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Who would have thought this dark little place would be such a culinarily delight?! To my surprise it was and more. We stopped in for a dinner after shopping in the area and came in at perfect time bc this place gets packed. I would recommend getting reservations if possible. Right off the bat the service was good and set the mood for the evening. It was a bit slow but we didn’t mind, we weren’t in a rush. This is a place to sit back and enjoy your meal and your company. The menu has a nice variety of options and the appetizer and drink list is heavy so enjoy yourself and order away! We ordered the calamari and ahi and both were delicious. Our table ordered a variety of main courses from the Marsala, salmon and panini. All were good and shared amongst our table. The food is definitely the sweet spot of this place. The service- could use a little fine tuning. The server forgot a couple of things and didn’t know the soup of the day and forgot to come back and tell us. Didn’t matter all was good. Also never had a chance to check on do to the restaurant getting busy but the manager/owner checked in which was nice. Once thing I can’t leave out was the homemade peach cobbler…omg tdf! I will be back for seconds for sure! If you’re in the area, stop in!

• Mariscos Las Islitas Menu with Prices 1601 Panama Ln #109, Bakersfield
• Volcano Soon Tofu – Menu with Prices – 2001 Coit Rd #300A, Plano
• Lemongrass Hotpot – Menu with Prices – 5450 S State Rd 7, Hollywood
• Main Event Frisco – Menu with Prices – 9375 Dallas Pkwy, Frisco
• Umbrellas 1296 – Menu with Prices – 1296 1st St, Sarasota
• Aburi Sushi & Ramen – Menu with Prices – 735 E Green St, Pasadena
• Hop Social Tavern – Menu with Prices – 3405 W Chandler Blvd, Chandler
• The Local Press – Menu with Prices – 276 Woodford St, Portland
• Recess Cafe – Menu with Prices – 1102 Q St, Sacramento
• Kappo Miyako – Menu with Prices – 92 Corporate Park H, Irvine
• Romano Cucina Sunset Beach – Menu with Prices – 16595 Pacific Coast Hwy, Sunset Beach
• Maikel’s Kitchen – Menu with Prices – 3864 W Waters Ave, Tampa

Mariscos Las Islitas Menu with Prices 1601 Panama Ln #109, Bakersfield

We came in and were greated by a very nice gentlemen. The host took us to our seats. It was a little breezy so we asked for. Different table we got seated in a little spot in the middle which was nice. They forgot to clean the tables but i just didnt want to complain at the time. Anyway we ordered the oyster shots they were quite tasty. Each shot had 2 oysters inside and the shrimp..omg the shrimp. They were delicious. So crunchy and idk just really good. We had the shrimp, pulp, and fish soup and the meat molcajete. The soup was actually very good. The shrimp again was delicious and the fish very tasty. The molcajete was smaller than what I’m use to. The flavors were okay. The meats were good. The flavor just idk wasnt all that good. They give you 3 tortillas or 6 and then you can ask for more. They dont seem to charge. The molcajete comes with rice and beans. The salsa that comes with the chips are yum. These are complimentary. I would def go back to get some shrimp plates and a few of their margaritas.

Volcano Soon Tofu – Menu with Prices – 2001 Coit Rd #300A, Plano

I don’t know why this place has such good reviews on here. I went here myself and let me tell you it was not as good as it looks. I usually don’t give bad reviews but I will give you my honest experience. I came here during lunch time with a family member and we both had tofu soup. I had the mushroom and spicy pork combo, and the other person had pork tofu. First off, I could tell the server was flustered. The restuarant was probably 50% or less full when we were dining. Our food came out and it was both the wrong type of soup. The server place the dishes in front of us and was making a mess. I saw the soup just swishing out of our bowls onto the table as she placed it down in front of us and she didnt even clean up the mess. Even though it was not much spill over, it was still a spill. I have no problem cleaning it up myself, but I mean for restuarant service, it is just something you should do as a service automatically. She says the dish is what we ordered but when we both actually stirred our soup around, the contents was all wrong. I recieved a seafood tofu soup instead of mushroom and the other girl got beef instead of pork. We had the server take it back to get the correct order. Presentation was sloppy as the seasoning they use was all over the top and sides of the bowl and the broth was all over the handles as well. What a mess. The soup was really bland and honestly not even worth my trip. The only reason I gave them some stars is bc the spicy pork was actually good, but for a place that is specializing in tofu soup and not having it good is just a straight up disappointment. Never coming here again.

