Olive Garden in Times Square, NYC

Smoked Mozzarella Funduta

Oven-baked smoked mozzarella, provolone, parmesan and romano cheese. Served with Tuscan bread.

Ravioli di Portobello

Portobello mushroom-filled ravioli in a creamy smoked cheese and sun-dried tomato sauce.

Chianti Braised Short Ribs

Tender boneless beef short ribs slow cooked in a chianti wine sauce. Served with portobello mushroom risotto and steamed vegetables.

Pretty sure most of you have seen Olive Garden around the States even in nearby Seattle. Well I finally decided to try it on our trip to New York and we had it in Times Square. The wait was extremely long even though it was already really late, but I guess that’s just how busy Times Square is! The food was delicious and the environment was very pleasant. I wouldn’t mind going again, probably in Seattle where the wait would be shorter!

Olive Garden on Urbanspoon

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in New York

Steamed Mussels in Wine, Butter, and Garlic

Bubba’s Far Out Dip – Spinach, Roasted Red Peppers, Artichokes and Monterey Jack Cheese with homemade Tortilla

Bourbon Street Mahi Mahi – Charbroiled Cajun spiced Mahi Mahi with Bourbon Sauce and grilled Shrimp, served over Mashed Potatoes

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is all over the States. This one was at Times Square, New York. Definately friendly and great service. They have signs that say “Go Forrest Go” and “Stop Forrest Stop”, which lets the servers know if you need any help. Funky environment and a great restaurant for the family. Food was also delicious. The seafood was extremely fresh and I would say the Mahi Mahi was one of the best I’ve had. The artichoke dip was also really good. Yum!

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company on Urbanspoon

Chinatown in San Francisco

Shrimp

Mussels

We decided to go try some Chinese food in San Francisco, and of course the place to be was in Chinatown! This restaurant had a lot of people in it, so we chose to go in. The food was delicious although the environment wasn’t all glammed up. Prices were also reasonable. We also had a dish of crab, but I forgot to take a picture! I guess I was too busy eating!

Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop in San Francisco

Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop at Haight Ashbury

Mmmm..all the flavours of ice cream!

Ben & Jerry’s Menu!

Freezer full of Ben & Jerry’s

My Waffle Cone! Chocolate Fudge Brownie & Cookies and Cream

If you ever have a chance to go to San Francisco, check out the area called Haight Ashbury! It’s really funky, and hippie-like, but that’s whats so interesting about it! It’s got tons of boutiques and restaurants, and of course one of their tourist attractions is the Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop! The ice cream here is a bit pricey, I must say, but it is just so creamy and irresistible! They also have smoothies and sundaes that you can’t get in the freezer aisle in grocery stores!

Ben & Jerry's Haight Ashbury on Urbanspoon

Crab House at Pier 39 San Francisco

Fish and Chips

Steamed Mussels

Crab Cakes

Went to the Crab House in San Francisco, and it was right by Pier 39! It had an amazing view of the Fisherman’s Wharf and the decorations inside the restaurant were funky! All sea-related things hanging off the ceilings and walls. The seafood was extremely fresh and tasted delicious! Too bad I didn’t get to try the crabs they were famous for. I saw many other tables around us order them and it was funny because they were given bibs to wear!

Crab House on Urbanspoon

Cheesecake Factory in San Francisco

Tropical Smoothie

Mango, Passion Fruit, Pineapple and Coconut All Blended with Ice.

Pasta Carbonara

Spaghettini with Smoked Bacon, Green Peas, and a Garlic-Parmesan Cream Sauce.

Mahi Mahi Mediterranean

Crumb Crusted Fresh Mahi with Tomatoes, Artichokes, Capers,Fresh Basil and Balsamic Vinaigrette. Served over Mashed Potatoes.

Grilled Rib-Eye Steak

Served with French Fries and Onion Strings. Also Available Cajun Style – Marinated for 36 Hours in Spices and Herbs.

Filet Mignon

Our Most Tender Steak. Served with French Fries and Onion Strings.

White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle

Creamy Cheesecake Swirled with White Chocolate and Raspberry.

Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake

Moist layers of Red Velvet Cake and our Original Cheesecake covered with our special Cheesecake Factory cream cheese frosting.

Cheesecake Factory can be found all over the States, so if you live in Vancouver, you can head down to Seattle nearby to try it! The portions are extremely large for the price you pay. Line ups are always a little long, but it’s worth it. Be sure to leave room for their famous cheesecakes or get take-out! The cheesecakes are so delicious!

The Cheesecake Factory on Urbanspoon

Japanese Food in San Francisco

Mango Paradise and Salmon Sashimi

Miso Ramen

Shoyu Ramen

Unagi Don

Seafood Ramen

Spicy Sushi Rolls

Here are some pictures of Japanese food I had in San Francisco! I stayed at a hotel in Japan Town, so my hotel was actually connected to a Japanese mall with a whole building of Japanese restaurants! Here are two restaurants that I ate at. They were all authentic Japanese owners and the quality of food was excellent.

Todai Sushi and Seafood Buffet

Todai Sushi Seafood Buffet

Caesar’s Salad, Crab Legs, Variety of Sushi, Mixture of Shellfish

Mussels, Squid, Ribs, Mushroom, Prawn Tempura, Udon

Variety of Desserts including Cream Puff, Tiramisu, Cheesecake, Matcha White Chocolate, Creme Brulee

Green Tea Soft Ice Cream and Banana Whipped Cream Crepe

So I found that you guys really enjoyed my post from the Wicked Spoon buffet, so I decided to upload the rest of my pictures from buffets. I didn’t think they were as great as the Wicked Spoon, but they were still really good! Another buffet I went to in Las Vegas was Todai: The Sushi and Seafood Buffet located inside Planet Hollywood. They had a larger variety of sushi and seafood to choose from including crab legs! I also really liked how they had a section where a chef would make you udon instantly and you could choose what you would like as ingredients. They also had a dessert section where a chef would serve you soft ice cream and also instantly make you crepes with different fillings you could choose from. The variety of desserts were also great! A little pricey for the buffet, compared to the Wicked Spoon, but I guess seafood is expensive! The wait was also very long (at least an hour), but I had this on Christmas and Las Vegas is famous for those long lineups at buffets! If you want seafood and sushi in Vegas, this is the place to go!

I’m going to keep posting other pictures of food I had from a few places I traveled to this past year, so be sure to check back often!

Todai (Planet Hollywood) on Urbanspoon