Mickey Mantle's Restaurant and Sports Bar

Mickey Mantle's Restaurant and Sports Bar

42 Central Park S, New York, NY 10019

When you are in Manhattan and need a place to eat with a view of Central Park, I would recommend it. They have sitting outside, yet there are horse carriages and the smell can might unpleasant at times. My friend and I choose the inside dining room. The place is your typical sport bar feel with Mickey Mantle's memorabilia and there is a small gift shop to the right of the restaurant. I love the view of the park and watching people walking by, and horse carriages as well.

It was lunch time and they were busy. We ordered the house special daiquiri in the Mickey Mantle glass and it's your for the keeping. For appetizer, the southern fried chicken fingers with spicy mustard was amazing, and I was surprised by the tastiness of the meat and the sauce. The service was slow, for we asked for bread three times, and they finally brought it after the appetizer and it was cold.

The main entree was the grilled salmon salad. I really enjoy it, it was fresh, and the salmon grill flavor was well done, and the house dressing is great with the flavor of thousand island and french dressing mixture of sweet, creamy and a little kick to it. I love NYC for this reason, everything is so multi-cultural, and you can taste it in the food with the messing of different flavors come together for a fabulous finish.

The price was decent for about $20 per person. If you are looking for a casual dining by Central Park, this is the place. Happy living!

JB Kitchen & Bar

JB Kitchen & Bar

1250 S. Miami Ave

Miami, FL 33130

This is the first negative review that I am writing, there I just went ahead and put it out there.

This place used to be Badrutt's Place, if anyone have been there before there is nothing much have change except they took the upper deck dance floor out. The food was very disappointed as I was when it was Badrutt's Place. The place is nice with the outside sitting area the decor is modern upscale. The music was so loud that you have to shout to have a conversation.

I was there with some good friends on a Friday night and it was busy because New Times had a Tweetup event there in the bar and outside area, but the dining room was empty with only one other table. We ordered drinks and it took a long time for our food to come.

I ordered garlic streamed mussels which was bland and I had to ask for some hot sauce, and the bread that came with it was so burnt that I could not even bite in it and the crust was black. I asked for some fresh bread, and it did not come until I was almost done with the mussels. The manager finally came by and I told him about the bread and he said it's supposed to be that way, my friend put it in his hand and he had a funny look on his face for he realized how burnt the bread was. Well, he left and never came back. Then one of my friends ordered the chef signature dish recommended by the server the seared scallops, it was decent but the bland sour kraut that came with it was horrible since it did not even go together at all. My other friends played it safe, one ordered the cheeseburger and the last dish was the chicken salad; they let me have a taste and it was your average stuff. I definitely would not go back. I actually went to their grand opening a little while ago and it was decent, and I was reluctant to eat dinner there, but my friends were hungry at the New Times Tweetup and they wanted to eat and I figure I would give them another chance. Lesson learn again, always trust my instincts. Happy Eating!

Korean cuisine

Finding Korean food in Miami is pretty much non-existence. However, there is one in Doral called Yuki Hana, it's a Japanese and Korean restaurant. It's a small cozy and nice little restaurant, there is of course a sushi bar as well. You have to ask for the Korean menu since you will be giving a Japanese menu when you sit down. The other place it's in North Miami Beach called Kyung Ju, this place is a stand alone and pretty nice size with Korean decor.


Most people gets intimidate with Korean food since it's not well know, but do not be afraid for it's very tasty. If I do get an appetizer, I love their seafood pancake, it's just seafood with flour mixed together and pan fried and it's so delicious with their brown sauce that comes with it. My two favorites entrees are the seafood tofu soup and the Korean beef BBQ. The seafood tofu soup it's served in a hot pot, so it's such a heart warming dish for winter time, or if you are not feeling well. The Korean beef BBQ is served over onions and hot plate here, yet some restaurant have a portable grill that you can cook it at your table in front of you. What I really enjoy about Korean food is the banchan, side dishes, that comes with your meal besides stream white rice. The banchan dishes varies depends on the restaurant, they are usually consists of kimchi (preserved cabbage with garlic and chili), tofu, bean sprouts, cucumber, radishes, potato, fish cake, etc. If you like spicy food, you can ask for Korean hot sauce on the side to add to your dish. The flavor is amazing with the combination of the side dishes accompanying your main dish. Go try it, and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Matsuri Japanese Restaurant

