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Unfortunately, the food at the Terrance Grill was bland. As a townie, I’m always excited for new restaurants. In time I hope they fix it. My review pattern is as follows: Decor, Service, Food. Decor: It’s more old worldly – A “Speakeasy a la 1920’s” theme comes to mind (in contrast to the clear contemporary industrial chic feel of the hotel, for which it is a part of). Dark wood paneling against light colored walls; high ceilings. Add large palms and pretty lighting, and it becomes a classy, airy feeling room. There were signs of being rushed to open, decor-wise. The two gigantic columns that dominate the front of the space, from a distance reveal them to be bare concrete, unfinished surfaces with electrical conduits near the ceiling. I guess even big chain hotels fall prey to the contractor mistakes… Service: Fabulous. Our wait staff and the staff in general (in the restaurant) appeared to be well trained. Our waiter was charming, professionally, knowledgable and very helpful as were the rest of the staff – in the restaurant. The rest of the property, that was all over the place. But that’s for another time. Now things go south. Food: Frankly, it was bland and not cheap. It had all the makings of being a great meal except for taste, which most of it didn’t have. Our starters began with the marinated olives (bordering on hot – as in served too hot – bowled and served in a puddle of brine), Antichokes Alla Romana (bland), a caesar salad (boring) and Deviled Eggs (by far the best dish of the evening). Main course included the lobster roll (bland), roasted chicken (very bland) and the ‘spicy tuna tartare’ (NOT. SPICY. AT. ALL. BLAND). Add insult to injury, our dessert was “turimasu” but what arrived was more like an ice cream sundae – which was ok, but it sure wasn’t “turimasu”… Then the bill came. With the tip, the 4 of us ate for around $275. If this place is going to survive, for this kind of money, they better get a new chef, or hope they can survive from one-time-visits from tourists alone. Enjoy!

• BIBIM KITCHEN Healthy Korean Bowl – Menu with Prices – 10345 S Eastern Ave #110, Henderson
• Franco’s Italian Food – Menu with Prices – 270 N Green River Rd, Evansville
• Aqua Cafe & Bar Menu with Prices 122 College St, Asheville
• HAJU Kitchen – Menu with Prices – 175 Massachusetts Ave, Boston
• Pariwaar Delights – Menu with Prices – 827 Newark Ave, Jersey City
• 10th Street Diner – Menu with Prices – 3301 E 10th St, Indianapolis
• 698 cafe ??? – Menu with Prices – 39-07 Prince St #1H, Flushing
• Spring Restaurant – Menu with Prices – 36 Mill St, Marietta
• The Whalesbone Bank Street – Menu with Prices – 430 Bank St, Ottawa
• Poke The Bear Bar & Grill – Hotel Northland – Green Bay – Menu with Prices – 304 N Adams St, Green Bay
• Sushi Misong – Menu with Prices – 2300 Pleasant Hill Rd STE B3, Duluth
• Ru Sans of Athens Menu with Prices 196 Alps Rd, Athens

BIBIM KITCHEN Healthy Korean Bowl – Menu with Prices – 10345 S Eastern Ave #110, Henderson

Decided to come here after needing some quality food after Memorial Day Weekend. PARKING The parking was great – There was a ton of spaces outside of the place. There aren’t any meters around this area, and the complex that BIBIM Kitchen was in had a large parking lot for their customers. I tend to always pay attention to the parking areas because if you’re from LA… Well… You know lol. FOOD It was okay. The photo looks better than the actual food itself. I ordered 2 beef bulgogi bowls and 1 Bulgogi Kimchi Fries. Honestly I was not impressed at all. The beef bulgogi could have had more flavor. It was pretty bland and on top of that, could have been marinated for much longer. I had to add so much spice to it that, by the end of it all, just tasted… Spicy. No flavor other than that. The beef bulgogi fries was the same. The beef could have been MUCH tastier. I felt like I was eating some fries that was just bland flavor. Ended up only eating the fries and tossing the rest of the food. The bowls were about $8.95/bowl and the fries was about $5.95. Total came out to about $25 for 2 people, which I personally feel was not worth it, given the lack of flavor. SERVICE I went in there, not knowing what or how to order, but it was very much like Chipotle-style. The lady that was serving me was very nice and patient. However, BEWARE: You are only limited to SIX TOPPINGS. The lady that was serving and helping me out never mentioned this at the beginning and by the time I wanted more toppings, she said “Oh you’re only allowed 6 toppings.” Granted she never forewarned me, I would have assumed that she would make an exception to the bowl, but that was not the case. I learned and applied this knowledge to the next bowl. RECOMMENDATION/OVERALL RATING Not worth it, I would say it is probably a 6.5-7/10. I’ve had much better flavor + service. If you’re in the mood for a rice bowl, you’re better off going to Chipotle itself or another fast food joint. Hope their meat becomes more flavorful + marinated for longer.

