i am a .... FOODIE!!!

all my life i have loved food. i think someone along the way should have told me to put down the fork, but i have a passion for cooking and for eating. i have my most favorite spots in every city i've lived in or traveled to... and i thought it'd be a neat idea to share them with y'all in hopes that you might want to taste them too.
i'll start with three and then continually post more and more.
i truly do hope that if you're ever in amarillo or phoenix or california that you'll really go try these places out.

1. carolina's(amarillo, texas)
wow. last friday was my first time trying carolina's and boy, oh boy, was it super fantastic. in amarillo there are probably 5 italian restaurants that are not the olive garden. i've tried napoli's and pescaro's and neither of them wowed me in any form or fashion, but carolina's is a hidden gem. it's a small building off of wolflin and it's non-descript, you have to know where you're going or you probably won't find it. the decor isn't wonderful, but they boast wood-fired italian. they have a casual fine dining setting, no booths(only tables) and they aren't super busy(even on a friday night). after being seated and drinks ordered this delicous wood fired bread comes to your table and it's still in loaf form but pieces are cut half way through so you have to grab and pull. and like many italian restaurants there are olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and dried chili peppers on your table but there are also little bread plates that you use to put oil and parm or salt(what have you) to dip the bread in. mind you the bread is phenomenal on its own but dipped lightly in the olive oil. so good. i ordered the manicooti(my italian staple. with easy sauce and a side ceasar salad). when the ceasar salad came to the table i was astonished on how much you get. it's a huge plate with heaping piles of creamy, salty ceasar salad. every piece of lettuce was covered in dressing and cheese and had so many croutons, then when my manicotti arrived it was bubbly and smelled heavenly! there were 4 rolls of the manicotti stuffed full of a ricotta, parmesan, mozzerella mixture soaked in the sweet, tangy marinara. ugh, so good. i couldn't believe the portion size, the price was very affordable(cheaper and better than the olive garden) and it ended with me taking home a cannoli(one of the best i have ever had).
so, if you're ever visiting me in texas(or traveling through) i will take you to carolina's and you will not be disappointed.

2. the corvette diner(san diego, california)
the corvette diner is classic american diner. it is such a fun place. it doesn't matter if you're 8 or 88. the diner has something for everyone. in the evenings on the hour every hour there are servers dancing around for your entertainment, a gamer's garage full of ski ball, guitar hero and bass fishing, a full soda bar for those craving a sweet treat like an elvis shake or real brown cow, but i want to tell you about my favortie item on their menu: the spicy fried pickles. you heard right. fried pickles. they are not for everyone but if you love pickles you'll crave these fried spears o goodness. trust me. now, there are other great items like the deedee burger or the popeye salad but for the pickles with their crunch and slight spice with the cool, creamy ranch. wooweee. seriously, go to san diego, then to liberty station and visit the corvette diner.

3. i have to mention this one and even though the name is the same, it's under different owners so their food is sub par to the real deal. that being: max's taste of philly in mesa arizona. the old max's made my mouth water. their philly subs were the ultimate. it was owned by my friend aaron and his family until his mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor and they sold the business but not their family recipe for the best damn philly cheese steak ever. it was thinly sliced ribeye steak in their family's secret seasonings, cooked on a flat top grill topped with ooey gooey cheese and placed in the softest sub roll ever and served with steaming hot pencil fries. and you could add onions or keep them off but trust me, you wanted those caramelized onions something fierce. you can go to max's today and get a philly but it will not be the true max's and you'll be so sad.

so, those are my reviews for today.
hope you get the chance to enjoy these places like i have.
j