As soon as I walked into Providence I was very impressed by the décor and energy of the restaurant. The first thing I tried was the Bacon bread and it was outstanding. How can you go wrong with bacon and bread? Then I had their version of Clam chowder. Absolutely amazing. Might be the best clam chowder I ever had. So silky and the flavor was out of this world. Next up to bat were the
Spot prawns baked in a mound of sea salt and rosemary. The prawns where cooked perfectly and not salty at all. Great dish. Finally I had their Pork belly dish. Are you kidding me? There are no words that can describe how great the flavors, tenderness of the belly and how everything work so well together. I could eat that everyday of my life.
5 out of 5
Jason C Ricks
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Ottavia in Walnut Creek, CA
Very nice atmosphere, which seats 35-40-seat restaurant. The chef/owner worked with Mario Batali. I will come back.
The service was very good from the beginning to end. Their regular water had a hint of peaches, apples and oranges. I was drinking buckets of it. Then they brought over their bread, which was very fresh and baked in house. I started out with the house smokes boars prosciutto with a special with cream cheese and Berry compote. The cream cheese and berry compote was very good, but the wild boar didn't have much flavor, and a funny gamey taste to it. Then I had the special gnocchi with oxtail ragu with white truffle oil. I’ll give this dish two very good. Gnocchi cooked perfectly and the oxtail ragu very flavorful and savory. I had to try the Pan roasted duck with fig & pomegranate sauce. It was good and cooked well and had some very nice flavors working in this dish. I see this place getting better.
I’ll give it a 3 ½ out 5
Jason C Ricks
The service was very good from the beginning to end. Their regular water had a hint of peaches, apples and oranges. I was drinking buckets of it. Then they brought over their bread, which was very fresh and baked in house. I started out with the house smokes boars prosciutto with a special with cream cheese and Berry compote. The cream cheese and berry compote was very good, but the wild boar didn't have much flavor, and a funny gamey taste to it. Then I had the special gnocchi with oxtail ragu with white truffle oil. I’ll give this dish two very good. Gnocchi cooked perfectly and the oxtail ragu very flavorful and savory. I had to try the Pan roasted duck with fig & pomegranate sauce. It was good and cooked well and had some very nice flavors working in this dish. I see this place getting better.
I’ll give it a 3 ½ out 5
Jason C Ricks
Osteria Mozza Los Angeles
Walked into this restaurant and felt like I belong here from jump. Had the mozzarella bar right in the middle and the beautiful bar to the left. We were seated and from the start, the service was spot on. They brought out moos boosh, which was toasted bread with mozzarella and an olive topidad. It was very good. Then we had a bunch of items, which we all shared.
• Soft shell crab great but a little oily
• Garlic bread was excellent and buttery
• The Burata, bacon with caramelized onions on their Italian bread was insane.
• The Spot prawns were amazing. Cooked and seasoned perfectly
• The pasta with an oxtail ragu was good, but was not great. When I hear that combination, I was wanting greatness and it turned out to just be good.
• Ricotta and egg yolk ravioli with brown butter sauce was outstanding. The sweetness from the brown butter sauce and the creaminess that comes out when you push your fork through the ravioli and the yolk comes out and mixes with the brown butter sauce. Wow. All I can say is wow.
• The Hanger steak was great and as cooked perfectly. Would I get it again? Maybe.
• The Polenta was just ok. Thought it was lacking in flavor.
• The spinach was a little bitter for my taste
• Carbonara was excellent. Everything you love for a carbonara to be, this was it.
• Quail marinated in honey sauce a good call. It was sweet and peppery and cooked perfectly. The stuffing was stuffing on point also.
• Ok, ok, ok. The doughnut with vanilla and lemon pudding was a perfect ending to great night with my wife and friends. Sweet, but not too sweet. The acid of the lemon balanced the whole dish. Will have again.
5 out of 5
Jason Ricks
• Soft shell crab great but a little oily
• Garlic bread was excellent and buttery
• The Burata, bacon with caramelized onions on their Italian bread was insane.
• The Spot prawns were amazing. Cooked and seasoned perfectly
• The pasta with an oxtail ragu was good, but was not great. When I hear that combination, I was wanting greatness and it turned out to just be good.
• Ricotta and egg yolk ravioli with brown butter sauce was outstanding. The sweetness from the brown butter sauce and the creaminess that comes out when you push your fork through the ravioli and the yolk comes out and mixes with the brown butter sauce. Wow. All I can say is wow.
• The Hanger steak was great and as cooked perfectly. Would I get it again? Maybe.
• The Polenta was just ok. Thought it was lacking in flavor.
