Thanksgiving Galore!

There I was, getting in late for my Thanksgiving dinner invitation at Susie’s. I have to say that I was kind of excited about Susie’s Bakery new phase. I had been to the bar and I was content with the experience, mostly because the service is outstanding. You see from the start that there is an interest from the ownership to satisfy the customer.

When I saw they were going to participate in KRW 2008, I was kind of puzzled because I was accustomed to the idea of Susie’s as a bakery. Although I knew about their lunch service on their both locations and even their very famous breakfast service on Sundays at Southdale Plaza, the idea of seeing Susie’s participating in the same category as East, Aubergine, Jewel of India and Strawberry Hill disoriented me a little.

From what I heard and the look at the menu that I took, their offer was remarkable and people’s comments were good. Everybody was recommending Susie’s as the new hottest spot in town. Therefore, the Thanksgiving dinner invitation was really the best opportunity to see Susie’s at its best.

Well, the menu, which I would have preferred to see in writing, was nice and although I was wanting a more traditional Thanksgiving dinner, the Jamaican Christmas selections were getting me already in the season’s spirit.

I asked for their lamb chops and let me tell you that these have been one of the best ones that I have tried in a long time. They were also offering rib eye steak, curried shrimp and sliced lamb.

We got our dishes and off we started to eat. I was not very satisfied with the presentation of my dish and I quickly glanced at my party and they all looked the same. I have to say that, presentation wise, these were not very attractive. I also have to mention that there were mixed feeling across the table and not everyone was as happy as I was with my chops.

This is to be taken care of because good service and quality food have to go hand in hand with a constant delivery of good flavor and presentation throughout their selection.

My advice to Susie’s is to tune up those details in order to achieve a flawless delivery. The key of a winning high-level dish is not in the exaggerated amount of food thrown in a plate, as I felt it was done in the case of my Thanksgiving dinner, but in the right combination of quality food, eye appeal and right flavors.

Susie’s is really the hottest place in town. The bar is really nice and the ambiance is superb, but they need to work on few details of their dinner experience to reach their standards they have apparently set for themselves.

As I end this review, allow me to take advantage of these celebrations and the true meaning of Thanksgiving to thank all the persons that read my blog and participate in good spirit.

Your support has been a true blessing.

So, my dear blog readers … keep on eating!

KRW 2008... MY REVIEW!

Dear blog readers,

I am finally here with my KRW 2008 review.

I wish I would have had more time to enjoy this fantastic idea out of Stephanie Scott’s bag, which makes me reflect upon the fact that just ONE week is not enough.

KRW’s should be extended to at least two weeks. I selected my picks and decided to devote my WEEK to visit them all, but I could not reach my goal. Between my work obligations and meetings my selection was narrowed down to only 4 out of 6 of my original list.

Notwithstanding, I enjoyed my KWR 2008 experience: general good ambiance, good media coverage (although a little bit rushed at the very last minute), good selection of restaurants, excellent menus and lovely people.

This is why I say it should be extended!

I started with MAC’s. It was a fantastic experience and this is the top restaurant in service. You can really feel that the high level concept is well spread all over this venue. The ambiance is set for you to be well served during all your dining experience and it is visible that there is somebody taking good care of this business.

My choices from their menu were delicious: escargots, shrimp and a pavlova for dessert. I really recommend this place for any special occasion that you have in mind, since the service matches the taste of the dishes.

I have been there before and I have to say the taste is constant, which really says a lot about quality… but, speaking of the latter, I got sick from my escargots! I could not believe the perverse effect of those little creatures on my stomach.

I really spent an awful night after being there!

I do not want to say that this is the rule if you visit MAC’s and I still love the flavour of their food and the concept of the restaurant, but something went wrong with my escargots and this is something that must be taken into account by the owner.

I will keep visiting MAC’s… I know this is an unusual accident.

And when you go, try their PAVLOVA… it is really a heavenly dessert!

