The Dutch Oven

I went to a new all you can eat pizza salad and soup buffet in Pennsylvania called The Dutch Oven. I decided to go there, since it was built on a previous restaurant that I also reviewed, Max's Dog House. Also, it was right next door to my grandma's bike shop.

When I got there, I saw a little buffet with gray paint. There were booths and a small, indoor balcony, a brick wall separating the kitchen and the bathroom, and 2 different TVs. There was not a lot of people there, but it seemed like the kitchen was busy.

At The Dutch Oven, they serve three things: salad, soup, and pizza. But there were a variety of soups,  pizzas, and different types of salad items. There were pizzas like meat lover, pepperoni, and cheese, soup like Chicken noodle and tomato, and lots of salad ingredients, like carrots, tomatoes, and salad dressing. I got two slices of pizza, one with bacon and one cheese pizza.

They were delicious! The cheese was cheesy, the tomato sauce tasted fresh, it was cooked at the perfect temperature, and the bacon on the bacon pizza was juicy and crunchy.

I give ***** stars for food and *** stars for kid friendly. The reason why I give only 3 stars for kid friendliness is because that even though the had 2 TVs, they were both on The Weather Channel, which isn't very entertaining to kids, and they didn't have any other activities for kids, but they had pizza, which almost everyone likes, and if you were allergic, you could choose from salad or soup.

I really hope I go again soon! I loved their pizza, and I hope next time I come there will be Broccoli and Cheese soup. Well, that's all. Bye!    

Interview and Review of Cafe Gia

I went to Cafe Gia, in Little Italy, Baltimore. I went there because I heard that the owner's son, an almost 4 year old boy named Luca, helped cook in the kitchen. I interviewed Luca and the chef. If you want to see the interview, click on the video below.

Since I was there, I also decided to review their restaurant. The decor was mostly paintings, but they looked wonderful! They were all over, too. They were on the walls and the tables, and most of them were about a story, like Romeo and Juliet or Peter Pan. It was really cool, and they even hired a professional artist to do it!

On the menu, there were items like Grilled Caesar Salad, a Piazza Sandwich, Linguini, Gnocchi Gorgonzola, and the Gia, a type of pizza. I had the Mamma Mia, which is pasta with meatballs, and my dad had a Luca, another type of pizza. There was not a kid's menu, though.

While I was waiting, I saw that they had a television. I also saw that they had more room upstairs, and they even had a fireplace and a balcony! I also found out that, on Wednesdays, you can now get a dinner with Pastas, Pizza, and Risotto dishes for only $10!

Finally, our food came. My pasta was delicious! It had really good homemade tomato sauce on it, and the meatballs were juicy and moist. I also had some of my dad's pizza. It was awesome! The ham was juicy, the cheese was cheesy, and the arugula gave it a crunchy taste.

I would give this restaurant ***** stars for food and *** stars for kid friendly. The main reason why I gave 3 stars for kid friendly is because they need a kid's menu and some activities for kids.

I would love to come back, though it would be with my mom and dad, since it's really such a nice place and might not be good for small children. And I would definitely get a Luca or go on a Wednesday, where me and my parents could dine for only $10 each. Well, that's all. Bye!

Bahama Breeze

I went to Bahama Breeze, which is a Caribbean styled restaurant. I was supposed to go there for an event, but they didn't have enough people that would come. Fortunately, they were generous enough to give me and a guest a reserved table and give us the appetizers free from 5-7 pm. I decided to ask my Aunt Sarah to go with me, since my mom would be at work and my dad would have to look after my brother and sister.

When I saw the outside of Bahama Breeze, it looked like a large building that you would find in Hawaii. This included what looked like a straw roof with a wood side with the occasional lamp. On the inside, though, it looked like a island museum! There were little wooden fish, small paintings, fire burned lamps, and a nice waiting room. There was also a open kitchen, fish lamps, and even tables connected to the walls!

While we were waiting for our table to be prepared, another blogger (and his guest) came in. His blog's name was Baltimore Bistros and Beer. Though I didn't know it until later.

When we were seated, the managers told us about what we were going to taste, what alcohol there was, and how thankful they were that they had some people there. They even gave us each a shirt and a hula doll! After that, we were left so that we could talk.

On the menu, there were baby back ribs, grilled tenderloin salad, chicken tortilla soup, and seafood paella. There were also some special cocktails, which were the Zombie, the Dark 'n' Stormy, and the Havana Hotel Special. There was also a kids menu, which consisted of crispy chicken tenders, fresh mini hamburgers, and grilled chicken breast. Finally, there were lots of appetizers, such as Tostones with Chicken, Jamaican Wings, Roasted Cuban Bread, and Firecracker Shrimp.

