Lunch Done Right at Nicholas’ Restaurant

After exploring Portland for the morning I was famished. My sister, who lived in Portland for a bit recommended a little Lebanese place she had fallen in love with. We visited Nicholas’ Restaurant located at 318 SE Grand Ave. in Portland, Oregon. The restaurant had white walls with blue accents and some really nice paintings on the walls. The tables and chairs were pretty simple and standard; no tablecloth but a pho granite look was applied to the tabletops.

We entered the restaurant and seated ourselves; water and menus were delivered to us within minutes. The server came back in less than five minutes with bread and it was wonderful! The bread was really light, it was kind of like a big, light tortilla and it was immediately consumed (the bread was a good deal bigger when it first got to our table). I like to consider myself somewhat of a gyro connoisseur and I had noticed the spit of meat roasting in the back (which is Gyro meat done right; preformed patties of meat are a joke) so I ordered the Lamb Gyro that came with tomato, onion, olives, lettuce, and tzaziki for $8.50; I also decided to add feta cheese to it for an extra $1.00.

The food was brought out right away, which was excellent news for my growling stomach. My Gyro did not disappoint; it was one of the best I’ve ever had. The lamb was spiced and cooked perfectly; the tzaziki was yogurty, cucumbery deliciousness and the little crispy pita chips that came with it were the perfect texture to add in-between gyro bites. My meal was perfect and the amount of food was great for the price.

Nicholas’ really satisfied and it didn’t break my wallet either; if you live in Portland or are planning on visiting, it is well worth it to make a stop at Nicholas’ Restaurant to eat.

 

The Astonishing and Wondrous Voodoo Doughnut!!

On my two visit to Portland (within a month) I stopped by the very famous Voodoo Doughnut. The location I visited was at 22 SW 3^rd Avenue in Portland, Oregon. I found myself starving after my flight from Reno and no breakfast on my first visit to Voodoo and my second visit occurred just because it is that good.

The smell of doughnuts wafts down several block from the store and pretty much draws anyone withing range…. it’s like the pied piper but with smell instead of music. There is pretty much always a line to one of the famous doughnuts from Voodoo. Depending on the day the length of the line can vary; my first visit on a Thursday yielded a much smaller line that the one I found on my second visit which was on a Saturday. The set up at Voodoo is pretty simple; you wait in line and when a cashier becomes available you tell em what you want and they serve it up, charge you, and then you are on your way with a delicious doughnut in tow.

Voodoo Doll

There are some really fun names for the donuts that range from the gay bar all the way to the cock ‘n balls. I had a really hard time making up my mind on what I want as the names didn’t really give me the best idea about what I was going to get but the cashier was more than helpful (and patient) in describing to me what each doughnut I asked about was comprised of. I ended up getting the doughnut that really personifies the place…. the Voodoo Doll doughnut which is a raised yeast doughnut smothered in chocolate frosting and filled with raspberry jelly, then it is topped off with a pretzel stake for $1.95. The style of the Voodoo doll differs every day… they get really creative with their decorations. The other doughnuts that were consumed by other during my two visits were the bacon maple bar that is just like it sounds on top of a yeast bar doughnut for $2.50, the Maple Blazer Blunt which is a raised doughnut with maple frosting and red sprinkles on the end for .95 cents, and a Memphis Mafia doughnut which is fried with banana chunks cinnamon and sugar and then covered with glaze, chocolate frosting, peanut butter, peanuts, and chocolate chips for $4.25.

Maple Blazer Blunt & Bacon Maple Bar

If you are in Portland you simply must stop at Voodoo Donut, I would even go so far as to say they have the best doughnut I have EVER had…. thats a big statement!

Voodoo Doll #2

Bad Server With a Capital B at BJ’S Restaurant and Brewery

I visited BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse located at 425 Sparks Blvd. in Sparks, NV on a Sunday evening for dinner. I have mixed feelings about my visit there so I will write this blog and let you be the judge.

The décor in BJ’s is a mix of American Pub décor and modern styles. The atmosphere is really nice and the light fixtures are very modern. The restaurant is full of red upholstered booth seats with a few pub style tables in the bar area. When I walked into the restaurant I was greeted very promptly by the hostess and I was seated right away. I was given water right away and the waitress (whose name was Lindsey and you will understand why I’m naming names this time as you read on) came by to get our drink orders.

