I tried these spots Sunday at lunch. The first two are in a strip mall on the southeast side of Sand Lake Rd from I4. It has a Sixty Vines in it. The next two are south on Turkey Lake Rd. The third in past the Walmart and before a 7-11. The last is back towards Sand Lake in the strip mall with Spoiled Fish. I had no idea it existed.
Chima - Another reviewed without eating there because they aren't worth it. I was going to make this the main attraction despite the $28 for just the salad buffet. Then I saw tat they had raised that to $36 over the summer. That's not even a justifiable increase percentage wise. Do they think they are Chick-fil-a or Subway? Plus it looked basic. I think some pale smoked salmon was the dearest component. At least Divina Carne had sushi and other expensive things. Twice as much of it. They also have a dress code fyi. Open for two years I believe.
The Madras Cafe - Open for five years they said. I kind of remember when they replaced whatever was there before. Looks worn. Duct tape on cushions. Black and yellow. Around twelve tables. Long narrow footprint. Bar on the right. Private room in back. Some Indian statues/decoration. Vegetarian fare. Southern Indian. I had the Mysore (a southern town) Masala Dosa to go for $12. Large dosa. Potatoes and a tomato and eggplant "sauce". That green puree they always add. I thought the menu said chutney. Maybe that is what the "sauce" was. I was expecting a sweet chutney. I expect that was the masala. Since it was to go, all these components were in separate containers. Not sure how it would have come out if I had eaten in. It was ok. Sizzle (spices) trying to be steak. But if you can't kill and eat God's creatures, you are swimming up stream. The menu was large. Categories such as: Curries, Specials, Chinese Apps and Dishes, Dosas. They are so many Indian choices (why this lasted on the list so long), an aged vegetarian one never had a chance. *The green puree is a corriander and mint chutney called Hari. Not sure if I would have ordered it had I known that.
Papparella Trattoria - Open for two months. From restauranteurs from Sao Paolo. Trying for a fancy vibe in a strip mall location. Mostly dark browns and beige. Wood floor. Some greenery. Around ten small booths at the edges and two rows of assorted sized tables in between. Bar on the left. Wine "closet" and kitchen (with pizza oven) sandwiching that. Cloth table cloth. But, not ironed. Paper napkins. These are things a really upscale restaturant wouldn't allow. Good, tranquil mood music. Uniformed staff (6?). Mostly dinner. Lunch on Sunday. It was starting to fill up. No dress code. Seemed like mostly Brazilians. I had the Fried Chicken Panuozzo for $15. It was phenomenal. Huge. A fried chicken breast cutlet, prosciutto, arugula and sun dried tomato sandwich in pizza dough. Some mayo-y sauce on top. Maybe some cheese. The dough was a whole pizza's worth. Great char. Oily. Thick. Soft. Spongy. I think the menu said the proof/rest the dough for 72 hours. The pizzas (starting at $18) must be great too. This thing was so big that I could barely force half of it down. A knife and forker. I'll add here that even the tap water was good. No odd tastes. Must be filtered. Ice too. The menu is Italian. Duh. Big. Many pizzas, primos (pastas) and secondi (mains). And apps. Maybe soups? Booze and wine. Probably beer. Primos started (and mostly stayed) around $20. I almost did the $20 lasagna. Secondi were $30+. Mostly meat. For plan b, it knocked it out of the park. They were hospitable as well. On the Favorite's list for sure. Suck on that Chima. That $15 filled me up in a way your lame buffet never would. And I got a to go bag out of it!
Wonderful Hand Pulled Noodle - I wonder what they serve? Open for two months. Replaced some Asian place. Looks the same inside. Light gray. Eight tables. Spartan. I had (you guessed it) hand pulled noodle soup with vegetables for $12.95 to go. It was very good. The noodles were fresh. Duh. Such a difference. I saw the guy doing it. The broth was savory and not too salty. If we compare this with pho, it had no sweet component and the noodles are a thousand times better. Give me this over that any day. And we're talking vegetable broth. I think. The veg were broccoli (a bit soft), carrot (a bit hard) and baby bok choy (just right). Would you believe I drained the broth first with some bok choy and a few noodles. Then I warmed the rest of the noodles the next day and had some with the remaining Indian masala and the rest warm with the broccoli and a spicy pepper oil they tossed in. Both worked. Can't recall having Indian noodle dishes. Did I just invent that? Damn, seems like it is becoming a fusion thing. They also have eleven apps. Scallion Pancakes ($6) to Wings ($9) to Black Fungus Salad ($9). Eight soups ($13-$17). Stir fried and mixed noodles ($13-$18). And six fried rices ($12-$16). Closed Tuesday. Lunch and dinner. On the cusp of Favorites.
*I espied that next to Sixty Vines is a bar that opens at 1pm on Sunday. Rest pm. It looks decrepit from outside. Inside looked very nice. And next to Spoiled Fish in the Noodle strip mall, there seem to be a new Middle Eaastern place being built out.
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