What Crepe?

              Oh my gosh! Why had I never tried crepes before? I was surely missing out until I went to What Crepe? in downtown Royal Oak with a few friends for brunch. And, wow, am I glad I went! What Crepe? is a cozy little restaurant specializing in, you guessed it, crepes. The restaurant was so cute, and it was also sophisticated and intimate. A perfect place to go for a date night. And the crepes were so good!

                What I loved about What Crepe? is that you could choose from the crepe favorites or you could build your own. They offer what they call “Savory Favorites”, which are meat and/or vegetable filled crepes, and “Sweet Favorites”, which are fruit and/or ice cream filled crepes. (They give their “Favorites” really fun names, by the way. For example: “Nutty Monkey”, “The Obvious”, “Berry Cooper”, “Want Smore?”, etc.) Since I have a sweet tooth, I went with a sweet crepe, but I built my own. When you build your own crepe, you can put whatever you want in it and top it with whatever you want. So you could go for a meat filled crepe, cheese filled crepe, or veggie filled crepe. (They also offer vegan options.) Or, if you are like me and that does not sound appetizing to you, you could go with a fruit filled crepe, topped with all kinds of sweet goodies, like nutella, chocolate, caramel, sugar, and more. My crepe was filled with caramelized apples, strawberries, and blueberries, topped with cinnamon sugar, graham crackers, and powdered sugar. It was so sweet that it was like candy. And it was so filling that I couldn’t finish it. Can you say, “dessert for later”?

                I loved What Crepe? and I can’t wait to go back. I am craving another delicious crepe.

Photo from: http://whatcrepe.com/info.php

Christine's Cakes and Pastries

                I know this isn’t a restaurant, but I had to talk about it. It has to do with food, so I think it still counts. Christine’s Cakes and Pastries is a bakery in Shelby Township, and they make the best cake I’ve ever had. Since I have a such a big sweet tooth, this place is right up my alley.    

                Anyways, Christine’s cakes are delicious. I’ve only had the chocolate cake, but I’m sure every other kind has to be just as good. But I want to talk about their chocolate cake with the butter cream frosting under the chocolate icing. These sometimes are referred to as “bumpy cakes”, if you’ve heard that phrase before. The bumpy cake is so rich, and the butter cream frosting is also rich and creamy. Christine’s sells whole bumpy cakes, bumpy cake slices, and bumpy cake cupcakes. (I recently gave a couple of the cupcakes to friend as a thank you gift. Needless to say, my friend loved them!) I have tried them all (of course!) and they are all so good.

                Just a few other “bites” of info: Besides cakes, Christine’s makes brownies, cookies, cream puffs, éclairs, tarts, and many other pastries. I have not tried these, unfortunately, but they look delicious and I definitely want to try them soon.

                Go to Christine’s. Ask for a slice of the bumpy cake, or a cupcake, or even a whole cake! Eat and enjoy it. Repeat.         

Photo from: http://christinescakesandpastries.com/index.html

Carrabba's

                This past weekend I went with my family to Carrabba’s. Once again, this is one of my favorite restaurants. I love Italian food, and this is one of my favorite Italian restaurants. Carrabba’s has excellent food that is nicely presented, a very friendly and helpful wait staff, and a warm atmosphere.

                When you first walk into the place, you are immediately greeted by the wonderful aromas of the food being cooked, and you can see straight into the open kitchen where the cooks are hard at work. (You can also sit at the “Pizza Bar” where you can watch the cooks making pizzas.) Carrabba’s is an inviting restaurant that provides a great dining experience.

                Your waiter first brings your table a loaf of bread that is freshly baked from the oven. It is warm and soft and served with an herb oil to dip your piece of bread in. The herb oil contains a mix of crushed herbs and spices mixed with olive oil. This bread is so good, and the oil and herb/spice mix has a little spicy kick to it.

                With my meal came the choice of soup or salad, which I ordered the Caesar salad, which was also very good.  

                I usually order the lasagna (which is my favorite food, besides anything chocolate), which is amazing, but this time I ordered the manicotti. The manicotti consists of two large pasta “tubes” stuffed with four different cheeses, and topped with pomodoro sauce (a type of Italian tomato sauce) and mozzarella cheese. Almost like two big raviolis. And it was so good! I would definitely recommend it. But unfortunately, I had filled up so much on the bread that I could not eat my whole meal. Bad, I know. But the good thing is, I had leftovers for the next day!

