453 Centre Rd

So, this is not quite what we expected when we told Dad that we'd be with him for Christmas Day, that we'd like to take him out for dinner (because all the cooking that needed to be done was done the day before at the family gathering), and that he should make a reservation at a place close to home that he likes.  It, of course, doesn't matter because this was one more meal A Collection of Articles on our trip where the location was the least part of the getting together equation.  Admittedly, a lot of places he might have chosen were closed for the evening (or even the day) but we were not even vaguely thinking Chinese.  For the record, no harm done!

From the street it's not much, but only if you turned off the million or so blue lights that are ultimately sort of pretty.  Inside the host and the bar are right by a big tropical fish tank with a good selection of brightly colored fish & coral type things hanging out.  But, at the back of the room, by the kitchen, there's 6 or 8 more 'functional' tanks - but only one was occupied this night.  It's just one big room, with various sized tables spread throughout.  There's some quite large murals covering up most of the walls in the theme you'd expect of a Chinese Restaurant, quite brightly lit and I think the music was just the radio turned down so you can tell it's there, but not really what it is.

Can the Service team be too attentive?  When we arrived the place was pretty empty so there was some hovering going on, but not nagging.  As the place filled up (which kind of surprised us, seeing it was Christmas Day and the place was borderline deserted when we arrived at about 6:30), the hovering stopped, but the checking-in increased.  They certainly didn't press us to order, and I think as with most Chinese restaurants they are ok with you ordering things to share, although perhaps expecting all the sharing dishes to be ordered at the same time, the first time.  We never had more than two things going at once, but they didn't come out together, so I'm guessing that if you ordered a table full things dishes would come out as they were ready - which is absolutely totally fine when the plan is for sharing.

We've been here before, to do a Yum Cha lunch, but we really didn't need an all you can eat type meal tonight.  We chose (from a pretty extensive menu) a couple of small plates, 2 at a time, relaxed a bit and picked a big plate, relaxed a bit more and picked one more big plate.

Our meal went a little like this:

• 2010 Grandstand Pinot Noir (WA) - we had the urge for red, but didn't want to overpower what we thought we'd be ordering.  This worked out well.  Gentle, little bit of acid, probably from tannins being this could still be fun in a good few years.
• Cascade Light 
• Sesame Prawn Toast - crunchy, seeds going everywhere - the perfect start.
• Dim Sim - steamed up just right, definitely better with a little (just a little) soy.
• Chinese Sausage - no idea what's on the inside, but it's dark in color, and really quite rich.
• Satay Chicken - yep, it was peanuty.  Nice tender chicken.
• Steamed Pork Ribs, Black Bean Sauce - put down the chopsticks, get your fingers to work.   A little bit of work to get all the goodness, surprisingly good with or without the sauce.
• BBQ Honey Pork - probably want to pick the chopsticks up again...  Sticky and gooey in just the right way.
• Fruit Plate - a gift from the kitchen (for everyone, it seems) to finish everything up.  Thanks.

We'd go back without hesitation, but we'd probably prefer when our bellies were capable of making use of the Yum Cha experience.  It's a neighbor hood place and if we were living where Dad does, we could see this becoming a regular haunt.

Stay JOLLY!
DDad

403 Wendouree Parade

This was another meal A Collection of Articles that was much less about the venue and what the menu had to offer than it was about catching up with an old friend.  It was definitely a bonus to be sitting outside at this very picturesque site with tasty treats coming our way - and just a little too much sun and not enough hats and / or sunscreen.

Apparently well known for doing weddings and other important parties (it's across the road from the Botanical Gardens and on the shore of the lake) they've figured out that there's a few people who like to sit by the lake for their lunch, although on this day which was kind of breezy (I think that's why we got tricked by the sun) inside was jamm'n and we had our pick of half a dozen tables outside.  It's an interesting building that certainly has character, and probably has some age to it but you'll need someone cleverer than me to tell you what style it's in.  It suits it's spot, if nothing else, but really there's more to it with lots of iron works and red brick.  But having said that, I've got no recollection of the inside as we just walked straight through to the deck.

You don't get a Server as it's order at the counter when you're ready so you're left to figure out the menu on your own (which is not hard with very clear descriptions) and if you have questions save them for when you get up to order which of course means you may have to make quick fire adjustments based on the answers.  I don't think we had any issues in getting the orders in, but the way they take the orders and then share them with the kitchen meant that our meals came out at odd times.  Not the end of the world, but not quite right. 

