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Archive for Reviews
Mama Lucia’s Revisited
So I went to Mama Lucia’s again last night for the second time. I really am starting to dislike the place. Their food is not bad, don’t get me wrong. It’s just adequate. They serve you huge portions, and they’re not cheap. You end up taking half your dinner home in a doggie bag. I had the Pollo alla Siciliana. It wasn’t that good. I hate to say it, but it just wasn’t. I’d love to say that I had my mother’s dish which was Salmon Rosé. That was actually quite nice. My chicken, however, was in some kind of brown sauce. I think the pasta was buttered and the chicken tasted like it had been frozen. I’m really disappointed in the place… The weird thing is, is that when you walk in the place you can immediately see into the back of the kitchen. That’s a bit off putting to me because, to be honest, I don’t want to see your sweaty chefs making my meal.
In conclusion… I would not pick this place to go out to eat again. I’ve been there twice now and they have failed to impress.
Mama Lucia’s Review
Mama Lucia’s is located in the shopping center with Coldstone’s and Five Guys and Lee Nails. It’s in a good place to get business and people. However, I was not particularly unimpressed with the menu. It was very blah, and unoriginal. Also the bread they serve there is weird. It’s like marinara sauce butter on bread, and the bread was hard… Ugh, I just didn’t like it. I was feeling in the mood for some classic pasta, so I ordered spaghetti and meatballs. I’m sad to say, they didn’t even execute that well. The pasta sauce was watery, and the spaghetti was super thick and felt like little snakes in my mouth. I guess I can’t complain too much about pasta thickness, but the watery sauce pushed me over the edge. They hadn’t drained the spaghetti that well, and it made my pasta WATERY. Ugh. The menu is classical italian with absolutely nothing original or anything along those lines. I guess you can’t really vary too much from the ‘classical’ italian flavors, but I mean come on! Overall, I was unimpressed, and I’m not sure I’d go back again. I think you’d have better luck at the California Tortilla around the corner.
Proof Artisan Bakery and Barista Review
My first review on a bakery! Haha, I love bakerys! Ok, so Proof is located right in the heart of downtown historic Frederick which conjures up some nice images, no? Initially walking in, I felt very classy. I was dressed pretty classy too, I must say 
The floor was neat and clean and the whole place had that Pine-Sol look to it. I did feel like I was in a cave a little bit, not much natural lighting makes it way through. However you can sit outside if you prefer. Well, there’s the typical bakery-type menu, which the goodies looked fantastic! They bake everything fresh every day. (The cupcakes looked delish!) I ended up ordering the Cure sandwich and a can of Sprite to go with. However, I did end up taking a chicken pesto sandwich and eating that. It was a small mistake, however the chicken pesto sandwich was good. I guess they must have realized their mistake once I was halfway through my sandwich, and I kind of realized it too… But I didn’t want to say anything The chicken pesto sandwich has fried chicken and an aioli of some sort on it. Anyways, it was greasy and messy to eat to say the least. It was really good though. Their chai tea lattes aren’t too bad either. I did request skim milk, but I believe I was given whole milk instead…. There was only one person working there when I approached the counter, and I think it was inefficient to say the least. The person taking my order was rather brisk and aloof. Not even a smile or ‘have a nice day’. She seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed. I also tried their broccoli and cheddar soup. It had a very nice consistency and flavor to it.
Bottom Line: With an inattentive, smile-less staff, this place is still a place I would frequent to grab a bite to eat at my lunch break. Even though I was a little put off by the staff, it is a noteworthy place, and the food does speak for itself.
Location: 12 East Patrick Street Frederick, MD 21701
Website: www.proofbakery.com
Clyde’s Review
My description of this restaurant would be a dressed up bar. The atmosphere is pleasant and relaxed. The menu does not reflect those qualities, it is much more upscale than barfood, but it is definitely a noteworthy place. The service again, I have to say, was slow. SLOW SLOW SLOW. I’m used to the hostess seating you, and the waiter coming in under 5 minutes to take your drink orders. First, the decor. It does look like a homey sort of bar type place. You wouldn’t connect the menu with the room you were in. The tables were small, and the room was cramped with 10 tables in a small room. Not exactly comfortable, but bearable. First, we ordered the crab and artichoke heart dip. Oh was it fantastic. The flavors melded well with the brie cheese that was also in the dip. For an entree I ordered Tagliarini Carbonara. When it arrived it was steaming hot and greasy. Grease doesn’t bother me as much as it does some people, but fat is flavor right? It had egg yolk pasta, bacon, a fried egg, and onions. It was a very nice dish all together. However, my uncle ordered the pork chops and halfway through the steak he realized it looked a bit pink. Really pink. We asked the waiter to send the food back and re-fire it. The watier patiently explained that when they brined the prok sometimes it turned pink, but he took it back anyways. It did seem that the pork WAS undercooked. Note to customers: watch your meat carefully!
Bottom Line: A nice family-friendly place to go if you’re in the area. The menu was definitely unique, and it had a bit of a flair to it. BTW, Godiva is having a 50% off sale next door to Clyde’s!
