Caribbean Smorgasboard

Kaya - Round 2 - Ding!!!!  I think this is one of my favorite ways to eat - when out with the Dining Team, pretty much everything ordered is fair game for all forks.  We all got to try just about all the items on the menu.  Each dish was awesome, some better than others, and great all the way around!

They gave us our own big table in the back, again.  Of course we start with the Caribbean inspired drinks - I opted for the Caipirinha, which is kinda like a mojito, but more lime and Brazilian.  They are a bit sentimental for me; IPA-hole drank waaaay to many of these on our honeymoon, but that's another story...  The other drink that I found exceptionally interesting was Vegahimsa's Grapefruit-Basil Margarita.  It was fresh, a little sweet, and different.  The winner was definitly the Kayapolitan - they just kept coming!!!  Light, sweet, and so cute with the little cranberries in the bottom!

Appetizers, again, were amazing - Tartare with the Plantain chips, peanuts in the Calamari.  The Bean Dip & the Tofu Cracklins are yummy and spicy, so be careful.  I did like the tofu, it wasn't how I expected tofu to be.  Salsa was good, passed on the Mushroom Saute (cause mushrooms are not my favorite).  The winner of appetizers, when put to vote, was the Lentil & Corn Beingnets by a landslide.  I was suprised when they came, I don't think I knew what they would be, and they managed to impress.  I think I feel the same way about Kaya this time as last time - to hell with dinner, just order all the appetizers!



Who:  Me & the Dining Team
Where:  Kaya
What:  Drinks on the table - Lava Lover, Rum Runner, Caipirinha, Grapefruit-Basil Margartia, Dark & Stormy, Kayapolitan (*winner),
            Appetizers for all - Tuna Tartare, Crispy Calamari, Tofu Cracklins, Mushroom Saute, Lentil & Corn Beingnets (*winner), Mango-Tomatilla Salsa, Yucatan Hot Bean Dip
   
 Dinner - Me - <~ Pan Roasted Grouper
                    EasyD - Park Farms Chicken Breast  ~>
                    Chickie - Salmon-Crab Cakes & Sweet & Spicy Baby Back Ribs
                    Vegahimsa - Jerked Tofu Tacos
                    Onion-hater - Kaya Burger
                    Steamy - Kaya Burger
                    Nonsense - Crispy Fish Tacos
                    Willtry - Kaya Burger
      Desserts - Pecan Torte with Chipotle Ice Cream, Ice Cream Tasting (Passionfruit, Dulce de Leche, Avocado), Chocolate & Banana Bread Pudding, Creme Brulee.  And I can't pick a winner here.

Again, I'll say that everything was great.  My grouper was cooked perfectly, texture & flavor was amazing.  Tacos - delicious.  Chicken - tasty.  Cakes, burgers, ribs - yummy, yum, yum. But let's just talk about dessert for a second - yes, it says Chipotle ice cream & Avocado ice cream.  The Chipotle ice cream was one of the most confusing yet delicious things I have ever eaten - it was spicy, like chipotle spicy, but frozen.  And Avocado ice cream was so different and very tasty.  Bread pudding is one of my most favorite desserts, bananas are one of my least favorite - its a texture thing - this bread pudding was fabulous, even better if you like bananas.  Those were the only 4 on the menu, so we ate them all, but, as a frontloader, I go back to the appetizers on this one.  I'd rather eat them than dessert.  As Chickie said, and I quote, "The appetizers were a smorgasboard of love and deliciousness!"  She may have also been including the Kayapolitans. 

Again, I will repeat, this restaurant is small, I advise you to make reservations or you may find yourself looking for somewhere else to eat.  I would also recommend that you keep ordering.  There was a little snag with the Kaya staff - after we had finished dessert, and had not ordered any more drinks, they did ask us to give up the table.  Which, I do understand, being that it is such a small place, but it was a little sooner than we thought reasonable to push us out.  C'mon kids, you're there to make great food and let us run up a huge tab!!

On the whole, Kaya has fab food, captivating ambiance, great drinks, and stellar appetizers!  Make reservations, like now. 

~ CDO

Aguafiesta

Well this whole evening was not as expected.  We were definitely trying to go out to the new tapas place in Greensburg, and I was so looking forward to it.  Well, Nonsense & Onion-hater get there first (a half hour early b/c somebody thought the wrong time) only to find that the new place of choice isn't open on Mondays or Tuesdays.  So plan B - El Patron.

I read some of the reviews on urbanspoon, and seriously - the best Mexican food?  What Mexican joints have you been tolerating???  Overall, I was disappointed at best.  Our main server acted like we were bothering him by being there.  I mean, he finally warmed up at the end, but by then we weren't interested. 
The margaritas were good, sangria was good, chips, salsa & guacamole were good, food came fast; that was positive. Mine was decent, but  unrecognizable for what it was supposed to be, and generally I can identify my Mexican staples - in this case, supposedly a chimichanga & a queso relleno.  Tierra Firme's looked good too - taco, enchilada, & rice.  Nonsense & Onion-hater both went with the tortilla soup.  Yes, here we go with these two again - the soup has chicken in it, Nonsense! (which she gave to Onion-hater). There are onions in it, Onion-hater! (which she decided were big enough eat around). I still don't get it, and they both agreed that, after spooning the oil off the top (which is what this picture is), the soup was good - had a TON of avocado in it, YUM!  Onion-hater didn't touch the tamale, and there were no onions in it.  We think it exploded, but we're not sure.  You can look at the picture and judge for yourself.

Who:  Onion-hater, Nonsense, Tierra Firme, & Me
Where:  El Patron
What: Me - Special Texas (Chimichanga & Queso Relleno)
          Onion-hater - Tortilla Soup & a  Tamale
          Nonsense - Tortilla Soup *winner
          Tierra Firme - Combo 1 (Taco, Enchilada, & rice)

So for what its worth,  don't bother.  If you're looking for some good authentic Mexican food, head over to Picante in Delmont.  We do go there more often than I think I'd like to admit.  The guys know what me & the kids want as soon as we sit down, speak Spanish to us, and make some great food.  Hmm, I guess I'll have to write about them one of these days. 

Yeah, bummer, El Patron was a bust.  Wish the tapas place would have been open.  Stay tuned...

~ CDO