Lemongrass Hotpot – Menu with Prices – 5450 S State Rd 7, Hollywood

Bright, clean and tasty! We met up with friends who are regulars at Lemongrass and I’m so glad we had people to walk us through the process. General directions: 1) Choose your soup – they offer 8 different soups to cook your noodles, veggies, protein, etc. in at the table. My friend recommended the Taiwanese hot & spicy. You can ask for it in medium or hot. All of the soups start out as the Signature base and they add stuff to it to make it the other flavors. I went with the Tom kha and it was pretty good but I’m not sure if it was the Tom kha I was expecting. A couple other people at our table got the Seafood. 2) On the paper menu, write down the serving quantity of noodles, seafood, veggies, tofu varieties, etc. that you want. There’s a huge variety to choose from and you can always ask for more later. You can reference the keyed picture menu. 3) Create your own sauce at the sauce bar- you can mix soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, chili paste, ginger, cilantro, garlic and a bunch of other condiments together to suit your taste. I dipped the fish balls and fish in my sauce bowl but I guess you could also throw some directly into the boiling soup. 4) Grab a plate of meat from the meat freezer. Can go back for more. I was impressed how many times some people went back. 5) Once your soup arrives, the control is at the side of the table and can be cranked to P5 to make it boil. Back it down to P2 or P3 for a simmer. 6) The rest is pretty experimental and I started throwing stuff into the soup to cook. I forgot about my soba noodles and they got over cooked and limpy on me but other than that, I think everything else came out ok. Our server checked up on us multiple times throughout the night to see if we needed any more items and refilled the soup when it was low. Save room for dessert. Dinner took about 2.5 hours so it’s probably not the best place if you’re in a hurry. I think I was most impressed by the sheer variety of things that you could try. Almost forgot – The lemongrass tea is amazing! It’s slightly sweet and comes out cold.

Main Event Frisco – Menu with Prices – 9375 Dallas Pkwy, Frisco

We had a fantastic time at Main Event! Our family of six started with dinner. The sampler appetizer was perfect. Enough of everything for all to enjoy. For the entrees several of us ordered the skillet Mac & cheese. It’s really good! Our daughters enjoyed the burgers too. Our server Bri was wonderful. Attentive, friendly and took great care of us. Then we went bowling and enjoyed that too. Their lanes are fun and everything is so clean and well maintained. And all of the staff was friendly and super helpful. After that we had time to play games in the arcade and we all shared a giant ice cream sundae called the Big Fun Sunday. It’s huge and oh so good. You won’t eat this yourself. Five of us shared it and we could a barely finish it. It had fresh baked cookies. Fresh made donut holes and several types of ice cream. We all loved it. And best of all we were all able to sit at the table and enjoy it together and talk, laugh and enjoy each other’s company as well as a great dessert. The arcade was fun for all of us. The machines are well maintained with a great variety for all ages. It was a great way to spend an being with our family. We look forward to going back again soon!

Umbrellas 1296 – Menu with Prices – 1296 1st St, Sarasota

Arrived and waited at the bar for my 4 friends.. Ordered a martini and had to listen to an argument with the bartender and another staff member right infront of us.. Not classy at all.. Happy hour prices were very good and drinks were excellant.. I was told twice by a staff member that we would have the window seat table.. We just needed our drinks and we turned around and they had seated a 2 some right where we were suppose to sit.. So they stuck us back in a corner.. Not right.. Our waiter was nice and attentive.. Most of us ordered a salad with salmon.. The waiter left with our orders….then came back a few minutes later and said that they didnt have any salmon.. The chef had not told him they didnt have salmon.. Poor planning!. 4 of us had to switch to something else.. I switched to the short rib with polenta…..only to be told later that there’s no polenta and i would have mash potatoes.. The short rib came….looked very nice however it was cold inside.. My other friends added shrimp to their chopped salad entree.. They felt it was subpar in taste.. One girlfriend order scallops and she enjoyed her dish.. There was not good organization with the chef informing the staff on food on the menu. The chef needs to improve on the quality and temperature of the food he/she serves.. I would not recommend this restaurant.