Franco’s Italian Food – Menu with Prices – 270 N Green River Rd, Evansville

After trying on bridal gowns for my daughter’s upcoming wedding, she, my daughter-in-law, my 2 granddaughters, and I decided to try Franco’s for supper. We started out by ordering the Arancini to try. None of us have ever eaten this before, and we weren’t impressed. I’m sure it’s just because it was a new food for us. We also ordered a pepperoni pizza at the same time, so it would be cool enough for my 2 year old to eat when the rest of us got our meals. The pepperoni was really spicy and very tasty but not for a 2 year old, so we immediately ordered a cheese pizza for her. The waiter said there’d be no charge for the additional pizza, but we insisted because we were given exactly what we’d ordered. My daughter-in-law ordered the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, which was delicious. However, the menu says pastas are served with their famous garlic knots but this was served with garlic toast. My daughter ordered shrimp scampi that she said was so garlicky that it burned her throat, and she loves garlic. It also wasn’t served with the garlic knots. I ordered the porchetta panini but when it was served I immediately noticed olives, and I hate olives. I ate a few bites, raking them to the side and found the panini tasty until I came across a mushroom, and I hate mushrooms. I asked for a menu and realized they’d brought me the portabella mushroom panini instead of the porchetta. The waiter apologized and said they’d get the porchetta in right away. However, by the time it arrived, the rest of my party had finished their meals and started on cannolis, which they said were delicious. My porchetta panini was also very good, but where we insisted on paying for the pizza that was too spicy for my 2 year old granddaughter, I believe the waiter should have comped my meal that was brought to the table after everyone else was finished with theirs. The pizza was our mistake. The wrong panini was theirs.

Aqua Cafe & Bar Menu with Prices 122 College St, Asheville

Our favorite Mexican restaurant has become quite crowded lately, so we decided to give this new one a try. So glad we did! Though we were a little apprehensive at first because the place was empty on a Friday night, we immediately began to feel more comfortable once we were seated in a cushy, cozy booth and heard the authentic Mexican ballads playing softly in the background. None of that overtaxing polka stuff you hear in the “other” Mexican restaurants. The decor is simple but tasteful and attractive, the staff helpful not overbearing. Our waiter seemed to be there whenever we wanted him to be, but not when we didn’t. If he was spying on us, he was doing so very discretely. The food and drink was nothing short of fantastic. The mojitos were mixed just right, not too much liquor, not too little, very full flavored with lime and cilantro. The water was filtered and served without ice, just the way we like it. The complimentary chips were piping hot, very crisp, just the right thickness and saltiness, and the salsa was spicy but not too spicy, the texture perfect for dipping. All of our entrees were superb, the portion sizes were generous without being overwhelming. I had the veggie quesadilla, it was the best ever! I especially liked that the veggies included eggplant! And the mole – to die for! Deep, rich chocolate brown, with the authentic flavor you just don’t find in any old Mexican restaurant. Our entire meal, including the grownup drinks, was under $60, for the four of us. We left a generous tip. This was by far the best Mexican dining experience we’ve had this year. We will definitely be back, as often as possible. I hope lots of other folks will be inspired to try it out, so this great new Mexican restaurant will be around for a long time to come!

