Katsuei

              Katsuei, where you "kram" all that delicious food into your mouth. This all original Japanese sushi place is not only different from your local sushi place but is considered the best sushi place in Brooklyn. Even though there aren't too many sushi places in brooklyn this one outranks the few there are. With its Japanese style setup it really makes you feel comfortable (I would advise getting reservations  because the place is packed most of the time). I have to compliment them on the bar. You can see the chefs making the sushi and rolls delicately rolling them, so it makes your stomach rumble. When you walk in they welcome you with open hands and the aura of sushi fills the air. There is a coat rack to hang your jacket up then they will notify you where your table or if there is no table available.
              Their menu is a little surprising though. I was planning to have <ahem> monkfish liver but sadly it was out of season. Instead I had something I was happy to have -- a special roll called california crab roll, shrimp tempura, and for sushi (real sushi) I had sea eel, fresh squid and sea urchin. Each of these were ridiculously good. The california crab roll was delicious but you could easily eat in one bite. There wasn't anything unusual about the shrimp tempura except it was probably the best I've ever had. It was crunchy, I mean extremely crunchy at first but then when you get through that you get to the soft awesomeness of the shrimp. Nothing can be described more satisfying than that. The sea eel was really nice and had a brownish tint. It was extremely satisfying like the fresh squid which I have to admit was absolutely great. It sort of slid down your throat so you had to enjoy as much as you could. The sea urchin was just the best. It was jelly like and inside the seaweed wrap it was just an huge explosion of flavor in your mouth. Once you taste that theres no going back. Its the same sensation as eating a chili pepper in one go (which is spicier than a jalapèno) but it doesn't feel like your tongue is going up in flames.
              The staff at Katsuei is nice but the waiter I had didn't completely understand english which was sort of confusing. But the ambience of the restaurant itself makes up for that. You can tell the staff at Katsuei put in its all for every customer and every meal.
              Katsuei is a really nice place from food to decor. I loved my experience there and so did the others around me. Thats why I think that Katsuei deserves a stunning 5.0 stars.

Shrimp Tempura.

Inside Katsuei.

Sea eel.

210 7th avenue
Brooklyn
(718)-788-5338
sushikatsuei.com

Moti Mahal Deluxe

             Moti Mahal Deluxe is a paradise of food and drink in the middle of Manhattan. The perfect place to take your business colleague for lunch or dinner. Dining at Moti Mahal Deluxe is like transporting yourself from busy Manhattan to an exquisite Indian restaurant where you can eat kebabs while sinking into a soft chair or sofa lining the fabulous room.
             There is a separate area L-shaped area that wraps around the main room and it has tables, windows and white floors that compliment both the setting of the restaurant and also introduces a modern cafe like experience. In the first area I spoke of there are orange walls that really lightened up the atmosphere. The setting in Moti Mahal Deluxe is great and so is the food that I had there.
             I have some idea of what authentic Indian cuisine tastes like because I am half Indian. The Entrées I had were the Crab Lehsuni (hindi word for garlic) which obviously had crab but was tossed and had garlic and butter with it. Yeah my breath smelled great after that. I also had the Murgh Makhani which is a Moti Mahal Deluxe signature. It's technically a red sauce with pieces of chicken in it that are delicious and irresisitable. I also had a Burrah Kebab that was just wonderful and this was accompanied by everyone's favorite Indian bread, Naan, and some Paratha. The Burrah kebab was sort of sweet but also very tender and had a taste that was unforgettable. To go with this I had a Mango Lassi that was very filling and was sort of a "meal in a cup".  And, for all of you that can't tolerate spices, the food is not actually that spicy.
             The service and staff were friendly but the time it took for the food to arrive was ridiculous. I had to wait half an hour for everything to come. And even when the food did come I had sort of lost my appetite because I drank that "meal in a cup".  So if you aren't patient and have a small appetite this place is not a great option.  The staff was helpful but didn't seem to happy to be there.
             Even with its flaws this place has fine Indian food and drink and gets whopping 4.1 stars.