Side Salad

It didn’t take me long to make up my mind because I have had the pizza at the location in Reno before and knew it to be some of the best pizza in town. The waitress took quite a while to get back to our table but it was REALLY busy so I expected that my dinner might take a bit. When she came back with our drinks I placed my order. I ordered the chicken wontons appetizer served Thai style for $2.95, a side salad with balsamic vinaigrette for $2.95, and a medium Spicy Meatball deep dish pizza that I requested no onions on and I wanted bacon added; the pizza was $22.75 (Sorry there is no pizza pic… got a little distracted due to the events that unfolded).

The salad arrived within minutes and was delivered to us by another waitress; it was amazing how fast the salad came out! The pizza on the other hand took forever and we also never received our appetizers; I told Lindsey when she delivered the pizza. She wasn’t very friendly or apologetic about forgetting the appetizers, in fact she acted like we were an annoyance to her so I told her to just forget the appetizers. I also asked the waitress for some ranch to go with the pizza and we each wanted a new drink (we had empty glasses for quite awhile now). It only took us each a bite to realize that our pizza was wrong and when we finally were able to waive the waitress down and tell her so she literally made a disgusted gasping noise and started walking away; as she walked away she said that she would have the manager over and before she had her back turned to us I literally saw her roll her eyes at us and shake her head…. now the experience had made a turn for the worse and I was fuming; I have never been treated so horribly by a server in my entire life! (And she still hadn’t brought me the ranch I requested).

Chicken Wontons

The manager whose name was Eric came over to find out what was going on with our order. Eric was very courteous and explained that he would have our appetizers out and our pizza remade. He also expressed that he wanted to make things right and asked up what he could do for the inconvenience. I suggested maybe comping a drink or two and he said his manager didn’t like him to comp alcohol so he would come up with something else. The waitress came by a few minutes after the manager left and asked us what had happened and we told her he was remaking our pizza so she took the pizza we had in front of us away (still no ranch). Our appetizers were delivered to us by another waitress again and it was a good thing they came because I was starving… I think at this point we had been there an hour or a little over that.

The pizza still took another 20 minutes to get to us and this time it was done right. I still had not received the ranch I requested and after trying to get the waitresses attention when she passed us by two times (she was most definitely ignoring us on purpose at this point) I almost had to shout to get her to come over to our table at which point I asked her for the ranch again. She came back with the ranch about 5 minutes later. The manager came back over to our table towards the end of our meal and told us he had comped the pizza and asked if there was anything else he could do… I told him no and that he was really excellent and that I appreciated his efforts. I didn’t say one word to him about how rude and atrocious our waitress was and how bad she was at being a server. I literally considered giving her no tip which I have NEVER done in my life. Even thought her service was the worst I have ever received I still gave her an $8.00 tip which is far more than she deserved.

I can honestly say that I will probably never go back to BJ’s in Sparks which is too bad because they have great food and a great manager. But, if BJ’s is hiring this kind of low caliber server I can’t say I want to visit them again; I don’t go out to eat and spend my hard earned money so I can get treated like shit by a server.. excuse my french.

It’s really too bad that horror stories like this happen; do you have a restaurant horror story, because I’d love to hear it… tell me where I don’t want to go eat this time!

Amazing Everything at Briscola

I had a day filled with fun adventures at the Grand Sierra Resort (GSR) and decided that dinner at GSR would be a perfect ending to the day.  (The coupon I received at an Aces game helped me conclude that dinner at Briscola would be a good and discounted choice).  The GSR is located at 2500 E 2^nd Street in Reno, Nevada and the Briscola restaurant is in the middle of the casino on the 1^st floor right in between Charlie Palmers and Elements Buffet.

The hostess was posted at the front of the restaurant and she seated us right away in a cozy booth toward the back of the restaurant.  The restaurant is separated into two sections; the front section is pretty contemporary with black furniture and a nice bar where all the liquor is displayed with glass and mirrors.  The second section of the restaurant is down a ramp and it has a completely different feel to it.  It looks and feels like an old wine cellar beneath a really old (but well kept) building… I almost felt like I was eating in the wine cellar of an old French or English castle.  The back part of the restaurant is my favorite but it is pretty dark and turning up the lights a little would probably make it a nicer experience for the diners.

