The first new place we tried was Huey's Diner. Offering New Orleans fare and 24 hour service, we went along one lunchtime, armed with a coupon for 1 appetizer and 2 mains. The decor is a step up from your average diner and actually reminded me of many a cafe in Melbourne. Our server was lovely and didn't harass us every five minutes which is always appreciated. For starters we had deep fried mac'n'cheese balls because - who can resist? I thought they kind of sucked, especially with the ranch dressing dipper, and the serving was paltry. I have been taking the opportunity to try completely new things at these places so at Huey's I ordered shrimp creole and Timon had chicken fried steak with mash. The meals were fairly straight up no-frou-frou home cooking but for the regular price the servings were underwhelming. My shrimp creole was tomato-y and a little spicy and I really enjoyed it. I would have liked a little more rice to temper the richness of the creole but I cleaned the plate. Timon said his was a little salty, but the fact that he has been hankering for a shnitzel for months made up for it. Ultimately I don't think we'll go back here, purely because of the prices.
Next up - Freda's Caribbean and Soul Cuisine. I purchased a $20 coupon for this restaurant because I'm not familiar with the style of food AND it is only 4 blocks away from our apartment. We traipsed up there one very cold night and almost walked past. The decor is minimal, the sign is impossible to see and the lighting was low. There was a giant flatscreen mounted on the wall (which destroys any ambience) and canteen style tables and chairs. We hesitantly opened the door and the woman told us to sit anywhere. The menu is small but super cheap (main with 2 sides $8) so we just went for it. I ordered jerk chicken with cabbage & carrot, chickpeas and potatoes. Timon ordered brown chicken (?) with mac'n'cheese and string beans. There was homemade lemonade and sorrel on the menu but I was bluntly told they had none. The service was nothing to write home about but the food was great. My jerk chicken was crazy spicy and I couldn't get the woman off the phone to give me some water but it fell off the bone and melted in my mouth. With the coupon our meal came to $1.25! I'll definitely be going back - it's quiet and the food is interesting (I still don't know what some of it is) and delish.
Walking home from Freda's we noticed a a super cute Southern-style restaurant up near the park. Seems that we've not done enough exploring of our own neighbourhood! I grabbed a menu and decided we should definitely go back when we weren't full of Caribbean food. The chance came this week when I had an early screening and could meet Timon for lunch. I hadn't had a chance to print off my coupon so we just crossed our fingers that it would be good enough to try twice! The decor was adorable, all red and white checks and country chic. We were lucky to be there before the lunch special expired so we ordered homemade meatloaf with mashed potato and southern-fried chicken with fries. I also ordered a cup of seafood gumbo and some spoonbread punch. The punch was bright pink and came out in handled jars. It had an indefinable taste but I loved it! Timon ordered a coke but got punch, I'm not sure he was as impressed. The gumbo was hot and awesome - chunks of fish swam in this thick, peppery soup. I'd go back for that alone. My main was a little disappointing but Timon's fried chicken looked and tasted great. For a fiddly white-meat eater he struggled through the first piece, but the second was a huge, perfectly crispy breast piece that he was not keen on sharing. While the restaurant was pretty the service was not so welcoming and at some point the music went off and it was deathly quiet. We decided to take our dessert home - coconut layer cake and red velvet for T. I think if we take the fam to Miss Mamie's Spoonbread Too we'll definitely go for lunch, if not just for gumbo, punch and cake!
After Timon's last shift at Jack's on Sunday I met up with him downtown and dragged him to Party City for some Halloween accessories. We struggled to find somewhere decent to eat (places were packed from the extended brunch crowd) and we stumbled across Pita Joe. The tiny cafe is set up like a chain although it turns out there's only one. I ordered red lentil soup, which came with a small pot of hummus and a pita, and a pomegranate mint lemonade. Timon had a chicken fillet pita with hummus, lettuce and fries. Everything was AWESOME! The pita was so fresh and soft, miles ahead of the cardboard you get in the supermarket. The hummus was chunky yet creamy and the soup was hot and deliciously savoury. The chips were super thin and crispy, freshly made to order. But the star of this brilliant show was the pomegranate mint lemonade. I would take the subway to Union Square just for that, which is saying a lot. I know Lauren is not a fan of anything with the floury falafel texture so I'm not sure how she'll like it - but we are definitely going back (she can have the lemonade).
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