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Musubi Cafe Iyasume | Honolulu, HI

Musubi Cafe Iyasume

this place is happenin’. we came here to get a quick snack before we headed for the beach (yep. workin’ on that beach bod on the regs). kyle’s grandma makes spam musubi for special occasions so it is definitely comfort food for us. for those of you who are anit-spam, i understand… but ya’ll missing out. we ordered:

teriyaki spam musubi
salmon seaweed
spicy tuna musubi
katsu curry bowl

Musubi Cafe Iyasume

this place is tiny. no sitting room. expect a ton of people outside…waiting and eating.

Musubi Cafe Iyasume

food: ugh. we love musubi. we enjoyed snacking here and definitely recommend it.
service: so friendly. considering how many people come here, the place is super efficient despite the extensive menu.
ambience: hole in the wall status. expect to grab and go.

Musubi Cafe Iyasume
2427 Kuhio Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815

By fabliss | November 16th, 2015 | Food, Hawaii, Restaurants, Travel | 0 Comments

Café Amelie | New Orleans, LA

cafe amelie wasn’t on our radar until we walked by the restaurant on our ghost and vampire walking tour. the shrimp and grits was what grabbed our attention. i had to try it.

we ordered:

jumbo lump crab cake ($15) – served with baby greens and citrus drizzle. they were not lying when they said “jumbo”. very good crab cake.
shrimp & grits ($13) – corn and andouille maque choux
skillet roasted duck breast ($29) – sweet potato hash, green beans, apricot pepper glaze

so the shrimp and grits were incredible and everything we wanted it to be! the shrimp had great flavor. the corn sauce… uh-mazing. everything together was just perfect. i wish i had a better photo for you but we came here late at night, right before it closed. sorry, folks!

the glazed duck was also amazing! great, sweet glaze. the duck was perfectly cooked.

food: this was one of our favorite meals in nola! everything was wonderful and we can’t rave about it more! so glad we were able to squeeze in a reservation on our last night!
service: everyone was so nice and attentive.
ambience: this place is stupid cute. great romantic spot. i wish we would’ve gone here for a lunch or early dinner so that we could have enjoyed the patio area (lit up by christmas lights at night).
overall: food was excellent, service was wonderful and the ambience was the cherry on top! moderate to expensive price range (make this one of the special meals). we highly recommend cafe amelie if you are in town and looking great food.

Café Amelie
912 Royal St
New Orleans, LA 70116

By fabliss | December 31st, 2014 | Food, New Orleans, Restaurants, Travel | 0 Comments

Cane and Table | New Orleans, LA

this is another great recommendation from our buddy mark (so we decided to stop by after venturing to coop’s place for our fried chicken). we came here during an awkward time… well after lunch and too early for dinner. so they were only serving small plates.

we ordered:

peas n rice ($9) – island peas. local andouille sausage. rice.
crispy rum ribs ($17) – pork. el dorado 3-yr rum. papaya chutney. sambal.
avocado salad ($14) – avocado. jerked crab fingers. pecan smoked salt. marinated cherry tomatoes

we knew this place would be good since our friend, mark, had been spot on with his recommendations but we didn’t anticipate how good.

the peas n rice small plate was not what we expected… basically it looked like beans. we were thinking… did we get the wrong order? oh well because the beans were bomb! so flavorful!

the avocado salad was refreshing! exactly what we needed for our crispy ribs and beans.

last but absolutely not least, the real MVP–the deep-fried ribs. yep. deep-fried. ribs. fell off the bone. great sauce that smacks you in the face. everything i wanted these to be.

like i said, we knew this place would be good. we just didn’t expect this place to serve the most memorable dish of the trip!

food: everything we ordered was excellent! we can’t stop talking about the ribs!
ambience: we sat in the courtyard area. super cute spot especially on a warm day. bar is chic. dark woods, distressed walls with some exposed brick and emerald-green accents. we dig it.
service: service with a smile is always a good sign.
overall: ribs were spectacular! no, this place is not the cheapest but well worth it in my opinion. some people will have a heart attack when they read $17 for 6 baby ribs… but trust me, they are a must try. get ready for some mind explosion.

