Nisha and Nishanth's Culinary Debacles

Lal Qila, Carrolton, TX

2011-09-06T20:39:00.004-05:00

We went here searching for pakistani food. I liked the mango lassi although it reminded me of the mango milk shakes/smoothies i used to make. The chicken kadhai and rumali roti was really good. The chicken biryani was mediocre, mild and oily.

The falooda was quite nice although different from what we get in India.

The video here shows you how to make falooda similar to what we had:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GtDpQFbk14

The samosas here tasted stale whereas the lal aloo and mixed chaat was good. Definitely worth visiting.

They are located at:
2625 Old Denton Road suite 103
Carrolton, TX 75007

Egg roast recipe

2011-08-28T18:55:00.002-05:00

While searching for idiyappam recipe on youtube, i came across the egg roast recipe and liked it especially since it does not use coconut milk and i can control the amount of oil used. We found it too spicy so you need to to tone down the amount of chilli powder and garam masala to your taste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duAz8PGXhOU

Idiyappam

2011-08-28T18:50:00.003-05:00

I bought the Idiyyapam press from the Indian Supermarket, Irving.

There's a photo out there of something similar to what i bought and the attachment used for the Idiyappam.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38480170@N08/4601744052/

I followed the following recipe for idiyaappam and served it with either vegetable kurma or egg curry:

http://dailygirlblog.blogspot.com/2006/08/idiyappam-rice-noodles.html

The following youtube video also helps:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duAz8PGXhOU

Subway, Portland, OR

2011-08-28T18:47:00.001-05:00

We went here for a sub the day we arrived in downtown Portland and it was one of the few restaurants open. However, the open sign was not working! The food and service was fine.

They are located at:
89 SW Jefferson St Portland, OR 97204, USA

Parsi Dal recipe

2011-08-28T18:30:00.002-05:00

Tired of making the same old dal, i tried out the parsi dal recipe from the following link:

http://www.indianfoodforever.com/daal/parsi-dal.html

It was quite good, a little too plain for my liking but definitely a good change.

Egg Biryani

2011-08-28T18:26:00.002-05:00

I tried out this egg biryani and it came out good. I did not put in the peas. I found the spice to be a little on the lower side and if i do make it the next time i would add more chilli and garam masala.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8IEwdm6q74

Bangkok Palace, Portland, OR

2011-08-28T17:53:00.001-05:00

We decided to have dinner here after returning from the Japanese gardens. The food was ok and i felt there was too much turmeric and the chicken was not cooked as well as i would i like it to be cooked.

The prices are affordable and the menu sounds good.

They are located at:

300 SW Taylor St
Portland, OR 97204

My Brother's Crawfish, Portland, OR

2011-08-28T17:42:00.001-05:00

We went here after our conference. Although, i dont eat crawfish others loved the craw fish here. Also, the chicken sandwich was quite good although i guess it kind of beats the purpose of coming here.

They are located at:

8220 SE Harrison St
Portland, OR 97216

Veritable Quandary Restaurant and Bar, Portland, OR

2011-08-28T17:37:00.001-05:00

We went here for lunch and it was amazing food. My friend said her duck was really good although i just stuck to chicken!

They are located at:

1220 Southwest 1st Avenue, Portland, OR

Mandarin Cove Chinese Restaurant, Portland , OR

2011-08-28T17:35:00.003-05:00

I loved the food at this place. We used to go in a group of 10 or more people and tasted quite a few dishes including fried rice, noodles, different kind of chicken. Definitely recommended. The best part is it is not too expensive either!

Subway, comet cafe, university of texas at dallas, richardson , tx

2011-08-28T17:25:00.001-05:00

I have had meatball marinara sub here twice and it was ok. The price was pretty much the same as at other subways.

chick fil a, comet cafe, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX

2011-08-28T17:22:00.001-05:00

I tried out the chick fil a chicken sandwich, chicken nuggets and waffle fries at the Comet cafe a few days back. The sandwich was quite good although i prefer the Mc Donalds chicken nuggets. The waffle fries were just about ok.

FunAsiA Richardson, TX

2011-08-28T17:10:00.001-05:00

We came to the FunAsia Richardson Theaters and had chat here. They have a theater, a stall that sells chats and several other food items and several banquet halls.

The chat was good and the price affordable. Although, the theater was not up to the mark, the chats were delicious.

They are located at:

1210 East Belt Line Road, Richardson, TX 75081-3707

H3 Ranch, Fort Worth, TX

2011-08-28T17:06:00.002-05:00

We went to the Fort Worth Stock yards when my cousin came down and decided to have dinner here. I had a spit roasted chicken and it was quite good. The quantity was quite a lot and we had to pack up most of the food.

They also served a salad and bread along with the food and the bread was quite good. The price was on the higher side but definitely worth visiting once.

Papa John's Pizza, Richardson, TX

2011-08-28T16:51:00.002-05:00

We ordered Pizza from Papa Johns online and the Richardson store delivered it. They delivered a cheese pizza instead of a 3 meat pizza with several other toppings. They offered to send in a replacement and said they will do it later but i havent gotten around to ordering another pizza and several months have gone by.

I looked up the reviews and saw that this was a common occurrence with this store. The pizza (the chicken and the cheese pizza) was ok and so were the chicken wings.

They are located at:

819 W ARAPAHO RD
RICHARDSON, TX 75080

Bombay Chopstix, Richardson, TX

2011-08-28T16:46:00.002-05:00

When i first saw Bombay Chopstix, i was excited. I am really fond of Indian chinese food! Our first experience wasnt too good, the restaurant was crowded and we decided to take a To go and we had to wait over an hour for our food. We saw that the orders were not processed in the same order as they were received. Several tables had some dishes served whereas others had not been served half an hour later.

The food on the other hand was ok. The price is quite expensive. If the service was better, we would have liked it.

We paid a second visit on a weekeday at around 9:50 PM and this time the restaurant was almost empty. The food was ok and it took around 20 minutes for them to serve it which isnt too bad. It does give a taste of Indian chinese and i wouldnt mind going there once in a while.

