I passed by Mee Sum Pastry one evening and saw a lines of people waiting for food and vowed to go back. The next morning, I decided to stop by and ordered a selection of items.
I first had a BBQ Pork Skewer. The pork was sweet and tender, but not juicy.
I then had a Steamed Pork Bun which I didn't like it. The dough was too rubbery and clammy. I also didn't love the filling, it was mixed with too much cornstarch or fat (whatever that was) and not enough meat and way too sweet to be savory.
The Baked Pork Bun fared better. It tasted like it had recently been baked. It had the right texture and that lovely golden brown crust.
I also had a Sesame Ball. The flavor was right but it was just way too greasy.
This was not food at its finest, but this is street food. It may not be the best, but it is quick and affordable.
Mee Sum Pastry
My visit to GO! Bento was an unplanned quick meal but I am glad I stopped. The only problem was that when we got there, although we were lucky and able to find parking, parking is very limited and will be an issue during busier hours and ain't nobody got time for that.
I did like the inside of the restaurant though. I thought that the decor was really cool! I liked the Japanese cartoonish artwork on the walls and the overall appeal of the restaurant. The restaurant isn't exactly suited for dining in (focus is on take-out and delivery) but there is some seating.
The menu is simple: Go! Bento, Go! Ninja, Go! Sumo or Go! Zilla. In other words a choice of entree, sushi or side depending on the box you choose to create. My friend and I both choose the Go! Zilla (1 entree and 1 roll).
She choose Honey Garlic Chicken as her entree. The chicken was a little dry, but the sauce was pretty tasty albeit a little too sweet. It came with rice that based on the the egg and some seasoning would indicate that it was fried rice, but it was very plain and all that stood out was a garlic flavor.
I had Chicken Pad Thai for my entree and I was very happy with it. The flavor was good although I doused mine with Thai chili pepper to give it that necessary spice I like. Without it, for non heat eaters, it will still be satisfying. The chicken pieces were a nice size and relatively moist. The noodles were acceptable.
Both of our boxes came with a sushi roll. She had the Spicy Tuna Roll and I had the Japanese Bagel "JB" Roll. Go! Bento's sushi is okay at best. The fish tasted fresh which is the most important part for me, but the rice could have been better.
Ordering, I thought this was going to be a small dish but it was nicely sized for the price. I was a little disappointed that it didn't come in the cute bento box (even the take-out kind) but in regular Styrofoam containers (not that it matters). Service was pleasant and quick. The girl at the counter was extremely friendly and accommodating. I probably would try it again if I'm in the area.
GO! Bento
When I first spotted Hot Wok, it reminded me of the type of Chinese take-out restaurants you would find in New York and automatically peaked my interest. After passing it quite a few times, I finally had the urge for wings and fried rice and went inside to get my American Chinese on.
The place itself has no ambiance. It's just a hole-in-the-wall, average-looking take-out restaurant where you should never take a date to sit down and eat. Just as I had expected, the place was run by New York transplants who had taken ownership of the restaurant about a year ago.
This is a pretty good place, and even ordering Buffalo Wings off of the "American food" section I was satisfied. It was obviously not the typical buffalo flavor but was good sized wings with a proportionate amount of sauce that had a nice flavor to it.I also ordered a pint of Roast Pork Fried Rice. It could have easily been a tasteless, greasy, soggy mess but it was really great rice. It tasted fresh not microwaved.
I went in also wanting to get an order of Fried Crab Stick but they no longer sell them so I settled with the Fried Crabmeat Cheese Wontons instead. They were just okay. I wish the wontons were a little crispier and that you could actually taste the crabmeat in the stuffing and not just cheese.
Regardless, prices are really good and I enjoyed the rice, so I will be back again when I'm craving Chinese!
Hot Wok901 Veterans Blvd Metairie, LA 70005(504) 831-3328
I was just hanging out near the French Quarter when I spotted Sukho Thai and decided to stop in to eat. I was a bit dubious to go in as it was quite empty but I love Thai food so much I decided to take a chance.
Suhko Thai is a nice little, mellow and homey restaurant. There is a lot more they could do with the decor, but it was comfortable. They have a counter at the front of the restaurant for takeout orders. Several people came in to pick up orders so that might explain why the restaurant was so empty; most people order to go.
There was only 2-3 tables dining at the time, but with just one waitress, service was attentive (I had my water glass readily refilled). She was also personable. Like all other Thai restaurants, you order your food based on the spice scale and because of my addiction to spicy foods, I always order Thai hot. She warned us about the hotness and explained even she couldn't even handle it (I ordered it anyways), but it was nice she let us know. It was also nice to have someone who was smiling and appeared to be happy.
I was craving noodles and got my standard, Chicken Pad Thai. It was HOT but was perfect for me. I know a lot of people couldn't handle that kind of heat so do know that their scale is pretty accurate and medium (3 stars) would probably be hot for most much less Thai hot. The noodles were cooked perfectly. There was a good amount of chicken, bean sprouts, peanuts and the right level of sweetness.
We also ordered the Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice. The rice was soft and pillowy and packed with lots of ingredients and flavor!
Everything we ordered was delicious so I am looking forward to coming back to try other items on their menu. Also, they have a location on Magazine St that may be worth a try.
Sukho Thai1913 Royal St New Orleans, LA 70116(504) 948-9309www.sukhothai-nola.com
Sushi Village is less of a village and more of a small, casual restaurant in a shopping center, however the atmosphere is comfortable and the staff (sushi chef and 1 waitress) were pleasant.
Every meal at Sushi Village come with Soup and Salad. Both were very small and lackluster. The Miso Soup wasn't bad per say, but was room temperature which killed any desire I had to maybe like it.
I wasn't extreme hungry, so I ordered the 12 Piece Sashimi Entree. The fish was fresh with a clean taste, however, some of the pieces could have been a little bigger.
My dining partner ordered the Hibachi Steak and Salmon. He thought that it was pretty good but still was nothing write home about.
I am obsessed with Fried Oreos so when I saw them on the menu, I had to have some. Typically Fried Oreos have a thick cake like batter, but I liked that these were a little lighter and that they used tempura batter to compliment the style of the restaurant.
One great thing about Sushi Village is that they offer an all-you-can-eat selection so if you are trying to get a bang for your buck then this restaurant will suit you just fine but just for a casual sit down meal, there are better options out there.
Sushi Village3535 Severn Ave Metairie, LA 70002(504) 885-8678www.metairiesushivillage.com
