Sunday morning we were ready to try somewhere new for breakfast. We decided to try Project Social. Our party of 6 were the first table of the morning and were given a high top. We all ordered coffee which was fine for me but others found it to be a bit too strong (slightly bitter). For entrees we ordered the Basic Breakfast, 3 Pork Belly Benedicts, 2 Brussels Sprouts Hash, a Classic Crepe, and an Apple Crepe. My pork belly benedict was delicious. The pork was tender, the eggs runny, and the bread thick and crusty. The basic breakfast with blueberry sausage was also enjoyed. Unfortunately, a few dishes weren't what we hoped they would be. When we hear hash we think of crisp, browned, and melded. The brussels sprouts hash offered boiled brussels sprouts, large chunks of potatoes, and topped with an egg. The dish wasn't visually appealing, nor satisfying. The apple crepe was also not to our liking. The filling states roasted apples however they tasted as if they were poached in wine. The flavor combination was tart and unappealing. Our breakfast was split 50/50 and so I would try the restaurant again but I would probably return to try out their dinner menu.
While we were at lunch Fred was resting at the house. We picked him up and decided to drive around Acadia National Park again. We ended up driving through the whole park stopping for pictures all along the way. The scenery was beautiful and we were nice and relaxed.
Monday morning we all woke up early and finished packing. Before leaving the house we stripped the beds, piled up the towels, wiped down the kitchen, and took out the trash. On our way out of town we stopped for breakfast to go. Thrive Juice Bar & Kitchen offers juices, smoothies, bowls, as well as snacks. I opted for the Quinoa Beach Bum Bowl (minus banana and adding in strawberry). The fruit was fresh and flavorful however I don't think they rinse their Quinoa before cooking as it had a bitter taste.
Greg chose the PB&J Smoothie which he enjoyed. I did have an impulse buy at the register. I ended up adding 2 vegan peanut butter cookies to my order. Back in the car we ventured south with all the other cars. We did hit traffic home but the 4 hour drive ended up being only 5 hours. Not too shabby! Another successful family getaway in Bar Harbor! Looking forward to next year!!
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Sorry for the lack of pictures today but most of them include the kids and I don't want to share them without permission from the parents. In the morning we enjoyed breakfast in Coastal Kitchen (this becomes our routine) and then enjoyed some time outside on the deck. We pulled into Port Canaveral around noon time and met Ricardo (the concierge) inside of the Wonderland restaurant for our priority disembarking. We had great timing and a bus was outside waiting to take us to the car rental agency. Our driver did warn us that the agency closes early and therefore if we dropped the car off in the early to late evening we would have to take a cab back to the ship. We picked up our minivan (which pained all of us), picked out car seats and wiped them down as best as possible, then headed to Disney Springs. We were meeting up with friends who live in the area so we were looking forward to a fun afternoon! We decided to valet the car upon arriving. It's just easiest option with all the adults, kids, and stuff we needed. Our first stop was to Blaze pizza. Blaze pizza is allergen friendly, kid friendly, offers fresh ingredients, and tasty. Onto dessert! We walked over to Sprinkles and went inside for some A.C. instead of using the cupcake ATM. I ordered my usual vegan red velvet and it was delicious! Our friends arrived and we met them in front of Raglan Road. We decided to visit the Disney Stores first and search for some toys for the boys. I ended up buying a plush Pua from Moana as well as a Stitch bubble blower. The kids then discovered the water spouting area and played in the cool water for a while. Greg ended up having to go and buy some towels since we didn't think this one through real well. Time for the adults to play a bit and that meant heading to the Margarita dock. Unfortunately, the Margaritas weren't as good as I remembered (too tart and bitter). I actually had a sore throat from the drink. For dinner we went to Frontera by Rick Bayless. We were seated at a long table and started out with chips and salsa. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable about allergies, and didn't rush us. My carne asada tacos were very good and everyone else at the table enjoyed their dishes. After our meal we said our goodbyes in hopes of seeing each other again soon. A few minutes later and our car was being pulled around to us.
