Goomba's Pizzeria

This is a classic New York style pizza joint.  Goomba’s is really casual with old gangster movie memorabilia décor, and Frank Sinatra playing in the background.  There are no server’s, you just walk up and order your food.  They are fast in getting the order to you.  The lunch specials are priced great.  For $4.95 you can choose between either two slices of pizza and a drink, or you can get one slice of pizza, a salad, and a drink.  For just .75 more you can get an additional topping on your pizza.  The slices are thin and HUGE!!!  You really have to fold it in half to eat it comfortably.  Their menu also includes submarine sandwiches made from Sicilian bread, and pasta’s.  I haven’t tried either yet, but I saw some other’s getting the alfredo pasta, and it smelled delicious. 

            On this particular day I got a salad with balsamic dressing with focaccia.  Joseph and I are kind of mixed up on this because on the dressing menu it says “Balsamic with focaccia”.  So I thought that the dressing had the same spices that are put on top of focaccia bread mixed within.  However, Joseph said it was supposed to come with a piece of focaccia bread, which I didn’t get if that is the case.  The salad was fresh, crisp.  Firm tomatoes and the dressing tasted like it was made in house.  On the pizza, I felt like the dough was a little underdone.  It was very light and thin, it wasn’t bad, but it would have been easier to eat, and had that lightly toasted look and taste if it had been left in the oven maybe just five to ten minutes longer.  I had an Italian sausage and mushroom pizza.  I wasn't crazy about the sausage, it was the slices that looked like pepperoni slices, but are brown.  I prefer the sausage chunks, but in the end, it’s just a matter of preference.  The mushrooms were really good, tasted like they were sautéed beforehand.  I have had just the pepperoni here, and I still think that one is the best.  It’s that greasy, pepperoni that drips off your pizza, and they don’t sauce the pizza heavily either, again, another preference of mine.  So, here is the question….would I go back?  For classic New York style pizza I would definitely return to this place! 

Brasserie Pavil

Brasserie Pavil is a casual French restaurant with a very extensive wine list.  Prior to visiting the restaurant, I would get mixed responses to it.  Civilians would say how good it is, while people in the food industry would say that this restaurant is just the very fundamentals of French cooking, and anyone who went to culinary school would be able to work there, or make anything on the menu.  I consider myself a civilian as well.  Someone who likes food, but has never been to culinary school, never worked in a kitchen and does not know the in’s and out’s of the business either.  As a civilian I say the menu looks pretty damn good, but the turn of the nose from cooks had me worried.  Well I walked away that night walking on food cloud 9.  I think Joseph put it perfectly when he said “Yes, we learned this type of cusine in culinary school, but learning and executing correctly are two different things.” 

            The place is supposed to be casual French, but I feel like the décor is not suggestive to that.  But then again, I think casual I think Tip Top.  I think the only thing casual about the environment was the butcher paper on the table top and the kitchen towels to be used as linen napkins.  The lighting is very dim and I loved the large light fixtures.  We got to sit in a private rounded leather booth that set the mood very well for our belated Valentine’s dinner.  We were greeted promptly by our server Lyle.  Lyle is the mold that servers should aspire to be.  Servers play such a huge role in our dining experience and I don’t think they get the credit they deserve for everything from their suggestions, to timing our meal perfectly, to catering to our every whim of dining desires.  These are the traits of an excellent server.  He had great suggestions from the extensive wine and drink menu.  I started out with what I believe is called a Cosmopolitan Framboise.  It was very good, served in a martini glass with a thin layer of ice across the top.  Any martini drinker will tell you that the best chilled martinis are the one’s that have that thin layer of ice across the top.  Joseph started off with a red wine called Faumey Malbec.  I like Malbec’s and there were no surprises with this one.  For our appetizers I had the Fine Tart, it’s mozzarella with roasted tomatoes on top of a crisp puff pastry and topped with pine nuts and a balsamic glaze.  The tomatoes were the star of the dish, very juicy and a hint of smokiness.  We also had the Charcuterie Board.  This board is never the same; the pates, mousses, etc are constantly changing and it comes with their in-house made mustard.  I don’t even like mustard, but I could totally get down with red wine mustard with their Country Pate.  This pate was my personal favorite; it reminded me of the meats you get on deli plates.  The other mustard included on the board was a Dijon Mustard and the other one was a Green Peppercorn Mustard.  On our board was also Venison with pistachio terrine that had the same flavor profile as a really good meatloaf.  We also had Pork Rillettes, the texture was like tuna, very mushy.  But its pork, and most things that come from this animal are really good, this one was Joseph’s favorite.  It was fatty (in a good way) and almost buttery.  It was seasoned perfectly spread over the country bread that they gave us.  The lamb terrine was probably our least favorite.  It was good, but it had Indian spices so you had to have that developed taste for that type of spice. 

