CAFETERIA: quell your hive.

I frantically escaped the 2nd-to-last day of the Barney's Warehouse sale. I fled the scene dressed in hot flashes, hives, and a need to eat.

Donovan and I escaped the scene, charging down 17th street in search of food. I, doused in sweat beneath my 5 bundled layers, shortness of breath, and in ka-hoots with Barney's Co-Op's layout and reluctance for "human body over capacity" in a building - pigeoned my focus at every restaurant I saw: sharply, changing my focus every half second. And there it was.

CAFETERIA.

THE MEAL:

The biscuits are out of this world. They are warm, salty, & fresh. I have to say, Cafeteria is in my top 5 of bread baskets. The blend of salt (a very, very slight hint of cheese) doused in sweet, soft butter, makes this starter a possibility to be a satisfying, high-carb meal on it's own.

As I unapologetically ordered a second biscuit, I went straight to the salad list. I ordered the Autumn Greens: dried cranberries, green apple, butternut squash, toasted pumpkin seeds, and a GIANT goat cheese crouton. What's a girl to do after already having finished two biscuits? Answer: eat it. I asked for a grilled chicken breast on top to give me the protein I needed for the day. Dressing on the side. The salad was great. There is nothing better than a forkful of butternut squash, goat cheese crouton, and chicken breast, lightly dressed, with a crunchy pumpkin seed kicker. Oh la la.

As for dessert: we demanded their red velvet cake warmed. It's four tiers of cake and icing. And the serious cream-cheese icing. No whipped thin stuff. The thick, creamy sweet stuff only.

I asked for the to-go box as I could no longer feed my stomach.

The cake was just as good that night... 4 hours later, on my couch, in front of my computer.

And, yes, my hives went away as soon as I bit into my biscuit.

Mesa Grill:

I revisited MESA GRILL on 5th avenue tonight. (and yes, in the blizzard).

THE BAR: I sat at the bar with my friend had a glass of red wine. We ordered the shrimp and cornmeal tamale. It was tres bien (very good in french)! The cornmeal is thick and soft, and it's sweet and salty taste is the perfect match for its consistency. The shrimps were fresh & hot, with a slightly spicy-kick. They surrounded the tamale underneath and thin glaze: a type of creamy spicy gravy.

Their breads have always been my friend. Their corn muffins, biscuits, and bread are always fresh and warm. There is enough variety and flavors in the bread basket to take you on a ride that you will never forget.

THE MEAL:

I was quite disappointed. My fondest memories of my dear Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill seemed to taste better than this recent visit.

The quality of the food, felt cheap and heavily doused in sauces. The cheese fondue appetizer; a mere slab of melted cheese and salt was heavy and generic.

The mushroom grits were very, very tasty (a winner, paired with the Shrimp Tamale). It came with an egg over-easy... as I meekly, dipped my chip into the grits for a third time, my chip hit the plate. It was gone. The portion was the size of my left ear lobe.

My chicken entree was very juicy and the spices were excellent. The mash potaters were bland and overdone... my steamed spinach was excellent (eh hem.... hot water and spinach).

THE DESSERT:

Oh, jesus. Extremely disappointed.

My cornmeal chocolate bread pudding was the most horriblest thing in the world. The pastry chef has seemed to answer this formula wrong:

chocolate+corn+bread pudding=HEAVEN. NOT a disaster!

The chocolate was too offer its sweetness to the salty corn bread; however, it was too bitter, as a result: a salty bread pudding... a big no, no. The vanilla ice cream that came with it, left me cold, with no taste.

AMBIANCE: stark. sterile. no life. boring customers. a feeling of emptiness. a plastered waitress.

I ended the meal with this quote: "Applebee's does it better."