The Keeper in Plano’s at The Shops at Legacy was one of the most awaited openings. After my visit I know why….this place is a KEEPER.
In the middle of one of the most dangerous roads in Acapulco sits one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to Zibú, Thai-Mexican fine cuisine with the most beautiful Caribbean like atmosphere. The mesmerizing views of Acapulco Bay, fantastic service, and delicious food makes going to this place a memorable experience that you’ll want to repeat as much as possible. I’ve been quite a few times myself and even spent New Year’s Eve that at an awesome party.
Zibú
Avenida Escenica S/N, Fraccionamiento Glomar, Pichilingue, 39887, Acapulco, Guerrero
This last time I went for a romantic date with bae. He had never been before, so I took him by the hand and guided him through the most delicious dishes of Zibú. The entrance of the restaurant is hard to find because the only thing you see, even more so if you go at night, are a few steps, the sign of the restaurant, and the valet. As you take a few steps down, you meet with the hostess under a beautiful palapa, right next to a rustic bonfire. I would suggest making a reservation, they are on Open Table, and they tend to book quickly, they also host events as well, so sometimes half of the restaurant is unavailable. For instance, the time I went, there was a wedding reception. But as a customer, you would never know, the only reason I knew was that my sister was a part of the wedding. As I said before the restaurant has different sections and private rooms that the regular customer would never be aware, once I saw one of their smaller rooms filled with roses and candles for a proposal once, so special.
Anyway back to me! As I was trying to show my boyfriend the best of the best we had quite the big dinner. We started with the amazingly delicious Camarones Sol y Sombra (Sun and Shadow Shrimp), it consists of six grilled shrimp placed on top of a mirror of mango sauce, the sun, and tamarind sauce, the shadow. It was not only delicious but amusing. As you can tell from the picture, it comes with veggies, mashed potatoes, and rice which is mostly carbs and neutral flavored so that they absorb the sauce to give the protein a beautiful complement. It can be sweet or sour or mix both sauces and get the best of both worlds. It’s a very well rounded dish, just delicious.
When the weather is hot, the last thing I want is to make my house—or myself—hotter. Turn on the oven? No thanks. A million different varieties of salad are a culinary snapshot of my summer.
Anything quick with light, fresh, and bright flavors is right up my alley in the warm summer months. Coconut, ginger, and lime dressing on chilled rice noodles with shrimp, cilantro, and cool crunchy veggies? A little bit of summertime heaven! I want to dump this dressing on everything. If carrying a bottle of it in my purse wasn’t frowned upon, you better believe I would be doing it!
As your editor-in-chief, I have a new goal here at Girls on Food: I want to make steakhouses and haute cuisine well… hot again.
I’m not saying steakhouses and other fine dining establishments suddenly became passé, but my Instagram feed is inundated with rainbow/freak/junk foods and I’m just over it.
I believe the reason these foods are so popular on social media is because they’re cheap and easy to obtain. They photograph well with their bright colors and craziness. An influencer can budget out their Instagram shoots easily. I get it. I respect it, I just want to deliver our readers a different perspective.
But while I set the bar a little higher for myself and continue to grow my palate more into the world of finer dining, I promise to not get too bourgeois on anyone. I will never forget my McDonald’s roots. And don’t worry, we’ll maintain plenty of comfort food content here at Girls on Food. (holla at Fatboi Tendencies)
I had just gotten out of a foodie event (I wouldn’t dare say which one) with a lack of fantastic bites. I decided I just wanted a steak and glass of red wine. So I went to Alexander’s Steakhouse in Pasadena on total whim and my evening was redeemed times infinity.
Alexander’s Steakhouse
111 North Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
http://alexanderssteakhouse.com
The Alexander’s Steakhouse mini-chain has locations in Pasadena, Cupertino, San Francisco and Tokyo, with Patisseries in Cupertino and Mountain View; they also own By The Sea in Palo Alto. Alexander’s Steakhouse serves classic American steakhouse cuisine with a Japanese influence. The San Francisco location was at one time a Michelin-starred location, but has lost the star since. (inspectors, get back in there!)
The Pasadena location is a posh, dimly lit spot, tough on me as a blogger for photos (I did my best here at the last minute!), but fantastic for a date night. Right when I walked in, the service was very attentive and precise, without a stuck up attitude.
I wanted to go all out and try The Chef’s Table Experience ($200 per person), a custom tasting menu, but that is quite the endeavor as it’s intended for a party of four guests. This option requires a reservation (by phone or in person) in advance. Sure, it would’ve been fun to have Executive Chef Matt Bata all to myself, but the Chef’s Tasting ($175 with an optional $75 wine pairing) was the next best available option and I was so happy I went with this 8 course tasting.
I opted to not sip the night away with the wine pairing, since I drove out from Culver City. But next time, I’m taking an Uber out to be safe! I had a glass of Robert Foley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011. Perhaps not the perfect pairing with seafood and lighter courses, but boy was it beautiful once the steak came out.
It is impossible to spend any length of time in Boston in the summer and not indulge in one of New England’s most lauded sandwich: the lobster roll.
James Hook & Co.
15-17 Northern Ave.
Boston, MA 02210
http://www.jameshooklobster.com/
The lobster roll is an institution. There are two (very opposing) schools of lobster roll thought: Connecticut likes theirs hot, drenched in melted butter, and Maine likes theirs chilled with mayo. Boston apparently likes both, for you can find them either way in the city. Having grown up with Maine style, the lightly-mayonnaise dressed cold roll seems more classic IMHO, but honestly, who in their right mind would pass up hot buttered lobster? I’m an equal opportunity lobster enthusiast.
