Archive for the 'restaurant reviews' Category

Asuka

Published by Hal on March 12, 2008 in restaurant reviews. 0 Comments

Sushi BarAs if we haven’t been spending enough money lately, Stacie and I decide that we were going to grab a quick bite to eat after we picked her her car from the shop. We did this partially because I needed to go back to work to finish some things up for the day, which meant I wouldn’t be getting home until late–almost too late to prepare dinner, really.

So, we tried to go to a Chinese restaurant across the street from Midas, but they only took cash (Stacie and I are notorious for never carrying cash). Instead, we decided to check out the sushi restaurant next door, Asuka. Needless to say, entering this Asian food establishment started out better for us this time than it did the last time we opted for Asian. The place was clean and brightly decorated with walnut colored wood and bright paint.

The hostess/waitress asked us where we’d like to sit: in the Sushi Bar or at a hibachi table. You have to understand, we are terrible with making choices. Stacie and I had the “deer-in-headlights” look, but Stacie snapped out quickly and said “Sushi!”

We’re not expert sushi eaters by any stretch, so we stick to some pretty basic things: tuna, salmon, cooked shellfish. About the most exotic thing we get from a sushi bar is eel (though, I do like roe sushi). However, I do know the difference between sushi and sashimi :) (For those who are not in the know: sushi is just dressed rice, so it’s prepared a particular way and dressed with fish or something else; sashimi is just the fish, no rice). So, of course we ordered…

  • 2 pieces of salmon sushi
  • 2 pieces of yellowfin sushi
  • An eel roll (cut into 6 pieces)
  • A crab roll
  • A yellowfin roll
  • A shrimp roll
  • A sweet potato roll

The sushi came out very quickly and beautifully prepared. The fish was perfectly fresh and light. Sweet potato was an interesting choice–essentially, a stick of sweet potato about the size of a french fry, dipped in tempura and fried. It was perhaps just the right amount of sweet to end our meal.

The entire experience was delightful, though it could have been better on our pocketbook. I’m not complaining, because the prices were reasonable and fair–we just should have eaten at home rather than spending even more money. For two soft drinks, and effectively 34 pieces of sushi, the total was $33 after tip. They were running a 20% off sushi today, otherwise it would have been closer to $38. Not sure if that is a regular thing, or if it’s because all the kids are out of town, Spring Breaking it, but I’ll take it.

Asuka is on the corner of 3rd Street and College Mall in Bloomington (IN). Look for it next to the Panera.

Jewel Bako Sushi Bar by ulterior epicure.

Follow-up: Cookie Delivery

Published by Hal on January 14, 2008 in observations of food and restaurant reviews. 0 Comments

Last month, I wrote about two start-ups in Bloomington where the fare is all dough, the whole dough, and nothing but the dough… Cookie dough, that is. Or, more precisely, just warm, ooey-gooey, perfect-when-dunked-in-milk cookies.

Over the weekend, my wife and I had the opportunity to drop in on Baked! (blog) with one of our friends. I’d like to be classy and say that we stopped in during the day, but the truth is we were coming from a party at around 11:00 Saturday night. I can say, however, that we were of the right state of mind (no, sober, I promise), so at least we had some class ;).

Anyway, I don’t think any of us had been there, and it was within walking distance from the party we left. We actually passed the other place (the chain, Insomnia), but didn’t go in because we wanted to check out the local place… It seemed Insomnia was a drag, though, because no one was there. Contrast that to Baked, where people filled the front half, enjoying cookies, fussball, and “Rock Band” on an Xbox 360.

Upon walking in, we went to the counter and stared at the menu, completely befuddled (in case you didn’t know, my wife and I are horrible at actually making decisions, and faced with choice, we’re like a deer in headlights). That’s when a guy, who I can only assume to be the proprietor, came over to help us out (I only presume this because if he wasn’t the proprietor, he was definitely the guy in charge).

I’m sure I probably put the poor guy off a bit, because he asked if we needed help with the menu, to which I said “Well, surely we just follow the directions on the menu board… If it’s more complicated than that, we’re in trouble!”–the menu said “Step 1: pick your dough; Step 2: pick your mix-ins.” He quickly recovered when we asked him what he recommended, and he had suggested for our three very different palates.

My wife ordered peanut butter dough with semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and pretzels.

Our friend ordered sugar dough with toffee bar and macadamia nuts. They split a pint of chocolate milk

I ordered chocolate dough with dark chocolate chips and macadamia nuts, with a carton of soy milk.

