Restaurant

Beijing

The variety of foods that can be enjoyed in San Francisco is remarkably broad: Italian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Indonesian, and Vietnamese. However, I cannot list them all. Even compared to New York City, San Francisco’s variety of food does not lose its excellence.

In addition, the cost for enjoying these fabulous foods is amazingly reasonable. I consider buffet-style restaurants to be the most cost-effective. About two years ago, we found an extremely good Asian cuisine buffet restaurant, the Beijing Buffet, close to the San Francisco Airport. I referred to several rating sites before writing this article, and the ratings varied from person to person. However, the general rating was average. My own experience at this restaurant has been good, and my wife and mother-in-law love it as well. Because my wife is a Chinese American who was born in China, her sense of taste for authentic Chinese foods is trustworthy.

My wife and I like this place because of the size of the buffet and the variety of foods offered. There are five large buffet tables that keep the food warm. Along the right wall of the square restaurant is the counter for sushi, sashimi, shrimp, crab, and fresh seafood. The other counter carries both warm and cold Asian and European deserts. At the end of the desert counter, there are ice cream self-dispensers that offer the following flavors: vanilla, chocolate, or a mixture of both.

Each buffet table has its own food categories:
1) warm vegetables and cold salads,
2) fish and seafood,
3) Chinese and American-style poultry,
4) fried rice, noodles, and rice soup, and
5) steamed, fried, or boiled pot stickers and Chinese-style meat buns.

Some restaurants offer a regular menu in addition to a buffet. Beijing Buffet does not have regular menu. However, a BBQ counter is a part of the buffet service offered by this restaurant. They have a buffet menu for both lunch and dinner. My wife is not very excited about BBQ, but I love it. It is like ordering an omelet to your taste during breakfast at a hotel. The buffet includes choices of beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, fish, vegetables, tomatoes, bean sprouts, and more. Although some buffet-style restaurants do not have lobsters or crabs at lunch, this place offers all types of foods for both lunch and dinner.

You also can ask the chef to make your dish spicier, sweeter, or saltier. Mr. Choi, who works in the BBQ section, became my friend because he thinks that I request more choices in my food than other people. If you like grilled fish or jumbo shrimp, you can ask to have it skewered. If you want to eat Chinese buns, which are called pao, Mr. Choi can grill them for you. He makes pao with only pork, pork and vegetable pao, and pao with only vegetables, or sweet pao.

Finally, you can order Chinese egg noodles grilled with your choice of meat, seafood, vegetables, or a combination of these options. You can also choose thick egg noodles, thin egg noodles, or rice noodles.

Tips for Premium Grilled Food

Regardless of the rapid upsurge of restaurants that serve grilled food within the metropolis and different provinces, Congo Grille remains to become one of the favorites of households and office yuppies since it supports the secret to premium grilled food. From the typical Filipino restaurant seven years back, Congo Grille has gone global in terms of the food it serves which its loyal patrons would describe as first-rate, generous and affordable. “Compared with other grilling resto, we make it a point to include a premium on every serving. We serve the largest portion of crispy pata and inihaw na pusit. You pay around the same price but obtain a bigger portion or serving from the food that you simply order for,” explains Dex Frayco, kitchen operations manager of Congo Grille.

Each of the 240 items for auction on Congo’s menu, many of which originated from the shoppers, is guaranteed to satisfy 3 to 4 persons who require not be worried about forking out a lot of money.

“We have a ‘customer comment card’ which customers fill up whenever they dine at Congo. We consolidate their suggestions in our monthly meeting only then do we study whatever is predominant and improve that,” adds Frayco. Due to constant and tireless monitorship of the items Congo’s customers want, Frayco and everyone else running Congo Grille discovered that people can’t get an adequate amount of their sizzling delights such as Pork Sisig that is costing P160, Baked Nz Mussels cooked in cheese, garlic butter and Rockefeller Sauce (P260), and Congo Rice topped with calamares, spring onions, dried ginger and rye (P160). Other Congo favorites are Tex Mex Nachos, Crispy Pata and Grilled Pusit.

“Our Crispy Pata will work for five persons because it’s really big. We’ve got a lot of suppliers for pata since it is tough to source out pata that weighs 60 kilos. This is exactly why we obtain our way to obtain pata from as far as Laguna,” reveals Frayco, adding that they walk out their method to please their customers because Congo Grille really wants to meet the special trait of the silverback gorilla.

“You’ve realized that our restaurant is represented by a silverback gorilla and that is so because if you research onto it, you’ll understand that this type of creature is the most caring and playful to its young. This is actually the image our restaurant exudes because our standard of taste is definitely according to our customers’ preference,” he was quoted saying.

Aside from putting utmost importance on what its customers want, Congo Grille’s other secret to its continuing success is the set of expert hands employed in the kitchen. Congo’s Executive Chef Reynaldo Natividad’s adoration for Spanish and Western cuisine contributed a lot to Congo’s speedy progress in the grilling industry. “Since our vision would be to go global and we’ve made the initial step within our kitchen, preparations are increasingly being designed for our first branch abroad. We’re likely to put up a branch in america,” concludes Frayco. Congo Grille currently has 10 branches situated in Ortigas, Quezon City, Makati City, Alabang, SM Fairview, SM San Lazaro, SM Valenzuela, SM Sta. Rosa, SM Clark and SM Mall of Asia.

