Calli’s – September 5, 2009

I always need to unwind after I get back from vacation, and Calli’s was a great place to go to to unwind and think back to what I left behind. Granted it was about a week later that I got to go to Calli’s, but the food I ordered took me right back. Calli’s is barely a 5 minute travel from my house and since they opened mid-summer I have been wanting to give it a try. Calli’s is a lot bigger inside than I was expecting it to be as it is almost an "L" shape that splits the restaurant from the bar. I sat inside, even though it was a great night to sit outside with all of the seating they have, and the paint on the walls gave the restaurant a modern feel. The front part of the restaurant had bright colors, while the next section of Calli’s had a more soothing feel to it. A nice touch I like to restaurants now is that they are going with flat screen tv’s as accents. Nothing was really on the tv that night, but its nice to know that I could be eating there while I want to watch a game or something.

Food
Fried Asparagus- Do you like fried zucchini? If you answer yes and you like asparagus you will like these. The asparagus had a very light breading on them just like on fried zucchini and came with a horseradish sauce which is what I do prefer as a dip. You get about 6 pieces for $3, I think this is a must for any trip to Calli’s.

Crab Cake Sandwich- This was what really took me back to vacation since I had my share of crab legs and crab cakes while in Hilton Head. The crab cake on the sandwich was great, many crab cakes around this area have many fillers inside and not enough crab. I was very pleased with the crab in this sandwich. A nice side was sweet potato fries, which were cooked to perfection! I am very picky about my fries and these would be ordered again. Next time, which there will be a next time, I want to try the regular fries to see if they measure up.

Neville Island Iced Tea- I nice twist to its long island cousin, the main difference is that Calli’s uses sweet tea vodka. This adult tea is WORTH IT!

Final Thought
I am looking forward to going back to Calli’s. I recommend it to anybody, the downfall of Regent Square is just street parking, no parking lots. There is a car shop across the street from Calli’s and you are allowed to park in the lot. I took my mom to Calli’s and she got a burger to eat and she said it was probably the best burger she has ever had, I look forward to seeing how the burger measures up next time! The menu of Calli’s is very wide, and from what my waiter said they seem to pride themselves on their weekend brunch. The sandwiches and salads were fair priced, but the pasta dishes and main dinners seemed to be a little higher than I expected around $15-22. I think I will visit Calli’s enough in the future to try a few new dishes out.

Location
7600 Forbes ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15221
Phone- 412-242-8281
Sorry No Website

Truffles Grill – August 28, 2009

This is one of the nicest places I think I have ever eaten at, and after walking in I really felt underdressed in my khaki shorts and polo shirt. Everything was so well laid out from the hostess stand to the bar to the table you sit at with the silverware and plates. I think the overall theme of Truffles is "relaxation", because while I noticed the upscale look of the restaurant it definately gave off a feel of a relaxed atmosphere that they just wanted you to enjoy your meal.

Food
Truffles Chopped Salad– romaine, hearts of palm, radishes, grape tomatoes, carrots, avocado, apple wood bacon and topped with green goddess dressing. This was a very light and fresh salad to start the meal with, nothing in it overpowered another ingredient everything just made for a great start. The apple wood bacon in my opinion is always a good style to add to any bacon dish, and it is becoming more increasingly popular which isn’t a bad thing.

Crab Cakes – jumbo lump topped with a wasabi mayonnaise along with chevre mashed potatoes and green beans. There is nothing in this meal that I would’ve changed. Let me start with something simple like the green beans. I like my green beans cooked a certain way, which is cooked with a strong crisp taste and texture. Many restaurants (I should say almost all) do not cook them like this, but Truffles cooked them to perfection in my eyes and something so simple can really make a meal stand out. The chevre mashed potatoes from what I was told means they are infused with goat cheese, I like goat cheese and I can say I would’ve liked to taste it more but the mashed potatoes otherwise were delicious. All that talk about the sides I almost forgot the main event on the plate and that was the crab cakes. So much lump crab inside them I don’t think I got one bite without. The wasabi mayonnaise was a perfect touch to the crab cake and the flavors just came together so well. The texture of the crab cake was also cooked to perfection because the outside had such a nice crunch to it from the pan. I don’t think I can say anything more or better about Truffles.

