Coupon Clipper: First Attempt

Talking with Matt D. one early Sunday morning waiting for the great flight from SEA to PHL, I realized that, because we all go to the same locations time and time again, there may be some use in collecting coupons from various restaurants around the country. I have no idea if this will work in actuality, but the full-size version of the following image should be printable to a realistic size from any hotel business center; it's 3.5" wide at 300 pixels per inch. If you try it, leave a comment letting us know how it goes.

A Program Developer's Take on Things (pg 2 of 5)

Disclaimer: Former BER program developer, Sandy Anderson, has kindly provided her list of favorite restaurants around the country and the following descriptions are verbatim from her notes with the addition of formatting and hyperlinks by myself. Enjoy!

Sandy's Restaurant Reviews - Updated Version for Fall 2000 (continued)

Cincinnati, OH

You might enjoy Champs in the Hyatt-Saks Square (map). Informal yet tasty. Other options include Sturkeys (map, now an Encore Bistro), Cafe Cin-Cin in the Crowne Plaza (closed) and Boca (map) - all eclectic menus.

Cleveland, OH

Harry Corvairs (closed) serves modern American cuisine. Also, you might try Moxie (map), an American bistro, or Lola (map).

Columbus, OH

I've not tried it, but Rigsbys Kitchen (map) comes highly recommended, so the next time I'm in Columbus I'll have to try it.

Dallas, TX

If you want to splurge, there's The Mansion on Turtle Creek (map) which is wonderful. If you want more reasonably priced and like Mexican, try Uncle Julios (map) near the Galleria.

Denver, CO

Z Brasserie (closed?) is a fun place in the heart of downtown. Situated in a former bank, the restaurant offers up a lively atmosphere with a stellar menu. Selections lean toward a New American bent, but you can find a wide variety of dishes to tempt your palate. The formal restaurant at the Brown Palace Hotel (map) is yet another classic on the Denver restaurant scene. The Beef Wellington is well worth the wait, especially as your server slices it tableside. A very formal atmosphere with first class service.

Detroit, MI

Some recommendations include French Asian at Tribute (map) in Farmington Hills and Duet (map) for French American.

Honolulu, HI

My two favorite places are A Pacific Cafe (map) for seafood and Alan Wong's (map) for the best Ahi I've ever eaten. Another to add to the list is Yanagi Sushi (map).

Indianapolis, IN

If you like Italian, try Benvenuti's (location unknown). I enjoyed it. The California Cafe (closed) also serves an eclectic menu with fresh seafood each day.

A Program Developer's Take on Things (pg 1 of 5)

Disclaimer: Former BER program developer, Sandy Anderson, has kindly provided her list of favorite restaurants around the country and the following descriptions are verbatim from her notes with the addition of formatting and hyperlinks by myself. Enjoy!

Sandy's Restaurant Reviews - Updated Version for Fall 2000

I always enjoy the opportunity to try out innovative, fresh cooking (or maybe decadent, wonderful cooking). So I thought I'd pass along some of my favorites - if you have favorites, I hope you'll let me know, and I'll add to the list.

Albuquerque (Santa Fe), NM

My favorite is the Coyote Cafe (map) in Santa Fe - incredible southwestern food and well worth a trip to Santa Fe. They also sell some of the spices and sauces in their gift shop.

Alexandria, VA

Try Le Gaulois (map) for great country French cooking. It's in Old Town on King Street - great fireplace for a cold winter day.

Anaheim, CA

If you're int he mood for Italian, consider Pavia in the Anaheim Hilton (map). The prawns were incredible. Tutto Mare (map) in Newport Beach offers upscale contemporary dining at reasonable prices. They always feature a wide assortment of fresh seafood and shellfish. You can eat to your heart's content and then shop until your plastic melts at Fashion Island (map) right next door. The sushi restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel (map) has excellent sashimi and roll assortments created by a talented crew from the Land of the Rising Sun using only the freshest ingredients. Try the Ahi roll or California Roll - they're outstanding.

Atlanta, GA

Buckhead has a number of restaurants that are outstanding, but one of my favorites is Cafe Tutu Tango (map), which serves incredible tapas. They also have one in Orlando.

Boston, MA

If you like seafood, try Legal Sea Foods (map). There are several of them in the Boston area.

Chicago, IL

The list is unending, but some of my favorites are Cafe Spiaggia (map) near the Drake Hotel (map) serving Italian, the Cape Cod Room in the Drake Hotel with incredible seafood soups and chowders, Prairie in the Hyatt on Printers Row (map) where I had a portabello salad, and Cafe La Cave (map) near the airport for wonderful seafood and/or Italian food. A new favorite is Maggiano's (map) for Italian food - the portions are oversized so plan on sharing or eating a lot - there are multiple locations, including downtown, Oak Brook, Schaumberg, and Arlington Heights.