Location: 3236 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
Phone (202) 333-9180
Website: www.clydes.com
McCormick & Schmick’s Review
Ah yes. McCormick & Schmicks the seafood restaurant. I dined there a few days ago, with my extended family. Where to start? Let’s start with the beginning. While waiting to be seated (there was 8 of us) 4 different people asked us what they could help us with. While that’s no problem within itself, it begs the question as to organization. Were they organized? Well, no. It took 5 minutes for our seating host to fetch 2 kid’s menus. We were then seated outside on the porch dining area. The menu was extensive and intricate. Apparently every day they recieve new fish from different parts of the world. Therefore, the menu is constantly changing. We all ordered different things, but I ordered the stuffed salmon. We also ordered the calamari appetizer. The drink orders were taken 10 minutes after seating and the calamari arrived about 10 minutes later as well. Absolutely EXCELLANT calamari. It was tender and it really did taste fresh. The entrees took a bit longer but they were acceptable as well. The salmon was cooked nicely, but it was also lukewarm upon arrival (:(). The stuffing was good, it was brie cheese with shrimp and crab imperial. The mashed potatoes were also excellant, and the asparagus was nice as well. At the end of the meal we all also ordered dessert. I ordered somesort of sundae contraption looking thing. It was good, but when I actually recieved it the icecream was melted!
Bottom Line: Expensive, good food. I wonder if the lunch menu or the weekday menu would be cheaper? The food was definitely fresh as well. The service was abysmally slow and it took us 2 1/2 hours to get out of there. However, the food was fantastic, and in my opinion it was worth the wait.
Location: Pier 5 Inner Harbor, 711 Eastern Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
Restaurant: (410) 234-1300
Website: www.mccormickandschmicks.com
Lotus Chinese Restaurant
Ah yes, you can see I like chinese food Lotus is a little bit of a dump if I do say so myself. I’m sure many people will disagree with me on this topic, but it’s my opinion 
First walking in, it was humid. Yes, humid. Like no AC running humid. It was also about 75 degrees. It was like walking into a sauna. Ew. Anyways, we were seated at a small table. I mean like 4×4ft. table. Okay, maybe not that small, but it was small! My father, being no short man, had to kinda scrunch up under there. Anyways, within minutes we were all sweating. Looking over the menu, it was clear that this was another of those ‘call-ourselves-chinese’ restaurants. I ordered some sort of fish dish with vegetables. It arrived lukewarm and woefully bland. I was disappointed, as was the rest of my family. The wonton soup there was a sad excuse for soup as well. (Wonton soup is my favorite, if you can’t make it right, you’re restaurant PHAILS. )
Bottom Line: Your average chinese restaurant. Notice how I say average. Prices are a little more than what I’d expect for what you’re getting. You could say family-friendly, but I’m not so sure.
Location: Rt 40 & Baughmans Ln Frederick, MD 21702
Bonefish Grill Review
Ah, yes. The Bonefish Grill. It is a chain, but that won’t stop me from doing a review on them. One of the main reasons I chose to do a review on this restaurant is because it has amazing food! Normally with chain restaurants you get blah, boring, and safe menus. However, this menu has a bit of a ‘bang’ to it. The food is always hot and has a nice flavor to it. I suggest the Bang Bang Shrimp as an appetizer. It’s absolutely delish. Anyways, the main courses are always interesting there. Whether or not you decide to sample something new is up to you, but I do recommend it. The waiters/waitresses are always kind and have a nice smile on their face. Apparently the martinis and alcohol there are good as well, but I’ve never had any. I would recommend the Chicken Portabella Pasta. It’s got some nice flavors going on in there, as well as a nice texture. I’m also a huge pasta person.
Bottom Line: Great place, great food, great atmosphere. The prices are reasonable for what you’re getting, and how much. (Usually.) It could be considered a family restaurant, but it definitely doesn’t have family-friendly prices.
Location: 1305 W. 7th ST Ste. 37, Frederick MD 21702
Forbidden City Review
Forbidden City is probably one of the best chinese restaurants I’ve ever been to. The prices are fantastic for the amount of food they give you. Plus I believe the food is some of the best I’ve had. The wonton soup is some of the best, and everything there is just delicious! Sure it’s greasy, but what chinese food isn’t? The plating isn’t spectacular, but chinese food generally isn’t. I love their food. I’ve been going there for my whole life and I pretty much grew up on that chinese food. It looks like a little hole in the wall, but it has fantastic food. I can’t really rave anymore about this place. The decor is interesting. They have chinese lamps hanging from the walls and chinese chandeliers. It’s a great place, and the food’s always good.
Bottom Line: Good food, good atmosphere, good prices. A family-friendly place as well.
Location: 12 Carroll St Westminster, MD 21157
The Whaling Company Review
The Whaling Company is actually a restaurant Yesterday I ate there because I’m in Busch Gardens with my friend. So, to the review. Initially stepping in, I noticed the lighting was dim. That is a problem. A HUGE problem. The light was so dim that you could barely see your menu and your food in front of your face! Glancing over the menu, I notice that things are in the mid-range price and that they SOUND good. However, they did not taste good. I ordered the clam appetizer for dinner because I wasn’t all that hungry. Looked good on the menu, in the crockery pot they gave me, and when I pulled them out they looked good. I took the first clam out and I ate it. First thing I noticed was that something was crunching. Upon further inspection I realize it’s sand that I’m chomping on. UGH. Next I realize that the clams really didn’t have all that much taste…. Another bad. I tried my friend’s shrimp scampi and I noticed that it was pretty tasteless too. What a disappointment. This restaurant was a huge let-down for me because I expected a lot better from a seafood restaurant. (Mind you that’s what this place is.) I didn’t try any of their fresh fish because I’m on a budget, so maybe if I come back here again I will try it.
Bottom Line: In all senses of the word crappy, that’s what this place was. I wasn’t impressed with the menu or the decor and lighting. The menu was uninspired and the food was on the low side of mediocre.
Location: 494 McLaws Circle Williamsburg, VA 23185
