Eating With Emily

Howdy Y'all!

2012-02-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a visit to Texas, and you know what they say, everything is bigger in Texas! I mostly visited Houston but I also took a road trip to San Antonio. Texans know how to eat and I made sure to try as many local places as I could. Giddy up for a Texas sized blog and learn why Texas is the #1 state for obesity in America!

#1 reason kids will love the food in Texas...

Texans think vegetables are beans, potatoes and bread!

One of my all time favorite places in Houston is Dylan's Candy Bar. It is the best candy store in the world! Dylan's has Texas sized candy like huge jawbreakers and 5 lb. gummy bears. There is even an ice cream store inside with flavors like pancakes and syrup. For some weird reason they won't let you take pictures in the store but I managed to take just one. Or two:) You know how I love Icee's, look what I saw...

I tried Icee squeeze candy and it tasted just like an Icee! How do they do that?

Look what they have in Houston!!! For those of you who watch Cupcake Wars, this is owned by the judge Candace Nelson. I made my Uncle pull over for these delicious treats! There was a line going out the door and when I got my cupcake I could see why. I tried a Black and White cupcake which is chocolate cake with cream cheese icing and it was moist and flavorful. Now I know for a fact that Candace Nelson knows what she is talking about.

Another one of my favorites in Texas is Luby's. Lubys is a yummy cafeteria (yes, like in school) where elderly people without a lot of money can get great food. I want to get the word out there that Luby's should be for everybody! This is legit Texas comfort food! They even have that hospital blue jello. To get the true Texas experience, I ordered fried chicken, mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese and it was delish. They have a lot of choices like pie, pudding, and anything you can think of that is cooked in oil or butter. Or lard. I just learned what that is and you don't want to know.

Blue Bell Ice Cream can only be found in the south. It is creamier than normal ice cream and they have flavors that I don't see a lot like fresh peaches and homemade vanilla. You can find this served all over Texas and it is really good.

Now this just screams Texas - Fried Pickles!!! They sound disgusting, but they are actually REALLY good! The moisture inside of the crispy breading is to die for, but if you eat too many you will probably get sick. You can get them in a bar that I wasn't allowed into called the Porch Swing Bar. While I was waiting for the pickles, my Uncle and I played a friendly game of put the metal disk into the hole. Let's just say he owed me $10.00.

El Tiempo can claim "The Best Fajitas Ever!" (claimed by ME). Queso cheese dip is huge in Texas and you can find it everywhere. It is a creamy american cheese dip that is the perfect partner for one of El Tiempo's freshly made chips. I swear on my dead fish that I could eat a whole bowl of that heavenly dip. They also have the best fajitas ever. Fajitas in Texas are a state obsession and I know why. They are amazing! I think they do something to the meat (hopefully not cook it in lard) because it is really juicy and tender. It is served on a platter heated by a flame. This platter has shrimp wrapped in bacon, shrimp, chicken and steak. And a bowl of melted butter to dip the meat in. Tex-Mex is my absolute favorite and there is no place better to get it than actually in Texas. At El Tiempo.

Texas BBQ. My Texas sized blog just isn't big enough to cover the topic. There is a big difference between plain bbq and Texas bbq. Texas bbq is meat that is smoked with a dry rub but doesn't have sauce. Goode Co. is definitely the best place to find Texas bbq! The meat is smoky, juicy and flavorful. It even tastes like it might be healthy. You can get bbq sauce on the side if you are like me and like to have it on the meat anyways. We tried brisket and turkey and they were both amazing.

Another place to stop in Houston is The Breakfast Klub, and don't be mistaken by the movie. This restaurant specializes in one thing, chicken and waffles! It sounds odd, but this might be the best combo on earth. Their fluffy belgian waffles really compliment the chicken. This chicken is not any normal chicken, it is the most juicy fried chicken I have ever had. They put just the right combination of spices into the breading and it makes it mouth watering. I have heard that this is Beyonce's favorite place to eat in Houston and I can see why!

Have you ever heard of kolaches? I hadn't either, but kolaches are either a sausage or type of meat or cheese inside of a sweet bun, sort of like pigs in a blanket. They are from Europe and are mostly Czech, but for some reason you can find them all over Texas. Texans go crazy for these and I would certainly swoon for another one. We tried a couple of different places and I think Christy's has the best dough.

We took a road trip to San Antonio, and on the way stopped at an EPIC convience store off of the freeway called Buc-ee's.

Buc-ee's is like 7-11 on steroids. It might be the best convenient store in the world. They house make their snacks like different jerkies and "beaver nuggets" which are the most sugary Sugar Pops you can imagine. Look...

Buc-Ee's must be like a state monument because there was a line of cars to get in. There were even school buses of kids going there on a field trip! I would like to go here for a field trip. Kids can learn about really important things like what it tastes like if you mix grape soda with orange soda. Buc-ee's also sells toys like slingshots. My mom bought one for my sister and already regrets it.

I love Texas. I love visiting family, places like the Alamo (or as I call it, "El Lamo"), and I love how people there talk. Most of all I love the food in Texas and you will too. After a week of eating "vegetables" and fried food it is time for me to eat something healthy. For the first time today I finally tried my mom's kale chips. After a week of Texas food, I actually "liked" them y'all! I am off to eat something healthy, and I don't mean a slice of bread. In lard.

Old School Kool

2012-02-15T21:49:00.000-08:00

Today I went to Lunchbox Laboratory in downtown Bellevue and my experience left me with mixed emotions. You can see the sign for Lunchbox Laboratory from the freeway but it is really hard to find on the streets nearby. It is inside an office building so my first impression was that it wasn't very cool.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. It definitely had a retro theme and they did a good job decorating the entire space. When you first walk in there are 5 lava lamps. Only three were working and they were really small so it seemed like a waste of an effort.

There was orange lighting everywhere and that gave the place a really cool effect. They had old school lunchboxes all over the walls. I didn't recognize any of them except John Travolta on a Welcome Back Kotter (whatever that is) lunchbox. I only know John Travolta because my dad has a collectible ~~doll~~ sorry, action figure.

There were charcoal brown walls and I thought they were very lucky because the space had a really great view. This is the part that really confused me... my friend and I were the only kids in the whole place! There were only adults! "Lunchbox Laboratory" made me think that this was supposed to be for kids, but I guess it is more for adults to remember what it was like when they were kids.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 5! All of the staff were really cool and stylin with swag! They were wearing backwards lids, saggy jeans and flannel tops. They were super chill and seemed happy to be there. Our server offered my sister to hang her picture she colored on the wall because she said it "looked pretty." Ummm, I can't say I agree with that statement! Since my sister kept "messing up" on her work, they happily brought her the same coloring sheet 3 times. Overall the staff was just really nice, gold star for you!

On service speed, I give it a 3. When we walked in there they told us there was a 20 minute wait! Thankfully it only took 11 minutes. There were lots of people waiting outside the doors. When we finally sat down, the food took about 10 minutes after we ordered which seemed average.

Kool-Aid...

"Homage to Dick's Deluxe" burger...

On taste of food, I give it a 4. They have Kool-Aid! I ordered the original flavor Kool-Aid which was sort of like fruit punch. It was sugary and delicious. It reminded of me of when I go over to my friend's house, the only other place in the world where Kool-Aid is provided. I love Dick's so I ordered the Homage to Dick's Deluxe burger. It came with a beef patty, american cheese, bacon (not on the real Dick's deluxe!), onions and "top secret" sauce. There was way too much special sauce, bacon and onions, It tasted GREAT but they went overboard on the condiments. The meat was moist and juicy with the cheese melted into it. The bun was delicious and perfectly baked, but the bottom bun was soggy because of all of the juice from everything else. Next to it was one pathetic shred of lettuce, an end piece of tomato (who likes an end piece?) and one slice of a pickle. Are you supposed to put that on your burger? It was enough to fit on one measly bite.

See?

The french fries were super thin and came out hot. They got cold very quickly, but they were delicious. They were crispy and salty and I couldn't stop eating them.

On appearance of food, I give it a 2. The food was served on fancy white plates but I think it would be WAY better if they actually served them in lunchboxes. The "top secret" sauce was pouring out of the burger all over the plate. The burger was actually falling apart and I had to eat it with a fork.

On price, I give it a 2. The Kool-Aid was $2.50, and everyone knows Kool-Aid is actually really cheap. My burger was $13.99. For a burger? This place is definitely for grownups because kids wouldn't spend this much money on Kool-Aid and a burger.

Lunchbox Laboratory earned a final score of 20/30. The only things on the main menu are burgers and shakes. The kid's menu is a bit different but actually sort of lame. Look...

The most famous burger they have is called the "Dork Burger" but it is definitely NOT for kids since it is made out of duck and pork. Kids should definitely try this place mostly for the Kool-Aid and shakes. You can see what it was like when your parents were kids. From what I can tell, people mostly carried metal lunchboxes. My mom said she had a Strawberry Shortcake one when she was my age. Strawberry Shortcake was around when she was a kid? Who knew?

What's Shakin' Bacon?

2012-02-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

A reliable source told me that Jack In The Box has an unadvertised bacon shake! This shake is underground, is not on the menu, and unless you know about it you would never know that it is there! Sort of like ordering "animal style" at In-N-Out. I knew instantly that I had to try it. I went to Jack In The Box and sure enough, it exists! It looks like a normal milkshake, but the taste is definitely not normal. It is a vanilla milkshake with bacon syrup in it and let me be the first to tell you not to try it! You can taste the smokiness of the bacon and it literally triggered my gag reflex!

The world is obsessed with bacon. My Uncle Matt puts it on everything. I have to admit I like it too but not as an artificial flavoring! Artificial flavorings are often gross, especially banana flavoring. Ick.

There are really only three main things I took away from this experience...

Bacon flavoring is gross.
Just because it isn't on the menu doesn't mean it's good.
This would be perfect for vegetarians!

Emily and bacon sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first came love, then came marriage, then came...

Next time I am at Jack In The Box, I'll stick with the tacos.

Grand Opening!

2012-02-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

Today is the grand opening of the Bellevue Lunchbox Laboratory! For those of you who haven't been to the Seattle location, Lunchbox Laboratory has old fashioned comfort food for kids and adds a modern twist. Kids will love their burgers and shakes, even corn dogs and tater tots. I can't wait to go there and see the new location. Stay tuned for my review this week!

OOOH-wajimay-AHHHH!

2012-01-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

Today was just another day being Emily and I had to go on another boring grocery run with my mom, this time to Uwajimaya in Bellevue. While I was walking through the area with the dead fish with their faces fully intact, I stopped in my tracks... I stumbled upon fresh poke! Like the one I fell in love with in Hawaii! I tasted it and it was exactly the same. I looked around, and Uwajimaya also has my favorite Aloha Maid juices like POG (passion fruit, orange, guava). There was even a Hawaiian aisle filled with things like chocolate covered macadamia nuts. The foods brought back good memories from my trip like chilling out on the beach with the sun on my face, feeling the soft breeze flow through my hair while drinking a POG. Check out my discoveries...

Poke...

Fresh fruit drinks without corn syrup...

Chocolate covered macadamia nuts...

It brings me back! Ahhhhhhhh! If you want to feel the Hawaiian experience, go to Uwajimaya and taste what I am talking about.

I also found a really fun type of candy that you hold in your teeth and blow. It makes the coolest and loudest whistle ever! It also tastes really good and fruity...

Uwajimaya is a great store for kids, they have locations in Seattle and Bellevue. You can find lots of interesting candies and cookies too. Just stay away from the fish faces. With the eyeballs.

The Icing On The Fairy Cake

2012-01-29T19:20:00.000-08:00

Last week I was given a mindblowing gift: two cupcakes hand carried from London! These weren't just any cupcakes, these were "fairy cakes" made at Harrods, one of the most famous stores in London. I love how some words are different here than in England, but calling cupcakes "fairy cakes" takes the cake! Ha ha ha. The chef (Fiona Cairns) made these fairy cakes and she also made the Royal Wedding cake for Kate and William.

The first thing I thought when I saw the fairy cakes was how gorgeous and elegant they looked! They were dusted with edible glitter and the designs on top were London icons like a cab and a double decker bus. The decorations were so enticing that I expected the flavor to be as wonderful as they looked. Turns out, it was a "royal" pain to taste them! I know the fruitcake in London is horrible, but white cake too? Really? These fairy cakes tasted like plastic. They have this clever wrapping that is air tight with the frosting so they last a long time and the cake stays as moist as if it was just out of the oven. The cake was really moist and tasted average but don't even get me started on the frosting! It was totally rock solid and I couldn't even identify the strange flavor. I thought it was some kind of alcohol flavoring for adults. The design on top was on a thick piece of plastic, um I mean frosting, that was sitting on top. Kids, if you are lucky enough to be Harrods, only get these fairy cakes to accessorize your bedrooms. I really appreciate the new experience and I am honored that I was thought of in London. Overall, these were definitely an experience. That I don't ever want again. I know people say the food in London is gross, but fairy cakes too?

Dick's Special!

