Fogo de Chao Spring Menu Additions

Without a doubt, Fogo de Chao always brings back a nostalgic feeling from back in my grad school days. A bunch of the guys would get together and just dig in with all the Brazilian BBQ that Fogo has to offer! 

Clockwise from Top Right: Blood Orange Manhattan & Eulila Bled | First Plate | Market Table Spread

Just in time for Spring, Fogo de Chao has introduced 7 new additions using fresh seasonal ingredients. Highlights include a new Pork Picanha, carved tableside, with a crisp, salty exterior. Do try the new Blood Orange Manhattan - smooth, sweet, with a big of tang from the blood orange. There's also a new Eulila red wine blend of Cab Sauvignon, Carmenere, and Syrah, specially created for Fogo and tribute to Eulila Oliveira, Fogo's Chief Culture Officer.

Clockwise from Top Right: Picanha | Linguica | Pork Picanha | Meat Plate!

They also have a Carrot Ginger soup, Roasted Cauliflower salad, Brazilian Kale, and a Orange salad. Do try the Linguica pork sausage, with red pepper, onions, and garlic.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

 Try and save room for dessert. We love the chocolate mousse cake, decadent, creamy, and smooth. 

Creme de Coconut

If you're a fan of coconut like I am, they've got the new creme de coconut. It's essentially a creme brulee of freshly shredded coconut, combined with condensed milk and cream. Can't say no to the pairing of ice cream and lime zest either! 

So be sure to stop by and leap into Spring with Fogo de Chao. I haven't been disappointed yet! 

Shady Maple Smorgasbord Lunch Review

The last time around at Shady Maple Smorgasbord, the GF and I stopped by the Lancaster area to brunch on down-home Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast eats. This time, we brought her folks out to the area to show that Pennsylvania isn't just Philly city living. In addition to actual greenery (farms, pastures, cows, and the like), we were able to enjoy some lunch at Shady Maple. And by some lunch, I mean troughs full of it. Perfect for the belly of this pig.  

You know the deal with buffets. Endless lines of including carving stations for your meats, grilled items, seafood, sides, and desserts. It still amazes me how quickly they turn around each item - you rarely find that anything has been sitting our for long. Perhaps it's a testament to the number of people  that come here on a weekend or the quality of their grub. In any case, I give you my 4+ plates on this particular visit. And no, I don't know how it all fit. And yes, there's a reason why there's one common thread throughout all the non-dessert platters (the mac was just that good!). 

Plate 1

My first plate featured broasted chicken - a new term for me, though I can't believe I've been missing this all my life. Incredibly crisp and wonderfully moist, the fried chicken was on point. The mac n cheese was nicely creamy, featuring sharp cheddar. While the shredded roast beef was tender, it could have been seasoned a bit more. But I'm nit picking here - it's a freakin' buffet! 

Plate 2

Plate 2 is what I call my surf and more turf plate. I had a huge slab of sirloin, along with some moist country ham and a crisp crab cake. And yes, some more of that mac! 

Brisket

For plate 3, I finally realized there was brisket on offer so I obviously had to get some of that! 

Plate 3

The brisket was wonderfully tender and unctuous, cutting like butter. Along with some fried shrimp and some more of that broasted chicken and mac, I was set with my savory dishes! 

Apple Dumpling

Shady Maple features Turkey Hill ice cream and they typically have vanilla, cookies and cream (with real Oreo chunks!), as well as seasonal varieties like pumpkin since it's the Fall. They've also got a number of other desserts from pies and cakes to this apple dumpling, which I topped with vanilla soft serve. Homemade, crusty, buttery, and filled with baked apples, this wasn't a bad way to end a glut of a meal.

Look. Haute cuisine this is not. We're talking about stretchy pants and gym kicks here. But that doesn't mean the food can't be good. Most of it is "low and slow" down-home cooking. And you can always find me in line for that. 

Shady Maple Smorgasbord Breakfast Review [2]

Back to Shady Maple Smorgasbord again! If you don't already know about this "down-home" Pennsylvania Dutch buffet, the short of it is this. It's cheap, yet deliciously comforting. Less than $10 for breakfast, it's a steal of a deal if you can make it an hour west of Center City.

