Depot Eatery, Auckland, NZ

Posted on May 9, 2016 by melsmosaic

First night in Auckland, received a suggestion from the concierge to not walk more than 100 feet outside front door of the hotel to this place called Depot Eatery for dinner They don’t take reservations so you just either get there early or wait patiently in line.

We were fortunately there on a weeknight so it wasn’t too crazy but still had to wait. Once we got a seat, we got to sit at the bar, which makes it more fun. While looking over the menu of course it was necessary to grab a drink. There was wine on tap. Awesome! Always love trying that stuff. It was perfect.

Then, they bring you white bean hummus and pita bread to nibble on while picking food.

While looking over the menu we asked for suggestions from the bartender. It was the kingfish. Ok, sold. The description was Kingfish belly w/ eggplant kasundi, lime & toasts. We chose that and Brussels sprouts — ‘not your mothers’ w/ ‘Otello’s’ pancetta & walnut crumbs.

There was nothing left on either of these plates. Amazing food. So glad this restaurant was recommended and can totally see why it has a wait.

Coyote Grill, Queenstown, NZ

Posted on April 28, 2016 by melsmosaic

Next place to check in a NZ town if of course a Mexican restaurant, right? After getting back fairly late from a tour it was close to the hotel and looked pretty good, so why not? So we checked out Coyote Grill.

One of two mandatory orders was right (and done right away) – chips & guac. The other that wasn’t (margarita) was simply replaced with sangria.

The guac had a perfect texture and spice to it.

Two appetizers were ordered after that for dinner.

Prawns (that’s what they call shrimp) Veracruz– sautéed with mild guajillo chili and slow cooked garlic

Duck Tostada – shredded roast duck served on a crispy corn tortilla with salsa

The shrimp had a nice kick to them and whatever seasoning they used on the duck was amazing. And for appetizers, these were big dishes. Perfect end to a long day.

Smiths Craft Beer House, Queenstown, NZ

Posted on April 28, 2016 by melsmosaic

Another spot visited in Queenstown was the Smith Craft Beer House.

You can pretty much deduce what they have based on the name. And you can order a sampler of whatever you like. Based on their large selection, the bartender chose several for the table based on our taste. The six that came to the table were:

From left to right:

Garage Prospect, Teas & Tea, Spicy Brown Ale, 6.2% — very dark

Horse Box, Vigilante, IPA, 5.8% — tasted a bit like tea

Horse Box, Storm Hopper, APA, 5.7% — crisp and not too hoppy

Beer Barrons, Lady Danger, Red Ale, 6.5% — red definitely describes it

Wigram Tornado, IPA, 6.6% — bit of fruit, not much else, slightly bitter

Tuatora/Coucher, Summer Gold Golden Ale, 4.5% — light, totally an ale

For lunch we ordered a pizza, half with cheese half without. The crust on this thing was amazing. So light and fluffy! One of the best pizzas I’ve had. Great stuff.

Fishbone Bar & Grill, Queenstown, NZ

Posted on April 28, 2016 by melsmosaic

New town, new country, of course new exploration. The hotel where we stayed recommended a great seafood restaurant for the first night in Queenstown; Fishbone Bar & Grill. Of course, you have just a bit of water around you when you’re in New Zealand so there is likely to be some decent seafood.

And to kick off the meal in the new country we started with some vino, of course. We opted for some Rockface Pinot Gris from Waipara, NZ. Pretty dry, which is why we picked it to pair with upcoming seafood.

For dinner we decided to go with 3 appetizers. They were good sized as we saw them going to other tables, which is why we went this route.

Seared Tasman Sea scallops with tomato and fennel ragout, shaved fennel, orange and fresh fennel pollen

Sesame-crusted west coast Albacore tuna sashimi with Daikon, cucumber and bok choy, black garlic mayonnaise

Salt & chili arrowhead squid with radicchio, endive, orange, and squid ink mayonnaise.

I don’t think you could find a piece of food left on these plate. The tuna was perfect crusted in sesame seeds and the perfect size, the squid had been cooked to perfection and was the perfect texture and those scallops, oh those scallops. This place needs to open a location in DC.

Miles Better Pies

Posted on April 28, 2016 by melsmosaic

So I’m not a pie eater. But when you’re on a tour and you have to stop and get a high recommendation from a driver sometimes you listen. We were on our way to Milford Sound, New Zealand and took a break in Te Anau.

