Marcos Pizza

When two people love each other very much, they get married. Part of the marriage process is registry shopping. Part of registry shopping is the pizza stone and premium cutter with promises of using it. Then life takes over and you start getting carry out like you always do after the tremendeous effort in cooking pizza at home. There was always a satisfaction because it was less greassy than anything you could take out and the pride in the ingredients reflected in the amazing taste and willingness to get the kitchen covered in flour. I have found a place that can do pizza like I do.

Mood: Grab it and run.
Service: Speedy
Value: 8
Flavor: A

The Marcos that I went to was ajoined to a smoothie shop on Magnoia and it is just there. It doesn't make a real big production out of being there because all of the workers are just hustling on the inside trying to get all of the pizza out the door. For a thursday night, they were moving pizzas out the door and to the take out crowd (3-4 orders who walked in and the smart people who called ahead just grabbing and going). It does have a dinning room with the requisite shakers of cheese and red pepper but no one at this location was taking advantage. The order was on par with what my party usually orders at a sit down pizza chain and we were pleasently suprised to have it be $10 cheaper than the other pizza shack.

The food...oh was it good. The boneless wings had a really good buffalo sauce on them that was tangy but not "keep you up all night with cayenne and vinegar". The bread sticks were really good and a great indication of the dough that they were using. Silky,not chewey. The pizza was amazing. The meatlovers was loaded down with good sized slices of pepperioni and ham while the sausage looked like it was cut from a link...a whole new world compared to the crumbled sausage at other restaurants. Even with all of the meat, it did not produce the usual amount of grease that comes from other pizza changes version of the same variety. With the great sauce and three cheese to compliment the work on top...it was a meal to rememeber.

Most pizza places go for size and they sacrifice in dough quality which leads to that aching jaw from trying to tear into and chew the pizza. Give this place a shot and give your jaw muscles a break from the usual huge sliced pizzerias and enjoy a rich slice of what tastes like home cooked pizza.

Reangthai Thai Restaurant

Mood: Quiet, Romantic
Service: Very attnetnive
Value: 7
Flavor: A

To put the mood into perspective, there are some restaurants where you can barely breathe. Reangthai has a formal layout but does not need the Tux treatment. It is perfect for a quiet, personal evening. Chef Donna even came by our table to see if we liked everything and believe me we did.
The food at Reangthai is fundamentally different from all of the other Asian inspired restaurants in town. It became clear when speaking with the Chef and the servers that everything served was prepared that day. This difference puts it in the Pantheon of other Tallahassee fresh restaurants that people rave about or at least should. The only thing that will put people off is what happened to my party and I am sure countless others. If you enjoy Thai food, you are familiar with the scale of heat that goes from Medium to Thai Hot and everyone has the level to which they are comfortable ordering in Thai restaurants. In every other restaurant that serves Thai food, I will order Hot because I have this need to go to sleep at night and do not have the fabled iron stomach. For this restaurant, I recommend going one level lower than you normally go because you are competing with a force in this culinary attraction called freshness and it makes everything better.
On judging the food, you will pay about $1 more than at any other Thai restaurant and I guarantee you that the money will reflect in the quality of the food. It is not a markup but simply the cost that must be paid to not have canned or bottled sauces and flavors. Don’t misunderstand that there are a few things bottled and used but the difference from other restaurants will have you believe as I do.
This is a recommend to all of the Thai food fans. It is worth a stop for Lunch or Dinner. I am already planning my next trip back for some Fried Squid stir fry. They maintain strict hours for lunch and dinner so check the website to make sure they are open. Check for specials and try something different, you will not be disappointed.

Mardi Gras Snowball

*Update: The store has moved to 1621 N. Monroe Tallahassee, FL 32303

This is by all accounts another gushing review. This is by all accounts another restaurant that hits my sweet tooth.

Mood: Snoball Stand with indoor seating
Service: Top Notch
Value: 10
Flavor: A+

You can call for my birth certificate on this one because I was born in Metairie, Louisiana and the fact is I know snowballs. Once a month from the time that I was in first grade, I was treated to this New Orleans classic. It may not be original because many sites will argue that they had the first or the best. The elusive snowball claims home to about five major metropolitan areas in the US and differs greatly from a snowcone. The snowcone ice has a consistency of crushed ice while the snoball is tightly packed shavings of ice.

On my visit, it was the owners who were behind the counter and we got to talking. One of the owners resides from the Westbank of New Orleans and grew up on the cold stuff as I did and lamented that there was nothing like that here in Tallahassee, isn’t that how all great ideas are hatched?

They are very generous with the snow, very generous with the syrup which is important because some places back in the 504 would skimp on the syrup and you would have crushed ice about 2/3 of the way into the snoball. This was soaked and was good to the last bite. The syrups used are also handmade which another big thing is because the owners are able to get a really good pop of flavor that most pre-bottled mixes tend to miss on. I was even wowed that they did their own chocolate syrup for the creamy chocolate snoball which is a journey into chocolate bliss if there ever was one.

Try a flavor, try the menu…it’s all good. There are rumblings that some customers are going down the menu in alphabetical order. The tiger blood (side note: These were on the menu LONG before a certain actor had a visceral, public breakdown---been a regular flavor since I was 6 years old) is really popular and really good. They also have specialty flavors like Bahama Mamas and Hurricanes (No alcohol, all the taste) and any fruity flavor and mix that you can make including the legendary Rainbow mix and Nectar flavor.