Chettinadu Style Mushroom biryani

2011-08-28T16:38:00.003-05:00

I am in love with mushrooms and Nishanth is not fond of them. Since he is not around, i thought why not indulge myself with a mushroom biryani.

I decided to try out the following recipe:

http://arundati.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/chettinadu-style-mushroom-biryani/

The reviews seemed to be good. However, i did not have the two essential ingredients cilantro and mint leaves. I decided to try the biryani without these ingredients.

The biryani came out just ok but i am guessing it is because i did not follow it to the T. Apart from not using cilantro and mint leaves, i cooked the biryani in a kadahi and the rice was not evenly cooked. Somehow cooking rice in a pan also does not work for me. The rice turns out a little raw so i used the rice cooker. This time i decided not to and the rice was unevenly cooked.

I used the big mushrooms and just cut them into halves and interestingly i felt like i was eating meat perhaps because the flavors were absorbed into the mushrooms like it happens with meat. Unfortunately for me, the flavor wasnt one i am too fond of. Perhaps, i am outgoing mushrooms.

The rice on the other hand was flavored well and the badhia ka phool and sauf gave it a very different taste!

Shalimar, Sunnyvale, CA

2011-08-25T14:07:00.001-05:00

We had dinner here and the food was really tasty and affordable. Definitely recommended!

1146 West El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087-1025 (408) 530-0300 () ‎

Una Mas, San Jose International Airport

2011-08-25T13:44:00.001-05:00

They are located at Gate 22 at Terminal B. I stopped by for lunch before catching my flight to Dallas and the food was just awesome. I had orange juice, quesadillas and spanish flan. I wish DFW airport had something similar too!

Dickeys Barbeque Pit, DFW Airport

2011-08-25T13:41:00.001-05:00

I decided to have lunch at Dickeys Barbecue Pit and took a to-go box. The service was fast and the prices affordable. They had a lunch combo available. The only down part i saw to it was there was bacon in the beans and normally one does not expect that. They exchanged it for me though.

Los lupes, Addison, TX

2011-08-25T13:36:00.001-05:00

We were returning back late on Saturday evening and stopped here by chance. I had a grilled taco salad and we sat outdoors and it was amazing. I absolutely loved the food and the ambiance. Definitely recommended !

They are located at:
3855 Belt Line Road, Addison, TX
(972) 247-0306 () ‎ · loslupes.com

Spring Creek Barbecue, Richardson, TX

2011-08-25T13:29:00.001-05:00

I went here for lunch once and the servings are quite huge. The chicken was cooked to perfection. I would recommend it.

They are located at:
270 North Central Expressway
Richardson, TX 75080-5305
(972) 669-0505

Fadi's Mediterranean Bistro, Dallas, TX

2011-08-25T13:26:00.001-05:00

We had a lot about Fadi's and have been to this location twice. They have an amazing spread of vegetables and salads. I have tried out their chicken dishes and they are really good. Definitely worth visiting!

14902 PRESTON RD
DALLAS, TX 75254

Chillis, Irving, TX

2011-08-25T13:15:00.001-05:00

We had food at Chilli's in Irving near Walmart. The service was slow as is normally the case with Chilli's. The food was ok.

1300 MARKET PL IRVING, TX 75063

Fogo de Chao, Addison, TX

2011-08-25T13:05:00.001-05:00

We decided to try out Brazilian food and went to Fogo de Chao in Addison, TX. The spread was brazilian meats and there were several available. Nishanth really liked it. The salad was ok. For me, there was just one chicken option.

It is similar to Texas de Brazil except it is cheaper (50 dollars a person). Texas de Brazil had a better salad and soup bar though.

They are located at:
4300 Belt Line Rd., Addison, Texas 75001
T: (972) 503.7300

Pasand Indian Cuisine, Irving, TX

2011-08-25T13:01:00.001-05:00

We normally go to the Pasand in Richardson, TX and decided to try this one out for a change. The food spread was not as varied as the one in Richardson and the food was cold. Also, i didnt like the ambience and there wasnt enough seating available. I would prefer the Richardson location any day over the Irving location.

They are located at:

2600 N Belt Line Rd
Irving, TX 75062
(972) 594-0693

MDH Chicken Karahi masala

2011-08-25T12:55:00.001-05:00

My husband had tried this masala out initially and it did not turn out that well. Recently, i thought let me try this masala again and surprisingly it turned out quite well.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002XH1CBO/ref=asc_df_B002XH1CBO1674941?tag=thefind0243568-20&creative=395261&creativeASIN=B002XH1CBO&linkCode=asn

Badshah Fish Masala

2011-08-25T12:47:00.002-05:00

Nishanth ended up buying lots of tilapia fillets but then got too busy to make them. I found the Badshah Fish Masala in the pantry and decided to try that out. This was probably the first time i made fish after more than a decade.

I followed the recipe on the packet and it came out really tasty and spicy. If the spice is to be reduced the amount of green chillis that are used can be reduced. Also, i shallow fried the fish in a pan with very little oil so it was quite healthy i suppose.

I experimented with different coatings. The first time i made a thick coating of gram flour with water and dipped the fish in it. The second time i just took the fish and rolled it in gram flour - this gave crispier fish which i preferred.

Maggi Authentic Indian Paneer Tikka paste

2011-08-25T12:44:00.001-05:00

I tried out the paneer tikka paste following the instructions on the cover. It does coat the paneer really well and the spices soak into the paneer. However, i found it too strong a taste and interestingly the rajmah masala and paneer tikka paste gave the same taste. I would probably not buy it again.

http://www.amazon.com/Maggi-Authentic-Indian-Paneer-Tikka/dp/B004XTCV9M

Maggi Authentic Indian Rajma Masala

2011-08-25T12:34:00.001-05:00

I tried out the maggi authentic indian rajma masala paste and it came out quite different from the normal rajmah masala. The taste was good although the curry turned out to be a little too oily for my taste.

http://www.amazon.com/Maggi-Authentic-Indian-Rajma-Masala/dp/B004XTCWXC

Shan Yakhni pulav masala

2011-06-13T09:41:00.002-05:00

Yakhni pulav used to be one of my favorite dishes as a child. I saw the shan punjabi yakhni pulao masala and decided to try it out and it came out pretty good. I tried it with chicken instead of beef or mutton. All one needs to do is follow the instructions on the packet.