We waited a while for our cookies, while admiring the pizza-box art on the walls. The one that got me was from the linguistic department. I can’t even reproduce it here, because it used phonetic symbols, spelling out (phonetically) “Linguistic students love to get Baked!” At some point, our friend commented on our wait, to which I reminded everyone (including myself) that most cookie recipes cook for 12-ish minutes.

Sure enough, about 12 minutes after we placed our order, our cookies came out, in a pizza box, all warm and ooey-gooey, and perfect-when-dunked-in-milk. They were absolutely delicious, and would have been especially perfect had we enjoyed a few libations that night… The night was still young, and our new friend mentioned he would be at work until 5 in the a.m., so I’m sure some late-night-revelers indulged after hours. Regardless, it was pretty darn good cookie!

In total, our tab came to about $14 for 9 cookies, a pint of milk, and a little more than a cup of soy milk… I can make a mean cookie, too, especially since I know the economics of how this works and why he can make money doing this. But for the occasional indulgence this place was great. And, you can’t beat the atmosphere and the friendly people. This guy is a student, to boot, so more power to him! I hope he experiences success beyond success in this venture; I think this is his last semester in school, too, so best of luck as he finishes his last four months!

If you’re in the area, I’d recommend you check it out. If not, maybe you can order some cookies from his website. He says he’s shooting for orders of about $40, but if your story is a good one, he may cut you a break… Maybe telling him that you found his site through the blog of a stranger will get you that break–of course, it might be lame, thereby jacking up the minimum order :).

Restaurant Review: Turkuaz Cafe, Bloomington, IN

Published by Hal on December 3, 2007 in restaurant reviews. 0 Comments

I’ve debated whether or not to reveal a lot about my personal life in this forum, but I’ve decided that some information is just going to come out whether I want it to, or not. There are just some things I want to do on this blog that I can’t do if I don’t divulge a little information… Like restaurant reviews :)

My wife and I live in a very unique town in that it’s not very large and, yet, it has enough culture to put many large cities to shame. One of the best ways this is manifest in Bloomington is in the sheer number of restaurants the city has. And I don’t mean the large corporate chain restaurants of the world; I mean the little mom-and-pop shops, serving ethnic cuisine for a college student’s budget (we are, after all, in a college town).

Tonight, to celebrate some good fortune in our lives, my wife and I decided to dine at Turkuaz Cafe, located on the corner of 3rd Street and Lincoln Street.

Upon entering the cafe/Turkish grocery, we were greeted by who I can only presume to be the owner: “Please, have a seat anywhere! All the tables are yours.” My wife and I had the choice to dine in a traditional style, on rugs on the floor, or at table–we opted for the table. The walls were decorated with art and some Persian rugs; soft Turkish music played in the background–our host and owner equated it to “flying on air” and leaves falling from the trees.

We were quickly greeted by the server with water and menus. My wife selected a small chicken and eggplant pide, while I opted for a small combination (of spinach, sausage, and ground beef) pide. (A pide is something like an open faced calzone; the dough is shaped into the form of a boat, and the fillings/toppings are in the hollow of the boat.) The pide entrees came with a cup of red lentil soup and a sampling of three different salads. The soup was aromatic and delicious, if but a little peppery. The salads were also a delightful treat, a selection of cucumber-tomato-parsley salad, a tabbouleh salad, and a cabbage salad. Of these three, the cucumber-tomato was my favorite, for its light, refreshing taste.

Our entrees came out in short order and we were surprised at the generous portion sizes. “If this is a small,” I asked, “what does a large look like!?” Our server told us the large was quite so, and she only got one if she was splitting with someone else. I quite agree that would have to.

As is usually the case when my wife and I go out to eat, I coveted her pide, as it was quite tasty. The eggplant was tender and provided a nice contrast to the crispy bread-boat that contained it. My own pide was also delicious, particularly the last few bits with spinach.

Since it was a special occasion (our fortunes have been particularly good today), we agreed to share one of our favorite deserts: baklava! The order had four pieces, which we quickly devoured.

Through out the course of our meal, the owner came over to us and talked with us several times. “Everything is very good,” we told him, and he replied “Everything is as good [for] you!” When we paid for our dinner, we again reiterated  how delightful the food was, to which he said, “A million times, thank you,” as though we were honored guests in him home and he was sharing a meal with us.

For entrees for two people, a tea and a soft drink, and a dessert, the total bill came to just under $20. With tip, we enjoyed a tasty dinner, good conversation, and a good host for only $24. This place epitomized everything that is great about small, locally owned eateries–the food is fantastic, the service is prompt and friendly, and the owner/host treats you as family or a dear friend.