Mangia Memoirs has transferred to the Big Apple and our first stop was to The Meatball Shop in Williamsburg.  A restaurant where the meatball is King. Different meat / non-meat varieties, as well as a spectrum of sauces, make this joint a place that all can enjoy.  Meatballs make people happy.

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):  

After a whirlwind week of moving from Miami to NYC (like some real crazy fast shit), Weber and I took a break from the cardboard box graveyard known as our apartment, and ventured to Williamsburg for a St. Patty’s day celebration at the apartment of a friend of a friend (Have we lost you yet?).

Anyways, after knocking back a couple of green beers, meeting some new folks and dealing with the shocked expressions of everyone as we explained  “Oh, we just moved here….Ummm, yea about 3 days ago”, we could use a little comfort food. And what better comfort food than rolled up balls of meat?  Clearly, nothing.  As we walked back to the subway stop, The Meatball Shop lured us in.  I have  a feeling it won’t be the last time we go there!

My personal decor favorites:

1. Meat grinders as wall art = legit
2. Dry-erase menus that let you check the box to build your feast.  Brilliant.
3. T-shirts with a giant cow/bull looking thing that says “We Make Balls” –classy and sassy

Grilling it Up!

Don’t let the sushi name fool ya! – it’s Korean grub!

What is more fun than sitting around a table of fiery flames grilling your own meat?  I mean, seriously….not much. Knowing our love for culinary adventures, Kelvin found Shilla Korean Restaurant that offers a Korean BBQ table that you get to man yourself!

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember): 

Driving our asses to Doral in the rain was well worth it for this meaty treat! Dan and his bf Andrew, Vince, Kelvin and Adam and I went back to our caveman roots, conquered fire and grilled our own meats. So much fun!  (Aside from being worried about cross-contamination of chicken juice into the beef and pork).    Did we mention they have Karaoke with a full band?!?  When we asked our waitress when they have karaoke, her response was “Karaoke? Oh we have Karaoke any time. You want to Karaoke?”.   Dreams really do come true.  Unfortunately, our crew was ill-prepared, but we WILL be back to dominate!

The Verdict:

• 5 out of 5 stars
• FOOD: awesome. We got the Korean BBQ table and a Dolsot Bibimbab (traditional Korean dish).  The meat was seasoned well and our caveman instincts allowed us to cook the meat to perfection.
• SERVICE: our waitress was the bomb.  She was prompt, made great recommendations and had an awesome sense of humor. We loved her.  Wish we took her name, so we could give her a “shout out”.
• AMBIANCE:  has a very laid back, cafe feel.  Not pretentious at all. The decor is Asian themed, but there is sports paraphernalia in the  bathrooms, remnant of probably a former sports bar.  Definitely gave it some character!

Items Ordered: 

The BBQ table is meant to be shared, so we ordered a bunch of meat items and got grilled, forking out meat onto each other’s plates as it was finished.

• Bibimbab: stone pot creation with fresh vegetables, rice, meat and a fried egg on top.  Very delicious and our waitress was kind enough to mix it all together for us table-side.
• Korean BBQ items:
• Daiji Bulgoki: shredded marinated pork
• Bulgoki: shredded marinated beef
• Another Beef Dish which happened to be our favorite!!  I wish we remembered the name.
• Dak Gui: marinated chicken
• Fried Dumplings
• Complimentary Sides – include a lot of veggies, like kimchi, marinated mushrooms, sprouts, broccoli, etc.

1st Course - Tuna Tartare

Quite possibly, our worst restaurant experience in a LONG time. 

If you’ve been reading this food blog, you’ve probably noticed that the overall ratings tend to be pretty “above average”.  Is it because I’m nice… eh maybe.  Is it because I try to find the positive in each dining experience…perhaps.  Is it because I don’t want to ruin a restaurants’ reputation based on my one experience…probably.  For instance,  what if I went on bad night, ordered the wrong thing, or just happened to get the only cranky waitress? No need to have a foul review living on the internet for all eternity, right?   Yes, in most cases…but my friends, this is NOT one of them!

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):

Our pal Irmaliz was celebrating her birthday and her handsome boyfriend, Ignacio, planned a small gathering at a local restaurant on the water, for his beloved.  Very thoughtful and well orchestrated by Iggy.   He even negotiated a group discount and bringing in some of her favorite wine. Irmz was surrounded by close pals and a promising menu of delightful food.  Unfortunately, the menu did not stand up to the good company.  ALLLLL ABOARD!  There is a trainwreck-a coming!

The Verdict:

• 1 out of 5
• FOOD: Tasting Menu specifically – probably the tiniest portions ever.  It was almost comical. After 5 courses, we left hungry. Needed a double-cheese burger from Mickey-D’s.  “A for effort” in terms of creativity, but c’mon… yes, we know what a “tasting menu” is, but it was taken waaay too literally here.  We came to eat.  Sorry chef – food was good, but increase the portions, please!
• SERVICE:  started off bad and got progressively worse.  Remember that “group discount” Iggy organized? Yea, well that took 45 minutes to figure out.
• AMBIANCE:  standard attempt at a luxury Miami restaurant. Probably would have had a different feel if the experience wasn’t so bad.
• Would We Go Back?:  NOOOOOOOOOO

Margherita Pizza

Rated #1 Pizza – Cincinnati Magazine!

