518 West recently updated their menu, adding quite a few new options. Some of the new salads and pastas look amazin. I thoroughly enjoyed the steak sandwich. It was fairly large, came on a fluffy sub roll with provolone cheese and grilled onions. I added some horseradish for a little spice. This sandwich coupled with one of their fresh side salads makes an enjoyable meal I’m sure to enjoy over and over.
-Matt
I had another one of those spectacular dishes at Fins sat night. The special was a pan seared grouper. The star of this dish was a fresh filet of grouper pan seared for a slight crispyness on the outside. It was tender, flaky and tasted as if it were in the ocean hours before. An assortment of mixed japanese mushrooms sat atop the grouper. To round this dish out, the chef quick wok’d green beans and cashews. This mixture added firm texture of the beans and richness of the cashews to the dish. All of it sat atop pureed edamame. I’m an edamame fan and I’d never seen this treatment but I’d have this in another dish in a heartbeat. Overall I liked how the freshness of the fish blended well with the richness of the cashews and the flavor of the edamame…keep it up Fins. Try this out, they continue to amaze me.
-Matt
I alluded to this in my previous post about Tookie’s, and all I’ve got to say is believe the hype. They have an amazing chicken salad sandwich. Personally i like my chicken salad uniform throughout instead of large chunks of chicken. Tookie’s chicken salad is exactly that, smooth chopped up chicken with a few added ingredients. The sandwich includes a generous portion of chicken salad along with lettuce and tomato on toasted or plain white or wheat bread. Personally, this is an easy choice for me, it’s quick tasty and convenient. If you’re around seaboard stop by and try this out.
-Matt
Riviera is back open for lunch! When i heard this I had to run down there and try it out. I stared with something that’s always good, their Gazpacho. The menu for lunch is basically new so i tried the Muffaletta . This was an excellent sandwich and represents the freshness I’ve come to expect from Riviera. This is no small sandwich. They start with a fresh roll that’s soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Olive tapanade, salami, capicola, gruyere and provolone are wrapped inside. There’s no skimping here, the sandwich was thick, especially if you like cheese (as i do). It comes with a choice of sides, I went with the fresh salad but fries are an option. I am excited Riveria is open for lunch again, their menu contains a wide range of meals and I can’t wait to go back.
-Matt
After a long week, I was in the mood for a good burger and fries. I knew that the Lamb Burger and Frites at Riveria was exceptional. I’ve raved about their fries (frites) and knew you basically can’t go wrong at riviera. The lamb burger is mixed with angus beef and ground fresh. This lets you choose how you want it cooked. The chef suggests medium, which didnt disappoint. The burger itself is fairly large, they use quality meat so you don’t lose a lot of volume when cooking. They top the burger with buffalo mozzarella , baby arugula and a roasted garlic aioli. It’s hard to go wrong here, a fresh burger, fresh spices and quality cheese along with some of raleigh’s best fries, it makes me hungry every time I think about it…
-Matt