El Nopalito Grill Tapas & Tequila Bar

Ohh finally! I’ve been looking forward to the day I can share this piece of heaven with you!

My first visit to El Nopalito Grill was back in 2010 for Mother’s Day and my return had been rattling around in my head since then, until finally I made it possible this past weekend. Despite the tornado warnings in the DC region, I was determined to have Friday dinner here and indeed the risk of being caught in the middle of the series of tornadoes that touched down in Montgomery County was all very much worth it.

Excited can’t even begin to describe my mood. It was all I remembered it to be and more.

Located on Bel Pre Road in Silver Spring, MD, El Nopalito offers both sides of Mexican Cuisine, authentic and modern. Thanks to the vision of Founder and Chef of El Nopalito, Ismar Reyes (MAHCC Mid Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Chef of the Year award 2010)

My favorite–Authentic–thank you Mr. Reyes.

Appetizer: Patatas Bravas– Golden Fried Potatoes with spicy brava sauce. I don’t know why I misread this and expected something like scalloped potatoes but even still, I wasn’t disappointed after seeing my mistake. Fried to perfection in a delicious garlic and pepper blend then to be dipped in an even more delicious red homemade hot sauce, oh love it was.

Entree: Salmon Fillet with Yellow Mole & Sauteed Spinach- If you’re looking for a healthy tasty dish that will send your taste buds soaring, this is the dish for you. Even without the yellow mole, the well seasoned salmon had a great flavor to it, but it was the mouth watering yellow mole that gave your taste buds your money’s worth. I thought it was just me who had become a little hot and in need of water after a few extra bites, but apparently the mole really is that spicy.  Definitely my top recommendation.

Entree: Ribs Zacatecas– One cut into these ribs and the meat is almost instantly falling right off the phone, try a couple more and you won’t have to be concerned with getting BBQ sauce all over your mouth. I always love a deliciously marinated rack of ribs whose meat is just over so tender and moist, you won’t have to worry about looking like a little piggy among the other guests. And with this ancho and chipotle chiles marinated rack satisfaction and clean hands is a given.

Desert: Sopapillas– The sweetest of all. Oh. My. Yums. Deep fried Mexican flatbread drizzled with caramel and topped with powdered sugar, oh and don’t forget your ice cream. Amazing just amazing, a definite Mexican desert you must try.

I highly recommend paying a visit to El Nopalito, great food and great service all at a great price, you’re sure to leave with a nice little stomach full from all the food. Best part is that El Nopalito’s portions aren’t huge and unappealing but portioned just right leaving you with room to try a little of everything and full of flavor that it is true, big flavor does come in little portions!

Oh! Added bonus! Check in to Facebook and receive 20% off!

Buen Provecho!

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Baked By Melissa

They’re tiny. They’re easy to eat. And they’re delicious.

Yep Baked by Melissa takes the concept of original cake turned mini cake-cupcake to even TINIER bite sized treats of Love.

With standard flavors such as Red Velvet, Cinnamon, Chocolate Chip Cupcake and Tie Dye just to name a few, you now don’t have to choose between flavors.

 

Depending on your order total, your mini cupcake can cost you $1 or less.

This makes it great to pick and choose and not having to feel guilty about eating too many normal sized cupcakes or even regretting no to try that flavor you were originally going for but decided to go back to your normal safety zone flavor.

Even though the cupcakes are smaller and about 1/10th of a size of a regular cupcake, that doesn’t mean it lacks any type of flavor. In fact its like a big ol’ POP in your mouth.

My personal favorites are the Red Velvet, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Chip Pancake and Smores.

The best part of Melissa’s is that the flavor names are pretty much self explanatory and you don’t have to be asking the staff whats in the cupcake.

So why not indulge a little? Melissa makes grabbing cupcakes a quick and painful one stop trip! And you don’t even have to worry about getting crumbs all over your self! The quick one or two bites you take eliminates the mess!

With many shops located around Manhattan, Baked by Melissa is a great choice for personal cravings, parties and even fashion shows!

Just ask fashion designer Betsey Johnson who during the month of February collaborated with Melissa to create really cool pink cupcakes for her Fall/Winter line show at New York City’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Show!

If models can eat them, why can’t you?

Not lucky enough to be living in the great city of New York? No worries! Melissa offers nation wide shipping so you can have your little bites delivered right to the comfort of your own home!

Crepe’n’tearia

Mixed berries, ice cream and whipped cream. Fresh strawberries and Nutella. Apple cinnamon, cheesecake & whipped cream.

Is your mouth watering yet? Now just imagine walking into Crepe’n’tearia on Union Turnpike in Queens, NY just a few blocks away from St. John’s University’s campus.

With its sleek modern design and interesting paintings on the wall, Crepe’n’tearia is a different approach to reaching hungry college kids in need of a quick delicious fix me up.

The best part is that for give or take $9 you could get a combo meal that includes a crepe and small bubble tea, depending on which you choose from the combo selection.

For $9 you can be sinking your teeth into a fluffy, warm crepe, topped with layers of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, the works. Umm doesn’t that sound yummy?

