Kool Beans Cafe

I've been to KBC a handful of times. It is definitely the type of food I like to eat- New World Cuisine. Lots of Mediterranean and and Indian influence with some Asian flair as well. The menu changes often and the food has been consistently fresh. They also have a great wine list and lots of premium beer choices. The service, however, is questionable-- the waiters are a tad spacey and forgetful but I can't say I'm angry with this. It kind of lends itself to the restaurants theme: "Eat, Drink, Talk Loud-- You're among friends!" Very KOOL and hippie like and unconventional. A great place for a first date too-- you will have a blast looking at all the original art hung on the walls or peering into the open kitchen. So, if your date sucks, you will still be amused.

Around 7 PM, I picked up my friend Ana. Ana is the type of person you can be with all the time and not get annoyed by her. She just goes with the flow and I love to think I can boss her around. She also is someone who likes to eat... a rarity among females in college. We arrive and there is a 25 min wait... not a surprise for KBC. They are always on wait... even during the week. They recently expanded to outdoor seating and this has shortened the wait time dramatically but I can be impatient at times especially when I am hungry. There is a solution for this... ask them to look at the menu while you wait. I am telling you the combinations in one dish are mesmerizing. Like this for example: Annato-rum glazed sea scallops, garlic marinated tomatoes, and citrus risotto.

Not too long after, we were seated outside and immediately served ice water. A nice touch because it is still warm here even at night. The waitress came right away (a surprise) and took our drink orders. I had this waitress before and Ana had a feeling she was "on something." I insisted that googley eyes were simply part of her personality. A little while later she came to take our dinner order and I had to remind her about the iced teas she hadn't remembered. Not a big deal, really, but it is warm out and they have damn good iced tea. You just know if tea is brewed or instant and theirs is definitely brewed. Outside seating is a fun option but beware if you are seated closer to the edge. The flies can creep up on your plate and at some point during this particular visit I was attacked by some sort of flying, fluttering thing.

While she ran off to get our drinks we decided to make a final decision on what to order. I love to taste everything so I always order a couple appetizers. I think its a more fun way to eat and I feel like I'm not missing out. I'm really drawn towards Mediterranean cuisine The flavors are always so fresh to me and the spices are very simple, not taking away from the ingredients themselves. With that in mind, I opted for the Red Pepper Hummus served with olive tapenade, scallions and warm pita points. I also ordered the Lentil Falefal, which is traditionally a Middle Eastern dish composed of smashed, spiced beans shaped into a patty and then fried. It was served with a veggie cuc salad and was drizzled with tzatziki sauce and olive oil. Ana loves Latin cuisine and KBC definitely incorporates Latin ingredients into there plates. Tonight, however, they had a full-fledged Latin feast for a dinner option: Glazed pork chops, mango red pepper salsa, cilantro rice, sweet plantains, and black beans. It was like a Cuban explosion on a plate and growing up with a Cuban father I was well aware of what this dish could do to your digestive track. But Ana insisted the dish was calling to her so she went for it. And lucky for me, too, because I could compare it to the authentic Cuban cooking I grew up on.

While waiting for our food we sipped our tea and noshed on the crusty whole grain bread served with whipped butter. The food came a while later so if you are looking for a super quick dinner, I would opt for another location. This place is really about the whole experience and the anticipation of the food on its way is part of it. Googely Eyes sat the plates down and I dove in. I tried the Falafel first. It is a very dense fried ball similar to a hush puppy so we are not looking for lots of different textures or complex flavors here. BUT paired with the tzatziki it was perfect. I do however think they skimped on the ziki. For such a dense appetizer you need an ample amount of sauce to soak the Falafel. My hummus was also delicious. Very strong flavors here. Tangy red pepper, salty capers, spicy scallions, and fresh black olive tapenade went so well smeared inside warm pita bread. Ana's dish looked delicious and she gave me a taste of everything. The pork was good paired with the salsa in the same bite. The rice was a beautiful light green color and each grain was separate from the next. Mushy rice is a no-no. My favorite part were the beans. In some Latin and South American cultures they sugar their black beans and so does KBC. In my opinion, it is the only way to have them. It completely rounded out the meal.

Overall, a good dining experience. If you are going there for the first time I would definitely recommend any of the fish dishes. I would say probably some of the freshest tasting seafood I've had in Florida and that is saying a lot considering we are a peninsula. The scallops have been my favorite so far.

The fair for dinner is relatively high. Entrees range from $20-$30 with apps and salads around $10. In my opinion if you love good food and wine, it is definitely worth it again and again.

Don't forget they are also open for lunch!

http://www.koolbeanz-cafe.com/

Cafe Annapurna

So, I've been to the Tallahassee strip about twice as a college student. I must say beer in plastic cups, sweat and cloisterphobia are not really my thing. BUT, since Tallahassee is extra special, they decided to put an authentic Tibetan/Nepali cafe neighboring these bars. I cannot tell you how excited I was about this. When I first saw it, I was getting a vanilla cone at McDs (the only thing I will ever get there... though I'd like to try the third pounder. Who could deny REAL ANGUS BEEF? Gross.) Anyways, I felt like I had to try it as soon as possible and since then I have had an two pleasant experiences there.