Example of delicious, mouth watering, hot kebabs 

The wood paneled interiors

See that chicken, and just comment if you agree with me, i think that chicken would taste much better on the kebabs

1149 1st ave.
Manhattan
NY 10065
(630)-622-2224
www.motimahaldeluxmanhattan.com

Morgans

         Morgans, a vegetarian's worst nightmare. Yeah, the only thing that's on the menu is meat, meat, meat and more meat. The only thing that's not meat is the appetizers and tacos which of course have lots of meat in it. One of the appetizers I had just amazed my taste buds. It was tortilla chips with a delicious cheese dip. The actual dip had some tomatoes in it and some salad. The dip was very thick and sticky but even if it did ruin your best suit it would be worth it.
         Another delicious side dish would be the soft tacos. I preferred the soft taco with pulled pork which enhanced the taste. This also was mouth watering. The potato salad was the best potato salad I've ever had at a barbecue place. The cream was great and the aftertaste sat there in your mouth. An entrée you might want to consider is the brisket. Don't get the lean pound but the fatty pound. Yes it's two dollars extra but two dollars is definitely worth the most delicious brisket in the neighborhood (please don't judge me for that because my motto is delicious and unnutritious (I just made up that word because it deserves to be)). Another food here that will flabbergast you is the beef ribs. Imagine eating juicy tender ribs and multiply that experience by 50. I ate half of the whole platter of ribs and there were eight people. Yes it was that good. An entrée that could have used some improvement was the pork sausage. In a critics opinion there was too little variety in flavor. It was just sausage. The pork ribs were so juicy and tender that you just keep placing additional orders. You can never get enough.  I think I got the point through to you, the food was great.
         The service there is great. The waitresses and waiters would change your order without a fuss, and they always get everything that you ordered. They are friendly and have a good attitude. If you needed to find waiters or waitresses that are friendly and obliging you would definitely find them at Morgans.
         The setting is gloomy but warm. It is sort of the place where you and your friends would go grab a beer and watch the Nets play the Bobcats. The lights are dimmed so you feel like you are in a cabin in the woods. So, sort of scared that a killer bear is going to smash down the walls (because, that's basically what you expect in a cabin in the woods) but you still feel warm and fuzzy (because you would also expect that in a cabin in the woods).
          Overall Morgans is the kind of place you want to go if you like cheese dip, are cannibalistic, and if you enjoy watching football, basketball, baseball and all that, in a crowded bar. Excuse me while I feast on my ribs, steak, beef, beef tacos, brisket, brisket tacos, fatty brisket, lean brisket, beef ribs, sliders, cheese dipping and nachos while watching a football game in a crowded bar. What can I say, I love being American.

Beef Ribs!

More Ribs!

Ribs (Bottom left) and meat!

