Chipotle

                I recently went to Chipotle with my friend for the first time. I was a newbie to Chipotle, while a bunch of my friends have been experts. Chipotle must be popular with us college kids, because that is all I hear anyone talking about. But anyways, onto my experience.

                Chipotle is like Subway, but in Mexican food form. This means, “Each ingredient is laid out in front of you so you can choose the perfect combination to make your perfect meal. You can watch the process as your burrito, bowl, tacos, or salad is prepared exactly the way you want it and handed to you almost instantly.” Since I hadn’t been to Chipotle before, I felt a little unsure of what to order and how to order it, but the people working there were really friendly and helpful. So even though it was obvious of how out of place I was, they helped me along.

                So as you saw above, Chipotle offers burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, and salads, which you basically build on your own with whatever you want. For the burritos, you have the “choice of rice, beans, meat, salsa and cheese or sour cream. Add peppers and onions instead of beans for a fajita burrito.”  For the burrito bowls, it’s “just like a burrito, but served in a bowl with no tortilla.” Then with the tacos, you have “your choice of three crispy corn or soft flour tortillas with meat, salsa, cheese or sour cream and romaine lettuce.” Finally, with the salads you have “chopped romaine lettuce with choice of beans, meat, salsa and cheese, with chipotle-honey vinaigrette.” So you pick your type of meat (chicken, steak, beef, pork, or vegetarian), type of salsa (fresh tomato [mild], roasted chili-corn [medium], tomatillo-green chili [medium hot], and tomatillo-red chili [hot]), and all the extras.

                I ended up ordering three soft tacos with chicken. The guy working there talked me into getting guacamole on one of my tacos (I had never had it before) without charging me extra (which they normally do). I thought that was nice of him, letting the newbie try new things. I had cheese and lettuce on my tacos, along with the hot salsa, which was hot, but not too hot. I like spicy stuff so I liked it. Thankfully I got the guacamole for free, because I wasn’t much of a fan of it. But other than that, I really liked my chicken tacos. It was something new for me (I have never had chicken tacos), and I am sure to get them again.

                Something cool about Chipotle is their “Food with Integrity” program. “It means serving the very best sustainably raised food possible with an eye to great taste, great nutrition and great value. It means that we support and sustain family farmers who respect the land and the animals in their care. It means that whenever possible we use meat from animals raised without the use of antibiotics or added hormones. And it means that we source organic and local produce when practical. And that we use dairy from cows raised without the use of synthetic hormones.”

                Chipotle wasn’t too expensive either, which surprised me, especially with the food’s seemingly high quality. Chipotle is a huge hit with my friends and I will surely be joining them on many trips there again!

photo from: http://www.chipotle.com

California Pizza Kitchen

                California Pizza Kitchen or CPK as my friends like to call it. There are a bunch of California Pizza Kitchen restaurants in the metro- Detroit area, as well as all over the country. California Pizza Kitchen is a cool, modern place with its black and yellow color scheme. It’s a big and open restaurant. I assume they are trying to capture the chill California vibe, and I believe they do, even though I have never been to California.

                I am a cheese pizza kind of girl, and their cheese pizza was great. They even brought me two pizzas because the first one they brought out was, according to them, not of the highest quality because it was a tad burned. (I didn’t notice this at all, but I gladly accepted two pizzas!) I thought this was such a nice thing for the restaurant to do, really showing how important customer satisfaction is to them. Bravo to them!

                CPK has a bunch of other pizzas. They include: Habanero Carnitas, California Club, Jamaican Jerk, the Original BBQ Chicken,Hawaiian BBQ Chicken, Chipotle Chicken, Thai Chicken (my friend’s absolute favorite!), the Meat Cravers, White Pizza, Vegetarian with Japanese Eggplant,  Pear + Gorgonzola, BBQ Chicken + Applewood, the Works, The Greek, Five Cheese + Fresh Tomato, Honey-wheat with Whole Grain Crust, Tostada, Traditional Cheese, Roasted Garlic Chicken, Wild Mushroom, Pepperoni, Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage, BLT, and the Hawaiian. So many pizzas! I didn’t even mention the thin crust pizzas either! Those include the Roasted Artichoke + Spinach, Pesto Chicken, Sicilian, Four Seasons, Tricoloré Salad Pizza, and the Margherita.