I'm not sure what the official policy, but our friend told us she thought this place would suit as we'd be allowed to take our time and even lounge around a bit after we were done with the eating part.  She was right.  Because it's order at the counter there was no overt pressure to get us to order, and when we were done they cleaned our table up but never suggested we had to pack up and leave.  Perfect for our catching up goal of the meal!

The menu has a good selection of small and big plates to choose from, but they also offer a limited selection of big plates to choose from at a set price which did appeal to us in principal.  However, they were also offering a glass of wine with all big plates which seemed to suit us better...  There's a short but at a quick glance (we did the deal, remember) appears to be useful Wine List and a list of beers to amuse too.  Oh, and a help yourself water station.  

Our meal went a little like this:

• Sauvignon Blanc - House variety, not really bothered but hoping it's regional.  Crisp enough to be out on the deck with us and with enough acid to be ok with all our dishes too.
• Sourdough with Meredith Feta and Marinated Olives - without doubt the best feta we've ever had, yummy bread and fun selection of olives. I think we were told Meredith is just down the road.
• Chips with Garlic Aioli - great chips, double great dipping sauce.
• Pork Schnitzels, fresh breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley, creamy mash, broccolini, apple compote and jus - perhaps a little too big for lunch, but too yummy to stop. Everything great on it's own, but a little bit of everything on a bite way way better.
• Barramundi Fillets, beer battered, garden salad, chips, lemon and tartare sauce - not the first fish you'd think to 'fish & chip' but it's a great piece of fish and was definitely treated a bit more gently than your average flake.
• Chicken and Mushroom Gnocchi, bacon, spinach, creamy sauce with basil, pesto and parmesan - looked good across the table, all consumed.

We enjoyed our lunch, we enjoyed the view but we enjoyed being with our friend a whole lot more.  If we're in the area again (unlikely anytime soon, but never say never, right?) and in need of a very laid back lunch we'd certainly have Pipers close to the top of the list of possibilities.

Stay JOLLY!
DKaren

50 East Grand Avenue

It was a TV review that first got us through the door.  What the reviewers said wasn't bad, but also not super duper great, but the way the sushi was presented caught our eye and thus sealed the deal - a Dragon Maki roll that looks like, well, a dragon.  It is now one of our staples filling our need mostly for a low stress, relatively inexpensive and close to work location for those Friday nights with no plans and no interest to cook our own dinner.

We must give credit to Oysy for 'teaching' us that ordering one dish at a time is very often the way to best enjoy our dinner.  Our first visit here was also our first foray into a Sushi Restaurant (something we're a little sorry we delayed for so long) so we didn't really know how much we should order, or how much we were going to like it.  Our waiter that night (and every time since) had no problem letting us order one dish at a time - for which we will be eternally grateful to him for.

Our Server was attentive, polite and available, but not readily chatty.  She would answer questions, but not offer much more than the answer - certainly not the end of the world as the menu is not hard to get around and we usually only get stuck on understanding the translations.  The host might want to buy a new watch.  On a night where we had to wait for a table we were told 15-20 minutes which was ok as our feeling was 15 minutes would be the most.  Catch is, we'd barely been told how long the wait was and out table was ready - now not for one second is it bad getting your table quicker than anticipated but I think she should have known 2-3 minutes was the correct answer.

It's a modern style restaurant and you can sit at the Sushi Bar if you're so inclined, but know that you'll still get a Server taking care of you and probably no interaction with one of the chefs.  They have a TV by the far which is fun to watch (mostly because we're not exactly sure what we're watching...) and all the programming probably comes straight out of Japan.  There's music, but it must be fairly generic because I can't recall even the style.

Our Meal went something a little like this:

• A fu-fu drink
• Lemonade
• Unagi Sushi (eel)
• Suzuki Sushi (striped bass)
• Saba Sushi (mackerel) - only a recent find in terms of being brave enough to try and ultimately I'm sorry we weren't braver a bit earlier.
• Dragon Maki (eel, shrimp tempura, masago, avoacado)
• Caterpillar Maki (eel, tobiko, tempura crunch, avocado)
• Shrimp Tempura
• Vegetable Tempura
• Chicago Crazy Maki (tuna, salmon, yellow tail, masago, avocado)
• San Francisco Maki (fried oyster, masago, avocado) - the texture of the crunch oyster with the sauce made this our clear favorite for the evening.