This place is a true hole in the wall (I'm talking brown tile floor and orange painted bead board booths) run by the native themselves. Which is a fantastic sign because you know the food will be authentic, fresh, and healthy. In addition, both times I've been there, there are natives eating and speaking the native tongue, another good sign. I'm sure they were thanking Buddha that they didn't have to eat dreadful American cuisine.

Now, Nepal and Tibet are located right between China and India. The cuisine has elements of both--dumplings and pita are both choices on Cafe Annapurna's menu. Speaking of the menu... it is a bit hard to understand at a first glance. Menu items include Papad, Achar, Chhole, Partaha and Dal. Translation: Lentil tortilla, Nepali potato salad, marinated chickpeas, flakey wheat flour bread, and spinach lentil soup. Don't worry, I didn't look these up myself. The English version is right on the menu.

I went there for lunch yesterday with my cousin (she is another food buddy of mine because she's not afraid to try new things) and they had a pretty decent lunch crowd. We ordered the Tibetan Momo, the Paratha Plate, and Curry Tofu. The Momo are dumplings and they are DELICIOUS. They are filled with ground seasoned turkey and vegetables and served with a tangy brown sauce similar to soy but not as salty. The Paratha Plate was the daily special for 5.99. Holler. Anywho, it comes with 2 parathas (the flakey, sweet, wheat bread almost like pita but softer and more doughy), Nepali potato salad, which is so not what you think. The color is bright curry powder yellow and more veggie than potatoey. It also comes with Chhole which are the marinated chick peas. The Curry Tofu is self explanitory... the basmati rice it comes with however, is beyond description. You must taste it for yourself and only a true foodie can appreciate the flavor of such a simple side. The spices you can expect in all of these dishes are cumin, chillies, coriander, mrethi, fenugreek, fennel, turmeric, and tamarind. Really earthy and smokey flavors.

If you want my honest opinion this place is fantastic. It is perfect for a quick lunch... you order and pay at the counter and when the food is up they bring it to your table. When you're done you pick up after yourself and put your plate on top of the waste basket by the door. No tipping necessary.

A very positive experience. I'm curious how is is for dinner... but that's another day.

P.S. There are tons of Annapurna's all over the country... but don't worry they ARE NOT chains. Annapurna is a series of peaks in the Himalayas. Here is the Tallahassee website link: cafe-annapurna.com

Food Glorious Food.

Food Glorious Food is tucked away in a quaint shopping plaza on N. Thomasville Road and Bradford. Naturally, I missed it the first time and had to make a U-turn. Beware of this... it is hard to spot at first. The tables were covered in white sheet paper and a dimly lit candle. After passing the out door seating and making my way inside, with Christine of course, the large dessert case caught my eye and I nearly had an... well, you get the picture. I resisted the urge to walk over and Christine and I sat a table by the window and waited to be served. The menu was filled with unique appetizers, small plates, and mains, with a petite list of A la Carte sides at the bottom. After much debate, we decided on the Cuban Roast Pork, served atop a cheddar, cornmeal, pancake and accented with salsa fresca and herb sour cream, the Crab Cake with remoulade sauce, the veggie slaw, and the absolutely decadent, buttery, sauteed mushrooms.

The pulled pork was served Cuban style, sans BBQ sauce (thank God) but still a little dry for my taste. The pancake was my favorite. I just love bread in general and with that added cheddar cheese... I was hooked. The salsa was fresh and the sour cream added a nice tangyness to the spiced pork. The crab cake came next. It was lightly fried in I'm guessing olive or canola oil and VERY meaty. Hardly any breading, which, is how a crab cake should be. I'm afraid it was a little too lemony but the remoulade gave the dish balance. The veggie slaw was nothing special. Just some julienned carrots, zucchini and squash but a healthy side none the less. And last but not least THOSE BUTTERY MUSHROOMS. Oh my God. If you order anything from FGF, please order these alongside your meal. The are crispy and meaty and perfect. YUM.

Later, the cutest little waitress told us about each dessert in the case, homemade, in house. The first one looked like a 10 pound chocolate rock filled with layers of fresh whipped cream. She then pointed out various fresh fruit cobblers which are made according to the season (right now it is apple-peach), cream cakes, and pies filled with everything from white chocolate to peanut butter. Nothing I haven't seen before... But then out of no where she mentions an Almond Joy Cake. Now, in my opinion there is nothing better in this world than an Almond Joy EXCEPT an Almond Joy Cake. Though I was full, I did not want to miss out on this culinary experience so we ordered it to go. At about midnight I awoke from a dream about the AJC, popped from my bed, and headed for the fridge. A few bites of the almond graham cracker crust, coconut filling and rich, chocolate ganache was just what I needed to sleep like a happy baby until morning.

The beginning...

It's been a 2 year and almost unbearable wait but the time came Saturday August 22nd, 2009 when I met my food soul mate, Christine. I walked into my 4th floor apartment to find her unpacking boxes of kitchen supplies. Who knew anyone would have a like amount of Ikea pots and pans and hand me down dishes? I was ecstatic of course and offered to help her unload the stuff into the tiny kitchen of room 1414. After hours of conversation about how much we loved to cook and how we refused to buy a meal plan because of the inflated cost and low quality cuisine offered to us, we made it our mission spend less, cook more, and used the money we saved to taste the local fair in town. Thus, The Buttery Mushroom was born.

Here, I'll talk about what I like, love, or down right detest about the local restaurants in Tallahassee. Though not every dining experience will be with Christine... I'll always keep her in mind.