            You have heard me speak in past blogs about “Yes” restaurants.  This is a “Yes” restaurant.  The waiter suggested the prix fixe menu.  It is $34.95 for Three Courses.  There was a slight mix up with the menu.  The fish of the day on the menu said that it was to come with a carbonara sauce with glass noodles and braised Napa cabbage.  The server said it didn’t come like that anymore, and explained to me what it did come with.  What he had to say was less appealing, so I asked if I could have it the way it says on the menu and he obliged.  For our first course I started out with the lobster bisque.  For me, it was too fishy smelling, very aromatic to say the least.  I think I have gotten used to the Americanized version because Joseph said that it was exactly what lobster bisque should taste like.  I loved the presentation.  They bring you a bowl with ingredients and pour the hot soup over it, allowing the aroma to fill you.  Joseph ordered the French onion soup.  Hands down, the BEST one I have ever had. The first thing that Joseph noticed when he dived into the soup was that the onions were caramalized perfectly as if they used the technique right out of Thomas Kellers cookbook, which takes about five hours to do, so this was much appreciated by Joseph .  The French bread lovingly soaked up the soup so well and the top was broiled perfectly to get that cooked cheese flavor, browned I should say.  For dinner we weren’t sure what wine to order because we wanted to get a bottle, but since I got fish and Joseph got steak it was hard to figure.  The waiter suggested Baby Blue.  It is a blend that is from Blue Rock Vineyard.  The Baby Blue is from the same vineyard as another bottle of wine they have that is twice the price.  It is an easy drinkable, everyday wine, very delicious.  The wine went perfectly with our second courses.  My fish was very well pan seared and paired with the Napa cabbage exceptionally.  The cabbage did have almost an Asian taste to it, which I thought almost odd with the carbonara, but it married very well.  I thought the fish was a little to fishy for my sensitive palate, but there was nothing wrong with the dish.  It was my taste preference.  Joseph ordered the steak frite’s.  It’s a 10 oz sirloin steak with fries.  The steak was very good, cooked perfectly, but I don’t really have to elaborate on that one, if you have had a good steak then you know.  The fries on the other hand, were craveable.  They are cooked in duck fat, very crispy on the outside and soft buttery potato on the inside.  We sopped the fries over what seemed to be a sweet red wine sauce drizzled over the steak, and we fell in love again with fries.  If this is how the French do fries, then I see why they are called FRENCH fries. 

The last course is always my favorite, the dessert.  I chose the lemon tart with lavender sorbet.  I was excited because the last time I had lavender ice cream with honey and it was the best thing EVER.  This was reminiscent on that ice cream, but I was definitely missing its P.I.C honey.  I felt that apart these elements worked nicely.  The lavender plays a lot on your aromatics; a small bite really fills your mouth and travels to tickle your nose.  The lemon tart was cooked perfectly, very aesthetically pleasing and I love the touch of poppy seeds cooked into the dough.  I just felt that together it was tart on tart.  Too much of a good thing, luckily I had a bottle of wine to cut into it.  Joseph ordered the profiteroles. I loved the presentation of this dish as well.  The server brought a small chocolate fondue set up so that you could drizzle as much or as little chocolate as you like onto the rolls.  It was three tower’s profiteroles with were stuffed with vanilla bean ice cream and accented with a chocolate Eiffel tower.  They were flavorful, and a bit chewy. 

