The Fox - April 15

The Fox

Price: $

 First off, I don't even know how we came across this place. I believe we were at the park and I just did a random search on my slow android phone and picked something with a cool name. So... here we are!

 Walking into the place, it's very small but really cozy. Definitely a neighborhood place to come to. 

 Some of the items on the menu you would definitely not expect to see at a little place like this but I was pleasantly surprised. 

 Just to let you know, a BLT is the greatest sandwich ever invented in my opinion. But I didn't want just a normal BLT. No! I ordered the BLFGT. Try to guess that! It has bacon, lettuce and a fried green tomato on it! WHAT??? I know! And it was delicioussss! Don't hate on it until you try it. Trust me.

 And my boyfriend just had to get the weirdest thing on the menu. It was called the Coyote Burger. It had onions, bacon, a spicy "Coyote" sauce and then a fried egg! He said he's never going back to a normal burger ever again. Guess that egg really cracked him...

Yea, I know. Lame.

 I do believe that I will be going back here very soon. Cute little place to go on a nice afternoon of walking around riverside and absolutely affordable for those college students out there. Go go go!

Mandaloun's

Mandaloun

Price: $$

 How my boyfriend and I came into contact with this place was by his aunt. She gave us some gift certificates to places to try out and this one of them. Thanks Howie!

 First off, I loveeeee Mediterranean food so I had high hopes for this place. Unfortunately, those hopes dropped. I was not fond of this place at all. The only thing I loved and could not stop eating was the pita bread and dip they brought out. SO YUMMY!

 For our appetizer we ordered these pastries filled with spinach and feta cheese. Sounds good, right? They were cold in the middle. Like they were microwaved. Eek.

 I don't remember the name of my dish but what it was basically was lamb meatballs and eggplant which sounded really good to me but it was super salty and just... not good.

 For dessert, I ordered the rice pudding which was pretty descent. It had crushed pistachios over the top which is super yummy. But the dish in itself was just okay.

Basically, all in all, I don't think I'll be going back here. Sorry...

Bagel Love - March 25

Bagel Love

Price: $ 

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bagel-Love/112173305536250?sk=wall

 I woke up kind of early this morning and decided to treat myself to a little sumin' sumin'. So while I was driving around aimlessly, I was contemplating on where to go and spend my money. I remembered that I had kept hearing about this place called Bagel Love and how it had only been open for about a month and was already getting a shining reputation. Trying this place out couldn't hurt, right? It definitely didn't.

 This cute little place is located on a corner off of St. Johns Avenue in Riverside and it certainly is unique. They have about twenty different types of bagels and ten or more different flavors of cream cheese. They also make sandwiches, breakfast and lunch bagels and even have things like hummus and flavored honeys to buy. Super cute!

 I didn't really want anything sweet so I ordered the Sun-Dried Tomato bagel with Herb and Spice cream cheese and it was so yummy!! 

 The bagels here are definitely not like something you buy in the store. They are thick, chewy and doughy and most definitely will fill you up. I usually toast my bagels to a crisp because I hate when the texture feels like just bread and cream cheese. It's gross. But these are so different. They toasted it, but barely, and it was perfect. And let me tell you something else, they do NOT skimp on the cream cheese!

Exhibit A:

 I have to ask for something to put the cream cheese in next time because I had so much left over. I almost cried when I had to throw it away! 

 I might be going in there to buy some of their chocolate honey. Yum! I would really recommend this place on a relaxing morning or even for a quick breakfast on the way to work. Go in and order a warm bagel, have a cup of hot coffee or freshly squeezed orange juice and read the paper or your favorite book. It was really nice going on a gorgeous day like it was today.

Pizza Rolls and Exciting News.

 Stuffed Pizza Rolls!

 Nothing special, but I made me some stuffed pizza rolls tonight for a quick dinner and they were soooo good!

 All I used was some Pillsbury Big and Flaky crescent rolls and rolled up provolone cheese, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni inside of them and BAM! Done. Well, I needed to bake them of course. Super easy and fast!

 I apologize for not having any restaurant posts lately. The day I decided to go, I drove all the way to the place and it was closed! I will have one coming up soon though, I promise.

 One more exciting thing I wanted to announce. I HIT 1,000 VIEWS TODAY! Thank you everyone so much for being interested in my blog and I hope to do this for quite a long time.

Picasso's - March 10

Picasso's

Price: $ (up to $15.00)

 Picasso was a groundbreaking artist, a visionary and a chef? Who knew? This little place in Mandarin is somewhat hard to find if you've never been but I think it may be a small gem that is worth finding. They have a vast menu with options for every person and every taste. The atmosphere is very laid back and friendly with bright green accent walls complemented by red-trimmed chalk boards listing some of there menu items. And what would an Italian restaurant called Picasso's be without abstract paintings hanging from every wall?

 Now to the food. I don't know about you guys but I am a hardcore mushroom lover so what did I order? The stuffed mushrooms. The version I am used to having involves the mushrooms drowning in cheese but these were different. Strictly stuffing. And oh man were they good. Some of the best I've had which definitely says a lot considering that stuffed mushrooms are usually the first appetizers I look for on any menu. Slightly crisp on the outside, velvety smooth inside and sprinkled with Parmesan and fresh basil, served with marinara and pesto sauce. Yum!

 I chose the Roasted Chicken Manicotti for my entree. I've ordered manicotti many times before and this one was pretty good. Definitely a dish for cheese lovers. The soft shells had a smooth filling and the creaminess of all the cheese with the marinara and basil went together nicely. One thing they did with this dish that I didn't really find appetizing was that they minced up the chicken, pretty much pulverized it, to where the chicken and cheese were almost the same consistency. Maybe it's just me but I'd prefer chunks of chicken instead something in which I couldn't tell if it was the meat or the cheese. But all in all it was a pretty descent dish.

 These little food adventures are like dates for me and my boyfriend. We really enjoy exploring and trying new things so of course he came with me! He ordered a bacon cheeseburger. At an Italian restaurant. Go figure. Anyways, from what he told me, the cheeseburger wasn't really anything too special. It was supposed to have a special sauce but he couldn't taste it so that disappointed him a bit. One unique thing about it was that they didn't serve it with the typical sort of bacon you'd expect. It came with thick, diced chunks of seared bacon which looked really good. Something different from the norm, right?

 While the small restaurant is inviting and friendly, two important things that I believe Picasso's really needs to work on is its professional demeanor and its cleanliness. While we were waiting on our food, we could hear one of the employees talking to his co-workers about partying over the weekend and he mentioned a few things that no one really wants to hear while eating. There were also a few tables that were filthy from the time we got there until the time we left. Not one person came to clean them up which bothers a neat freak like me.

 But we did like it well enough to promise and come back to try the pizza because it honestly looked and smelled amazing! I see a future pizza pie date!