Thursday, March 6, 2014

P.F. Changs - Maryland Parkway

Gift certificates often take me places I don't normally go. This is the case for my most recent visit to PF Chang's. I have been on a number of occasions when I worked near one years ago and they had pretty reasonably priced lunches.

I remember that I always enjoyed the garlic noodles so I knew this was a must on our most recent visit. We also got some spicy chicken, eggplant, garlic spinach and fried rice. The food was ok and my memory hadn't failed me. The garlic noodles were again my favorite dish. The chicken and eggplant were entirely too sweet for my taste. The fried rice was ok and so was the spinach, but I was hoping for more garlic flavor. I wish I only ordered the garlic noodles and if I ever come again (which isn't likely) I would stick with them again.

Service was decent. Our server was attentive at first but when a large party came in, refills became a little more infrequent. He apologized and tried to be as attentive as possible, which we appreciated.

Overall, it's a chain, so they are all pretty standard and this one doesn't stand out in any way either negatively or positively.







Drago Sisters Bakery

I have driven by Drago Sisters on quite a few occasions but finally gave them a chance last week when we were passing by and my mom and I were craving a sweet. We swung by and the place was surprisingly packed for a weekday. We waited patiently in this very tiny bakery and were helped quickly. My mom and I decided to share a lemon bar and I got a chocolate truffle ball for my fella.

The lemon bar was nice and tart but the texture was a little chewier than I'm used so I'm not sure if it was a little stale or not. I enjoyed the flavor, but my mom was a little disappointed. I tried a little nibble of my fella's truffle and it was decent. The chocolate costing was a little too rich but I peeled that off and I enjoyed the inside. My fella wasn't enjoying his truffle at all so we traded halfway through and he seemed tk enjoy the lemon bar quite a bit. I'd be curious to try more of the treats here, but I'm not in a big rush to give them another try since nothing blew me away.






Michael Mina Pub 1842

Having time to kill before our concert over the weekend, a group of us decided to give Pub 1892 a shot. They offer a happy hour in the bar area every day, but unfortunately there were not seats in the bar area so we just decided to take a booth. They offer all the happy hour drink specials outside the bar, so we were still happy and the menu wasn't too expensive for the quick bite we were hoping for.

We settled in and decided to share an order of nachos and the lobster corndogs. We got some drinks as well and they were pretty good. The nachos came out quickly and they were enormous. We had every intention on ordering a few more items to share but after the nachos we were pretty full. The lobster corndogs came out and they were ok. My fella and mom didn't enjoy them at all so I ended up having to take the brunt of this dish. It was enjoyable, but pretty greasy.
Definitely better to share  most of these dishes. Most of the entrees that came out for neighboring tables were pretty sad looking. Tiny portions and the food didn't look or sound very exciting. The highlights from the menu really seemed to be the appetizers which were on the more creative side as well as the burgers that were a good portion size for the price.

The piña colada was really the only good cocktail we tried and actually enjoyed, but with an extensive beer assortment, this is the preferable thing  to order here.

I was debating between three and four stars, but based on the food we ordered alone I will stick with three until I give this place another try. I won't go out of my way to try this place again, but it's a solid choice if you're in the area for a show or vacation.




La Belle Terre Bread French Bakery Café

I ordered the following pastries to try: lemon tart, kouign-amann and an almond croissant. I can never resist lemon tarts and this was perfectly citrusy and tart. Lovely dessert. The kouign-amann and almond croissant were perfect. Exactly what I was looking for in a quality pastry.

I don't have a huge sweet tooth, but when I'm craving sweets, these are exactly what I'm looking for. Not overly sweet and really tasty. I can't wait to come back and try more of La Belle's savory and freshly made menu items.