¿Te gusta salir de copas? Las bebidas Maragritas tiene una encantadora!

 Las Margaritas is a Mexican cuisine themed restaurant that is located in Philadelphia. It is known to be the best Mexican restaurant in the Philadelphia area and renowned for their excellent food. Many people know the restaurant for their exquisite food but what originally made this place famous was their excellent margaritas. They have over fifteen different types of margaritas and twenty other alcoholic drinks to chose from not including wines and beers. Anyone who has been to the restaurant recommends getting a drink too – that is if you are twenty-one or older.

If you are an Eastern student with a car, it is about a forty minute drive. The address is: Las Margaritas Mexican Restaurant & Bar.

                 2538-40 Welsh Rd.

                 Philadelphia, PA 19152

All you have to go is go to Google Maps or Map Quest and they will provide accurate directions for you.

If you plan on taking the train you will want to catch the incoming train to Center City Philadelphia (The Paoli/Thordale Line) HERE is where you can get directions.

I have been to this restaurant only once, but I was not disappointed. I do not have any pictures but they have really tasty fajitas and their chicken dishes are great as well. If you are vegetarian, they also provide dishes without meat.Not to mention I love their dessert! I would recommend getting one. If you are low on money then you could always get a dish to split. The Zagat survey would probably rate this place as 'M' for moderatly expensive. If you are visiting this blog for the first time, the key is at the very bottom of the first blog post.

So, since things have been so busy at school I haven't had time to get pictures for you guys so I improvised and found a few online.

If you are an Eastern Student and you wish to go to this restaurant, it's not that far from Eastern University's campus. If you take the train, you will have to go in to 30^th Street first, then get on to another train – The Fox Chase line in order to get to the White Elephant. It is located in a shopping center, to the left of the Wendy's and a Genardi's grocery store.

This food is Thai cuisine, and it is one of my favorite types of foods (Actually, I love all Asian food in general). Its a little on the expensive side, and it would be rated ME for Moderately Expensive considering all of the entrees are within the $15-30 range. The atmosphere is romantic and warm – an ideal place to go on a date with a significant other. Here is one of my favorite dishes:

It is called Evil Jungle Princess.

And this is what the decor looks like:

I remember I used to be so picky about what foods I would eat. Once I got older, I decided to try everything at least once, that way if I don't like it then I never have to eat it again. But if I discover I do like it, it'll be another food to add to my list of things that I enjoy eating. The menu offers a variety of Thai food and if you are adventurous enough, I challenge you to try something out of your comfort zone. Especially with Thai food because they use an extensive amount of seasonings and herbs to give their food a unique taste.

Morimoto

On October  16^th, my parents took me out for my 19^th birthday. Every year we have a tradition where if it was your birthday, you can pick any restaurant you want. I chose to go to Morimoto. Morimoto is one of the many chefs who won the Iron Chef competition on Television. This is the restaurant that he opened up with the money he won.

For Eastern students, I would recommend saving up your money before going to this restaurant. On the Zagat survey it is listed as “E” for expensive-but it is so worth it. It is extremely easy to get there. All you have to do is get on the train to Center City. You’ll find the address on the website which will assist you in the direction you should go.

Since it was my birthday, my mother let me chose the Omakase chef choice. Basically, it is a multi-course which allows the customer to experience the ’essence of Morimoto’s cuisine’. They even include dishes that are not even on the menu! The following is the dishes of the entrees I tasted:

Chilled potato soup with pickled plum.

 Turo Tuna Sashimi.

Spanish Macroll Fish.

 Salmon with Shittaki Mushrooms.

 Duck Breast with Poached Apple with Foie Gras.

 Tuna, Yellow Tail, Macroll, Fluke, and Clam Sashimi.

 Vanilla Ice Cream on top of a flourless chocolate cake with caramel and chocolate sauce. [The thing to the right is a piece of jell-o with a candle in it-the waiter found out it was a birthday celebration.]

The atmosphere has got to be one of my favorite things about the restaurant. If you notice in the pictures, the colors in the atmosphere change but very subtly; not to mention I love the way the tables are set up.  This is definitely one of my favorite restaurants that I have been to.

