I usually don’t venture to Newport News, but since a dear friend moved there I found myself in unfamiliar territory when I visited her a few months ago.  Using my trust UrbanSpoon phone app, we found a sushi restaurant, Kappo Nara Seafood & Sushi, that had a 89% approval rating….

Staff – Our waitress was really sweet and very attentive.

Food - Oh dear.  I think the menu pictures should have been a tip off.  I love dumplings of all variations and the picture of their shu-mai did not look appetizing to me.

My sushi dinner (see above pic) was sub-par — and that’s being kind.  The California rolls were kin to the kind you would get at a grocery store.  It was a little skimpy rice and misshaped.  As you can see in the picture above, the rice was not distributed evenly at all.  Sadly, this was probably the better part of this dinner.  The other sushi pieces were cut very thick and a little hard to chew.  This cost about $16-17, which at that price I would expect a little more.

My friend ordered the tempura dinner:

While the portion was generous, the meal was average.  The varieties of tempura included fish, shrimp, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. 

We also ordered hijiki, which is a side dish with seaweed, carrots and tofu.  My friend Brandi enjoyed it.  I didn’t.  BUT maybe that’s just a matter of taste?  Neither of us had this dish before so we can’t really say if it’s really great or not.

Atmosphere- I wasn’t crazy about the decor at this restaurant.  It seemed a bit…cluttered to me.  Kind of like a collection of things that just don’t really go together.  Example 1: the “smoker’s lungs plates we we’re given to use:

  One of the things we found very amusing was the bidet in the women’s restroom.  That’s right.  A BIDET. However we were both very disappointed because we couldn’t figure out how to make it work.  (Yes, I took my phone to the bathroom to take pictures)

Overall – I probably wouldn’t go back there.  To be quite honest, I have had sushi from the grocery store that was better in my opinion.    However considering this has a high rating on UrbanSpoon, maybe I just went on an off night?

Directions to Kappo Nara

One of the best gyros I’ve ever had.  Period. Even my certified Greek co-worker approves! =)

According to the signage, the gyro brand is Kronos and you can see it rotating on a spit once you walk in. Wonderful flavor and great texture with a side of fries for under $7!

Hint: Be sure to eat in and order the fries “extra-crispy” to get optimum crispiness.

My co-worker also recommends ordering an extra side of tsatsiki sauce to dip your fries.

Directions to Elias Cafe

So we had celebrated a early this year with:
- seasoned baked pork chops
- seasoned rice (with garlic powder, salt and EVOO)
- mac and cheese
- green bean casserole
- corn casserole
- pandesal (a Filipino bread roll)
- pancit palabok
- coconut macaroons

Did I mention this was all for 5 people? Hahaha! Merry early Christmas and happy holidays, everyone!

If you like REAL authentic Chinese food, you have to go to Jade Villa (in Virginia Beach, close to the corner of S. Independence and Virginia Beach Blvd).

What I order
I love dumplings and I love the dim sum menu at Jade Villa. My favs are the pork shumai and the shrimp har gow.

My favorite entree is the salted and spicy scallops OR pork chops. They basically bread the meat, deep fry it, and season it with salt, huge amounts of roasted garlic and thin slices of jalapeno peppers. I typically don’t eat spicy foods, but this dish wasn’t spicy for me. Seriously, this entree is on my list of foods I would want as my last meal.

Other recommendations
I love my meal so much, I usually don’t stray from it — which is pretty unusual for me.  However here are some recommendations from my friends:

- the stuffed eggplant on the dim sum menu
- cashew chicken
- dumpling soup (American style)
- Hong Kong soup
- any whole fried fish
 

Oh yeah, almost forgot
- There are two menus plus a dim sum menu so make sure you look everything over before you order!
- I think there is some sort of dim sum buffet on Sundays, but I’m not 100% sure so I would call ahead.
- They are open until 1am on the weekends but I don’t think they are open for lunch.

