Sea Salt Eatery (Minneapolis Minnesota)

Sea Salt

Minneapolis Minnesota

By Elizabeth Kilgore 11/1/2015

Sea Salt after a flood by, Flickr MO1229

 

Nestled beneath the great Talia trees, with the sacred songs of the Minnehaha falls playing generations of ballets into the sweet effervescent air stands a little shack know as Sea Salt. Don't let the word shack fool you, this seafood dive packs a powerful punch when it comes to crafting what can better be known as seafood soul food. Sea Salt has taken some of the world's most loved comfort foods from the sea and packed them all (literally!) into a relaxing little shack right next to Minnehaha's beautiful waterfall. Slovakia famous pickled herring to New Orleans comforting Po'Boy they have it all. Not only do they have it all, besides the standard menu they also change the menu at will, which is one of the first things you will notice.

Walking In

Before you even walk into Sea Salt you will notice the amazing smell. That's right! No fishy smell here, just spices and the aroma of love cooking. These smells will reel you with the thoughts of sinking your teeth into something that will relax you, and just to make you feel better about what you just had to go through to find a place to park to see the falls. Once inside the real magic happens, you step in, and you see it, right there in front of you. A big chalkboard full of any seafood you could ever want to eat, without having to travel the world to get. All the comfort foods right there at your finger tips. You can sit inside at the bar or a table, or outside under the beautiful Talia trees and hopefully they are in bloom and you can sit outside under the flowers.

Written in Chalk

Your heart will rush, and your head won't be able to keep up with it, as you keep asking yourself, “do they have my favorite dish?” Don't worry my fish loving friends it is almost impossible not to find your taste buds seafood delight in Sea Salt. They have a verity of oysters, sandwiches, tacos, baskets, and salads.

My recommendations

Remembering an amazing seafood favorite from New Orleans we ordered the Shrimp Po'Boy sandwich. Though this sandwich is a basic the flavors are outstanding. Stuffed inside a toasted sandwich roll is mayonnaise, with three slices of tomatoes, a layer of lettuce, and topped with battered and fried spicy shrimp. You can't go wrong with a Po'Boy but if sandwiches aren't your thing I also recommend the Mahi Mahi tacos. Each taco has two small corn tortillas, grilled Mahi Mahi, salsa, onions, and lots of cilantro. On the side there we order pickled herring which comes with of nothing other than soda crackers, they really didn't miss a beat or change a note when it comes to this heart happy dishes, which was a really nice treat. It is nice to go to a place and try your favorite foods with a new twist, but sometimes you want what you want the way you are used to it, Sea Salt does just that. Everything is fresh and tastes amazing, the salsa doesn't taste like it's from a can, the fish doesn't come from a frozen zip-lock bag, in fact, Sea Salt closes when the fishing season ends. So it's just good fresh seafood made with respect, just the way it should be.

You can find Sea Salt at

Sea Salt Eatery 

Address: 4825 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55417
Phone:(612) 721-8990

Website: https://seasalteatery.wordpress.com/

El Rancho (Columbia Missouri)

El Rancho

Columbia Missouri  

 by Elizabeth Kilgore Jan. 1. 2015

1014 E. Broadway Columbia Missouri 573-875-2121

         One of my fellow Phagomaniac's has been telling me about El Rancho for so long I could say the name in my sleep. For a little over a year now they would tell me how good the food is, and how they have to take me there one day. I always love a road trip and a road trip for the soul purpose of food finding sounds right up my ally. There was just one problem I had been to Mexico so many times and I lived in California and Taxes, and I have never had Mexican food that tasted as good as the Mexican food from Mexico and California. Now I know my friend has impeccable food taste but I have heard these lines so many times from so many other people before, "I know where the best Mexican food is this side of the border." and I have always been left missing real Mexican food after I have eaten there.
        Finally for New Years my friend and I at the last minute decided to hop in the car and drive to Columbia Missouri and go to El Rancho. After hearing about the place for so long I really started believing that the place might actually be worth a hill of beans, and was very excited to be going there. After pulling up in front of the restaurant I thought maybe it's worth a mountain of beans. Looking at the menu and smelling the food was nothing compare to seeing the cook pours the white cheese on top of the food as he packaged it up for us to enjoy. I thought no, no it isn't real Mexican food without horchata and Mexican juice do they have that? O yes! Why yes they did.
        I am happy to inform you that this is the best Mexican food I have had since last summer. It's no wonder that they made the top ten places to eat in Missouri in 2014. I decided to jump right in and order something that I know is only good in California and Mexico a torta and horchata , and my friend got the fajita nachos. Firstly the let's talk about the horchata. Horchata comes in many forms but the basics are always the same. It is a kind of milk which normally could be rice, almond, or milk watered down with sugar and spices. Some places add mint while others add cinnamon, El Rancho is the first place I have been to that uses a slight hint of coconut all you have to do is add the ice.

