Clover Eats!
Sharing restaurant experiences through photography!
Square One Coffee | Philly
We stopped by this adorable coffee shop while waiting for a table at Green Eggs; there were students at every table with their MacBooks and notepads. I got the delightful ‘light and sweet’ that was right up my alley as far as coffee goes. The latte had a leaf in it, and the espresso was strong. Nice selection of pour-overs and espresso. Yelp says unfortunately their outlets are limited, but that didn’t stop the undergrads from flocking to this hot spot. (Yelp; website)
Casablanca | Ypsilanti
Moroccan Chicken Wings
Avocado smoothie and CasaBlanca Delight
choice of avocado, orange, strawberry, mango, banana, spinach, ginger, kale and honey
Bistilla
Herb saffron chicken, orange blossom water, honey, almonds powdered sugar, and cinnamon.
Sweet Lamb Tagine
Lamb chunks, herbs, honey, raisins or prunes, and almonds
Mhammar: Roasted Chicken with lemon
Whole chicken, butter, onions, saffron, herbs, and olive oil w fresh ginger
Falafel
When I went back to Ann Arbor for a day, we went to Casablanca. I remember this location used to be Blue Wolf Grill and that I was never that impressed with it. Casablanca is fortunately more delicious. The avocado smoothie was great, similar to the way avocado bubble tea smoothies taste. We got two Moroccan appetizers and then two entree Moroccan combos for eight people, and had a lot of food left over. Unfortunately they were out of zalook, which my friends said was one of the tastiest offerings. The service was prompt and they helped split our bill eight ways. The bistilla was probably the most interesting, both savory and sweet. A great meal!
New! House of Naan | New Haven
We saw all 5-star reviews on Yelp for the newly-opened House of Naan and raced over to try it out. It was pretty empty, not surprising for a new restaurant, but I can see it being pretty crowded in a few months. I was excited by the list of cocktails; it’s nice to see a real wine list and some mixed drink offerings, it shows effort. I went for the Mango Crush (Skyy Mango, yogurt, and Cardamom syrup), which wasn’t too bad until my husband described it as tasting like dentist bubblegum flavoring and then I couldn’t enjoy it any more. It wasn’t so off-putting that I wouldn’t try some of the other cocktails they’ve crafted though. The menu is highly customizable, allowing you to pick your sauce and protein. I went for a classic paneer tikka masala, and my husband chicken madras. Both of these had excellent sauces. They also have sweet naan, a favorite of ours, which many restaurants don’t offer. The paneer in my dish was reasonable but not the most amazing panner I’ve had, however my husband was quite impressed by the quality of the chicken, saying it was superior to the chicken used at other restaurants around town. He did have one chewy piece though, and the water had an alkali scent to it, almost like leftover soap, but besides these small issues, I think this is currently the best Indian restaurant New Haven has to offer! We didn’t realize they had ras malai, my husband’s favorite, so we’ll definitely be back! Yelp; website.
Blufish Sushi Robata | Vernon Hills
$3 happy hour sangria
Bye Bye Baby – Vodka Lychee Elderflower – with dry ice
Salmon avocado, spicy tuna happy hour rolls
Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna – Pan fried crispy rice, spicy tuna, wasabi, aioli, teriyaki sauce
Vegetable, shrimp tempura
Salmon Sunshine – Snow crab, cucumber, avocado, spicy mayo, fresh salmon, lemon, pico de gallo, ponzu sauce
Blufish Don – Tuna, salmon, yellowtail, tamago, sushi rice, assorted Japanese pickle
I was really surprised to see this new sushi restaurant when I came home. It got ridiculously good (5 stars but only 30 posts) reviews on Yelp, but I still didn’t set my expectations too high because this is Vernon Hills. The rather unassuming exterior also spoke to my prediction that this would be just another suburban sushi joint. Once I walked in, I was really shocked at how beautiful the interior was – lots of wood and white, pillars, chandeliers, pintuck grey booth seats – everything just felt like a restaurant one would see downtown, rather than here. The service was prompt, and we fortunately arrived during Happy Hour, and the $3 Sangria actually was better than my Bye Bye Baby cocktail, which was beautifully presented on a bed of dry ice. The sushi was absolutely superb, and I love how the Blufish Don came with pickled vegetables. There was a very interesting sake list that I would have loved to try. In addition to sushi, they also have a variety of offerings from the kitchen, as well as the robata grill; the tempura we got was delicious. Lastly, dessert was surprisingly sophisticated for a sushi restaurant, with a soft rose macaroon that had perfect texture. Overall, a really fantastic addition to the Vernon Hills restaurants, one that really raises the bar and absolutely exceeded my expectations. Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
New! Mecha Noodle Bar in New Haven
I don’t know how I only just heard about Mecha, a noodle bar that recently opened up across the street from Jeera Thai. They have locations in Fairfield and Norwalk as well. I was struck by how young and hip the restaurant looked, reminding me of Ann Arbor’s Tomukun, seeming almost too cool for a New Haven restaurant. I love their cocktail menu and tried both their ramen and pho, both of which were wonderful, also love how they have kae-dama so you can really get your noodle fix. Service was prompt and pleasant, and they kindly separate the noodle from the broth when packing up your meal. It gets busy at dinnertime, but I can’t wait to come back and try everything from the pork belly bao to the alcoholic bubble tea!
Piroshky, Piroshky | Seattle WA
One of the first places we went in Pike Place was this Russian pastry shop. There was a line going out the door that was intimidating at first but then we realized that it moved quickly and that it was long because the store itself is so small! We happened to come during Happy Hour during which pastries are only $3! We got a wide assortment of savory and sweet pastries, but I thought the sweet pastries were the best.
Website | Yelp
Pike Place Chowder | Seattle
I was surprised to find that the recommended chowder was actually a Boston chowder. Then, when I got my little bowl, I realized I wasn’t even that big a fan of chowder, and so in the massive food frenzy of this trip, I would say this is one of the places I enjoyed the least. That’s not to dissuade you chowder-lovers out there from seeking this place out though!
Pike Brewing Company | Seattle
We stopped by this pub for Happy Hour. The walls are plastered with plaques, and everything from giant beer bottles to bikes hang from the ceilings. While the collection is certainly impressive, it’s exhausting after a while. I’m not a huge fan of beer but it’s nice to these huge beer places have ciders on tap.
Steelhead Diner | Seattle
It happened to be Restaurant Week when we visited Seattle, which we realized when we were handed the Restaurant Week Menus in Steelhead Diner, a restaurant we stopped by for dinner in Pike Place. It was unfortunately really crowded and we had a large party, so I think that detracted from the meal, but I had a great time with the lovely view.
Hot Cakes | Seattle
When we went to Seattle, our friends took us to this amazing molten lava cake restaurant, where not only can you eat amazing fresh just-out-of-the-oven lava cakes, but you can purchase version that you can take home and make yourself and reproduce the magic that is lava cake. Also they have alcoholic milkshakes, how amazing is that?
Website | Yelp
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