Sunday morning started with a very early wake up call. The twins love movies like Madagascar so we all booked the character breakfast at 8 am. Once everyone was ready we made our way downstairs to one of the main dining rooms where we walked into a mess of irritated families. One way to irritate parents and frustrate kids is to cancel a character breakfast without any notification. We heard thanks to other guests that the breakfast was cancelled and although they couldn't get a definite reason why it sounded like the breakfast would now be the next day. Instead of fighting the masses heading into the main dining room we walked back upstairs to the Coastal Kitchen, put a movie on the Ipad and enjoyed a quiet breakfast. After not receiving notification of the cancelled breakfast and seeing that the kids weren't thrilled the previous night when a character walked by we decided to go to the concierge to cancel tomorrows breakfast. Upstairs in the concierge lounge we found out from Ricardo that the breakfast was cancelled due to the rough seas. The staff felt that the kids might not be able to enjoy their time with the motion. It would have been nice to get a call, note, or something before everyone made their way to the restaurant. We easily cancelled the reservation for the next morning and decided to wander around the ship. I believe it was around 11:30 am when we made our way into the Suite Guests Reception. Ricardo welcomed us into Vintages and the spread was beautiful. We briefly spoke with the Captain, the Cruise Director, the Photographer, and a few others while sipping some Champagne and dining on snacks. It was a lovely event and shouldn't be missed. In the afternoon it was time for one of the kids to take a nap and so we took our friends other son so the parents could nap a bit too. We walked outside on the decks, enjoyed the breeze, and went back to our room for some cartoons. While we didn't participate in too many things on board it was really wonderful to just unwind. This evening was the 1st formal night. We all dressed up a bit but throughout the week we weren't able to actually make time for a nice picture of all of us. We dined at Coastal Kitchen again and the restaurant was superb. We definitely over did it tonight but each of us ended up ordering two starters as well as an entree. I ended up needing some Lactaid pills for my Entree. The staff originally brought me a plate of plain fish and plain rice instead of the crab crusted fish over coconut rice. I asked if I could have the normal dish (even though it contained dairy) and they happily complied.
Stay tuned for our 3rd day of the cruise with time spent at Disney Springs. April 7th 2018 Sailing Date Today is our first time cruising with Royal Caribbean on the Anthem of the Seas. We woke up early and brought Fred to stay with Grandma and Grandpa. Hopped back in the car and made our way south to Bayonne, NJ. Anthem of the seas departs out of Cape Liberty Cruise Port which is 4 hours south of Boston. We hit very little traffic and made our way into the car lane to drop off luggage. I was very happy to see that there was a space to unload your luggage before parking. We parked the car and made our way into the terminal. We were hoping to wait for friends who were meeting us but there isn't really anywhere to wait before security. We had upgraded our balcony room to a Grand Suite and so we were able to use the suite line for security (where there was only 1 group ahead of us). After security we went to the suite check in line and only had about a 5 minute wait. A few days before our cruise we filled out online our documentation and uploaded our pictures. This helped our check in to be extremely fast. We walked through the suite entrance but this only brought us down a long hallways to the escalator that everyone else uses. We swiped our paper upon entering the ship but our pictures needed to be verified so it took an extra minute for that to be figured out. I'm not in love with Royal Caribbean's new check in process. You print off your cruise documentation and that is your key to getting on the ship, drinks, and purchases until 1:30 pm when the rooms are ready. When the rooms are ready you will find one card in envelope outside your stateroom and one card inside the room. While waiting for our friends we decided to head to the Schooner Bar for some kick off vacation cocktails. My John Collins (made with Tito's Vodka) was nice and refreshing even with the unpleasant temperatures outside. Our friends texted us (cell service was awful at this point prior to logging into Voom) that they were boarding so we left the area and met them at the entrance. The 6 of us (4 adults and 2 toddlers) made our way up to deck 14 for some lunch at Coastal Kitchen which is a dedicated restaurant for suite guests. Coastal Kitchen has a reserved environment, amazing staff, and delicious food! I read reviews from disappointed guests and was worried but we were more than happy at the restaurant all week. With twin toddlers we knew we would be a loud and messy table so we made sure to compensate with extra gratuity to the staff. Greg and I were in room 8638 a Grand Suite. Upon entering our room we had a small hallway, a living room area with tv, couch, chair, table, coffee/tea, closet, mini fridge, and desk. The bedroom offers a king size bed, two nightstands, a desk, large closet, and a tv. The bathroom offers a shower/tub combo, toilet, and two sinks. The balcony provides two loungers, a table, and chairs. The room was a great size and offers plenty of storage. Unfortunately, our room was not clean at all! We found crumbs on our floor, red sticky melted something on the walls, tables, and handles. We called the attendant line and didn't get a great response so we pulled out my antibacterial wipes and cleaned ourselves. While heading out to meet up with our friends Greg ran into our room attendant who apologized for the room and explained that he had to clear immigration today and unfortunately had to rush everything. Soccoro assured Greg the room would be clean before the evening was done. We both understood his point of view and didn't let this start ruin our trip. Also not a big deal but we didn't receive our specialty waters for a couple of days. The 6 of us went to the 12th floor to the Concierge Lounge where we enjoyed some hor d'oeuvres and introduced ourselves to Ricardo (the suite concierge). Ricardo and I had been messaging during the week for our cruise and he was wonderful in helping us reserve a Cabana on CocoCay.
