Avocado Burger — YEN 1,500

The most popular item on the menu is the avocado burger. Ripe avocados, fresh tomatoes, and the flavorful buns all meld to make this delicious burger a consistent hit. Although it’s usually crowded during meal times, its well worth the wait. Kua ‘aina is originally from Hawaii but has migrated over to Japan.

Maison du you Bldg. 1F, 1-10-4 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03 34 09 32 00

Cheeseburger — EUR 12

Americans make the best comfort food, and HAND in Paris is living proof. Perfect for brunches or quick eats. The restaurants name which stands for Have a Nice Day brings vintage American food to the French consumer. The cheeseburger comes with hash browns and a small salad.

39 rue Richelieu, Paris, 75001, France
Tel: +33 1 40 15 03 27

Jean Georges’ Warm Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream – $9

Nougatine at Jean Georges is on the first floor of Trump International Hotel at Colombus Circle, overlooking Central Park. Guests enjoy signature dishes from Michelin Starred restaurant Jean Georges in less formal setting. The signature Warm Chocolate Cake was part of our Three Course Brunch ($28), which can also be ordered as a dessert for $9. This chocolaty cake is crispy on the outside and filled with molten Valrhona chocolate. The cake was originally created by Jean-Georges Vongerichten himself, and copied all over the world.

1 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023

Phone: (212) 299-1000

Salmon a la Plancha – EUR 32

An establishment for excellence in Paris, located on avenue Montaigne features a variety of classic international dishes from the kitchen of Alain Ducasse. The salmon featured above was wrapped around from the center to form a circle with the top pan seared. The center of the salmon connecting the two ends is lined with spinach. Garnishes include ‘roseval’ potatoes and watercress. There is a flavor of French mustard present.

21  Avenue Montaigne, Paris, 75008, France
Phone: +33 1 53 67 64 00

The Parker’s Special – 2 Eggs, 2 Pancakes, 2 Bacon, 2 Sausage and Ham, Home Fries and Toast – $11.99

Parker’s Maple Barn opened in 1960′s solely as a small sugar house, but the business grown and the Parker family decided to open a country breakfast restaurant. It’s the most popular restaurants in the area, but even today, the sugar house still produces their own maple syrup following the original method used 50 years ago. Pancakes are hearty and thick with fluffy texture, but the best part is…you can use as much pure maple syrup as you want!

1316 Brookline Road, Mason, NH 03048

(603) 878-2308

ShackBurger: American Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato and ShackSauce – Single $4.75  Double $7.25

French Fries: 100%  Trans-fat free, made with Yukon Gold potatoes – $2.75

Prepare yourself for a long line at Madison Square Park Shake Shack, where the legendary burger shack that started in 2004.

Southeast corner of Madison Square Park, near Madison Ave. and East 23rd St. New York, NY
Phone: (212) 889-6600

http://www.shakeshacknyc.com/

Fried Chicken Dinner – $8.50 (4 piece with fries, slaw, and roll)

This tiny shop from a small town offers a variety of foods, but there is one outstanding item. Fried Chicken. All the people that I have introduced this fried chicken to, family and friends, are surprised by the simplicity of this common comfort food. The place uses quality chicken and fries them with a simple breading. The outcome is a mildly salty and extra-crispy fried chicken.  A simple mildly salty breading may seem inferior to the immense variety of wild flavors out there, but it satisfies the one of the basic human cravings of salt, sugar, and fat. Not to mention the tongue searing juices squeezing out of each bite into the chicken. Carnivore unleash.

653 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe, IL 60022
Phone: (847) 835-4900

Baked BBQ Pork Bun – C$3.95 (order of 3)

One of the typical offerings during the dim sum hours of a Chinese restaurant is the Baked BBQ Pork Bun. The reality is that few restaurants can masterfully produce this dish and majority fail only to get by with the unsuspecting customer. The beauty of this particular dish from Pelican Seafood Restaurant is the fluffy and chewiness of the bun without the teeth clinging stickiness. I hate it when I have to violently tongue the lodged dough from my teeth. Of course this review can’t be complete without mentioning the fragrant BBQ pork slowing baking inside the bun. The BBQ pork inside is juicy unlike many other restaurants that procure dried saucy BBQ pork. To finish it off, on top is a thin glaze of honey.

1895 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V5L1T3, Canada
Phone: (604) 251-3395

Grilled Thracian Beef Tenderloin — TRL 50

The steak has been butterflied as it was ordered ‘well done’. It was cooked with lemon and olive oil. The steak sits upon mashed potato with spinach and spring vegetables accompanying it. A demi glace sauce is also delivered with the dish.

Suzer Plaza, Elmadag, 34367, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 334 44 44

Saslik Kebab — TRL 20

This dish comprised of barbecued slices of specially marinated beef and onion rings. This marination is a specialty of Turkish cuisine. This restaurant was recommended as the ‘best’ for classic Turkish kebabs, however, the restaurant both tried to double the bill by both adding extra items and by increasing the quantity of drinks we ordered. The dish was, nonetheless, very seasoned and tender.

Çamlık Sokak No:15, Levent, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 270 24 33

Cheddar Chesseburger — TRL 34

Classic burger with buttered and toasted buns. The burger comes with french fries, lettuce, tomato and onions.

