Mesob

Mesob
104 14th Street Parking Garage
N.W. Suite #8
Charlottesville, VA
(Check out their online menu!)

It’s hard to find good Ethiopian food in Central Virginia so Mesob is a blessing to those who love this terrific cuisine. Mesob boasts a nice lunch buffet on weekdays and features a variety of tasty dishes. The injera is very good – soft and spongy, absorbing all the flavors of your meal. (And in recent visits, the injeras has been even better than usual. I really enjoy it when it is a bit sticky and soft.)

I always love the cabbage dish although I am not sure what it is called. I’m also not sure what they do with it but it has a great flavor, slightly sweet and delicious flavor that soaks right into the thoroughly cooked vegetable.

Other buffet items have included Alicha Doro Wet, which, according to their menu, consists of chicken drum sticks and hard boiled eggs in a wonderful broth of “spiced and purified butter, garlic, tomato, turmeric, and onion.” I’m pretty sure that I’ve also had the Minchet Abish-Alicha Wet, which is a dish of minced meat “stweed in spiced and purified butter, onion ,turmeric, tomato paste, and garlic.”

For vegetarian lovers, I don’t think can go wrong with the cabbage but there is also the Gomen, which is a dish of chopped “and boiled collard greens cooked with olive oil, onion, ginger, garlic, and jalapeno.”

All in all, this is a terrific place with friendly service and excellent food.

(Images by AG)

Lunch at Brasserie Montiel

Brasserie Montiel & Coffee House
2001 Commonwealth Dr.
Charlottesville, VA

I have given this restaurant a fine review in the past for their breakfast options (crepes are good for any time of the day!) but their record with lunch items is also very good. Their chicken potpie is hearty and perfect for a cold, rainy day. The pie isn’t actually a pie as the puff pastry comes on top of everything else. The pasty itself is flakey and well baked. I think I prefer my pies to be a bit gooier but I’m probably an outlier. The chicken, carrots, and gravy are well done.

The jambalaya is also an excellent lunch item. Filled with tasty sausage, mussels, shrimp, okra, and a variety of excellent spices, this dish is also quite filling. I had my doubts about it when I saw the quantity (it comes in a somewhat small portion in a square plate) but this is a filling dish so order a cup of coffee afterwards or you’ll fall asleep at work. It was $12 and more than I usually spend on lunch so I think I will reserve this dish for very special occasions.


Finally, the mini-cheeseburgers are, as you can see, well-presented and a good lunch-sized meal. I think I prefer my burgers to be a bit less rare than this (it was a bit pink in the middle) but the taste was good and the fries complimented the dish very well. The fries, by the way, have a bit too much salt in them but that’s my health-conscious side talking. They taste great.

(Image by MB)

Bistro La Viola

Bistro La Viola
253 South 16th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

This “bring your own wine,” cash only restaurant in downtown Philadelphia is a great place to dine if you like a cozy atmosphere and some tasty veal. The dining room can only fit around 70 people and it gets very tight very quickly on busy evenings so go early. On nice days, one might be tempted to sit outside but there, one might be distracted and annoyed by the city traffic.

Start with the Grigliata Di Calamari (grilled calamari marinated in lemon juice, garlic and peppered extra virgin olive oil) and you’re on your way to a wonderful evening. The calamari is well grilled with some charcoal taste that is not overwhelming. They might add a bit more lemon though as the dish can verge into the too sweet category. The dish is not filling and leaves plenty of room for the Vitello Alla Viola (veal medallions with fresh mushrooms, garlic and prosciutto in a rich veal sauce). What can I say about this except that I am craving it now. The thinly cut veal is perfectly cooked and is juicy and tender. The sauce brings out the rich taste and the mushrooms compliment the dish perfectly.

The tables fill up quickly and since it is “family style,” you may end up with some happy couple sitting next to you as you are enjoying your food. A small price to pay though as the food is terrific and the waiters watch over you like hawks.

(Image by AG)

Kabul

Kabul
106 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
(Check out their website!)

This Afghan restaurant off of downtown Philadelphia came highly recommended to me. Having had a wonderful Afghan meals years ago, I was eager to see what Philadelphia had to offer. The restaurant was a bit dark for my taste (no pictures) but it probably looks fine during daylight hours. I was told that they had good appetizers but, not being all that hungry, opted to wait for the main dish. I had the Bandenjan Chalaw, which is a dish of lamb cooked with eggplant in a tomato sauce with onions and various spices.

