Armando’s

Located in Bethel, Ct.

Disclaimer: I went with my parents so I will not show prices.

  Ziti olio and garlic. So simple. I finished my whole plate because it the tomatoes tasted fresh and the taste was a wonderful explosion. It probably would’ve been better with spaghetti but I loved it either way. They put just enough sauce to spread in an even proportion on the pasta which helped with the taste. 
  Yes, I just had to get a cannoli for dessert. The filling was a little too intense, I kept feeling like I needed water. But the taste was there, and just right. I liked the crunchy combination from the shell that correspesponded with the filling. Truly delicious and it satisfied my craving.
A little bit more of a classy restaurant, they take their time with service and you do not feel rushed. I highly recommend! 

Homemade Taco Night

  Hours of slaving over the hot stove for this meal made by Katie, Corinne, and I. 
This is not a review, but more of a list of what we offered:

• Avocado
• Lettuce
• Tomato 
• Olives
• Shredded cheese
• Beans – refried & black beans
• Hard & soft shells
• Taco seasoned beef
• Non seasoned beef
• Chicken
• Paella-like rice

They were able to create their own tacos. 

 

Bojangles’

Only in the South. 

For spring break, 19 of us drove to Atlanta, GA. And on the way, we made a quick stop at Bojangles’. This meal was no more than $5. It is their cheddar bo combo that includes fries and a drink. 
I must give a special shout out to GG for recommending this lovely biscuit to me. It’s so simple, yet so satisfying. The cheddar was a perfect amount of ooey gooey. The fries were some of the best fries I’ve ever tasted. And their sweet tea left me wanting more. 

Cabot’s Ice Cream & Restaurant

Located in Newton, MA. 

  This beautiful thing is known as The “Wow” Burger. It is a grilled cheese with a burger inside. 

 The burger was super satisfying. It wasn’t as heavy as a normal cheeseburger would be, but it was heavy enough to fill me up. The burger was also juicy and the cheese made the entire “grilled cheese” less dry. It was easy to eat, and it left me with room for dessert. I also love their fries, just the right amount of crisp. This is $7.99.

  The best part: this Fudge-Anna banana wheel sundae. For only $6.99, you can have one of the best ice cream sundaes a restaurant could offer. The bottom and sides of the ice cream dish were covered with banana wheels and hot fudge. The vanilla ice cream became chocolate-y and mixed perfectly with the banana. Even within the scoops of ice cream that didn’t have banana wheels, I could still taste a hint of banana. When I ran out of ice cream, I had a couple pieces of banana left covered in hot fudge, so I had no complaints. 

Definitely a must try if you’re near or in Newton. Super yummy, and the prices aren’t bad! The service is a little slow though, but everything was worth the wait.

Woodbury Pizza

Located in Woodbury, Ct.

Although this restaurant is one of my favorites for pizza, I decided to try something new.  

This is their Chicken Ala Zee over Ziti dish for $15.95. At the time, I was craving chicken and ziti. But this is what caught my eye on the menu. Other than the chicken and ziti, this entree consists of asparagus, artichoke, mushroom, roasted red peppers, garlic, oil and melted cheese. It also comes with soup or salad to start. 

To my surprise, I loved it. The combination made within this dish was quite intense, but everything worked well together. The veggies enhanced the chicken and the taste of the oil which was great because they smothered everything in oil. I loved the small cuts of asparagus and red peppers, the taste in both came in bursts during every bite. I wish the garlic was cut into smaller pieces, though. The portion size is perfect, especially with the ratio between each ingredient… there wasn’t too much or too little of anything.
I can happily say that it was just as good the next day. Everything seemed to taste just a fresh, and nothing dried up. This may be my new dish when I go here and I don’t want pizza. 

Homemade Dinner

 From Bethlehem, Ct.

 The perfect little home cooked meal made by my good friend from home, Kris. He had made my friend Taylor and I shrimp scampi with garlic bread. It was free of cost, of course. 
This dish was super filling, and very tasteful. He had gotten the recipe online, and he apparently chose the easiest one he could find. It turned out well. The pasta was perfect, he didn’t add too much garlic, and the parmesan cheese was the perfect touch. He was worried about the shrimp because he had over cooked it, but did not taste bad at all, I actually wanted more. The garlic bread was perfect, no complaints there. I do believe I ate 4 pieces. 

Super satisfying and it was great to see my friend become a chef in the kitchen. 

Disclaimer: he’s an amateur chef, but he tried. 

California Pizza Kitchen

Located in the Natick mall in Natick, MA. 

  Spicy chicken tinga quesadillas, chicken lettuce wraps, and Thai chicken pizza. 
The spicy chicken tinga quesadillas were free for the first time visit which took $5.75 off the bill. I did not get to try them because I chose not to, I wasn’t in the “spicy” mood.

Chicken lettuce wraps came with shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, scallions, and a soy ginger sauce. I believe it was around $8/9. Super tasty, especially the sauce! It had an Asian taste to it. 

The Thai chicken pizza has and always been one of my favorites. I think it is about $10.39. There is chicken, peanut sauce, bean sprouts, and other veggies on a pizza. I love how much the veggies enhance the chicken and peanut sauce. 

The Cottage

Located in Wellesley, MA.

A very different and much fancier restaurant. It is mainly focused around seafood. Highlight: they have the best rolls with butter.   This is their crisp calamari with curried slaw, fresno chilies, and remoulade for $13. Super tasteful! But it seemed like their was more of the topping than the actual calamari. 
  For my main dish, I ordered the parmesan crusted lemon sole with a crispy parmesan panko crust, grape tomato salad, lemon buerre blanc, and brown butter asparagus for $26. The most delicious seafood dish I’ve had, and I am not exaggerating. I found the way the fish was cooked was perfect and the crust truly highlighted the flavor. Enhancing the flavor, I cut grape tomatoes and ate it with pieces of the fish which was a little burst. With the onion, it almost tasted like a bruschetta topping. And the asparagus was just delicious. 

For a college student, I highly suggest going with your parents to this restaurant. It is quite pricey, but worth it. Extremely delicious and unforgettable. The restaurant has a very modern aspect to it, and the service was speedy & polite. 

Gourmet Decisions Cafe & Grill

Located in Natick, MA.

  This is the Downtown Natick Bagel with bacon, scrambled eggs, and Swiss cheese. It also came with a side of home fries. 
My breakfast sandwich was one to remember. The cheese was perfectly melted, the bacon was crispy, the eggs didn’t need to add salt, and the bagel tasted fresh. And the warmth of the sandwich truly highlighted the taste. 

The potatoes were cooked with spices but they were soft and very tasteful. 

Everything was about $6. It’s a quaint restaurant and it seems to be family-operated. 

Beantown Pho & Grill

Located in Boston, MA. Yes, one more review.  

 To start, I ordered gyoza as an appetizer and a Thai iced tea as my drink. The gyoza is $5.50 and my drink is $3.50. My must-haves! 

  Like always, the pho ga was perfect for $8.95. 
  The dessert I tried for the first time was their honey banana. If I can recall, it was about $4/5. Not too sweet, but sweet enough. And the vanilla ice cream complimented the banana just enough. I highly recommend it and I am definitely going to be ordering it from now on.
This post was more for the dessert I had ordered and to add awareness to one of my favorite spots in Boston. It also helps you take a look at what I eat with pictures from my complete meal!