                Not only are there pizzas, but CPK has a bunch of appetizers, pastas and other specialties, tacos and sandwiches, soups, and salads. So if you're not feeling pizza, there is so much more to choose from!

                CPK also provides a gluten free menu, a vegetarian menu, and a vegan menu.

                But hello! My favorite part! Desserts! There are so many desserts to choose from at California Pizza Kitchen. There’s the Six Layer Lemon Cake, Chocolate Soufflé Cake, Red Velvet Cake, Butter Cake, Tiramisu, Key Lime Pie, Apple Crisp, Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae, and a Hot Fudge or Caramel Sundae. Is your mouth watering yet?  I shared the hot fudge brownie sundae with a few of my friends, and oh my God, was it good! “A warm brownie topped with Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream, triple-thick hot fudge, fresh whipped cream, toasted pecans and a cherry.” Yum!

                California Pizza Kitchen has great pizzas and great desserts. However, they are a little pricey, which is why I don’t go there too often. Also, when comparing pizza restaurants, I have to say that I like the pizzas at Boston’s better. (See my previous post of my review of Boston’s.) But I still really like California Pizza Kitchen and would go there again!

P.S. - On California Pizza Kitchen’s website, if you join their email list, you get five dollars toward your next visit to CPK! I think that’s a pretty good deal for just signing up to get emails and offers from them! I’m going to try it out for sure!

photo from: www.cpk.com

Hockeytown Cafe

                Hockeytown Café. One of the most perfect places to go to eat for a Red Wings fan. Perfect place to go before a game, after a game, to watch a game, or just whenever. According to the Detroit Free Press, it is “the best place in town to catch the face-off, kick-off, or tip-off.” Being the die-hard Red Wings fan that I am, Hockeytown Café is the next best thing to actually being at the Joe Louis Arena. It’s one of my favorite things to brag about that we are called Hockeytown. Detroit is called Hockeytown. Nowhere else.

                Hockeytown Café is located next to the Fox Theatre on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, practically next door to Comerica Park and Ford Field.

                The restaurant is two levels, and then there’s “The Roof”. I haven’t eaten on “The Roof”, but I’m dying to. It’s so cool inside. Red Wings memorabilia all over, Tigers memorabilia, other Detroit and Detroit sports memorabilia, and motorcycles all over the place.

                Anyways, onto the food. The food is so good! From their appetizers, to salads, to burgers, to pizza, to sandwiches and paninis, to entrees, to soup, and all the way to the desserts, Hockeytown Café has a ton! There’s something for everyone.

                I recently had the chicken Caesar lawash, which, according to their menu, is “grilled sliced chicken breast wrapped in flour lawash with romaine lettuce, caesar dressing, croutons & parmesan cheese.” I absolutely loved it! I love chicken Caesar salads, and this was just right for me!

                Of course, I went with my family. (We’re all die-hard Red Wings fans.) My brother ordered the deep dish pizza for himself, which I had a bite of too. He loved it, and I loved the piece I had. My mom had the Bar-B-Q chicken sandwich, and she really liked her meal. Then my dad ordered the Bar-B-Q pulled pork sandwich, which he loved.

                Hockeytown Café has a bunch of other things to order too, and it’s all not that expensive. The appetizers range from “Red Wings”, to loaded potato skins, to nachos grande, to chips and salsa, and so many more. Their salads include the BBQ chicken salad, classic Caesar salad, taco salad, the Michigan salad and a few others. The burgers include the “Hockeytown Burger”, the “San Fran Melt”, the “Double Play Burger”, the “Michigan Cherry Burger”, and the “Double Stacked Black Bean Burger”. Sandwiches include all the ones we ordered, plus many more and paninis. Entrees include BBQ baby back ribs, salmon, Cajun shrimp pasta, steak, chicken, and a few others. Surprisingly, we didn’t order dessert, but the desserts sound amazing. There’s the Hockeytown Brownie Sundae, Mile High Apple Pie, Chocolate Tuxedo Mousse, and a few others.

                According to ESPN2, Hockeytown Café is the “No. 2 sports bar in America”. (It should be number one!)

                Hockeytown Café is such a great restaurant. I’m so happy that Michigan, and specifically Detroit, can call it its own. Plus, it’s always great to say that we’re from Hockeytown! Go Wings!   

