Lal Qila, Carrolton, TX

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chili's, Irving, TX

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

1300 MARKET PL IRVING, TX 75063

Fogo de Chao, Addison, TX

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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, TX

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

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

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

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

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

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

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, CA

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

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, CA

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