Baba Sushi, Teriyaki, Seafood Restaurant

240 Canary Rd. Lexington, KY 40517

       Yellow Tail Jalapeno and Red Roll

Crystal Roll

Chicken Lomein

Hers: I had the Yellow Tail with Jalapeno and the Red Roll. They were both delicious, but I liked the Red Roll more, as it had spicy tuna inside, topped with more tuna. In case you can't tell already, I like tuna. The Yellow Tail , however, needed more kick, even with the Jalapeno. Luckily it came with plenty of wasabi. The plating was beautiful, one of the best I've ever seen. The large banana leaf took my breath away when our waitress brought it to the table. I felt transported back to some posh sushi joint in LA.  The Verdict: The Red Roll is a must have, but skip the Yellow Tail Jalapeno.




His:  I selected the Crystal Roll, which is a spicy crunch scallop inside with spicy crab and tobiko (flying fish roe) on top.  Everything was on point.  I loved the spice, the crunch and the fresh taste.  I wished I got more of this sushi.  The presentation was beautiful but it was such a big plate for just 8 small pieces.  The Verdict:  Love it, Get it.




His:  I also got the Chicken Lomein.  Lomein is soft egg noodles.  Again, everything was on point.  The taste was excellent, the chicken was moist and the noodles were finely cooked.  If the portion wasn't that large, I would have eaten all of it that night but alas I had to take the rest home.  Hers: I stole some off his plate and it was great. You could taste a smokey note to it like it was cooked on a hot griddle, similar to Mongolian cuisine. Love it. The Verdict:  If you don't want sushi then pick up the delectable dish and you won't be disappointed.

Mr. Kabab

 2901 Richmond Rd # 150, Lexington, KY

Gyro Platter

Kabab Platter

 Hers:  I had the Gyro plate. It was great, except I forgot to ask for no onions--my fault. It came with extra meat and tzatziki sauce, which if you're into lots of meat is great. I wish that space on the place could have gone towards some hummus or rice, but that's just me. The salad it came with was simple and tasty-cumcubers, tomatoes, olives, herbs, and feta, all tossed in red vinegar and oil. My favorite.
The Verdict: a good dish, but not the best gyro I've had. Next time I'd like to try their hummus and other salads.




His:  I decided to try their Kabab Platter.  This was the first pictured platter on their menu and it looked delicious.  You could choose chicken or lamb for your skewered, marinated meat but the pictured showed one of each so I decided to have the platter just like that.  Both meat were great but I liked the chicken better.  The platter came with two different rice.  One was a traditional yellow rice with some veggies, always good.  The other rice was a white one with cinnamon.  I like cinnamon but this combination wasn't that great.  They also paired this dish with a garlic sauce.  Always love garlic items, always recommend and always use in good quantity when can.  The last item was a side item of your chose between a Greek salad, hummus or cucumber salad.  I went with the cucumber salad.  It was good and tasted kind of like a pickle salad.  The Verdict:  I would recommend this dish and come back for more.

Mulligan's Gradenside Cafe

1804 Alexandria Drive, Lexington, KY 40504

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Irish Hot Pots

Hers:  I ordered the Corned Beef and Cabbage, which is a traditional Irish dish I love to make every St. Patrick's Day at home, but this was my first experience having it at a restaurant. Mulligan's version comes with the corned beef mixed with the cabbage with a healthy side of mashed potatoes, skin and all. I found it to be a great comfort dish on a stormy saturday night, and the Guiness I ordered with it complemented it well. It was very filling, but that's to be expected for such a hearty dish. My only complaint it that I got full before I could finish it, it was that delicious! The Verdict: Their corned beef and cabbage is just as good as what I make at home, and I would recommend it to friends or anyone not having the time or patience to boil beef brisket for several hours.