To satiate my lobster roll craving just in time for National Lobster Day on June 15, I head to James Hook & Co., a tiny shanty on the waterfront of the Seaport district. James Hook sells wholesale and retail seafood (live lobsters, crabs, an impressive array of fresh fish) as well as a limited menu of grab and go items like rolls, crab cakes, and chowder. It’s an unassuming trailer on the waterfront of the Boston Harbor. Don’t expect table service, and be prepared to wait in line. Fortunately, the line moves quickly thanks to the seasoned pros working the counter.
Lobster rolls come in large ($23.99) and small ($18.99). For both, a generous helping of chilled, lightly mayonnaise-dressed lobster salad nestles within the belly of a toasted, split-top hoagie roll. James Hook serves a lobster roll in its most unadulterated glory. There is absolutely nothing attempting to compete with the succulent lobster or crusty bread; no herbs, no celery, not a leaf of lettuce–not even butter, which I’ve always thought essential to the bun but I didn’t even miss. (I can’t believe I just said that. Butter is my jam.) It’s just pure lobster heaven. If you’re ever in the Boston area in the summer, treat yoself to this purist lobster roll.
Happy National Lobster Day!
Mi’hito Sushi Laboratory
285 College St, Toronto, ON M5T 1S2
https://mihito.ca/
https://www.instagram.com/mihitosushi/
Welcome Mi’hito Sushi Laboratory to downtown Toronto! I was given the privilege to attend a media event hosted by DKLO Events to explore this new sushi joint and all their offerings. Mi’hito opened up their first location in Mississauga (right next to Toronto) and were the first to bring the sushi burrito craze to the GTA (Greater Toronto Area)! I have actually dropped by this downtown location during their opening week and had the chance to try a few of their varieties but this event allowed me to try more.
Tickets are still on sale for the LA Food Fest! Check out their site here. We hope to see you there!
We were given a glimpse at all the goodies that are in store for the LA Food Fest, June 10th, 2017, 2 – 7 PM at LA Memorial Coliseum, 3911 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90037.
Get out those #stretchypants! The LA Food Fest always features award-winning chefs and restaurants, plenty of food stands, food trucks and carts, a beer garden, cocktail bars, coffee, desserts… basically everything under the sun!
For the $65 general admission ticket, LA Food Fest offers 100+ food and beverage vendors. For the $95 VIP ticket, attendees are given early entry and access to the VIP Lounge.
We were at LA Food Fest last year and this year, we’re even more excited because many foodie businesses we’ve featured on GOF in the past are going to be there serving up bites. It’s always good to see your friends! There will also be some new faces, and we’re excited to see them as well.
I always feel my best when I’m following a pescatarian diet. I may post the best burgers in town, but in my off time, I try to limit my proteins to ocean and plant based ones. When I was invited to taste items from the Hermosa Beach Fish Shop menu I was relieved, cause after so many meat-packed tastings, I was excited to try some lighter bites.
Hermosa Beach Fish Shop
719 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
http://thefishshophermosabeach.com
Headwaters Restaurant at Millcroft Inn & Spa
55 John St, Alton (Caledon), ON L7K 0C4
http://www.vintage-hotels.com/millcroft/dining.php
https://www.instagram.com/MillcroftInnAndSpa
Located within Caledon, ON, in a little town called Alton, this restaurant is a hidden gem within the palace of Millcroft Inn and Spa. My boyfriend, Nico, and I had the privilege to dine at this restaurant and catch up with his previous Chef who is now the Executive Sous Chef at this prestigious spot. With a short one hour drive North of Toronto, and feeling like we were lost in the wilderness (but we had our trusty GPS!) we finally arrived and instantly wished that we were staying for the night and not just for dinner. You feel like you are in a different world on their grounds.
Lobster Me
3377 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109
Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian
http://www.lobsterme.com/
What do gondolas and lobster rolls have in common? Both are found in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Resort and Casino, home of Lobster Me. And though you will find lobster rolls on the menu, that’s not all they are serving up to hungry tourists (and locals).
I stopped by to check out some of their menu items, and share them with Girls on Food readers! (Such a sacrifice, I know!!)
Good Catch Boil House
179 Enterprise Blvd #109, Markham, ON L6G 0A2
http://www.goodcatchboilhouse.com/
https://www.instagram.com/GoodCatchBoil/
Situated just north of Toronto (in York Region), Good Catch Boil House is the first Louisiana-inspired restaurant in the City of Markham. They specialize in customizable seafood boil combinations served by the pound in six flavours: Cajun, garlic butter, Szechuan, curry, lemon pepper, or Good Catch blend. I had the privilege to attend their media event to show that Good Catch Boil is not only a boil house, but they also serve gourmet pub fare that cannot be overlooked!
Normally, you won’t find me at a seafood restaurant. The reason why is simple. Although, I actually love seafood; I’m allergic to shellfish. At best, that fact limits my options to fish, fish and more fish. At worst, it leaves me as that lame person ordering either chicken or steak at a seafood place. That’s no good. I recently visited Apollo Beach, Florida for some training and my supervisor and her husband were gracious enough to take me and the crew out for lunch. They suggested Circles Waterfront Restaurant. Instead of being that person who throws a wrench in the lunch plans with my allergy story, I just rolled with it. I was in the mood for a salmon caesar salad anyway, so why not?
Circles Waterfront RestaurantNow, reviewing a seafood restaurant is tough when you cannot describe the flavor or taste of a dish. Fear not though! My co-workers (who are really more like friends) had no problem describing their dish to me in detail. In fact, I could call this my first collaborative review.
We ordered a spread of appetizers when we got there that included calamari, spinach artichoke dip, crab cakes and grouper bites. Everything was delicious, but I only got a picture of the calamari because once the appetizers hit the table, it was go-time!