We were given bread and water right away and the waitress was at our table within minutes of being seated.  She explained to us that they work as a team so she and another waitress would be serving us.  She was very nice and explained their specials very well; she then got our drink order and left us so we could review the menu.  Although it was a tough decision since there were so many delicious things on their menu, I decided on the Filet Mignon which was served with a roasted red pepper puree, crispy leeks, and aged balsamico for $26.  My date got one of the specials; he got the carbonara that was served with truffles, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, parmesan, and fresh homemade pasta.

The bread was delicious and we ate it very happily with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar that was at our table.  The food arrived within a decent amount of time and our waitress was very attentive to our needs and drinks while we waited.  The food was absolutely gorgeous when it arrived; it was art on a plate!  One bite of my filet and I was in heaven; the sauces on the filet were a fantastic medley of sweet and salty and the leeks added a crunchy textured to the meal that made it very pleasing.  I also tasted the carbonara and was equally impressed with it.  I am not a fan of mushrooms but this dish was delicious and I never would have guessed there were mushrooms in it; they were minced so small that I couldn’t even tell which parts were mushrooms and which were truffles.  I mostly don’t like mushrooms for their texture; I think they are slimy and spongy.  The carbonara dish gave just a hint of mushroom taste without the nasty texture; it was perfect!  The cherry tomatoes in the dish were really good as well and they tasted like they cam fresh out of someone’s garden.

Everything about my meal was delicious and the service was fantastic; this was most certainly an A+ experience.  I will have to readjust my statement about Roxy’s being the only good casino food I have had (Click here for Roxy’s review).  In fact I might even say Briscola was better but I think another trip to Roxy’s is in order before I can say that for sure.

Does anyone know of any casino restaurant that could contend with Briscola and Roxy’s?  I’m always open to suggestions!

Siesta-Time at Las Trojes

I had a craving for some Mexican food one Sunday night so I decided to visit one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Las Trojes.  This restaurant in located in Sparks, Nevada at 5272 Sparks Blvd and they are open seven days a week from 11am-10pm.  I have been to Las Trojes many times and it is the best place I have found in town for fantastic enchiladas.

Enchilada Special

The ambiance is pretty typical for a Mexican restaurant; Mexican decorations and pictures adorn the walls.  But I will say that the unfinished ceiling gives this restaurant a sort of warehousy feel.  The host was very nice when we arrived and he seated us right away.  Within a minute I was served the staple chips and salsa along with some water.  The waiter came very quickly and got my drink order… margarita of course!  I was ready to order without even looking at the menu because I always get the same thing; I ordered the enchilada special with one cheese and one chicken enchilada for $8.25.  My boyfriend ordered the Trojes special which is composed of one chile relleno, one enchilada, and one one tamale for $11.95.  And both of our dishes came with rice and beans.

Trojes Special

The food arrived quickly and it was just as delicious as I remember.  The chicken in my enchilada was cooked perfectly and the enchilada sauce was soooo delicious.  I really think the key to an enchilada is the sauce and Las Trojes has the sauce down to a perfectly tasty science.  They aren’t shy with their sauce either as it was loaded onto the Trojes special my boyfriend ordered as well.  Everything was pretty good but I thought the chile relleno could have been tastier; it was a little bland.  I also want to mention the salsa at Las Trojes; it is homemade and it is the perfect combo of tomato and spicy.  I will say the salsa might not be for everyone, especially if you like chunky salsa.  I like my salsa on the smoother side so no chunks are perfect for me! When we were finished with our meal there was no waiting for the check (which is a good thing in my book).  We paid at the front and were on our way in a jiff!  I kinda like that Las Trojes has their customers pay at the front just because then there is no waiting for the check to come back and no rush if you want to finish your drinks and chat.

If you are looking for a really good enchilada Las Trojes is definitely the restaurant to visit, I have tried many Mexican restaurants and none of them even come close to the tastiness that Las Trojes delivers with their enchiladas.

Has anyone else found a Mexican place that they would highly recommend to me?  (Especially in reference to an excellent enchilada.)

