El Morocco (April 15, 2007)

The weather is sunny as I drive. I have "We Close Our Eyes" by Oingo Boingo embedded into my brain and the birds seem to sing along to it with every turn of the steering wheel.

I'm in a good mood.

Dave is hungover but gives me approval when I decide to go to El Morocco instead of India Garden because I had already eaten there yesterday. Now prior to today I had previously not eaten there but I have had heard nothing but good reviews from many people. The only sour review I heard was actually from my father, who is Persian. He didn't care for it, and being of his blood I have just about the same amount of love for Persian food over any other food so I had a feeling that I wasn't going to really care for it that much.

Hey, why not? I'll give it a go.

I enter the place and my eyes take at least 5 minutes to adjust from the extreme contrast of lighting. I am literally blind as I stumble my way into the dining area: a vast area of plush floor seating - a unique touch. The whole place has a blatant Sahara/North African feel and theme. My eyes adjusted, I analyzed the place and then we headed for the true test: the food.

The buffet was set up against three tables arranged in a "U" shape. On the right part of the "U" were mainly vegetarian entrees and I didn't find anything too pleasing until I reached the center. To my dismay, there were no kebabs out... not a trace. The meat dishes were mainly pork based and some fish entrees were out. The fish actually offset my experience as the pungent smell it emitted was absolutely atrocious to me because I'm not a big fish eater.

The basmati rice was green and a bit soupy. I grabbed some pork and some meatballs. Hell knows what these dishes were properly called as no signs were posted by the entrees. So, I couldn't tell you the exact name of the foods I ate.

After all of that buffet searching hooplah, I finally sat down and ate my concoction. Most of the food was pretty decent and not too bad. The best thing on my plate was this dish that was a chicken-based mixture wrapped in filo dough covered in powdered sugar. This entree was my favorite and I went up for more after I finished my first plate. Also, the breads on the buffet were absolutely tasty: the pita bread was warm and flavorful and the french baguette cuts were crispy and went well with the provided butter.

Overall, it wasn't too bad at all. The atmosphere was nice and ambient. The service was top-notch as our waters were filled constantly - I couldn't even finish half of my drink before it was refilled again. Now that's service.

The buffet on this particular day was a bit pricey - $12.90 a person. A little more than India Garden's $7.99 and Mediterrano's $9.95 (buffet and drink) but for the food that was there, it was reasonable. All in all, I ended up spending almost $16 when I threw in a three dollar tip.

It was alright. I'm definitely hooked on the chicken-filo dish and will probably go back again.

But nevertheless I'll still remain a dedicated patron of India Garden and, more importantly, Mediterrano Cafe.

Coaches Bar & Grill (April 12, 2007)

"This place smells like a hardware store."

That was literally the first thing that popped into my head as I stepped inside.

All I wanted tonight was a good burger and my comrade, RegionRat, wanted the same. Little did we know that our mission to obtain one would prove to be a little harder than we thought.

We go to Malibu Grill - packed with a 20 minute wait. Head up the street to Scotty's - EXTREMELY packed with a 40 minute wait.

Things began to look bad until we saw Coaches - an establishment whose logo possesses the same "pizazz" as T.G.I. Fridays. To be truthful, I wasn't too thrilled.

The place was empty with a mass of vacant seats. We get seated into a table that is in the "half booth, half chair" combination. RegionRat takes the booth. Ass.

RegionRat ultimately changed his mind and ordered chicken fingers instead - chicken fingers that cost twelve dollars. My burger and fries were only valued at seven even. In fact, Coaches version of a Long Island costs more than their burger and fries meal. Needless to say, the pricing was quite bizarre.

In the corner of my eye I was treated to a gagging view of a couple cuddling and lip-sucking two tables to the left of us. I'm sure heavy petting was involved as well.

All of the courtship around me slowly began to hinder my appetite.

The food came after what seemed like an eternity. The burger was standard fare and tasted exactly like something you'd get at T.G.I. Friday's. The fries, were not. They were waffle fries and tasted wonderful and were a world away from the horrid pepper-saturated fries that T.G.I. Friday's serves. In other words, with the exception of higher prices, a quieter atmosphere, better French fries and a more laid back decor, it's pretty much the same as T.G.I. Friday's. Nothing really stood out as terribly unique.

Needless to say guys, I probably won't be back. But thanks for having me.

Eh, scratch that - actually I'll be back when I feel like blowing eight dollars on a Long Island.