SOME SPANISH EATS

   
                                                           SPANISH 101 HOMBRE

 
This is probably my favourite part of all this, yes classy sandwiches, chinese food and the good old schnitzel was nice but this is where we get down to business folks. Spanish food is absolutely amazing and yes I am extremely extremely biased but that's quite alright, if and when you try it for yourself you will believe me and love me #welcome. This is also a great chance to educate you on what type of spanish food there is, we don't all eat tacos and drink cerveza, no no there's much more to it.

I am part chilean, just letting you know so you can trust my credibility, don't say I never did anything for you. This once picky kid knows what's good, come on there's enchiladas to seviche to chorizo to tortillas and the list goes on. Yes, I know that's a lot to take in and you might still be staring at the llama above and this is okay.

There are so many great spanish restaurants around KW and you should all try them out. I can't write about all of them (sadly) but I can give you deets about them so you can go for yourself. Casa Salsa, Holy Guacamole and Marisol just to name a few.


                                                NEXT STOP: SALSATERIA BABY

METRO

                                            REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD

                         

HALO! Okay so I am actually so excited for this one because this is one of my favourite restaurant, it's going to be a gouda one. Metro, when you walk in it feels like seeing an old friend that you haven't seen in forever, reunited and it feels so good? (and you knew that it would) The staff there always make you feel at home, and that's what always brings me back there besides their amazing food. Everyone loves to feel remembered, at home and it's nothing short of that. The food is a whole other thing, I'd say don't even get me started but well, I kind of have to get started at some point. 

CHOW:

Schnitzel with mashed potats, carrots, beets and a caesar salad, with some OJ 

LOW DOWN:

I think I went into a food coma after that oh my dear god, that was delicious. I am sorry that I made this post sound way more exciting than I had hoped it would be, there's just so much good I have almost nothing to rant about. Now down to brass tacks, the customer service is absolutely outstanding and I will always love going there and that is that. For Restaurant presentation, I really dig it because it looks classic and kind of old school? I really don't like it when a place is too fancy and you walk in feeling like you should run out and change (You know how I do).

Sadly, everything has a price and I think I can speak for all us when I say I wish it didn't. That fine dining folks was roughly around $14 and it was so worth it. I consider myself to be pretty frugal and I obviously don't want to break the bank every time I want to go out to eat, I consider that to be a reasonable price. I find I will pay more for quality and not quantity because I really love when I know how and where my food is made. Eating locally and supporting local business' is something I find so important, darn right I support it. For food presentation, I don't really think there is anything that should or needs to be changed because it's classic and that's how I like it, some people might find it a little outdated though. 

Taste ou lala, everything was delicious and I loved all of it. Health wise it was great because of how it was somewhat simple. I didn't feel guilty after eating so that is most likely a good sign. All in all I loved it. 

WHAT'S MA BEEF: 

Okay so here's my beef and here's the deal, I love this restaurant and how it's a classic place to go. What I would change around is the presentation a bit, make it look a tad bit newer? Feels like I am almost making up excuses to rant #whitegirlprobs. Other than that, I wish it was a bit bigger so more people could enjoy it with me, but I wouldn't switch the space to compromise the Location. But why change what's already so good right?

RATE THE DATE:

4 AND A HALF FORKS

Loved all of it, but the restaurants presentation could use a touch up? Heck I don't know give martha stewart a call? 

DONE LIKE DINNER

                                                               

CHANGE IS GOUDA

                                                      JUST SOME CHANGES

 I am just going to change a few things about the blog now, just how I write things, formatting and all that good stuff. This will just make it easier to follow and maybe it will be better. I am going to switch how I write about the restaurant so instead of REVIEW it will be LOW DOWN  and instead of LOW DOWN  it will now be WHAT'S MY BEEF. REVIEW is just too formal, I don't like that and I am so glad I got that off my chest. Then I think WHAT'S MY BEEF is better so I can get right to it about what needs to change and a bit on what I like. Just thought I'd let you know.

                                                          Glad we had this talk

GERMAN JOY

             
                                                                GERMAN JOY

No friends, my blog did not just become what not to wear but it was hard for me to let go of that dream. After much deliberation I have chosen to talk about german food and heck I will even throw in a bit of history so you can say you did something today. So hah here's my two cents, have fun.

As we all know, Kitchener and even Waterloo is a very German because of the great German population we had through immigration and what not. We have an enormous german population here and there are some cute little German places that exist around town. My background is actually german and for those who know me I am not joking it's almost literally in my name. So, to get in touch with my German roots, we are going off to Metro on Victoria.

Metro is so cute, it puts cabbage patch kids to shame and this is the honest truth. It's not that big which is nice and it has that nice family feel that I love. But before I say too much we'll have to wait for the review, until then. 