267 Flatbush ave.
Brooklyn
NY 11217
(718)-622-2224
morgansbrooklynbarbecue.com

Swine

            Swine, you don't actually need to be a pig to eat there but you eat well anyway. The setting actually flabbergasted me because I had heard great things about it and thought that it was a nice restaurant. But as it turns out, it's actually just a local pub. Although the setting doesn't affect your evening too much the music certainly does. The music is pumped through speakers on the walls and is insanely loud. There was countless times, when the waiter said he couldn't hear us because of the noise. Ignoring the negatives, when you walk in there is a set of stairs that go up and one that goes down. I didn't get to see the downstairs room but it was pretty obvious that the bar on the upper floor was what everything revolves around. The lighting is dim and you have some odd pictures hanging on the walls. If you look up on the upper floor there is a metal sheet with holes in them which might be a ventilation system. There are dark wood planks on the walls that create an atmosphere that is kind of dirty. Most of the tables seat only two people but the waiters would be glad to push two tables together for a party of four.
            The food there is great but you have to watch out not to eat too much because when I came home I felt heavy because I ate all that fat and food. One appetizer there was completely unforgettable which was the cashew nuts covered in pig fat. They would serve it to you in a bowl and once you had one you couldn't stop chowing them down. They were a little too sweet but they were to die for. Judging from the pig fat, if you're on a diet I wouldn't suggest going to this pub. The roasted bone marrow was the most delicious meal on the menu. They serve it to you in a giant bone with bread on the side. You would take the spoon and scoop out the marrow and either just eat it plain or put it on some bread. It had a French verde style salsa sprinkled on top to make it more savory. The actual marrow was very fatty but tasted amazing. Another dish I had was a brisket burger with bone marrow in it. This tasted good but you couldn't taste the fatty goodness of the bone marrow. Other than that the burger was juicy and flavorful. A side dish that came with the burgers was crispy potato wedges. They were potatoes that had been cooked and were good with the burger. In addition the balsamic braised short ribs were great. It was sort of dry but still had flavor. They came with salad and white grits that enhanced it's seasoning.
            They have a variety of drinks ranging from cocktails with bacon in them to the common Budweiser beer. A cocktail my mother had and raved about was the Ex-plat that she loved and described it as both sweet and a little bit spicy. I wouldn't be surprised when it contained el dorado rum, all spice dram, grapefruit, lime and aztec chocolate bitters. You would think it was sour.
            The service there was great. My waiter was friendly and got the food to us quickly. I had to wait no more than eight minutes for my food. They would gladly change an order for you or switch your table if they could.
             Swine is a good place to go if you're a complete pig or if you're just tired of your ordinary food. So Swine will get an seven out of ten stars which is a pretty amazing review. So excuse me while I stuff my face with amazing food from Swine where you technically don't need to be a pig but you definitely need to eat like one.

You can never go wrong with a burger, and even if you do you won't go wrong with this one.

The bar and the tables (note: Swine was cleaned and polished for this picture so it is supposed to be immaculate).   

Swine's outside view in a sepia camera light.

531 Hudson st.
Manhattan
NY 10014
(212)-255-7675
swinenyc.com

Tanoreen

          This Middle Eastern restaurant certainly isn't middle class. Located in Bay Ridge this magnificent  diner is a must-go-to and cannot be missed. With its exquisite cuisine and excellent service this is going to be one heck of a review.
          Tanoreen is relatively small and doesn't really stand out from the outside (Outside view Location). Inside is a different story, with dark brown wood tables, cushioned and non-cushioned seats, dim and "romantic" lighting, dark yellow wallpaper and what looks like oil lamps secured in the walls. It looks something that would be an excellent scene for a 1980's film. Although there isn't 1980's music playing in the background it certainly is a great place to go for a first date (not that I know anything about dating I'm just 10 peoples!).
          The entree I had was Musakhan. It had flat bread, spiced chicken, cooked onions, and on top of that, roasted almonds. The flat bread was so fresh I had to make sure it didn't jump up and run away. The spiced chicken was cooked just right. It had just the right amount spice so it was mild but not hot. The cooked onions were average and doesn't deserve the reprehensible. Almonds aren't really my cup of tea but that didn't make my dad refrain himself. The second dish was hummus on a plate, and in the center was a pool of some kind of oil with chickpeas creating a semi-island in the center. There was a lot of garlic in the dish which I personally don't prefer. A dish that is more for two people is the Fatoush. Made up of chopped lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, mint, toasted pita, and sumac dressing this dish is both salivating and filling. The appetizer that I thought blew everyone away is the brussel sprouts. Topped with some sauce, bread crumbs, and most importantly FRIED brussel sprouts this dish is both crunchy, salty, and divine. The last dish is a classic, shish kebab. It was a bit on the dry side but it was marinated just right. It wasn't that flavorful but again the marinating was exquisite.
           The staff was incredibly nice and flexible. When my sister needed to change her order at the last second, the waiter gladly changed it. They also gave lots of tips on what to order and what tastes the best. They also entertain you by once in a while cracking a joke or a quip.
           All in all, Tanoreen is a must go to and gets a flabbergasting 9 out of 10 stars!

Musa-what! 

Crispy FRIED brussel sprouts

The Great Indoors.