Or how about a delicious forkful of crepe and sweet peaches, its warmness mixed with the cold icy vanilla cream? Yum times a million.

Your experience at Crepe’n’tearia will definitely be an enjoyable one. The cool laid back setting allows students, residents, and anyone else catch a break especially those students from St. John’s where peace and quiet seem to be rare on campus.

Sweet tooth not as crazy, well not only do they offer sweet and tasty crepes but also a variety of savory crepes such as tuna, grilled chicken, Mexican and ham & mozzarella. Even though they cost a bit more than the sweet crepes without the drink.

Crepes aren’t the only things offered in this small restaurant that’s been around for seven years. A former chef for Giorgio Armani’s restaurants, the owner Connie also loves to bake delicious pastries that are available all day long at a cheap price. Cupcakes, tapioca, cookies and flan are only a few of the sweets Crepe’n’tearia has to offer.

Their bubble teas are also very delicious and offer quite a large variety of combinations so you could try a different kind every time you visit.

Next time you’re in need of a sugar fix and can go for some fresh fruit, Crepe’n’tearia is the place to be!

Little Cupcake Bake Shop

My first Cupcake Love in the SoHo area.

Located in NoHo, right around the corner from Pink Berry and Cafe Habana, Little Cupcake Bakeshop was always my go-to cupcake shop whenever I just got out of dinner or finished shopping.

I always loved the fact that they stay open until 11 and sometimes I feel like they weren’t anal about locking up right away, I think I’ve walked in there a bit later, maybe, I don’t know, I never take a look at my watch.

The atmosphere is so adorable! It kind of reminds me of the 1950’s with their black and white tiled floors. Kind of like a Soda shop. Its not huge like Martha’s out in Bayside but it is big enough for a couple of tables.

There’s usually almost always a nice little elderly couple or middle-aged couple on a date here. (AW!)

They have cupcakes, cakes, pies and muffins among more stuff. They also offer coffee and tea to have with your desert.

Like I’ve stated before, in some places like Crumbs, I am hesitant about tasting their Red Velvet Cupcakes.

However, the first cupcake I had here was the Red Velvet. Why? Because the environment and decoration of the shop made me feel like they knew what they were doing.

And two because they also have a Blue Velvet Cupcake and Cake.

Now I know you’re thinking “Um excuse me hungry person behind the screen, its just food dye” but think about it a place has to have good reputation on a classic to want to mix it up and play around with food coloring.

Or at least that’s my notion, but regardless it worked.

Because It was love at first bite when I tasted their delicious, moist, soft cupcakes with that delicious cream cheese frosting.

Now for those who don’t know Red Velvet Cupcakes are not made of real red velvet that you use as upholstry or on clothes, its actually a chocolate cupcake just doens’t have the strong chocolate flavor like a Devil’s Cupcake would. Or German Chocolate. Or dark chocolate.

(Someone once tried to tell me it was made up of Cayanne pepper! The nerve of that person!)

I love chocolate, but chocolate cupcakes tend to me quite a bit parch if I must say. That’s why I love red velvet because you get a bit of the cocoa flavor and the cream cheese frosting isn’t as dense and sweet as chocolate or vanilla frosting that tends to cover a chocolate cupcake.

So my reccomendation: Eat the Red Velvet Cupcake!

I don’t care if you’re counting calories, the fluffiness of the bread will make you feel like you’re hardly eating anything at all (Like those ridiculous 3Muskateers commercial)

Cupcake No. 2: Fresaaaaa or Strawberry for my non-spanish speaking visitors.

In a nutshell: Delicious and Creamy.

It doesn’t have actual strawberry chunks like other cupcakes I’ve had but it does however have a very creamy yummy frosting. And its so pretty in pink.

I think by now you’ve noticed that Red Velvet and Strawberry are my favorite so usually thats all I tend to get. But if a place is good enough to make me come back for my favorite then they’re doing something right!

I def recommend giving it a shot when you’re in the area. Hey! Why not even go for a splurge!

Go to both Little Cupcake Bake Shop and Georgetown Cupcake and tell me which you think is best!

My next mission: To try the blue velvet and see if there’s any other difference other than color.

Oh! There’s also one in Brooklyn in case you want to steer away from the masses of retail addicts in the area!

Bubby’s Tribeca

The first time I heard about this place it was described as “a carnivore’s sex menu.”

Now if you’re like me you’re probably thinking “HUH?! What in the… I thought this blog was about food.” Yeah I know I pictured a zombie ordering a big ol’ plate of arms and legs at a sterile counter as well… to be used for um, not so good public behavior.

Luckily this is NOT what Bubby’s is about.

To be honest I didn’t trust my friend with the oh-so-appetizing suggestion. So I did what I do best: Google and Yelp!

After looking over the menu’s online (they have a different menu for almost every part of the day) I figured it was worth a shot. So off we go to Tribeca!

Apperently Bubby’s is famous for their pies and various plates from different areas of the country. Not just BBQ and meats like I thought.

Finding it isn’t hard really but it is helpful to find the cow at like 9pm when its dark around you.

