Log In / Sign Up

Zollipop's Profile

Title Last Reply

Three More Nights - Save Us!

Ok those sound like a great start - will report back.

Nov 21, 2011
Zollipop in Miami - Fort Lauderdale

Three More Nights - Save Us!

Are two nights in to our five night trip to Miami. We have been choosing restaurants based on our guidebook and some other websites - with mixed results.

Last night : Copas y Tapas (pretty good) and Seasons 52 on Miracle Mile (severely underwhelming)

Today: Grillfish (ok) and Tapas y Tintos (also underwhelming)

We are staying in the Coral Gables area and are more concerned with the food than with the price or the ambiance.

Is there a local who can direct us to some awesome eats in the area? (thinking of Las Vegas..)

Thanks!

zolli
(www.zollipop.com

)

-----
Grillfish
1444 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Las Vegas Restaurant
112 Giralda Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134

Copa Cafe
1951 W Copans Rd Ste 7, Pompano Beach, FL 33064

Seasons 52
2300 NW Executive Center Dr, Boca Raton, FL 33431

Nov 20, 2011
Zollipop in Miami - Fort Lauderdale

Need Help Choosing Carribean Destination

... which of course has great food. Any of the all-inclusives which are renowned for great food are totally out of our price range, clocking in between $600-1000 usually. So we are thinking of staying at a non-all-inclusive, then splurging on a few great meals and having others at the local down-to-earth haunts.

A complicating factor is that I am terrified of driving on small roads at night, so we're looking for somewhere that has a relatively high density of good restaurants within walking/short-driving distance.

So far we have narrowed it down to St. Lucia, St. Martin French side, and Anguilla.

Does anyone have any other hints or more specific hotel/neighbourhood advice?

Thanks!
Zolli

Oct 16, 2011
Zollipop in Latin America & Caribbean

Prairie Food Trucks - A Possibility?

Three cheers to Kives for bringing this issue to light.

Jun 20, 2011
Zollipop in Prairie Provinces

Rice varieties in Winnipeg?

Hi Allegra,

It's not a rice per se, but why don't you check out Cavena Nuda - the rice of the prairies! It's really a whole oat product but it makes a nice pilaf when mixed with regular basmati. You can get it at Marcello's meats on Meadowood. Rather than following the instructions on the bottle I precook the cavena for about 10 minutes before adding the basmati - otherwise the basmati gets mushy before the cavena fully cooks....

As for Bomba - no idea - let me know if you find any.

May 12, 2011
Zollipop in Prairie Provinces

May 2011 COTM, PLENTY: Roots, Funny Onions

Brave you for trying the full amount of peppers! Maybe this dish is something you like or something you don't - or maybe Winnipeggers have a weird predilection for peppery tofu! Glad to see another Winnipegger on Chow!
Zolli

May 11, 2011
Zollipop in Home Cooking

May 2011 COTM, PLENTY: Capsicums, Brassicas, The Mighty Eggplant

Shakshuka p.87

This recipe starts off with a compelling story about a quaint alley in Jaffa - so inspiring that while I was cooking it I kept chanting, " Shakshuka! Shakshuka!"

It was very tasty, but didn't live up to my expectations 100%, and here's why:

- they aren't kidding when they say to use a very large pan: my 12" frying pan was about 50% insufficient - by the time you get all the onions and peppers in there, it's basically impossible to get a good brown, as they all start to steam. SUGGEST: halving the recipe or using two saute pans. Or buy a massive pan.
- the plight of the spring tomato: this recipe is fairly dependent on tomatoes for flavour, so if you live somewhere intemperate like me, fresh tomatoes don't start to taste good until mid-summer. SUGGEST: consider using canned
- the serving suggestions: they suggest dividing the recipe amongst four saute pans. Which as a home cook, I basically interpret to mean, "wash an additional four pans". Forget it. SUGGEST: Cook the eggs directly in the original mixture - I did it and it worked out fine.

All in all, this was tasty, but if you can't get a good brown on the onions and peppers, it might fall a little short for you.

May 11, 2011
Zollipop in Home Cooking

May 2011 COTM, PLENTY: Roots, Funny Onions

I have to respectfully disagree! I made this dish last night with some changes to the original recipe, and it was a knockout!! (In a good way, not in an incendiary-from-all-the-pepper way). The alterations I made were:

- substituted onion for the shallot (my grocery was out)
- cut the amount of chiles in half
- subbed regular soysauce for the kecap manis and added an extra tsp of brown sugar
- used brown sugar rather than regular sugar
- used half the amount of butter suggested

My husband, who is a definite carnivore, adored it! The texture of the tofu was sexy! Perfect with brown rice and grilled corn on the side.

May 11, 2011
Zollipop in Home Cooking

May 2011 COTM, PLENTY: Roots, Funny Onions

Three cheers for this one! A great side - we ate it at room temperature one night and warm the next - it was great both ways!