Ciragan Cad. No. 28, Beskitas, 34349, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 381 40 00

Turkish Red Lentil Soup — TRL 19

Classic Turkish dish served with buttered croûtons and lemon. The lemon adds zest to the soup, which is not actually needed, the soup would be fine without it.

Suzer Plaza, Elmadag, 34367, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 334 44 44

Iskender Stylized Beef Fillet Escalopes — TRL 34

Sitting above Istanbul with panoramic views of the mosques and skyline this restaurant offers a spin off traditional Turkish cuisine. Served with yogurt, tomato confit, and a charliston pepper. The meat has been marinated for 24 hours to offer an extremely succulent taste. Underneath the steak lie soaked bread pieces that are also very soft and add a bit of texture to the tender beef.

Istiklal Caddesi, Misir Apt, 34330, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 251 10 42

Deluxe Burger — TRL 32

Grilled burger with swiss cheese, onion, lettuce, tomatoes and french fries.

Suzer Plaza, Elmadag, 34367, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 334 44 44

Chicken Topkapi — TRL 59

Set on the balcony of the first floor of the Çırağan Palace on the Bosphorus this elegant restaurant fuses old Ottoman dishes with their cometmporary counterparts. This particular dish is of the classic Ottoman style. It is comprised of roasted chicken breast filled with oriental pilaf (a type of rice) and topped with creamy spinach.

Ciragan Caddesi 32, Besiktas, 34349, Istanbul
Phone: +90 2123264646

Omakase of the Day (Chef’s Special) – 7,000 yen

Uobaka only offers two menu, Omakase (Chef’s Special) 5,000 yen and 7,000 yen. Both courses are entirely seafood, and  changes daily depending on the fish caught in the morning. 7,000 yen course consists of Sashimi dish, Live Squid Sashimi, Grilled Fish, Nimono (boiled dish), Fried Fish, Soup, Sushi, and a side carefully prepared by a female chef Sae Iwamoto. They also have extensive list of Sake and Shochu.

In the picture (clockwise from center): Alfonsino, Moontail Bullseye, Octopus, Grunt, Bluefin Tuna.

2-2-19 Ginza Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan 104-0061                                                                                                                                         Phone: 03-3563-4100

Cheeseburger – Euro 20.00

Part of the freres Costes restaurants, Rival follows the same basic menu format as the others. Their cheeseburger is served in a lightly toasted bun, with bib lettuce, sliced tomatoes, peeled onions and of course a slice of american cheese. The dish normally comes with a side of fries but I opted out. Your fingers do get dirty while eating this, but on the bright side the burger does not fall apart, even though it is quite large.

20 Avenue George V, 75008, Paris
Phone: 01 47 23 40 99

Filet Mignon with Grenailles Potatoes – Euro 32.00

Presented at this new Parisian dining establishment is very standard menu but using the very best ingredients. This steak was extremely tender, breaking apart with the slight movement of my knife (which is also pictured above). The baby pebble like potatoes were also an excellent supplement. They were firm and did not crumble. One thing that was missing, in this reviewers opinion, was an option of sauces or mustards to accompany the dish. The sauce as shown above was merely as it seems for presentation purposes as it was stuck to the plate.

There are a list of side dishes you may choose from as well including: green salad, fries, quinoa, bushel of spinach, green beans, mashed potatoes, and grenailles potatoes. All sides were Euro 8.00.

37 Avenue de Friedland, 75008, Paris
Phone: 01 82 28 75 08

Caramelized diver scallops, cauliflower purée, almonds, balsamic reduction – $14.00/$26.00

REDD is definitely a must-go if you are visiting Napa. All the ingredients were very well complemented as there was like “chemistry” in every bite I take. The scallop was perfectly seared, especially given the size of it. Not chewy at all and a lot of moisture. The cauliflower purée was well-blended, not too mushy, and tasted super smooth!  I was happy to find cauliflower florets too, and they were a bit roasted. Finally, the almonds added a nice crunchy flavor along with some raisins. This dish was actually part of an afternoon tasting menu so I thought there was an excess of purée for that one piece of scallop. I forgot how much the tasting menu cost, but REDD offers an appetizer portion or entrée portion on its menu. Ah, how I wished I could have had more!

6480 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599
Phone: (707) 944-2222

Marinated Portobello, Blue Brie, Griddled Scallions, Dijonnaise – $8.00 (additional fried egg, $2.00)

This American delicatessen is one juicy contender using grass-fed beef cooked till slightly pink core, sandwiched between two freshly toasted crunchy buns. Grass-fed beef is suppose to taste different due to the cow’s different diet compared with the typical American feedlot cows feeding on corn mill. But all that goodness from the included ingredients makes it hard to really pick out the beefier taste; however, we can take comfort in the cow’s healthy well-being before the slaughter. As for the innards of this burger, we have diced and sauteed marinated portobello mushrooms, melted blue brie cheese, griddled scallions for the herby taste and texture, and dijonnaise for the slight tang. If that mouthful of flavors isn’t enough for you, a fried egg can be added. Perfectly orchestrated fried egg with still runny yolk will end this burger on a high note.

2954 North Sheffield Avenue, Chicago 60657
Phone: (773) 360-8686