2012-01-26T15:10:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is a big day at one of my fave burger places, Dick's. They are celebrating their 58th anniversary by lowering their drink prices to what they were in 1954...10 cents! I just saw the movie Back to Future where Marty McFly went for a ride in a cool car that took him to 1955. I want to ride in that car and get fast food for these prices! Who knew a McDonald's meal deal would seem so expensive? Get on over tomorrow (1/27) to a Dick's near you to get your 10 cent soda, any size. There are locations all over Seattle. Sadly, there aren't any on the eastside for now. That is only a matter of time.

Let Them Eat Cake!

2012-01-24T15:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year! This is the year of the dragon. The dragon is the deliverer of good fortune and he delivered my fortune in the form of cake! In celebration of the Chinese New Year, I decided to go to Regent Bakery & Cafe in Redmond.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 3. The cafe looks pretty boring, in a boring strip mall. Other than some Chinese posters and lanterns on the walls, the bakery was mostly made of large glass cases where the cakes and pastries are displayed.
The cases are so pretty, check them out...

There are brown walls and tables with matching brown chairs. The sign behind the counter is bright yellow and orange and it was hard for me to read. If you decide to come here it might be a good idea to bring your glasses. I could really tell that their main focus was on the food and not the decor.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 3. When I first walked in I was very overwhelmed. The woman working there kept asking me if I wanted lunch and needed to know when I wanted to order. I set my things down on the counter and then she told me where to sit. But then... she brought me a glass of water and a fork without even having to ask! That made me feel like she wanted me there.

On service speed, I give it a 5! They were super fast at putting the piece of cake on the plate. Wowzers, they should be in the cake plating olympics! There was a small line but it moved quickly.

Fresh Fruit Cake...

Swiss Chocolate Mousse Cake...

On taste of food, I give it a 5! I tried two cakes - Fresh Fruit Cake and Swiss Chocolate Mousse Cake. Fresh Fruit Cake: This cake made me feel healthy in a "not really" healthy way. Healthy food never tasted this good! There were different kinds of fresh fruit in the cake like kiwi, strawberry, pineapple, cantaloupe and honeydew melon. The cake was an angel food cake and the icing was not actually icing, but heavy whipped cream. Eating it made me feel like I was floating on air.

Swiss Chocolate Mousse Cake: There were 3 layers of decadent light and fluffy chocolate cake filled with airy chocolate mousse. The mousse had just the right amount of airiness in it. It was not so airy that you can't feel it, but not so dense that it feels like there is a 5 lb. weight in your mouth. It had the perfect consistency. The cake part was just the same. It was light and airy but with the perfect kick of density. The cake was also perfectly moist. Regent Bakery knows how to make cake!

On appearance of food, I give it a 5! These cakes are decorated and served beautifully. They are served on actual plates, on small golden paper wedges with plastic on the outside to keep the cake in place. They are displayed immaculately in the cases and even more immaculately in my stomach. I can tell that they put a lot of effort into baking and decorating their cakes. They are so appealing that they make you want to take a picture and then gobble them up!

On price, I give it a 2. A slice of cake averages around $4.00. A whole cake averages around $35.00. That seems like a lot.

Regency Bakery and Cafe scored an overall score of 23/30. WARNING: When you first walk in it smells terrible. The bakery also makes traditional Chinese dishes like Sesame Chicken. Sesame Chicken combined with cake is not a smell that is good. If you can get past the smell and focus on the cakes, you will see that they have lots of different kinds of cakes like cheesecake, black forest cake, tiramisu and chestnut cake. They also have traditional pastries like sausage buns and BBQ pork buns. Everything is made fresh onsite. Do yourself a favor and celebrate the year of the dragon! And let yourself eat cake.

Let It Snow!

2012-01-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Snow Day!!!

I have been meaning to get out and review a restaurant, but there is no way I could even think of getting out of our driveway! Since we live at the top of a huge hill, our house gets the most snow. Nobody is driving so my friends and I decided to go sledding down our hill...

I had a blast! A few wipeouts and a bloody tongue won't stop me!

On snowy winter days, I always like to roast marshmallows in the fireplace with my family. I also like to make homemade meatballs that cook in tomato sauce all day long. My great grandmother Josephine (aka Nanny) taught my mom the recipe to her meatballs and we have been making them ever since. If you want to make something similar, here is a recipe from Patsy's in New York:

http://www.patsys.com/recipes-detail.php?id=203

I am related to Patsy but I have no idea how. That is how it is in big Italian families. I just found out last year that my "Aunt" Jen isn't actually related to me.

I hope everyone is enjoying the snow and no school!!

Hawaii, The Island Of Extremes

2012-01-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

Mele Kalikimaka!

I just returned from an amazing vacation to the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii. The locals refer to the Big Island as the "island of extremes" since there are volcanos and snow at the same time. I refer to the Big Island as the "island of extremes" because I had some of the best food I have ever had there and some of the worst!

Here are the best things I ate in Hawaii...

This is tuna poke (pronounced po-kay). The tuna is raw and as fresh as it could be because it is caught right there in Hawaii. The tuna is chopped up with green onions, avocados, soy sauce and sesame oil. I normally hate fish and I didn't even want to try it. But... it is always good to try new things so I forced myself to have a bite. To my suprise, I not only didn't gag but instead I loved it! It isn't fishy at all, but tastes more like the fresh ocean. You can get poke everywhere in Hawaii, including the grocery stores.

This is a rambutan, otherwise known as a "hairy lychee." I found these at a farmers market in the middle of Kohala. To open this exotic fruit you need to squeeze it very hard until the shell pops open. Inside is a delicious fruit that looks like a huge lychee. It tasted like a mix between a lychee and a grape. There was a lot of juice packed inside of that shell! I like to remember what Andrew Zimmern says, "if it looks good, eat it!"

This looks just like an ordinary pancake, but don't be fooled. This pancake is huge and is the fluffiest pancake I have ever had in my life. It was served with butter, which I spread all over. Whoever doesn't put butter on their pancakes isn't living life. It was so delicious that I skipped the syrup. I got this amazing delicacy at a local diner called Hawaiian Style Cafe. This cafe was recommended to me by the people who worked at our hotel. It is very popular, but inside it sort of looks like a dump. Sorry to say.

The guy with this huge cleaver is at the farmers market in Kona. You ask him for a fresh coconut and he cuts it up with his enormous cleaver. I was very scared he was going to cut his hand off! First, he cuts a hole in the top of the coconut and sticks a straw in to drink the juice. It was so fresh! Then you take back the coconut and he cuts it up so you can eat the meat. This was a young coconut so the meat was kind of like jello. The experience was very unique. You should also go to the farmers market for the tourist stuff like jewelry and ukeleles. A ring I saw at our hotel was $20, but here it was only $5!

Now, onto the worst things I had in Hawaii...

Poi. Also known as the worst food in history. It is flavorless taro root paste and should be avoided at all times. The locals say "it is an acquired taste." Yeah right. I will never acquire this taste.

Everything on this plate is nasty. It is called a loco moco and is also from the Hawaiian Style Cafe. A loco moco is meat (usually hamburger) on top of rice, covered in gravy. This is a local version that you would have to be loco to eat. On the bottom of the picture, you can see the second worst thing in Hawaii...Spam!!! Bleh!!!! Why do people like this? What even is it? It tasted like dog food (I want to clarify I have never actually tried dog food before). People in Hawaii are obsessed with Spam, and I am obsessed with avoiding it. Is this also an acquired taste?

This was the main course at the local luau. Everything on the table was revolting. I don't even know what half of the things are! Even my mom didn't eat it, and she eats everything. The main course was a whole pig that they roasted underground. It just tasted like shredded pork. They served it with it's head on and that was actually cool. Some people don't want to be aware of what they're eating, but I am comfortable seeing the source. Stay away from the luau. Unless you like fire dancing.

After a few days, we were sick of eating expensive hotel food. We went to the local grocery store and got food for the room. We made it fun and decided that everything we got had to be from Hawaii. Some of my favorites were the Maui style potato chips, the local fruit juices, the HUGE avocados, and the tiny apple bananas. My mom found some awful snack called "cracked seed." She loved it but I don't know why. The Big Island has a lot of good food and bad food, but I love to try local food. As long as it's not poi or Spam.

"Thicker Cut, More Flavor?"

2011-12-16T16:12:00.000-08:00

Today is Free Fries Friday and I went to Burger King to get mine. Did you? The fries are "new and improved" and they claim to be "thicker cut, more flavor." If these have more flavor, I would be scared to try the original!

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 2. I went to the Burger King in Bellevue but there are locations all over the country. This place needs a lot of improvement. It looks like a dirty fast food restaurant with no pride. The pictures on the wall were of lily pads, flowers and a waterfall - what do those have to do with burgers? Maybe the owners got them free at a local garage sale. The bathrooms were gross and unsanitary. There was a HUGE fake plant in the center of the restaurant. Maybe there is some sort of nature theme?

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I also give it a 2. There were two men working there and they seemed desperately confused. When I asked for the fries they looked confused and asked, "the free ones?" When I asked them how the new fries were different they didn't even know. They were goofing off and seemed too casual for people who are supposed to be working. They didn't make eye contact with me and they seemed like they thought they were at a party instead of at work. Maybe they just don't like kids because a huge group of pretty teenage girls walked in and they got a lot better service than I did.

On service speed, I still give it a 2. The fryer was right in back of the counter. After I ordered they walked to the fryer to make my fries so slowly it seemed like they were trying to irritate me. Marone! (If you aren't Italian, look it up:))

On taste of food, I give it a 3. The fries were definitely a thick cut although I prefer them thin. They were "reduced sodium" which means "less salty" or "not as good." They were kind of crispy on the outside, but not as much as they were mushy. The inside tasted like an uncooked potato. The flavor just tasted like normal fries. I ordered ranch dressing to dip them in and the ranch dressing was much better than the fries. The fries weren't enticing enough to make me keep eating them, and that says a lot.

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. They looked generic. They were thick, square and really long. I like them long so that part is good. They were yellowish in color, and to my surprise they were not greasy at all. The bag didn't even have one drip of grease on it.

On price, I give it a 5! They were free!

For a total score of 17/30. Good news for all of you kids or weirdly demented adults, they still give away the free crowns!

If you can't get enough of Burger King, you can go to bkcrown.com and play online games. The store was empty so the fries must really be bad if they can't even give them away for free.

My favorite thing about Burger King is that they sell Icees! Not Slurpees, but Icees! And they have the classic flavors, cherry and Coke. Inhaling my Icee helped me forget about the "flavorful" fries.

Free Fries Friday!!

2011-12-15T15:29:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow will be a memorable day in fast food history! No, McDonald's isn't giving away Justin Bieber perfume in their happy meals (wouldn't that be awesome?), but almost as good. Burger King is giving away their "improved" fries and they want everyone to try them!! They claim that their new fries are thicker and less salty. Which is actually a bad thing for me. I love my fries extra salty. BK also claims that the fries have reduced sodium and that there is a new batter that makes them extra crispy. I'll be there tomorrow to try these fries and see if they are really "improved." Look for my review tomorrow.

There is no purchase necessary, so get yours tomorrow and tell me what you think. If you don't like the fries, always remember they have really good onion rings!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-28T19:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all had fun times celebrating this thankful day with your families. My favorite things about Thanksgiving are seeing my family, and obviously the food. My family does all of the traditional food like turkey (who likes turkey btw?), stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes... This year my Nana taught me how to make her super awesome sweet potato/marshmallow concoction. Actually, they are not normal marshmallows. They are special ones from See's Candy called Scotch Kisses. Check them out...

Scotch Kisses are fluffy marshmallows dipped in caramel. Melting these on sweet potatoes with TONS of Irish butter make Thanksgiving worth going to.

As you know, I am a huge fan of Baskin Robbins. This year we bought an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins that actually looked like a turkey. Technically there was no cake but all chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. The legs were made out of sugar cones. Is there anything better?

Isn't it cute? It looks JUST like a turkey. I wonder if there is a wishbone? My wish would be that all kids get one of these for Thanksgiving next year. And Justin Bieber perfume. I really want that.

Shout Out From Tucson!

2011-11-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

Shout out from Tucson, AZ! I am here visiting family for Thanksgiving and eating at my fave local places. If you are ever in Tucson, you should try one of my favorites called Eegee's. Eegee's is known for their sub sandwiches, fries and slushes. The best things to order are ranch fries (crinkle cut fries covered in the best ranch dressing and bacon bits), a strawberry and lemon slush (you can mix flavors) and a meatball sandwich. They have regular slush flavors like pina colada, strawberry and lemon. There is always a flavor of the month too. This month is cherry cider but my favorite one is in March and the flavor is lime.

Strawberry and lemon slush...

Meatball sub sandwich...

Ranch fries...

Eegee's is all over Tucson and is great for kids. I plan on eating here as many times as I possibly can!

Rainbows and Unicones

2011-11-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

Today I was at South Center mall and I decided to review one of the kiosks there called UniCone (not to be confused with unicorn) Japanese Crepes. I can't imagine any kiosk being better! They are located on the bottom floor by the south entrance, and it smells like cake right when you walk in.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. For a kiosk in the mall it was very modern and awesome. Instead of a menu they have plastic versions of what you can get so it made choosing much easier. There are glass walls all around the kitchen where you can watch them make the crepes. Suprisingly, making crepes is fast and easy. They spread the batter thinly all over a large circular pan with a thing that kind of looks like something to clean your car windows (only smaller). UniCone also has lots of simple signs that are easy to read and plenty of chairs near by.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 3. They were nice, they smiled and were very patient when my sister took practically a year to pick her crepe! The two people behind the counter seemed like they were friends and they were talking and laughing about jokes. I was just standing there thinking, "I want to know the joke too!" They called out my order really loud even though I was standing right next to them.

