Ashiya 2: All you can eat sushi and sake for $30, worth it?

We have mixed feelings about this place. We’ll just lay out the good, bad, and ugly for you. Let’s start with something nice to say:

THE GOOD:
You cannot beat the price. All you can eat sushi for just $25 and with an additional $5 you get unlimited beer and sake. We highly recommend the Ashiya and Dragon rolls. The food was some of the best we’ve had at any sushi buffet. If you are looking for decent sushi at a reasonable price and don’t mind the crowd, this would be a safe bet.

THE BAD:
We had made reservations for a large birthday dinner here. We called a week in advance, gave them all the information they needed including our credit card number to hold the reservation. The morning of the dinner, we called again to ask if it was okay to bring a birthday cake to eat there. Turns out it was okay to bring a cake, but they have NO RECORDS of our reservation! They also said they didn’t have a table to accommodate for a large group that night either! After much negotiating and talking to several people, magically, a table became available.

THE UGLY:
You are given a two-hour limit on your sushi buffet, but after you put in your first order, expect to wait at least 40 minutes to get your first sushi rolls to your table. We had some late comers to dinner, but their two-hour limit started when ours started. So in actuality, some people had about 1 hour. You may be tempted to order A LOT of food in your first order since its take so long to come, but be WARNED, if you don’t finish it all, they charge you extra (depending on how much is left). They tried to sneak some rolls to our table that we did not order and after we sent it back, all those same rolls still came back at our table. They sneaked a roll here and there to the plates of sushi that we did order.

Don’t expect a nice, quiet dinner here with friends either. It’s an extremely rowdy crowd. There were people playing “sake bombs” all night. This game involves loud banging on the tables (and yes, you’ll hear plates and chopsticks come crashing down once in a while).

Double check your bill when it comes. Some of us did not order the sake, but was charged. They did take it off after we complained.

To sum it up -- food is decent, price is great, and service is so-so (if not poor)!

Address:
167 1st AveNew York, NY 10003-0309(212) 505-3348
http://www.ashiya2.com/

Total Yummy Points: 6.5

I’m wild for WILD GINGER!

We recently tried out Wild Ginger because we bought a $25 certificate from http://www.restaurant.com/ for $2! We were able to use the $25 certificate with ease and our total bill came out to only $45 (tax and tip included). The setting was serene, Asian influenced, and the lighting was a little dim. Perfect for a date!

Here’s what we ordered:
Appetizers
Wild Ginger Lobster Roll: It was made with fried Panko (Japanese bread crumb) rolled with lobster salad and brunoise (avocado and tomato inside served with spicy mayo and eel sauce). We LOVE LOVE LOVED this roll! The mix of flavors is the best I’ve had in a sushi roll. The taste is very original, nothing can quite compare to it. I would come back just for this roll! It was a little sweet, with a fiery hint and the lobster was delicious. The panko made it a little crunchy too. The texture and the flavors were simply amazing!

Thai Crab Cakes: This was a little disappointing. The crab cakes were heavily fried and somewhat tasteless. We couldn’t taste the crab in it, it could have been shrimp! The flavor and texture reminded me of the spring rolls you get free with your Chinese take out.

Entrées
Wok Glazed Ginger: Caramelized red onion, shiitake mushroom, and pork.
Mild Mango Sauce: Crisp vermicelli on the bottom, fresh mango slices, and beef.

Both dishes were served on a miniature wok and the portions were very decent. Both were cooked very well and were delicious! The mango dish was a little spicy, which we loved!

All the dishes we had here (appetizers and entrees) came with or cooked with sauces that we haven’t tasted anywhere else – what’s the secret? I’d like to know! The waiters were friendly and service was fast too! We highly recommend Wild Ginger!

Total Yummy Points: 9

Location:
226 E 51st StreetNew York, NY 10022

They also have a location in Long Island, here is the website for it:
http://wildginger.kpsearch.com/df/default.asp

Food and Drinks from Majestic Colonial Hotel Beach Resort in Punta Cana, DR

We recently came back from an awesome trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We stayed at the beautiful, all-inclusive Majestic Colonial. If you haven’t been -- its time to go! Let's get right to the food and drinks! Pictures are worth a million words, see below. These photos are from all their restaurants, which included:

• Buffet Supreme Restaurant


• la Hispaniola Restaurant


• Matsuri Restaurant


• Rodeo Grill Steak House Restaurant


• Taíno Resturant


• Restaurant Tres Carabelas ***our top pick!


• La Bodeguita del Majestic


• Restaurant Le Gourmet

Leave us a message if you’d like details on a specific restaurant!

Happy Hour at Third Floor Café

This modern-looking K-town spot is definitely worth your time! I just started coming here recently and fell in love with the food, drinks, décor and atmosphere.

It’s tucked away on the third floor of a corner building on the corner of 32nd and 5th avenue. You have to look hard to find it! The elevator up is also TINY! You’re officially warned – only about 3 people up at a time!
The Scene: nice big couches with lots of space for diners too. The crowd is predominately Korean. Hip hop music, but not too loud where you can’t chat with friends.

Happy Hour Special: Every night from 5pm-8pm. Get dinner and a cocktail/beer/wine for just $10! It’s an awesome deal! I’ve tried the Kimchi fried rice and beef w/ rice – both delicious! I also have not tried a cocktail that I did not like here. The lychee martini is my fav.

I recommend Third Floor Café for the happy hours and dinner. It’s also a chill spot to hang out and catch up with friends…

Address: 315 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Cottage Cheese Boats -Tasty Appetizer made in 15 minutes!

This is my go-to tasty, healthy and fast appetizer that has a fiery kick!
Ingredients:
1. Celery Sticks (discard leaves, clean and cut into 3 inch pieces)
2. 1 tub small curd cottage cheese
3. 2 tablespoons of horseradish
4. salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder – to taste
5. 1 cup Walnuts
6. ¾ cup raisins or dried cranberries

Directions:
Add salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and horseradish to cottage cheese (you can use its original packaging, just mix in ingredients). Mix well. In a small bowl, crush the walnuts until it’s in small chucks, and then mix in the raisins (or dried cranberries). Lastly, scoop about a teaspoon full of cottage cheese mixture onto each piece of celery – top each with the walnut/raisin or cranberry mixture. There you have it! A simple, fiery appetizer!