I had absolutely no intention of reviewing this place but after the great food I had, there was no way I could not rave about this place!
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I think I may have found a hidden gem in Tallahassee. At least a hidden gem when it comes to food. Monks Grill, or The Wells Brothers , not sure what the deal is with their name, may be a hidden gym when it comes to good ole' burgers and sandwiches. Take this place for what it's worth, this place is a Bar and Grill that offers great food and not much else. The appearance is nothing eye pleasing and the service is a bit slow but the food is awesome.
Last night I stumbled into this place after months of trying to find time to try it out. I was a bit hesitant at first to eat there, especially after taking a peek inside. The walls area painted a random blue color and things are not the cleanest, but don't let that run you away, the food is wonderful! When we first entered, I thought the place was quite small since the front dining room only sat about 15-25 people, but after I looked around I noticed the back dining room and the patio area. Now the back dining room is much nicer then the front dining room, and on a nice day I am sure the patio is pleasant. We still decided to sit in the front dining room, and it wasn't bad considering we were the only ones in there. When the place has the slightest bit of business, I am sure this room gets quite crowded.
Now lets get away from the appearance and on to what we should be talking about, the food! I had the turkey bacon melt on sourdough and my girlfriend and the Seminole, which was a chicken breast melt of sort with Ranch dressing (the menu has it listed with Honey Mustard). Upon ordering, I did not have high expectations, I mean its just a sandwich. That was until I received my food and actually gave it a try. It's very hard to rave about a turkey sandwich but this thing was fantastic. Along with the sandwich, I was served with french fries that were served just the way I like them! Nice and crispy...also, I ordered a small side of there pasta salad which I really enjoyed.
All of the food here is freshly prepared and some of there menu items may not be available. I first ordered the meatloaf but soon found out they do not offer that dish anymore. According to the waitress, everything is prepared fresh and that was one item that was not selling so it was going to be taken of the menu.
Other items that looked very intriguing was there burger selection. I wasn't in the mood for a burger at the time but next time I stop by, I may have to give it a try. They offered numerous types of burgers including a California style burger that is served with Avocado which sounded great!
Overall, this place is a great place to go for food. Not much more then that, but the food is wonderful. I hate to be so critical on the slow service and the appearance, but it is what it is. Whenever I am in the mood for a sandwich or a burger I would defiantly go back. This place really reminds me of one of those whole in wall restaurants that all the locals rave about and if you didn't know better you would be scared to enter.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Gills Tavern
Gills Tavern could be the most underrated restaurant in town. I made my second trip here over the weekend and again was blown away by the food and the atmosphere. Unfortunately, there are no pictures considering I went on Saturday night and I did not feel it was appropriate to flash pictures during dinner since it was quite busy and the lighting wasn't anywhere near ideal for pictures. But as I was saying, this could be the most underrated restaurant in town. I never here anything about this place rather it be good or bad. What people should be saying is how outstanding his place is.
First off, this place has a really nice atmosphere with an old Irish feel to it with a great wait staff. Since the place was to busy on Saturday night, we elected to sit in the bar since it was open seating and that did not disappoint. There was a very nice three piece band playing in the bar and we were served very promptly.
Now for the good stuff, the food! On both occasions of my visits, I could not find myself to not order the Prime Rib and both visits did not disappoint by any means. On this most recent visit, the Prime Rib was outstanding. I had the medium cut which was the 12oz (I believe they offered a 10, 12, and 16 oz) and the taste was great. Locally, I am a big fan of Maria Livingston's when it comes to steaks but Gill's would give Maria Livingston's a run for there money. My Prime Rib was so tender and very juicy. It was served with one of my all time favorite things to put on a steak, especially prime rid, and that is horseradish. Along with the steak you get a fresh garden salad, and I highly recommended the Blue Cheese, its outstanding, and one side dish which I went with the loaded smashed potatoes that consisted of mashed potatoes, cheese, butter, scallions, etc... As good as the dish was, the smashed potatoes could have been a bit warmer.
