Local Restaurant Experiences

*I'm doing a lot of these because I have been to the places in my time living here and I want to make sure I talk about them before we move :)

Coca Café -  Lawrenceville

This was a new place we went to with friends to jointly celebrate birthday s and I have to say the food was tasty. They offered upscale versions of things like French toast and pancakes, typical breakfast foods served with their own flare. It is the type of place to have a line out the door waiting to get a table since it’s small though. We did get a table, and the goat cheese French toast I got was tasty, however the waiter we had left something to be desired. We received our water hwen we were seated, except I had something green in my cup. Not a big deal so I politely asked if I could get another glass of water. I then received a dirty look and poor service after that. Maybe he was a student worker and not a permanent fixture of the place, either way I would caution people about the service if they want to go. But the food is good. 

Meat & Potatoes – Gastropub, Cultural District (Strip District)

We can only vouch for brunch but it was a great place to get a hearty meal of craft food. It took 2 weeks to get a reservation so that was annoying, but it was darn good! They also have a bloody mary bar if that’s your thing – I don’t know if it was my thing or not so I tried it, found out its not. If you like them then they have a lot of fun choices to put into the drink and the alcohol itself has several choices they've infused different flavors (bacon, chili pepper, etc.) into the vodkas. The atmosphere was uptown yet comfortable and homey. The waitstaff was friendly and helpful. It was a pricey but if you like to spend on meals  out or you want to do something special I would suggest t his place for brunch, but I haven’t had other meals t here so I don’t know how good it is for them. 

Tessaro’s – Little Italy (Bloomfield)

·         There was a lot of positive hype that I heard building up this place, but that’s all it was – hype. I love me a good juicy burger, but I have to say this place was a severe disappointment. The waitress was friendly enough and the place was a bit too cramped homey for me but what really got me was the burger I ordered. When they asked me how I wanted my burger cooked I ordered a medium burger, because I like it when it is still very pink in the center. What I received was a burger so overly well done - to the point that it was practically sand in my mouth. For me, I can deal with a bad atmosphere or cramped space, but if a restaurant’s food is the crux of the problem, I can’t recommend that place. Even if my experience is an anomaly, it was still my experience at this restaurant.