Sticky Icky

On a recommendation from a recent presenter (and fellow sushi lover), I'm posting about an awesome-looking sushi stop with locations in both Richmond, VA and Washington, D.C. I've not yet been to either city to experience this small, but independently-owned, chain, but from the looks of their web presence, they must be awesome!

Geek out: They've got at least two different websites with great design/coding, social media interaction all over the place (on-location photos, Twitter, blog, etc...), and even a list of their go-to websites (must be a work in progress with only two links right now)! Any place this "hip" to the latest web and marketing trends (and that does it well!) gets a huge thumbs up from me; way to go, Sticky Rice.

Looks like these locations are all pretty happenin', with live DJs, alcohol sales, and all sorts of other cool things, but some reviews online average out to 3/5 stars. Looks like there's good sushi, but it may not be a great idea to go during a rush or later in the evenings when the bar gets crowded with college students.

[ Website #1 ]
[ Website #2 ]
[ Google Map ]
[ Yelp ]

P.S. Did I mention one of their specialties is tater tots? Craziness.

Chain Gang #3

Because of what some have started to call "Stormageddon" here in the northeastern US this February, I have found myself stuck at the Hampton Inn next to the Philadelphia airport for two days to end out this week. The hotel has no restaurant, of course, and the only thing within walking distance is the Ruby Tuesday next door.

Now, I haven't been to a Ruby Tuesday restaurant in a while and may have just missed the memo about their improved menu, but I'm guessing, instead, the cooks at this location must have just been on-the-ball today. There wasn't a shift change between my lunch and dinner visits, so I couldn't tell if that was a factor. For lunch, I had a turkey and avocado sandwich on a delicious pretzel bun. The chunk of turkey they gave me was grilled to perfection with some amazingly scrumptious seasoning. The warm avocado topped it off for a very surprising experience.

Image courtesy RubyTuesday.com

Dinner started out with a Sam Adams seasonal ale, which just so happened to go very well with the Chicken Fresco entree.

Chicken Fresco
A fresh, all-natural grilled chicken breast topped with vine-ripened tomatoes, lemon-butter sauce, and a splash of balsamic vinaigrette. With steamed broccoli and white cheddar mashed potatoes.

The chicken was grilled right on the outside and incredibly moist on the inside, the balsamic vinaigrette had that certain sharp taste that seemed to mix perfectly with the beer, the steamed broccoli couldn't have been cooked better, and the mashed potatoes...what I would give to have some more of those mashed potatoes!! Absolutely brilliant, all around.

If you find yourself in the area, especially if you're snowed in with nowhere better to go, I hope you get a chance to experience this food at its best.

P.S. Skip dessert; my Blondie for 1 came with partially-melted ice cream and a slice of brownie cake that was burnt on the inside from whatever microwave they used to heat it with.

A Panda Wearing a Sombrero

Have you finally been sent somewhere in the southern US (sun, at last!)? Do you happen to be in Phoenix and also happen to be staying at the Crowne Plaza on West Peoria Avenue? Good, you're in for a treat.

Trusty ol' Yelp.com led me to find a great little dive with Asian/Mexican fusion food called Chino Bandido. They have two locations in the greater Phoenix area and one happens to be only three or four miles from that Crowne Plaza, so you may be able to get the hotel shuttle to drive you, but I personally had a friend pick me up at the hotel, so I can't be certain. The restaurant is a dingy little place in an even sketchier part of town (there were a few police helicopters with spotlights doing fly-overs just down the street), but the quality of food, on my visit, far surpassed the appearance of the shop.

You walk in and, if it's your first time at the place, the staff walks you through a sampling of six menu items before showing you how to order. I followed the advice of quite a few Yelpers and ordered the Jade Red Chicken; I was not disappointed! The statue of a panda in the next room, wearing a sombrero, is also not to be missed (it's better when you walk in and there are three small kids crawling all over it!).

Also featured on Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," hosted by Guy Fieri, episode DV0305 titled A World of Flavors.

[ Google map ]
[ Yelp review ]
[ website ]

Boise Bento

Who knew downtown Boise was so adorable? If you're staying at the Owyhee Plaza and want some decent Asian food, wander over a couple blocks and go to Zen Bento (10th and Main). Matt suggested this one to me, and it was a winner! While it's not really bento boxes, its pretty tasty. Veggies and your choice of protein (I chose tofu today) over rice and your choice of sauce over all of it. They also have sushi and gigantic cookies (it was hard to restrain myself). Best of all, it's all under $10!