His:  I got the Irish Hot Pots.  This was a creamy, chunky soup with a puffed pastry on top.  You can get this dish with chicken or beef.  I really enjoyed this dish even though it was a little bit salty but I expected it to be.  It was very filling and I was impressed that the dish stayed hot throughout.  The puffed pastry is like having crackers in your soup or a dumpling, loved it.  The Verdict:  I really liked this dish and will definitely have it again.  I do wounder how close this is to an authentic Hot Pot but still a good dish.

Casanova Italian Restaurant

                          855 South Broadway, Lexington, KY 40504

Antipasto Misto 

Risotto funghi e Asparagi

Rigatoni alla Amatriciana

His & Hers:  His- I think this appetizer had its moments.  Both of the salami portions were good and the triangle sliced cheese was good but I couldn't but my finger on what type it was.  I didn't like the olive paste on the bread but I'm not much of an olive fan to begin with.  I also didn't like the cubed cheese.  It had a spice element that through me for a loop and was to over powering to the cheese it self.  Hers- the meats & cheese appetizer was great. I'm such a sucker for cheese & cured meats. Can't go wrong with a good salami to start the meal.



Hers: I had the Risotto funghi e Asparagi (translation: mushroom and asparagus risotto.) I've never had risotto before, so I was really looking forward to this dish. When the plate came out, I was taken aback. I remember Anthony Bourdain explaining to Josh Homme on an episode of No Reservations once that risotto is supposed to be soupy. As you can see in the picture, it wasn't. If anything, the rice was a little al dente, which isn't my thing. Also, it was distractingly salty, so much so that I couldn't finish it. Bummer.  
The Verdict: Never again.




His:  I got the Rigatoni alla Amartriciana.  The flavors of this dish were good.  It had the right amount of cheese, sauce and onions.  The pasta was cooked right, with no al dente pieces to find.  The only thing that I didn't like about the dish was the bacon.  Now that sounds surprising because who doesn't like bacon.  Well the bacon was barely cooked and even though it had good flavor, I'm not a big fan of chew bacon.  The Verdict:  I don't mind this dish and have no problem recommending it but I will probably try something else first before ordering it again.

Nick Ryan's Saloon

      157 Jefferson Street, Lexington, KY 40508

Side Salad w/Sherry Fennel Vinaigrette

10oz. Aged Sirloin

 His & Hers: His- Our meals came with a side salad.  It was a pretty standard garden salad and very fresh.  The sherry fennel vinaigrette was very tasty but thick.  Hers- The salad was typical, and the dressing had a nice tangy kick. Good start to the meal, as was the Bulleit bourbon on the rocks I had.







Hers: The Aged Sirloin I ordered was fantastic. It came with pommes dauphine (the two hush-puppy looking spheres that were really fried mashed potato balls), fresh asparagus, and the steak itself was topped with a crimini mushroom demi glace. Definitely one of the more classy and fancier meals I've had in town. The steak was cooked perfectly and I could eat the potatoes until the cows come home. No complaints about the meal itself, just the idiot horse people that were there being drunk and rowdy that night. Also, our server/bartender Alex was really cool and entertained us the whole time, so that was a good distraction from all the screaming red faced diners.
The Verdict: While the clientele were obnoxious, the food made up for it. Just be sure to make a reservation before making the trek--or not, and take a seat at the bar & say hi to Alex. Be sure to tip him well.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

His:  I got the Braised Beef Short Ribs.  I very much enjoyed this dish.  The ribs were cooked perfectly, very tender and moist.  It was served on top of a cauliflower mousse line and seasonal vegetables, which happened to be zucchini and green beans.  The cauliflower mousse line was the best surprise of the dish.  I never had cauliflower this way and found it to be very creamy and delicious, I wanted more.  The sauce was a house made veal stock and complemented the beef divinely.  The only problem I found with this dish was the amount of fat on the short ribs.  I know ribs have fat and the fat adds taste to the beef when cooked but I don't really like eating it.  The Verdict:  I would definitely recommend this dish and try the cauliflower mousse line with it but be prepared for the fat if you mind those things.  Also, make sure you make reservations or you will have to eat at the bar, but at least the bartender is nice.