At 5:30 we went to the Coastal Kitchen for dinner. Greg and I don't normally dine this early but when you're with two cute toddlers you do what you have to do. Meal time for the 6 of us usually went like this: Make our way to the restaurant entrance, one kid ready to go, one kid needs to burn off energy. Divide and conquer! Depending on the day some of us go into the restaurant park the strollers, set up the Ipad, and get settled in while the other party would walk one of the kids around and then join us. We were very thankful that the staff set up a particular table for us during the week, always had two highchairs ready, and always treated us as if we weren't loud and messy. After dinner we decided to get a cocktail at the Schooner Bar. This is where my friends son started to get over his fear of the elevator. Thanks to the pretty green or red lights and the pinging he was happy, excited, and would repeat over and over ....oooohhh, oooohhh up, down! He was pretty well known during the week lol. Prior to a whale watching trip out of Boston I did not suffer from motion sickness. On the past 3 cruises we've been on I have suffered motion sickness but controlled it with Bonine. I had to switch medications though because of my dairy intolerance. I've been using the CVS brand motion sickness medicine since it's the only that doesn't contain lactose (during this trip I did find that Dramamine naturals and Dramamine for kids both don't contain dairy). On this trip I was in bed early almost every night! The CVS brand pills made me very tired (especially after my 2nd dose). On my next cruise I'm thinking I'll just have to see what happens with the touch lactose in the pills. After our late night, we slept in and started our day later than originally planned. Once we were ready we made our way on foot to Buckingham Palace. Halfways there we realized that we were hungry. Up and to the left of us was Giraffe World Kitchen. On our previous visit to London we dined here for lunch and knew we could get a good meal. Greg ordered his usual sweet breakfast of pancakes with a side of bacon. I decided to give the Shakshuka a try. Shakshuka is a North African dish of eggs cooked in a tomato sauce with herbs and served with crusty bread. I was hoping to include chorizo but that item contained dairy. The service was friendly, fast and the food was good and filling. We continued our walk to Buckingham Palace. We stopped along the way and were able to catch the end of the changing of the guard. After a few pictures we made our way to Harrods. Our first stop inside Harrods was to the food halls. Yes we're foodies, yes we always think about food, and yes we are thrilled when we try something new. We were at the fruit section and were thrilled to be able to try some Custard Apple. Custard apple is creamy, slightly sweet and delicious (keep in mind that it does contain seeds though). The wonderful staff helped us purchase a couple custard apples and a Mangosteen (a favorite fruit I first tasted in Bali). We then shopped for tea, curds, cookies, jams, and also just had to purchase a couple very pretty Cronuts (I know it's years later but this was our first time trying them). Greg's co-worker met us inside Harrods and we explored the other departments (mainly women's clothing) before heading to lunch. For lunch we all agreed on The Burger Bar (who doesn't love greasy burgers and french fries after a night of delicious cocktails). Unfortunately, the service at The Burger Bar was awful. We were seated right away which was nice but we couldn't get anyone to look at us even though we were seated at the bar. I eventually asked for menus and then we had another incredibly long wait for someone to take our order. The woman working at the bar area seemed to only be able to work on drinks and milkshakes. The waiters seemed to be helping everyone but us. Again, I had to ask if we could order which was derailed yet again by me stating that I have a dairy allergy. Finally, a supervisor or manager came over and took our order. All of our burgers were good and the french fries were crispy but it definitely wasn't worth the cost. Now we can say we shopped and ate at Harrods though. We decided to walk back to our hotel via Picadilly Circus so that we could get a few touristy gifts for family/friends. Once we did our shopping I had to take a cab back to the hotel, my tendon was starting to hurt again unfortunately. This evening we had dinner reservations for the 3 of us at Hutong. If I'm being honest I wasn't that excited about dining at Hutong. I thought dining inside the Shard would be unique and offer us amazing views of the city. In the end the service, food, ambiance, and views wowed us!