Everything we ate tasted fresh, and made in house that day.  I got sent home with two chocolate croissants that were made earlier that morning.  I had one the next day for breakfast and it was heaven…but that is another blog to come.  Have to do it justice and have them fresh, but I will say, if they were that good the next day, then I can only imagine how good they are fresh.  Now, here is the question.  Would you go back?  YES!  YES!  A thousand times yes, and when I do go back I will make it a point to ask for Lyle to be our server.

Valentines Day Part II - Las Ramblas

So, same disclaimer as the last blog.  Yes, I am a tough critic so when you try these places you may feel that I was a little harsh, tell me! Also, if you do try any of these places and you get conflicting service or food, tell me about that too on the comments, I would love for people to have more then two points of view’s of the restaurant because we all have bad days, and it would be inhuman for us to expect that restaurants don’t have them too.  Moving on to my late dinner date for Valentines Day, Las Ramblas.  Now I promise, no matter who I know here I am remaining objective and I will most certainly write if I feel that perhaps I am being biased.  First of all, let me say, that I love it when downtown restaurants have complimentary parking for guest’s in their restaurant’s and I can honestly say that this will make or break a decision on going.  This restaurant is in The Hotel Contessa, and they do have complimentary parking.  The mood this place sets is romantic and much laid back any day of the week.  The bar located in the waiting area is plumped in the middle and if you don’t choose to sit at the bar there are very comfy couches to have drinks and intimate conversations or even quality time with a group of friends or family.  The noise level compliments that type of interaction.  The only thing I didn’t like about the environment about Las Ramblas is that the bathroom for both the bar and the restaurant is located in this outside seating, so when I had to go use the restroom I had to walk all the way across the restaurant, in four inch heels, across the waiting area, pass the bar to the restroom.  I think its bad placement.  I also didn’t like sharing the bar restroom because it get’s frequented more, so towards the end of the night, was dirty and unpleasant smelling.  Back to me being biased, I have to say I was greeted very warmly and almost in a taken by the hand way to make sure that I was taken care of at every stage of my meal.  This was done by my server and by the restaurant manager.  I will admit that everyone may not get this treatment and it could be consequence of who I befriend in that particular kitchen.  However, I would like to point out that the server had let us in on a secret; that there were only two servers’s working that late shift on Valentines Day, and I would have had no clue; that is how good he was doing.  Now, why they scheduled two server’s on that night and three cocktail server’s in an empty bar is beyond me, but hopefully their staffing issue’s or scheduling doesn’t consistently propose that stress or mismanagement on a regular basis.  My table was heaven; it was right at the corner of the restaurant neighboring the large window that overlooks the river walk, very romantic.  My server was offering me refills on champagne, which I knew only one glass came with the meal so I loved it.  (Come people, we all love getting free stuff.)  Now on to the meal, I had the pre-set Valentines Day meal.  I will start with the first course that was a pan-seared scallop.  The scallop was very well cooked, not chewy at all, easily cut with my fork and very flavorful.  It had that nice light brown sear on the top, not too dark.  It was laid on white truffle risotto with almond butter.  The risotto was cooked to perfection; the way the sauce danced on your tongue was delightful.  The second course was bacon wrapped quail with          roasted red pepper and yellow beet flan.  I thought the quail was cooked very well, in the past when I have had quail it was very gamey.  I am so glad that this one was not, the bacon was crisp and juicy and the flan was surprisingly a good combination.  You had a choice on the second course, the main course.  I choose Lamb Osso Buco, it was braised with root vegetables and a rioja reduction.  I was so disappointed in this dish.  The meat got cold really fast on me.  When it was hot it was very flavorful and tender and I would definitely order the meat part, but the distain came with the vegetables.  The vegetables were brussel sprouts, baby carrots, and turnips (I think).  They were awful.  I do like my vegetables al dente, but these were too al dente.  It was hard to cut them with my knife!  Brussel sprouts are supposed to be smoky and earthy.  These had no flavor, in fact the only vegetables that had flavor were the ones tucked under the lamb shank, and the others were completely flavorless and hard.  The fourth course was Brie stuffed French toast with candied bananas.  This was my favorite course of all.  I thought that the French bread would be too much, but it was the perfect amount to balance out the Chantilly cream and whatever sauce was on top.  The banana was bruleed to perfection, lightly brown with just a light crisp on top so that when you bit into it revealed the familiar softness within. 