First came the alcohol, which I was too young to have, so my Aunt Sarah will handle explaining them:

"I sampled 2 cocktails that will be debuting at Bahamas Breeze on February 4th.

The first one was called Daisy de Santiago looked like a Mojito but surprisingly it was nothing like it.  It was very herbal and spicy.  It was not sweet at all.  One of the ingredients is chartreuse liqueur and I think that is what made this a unique drink.

The second one was called the Yaka Hula Hickey Dula.  It was colorful, tropical and sweet.  Dark rum, 151 and rum soaked pineapple were some of the ingredients in this drink.  If you like fruity and sweet you will like this.

So my favorite was the Yaka Hula Hickey Dula.  I am fruity sweet drink person so this would be my pick to drink again."

Then we had the food. There was a lot of stuff there! There was Coconut Shrimp, Onion Rings, Warm Goat Cheese with Flatbread crisps, Beef Empanadas, Warm Spinach dip with Island chips, Jamaican Chicken Wings, Pulled Pork Sliders, and Chicken Empanadas.

Everything was fantastic! I first tried the goat cheese. It was very creamy, and it also had some tomatoes in it. Then, I had a Pulled Pork Slider. It was cheesy, juicy, and it was crunchy, since it came with pickles. Next, I had a Chicken Wing. It was juicy, and it was kind of spicy, too. Then, I had some of the Onion Rings, which is a new menu item. They were juicy as well, but in a different way. They also had some coconut on them, which made them stand out from other onion rings I've had. Finally, I tried some Coconut Shrimp. They were spicy, and also had a coconut blast, too. I would definitely get the Onion Rings again and the Warm Goat Cheese with Flatbread crisps.

My Aunt Sarah said, "Of the food we were served my favorite was the Chicken Empanadas.  They were served with black bean and corn salsa and an aioli.  As much as liked the empanadas I loved the citrus-mustard sauce that came with coconut shrimp and crispy onion rings.  It was like a Caribbean honey mustard."

I give this place ***** stars for food and **** stars for kid friendliness. The reason why I gave **** stars for kid friendly is because they had a menu with some activities on it.Also, they had a open kitchen, so people could see the food being made. They also had the music turned up so one family wouldn't disturb another family if they had loud kids.

I would thank my Aunt Sarah for bringing me to this really cool place. Well, that's all. Bye!

Hibachi Grill

I went to a restaurant called the Hibachi Grill. It's an Asian themed buffet. The reason why I went here is because it was my Uncle's birthday, so we decided to take him along with my Aunts and Uncles to a buffet.

When I arrived, I saw 2 Chinese statues, which are really neat because they look really old and handcrafted. There are also fish swimming in an indoor fountain at the entrance. They also have glass paintings that show the beauty of Asia and a television at the entrance for those waiting to be seated!

Because it was a buffet, they didn't have a menu, but you can eat whatever is on the buffet. I didn't know some of the things they had, but I had also been there before, so I had a semi-clear idea of what they had.

There were sugar doughnuts and french fries, sushi and grapes, ham and pot stickers, and much more! I had 2 sugar doughnuts, corn, chicken with sweet and sour sauce, steamed broccoli, jello, white rice, grapes, and for dessert, mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate cake!

Everything was delicious! The sugar doughnuts were sweet and soft, the corn was sweet and juicy, the chicken in sweet & sour sauce was a mixture of sweet, sour, and juiciness, the broccoli was juicy and tasted just like my dad makes it, the jello was sweet and jiggly, the rice didn't taste like anything, though, but the mint chocolate chip ice cream was chocolaty, creamy, and minty, and the cake was moist and chocolaty.

I give the Hibachi Grill ***** stars for food and ***** stars for kid friendliness. The reason why I gave the Hibachi Grill 5 stars is because they have kid friendly items and the fish were entertaining. Well, that's all. Bye!

Kommie Pig and Smokers BBQ

Hi, everyone! Sorry I haven't posted. I've been caught up in school work and haven't had the time to post. But, I'm back! So, let's get started! 

I first went to a food truck named Kommie Pig, which serves lots of BBQ. There were many items on there, like the hot dog, an American Stacker, and smoked chicken. I had a 1/4 rack, with some fries and a Mountain Dew. It took a while for the food to come, and some people who were after us got theirs before us! But finally, my food was ready.

The ribs were delicious! They were very BBQy, and were very juicy. The fries were also pretty good, especially since they had vinegar on them. It was really big, and I wasn't able to finish it all.

