The Food and Drink Guy

Tag: Tapas

  • The Brickyard Downtown (Chandler, AZ) Review

    The Brickyard Downtown (Chandler, AZ) Review

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    4.75* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 5*

    Value: 5*

    Service: 4*

    02/24/2024 The Brickyard Downtown (480) 963-1373

    When we got out of Saturday evening Mass, my wife found this gem while searching restaurants near our hotel. Downtown Chandler comes alive in the evenings and this place was right in the middle of the activity – open, modern and full of energy.

    We started with a Kentucky Maid (see picture – great bourbon drink) and a Gates of Oblivion (see picture – we love smokey mezcal with some spice and this one delivers both) drink. Both of them were delicious…just a bit on the small side. Maybe intentionally so, to be consistent with the smaller Tapas plates served for dinner.

    For our main course, I went with the Coconut Shrimp (see picture) and my wife ordered the Pork Fried Rice (see picture). Both of them were amazingly delicious and due to the smaller Tapas plate sizes, we opted to order the Pork Tacos (see picture) to share. They were some of the best street tacos that we’ve had – warm, fresh, moist and seasoned to perfection!

    You will definitely enjoy a stop here for dinner – while the plates and drinks are a little on the small side (Tapas), the lower prices serve as an offset…and you will be less likely to feel stuffed when you leave!

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    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    Coconut Shrimp
    Pork Fried Rice
    Pork Taco
    Kentucky Maid
    Gates of Oblivion

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

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  • The Stuffed Olive (Des Moines, IA) Review

    The Stuffed Olive (Des Moines, IA) Review

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    4.75* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 5*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 5*

    11/17/2023 The Stuffed Olive (515) 243-4456

    We have been wanting to get here to try their martinis for quite some time and although we missed Happy Hour to do it, we found out that their food is quite good also! We stopped here for dinner last night and while the portions were a little on the small side for some of the dishes (see pictures), the quality of both the food and martinis were excellent (see pictures). Turns out, not only do they make great martinis, the food is definitely worth a try also!

    We started with a Funky Martini (see picture) and Redwave Martini (see picture). While my wife really enjoyed the Funky Martini, I will probably not order the Redwave Martini again. While it was quite spicy (which I like), the unique combination of spices used for the rim was not one of my favorites.

    We followed the drinks up with a Zucchini Fritters appetizer (see picture) and both of us really enjoyed it – the fritters tasted great and the sauce that came with them was a great complement. For our dinners, I ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna – Kamikaze / blackened style (see picture) and my wife ordered the Chicken and Spinach Risotto (see picture).

    While my wife was a bit disappointed with the portion size on hers, we both really enjoyed the Ahi Tuna – the blackened pepper crust was very good and the Brussels Sprouts and other vegetables were flavorful and cooked to perfection. The white horseradish-tasting dipping sauce was also very good on the tuna…even though the flavor of the tuna was so good that it really didn’t need anything else.

    We topped off the meal with what else but a couple of sweeter martinis – I opted for the Espresso Martini (see picture) while my wife went with the Dirty Banana Martini (see picture). Both were excellent in their own categories, with the espresso being a strong coffee liqueur flavor and the Dirty Banana full of sweet chocolate and banana deliciousness.

    Maybe most important is the service that you receive while dining. My wife and I were both very impressed with our server, Alexis! Not only was she friendly and personable, she gave us space (time) when we needed it and had excellent opinions to offer when asked. It was clear that she knew the menu items (food and drink) quite well, was willing to share her knowledge and really enjoyed her work. When you go, please be sure to say ‘Hi’ to Alexis from The Food and Drink Guy. We will definitely be back…

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    Zucchini Fritters
    Seared Ahi Tuna (Kamikaze)
    Chicken & Spinach Risotto
    Funky Martini
    Redwave Martini
    Espresso Martini
    Dirty Banana Martini

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

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  • Blackbird Woodfire (Fargo, ND) Review

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    4.0* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 4*

    Atmosphere: 4*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 4*

    11/28/2015

    Bison Meatballs were delicious!  We enjoyed them as an appetizer before our pizza and would highly recommend them.

    11/23/2014

    The bread plate was excellent, as was the ‘special’ pizza.  The BLT was ok, but not one of my favorites.

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    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com