The torta was perfectly spiced with just the right amount of jalapenos on it. It's always a good idea to get a steak torta whenever you order this amazing sandwich, but El Rancho has other meats as well like chicken and pork. Normally a torta is on a grill long bun  and it comes with spiced meat that is drizzled with its own cooking sauce after it is placed on the bottom bun, they then put salsa, lettuce, tomato, jalapeno, and mayonnaise on it before covering it up and serving it to a very happy customer.

What do you get when you mixed fajitas and nachos together? Well besides heaven you also get, FAJITA NACHOS!! It takes the best of both worlds to make something that is like putting a piece of love in your mouth and biting down into an explosion of all the hugs you have ever been given in your lifetime. I have to pause a minute and tell you how this dish was prepared. The chef took creamy Mexican cheese and circled the plate before he put the nachos on it. He then placed the nachos on the plate circled with cheese ones again and placed not one but two large spatulas towering with fajita filling on top of the nachos. I have contemplated taking another mini road trip out there just to go back to El Rancho to try the rest of the menu which is massive, massive in a good way. We will meet again El Rancho and this time I'm coming after those tacos mmmm. El Rancho is truly the best Mexican restaurants this far away from the border.

You can visit El Rancho at 1014 E. Broadway Columbia Missouri and phone them at 573-875-2121

Tony P's Dockside Grill (Los Angeles California)

 

Tony P's Dockside Grill

Los Angeles California

Tony P's Marina Del Ray 4445 Admiralty Way. Marina del Rey Ca 90292

Right on the dock of Marina Del Ray under the warm blanket of fresh ocean air sets Tony P's dockside Grill. On one of my yearly summer trips to California, fresh off the plane I found myself sitting over the water at Tony P's. They have this amazing option that allows you to sit over the water in the dock covered dining area. It looks like this.



You can peek down between the cracks in the floor and see the ocean under your feet. While looking out at all of the boats the smell of something wonderful came pouring in from the kitchen. If you have never been to Tony P's the menu is extensive and even the pickiest of eaters is sure to find a good meal at their table. They even have a kids menu which I will hit on later in this article. One of my favorite dishes is chicken Alfredo and on this day I had to have it because I hadn't eaten in so long. Now when ordering pasta at Tony P's the pasta don't name the meats that are in the for example if you want chicken Alfredo on the menu it will say, Alfredo Pasta. The reason they do this is because they let you pick what type of meat you want in your pasta, if it's on the menu you can put it in your pasta. Of course, even though that sounded heavenly I still had to have chicken, and it was not a disappoint. You can also have a meal and pick a soup and salad to go with it and don't worry they have bread sticks as well. Another good item to try would be the red chili chicken quesadilla.

  

Tony P's is open for breakfast lunch and dinner, and or know for their "epic" menus and family friendly serves. The menus are really epic every menu is large and you can customize items to your own liking. Which brings me back to the kid's menu, I don't think I have ever seen a kids menu that large before, and yet they are still known to have the best mac and cheese in town ( it makes me smile just typing that.) They really do have good mac and cheese and Nicolette's lots-O-cheese pizza will get them every time. They even have two kids drink menus one is called foo foo drinks because little people love fancy drinks as well like Nina's Pina Colada or Little Johnny's Root Beer Float. The another menu is called whistle wetters this is for the little ones who don't like all the foo foo fancy stuff and just like their good old fashion hard hitting drinks like Roy Rogers or Milk Chocolate Milk.

I would go as far as to tell you about their desserts but such things might send you into a sugar shock fantasy in which the only cure would be to get to California by any means possible and have a go at the whole dessert menu. Since that menu is stacked high and not only can you eat your dessert but you can drink it to I will leave this off to your imagination.

If you can manage to pull yourself away from the photos of their food Tony P's is located at 4445 Admiralty Way. Marina del Rey Ca 90292 Phone #310-823-4534 

Shawarma House Milwaukee WI

2921 N Oakland Ave Milwaukee WI 53211 Phone# 414-967-1000

This year for the 4th of July Wisconsin was at the top of the list to visit. So we hopped in the car with dreams, and a list of places we wanted to see. The Harley Davison museum, the beach, the river walk, and getting cheese was of course at the top of the list. Little did we know what a gold mine of food we were setting off to find. Every place we went to eat was amazing and the trip soon turned into where are we going to eat next for dinner. This was because the first place we ate at when we arrived in Milwaukee was Shawarma House (they are open until 2am). We didn't know much about Milwaukee at the time but after eating here we realized that Milwaukeeans know how to eat. Sharwarma House has large plates that you can easily share with a friend, but you won't want to. The flavors are amazing and we tried as much food as we could. The prices are amazing as well so if you're on a budget you may have to bite the bullet and share your yummables. From what we tried here is what a think is the best items to try off their large menu (everything a Sharwarma House is big and beautiful).