Salty & Spicy Pork Chops

Shumai

Dumpling Soup (American Style)

Directions to Jade Villa

Ginataang mais (pronounced GEE-nah-ta-ang MA-es) is a Filipino sweet corn dessert soup.  I know this may not sound too appealing for people who haven’t tried it, but it’s one of my favorite desserts and it really brings back a lot of memories.  It’s sweet enough for kids to enjoy, yet not too sweet that you couldn’t have multiple bowls in one day.

There is one ingredient that is required for ginataang that I have never used before: sweet rice.  I found a small bag for just about $5 at the international grocery store.  I haven’t seen it at regular grocery stores.  This is the kind I bought:

(Sorry, no, the frog clip does not come with it! Haha!)

One of the interesting things to note about this dish is that it can be served warm or cold, which makes it something you can make year round.

The Basics

• 5 cups of water
• 2 cups of sweet corn (I used frozen, but you can use fresh or canned as well)
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup of sweet rice

The Run-down

Mix all ingredients except for corn in a pot.  Heat until boiling.  Boil for about 20 minutes, uncovered.

Reduce heat to low and add corn.  Let cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Serve hot or refrigerate to serve cold.  Enjoy!

I’ve grown up watching anime (which is Japanese animation/cartoons, if you didn’t already know).  Years ago, my cousin Mike introduced me to a anime series called “Naruto“.  At that time it was only in Japan, but since has landed states’ side.

Even if you don’t watch the series, the main character LOVES Ramen noodles — and I’m not talking about the $.10 kind you get at your local supermarket (although I really like that kind too).

Recently I’ve been watching a marathon of Naruto, and what I eat is almost always influenced by what I’m watching on TV.  So I decided to head to my local international grocery store (if you live in Hampton Roads, see below for directions to Grand Mart) and stock up, and decided to make it my mission to do a ramen taste test.

I’m don’t want to OD on sodium so this taste sampling will be done whenever I feel the need for noodles.  Alright….Let’s go!

Shin Bowl Noodle Soup

I read some reviews online that recommended the brand Nong Shim.  I was a little worried that it said “gourmet spicy” on the cover.  I can’t really eat spicy foods, but I thought I would give it a try.  Add some hot water and three minutes later, and this is what I got:

Let me tell you now.  Take everything you know about instant noodles in a cup, and delete it from your memory.  Don’t worry, I’ll wait…………

This was spicy (but not too spicy for me, so I’m guessing is mild for most people), savory and didn’t have a super fake, salty taste.  It has dried bits of green onion and mushroom which plump up when soaking in the hot water.  The noodles had a good consistency and trapped the flavor of the soup nicely.

Round one, great success!  I will definitely buy this kind again!  BTW, this bowl was about $1.

Where can I buy this?

I live in Hampton Roads, Virginia so this is where I found this product.  If you found it in a different city, feel free to leave a comment so others can find it too!

I know it’s been a VERY long time since I’ve posted, but my life has gotten very, very busy!  So far this year, I’ve been juggling my job, a new puppy (her name is Honey), planning and preparing for my brother’s wedding and I’m working on a new website called JotandGot.  Always on my grind! Making moves, son! But I digress.

My best friend Lindsey makes a mini-Thanksgiving dinner which actually includes cooking a turkey breast and all the fixins’.  I found a recipe on AllRecipes and tweaked it to suite my own tastes.

I’m not sure if you like cranberry sauce, but I do so I used it to add an extra element to it.  If you decide to go this route, I would start it before you make the meatloaf because it takes a while for it to reduce and cool.  Hope you like it!

Thanksgiving Meatloaf

The Basics

• 1 pound ground turkey (I used 93/7)
• 1 cups chicken-flavor stuffing mix
• 2 eggs; beaten
• 1/4 cup milk or chicken stock
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 rib of celery, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Onion soup mix (optional)
• ½ tsp sage (optional)
• Cranberry Glaze (optional; see below for recipe)

The Rundown
1.        Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.        Mix all together in a bowl. If the mixture is too wet, just add more stuffing until it can hold a shape.
3.        Season as you would a turkey. I used onion soup, sage and salt and pepper, but use whatever you like!
4.        I like making free-form loafs, but use a loaf pan if you prefer. Bake for 30-45 mins until temperature reads 165 degrees F in center of loaf.
5.        Serve with gravy or coat with cranberry glaze.