When you enter the Shard you have to go through a security scanner and then the staff check your name and reservation and show you to the elevator. The three of us checked in and were helped with our coats. We were a little early for our reservation so we opted to enjoy a cocktail in the lounge. The lounge service was a little on the slow side but the relaxing environment and the delicious drinks made up for it. Before we could settle our bar bill we were told our table was ready. The staff helped carry our drinks to the table and instructed the staff to add our drinks to our dinner bill. Our table was right up to the windows offering us fantastic views of London. The ambiance was low lighting, dark wood, red lanterns and welcoming staff. We ordered vegetarian spring rolls and Iberico pork dumplings to start. The starters were hot, savory, and delicious. For entrees and side dishes we ordered dan dan noodles, roasted Peking duck (served two ways), and seafood fried rice. The dan dan noodles weren't as spicy as I hoped but they were tasty. The Peking duck was first sliced table-side for us and served with sliced green onions and rice wrappers. The second part of the duck was served stir fried with lettuce wraps. I can't speak to the seafood fried rice as it didn't appeal to me that evening. After dinner, the sleet let up so we decided to walk back to the CitizenM and enjoy the fresh air. Whether you are a Bostonian or visiting Boston you can't go wrong with dining at Ruka Restobar. Ruka is near the Boston Opera House, Emerson Paramount, Boston Common, and Downtown Crossing so you will have plenty to see and do nearby. This was our 2nd visit to the restaurant and they didn't disappoint. We had a reservation for 3 and even though we arrived a little early we were seated right away. We started with cocktails and a mocktail for my little cousin. The menu is comprised of shareable plates sort of like tapas but a little bigger in portion size. We started with the Tuna Poke and two orders of the Blackened Octopus (yes they are that good). The next couple of dishes that came out were the Chao Shou Pork Wontons (sans dairy), the Crispy Lamb Belly Katsu, and the Japanese Fried Chicken. The Japanese Fried Chicken does contain dairy so I decided to eat it along with some Lactaid pills. Any pain I may have had from dairy was beyond worth it! The Japanese Fried Chicken was the best dish of the night (it also happens to be a new addition to the menu). The textures and flavors hit on all notes and leave you completely satisfied. Our final savory dish was the Chicken Fried Rice which was also very good. Apparently we weren't full enough and we decided to be gluttons. We ended up ordering 3 desserts. I brought the Lactaid pills with me especially for dessert. The fried dough bites (I can't remember the exact name) are amazing. They are warm, soft, and the perfect amount of sweet. The other two desserts were a big hit although I didn't try them so I can't speak to specifics. The one issue I have with Ruka Restobar is really just a personal preference. I am a fast eater normally so I wish the dishes would come to the table a little slower and give us more time to relax. Everyone who visits will not be disappointed with the drinks, food, and service at Ruka. After checking out of the Hilton Burlington we loaded up the car and made the 5 hour trek to New York City. Along the way there were a few adorable towns and shops that we would love to get to again. When we got close to our hotel we hit some major traffic. Sadly an accident occurred nearby where a car ran into several people. We were detoured all around the hotel never being allowed to turn right. We finally pulled up in front of the Hilton Millennium Downtown. The doorman helped us with our luggage and calling over the valet. The lobby was small but nicely decorated. Our check in was easy and we were upgraded to a high floor room (thanks again Hilton Honors). Our room was a King room with plenty of room for the two of us and a good size bathroom. Our view was the stunning and moving sight of the 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center. Hailing a cab at this time and in this traffic was nearly impossible. We ended up walking several blocks north and finally snagged a cab from across the way. We were dropped off in front of Chelsea Market a few minutes later. For lunch we decided to keep it simple and order sandwiches from Num Pang. I opted for the Ginger Barbecue Brisket sandwich while Greg chose the Pulled Duroc Pork. I thought I was being smart by not order my favorite 5 Spice Glazed Pork Belly because it can be a little messy to eat. My brisket sandwich ended up becoming extremely messy but oh so worth it. Num Pang sandwiches are