La Terraza - I was surprised at how upscale it was. It's above Boston's. It has a nice deck. Nice decor. Bar in rear corner. Near the semi-open kitchen. I just grabbed a tortilla soup because I had planned to get dinner on the way back (see previous post) and it was a cheap get and I kind of felt like having soup. It cost $7. It was a bit salty. Otherwise good. Very generous with the shredded chicken, Fresh avocado. Lots of strips. I don't recall getting the queso fresco and the sour cream was served in a plastic cup on the side (didn't look like sour cream). The broth was very dark. They wrote "tomato base". Not bad, but, I prefer chicken base. Gold color. Their menu was "popular" with a touch of "authenticity/class". They had burritos, tacos (street), fajitas, flautas, quesadillas, enchiladas, chimichangas. But also, gorditas, empanadas, chilaquiles, tamales, mole, milanesa, ceviche, dinners and they called their chips - totopos. I think the bartender said the food was Oaxacan. They had lengua, chorizo, carnitas, bisteak, chicken and pork tacos. A ton of margaritas. They said they replaced another Mexican place a year ago. This has to be an upgrade. I'll have to go back and do it right. Open every night and during the day on the weekends. A few parking spots in front. Most in the rear.
Upper Deck Bar and Grill - On the bottom floor to the left of Boston's. I just strolled through. It was packed because of NYE. Selection wasn't that unique. Tiny. Had a stage for a band.
Limoncello - I have to begin with how I hate the name. It just screams mediocrity. So many basic Italian places with this name all over. This was slightly better. Could be special with a little care. They charge like they already are. The menu is broken into the three courses that Italians (and restauranteurs) prefer. However, they (like most non-elite American Italian places) serve like Americans, so, you really only need a primo or secondi. Don't get trapped in the $100 person trap. I used this logic to pick off an interesting sounding primo/pasta called Paccheri al Cognac. It was ok. Sausage was straight off the supermarket shelves. Industrial, bland, sliced something or other. Lazy. Cheap. The mushrooms were from a can. Lazy. Cheap. The pasta (large rigatoni) could have been fresh, but probably was not. It took too long to be served and the waiter warned me that it would. Can't think of what else would have a long cooking time. The cognac was probably bargain basement. It was an ok tasting dish. Some care to the plating. I'm not sure that it should have been topped off by my waiter with hot peppers and cheese. But he did it anyway. Not sure if the chef would have wanted this pasta dish to get that treatment. It cost $22. Maybe $21 on the menu. It was a new experience. They had some expensive dishes. Around $50. The cheapest secondi were marsalas and piccatas in the mid-$20's. They came with angel hair. Apps were all mid-teens or higher. Primos started in the $20's. The lasagna was $25. It seemed like one guy was doing all the work. It was near empty and the pacing screamed - one guy at the helm. The place looks nice. Either dark or romantic based on your perception. Room is split into two sides. Patio. I remember a black ceiling, natural wood walls and chairs and tables that followed that color scheme. Bar at far wall. Bartender seemed to know what he was doing. Wines by the glass were a step above yet familiar. Not sure how fine the wine list is. I'd guess above average. Service was attentive. Dressed up. Probably wouldn't be dashing enough for a place like Bice. No dress code. People in shorts. They also own a place in town called Little Italy. I think I had some of the same issues with that place as I do with this one. Still in the "faking" stage of "faking it until you make it". All things are fixable. I just suspect they are doing the best with what the have and never will justify the pricing. Should probably aim for one weight class below where they fight now. Like Garlic. It was packed. And I think they serve semi-quality Italian dishes. It's one of the last ones in NSB that I haven't tried yet.
*Some new things I've seen on TV or tried out. Jefferson's Ocean Bourbon. They sail it around the world on purpose like Vikings. Ok. Had a Swedish vodka called Purity. Wine Enthusiast gave it 94 points. Better as a mixer than straight up. I tried putting black pepper over creme fraiche with caviar. It woke it up. Not bad. I also made a "suicide" of all the kinds of caviar. decadent. Caviars came from Whole Foods and Costco. Doable. Also tried using a shrimp as a cracker for a fish spread. Very paleo. It worked. Saw a thing called black garlic. They age it and it comes out looking like licorice. Hot pepper water. Supposedly big in Hawaii. Not sure if they do it with just water or if they add vinegar. Had the vinegar one. Learned a coconut can have a mini-coconut (white ball) growing inside it. Very rare. They said it was awesome. Spongy. Learned that dim sum means "point heart". Like you love it. And tapping the tea saucer is like bowing to your server.
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