5759 Bird Rd, Miami, FL 33155

I have to admit I have been disappointed at the Japanese restaurants in Miami, they all have been average or bad. There was this one restaurant that I got sick from having raw sushi, so no more raw sushi for me after that. However, my friend introduced me to Matsuri, it's hidden in a shopping center in Westchester. If you blink and not pay attention you would not even notice it. The set up is very zen and Asian with bamboo wood floor and bamboo wall paper. As you walked through the dining room, there is a sushi bar to the right on the back. It is a nice size place and it's packed with people, we arrived at 12:30pm for lunch with a reservation so we only waited for 5 minutes. The service was quick for a busy place. I ordered the bento box with tempura and it comes with salad, California roll, another choice of meat that you can pick from sashimi to teriyaki, and orange for dessert. My friend ordered the sashimi bowl with rice, he used to live in Japan so I believe him when he said their fish is the freshest you can get at a Japanese place. What makes them unique and authentic is the vinegar in the rice, it adds such a good flavor to the sushi that you do not even need the soy sauce, and the ginger is very high quality and tasty. For dessert we ordered the tempura cheesecake and bananas with vanilla ice cream, of course this is so Americanize but it's good. The price is very affordable, my bento box is only $8 and the sashimi is about $15. The dessert was about $5. I will definitely drive out there for good Japanese food any time. Enjoy!

Pizza Rustica

Pizza Rustica is my favorite pizza place in south beach. There are three locations: The Original 863 Washington Ave which have been around since 1996 and that is very rare for south beach, Cameo 1447 Washington Ave, and Lincoln Rd. Mall 667 Lincoln Rd.

It's a small busy pizza place with the fresh smell of the pizza baking in the oven and they stay busy all the time. I usually just walk up and order my favorite house specialty big rectangular slice of Pizza Rustica. They just pop your slice in the oven and in a few minutes you grab it and find a table to sit down and eat the delicious pizza. The Rustica ingredients consist of ham, artichoke, olives, tomatoes, cheese, and basil. Of course they have my favorite condiments of red pepper, oregano and Parmesan cheese.

They have such a big selection to satisfy everyone, from the wheat crust with salad on top to shrimp, to vegetarian, to the meat lover, and they have sandwiches as well. The price is amazing for about $5 you get such a big slice that I usually only eat half of it and take the other half home. The crust is so crunchy and the ingredients is flavorful and fresh. If you are looking for some unpretentious place in south beach, this is definitely one of them. Enjoy!

Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro in Atlanta, GA

When I was in Atlanta last week, my friend, Ken suggested this place for dinner since we love spicy food. This is a New Orleans restaurant, bar and bakery. This place is bright with a nice New Orleans style decor. We sat in the bar area to be in the middle of the action. They have a lot of house specialty martinis, I ordered Lemonhead since the server suggested it for I like it strong and sour. My friend likes the sweet stuff, so he got Porn Star.

For appetizer, we ordered the Crab and Crawfish bake with cheese and asparagus serves with garlic bread and it was delicious!

Dinner for me was the Crawfish Ravioli, for I have not heard of that before and I wanted some crawfish since I have not had any in a long time. It was absolutely amazing. The ravioli have a little hard texture from the baking with cheese in it, and the spicy Cajun sauce with crawfish serves over the Ravioli. I would definitely suggest this dish if you want some unique flavor.

My friend ordered the house special blackened salmon with 2 sides of corn and fried rice, and he loved it! I did not get dessert, but my friend loves white chocolate cheesecake and this is the only place he can get it and it's his absolute favorite dessert of all time. The prices are affordable, we ordered all of that and it only costs both of us about $90, which is not bad including martinis. Next time if you are in Atlanta, please stop by there, for you would be disappointed. Good eating!