If you love pizza, Betta’s Italian Oven is a must-visit.  And you don’t just have to take my word on it…they got a very well-deserved award from Cincinnati Magazine – Best Pizza in the Queen City.

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember)

Now…I have a very special place in my heart for this hometown pizzeria.  And in the practice of full-disclosure – I was the first waitress at Betta’s Italian Oven.  Yes, the first waitress. Ask Will, the owner, he’ll vouch for me.

I went to Xavier University, just down the street, and would stop by every few

Will DeLuca, owner

weeks after class (while Willie was still prepping the restaurant to open).  I bugged the living hell out of that poor man, reminding him that I’d love to work there and to call me when the restaurant was ready.  I suppose my persistence paid off, because I was rewarded with a job and access to the best pizza outside of Italy!

Betta’s is the type of Italian restaurant that you WANT to go to.  Family owned. Family operated. Family recipes. Catching a theme?  Yes, FAMILY.  There are even little kiddos running around.  It’s the way a family owned Italian restaurant should be.

Tile Mosaic

I have fond memories of my time working at Bettas –  constantly busting Willie’s chops, listening to the Italian CDs on repeat, laughing with Cheryl (Will’s wife) and sneaking back to kitchen to chat with my girl, Clara (Will’s sister).  I even got my best pal, Tony, a job there as a “pizzaiolo”, where he learned the craft of making amazing wood-fired pizza.  It really is an art-form and Tony will tell you any day of that week, that maneuvering that pizza peel is a GIANT. PAIN. IN. THE. ASS.

My family has come to love this place.  It’s a go-to spot for a relaxing night with good food.  Uncle Joe and Jane had out-of-town guests (their old neighbors that moved to Canada), so decided to have some folks up to Willie’s to enjoy some pizza pie and a few good laughs.

The Verdict

• 5 out of 5
• FOOD: Wood-fired pizzas are what speak to my soul, but they also have a wide variety of Italian favorites like homemade lasagna, Chicken cutlet Milanese and a signature Chicken Filo.  If you go though, you gotta get a pizza, at least to try.
• SERVICE:  this night, our waitress was personable and assertive – 2 things that are nice to haves when trying to herd cats…also known as waiting on the Pitocco family.
• AMBIANCE:  Filled with Italian paraphernalia. Kitsch with class. My favorite is the Betta’s logo woven throughout the restaurant. It’s carved into the back of each chair and I adore the tile mosaic on the pillar.  The logo is inspired by the town from which the DeLuca family is from in Italy – Pietramelara   

Items Ordered:

• Margherita pizza: Perfect in it’s imperfection – the way a good pizza should be. A non-uniform shape, some “burnt” edges and a flavorful crispy crust. The simplicity of the fresh mozzarella cheese and tomato is beautiful.  I order this every time.
• Councilman’s Favorite pizza: Sausage, pepperoni, green olives and onion.  Satisfies those meat cravings, while still allowing the wood-fired char to shine.
• Betta’s Super Sub (baked): Mix of Italian cold cuts and cheese. Can be accompanied by hot relish, Italian dressing, mayo.  Order it the “Pitocco” way, with Betta’s marinara and get it baked.  This was my standard order.

Southern-style cooking finally hit South Beach at Yardbird

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar just opened on South Beach.  This is something we had long anticipated.  For months, they’d had their storefront windows covered with brown paper — teasing phrases like “Run Chicken Run” and Southern lingo.  Miami can get to be a bore, so seeing something on it’s way that looked “different” than the usual swanky ultra lounge was exciting.

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):

Tony and I arrived (without a reservation) and waited at the bar until Jillian arrived.  Luckily, we weren’t in any hurry, because we waited well over 2 hours.  Goes to show everyone wants t o be the first to try a new spot!  This little blessing of extra time at the bar allowed us to try out their signature cocktails –one of the highlights of the evening.  Each is rooted in Bourbon…a nice change from the usual “mojito” flare of Miami.

The bartender, Joshua, was super friendly and obviously very “in” to what he does.  You could sense the passion he had for what and how he created the signature drinks on the menu.  He even offered to make us something “off the menu”, something he called “Run Passion Run” (omg, delicious…ask for it!)  Tony and I merrily sipped our cocktails, as our eyes moved from one piece of their Southern decor to the next.  It was like being kids in a candy store.  Every single glass, light fixture, tables-cape was part of their intricately designed creative staging for the restaurant.   Kudos to the peeps that implemented that. All of the attention to detail really created an atmosphere, rather than just decor.