On service speed, I give it a 4. They started to make my crepe right after I ordered and it was served in an under 5 minutes.

I ordered a Strawberry Choco Whip which is a crepe with preserved strawberries, chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Here is what the plastic version looked like...

Here is what mine looked like...

On taste of food, I give it a 5! It was hands down the best crepe that I had EVER had!!! It was a Japanese crepe with strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate syrup. The crepe is Japanese and not French because Japanese crepes are softer and chewier than the French ones. Also, rolling the crepe into a cone is common in Japan. It was a warm and gooey crepe with cold fruit inside. It was the perfect texture. The strawberries were in a syrup but it didn't make the crepe soggy at all. At first it tasted like I was eating breakfast but as time went on I knew I was eating a crepe. The whipped cream was light and fluffy and the chocolate syrup was perfect. It was a great balance of all flavors with nothing too overpowering. I ate the whole thing in under 5 minutes and every bite was heavenly.

On appearance of food, I give it a 4. It was rolled up in a pink paper cone and there were very clear directions on how to eat them. Check it out...

So that is what I did. It was very easy to eat the crepe in the cone and not very messy, although I did need a napkin at the end. But you know, that is just me. I can pretty much make a mess out of anything. When they first made the crepe it didn't seem like there were a lot of toppings. After they rolled it into a cone I realized there was plenty. The crepe looked very gourmet and the bright red strawberries caught my eye.

On price, I give it a 3. My crepe was $4.29 but the average price is about $5.00. A little expensive compared to other mall treats but this is gourmet, not like a junky pretzel place.

They also had super weird savory flavors like spicy tuna salad and potato salad in case you are adventurous...

For a total score of 23/30. Whoever invented UniCones was an absolute genius! Brillant idea! They need more locations because this place needs to become more popular. To all you kids who go to South Center, ask your parents to try UniCone. They have many kid friendly flavor options like ice cream, frosted flakes and fruit cocktail. Just when I thought the mall couldn't get any better... I am feeling rainbows and Unicones:)

Jack In The Box Rocks!!!

2011-11-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

Today I reviewed Jack In The Box's tacos and I have no regrets. I went to the store in Bellevue but there are lots of locations. I want to give a shout out to my Uncle D for recommending this place to me. He loves their tacos more than my sister loves candy. And that's a lot.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 2. They were playing old and cheesy elevator music and it was annoying. They had short chain link fences surrounding the table area and it kind of had a prison vibe to it. They had red tables and somewhat modern black chairs. That part was pretty typical, but what was not typical were the random pictures of their mascot. Pictures of Jack doing things were everywhere - on a treadmill, drinking coffee in the morning etc. People must collect pictures of Jack because you could buy Jack as an elf Christmas ornaments? The decor would have been a 2 but it was suprisingly clean. Someone was always cleaning the tables and chairs so I decided to give them an extra point.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 3. There was a nice lady working at the cash register. She greeted me warmly when I walked in and had a good attitude. She smiled a lot but there wasn't a lot of communication after that. She just took my order.

On service speed, I give it a 3. It only took about 5 minutes to get my order, but that seemed long since there was no one else in line. The same lady who was at the register was also working the drive-through, so our tacos were waiting for us while she was at the window. Staring at our order getting cold was torture. They should really have more people working.

I came here with one mission and one mission only...to try the tacos.

On taste of food, I give it a 6!!! That is a record in Eating With Emily history!!! This is the single best thing I have ever eaten. The shell was greasy and crispy to the bite. Inside, there was american cheese, lettuce, salsa and "meat." I couldn't tell what kind of "meat" it was but there might be beans in it. Does anybody know? The lettuce wasn't really crisp but I didn't care. The "meat" was juicy and perfect and didn't make the shell soggy. The salsa was spicy, but not too spicy. Just enough spice to keep it tangy. Every bite was a bite of heaven. They must put some kind of kid craze in them because I went crazy and wanted more and more. It was kind of like catnip for kids. I was sad when I finished and the eating experience was over. I ordered 2 tacos but I had to go back for more. I could have eaten at least 10.

On appearance of food, I give it a 2. There was definitely, 100%, nothing fresh about this taco. I saw them being made in the back, and the lady took them out of the freezer, stuffed them with something frozen, and dropped them whole into the deep fryer. The shell was brown and grease stained. The lettuce was brown and limp. Looks really can be deceiving because the flavor was absolutely, positively delicious.

Here is my tray after I was done..so sad:( I literally licked the bags.

On price, I give it a 5! 2 tacos for 99 cents!!! Look under your couch cushions, on the streets and under your bed. You can easily find 99 cents for some tacos.

Jack in the Box Rocks! It earned a final score of 21/30. The tacos were definitely not healthy because nothing healthy ever tasted this good. This must be true because about 60% of the people who walked in there were "overweight." To all of you kids out there, skip McDonald's and go straight for tacos at Jack in the Box. Trust me, you won't regret it. I am going to stop writing now so I can go get more tacos...

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

2011-11-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! Halloween is my favorite night of the year and I hope all of you had as much fun as I did! I dressed up as Cookie Monster. Don't try to make me sing the song. I refuse to remember it. My favorite part of Halloween is all of the candy! I have a tradition with a friend, and every year after trick-or-treating we put our candy into a pile we call "the candy mountain." Here are all of my favorites from the mountain...

Take 5 Bars: They have 5 layers of pretzels, peanut butter, caramel, milk chocolate and peanuts. The pretzels are lined up in a row so you get some crunch in each bite.

Twix Bars: caramel and crunchy cookie dipped in milk chocolate. You always get two in a pack!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Peanut butter dipped in milk chocolate. Out of all of the Halloween candies, these are the ones all parents like the most. My mom kept asking for these but I just couldn't part with any. My sister didn't mind. She only wanted "round things that taste good." She means bottle caps.

Whoppers: malted milk balls. Whenever I am sick my grandpa buys these for me and calls them "medicine." Whoppers give me good memories.

Butterfinger: crispy thin wafers, peanut butter dipped in chocolate. These flaky, crunchy delights are fun to eat and melt in my mouth.

Thankfully, I got lots of my favorites this year. I have an open message to people who hand out healthy Halloween treats like dried fruit and granola bars: kids don't want that!!! Halloween is about the candy! I would LOVE to know all of your favorite halloween candies so leave a comment on my blog!

Comment Away!

2011-10-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

Many of you have mentioned to me that you were unable to post comments to my blog. Turns out I had the wrong setting on...oops! I removed the setting so now you should be able to comment. Please comment on any of my posts, even if they are from months ago. I love my readers and I love what you have to say. Now comment away!!!

Did Someone Say Wings?

2011-10-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today I reviewed Wingdome in downtown Kirkland and it was quite an adventure!

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. It was very unique with a garage and sports theme. The inside literally looked like a garage. There was an entire wall just dedicated to tire rims. Check it out...

There is a sports bar connected to the restaurant with sports playing on all of the tv's. It looked good, but trust me, no girls were involved with the decorating process. It is always a mistake if you come in on a Saturday night. There are huge football fans who scream when something interesting happens on tv, like a touchdown. Wingdome is sort of a man magnet.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 2. The servers brought us coloring sheets and crayons right away. They weren't very generous with the crayons, but only brought us 3 and they were weird triangular shaped crayons. Other than that, the servers made no contact with me whatsoever. Not a word or a look.

On service speed, I give it a 3. It took about 10 minutes to get the appetizers and 10 more to get the wings. They were really good about making sure we always had water and napkins.

On taste of food, I give it a 5! I ordered "fully loaded" potato chips, which are house made chips topped with cheese, sour cream, bacon and chives. Yum...

I also ordered #3 chicken wings that came with ranch, blue cheese and celery. You can order the wings anywherere from 0 (no sauce) to 7 (hottest). Here are the wings...

The chips and the wings were absolute perfection! The chips were made fresh and served warm with cheesy heaven and toppings. The cheese was a little chewy but enjoyable. The sour cream was fluffy and the bacon was crispy. It was texture perfection. There was a little of each topping on each bite and I just wanted to eat more and more. The wings were just as amazing. They were crispy on the outside and juicy and moist on the inside. The sauce was rich and flavorful, all cooled down with a dip in the ranch. I like the wings that look like the little drumsticks the most because they have the most meat. Also, I like llamas better than alpacas in case you were wondering.

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. When the wings were first brought out on a silver tray they looked bland and dull. At first we thought they weren't even the right wings since they looked so banal (thank you dictionary). They aren't special on the outside but your taste buds will worship the inside. The chips also didn't look as special as they tasted.

On price, I give it a 2. It seemed sort of expensive. For 30 wings, it costs $30.99. Pretty much a dollar per wing!

There is something at the Wingdome called the "7 Wing Challenge." This challenge means you have to eat 7 wings, 7 alarms each (the hottest EVER), within 7 minutes. You can't use a napkin or drink anything. If you can do this you get a t-shirt and your picture on the wall. My Dad never backs down from a challenge so he took the plunge. I was so scared that he was going to get hurt that I hid out in the bathroom until it was over. Here are the wings he had to eat, look how much sauce they have! He even had to eat the lettuce and lick his fingers...

By the time he finished he was bright red from the sauce burning his face. His eyes were watering and he was shaking. They brought him a glass of milk and an ice cream sandwich to help calm down the spice. My Dad says it is WAY hotter than you can imagine, so kids DON"T TRY THE CHALLENGE! Isn't my Dad a hero? I am so proud.

The final score for Wingdome is 19/30. It is very kid friendly and kids eat free every Tuesday night. I had quite an experience! My Dad did the challenge and I think you should dare your Dads to do it too. Then you can be as proud as I am:) Oh, and the wings are awesome.

SuperMan!

2011-10-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

Today I reviewed a "super" place for kids called Mandarin Buffet and Grill in Redmond. I like to call it a "super" Mandarin buffet, or SuperMan for short.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. We sat at shiny red tables with wooden chairs with cool designs cut out of them. They also have zodiac signs all over the walls. I didn't know what sign I was until a few years ago when I tried this place. I am a Taurus in case you are wondering. If you know what sign you are, then leave a post on my blog and I would be soooo happy to read them :-) If you don't know, then go to Mandarin and figure it out. The first thing that you see when you walk in Mandarin are long plastic pearl chains hanging from the ceiling. They look really cool from a distance but they look tacky up close. They have a lot of Asian paintings on the walls of things like waves and other things in nature.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 5! I don't think the servers spoke English so they didn't talk to me. Even so, they were really nice and smiled a lot. They brought our drinks right away and every time I drank any water they filled it up right away. Whenever I was done with a plate, they noticed from across the room and removed it right away. Like magic. Also, the people there are very tolerant of kids. I was chasing my friend's little brother around the restaurant and he was laughing really loud. They didn't even care! This place likes kids. Trust me.

On service speed, I guess I give it a 5? This is hard to say since you serve yourself. You can get your food right away and since everyone always rushes to the buffets, everybody gets a 5!

On taste of food, I give it a 5! This is a hard place to review because there are a lot of choices and I like almost everything. Especially the meat. For those of you who don't know what a super buffet is, it is literally a "super buffet." There are special areas for different types of foods. They have a Mongolian grill, a fried food section, a soup section, a seafood section, a sushi section, a Chinese food section, a salad section, a dessert section...you get the point. They even have pizza, french fries, and self-serve ice cream. Some of the things are just plain disturbing, like fish ball soup and frog legs. Here are some pictures to get the idea...

The fried food...yummmm. My favorite is the fried sweet and sour chicken.

Some Chinese food, some strange food..here is where you want to avoid the crawfish and the frog legs.

Frog legs close up, just so you know what to avoid...

The sushi is very fresh. I like the California rolls.

Don't miss the dessert. They have things like tiramisu, cheesecake, and yummy cakes like cookies and cream cake.

My sister just couldn't decide...

Those pictures should give you an idea of what I'm talking about. The food is always steaming hot and I love hot food. So does my dad. He even puts his salad in the microwave and I am not joking. The food has lots of different rich flavors and there are lots of colorful choices. Nothing at this buffet actually tastes bad. I don't want to admit it, but even the frog legs taste fresh and yummy. I strongly recommend trying the Mongolian grill. There is a buffet to choose what you want (like noodles, meats, veggies...) and a man there who cooks it for you.

On appearance of food, I give it a 4. The food at Mongolian Buffet always looks fresh. If something starts to look somewhat old, the people who work there will replace the entire tray right away. Even though the food looks fresh, they don't go the extra mile to make it look special.

On price, I give it a 4. The prices are all you can eat, and you should see how much some people there can eat! For adults, it is $13.99. For kids 2-11, it is .95 per year. Since I am 10, it is $9.50. Kids under 2 eat for free.

SuperMan earned a "super" score of 28/30! I love this place but I do have a warning for you. You have to stop yourself at some point. When you eat here, you can eat too much and leave with a lot of regret. It is best just to try a little of everything. This is a great place to go with your family and friends and everyone can eat something different and new. Don't forget the fortune cookies! Today mine said "Curiosity is life." Think about it.

