hyefest 2009

who wants to get hye with me this weekend? that's right, we're going downtown, to the fulton mall and getting hye.




hyefest 2009 looks to be a pretty good time. armenian food, dance, and more.

lunch review of taqueria gaudalajara

i had seen that a new taqueria had opened on the fulton mall, just a few doors down from cafe corazon. i'm always up for mexican food, so i knew that i would visit sometime. today was the day.

mike and i came in the door, and my first thought was, "it's kinda dirty in there. maybe real dirty." yep, it was dirty. tables weren't wiped down, floor was a little sticky. and, i leaned against a wall and even it was dirty. the tables hadn't been bussed recently, and i actually had to clear a table so we could sit down.

the lady working the counter was helpful, and she was doing her best to manage, but she wasn't very proficient in english which made ordering a bit difficult. it doesn't bother me that she wasn't good @ the language, and honestly, most of the clientele probably speak spanish. it just made ordering tougher on my, and probably her.

we ordered our food, and noticed that they had a little serve yourself tortilla chip set up. so, we got a basket and some salsa. the chips were fine, but they'd been just sitting under a warmer so nothing special. the salsa was weak. and by weak, i mean it was super watery. they did have a strong oniony taste, which wasn't good in my opinion.

the restaurant is a converted smorgasbord, and so there is a big area in the back of the restaurant where the buffet was. as currently set up, the place seats 32 or so.
mike's asada plate came out first. he didn't want his grilled green onion, so i ate it. it was so flavorful. honestly, i was thrilled with how nicely this grilled onion tasted, and it made me anticipate my meal to come. sadly, this was the last good thing i ate. my friend said the asada was okay, and i tried a small piece. the grilled taste was decent, but there wasn't much spice to it. the plate came with rice & beans, but i'll tell you about those in a second.

my chile verde plate come out shortly after my friends. it looked nice. the taste? mediocre at best. honestly, the chile verde was moist, which is good, but the meat and sauce lacked flavor. i think i need to go in search of good chile verde, because the last two places i tried for it were a let down. the refried beans sucked. how do you make beans taste watery? they managed. the rice was cold, mushy and bland. just like most of the meal.

the final bad: store bought corn tortillas.

taqueria guadalajara
1139 fulton mall

lunch review milano

I was hungry for lunch and thought, "what would i like to do today? i think i'll go downtown and find something for lunch. ooh, i've been wanting to check out milano." and off i went.

loaded the meter with $1.50 in quarters, giving me the full two hours.



i wonder why this fountain is dry? did the crane drink all the water?



this one is good though



but this one's dry, and it's got a soda can in it to boot



walking up to milano



btw, milano has a snazzy website.

here's their hours.



the menu




the yum



the done



and now for the details:
i didn't think about the size of the slices, despite the fact that they call them large slices. so, i ordered a slice of pepperoni ($3) and a slice of combination ($3.75), and a soda to drink ($1.50). as the guy at the counter put each slice on it's own plate, i realized that i may have ordered more than i could handle.

i started with the pepperoni. it was good, but in an average sort of way. not too spicy, and the extra mozzarella i shook on soaked up the bit o' grease that pepperoni pizza tends to get.

next up, the combination. i'll let you know that combination pizzas have snuck into the spot of favorite pizza in my gut, and this didn't disappoint. there was a wealth of toppings and the flavor of it all was great. honestly, if you're going here and aren't doing some create your own whole pizza, get a slice of combination, you won't be disappointed, either.

the atmosphere in the restaurant was comfy and cool. I sat at the bar/counter but there were plenty of tables for bigger groups. had i wanted to pick up a stick, there was a pool table (i think it was a pay per play one).

the staff there was very friendly. they were quick to take my order, and serve my food. they checked in on me just enough, so i felt well taken care of. actually, when i was walking the mall later, i walked by one of the people and we exchanged friendly head nods. good stuff.

the time it took to get my food was great. as should be expected with pizza by the slice places, they had each variety ready, and they dished it right up. not sure how long it would have taken to get a pizza made to order.

so, i admit, i both of the slices completely. i didn't lick the plate, but i probably could have. now, i'm stuffed. i figured i should work off some of this good meal, and decided to stroll down the mall to tres hermanos. over there i picked up two shirts, good stuff. got a new western shirt and yet another guayabera for my never ending collection. i was hoping to catch a ride back to my vehicle with the pedicabs, but they weren't around. i had seen a few on the way over, but i guess they were all busy on my way out. so, i strolled back, and headed home.

total time of ordering, leisurely eating, strolling and buying shirts - 45 min. you could totally go and eat lunch there on your lunch break. and, they do stuff to go (in fact, several people got slices to go while i was there). heck, you can even phone your order in so it's ready for pick up.

finally, did i mention milano has a snazzy website?


*this is cross posted @ fresno famous.com