Theres a video on youtube for making yakhni pulav using shan yakhni pulav masala
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_1SzVjotYY

http://www.omindiaplaza.com/shan-shan-punjabi-yakhni-pulao-p-1923.html

The thing i did different was not strain out the spices from the stock but in hind sight i think it is better to strain out the spices. Personally, since i love the peppercorns i would put them back in. Definitely worth trying for first timers like me wanting to replicate the taste of yakhni pulav!

Maggi Authentic Chicken Curry Paste

2011-06-13T09:37:00.002-05:00

We saw this paste at the Indian store and decided to try it out. It came out wonderful. Of course, my husband did a few more things like add one chopped onion, a dash of pepper powder and some madras curry powder. I loved the chicken curry and it was perfect with rotis

http://www.indiablend.com/site/664954/product/IM-30d

Futura tadka pan

2011-04-22T07:29:00.002-05:00

This is a god send and i just love this tadka pan. Since my husband loves to have south indian food especially chutneys, i end up using this pan quite often. I have had it just a week and used it everyday. It is easy to clean and so convenient to use.

Since it is heavy bottomed it sits well on the electric stove and the long handle makes it real easy to handle! The spices heat up really well.

http://www.amazon.com/Futura-Anodised-Tadka-Spice-Heating/dp/B003SLDNEI

I bought it from Indian supermarket, Irving for $9.99 plus tax and it is quite a good buy. I suppose you get it for much less in India.

Mr. Wok, Plano

2011-04-07T22:50:00.002-05:00

We went to Mr. Wok, Plano today and it was quite an interesting experience! It was a team lunch and there were quite a few dishes out there most of which i didnt try since i am not that adventurous. The specialty of this place is the Peking duck which has to ordered one day in advance. There was tofu, cabbage, string beans and peas and those were quite good.

The peking duck is served with tortillas and it was quite ok. I have never been fond of duck but it was quite good. Other than that, there was the beggars chicken that is cooked in dough and the shell was quite hard to crack! It was quite interesting and served with sticky rice.

All in all, i seem to be experiencing different types of chinese food.

They are located at :
151 W. Spring Creek Pkwy
Ste 519
Plano, TX 75023
(214) 287-0237

www.mrtofu.net

Texas Toast

2011-04-03T23:19:00.003-05:00

I had garlic texas toast at a friend's place and have been in love with it ever since.
I have tried two brands out and prefer the New York texas toast over the Great value toast.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/New-York-Garlic-8-Ct-Texas-Toast-11.25-oz/10805037
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Texas-Garlic-Toast-Frozen-Food-11.25-oz/10416519

California Pizza Kitchen frozen foods

2011-04-03T22:52:00.002-05:00

I tried out the garlic chicken pizza from the california pizza kitchen frozen foods and i really liked it:

http://frozen.cpk.com/CT-garlic-chicken.html

Definitely worth trying!

El monterey frozen foods

2011-04-03T22:40:00.004-05:00

I tried out three of El monterey's frozen foods and liked all three of them:

The south west chicken taquitos were my favourite.
http://www.elmonterey.com/mexicanfood/taquitos/battered-southwest-chicken-taquitos-16ct/

Both the chicken and cheese taquitos and mini-chimi's were good too!

http://www.elmonterey.com/mexicanfood/taquitos/flour-chicken-cheese-tauqitos-10ct/
http://www.elmonterey.com/mexicanfood/burritos-mini-chimis/chicken-cheese-mini-chimis/

Definitely worth trying!

Tai Pei Appetizers and Snacks

2011-04-03T22:30:00.002-05:00

I tried out quite a few Tai pei appetizers and snacks and haven't been disappointed with the three that i tried.

I liked all three - the chicken wonton bites, the chicken egg rolls and the vegetable egg rolls.

http://www.taipeifood.com/products/ps_and_er/chicWontonBites_7.8oz.html
http://www.taipeifood.com/products/ps_and_er/chicEggRoll.html
http://www.taipeifood.com/products/ps_and_er/vegEggRolls_9oz.html

Definitely worth trying out!

Dennys Flagstaff, AZ

2011-01-02T19:52:00.002-06:00

We had breakfast here and it was good food! I tried out the chicken sausage, pancakes, english muffins and hash browns. My husband had the ultimate omelet. The down part is it takes around 45 minutes to get the food.

They are located at:
2306 E Lucky Ln
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
(928) 774-3413

Ihop Amarillo, TX

2011-01-02T19:51:00.002-06:00

We had dinner here and the food was ok. The service was great though. Would recommend this place!
They are located at:
1711 E Interstate 40
Amarillo, TX 79102
(806) 220-2715

In-N-Out Burger, Bakersfield

2011-01-02T19:47:00.001-06:00

We had lunch here and the burgers were supposedly good - i didnt try them though! The place is packed and there is hardly any room. Their turnover time is short. There isnt much on the menu though. I tried the shake and it was way too sweet.

They are located at:
5100 Stockdale Hwy
Bakersfield, CA 93309

Bjs Restaurant and brewhouse, Bakersfield, CA

2011-01-02T19:43:00.001-06:00

We had lunch at this place and i liked the food. The starters were good. I tried out the giant baked potato stuffed with grilled chicken. The down part was that the service was not up to the mark. The waiter made several mistakes like taking the order wrong, adding water to siera mist. The mistakes were rectified though.
They are located at:
10750 Stockdale Hwy
Bakersfield, CA 93311
(661) 241-5115

Sorella Ristorante Italiano, Bakersfield

2011-01-02T19:41:00.001-06:00

We went to this restaurant and the food there was excellent. The pasta was cooked perfectly. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

They are located at

7800 McNair Ln
Bakersfield, CA 93313
(661) 396-8603

Osaka Sushi, Plano

2010-12-12T12:15:00.003-06:00

We went here for lunch and for someone who does not eat sea food, i was scared i would return back hungry. They have other options in addition to sea food - chicken, noodles in various varieties and their dessert and ice cream is amazing. I loved the custard puddings and flan. Even if only for the flan, i would go back there! Since i did not sample the seafood, i cant comment on that!