HAJU Kitchen – Menu with Prices – 175 Massachusetts Ave, Boston

This is my favorite Korean restaurant. I love everything here. I usually get the Tteokbokki & its so good its sweet and spicy with ramen noodles, rice cake & tofu topped with cheese. Its a shareable plate. Spicy Tofu Soup (thats not the name but its something like that) it’s good for a cold day & it comes with rice although it is quite spicy its served on a clay pot and mixes well with everything else, bulgogi which is a marinated meat is amazing & very flavorful & good texture served in a clay pot. Bibimbap is like fried rice served with your choice of meat i recommend beef & served in a clay pot, its great with the bulgogi. The service is exceptional & extremely nice. Parking is not the easiest but not too hard, i always fine parking in the front. Its on a busy street. The only thing I dislike is the bathroom, its gross for a restaurant & should be cleaned, its dirty and smells gross. Terrible 1 – Excellent 10 Service – 10 Food – 10 Wait Time for Food – 10 Hygiene – 8 (Everything good except for bathroom) Presentation – 8 Parking – 7 Environment – 7

Pariwaar Delights – Menu with Prices – 827 Newark Ave, Jersey City

Visited this new place because our usual spot was very busy…place is clean and fancy but be prepared to wait for your food like they are going to the store to bring the meat each time and cook it…seriously u get sick in the stomach waiting…it was not just us but every other table in the place…the food is not good either…we ordered 2 starters and 3 biryanis…starters were bland and the first biryani came in right after then we had to wait and wait and wait…u have to keep reminding them over and over The employees seem like they don’t want to work here anymore…except for 1 employee think her name was heena…all the others need to be sent home… Biryani was good thou Service was a big zero

10th Street Diner – Menu with Prices – 3301 E 10th St, Indianapolis

I really like the interior, a very quaint and cute little restaurant. And of course I always appreciate a private lot for parking. That said, I would expect better from a restaurant that specializes in plant based food. I do like the variety of their offerings, however the actual quality leaves a bit to be desired. This was my second visit and I tried the fried green tomatoes. The breading is quite alright, but the tomatoes themselves were nearly raw. If they were a bit more done, they would develop their distinct flavor better. And while the spicy sauce decorating the rim of the plate may seem whimsical at first, it turns into a sticky mess and gets all over your hands if you try to move the plate or rest your utensils on the plate. While cute, it’s not really practical and turns into a nuisance very quickly. Maybe just decorate half the plate rim, or a new decor on the inner plate? Also had a plate of Brussels Sprouts. The taste itself was very nice, reminds of balsamic vinegar. Unfortunately they were very very charred on the outside, yet quite underdone on the inside. Lower temperatures and longer roasting time should take care of that problem. I also tried the cucumber salad, but wasn’t too impressed here either. It’s rather bland. My friend was so excited about her BLT, but lost her enthusiasm after a few bites. Her take on the sandwich was basically a resounding “MEH”. The drink selection is nice but pricey. I hope for the sake of all my vegetarian and vegan friends that the food quality improves a little. They deserve better.

