Tag Archives: restaurant reviews

Quantum Leap

16 Jun

Esther suggested we meet one night for dinner at Quantum Leap in the East Village.  It’s a restaurant that specializes vegetarian and organic dishes.  Usually not my thing (I like my meat), but Esther said it was good, so I gave it a shot.  Turns out it’s actually pescatarian and they also have vegan items.

It was a long day and I had eaten well, so I treated myself to a beer.  I went with the organic Georg Schneider’s Wiesen Edel-Weisse.  It was so good I took a picture of it.

I actually cannot for the life of me remember what Esther ordered.  Esther: If you read this, let me know!  I remember she liked it very much though.  It MAY have been this: Vegetarian Curry Stew a melange of seasonal vegetables and tofu slowly simmered in our south east asia curry spices. served with basmati-lentil rice

The rice was especially delicious.

I had the Seafood Scampi with skewers of broiled shrimp scallop, flounder and salmon in roasted fresh garlic. served with fettuccini and sauteed garden vegetables in a pesto sauce.

I really liked the seafood and the pasta taste was great, but a little extra oily.

Point estimation?  11 for dinner.

  • Beer ~ 3 points
  • 2 skewers ~ 5 points
  • 1 cup pasta ~ 3 points (I didn’t eat all on the plate)

I think this place was pretty good, and I certainly didn’t miss the “meat.”  I wasn’t overwhelmed, however, and don’t think I’d be chomping at the bit to go back.

Total Nom Points: 5.5 out of 10

Pongsri Thai- Take 2

9 Jun

This isn’t my first post about Pongsri Thai and I’m sure it won’t be my last. This time I found myself there with my friend Travis. 

Travis proved that the Big Bird’s Love Nest is just too irresistible a name to resist.

I went with something brand new to stay healthy (I love Thai but I always order either Pad Thai or Pad See Ew). It was tons of sauteed veggies with shrimp in a garlic ginger sauce.  DELISH! I hardly missed my noodles for eating a whole plate for 7.5 points.

And that left me with points left for… dessert!  We decided to try the Coconut Ice Cream Delight which was young coconut, taro, jackfruit and palm seeds.  I couldn’t stop eating this and was happy the portion was small and Travis graciously shared some.  I counted it for 4 points… so hard to tell with ice cream!

Overall, Pongsri is reliable and delicious.  It’s also in a pretty convenient area (there are 3 in the city).

Total Nom Points: 6.5 out of 10

Winberie’s in Summit, NJ

4 Jun

After a long day in New Jersey, Mike and I found ourselves at the Summit train station and itching for dinner.  We decided to take a later train and find a local dining establishment.  I have actually never eaten at Winberie’s (partly due to bitterness that they wouldn’t give me a job when I was 16).  It’s a small chain that everyone I know who grew up in our area frequented.  They have a few other locations in New Jersey as well as one in PA and one in IL.

We started with the Bruschetta which was fire roasted tomatoes, basil, balsamic, and Reggiano Parmesan on garlic crostini.  It was quite delicious and had all the right flavor combination and textures (crispy without cutting up your mouth while you eat it). I had one piece of 3 points.

Mike opted for the burger. He seemed to enjoy it.  The fries were good but not crispy enough (a common complaint of mine with fries).

I balanced the crostini with a salad.  The Alsatian Chicken Salad sounded right up my alley… grille chicken breast, field greens, sauteed apples (why don’t more restaurants sautee their apples??), bleu cheese, candied walnuts (nom nom nom), and cider vinaigrette. Delish!  I calculated about 8.5 points for the salad.

Overall, for being a “chain” I was actually pretty impressed with the food.  A good standby… though nothing really special.

Total Nom Points: 6.5 out of 10