They are located at:

(972) 931-8898

5012 W Park Blvd
Plano, TX 75093

Sunrise Buffet, Broken Bow, Oklohoma

2010-12-12T11:56:00.001-06:00

We stopped here for dinner on the way to Arkansas and i hated the food. There wasnt much of variety and it did not taste good either. The dessert collection was quite good though. I remember we went to the same place 2 years back in 2008 and it wasnt so bad then.

They are located at:

705 South Park Drive, Broken Bow, OK 74728-5333 (580) 584-9328 ‎

Gits Products

2010-12-12T11:40:00.003-06:00

Since we do not have a grinder and i have already spoiled 2 blenders trying to make the dosa and vada batter, i decided to try out the ready mixes at least until we get a grinder.

We tried out several mixes from the Gits brand and i am quite happy with most of them. The best part about these mixes is that one does not need to soak the lentils overnight and then grind them and leave it out to ferment which means a lot of planning ahead ! The Gits mixes allows one to spontaneously decide on having dosa, idli or vada at the spur of the moment.

1) We tried out the uttappam mix and it came out pretty good. One just needs to add onion, tomatoes, green chillies and coriander leaves. It would be something that i buy again
http://www.gitsfood.com/index.php?action=product&mode=V&type=PDS&id=112

2) We got a small pack of the upma mix free with the rava idli mix and it was quite good. However, since upma is easy to make i do not think that buying the mix makes that much of a difference.
http://www.gitsfood.com/index.php?action=product&mode=V&type=PDS&id=106

3) We also tried the rava idli mix and that is our favorite. It turns out just awesome and we have bought several packs of this so far. I would definitely recommend it.
http://www.gitsfood.com/index.php?action=product&mode=V&type=PDS&id=110

4) Medu Vadai mix - Since my husband loves vadas, we took this mix and i was very happy with the results. Definitely worth buying!
http://www.gitsfood.com/index.php?action=product&mode=V&type=PDS&id=105

5)Idli mix - this is one mix that i am not too happy with the results. They are times when the idli tastes a little lumpy and you really dont get the taste of idli. It is just ok.
http://www.gitsfood.com/index.php?action=product&mode=V&type=PDS&id=102

6) Dahi vada mix - I tried this mix out and loved the results. Another of my husbands favourites!

http://www.gitsfood.com/index.php?action=product&mode=V&type=PDS&id=113

I probably should try out the other mixes that they have but certainly Gits is a very convenient option!

Chiquita's, Mena, Arkansas

2010-12-12T11:36:00.001-06:00

We had lunch at Chiquita's and enjoyed it. Its the equivalent of a McDonalds and serves mexican food. The prices are low and the serving sizes are small to match the price. Its definitely worth a visit.

They are located at:

703 Highway 71 N Ste D
Mena, AR 71953

Chings Secret products

2010-12-12T11:23:00.002-06:00

Of late i have tried quite a few Chings secret products and have been very happy with the results. For starters, i have always liked their Hakka Egg Noodles and Hakka Veg Noodles. They come out perfect. I tried the Schezwan sauce and have used it for fried rice and noodles and i loved it.

I tried out the schezwan sauce mix (made paneer schezwan) and manchurian sauce mix (made vegetable manchurian) and they both came out amazing - just the kind you get back in India. I am yet to try out the Paneer chilli sauce mix but based on the results that i have seen so far, i am sure it is also pretty good. These mixes contain recipes at the back of them that are easy to follow and easy to make.

Other than that, i also tried out the Hot Garlic instant noodles and it wasnt so good but still eatable. I remember i absolutely hated the Schezwan instant noodles.

I also bought the green chilli and red chilli sauce that i use when i make gobi manchurian and its pretty good although i think any brand would do. Of all the products, i found the sauce mixes awesome especially because it is so hard to replicate the that taste.

Queen's Restaurant - Queen Wilhelmina Lodge State Park, Arkansas

2010-12-12T11:15:00.002-06:00

We went to Queen Wilhelmina State Park over the thankgiving weekend and ended up having a few meals from the restaurant in the lodge. The nice part is that they have buffets for all three meals as well as the option of ordering a-la carte. The breakfast buffet spread is pretty standard with offerings of fruit, cereal, milk, coffee, orange and apple juice, yogurt, bread, butter, jam, hash browns, sausage, bacon and eggs. My husband tried out the omelets and he liked it. We had dinner there and the buffet had options of lots of desserts, salads and some kind of beef and pork. Not so much for someone not too fond of American food. The salads and dessert was very good!

All in all, i found it better than Petit Jean but it probably is because i am more used to American food now than i was then.

They are located at:

3877 Highway 88 West
Mena, AR 71953
www.queenwilhelmina.com/lodge

Poor Richard's cafe, Richardson

2010-12-12T11:11:00.001-06:00

We went out for a team lunch to this place and i absolutely loved it. The food was good and the owner was quite friendly. When he realized that some of us had our birthdays coming up he gave us a coupon for a free entree. They have quite a variety of food and i tried out the chicken and i loved it!

They are located at:

2442 K Avenue
Plano, TX 75074
(972) 423-1524

Addis Ababa Ethiopian Restaurant, Richardson, TX

2010-12-12T11:05:00.002-06:00

We went here recently and i had the Doro tibs which is basically small chunks of chicken sautéed with onions and bell peppers served with salad and ethiopian bread called injera that reminds me of dosa only that injera is much more sour. The food is pretty ok. The service was a little slow.

My husband had the Gored gored which is lean beef cooked in a spicy sauce and it was really spicy. Not something to be had by people who cant handle spice. Overall, its worth trying it for a different experience.

