My coworker , Dorothy, recommended this restaurant to me. Adam and I ate there for our anniversary last year and loved it. The meatball appetizer was the best part of the meal. Definitely a five star in my book.

Amore’ Restorante Italiano
Greystone Center
5510 Highway 280 S., Suite 116
Birmingham, AL 35242
(205) 437-1005

We visited Disney this summer and during our trip we were able to enjoy a meal at the Crystal Palace. Adam and I worked our way through the beautiful buffet enjoying items such as Moroccan couscous salad, black bean & mango salad, Roasted garlic mashed potatoes, BBQ Pork Tenderloin, Curry Stir Fry Noodles, Citrus Marinated Flank Steak, Wild mushroom & chicken pasta, Cinnamon & lemon basmati rice, Thai curry mussels, Fruit & vegetable tofu curry, Atlantic salmon, Rotisserie chicken, and New England clam chowder. Some of our favorites were the Atlantic Salmon with Cinnamon & Lemon Basmati Rice. While we ate, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore came around to visit the little ones.

When we returned home, I wanted to commemorate a wonderful vacation by recreating the dish. I made the side dish by rinsing one cup of basmati rice a few times until the water was no longer merky. Add the rice to a steel-bottomed pot with two cups of water with a tablespoon of margarine and a pinch of salt, cover and cook over medium-high heat. When the water comes to a boil, reduce the water to low and add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and a stick of cinnamon and cover again. Cook the rice for approximately 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, to prepare the salmon, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and lay out two pieces of parchment paper or aluminum foil crisscrossed on your work station. Lay one salmon steak inside with skin side down. Season with salt, fresh ground pepper, a tablespoon of butter and a squeeze of lemon juice. Pulling up corner to corner, match up the corners and wrap up the aluminum foil making a pouch. Continue this until all the salmon steaks are seasoned and wrapped up in their little purses. Place the little handbags on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 25 minutes.

While the salmon and rice are cooking, you can make the pesto. Combine 2/3 cup firmly packed basil leaves, a pinch of salt, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest.

Layer the cooked rice on the bottom and add the salmon once it is firm to the touch. I removed the skin from mine before I served it. Top the salmon with pesto and add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a little lemon zest for garnish.

My dish may not have been Disney specific but I am sure that Mickey and Minnie wouldn’t mind nibbling off my plate.

I am perched atop a high-top at the obviously popular Feast Restaurant & Bar in downtown Chicago. Though headed to an Italian restaurant recommended by the concierge, the outdoor seating and clientele caught my eye. Besides I am having pizza tonight.

They have a breakfast lunch and dinner menu. It is 1:30 and they are still serving breakfast — yeah! Full wine menu and a 22 seat bar with two small flat screen TVs for your sport watching enjoyment. The decor is modern in design with warm apricot walls and toasted wood finish. Out my window I see at least a dozen tables with comfortable-looking faux wicker chairs. One of the enticing features is the neighboring deli called The Goddess and Grocer.

I chose the Eggs Portobello but they were sold out. I switched to the Crab Benedict described as “two poached eggs and crab cakes over jalapeño-cheddar corn bread with chipotle hollandaise + feast potatoes $13.50.” My food arrives and it’s a good looking plate of food. The potatoes are crunchy but needed to be warmer. The crab cakes are delicate and flavorful. The cornbread underneath is moist and has a little bite with the jalapeño. I would preferthe egg be cooked a little more but it is white and fluffy I just don’t care for eggs where the whites run clear. They were close but they needed a few more seconds. Texturally I would have liked the crab cake to have a more crisp exterior to provide a textural contrast in the bite. It wasn’t till my second crab cake that I even noticed their were capers. The second cake was more enjoyable and I could feel more of the jalepeno heat on my lips. Proportionally I didn’t need this many potatoes but I suppose I would prefer more than not enough.