All Inn Shawarma

The All Inn Shawarma is a good way to try a lot of what they have to offer. You get Shawarma beef and chicken, Jerusalem Salad, hummus, falafel, and bread. This dish is really incredible and is enough to feed two people, but we didn't know this and well even if we would have known we ordered more and so should you.

Falafel

Falafel's are wonderful they may be deep fried but there are lots of healthy goodies inside. Sharwarma House went the extra mile on these little beauties and put hummus and vegetables inside. Unlike some places who's falafels are a golden almost tan color Shawarma's are nice and golden brown the flavor that cooking it the extra time brings out is unbearably good. Which makes them perfect for dipping into hummus or Baba Ghannouj. You should also order more falafel so you don't have to fight over the one get :) but also because they are good for dipping into the Baba Ggannouj.

Baba Ghannouj

 I have had a lot of Baba Ghannouj from a lot of different restaurants and Shawarma House really has it down right. If you have never had Baba Ghannouj please try it here it really is some of the best. Baba Ghannouj means "pampered papa" or "coy daddy", and is made out of eggplant, it is made in a similar has hummus, and it's wonderful. If you order the Baba Channouj on its own it is served with bread which is how it normally comes.

For more information about Shawarma House you can visit the link below
http://www.yelp.com/biz/shawarma-house-milwaukee-2

House of India St. Louis MO

8501 Delmar Blvd  St Louis, MO 63124
(314) 567-6850

                  Once upon a time in a place not to far away from the Delmar loop there was a chef in a kitchen 

working on a dish that could take your whole mind, body, and spirit on a journey. The taste... The smells.... 

The sights.... Is it heaven? No, but it gets close for those who go at dinner time and order the Poori bread, 

Chicken Tikka (with dipping sauce on the side), and Mango Lassi. For others who are new to India food the

lunch time buffet is perfect for finding the dish that is right for you, but no matter what you won't be 

disappointed. I have found memories of this place growing up, soon after I joined the Marines I got off the 

plane with only a 3-hour layover and my father rushed me and a friend to House of India before my next 

flight. Yes, the food is that good, so let me tell you about it. First let's start with the dish I suggested you order.

Poori bread is a light fried puff bread that normally comes tiny and round for stuffing, but House of India 

makes my dreams come true and serves is big and round.

Doesn't that look a-ma-zing! 

Chicken Tikka it's sister dish is Chicken Tikka Masala. Sometimes the 

waiter will offer the Masala on the side with the Chicken Tikka, please get the sauce. The sauce brings 

the whole dish together without it, it's like having a Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich without the Jelly.

It's too dry without Jelly and Chicken Tikka is to dry with the Masala.

This photo looks so good I want to eat it.

Finally my darlings the drink of I get every time I go here is Mango Lassi. Mango Lassi is a food of the 

Gods drink (Agent Greeks use to call yogurt food of the Gods). So it's a mango flavored yogurt drink.

Yummy!!

Now you won't have to venture too far out of your comfort zone to eat any of the above. The food is 

divine. For those of you who like to walk on the wild side and dive mouth first into something everything 

they have items on the menu that offer a taste of everything, and they are as follows and in menu order.

Appetizers

Vegetable appetizer comes with vegetable samosa, pakora, paneer pakora, and onion bhajia.

Combination Appetizer comes with vegetable samosa, pakora, paneer pakora, chicken pakora and seekh kebab.

Tandoori

Chef's special come with chicken tandoori, chicken tikka, seekh/boti/prawn kabab

I also want to add that even though this place serves meat they are also very Vegetarian-friendly and serves more vegetarian dish's then most vegetarian restaurants I have been to. They have 16 main dishes on their vegetarian menu and that's not including the vegetarian dishes they have on their non-vegetarian menu.

For more information about the menu and the awards the restaurant has won you can visit them at http://www.hoistl.com/ or 8501 Delmar Blvd  St Louis, MO 63124 

Baileys Chocolate Bar St. Louis MO.

                                                 For the Love of Chocolate.

               Chocolateee!!!! Who doesn’t like to take a nice bite out of a piece of rich and creamy chocolate? Well if you have ever thought you would “die without a piece good of chocolate” this post is for you. If you have never been to Baileys Chocolate Bar here is a rundown of what it is all about. Are you ready for this? Baileys Chocolate Bar is all about chocolate! Almost every item on the menu is chocolate they have it all from chocolate cake to chocolate beer floats, and no I don’t mean root beer floats but they have those as well. The restaurant is beautiful with their extremely romantic low lights and rich chocolate colored décor with just a hint or deep ruby red offsets this restaurant is the perfect place to take a date, have an anniversary, purpose, or just relax with a bowl of chocolate ice cream. I have heard they also have covered booths, but I still haven’t seen them.