Photo from: http://www.hockeytowncafe.com/photo_gallery.asp?pagetitle=Photo%20Gallery

Rojo Mexican Bistro

                Rojo Mexican Bistro recently opened at Partridge Creek, the outdoor mall in Clinton Township. There are four Rojo restaurants in the metro Detroit area: Novi, Rochester, St. Clair Shores, and the one at Partridge Creek.

                I went there recently with my family. It has a really cool atmosphere inside. The black and red color scheme gives off a really chill, modern vibe, not like other Mexican restaurants I've been to.

                We ordered the “Rojo nachos” for our appetizer, which are “Rojo’s famous chips piled high, topped with blended cheeses, lettuce, refried beans, fresh diced tomatoes, onions, green olives, jalapeño peppers and sour cream”, and we also added ground beef. My brother ordered the cheese quesadillas, which he really seemed to enjoy. They offer their quesadillas to be filled with vegetables, pork, steak, or lobster, but he just went with the cheese. My mom ordered the enchiladas verdes, which, according to their menu, are “Three flour tortillas stuffed with marinated, shredded chicken and topped with a green tomatillo sauce, sour cream, diced onions, potatoes and crumbled fresh cheese”. She also seemed to really enjoy her meal. My dad ordered the steak and chicken fajitas, and they came sizzling on the frying pan. He really liked his meal also. Finally, I ordered the tacos with ground beef. “Three soft flour or fried corn tortillas topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cheese” were included. I really liked Rojo’s tacos. I have had tacos at other restaurants and they’ve been so-so, but these tacos were great! I like soft tacos, and the soft tortillas were warm. The meat had the perfect amount of spiciness. The three tacos were too much for me (my brother says I eat like a bird), so I brought the last one home with me.

                Rojo has so much more to order from. They have not only steak and chicken fajitas, but also portabella and shrimp. We didn’t order it, and I’m not a guacamole person, but I hear the guacamole at Rojo is amazing. Then there’s the wet burrito, fajita burrito, and beef burrito; the quesadillas, enchiladas, and tacos (lobster, chicken, beef, fish, steak, or pork); the Rojo ribs, pork chops, salmon, and mahi-mahi; the carne asada (grilled steak), mole de gallina (chicken in the mole sauce “of sesame, chiles ancho, pasilla and mulato with a hint of chocolate, peanuts and spices”), and other meats with that Mexican spice.

                There are the soups and salads: Rojo chicken soup, taco salad, grilled fajita salad, the Rojo signature chopped salad, and a few more.

                And last, but not least, there’s dessert! We ordered the chocolate chocolate mousse cake, “Three alternating layers of chocolate chiffon cake and our homemade chocolate mousse, covered in chocolate mousse and topped with a chocolate decoration.” Holy cow, was it good! And I know my sweets! There is also cherry cheesecake, kit kat, tres leche cake, and carrot cake. Chocolate cake calls my name, but I’m sure the other desserts may call yours!

                Rojo was a great restaurant and I will be sure to go there again!

Photo from: http://www.rojomexicanbistro.com/

National Coney Island

                National Coney Island is a Michigan classic. Specifically, a Detroit area classic. According to their website, “National Coney Island was founded by James Giftos in 1965 when he opened his very first store at the Macomb Mall in Roseville, Michigan… The success of that first store allowed Mr. Giftos the opportunity to open two additional stores in St. Clair Shores (1969) and Detroit (1971). Several years later, Mr. Giftos had the idea to expand the menu, make his restaurants more family oriented, and considerably upgrade the design and décor package to set National Coney Island apart from the many other coney island style restaurants in the Detroit area.”

                All National Coney Island restaurants are located in the metro-Detroit area, which makes this restaurant chain perfect for my blog.

                I go to National Coney Island with my family all the time. I’m not a coney hot dog person, I’m more of a plain hot dog with mustard kind of person. But if you do like coney hot dogs, according to my mom and dad, it’s their favorite thing on the menu.

My parents and I also like the Hani Special. According to their menu, “Golden brown chicken tenderloins topped with Swiss and American cheese, and served on a grilled pita with shredded lettuce, tomato, and mayo.” I really like the Hani. National Coney Island also has a bunch of different Hanis: grilled chicken Hani, chicken, bacon, and ranch Hani, BBQ Hani, spicy Hani, buffalo Hani, and southwestern Hani. I’ve only had the Hani Special, but I’m sure the others are equally as good.