Cane and Table
1113 Decatur St
New Orleans, LA 70116

By fabliss | December 29th, 2014 | Food, New Orleans, Restaurants, Travel | 0 Comments

Verti Marte | New Orleans, LA

came here after our ghost and vampire tour. this place is a small market that makes sandwiches in the back. we saw that it had a ton of reviews so we thought why not?

this is a classic case of “don’t judge a book by its cover.” we ordered the poboy sandwich. it took us a minute to decide what to order since there is a huge menu!

the sandwich does not look pretty… none of us thought we would love it. but we were so wrong. it is delicious! super packed with flavor. what sauce is it?!! this is the kind of sandwich that you eat quickly since it is on the messier side but watch out since it comes out piping hot.

service: uber friendly
ambience: small market lit by fluorescent lighting (excuse the horrible photos… all i had was my iphone). there are two standing tables in the back of you want to scarf your sandwich down like we did.
overall: great, cheap sandwich! i would recommend this any day. like many have said before, pictures do not do it justice. oh! and this is open late night!

Verti Marte
1201 Royal St
New Orleans, LA 70195

By fabliss | December 28th, 2014 | Food, New Orleans, Restaurants, Travel | 0 Comments

Peche Seafood Grill | New Orleans, LA

came here on the recommendation of our friend, mark. we initially had booked a res with luke but decided to come here instead. what we ordered for the four of us:

shrimp toast ($7)
smoked tuna dip ($7)
fried bread w/ sea salt ($5)
hushpuppies ($6)
seafood gumbo ($9)
crab & jalapeno capellini ($14)
spicy ground shrimp & noodles ($12)

we were wondering why fried bread was on the menu… we were obviously just being foolish. we should know better than to question a chef who won a james beard award. these were little balls of heaven! crispy, hot, and awesome.

shrimp toast was a twist on what we expected. the shrimp was fried together into one piece and placed on top of toast. the texture reminded me asian shrimp balls on sugar cane sticks (anyone know what i’m talking about?) it was good! the pickles added the needed sweet/sour taste to cut the fat.

smoked tuna dip was good and came in a huge portion. it did get a little overwhelming after a while but still good. we had to ask for more crackers to finish it up. we think crackers were good but crispy bread would’ve been better.

hushpuppies were okay. make sure you dip it in the sauce.

seafood gumbo. kyle really liked this one.

spicy ground shrimp & noodles (above) were so tasty! noodles were cooked al dente. sauce was incredible. i wanted to slurp it up. the crab and jalapeno capellini looks bland but it is also equally fantastic!

food: we loved the food here. this was my favorite meal! notable dishes: pasta dishes were uh-mazing. make sure you get the fried bread.
ambience: awesome, industrial-looking, yet charming space. exposed wood beams and brick. high ceilings. lots of natural light. natural woods. very refreshing from anything you will encounter on bourbon street. since it is a big open floor plan, the restaurant would be able to accommodate larger parties.
service: service was good but i will say that we felt a little tension when we told the waiter no dessert for us.
location: this is walkable from the french quarter (we did it on the way back). 5 minute drive vs. 15 minute walk.
overall: we fell in love with peche. everything was delicious! items on the menu sound relatively simple but trust us when we say, you will be blown away by how well prepared everything is. flavors are well thought out, packing a great punch to your taste buds. fyi – peche has received the james beard award… well deserved awards (best new restaurant and best chef). thanks mark, for introducing us!

Peche Seafood Grill
800 Magazine St
New Orleans, LA 70130

By fabliss | December 26th, 2014 | Food, New Orleans, Restaurants, Travel | 0 Comments

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Musubi Cafe Iyasume | Honolulu, HI

Café Amelie | New Orleans, LA

Cane and Table | New Orleans, LA

Verti Marte | New Orleans, LA

Peche Seafood Grill | New Orleans, LA

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