Top Pot is Muy Yum

2011-09-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today after school I went to Top Pot in downtown Bellevue (locations in Seattle) and it was muy yum (get it?)!

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 3. It was very plain and the colors were dark and depressing like red, black, and gray. There were wood tables and an entire wall filled with old books. You can't actually read the books so it is sort of weird. There is an open kitchen but the wall is so high that you can't actually see into the kitchen. They played music that I have never heard before. My mom said that it is called "trans" music. It made me tired. It is a huge space with lots of seating options.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 4. All of the staff members smiled and they were all wearing cool hats like fedoras and berets. I don't know if that was a coincidence or part of the uniform. They also used cool modern expressions, like "no prob." They seemed happy to work there, but it is a doughnut shop, so who wouldn't be?

On service speed, I give it a 4. The lady took out the doughnut with tongs and placed it on a plate. She gave it to me right away.

On taste of food, I give it a 5!!!! I ordered a Raspberry Bismark. I don't know why it is called that. Was it invented in North Dakota? It is a powdered doughnut with raspberry filling. The powder was really powdery and got everywhere as I ate the doughnut. By the end, it was on the chair, on the table, on the floor, in my hair, and all over my face. The napkin smeared it and made it worse. The doughnut itself was very fluffy and moist. Inside, there was A LOT of filling that tasted like sweet and thick jelly. When I took a bite, the jelly inside tried to plop on my plate. The texture of the dense jelly and the light doughnut made every bite pure heaven. Check out the inside...

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. It was a pretty average looking doughnut. It looked really white because of the powdered sugar. It looked like it was bleeding because of the jelly coming out of the hole where they squirted it in. The doughnut was served a boring Ikea plate which is weird because they sold adorable Top Pot plates. Why don't they serve the doughnuts on their own plates?

On price, I give it a 2. The prices range from .99 to $2.49. They prices are above average but then again the doughnuts are designer doughnuts. This is not the grocery store!

The final score is 21/30. Top Pot makes great doughuts, but the store has more of an adult vibe. It didn't seem very kiddy. The other people there were all adults and they were all drinking coffee. All of the doughnuts are handmade in small batches, so that makes them special. They had lots of different kinds of doughnuts with cool names like Feather Boa (coconut on top), Valley Girl Lemon, and Chocolate Sand Castle. The doughnut didn't make my tummy hurt like they do sometimes from other places. They did make me feel tired and lazy, or maybe that was the trans music! I consider Top Pot doughnuts to be more of a hangout spot for grown ups. If your parents want to go to a place to hangout, tell them to go here. At least they have doughnuts!

Kids, Pack Your Lunch

2011-09-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today I reviewed The Bellevue School District school lunch. To all of you kids who buy lunch, you will be way happier if you pack it!

On decor of restaurant/cafeteria, I give it a 1. This is maybe the most boring place I have ever seen. They should get some kind of boring award or something like that. We eat in our what they like to call "multi purpose room" which is technically a lunch room, a gym, and the assembly room. It's kind of weird because you are trying to eat lunch while there are huge basketball hoops over your head. We are sitting on folding, not real wooden benches that are stuffed in our closet after lunch is over. Who knows what could be in that closet? Spiders, dust, and everything that you don't want to be eating on.

On friendliness of staff/lunch room monitors towards kids, I give it a 2. Nobody talks to you except the lady who takes all of your lunch money to put into your account and stands there when you punch in your lunch number. I looked for her lunch lady mole, but sadly, she doesn't have one. No hair net either. The monitors are adult volunteers who think they are so powerful because they can say whether or not we can go to bathroom.

On service speed, I give it a 4. You serve yourself.

On taste of "food", I give it a 1. When you walk into the room it smells like rotten fish and you immediately know that walking in there was a big mistake. It is repulsive. When you walk in the room on fish stick day, puking is actually a possibility. Today the daily special was hot dogs and push pops. If you didn't want that, kids can always choose a chicken burger or a burrito. The burrito is typically the best choice. There is also a salad bar and they make you choose a vegetable. Ketchup doesn't count here! I went for the daily special. The hot dogs were soaked in some kind of liquid and they felt like you were eating rubber. Seriously, if you dropped it on the floor it would literally bounce! Gross! When you eat it you don't exactly know what you are eating. Are they really hot dogs? No one knows what they are, only the cook. She is like 80 years old and probably can't see what she is cooking. The watermelon was somewhat, kind of normal. It was not very cold but it tasted like normal watermelon. The ice cream was normal and actually OK but it was very melty. Overall, it was not a good experience. Only a school cafeteria can make fattening junk food taste bad. It is a gift!

On appearance of food, I give it a 2. Everything is served on a foam tray that has some kind of engraving on the second little space that says "milk." As if I would put my milk in the space just because it says so! The choices for drinks are milk and chocolate milk. The trays are so easily breakable that if you put too much on your tray it will break in half! Trust me, it happens at least once a year. My meal looked a tiny bit normal but the hot dogs looked gross and greasy. The watermelon looked mushy and the push pop looked... normal. Even though it looked normal, it looked miserable at the same time.

On price, I give it an unknown. I don't exactly know how much it costs because they take it off of your account every time you buy lunch. Sorry readers. I do know that if you run out of money in your account they will let you eat anyways.

For a horrible total score of 10/30! We get about 15 minutes to eat small portions. What is this, jail? After we are done eating it is recess. If you buy school lunch, go straight outside and play after you eat so you can get rid of all of the yuck. The district wants to make the school food healthy, but the only thing they succeed at is making it gross. Food in jail has to be better. This is why if you are a kid, and you go to school in the Bellevue school district, do yourself a favor and pack your lunch.

High Five To Five Guys

2011-09-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Five Guys burgers in the Overlake Plaza in Redmond and I am so elated that I did!!!

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 3. It looked like a diner with red and white checkered tile and red and white walls. It made me feel like I was in back in the 50's. There was a huge area with no glass where you can watch them make your burgers. It is almost like a huge assembly line, check it out...

There were a lot of peach wood old looking tables and chairs. There were extra chairs everywhere so they will never run out of places to sit. All of the tables rocked and wobbled and it was REALLY stressing me out. I had to move around to three different tables to find one that was not wobbly. They were blasting music and the restaurant was loud so it was also bugging me. Other than that it was pretty cool. They have open bags of free peanuts that you can just take.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 3. The lady didn't really talk to us. She really just minded her own bees wax while I was ordering. She also smiled but it was more like a small smirk or grin so I couldn't even tell if she was happy or not. She should go to a social manners class (if they even have those).

On service speed, I give it a 4. We waited about 5 minutes or less to get 3 burgers and a large fries.

On taste of food, I give it a 5! It was the best burger that I have ever had in Seattle!!! I got a cheeseburger with grilled onions, ketchup, pickles, tomatoes and lettuce. The patty was juicy and moist. It was the hardest thing ever to take the time to take that picture. The gooey cheese was properly melted on the patty and it all melts in your mouth. The lettuce, tomatoes and pickles were fresh and crisp and the onions were grilled to perfection. All topped off with fresh ketchup and a warm sesame seed bun. It was a piece of heaven! The french fries are fresh cut and made and they don't taste artificial at all. They taste just like a crispy fried potato. They are delicious! The patty is 100% beef and everything is fried in peanut oil. If you are allergic to peanuts than this is not the place for you. Peanut oil, open bags of free peanuts... if you are allergic to peanuts then this place is a death trap.

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. It looked pretty average. The veggies were fresh and bright but I wouldn''t say that the burger was beautifully prepared. It was falling apart everywhere. All of the ingredients were falling out of the bun and it looked sloppy. They don't serve the food on trays but in brown paper bags.

On price, I give it a 4. For three burgers, three waters and a large fries it was $16.06.

For a grand total of 22/30. Even though it was not the best in all categories, it was the best in my burger category. If you ate here every day your heart would stop so it is only for a treat. It is very fattening. Five Guys, if you were here right now I would give you a huge high five.

5 Guys Is Here!

2011-09-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

Happy back to school everyone! Among all of the exciting things that happened to me today, one of my friends told me some HUGE NEWS. There is now a 5 Guys Burgers on the eastside in the Overlake Shopping Center in Redmond!!! I love burgers, and I have heard this place is great. If it is anything like my favorite In-N-Out, the eastside is in for a treat. Review to follow...

Emily's Cupcake Eat Of The Week

2011-09-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to New York Cupcakes! You have won the Eating With Emily's Cupcake Eat of The Week! You are the best cupcakes on the eastside! After tasting a lot of cupcakes, yours were by far the best and you also got the highest score in Eating With Emily history! If you are a kid (or a grown up), then New York Cupcakes is the place for you!

I am starting school tomorrow, so follow me on my restaurant adventures throughout the school year. Please let me know if anyone has any suggestions of new places to review. If not, I am on my own and I won't let you down. Happy back to school!

PinkaBoring Cupcakes

2011-09-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

Today I went to PinkaBella (PinkaBoring) Cupcakes on the 3rd floor of Bellevue Square mall, and they were very boring.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. It was a pink and brown color scheme and I thought that was very cute. There were about six tiny crystal chandeliers handing from the ceiling. It was very classy and original and it was also cute but there was nothing over the top about it. I have to admit that it did really pop from a distance.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 3. The lady was smiling although she didn't say anything to me or interact with me.

On service speed, I give it a 4. She handed us the cupcake on a napkin right away, but the weird thing was she wouldn't give it to us until my mom was finished paying. It's like she was scared that we were going to steal it or something.

On taste of food, I give it a 3. I got a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. The other flavors were not kid friendly, like salted caramel, pineapple upside down cake, lemon, and coconut. If I closed my eyes I would think that the cupcake was from Safeway. The frosting tastes very sweet and cheap. The cake tasted dry, generic and boring. Absolutely nothing special. They made me feel like I was at a little kid birthday party. I could make better cupcakes in my own kitchen. Overall it was a pretty bad experience.

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. The cake looks too dark, like almost black. The frosting was piped the way the grocery store does it. There were generic rainbow sprinkles on top of it. It was pretty boring and not special.

On price, I give it a 3. Same as always, $3.00 for a normal $1.50 for a mini.

For a total score of 20/30. My sister got a pineapple upside down cake and there was nothing upside down about it. They also have frosting shots just like New York Cupcakes. The cupcake store is also next to a kid's play area, a Gymboree gym, and a kid's salon were you can get feather extensions. Btw, any respectable kid is going back to school with feather extensions. I would recommend this place to little kids who don't know the difference between a good cupcake and an average cupcake. I wouldn't recommend it to kids like me who do. PinkaBoring, stop being so boring!

More From Dessert Sensations

2011-09-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

Another shout out to Dessert Sensations! They just came out with a new flavor, apple pie! It tastes like apple pie so much that it is unbelievable! It's good but not my favorite. If you go to the store and spot this I recommend trying it out!

The Whole Story

2011-08-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Whole Foods in Bellevue, but they also have locations in Redmond and Seattle. I decided to taste the cupcake there since I realized kids always have to go the store. Why not have a little treat while you're there? Instead of the free cookie why not a cupcake? Well I had the treat, and here is the Whole story...

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 3. This was the hardest one to evaluate because hello, we are in a grocery store! There was an open kitchen so you could watch them make the pastries and desserts. The counter was too tall for me so I had to stand on my very tiptoes to see anything. The bakery was a small corner of the store and it had a very small working space. Also, remember that is a grocery store. For a grocery store the space was pretty normal.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 4. The bakery lady smiled at me and seemed happy with her job. When she was done giving me my cupcake she asked me if I wanted a free cookie. Other than that when I left that area she said thank you and have a great day. Keep it up!

On service speed, I give it a 5! She carefully picked up my cupcake and graciously put it in a cute cupcake container and quickly put a sticker on it. She gave it to my mom who gave it to me because I couldn't reach.

On taste of food, I give it a 2. It was lemon cake with lemon curd and buttercream frosting and raspberry glaze with a fresh raspberry. The frosting was hard and you had to bite it. It was also sooooooo repulsive that I couldn't even eat it! It is called buttercream for a reason! It just tasted like butter and it made me gag! It was also not sweet at all! Otherwise, there was only about 1/4 of a teaspoon of lemon curd in the middle. The only bite that I had was very good and I wish there was more of it. On the cake hand it was good, not great just good. It tasted normal and it was nothing special. If I had an opportunity of going back there I wouldn't take it.

On appearance of food, I give it a 4. The frosting was beautifully piped and the glaze and raspberry was the perfect touch. The glaze had a beautiful red color and it looked very appetizing. The cake was sticky and had a shininess to it. It looked almost greasy. The decoration on top looked like they took the time to make it pretty.

On price, I give it a 2. It was $3.00 for a normal and $1.50-$1.75 for a mini. I gave them a lower score than other places with a $3.00 cupcake, because for a grocery store you would expect them to be cheaper.

For a total score of 20/30. If you are having a party, they also have things like tarts, mousse cups, cookies and cakes. If you go to Whole Foods and you want something sweet, then I recommend a mousse cup instead of a cupcake because the cupcakes aren't the best. And that is the Whole story.

