Taste of India Restaurant

 Two members of CVFTA recently went to Taste of India in Rockford, Illinois. This is one of the few Indian restaurants in the area and is also one of the lower cost options for that style of food. Indian food can get pretty pricy in America.

The restaurant is located in the spot next to Hachi Hachi at:
139 Sundae Drive
Rockford, IL 61107

Our mutual order:
Mango Milk Shake
Lamb Curry
Plain Nann
Vegetable Soup
Lamb Vindaloo
Chicken Nann

Prices here are higher than your everyday restaurant. For example, the lamb curry is around $14, but it seems customary to order bread for an extra $3. With a drink and a tip, you can easily spend over $25. Portions were pretty average compared to other restaurants in this range. The staff was very polite and helpful, checking up on us a few times to make sure everything was good.

I enjoyed everything that I ordered, though I especially liked the Nann .  When ordering curry, they ask for your preferred spice level from low to high. I ended up going with medium. Scott S. ordered extremely hot, but after trying it, I didn't feel it was much spicier than what I had. Maybe the potatoes in his curry toned things down a bit... I think they might also try to keep things to a western level of spice as to not alienate potential customers.

Overall, it is a nice restaurant and worth checking out. Just expect to spend at least $20 per person for a full meal.

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Food Excursion: Cherry Valley Cafe

The CVFTA crew visited a new restaurant today. Though we had plans to check out Murasaki, the place appeared to be closed. After intense debate, we ended up going to a place called the Cherry Valley Cafe.

Cherry Valley Cafe
216 E State St
Cherry Valley, Illinois 61016-7708

Cherry Valley is a small town bordering Rockford and it has stayed that way for a long time. There is a main street made with actual red brick you would imagine to see in days long past. The cafe itself also fits the old-time feel both inside and out. Even the staff have that "Flo-esque" personality of 60's waitresses. If you like that old diner feel, this would be a great place for you to check out.

They serve a large variety from steak and burgers to all-day breakfast. Burgers, for example, can come with a small soup and also chips or fries for an extra fee. I'd suggest spending extra to get the fries because they are unique and worth trying out.

Our order consisted of:
Country Fried Steak (Cream of Chicken soup and hash browns)
New York Strip Steak (Onion Rings and green beans)
Mushroom Swiss Burger (vegetable soup and fries)
Swedish Pancakes
BLT Sandwich (Fries, no soup)

I had the Mushroom Swiss Burger. It came with fresh lettuce and tomato as well as a pickle slice. The fries were really interesting. They had extra breading or something that increased their flavor and texture over normal fries. The burger itself was good; about what you would expect from a diner styled restaurant.

I was told the strip steak was lackluster, but the country fried steak was flavorful and not over cooked.

I was also told that the Swedish Pancakes were good and on par with a local restaurant that specializes in breakfast foods.

Overall, a nice little restaurant and worth checking out. Prices are pretty average. Expect to spend around $10 per meal give or take a few dollars with a tip. This place is good if you enjoy that small town atmosphere.

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Food on my Arizona 2013 trip.

I stayed in Arizona from January 4th through 11th. The first three days I attended Taiyou Con in Mesa, but for the remainder, I just enjoyed the time with my aunt and uncle I was staying with.

In tradition with recent CVFTA articles on local restaurants, I photographed some of the more interesting meals we had.

The first restaurant we visited was their favorite pizza placed called Oregano's due to its classic Italian Chicago styled fare. We had a Italian salad as well as a thin crust pizza with pepperoni and sausage. I let them totally decide on the order so that I could experience what they like most about the food there.

A large pepperoni and sausage pizza.

The pizza turned out more unique that I expected it to be. The toppings were of a high quality and placed under the cheese, giving it a unique texture and flavor over your run of the mill pizza.

A salad large enough for 4 people.

The salad was also surprisingly unique. The dressing wasn't the standard high vinegar quotient Italian, but more of a mild hint of flavor to the salad. The main kick came from the feta cheese, figs, and walnuts graciously disbursed throughout. Salad really goes well with pizza and helps to remove a little bit of the high-calorie guilt that comes from eating pizza like that.

Later in the week we went on a trip east to the Superstition Mountains and Tortilla Flats. Superstition Saloon was located in a little town and the second restaurant worth mentioning.

Most of the restaurant is covered in $1 bills.

The restaurant is a popular attraction with the unique decor of customer's dollar bills covering the walls, bar seats made out of saddles, and an overall western theme.  Food ranged from burgers to Mexican styled cuisine.

Taco meal came with two large soft shell tacos and vegetables.