698 cafe ??? – Menu with Prices – 39-07 Prince St #1H, Flushing

This location has been the kiss of death for so many restaurants before it and I’m sorry to say that if things don’t improve from the kitchen, 698 Cafe will be another victim of the KOD on Prince Street. No fewer than 3 restaurants have been evicted in the past 3-4 years here. Every time, a new hopeful group pops in and sets up shop, hoping to beat the odds. The decor here is really clean and nice. The staff here is polite and very attentive. The food however is pretty subpar and the kitchen has major issues. We ordered 2 noodles, spicy beef appetizer and some “marinated” cucumbers. The food here is well, just not very good and the kitchen needs to sort things out because it was awful in getting not just our food out but that for every single diner. The cucumbers were weird – cut like a small curl like they shave it with a knife but they’re definitely not marinated. They poured the sauce (soy, vinegar, sugar and chili) over the cucumbers so there was no absorption of the flavor (which was actually pretty good). One noodle dish came out immediately. We then waited another 15 minutes for our other cold dish (spicy beef) and an additional 5 minutes (20 minutes later) for the last noodle dish (beef noodle soup). The spicy beef was actually really good – pungent and spicy but waiting 15 minutes during the busy lunch hour in a full restaurant for something that’s already prepared wasn’t good. Also, the beef noodle soup was pretty awful. It’s not Taiwanese or Lanzhou beef noodles – they use the old HK noodle shop way of basically using wonton noodles, wonton noodle soup and then bits of stewed beef added later (the beef was paltry and dry). The soup was bland. The noodles looked like they used the ones in from the Chinese supermarket – definitely not made in house. What killed this meal was the waiting. They leave the orders on a slip of paper taped onto the table so the servers can check and make sure things come. While they checked often and apologized profusely, the kitchen never could get anything to come out on time. This wasn’t unique to us, the entire restaurant was repeatedly asking where their dishes were. Noodle soups came out in droves of similar orders which made me think the kitchen made multiple orders at once and not when they were ordered. Some people waited even longer for the same dish that we had ordered on account that they brought them all out at the same time (and they clearly sat before us). This place kind of sucks considering how fierce the competition is in Flushing for similar restaurants. Not recommended when there are so many quality options literally feet away.

Spring Restaurant – Menu with Prices – 36 Mill St, Marietta

Celebrating a birthday has never been easier- The atmosphere is farm to table, cozy and warm. The seating is well spaced for such a small location and no detail is overlooked. Reservations definitely required as we saw a few people turned away as walk ins. The pleasant part to that is we felt no rush and no glaring eyes from parties waiting to be seated. The staff was friendly and attentive and not hurried or stressed it seemed. I love when I feel what I consider a great work life balance in establishments. Management take notice- if you’re treating your staff well it shows! Service was impeccable and the food was exquisite. We began with the chilled tomato soup which had a clean and crisp lemon finish- the crab was tender and croutons crunchy. The tuna crudo was the perfect temperature and the combination of basil oil and spice complimented wonderfully. For entrees we had the flatiron steak and short rib- this was delicious but exactly what you would expect, no more no less- the broccolini was slightly salty overall a great choice. The garganelli was delicate and the flavors worked well- no overly heavy pasta feeling, this was perfect as a vegetarian option. Between starters and entrees there was no room for dessert but I expect it would be just as wonderful and next visit we may skip starters to save room for the dessert. At the end of the meal we were served mini macarons with the bill- small enough to fit in for a sweet treat to finish the meal. The wine list was extensive and a few beers available. No cocktails, which was ok because I was prepared for that. 5 stars might not be enough honestly. We look forward to many more celebrations here.

The Whalesbone Bank Street – Menu with Prices – 430 Bank St, Ottawa

We just finished a museum visit and started walking around the area looking for a place to eat. Did a quick search for seafood restaurants nearby on Google Maps. Nearest was ” Whalesbone ” merely a few hundred meters away, and it had great reviews. So we began our journey. The instant we walked in the door, my godchild and I knew we were going to enjoy our decision. The charm of the restaurant was in it’s decor, the staff and the best part, besides the wonderful food, was the nostalgic feeling I got once I saw the bartender putting on music. He was using an actual record player and we listened to great vinyl albums from the 70s and 80s. We both enjoyed our choices, Mariana had the Atlantic salmon and I enjoyed the Shellfish Risotto. They made adjustments to my meal to comply with my food intolerances without hesitation. Probably should mention that, one needed to have a reservation because of limited seating. Without knowing this, they still served us. They asked a couple of clients to give up a little space at the bar and we all shared it and it made for good conversation. Top notch service and staff, with great food. What more do you want from a restaurant?