          That being said the best thing about any restaurant should always be the food. Any real phagomanic will tell you that even if you could fall in love with the look of a restaurant when you take all that glitz away all it really boils down to is if the food is good or not. When you first sit down to the table instead of setting bread down Baileys sets out a plate of Bailey's famous chocolate, chocolate chip cookies. These little darlings really get you in the mood for some chocolate loving. They are tiny sweet and crunchy, and the perfect kick starts to your Baileys experience. Now when I went to Bailey’s I wasn’t there for the pizza but I hear it is to die for, but I was dying to try this chocolate that everyone in St. Louis is talking about.

 Here are some favorite dishes from people I have talked to about this restaurant. Chocolate Inebriation: this dish is chocolate cake to the next level which Baileys describes as “Layers of Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Stout, Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache & Cinnamon Ice cream” Is your mouth water or what, doesn’t that just sounds like heaven on a plate. If you could marry a slice of cake I would say yes marry this one J. The another dish I heard the most about before heading out to Baileys was Blondie. Here’s what Baileys says is a Blondie: “Studded with Toasted Pecans and White Chocolate served with Vanilla Ice Cream & Caramel Sauce.” Now I didn’t try the Blondie but it is on my list of most tries. They really know what they are doing over there at Bailey's because pecans and vanilla ice cream go together like peanut butter and jelly, and white chocolate and caramel please be still my heart. I wish I had tried this dish last time I went to Baileys, but I didn’t.

      I didn’t try the Blondie because right when I was about to order I saw that they had a brownie on the menu. Now I come from a family who loves to bake and let me tell you it is hard to make an amazing tasting brownie from scratch. I have had some bad ones; in fact, I have never had a good brownie from a restaurant. So I thought to myself if they can make a brownie (and not use a box mix) that taste good then they are one the best places to go for dessert in St. Louis MO. I ordered the Brownie which Baileys describes as follows “A Thick Fudge Brownie served warm and topped with Bailey’s Ice Cream & Caramel Sauce”. I have to tell you when they sat this brownie down at the table first I was in shock, the brown was every large and every thick so you’re going to want to share this with your date or friend. Apparently, all of their deserts are large so even though the price seems a little high at first it is not high because you are getting an entree of desert, which is just fine because everyone loves having desert for dinner right ;).

       Now about this brownie, you know how everyone is always fighting over the corner brownie because it has the crunchy outside with the thick and creamy inside? Well, there is no fighting over this brownie the whole outside rim is crunchy, and as you work your way to the center it gets creamer and creamer and the very center in so fuggy it’s sinful. I have to just tell you right now this is not just the best restaurant brownie I have ever had, but it is also one of the best brownies I have ever had. This big piece of heaven on a plate is also served a la mode if you don’t know what a la mode is that means topped with ice cream (I will write a blog one day of common terms phagomanic use to order and describe food). Anyways, yes that’s right they put a scoop of chocolate gelato on top of this hulk brownie and drizzle it with caramel. If you have been to Baileys or are planning on going please feel free to write your favorite dishes down in the comments sections below, we would all love to hear what you think about this amazing bar of chocolate. If you haven’t been the address and phone number is

          Baileys Chocolate bar 1915 Park Ave  St. Louis, MO 63104 (314) 241-8100.     

Note to readers: All the photos used in this post are of items find at Baileys Chocolate bar. I hope you enjoyed the eye candy ;)

Welcome fellow Phagomaniac's.

    

Welcome to the Phagomanic's guide to love. You may be asking yourself what is a phagomanic, and what is it that they love? Phagomania is a psychology term used to describe a person with a compulsive desire to eat. Do you love food? Do you think about it all the time? Do you have to have food? Does good food make you do the happy dance/hum a happy tune? Well, I'm here to tell you, you are not alone. In fact, you couldn't be alone because most people have some form of phagomania, if they didn't they would be dead because we all got to eat J. So there you have it, phagomanic’s love food. In this blog, I’m going to share everything I know/learn/hear about food and our connecting with food as well as some favorite eateries from around Saint Louis Missouri, USA, and other countries. I will also post recipes with the traditional way to prepare the meal, and easy recipes with the easy way to prepare the same meal, because let’s face it not everyone has the time to spend hours in the kitchen. So if you love food think of this as your little black book. Thank you for reading this short summary for this blog. Also, I am sorry for any professional writers/editors/trolls J who may be reading this blog, I am writing this for fun not to be grammatically correct, or win an award. Also don’t forget to live, laugh, and love, but most importantly don’t forget to love what you eat.