full of flavor and texture. After lunch we walked up to the David Zwirner Gallery for the Yayoi Kusama exhibit. Score! The line isn't that long! After a 40 minute wait (which wasn't bad just cold) we entered the gallery. We waited inside for our turn to enter the 1st infinity mirror room. Afterwards we had to put booties on our shoes for the 2nd infinity mirror room. Our last stop was in the flower room. All in all we were probably inside the gallery for 5 minutes but it was a very cool 5 minutes that we'll always remember. At this point we needed to warm up so we stopped at Starbucks for warmth and to fuel up! Back outside we continued on to Desigual for some shopping. I am in need of a winter coat and a gift for someone and Desigual is one of my favorite designers! Most of my wardrobe is black, grey, or navy but something about the colors and combination of prints just makes me happy. Inside the store I ended up trying on jeans, dresses, scarves and coats! I totally needed to reign it in and settle down. I chose a scarf for a friend, a coat for me, and a dress for a party I had coming up. Perfect (especially because of a sale)! We are running out of time before our dinner reservations so we hopped into a cab and made our way back to the Hilton Millennium Downtown. Time to drop off our bags, freshen up and change clothes for dinner. Jungsik is close to the hotel so we opted for a refreshing walk. We were greeted and our coats were taken for us before showing us to our table. I keep going back and forth on my feelings about our dinner at Jungsik. On one hand the service was incredibly slow to start. Our greeting, drink order, and food order took a good amount of time. From the time we sat down to the time we left we were at Jungsik for 3 hours. We decided to drink cocktails along with dinner and the cocktails were well crafted. For dinner we chose the Signature Tasting Menu. The meal started with an amuse bouche which represented Korean side dishes. These small bites were a beautiful start to dinner. We enjoyed a variety the flavors, textures, and scents. Our 1st course was the OSETRA CAVIAR. The caviar was a good dish although not memorable. The 2nd dish was FOIE GRAS MANDOO (not dairy free so I decided to risk it with a lactaid pill). The Mandoo and the Japanese Wagyu were delicious but the star was the broth. The broth was scrumptious and satisfying. 3rd course was OCTOPUS. With it's perfect combination of crunchy exterior and tender inside this dish was outstanding. Our 4th dish was BLACK COD. Black Cod isn't usually my favorite but I found that this dish wasn't overly sweet so I enjoyed it. 5th dish was TUNA KIM BAP. This was probably the most inventive dish. The Kim Bap was rolled into a small cigar and was a wonderful taste and crunch. The 6th dish was GALBI. This dish confused me honestly. I still am not sure whether or not this was supposed to be served cold or not but it definitely was. I found it rather off putting and would have said something but there wasn't staff nearby. Next came OMIJA which means "five flavors", which are sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and pungency. Enjoyable. The 8th dish was the start of dessert. Greg was given a Baby Banana which was actually a small pastry. Unfortunately, it didn't wow him. He felt the focus was more on the presentation that actual flavor. I was given Pears along with Pear Sorbet. As a person with a dairy allergy, there are two desserts which always disappoint me from a fine dining establishments; fruit or sorbets. Other restaurants with the same amount of notification have stepped up and presented pastries and/or composed dishes to me. In addition to this I have to ask, where was the Korean influence? I basically ended up with pears tossed with cinnamon and sugar. The 9th course was the ROASTED CHESTNUT. Greg was presented with a bowl of roasted chestnuts (for show) and a chestnut truffle to eat. Unfortunately, Greg felt it was truly lacking any chestnut flavor. I was given a different sorbet (not thrilled again). To end the meal we were given a small bowl of petit fours. Luckily these were a combination of sweet flavors and textures that saved the ending of our dinner. We enjoyed most of dinner but in comparison to other like restaurants we agreed we wouldn't return. On our walk back to the hotel we discussed our plans for the next day. We were considering the Guggenheim Museum, the Intrepid Museum, Christmas Markets and more. Sadly, we then checked the weather and saw that snow was coming and it would be coming earlier than originally thought. In order to not have a miserable drive home on Saturday we decided to be adults and spend Friday morning in New York but then check out early and make our way home.