Poke The Bear Bar & Grill – Hotel Northland – Green Bay – Menu with Prices – 304 N Adams St, Green Bay

Strange Name/Go Back to Paper Menus/Expensive/Nice Workers in the Pub! Well, my title says a lot! Green Bay is trying and we commend – the Hotel Northland Autograph Collection has so much potential and a beautiful buliding and setting – but it is missing on so many details, and the bottom line is it is expensive – we really noticed at Poke The Bear (again, what does this name refer to?). Mike, dear tender of the bar, and a manager I assume?, was terrific and very attentive and kind and fun to talk to – Bonus. Stacy, a sweet red-head too was present and again, a kind soul and ready to assist. I ordered a glass of “bubbles” – was hoping for sparkling pinot/pink bubbles – none but they did have Sofia (sparkling) – very good – found out at the close-out $14/glass. I felt compeled to order a snack (one should not feel this way!) so, ordered smoked/spiced nuts and marinated olives – the nuts were perfect if you like way too smoky…my husband ate them (because they were cashews and almonds – but way too smoky). The olives were literally drenched in oil. Hard to enjoy and bland. Again, nice folks work at PTB. Charged for the club soda from the gun, and $50 +. Too much for most midwesterners who all love a good deal. Keep trying folks with the details and working big kinks out. Thank you for attentive service. M and N W.

Sushi Misong – Menu with Prices – 2300 Pleasant Hill Rd STE B3, Duluth

This new sushi restaurant replaced what used to be Dragon BBQ. They have kept the dragon mural up, which is no surprise since it’s an amazing piece of art, but it doesn’t really match the name of the restaurant (literally translates to beautiful pine tree – according to my mother lol!). Regardless, my dining experience here was nice. There are tables that are out in the open as well as sectioned off rooms for a bit more privacy, which was really nice. The service is alright, they check on you here and there, but there is a bell on the table that you can ring if you need anything else. Since they just opened not too long ago, they have a list of items on their lunch special menu for $8.99, which isn’t too bad since some of the options sound pretty delicious. (Lunch is monday through sunday from 11:30-3:00) I tried the Fresh Sashimi Course lunch combo which included sashimi, spicy soup(fish bone soup- be careful of the bones), shrimp tempura, grilled fish, sushi, squid stir fry, and fish roe rice. They also served some rice porridge and steamed egg as appetizers, which was nice. I added a bit of soy sauce to my rice porridge since it was a little bland. The steamed egg was mediocre. For the sashimi, they served really thin pieces of flounder. In korean, the name of flounder is “gwang-uh”, and I believe this is the typical sashimi they serve with the combos. The sushi that was served was also flounder, so I thought that was interesting. I assumed it would have been an assortment of different sushi’s, but regardless, it was still delicious. The dish that stood out the most to me was the tempura. I thought it was perfectly fried, and the size of the shrimp was perfect as well. The roe rice was nice mixed with a little bit of the spicy gochujang sauce that is on the table. Overall, the food, service, and experience here at misong was good. 3.5 stars for me, but I hope to have a better experience the next time I eat here.

Ru Sans of Athens Menu with Prices 196 Alps Rd, Athens

First off the food is amazing. We had starters like the shrimp tempura and the shrimp tempura plate. But, we haven’t even gotten our actual sushi yet and we already had a big issue with this place. The service. The waitress/wait staff are probably college kids who don’t care about this job to begin with. We had a big order for three people and were super hungry. So we’re eating my starter that came out first and we’re super thirsty and we’re waiting for a refill. Five minutes go by. Ten minutes go by. Then fifteen. I’ve had enough, I went up to our waitress and she’s playing on her phone and eating in public while we’re over here waiting for drinks. I go up to the girls and ask if we could get refills instead of them playing on their phones. The girls giggled. I went back to my seat. She finally came over with our drinks. Slammed them on our table and gave me someone else’s drink at my table and my friend like wise. We have finally gotten our food and it’s good. But, she slammed our food down on the table again. Love the food but, the service is horrible. I wish I could have gotten an image of the waitresses on their phones but I wasn’t sure if it was allowed or not. Foods good but, with service like this and the prices… Not sure if I’m too happy or wanting to come back. Please hire better wait staff. Side note- even the tables around me were having difficulties with the wait staff. All we heard was excuse me several times with everyone being ignored. Horrible! Another add in- our starters came with a great sauce and we wanted to save that sauce. She took our starters plate without asking if we were done. So when we asked for the sauce we had on our starters plate back she said for new sauce it’s $1.00, but she just took our sauce??? Like what?!?