• The spinach was a little bitter for my taste
• Carbonara was excellent. Everything you love for a carbonara to be, this was it.
• Quail marinated in honey sauce a good call. It was sweet and peppery and cooked perfectly. The stuffing was stuffing on point also.
• Ok, ok, ok. The doughnut with vanilla and lemon pudding was a perfect ending to great night with my wife and friends. Sweet, but not too sweet. The acid of the lemon balanced the whole dish. Will have again.
5 out of 5
Jason Ricks
Osteria Angelini Los Angeles
I’ve seen two features on the Food Network channel about their spinach lasagna. So I took my wife out to dinner and we walked in and it had a nice rustic atmosphere. I felt very comfortable and it was very inviting. Everyone has an Italian accent and they made you feel like you were eating at their house. They brought over a basket of bread, which had a nice variety. The flat bread was my favorite. Then I started with their caprese salad, which was very good. Then came to the table the famous Spinach Lasagna. Lets see if it lived to the hype…….. Oh Yes! By far the best lasagna I ever had hands down. It melted in your mouth. It tasted like Mother Mary made it. 100% amazing! I was still floating after finishing that plate of heaven. They brought over this meat of love. Roasted Pork belly with red cabbage & potatoes, Are you kidding me? This dish was beyond good. The pork belly was so tender and flavor pouring out of every bite. Cabbage and potatoes were cooked and seasoned to perfection.
This was definitely a 5 out 5 this night.
Jason C Ricks
This was definitely a 5 out 5 this night.
Jason C Ricks
Norma's at The Parker Meridian NYC
Was visiting New York with my wife and our Concierge suggested Norma’s for breakfast. It was a half a block up from where we were staying. It was a nice New York Mid-town atmosphere place. Service was good except when my wife’s food was cold. They took care of it right away. Now I had the duck confit hash and it was absolutely great. Everything about was spot on from the perfectly cooked duck, to the perfectly cooked potatoes. It was season great and looked amazing. I have to say that they gave me u enough to feed a small country. Will order that again, but next time I will invite a few friends and share.
4 out of 5.
Jason C Ricks
4 out of 5.
Jason C Ricks
Mozza Scruola di Pizza
This place is the best. It’s a room that’s connected to the Mozza 2 Go that only do special events. They have Pizza night where they show you how to make different kinds of pizza. Then they do a themed family style dinner nights on Friday and Saturday. It’s one big table that seats 24 people and they serve 6 courses and the seating goes quick. My and my family went on a Friday and needless to say we had a crazy amount of fun and good eats. Mind you the menu changes every month.
The 1st course was cole slaw, salt fish polenta, marinated peppers
2nd course: Fried Calamari, prawns, Red Mullet
3rd course: Risotto Porcini with sea urchin, Cuttlefish and Clams
4th: Duck Ragu with Polenta
5th: Sausage, veal tongue, chicken, brisket, mash potatoes, spinach
Everything was cooked perfectly and was food at it’s best. The service and atmosphere was top notch. You felt like you were at someone’s house having dinner. The chef would come out to before each course is served to explain what the course is and give you detailed information about the region of Italy from where the course comes from. It’s a must go to place when you’re in LA.
5 out of 5.
Jason C Ricks
www.pizzeriamozza.com
The 1st course was cole slaw, salt fish polenta, marinated peppers
2nd course: Fried Calamari, prawns, Red Mullet
3rd course: Risotto Porcini with sea urchin, Cuttlefish and Clams
4th: Duck Ragu with Polenta
5th: Sausage, veal tongue, chicken, brisket, mash potatoes, spinach
Everything was cooked perfectly and was food at it’s best. The service and atmosphere was top notch. You felt like you were at someone’s house having dinner. The chef would come out to before each course is served to explain what the course is and give you detailed information about the region of Italy from where the course comes from. It’s a must go to place when you’re in LA.
5 out of 5.
Jason C Ricks
www.pizzeriamozza.com
Modern Steak in Scottsdale,AZ
I started with the bacon bread and it was out of this world. You have to try it. I could have a mattress made of this bread and sleep like a baby. Then we all shared this huge Kobe hot dog and it was great. Tender, flavorful and had a wonderful texture. Then I finished up with the Kobe rib eye steak. Are you kidding me? The best piece of meat I ever had. Where do I start? You can eat the steak with a spoon. It was so flavorful that you want to just put a stick in it and suck on it lick a lollipop all day. It was cooked perfectly and I will have it again when I get back to Scottsdale.
4 out 5.
Jason C Ricks
4 out 5.
Jason C Ricks
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)