I enjoyed dinner with a good friend of mine who was in town and he had the "Dubliner" which was a New York cut with a house seasoning of Irish whiskey and other ingredients. Though I did not taste his, he did nothing but rave about how good his was.
Gill Tavern also serves great homemade rolls that reminded me more of a biscuit then anything. They came fresh out of the oven and were nice and hot. The one thing that I really enjoyed was the Crab dip appetizer, First off, I am not a fan of crab meat but this crab dip was amazing. It was served with thin sliced, french bread toast and this crab dip was topped with melted cheese and thick diced tomatoes and let me tell you, this was amazing.
At one time (still may offer it, did not ask) Gill's offered all you can eat prime rib on Thursday nights. I don't know many people that could take full advantage of all you can eat prime rib, but if you can, the offer is there. Personally, I am ready for a nap after one cut of prime rib. Especially from this place when they spare no expense at serving enough food to there customers.
One thing to note about this place and that is how they cook there steaks. Be prepared to order your steak to be cooked a little less then you normally would. If you like your steak medium rare, you may consider ordering it rare. Both of our steaks were cooked a little more then what we asked. Nonetheless, they were very good.
I cannot wait to make my next visit to Gill's. Maybe next time I can pry myself away from the Prime Rib and try some other menu items. I know there Chicken Pasta dish is very good (my girlfriend had that on our first visit) and there shepherds pie looked very good too.
First off, this place has a really nice atmosphere with an old Irish feel to it with a great wait staff. Since the place was to busy on Saturday night, we elected to sit in the bar since it was open seating and that did not disappoint. There was a very nice three piece band playing in the bar and we were served very promptly.
Now for the good stuff, the food! On both occasions of my visits, I could not find myself to not order the Prime Rib and both visits did not disappoint by any means. On this most recent visit, the Prime Rib was outstanding. I had the medium cut which was the 12oz (I believe they offered a 10, 12, and 16 oz) and the taste was great. Locally, I am a big fan of Maria Livingston's when it comes to steaks but Gill's would give Maria Livingston's a run for there money. My Prime Rib was so tender and very juicy. It was served with one of my all time favorite things to put on a steak, especially prime rid, and that is horseradish. Along with the steak you get a fresh garden salad, and I highly recommended the Blue Cheese, its outstanding, and one side dish which I went with the loaded smashed potatoes that consisted of mashed potatoes, cheese, butter, scallions, etc... As good as the dish was, the smashed potatoes could have been a bit warmer.
I enjoyed dinner with a good friend of mine who was in town and he had the "Dubliner" which was a New York cut with a house seasoning of Irish whiskey and other ingredients. Though I did not taste his, he did nothing but rave about how good his was.
Gill Tavern also serves great homemade rolls that reminded me more of a biscuit then anything. They came fresh out of the oven and were nice and hot. The one thing that I really enjoyed was the Crab dip appetizer, First off, I am not a fan of crab meat but this crab dip was amazing. It was served with thin sliced, french bread toast and this crab dip was topped with melted cheese and thick diced tomatoes and let me tell you, this was amazing.
At one time (still may offer it, did not ask) Gill's offered all you can eat prime rib on Thursday nights. I don't know many people that could take full advantage of all you can eat prime rib, but if you can, the offer is there. Personally, I am ready for a nap after one cut of prime rib. Especially from this place when they spare no expense at serving enough food to there customers.
One thing to note about this place and that is how they cook there steaks. Be prepared to order your steak to be cooked a little less then you normally would. If you like your steak medium rare, you may consider ordering it rare. Both of our steaks were cooked a little more then what we asked. Nonetheless, they were very good.
I cannot wait to make my next visit to Gill's. Maybe next time I can pry myself away from the Prime Rib and try some other menu items. I know there Chicken Pasta dish is very good (my girlfriend had that on our first visit) and there shepherds pie looked very good too.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops
This is my favorite recipe for Pork Chops but I must admit, this recipe came from Giada on the Food Network. Nonetheless, it’s a great and easy recipe. I always prefer the boneless pork chops and usually get the thin sliced ones. First off, preheat your skillet with olive oil and begin to prepare the crust for the chops. The crust is made from 3 things, Egg, Parmesan Cheese, and Italian Bread Crumbs.