The Hard Rock Cafe

The Hard Rock Cafe is a restaurant that is well-known to most people. The restaurant began when they collected an Eric Clapton guitar. Clapton was a frequent visitor of the restaurant in London, and when the owners proposed the Hard Rock Cafe, Eric handed them his guitar to hang on the wall. After that, thousands of guitars from famous musicians started to roll in and now the company has the largest and most valuable collection of guitars in the world. The chain is located in more than fifty-two countries around the world.

My friend Youn's birthday was September 29^th [we met in grade school], and my friends and I all decided to meet at Temple University to go out for her birthday. Originally, we had no clue where we wanted to take Youn since it was pouring rain outside the entire time we were down town. We finally decided to go to the Gallery on Market East Street. Once the Gallery closed, we were all starving so we decided to walk a ways down from the Gallery to find a place to grab something to eat. As we walked further, we saw the gigantic guitar symbol and realized that was the Hard Rock Cafe. Youn had never been to this restaurant, and [neither did any of us] we decided to take her there.

For Eastern students that can drive, if you click here, it will take you to Google Maps. From then, you will add Eastern University in Destination "A" and The Hard Rock Cafe in Destination "B". The destination is about a thirty-minute drive. For those students who do not drive, you will have to take the train. All you have to do is catch the R5 in St. David's to Market East Station-which is below the Gallery. If you exit the train station, just walk down Market Street until a huge guitar is visible-you can't miss it. The address is 1131 Market St. #31. Or for those of you that prefer a ride from the train station to the restaurant, there are plenty of Taxi services there as well.

The Hard Rock Cafe is on the more expensive side and would be listed as ME for Moderately Expensive in the Zagat Survey. Not one entree was under thirteen dollars and none of the prices are listed on the website menu, so that is another price indicator. If money is an issue, [which is understandable considering most college students are tight on money] I learned a few helpful tips:

-Split Everything: The entrees are big enough to be split up for two, so partner up with one of your friends and order something together.

-The fountain sodas are roughly four dollars each. So say ,for example, a group of four all ordered a Coke-that would equal sixteen more dollars on to the bill. So, just stick with water. If you really want soda then go to the dollar store before.

-Skip Appetizers: The appetizers all ranged from five to eight dollars, and if everyone ordered a salad, back to the group of four example, it would cost roughly twenty-four dollars.

I skipped the appetizers and I wasn't really that hungry so I went with a simple Macaroni and Cheese Dish which was really well prepared and I enjoyed it immensely:

The atmosphere did not disappoint. As expected, the entire restaurant was decorated with Rock music, objects, and even clothing. They also had plasma screen TV's playing the newest Rock videos. To top off the fun night, my friend Youn got a free sundae for her birthday!

Susanna Foo Gourmet Kitchen

Last Friday my mother and I met to go out to eat dinner together. We eventually decided on an Asian restaurant named Susanna Foo.

One of my family and I's hobbies is to find new and interesting restaurants to check out, so we decided to eat there. I decided that I really wanted sushi because I hadn't had it in a long time.

*note: this is not the actual presentation of my entree but pictures will be coming soon*

Sushi is also one of the Asian foods that I could eat until it came out of my ears. As I sat down to look at the menu, a thought occurred to me: “How long has sushi been around in Asian culture?” I mean if you were to ask anyone to say what came to mind when they heard 'Asian food', it's highly probable that they would say sushi. After doing some research I found my answer.

As it turns out, Sushi was invented in the 4^th Century B.C. in Southeast Asia! Originally, the rice in the sushi was used as a way to preserve the fish. During consumption, the consumers would only eat the fish and then they would discard the rice afterwards.

Fast-forwarding to the 19^th Century, [Tokyo was still being called Edo] nigiri-zushi was introduced which is now the most common type of sushi in today's sushi restaurants. After the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, nigiri-zushi chefs lost their jobs and, as a result, they spread out all over Japan and the rest of the world.

As always here is my restaurant review: This restaurant was fantastic, although it is more on the expensive side. According to the Zagat Survery it is rated as M for Moderately Expensive and the entree prices ranged from fifteen dollars to thirty dollars.

The atmosphere, which was shown above, was so relaxing, laid-back, and had wonderful romantic decor. One of the things that I found awesome about the decor was in the booths [where I was seated] they had pillows that you could use. Another perk that I noticed about the restaurant was, no matter how many times you get up someone will always refold your napkin. It could be the person waiting on you or an employee that just happened to walk by at the moment.