Amazing Adele’s in Carson City

I visited Adele’s Restaurant and Lounge on a Saturday night for dinner.  The restaurant is located at 1112 North Carson Street in Carson City, Nevada.  Adele’s is open 7 days a weeks from 7am-11:30am for breakfast, from 11:30am-2:30pm for lunch and from 5pm-9pm for dinner on every day but Sunday.  On Sunday they are open for dinner only until 8pm.  Adele’s also stays open until 10pm Monday-Saturday for drinks, pizzas, and salads.

Pea Salad Sample

Crab Infused Tater Tots

For the appetizer I ordered the Dungeness Crab Infused Tater Tots which are Winnemucca potatoes and crab served with three different dipping sauces. The order of five tots is $9 and it was served with a sour cream and chive dip, a horseradish, chili powder, sour cream dip and  a mustard, sour cream, relish dip.  (Mind you the menu doesn’t specify the dip types so there is probably a little more to them but these are the flavors that I tasted in the dips).  The Tater Tots were delicious, really the most amazing Crab concoction I have ever had (besides crab cakes).  The tots were the perfect combination; just enough crab and not too much tater to take away the crab taste.  The dips were also a perfect complement to the tots and I loved them all; I normally despise anything horseradish but the horseradish dip was amazing as well.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich

For my main entree I ordered the Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich for $12.95.  My sandwich came with my choice of a side and I chose the small tossed green salad.  The sandwich itself has panko crusted chicken that is pan sautéed and topped with Swiss cheese, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and buttermilk ranch dressing.  My dining partner ordered the Crispy Prosciutto pizza which has spicy marinara sauce, arugula, red onion, roasted tomato, provolone and Parmesan cheese and crispy fried prosciutto for $15.95.  My meal was delicious on all counts.  The salad was really impressive to me; it was composed of yellow squash, tomatoes, romaine lettuce and there was even a brussel sprout on the top!  The sandwich was great and the chicken was cooked perfectly; no dry chicken here.  The presentation was great too and my sandwich had some garnishes and a pickle which is necessary on any sandwich plate in my opinion.  The pizza was also really good and the highlight was definitely the fried prosciutto, I could have eaten buckets of it.

Crispy Prosciutto Pizza

Even though I was stuffed… really stuffed, I decided to spring for dessert.  I couldn’t resist having dessert since everything else was stellar; dessert would have to be amazing.  The dessert we chose was a special that isn’t always on their menu and I cannot for the like of me remember the name but our waitress told us it was a cookie recipe from across the ocean (maybe they were Lebanese cookies?).  The cookies were a lemon butter cookie and we asked for them to be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Our dessert was pleasing to the eye and to the taste buds!

I would really have to give Adele’s an A of presentation, service, and taste.  Adele’s Restaurant and Lounge is a must to visit if you are going to be in Carson City.

What are some other good places to eat at in Carson City??

Lebanese cookies?

 

A mediocre meal at Thai Corner Cafe

Thai Corner Cafe is located at 100 West 2^nd Street in downtown Reno, Nevada.  Their hours of operation are Sunday to Thursday from 11am-9pm and Friday-Saturday they are open from 11am-10pm.  I visited Thai Corner Cafe on a Tuesday evening for some dinner around 8 pm.

When I entered the restaurant I wasn’t entirely clear on the process for getting seated; was I supposed to wait to be seated or seat myself?  There was no one there to greet me immediately, in fact there were no staff in sight (and hardly any customers as well).  After waiting at the entrance for a couple minutes I was greeted by a waitress and seated.  The waitress got my drink order and disappeared to retrieve my requested drink.

The waitress returned with my drink pretty quickly and got my food order.  I ordered the fried Thai egg rolls which are stuffed with ground chicken and vegetables and then deep fried for $5.95 (there are 4 egg rolls but I ate two before I got to taking the pic).  For my entree I ordered the Chicken Pad Thai which is stir fried noodles with egg, bean sprouts, tofu, onions, garlic, chives, peanuts, and fish sauce for $9.95.

The egg rolls arrived very quickly and they were very good albeit a little greasy.  The sauce that was served with the egg rolls was very good .   The sauce was a combination of sweet and sour but it was certainly not the sweet and sour I have had at Chinese restaurants; it had a different taste to it that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.  The wait between the egg rolls and the food was very long.  I finished my drink and wanted another one but the waitress was nowhere to be found.  I waited with an empty drink for close to 10 minutes and when our food finally arrived I had to ask the waitress for the drink, she didn’t even offer.  The Pad Thai had a strange taste to it and it seemed to be overloaded with fish sauce.  I have had Pad Thai before and it is not supposed to taste so strongly of fish sauce.  If I didn’t know better I would say that the stir fry sauce was probably entirely composed of fish sauce.