Words of Wisdom - Proverbs from Asia

If the thought is good, (your) place and path are good; if the thought is bad, (your) place and path are bad. Bhutanese Proverb

Great desire obtains little. Burmese Proverb

The boat sails by, the shore remains. Cambodian Proverb

If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words. Chinese Proverb

Laws control the lesser man. Right conduct controls the greater one. Chinese Proverb

To a person who has real shame, words are oath. Filipino Proverb

Education in your childhood is like the letters in a sculpture. Indian Proverb

It is not wise to live in water and be an enemy of the crocodile. Indian Proverb

Unless you enter the tiger's den you cannot take the cubs. Japanese Proverb

To know and to act are one and the same. Japanese Proverb

Coming words will be beautiful if gone words were beautiful. Korean Proverb

Fools who know nothing constanly try to show off what they know, but the wise who know all are silent. Korean Proverb

If there's no chili, there's no taste. Malay Proverb

Gold rains in foreign countries, while hailstone drops on own country, still one's own country is better. Malay Proverb

The living are denied a table; the dead get a whole coffin. Mongolian proverb

The more you listen the more you give yourself room for doubt. Mongolian Proverb

To play the violin for the water buffalo to listen to. Thai Proverb

There are no incurable diseases but only incurable people. Tibetan Proverb

Thieves never steal bells. Tibetan Proverb

Hunger brings the wolf to the fold. Vietnamese Proverb

Nice words are free, so choose ones that please another's ears. Vietnamese Proverb

Embracing Change

Embracing Change
Change is the natural state of life, yet we hate changes since we are such a creature of habit. Let just look at the four seasons that we have in place on this beautiful Earth. Spring is about new beginning or renew, blooming of the flowers. Summer is nice and warm to enjoy the new birth. Then Fall is when the leaves fall off the tree to prepare for the Winter hibernation with the cold weather. Then a new cycle being again, and each cycle have it's own significant...we constantly grow. As we learn to embrace changes and take it as it comes life is not that bad, for life is fun and rich.

Burger & Beer Joint

Burger and Beer Joint in South Beach - 1766 Bay Road, Miami Beach, FL 33139

As you all know burger seems to be the trend lately, for they are popping up everywhere. I have tried a few places, Phat Burger, Five Guys, Cheeseburger Baby, 8oz Burger, they were all pretty good.

The one place that I have to give the crown to is Burger and Beer Joint. The place is comfy style with tables and booths with brick walls. The decor can be describe as American rock and roll. Their burger is unique and it's 10oz prime Angus beef and comes with skinny fries. Recently I had the Hotel California, the burger have salsa, guacamole, grilled red onion, cilantro sour cream, sharp cheddar, sunny side up fried egg, and on the side is tomato, lettuce, pickle and onion. The burger is hug and I can only eat half and save half for later, and all the flavor was just amazing bursting in your mouth having a happy tasty party. I had another burger a little while back that I forgot the name, all I remember was that the burger had chili and jalapeno, I love spicy food and it was excellent. For the health conscious, they have turkey burger, and the bun less burger as well. The burger is about $13 up to about $39 for Kobe beef. They have ice cream and milk shake for dessert and a full bar as well. The service have been consistent, no pretentious, just good old American food. Definitely one of favorite place.

Cooking Homemade Chinese Food

Cooking homemade Chinese food is a lot easier than you think. As you know Chinese food is such a wide range from Shanghai to Cantonese to many others that are not well known. The Chinese food you typical get at a restaurant in the U.S. is very Americanize, and I do appreciate that aspect as well. My family's background is Chaozhou, for my grandparents are from the Guangdong region in southeastern China. My parents grew up in Cambodia, I was born in Vietnam and now U.S. Therefore, homemade food for me it's not typical at all. My parents are very creative with cooking variety of dishes and mixing flavors and technique from our variety of influences of our background.

I went to the Asian market to get the grocery and I tend to get whatever is in season. The first dish is a simple Bean Sprouts and Asian Leeks with Oyster sauce. The leeks just need to be cut up about 2 inches long. You start with a hot wok with oil and garlic, and this is the basic to stir fry. When the garlic is golden brown add the leeks, saute it until half way done and add the bean sprouts. Stir it in the wok then add the oyster sauce. I like my bean sprouts crunchy, but you can cook as long as you want to your preference. You can add tofu, egg, or whatever meat to prefer to the dish, for this time I did not want any meat in it.


The second dish is the Chinese Sausage and Long Bean Brown fried rice. You need to cook the rice first, I love my rice cooker just put the rice and water in and it automatically stops when the rice is done. Next, you cut up the long bean and sausage into small pieces. In the hot wok, add oil and garlic. You cook the long bean half way through then add the sausage. Stir it until it's cooked, then add the already cooked brown rice. Now it's time to add seasoning, I like soy sauce, sugar, and red pepper. Again, it's up to your preference what you want to put into the fried rice. Stir it well until the rice is well mix in, and you are finish.

