Buz and Ted's Real Barbecue - @@@

Did a search for barbecue tonight and this place was highly rated on yelp. I found it only ok. The brisket was not super flavorful and perhaps could have used a bit more on the sandwich. I felt Mission BBQ brisket was better in terms of flavor and tenderness. The beef ribs were obviously massive but had sauce on them. I didn't love the sauce so perhaps that's why I thought they could've been better.

What was kinda cool was the amount of smoke going on in the restaurant. I walked out smelling like a smoker and you could see the smoke everywhere. Not the best but you could also do worse. Allegedly they were on tv too, I will check out what was recommended if I go back next time.

1119 N Blvd
Richmond, VA 23230

Pollos El Paisa - @@@

Went to a Colombian place that is well rated on Yelp. I actually stopped by the previous night but for some reason they closed early for maintenance.

Got the staple - bandeja paisa, the typical Colombian platter. As a refresher, it has steak, chicharron, sweet plantains, eggs, rice, beans, avocado, and a corn cake with a salad on the side. I am always a fan of this but I did realize that I prefer the Peruvian bistec a lo pobre (double starch, more beef) a bit more.

The food here again was good but not great. When comparing it to the Rhode Island spots I like, I feel the steak is better in RI. Chicharron was quite good here and the house hot sauce was good too. The beans here were actually a bit better as they had chunks of pork in them but at the end of the day they were still beans. The avocado was included which was nice but chorizo wasn't (I still ordered it separately). The white rice soaked up the good liquid of the steak, pork, and egg. Corn cake was dry and avoided per usual. The side of chorizo was actually quite good. Was served super hot, crispy skin, tons of flavor...I would recommend starting, adding, or finishing (that's what I did) the meal with this.

Overall still good, and would love it if I could find this in Michigan especially the chicharron. Also if you can't tell, there are not many vegetables at Colombian restaurants. I even tried to order a side but they really didn't have any. Would be happy to come back

PS the couple sitting next to me just got the sizzling steak - it does smell good!

989 Old Country Rd
Westbury, NY 11590

Fortune Wheel - @@@

Long Island Chinese sit down restaurant was not bad for the location in the middle of Long Island. Should I have made the drive to Flushing? Probably. But I didn't and here we are.

There seems to be 2 consensus places for authentic Chinese in LI - this place and the Orient. This place is in an odd location as its basically in the middle of a BJs store - I think it is actually surrounded on 3 of the sides by the store. Easy to find though and it is a legit sit down spot. I'm sure they do carry out too if you want.

Got my usual order of hot plate beef and sautéed chinese broccoli. First off the food came out definitely less than 5 minutes. It wasn't too busy but that was still awesome. It made the beef still medium rare which worked well. It was filet marinated with the traditional tenderizer. Sadly it wasn't sizzling which would've seared it off a bit. Also a severe lack of pepper which is one of my favorite parts. Less onions and more peppers would be good too. The broccoli was still crunchy (good) but not enough garlic punch (bad). Still obviously finished it all - basically a good not great spot that I would still visit again. Also the table next to me got the half garlic chicken and salt/pepper pork chops which looked fried to perfection. I will probably try those next time if I make it back.

3601 Hempstead Tpke
Levittown, NY 11756

Pio Pio - @@@

I went to dinner here the other day meeting my friend in the city. It is a Peruvian restaurant that seems pretty popular and got good reviews on Yelp. I surprisingly didn't find it all that impressive. I would rate it a 3 just cause I like Peruvian food and the rotisserie chicken was moist and flavorful but the chaufa wasn't that good and lomo saltado have had better.

Obviously we ordered quite a bit of food. Since we were eating family style, they brought out the dishes when ready. Not surprisingly, the Chinese-ish stir fry dishes were done quickly. I thought the chaufa (let's be serious, it's fried rice) was a bit too moist for me. More fry needed. The beef and shrimp were good size bites which I enjoyed and the bean sprouts added texture. Good, not great. Lomo saltado I feel suffered from the "trying to be great" syndrome. I have usually had tougher cuts than the filet they used, consequently it was almost too tender for me. Other times the meat picks up some of the onion and tomato flavor but it was lacking here. The best dish I thought as the rotisserie chicken. Moist, flavorful, and hot are all good ways to describe it. Had both cuts of white meat and probably could've kept going! Everything topped with the aji sauce was good as well - not too spicy and very flavorful. I think it is made with cilantro which is weird since I don't like cilantro, but the blending just works for me. The other sides were not memorable - dry tostones (per usual, not necessarily cooked poorly but rather just how it is I think), yellow rice and beans, and hot dog slices on fries.

Overall, not exactly sure it is a 3 but I still enjoyed the meal. I guess I would go low 3. I do prefer the places in Providence (Machu Picchu, Julianas) and even the random spot in Cincinnati had better chaufa. I am guessing there are better Peruvian places in NYC, and if you are looking for South American then check out El Malecon just down the street...that place is good!

702 Amsterdam Ave
New York, NY 10025

Melville Deli - @@

Classic case of a lot of ok food does not make it great. This sandwich was heavy! I ordered the Classic Cuban for lunch at this deli by work. I have discovered that the NY delis are actually a combination of quick service items. This had ready made entrees like teriyaki chicken, fried chicken cutlets, brisket, pulled pork, various assorted sandwiches and more. There was a premade station, entree area, and cooked to order spot. The Cuban was at the cooked to order zone. There was a sheet tray of pork ready to go and the griddled the sandwich to order.

So far so good but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Asked for no pickles, you can see them in the picture. Tomato was included. Pork not super tender. Sandwich fell apart. Cheese not fully melted. Typing this out I can see why I didn't enjoy it much. Again lots of a bad thing is still a bad thing.

Maybe I will try something else from this place but with the limited time in the area will probably look to check out other lunch options.

90 Broadhollow Rd
Melville, NY 11747

Coliseum Kitchen - @@@

Random lunch spot in Long Island close to the office. Solid sandwich - the Alton Brown. Chicken cutlet, mozzarella, broccoli rabe, roasted peppers pressed in a panini style. Filling, melted and large. Wasn't seasoned much it seemed but still was good - perhaps the cold, rainy day just made me extra hungry.

This place also has pizza, soups, salad, some hot entrees and sushi. Will come back due to proximity and selection.

1660 Old Country Rd
Plainview, NY 11803

Kreggers - @@@

Well time to reset expectations. I think they are benefitting from the really good meal I had a Edo's Squid last night and can't decide if this is a 2 or 3. Clearly not as good, just not sure by how much

I got out of work late and searched yelp for a nearby restaurant open late. This place looked ok and got good reviews so I stopped by. Live music on Wednesdays too!! Bonus!!

Wanting to keep with a southern theme, I got jambalaya and brussels sprouts. The jambalaya was odd in that it had at least 5 whole bay leaves cooked in it. Never have seen that many and that they were kept in it was odd. Not too heavy on the chicken, maybe 2 chunks?? Slightly more sausage which I guess is better anyways. Not too much flavor...too tired/lazy/disinterested to ask for hot sauce. The brussels were better I thought. They were paired with a bacon jam in the dish which was pretty decent. A bit of sweet to complement the vegetables. They weren't overly fried either which was good. Definitely better than the Cat Cora Restaurant brussels that were paired with a honey balsamic at the ATL airport that I had the other day.

All in all pretty reasonable place. Good prices although I may be leery of the $7 strip steak dinner on Mondays. Would I come back? Probably not which makes me think of it as a 2 but feeling generous for a 3

9523 Kings Charter Dr
Ashland, VA 23005