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First, salt and pepper both sides of the chops.
Next, coat the chops first in the eggs, followed by the breadcrumbs, and finish off with the Parmesan cheese.
Simply pan-fry on both sides until desired temp is reached.
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Easy as that! These pork chops are served great with yellow rice and I really enjoy cooking up some zucchini and squash.
And for the record, my girlfriend found this recipe and is always the one who cooks this dish and they always come out AWESOME! Now my mouth is watering for these right now… Hopefully someone will give this recipe and try and enjoy them as much as I do. Check back soon and I will try to share a great Chicken Piccata Recipe.
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First, salt and pepper both sides of the chops.
Next, coat the chops first in the eggs, followed by the breadcrumbs, and finish off with the Parmesan cheese.
Simply pan-fry on both sides until desired temp is reached.
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Easy as that! These pork chops are served great with yellow rice and I really enjoy cooking up some zucchini and squash.
And for the record, my girlfriend found this recipe and is always the one who cooks this dish and they always come out AWESOME! Now my mouth is watering for these right now… Hopefully someone will give this recipe and try and enjoy them as much as I do. Check back soon and I will try to share a great Chicken Piccata Recipe.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Battle Pizza - Round 1
This is going to be round 1 of the pizza shootout. There are many great pizza restaurants in town and my end goal is to have a little pizza shoot-out to see who ranks best in my opinion when it comes to the pizza pie. Now this whole process may take some time, there is only so much pizza you can eat in one week...
We are going to start with Momo's Pizzeria.
First off, this is a really neat place. The atmosphere really defines a local pizza place, it's nothing fancy, just great music and great food. Momo's is one of those great places to take company when they are in town and in the mood for pizza. There pizza reminds me of a New York style pizza. When I think of Momo's I always think of the scene from the movie Big Daddy when Adam Sandler is teaching is son how to eat New York Pizza. He tells him to fold it in half and start eating.
Momo's slogan is "Slices as Big as your Head". But really, how big can this pizza be? How about 3- inches. (I believe the XL is 30 inches). Just take a look at this thing, it's huge!
The above picture really does not do this pie justice. It is really, and I mean really huge! I would beg to argue this XL pie would no fit in the back seat of a standard car.
Now back to the food at hand. This pizza is made to order and comes out nice and hot, just the way anyone should enjoy there pizza. Though cold pizza in the morning is always fun to eat. Anyway, the pizza here is wonderful. Without getting to far ahead with my pizza shootout, I would have to put Momo's near the top (but maybe not the top) of the list for best pizza in town.
Some of the aspects of the pizza that I enjoy the most is the sausage. The Italian sausage used at this place is always fresh and has a great taste. It's not an over spicy sausage but a great pizza style sausage. This particular trip, we chose the deluxe pizza that included sausage, peperoni, olive, green pepper, and onion. Overall, the pizza was great.
All the crust is hand thrown here and has a nice texture and taste. The pizza is a normal pan style crust that is not thick at all, but more toward the thin side if anything. One thing I found very interesting is all the pizza is what I would call pre-sauced. It looks like the dough is hand thrown, sauced, and then sits to rest until time to prepare and bake.
As for the sauce, this place may take the cake when it comes to best sauce. First off, the sauce is very moderate and not overwhelming at all. I am not a huge fan of "saucey" pizza an this is one thing that I really like about Momo's, the pizza does not have a lot of sauce.
Overall, the experience of Momo's is great. Like I said, this is not a fancy place by any means, just great pizza. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the wait staff is always great and make for a fun time. Momo's offers all variety's of pizzas and come in all sizes. They even offer pizza by the slice and have a great lunch special that includes a slice and a drink for a very moderate price. The menu also consist of HUGE Calzones, salads, and you basic pizzeria sides such as bread stick, cheesy bread, etc.