Cooking is fun, just use your imagination and be creative. These two dished took me about 30 minutes to prepare, so healthy home cook meal fast. I believe there is not set rule to cooking. Also, any food can be healthy if you select the smart choice. For example, brown rice is better for you then white rice. Anyway, go to an Asian market and experiment with homemade Asian food.

The one that I go to a lot is PK Oriental Market in North Miami Beach, and you can pick up some Chinese barbecue as well, such as duck, pork or chicken. Fun cooking!

Peruvian food in downtown Miami

CVI.CHE 105



This place have the best Peruvian food. It's a small modern and nice spot in downtown for lunch and dinner. This place gets packed for lunch between noon - 2pm, you might have to wait for a table.

When you sit down they offered roasted corn as a snack, it's crunchy delicious. My favorite dish here is the poached fish. This dish is Chinese inspired, for it reminds me of something my grandmother used to make. The fish is poached and serves with this amazing tasty sauce of garlic, tomatoes, onion and potatoes. I love their hot sauce that they have there, it goes with everything. They have unique ceviche if that is your preference, the sauce it's tangy making the dish tastes very good. I am not a big fan of ceviche with the raw seafood, but this place I would eat it and that says a lot about their famous ceviche. Another good dish is their seafood fried rice, it's similar to Chinese fried rice but with lots of seafood and their unique flavors to make it their own Peruvian style. The dish range from $10 - $20. They have wine and beer as well. This is a hidden gem in downtown Miami.



CVI.CHE 105
105 N.E. 3rd Ave. Miami, FL 33132
305.577.3454

South Pointe's Fine Dining

Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse



I love this place on South Pointe in Miami Beach. This restaurant is located on the new South Pointe Park over looking Fisher Island and downtown. The ambiance is absolutely amazing walking through the park to the restaurant. I recommend sitting outside on a beautiful day watching people, cruise ships, boats, etc.

Their food is amazing and consistence. They are known for their aged steak, but everything else on the menu is excellent. Recently, I tried their crab and asparagus salad, it is unique since I have not had anything like that, the taste is light and refreshing with a little tang flavor from the grapefruit in it. Their special of that day is the angry shrimp, this dish reminds me of a Chinese dish that my father prepare before, the shrimp is jumbo seasoned with a big burst of flavor, flash fry and serves over mashed potatoes. Their dish range from $10 for a salad to about $40 for their main dish. It's a great for lunch, a date, and private dining as well.

Smith & Wollensky
1 Washington Avenue
(At South Pointe Park)
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 673-2800

Authentic Vietnamese Food in Miami?

You bet cha! When I crave home made Vietnamese food, I go to Pho Thang even though it's a long drive for me. It's a simple small restaurant in a shopping plaza. The place it's a mom and pop feel with basic décor.

I have my few favorites there. One of the lesser well known dish is called Golden Pancakes, which is like a crispy crepe filled with pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and onion, and serves with Lettuce, basil, cilantro and nuoc mam sauce. Nuoc mam sauce is a Vietnamese sweet, spicy and sour sauce made of lemon, vinegar, sugar, grated carrot, fish sauce, hot sauce and garlic. When I took a bite it's a fusion of flavor just burst in your mouth, sweet, sour, spicy, salty with the herbs and vegetables combined with different texture of crispy and soft and hot and cold contrast.

Another favorite is the Pho, the Vietnamese rice noodle soup traditionally serves with beef but you can get with other meat or seafood. The juicy flavor is of the beef in the beef broth with the added basil, bean sprouts, and hot sauce which just tantalize your mouth and warm your tummy.

Also, there are Vermicelli bowls with Vietnamese BBQ/grilled pork or any other toppings to your liking, it's made as a noodle salad style serves with nouc mam as well. This is a great dish for summer time. They have egg noodle as well, and you can choose your meat, the beef is good with vegetables stir fry with Chinese influence. If you want Jasmine rice, they have rice plates and you pick the meat of your choice. If you want Asian vegetables, they have a selection for that as well for the vegetarians and health conscious.

The prices are great, dinner for two with appetizers only costs about $30. I highly recommend the food adventurer to try this place. This is definitely one of my favorite places to go eat. Enjoy!

Pho Thang
9539 SW 160th St, Perrine, FL 33157; 786-293-1118