Aburi Sushi & Ramen – Menu with Prices – 735 E Green St, Pasadena

Now I can finally write a review for this place after coming here three times. I had both good AND bad experience so let me just start out by saying your experience may depend on the day of your visit. My very first time at Aburi was with my best friend. She and I had a great dinner doing AYCE even though no server has informed us about how only 5 orders will be served first or whatever they call this policy. Second time, I went with my Mom. Since I have gone to other Aburi location in Long Beach and also here with my bestie, I thought I knew what was going on. My server named ‘Lily’ was very unprofessional. After filling out my order sheet, I handed to her and she told me about the 5 orders thing and not knowing what it was, I told her last time I was here I wasnt told that but its fine, it is what it is. Then she tried to argue with me in a very annoying tone so I was like whatever. Then she goes off telling me that NONE of the COLLARS are available (Salmon & Yellowtail). So I said its fine. It was just her attitude, tone of her voice and behavior that made me so irritated. She didnt look serious and looked very nonchalant. Before getting my orders, another server comes and explains to me about Lily’s actions and re-explained to me about the 5 order policy and so I clearly told her I wasnt too fond of way she delivered the message; unprofessional. Later, I got some of my orders then I see both Salmon and Yellowtail collars coming my way. I told the new server that ‘Lily’ told me you guys dont have any collars available and now I see both on my table. She said ‘she meant to say we have limited supply’ Um, excuse me? I know how to write and speak English. She CLEARLY told me she did NOT have it. She didnt mention anything about limited supply or whatever though I was aware because it says it on the order sheet. I was just so sick of everything from then on. So my second experience was crappy as ever so I decided to come again with my Boyfriend to finalize my thoughts before giving them a review. My third time was again so-so. My server was just fine. But it was the FOOD that was below par. My Boyfriend and I ordered 2 orders of sashimi (Salmon and Seared Tuna) and did not receive it after we received all of our orders for the first round. We also did not get any collars. I asked the server to check and a bit later, one of the collars came as salmon collar was not available. Our 2 sashimi came out with the Yellowtail Sashimi added during second round and so ALL of our sashimi came out at the same time. I belive it was Yellowtail Sashimi. Boyfriend took a piece to eat and later I looked at the plate to grab, I SEE A HAIR. A SHORT CURLY HAIR (please see attached picture with this review). I was disgusted. With the disappointing experience I had before, everything was unpleasant and started double checking all the foods left on the table for any hair or things that SHOULDNT be there. I called the server to let him know. He literally said, ‘oh sh!t’ and asked if I wanted a new one. My Boyfriend wanted it so I said yes. Other than that, no apology of any kind was made to my table. Again, this is very unprofessional. I dont want to stereotype but almost ALL asian owned businesses lack sooooooo much professionalism handling situations like this. Gross. I didnt want free food. All I wanted was an apology or a ‘statement’ from the manager but absolutely nothing! So that sums up all my dining experiences (3) here at Aburi. Extremely disappointed in lacking professionalism displayed by servers or even the management. Food hygiene is definitely a BIG issue. No parking available as street parking (1 hr) is the only option I believe. I was hoping to enjoy here at Aburi but since the first visit, it has been DOWNHILL. Such a disappointment. Done.

Hop Social Tavern – Menu with Prices – 3405 W Chandler Blvd, Chandler

This place is great! The food was delicious. I ordered a spicy chicken sandwhich with fries and my husband ordered the chicken marsala. For app we had the artichoke dip. Everything was brought out quick and served hot. Portions were good as well. Spicy chicken sandwhich was not greasy and had a good kick to it without super hot. Chicken marsala was juicy and creamy and the mashed potatoes were creamy and buttery. We ordered two flight of beer..comes with 5 and a had a solid variety to choose from. All the wait staff were friendly and everyone was hustling even as it slowed down. Quick to seat us, take our drink and food order and very attentive throughout. While there we were happy to catch the World series game. They have a nice size bar with several TVs to watch any games you want. They were also showing Coyotes hockey game. We will definitely return. I kept seeing the pot pie and is on my list next to try!

The Local Press – Menu with Prices – 276 Woodford St, Portland

I really wasn’t blown away. Walking in and placing an order for take out was incredibly awkward. The two gentlemen who took my order both kept forgetting what I ordered. I ordered an old fashion panini, a cup of French onion soup and a Nantucket nectar. Simple enough. After asking for the third time to confirm my order I pay and wait. They seemed bothered by my presence. As I get home I realize that my panini obviously looked nothing like the description. So I take a bite and was more than displeased. I went online to check the menu. They gave me a completely different sandwich called “the goodlife”. The sandwich itself was too heavy. It lacked any source of freshness or any acidity to cut through the richness of all of the ingredients. The fig jam and blue cheese were just piled into the center. The combination was way too sweet while the sandwich itself was overpoweringly salty. Super bummed out I didn’t get what I ordered. The French onion soup was disappointing. I opened the lid to find a huge curdled ball of solidified cold cheese. It was inedible. I dig past the cheese to scoop into two giant pieces of panini bread. So I basically paid 6$ for a third of a cup of soup. What little soup that was there was just okay. All together I paid 18$ and some change for a sandwich that I never wanted, a small cup of cheese, bread, onion pudding and a drink. That’s pretty pricy for the quality of the service and food I received. Overall My first impression wasn’t a good one. Not in a hurry to return.