This restaurant is very easily accessible. It is literally just down East Lancaster Road. It is located in the shopping center area, right next to the Financial Center.

I am afraid I do not currently have any pictures of my meal but once I get the pictures I will post them for your enjoyment. I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone who loves Asain cuisine you will not be disappointed. 

Pho and Beyond

Yes, this is really what the restaurant is called and no, I did not make it up. This is a relatively new restaurant that just opened in my neighborhood. It has been in business for over a year now. It is located in Roslyn, PA and it is fairly easy to get there.

For EU students who drive it is a twenty-five minute drive. If you follow this link it will take you to the directions on how to get there: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

For those students who do not drive, if you catch the train in Radnor,PA in to 30^th Street Station and then catch another train there, [the Warminster Line] it will take you to Roslyn, PA. The total cost for the train, to and from the destination, would be roughly $20. Because EU students have to catch two trains in order to get to Pho and Beyond, the amount of time to get there would be about an hour-but it is definitely worth it!

This restaurant serves authentic Vietnamese food and one of the great things about this restaurant is that it is inexpensive. Their atmosphere is ideal for anyone who wants to go for a date or to relax with friends.

When I went I ordered their chicken soup which I love because the broth is so flavorful:

The traditional way to make this dish is to allow the soup to simmer for several hours and it develops a very tasteful broth. 

This place is also great to come to during the Fall and Winter Seasons because sometimes a big bowl soup is just what you need to feel better or to warm up! Not to mention, they give you a huge amount of food for an inexpensive price. This soup costs ,roughly, about $9!

When you order the Vietnamese noodle dishes, they bring out a bunch of little things to add to your soup in order to 'dress it up'. The dish includes: fresh Cilantro, Basil, Jalapenos, Limes, and Bean Sprouts. They also provide Sriracha Sauce [which is like Hot Sauce], Hoisin Sauce ( a.k.a Plum Sauce), and Fish Oil.

Here's an interesting fact: France colonized Vietnam, and some of their dishes show french attributes. For example, the dessert I ordered.

Flan is originally French, not Vietnamese, but the colonization affected their culture and it is sometimes portrayed in their foods.

According to the Zagat Survey, this restaurant would be listed as “I”-Inexpensive because the price ranges are below $15. There are a few dishes on the menu that are a little bit more expensive, but most of the entrees are below $15.

Otto's Brauhaus

My family and I went out to eat Friday night and we decided to go to Otto’s Brauhaus. We were introduced to the restaurant a few years ago by my grandfather, who used to live in that area. It is located in Horsham, PA and serves authentic German food…mmmm. When you go to eat there you have the option of eating outside in the beer garden or inside in the 'dining room'. Personally, I think people should try and eat outside because the atmosphere is so relaxing.

The inside is just as admirable and is decorated like an old German cottage. The waitresses are dresses up in traditional Oktoberfest clothing. Sometimes they have live music playing but mostly it is during the weekend-usually it’s an accordion that is being played. 

The menu offers a variety of German selections but it also provides other choices for those who do not have a taste for German food, for example, children. They offer fifteen different salad choices, so if you are one of those people who decides they don’t especially like German food there are plenty of other non-German dishes to chose from.

I ordered the Jaeger Schnitzel, which is: sautéed veal in a hearty mushroom, bacon, and onion gravy with a splash of white wine and cream. {Bear with me here, I had to take pictures from my phone so the quality might not be that great.}

*German food isn’t really made to look good, it’s made to taste good. So it may look kind of gross to some, but it actually tasted wonderful. *

My entrée also came with soup and two sides. I ordered the Cream of Turkey and Rice soup:

And for my two sides I ordered mashed potatoes and sauerkraut.

If you still have enough room for dessert they will bring out their entire dessert tray to show you- which could make you very indecisive when it comes to choosing which one you want:

I finally chose the Vanilla Cheesecake which I thought was very creamy and light:

The price range [I used the Zagat Survey Key: I-$15 and below, M-$16 to $30, E-$31 to $50, and VE-$51 or more] was M for moderately expensive and ranged from $16 to $30.