If you sliced the carrots smaller it would also make a great filling for a veggie sandwich!

May 11, 2011
Zollipop in Home Cooking

Foodies Coming to Winnipeg

Will try...thanks for the heads up...

Apr 22, 2011
Zollipop in Prairie Provinces

Foodies Coming to Winnipeg

Prasantrin: I think you should start a new thread on Filipino prairie breakfasts in the city - whities like me have no idea where to go....

Apr 22, 2011
Zollipop in Prairie Provinces

Foodies Coming to Winnipeg

I lived in Toronto for a while and I am being totally honest in saying that you aren't going to find a ton here that you won't find in Toronto. It's not that there aren't great eats in Winnipeg, it's just that Toronto has such a larger population that of course there is going to be a greater variety of food options. Since you are from Toronto I would totally skip my suggestions for Asian markets because you will be severely underwhelmed as compared to Spadina or North York.

Let me direct you instead to some quintessential Winnipeg experiences:

- get a Goog special at the Bridge Drive In (on Jubilee) and walk across the bridge and along Kingston Row
- drive out to Lockport and get a hotdog at The Half Moon
- get a Greek style burger at any of the places prasantrin mentioned - I also like George's
- pergogies and kielbasa
- smoked goldeye
- if you are here during the summer check out some of the festivals
- if you are headed towards Carberry make sure to check out the Carberry Sands Park (not food-related but still worth a mention)
- grab a Filipino breakfast (reviews at http://www.breakfastwinnipeg.com/Brea...
)- Mise/Fude/Fusion Grill are probably the best at highlighting local ingredients
- don't miss the Old Dutch chips!

Z

Apr 21, 2011
Zollipop in Prairie Provinces

Prairie Food Trucks - A Possibility?

Good point about the weather in Eastern Canada, although I still struggle to see people standing outside to eat in the middle of winter - perhaps if you could park close enough to some major public buildings or office buildings and people had the possibility of refuge from the cold it would work out better...
Or what about a drive-up food cart?

Apr 21, 2011
Zollipop in Prairie Provinces

Prairie Food Trucks - A Possibility?

A late night encounter with some Cabernet and Food Network Canada got me thinking about the recent trend in food trucks - is this something that's feasible year-round in the cold climate of the Canadian prairies? Is it a viable business venture? I don't know if any food trucks in Winnipeg that follow the spirit of the current trend, although there are of course some hamburger/hot dog places.

Should I start a Bannock Buggy?

What does everyone think? Do you have food trucks in your prairie city?

Zolli

Apr 21, 2011
Zollipop in Prairie Provinces

2 days in Sonoma - planning advice sought

We like The Girl and The Fig in Sonoma for a casual bite

Apr 21, 2011
Zollipop in San Francisco Bay Area

What's the best steakhouse in Las Vegas in Chowhound's Opinion?

Just ate at Charlie Palmer Four Seasons last week. Thought it was excellent.

Apr 21, 2011
Zollipop in Las Vegas

Hard Rock- Any place worth eating here?

I can't agree more with LVFlyer - and interesting - I too was brought a drink (not cheap) that I didn't ask for. I would skip Nobu in favour of Okada any day.

-----
Nobu Restaurant
4455 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89169

Okada
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Apr 21, 2011
Zollipop in Las Vegas

Breakfast help

OK, maybe I am revealing too much about my Las Vegas indulgences by writing this - but usually for us breakfast occurs no earlier than 11 AM. One of our favourite things to do is to hit Border Grill in Mandalay Bay for some brunch margaritas and tacos!
Zolli
(www.zollipop.com

)

-----
Border Grill
3950 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas, NV 89119

Apr 20, 2011
Zollipop in Las Vegas

GREATEST STEAK IN VEGAS

We absolutely love Charlie Palmer at the Four Seasons. It's slightly out of the way, but absolutely worth it (rating above 90% on Urbanspoon too!). We just went on Saturday April 16th 2011 and everything was perfect. I've written on it more extensively on my blog at http://wp.me/pJmIX-nf if you want more details.

Happy eats!

Zolli
www.zollipop.com

Apr 20, 2011
Zollipop in Las Vegas

2 nights in vegas - Is Fine Dining on the Strip for $100 per person possible?

We just had a couple super meals at La Cave in the Wynn - great atmosphere, reasonable prices, friendly service, and super food!! You won't be disappointed. Swing by around lunch to make a rezzo though - it gets busy. I wrote a more detailed review on my blog here: http://wp.me/pJmIX-nf

Good luck!
Zolli

-----
La Cave (Wynn
)3145 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Apr 20, 2011
Zollipop in Las Vegas

Screw Nobu: Does good Casino-Sushi Exist?