Mary Antonette Valdez-Pua is really a certified food critic who reviews the new offerings of food establishments within the metropolis.

Haze Bar – Another Shade of Blues

If you’ve ever visited Haze most likely you might wind up hoping that everyone’s rendition of pain sounds half as soulful as a blues number! Symbolic of blues music in Delhi, Haze is a club exceptionally not the same as the rest because of its unflagging support to advertise blues. The main city just about become the focal point of blues in India also it would not be completely incorrect to credit Haze and Kiranjit Sant for the achievement.

In the six years Haze has bought blues to some level where people aren’t unaware anymore. Few know that the bar was largely a result of sheer necessity above all else. Like everyone else from his generation, Sant was raised listening to the typical suspects-Chuck Berry, Elvis, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. However it wasn’t until he discovered the blues that he realised the strength of music for this moved him like nothing ever had.

Even though Sant setup businesses and went through the motions of life, the blues continued to be a passion. It was the lack of places which played his kind of music in Delhi that prompted him to start a club of their own.

Haze continues to provide a platform for blues musicians from across the nation. It is the club which introduced the legendary Lou Majaw from Shillong to a wider audience. Acts like Soulmate, HFT, Saturday Night Blues Band are regulars at Haze whose music rivets the audiences every week. It’s hardly a surprise then the Blues Club of India, an initiative of Sant along with Subir Malik of Parikrama and Priya Paul of The Park Hotels has countless members in just five months.

Offering a significantly laid-back atmosphere, the ambience gets control once you set foot into Haze. A flurry of patrons, Indians and expatriates, have enjoyed it so much that they often mistake it for any blues bar down in New Orleans. There’s more on the anvil because the blueprint for Haze is far from complete. The original idea was to create a space that does not only showcases musical talent but also allows for aficionados to see blues in each and every possible manner. A library tracking the past and present of blues with the written word along with a CD collection promise to create you back for more.

While frequenting any popular watering hole or carrying out a band, one reaches begin to see the same faces and ostensibly eventually ends up hearing exactly the same thing once again. This is definitely not the case with Haze as despite the same musicians, the blues never sound exactly the same. This quality of the blues has transcended towards the patrons too. Even the familiar faces, much like the tunes that fill-up Haze, tell another story each time.

The Best Ice Cream of the Beaches

On the scorching hot summer’s day in Florida, nothing can beat an frozen treats cone, drizzled in melt-in-your mouth hot chocolate fudge, caramel, or the children in mind, and youngsters generally – sprinkles. As well as for those living in or vacationing in Treasure Island, Florida, it’s no different. Because of this, we’ve scoured the southern-most Gulf Beaches of Pinellas to give you the interior ‘scoop’ on the area’s top spots for frozen treats!

Larry’s
A longtime fixture on St. Pete Beach, Larry’s provides the type of old-fashioned frozen treats parlor present in few places nowadays. Offering over 80 flavors, including frozen yogurt and 10 flavors of no-sugar added and low fat options, in addition to 94% fat free gelato, Larry’s offers something for everyone, including those watching their waistlines. The best choice: the Belgian Waffle Sundae or a Peanut Butter Heaven Parfait.

Paradise Sweets
Situated in Pass-a-Grille Beach, Paradise Sweets is not only known for its frozen goodness, but also its coffee, with the rich, bold flavor of espresso creating a truly aromatic experience for patrons. Offering Working Cow frozen treats, it’s served ultra thick and creamy – only the way you like it. Offering 28 flavors of frozen treats and a plethora of unique organic roasted coffees, Paradise Sweets is not only an frozen treats shop – it is your neighborhood cafe!

Super Scoops
Located on Gulf Boulevard in Treasure Island, this is actually the place to visit for whether chocolate milkshake or a super-sized banana split! Personally, I prefer the Brownie Sundae, topped with homemade hot fudge. Portions are huge, and it’s a family-owned and operated business, so that they tend to be more than accommodating to patrons, offering some of the lowest prices around the beach. Additionally they offer low-fat, low sugar options. Voted Greatest of the Beaches by Beach Life, and it is within easy reach of countless Treasure Island Hotels.

Candy Kitchen
On the edge of Madeira Beach, near a few of the quieter Treasure Island Condos is the legendary mom and pop shop Candy Kitchen. Candy Kitchen continues to be making homemade ice cream and fudge since 1950. My personal favorite is the Butter Pecan or the Space Ice Cream created using marshmallows! Dieting? Not to worry. The Maple Nut flavor is low in calories and it is still very delicious. If you want some fudge, try the Homemade Maple Turtle or even the Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge. Both of them are simply delicious! While parking is a bit of the pain, it is a short walk from Treasure Island Condo Hotels. Besides, whoever said taking a leisurely stroll on the beach would be a bad thing?