The SKOO pool. (The Some Kind Of Oil Pool)

7523 3rd avenue
Brooklyn
NY 11209
(718)-622-5600

Dinosaur BBQ

    Dinosaur BBQ, the BBQ palace where you will almost certainly eat Dinosaur size portions. Dinosaur BBQ is a relatively new BBQ place. When you walk in it's the size of a barnyard. It looks kind of rustic and ancient. You have a giant size bar to your left and 10 dozen tables to your right. The dishes I had were the GIANT shrimp boil,  the  big ass pork plate ( that is actually what it was called), and the Devils Duel chicken wings (Devils Duel is four chili peppers). So of course naturally being Indian my mom ordered the spicy chicken wings. Normally when she eats something spicy she waves it off and calls it mild. The waiter warned my mom but she ordered it anyway. When she took a bite she looked calm and the waiter asked is it hot? My mom answered no but when the waiter walked away she was screaming HOT, HOT and fanning herself.
    The b*g a*s pork plate was relatively good. The best part about it though was the skewered pork on top another heap of pork. The meat was cooked so well I almost ordered 5 more ( but my parents stopped me). The cole slaw wasn't the best though, my dad wolfed it down. The shrimp was juicy and exciting though not that many appeared on a plate. My sister had the best slider imaginable that was mouthwatering, 1/2 a pound of almost sweet meat and bread that tasted freshly baked. I also had some ribs that were both juicy and tender. Even though the ribs were messy they were exquisite. My mom had a skirt steak that she loved and raved to me about. The dish I had on my second visit to Dino BBQ was the Tres Niños. This fabulous dish had puled pork, slices of brisket and tender ribs. The pulled pork was tender and juicy and even though there wasn't a lot of it, it was amazing. The brisket was good but, in my opinion, it wasn't great.
     The dessert (chocolate icebox pie) I had was absolutely incredible. It was chocolate pie with Oreo crust topped off with whipped cream and chocolate chips. The pie was basically chocolate pudding hardened and a little bit thicker with a crust of crunchy Oreo and what looked like homemade whipped cream and chocolate chips.
     The staff are very flexible and very polite and will change your order if necessary. The food, the staff, and the restaurant itself make Dinosaur BBQ a whooping 10 out of 10 stars and a "must go to" restaurant.

Locations of Dinosaur BBQ in New York Sate.

The juicy and salivating ribs

BABE! (Best Awesome Burger Ever!)

604 Union st.
Brooklyn
Ny 11215
(347)-429-7030
dinosaurbarbque.com

Fort Defiance

             Fort Defiance, the restaurant that defies bad taste. Fort Defiance located in Red Hook is the ideal place to go for brunch. It is on a block with plenty of stores on it. So if you are on a shopping spree for clothes and you have to eat Fort Defiance is the right place to go. On its right is a clothing store and on its left an apartment building. There are little trees right outside which make it feel very green. When you walk into Fort Defiance you see a bartender serving drinks at a rouge bar. There are tables in a three by five array. There is also to small tables for 2-3 people at the back. When you walk in, surprisingly loud heavy metal music fills your ears which makes it almost impossible to have a conversation.

The delectable Dutch pancake.

             The Dutch pancake which is the dish I had, was seriously big. It is literally as thick as a dictionary and as big as my head. And, I have a big head! It was served in an iron skillet and had powdered sugar, creme fraiche, fruit (raspberries. blueberries, and strawberries), and maple syrup. It is served with the crunchiest bacon I have ever tasted. The pancake tastes like vanilla cake without the frosting and the toppings topped off with the slightest hint of maple syrup. Over all the Dutch pancake is a five out of five starred dish and has certainly earned its place as one of my favorite dishes with its bacon, fruit and syrup. The other dishes I had were not mentioned on their website but are an egg omelet with parsley, tomatoes, and scallions. It tasted like soft egg and bread topped off with salad.
              The food takes a long time to come but when its there the wait is worth it. The staff also takes a long time to take your order but are very nice. When you want to change your order at the last second they are very flexible and will gladly change it.

The bar.

The outside view of Fort Defiance.

             Red Hook
             365 Van Brunt st.
             Brooklyn
             NY 11231
             (347) 453-6672
             Fortdefiancebrooklyn.com