We woke up and decided to order breakfast in an effort to avoid dairy for me. Again the staff were very friendly and easily accommodated my allergy. After breakfast we bundled up and gathered stuff into our day-pack. Greg went downstairs in hopes of finding out more information about the hiking trails and the doorman from the day before hooked us up with a map of the trails and area! We set out and enjoyed views of the water and the followed the trail led by the solar system (an informative installation of the planets). Unfortunately about 1/3 of the way up our trail we were met with workers who were fixing the trail and had it closed down. We turned around and made our way back to the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu where we explored a little more. We decided to take a drive at this point. We wanted to explore La Malbaie and ended up driving for a couple of hours up the coast. We visited several adorable coastal towns that must be wonderful in the summer season! Before heading back to the hotel we stopped in La Malbaie. We visited the local grocery store. Sounds boring but this is something I do in all new cities we visit. I like being able to find unique foods to the region, sometimes wine that I haven't seen before, and always a good snack for in the car. Once we got back to the hotel we wanted to freshen up and didn't want to have to rush so we ordered room service. Greg ordered the club sandwich and I ordered the tuna poke. Greg's sandwich was delicious (I may have stolen a bite). My tuna was good with the exception that I couldn't eat the rice. The rice was inedible to do under cooking. At night we explored the hotel some more. My biggest regret was not venturing into their heated outdoor pool at night! Before unwinding at Bar La Brise we visited the Casino. I love being able to walk underneath the hotel to the casino - no need for a jacket! Score! The Roulette table was empty so we decided to just spend some time at the slots. We both had $20 CAD to spend. I know big spenders right! Greg lost all of his money within 5 minutes! I on the other hand walked away with 80 CAD. Bring on the Le Sour Quebecois! We finished our night at Bar La Brise and then it was time to get organized for our drive to Quebec City!
For as far back as I can remember my family always loved cooking. This is especially true for my dad. Dad would have my sister and I on step stools in the kitchen covered in flour and baking pies. To this day we still get together often to cook and bake. A few years ago I brought my parents to China Town in Boston. We of course went to the Gourmet Dumpling House specifically for their soup dumplings. My dad loved them and is always up for a serving of them! For my dad's birthday Greg and I bought tickets to a Chinese soup dumpling class at Sur la table in Boston. We arrived a little early and so we wandered around the store. When it was time for the class we all checked in and put our jackets away. Next step was to put on an apron and wash our hands. We were broken up into teams of 4 and moved up to the counter area. The first step was to show us how to make the pork broth (the chef already created set for class use). While the broth was brought to a boil we got the dough ready. While the dough was resting we mixed the aromatic pork filling. The third step was to create a dipping sauce for the finished dumplings.
Last was of course the hardest part of the preparation. We had to cut, roll out and fill the dumplings. The dough was a tad sticky which made rolling out somewhat difficult but interesting lol. Getting a round dumpling is definitely not easy. Our group had ovals, paint splatters, and even a rabbit shaped dough. We had an interesting time filling these pieces of dough and learning how to fold the tops of the dumplings. We handed off our basket of dumplings to the chef for cooking and as the dumplings were down we all devoured them! A fun, informative, and delicious night out for all of us. We had a reservation at Pagu for 2 at 8:00 p.m. We arrived a little early and were going to just enjoy a drink at the bar but the hostess was able to seat us right away. We opted to sit at the chef's counter (we don't mind sitting side by side and we always love seeing the staff cooking).
To start our evening we ordered cocktails along with a few small dishes. The first dish was the oyster shooter. The shooter is a little intimidating at first but it wasn't actually too much liquid. A very refreshing start. Next was our favorite charcuterie.... Jamon Iberico de Bellota (acorn fed, 36 month aged ham). Greg loves anchovies so we ordered Pan Con Tomate with Boquerones (fresh anchovies). The Jamon was delicious as always and the portion size was generous. The anchovies were a delicious couple of bites. Our waitress came by and asked if we'd like to try a glass of Sherry (they were offering a promotion to try Sherry to anyone who ordered Jamon). We said sure we'll try it! I ended up liking the Sherry but Greg didn't. I felt it had a strong alcohol scent and yet a subtle earthy taste. Greg felt it tasted like he was licking a piece of wood lol! After a little while we ordered the rest of our meal. For drinks we opted for the Sake flight. The exciting part of our tasting was the locally made Sake (that we previously enjoyed at the Tasting Counter). Otherwise the Sake was a let down it was very basic Sake's that you can buy at any store. We chose the steak tartare, brussel sprouts, octopus, and fried rice. The steak tartare was served with potato chips and was good although it was a little on the bland side. The brussel sprouts were amazing! I usually like my brussel sprouts to have more color on them from being roasted but these were so flavorful and we both loved them. The octopus dish was surprising! On one hand the octopus was cooked perfectly and in the mojo rojo sauce it was delicious. My 2nd bite included the fresh herbs especially the mint and it was outrageously good. Savory, bright, and tender - perfect. We liked it so much we ordered a 2nd one. The fried rice was very good. The addition of Taiwanese sausage reminded us of our friends moms fried rice which is our favorite ever! At this point we knew we over ate so we skipped dessert and asked for the check. The staff thanked us for coming and we walked back to the parking garage. We both agreed that we enjoyed the meal and would return. |
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