Their contact details are:

(972) 480-0100

Richardson
100 S Central Expy
Richardson, TX 75080
www.addisababarestauranttx.com

Rajma Masala

2010-09-17T20:50:00.000-05:00

I decided to try out making rajma masala from scratch instead of using the MTR Rajma Masala. I tried out the following recipe and it came out so good that i have decided that its the way i will make rajma masala from now on!

http://www.syvum.com/cgi/online/serve.cgi/recipes/srcpv19.tdf?0

UTD Dining Hall

2010-09-17T20:40:00.002-05:00

The other day, our team decided to go to the UTD dining hall to celebrate the birthday of one of our team members. It was my first time there and it was quite an interesting experience.

The buffet costs $8.12 and certainly has a large variety of salads, deserts, soft drinks, juices, ice creams and fruits. On that day there was option of mexican food - tortillas, chicken, beef, beans, rice - i didnt enjoy the food too much and the lady who served the food was way too rude.

There were different varieties of pizza and pasta available and there was a section where there was steak, burgers, chicken nuggets, fries available.

I suppose for the price it is good. The mexican food is something i would avoid in future.

Humperdinks, Adisson

2010-09-17T20:37:00.002-05:00

We stopped here for dinner once and the food was horrible. We have tried out food at two Humperdinks locations and both have disappointed. The service was also extremely slow apart from the fact that this is an expensive restaurant. I am definitely going back again

They are located at

Humperdinks. 3820 Belt Line Rd ADDISON, TX 75001

Jasmine , Addison, TX

2010-09-17T20:34:00.001-05:00

We stopped at this chinese restaurant on the way back home from a friends place and were pleasantly surprised. The decor was good, the service excellent and the food worth it. It is definitely the best chinese food i have had. I tried out chicken schezuan and noodles and it was awesome. Nishanth loved his food too.

They are located at:

Jasmine
4002 Belt Line Road
Addison, TX 75244

Genghis Grill, Adisson, TX

2010-09-17T20:31:00.001-05:00

We went to this location and what i liked about this place was it is not too crowded. The fare was good and the service good too.

They are located at:

4201 Beltline Road, Addison, TX 75001

Great Wraps, Grapevine Mills Mall, Grapevine, TX

2010-09-17T20:24:00.001-05:00

I had a chipotle sandwich here and it tasted just great. My husband especially loves the seasoning that they give for the fries. Definitely worth a try!

Paneer Kakori

2010-09-17T20:15:00.002-05:00

I tried out the Paneer Kakori recipe from the Best of Chicken and Paneer by Nita Mehta. It was certainly quite tasty although i suspect that when she meant two potatoes she meant the smaller potatoes and i used 2 quite large potatoes. I also realised that one has to crumble the paneer roughly otherwise you cant make out the taste of paneer.

I grilled these over our indoor grill. I feel baking them in the oven would have been better. For those of you who have access to her book, its definitely worth a try!

Ghee Rice

2010-09-17T19:43:00.002-05:00

One fine day my husband asks me to make him some nice food and i decided to make ghee rice. Whenever i think of ghee rice, i think of Moghul Durbar in Bangalore and the bygone days more than a decade back where as a teenager i hung out with my friends and ghee rice was definitely one of the favourites on the moghul thali.

I tried this recipe out

http://www.syvum.com/cgi/online/serve.cgi/recipes/srcpr11.tdf?0

It came out good although not the Moghul Durbar style.. Definitely easy to make and worth trying

Egg Pulao

2010-09-17T19:22:00.004-05:00

I was tired of the same old food i make and since its the end of the week, i happened to be low on groceries too. I was surfing the net for something new to try out that did not me to make a visit to the grocery store and came upon this recipe for egg pulao that turned out really well.

http://www.food.com/recipe/egg-pulao-69892

There were a few changes that i made though :

Reading the comments from the users i decided to add 2 1/2 cups of water and 1 cup of tinned coconut milk instead of the 2 1/2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of coconut powder as given in the recipe and found that i had to add at least 1/2 a cup more in the last process to get the rice to cook totally. I suppose there are various factors that contribute to the rice cooking well and the heat may have played a role in evaporating the water faster. The brand of rice also makes a big difference.

I also observed that some of the comments mentioned that they found the pulao a little bland so i added a little more garam masala powder (1/2 tsp) and it turned out quite good. I had to do without the coriander leaves unfortunately.

It is definitely a recipe worth trying out!

Manchu Wok, Stonebriar mall, Frisco

2010-07-21T09:01:00.002-05:00

I made the mistake of ordering from Manchu Wok. I ordered chicken egg rolls, kung pao chicken, fried rice and jalapeno chicken. The egg roll was raw and the chicken pieces were too big. I wasnt happy with the food and had to buy an ice cream to wash the taste away. Comparatively, Panda Express has never disappointed.

IHop, Plainview, TX

2010-07-19T15:34:00.001-05:00

We had breakfast here and the food was good. The service was fast too. I tried out the blueberry pancakes and it was an interesting experience. Came to know they serve half a serving too of pancakes !

They are located at:

701 N Interstate 27
Plainview, TX 79072-5815
(806) 288-9945

Chilli's grill and bar, Pueblo, CO

2010-07-19T15:27:00.002-05:00

We stopped here on the way to Texas. The food was good although the service was very slow. I liked the Santa Fe wrap there.

They are located at:
Frontage Rd & Wills Blvd
Pueblo, Colorado 81008

(719) 542-3945

La Fiesta Grande, Amarillo, TX

2010-07-19T12:29:00.001-05:00

This place has absolutely wonderful mexican food. Our Amarillo dining experience has been really good first with Country Barn Steak House and then La Fiesta Grande. Both the chicken and steak dishes were good as were the tortilla chips and salsa.

Definitely worth visiting!

They are located at:
7415 Southwest 45th Avenue, Amarillo, TX‎ - (806) 352-1330

I-Hop, Fort Collins

2010-07-19T12:19:00.001-05:00

We had breakfast here and the food and service was good. Definitely worth a visit.

They are located at:
1502 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO‎ - (970) 226-3154‎

Subway, Estes Park, CO

2010-07-19T12:15:00.001-05:00

We had breakfast here and subway out here has a breakfast menu that Nishanth tried. It opens up early.