They are located next to Bella Bella which is rough for parking and pulling back on to Monroe Street, but if you are in the area then it is worth the walk. If you go to Decent Pizza or Bella Bella for lunch..heck dinner…you know what, even if I finished dinner at Mockingbird, Café Cabernet or Masa..I might walk down to 5th Ave to get something cold. Summer time is here and let’s face it, nothing will cool you down quicker than a snoball from Mardi Gras Snoball.

Lofty Pursuits

Mood: Old Time-y Soda Fountain

Service: Top Notch

Value: 9.5

Flavor: A

The caveat on value: The double scoop is the best size for the regular person. The difference between their two smallest sizes will have you scratching your head. That is the economical side talking. The Foodie side…

AMAZING!!

This is a luxury that one cannot afford to pass on. There is a special kind of magic that goes with coming here. Whether it is the friendly staff in the soda fountain attire or the treasure trove of unique ice cream flavors that are anything but ordinary, feel free to ask questions and try a few samples and then indulge in an experience that is beyond words.

My first experience was after going to the farmers market on a weekend and I went in to look at the games and was surprised at the sight of a Soda Fountain. Lofty Pursuits has been serving up Ice Cream for sometime but I didn’t think anything of it. I got the story from the server who told me about the fresh cream used from Florida Cows that was churned in small batches with these unique flavors. I was hooked on the first sample. That day was just a simple scoop of ice cream and I couldn’t have been more delighted. I went home and looked up what else they had and started browsing the full menu of concoctions. The next visit I was introduced to the Hot Ganache Chocolate Syrup and the Hot Caramel Topping. It was like nothing I had ever. I may not ever cover the whole menu, but I look forward to trying out everything that they have to offer at least once.

For the best value: Buy Big. Large to medium are similar to what you would get from a chain ice cream shop that may or may not have a cold slab of marble stone for mixing (which Lofty Pursuits does have to mix in a plethora of unique toppings including Chipotle Roasted Peanuts).

Do search for the right flavor. There were some flavors that I sampled that I thought “Hmm, that’s not what I am looking for tonight” but it was great nevertheless.

Do listen to the servers. They are trained, knowledgeable, and friendly.

Have a blast but try not to touch the toys with sticky fingers

Canopy Road Cafe

Eating out is always a fun experience. I am fortunate to have a wife who will let me pick off her plate. We did CRC for an early morning breakfast and we were pleased with the results.

Mood: A healthy greasy spoon?

Service: Amazing

Value: 6 (scale of 1-10)

Flavor: A (School scale of A-F)

The menu reads like a delightful diner and a modern cafe. It has old and new in the menu:Crepes, Wraps, Biscuts n' Gravy. It took a while to decide what to get. Servers were quick and amazing with the service. No stacked dishes. This is the only downside to the location on Monroe is the relatively few tables they have. You might have to wait to get a table, but don't let it get to you.

Value: 6; The order was Crepes and a Wrap. My wife could barely eat all of the crepes. They were stuffed and perfectly done. A standing tribute to the quality. In comparison, I made a home fries fort about the size of my wrap. The other plates looked great and full so I recommend going down the fun route and get it all (Canopy Road Special) or a 3 egg omelette if you have an appetite. The wrap is the perfect size for a small eater--don't get me wrong.

Flavor: A; Regardless of the one dish. I see myself WANTING to go back to try it all. The flavor in the dishes we had was superb and that is my number one criteria. Nothing bland, perfectly seasoned, well proportioned, and the variety of choices and mixing of flavors should satisfy a foodie. All of the dishes are crafted, inspired, and really beautiful when you get down to it. So eat up Tallahassee, it's worth the wait.

Little Athens Gyro

It's not saying too much but I was around when the parcel was a Himalayan restaurant. I was bummed when it shut down because Pitaria is not exactly flavorful. When it reopened as Little Athens, I was pumped.

Mood: Grab n' Go, Lunch Rush buster
Service: Amazing
Value: Even more amazing

Being a poor grad student, I could only afford this place about once a month. Now that I am a poor working man, I can't get a parking spot to get into this joint. It has been said that Little Athens is the brain child of the people behind Captain Pete's out on Capital Circle. Shame on me for not going to check it out.

Value is a solid 8 especially for a lunch place. I am always so happy when I get a Gyro Platter from here. So much meat and tzatziki, it is a blast. Interior of the restaurant has a few tables but you should think about getting it to go. In recent memory, the Baklava slices were nothing extraordinary but that might change day to day. In a head to head battle, Little Athens can take Pitaria any day of the week because of the speed of service, quantity of the platter, and taste in the final product.

This is the de facto Gyro hub of the town. Sahara on Lafayette St should be noted as being the place for everything not Gyro related. Mousaka, Dolmades, Hummus, and everything else wonderfully Greek and Lebanese should be eaten there.

Poboys Creole Cafe

When you are born and raised in New Orleans, you set some very high standards. Flavor is everything and seasoning is a must. It is a basic requirement by which I grade all restaurants. Here is the quick and dirty.

Mood: Casual
Service: Passable
Value: Very Good

The Thomasville Rd/Village Square location has courtyard dining and a monster bar. Servers was solid but other patrons were flustered because the "I snapped my fingers and you weren't here" conversation seemed to be the only thing I heard from the other guests.

Value- About a 6, perfect amount but they still charged you for it. Portion was incredible. The Andouille Po-boy platter was amazing as was the Roast Beef and fries. They do sandwiches well. The Red Beans and Rice however were a dreadful miss. It tasted like they had something good but the recipe was changed to fit with the customers. Sad, but we move on.

A real keeper and gem. Ignore the patrons sipping Fuji water and enjoy the ride.