Cranberry Glaze

• 2 cups cranberry juice
• 1 ½ tbsp of sugar

1.        Put juice and sugar in a small sauce pan.
2.        Heat until rapidly boiling, medium-high heat.
3.        Let reduce until it’s about ¼ the original size. It’ll take about 15-20 mins.
4.        Put in a small bowl and let it cool (you can try putting it in the refrigerator to help the process along).  It will thicken as it cools.
5.        Drizzle or baste meatloaf with glaze.

I’ve lived in Hampton Roads for over 20 years, and I still get surprised when I stumble upon a new great restaurant.  Thanks to my favorite mobile app (thanks Urbanspoon!), I can explore the area with a set of new eyes.

This particular adverture started with a “girlie” day with my good friend Brandi.  We kicked off that Sunday with mani-pedis (perhaps the 3rd or 4th time I’ve ever had that done).  It was fun except for two things: 1) I accidentally picked a color that seemed more pink in the bottle, but ended up looking like “auntie red” nails.  Exhibit A:

auntie nails! eeeeeeek!

 

Brandi initally wanted soft shell crab, but was informed that they didn’t have that in stock.  Maybe it’s just me, but I like seafood restaurants that may or may not have seafood in stock because it could mean that they don’t have any frozen product that they are willing to serve their customers.

She decided to order a crab entree that featured crab meat prepared three ways.  I can’t remember all the ways, but I definitely remembered one was crab au gratin.

We definiately had no complaints and both commented how we were definiately coming back!

Directions to Wicker’s Crab Pot Seafood

I never understood why there is such a stigma against brussel sprouts.  Personally I think they taste like mild, little cabbages.  By sauteing the brussel sprouts in a salty meat like bacon, prosciutto, or smoked sausage, the sprouts take on a wonderful flavor.

 The Basics

• brussel sprouts – fresh or frozen, quarter or cut in halves
• small onion – diced
• salty meat (I used smoked polish sausage) – dice
• cooking oil – I recommend vegetable oil over olive oil, because olive oil has a distinctive taste.
• salt and pepper

The Rundown

1. Saute oil on medium heat in a non-stick frying pan.
2. Add onions and cook until caramelized.  This will take about 5 minutes.
3. Add meat and mix with onions.  Cook for about 5 more minutes.
4. Add brussel sprouts and mix with meat and onions.  Cook for about 5-10 minutes until the sprouts are fork tender.  Enjoy!

My mom and I went to Royal Thai Cuisine on, what I like to call, a “mom date”.  She had a $25 gift certificate so we thought we would give it a try.

Atmosphere – We ate lunch on a Saturday afternoon around 1 PM.  It was pretty empty, but the restaurant was 1/3 full when we left.  The restaurant was clean and decorated like other Thai restaurants I’ve been too.

Staff & Service - The staff was friendly and attentive.  No empty glasses of water and the food came out at a good pace.

The Food – For starters, we had stuffed won-tons and chicken satay (pictured above).  The pork-stuffed won-tons, served with a sweet, sticky sauce (perhaps honey?), was good.  The satay was served with a peanut-type sauce and somet cucumber-basil sauce.  I preferred the cucumber sauce to the peanut sauce — although I love peanut-hoisin sauce with Vietnamese spring rolls.

We also ordered a Thai tea and Thai iced coffee.  Both were delicious.

The shrimp lad na was swimming in gravy. It was good, but I usually order pad see-u or pad thai so I’m not sure how to rank it in comparison to other lad na’s.  My mom seemed to love it.

We also ordered fried fish with 3 spices (non-spicy) and rice.  I believe the fish was tilapia.  I wasn’t a fan of all the vegetables piled on top, but the sauce was sweet and delicious. 

Bottom Line – I would try Royal Thai again, but I think I would stick to my usual order.

Directions to Royal Thai Cuisine