As mentioned above, we went with the XL pizza and it fed 6 of us with two slices to spare. We started off with this:
and it was so good, my plate looked like this in the end:
Let's hope this pizza shootout can continue, but remember there is only so much pizza one person can handle in a week. With that being said, the other reviews will continue and hope to consist of Decent, 3 Guys, Red Elephant, and maybe a few others (please recommend your suggestions in the comment area). I would like to have a top 5, so please leave me some suggestions!
As of right now, I foresee Momo's coming in at second place!
1.
2. Momo's
3.
4.
5.
Check back soon for the rest of the pizza showdown.
Complete Photo Set of Momo's
We are going to start with Momo's Pizzeria.
First off, this is a really neat place. The atmosphere really defines a local pizza place, it's nothing fancy, just great music and great food. Momo's is one of those great places to take company when they are in town and in the mood for pizza. There pizza reminds me of a New York style pizza. When I think of Momo's I always think of the scene from the movie Big Daddy when Adam Sandler is teaching is son how to eat New York Pizza. He tells him to fold it in half and start eating.
Momo's slogan is "Slices as Big as your Head". But really, how big can this pizza be? How about 3- inches. (I believe the XL is 30 inches). Just take a look at this thing, it's huge!
The above picture really does not do this pie justice. It is really, and I mean really huge! I would beg to argue this XL pie would no fit in the back seat of a standard car.
Now back to the food at hand. This pizza is made to order and comes out nice and hot, just the way anyone should enjoy there pizza. Though cold pizza in the morning is always fun to eat. Anyway, the pizza here is wonderful. Without getting to far ahead with my pizza shootout, I would have to put Momo's near the top (but maybe not the top) of the list for best pizza in town.
Some of the aspects of the pizza that I enjoy the most is the sausage. The Italian sausage used at this place is always fresh and has a great taste. It's not an over spicy sausage but a great pizza style sausage. This particular trip, we chose the deluxe pizza that included sausage, peperoni, olive, green pepper, and onion. Overall, the pizza was great.
All the crust is hand thrown here and has a nice texture and taste. The pizza is a normal pan style crust that is not thick at all, but more toward the thin side if anything. One thing I found very interesting is all the pizza is what I would call pre-sauced. It looks like the dough is hand thrown, sauced, and then sits to rest until time to prepare and bake.
As for the sauce, this place may take the cake when it comes to best sauce. First off, the sauce is very moderate and not overwhelming at all. I am not a huge fan of "saucey" pizza an this is one thing that I really like about Momo's, the pizza does not have a lot of sauce.
Overall, the experience of Momo's is great. Like I said, this is not a fancy place by any means, just great pizza. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the wait staff is always great and make for a fun time. Momo's offers all variety's of pizzas and come in all sizes. They even offer pizza by the slice and have a great lunch special that includes a slice and a drink for a very moderate price. The menu also consist of HUGE Calzones, salads, and you basic pizzeria sides such as bread stick, cheesy bread, etc.
As mentioned above, we went with the XL pizza and it fed 6 of us with two slices to spare. We started off with this:
and it was so good, my plate looked like this in the end:
Let's hope this pizza shootout can continue, but remember there is only so much pizza one person can handle in a week. With that being said, the other reviews will continue and hope to consist of Decent, 3 Guys, Red Elephant, and maybe a few others (please recommend your suggestions in the comment area). I would like to have a top 5, so please leave me some suggestions!
As of right now, I foresee Momo's coming in at second place!
1.
2. Momo's
3.
4.
5.
Check back soon for the rest of the pizza showdown.
Complete Photo Set of Momo's
Stadium Food
I am a huge baseball fan, but even I will admit a lot of times you go to the games for the food. Here is a really nice blog about Stadium Eats, check it out.
Scoreboard Gourmet
On other news, round 1 of the pizza shootout or showdown should be up tonight! (or maybe tomorrow, it's been a busy weekend)
Scoreboard Gourmet
On other news, round 1 of the pizza shootout or showdown should be up tonight! (or maybe tomorrow, it's been a busy weekend)
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