FREILOS 

Dragon court

   
                                                                DRAGON COURT

This my friends will not be easy to blog about so brace yo selves. So uhh where do I begin, okay so this picture is from google (because I couldn't find one picture for the dragon food court that wasn't just their menu), but that's okay. Dragon Court, alrighty so this restaurant has been uptown for as long as I can remember and it doesn't like a day over ancient. It's not my first choice for Chinese but hey I promised the good the bad and the ugly. When you come on in you can admire some cute chinese decor that's really nice but just looks really outdated. Another thing is that when you come in, it appears to be that absolutely no one is there but don't worry, there was or else I wouldn't have much to say. Looks are almost everything these days and although the Dragon court does not look as inviting as it could it has a very cute family that runs it. There's more to come, nothing to fear though, it's not a food fiasco.

                                                                    CHOW:  
Shrimp Lo Mein: Stir fried shrimp with thin noodles, broccoli, carrots and alfalfa sprouts
Pork Dumplings: Pork, onions and pastry
Vegetarian Spring rolls: alfalfa sprouts, mushrooms, carrots
Beed Lo Mein: Stir fried beef with thin noodles, broccoli, carrots and alfalfa sprouts
 Green Tea: Traditional herbal tea

                                                                   REVIEW:
Considering how much of a picky eater I am, this order was a success. Oh and I was ordering for two, my exchange student ya crazy. She had never had chinese food and It was uptown so I just thought hey what the heck let's go. I am in love with shrimp, I would marry it trust me so I had to order shrimp. The veggies were good too but I wasn't a fan of the carrots, they were big, not tasty and awkward and oh no me gusta. My exchange student really liked her Beef Lo Mein and we split both the dishes, they were quite delicious. I found it a tad bit greasy though, that's one thing I would definitely change for sure. Healthy changes where they can be made are really important so I would change that for sure.

I also really love dumplings and I have had them so many times in different places. At the Dragon court, they were supposed to be steamed and I thought they were really poorly done. I felt like I needed to wrap it up in a napkin and then eat it because it was really oily and greasy. On the other hand, I really liked the spring rolls, they were really tasty and my exchange student loved it, so it obviously had to be great.

#RANT okay, so I have one beef and no no no it's not about the beef lo mein, it my friends is about the tea. I didn't like the system they had set up for tea, there's the tea pot (Where is she going with this) and then there's the itty bitty cup that could probably hold, I don't know an EGG. When you drink tea at the dragon court they charge you per cup (Yes the cup that could hold the equivalent of an egg) and I just thought that was ridiculous. Okay #Rantsover .

                                             After all that, it was $18, not too shabby.

                                                              LOW DOWN:
 Okay friends, so not my favourite place in the whole wide world but we had a great time. Oh and I forgot to mention they had a lazy susan so they won my heard with their wit. The food needs to be less greasy and prepared a bit better. My biggest beef is with the customer service and this folks is a whole other story.

Before I began to blog about the Dragon Court, I chose to google and provide some history about the restaurant but as you can see I found nothing, nein, zip, nada. BUT (wait for it) I found other reviews on the restaurant, I would say see for yourself but it's not that pretty. Basically, everyone said that they would never go back there, that it looked abandoned and that it was really bad. I honestly think the biggest problem with the restaurant is the customer service and this can be fixed, no worries. the presentation needs to be brought up to date, a positive energy is needed and staff that are ready to change it up. I don't think I need to call Gordon Ramsay just yet to fix this place, the coast is clear.

                                                          RATE THE DATE:
                                                     3 AND A HALF FORKS
It was a great meal, great price but they need to get their butts in gear with the customer service. The Dragon Court used to be at its prime and it can be again if they change it up a bit.

                                                       DONE LIKE DINNER

CUISINE CALAMITY

                                                           CHINESE FOOD

We all know where this food comes from, like really if you don't I would have to give you two things, 1) A lecture and 2) a map for gods sake.  Growing up I had a hate love relationship with chinese food, I thought it was fun to go out for chinese food but picking it was so HARD it was like it was a life decision. I think with chinese food the fun part is how many choices you have, but really there's no need to be overwhelmed.

( I couldn't resist the opportunity to use Jackie Chan in this)

Canada as we all know doesn't really have a particular cuisine or customs when it comes to food, so the best part is that when we go eat its like we go on a trip by simply eating. We have the chance to travel when we go out to eat without having to pack our bags. 

NEXT STOP: DRAGON COURT

Princess Cafe, the home of Cheeses Murphy and many other savoury panini's, the classier one of the sandwiches. When you walk through the door, you're surrounded by so many great things, that I have to practically list them off. Let's get down to brass tacks, when you're going to a new place the first you want is feel is that you want to be there, that you're not just another customer and that they care. There has to be good music playing because music and food go together hand in hand, they make us feel great      

things,so it's the best of both worlds. You came for more than just the food so you want to get more than the food Am I right? I personally love going into a place with nick nacks and cool furniture because I find that the vibe the Restaurant gives me is essential for a solid time.