Thai Orchid Cafe

                                                                                    

                                                  1030 S Broadway # 2, Lexington, KY 40504

Thai Iced Tea

Hers: Whenever I got to a Thai restaurant, I have to order a Thai Iced Tea. If you've never had one, here's the best way I can describe it: a creamy chai tea with a spicy-smokey after taste, not unlike licking your lips after having a puff of a great cigar, but sweeter.















                                                                  

Golden Pockets

  His & Hers:  His- We got the appetizer Golden Pockets.  It's a fried crispy dough "pocket" stuffed with chicken, onions and potatoes.  It is served with a sweet cucumber, sauce.  I found this appetizer to be very delightful and could eat a whole plate by myself.  Her- I was only able to eat two of them before he scarfed down the whole plate, but the few bites I had were great. I'm a sucker for anything with a great crunchy texture and these delivered.                

                                                

Basil & Chili w/Chicken

Hers: I chose the Basil & Chili with chicken as I have not had this dish since leaving Los Angeles. Across the street from my old job, there was a great Thai place that served this same dish that I ate regularly. While the place in LA made their's with serrano peppers, Thai Orchid looks to have used a concoction of red peppers and spices making it milder, but just as good. It's really interesting having tasted the two different interpretations. My only qualm was the sauce itself is very salty, as if a soy sauce base rather than a fish sauce like the old version I'm used to. Also, they skimped on the basil, but I forgive them since it's grown fresh in their garden so there may not be as much to work with. The Verdict: Good, but next time I'm ordering it spicier then Medium to mask the saltiness.

Pepper & Garlic w/Tofu

 His:  I ordered the Pepper & Garlic dish with tofu.  It is a dish that is served with vegetables in a stir-fry sauce that has pepper and garlic with a side of rice.  You can get the dish with different protein options.  I went with tofu, which was good.  They cooked the tofu to a good, harder consistency that I like instead of having it still soft and spongy.  They also had the tofu soak up the sauce for its flavor, but I kind of hoped they soaked it in a different flavor to add more dept to the dish.  The sauce had a great garlic flavor but the pepper was a little lacking.  The Verdict:  I recommend this dish if you like garlic and are looking for a lite dish.

Richie's Fast Food

  

325 Roosevelt Boulevard, Lexington, KY 40508

3 piece chicken w/two sides and roll; sides: red beans and rice, mac'n cheese

Hers:  I picked the 3 piece chicken meal and chose red beans & rice and the mac n' cheese for my sides. It also came with a dinner roll that looked like the type you can buy at the grocery store. The mac n' cheese was average, like it came out of a box, and the red beans and rice was good, but it tasted as if they used molasses in their recipe, which would have been great if I were a fan of molasses. However, the more I ate it the more it grew on me, so no harm no foul (and nothing a little Tabasco sauce can't fix.) Now the chicken was DIVINE! I found myself wondering how they got the chicken to stay so moist but were still able to get the skin so crispy. Fried chicken skin is one of my guilty food pleasures in life and Richie's delivered on flavor and crunch. It had a little unexpected kick for being plain fried chicken and their soul food family recipe gave me the warm and fuzzies. 
The Verdict: I would recommend the chicken but skip the mac n' cheese.

        

6 piece hot wings w/roll- extra side order of baked beans

     His:  I ordered the 6 piece wings w/roll.  They offered it in regular or hot.  I went with the hot and also got an extra side of baked beans.  I found the chicken to be very good, flavorful, moist and crunchy.  You could tell the breading and spices were mixed together by hand because you would sometimes get a nice pronounced taste of "kick" on some parts of the chicken than others.  The wings are small, so 6 pieces was not quite enough.  The roll, unfortunately, was a store bought variety type.  Not bad but wished it was more fresh.  The baked beans had a good smokey barbecue flavor and were a good complement to the meal.  
The Verdict: I would recommend Riche's hot wings but I would get the 18 piece or more.