They are located at:

521 Big Thompson Road, Estes Park, CO‎ - (970) 577-7744

KFC/ Taco Bell, Estes Park, CO

2010-07-19T12:12:00.000-05:00

We had lunch here once and the service is pathetic. The girl at the counter was downright rude. Definitely a no-no especially when theres a Dairy Queen, Mc Donalds and Subway nearby.

They are located at:

537 Big Thompson Road, Estes Park, CO‎ - (970) 586-0408‎

Mc Donalds, Estes Park

2010-07-19T12:11:00.003-05:00

We had lunch here and it was pretty ok - just like the other Mc Donalds.

Located at:
501 Big Thompson Road
Estes Park, CO 80517

(970) 586-3434

Casa Grande Mexican Restaurant, Estes Park, CO

2010-07-19T12:06:00.001-05:00

We had dinner here once and the servings are huge and the food is quite decent. Definitely one of the better places to eat at in Estes Park.

They are located at:

220 E Elkhorn Ave, Estes Park, CO 80517(970) 577-0799‎

Pasta Rasta, Fort Collins

2010-07-19T11:57:00.001-05:00

We had dinner at Pasta Rasta, Fort Collins after a wonderful afternoon of White Water Rafting! The pasta was good and spicy! Definitely worth a visit

They are located at:
200 Walnut Street, Fort Collins, CO‎ - (970) 407-7999‎

Wendy's, Colorado Springs

2010-07-19T11:52:00.000-05:00

We had dinner at Wendy's while we were in Colorado Springs and its a pretty decent place. I loved their smoothies and their popcorn chicken was also good.

They are located at:
3036 West Colorado Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO‎ - (719) 473-7704‎

Country Barn Steakhouse, Amarillo, TX

2010-06-27T08:59:00.003-05:00

We took a break at Amarillo on the way to Colorado Springs and had dinner at Country Barn Steakhouse. Nishanth loves steak and i thought it would be a shame to not try one of the steakhouses here. He had a Santa Fe steak and i had a Santa Fe Chicken and it was just out of this world. I loved everything the chicken with sauted onions, mushrooms and jalapenos. I had a side of rice pilaf and mashed potatoes and it was just too good. The salad had finely sliced nuts, raisins, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, onions and lettuce and the combination was just heavenly.

Nishanth also loved his steak!

They are located at:
8200 I-40 West, Amarillo,TX 752194.
Their website is at:
http://www.countrybarnsteakhouse.com/

Panda Express, Plano

2010-06-04T07:36:00.002-05:00

This is slowly becoming one of my favourite Chinese places. They have the option of building a meal and one gets to choose from several chicken and other meat dishes. Theres the option of fried rice or noodles. I absolutely love their spring rolls and the chicken dishes. I dont find their food too oily unlike other chinese restaurants i have been to.

We have been to this restaurant twice and both times the food has been good. They are located at:
5901 Coit Road
Plano, TX 75093
Phone: (972) 596-0107
Fax: (972) 596-0267
http://www.pandaexpress.com

I have also tried out the Panda Express counter at the Valley View mall and Stonebriar mall and the food was good there.

Genghis Grill, Galleria Mall

2010-06-04T07:30:00.004-05:00

We happened to be driving by and had dinner at Genghis Grill in the Galleria Mall. It was pretty good standard food as it normally is at all the Genghis Grill restaurants.

You have the choice of selecting your meats and vegetables and starch and combine them anyway you want to with the spices and sauces of your choice. They grill the meat and vegetables for you and serve it with rice, noodles (whatever is your choice). To help the novices they have a few recipe cards that suggest what vegetables and meats to choose. The best part was it just cost us 8$ for 2 people.

FoodRuckers, Frisco

2010-06-04T07:09:00.002-05:00

This was a new place we tried out on Mothers day this year. It is located near AMC, StoneBriar Mall, Frisco. Since it was Mothers day it was very crowded.

They offer exotic meats too and Nishanth tried out Wild Boar if i am not wrong. He loved the food there. I had a grilled chicken sandwich and it was quite good. It was after quite some time that we went to a Foodruckers and i found the one in Frisco pretty good. Definitely worth a try.

They are located at:
2947 Preston Rd., Frisco, TX 75034
Phone: (214) 705-6434
http://www.fuddruckers.com/

Texas de Brazil, Addison

2010-06-04T06:57:00.002-05:00

My husband took me here for my graduation and he absolutely loved it. This is an all you can eat meat place and since he eats almost anything and loves beef, he certainly had a lot of options.

There are many options for salad and makes for a pretty decent vegeterian meal too. I just had two options for chicken but the chicken was made well. They serve mashed potatoes and fried bananas. Having a piece of the fried banana is supposed to clear the palate between meals.

The ambience is good and the price matches up also. I think it costs around 45$ per person. All in all an interesting experience although if you were a vegetarian you may not want to spend as much to just have salads and beans and rice.

Their website is:
http://www.texasdebrazil.com/

They are located at:

15101 Addison Road,
Addison, TX 75001

Phone No: 972-385-0000

Central market plano

2010-04-05T09:05:00.002-05:00

The other day we went here to grab a quick bite before catching up on a movie. Its a pretty decent place and one can choose what one wants to eat from a variety of food and pay for it and heat it up in the microwave. The price is pretty expensive. A friend said that was the best meatballs they had ever tasted.

320 Coit Road
Plano, TX 75075-5712

Studio Movie Grill, Plano

2010-04-05T08:51:00.002-05:00

This was a first experience at having food while watching a movie. Studio movie grill allows one for ordering food and watch a movie at the same time. The price is quite expensive though! It cost 35 dollars just for a burger and a chicken quesadilla and 2 drinks.

Worth trying it for the experience though:
They are located at:
4721 W. Park Blvd #100 Plano, TX 75093

Humperdinks, Richardson

2010-04-05T08:50:00.000-05:00

Went recently to Humperdinks and it was pretty ok. I wasnt too hungry and a friend had a coupon that went buy one entree get one entree free and one had to buy drinks. I had a vegetarian pizza but it wasnt up to the mark according to me. I found the prices a little expensive but their menu is pretty impressive.

