Do You "App" Before You Eat? What is Your Restaurant Resouce?

It may come as no surprise that one of our favorite things to read about and talk about is food. Alex and I really look forward to our daily meals. We are always chatting about a recipe, or a dish we had recently, or where we want to eat next. I recently read the Pavarotti quote "One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating," and thought it hit the nail on the head! Like most people, we learn a lot about restaurants, good and bad, from friends and co-workers.

Another great resource is, of course, the Internet. I have a few favorite sites and Apps that I use. (I only use FREE Apps). I have found that local city newspapers/websites are a fairly reliable resource if you are heading to a major metropolitan area. A new App I like for New York, that also has a webpage is The Scoop, from the New York Times. There are four sections breaking down:
1. Top 50 restaurants by Sam Sifton, NYT restaurant critic
2. Bars by Pete Wells, Dining editor of NYT
3. Weekly Events
4. Only in NYC
Each section is broken down into lists. Each entry is accompanied by a map with pin points, a short review, phone number and website. You can check off the list as you go and share with friends via Facebook, Twitter, email and text. Pretty cool.

Two sites I visit regularly are Yelp and Urbanspoon. Both have apps. I like and use both for different reasons. Yelp is wide open. Everyone and their brother are on there posting comments and rating everything from restaurants to the cleanliness of the restroom at the gas station. I know there has been a lot of controversy about Yelp lately (as in class action suit), but I believe that the majority of the comments are just plain folks, out and about in their lives voicing their very important opinions. You can pinpoint vindictiveness fairly easily and write those off for what they are. Negativity and anger are part of the package with any type of open comment forum online, unfortunately. More people will take the time to vent about bad experiences over good ones. I like to read comments from users who write a lot of reviews, because I believe these will be more balanced. Someone with only one or two reviews is typically on a mission to slam someone about a bad experience. All Yelp entries are rated on a five star system. You can make "friends" and follow people who review shared interests. Yelp's App is nice, user friendly and free. Like most, it uses GPS to target your location. Each business will display the address, user ratings, distance, and price range. There are feeds of your activities, your friends' ratings, and social-networking posting. It has a check-in feature that lets the user post where they are by selecting a location, leaving a "tip" as they call notes, and then posting to Yelp, Facebook and/or Twitter. An App is available for Blackberry, iPhone and Android.
Yelp Website
Yelp App

Urbanspoon is restaurant centric, calling itself "the world's leading provider of time-critical dining data". You won't see three-quarters of the world in their directory yet, so there is plenty of work still to do, but I agree that they have established a vast database. Urbanspoon covers all bases with general public comments, newspaper/magazine reviews, and bloggers. It is mostly American, but also contains some Canadian, UK and Australian reviews. You can cast a simple "like" or "don't like" vote for each establishment, and can change this vote anytime in the future if your opinion changes. Written reviews are not required. All restaurants display a "like it" percentage at the top with reviews below. Many restaurants have a menu posted, a feature I like. Like Yelp, their App is good and free. A popular feature of their App is the "Shake". Shake your phone and a slot machine styled screen will randomly select a restaurant for you. This doesn't appeal to me as I usually know what I want, but I can appreciate the novelty. It uses GPS to search or browse a restaurant near you. There are filters for neighborhoods, types of food, features (delivery, etc., popularity. Urbanspoon also has a "friends" feature, but this is less popular than Yelp's, perhaps due to the mixed resources of the reviews.

An App is available for Blackberry, iPhone and Android.

Urbanspoon Website
Urbanspoon App

I would be remiss if I did not mention my lifeline, Google. Oh yes, I do so love the Google. Just type in what you want, for example, Thai in Norfolk, and read the results. Simplicity at its best.

Are there other sites or resources that you use? Let us know. We love to try new things!

_Laine

Mama Kwan's, Kill Devil Hills, NC

I will admit, until now, I was terrified of the reasonably priced restaurants on the Outer Banks. Here's why: I have had really bad food at some of them and just swore the others off. Thankfully, Christy and Claire had been to Mama Kwan's quite a few times and excitedly suggested it as an option for Saturday night. These are the people that you trust and think 'okay, if they say its good, let's go'. We pull up and immediately see what we think is a gray feral cat hanging out in the parking lot. We have to pet him and worry about his existence but fortunately, discover that he is Kwan, Jr., the well-fed and beloved cat of the restaurant. We all felt much better and could eat in peace knowing this about Kwan, Jr.