The French fries at National Coney Island are the best! Hot and crispy, never cold and limp. I also love the cheese fries. The warm, gooey, melty cheese topped all over the fries are delicious. Who cares if it’s horrible for you?! Indulge every once and a while! (Warning- The cheese fries can be a little messy!)

I also love the Bosco sticks at National Coney Island. According to their menu, “Bosco bread sticks stuffed with 100% mozzarella cheese, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and served with marinara sauce.” Four breadsticks are included on this plate, and they are warm and filled with gooey mozzarella cheese.

National Coney Island has a great Greek salad. It comes in two sizes, regular and baby Greek. A Greek salad is made up of “tossed garden greens, tomato slices, Greek olives, beets, red onion, pepperonchini, and feta cheese topped with our housemade Greek dressing,” according to their menu. They have one of the best Greek salads I’ve ever had. It comes with a few slices of grilled pita bread, which I love. We always order extra pita bread because I devour it in the blink of an eye.

National Coney Island is a great place for a quick lunch or dinner. What’s really great is that it is very inexpensive, so I like to go there with my friends for a quick bite too. (We’re college kids on a budget!) Plus, they serve great food!

Photo from: http://www.nationalconeyisland.com

Big Boy

               One of my family’s favorite places to go for a quick, inexpensive meal is Big Boy. It’s right near our house, and we’ve been going there for years. My grandpa used to own a Big Boy and my dad used to work there when he was younger, so Big Boy and my family have a history.

                I love that Big Boy has so many different options to choose from. Of course, I have my favorites. First of all, I love the Classic Big Boy burger. On it there are “two fresh seasoned patties with American cheese, shredded lettuce and our famous Big Boy special sauce on a sesame seed bun”. I absolutely love the Big Boy burger. Sometimes, I order the “Big Boy combination”, so I get fries and a salad or coleslaw. From Big Boy, I also like the “Triple-Decker Turkey Club”.

I love Big Boy’s pancakes, which they call “Hot Cakes”. The pancakes are huge! I never can finish them. I’m one of those people that like breakfast for dinner sometimes, so I’ll order the hot cakes for dinner because Big Boy serves breakfast all day. The French toast at Big Boy is also great. They also have a breakfast buffet in the morning for all you breakfast lovers too.

                My family all has their favorites too. My dad loves the spaghetti, which is “endless”. You can basically get as much as you want. My mom sometimes orders the “Slim Jim”, the reuben, or the Big Boy burger. My brother likes to order the fish and chips or the turkey club sandwich.

                Just a little overview of everything Big Boy has: For breakfast, there are omelettes, Belgian waffles, cinnamon apple hot cakes, waffles and hot cakes topped with fruit, eggs, and a “build your own blockbuster breakfast”. Then there are the sandwiches and burgers. I’ve already covered my family and my favorites, so then there’s the different varieties of the Slim Jim, the BBQ pulled pork sandwich, the different varieties of the Big Boy burger (the Classic, the California, the Ohio, and the Super), and the different burgers (BBQ bacon cheeseburger, the “Kitchen Sink” “Bob’s Cheddar Steakhouse”, and the “Build Your Own”). There’s the “Homestyle Dinners”: pot roast, slow-roasted turkey breast, veal or chicken parmigiana, lemon pepper cod, fried shrimp, and so many others.

                Big Boy has great desserts! There’s the Oreo mud pie (cookies ‘n cream ice cream in an Oreo pie crust topped with hot fudge and whipped cream), the hot fudge cake (a piece of chocolate cake topped with ice cream, hot fudge, and whipped cream), and the shakes and malts. Big Boy has some of the best chocolate shakes and chocolate malts that I’ve ever had.

                Big Boy has about 60 restaurants in southeast Michigan, about 98 restaurants in Michigan, 14 in Ohio, 1 in Indiana, 1 in North Dakota, and 13 in southern California. Obviously, Big Boy is a Michigan thing. A southeastern Michigan thing.

                Big Boy is a great place for a quick, inexpensive, family meal. Breakfast, lunch, dinner- Big Boy’s got it.      

Photo from: http://www.bigboy.com/