Gastro Monkey // 美食家

I am having serious Taiwan withdrawals, so I guess that means it's time for me to finally catch up on my posts that I should have been doing for the past year. Lately, I have been feeling a bit uninspired by just blogging about one location at a time. The travelogues have been more interesting to me because there's usually a story involved. I suppose I will figure it out eventually. For the few who have been following me, thanks for bearing with me! If you have watched any Zimmern or Bourdain specials, or even any YouTube videos dealing with Taipei, I'm sure you've heard of YongKang Street. It has some great stuff on this street/in this vicinity (See also Tianjin Onion Pancakes/ 天津蔥抓餅 , Din Tai Fung/鼎泰豐, Du Xiao Yue Danzi Noodle/度小月擔仔麵 (great if you don't have time to go to Tainan to get it from the original location), Kao Chi/高記, and a bun cart that is there until they sell out for the day (go early - I've always had luck when I go for breakfast... ju...

After trying Joe's in Chicago for my birthday one year, I was hooked. Their stone crab, freshly flown in from Florida, is (for lack of a better word) incredibly fresh and sweet. It's perfect plain, or with some lemon. They also have their own aioli that goes with it, if you prefer. Service was impeccable, the vibe so classic and mellow - it's one of my favorite restaurants. If you can't make it to Chicago and you live on the West Coast, then Vegas is a great option! The best stone crab. Best. Key. Lime. Pie. I am forever grateful to the server at the Joe's in Chicago for giving me my first one for free after ordering a different pie that I can't even remember anymore. Perfectly crafted Old Fashioned. Lots of fancy goodies in front of us (Pappy, Whistle Pig) Located inside Caesar's Palace (Forum Shops) 3500 S Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89109 If you go later at night like we did, you won't need reservations. However, if you ...

While I have a sizable list of my own for places I want to dine at in New Orleans, I am not one to discount suggestions from like minded friends. One of my friends, when I told her I had gone to Shaya , sent me a link to  a YouTube video of another New Orleans chef who ate there. She said that because of this particular video , she wanted to try Shaya. Because of that video, I wanted to try Compère Lapin! It jumped to the top of my list. On the Compère Lapin website, if you have a party over 5, you have to call to make a reservation. We didn't get the exact time we wanted, but it was still at a reasonable dinner hour (6:30pm).  I definitely felt the pressure for my fellow dining companions to also enjoy the meal. I am happy to report that everyone seemed overall happy with dinner though! The majority of my fellow dining companions also tried something new, which is always a plus for me. Am I the only one who has that dilemma when being tasked with picking a...