs on the patio

The Jibba Jab:

Swanky Soiree.  A trendy modish place to eat amazingly fresh sushi and some really fun and extraordinary rolls.

This past Thursday I went to my first Dallas Cocktail Society meeting, which is a club that one of my girlfriends just started.  Basically, it's a way for us to give back to society by donating to a different charity each month, depending on the host, and with the addition of a few cocktails during the meeting it becomes a little more entertaining.  This meeting was held at Gloria’s on Greenville, which was having $0.25 Margaritas in celebration of their 25^th Anniversary.  When you say $0.25 Margaritas anywhere in the Dallas Metroplex, you will draw a massive, and eventually unruly crowd.  We arrived at 6pm, and the place was jam packed like a can of sardines on the inside, but their were quite of few of us sipping on those ritas outside.  After, a policeman started to guard the entrance, not letting anyone in unless you had a Buzzer waiting for a table.  No ritas? No us! So we left and headed down the street to Blue Fish for some sushi. A much better decision for ravenous girls needing food in their slightly boozed stomachs. 

We were quickly sat outside on their wonderful people watching patio, and ordered a round of drinks, including 3 $2 large sakes.  Next, we started off with a couple of orders of Edamame; perfectly cooked and salted.  As for the sushi, the waiter began to spout off some of the special rolls; all he had to say was the word spicy and he had me on the Piñata roll.  I don’t really remember everything that was in it except for jalapeños and tuna.  All of the other ladies ordered different rolls such as the SoBe (Fresh salmon / crab stick / shrimp / avocado wrapped in cucumber / served with vinaigrette and masago), California  Avocado, Shrimp Tempura and the El Cubano (Spicy pork / jalapeño / cilantro / green pepper / carrot with sweet and spicy sauce) for the Meat and Potatoes girl, who also ordered the Chicken Teriyaki.  We definitely had more than plenty of food for the table, but we aren’t those types of girls who sit there and pick at their food, we are eaters, so it was devoured in no time.  Finally, we finished our sake, paid the check, and were out of there.  The rest of the ladies went for some post-dinner drinks, but I had the trek back to McKinney, so it was time for me to go home.  A great night with some great ladies!!

Edamame

SoBe Roll

Pinata Roll

Shrimp Tempura Roll

Avocado Roll

El Cubano Roll

Philadelphia Roll

Chicken Teriyaki

The Beginnings of Dallas Cocktail Society

19th Annual New Vintage Wine and Gallery Trail - April 9, 2011

Delaney Vineyard Patio

Cyberspace: www.grapevinetexasusa.com

Where to Find It: Historic Downtown Grapevine and nearby

How Much to Fork Over: $49 per ticket (includes 4 tastings and food at 8 vineyards/wineries and complimentary shuttle service to Delaney Vineyards located outside of downtown)

The Grade: A

Faves: La Bodega Winery/La Buena Vida Vineyards

Peeves: Had to pick up our tickets at Delaney Vineyards

The Jibba Jab:

Red Red Wine, you make me feel so fine.  You keep me rockin’ all of the time!

For all of you Grapefest Fans that hate the crowds and heat strokes that come with it, this is the Wine event for you!  I have never attended this occasion in the past, but I will in attend it again in the future.  It’s a great value for all of the wine and food that you receive!  First, you must pick up your purchase tickets at Delaney Vineyards, which is south of downtown Grapevine right off of Hwy 121.  We began the event a bit late, so many of our friends had been downtown for quite sometime, which is where the other 7 wineries are located.  Of course, now that I think about it, I wouldn’t have visited Delaney if we could pick up our tickets somewhere else, and it really is a nice vineyard with a great view of the vines when you sit out on their huge patio, it’s just a little out of the way.  They definitely have you pick up your tickets there on purpose.  We quickly sampled our 4 tastings there, and even enjoyed the live music because guy played our wedding song “Quando, Quando, Quando” the Michael Buble version.  I think we were in and out in 20 minutes.