Overall I give this restaurant a big thumbs down.  The service and the food were mediocre; there will be no repeat visit for me at the Thai Corner Cafe.

Has anyone else been to the Thai Corner Cafe?  Also, can anyone recommend to me a really killer place to have Thai food?

Dinner Cruising on Lake Tahoe

On a fabulous Saturday in Tahoe one of my best friends got married.  For the reception, the whole wedding party boarded the Tahoe Queen for dinner and a cruise across Lake Tahoe.  The Tahoe Queen takes off from Zephyr Cove (located in South Lake Tahoe) and travels across the lake to Emerald Bay and back.

Dinner Salad

The dinner cruises are $69.00 per person (according to their website) but I know our group got a discount rate so our tickets were a little bit less than that.  For the dinner cruise we were provided bread, salad, a main dish, and dessert.  But that’s not all you get because on the dinner cruise there is a live band that provides great music to dance to; it is the perfect way to burn off dinner!  The cruise itself is gorgeous and the lake is absolutely breathtaking.  The only downside to the entire cruise was that is was too cold to go outside; I went out for a few minutes and had to get back inside to warm up. But now back to the food!  There were several choices for the main dish but there was no choice of salad or dessert.  The service was also not that fantastic and there were several times that I had to go upstairs to the bar to get my drink because I was tired of waiting for the waiters.  I could tell this wasn’t really the waiters fault – I never saw them slacking; there just weren’t enough waiters to give good service!  C’mon Tahoe Queen… hire some more waiters!!

Chicken

The salad that was served was a spinach salad topped with pecans, dried cranberries, blue cheese, and a vinaigrette.  I thought the salad was great; it was a perfect medley of sweet and salty tastes.  The bread that was served was also good, the only problem with the bread was that it was a French bread loaf that was sliced in half, buttered and sprinkled with cheese, put back together and then baked.  This ended up causing one side of the bread to have cheese and the other side to have only butter.  Needless the say the cheesy bread was gone far before the other half that was missing it. 

NY Strip

For the main dish I chose the chicken and wassomewhat surprised by what I received.  The chicken was basically a half of a chicken cut into two pieces.  Whereas the meat tasted good, it was a sloppy presentation and there was a lot of gristle and fat around the bones.  The sauce on the chicken was really quite tasty and the mashed potatoes and veggies were also yummy; everything was cooked well.  My date ordered the NY strip and after seeing and tasting it I wish I would have ordered the same.  The steak was a little overcooked (medium well instead of medium) but it was good to the taste and the side dishes were the same fare as the ones I received with my meal.  The dessert was a really good ending to the meal; we were all served a chocolate pie with a crumbly chocolate crust and plenty of whipped cream.  It was heavenly and I ate every single crumb.

Chocolate Pie

I would definitely recommend the dinner cruise on the Tahoe Queen but I would caution anybody who goes that the menu is limited; one has to understand that this dinner is taking place on a boat so I’m sure the kitchen doesn’t have many of the capitulates that a full blown gourmet restaurant might have.  Also the price of the cruise is quite expensive but I realized I am not just paying for the food; I’m paying for a fabulous dinner on a boat that is crossing the most beautiful lake in the USA. Has anybody else taken a dinner cruise they would recommend?

Midtown Eats, or burger delicatessen?

For dinner on a Friday night I joined some of my best friends for dinner at Midtown Eats.  I have reviewed this restaurant before so I’ll refer you to my blog Midtown Eats + Sunday Brunch = Love for their hours of operation and location (Check it out for my killer review on their breakfast as well!).

I was really surprised when I walked in on Friday night and requested a table for six and did not have to wait at all, very impressive!  Normally, I would have had to put my name on the list hanging right next to the front door and then wait to have my name called but not on this night.  The waitress seated me and went to get me a water and a drink menu.  By the time she came back one of the friends in my party had arrived and she got our libations orders.  When my entire party arrived and the waitress had gotten all of our drinks we were ready to order some food.  I chose to get the Bison Burger which comes with BBQ sauce, white cheddar, tempura onions, and a choice of a side salad or fries (I chose the fries) for $12.  The waitress asked me how I wanted it cooked and told me they only cook it to medium at the most since it is such a lean meat so I ordered my burger at medium.