Upon stepping inside we got seated immediately. Even though it is a farily large restaurant, there was a whole entire wall of couples lined up so we got placed between two couples busily chit-chatting away.

Although being seated immediately was great, having to talk over but quietly enough not to be heard by others was pretty difficult. Especially when you’re underage and it seems that everyone around you has had one too many (the lady to our right was a character!) But I guess Bubby’s is just the perfect place to unwind after a long Wednesday at work.

Ok enough about people. On to the good stuff: FOOD! I mean after all this IS what this blog is about right?

First and foremost: DO NOT–I repeat–DO NOT have any large meal for lunch and then go to Bubby’s. NO! You need every single bit of space in your stomach.

Secondly, Yes I know my intentions were to have a “cheap-eats” but I have the hardest time sticking to that sometimes. Bubby’s dinner plates usually start at about $16 (at least online, there’s a surprise at the restaurant) but for the sake of this blog, and my already full stomach I got the cheapest things on the entrees menu.

I ordered the Green Mole Chicken Tacos. Ok so here’s the surprise. Online it says $16 for a platter. But when you go in you get a little surprise of having a one, two or three taco options, varying your prices from about $10.95-17.95. Good huh?

At first I was going to get the one taco but I thought “No I can eat two.” Um I was wrong >.<

The portions at this place are HUGE! Like I mean HUGE! My two tacos combined were practically the size of my head.

Not to mention that it also includes two sides of green rice (Amazing) and black beans (Amazing) which were just great (meaning FABULOUS) together!

Even though the tacos were good I must say that they were a bit disappointing. The positives are that they were loaded with chicken and not just dry burnt chicken. No. Tender, moist chicken breast that when I tried to take a fork full off my taco it just tore apart because it was so tender.

The tacos were also topped with lettuce, cheese, sour cream and lime making up for the lack of flavor I expected but didn’t get.

If you read my previous blogs you would know I love spicy food. So if I read “green chicken mole” I expect hot green mole. But I didn’t get any. Now I’m not going to say this was a complete turn off but I did have to ask for tobasco sauce to add that hot flavor.

Thankfully everything else was great so the substitution of tobasco didn’t affect me much. If you don’t like spicy foods and you like Mexican then this is your dish!

My friend–the carnivore– ordered the House Smoked Pit Barbeque Combo ($28)

Basically what the Pit BBQ is fresh, naturally raised meats BBQ’d in their own “Hickory Pit.”

The combo consisted of three meats and two sides. Usually you hear more than one meat and you think smaller portions because they’re letting you taste it but no this is not the case. The portions seemed pretty regular to me.

His platter included: Home made Texas Hot Link, Brisket and Spare Ribs with Hush Puppies and Fries. Honestly I now know what he meant by “sex menu” the ultimate pleaser for meat-lovers. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a plate stacked up as high as his.

I got to taste the brisket which was very tender and enjoyable. I figured brisket would be something like a pulled pork and it was pretty pleasant to know it indeed was soft and juicy.

Even though I personally would have ordered greens and mashed potatoes as my sides, the hush puppies were pleasantly enjoyable. Especially when dipped in the sauce that was given with, DELISH.

And now the best part… DESERT!!

So I went on the first day of Lent. And for Lent I gave up cupcakes 😦

Luckily for me, Bubby’s is famous for their Pies! Yes, they had cupcakes but they had a full list of pies offered at the moment. I couldn’t decide between the Apple Pie and Pecan Pie (unfortunately, the Cherry Pie was sold out) So Apple Pie it was… AND Oh God was it worth it!

At $8 a slice you get just enough crust and apple filling to make lovers of either happy. I prefer a pie with more crust than filling but this was just a perfect combination of both!

Served with a scoop of whipped cream, the pie wasn’t too sweet to make you down a whole glass of water and it was sprinkled powdered sugar if your sweet tooth does crave more.

Hmm now what else can I say about Bubby’s. Oh! Biscuits! Home made buttery warm biscuits! Served right along with homemade grape jelly and butter! Nice warm and flaky biscuits without being to greasy so you won’t feel guilty about smothering jelly and butter over it. AMAZING.

I think if I could go back I would have just saved myself the trouble of struggling to finish my huge plate of food and ordered more biscuits. I love biscuits and next to Cracker Barrel’s biscuits these are some of the best I’ve tasted!

So entree, desert, appetizer and now drinks. Fresh presses. And I mean FRESH! Tasting the cranberry-lime, as a lover of sour drinks like freshly squeezed lemonade I couldn’t help but pucker up every time I took a sip of this refreshing drink. The taste of the lime did over power the cranberry because unlike the pineapple-lime, which was sweeter and a perfect combo of both, the cranberry-lime was still great.

Ok so there you have it. My quick but lengthy review of Bubby’s. Which honestly, I don’t know how I even remembered anything. I should be in a food coma after how much I ate that day. But here I am making plans when to visit this restaurant who claims to “Defend the American Table” and in fact does. Next dish: Fried Chicken! And don’t forget the biscuits!