Marathon Grill

Marathon Grill
40th and Walnut
Philadelphia
(Check out their website for other locations around the city)


This is my favorite salad from the Marathon Grill. It's called the Marathon Chopped Salad and comes with an option of turkey or grilled shrimp. The basic salad is $8.95 (add $3.00 for turkey or $5.50 for shrimp). The basic comes with avocado, chopped tomatoes, diced eggs, sliced mushrooms, bacon bits over garden greens. All this is mixed with thousand island dressing, well mixed in. I've had it with the turkey a few times and am very impressed. Be warned that this is a giant salad and will fill you up very easily.

Kabob and Curry

Kabob and Curry
261 Thayer Street
Providence, RI
(Visit their website)

This is a nice two story restaurant right near Brown University. I had the lamb barba kabob salad, which consisted of lamb kabobs over lettuce, diced cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes. The salad also included walnuts and cranberries. I had it with balsamic vinaigrette but this dressing tasted different than the regular variety. I'm not sure if they added some sort of Indian spices to it or something but it was very tasty.

The seating was a bit crowded but the food was decent and the service wasn't bad when we first got there. Lunch hour is a busy time though but it looked like the wait staff worked well together.

The mango chicken was also very tasty but the portion seemed a bit small.

Tropicana Pure Valencia

I'm a big fan of orange juice, particularly Tropicana's Immunity Defense OJ. I was, however, skeptical when I saw the new adds for "Tropicana Pure Valencia." Still curious, I bought a bottle and tried it out. It's just regular orange juice as far as I can tell and the original still tastes better. Of course, the Valencia is more expensive and I have to think that half the cost went into the little booklets that came with the bottle. Bear in mind these are little booklets that tell you how wonderful what you're about to drink is. The first page boasts that this OJ was a "taste like you've never experienced" and an "orange juice like no other."

Why does Tropicana think that Valencia is so super? Here's their reasoning: "Because this juice is 100% Valencia, and the Valencia is a special orange. . . . Valencias spend more than a year ripening on the tree, developing a deep, rich color, exceptional juiciness, and an especially succulent taste."

It's also not easy to get picked to be part of this new drink! "Ultimately," the booklet tells us, "only the top 3% of our entire harvest is chosen for Tropicana Pure Valencia." The makers of Valencia "squeeze slowly, taking great care and concern with each step. And we embrace the smallest details to ensure only the very best juice." Apparently, Valencia is "out most luscious juice ever" and it is supposed to "change the way you think about juice."

As if all this wasn't absurd enough, the makers of Valencia take the time to tell you how to drink this super OJ! First, you must "Close your eyes and breathe in the incredible aroma." Then, "open your eyes and take in the deep, intense color." Third, "Swirl the juice in your glass to observe the full body." And, finally, "take a sip. Let every taste bud be entertained by teh luscious experience of succulent fruit."

I'm not at all convinced!

Where to Eat in Charlottesville

OK, so this is a week old but I've been busy. The Washington Post recommends a few spots, which I should check out when I'm in Cville. Among the recommendations are Mas, Revolutionary Soup, the Albemarle Baking Co., HotCakes, and Aroma's Cafe. I've been to a few of these but will give further thought before reviewing them. Check out the article to see what they have to say.

Carpe Donut

(Check out their website for where they'll be!)

The donuts that these guys make are always a treat. Think about it: organic apple cider donuts that are warm and soft and just leave you feeling all good inside. What more could you ask for except an actual store where you could walk in daily and get a dose of these goodies? Until then, however, you'll just have to keep checking the website to see where they'll be. Looks like you can probably catch them on the Downtown Mall on Fridays on a fairly regular basis.

Aqua Malaysian & Thai Restaurant

Aqua Malaysian & Thai Restaurant
705 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA

This was a disappointing meal. My dining companion and I ordered two drinks, two salads, and two desserts. Maybe half of those would get a passing grade.

The coconut drink was basically coconut juice in a can win some coconut meat along with it. Not bad but it really did not taste as fresh as the real deal. Now, I have seen coconuts in Philadelphia so how hard could it be to offer fresh coconut juice in a Southeast Asian restaurant?

The mango juice was OK but my companion did not really like it. I thought it was pretty refreshing and a better deal than the coconut drink.

We ordered the Thai beef salad and the green papaya salad. The first one was edible and I loved the copious amounts of romaine, tomato, and onion. The sauce was a bit on the sweet side and for an almost $9 dish, they might have offered more meat. The green papaya salad was not very good at all. My companion complained that it left an after taste that reminded her of fish food and I tend to agree. Having never had papaya salad before, I don't know what to compare it to but I doubt that it is supposed to taste like this.

We ordered the fried banana and roti banana for dessert and enjoyed one of them. The fried banana was in a strange batter that made the fruit turn out red. It also seemed to absorb all the tasty goodness of the banana (maybe it was unripe) and really did not make a good impression. The roti banana, however, was pretty good. This is a cripy/sticky pancake dough stuffed with coconut paste and banana. It was also offered with just the coconut paste and this would have been fine. Good texture and not too sweet, this was my favorite dish there.

Overall, I was quite disappointed and was even less inclined to return when I got the bill. For the value and quantity of food that we got, I don't see how that could have equaled $40.

Copacabana

Copacabana Brazilian International
400 Shoppers World Ct
Charlottesville, VA 22901

This little restaurant, tucked away in Shoppers World on Route 29 is a terrific place for good food that is light and tasty. Located next to the local Whole Foods , Copacabana boasts a solid menu of seafood, pasta, and meats. The variety may not be so large but almost everything on the menu looks appetizing and you spend a lot of time trying to figure out what you want to try. The setting is a bit dark and the little candles don't give off much light so consider it a place for a romantic gathering. From what I could observe, however, there weren't many young couples there and a lot of business types, older folks, or couples in their 30s seemed to frequent this place.

I started off with the escargot with artichokes in a light cream sauce which also came with small pieces of tender cheese. The escargot was perfect and the artichokes really complimented the taste of the dish. The appetizer came with warm bread, which is just terrific and probably the best bread I've had in Charlottesville. The bread works great with just butter but dip it into the cream sauce and it just takes appetizers to a whole new level.

Entrees are served with a small salad with some shaved carrots to top it off. The house dressing, which is an avocado vinaigrette is wonderful and I have asked for just the dressing in a small container to take with me. They might overdo it a bit though when they drench their salads in this sauce.

For the main course I had the special, which was the fillet mignon with scallops in a red wine sauce. The meat was cooked perfectly and the scallops added a nice flavor to the dish. The sauce was creamy and a bit sweet, which made this a favorite dish of mine. I think they ran out of fillet mignons since, later in the evening, they started introducing New York strips as their special of the day. The fillet must have been a favorite.

Always top off a meal at Copacabana with the banana flan, which is served with a tasty strawberry sauce and whipped cream. This wonderful custard melts in your mouth and gives your tongue a nice treat after a full meal.

At the end, they give you a nice little mint and a hefty check. Maybe that's why this is not more popular with the student population. Still, it is well worth it and you leave the restaurant satisfied but not completely stuffed. They know how to do creamy dishes and entrees so that they taste great but don't make you so stuffed that you can't walk later.

Highly recommended!