Not The Winning Trophy

2011-08-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Trophy Cupcakes in The Braven (Bellevue), but they also have a location in Seattle.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. They have a very pretty color scheme of dark brown and light blue. They were playing very depressing music and then they changed it to a strange song in Spanish? There was a white bar with light blue stools and right next to it was a lower bar with shorter stools and a shorter countertop for little kids. That is where I sat just for fun. The store looked a little old fashioned. They have a white counter and white shelves. Behind the counter were white shelves where the extra cupcakes are when they run out of space in the display case. I think that is rather gross! They seemed left out and dusty.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 3. The person behind the counter seemed bored with her job and tired. She was not interested in any of the things that I had to say and when I asked a question she didn't even look me in the eyes. When we walked in she didn't greet us she just looked at us and walked away. She needs some friendliness help!

On service speed, I give it a 4. She grabbed the cupcake for me when I ordered, but it took her a minute to get a napkin and ring it up. Other than that it was good.

On taste of food, I give it a 4. I got a Triple Chocolate cupcake - that is dark chocolate frosting with dark chocolate cake and chocolate sprinkles. It was moist and a little gooey but I thought that it tasted good that way. It had very rich frosting, but it was a little too tart and it made my tummy hurt after awhile. Other than that it was just normal chocolate cake and chocolate frosting. There was nothing special about it. It was good, but average good. Not special good.

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. The cupcake top was hanging over the sides so far that it looked like a mushroom. The frosting was spread on top, not piped. After that it was rolled in chocolate sprinkles, but they were shaped like squares and not round like typical sprinkles. Every other cupcake had frosting piped on and garnished with a little somethin' somethin', but not mine. It was pretty average. Sometimes adults think simple is special, but I think simple is simple.

On price, I give it a 1. It was very expensive! They didn't have minis but for a normal one it was $3.50-$4.00. For a dozen it is $38.50! I would not recommend this place if you are having a party and need a lot!

For a total score of 19/30. They have great kid flavors like peanut butter and jelly, samoas (girl scout cookie) and s'mores with roasted marshmallow frosting. There was not a bathroom in there and it was very far away so don't drink a lot of water there. For some strange reason everybody who walked in was wearing black!? Good, but not the winning Trophy.

Royale With Cheese

2011-08-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Cupcake Royale in downtown Bellevue. They also have locations in Seattle.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 3. When I first walked in I noticed paper flowers hanging by clear strings that looked like they were floating in air, check it out...

It was very hot in there! I am sure that they didn't have any air conditioning and it was a hot summer day. There was no breeze and I was very uncomfortable. I noticed that all of the cupcakes are in a display case and it was so hot that the frosting on the cupcakes was melting! The store looked sort of run down. The floor looked like my floor in the garage, none of the furniture matched, and it was dirty. The door was wide open so there were bugs flying everywhere around our cupcakes!

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 2. They had very serious faces and they looked like they hated their jobs. They didn't smile and I felt like I was under pressure when I was choosing a cupcake. They looked very impatient and they were tapping their fingers waiting for me to make a decision.

On service speed, I give it a 5! When I asked for my cupcake they took it and put it on a plate immediately.

On taste of food, I give it a 4. I got a "Royale with Cheese." That is chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. That is also a famous line from an inappropriate movie called Pulp Fiction. Don't watch it if you don't believe me. Trust me I am not lying. The cupcake was a little dry on top but when you bit into it it was moist and rich. The frosting was not too sweet, it was perfect! It was also creamy and thick. The frosting was so good that I wish I could only eat the frosting and not the cake. But not as much as my friend, she was literally eating every last crumb...

On appearance of food, I give it a 4. The frosting looked like it was piped on but then spread very neatly and pretty. Everything was garnished with a little something. Mine was garnished with milk chocolate shavings and so was my friend's. Not a lot of shavings, only about five. It was pretty but they didn't seem to go the extra mile.

On price, I give it a 3. It was the same price as New York Cupcakes! $1.50 for a mini, $3.00 for a normally sized one.

When you are finished eating the cupcakes you can go out front and play a little ping pong, check it out...

The table looks all gross and old but it works just fine. Also, right next door is an old school barber shop and the guy who works there has a curly waxed mustache and I call him Mr.Mustachio:) If you have time, you have to check him out!

For a grand total of 21/30. Cupcake Royale, I am glad that I came and tried one of your cupcakes. If you go there, you will be glad too. As long as it is not hot out.

I Believe In Pink!

2011-08-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

Today I went to New York Cupcakes in Bellevue and I am so happy that I did! They only have one location right now but they are working on opening another one in Madison Valley.

When you enter the store there is an Audrey Hepburn quote on the wall that starts, "I believe in pink." New York Cupcakes definitely believes in pink!

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 5! When I walked in it smelled like buttercream frosting and it was pink city! There were pink walls, pink chandeliers, pink cupcake embroidered tablecloths, pink outdoor furniture, a pink phone, and just about everything else in the store was pink! I immediately fell in love with it! There were old fashion candy jars filled with classic candies like gumdrops, jaw breakers, candy necklaces and rainbow sprinkles. The store was all tied together with a classic black and white checkered floor.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 5! The nice lady working there smiled at me and called me sweetie. She was also not annoyed when I asked what just about every cupcake was! And trust me, they have a lot of different cupcakes. It was very hot outside, so my sister and I were very thirsty. The nice lady happily continued to bring us water even though we asked 5 times! Keep it up staff!

On service speed, I give it a 5! When I asked for my cupcake, they took it out of the display case right away and handed it to me on a napkin.

I tried a red velvet mini cupcake with buttercream frosting. On taste of food, I give it a 5! The cupcake was very light and decadent and it had a very rich flavor. It was very moist cake baked to perfection. Even though it is common to do a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting, the buttercream complimented the red velvet very nicely. The frosting was sweet but not too sweet. It was delicious!

On appearance of food, I give it a 5! All of the frosting on each of the cupcakes are piped beautifully and neatly on top. The frosting doesn't cover up the whole cupcake, only the center on the top. All of the cupcakes at New York Cupcakes are garnished with something. If it is a cookies and cream cupcake it is garnished with an Oreo. If it is a normal vanilla cupcake it is garnished with rainbow sprinkles and so on and so forth.

On price, I give it a 3:( It is expensive. It costs $1.50 for a mini and $3.00 for a normal sized cupcake. I was so sad because I wanted to give them a perfect score. I just can't deny the fact that it is expensive! $3.00 might seem like a lot for a cupcake, but it is worth every penny.

If you are like my sister and just like the frosting, then frosting shots are just right for you...

For an overall score of 28/30!!! That is the best score so far in Eating With Emily history! New York Cupcakes take special orders and they deliver. New York Cupcakes is a must try! They have lots of really creative flavors like Broadway Banana Split and Candy Store Salted Caramel. They also have seasonal flavors that change. I believe in pink, I believe in New York Cupcakes, and if you go there you will too!!!

Have Your Dessert And Chew It Too!

2011-08-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

Shout out to the Extra Dessert Delights! It is sugar free gum that tastes just like dessert! To all of the adults out there... If you don't want your kids to have dessert, go to your nearest store and get some of this! When your kids put the gum in their mouths and think about eating dessert, they will think they actually are. The mint chip ice cream one really tastes just like ice cream. It has the coldness, the smell and the taste! Sort of like on Willy Wonka when Violet chews the blueberry gum and turns into a blueberry. Except you won't actually turn into the flavor you are chewing. If you're in the mood for something sweet, then go buy yourself some Extra Dessert Delights!!! They come in mint chip ice cream, strawberry shortcake, key lime pie, and orange cream pop.

Emily's Smoothie Eat Of the Week

2011-08-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Jamba Juice! I am proud to say that Jamba Juice is Emily's Eat Of The Week! They are definitely the best smoothie place on the eastside! With a great overall score of 26/30! I wish that I had an award to give them but I guess that I will just have to tell them in person. My mom and I are making plaques this week to hand out. Jamba Juice, you are amazing and you should be thrilled that you are my favorite smoothie place on the eastside!

I'm Lovin It!

2011-08-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

Today I went to McDonald's in Bellevue (there are locations everywhere, and I mean everywhere) and I'm lovin it!

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. It was a renovated McDonald's, it's not old school. It was very modern with stiff but nice red booths and peach wooden tables and egg like chairs. I was sitting at a bar with tall red stools and at the end of the bar there was a tv playing the news and the news today was not very appropriate for kids. Outside, it was a reddish brick restaurant but inside it was a nice modern chic resteraunt. I thought McDonald's was supposed to look like a fast food restaurant!

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 3. The girl who was working didn't really talk to me, and when I asked a question she said the words but she didn't seem like she really cared. Other than that, she didn't interact with us. She was like a girl Napolian Dynamite! Without the skills.

On service speed, I give it a 4. It took about 3-5 minutes to get one smoothie made.

I got a small pineapple and mango smoothie. On taste of food, I give it a 4. They were pretty darned good. It was tangy and fruity, and I could really taste both the pineapple and the mango. They say that it is fresh fruit and yogurt but it is pre-made off site and crushed with ice there. It really tasted like they just make it on the spot. It was very finely blended and there were no chunks of ice or fruit. It was sweet but it almost tasted sour. Maybe the fruit was a little too tangy afterall.

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. The yellow was so bright that it almost looked artificial. After you sipped it down there were frothy bubbles at the bottom of the cup. Other than that, it looked pretty average.

On price, I give it a 5! It was $2.29 for a small 16 oz. smoothie.

For a suprising total of 23/30! They only had three smoothie flavors- wild berry, strawberry banana and mango pineapple. Is McDonald's really healthy afterall? I guess we will never know but to all you kids out there, if you go to McDonald's and you want a McFlurry, think twice because you might want a smoothie instead!

No Fruits In Froots

2011-08-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Froots, in Evergreen Medical Plaza? In Kirkland.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 3. It was very colorful with lime green, oranges, yellows and their logo color....red. Froots just isn't a smoothie place, it is half cafe too. They have pretty decent food like wraps, sandwiches, soups, salads and burgers. There also is a little place where you can watch the server make your smoothies...

If you need a boost of coffee, half of the shop is Froots and the other half is Tully's Coffee. If it is very crouded, never fear. There are lots of tables and chairs to sit at!

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 2. There was only one lady working there, and she was the first in Eating With Emily history to confront me in a snotty way about taking pictures. Other than that, she mumbled her words so I couldn't really hear her and she spoke very quietly. I think that girl has some improvements to make.

On service speed, I give it a 5. She was very, very fast. I was astounded! I didn't even know that she was making the smoothies and before I knew it I heard "Emily your order is up." Mine and my sister's smoothies both came out at the same time.

On taste of food, I give it a 5! I got an Oreo Madness smoothie (Oreos, fat free milk, fat free yogurt). It was the best because it tasted nothing like a smoothie and tasted like a great old school Oreo milk shake. It was creamy and rich and you got little clumps of Oreo in each sip! Writing this is making my mouth water! Every sip was like taking a bite of an Oreo! There is nothing much to say but yum! They don't just have smoothies like this, they also have very healthy fruit smoothies and they have Red Bull smoothies for all of the adults who need some extra energy.

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. They put the smoothie in a clear generic cup with no logo on it. It just looked like a normal Costco cup and you know what?...it probably was!!! The straws were way too tall, so while I was trying to take a sip I realized that it was helping me with my posture! You could see the Oreos in the smoothie and it looked fresh and just made. It was hard to hold myself back from drinking it while I was taking the picture!

On price, I give it a 4. For a 16 oz. it is $3.99 but they also take Prime cards so that would lower the price 20%.

Froots earned a total score of 22/30. Froots is in the Evergreen Medical Plaza which is sort of weird. If you are in the hospital to get your tonsils taken out, then I think Froots just may be right for you!

Pros and Cons

2011-08-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the cafe in the Pro Sports Club in Bellevue. Even if you are not a member of the club, you can still eat at the bistro. The Pro Club is very kid friendly and I recommend it for all families.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. It is suprisingly fancy for a little cafe. It is dim lit so if it is night time it would probably be a little hard to see what you are eating. They have dark wooden tables and comfy padded chairs. They also have a bar with stools overlooking the parking lot. The place is also a snack bar with things from fruit leathers to bageldogs. There are two TV's, one is playing channel 4 news and the other is playing sports. There is a clear glass area where you can watch the staff make your smoothies.

Check it out...

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 4. When I walked into the cafe they greeted me very nicely and politely. Also, when I ordered my smoothie they smiled at me when I was talking to them. When they were making my smoothie they asked me what my name was and how old I was.

On service speed, I give it a 3. It took about 5-8 minutes to get my smoothie.

On taste of food, I give it a 3. I got a Rambuncious Raspberry smoothie. It's made with fresh fruit and it is very healthy for you, it also tasted healthy. It is full of protein. You can feel and taste the raspberry seeds in the smoothie and it was served a little warm and liquidy (not good). It was very sweet and tangy but there was nothing special about the smoothie.

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. It was a thin textured smoothie. It was a pretty hot pink color but it looked a little artificial even though it wasn't. Since the cup is clear you can see everything and you could see the raspberry seeds in the smoothie. Don't leave a half full smoothie on the table because after awhile it will start to separate!

On price, I give it a 2. It was really expensive. They only had 2 sizes, for a 16 oz it was $5.95 and for a 20 oz it was $6.65.