Once I felt better, I decided to go PALM COURT. This is the latest idea of the HILTON family. It’s a buffet restaurant that is located above the lobby. Their menu sounded delicious… it really did, but it did not reflect the taste.

I did not enjoy any of my menu choices there. Flavour and grace were to be found on their dishes, which is really unfortunate because they are doing their best.

Ambiance was good and servers were extremely helpful and up to par. I am going to give it another try during lunch, because it seems to be a nice and not-too-expensive restaurant choice in the busy New Kingston.

After the disappointing visit to PALM COURT, my next restaurant was the relaxed BIRD’S NEST. I was surprised. I selected this out of curiosity because their menu was not really attractive, but I wanted to see how they prepared for this week. I mean, you always dress well when you are invited to a party.

Nice flavour, expected fair food quality and nice servers!

This unpretentious place really won me over with their escoveitched, their curry goat and their chocolate cake! Good job and thumbs up for the people of BIRD’S.

My last restaurant selection was the complex MELTING POT. I was really overwhelmed by their menu, which, in my opinion, was the most colourful of this edition of KRW.

I enjoyed their presentation and their effort. And I will certainly go back… this was a “mouth opener” for me!

I tried their pumpkin and gnocchi soup, their rasta ravioli and their delicious trio brulee… FANTASTIC!

Had I pick a winner among my restaurant choices, I would give the GOLD MEDAL to the MELTING POT.

Nice service and very well thought and intelligent menu, good ambiance… they were really a pleasant surprise and the best way to sell a concept!

So, my dear blog readers, here they are! This was my experience. What about yours? I heard many of my friends talking about different places: SUSIE’S, COLUMBUS and even GLORIA’S. This week for me was an enormous success and it certainly was the talk of the town.

Hats off to the organizers and the person behind this idea… excellent promotion for the participating restaurant and sponsors…. and a beautiful opportunity for us FOOD LOVERS to enjoy Kingston’s culinary scene at its best!

Keep on eating!

DIM SUM disaster!

I feel kind of obliged to write this review.

Following the recommendation of a group of friends, I went to Dragon Court to try their DIM SUM, which means "heart's delight" and includes a variety of snacks such as steamed dumplings, shrimp balls, pastries, and spring rolls.

The place was packed and it was evident that the end of the service of DIM SUM was approaching. Even the Prime Minister was there! Sometimes the amount of people is a good thermometer to see if a place is good or not.

Well, let me say that this was not the case.

DIM SUM was good: spring rolls, buns of all sorts and steamed and fried dumplings. However, the service was really BAD and SLOW. We were served the first order and drinks arrived when we had already finished eating.

We decided to order some more food, but it was so disorganized that they brought us the same items we ordered first.

The food was good, but we were desirous of trying different items from their menu. Well no… they had already decided for us.

This was my first time there and I do not know if I want to come back. I don’t know if this chaos was caused by the presence of the PM or if it is their regular atmosphere.

Dragon Court should be more respectful of their clientele and pay more attention to the service they offer. It cannot be just a matter of numbers and pieces of papers where their slow servers take the orders; they should have a system and more efficient servers.

We, as clients, we want to enjoy our food and the experience that comes with it. CONFUSING is not the key to this experience!

So, my dear blog readers, DIM SUM at Dragon Court is not at all the synonym of a calm and peaceful SUNDAY.

Keep on eating!

KWR 2008 kicks off this Sunday November 8, 2008!

Hi blog readers!

I am ready for some food action after a short 3-week break. I'll be reviewing my picks for KRW 2008:

MAC's

Columbus Restaurant & Palm Court

Melting Pot & Waterfalls

The Bird's Nest

Eat out and enjoy Kingston Restaurant Week 2008, which starts this Sunday.

Do not miss the opportunity!

Check their website and make your choice... if you still find some places available!


This is truly the culinary EVENT of the year.


http://www.go-jamaica.com/krw/


So, my readers, keep on eating!