Eataly

The morning after I arrived in the big city my parents took me to market founded by my favorite chef Mario Batali. The market is divided into sections in accordance to types of food. There was a meat sections, a fish section, and etc. We ate lunch at one of there sit down areas. When I'm having lunch I am not expecting to have a life changing meal, but this meal definitely made my fav. 5. We ordered an assortment of cheeses and different kinds of prosciutto. Though I had never heard of many of the cheeses I decided to be adventurous and give it a try. The cheeses were outstanding with both taste and appearence. This restaurant just makes me wish I was italian a little bit more. I would give Eataly a 8.95/10 on the (strict) Connor scale.

Une voyage á New York

I was back in the big apple visiting my brother Jordan. Jordan has been attending New York University for the last 3 years. We love visiting Jordan because he resides in one if not the greatest city on the face of the the earth. My favorite cuisine has always been and always will be Italian food. In 2003 my father dined at what he called was one of the greatest meals he had ever had. He ensured us that the next time we're in the city that we would go back to Nello. Finally, the time had come and we made a lunch reservation at one of the most popular restaurants in Manhattan. As we walked up to the door of the restaurant we were greeted by a enthusiastic man. Just from that encounter with the doorman, I knew I was in for a treat. The restaurant has been told to cater to many celebrities, but during the meal we had yet to have seen one, until Christie Brinkley walks in causing the whole restaurant to stop and stare. Sorry I got a little off track there, now I'll get to the food.  I began my meal with a steak carpaccio drizzled with truffle oil. On top of the carpaccio there was an arugula salad which only enhances the quality of the dish. The appetizer was truly a inventive and spectacular dish. Oh but I wasn't just done yet. My entrée was the best part of the experience. I ate a vegetable risotto which made me smile after every bite. When I went to Italy with my family in 2005 I discovered risotto for the first time and I loved it. After I finished the plate I felt like I was going to explode, but you always have to same room for dessert. I ordered a chocolate mouse which always is a pleasure. Though the meal is a bit pricy, one walks into the restaurant having that in mind. I give nello a lovely 8.75/10 on the Conch scale.

Via Alloro

My Tay was back in town, but only for a short amount of time. Tay had become close with some of his brothers in his frat, so we, being nice people decided to go out to dinner with their family. What is the only kind of food where everyone can find something to like? The answer to that question is Italian food. Right as I sat down I was given one of the largest menus I had ever seen. The first thing I noticed when I received the menu, was that each course during a meal was titled in english, not Italian. Listening to reviews from father, I thought that I was going to have a traditional Italian meal, but no I was wrong, it was an Italian-American restaurant. Trying to forget that, I ordered some food, which most fourteen year olds wouldn't ever consider ordering. I began the meal with a portion of beef carpaccio with arugula salad on top. The salad was covered with some fresh parmesan cheese, which tasted exquisite. Usually, the carpaccio is trenched with olive oil or balsamic vinegar which takes away from the beef, but this time the sauces were evenly distributed and the appetizer was great. Immediately after my appetizer was taken from me, I was given my entreé with no time to digest my food. Thank god I was hungry because I ordered a spinach gnocchi mixed in with a bolognese sauce. The flavors blended together well together tok create an excellent dish. The service overall was mediocre as the service was either to fast or to slow. The meal was a lovely meal for a saturday night. I give the restaurant a 7.5/10 on the conch scale.

Salt (Munich, Germany)

As you may already know, this winter break my family and I went on a trip throughout Europe. My brother Jordan was studying in Florence over the past three months and we wanted to pick him up. Italy is known for its food, but in the battle between Italy vs. Germany, Germany won. On our last night of the trip, we went out to a restaurant,"Salt", in the center of Munich. This truly was one of the my most memorable dining experiences of my life. The restaurant was founded by a middle eastern man with some new and creative ideas for food. I began my meal with a trout carpaccio, which had one of the most interesting toppings I have ever heard of. Over the fish there was a mustard ice cream, which was just unbelievable. While I was in Madrid in the summer of 2007, I was introduced to a spanish meat call iberico. Usually, the meat is not cooked and is ate as an appetizer, but for my entrée I had a nice 10 oz piece of iberico cooked to perfection. Who doesn't like toned their dining experience with a little sweetness. For dessert, my family and I shared a decadent chocolate soufflé, which tasted like heaven. This was truly a spectacular meal, which made me feel like i was so far from home.

Koi

People have been telling me lately that I need to stop rating restaurants so high, that I'm very generous with my reviews. I took this thought into consideration before my meal friday evening. My Tay was back and he was looking for some good authentic Japanese food compared to that crap in Tucson. My parents dined at the restaurant Koi roughly two weeks ago and felt that I would have enjoyed it. Accordingly, on friday we went to dinner at Koi with the Shirley, Biz, Miz, Tay, and of course myself. When the two words beef or carpaccio are in a sentence it immediately calls my attention. For the first dish we ate beef carpaccio with truffle oil on top. It was very good, but the truffle oil was a little much. We then ordered the salmon carpaccio which I was surprisingly unsatisfied with. The only thing that I could taste was the truffle oil. Overall, the dining experience was pleasant, but on the conch scale of 1-10 I would give Koi a 6.

Sushi Sushi

Last saturday I was craving some good authentic Japanese food. The highest ranked Japanese restaurant in the west LA vicinity was called Sushi Sushi.We decided on the trusting the positive comments and go to the restaurant. I began my dining experience with my favorite kind of sushi, yellowtail sashimi. The fish tasted so fresh and magnificent, I was drooling before I took the first bite. For my main entree I split the king crab tool with my main man roles. The crab tasted even better than the yellowtail, it was spectacular. The only issue about my dining experience at Sushi Sushi was the service. We had to ask the waitress five times just to get a cup of water. And when we ordered our food, it must have taking at least 20-25 minutes per each order. On the Connor scale of 1-10, I would give Sushi Sushi a 7.5.