For a totaling score of 19/30. Sometimes when you want something healthy, things just are not what you want them to be. If you are at the Pro Club, you should get a smoothie. It won't be the best ever but it won't be the worst. For sure it will be healthy!

Jumping For Jamba!

2011-08-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Jamba Juice in Redmond and I am jumping for joy!

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. It was very colorful with pinks, greens and yellow. There were peach wooden tables and chairs and there was also a peach bar with stools looking out to the parking lot and street. They also have a clear glass area where you can watch the people make your smoothies. If you are hungry for a real meal than they have a refrigerator with salads, sandwiches, fruit and just snacks in it.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 5! My sister accidentally spilled her smoothie all over herself, the counter and the floor. The staff ran and brought a mop right away and started to clean it up. They gave her a fresh new smoothie without even asking for it. They also gave her a large just to make her feel better. The staff greeted us when we walked in and they all have exclamation marks at the of their name tags to make the names seem happy:)

On service speed, it give a 4. We waited about 3 minutes for our smoothies and they all came out one at a time.

On taste of food, I give it a 5!!! I got a Razzmatazz smoothie (orange sherbet, raspberries, bananas, oranges). You could really taste the fresh and tangy fruit in it and you could tell that the juice was fresh squeezed. My mom got one that was ALL veggies (yuck) and my mom thought it tasted great. I thought that it tasted like seaweed. Check it out...

Yuck! They give you fat straws so you can really inhale the awesomeness of Jamba Juice. They are very sweet so that means that they are the total opposite of Emerald City Smoothie. I think Jamba Juice proves that healthy things don't have to taste bad. These are very healthy for you and they taste great! They have a full serving of fruit in each smoothie.

On appearance of food, I give it a 4. The Razzmatazz had a very bright hot pink color and I thought it looked really pretty. Recalling that pink is my favorite color of course. The color didn't look artificial at all. It was not too thick, not too thin. It was a just right texture.

On price, I give it a 4. All 16 oz smoothies are $3.65. The smallest size was 16 oz.

For a great totaling score of 26/30! If my family was on My Strange Addiction we would all be addicted to Jamba Juice!!! My mom likes me to eat healthy food and I want to eat what's yummy so it is a win win for everyone! I definitely recommend Jamba Juice for families everywhere. They have locations all over town so find the nearest one near you.

Nourish Your Body, Not Your Taste Buds!

2011-08-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Emerald City Smoothie in a Bellevue gas station? Um...okay?

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 1. Hello, it's in a gas station! They have their own little space that almost takes up a quarter of the gas station for their shop. The furniture is metal like for a backyard. They have a little area next to the shop that sells protein bars, powder and ostrich jerky? Other shops may look better, and they are all over Seattle and the eastside. This one is in a gas station.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 3. The woman working didn't really interact with me that much. She just did her own thing. When I asked her a question she answered me politely. Other than that, she did not talk to me.

On service speed, I give it a 4. It was really quick and she blended my smoothie on the spot.

On taste of food, I give it a 3. I got a mango mania with raspberries. It was a very thick smoothie. They added protein powder to my smoothie and I could really taste it. It tasted very healthy and by that, I mean not good. They made it with fresh fruit and you could really tell that there was no sugar added. It was a little bitter. The Emerald City smoothie is the exact opposite of a milk shake! Emerald City Smoothie is really healthy. Check out all of the healthy smoothies...

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. It looks more like a big mush of fruit...

You can tell that it is it's natural color. No artificial colors added!

On price, I give it a 4. They have a kids menu where every smoothie is 16 oz. and costs $3.95 each...

Emerald City Smoothie earned a final score of 18/30. It is more for adults and adults who like to be fit and work out. You can tell because their motto is "nourish your body." All of the people who I saw getting a smoothie were in workout clothes. I saw a TV show called My Strange Addiction and a guy there was addicted to spinning and personally I think he should come to Emerald City Smoothie!

Walk a Mile in My Shoes

2011-08-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

Walk a mile in my shoes and you will NOT get smoothies. Sorry, tonight I walked 2 miles with my family to an Emerald City Smoothie and it was CLOSED! I am so bummed! Instead I got a blue raspberry and cherry Icee and it was yummy....

In my opinion, Icees are way better than Slurpees. Something about the carbonated-like taste makes it awesome. Sorry 7-11!

Emerald City Smoothie said it would be open at 7:00 am so tune in with me tomorrow to get a real report on Emerald City Smoothie! At least I got some exercise?

I am Back!

2011-08-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

I am back from Arizona and the San Juan Islands and I am ready to get back on track with tasting the eastside's best! I had a blast in Arizona. I visited my family and I realized how grateful I am to have such a wonderful family who love me so much. I didn't want to leave Arizona but a few days later we went on a boating trip to Coupeville, Roche Harbor and Friday Harbor (all of those places are in the San Juan islands) and I also made fun family memories there. First, we went to Friday Harbor where a pirate fest was going on and everybody in the marina was dressed in pirate clothes! Second, we went beach combing and saw a family friend. We went sailing on her sailboat to a private island where we roasted marshmallows and had a great time. The next day we went to Coupeville where a HUGE street fair was going on and every tent was selling junk and random junk too. One tent was selling strollers, tents, infant carriers and bandanas all for dogs!!!! It was crazy!!! Right by the tent was a poodle totally dyed PURPLE! It was the ugliest thing I had ever seen! Finally, we went to Roche Harbor, but we just went there to pick up a cab. I ate so much junk food over the past few weeks that I am switching this week from lasagna to fruit smoothies. Follow me today to find out my opinions on the first fruit smoothie place!

Emily's Sushi Eat Of The Week

2011-08-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Sushi Mojo! I am proud and confident to announce that you are the winner of sushi week! With an overall winning score of 24/30, you have the best sushi on the eastside. If you don't get a chance to go to Sushi Mojo, Sushi Me is also a good place to go this summer. I wish I had a plaque to give to Sushi Mojo but I guess that I will just have to tell them in person.

Next week I will be going to Tucson, AZ so I won't be able to continue lasagna week that week. Follow me the following week for lasgana week!

AA Sushi stands for Awfully Atrocious Sushi

2011-08-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today I went to AA Sushi in Juanita and I am sorry I did!

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 3. They had plain dark colors like dark red, black and dark brown. They also had small decorations everywhere. They had gorgeous Japanese pictures and paintings everywhere. The counter top was very high so I had to sit on my knees and I am 4'5. The height is not good for kids. The space was pretty but it was mostly just average.

On friendlinesss of staff towards kids, I give it a 2. The waiter did not even recognize I was there and HELLO, I am hard to miss! He did not look at me or talk to me. He gave all of the drinks to my mom and not to me even though I was sitting right there.

On service speed, I give it a 3. Of course the conveyor belt was there so the food was right there but it took about 15 minutes to get our check. Also it took awhile to get our water.

I ordered my usual, a california hand roll...

On taste of food, I give it a 2. The seaweed was crisp and this handroll was decent, but everything else was horrible. I also had edamame, a cucumber sunomono, and shrimp sushi. I could tell that the veggies and the sushi had been on the belt for a long time because they were all warm and mushy and totally unappetizing. It was not good. The california hand roll was only good because it was made it on the spot.

On appearance of food, I give it a 1. The sushi was made with absolutly no pride. The food portions were the smallest it can get. My mom ordered salmon sashimi and look what they gave her...

There were just tiny amounts of sashimi pieces (more like shreds) and look how it was plated! The grossest part was that you could clearly see the dirtiness of the plates and covers. You could see the fingerprints and it looked like they reused their plates. There was dirt on the plates and it looked like residue of other sushi left on the plate! EWWW! Everything was absolutely filthy.

On price I give it a 5. Weekdays from 11:30am-2:30pm everything on the belt is $1.50. Here are the prices during other times...

An overall score for Awfully Atrocious Sushi is a 15/30. I was so grossed out by the plates and the food that I really didn't want to eat anything. Afterwards, I was looking forward to going to the mall so I could eat lunch! I think the prices are so low because they can't sell any of their sushi (because it is so bad). I definitely do not recommend this restaurant to anyone!

Portland was Awesome!

2011-08-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Portland and I had the best time ever!!! My fashion design camp was amazing. I designed my own clothes (street style and evening), made them, and wore them while I walked down this runway...

I totally rocked it. I was the first person who went out in the show and Tony Dimitri (famous fashion designer) was at the end of the runway taking pictures of me. There was a professional makeup artist who did my makeup and a professional hair stylist who did my hair.

While I was in Portland I also went to a very cool, very kid friendly breakfast place called Slappy Cakes where you make your own pancakes at the table ...

If you visit Portland, and if you are a kid, this is where you want to be. You can choose from 5 different batters and lots of toppings like chocolate chips and even bacon! They serve the batter in those squeeze bottles so you can make any shape pancake you want. I made the letter E! I love this place.

Sushi Week on Hold

2011-07-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

I am putting sushi week on hold for a week because I am going on a trip to Portland. I am going to a camp at a fashion design school where they will teach me how to draw and create my own clothes. At the end I get to show off my creations in a real fashion show! I get my own photographer to do a photo shoot and I get my own portfolio! Catch up with me next week to see the winner of sushi week and to start on my new adventure with lasagna.

Sushi Me Is For Me

2011-07-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Today we hit Sushi Me in Bellevue and I am glad we did!

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 3. They had 2 orange walls with 1 wasabi green wall. I was sensing that they were going for an underwater bubbly theme according to the multi-sized circles covering the door entryway and the big seashells covering the bulbs of the lights. Also they had 1 wall that was all windows. I liked the theme but it wasn't that much different than anywhere else.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 4. Our server brought me and my sister a bright pink straw in our drinks and they brought my sister a plastic cup with a lid and we did not even have to ask. When you walk into Sushi Me the sushi chef in the front greets you in Japanese.

On service speed, I give it a 3. We had to wait at least 10 minutes to get a table because they were very busy. They had a full conveyor belt with mulitple varieties of each type of sushi. When I ordered a california hand roll the sushi chef forgot and it took 5 minutes to get it after I reminded him.

On taste of food, I give it a 3. Here is a california roll...

It had very sweet rice but the delicate and bold flavors evened it out. It tasted like it has been on the conveyor belt for awhile. I think it looks prettier than it tastes. It tastes like an average california roll. I also had 2 eggrolls.

The egg rolls were very crispy and they had very fresh veggies inside. They were also served warm. They came with sweet and spicy sauce.

On appearance of food, I give it a 5. The california roll was covered in fish eggs with the last of the ingredients sticking out from the 4th roll. All of the rolls were garnished with some type of ingredient and they all looked beautiful. It looked like they really took pride in their work.

On price, I give it a 3.

(Sorry that the picture is sideways)! Most rolls are only $2.00.

An overall score for Sushi Me is a good 21/30. Sushi Me had a lot of rolls that you don't see anywhere else like the Lobster Roll, The Me Roll and The White Dragon Roll. For dessert they also have yummy mango and different types of puddings and Mochi ice cream balls. I recommend Sushi Me for kids, and also for me!

Sushi Bland

2011-07-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Today we hit Sushi Land (aka Sushi Bland) in Bella Bottega in Redmond. It brings back memories like when I lost a tooth there!

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 3. It was kind of depressing. It had very dark colors like black, dark gray and navy blue. Mirrors lined one wall of the restaurant. The place also looked old and dirty. They had a filthy menu that I didn't even want to touch and dirty booths.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 1. The people making the sushi were fooling around playing rock, paper, scissors and talking to their friends in Spanish. They didn't even listen to me when I wanted to order something and they acted like I was not even there. But they listened to my mom!?

On service speed, I give it a 4. The conveyor belt was packed full of sushi. Also, when we ordered something it came out in less than 5 minutes.

On taste of food, I give it a 3. I got a California roll.

It was not over the top amazing but it was not bad. For my taste it was just normal every day sushi. I also ordered a hand roll, and it tasted good but was very messy looking.

On appearance of food, I give it a 2. The sushi was very poorly made and it was sloppy. It looked like they did not take pride in their work. A big part of sushi is making it beautiful and they did not accomplish that. The california roll was rolled in small orange fish eggs. Otherwise the California hand roll was average.

On price, I give it a 5.

The Blue C bill was twice the price as this one! This one was $22.95. This sushi is very cheap and probably has the lowest prices around.

The over all score is 18/30. I recommend this place for kids because there are lots of rolls and cooked food if you don't like raw fish. If you are starving and don't have a lot of money go to Sushi Bland!

Sushi Mojo is the Place to Go

2011-07-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

Today is the 2nd day of sushi week and I headed out to Sushi Mojo in Bellevue. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that there was barely any sushi on the conveyor belt. We ordered everything we ate so this review is based on the orders, not what went by on the belt.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. They had the BEST music playing. The also had cool silver branches with silver flowers and red birds painted on the walls. All of the awesome decorations made it look very modern! There was a big ol' fluffy teddy bear on the bench in the waiting area in case you need a hug. On the way to the bathroom there were a lot of pretty paintings painted by kids on the wall. They must love having kids there! Also, there were longs strands of origami on the ceiling. It was very original!

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give them a 4. Our server served with a smile but I wasn't "thrilled" with her performance. Until my friend ordered little Japanese cookie sticks with frosting. When they didn't have a flavor that looked appetizing our server brought out a whole platter of different choices. We were amazed at what she brought. I am only rating Sushi Mojo based on my experience today, but I have been here before and the owners are really nice and remember my name.