The dish was good not great. Let’s put it this way, I haven’t eaten anything all day and I didn’t finish my plate. So it didn’t blow me out of the water. I am sure it would be better in the am when everything is fresh. I did like my waiter though. He was quiet and friendly. He kept my coffee full and even made me one to go. Thanks Boomer. I also like that there are grown up smoothies on their menu with different types of vodka. It seems interesting. All-in-All I give it a 3 out of 5. It was definitely worth the price and and easy to get in and out of. I can see why the locals like to pop in here to eat.

feast restaurant & bar
25 E. Delaware Place
Chicago. IL 60611
Ph: 312.337.4001
Fx: 312.896.2590

I work for a publishing company and one of our sister companies is located in the suburbs of Chicago, IL.  About once a year we visit our distant friends to discuss business face-to-face. The last few times we visited, our team took us to Bob Chinn’s Crab House to enjoy some delicious seafood as well as an extraordinary dining experience. The atmosphere is energetic, loud, and sizzling with a huge dining room and vivacious staff. The room smells of fresh steamed crab claws, perfectly buttered fish and mouth-watering steaks. The menu is a simple, legal-sized sheet of paper with 8 point font as tight as it can be on the front and back. (Click Here to view a sample dinner menu).

Our table ordered a variety of appetizers including the Crab Cake Nuggets, Oysters on the Half Shell, Portobello Mushrooms, Calamari and King Crab Fingers.  We passed the dishes around the table, eating family style.  My favorite was the little Crab Cake Nuggets because they had a crispy exterior with a moist mixture inside that melted in your mouth.

During our first visit, I had the 8 oz Strip Steak & Antarctic Bay Scallops for dinner.  The portion was perfect.  The steak had a perfect sear and cooked to perfection at medium-rare.  The scallops were small but flavorful; buttery and delicate.  I had the pleasure of taste-testing a few of the other guests’ meals and fell in love with the Sea Bass Steamed Asian Style, so much so that I ordered it when I returned a year later.  This moist, mild fish is steamed in a soy sauce base with sesame oil and fresh ginger.  It is topped with scallions and cilantro and served with white rice.  The appearance is of a bright white fish with a translucent sweet smelling sauce, vibrant green accents perched on a small puff of steamy white rice.  I am so glad I tried the dish again, it was so worth it.

Some other recommendations from my dining partners were the 10 oz. Prime Rib, the Macadamia Sautéed Sea Bass and the Alaskan Bairdi Snow Crab Legs.  If you have the chance to stop by Bob Chinn’s Crab House, I highly recommend it.  I even brought home two of their signature tiki cups and a t-shirt for my hubby that says “I have the best legs in town”.

Chattanooga, Tennessee
February 2008

3 stars out of 5

During our recent anniversary trip to Tennessee, Adam and I were able to try out some new local cuisine including a lovely lunch at Easy Seafood Company Bistro & Bar in the heart of Chattanooga’s downtown area. This casual dining venue offered daily changing lunch & dinner menus with an assortment of creative seafood dishes in the style of creole cooking with a Tennessee twist. We stopped by to try out the lunch specials after visiting the wonderful Tennessee Aquarium and were very pleased with our visit, especially after reading that Easy Seafood Company is set in the world’s first Coca-Cola bottling plant. The worn floors, unique lighting and beautiful molding work on the ceiling added to the old school atmosphere.

Peter Shears
Canton, Ohio
October 2007
5 stars out of 5

I understand now why the first page of Peter Shears Downtown website reads “Canton’s Only Five Star Restaurant” after the dinner I experienced this evening. We are talking top of the line ingredients, beautiful atmosphere, extremely knowledgeable staff and exquisite cuisine. Considering I am a self-proclaimed foodie, I’m known to be very nitpicky over my food, so it was surprising when I found myself saying, “can I kiss the chef”? Granted, I was little surprised when Chef Michael Meffe visited us at the table for fear he was coming to claim his prize but luckily he didn’t hear me.

Chef Geoff’s
Washington, D.C.
December 2006
4 ½ stars out of 5

My husband, Adam, and I entered Chef Geoff’s Downtown Diner on 13th Street between E & F on a Thursday night around 6:00 pm and we were greeted by two lovely hostesses, joking and smiling.  Adam, being the charmer that he is, imposed a variety of introductory questions and we were quickly seated in the back room of the somewhat empty restaurant.  Our waiter, Jason – timid and stammering for words with his quick breathes and even speedier speech, introduced himself and produced an array of menus and books lined with appetizers, entrees of many varieties, and a large selection of wines as well as a miniature portfolio of martinis, spritzers and cocktails.  I was greatly intrigued by the introduction of the menu with the Lil’ Snacks section.  These are smaller portioned appetizers that suit the lighter appetites as well as the tighter wallets.  Adam and I immediately chose the Fried Green Tomatoes stuffed with Goat Cheese as our starter.