The dish itself was great and the taste was pretty good although I expected more of a dance for my taste buds. Now, the dish is hot and you wouldn’t want to eat it alone but I was expecting more of a complicated taste what with all the spices and all. The rice was a bit dry though and wouldn’t have been great if I hadn’t needed it to sooth my burning tongue. As it was, I consumed all the rice with the dish. Not too much of a feat though, given that the dish was not all large and I though they had just brought out a sauce container before realizing that that was what I had ordered. Given the quantity, $15 seems a bit steep.

For dessert we had the Firnee, which is an Afghan pudding with pistachios and almonds. I wasn’t impressed with this dish. I’m not sure what it was. The texture was OK but the taste just didn’t feel right. It was a bit too strong, I’d say where a good pudding’s flavor should be more subtle. Still, my dining companion loved it so that’s a positive endorsement there.

I’ll give Kabul another try probably but my first impression wasn’t entirely positive.

L’Osteria Ristorante

L’Osteria Ristorante
104 Salem St.
Boston, MA 02113
(Check out their website!)

In the North End and in the mood for some excellent seafood pasta? Why not try this little place, which boasts a fine menu and delicious food? Here’s a picture of the Brodetto di Pesce, which is basically a mix of seafood (mussels, scallops, clams, shrimp, calamari, schrod) over linguini, all mixed in a very light tomato sauce. It’s a real job to work through the mound of seafood and the taste makes every bite worthwhile. The dish comes in at almost $24 but is worth it if you’re willing to splurge a little. Add a bit of wine and you’ll probably pat yourself on the back for having ordered some good food and drink.

(Images by AG)

Caramel Apple Spice from Starbucks

Starbucks
Your Local Street Corner
Anywhere, USA
(Visit their website!)

I generally do not like large stores like Starbucks but hats off to them for this fantastic drink! I looked in disgust at one as a travel companion ordered it and sipped it with joy after having bashed Starbucks herself. Since it was a particularly cold day and I was curious about the drink, I had just a taste and I was hooked. My travel companion had added a few pumps of Chai to her drink but subsequent orders that I placed were without this additional flavor. I also did away with the caramel as that just makes it too sweet. Check, it out, with the caramel and no whipped cream, this drink brings in 310 calories! I don’t know if my subtraction of the caramel helps much but I think it tastes better that way anyway. So, cheers to this terrific winter drink!

(Image by MB)

Mediterranean Grill

Mediterranean Grill
10 School Street
Freeport, Maine
(Visit their website and check out the full menu!)

This is the best restaurant in Freeport. Go to L. L. Bean or wherever you want in this shopping paradise but be sure not to scarf down too much of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream because you’re going to miss out on a real treat. Whenever I’m in the area, I just have to drop by the Mediterranean Grill. The owners are really friendly and I think they also own the famous “China Rose” restaurants in both Freeport and Brunswick. This expansion into Mediterranean cuisine allows them to demonstrate a whole new range of tastes for the hungry shopper.

Definitely start your meal off with the Sigara Borek. This is a terrific dish with meat, cheese, and parsley wrapped in fillo dough and fried to perfection. It is served with a Caesar dressing-like sauce that compliments the dish. Flakey and crunchy, the Sigara Borek is so good you’ll want it to be your main dish. But there are better treats in store.

My all-time favorite is the Shepard Sautéed. Tender, bite-sized chunks of lamb stir fried with mixed vegetables including zucchini and potatoes served over some buttered rice just make the meal complete. Though the portion is pretty large and you’ll probably have leftovers, you end up wishing you could eat more and more of this delicious meal. I highly recommend it.

The specials vary but these guys know how to do lamb just right so you probably can’t go wrong with any of their dishes if you just want to spin the wheel and see what special treats the chefs have come up with that day.

End the meal with a wonderful custard and some Turkish tea. The custard is a favorite of mine but it’s always a race to see if there is any left by the time I’m done with the main course. Reserve a slice early on and you might just be lucky enough to have this wonderful, tender, and not too sweet custard as your dessert (topped with chocolate sauce!). The tea comes in cute little glass cups and finishes off the meal perfectly. I can’t praise this restaurant enough. Well worth the price and, with a cozy and stylish atmosphere, this place is just a great place to dine.

(Images by AG)