We'll be back!  It suits our needs and wants more than adequately.

Stay JOLLY!
DJay

601 N State Street

We've been here many times and there's no reason to think we won't be back many times more.  Pops has turned into our preferred starting point when meeting up with friends, and occasionally just ourselves.  A glass of bubbles, a bite of cheese and good company is rarely a bad start to the evening.

As always, we arrived relatively early and had no problem getting a table.  When we left the place was busy enough that the bar was the only place left to find a seat.  With floor to ceiling windows it's quite bright and cheery and at 'go home' time on a Friday lots of people watching to be done.

The staff are certainly knowledgeable and take care of you mostly by committee.  They don't come at you spouting too much information but it's all there when you have questions, they are accessible, available and talkative when you want it - pretty much what you look for in any server. Although it's very rude to assume, it's possible (emphasis on possible!) that the Server who brought our bottle of Cava had been sampling the wares prior to coming to visit us - lets call his dealings with the 3 of us effervescent.

The champagne list is more than just extensive.  No matter who we're with, or what mood we're in there's always something to fill the need.  The menu is all about tastings and looks quite interesting but as we are heading off somewhere else we stay with the Cheeses & Charcuterie options - the selections seem to change just often enough for us not to quite have favorites, but that's quite ok.

It's a modern bar with lots of shiny surfaces and 'interior decorator' style lighting with an interesting array of seating options from bar-stools at the bar to high tables to low tables (with odd little foot stool type seats) to outside - yes sitting outside is just about always nice, but on Ohio / State Streets during rush hour?  I have no idea how it works, but the music is quite loud, the conversation from the other people there is quite loud and somehow it's not a problem talking to your friends.

Our order looked a little something like this:

• Raventós i Blanc 2007 L’Hereu Reserva Cava - might work sitting on the deck in the sun a little better than with the cheeses we chose?
• 3 Cheeses & 3 Charcuterie
  • Carr Valley Snowhite Cheddar
  • Bittersweet Plantation Holy Cow
  • Chaource
  • Finnochietta
  • Capicola
  • Salame con Porcini

Almost without doubt, the next time a friend comes in from out of town, we'll pop back!

Stay JOLLY!
DJay

4400 North Clark Street

It's been way too long between visits, but we get to blame to some degree the unfortunate relocation of Anna Maria Pasteria a few years back.  When we first discovered the charms of this quiet neighborhood restaurant while it was on Broadway, we were very much within a stone's throw.  The bus ride we now have has meant that we've delayed this return visit causing us to miss out on what always made the short walk, even in the snow, so worth it.

I guess we also had fears as to how well the Restaurant would survive the move.  Turns out, we didn't need to fear anything.  It's exactly the same.  Same feel with the decor (probably a lot of the items made the move successfully, maybe the same artist did the murals?), same Anna or Maria (if we ever knew which was which we don't remember now) greeting you warmly at the door, same menu style (almost certainly with some of the same dishes we enjoyed previously), probably the same play list of unobtrusive Italian Opera type tunes - all of which are pleasant to listen to if you stop and actually pay attention, and even our Server came with the move.

Our Server was not overly talkative (and we don't remember him being anymore so when over on Broadway) but he appears to know the menu and wine list inside and out making recomendations and answering all questions without stumbling - which is a good thing, because it really is a quite extensive menu with something for absolutely everyone.  He didn't pester us to take our orders, but was close by when we were ready.  Food came real quick, we would argue a little too quick, but it was a quiet Saturday evening probably due to it being the Easter Weekend with the chef (Maria or Anna - the one not hosting, of course) having some energy that needed to be used up.  It's hard to have a complaint when the only one would be the food came too quick...

Our meal went something along the lines of:

• Toasty Bread - very mourish, so don't get carried away.
• Pinot Noir - at the gentler end of the Pinot Noir scale, but worked well with all the dishes we chose.
• Fire Grilled Baby Squid - cooked just right, with a nice touch of the smoke from the grill and a dash of lemon.
• Mussels Sauted in White Wine & Garlic - just had to finish up the broth like a bowl of soup.
• Capellini Carrettiera - make sure you save some bread to mop up the sauce.
• Farfalle Aarrabiata - just spicy enough, and also in need to bread for the sauce.
• Chocolate Gelato - mmmmm...

We certainly won't be taking so long to get back and enjoy the always pleasant evening at Anna Maria Pasteria!

Stay JOLLY!
DKate