My uncle's meal at the Superstition Saloon.

The food here was pleasant and pretty basic.  I enjoyed the tacos and the atmosphere of the place.  It's worth checking out if you are doing a similar trip to that area.

After Tortilla Flats, we visited a ghost town for some ice cream at the Miner's Grill and Ice Cream Parlor. We had planned to have prickly pear ice cream, but they no longer had it. I went with the cotton candy flavor.

Cotton candy flavored ice cream.

I enjoyed the slight cotton candy flavor, but wasn't too fond of the small chocolate pieces disbursed throughout the ice cream. The chocolate added some bite to the ice cream that is probably appealing to some people, but not me personally. It was thicker than normal ice cream with more of a Italian Gelato consistency to it.

The last restaurant we visited was P.F. Chang's China Bistro. I had mentioned these food reviews and said that so far CVFTA had mostly visited Chinese or Japanese styled restaurants, so they seemed to go with that theme for this last outing.

The atmosphere of the place is on the somewhat upscale side with a lot of dark woods and shinny metals disbursed throughout. Food also fits the theme with smaller quantities at a higher than normal prices. My favorite food of our order was the crab wantons. They had a really nice filling and were not over or under cooked.  They were probably one of the best Crab Rangoon type preparations I've had so far.

My meal consisted of a honey glazed chicken and rice meal. It was decent, but nothing really struck me besides the strongly flavored vegetables on the side that didn't personally appeal to me. The chicken was good, but I just had wished there was more of it for the price.

Honey glazed chicken.

I had a nice time visiting my family in Arizona and experiencing a few new restaurants along the way.  

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Restaurant Excursion: Salamone's Italian Pizzeria

The entire CVFTA team visited Salamone's Italian Pizzeria on Saturday the 12th 2013.  You can learn more about their restaurant on their Facebook page and website.

Salamone's is a traditional Italian styled place in a small town that is east of the largest city in the area called Rockford (currently at 103 S. Cherry St., Cherry Valley, IL).

We had originally planned to visit a pizza restaurant for none other than pizza, but ended up making separate orders. One of our members frequents the place and made the suggestion.  We all agreed that it sounded interesting enough to check out considering it was local and not a chain restaurant.

Our mutual order consisted of:
Stuffed crust pepperoni pizza and onion rings.
Fettucini alfredo and bruschetta appetizer.
Calzone with mushrooms, green olives, and artichoke inside.

Stuffed crust pepperoni pizza.

Prices are pretty average for a restaurant of this level.  Pizzas were from $10 to $20 and the Calzone I ordered was around $9.

Upon arrival, we walked in directly to the bar area.  It seemed comfortable enough with quite a few normal dining tables and wasn't crowded at the time. 

He was instantly ready to enjoy his fettucini alfredo.

We ended up staying in the bar, so I didn't get a chance to see what the normal restaurant seating arrangements were like.  The bar had multiple flat screen TVs with sports games on that give customers an additional level of atmosphere to enjoy if they prefer the supplemental sound and visuals.

Bruschetta

The calzone includes up to 3 additional ingredients at no charge.

I had ordered the Calzone with mushrooms, green olives, and artichoke inside.  It was flavorful and enjoyable, though the knife I had wasn't the best tool to cut into the crust, making a bit difficult to eat unless I had wanted to just use my hands.  Portion size was reasonable for the price.

Onion rings

I had also sampled the onion rings someone else ordered.  They had thick pieces of onion inside and seemed fresh with a hand-made feel.

One of the owners had noticed us taking photos and took a moment to stop by for a quick chat.  It's nice to see that the place is family owned and operated.  I'm sure we will return there again in the future to sample other items on the menu.

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Food Excursion: Oriental Dragon

This time we visited a restaurant known for their mixture of Japanese and Chinese styled foods.  They have a reasonably priced sushi buffet to go along with that theme.  Neither of us opted for the buffet, but I did get one order of sushi rolls to try them out.

Oriental Dragon Rockford Website

Our order consisted of:
- Chicken with Mushroom
- Crab Rangoon (8 pc.)
- Spring Roll (2 pc.)
- Hot and sour soup
- Beef with Mushroom
- Spicy Salmon Roll

Prices per entree were around $10 and smaller items such as appetizers were close to $5.  With a tip, this place is in line with similar ones.  It can get a little pricy if you order multiple dishes and are big tipper.  The restaurant is a bit small, but with a nice fit and finish.  The tables had a wood grain finish and everything in the restaurant seemed to be in good condition.