My first brunch plate featured to-order eggs benedict, a Philly cheese steak omelette, and plenty of crisp bacon. While the eggs aren't poached for the eggs benny, they came over-easy and the yolk dribbled all over the Canadian bacon and English muffin. The omelette was surprisingly excellent - nicely creamy and savory, with plenty of steak, American cheese, mushrooms, and onions. 

When it comes to breakfast, there's always bacon on my plate, so obviously I got more of that, along with a sausage link. A huge buttery and surprisingly sweet biscuit was also in order, topped with hearty sausage gravy. There was also a sausage-egg-and-cheese latke as well as crisp and chivey potato pancakes. 

I did say that bacon was on most of my breakfast plates right? Needless to say, in my mind, the crisp and salty bacon was a wonderful pairing to the sweet blueberry fritter, cream-filled doughnuts, and light whoopie pies offered at Shady Maple Smorgasbord. 

So if you're in the area or are willing to travel about an hour outside of Center City, consider plopping your butts down in Amish country to enjoy a taste of home cooking Pennsylvania Dutch style. 

Bacchanal Buffet Review

This is for a 2015 Las Vegas trip including Bacchanal Buffet, Bouchon Bakery, Heart Attack Grill, Serendipity 3, Rao's Las Vegas, Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, & Mesa Grill.

When you're in Vegas, you can't not stop by one of their lavish buffets. Voted Best Vegas Buffet since it's opening in 2012, Bacchanal Buffet in Caesars Palace is a showstopper indeed. So after a wonderful morning at the pool, we decided to stop by for a late afternoon lunch. It's $57 for dinner and $37 for lunch, though a dollar gets knocked off with your Total Rewards card. If you're in a drinking mood, bottomless mimosas are available for $22. Beware the lines at certain hours, though if you purchase the Caviar and Champagne package for $150+, immediate seating is yours!

There's plenty of house-baked bread, stellar cheeses, and fresh Jonah crab claws (lobster and king crab for dinner service!). The sushi rice was a bit mushy, but the fish was undeniably fresh, especially for a buffet. 

I appreciated that the large majority of dishes were either served to order or were portioned for individual servings, which elevated the experience. Chicken and waffle fries cone in a waffle cone? Don't mind if I do. Creamy sharp cheddar mac and cheese, sweet potato gnocchi, crispy sweet potato tots, and moist meatballs were also on offer.

You know I posted up right by the butcher though. The slab bacon? Amazingly juicy and unctuous. I must have gotten an entire pig's worth. While the mammoth beef rib was unfortunately dry, the prime rib was juicy and tender. The char siu pork was on point and the Chef's special of pork belly on parsnip mash? Sign me up!

The GF was in heaven with the dessert bar. Plenty of sweets including cream puffs, flavored marshmallows, creme brulee, macarons, and a bevy of gelato and ice cream. I went with the straciatella gelato - delicious. 

So if you're in Vegas and are aching for a well-executed and somewhat elevated buffet experience, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Bacchanal Buffet. I know I'll be making at least one trip every time I'm back!

Amphora Lounge Review

This is for a series of posts for the Borgata Hotel & The Water Club including: Bobby Flay Steak, Wolfgang Puck American Grille, Wolfgang Puck American Grille [2], The Cafeteria, Tony Luke's, N.O.W., N.O.W. [2], Metropolitan, Sun Room, Sun Room [2], Old Homestead Steakhouse, Old Homestead Steakhouse [2], Fat Burger, 28 West, Gelato, the Borgata Buffet, Izakaya, Bread and Butter, and Fornelletto. 

Regular readers know that I have a particular affinity for the Borgata Hotel, Casino, & Spa. It is simply the place to go in Atlantic City for all your gambling and food-related needs. And at the Borgata, if you attain Black Card status, if affords you some special privileges, including free rooms and comps at the Borgata Hotel. 

But one of my favorite perks is the exclusive access to the Amphora Lounge. The food is of higher quality, the lines are not as long as the Borgata Buffet, and most importantly, you've got top shelf liquor completely comped.

During the summer, Amphora Lounge is open on Mondays through Thursdays from 2 to 10PM. Fridays, it's open until 11PM. And on Saturdays and Sundays, the Lounge opens at 11AM.

All you need is your Black Card and $10 in comps. Then you and a guest can descend down the escalators.

