Willie Mae's Scotch House - Seventh Ward New Orleans, LA

It comes down to this, people flock to Willie Mae's Scotch House for what they call "America's Best Fried Chicken" and I wanted to try some.

The line here are crazy and at any given time during open hours, you will see a line stretched out the door. I wasn't in the mood to be waiting like
that, so I squeezed my way inside to place my order to go. Inside the small space of the restaurant it was packed to the brim with dining patrons. 

Once I finally got home and popped open my box of chicken, I was glad to see the pieces of beautifully fried, crispy and juicy chicken. The seasoning was amazing, the only problem was, like much of the food in New Orleans, it was overly salty making it hard to enjoy. The same went for the French Fries.

I ordered Corn Bread Muffins on the side and those too failed to pizazz. They were too dry for me.

In the end, I was so disappointed in what I had hoped would be the best chicken ever. I am not sure where people find this to be the best (I have had better), but to each it's own. Take away all the salt and you might have a point.

Willie Mae's Scotch House
2401 St Ann St New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 822-9503

Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro - Metairie, LA

Apparently Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro is like the Cheesecake Factory of Louisiana. I am a fan of the Cheesecake Factory, which is probably one of the best chain restaurants that exist so I was very intrigued to try Copeland's.

Driving into the driveway of the restaurant, you get the impression that this is a fancy restaurant with valet being the only parking option and the somewhat fancy design of the dining room.

However, we were unlucky and had a trainee as a server, who although nice, wasn't too sure about what she was doing and kept referencing our real server who she was shadowing, but besides a quick stop at the table, we had no interaction with.

The food was lackluster also. We ordered off the lunch menu which resulted in an extremely small portion and subpar food that lacked the kind of flavor I am used to. I would say it was okay but when you make much better food than that at home, its just not worth it.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Chicken, Shrimp & Sausage Penne 

The cheesecake however was worth it. It was extremely sweet and hard to finish, but ordering a less sweet option would do the trick on that. It was a good, and decadent dessert. However, I have to say that Cheesecake Factory's is still better.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake (Made with Real Reeces)

Ultimate Snickers Cheesecake

Whenever I am craving cheesecake I might stop in for a slice, but as far as food goes, I will pass!


Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro
4517 Veterans Blvd Metairie, LA 70006
(504) 454-7620
www.copelandscheesecakebistro.com

FoodFest: America's Hometown Eats - Celebrate and Savor the Delicious Diversity of Our Country's Foods

Date/Time:

Sunday, March 24, 2013 - 11 AM to 6 PM

Location:

French Market - New Orleans, LA

Steak Sandwich

LDR Char Pit - Rochester, NY

Fried Chicken Wing & Thigh

Gus's Fried Chicken - Memphis, TN

Ribs

Central BBQ - Memphis, TN

Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

Peck's Seafood - Slidell, LA

Louisiana Lemonade & Long Island Iced Tea

Gazebo Cafe - New Orleans, LA

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

Cafe Reconcile - New Orleans, LA

Cheen Huaye Southern Mexican Restaurant - North Miami / Aventura, FL

Many people might believe that Taco Bell is an authentic Mexican dinner. While it may be cheap and quick, it is definitely not the place to go for authentic Mexican food. The place to go is Cheen Huaye in Aventura.

I visited Cheen Huaye one afternoon with a friend. The restaurant is located on the corner of a strip mall. Upon entering the restaurant, you know that this is going to be an authentic meal and not some cheesy Tex-Mex style experience. The restaurant was very clean with a casual but nice atmosphere. 

We were immediately greeted by a waitress who told us we could sit anywhere we would like. There were many tables to choose from, indoor and outdoor but we choose to sit inside. 

Upon picking our table, our waitress introduced herself and asked what we would like to drink. We ordered waters and began scanning the menu. The menu has a nice selection, but is not too big. It is helpful to know a small amount of basic Spanish in order to completely understand some of the dishes, but there are also explanations listed in English. 

Our waitress brought out the standard free chips and salsa along with our drinks. The salsa was among the best I have ever had. It was extremely fresh, full of flavor and spicy like I like it! Definitely not your typical tomato from a can.

For my meal, I ordered the Tacos de Pescado. It was made with fresh grilled Mahi-Mahi. The fish was perfectly cooked, seasoned and flaky. The meal was served with Mexican rice, Red Picked Onions, pico de gallo, and guacamole on the side. Everything was delicious and again very fresh.

My friend ordered a Steak Burrito, which was not on the menu but that they special made per request. It was very good! Not one bite was left on the plate!

All in all, the food was amazing. Everything tasted like it had just been prepared. Nothing tasted over-processed or bland. The service was exceptional too. The waitress was very professional! The restaurant was not packed at the time we dined, but still we waited no more than 15 minutes and our dishes arrived at the same time, piping hot. 

Cheen Huaye is the perfect place to grab some authentic Mexican on a casual date, lunch or dinner with friends. 