The meal was finished with truffles that were made in house.  The truffles were SUPER rich, but this is not a problem for me!  However, for those without a sweet tooth, it may be too hard to eat more then one.  Now, the everlasting question.  “Will you go back?”  The answer is yes.  I would go back to try what is on their everyday menu because I hear that their paella is very good as is their steaks. 

Valentines Day Part I -Olive Garden

Before I plow into these restaurants, let the record show that I am admitting that I am a harsh critic.  In previous years I was a server and I believe that servers and chef’s are probably the hardest people to serve for because they the job’s.  A good server knows what excellent service is, and if you are a good server you expect nothing less.  A good chef knows how food should taste when it’s executed correctly, and I am sure they expect nothing less as well.  Moving on, I always expect for restaurants to be on their “A” game on Valentines Day, sadly I couldn’t say that either one was. 

My first stop was Olive Garden.  You may be thinking “who would do a review on Olive Garden?”  I know, everyone has been their right?  You are probably right, but they do have new soups, and always have new features that are available for a limited time.  From what I saw they did revamp the menu a bit.  Sadly they took away the pizza that you can choose your own toppings, and replaced it with three specialty pizzas.  I am upset about this because this is what I and my son would get.  We get the regular size pizza and he eat’s the pizza and I get the never ending soup that comes with it.  It’s time to be economical here people.  Anyway, I decided to treat my son to an early Valentine’s Day dinner so he chooses Olive Garden.  Luckily when we got there we were sat right away.  I didn’t really like the seating, we were a party of three and we were sat at a round top for six.  I bet the six top that was waiting for us to finish was upset.  Our waitress was kind, however I am assuming she was either new, or Olive Garden is also revamping their customer service.  I say this because going back to the pizza; I asked if it could still be done, a regular sized pepperoni pizza.  Knowing that the child’s size was on the kid’s menu and that I was sitting in an Italian restaurant I wouldn’t think that this is an outlandish request.  Her reply was that she didn’t know if they could that, so she had to go to the back to check.  She came back and reported that they could, so I proceed to order, just as I have for years.  I say I would like the regular size pepperoni pizza and instead of it coming with the ramekin of marinara sauce on the side, I would like the alfredo sauce.  To which she reply’s AGAIN that she didn’t know if they could do this.  Now here is where I got annoyed because not only is this the second time I am hearing it, in what should be a “yes” restaurant, but I know for a fact they have alfredo sauce back there, so it shouldn’t be a question.  She again has to leave the table, lucky for her, she obliges.  To answer any question you may have about the “yes” restaurant, let me explain.  A “yes” restaurant is a restaurant that always tell you “yes” to anything you ask for you dining experience, provided that IT IS POSSIBLE.  “Can I substitute this for that?”  “Yes” the server replies.  “Can I have soup instead of salad?”  “Yes” the server replies.  “Do you still have the ingredients to make the dish the old way?” “Yes we can do that for you.” OR “Let me check…yes we do.”  OR good server’s, if not possible, know the menu well enough to suggest something similar.  A good server is very knowledgeable about the menu, wine list etc.  Our server, other then those hitches, was very attentive; our drinks were never in need of refilling (something that is a big deal to me).  Now, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Olive Garden soups.  They have a new one that came out within the last year called Chicken and Gnocchi soup.  This one quickly beat out the minestrone as my number two soup there.  The chicken in that soup is so tender and full of flavor.  It is a really hearty soup and it reminds me of something you would make on a very cold afternoon, and I am usually a sucker for the cream soups.  The pizza came and was the same it always has been.  I personally really like Olive Garden pizza, the dough is the same dough that they use for their breadsticks so when you get to the bones of the pizza you get the same taste, which is why I like to get the alfredo sauce with it.  The gentleman dining with us ordered one of the limited features, I wish I could say that it was done correctly, but it was not.  He ordered the Parmesan Crusted Bistecca.  The picture looked fabulous.  However, he ordered it medium, and when it came, there was no lining of pink at all.  I did try the steak and it still was flavorful and not too chewy, but not really juicy or mouth watering as a medium to medium well steak should be.  The mashed potatoes looked like the diet version of the picture.  I know that we all need portion control, but give me what is on the picture and let me worry about the portion control myself please.  Now the question "Will you go back".  With chain restaurant's a hiccup in service won't keep people away, they have made their mark on the restaurant industry and have created craveable dishes.  Honestly, this one bad visit wouldn't keep me from returning.