Spicy Salmon Roll

The spicy salmon rolls were very good.  The taste was mild yet still flavorful.  I'm not a fan of wasabi and ginger, so I ate the rolls as is without garnish.  I get to experience the true flavors of the sushi this way.

Beef with Mushroom

The main entree I ordered was the beef with mushroom.  Very similar to what I had at a previous restaurant called Imperial Palace.  Overall, I'd say this was slightly more to my liking, but both were very similar in taste and presentation. 

Rice that comes with the meals.

The bowl of rice, while still not like what is served in Japan, was pretty decent and not too dry.  The Crab Rangoon were probably one of the better preparations of that common appetizer I've experienced in a long time.  The Rangoon's wrappers were soft and fresh, making them much easier to enjoy.  At other places, usually the wrappers are tough and hard.  This might be a matter of how long they are cooked. These seemed like they were cooked enough, but not too much.

Hot and Sour Soup

Chicken with Mushroom

The CVFTA member who ordered the Chicken with Mushroom dish said that it wasn't what he expected.  The chicken was fried, which gave it an unusual texture or taste he wasn't too fond of.

Oriental Dragon is yet another American Chinese styled restaurant in the area worth visiting.  The added benefit is that they have additional menu items like sushi that works well for a group of people with different tastes.

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Vito's Ristorante Excursion

For this excursion we went to a place called Vito's Ristorante.  As you can probably surmise from the name, it is an Italian styled restaurant.  This time our crew was three CVFTA members strong!  After an hour or more of deliberation, we decided on a restaurant near Vito's, but ended up going here instead.  While both, I'm sure, would have been good options and we will probably visit the other one someday, I'm glad we checked out this restaurant first.

Their website:
http://www.vitosristorante.net

The restaurant had an intimate and formal atmosphere, but didn't come with the high-end cost you would expect.

We had visited at what appeared to be a low traffic time, which is great for us because we take photos of our food.  I'm glad to say that, so far, not one place has hassled us about that.

Their menu is simple and focused on a few Italian staples like pastas and sandwiches that used Italian breads.

I had the Portabella Sandwich with fries and berry flavored iced tea.

Marinated portabella mushroom, served on ciabatta bread

It looks refreshing, doesn't it?

You might expect the bread that looks like that to be a bit dry, but it wasn't.  It had just the right level of bite and flavor to it to not be a detriment to the sandwich.  The mushrooms were plentiful and flavorful enough to be enjoyed.  The berry flavored tea was simple and unsweetened.  It had a subtle  mild flavor, but was very refreshing. Scott S. aka. Sai had Chicken Bruschetta Sandwich with fries and Linguine Alfredo with salad.

Grilled chicken breast topped with homemade bruschetta, and provolone cheese

Linguine pasta with a homemade garlic cream sauce

Sai's salad that came with the pasta.

Erik had the Bruschetta appetizer , and linguine alfredo with shrimp.  We joked about the massive portion of pasta and how there might be a black hole warp inside that keeps refilling the bowl. 

Linguine pasta with a homemade garlic cream sauce

Bruschetta

Erik shared his Bruschetta, so I had a chance to see what it was like.  It is something simple yet really great once you start eating it.  The bread pieces are hard, but only on the first few crunches.  Along with the salsa, it make a great tasty combination that is surprisingly good from something so simple.

The waitress was extremely helpful and quick to give us refills or see how we were doing.  A nice place for lunch or dinner depending on what style of dining you prefer.

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Imperial Palace Food Excursion

I'm a bit slow with articles lately, but now is a good a time as any to get caught up!  Around two weeks ago, a fellow member of CVFTA and I went to a local restaurant called Imperial Palace.  While researching restaurants, I accidentally named this restaurant as one that had a certain buffet we had heard about.  I was wrong, but it seemed like a good a place as any to check out, so we did.

 Here is their website:
http://www.imperialpalacerockford.com/

Their menu is what you would expect from what I like to call "American Chinese" restaurants.  They have all of the expected dishes and are generally around the same price and usually pretty similar in taste.

I had ordered the Imperial Beef.  It came with the classic supplement of beef, which is mushrooms.

Sai had ordered what I think it might have been Hunan Beef. He also ordered an appetizer of Crab Rangoon.

Each lunch came with fried or white rice, soup, and a single Crab Rangoon.

Some extras with the meal like these fried chips that go well with the soup.

The one benefit of this place is that you have a more traditional restaurant atmosphere compared to most others that are more styled toward the fast food motif.  On the reverse side, that means you will be tipping a waitress.  The staff was friendly and helpful.  It's a nice place to visit for a relaxing lunch. 