CHOW:           

California Veggie: Avocado, roasted Red pepper, tomato and spinach with cilantro pesto, roasted garlic mayo and sharp Cheddar cheese (extra Turkey*) on Multigrain bread

Dessert: Peach Pie with extra whipped cream added.

Drink: Chai Tea

REVIEW:

I know the crime I committed, I ordered a california veggie and I added turkey, so what? I have to shake things up, keep people on their toes. So, Coming from a very picky eater, I had to take out the tomatoes because they're my least favourite of the veggies and when I have the choice I would rather not. We really are lucky that we get to have choices when we get to go eat out, it's a privilege and we are lucky. Anyway, I loved the combination of veggies: Avocado, roasted Red pepper and spinach, these are all golden and my favourites so it's already gotten a fork in my heart. Overdoing the veggies is something I really don't like, because I really could have ordered a salad if I wanted to (#Rants). The extras: Pesto, roasted garlic mayo, Multi-grain bread and sharp Cheddar cheese.  I can die now happily and go to heaven because that was honestly so delicious, if my heart could smile it would. 

Now for the dessert and drink, I am a sucker for pie because you could seriously eat so many different types of pie what's not to love? Peach is my favourite and the fact that there was extra whipped cream? Oh they read my mind I swear. The Tea was nice too to go with the pie it was a match made in heaven.

Everything was delectable and I have zero complaints about the food, it was made exactly how I wanted it but it was without them asking me it was like they just knew!  All in all, amazing but now it gets real, how much was it? That fine little date was around $12 which I find extremely worth it for two very important reasons. 1) All the food was prepared with TLC (tender loving care) right in front of me and it was all fresh which is a huge bonus 2) The Princess Cafe is a local business and considering how important those are, I love supporting them so no problem there.

LOW DOWN:

 So like I said I would be looking at  Customer Service and atmosphere, Restaurant presentation, Prices, Food Presentation, Taste and Ingredients For Customer Service and Atmosphere I thought it was amazing, super friendly and just from that I want to go back. Restaurant presentation was lovely and I loved how each table is different with its own theme. For Prices I thought it was reasonable and realistic, I wouldn't pay any less. Food Presentation, I loved how each plate, mug, napkin and glass is different because when I think about it, not everything has to match or look all the same, different is nice too As for the Taste and Ingredients, Everything was delicious and the ingredients were to the max healthy, I wouldn't change a thing

RATE THE DATE:

I really loved the restaurant and I can't think of anything constructive to say? Maybe if the space was a little bigger but I can see how that is hard to control. Having said everything, I loved the food and I would go back hands down, the people there make me want to go back and I would recommend it to anyone. I give it four and a half forks out of five because there is always something that can be fixed.

DONE LIKE DINNER

The sandwich, in every kids lunch bag since bread has been sliced and plastic bags have been created. Not trying to get all philosophical or anything, but you get out of it what you put in it, so bread and butter just isn't going to cut it anymore. Sandwiches and I are like two peas in a pod because hey in case you didn't notice I have always been an extremely picky eater. I know what you're thinking, this kid is probably spoiled and ate sugary cereal like it was nobodies business but in fact you're all mistaken. 

They say a picture says a thousand words, I can think of only one and that is: DIVA. I just never liked eating something new or unfamiliar, you know how it goes. You don't like it and then you're stuck with it in your mouth and you obviously have to eat it or your parents will have to whip  out the old " where are your manners?" or "The kids in Africa". Yes the kids in Africa.. Those were my parents alright.

But this is besides the point, We are talking about sandwiches here! Sandwiches: PB and Js, the sandwich of our childhood years where it could be eaten at any time of the day, anywhere and it was still acceptable. PB and Js will always be my favourite, yes Ode to PB and Js but it's time for some Classy sandwiches (two words I never thought could fit in a sentence together). And we all know where to go for those, that would just so happen to be the Princess Cafe, 46 King st. Waterloo

next up: Class sandwiches baby

 

Critique what does this mean? Oh yes I get to comment on every little detail you wouldn't even care to concern with about food. Not only that but I get to recommend the best sites to eat in the Waterloo Region and that my friends is a lot of places and a lot of food. There are over 400 restaurants in the Waterloo Region and I will pick the best ones to eat at and present to you, only the best.

I will grade them based on the following criteria:

-Customer Service and atmosphere
-Restaurant presentation
-Prices
-Food presentation
-Taste
-Ingredients (Healthy)

The grading of the experience will be out of 5 forks, let the best man win.

Food. You eat it, demolish it, mainline it, scarf it down and devour it. Food is a great love of mine, because there is so much that goes into it, the ingredients, the presentation, quality, how it makes you feel and the list goes on. We've needed food since god knows when..

But food now has become something over the years that people have had a passion for and it's been about time. Yes we all love that stuff our parents made us eat aka brussel sprouts, lima beans and some weird thing we're all to embarrassed to admit that it was made in our own household. Now, we can enjoy, savour and eat what we love because it's fun.