Bagatelle

115 Duval St
Key West, FL 33040

For my birthday this year, my boyfriend and I went on a Carnival cruise to the Caribbean! I am a huge fan of cruising (well any vacation really lol) and this was his first time. We had an awesome, although unpredictable time with weather, which resulted in some port changes. We went to Key West, Montego Bay, Jamaica, and back to Key West (couldn't stop in Grand Cayman as planned). Our first time around in Key West it was raining most of the day, so we decided to splurge a little more than planned and find a nice restaurant to eat and have a drink.

Bagatelle is in the heart of Key West, on Duval Street where all the action is. Lots of shops and bars around, which were all over crowded due to the rain. The restaurant is a converted house, with all of its original charm intact. We were lucky enough to get a table on the wrap around porch. Although it was raining, it was a muggy 86 degrees, so sitting in an outside covered spot was perfect.

Bagatelle serves Caribbean food with French influences. I ordered the mojo pork tacos with marinated pork, grilled pineapple, tomatillo salsa, onions & cilantro on a soft flour tortilla, served with plantain chips. I really liked this dish, it was flavorful and a different combination of ingredients in tacos than you would typically find. Although the tortillas are somewhat small, the meal overall is very filling.



My boyfriend ordered the kobe burger with a half pound of greg norman australian wagyu, served with plantain chips. He inhaled the burger, so I'm guessing he liked it. We both had the rum punch to wash down our food. The drinks were delicious and had a good amount of alcohol, not too strong but got our money's worth. Overall I really liked Bagatelle and would go again if I ever come back to Key West. For our second time in Key West that week we had gorgeous sunny weather and went snorkling! We had a blast and after we walked around the town again, wanting to properly experience Key West. Mallory Square and and surrounding streets are very charming with great souvenier shops. I would love to return and stay for a few days in the not too distant future.

Osteria dell'Agnolo

Borgo S. Lorenzo, 24r,
50032 Florence, Italy

For Christmas 2010 my family and I went on a trip to back to Italy (my friend came along with and she and I went to Belfast and Dublin as well). My aunt and her husband live in Florance and took us to Osteria dell'Agnolo for out Christmas Day celebration. The restaurant is near the Duomo, a very busy piazza in Florance but this has not made it lose its value as a true Italian eatery. Sure they get tourists, but it is still a favorite of local Florentines. This restaurant has a lot of history, they claim to be the oldest restaurant in the world, although it is not officially recognized. It has been recorded that Leonardo da Vinci and his friends would meet there frequently, very well making this the oldest restaurant in the world!



The outside of the restaurant

Now on to what's really important, THE FOOD! The service here is great, the wait staff are very friendly and helpful with questions about the dishes. We started off with antipasto of assorted salami's. The portion was huge!


Antipasto

The menu has a lot of variety including salads, pizzas, pasta, gnocci and traditional entrees like Osso Bucco. Everything is flavored wonderfully with fresh ingredients and just the right amount of seasoning. And no Italian dining expereince would be complete without WINE! Tuscany produces some of the smoothest red wines, I don't think I've disliked any that I've tried from the region. The great thing about eating out in Italy, is most of the time the house wine served is fabulous and very afordable. You really don't need to know much about Italian wine types to order a glass (or bottle!).

Our visit to Florance during Christmas was beautiful, although cold, I am so glad we experienced the holidays there.


Christmas Day

Paladar Cafe Cubano

329 Kearny St
(between Bush St & Pine St)
San Francisco, CA 94108

One of my favorite lunch stops is Paladar Cafe Cubano, 2 blocks from my office in the Financial District (and next door neighbors to my dad's restaurant). We are friendly with the owners Vicki and Rita, two of the nicest restaurant owners I have ever met. They love what they do and have such passion for their food that it shows in the quality and presentation. The cafe is small but they make the best of their space and function as a full service restaurant (difficult to do in this area of SF because most eateries can only fit a few tables).

One of my favorite dishes there is the ensalada de la casa (mixed greens with veggies) and add grilled steak. The meat is marinaded perfectly, it's so delicious. The salad has a light tasting lemon-shallotvinagerette dressing that is very refreshing and compliments the meat wonderfully. You also have the option to add chicken or shrimp as well as steak to any salad on the menu. I'm also a fan of the shrimp and sometimes order it on the 5 greens salad which has arugula, watercress, avocado & cucumber with mint vinaigrette dressing.