MT and I at Delaney

We then headed downtown to meet our friends at La Bodega Winery/La Buena Vida Vineyards, which are in the same building, but count as two different places on your Wine Tasting card!!  It’s located a little ways, as for walking distance, off the main road in downtown Grapevine, but as we walked closer you could here the music blaring, so  I knew that this place was going to be fun.  Wow!  What an amazing patio La Bodega has and why haven’t I been here before?  The place was jam packed with people either waiting in the tasting lines or lounging around in the sun and shade savoring the beautiful day while sipping on the vino!  I could definitely tell that our peeps had been there for a while because they were the group that was dancing near the live band.  We had a lot of catching up to do.  Also, the event ended at 5pm and it was already 3:30, so we needed to speed drink and head to the next wine stop, which was Homestead Winery just around the corner.  I have been to this establishment quite a few times; we even have our insignia on the wall inside near the bathrooms.  It’s a cute old yellow house with a great backyard and every time we go there our “John Wayne Hater” man is there pouring the tastings to thirsty patrons.  You can’t miss him.  He’s quite a bit older, thin, and has a set of teeth that could put Gary Busey to shame.  On our first visit here, he explained to us that he very much dislikes John Wayne because he was a Draft Dodger.  Each time I go back, I always get him to tell us the same story, and if you are really nice, he may give you a healthy pour; although, he wasn’t doing the pouring that day, but he was walking around talking to customers.  We had quickly drank our tastings there while sitting at a picnic table out in the backyard, then hurried over to Su Vino…..I saved the best for last!

Su Vino has this Almond Champagne that makes me weak in the knees it’s so good.  It is a little sweet and I normally don’t like sweet wine or champagne, but the almond flavor really creates a wonderful balance.  It’s like drinking the stars!!  We always buy a case of the stuff, and usually end up splitting it with another Su Vino lover….it’s not hard to convince someone that this stuff is amazing.  It speaks and sips for itself.  You can’t find it anywhere else.  Now, because the Wine Event was ending, they were out of the Almond Champagne for tasting…..Wait…. What?  Excuse Me?  I wouldn’t take no for an answer and very politely begged that I saved this place for last because of their Almond Champagne and would you please, please, please serve me a glass?  Also, did I mention that I’m buying a case?  The lady at the counter was, so nice and gave me a very generous pour of it.  She was my new best friend. 

At this point, I was feeling quite giddy from the wine and from the delicious bubbly, so when I saw Girl Scouts right outside of Su Vino selling Girl Scout cookies, I just had to buy some.  I used to be a Girl Scout, and I remember how much I hated getting people to buy those cookies, therefore, I can never pass up a girl selling them, and they are really good.  Yes, Girl Scouts of America, come to my door because you’ve got a sure buyer here!  So there I was, and my Aunt, buying as much as I could with the amount of cash that I had, which wasn’t much.  During the purchasing, one of the Girl Scouts says “I love your gold purse!” and “Where did you buy it?”  I explained that I found it at Sam Moon about 4 or 5 years ago for around $10.  Now, partly because of the wine and partly because I love Girl Scouts, I emptied out my purse, put the contents in my plastic bag filled with cookies, and gave it to her.  She was astonished!  The other two girls looked at her and said that she always got everything.  I felt bad, and wished that I had 2 more purses to give, but quickly averted to happy again when I saw the look on that girl’s face.  She was so happy!  I think I just made her day…..and she made mine.  Check out the pic that I took with them and that gold purse that I gave away. 

The event came to a close after that, so we met up with our friends at Esparza’s for yes…Margaritas on their patio!  I know….you are probably thinking how I was still able to stand.  Well, it was more like leaning….on MT.  Finally, we needed to get some food in our stomach, so we opted to dine at Fireside Pies for some great pizza!  Check out my review of them!

La Bodega/La Buena Vida

La Bodega/La Buena Vida

Homestead Winery

Su Vino

 The Girl Scouts and I with the Gold Purse