They are located at:
1601 N Central Expy
Richardson, TX
75080

Phone: (972) 690-4867

Hours: Hours: 11am-2am

Dimassi's Mediterranean Buffet

2010-04-05T08:34:00.002-05:00

This is a new restaurant that opened up and we have been there twice. Well, for starters theres loads of food to choose from both in the veggies and meat. There are quite some good sweet dishes too. On the downside, the food quality isnt good. I had fried chicken and the chicken was not totally cooked. The pita bread was pretty decent and so is the hummus and baba ghanoush. I like the salads too over there. I liked the cauliflower too. I didnt like the beef kafta but perhaps thats because i like my meat very well done whereas this was medium well and beef isnt my favourite either. The potatoes were half raw the second time we went so i guess the food quality just depends on the day.
On the other hand, i have never been disappointed by the food in Afrah. Its always been awesome through the 2 years we have been there and overall even though you may just buy a single dish, you go home feeling much more satisfied.

Dimmasi's are located at:
180 W Campbell Rd
Richardson, TX 75080

Kalan

2010-01-24T11:48:00.003-06:00

This is a kerala recipe that my mother in law sent me. I tried it out the other day and it came out pretty ok.

Ingredients:

1. 1 large raw banana or 2 small raw bananas
2. 1/2 shredded coconut ( can get the frozen shredded coconut which would be around 1 cup coconut)
3. Yam or cucumber (optional) apparently kalan can be made only with raw banana or cucumber or yam or a mixture of these 3
4. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
5. Salt to taste
6. 1/2 tsp chilli powder
7. 2 green chillies
8. 1/4 tsp jeera
9. 2 cups sour curd.
10. 1 tsp oil
11. 4 curry leaves
12. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Method:

1. Cut the banana, yam and cucumber into small 1 inch square pieces. Boil these in 1 cup water along with the salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder until soft. In the pressure cooker it requires 1 to 2 whistles.
2. Grind the coconut along with 2 green chillies and jeera
3. Make a puree of the curd
4. Add the curd to the boiled vegetables and boil until the mixture thickens (reduces to at least 3/4 the earlier level)
5. Add the ground coconut mixture and heat for 2 minutes.
6. Heat oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves and let the mustard seeds splutter. Add this to the vegetable mixture.

Serve hot with rice

Coconut Chutney

2010-01-24T11:44:00.002-06:00

This is a recipe my mother in law sent me recently.

Ingredients

1/2 coconut shredded
1/2 cup curd (not sour else use a few spoons of curd and add water)
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1 tsp oil

Method:

1. Grind the coconut along with curd, red chilli powder and salt
2. Heat oil up and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds splutter.
3. Add this to the ground coconut mixture. Mix and serve.

Seviyan

2010-01-14T08:17:00.003-06:00

I decided to make seviyan for Nishanth's birthday and heres how i made it.

Ingredients
--------------
7 tbsp sugar
1/2 gallon milk
3 handfuls of vermicelli
2 tbsp ghee
2 tsp chopped cashews
raisins

1/4 tsp cardamom powder or 2 green cardomoms crushed
Method:
1. Heat ghee up and fry the vermicelli to golden brown
2. Add cashews up and fry them
3. Add milk and boil until the mixture thickens up
4. Add sugar (add more if required according to taste)
5. Let the milk thicken to desired consistency.
6. Sprinkle cardamom powder and add raisins
7. Can be served hot or cold as desired

I used the following recipe for reference:
http://www.daawat.com/recipes/indian/desserts/seviyan.htm

Pakistani style vegetable biryani

2010-01-14T07:18:00.001-06:00

I tried this out for Nishanth's birthday and it came out good.

http://www.angelfire.com/country/fauziaspakistan/vegetablebiryani.html

There were some things that i didnt follow such as not remove the pressure cooker after 2 whistles and the rice turned a little soft and make sure you remove the pressure cooker after 2 whistles! Also, if using cauliflower use big florets otherwise they will disappear in the biryani! It tastes good though!

Tangierine Cafe, Epcot, Orlando

2010-01-11T09:58:00.002-06:00

We had lunch at this place. I ordered a chicken shawarma plate - the quantities were small (although more than sufficient) and the shawarma was not cooked well. I ordered a pina coloda (the non alcoholic version) for the frozen fruit drink and it was pretty good.

Not a place i would go to again

The Lunching Pad, Magic Kingdom, Orlando

2010-01-11T09:56:00.003-06:00

We stopped here for snack/burgers on new years eve and it was pretty ok. I had chicken nuggets and nishanth had a burger. Not too good but going by the rest of the food we had in disney world parks, much better

Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station , Magic Kingdom, Orlando

2010-01-11T09:52:00.001-06:00

We had food at this place when we were in Magic Kingdom and it was horrible. I had the noodles and what i got was noodles floating in water. I didnt like the food at all. Nishanth said his burger was so-so. There wasnt a lot of options either.

Chilli's, Orlando

2010-01-11T09:45:00.002-06:00

We decided to have brunch over here before heading over to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. The food was good pretty much like all the other chillis that i had been too. However, they didnt have the meals under 5$ as they do in Dallas so i ended up wasting half my food.

The service was quite slow but the hostess was good.

They are located at:
7021 International Drive, Orlando, FL
(407) 352-7618‎

Taj Indian Restaurant, Orlando

2010-01-11T09:37:00.003-06:00

We happened to have dinner at this place and it was horrible. We ordered for biryani. The food was attrocious for the price we paid. Its definitely a place to avoid! They hardly had any customers and probably tourists like us who come in unaware.

Taj Indian Restaurant
6524 Carrier Drive, Orlando, FL

Richter at Universal Studio, Orlando

2010-01-11T09:32:00.002-06:00

We had lunch here and it was horrible. The burger was not cooked well and neither was the chicken sandwich done well. I would say, avoid this place if possible. There seem to be much nicer places to eat at Universal Islands of Adventure.

Their website:
http://allears.net/uni/menu/men_rb.htm

Parippu Vada

2010-01-11T09:17:00.002-06:00

This takes me back to Christ College days when my classmates used to get parippu vada and i just loved it. After all these years, i tried to make it at home.