The cubano sandwich is probably one of their most popular lunch items which has Niman roast pork, ham, swiss, pickles, mayo & mustard and is served warm with a small mixed greens salad on the side. I love getting some of their homemade chipotle aioli to dip my sandwich in, gives it a little kick of spice! If you're in the mood for a treat as a side to that sandwich, then I recommend adding the fried yuca (listed on the menu as an appetizer) which is served with the chipotle aioli for dipping. The fried yuca has a similar consistency to a french fry, crispy outside, soft and potato-like (but sweeter) inside.


Fried Yuca

Cinecitta Ristorante & Bar

663 Union St
(between Columbus Ave & Powell St)
San Francisco, CA 94133

About 2 weeks ago we started having warmer than usual weather in San Francisco (it was short lived, as usual) but it made me start to crave authentic Italian food. Warm weather in the city reminds me of living in Rome, the hussle and bustle of a city, but being able to sit outside and enjoy a pizza and then stroll through the streets with a refreshing gelato. Thus I began my quest for the next best thing to being in Italy for Italian food-North Beach in SF. Not nearly the same atmosphere, but only a convenient 15 minute walk from my office.

Cinecitta is one of many small Italian eateries that you'll find in North Beach, just off Columbus where most of the restaurants are. Columbus feels very much like walking through Italian streets, in that you are surrounded by restaurants with so many hosts offering you menu's it can be confusing which one to choose! Luckly having learned from experience that the restaurant that doesn't chase after customers usually has better food and service. I had read about Cinecitta on yelp and decided to give it a try. It's just past most of the Columbus restaurants, off Union Street.

The restaurant is small with 4 tables in front, a few tables inside and a long bar. The service was great, we met the owner who is from Rome, huge points for that! She made recommendations on the menu as well as offered to explain any items we were unfamiliar with. Other than authentic Roman style pizzas (no stuffed crust here!) they offer appetizers, salads, panini's, calzones and a few entrees. I ordered the Trastevere-for 2 reasons, 1) It's named after the neighborhood in Rome I lived in and 2) It sounded delicious! It has tomato sauce, mozzerella cheese, arugala and proscuitto with a sprinkle of parmesan on top. My friend had the Alla Romana pizza which is also very delicious- tomato sauce, mozzerella cheese, sausage, salami, and pepperoni.


The Trastevere

After dinner we walked around and got gelato at Naia, not the best I've had but my favorites Straciatella and Chocolate Hazelnut (usually called Baci) are pretty good. They were lacking in some of the best Italian gelato flavors though, mainly the fruit flavors like Strawberry (Fragola)and Mixed Berry (Fruitti de Bosco). Naia does however have some unique options like Guinness, and some typical American ice cream flavors as well.

Oasis Grille and Bar in Pleasanton

780 Main St
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 417-8438

It's been a long time since my last and first review but here is #2! I've been to Oasis twice now and haven't been disappointed. They serve Afghani/Meditteranian cuisine in the heart of downtown pleasanton. The ambiance is great, very cozy and classy inside, including a lounge area if you're just interested in appetizers and drinks. There is also a beautiful outdoor patio area to enjoy the abundance of sunshine and warm evenings in Pleasanton. The staff is very helpful and knowledgeable about the menu, which is crucial at a restaurant serving food many customers will be unfamiliar with.

Now for the food! For appetizers, the Pumpkin Borani is delicious, sort of a dessert before dinner. The Oasis sampler contains a smaller portion of the pumpkin borani, grilled shrimp and hummus stuffed cucumbers. Another great appetizer is the Tour of the Meditteranian, a trio of spinach artichoke dip, hummus and cucumber yogurt served with bread. Both samplers are great options to introduce your palate to the Meditteranian flavors that accompany many of the main entrees on the menu.

For dinner I have had the Kabob's both times. They offer a list of choices and you can choose just one meat or do a combination. I have tried the steak, shrimp and the koobideh (beef blended with herbs and spices, served with grilled tomato) which is fantastic! They offer a choice for sides, the garlic mashed potatoes are really delicious as is the seasoned basmati rice. My mom ordered the lamb shank, which was very tender, although the sauce could have been a little more exciting, served with fresh asparagas. The dinner menu also offers Meditteranian inspired flatbread pizzas, grilled salmon, stuffed chicken, pastas and a few traditional Afghani dishes, as well as an international wine list. Overall both visits to Oasis have been fantastic, I always recommend this restaurant to people in the area looking for something a little different than the usual dinner fare


Pumpkin Borani