Bison Burger

The food arrived at our table very quickly.  I was impressed they were able to fill such a large order in such a small amount of time; all of our food was hot and tasty!  My burger was cooked perfectly and I’m sorry to say but it was a little dry.  I don’t blame the restaurant on this one, I blame the Bison.  Since it is such a lean meat there isn’t as much grease to give it moisture; the BBQ sauce is a good call on this burger as it gives the burger a moisture boost. I was happy with my meal and the fancy cocktails and everyone in my party was equally impressed with their meals.  I will admit that $12 is a little steep for a burger but it was very tasty and I could tell that Midtown Eats doesn’t cut any corners when it comes to their food.  So my recommendation is try this place; I have had 5-star service and food on both of my visits here.  I can honestly say that Midtown Eats is consistently delicious; most restaurants struggle to obtain a good standard but it’s not a problem at Midtown Eats!

I’m always looking for a restaurant where I can spend my hard earned money and be guaranteed a good meal so my question to you is: Where else can I go to receive consistently good service and food?

A special day at JB Mapes & Co.

For my birthday, which fell on a Thursday this year, my special guy took me to JB Mapes & Co.  This restaurant is located at 50 N. Sierra St. Ste 103 in downtown Reno.  The restaurant is pretty small and only has about eight tables and a really tiny bar.  Mapes’ decorations a fairly contemporary but have a homey feel.  There is also a peppering of country style mainly because of the ’boutique’ they have which is really just goods they are trying to sell in the hallway/entrance area that leads to the bathroom. (I wonder if they actually ever sell any of the ’boutique’ stuff?)

Hummus Trio

The restaurant was utterly empty when we walked in; naturally we were greeted and seated at the table of our choice within seconds of entering the restaurant.  The waiter told us about the specials right away and got our drink orders.  When he returned with our drinks and some bread and balsamic/olive oil dipping sauce, which didn’t take long at all, I ordered the hummus trio which had roasted red pepper, garlic, and olive hummus served with flat bread for $5.00.  For my main plate I ordered the crab cakes topped with a roasted red pepper aeoli (I apologize profusely for this; I can’t recall the price of the crab cakes since they weren’t on the menu and they were actually meant to be the appetizer for the daily special).  My date ordered the pan seared chicken breast which was stuffed with bacon, spinach, panko, and served with Gorgonzola potato gratin and brussel sprouts for $18.00.

Crab Cakes

Chicken

Our meals arrived at our table in no time and they were plated beautifully.  My crab cakes were great and the crab meat was fresh and I could tell they used top grade lump crab.  The sauce on the top was the perfect complement to the crab; it was very tasty and I finished every crumb on my plate.  The chicken dish was also excellently done and the stuffed chicken tasted great; bacon is an awesome thing to pair any kind of meat.  The potato gratin was really tasty; the Gorgonzola gave it a nice salty kick. And I even have to say that I really enjoyed the brussel sprouts which I would normally not even eat, Mapes really knows how to make a brussel sprout taste delicious! After finishing dinner I took a look a look at the dessert menu.  Since crème brûlée is one of my favorites I settled on that.  It was brought out to us soon after ordering, and as you can tell from my picture I was excited to dig in; taking the picture was an afterthought (oops!).  The dessert was the only disappointing part of the meal as the sugar on top was actually burnt.  Crème brûlée is supposed to be lightly browned but there were actually spots on my crème brûlée that were black, and it tasted very burnt as well.

Creme Brulee

Overall I had a pretty good experience and if it hadn’t been for my burnt birthday dessert it would have been perfect.  I would probably go back but would opt out of future visits if I got the same results; hopefully my burnt dessert was just a fluke (I was pretty disappointed that the chef would even send a burnt dessert like that out of the kitchen as it only takes a couple minutes to make a new one!) My recommendation is to try JB Mapes & Co and let me know what you think!  And I would appreciate some help for the next time; where do you think is a good place to try for a special occasion?