Spruzzo Restaurant and Bar - Malibu, California

This was my second time to Malibu and my friend told me he wanted to take me to his favorite place to eat, which of course was Spruzzo Restaurant and Bar.

It is located in a small strip mall directly across from the ocean.

Although there is beautiful outdoor dining,

we decided to eat indoors, in an equally beautiful space.

They brought out some focaccia to munch on while we decided what to order.

I started with a Ceasar Salad. Nice but very simple.

Then for my entree I decided on the special of the day, Fusilli with Chicken.

(sauteed chicken, broccoli and sun dried tomatoes finished in a gorgonzola cream sauce served over fusilli pasta $16)

I really enjoyed this dish, however it also had asparagus in it. Fortunately I love asparagus, but I hate it when the menu description does not match what they are serving.

Still, I really enjoyed Spruzzo.

Firehouse Restaurant - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

On a recent trip to Harrisburg we had friends who lived there that picked us up and took us to dinner. They took us to Firehouse, and although we were running a little late, they already had someone there holding a table (which was great because the place was packed). 

Shortly after we sat down tons of appetizers were brought out that our friends had pre-ordered. There were 8 of us total so it was great that we had all of these things to share.

For my entree I ordered The Backdraft (char-grilled chicken breast with lettuce, tomato, onions, brie cheese and roasted garlic aioli on a toasted country white roll $9) with mashed potatoes as my side. 

The potatoes were bland (would have been nice to have gravy) but the sandwich was really good.

Overall it was not a bad place, and by how busy it was I could tell that it is a favorite among the locals!

Kasa - Restaurant and Bar

So I was dining with some friends before we went to the theater and one of them suggested going to Kasa. They had been there before and said it was Tapas style dining with a great happy hour from 5pm until 7pm during the week.

After looking at the menu and talking to our amazing server I decided on a Sangria ($4, delicious) and three small plates (which were at a special happy hour price).

Kasa Corn (miso lime aioli, spices, manchego, queso fresca $4)

These three mini corn cobbs were slathered with cheese and spices and were really flavorful. Regretfully they got stuck in my teeth (as corn on the cobb often does) and there were no toothpicks to be found. Won’t order those again unless I have flossers in the car, but they were really tasty.

Brussels N Bacon (miso bacon, brussels cooked two ways $4)

Although these were well cooked they were really spicy, which was not in the description. I still ate them but they definitely had a kick.

Yuca and Cheese Fondue (crispy yucca, tableside fondue $6)

This was my favorite of the three items. The crispy yucca had a nice seasoning on it, and the cheese fondue (which stayed warm through a votive candle underneath) was delicious (and there was plenty of it).

I could have easily had two orders of it.

Then for dessert I splurged and had the Decadent chocolate Cake (flourless, gluten-free, with orange chantilly cream $8)

This was indeed decadent. It was more of a fudge then a cake and with the orange flavor was absolutely scrumptious. I ate every bite!

Although I feel it is a place that I won’t go very often, if I found myself in the downtown Orlando area again during happy hour times I just might go back!