On service speed, I give it a 4. Since there weren't many choices on the conveyor belt, we ordered everything we ate. They were able to bring out our orders very quickly, in under 5 minutes.

I ordered a california hand roll and potstickers, and my sister ordered avocado sashimi.

My mom ordered albacore sashimi and they actually cut up a whole raw fish! Check it out...

On taste of food, I give it a 4. My hand roll had very crisp cucumber but kind of soggy seaweed that was hard to bite. The crab tasted a bit fishy. The potstickers were on the greasier side but they still tasted really good and crispy. My mom LOVED her sashimi and said it was the freshest and yummiest she has had in a long time. Of course my sister loved the avocado and there really isn't a lot to say about that.

On appearance of food, I give it a 4. My sister's avocado came with a beautiful hibiscus flower on the side. The california roll had bright colors and really caught my eye. The potstickers looked pretty on a white doily but when you lifted up the postickers there were grease spots.

On price, I give it a 4. All of the rolls, no matter how fancy, are $1.75. Most of the things kids like (like potstickers, edamame, shrimp tempura) are only $1.00. See for yourself...

The overall score for Sushi Mojo is 24/30. I liked that their menu has pictures for everything so you can order something that looks good. You also don't have to know Japanese to ask for something. In case you like to eat healthy things, they have beautiful fresh cut fruit for a dessert. My friend doesn't even like sushi, but she gave the place a chance and loved it. If you don't like sushi, try Sushi Mojo and you may find that you like it after all.

Blue C Gets a C

2011-07-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of sushi week and I didn't hit it off to a fabulous start. I went to Blue C Sushi in downtown Bellevue and if I had to give it a school grade, I would give it a C.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. It was very modern with gray and white walls with splashes of bright colors like orange and green. There were also videos of scenes in Japan projected onto the walls. The place looks really awesome and makes you feel hip and happy to be there. If you really have to go to the bathroom go somewhere else because you have to walk 25 stairs to get to there. It doesn't even seem like it was in the same building!

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 2. The server didn't even talk to me! I did get special chopsticks that are easier for kids to use. Check out the chopsticks...

On service speed, I give it a 4. Of course it is conveyor belt sushi so the food is right there in front of you. They brought my drink right away without barely any wait at all. There is a service button at the tables that you can press when you want the server. We pressed the button and had to wait at least 5 minutes.

On taste of food, I give it a 3. I got a califonia roll which I always get and it is one of my favorites. The rice was not too sticky and the seaweed had just the right crunch to it. I could really taste the freshness of the cucumber, crab and avocado. Overall, it was good but just average and not any different than anywhere else. It is more expensive than other places so I expected it to be better. I like it when places roll it in tobiko (fish eggs) to make it pretty but they don't do that here.

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. The roll had bright but average colors and overall it just looked like a normal california roll. But the california HAND roll was prepared beautifully...

On price, I give it a 2. It was over-priced average food. Each color of plate is a different price, so check out all of the prices.....

Normally, a california roll costs about $1.50 but here it is $2.75.

For a grand total they got 18/30. One really great thing is that for dessert thay have actual mini cupcakes from Cupcake Royale and actual doughnuts from Mighty-O-Doughnuts. Most of the food is cooked (like rolls) or fried (like tempura and egg rolls) so it is extra good for kids who are afraid of eating raw fish. The place looks cool and you can tell that they are trying to make you feel cool when you eat there. But, it is expensive and when you look at the food it isn't that cool after all.

Why sushi week was ALMOST cancelled

2011-07-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Two days ago I ALMOST cancelled sushi week and decided to never eat fish again. I was on a trip with my family and we were fishing on a dock. There was a guy fishing next to us who actually caught a shark. Not just a small shark, but a 3.5 foot dogfish shark that looked like this:

When he pulled this monster out of the water I was really scared and started to cry. What if it went out of control and tried to hurt me? The guy who caught it was not scared at all! He was hollering and laughing like he was king of the dock. He took the hook out of it's mouth and put it down to flop around. He put a knee on it's back, and with his large tattooed fist out of nowhere, punched the dogfish in the back of the head to break the vertebrae in it's neck and kill it. It was very dramatic! By then I was bawling and had to walk away. It was right then and there that I decided to never eat fish again.

But then....the next day...I had the best fish and chips ever and decided that sushi week is back on!!!!

Emily's Pizza Eat of the Week!

2011-07-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to MOD Pizza for earning my award of "Emily's Eat of the Week!" It won with a score of 26/30 and deserved to beat all of the competition. I strongly recommend it for kids and people of all ages. If you are 5 or 82 you will love this place! I can't wait to eat there again soon.

Follow me on Monday for the first day of conveyor belt sushi week! Or as I call it, sushi go round.

CPK is "Eh" OK

2011-07-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of pizza week, and I visited California Pizza Kitchen in downtown Bellevue. My overall review of the experience is, "eh."

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. Most of the walls were huge glass windows with a lot of light coming in. The colors were yellow, orange, tans and black. It looked very modern! There were painted CPK boxes hung on the walls. They also had plenty of seating for big groups.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 3. We had to ask for a kids menu and the coloring pages. Our server served us with a smile and said, "thank you, have a nice day" when we left.

On service speed, I give it a 1. It was the worst! It only took about 10 minutes to get 1 large and 1 small pizza, but the service problems started after I got the food. Our server never came back for refills and I was really thirsty. I spent about 15 minutes with no water - it was really annoying. When she was standing right next to us seating another family we couldn't even get her attention. We finally flagged her down for our check but she never came back on her own.

On taste of food, I give it a 4. I ordered the Hawaiian pizza and it was great! It had a medium crust, not too thick, not too thin. It was very cheesy and had big chunks of pineapple. The taste of the pineapple was very juicy and strong so I couldn't taste the sauce. The crust was really good - it was the first time I ever ate my pizza crust first.

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. It really just looked like an average pizza. There was nothing special about it.

On price, I give it a 4. One Hawaiian pizza off of the kids menu was $5.50. It comes with any drink and free refills. Also, dessert can be added for only $1.00.

The overall score is 20/30. The best thing about CPK is that they have bendy straws!!!! They also host birthday parties where you can make your own pizzas. My overall review is "eh" because the pizza is good but I wouldn't necessarily want to go back there because the service is pretty bad.

Free Slurpee Day at 7-Eleven!

2011-07-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Today is July 11th (7/11)! It is free Slurpee Day at any 7-Eleven all day long! Don't forget to get as many as you want. Not at once.

Frankly, I like Frankie's

2011-07-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

Today I ate at Frankie's in Redmond. Frankly, I like Frankie's.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. There is indoor seating and a patio where you can eat. It looks VERY Italian!!! There are wine bottles, candles and grape vines everywhere. The colors are dark like dark green, grays, and dark turquoise. The lights over the tables are hung low, so if you have young children they could hit their heads.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 4. Right away our server brought us crayons and coloring pages without even having to ask. She was very calm and pleasant.

On service speed, I give it a 4. Our server brought us warm buttery breadsticks right away. It took 10-15 minutes for us to get our cheese pizza.

On taste of food, I give it a 4. I tried the small cheese pizza. It had a super doughy crust, and the proportions of cheese and sauce were perfect. The sauce was very fresh and had chunks of tomatoes in it. The pizza was a bit greasy and you could see it shimmering. It was a thick crust pizza and there was a little too much dough.

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. It had a perfectly browned crust. The cheese and sauce went all of the way to the edge. It also looked typical and not special.

On price, I give it a 4. It was $9 for a small pizza that would serve 2-3 kids.

On my way in, I noticed an herb garden outside the restaurant. They are growing basil, rosemary and chives. I asked the woman inside if they use them for the food and she said "yes." See for yourself...

The overall score is 23/30. Frankie's is a good place to go for pizza. My mom had a greek salad and minestrone soup and she said they were amazing and fresh. If you have a mom who thinks pizza is fattening like mine, you should take them to Frankie's.

Round Table: The Last Honest Pizza?

2011-07-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

What does that even mean?

Today I ate at Round Table in Redmond. If they're the last honest pizza, then something is seriously wrong here.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 2. It's called Round Table for a reason...they have round tables!!! They are ugly wooden tables, but they are round. The decor disappointed everybody it is so bad. They have dull colors like army green, brown, and rusty gold. The light over our table wasn't just out, it didn't even have a bulb. And it was dusty.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give them a 3. The woman working just took my order and it was really nothing special.

On service speed, I give it a 4. It took 10 minutes to get my individual sized cheese pizza.

On taste of food, I give it a 4. It was really cheesy! The cheese was long and gooey and went all of the way to the crust. The sauce didn't really stand out but tasted good. The crust wasn't thin crust or thick crust, but it was perfectly in the middle. It was crispy on the outside and doughy in the middle. The only bad thing is that it is really greasy (as you can tell in the picture).

On appearance of food, I give it a 3. The cheese was nice and browned but the crust was a little burnt. It was served on an ugly brown plastic plate and a piece of wax paper. They shouldn't have put it on the wax paper because that shows how greasy it is! The pizza looked appetizing but pretty normal.

On price, I give it a 4. It was $5.39 for an individual sized pizza. They have an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet from 11-2 on Monday-Friday for $7.99. That includes pizza, unlimited soda, and a salad bar.

The final score is 20/30. The pizza was really good and I recommend it for families. However, the Round Table in Redmond is next door to a very inappropriate store that is not good for kids. And the store is ugly. If I were you I would get delivery. They have locations in Redmond, Issaquah and Woodinville.

Don't freak for Zeek's

2011-07-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

Today is the second day of pizza week and it was a bit rough. We went to Zeek's in downtown Kirkland.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 3. They have very dim lighting and most of it is from the blood red candles. They also have some paint missing in some of the corners and walls.The table and chairs are wooden and boring. They have a really cool clear glass window with steps to sit on where kids can watch the servers make pizzas. When I waved to the person making pizza, he threw flour at the window to make me laugh but he actually seemed annoyed. Check out the glass window.....

On friendliness of staff toward kids, I give it a 4. The staff kept us very entertained! They gave us pizza dough to play with and crayons with coloring pages. Also they were very polite and they served with a smile and complimented my friend's nails.

On service speed, I give it a 4. It took between 15-20 minutes to get 1 large cheese pizza and 1 small veggie pizza.

On taste of food, I give it a 3. I had a slice of cheese pizza. The pizza had a very thick crust and it was a little too doughy for my taste.The pizza had very sharp cheese and the ratio of cheese and red sauce was off. There was too much dough and the toppings only went halfway up the pizza leaving the other half of it dry. There was a little basil sprinkled on top. The pizza was not special, it was just average pizza.

For the appearance of food, I give it a 2. The pizza had golden edges and the tomato sauce went up to the crust. As you can see, the cheese was mostly in the middle and that doesn't look nice.

For price, I give it a 2. For 1 large cheese pizza and for 1 small veggie pizza it was a total of $40.00.

The score is 18/30 for Zeek's Pizza. It is a good place to take kids because there is a lot for kids to do and it is a big restaurant that would be good for large groups. Just be prepared to pay extra for pizza that tastes as good as the frozen kind from the grocery store. Therefore, don't freak for Zeek's.

Mad for MOD Pizza

2011-07-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of my pizza adventure and MOD Pizza in downtown Bellevue was the perfect way to start it off. MOD stands for Made On Demand, and that is exactly how it is! They make pizza to order, exactly how you like it. They have 5 different sauces and lots of cheese and toppings. They have different types of combinations to choose from or you can free style.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 3. It is very unique with a "garage" theme. They actually have an open garage door for a wall of the building. There is a bar to sit at while feeling the breeze. It overlooks a loud street, and with the loud heavy music it's a little much. They do have plenty of outdoor and indoor seating.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 4. When I asked how the process worked, the worker said "we make the burger and you make the fries at the end." It was just a joke and we chuckled. It was really cheesy. They were mostly nice and listened carefully to my order. Also, there were kids yelling and running around and nobody seemed to care.

On service speed, I give it a 5. It took under 5 minutes to order and get a perfectly baked custom made individual sized pizza. They made it right behind a clear glass so you can choose your toppings and watch them make it - just like at Subway.

On taste of food, I give it a 5. I got a Hawaiian pizza (canadian bacon and pineapple) with thin crust and red sauce. The pineapple was very fresh and it was the perfect consistency of sauce. The pizza had crispy browned edges and the pizza was cooked in a hot oven to perfection.

On appearance of food, I give it a 4. It was served on a round tray with paper to fit it's exact size. The proportions of toppings, sauce and cheese was just right and looked nice but I wish it went all of the way to the edge. There was a bit too much dry crust on the end.

On price, I give it a 5. Every pizza costs $6.28, no matter the toppings or sauce. It is the only price they have so get all the toppings you want!

The final score is 26/30 and pizza week is off to a great start! To make the day extra fun, there is a bus stop right out front so you could take a bus to get there. There is also a sidewalk to a park around the corner. I'm mad for MOD Pizza and you will be too!

EMERGENCY NEWS ALERT!!!

2011-07-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

The best thing EVER just happened to the eastside! Blissberri in Bel-Square Mall is now open and it is the eastside's first SELF-SERVE fro yo place! They have lots of flavors that are perfect for kids like Thin Mint, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and watermelon. They have every topping I can even think of, and you can put them on yourself.