Initially, i tried out the recipe at this website:
http://kailaskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/08/uppittuparuppu-vadai-godhambu-pradhaman.html and found it too dull for my taste

I looked up further recipes and the recipe at this website is pretty good.
http://simplyspicy.blogspot.com/2006/12/parippu-vada-channa-dal-vada.html

The difference was the addition of the ginger and the onions. I also had Nishanth sample the two different versions and he agreed the second one was better.

Vegetable Kurma

2010-01-11T09:10:00.003-06:00

This is a real easy recipe i got from my friend Sunitha as part of my quest of getting non-dal based recipes:

Ingredients
2 1 cm long cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
2 tsp oil
2 cups vegetables (cauliflowers cut into small florets, potatoes, french beans into small pieces and peas)
1/2 can tinned coconut milk (can substitute for fresh coconut milk)
1 onion chopped fine
2 tomatoes chopped fine
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1-2 green chillies slit

Method

1. Heat the oil , add cloves and cinnamon stick and fry
2. Add the onions and fry until golden brown
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and green chillies and fry for a minute
4. Add tomatoes and fry until it becomes a paste
5. Add turmeric poweder and green chilli powder and fry for 30 seconds
6. Add the vegetables and stir. Add water (around 3 glasses) and cook until the vegetables are done
7. Add the coconut milk and let it boil for a couple of minutes. Garnish with corriander leaves

Mehzban Aloo Paratha

2009-10-29T20:54:00.001-05:00

I bought the Mehzban Aloo Paratha the other day. It tastes ok and does not give one the actual taste of aloo paratha. I prefer the ones i make. Further these parathas are made out of maida and not whole wheat flour.

Amma's Masala Dosa and Onion Uttapham

2009-10-29T20:37:00.002-05:00

Of late, with exams quizzes and projects keeping me busy, we are trying out more frozen food. We picked up Amma's masala dosa and Onion Uttapham from the Indian store. The masala dosa is manageable. There are 3 small dosas in one packet and it turns out to be enough for a meal if you are a hearty eater.

Although, in no way comparable to fresh dosa but manageable once in a while. Nishanth found the Onion Uttapham ok. The nice part is the dosa's come with chutney

Roast Chicken at Tom Thumb

2009-10-29T20:25:00.003-05:00

I was always very curious to try out the chicken at the super markets that was supposed to be made fresh and i did at last. I tried out Roast Chicken at Tom Thumb the other day and it was awesome. It lasted me three days with me having chicken for breakfast lunch and dinner, i made a chicken mayonaise sandwich with the same a couple of times.

The chicken was fresh, juicy and very tender. Its definitely worth having once in a while! I am now eager to try out the 8 piece chicken that they offer out there.

I-Hop Ardmore, Oklahoma

2009-10-26T16:23:00.001-05:00

We stopped here for lunch on our way back from Wichita National Wildlife Refuge. The food was absolutely delicious and i just loved the Mediterenean lemon chicken. I havent been able to find an I-Hop to match the food in the DFW area. Hopefully i will some day!

The cons was there was just one person to serve so it took a long long time. The decor and ambience was very nice.

They are located at:
580-223-0700
near 2520 Veterans Blvd, Ardmore, OK 73401

I-Hop, Richardson

2009-10-26T15:58:00.002-05:00

We stopped over at this I-hop for lunch the other day. I had mediterenan lemon chicken which i had tasted at another ihop and it didnt live up to my expectations. Maybe i just got spoilt. We also tried a mix platter that had cheese fries, onion rings. The down side is it very crowded. The service was pretty decent.

They are located at:
1010 S. Central Expressway

RICHARDSON, TX 75080-7303
972-231 8622

Sony Bryan's Smokehouse Richardson

2009-10-26T15:53:00.001-05:00

http://www.sonnybryans.com/restaurants_richardson.aspx

Coit & Campbell
1251 W. Campbell Road, Suite 240
Richardson, TX 75080
Phone: 972-664-9494
Fax: 972-664-9968
Email:richardson@sonnybryans.com
General Manager: JT Todd

Open Daily: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

We tried this place out the other day. They have 1/2 lb and 3/4 lb plates wherein you can select your meat. I tried chicken and pulled chicken. Although, the meat was cooked really well the sauce was too sweet for my liking. The sides - coleslaw and fries were good and the quantity pretty decent. Worth a try for those who like the american style barbecue!

Burger House, Coit Rd, Richardson

2009-10-26T15:49:00.003-05:00

972-248-8789
7529 Campbell Road at Coit Road
Dallas, Texas 75248

The other day we tried out Burger House at Coit Roit Road and really liked it. We had been to the one near SMU and this has a totally different look. I loved my grilled chicken sandwich, vanilla shake and fries. Worth a try!

Mogo (cassava) with Lamb in Creamy Coconut Sauce

2009-09-26T10:25:00.004-05:00

A recipe i got from a forward which will surely be appreciated by those of us brought up in East Africa.

it was kindly pointed out by saju that the posts were from the blog "chachiskitchen.blogspot.com". thank you for the same and apologies that it was wrongly posted - there are pictures available too http://chachiskitchen.blogspot.com/search/label/East%20African%20Influence

Mogo (cassava) with Lamb in Creamy Coconut Sauce

Ingredients

2 lb cassava (frozen can be used)
1 pack of coconut cream (a picture can be seen here)
1 lb lamb, cut into cubes
3-4 garlic cloves; minced
2 inch ginger; grated
3-4 chilies; minced
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/2 cup chopped coriander
salt to taste
2 limes; juiced
coriander leaves for garnishing.

1. Marinate the meat with garlic, ginger and sal t for at least 2 hours.

2. Peel the cassava, cut into large chunks and boil and drain. Cut into cubes.

3. Boil the meat, drain, add coconut cream to the meat stock, add the turmeric, chilies, coriander leaves and cassava; cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, mash cassava roughly, add the meat and mix well, cook for another 5 minutes. Add the lime juice. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with Chevro