Cheen Huaye Southern Mexican Restaurant
15400 Biscayne Blvd Aventura, FL 33160
(305) 956-2808
www.cheenhuaye.com

Boswell's Jamaican Food Store & Grill - Mid-City New Orleans, LA

I am Jamaican so it is mandatory that I have access to a Jamaican restaurant when necessary. I did a search for a local restaurant and only 3 options popped up. The only one that seemed to be authentic was Boswell's Jamaican Grill. 

I headed over there to get my fix. The restaurant itself was very plain and underwhelming. It looked like a cafeteria and under normal circumstances probably wouldn't be the sort of place I would decide to stop into and eat. The inside was a little better, decorated with various hints of Caribbean culture, but still not fancy. 

Anyways, I didn't come for the decor but for the food. I played it safe and order the Jerk Chicken plate. It came with two sides and plantains. I choose Rice and Peas and Mac and Cheese as my two sides. The Mac and Cheese was really good but the rest was just slightly above average. The Jerk Sauce was not cooked into the chicken but given on the side in a cold refrigerated bottle, which I didn't like. Although the sauce had great flavor, how it was presented made it not so good. The chicken itself was a little dry. 

The Oxtail fared much better. It had nice flavor and was falling off the bone tender. I have had so much Jamaican food in my life that in comparison, the food here was nothing special, but if you are looking for a good cooked plate of food, it is definitely a good option to consider.  

The place is owned and operated by a Jamaican, so it is "authentic", but if you are not "authentic", then you will probably enjoy it a lot more than I did. Either way, they sell a few West Indian grocery items that you can't find in a regular grocery store so it is a good place to stop into for that reason alone.

Boswell's Jamaican Food Store & Grill

3521 Tulane Ave New Orleans, LA 70119 

(504) 482-6600

Pho Orchid Vietnamese Restaurant - Metairie, LA

Having been in New Orleans for a few weeks now, I have come to realized that there is a huge Vietnamese population. This means that there are a ridiculous amount of Vietmanese restaurants and easy access for me to eat some good Pho. 

Apparently the best Pho is located on the West Bank, but that is just simply too far from me so I was very happy to discover Pho Orchid in my hood. 

It's a pretty fancy spot (big and open) with friendly staff so it was a real treat to dine in and have a nice hot bowl of Pho. 

I obviously came her for the Pho and it delivered. I had the Pho Tai Nam Bo Viem (noodle soup with Eye Round Steak, Briskets and Meatballs). The flavor was good, the ingredients were fresh and the meat and noodles were cooked just right. 

I enjoyed my meal and left feeling satisfied and I didn't even have to go deep into my pockets.

Pho Orchid
3117 Houma Blvd Metairie, LA 70006
(504) 457-4188
www.phoorchid.com

Buddha Sushi Bar - Upper East Side Miami, FL

I had heard a little buzz about a new sushi spot called Buddha Sushi Bar so I was really excited to be going to check them out. Although the location was a little hard to find and a little out of the way, after such an extraordinary experience here, I can tell you that it was a gem of a find.  

I had the pleasure of meeting the owner who was also responsible for making this such a fantastic meal. He was really nice and very enthusiastic about his business. He was very thoughtful in recommending dishes and checking in on us throughout the meal.

The restaurant is known for offering the floating boat concept. This just means that boats of sushi are placed on a floating river of water that winds through the restaurant and you have the option of letting what you don't want float by or grabbing the fresh sushi you do want. It is a very cool concept, but my boyfriend and I decided to just order off of the menu. 

The owner recommended we start with their Crispy Brussel Sprouts, but my boyfriend being picky and not liking anything, we decided to be safe and order the Shrimp Avocado Salad instead. Honestly, it wasn't special and I could have done with out the dish but the ingredients were fresh and the sauce/dressing was good so I am not really complaining. It just didn't stand out because of the delicious dishes that followed. 

The other dish he recommended was the Salmon Bola (Avocado, Crab, BBQ Cream, Salmon, Torch, Bonito Flake). It was fricken yummy! I highly recommend you try this! 

In addition to the two appetizers, we also ordered two rolls. The first one was the Big Mac (Spicy Tuna, Crab, Avocado, Cruchies, Eel sauce). It was exceptional! 

The Cleopatra Maki (Crispy Shrimp, Snow Crab, Masago and Soy Paper) topped the Big Mac and was out of this world! It was so deliciously good that I cannot even put into words! 

The flavor and combinations of ingredient they have come up with for their rolls is just so crazy good. The prices may be considered a little high, but these roll are ginormous and well exceed the price.

You can't go sushi with sake so enjoy a bottle of Tyku Sake with your meal too. 

In addition to the unbelievable food you will find here, you will also find a fantastic dining environment. The dim, green lighting sets the mood. You can sit by the boats, in the dining room or outside. Either way, know that the food here will make you not notice where you are sitting anyways. I recently moved from South Florida but whenever I am I town, I will definitely be back.

Buddha Sushi Bar

1071 NE 79th St #101 Miami, FL 33138 

(305) 677-3633

ezweborders.com/buddhasushibar