foodha for thought – menuism blog

Menuism reviewers are truly awesome! Whether they found an unexpected tasty gem of a restaurant or took it for the team after having a terrible meal, we truly applaud all their efforts in giving us the scoop on where we should be spending our hard-earned money on. On that note, I’d love to introduce you to those reviewers who we feel really contribute quality content to the site as well as quality information to fellow Menuism’ers. Our Featured Reviewer today is Alexander, better known as BlueBaron6. So let’s learn more about Alexander from San Diego, CA.

1. How did you find out about Menuism?

My friend and coworker introduced me to Menuism because his sister was engaged at the time to Justin, one of the founders.

2. What about Menuism first appealed to you?

I was used to using Zagat to search for restaurant ratings. The system was rather entrenched, and contained snippets where I thought there should be more detailed views. Zagat coverage in San Diego was very poor, and featured about 50 unique restaurants in a city with over a thousand. Menism, of course, did not have many ratings either, but it was so easy to find additional restaurants and review them, that my friend and I started reviewing them for the fun of being food critics. Being tied to the databases and using Google maps is still a really clever feature.

3. What restaurant did you write your first review about?

My first review was actually a sushi restaurant that I had been going to since I was a child. My mom wanted to get sushi every weekend, and my dad didn’t like it so she always took me to I Love Sushi in Bellevue, WA. The restaurant always featured high quality fish at very reasonable prices. Because I learned to deal with ethnic food at a young age, I am willing to try almost everything. I Love Sushi, today, continues to provide excellent quality sushi and sashimi at great prices. Their lunch sashimi special includes 5 different types of fish, in good quantity, with rice and soup for $15 after tax and a generous tip. The fish is always top notch coming from Seattle, and they have expert Japanese sushi chefs.

4. What is your food philosophy?

I can’t say I have a particular philosophy with food, but I search for food that is nourishing without many artificial ingredients. The key is quality ingredients (doesn’t have to be organic, but it needs to have taste and not chemicals), and quality cooking (actual cooking, like not overcooking things). Despite what I search for, I am willing to try anything once (except brains).

5. What are your favorite restaurants?

As stated before, I Love Sushi in Bellevue and Seattle is a must. In San Diego, I really enjoyed burgers at the Liar’s Club (which I heard is defunct), Rocky’s, and Nunu’s. Plus, there is Sushi Ota there for good sushi from actual Japanese chefs. Pizza Port (Solana Beach) is the best pizza around, but Bronx Pizza provides the best thin-crust, and Regents has excellent Chicago deep-dish. My favorite Chinese place went out of business, but the Mandarin Inn in La Jolla will do you well. There is a Korean BBQ in Rowland Heights that had a great deal on all-you-can-eat meat and goodies where I used to dine every Friday after classes in college. One more that I must add, back in Bellevue, is Bis, featuring fine Mediterranean food in a high-class setting at the low end of prices; it is an excellent value for a gourmet meal.

6. What are your favorite cuisines?

My favorite cuisines are Japanese, Korean, Persian, French, and Italian. Excluded varieties should not be construed that I dislike them, as I like to eat just about everything.

7. What are your favorite comfort foods?

When I am looking for something no-frills, nothing does better than a good burger. I have also been known to fall back on salmon and rice when I just want to eat something.

8. What is the best meal you ever ate and why?

The best meal I have ever eaten was at Lameloise in Chagny, France. I was touring the Bourgogne (Burgundy) region of France with my Dad, and we had a tour arranged with a restaurant each night. We started at an “unrated” (Michelin) restaurant that was as good as the best in Seattle, and not a bad deal. The next night we proceeded to a “one star” restaurant that was fabulous. Finally, it was on to Lameloise, a three-star Michelin rated restaurant, for an impressive seven-course meal with the most creative intermezzos. Accompanied by a fine bottle of wine from the region, everything was fantastic, delicately flavored, and artistically presented. Great service too, and the 200 euro / person price-tag was actual reasonable compared to other places in the region.

9. Do you have any favorite cookbooks (if any)?

I have found The Joy of Cooking to be a staple item in the kitchen, but normally, I grab recipes off the internet, or from Alton Brown’s show: Good Eats, or I experiment.

10. What words of encouragement would you give to first time Menuism reviewers?

Everybody can write a review; all it takes is a little thought. Just remember to give some details to back up your judgments.

If you’d like to be able to keep up with Alex’s reviews, click here to check out his profile!

If there is a Menuism reviewer who has really helped you make great dining choices and you’d like to see him or her be a Featured Reviewer, than be sure to message me or send me an email at abby@menuism.com.

By Abby C. Abanes
Menuism Community Manager