My personal decor favorites:

1. The bar tap handles.  J’adore!  They were rustic items like a fork, knife, hammer, etc.
2. The lightbulbs covered with glass jars
3. The chicken-wire in the storage cabinets by the bar
4. The tiny flip-top glass containers and glasses they used to store their fresh herbs at the bar
5. The canning jars filled with actual fruits and veggies along the walls
6. BONUS – try to find the bathroom… there is no door handle, just a blank wall (see photo)

Whenever you’re feeling good and hungry, it’s Skyline Time!!

Living in Miami means not having immediate access to our favorite casual restaurant from back in Cincinnati. For those of you who have never enjoyed Skyline Chili or even heard of it, well, it’s a Cincinnati hometown tradition comprised of menu items like “3ways”, “4ways”, “5ways” and “cheese coneys”.  Sounds quite odd from an outsiders perspective! Skyline can only be found in Cincinnati (and a few satellite locations in other cities).  I’m not even going to get into the rivalry and debate over which chili is better, Skyline or Goldstar chili, because I’ll never get to tell you about the BEST SUNDAY EVER!

My husband, best friend and I had to take a trek to IKEA in Sunrise, FL (about 30ish minutes from us) and learned that there was a Skyline Chili just minutes from IKEA (we found a satellite location!!! God is great!) . All three of us were craving Skyline since we haven’t been home in while and had planned to have a gluttonous adventure.  Needless to say, we did NOT disappoint!

Restaurant: Skyline Chili in Sunrise – They have their own website and Facebook page, so check them out and give them some love

Cuisine: Cincinnati-style chili

Items Ordered:

• (2) 4-ways –spaghetti topped with Skyline chili, onion or bean and shredded cheese (we got onion)
• (6) cheese coneys – hot dog topped with Skyline chili, mustard, onion and shredded cheese
• (3) chilitos – flour tortilla filled with Skyline chili and shredded cheese. They boys opted to add onion AND spaghetti (because another pound of cards is TOTALLY necessary)

The Verdict:

• 5 stars (bright and shiny stars!!)
• FOOD: just like in Cincinnati, which is exactly what we wanted! Full-flavored chili, perfect thinly shredded cheese. Yum!
• SERVICE: speedy AND polite!  A real pleasure.
• AMBIANCE: relaxed, filled with Skyline memorabilia, sports memorabilia with a local South Florida flare that made it have the “hometown feel” for the people that live here.

Our “Mangia Memoir” (what we’ll remember)

The anticipation of going to Skyline in Florida was crazy, so when we finally had that first bite, it was seriously pure happiness.  Gluttony ensued and we actually re-ordered more food after Round 1.  Kind of embarrassing, I guess, but definitely memorable!  We also found out they have a “Coney Cave”, which is a private dining room for large parties.  Guess where our next birthday celebration will be housed?!?!

And additional key component that will NEVER be forgotten is riding home in the back seat of the Jeep lounging on the IKEA couch we just got fixed, because there was nowhere else to sit and thinking about how I should have gotten a cheese coney for the road!

If you like Pho, it’s a place to go.  Not the best in the world, but a go-to for Miami.

Restaurant: Miss Saigon, Coral Gables

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Items Ordered:

• Bo La Lot – Beef wraps
• Pho Dac Biet (includes the thin beef, meatballs and  all the “nasty bits” like tripe, tendon and other delectables)

The Verdict:

• 3-4 stars
• FOOD: Flavorful, well-prepared
• SERVICE: average
• AMBIANCE:  Above average. Smaller-sized (15ish tables), but clean, with stereotypical Vietnamese decor.

Our “Mangia Memoir” (what we’ll remember)

• I took the trek to the Gables with Kelvin, my Vietnamese friend, who happens to crave Pho on a weekly basis.  He has been on the “hunt” for the best place to get Pho in Miami, which has been a bit of a challenge to say the least.  I have (not so hesitantly, I might add) agreed to be his wingman (er, woman) on this quest.  Honestly, there are not a ton of options, especially when you come from a more diverse city, like Chicago, as he does. It seems that every place Americanizes the deliciousness and you have to specifically ask the waiter/waitress to beg the chef to prepare it in the authentic Vietnamese style. Miss Saigon was no exception here.  I get it…restaurants have to cater to their audience, but I wish there was a way to get the masses to really enjoy food the way it was MEANT to be enjoyed, not a dumbed down version because of silly Americans.
• The waiter was our entertainment for the evening.  Kelvin ordered the appetizer and the waiter said, “do you know how that comes out? You do, oh ok, because you have to wrap them yourself, you know?”  As if my little Vietnamese amigo didn’t know that — Psha.  My favorite was when we ordered 2 bowls of Pho and he said “You know how big those are, right? You want 2?  You do?! Ok.” And when Kelvin asked for it “Vietnamese style”, the guy said “Yea, we can do it.  With all the fatty stuff, right?”  If I wasn’t a culinary adventure seeker, without an immediate care for my waistline, I probably would have passed on the “fatty stuff” because he really failed in making it sound even remotely appetizing.