                Just a few other “bites” of info: Like I said before, I usually get the lasagna, which I also recommend. Filled with meat and cheeses, topped with pomodoro sauce and parmesan cheese, it is definitely delicious. My brother and my dad ordered the chicken marsala (which is available in two sizes), which they seemed to enjoy since they order it every time. My mom ordered the chicken bryan, which is also available in two sizes. The chicken bryan is topped with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and a basil lemon butter sauce. She also seemed to enjoy her meal since she has ordered it before. Also, all of these meals came with the choice of a soup or salad, and then the choice of another side.

                In the past, my brother has also ordered the pizza which is made in an open, wood-fired grill. This has also been one of my brother’s favorite things to order at Carrabba’s.

                Carrabba’s offers a wide range of Italian food, from many appetizers, to soups and salads, to pizza, to paninis, to chicken and fish, to many types of pastas. All delicious.

                Carrabba’s is definitely one of my favorite restaurants. In the top 10 list for sure. It has more of an “Italian feeling” than other Italian restaurants I’ve been to, if that makes sense. Go there if you’re craving Italian food!         

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

Max and Erma's

               So starting off my reviews, I’m going with Max and Erma’s. I went there recently with my family, and I am no stranger to the place. And I must admit, it is one of my favorites. Why? The food is amazing, the staff is very friendly, and the prices are reasonable.

                Max and Erma's has a variety of options to choose from, ranging from a bunch of different appetizers, a variety of salads, soups, many different burgers and sandwiches, and a bunch of entrees. Did I mention their desserts? I will definitely get to that!

                I am a big fan of cheeseburgers, so that was my meal that evening. Except I didn’t just have a cheeseburger. I ordered the “3 Course Combo”. That included a cup of their tortilla soup (or side salad), a burger, and a cookie for dessert (don’t worry, I’ll get to those cookies!). All this for only about $8!

                If you like spicy foods, order the tortilla soup! It is a cheesy soup with pieces of chicken, topped with strips of tortillas. And it is spicy! But it is delicious! It is one of my favorite things at Max and Erma’s.

                Their burgers are some of the best I’ve ever had. They are big, juicy, and made to order. So filling too. You are almost too full for the cookie at the end. Almost.

                The chocolate chip cookies at Max and Erma’s are to die for! From my order of the “3 Course Combo”, I got one cookie at the end of my meal, but that was not enough for me. My family ordered a batch of the cookies, which are made to order. (Make sure you order them when you get your meal so they will be ready when you finish eating.) An order of cookies is a half-dozen and is about $6. They also offer white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, but I always go with chocolate chip. So anyways, the cookies arrive at your table fresh from the oven. They are hot, gooey, and rich. There is no shortage of chocolate chips in each cookie- I guarantee you will have melted chocolate all over your fingers! P.S.- If you go on a Wednesday and order an entree, you get a FREE order of cookies! Um, hello? How could you pass up that deal?!

                Just a few other “bites” of info: While I ordered the “3 Course Combo”, my parents both ordered the “Perfect Pair: Pick Two” deal. What that means is that they were able to order a half of a sandwich with a bowl of soup or salad for about $8. They both went with the chicken salad croissant and the “Village Salad”. The “Village Salad” is made with a sweet and tangy dressing, with bacon, bleu cheese, almonds, tomatoes, and red onions. They both seemed to love their meals. Also, my brother ordered the fajitas, which he too seemed to really enjoy. Max and Erma’s also has a “Sundae Bar”. I watched both kids and adults march up to the “Sundae Bar” (which humorously looks like a bathtub) with their bowls of ice cream and put absolutely whatever toppings they wanted on top. Making an ice cream sundae is something pretty much everyone likes to do, so Max and Erma’s “Sundae Bar” is a brilliant idea. (Can you tell I have a major sweet tooth?!)

                Max and Erma’s goes on my top 10 list of my favorite restaurants. If you go, you MUST order a bowl of the tortilla soup and an order of the chocolate chip cookies. You will not regret it.

photo from http://www.shoppartridgecreek.com/directory/max_and_ermas