Jamba Juice

So for the people that have known me for longer then ten years, know that I have always been a Jamba Juice advocate since the beginning.  From the early days in high school when it was “Zuka Juice” and I would yell proudly from the back of a beat up amigo “Zuka Power!” (maybe that was too much of a look into my hidden dorkiness).  Nevertheless, I adored it then, and would drive from the John Marshall High School area all the way down 1604 and 281, when there was nothing in between just for a $5.95 drink; that alone has to tell you it’s good.  When they opened the location in Huebner Oaks, the heaven’s opened, and my gas bill thanked me.  A short time later, the name changed to what is now Jamba Juice.  Most of you are probably thinking “Jamba Juice didn’t come until recently” and you would be wrong.  It was a sad day for me and all lovers of this place when it went out of business and I would not have another Jamba Juice until years later when I realized that there was one off Staples road in Corpus Christi, one off Congress road in Austin, and when I got married and moved to Dallas, countless locations.  People think I am joking when I tell them that the first two things I mapped when I moved to Dallas was the closest Jamba Juice and the closest IKEA, my ex-husband will tell you, I am not joking.  Could I tell you where the nearest grocery store was?  Not unless it was a Whole Foods with a Jamba Juice in it.  I am rambling now, when my point is I know this place and endorse it with every ounce of enthusiasm I possess at the given moment.  As soon as you walk in you are met with a breeze of fresh citrus that simultaneously boosts your mood.  The space is bright and friendly and every location that I have been to the staff is the same, even at 6AM.  I have recommended several drinks to various people, let me know what you like, and I can do the same, but this blog is not about the drinks…this blog is about the oatmeal.  WHAT?!  Yes, I said it, the oatmeal.  I have NEVER been a fan of oatmeal, ever since I saw the movie “The Golden Child” and you see the detective push in the oatmeal and blood rises.  I am gagging right now just writing about it.  In an effort to try to eat better I did try oatmeal later on in life, and again, reconfirmed for myself I don’t like oatmeal.  However, in an unexpected turn of events, I was to meet a chef who took this as a challenge.  He made me the best oatmeal I have ever had….of course its goodness came at a hefty caloric price.  With this new found love of oatmeal, I decided to take a leap of faith in the Jamba Juice oatmeal. I was wowed!  This time, minus the large calorie price.  I think Jamba Juice is the cities greatest untapped oatmeal resource!  How they fit all that goodness into less then 400 calories a pop is a mystery to me, but I will take it!  When I went in this morning of course I was greeted with all the usual pleasures, but an added bonus was that Tuesday morning’s it is a $1.00 OFF the $2.95 oatmeal!  BONUS!!!!   I had the Berry Cherry Pecan.   My favorite part was the brown sugar crumbles you get and it goes so well with the candied pecans.  Joseph had the Blueberry and Blackberry, which honestly wasn’t my favorite, but it was still good.  The blueberry was pretty overwhelming, but I am sure it packed a serious antioxidant punch.  The oatmeal was an awesome start to one of the coldest days of the year in San Antonio!  Now the question "Will you go back".  Duh!  Of course I will be back, I have been going steady with this place for years!