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Spider Sushi Bar Excursion

CVFTA decided to visit another local restaurant.  This time we decided on Japanese cuisine in the form of a sushi bar that has pretty much everything from yakisoba and udon to nigiri sushi and bento boxes.

The restaurant itself is easy to access off two well known streets and has a nice atmosphere inside.  They have the bar where the chef does work as well as normal 4-person tables with chairs and 2-person tables with comfy padded seats.  They also have the space for larger numbers of guests.

Their website is located here: spidersushibar.com

Our mutual order consisted of:

Calamari Appetizer

Sauteed squid seasoned with our house ginger sauce.

Rock'n Roll Sushi Roll

 Eel, yellowtail, and cucumber

Chicken Yakisoba

Pan fried noodles with bell peppers and asparagus.

Sushi Dinner

8 pieces of sushi, 4 piece california roll, soup & salad.

Gindara Bento

Black cod marinated in miso, served with soup, salad, 4 piece California roll, orange, white fish, shumai, and steamed rice.

Prices are pretty reasonable, though portions are average in size.  This is mostly a sit-down restaurant, so expect to tip a waitress.  Overall, I liked the flavor of what I had ordered, which was the black cod bento.  The miso soup was tasty and a bit unique compared to ones I've had in the past. It had a slightly sweet flavor to it, which could have been from the large portion of what I assumed to be seaweed and pieces of sweet onion or chives.  The salad had a mild and slightly sweet dressing to it, which was nice and refreshing.  

The bento itself had a small piece of cod along with some vegetables and a few fried items.  The cod reminded me of my time in Nagasaki when my host family dinners usually had a piece of fish marinated like that as the main course.  Probably my favorite part of the bento was the simple yet flavorful California rolls, along with the cod of course.  

My one issue was the state of the bowl of rice that came with the bento, which I've been all too familiar with in my home city.  To put it simply, it was dry.  I've noticed the same thing from similar places like Marc's Fusion restaurant and other rice serving shops like Happy Wok.  If you want a good side-dish of plain rice, try somewhere like Mitsuwa's (Japanese supermarket toward Chicago) food court offerings that serve traditional Japanese style set meals.

Overall, I liked the place and wouldn't mind visiting there again in the future.

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Chicago Chinatown and Dim Sum

I went on an excursion to Chicago with two friends from my area where we met up with another group for a few hours in Chinatown.  We walked around the area for a little while and also had lunch at a Dim Sum restaurant.

This Wikipedia page is helpful in understanding more about Chinatown, feel free to check it out.

It was my first time visiting here, so I was going in with no knowledge of the place or any real expectations as to what I would see.  Overall, it is an interesting place that is what you might expect; many aspects of Chinese culture condensed into a small area of an American metropolis.

Most of our time was spent at the restaurant.  The person most familiar with Chinatown suggested a  Dim Sum restaurant called Triple Crown.  I'm glad that we went there for various reasons.  While it ended up being a bit expensive, we were able to sample a large variety of Chinese or Chinese-styled dishes.  I've seen these restaurants on the travel channel many times and was curious see what they are really like.  Now that I have, I can say that I like Dim Sum a lot. :)

There were a few quirks along the way because we didn't know how things were done, but everyone was generally in the spirit of sharing and sampling of different foods.  This reminds me of a social social faux pas I made many years ago when I lived in Japan with a similar communal-style restaurant, but that's a story for another time.

Dim Sum is somewhat similar to the concept of buffets in the United States.  The main difference is that you don't go to the buffet lines, but rather order items from a list or select items that are brought around on carts.  Each item is comprised of 2 to 4 individual pieces, which is especially designed to be for sharing.  They have a large Lazy Susan (rotating tray) in the center of  the table so that everyone can easily access everything that is ordered.

Besides the restaurant, we went to a few gift shops near the restaurant and also visited Chinatown Square.

Chinatown Square was laid out with a main square that had multiple paths lined with bi-level shops.  The variety of shops was large with everything from generic gift shops to more specialized ones focusing on specific types of foods, candy, videos, books, and even services like a doctor's office.

Most shops had a no photography policy, so I didn't bother taking too many images of the area.  The gift shops had what you would expect in the form of trinkets, but with ethnically themed items like the classic Chinese styled dresses for woman and a surprising number of things from Japan like anime plushies and wall scrolls.  We just barely scratched the surface due to time constraints, so it would be nice to return sometime to see the place in more detail.  Overall, I'd suggest visiting this place if you have never been there.

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