I would give this food truck ***** stars for food. I'm not giving Kommie Pig a kid friendly rating because since it goes to and from places, it doesn't need a kid friendly rating.

Next, I went to Smokers in Finksburg. When I got there, it was really late, and they were going to close soon, so we had to eat quickly. On the menu, there were items like a Pit Pork Sandwich, a Caesar Salad, and Cream of Crab soup. They also had a kid's menu, which consisted of a hot dog, chicken tenders, and grilled cheese. I had a Pit Beef Sandwich. While we were waiting, we watched football on TV. It didn't take long for our food to come, though. 

The Pit Beef Sandwich was delicious!It was juicy, cheesy, and, when I put on some BBQ sauce, BBQy. I give this place ***** stars for food and **** 1/2 stars for kid friendliness. The reason why I gave 4 1/2 stars is because that they only had 3 items on the kids menu.

Well, those were my reviews. I hope you all had a merry Christmas, and have a Happy New Year! Well, that's all. Bye!

The NEW Mt. Washington Tavern

I was invited to a very special event for the Mt. Washington Tavern. It was the grand opening of the new Mt. Washington Tavern! I was so excited when I heard that they had built a second tavern on the exact same site that it burned down and had the grilled cheese competition that I judged! They even used some of the walls that didn't crumble! 

When I got there, they were giving a tour for the other guests, and they showed us the improvements that they did to it. They had a bar on the 1st floor,  and even saved the old shuffle board! On the second floor they had 2 rooms for the older, richer couples, a cocktail bar, and lots of horse racing stuff, like a 5 ft x 10 ft  replica of Pimlico's the Old Hilltop. They also have a new SkyBar and elevator. 

The items on the menu that I could try were Mini Crab Cakes, Beef Carpaccinio Flatbread, and Rare Seared Ahi Tuna. I had some pieces of Saltimbocca, a couple of Bacon wrapped Scallops, a few pieces of cheese from the cheese platter, and a bar made Cherry Coke! The bar made Cherry Coke was awesome! It had all the textures and fizziness of a regular soda, but without all the packaged and artificial taste. The Scallops were pretty good, too. The scallops had a seafood taste, not that strong, yet it's strong enough that you can taste it. That and the bacon made a great combination. Yet, of course, my brother disagreed. "I didn't really like the texture of it," Owen said.  The Saltimbocca was delicious! It was cheesy, and had lot's of meat flavor. My brother quotes "I really liked this because the cheese was cheesy, the ham was juicy, and the chicken had lots of taste." The cheese platter was also really good. They had different types of cheese, and all of them had the qualities of cheese, creaminess and a different flavor.

I give **** stars for food and **** stars for kid friendly. I give 4 stars for kid friendliness because they had a shuffleboard, Television's, and some kid friendly items. I think that this place will be a even bigger hit than last time, and I hope that they have another grilled cheese competition so I can judge it again! Well, that's all. Bye! 

Gordon Biersch & Mobbies

I was invited to a place called Gordon Biersch in Baltimore for a special event. The event was an opening preview in that they were trying to see how people would like their food and how they could change the way they cooked things before they opened.

When I got there, they were very busy, but we had already reserved our seats, so we didn't need to wait too long. When I got seated, I saw that they had lots of TV's all over the place. I saw on their menu they had items like New York Strip & Grilled Shrimp, Steak Frites, and Beer Battered Fish & Chips. They also had a kid's menu, which had Macaroni & Cheese, Pizza, and Pasta.

They didn't have everything on their menu for the event but I got BBQ Chicken Pizza from the regular menu, my brother got the Cheese Pizza from the kid's menu, and my sister got the Macaroni & Cheese from the kid's menu. While we waited, we got some Garlic Fries, which were a twist on Garlic Bread, my mom and dad got to try some of their home made beers, and my sister, brother, and I got homemade root beer. The root beer tasted out of this world!

My BBQ Chicken Pizza wasn't actually as good as I thought it would be. It had so much BBQ sauce, it was actually pretty spicy. Though my brother thought differently. Owen quotes" my Pizza was really good." And for dessert, everyone got a brownie sundae to split.

I give them **** stars for kid friendliness and *** stars for food. I really hope to come here again, since this wasn't their complete menu.

Also Adventures of a Koodie was nominated again this year as Best Food Blog for the Baltimore Sun contest - The Mobbies! Please vote everyday through November 9 at 5pm. Don't forget to send those votes! Last year I got in 4th place. Click here to vote! Well, that's all. Bye!