Feel free to order up some drinks at the bar ...

... or grab a seat in the dining room and your server will bring one for you!

They've got a special section with multiple channels on offer - golf, tennis, the news ... they really do try to accomodate your needs. 

But let's move on to the food!

The offerings are not as widely varied as the Borgata Buffet, but the quality is certainly better.

The GF and I came for breakfast and partook in some crispy apple-wood smoked bacon, plump chicken maple sausage, and cheese blintzes.

For brunch, other offerings included oatmeal, ham steaks, parmesan pommes, scrambled eggs, and cinnamon swirl french toast. 

They even have an omelet station with a variety of ingredients to add! 

Other offerings included chicken with rhubarb vinaigrette, red snapper with a spicy watermelon coulis, and a shaved zucchini salad. But for the GF, it was all about the dessert station at center stage.

Mimosa

To whet her appetite, the GF started off with a mimosa.

Johnnie Walker Black 

And I started off the morning with Johnnie Walker Black Label - again all comped. Granted it was only 11AM in the morning, but it was a Saturday and we were planning to spend the rest of the morning at The Water Club pool! 

San Pellegrino 
 

Some sparkling water was in order as well. 

The cheddar bay biscuits were pretty good, but admittedly (though somewhat reluctantly), they're not as good as Red Lobster!

The GF and I indulged in some carrot cake pops and delicious coconut macaroons - trust me, you have to get the latter. Completely gluttonous and rich - it's heaven in your mouth.

Or you can indulge in a homemade apple tartlet!

Cappuccino 

Perhaps you can end your meal with a cappuccino and then, feel free to gamble in the casino, head to the pool, and have a grand old time in Atlantic City. It's certainly no Vegas, but the Borgata does a great job taking care of its regulars and newcomers alike! 

Amphora Lounge
Borgata Casino
1 Borgata Way
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
(609) 317-1000 

Shady Maple Smorgasbord Breakfast Review

If you're looking for an assortment of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking - a smorgasbord if you will - look no further than the 200 feet of quality cooking featured at Shady Maple Smorgasbord. Located in East Earl, PA, it's 45 minutes outside of Center City. Still, the quality, quantity, and assortment of dishes can't be beat at this buffet. More importantly, the prices really can't be beat. They vary depending on the time and day, but on a Saturday before 10AM - we're talking about $11.75 per person, inclusive of tax and tip. That's insane!

If you don't get there early, be prepared to wait on line. Lucky for us, we arrived around 9AM so there wasn't much of a line. Yea that's right. This guy wakes up at the crack of dawn to drive outside of Philly for some quality grub.

This was the line when we came out - a little before noon. 

We went with a group of 9 so got the VIP treatment. You're able to get a table in the banquet room, which is reserved for larger groups. Pro tip: The lines are much shorter for large groups as well!

The layout is basically stations upon stations of dishes that are turned over at an incredible rate.

Crisp bacon? Country Ham? Scrapple? Don't mind if I do. 

Sausage anyone?

Heck - they've even got mush - literally!

The GF was happy with the dessert options, to be sure. She was giddy with joy upon seeing the wide variety of donuts!

Whoopie pies? Regular pies? 

If you're into cleaner eating - they've got a variety of fruit for you to indulge in.

How about some close ups - starting with my first plate.

After which I descended upon the pancake station.

Chocolate chip pancakes anyone?

Next up - the egg station, where I opted for the spinach florentine.

Check out that artery clogging hollandaise.

This was all mopped up with what I like to call my 'meat plate.'

And a biscuit or two. 

After which, I indulged in a cookies and cream donut. 

Along with a red velvet whoopie pie. 

Annnnd a boston cream donut.

Shady Maple Smorgasbord offers Turkey Hill ice cream as a palate cleanser of sorts.

Or if you need a pick me up, they've got cappuccino machines! 

Or if slushies are your thing - they've got that as well.

 

I ended my meal with some cookies and cream ice cream and a smile on my face.

 

If you're looking for delicious eats, a wide variety of options, and an incredibly affordable price, look no further than Shady Maple Smorgasbord. I definitely need to head back on a Wednesday night - they offer all you can eat prime rib!

http://www.shady-maple.com/smorgasbord/