Mama Kwan's menu has an Asian flare, but with some familiar casual dining selections. Appetizers range from wings and blackened tuna nachos to honey jerked chicken fingers and pork wontons. Sandwiches, salads, burgers and entrees, such as crab cakes, scallops and the infamous garbage plate make up the rest of the menu. I was torn between ordering one of two appetizers or an entree. I finally settled on the Pad Thai for $11.99 (plus $1 for an egg). You can add tuna, shrimp or chicken for a few bucks. Nikki ordered the California style fish tacos, which were highly recommended by our waitress for $12.99 (plus .75 for blackened), Claire chose the oriental chicken salad for $9.99 and Christy went with the wings ($8.99) and Thai Money Bags ($6.99 and a really cool name). I note the prices because everything is reasonable and portions are generous. The Pad Thai comes mild, medium or spicy and I opted for medium this time. I usually always go for spicy or hot, but with a new place, I wanted to be cautious and I think I would stick with medium going forward. The dish had a good amount of moisture, which is a plus since some Pad Thai meals are a little on the dry side. I was very excited about my meal. I tried one of the money bags and they were very cute to begin with and filled with shrimp and some vegetables. Its a take on an egg roll, but with less money and more bag. Christy said the wings were great did Claire in regards to the salad. I tried one of the tasty cucumbers, which are doused in Japanese rice vinegar. These are offered as a side, as is Butter Rum rice, which is on the list for my next visit. Nikki's fish tacos were huge, big enough to also necessitate a doggie bag (or kitty bag, as you will see) and she said they were some of the best she had ever had.


Nikki had a glass of the house Pinot Grigio and was pleased, as were Christy and Claire with the margheritas (mango is a flavor option). With the margheritas, you get Mama Kwan cups to take home, so you can try to remember your evening the next day. Other frozen drinks come in Tiki mugs or parrot-shaped glasses. These are the kinds of drinks that put me on the floor and I was driving, so I had to steer clear. Mama Kwan's bar is a happening place. It was almost full from the time we arrived (sometime after 8pm, a little earlier this night) until we left (after 10pm). The restaurant has a 'tiki' feel and is bright and clean inside. Our waitress was nice, but quiet, so we had to ask her to repeat a few things. Unlike, the jerk at Tortuga, this gal was very nice and happy to oblige.

Leaving the restaurant, we saw Kwan, Jr. sleeping on one of the benches outside. Again, we had to pet him, but this time felt better since he is the resident kitty at Kwan's. On our way home, we stopped for gas and saw a few feral kittens hiding in the brush by the gas station. Immediately, Nikki's leftover fish tacos were donated to the kittens. Its sad that people do not take care of their pets (spay or neuter) and these poor things have no homes. We hope that the fish tacos took care of them for a bit and hope for their best. They were shy, but I know they devoured Nikki's leftovers as soon as we pulled out. We were all happy to give to these cuties and only wish we had had more to offer to them. Some cities have a feral cat program where volunteers catch them, spay or neuter and then release the cats where they found them. The Outer Banks has a large feral cat population and this would be a good idea for the area.

Mama Kwan's is open daily for lunch and dinner and I will definitely be a repeat customer. Look for Kwan, Jr. to greet you.

~Alex


Mama Kwan's
Mile Post 10 on the 158 Bypass
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
www.mamakwans.com

Tortuga's Lie, Nags Head, NC

I had only had one prior experience at Tortuga's Lie before this past weekend and let's just say it was not a great memory. First, this place gets PACKED during regular summer dining hours (6-8pm) and unless I am somewhere I am dying to eat, usually I cannot stand to wait. Second, I ordered the Steamed Vegetable Plate which was probably a mistake on my part. That's what I get for trying to eat healthy. This second visit proved very different. If you go at 10pm, there is no wait! Novel idea, eh. We bellied up to the bar to survey the menu and quell our hunger. I thought about the white pizza or the nachos supreme, but then the appetizer special caught my eye, a Cajun shrimp quesadilla stuffed with shoepeg corn, sweet red pepper, red onion, cheddar and jack cheese. One of my companions, Claire also ordered the quesadilla. We both thought the dish was great. Just the right size of a 10pm meal and the Cajun shrimp gave it a twist. I must mention, not much sour cream is on the plate, so ask for extra. Nikki and Christy ordered the crab cake sandwich, Island fries for Nikki's side and beans and rice for Christy's. I swiped some of the fries and they are spicy and delicious. Nikki and Christy were both happy and said the crab cake had hardly any filler, if any at all. I noticed on the menu that Tortuga's only carries this seasonally because they use local crab meat. Extra points for Tortuga's for going local. Seasonal can also mean a price variation, but its worth it for local fare.

The daily specials are always of interest. One that caught my eye, in addition to the quesadilla was the salad du jour. Pepper grilled salmon, gold pineapple, sweet red pepper, grilled portabellas and a sesame ginger dressing topped with p-nuts and scallions. Prices are reasonable; this salad was around $11 and the quesadilla was $10.

Now, let's chat about atmosphere. T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops are all acceptable, as Tortuga's is very, very casual. It is not a big place, but eating at the bar is fine unless the jerk that worked when we dined is manning the bar. When we asked him to repeat the specials, he actually had the nerve to say 'do I really need to say that again'. We were all quite taken aback and he lost credibility and tip money the second that came out of his mouth. We never stiff a waiter because that makes us look bad and its just not good manners, but he definitely worked himself out of what could have been a good darn tip. Tortuga needs to give him a little talking to.

Besides the jerk, we had a great meal because we had a great group of people. The initial bad reaction I had to Tortuga's has been erased and I will definitely go again, just not during the rush since I have little patience.

~Alex

Tortuga's Lie is open Monday-Sunday 11:30am-10pm.

Tortugas' Lie
MP 11 on the Beach Road
3014 S Virginia Dare Trail
Nags Head, NC 27959
www.tortugaslie.com