Thanks everyone for the ideas. We ended up trying Okada (nice, quite expensive) and Wazuzu (meh, unoriginal, too pricy). I wrote more detailed comments on my blog. Hope to get to some of your other suggestions on our next visit.

-----
Okada
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Apr 20, 2011
Zollipop in Las Vegas

Foodies Coming to Winnipeg

Welcome to Winnipeg!

Prasantrin has already listed a number of the great spots to eat around the city, but let me contribute a few answers to your queries:

Coffee: There are some good local roasters (Green Bean Coffee Co., Black Pearl Coffee) so you can head to Organza eatery to pick some up to make at home.

Markets/Gourmet Food Shops: Not sure where you are coming from, but if it's not from a city with a big Asian population, check out SunWah grocery, Lucky Supermarket, or Young's Market. For Italian, my recommendation would be DeLuca's grocery. Also: within a small radius near St. Vital mall you can stop at Marcello's to get local meat/perogies or at Local Meats and Frozen Treats for the same. (But you have to cook those somewhere...). Organza and Vic's are also good for local pantry items.

Near MTS Centre: Try Hermanos for steak or Deseo for something a little different. (It's not really walking distance though.)

Higher end: My favorites are Mise, Segovia, and Bistro 7 1/4.

In the Forks itself: the offerings there are quite spotty, I'm sorry to say. There are good dosas at Taste of Sri Lanks though, and try the Sauerkraut perogies at Ludya's. The fruit stand is embarrassing, sorry, but you can stop at Fenton's for cheese or wine. Skip any of the actual restaurants in the except Sydney's.

For some more ideas, you can check out my blog at www.zollipop.com

Cheers and happy eats,
Zolli

-----
Bistro 7 1/4
725 Osborne St, Winnipeg, MB R3L, CA

Mise
222 Osborne St, Winnipeg, MB R3L, CA

Apr 20, 2011
Zollipop in Prairie Provinces

Where to find San Marzano tomatoes in Winnipeg?

Vic's market carries them sometimes

Apr 09, 2011
Zollipop in Prairie Provinces

Raku (Splendid), Charlie Palmer (Good), B&B (Waste of $), Sinatra (Bad/Sad)

I would put Charlie Palmer's in my 'Great' category: we found the food to be excellent and the sommelier to be very knowledgeable and down-to-earth. The atmosphere is a welcome break from the 'ding-ding-ding' you seem to hear everywhere else on the Strip

Zolli
(www.zollipop.com)

Apr 09, 2011
Zollipop in Las Vegas

Screw Nobu: Does good Casino-Sushi Exist?

I come from a city smack dab in the middle of the Canadian prairies. Avowedly, it is misguided of me to think that I can get great sushi in another city far from an ocean, but damn it, I want to try.

We were at Nobu last year and I was underwhelmed: the quality of the food was disproportionate to the cost and to the tolerance I had to muster to be in such an overly hyped environment.

I had read some fairly positive reviews of Sen of Japan, but it is a cab ride away from the Strip - I will be travelling to Vegas as a single female and I dislike long car trips at night with strangers.

I am staying at the Wynn, so I intend to try Okada.

I have one other night to get my Casino-Sushi game on. Where should I try?

(Note: will also be eating at Bartolatta on another night).

Thanks,
Zolli
(www.zollipop.com

)

-----
Sen of Japan
8480 W Desert Inn Rd F1, Las Vegas, NV

Nobu Restaurant
4455 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89169

Okada
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Apr 09, 2011
Zollipop in Las Vegas

Best Spot for a Lone Female Business Traveler

Not a lot of time for sightseeing: just time for working, eating, and sleeping. Thanks for all the suggestions thus far, fellow Chowhounds!

Jul 15, 2010
Zollipop in Washington DC & Baltimore

Best Spot for a Lone Female Business Traveler

Hello,

Staying in Siver Spring Maryland (just outside Washington, I'm told) on business this weekend. I like authentic, non-pompous restaurants.

Any recommends for a great local eatery (maybe some soul food?) in a safe area that would be readily accessible to me?

Zolli

Jul 14, 2010
Zollipop in Washington DC & Baltimore

What's the best way to revive pita?

Pita goes stale so quickly. What's the best way to revive a pita that's a few days old?

May 17, 2010
Zollipop in Home Cooking

Fresh Mushrooms: Bluefoot, Morrell, Porcini, Hen of the Woods -- Preparation ideas, techniques?

Morels: Triple bread them. First: flour spiked with Lebanese za'atar, then egg, then panko seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry in clarified butter then dance around your kitchen.

www.zollipop.com

May 16, 2010
Zollipop in Home Cooking

Best breakfast joints in Western Canada

Winnipeg. Two Words: Tallest Poppy. Don't mind the homeless on the way in. They're mostly harmless.

May 16, 2010
Zollipop in Prairie Provinces