You can mix flavors of yogurt and toppings and make it just like you want. When you are finished, they weigh it and you pay by the ounce. Here is my sister's yogurt and a good example of what happens when you just want it all...

The Time of My Life

2011-07-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Los Angeles, and I had the time of my life! I DID get to meet Nick Jonas and even went to his concert. Meeting him was actually awkward because I didn't know what to say. When I was in the hotel lobby waiting to meet Nick J, I saw Ce Ce from Shake It Up. Meeting her was NOT awkward! She was very nice and happy to take pictures.

I also met the cast of The Glee Project. They were friendly and acted just like normal everyday people. You should watch the show if you haven't seen it. I think Sam won for sure because he stands out with his own personality and style. Also, if you pull one of his dread locks without his looking, he can tell which one it is even though all of the locks are different. Creepy! Check it out...

I had an amazing opportunity to see a real movie being filmed and I ate lunch with the cast. I met Joy Bryant from Parenthood and she was very easy to talk to. My trip was sure a star studded adventure!

I also DID get to try Pinkberry and ate there 6 times!

There was a line there every day because it is so good. It is creamy and fresh, and they have a lot of unique flavors like salted caramel (which wasn't very good) and watermelon. My favorite is pomegranate yogurt with chocolate bits and brownie bites. Here is a picture of pomegranate with brownie bites and watermelon - it was so appetizing I couldn't hold back before the picture...

If you are ever close by to a pinkberry, stop there for a taste. The coolest thing is that they have "mini" size for kids which is perfect.

Check back tomorrow to read the first pizza review!

Emily's Frozen Yogurt Eat of the Week!!!

2011-06-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Ben & Jerry's for winning the elite award of "Emily's Eat of the Week!" After tasting lots of frozen yogurt, I can say with complete confidence that if you are a kid, Ben & Jerry's is the place for you. TCBY only lost by one point, so TCBY should be another place to try this summer. I now know that I love all frozen yogurt - tart and sweet, hard and soft. I want to give a shout out to everyone who loves frozen yogurt too:)

I am taking the rest of the week off from blogging to go to L.A. and meet Nick Jonas!!!!! While I am there, I am hoping to go to the must-try fro yo place, Pinkberry. You can expect a review next week.

Follow me next week as I move on from fro yo and enter the world of pizza. Be prepared, I like pineapple on my pizza. Don't judge.

Ben & Jerry's - saving the best for last!

2011-06-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the final fro yo place for the week - Ben and Jerry's in downtown Kirkland. It was a great way to end the week, and boy did we save the best for last!

The decor of the restaurant is very unique to Ben and Jerry's. I give it a 3 because it is very small and there isn't a lot of seating. It seems "hippyish" and has a painting of a VW bus. They also have bright colors with big pictures for the counter menus.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 4. Colin was the person working there, and he seemed happy to be there. Whenever I said "thank you," he said "you're welcome." He was not annoyed to hand tasters to the customers. He made the store smell great while he made homemade waffle cones behind glass so I could see.

On service speed, I give it a 5. I was served right away.

I ordered chocolate fudge brownie hard yogurt on a cake cone. For taste of food, I give it a 5. It wasn't tart, but it was very yummy and rich! It was filled with chewy brownie bites. It tasted like homemade fudge on a hot summer day. It is a girl's dream come true! All of the chocolate with only 100 calories and 90% less fat than ice cream. They also had black raspberry frozen yogurt but I didn't try it.

On appearance of food, I give it a 4. It was served sightly melted but that made it taste creamier and better than when it is served really cold. It was a deep chocolate color and looked very appetizing. Although they have homemade waffle cones, the rest of their cones were generic.

On price of food, I give it a 4. My yogurt was $3.00.

I have decided to give Ben and Jerry's an extra point. They have more delicious frozen yogurt flavors like vanilla and Half-Baked, which is half cookie dough and half chocolate fudge brownie mixed together. They deserve an extra point because you don't only have to go into the store to enjoy the yummy yogurts. Pint sized yogurts are sold at grocery stores around the country! Also, they sell lip balms in their fabulous ice cream flavors. Is there anything better than a smile that smells like cookie dough?

The final score is 26/30, which makes Ben and Jerry's the best place to get frozen yogurt on the eastside!!!!!

Yogurt Puts the 1 in 31 Flavors

2011-06-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

When I say 31 flavors, I actually mean 48 flavors. Baskin Robbins, get your facts right! Today I visited "31 Flavors" in Belleve Bridle Trails. I have been to Baskin Robbins many times in many places, but never tried the frozen yogurt. Here is what I learned...

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 2. When I walked in, nothing caught my eye. It has very dull colors like whites and greys and the signs are all faded like they are from the olden days. Although the counter signs were very bright and they had big pictures so it was easy to read. Sadly, they post calories - they must want the customers to feel bad about what they are eating.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 4. They smiled while they let me taste everything I wanted without making a face like they were annoyed. When I was given too much of a sample by accident, we both laughed together and had a moment:) When I left, I was told "thank you, have a nice afternoon."

On service speed, I give it a 5. There was no wait, and the person working was very speedy. She seemed determined to be as fast as possible.

Out of all 48 flavors, only one was frozen yogurt. It was hard vanilla yogurt. I tried a scoop of it on a cake cone.

On taste of food, I give it a 3. It doesn't taste anything like frozen yogurt but just like ice cream. I have no idea why they are able to claim it as fro yo. It was very good vanilla "ice cream." It was creamy, sweet, but not tart at all. I have to say, it is just as good as vanilla ice cream with less calories and fat. Instead of fro yo they should call it diet vanilla ice cream!

On appearance of food, I give it a 2. It was nothing special, looked average, and like TCBY had generic cones.

On price, I give it a 4. For one regular cone, it was $3.00.

The best thing about Baskin Robbins frozen yogurt is that it can be turned into any of their cakes and pies, but most importantly, their amazingly adorable clown cones!!!

If you are having a bad day, go to "48 Flavors" and get yourself a clown cone. Sometimes they look like creepy clowns, but most of the time they are cute.

The final score is 20/30. Not the best, not the worst. At the end of the day, I would go to Baskin Robbins/ "48 Flavors" for ice cream, not fro yo. That is unless you have the fro yo turned into one of their magical creations. Although you can always count on the water fountain that seems to be from the 1800's, or like my mom says, the 80's. Same difference.

Cefiore is Italian, just like me!

2011-06-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

I am Italian, and I like most things Italian. For instance, my daddy, pasta, pizza, big hair, sequins, and dresses. And now I can add cefiore to my list!

Today I went to cefiore Italian Frozen Yogurt in downtown Kirkland.

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 4. When I walked in, I instantly felt happy! It is very colorful, with orange, yellow, red and white. It is modern and it has a lot of convenient seating. The one annoying thing was that the table tops twirled, which at first was cool. But then it started getting annoying when I wanted to eat.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I also give it a 4. Everybody smiled and they were very patient when I was choosing my toppings. They paid attention to me and listened to what I was saying. They seemed happy to be there and said "goodbye" and "have a nice day" when I left.

On service speed, I give it a 5. They served as I was talking and I had my yogurt as soon as I finished ordering.

For taste of food, I give it a 4. I ordered a regular sized "snow ice," which is shaved ice, sweetened condensed milk, 3 toppings, and chocolate yogurt. The toppings I chose were granola, m and m's, and gummi bears. The soft serve yogurt was very creamy, but it tasted more like ice cream than yogurt. The creamy yogurt and the crunchy ice made for an excellent texture! They also had a good topping selection. The bad things are that there was too much ice and not enough yogurt. Also, by the time I ate the yogurt the shaved ice on the bottom was melted.

For appearance of food, I give it a 3. They put the yogurt on top so it covered up the toppings and the shaved ice. The cup was so deep that I could only see the yogurt.

The price is a 4. My regular sized snow ice with 3 toppings was $4.95. It was enough for both me and my friend. It's good for kids because kids 12 and under get 2 free toppings Mon-Thurs 3pm-5pm (sad for us because we went on a Friday).

The final score is 24/30. I consider that good! Part of being Italian is being fancy. Cefiore is fancy, just like me:)

O Red Mango is Faux Red Mango

2011-06-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Today was the second day of my frozen yogurt adventure, and I went to O Red Mango in Bellevue Square Mall. Here's the 411...

On decor of restaurant, I give it a 3. It is very modern inside, with a red and black color scheme. There are large glass walls and it has a convenient corner location. It is modern, but I wouldn't call it special.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 2. There were 5 people working behind the counter and not one smiled at me. One of the people working at the counter commented on the song playing in a rude manner. She said in a snotty way, "Like a G6. I HATE this song." Then she left to change the music instead of taking my order. She was more concerned about the music than the customers.

On service speed, I give it a 4. There were a lot of people there but they got through the line very quickly. It took less than 5 minutes to get the yogurt.

I tasted a plain soft serve yogurt with chocolate chips and fresh mangos and a vanilla soft serve yogurt with mochi bits and funny little balls that popped with fruit juice when I bit them.

On taste of food, I give them a 4. The yogurt is tart and creamy and makes me feel fresh and healthy. The original is better than the vanilla because the tartness makes it taste more yogurty and special. They have a great selection of toppings like fresh fruit, cereal, candy, and Asian toppings like mochi and the fruit juice balls. The fruit was very fresh and tasted great.

On appearance of food, I also give it a 4. It had a very modern appearance. I liked how they separated the toppings and didn't mix them together. The swirl was tall, narrow and hollow so it was wobbly.

For the price, I definitely give it a 2. It is very expensive. For a small with 2 toppings, it is $5.00.

The final score is 19/30. There are some things about Faux Red Mango that bother me. There was nowhere to sit. There are not enough tables (and barely any chairs) so I had to sit outside. There was also blasting music and I had to yell to give my order. The area where the line was was very narrow and crowded. Also, the employees looked annoyed.

As I was walking out of the mall, I noticed this sign for a new fro yo place. Hopefully blissberri will be better than Faux Red Mango.

TCBY? TCB Why Not?!

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My first stop on the frozen yogurt week was TCBY in Factoria.

On décor, from 1 to 5, (1 being the worst and 5 being the best) I give it a 2. The wall’s colors are a very boring white and one small wall is dark red. Also, there are coffee colored stains on the ceilings and there are small counter signs that are hard to read.

On friendliness of staff towards kids, I give it a 5 - the best! Our server’s name was Janay and she didn’t care when kids were literally climbing on the counters. She let me taste everything I wanted to taste without getting annoyed. Trust me, I tasted a lot. She also greeted me warmly when I walked in the door. I definitely recommend it for kids of all ages.

I give TCBY a 5 on service speed because there was absolutely no wait. It took less than two minutes to make my yogurt, my friend’s, and my sister’s. If you are in a rush, go to TCBY.

For taste of food, I give them a 4. It was really good, but in an odd way some of the flavors tasted the same. I got soft serve white chocolate mousse and it was very creamy. It tasted like vanilla birthday cake frosting. My friend got rainbow cream hard frozen yogurt and it strangely tasted very similar to mine. My sister got cotton candy flavored hard yogurt. My friend and my sister both agreed that the hard yogurt tasted a lot like ice cream. When I tasted the cotton candy flavor I felt like I was at the Evergreen State Fair. The flavor was very realistic!

I give TCBY a 4 for the appearance of food. My soft serve just looked like typical vanilla frozen yogurt, but the hard rainbow cream had florescent and neon colors. The colors really popped! The cotton candy colors were very authentic with classic pink and blue. I wish the cones were better. They had typical generic cake and sugar cones. Overall, the yogurt looked great!

The price is a 5 because on Wednesdays they have $0.99 cone day. That includes any type of cone and any type of yogurt.

The overall score is 25/30 which is really good! The best part is that it’s right near a pet store where you can hold puppies!!! Also, if you are looking for a cake or pie, they have frozen yogurt cakes and pies. They have a lot of toppings like fresh fruit, candy, and cereal. It’s open until 9:00 PM every single day. I recommend TCBY to everyone.

Keep reading Eating With Emily all week to learn more about frozen yogurt week. At the end of the week, I will announce which place is “Emily’s Eat of the Week.” My little sister said TCBY is better than olives and that says a lot!

Emily's Eats

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This summer I will be eating and reviewing 10 different types of foods. One type each week, a different place each day. At the end of the week there will be a winning place, called "Emily's Eat of the Week."

These are the top ten types of foods to be included in my summer adventure:

Frozen Yogurt
Pizza
Conveyer Belt Sushi (aka Sushi Go Round)
Lasagna
Chicken Fried Steak
Cupcakes
Fish and Chips
Doughnuts
Cheeseburgers
Fruit Smoothies

I will be judging each restaurant on a scale of 1-5 (1 is worst, 5 is best) based on these factors:

Decor of restaurant
Friendliness of staff towards kids
Service speed
Taste of food
Appearance of food
Price

Look forward to pictures and stories, as this Emily eats away the Eastside.

Welcome to my blog!

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Welcome to Eating With Emily! I am Emily, I am 10 years old, I live in a suburb of Seattle, and this is my summer adventure. Each week I will focus on one type of food and review the best places to eat on the eastside from a kid's perspective. Follow me this summer to find out the hottest eats in the east...side.