What Bri's Cooking

Mekong Thai Cuisine Food review.

So I was in search of an easy takeout lunch while in the Kenwood area, and remembered my coworker raving about Mekong.  Stopped in for some chicken pad Thai & a bowl of wonton soup (no surprise here).  It was ready in a flash & I headed back work.

I started eating the soup right away when I got back and I loved the broth and the cilantro floating in it.  Such a welcome surprise, and a great flavor that you usually don’t find in wonton soup.  I loved it.  The pad Thai was pretty standard.  I liked the flavor, but didn’t love how my noodles stuck together.  I did like that the sprouts were cooked. 

The verdict: the service was okay and the food was good, but I don’t know if I’ll be racing back anytime soon. 

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen food review.

Went here for a girls night dinner, and loved every minute of it.  We had some drinks, ate amazing food and topped it off with delicious cheesecake.  I ordered the crispy salmon, jumbo crab & shrimp.  The lemon sauce was so decedent, but not overwhelming.  I’m pretty sure my food didn’t come with any corn.  Could have been because I ordered red beans & rice as my side.  Which didn’t seem like it would go well with my seafood, but did.  The ingredients were all so very fresh & I wish I could figure out the recipe for everything I had to recreate it at home.  Dinner at Pappadeaux is expensive, so I’d like to be able to have this more often at  the house! 
The verdict: great service, even better food with amazing friends! 

Fork Tender baked pork chops recipe. 

This is the very best baked pork chop recipe I’ve ever tried!  Adding boiled water seams to steam the chops while in the oven, resulting in fork tender, delicious meat.  I vow to never make another dry baked chop as long as I live! 

Larosa’s food review.

I find myself becoming quite nostalgic about all the hometown food that I used to take for granted now that I’m’ about to move away.  The other night we had our usual convo: I want pizza.  What kind? and settled on Larosa’s.  Mind you I thought I’d save myself a moment of time and order Online.  My mistake.  I placed the order & when I added a coupon, it erased a few of the toppings (unbeknownst to me).  When the pies arrived, Will’s was missing toppings. So I call them up & ask for it to be resent.  The guy on the phone charges me $3 for the error, while I’m like I don’t care, send the right pizza! 

I digress.  I ordered a deep dish medium w/ garlic pesto sauce, with bacon & chicken.  Wills first pizza came with only extra cheese, but was intended to be ex cheese, pepperoni & ground beef.  Once his pizza arrived, he was a happy man (and we had pizza for days). 

The Verdict: call the dag on 347-1111 number & avoid some headache.  Otherwise.  Great pizza as always.  #NatiLove

City Diner food review. 

So we spent our first night in St Louis, in our first tornado warning.  We’ll call this phase of our life, terrified!  Needless to say we didn’t sleep well and were quite crabby the next morning.  In search of comfort food before we headed out, we ended up at City Diner.  We’d initially went to this place for a late breakfast, but upon seeing someone’s huge burger, we switched it up. 
I was starving, so it was either eat my husband’s arm or order an appetizer.  I literally threw my finger on the page and chose the fried ravioli.  It was so delicious!  Crispy, fried perfection with just the right ratio of breading to cheese & a light marinara to dip in.  It was salve to my hungry soul.  Our food took a bit to come but when it did, it didn’t disappoint.  I ordered the mushroom & Swiss burger with fries and loved it.  The burger was so juicy and delish.  My husband ordered the Cuban, and he didn’t love it.  I was a little sad, because I can’t wait to come back and try more food here, and he could be hesitant. 

The verdict: the service was a B & the food a B+, I really liked it, and I’m not sure if it was because I was really hungry or not.  Can’t give it an A unless my other half enjoys it as well.  Loved the atmosphere and eclectic mix of people.  Didn’t love the wait time. 

Bella Luna Food Review.

Went here for our monthly Lady Architect’s dinner.  I’ll admit I was hesitant.  My now husband and I had eaten there years ago when we first started dating and didn’t care for the food.  I attend these dinners to stay in community with my testosterone-less coworkers, so I was up for trying the restaurant again.  We had a rather large party, so we ordered a bottle while waiting for everyone to get there.  Someone ordered the Caprese and it was phenomenal!  Fresh mozzarella, crisp thick tomatoes & basil complimented each other perfectly.  A great way to start the meal.   

For dinner I ordered the chicken parmesan, and this time, I wasn’t disappointed.  Two perfectly crisp chicken breast were paired with pasta, and of course I had them covered in additional cheese before snapping the above photos.  I really enjoyed them, paired with the bottle of Prosecco we were enjoying.  We ended the meal with dessert, I snuck a few bites of my friend’s tiramisu which was melt in your mouth delicious.   

The verdict: Bella Luna certainly redeemed itself from my last visit!  The atmosphere was delightful, our server was attentive, but not worrisome and the food was excellent. 

Green Papaya Food review.

Went here for lunch the other day.  Ordered Chicken pad thai, my go to order.  I ordered there, and before I could check fb, twitter & tumblr, my order was ready.  Which I love, on my way before I can get bored. 

Got back to the office & my food was piping hot.  I loved that they included a lime to spritz the food with.  The chicken was tender and delish and the noodles were cooked perfectly.  My neighborhood is filled with Thai restaurants, many of whom I go to on a regular basis, so I hadn’t taken the time to try Green Papaya.  I will certainly look forward to hitting them up again!

The verdict: I’d give the service an A for being lightning fast & the food a B+. 

Finally ate the last of the banana nut bread my Aunt Carrie made.  It was SO delicious!!!!  With my last bite, I shed a tear….

Taste of Cincinnati Recap! 

We came back home early just to get our festival on.  We Halls (& now Harris’) love to hit up the local fairs, hang out and try all types of foods.  Sharing, tasting and enjoying each other’s company as we go.  This time was no exception!   

Chicken bacon mozzarella Panini w/ creamy shells & broccoli.  When its hot, turning on the oven is the devil.  These bad boys pretty much make themselves…sizzle