Recess Cafe – Menu with Prices – 1102 Q St, Sacramento

This is now one of my new favorite places. Went there with my son for breakfast. He had the Breakfast Burrito and I had the Time Out Panini. (I work the graveyard shift, so it was actually my dinner.) Their Penne Pasta that came with my Panini was the perfect side. Both meals were delicious and perfect. The Breakfast Burrito was so good, I ordered an extra one to take home. No dripping sauces or oils. Nothing was dry. Service was quick. Employees were professional but very friendly. Took the time give us samples of their Tomato Soup. Oh. My. Goodness. I’m hooked. I tried talking them into moving to Vacaville. I was unsuccessful. Prices are also very good. Instead of going to some drive-thru for some overly greasy, pre processed something-or-other, stop here and enjoy real food. Delicious food. Keep up the great work. See you again.

Kappo Miyako – Menu with Prices – 92 Corporate Park H, Irvine

Walking in this place is very small but cute. They have Monday deals where you can get 3 rolls for $20! Which is great ? Ordered the curry katsu which came out very hot and the katsu crispy. I don’t think the chicken/pork was thick enough to remember the texture or juiciness. It’s smaller than CoCo Ichibanya but still a great portion for around $9-10. Came with a yummy side salad and miso soup (which waiter didnt bring out and said “people don’t usually want it” when we noticed at the end of our meal that we didn’t get it). Miso was yummy and came out burning hot which is nice but out of my excitement I burned by tongue. Tofu is maybe instant? But it is cut in 1cm x 1cm which is really small, but thats ok. We ordered one tempura roll. The batter is very thick, similar to if you were to order fried ice cream (somewhere). It was just like eating crispy batter. It wasn’t bad but okay. Our spicy salmon roll was yummy, tasted like a california roll but with salmon. We got a yellow tail roll with jalapeño slices on top. I didn’t really enjoy it, I get skeptical about yellowtail at smaller, affordable shops because of the quality. But thats my opinion. But this place is forsure better than Kura Revolving Sushi.

Romano Cucina Sunset Beach – Menu with Prices – 16595 Pacific Coast Hwy, Sunset Beach

Stopped by for an early dinner right when they opened. They have a small area out front with a couple small dining tables which seemed nicer for a nice warm day. Inside is pretty dark and compact. Our server seemed like he just rolled out of bed, very nice but no effort/professionalism in his job. The menu has decent choices and the portions are great! The price is higher but because it includes a real decent size house salad and “fresh bread”, which you get anyways. The bread was flavorless but you get olive oil and balsamic to save the day. I ordered the Checca with capellini noodles as my choice (you choose what kind of noodle) and I know normally garlic is a main ingredient in this dish but it was pretty overwhelming – nonetheless, it was absolutely delicious and deserves 5 stars!! My boyfriend ordered a sandwich from the “panini” menu, it was an italian sub not a panini. His dish came out literally a dry loaf of bread with a couple small sausages and some peppers. He said it was completely flavorless not even a hint of salt, he had to drown it in grated parmesan and even then it was very boring. This place has plenty of great reviews and maybe things are different in the heat of the night when the cooks and servers are warmed up!

Maikel’s Kitchen – Menu with Prices – 3864 W Waters Ave, Tampa

I’m sorry but the only reason I have to give this restaurant one star is because they cannot cook salmon. I will agree with other posters that the menu is very confusing. It does not State whether sides come with it and there is no pricing on the sides. My friend ordered the Tostones Rellenos with shrimp and they were oily, soggy and topped with cheese and marinara instead of a chimichurri sauce liking other establishments. Nowhere on the menu didn’t mention that the dish was going to have cheese added to it. That’s not good business practices when someone could possibly have dairy food allergy. It’s almost like they incorrectly cook the tostones and added cheese to cover it up. My sister and I share the meal for two salmon. The first time the salmon came to the table the outside was gorgeous but the inside was raw. We alerted the server Shea and she apologized and took it back to the kitchen. she came back to the table and said that the salmon will be done in 3 minutes which kind of seems impossible. She brought the salmon over and it was seeping with oil. We sliced into the middle of the salmon and it was still fleshy in the middle instead of flaky. At this point we did not want to keep trying with the salmon so we advise we would just pay for the side dishes. We were charged $17.36 4 two servings of rice and two orders of sweet plantains along with the Sierra mist that we ordered. that seems ridiculous when one order of sweet plantains and yellow rice came with the meal. If it is a shared meal for two it really honestly should include two servings of the sides meaning one for each person. this was their soft open so until they get this right I definitely will not be back. Please take fair warning. what brought us in was the sign outside that said Monday was all you can eat crab day. Where we got in the restaurant they told us that it was going to be $45. the price should definitely be posted outside because you’re bringing people in under false pretenses.