The driver pointed at this little tiny shop called Miles Better Pies and more.

This is a long-standing shop that primarily makes meat pies. I don’t eat a ton of red meat but something he said clicked. They have venison pie.

I don’t like crust but wanted to check out the inside. After finding out the filling had no dairy, bring it on. The filling was chunks of meat vs. ground and had mouth-watering flavor. So…amazing… One of those places where you just kind of leave the fork hanging in your mouth.

Lorne Hotel, Great Ocean Road

Posted on April 26, 2016 by melsmosaic

Had a nice stop for lunch on a drive out the Great Ocean Rd in Australia on the way to see the 12 Apostles. The place we found to eat was the Lorne Hotel.

Started off with some brew – Carlton Draught and LazyYak Pale Ale. Just nice light beer, perfect for mid-day.

For lunch, the decisions came down to a Roasted Beetroot & Quinoa Salad, a Greek Salad, both with Prawns and a lamb dish. Presentation and taste, all delicious!

Epicurean

Posted on April 26, 2016 by melsmosaic

While on our wine day, we of course had to eat. In wine land, we found a nice little café, the Epicurean.

They have both a cafe and restaurant. We opted for the former. There was this amazing sandwich that had a black bun. Why black? It was died with squid ink! How cool? On the bun was smoked salmon, lettuce and other great stuff. The reason I couldn’t enjoy this is because all were premade and they also had include some delicious cream cheese. They had a nice salad with fennel and tomatoes and great mix of lettuce. Perfect mid-day refuel before wine continued…

Eat, Drink, Arbory

Posted on April 22, 2016 by melsmosaic

When in Australia, one must do what hosts dictate. So, when arriving in Melbourne a few weeks back, my friends picked me up at the airport and provided a city tour. Then, because they knew of the long day of travel that had taken place, they just let the fun begin. We visited a place right on the water, Arbory. On the front of the menu it says it just right EAT DRINK.

This is one of the fun places that serves their wine on tap. Around the table we tried Arbory Shiraz, Rose and Pinot Grigio.

This came with some fries and hummus. Great way to start vacation!

Capital Wheel Lunch

Posted on March 31, 2016 by melsmosaic

Finally made it to the Capital Wheel at the National Harbor, MD recently.

Went on a cold day, which meant the line was non-existent. Great views all around. After the ride, checked out a restaurant in the area, Granite City.

They brew their own beer so opted for a sampler. The four brews on the taster were The Prairie Vixen, The Northern, the Cran Gose and the Smith & Forge.

The Prairie was a Hef with mild banana and clove, bubble gum, hints of citrus and mild spiciness. It was not that exciting and actually way too banana-y for me. The Northern was an American Lager that was mild, crisp and had mild bitterness. Very good, a true Lager. The Cran Gose tasted like toothpaste to me. The Smith & Forge was solid.

The menu was a normal brewery menu and based on the location, quite expensive. They had a traditional MD crab soup so I opted for that and a salad. My friend went for a bowl of chili and caesar.

Once we finally got the food…it was fine. It took nearly 45 minutes to get the stuff, and you can tell all it really takes it a couple ladles and putting lettuce on a plate. Nothing that exciting and there are many other places at National Harbor I’d rather check out.

8407 Kitchen Bar

Posted on March 27, 2016 by melsmosaic

Have heard of the restaurant 8407 Kitchen Bar in Silver Spring, MD for awhile and was finally able to check it out recently. It’s right next to the Silver Spring Metro and just outside of Washington, DC.

There is a bar area downstairs with TVs and then the restaurant upstairs. My friend and I were ‘normal’ and (actually) got a table upstairs.

After looking over the menu we decided to split a bunch of small plates versus going for entrees. The decisions the ended up on the table were:

-Farm Fresh Deviled Eggs

-Pickled Veggies

-Salmon Bites

-Gouda Ewephora Cheese

-Black Goat Truffle Cheese

-Prosciutto Americano

(so we devoured half the salmon before I took a picture)

Also ordered some Temptation Zin to pair with all this. Nice wine with berries and spice.

Was a very nice meal. Service was a bit slow but nothing to worry about. Prices are about the same as most restaurants (as in entrees were low upper teens to mid 20s) in the DC area. Would totally be game for checking this out again.