Snack Review: Wellsley Farms Steak & Cheese Spring Rolls

Details: More information can be found at https://www.bjs.com/product/wellsley-farms-steak-and-cheese-spring-rolls-24-oz/3000000000000625150

Score: 6.9/10

I had a coupon for these things at BJ’s and I figured I’d give them a try.

The first thing you should know is that these are not microwavable. That means that you’re going to have to preheat your oven and bake them for around twelve minutes (as recommended by the packaging). That’s not a long time, but it’s too much for me. For me, frozen food is food of last resort. It’s food I eat when I am at my most lazy and desperate. I want to plunk my food in the microwave, hit some buttons and get a mediocre product that will satisfy my hunger. Preheating an oven for fifteen minutes before putting the food in for another twelve minutes and then putting on a glove and taking the hot tray out while trying to avoid burning myself is simply too much hassle. I will not be purchasing these things again for personal consumption. I would buy these again to feed some guests at a party though.

The taste is pretty good. Specifically, the cheese they use is pretty good. It’s a blend of mostly cream cheese and parmesan cheese. It’s taste like a mini Philly cheesesteak in spring roll form.

Another thing to keep in mind is that according to the back of the box, this isn’t true steak but “fabricated steak.” Not sure what that means, but it tastes like it’s mostly ground beef. It’s hard to tell with such a heavy cheese flavor.

Overall, these things were pretty good. The taste is there and I think these things would be nice to serve at a small party. I would not buy them as an anytime-snack for myself though. There are simply too many competing frozen products that are equally tasty but that do not require preheating my oven.

Restaurant Review: Joju (Elmhurst, NY)

Official site: http://www.jojuny.com/

The first time I had Joju was from a left over half sandwich in my friends fridge. I don’t know if it was the hunger, but it was damn good. After a visit to Joju’s Elmhurst location, I now know it wasn’t hunger. The sandwiches at Joju are damn good.

With that said, it is just a Vietnamese sandwich. There are many places strewn across the city who make comparable Vietnamese sandwiches. So what differentiates this place from others? A few additional options really. Also the price is fantastic as it’s about six dollars for a full sandwich (not half sandwich). This includes sandwiches like pork belly. It was so cheap I thought I was paying for a half sandwich.

As for these additional options, they have your standard ham and head cheese that you can get anywhere. They also have bulgogi, bbq pork, and pork belly (my personal favorite). There are also specialty fries (kim chi and banh mi) but after trying them, they aren’t extraordinary. Just some fries that taste like the sandwiches. The also have other appetizers and chicken wings (which were really over breaded). Ultimately, the sandwiches are the only thing here that are worth buying in my opinion.

Score: 6.7/10 Great place. The prices are great. Worth a visit.

Restaurant Review: Pho Bang (Flushing, NYC)

Yelp site since I can’t find an official one: http://www.yelp.com/biz/phobang-restaurant-flushing

I’ve been to this place a number of times and it has yet to disappoint me.

Some things I’ve ordered: number 2 on the menu (smaller bowl of pho than number 1, but has everything they put in these things; sliced meat, omasa/some kind of organ I think, etc.), spring rolls, Vietnamese sandwich, cubed beef over rice, and the pork chop over rice.

Loved everything I’ve ordered here. Price is good, too. Expect to spend ten dollars or less. Bring cash.

Score: 7.5/10 For this price, the food is perfect.

Restaurant Review: Tanner Smith’s (55th Street, NYC)

Tanner Smith’s is a relatively new bar that opened this year. I came here for drinks after work.

First is the appearance. It’s a nice looking bar and I really like the classical look.

Like many bars, they have a variety of “special drinks,” which are really just your average drinks with their slightly different twist on them. Had some beers; they have all your standard brands. Also tried the Winona. It’s their twist on the old fashioned and I really liked it. It came in a bottle and there was some instruction on how to drink it. I just emptied the bottle into the iced glass. It had a smoky taste which differentiated it from other old fashioned’s I’ve had before.

Other people ordered dirty martinis and the Mayor Gaynor’s Tippler (their version of a Manhattan). I was told they were both good.

We ordered a lot of food; the Thai deviled eggs on curried toast, house prepared beef jerky, the everything pretzel, the buffalo chicken spring rolls, the chicken wings (Asian sesame sauce), some beef burgers, tacos pequenos and a flat bread pizza.

Everything was really good. The Thai deviled eggs were really small. Tacos were ordinary. The chicken wings with asian sesame sauce were amazing and came with a cucumber salad. Burgers and pizza were fine.

I don’t know if it was because they were new, but the service wasn’t fantastic. People were nice, they just weren’t that reliable.

Score: 7.5/10 Really like this place. It’s got a nice vibe and the people coming here were fun. Drinks were great and I really liked my Winona. Chicken wings were also great. I heard that the Sriracha Honey flavored wings were also good. Looking forward to coming here again.

Official site: http://www.tannersmiths.com/