Location
8 Pope Ave Exec Park Dr
Hilton Head Isle, SC 29928-4741
Phone- 843-785-3663
Web- http://www.trufflesgrill.com/

The Frosty Frog – August 27, 2009

The appeal of the Frosty Frog wasn’t food, it just happend that when we went to drink that night I wanted to try the frog legs on the menu. The reason for the trip was because the Frosty Frog is known for its frozen daiquiris that the majority are 190 PROOF! All of the frozen daiquiris are made from grain alcohol which is why the proof is so high. If you are of age to drink and are in Hilton Head the Frosty Frog is a MUST STOP for a night on the town.

Food
Frog Legs- The Frosty Frog prepares their frog legs like you would do wings. I got the buffalo frog legs, and the sauce which had a kick to it, but the flavor came from the frog legs. If you have never had frog legs before the best description for them is like a chicken wing. The meat tastes pretty much just like chicken. If you like trying different foods and you like chicken, I recommend frog legs. I have only had frog legs a few times, but these probably had the most meat on them which gives the Frosty Frog an "A" for the frog legs.

Drinks
So I had my fair share of drinks at the frosty frog and was feeling pretty damn good afterwards, but hey its vacation you are supposed to drink. I tried the Hurricane (like a fruit punch), Jump Start (mango based), Southern Lemonade (self explanitory), and Strawberry Banana. The Strawberry Daiquiri is the only daiquiri that is non-alcoholic but they will mix 151 in with it to bring it up to speed. For the Strawberry Banana they mix the strawberry with the Banana Banshee Daiquiri (which is 190). This wasn’t on the menu, but a friend recommended that I request it and it turned out to be worth the request. Forget Sonic, The Frosty Frog is your ultimate drink stop!

Location
1 North Forest Beach
(Coligny Plaza)
Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Phone- 843-686-FROG (3764)
Web- http://www.frostyfrog.com/

Hot Dog Harbour – August 27, 2009

So you have been to Hilton Head before but are not familiar with Hot Dog Harbour? Well there is a reason, they have only been open for about a month! From what I can tell already I think that the harbour will be in Hilton Head for a long time to come. My friends and I sat at the counter by the grill for our lunch and talked to the owners of the place who happen to be husband and wife. They were telling us that business has been better than they expected and even look forward to the future for another shop. I wish the harbour much success and am looking forward to a future visit!

Food
Southwestern Dog & Freshmade Chips- Starting with the chips, I always enjoy trying homemade chips because a lot of places take pride in their chips. I have also been to many places who’s chips shouldn’t even be on the menu, but HDH has some chips to be proud of! I like chips to be crunchy when homemade and not just stiff. I put a little malt vinegar on these bad boys and they could be a snack by themself. Onto the dog, the Southwestern Dog comes with chili, grated cheddar chese, onions, texas Pete, and a fried egg! Yes you do need a knife and fork to eat this puppy! This was also one of the biggest hot dogs I have ever eaten, not the length but in the width (get your mind out of the gutter!). I have never had a fried egg on top of a hot dog before and that was just craziness! The only thing that could’ve made this the ULTIMATE DOG would’ve been bacon! You know my theory by now- bacon, egg, and cheese makes everything better! HDH does have a dog called the “Titanic Dog” that has just about everything on the toppings menu on this dog, something for me to try next time!

Location
E-5 Coligny Plaza
Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Phone- 843-785-5400
Sorry No Website

UPDATE – A year later I returned to Hot Dog Harbour and tried their “Titanic” Dog (pictured above). My friend Vic and I both ate one and after eating it they take your picture and hang it on the wall. Check out the wall and you will see my pic with yinzhungry.com on it! There are different levels, a wall if you eat 1 dog, a wall of pictures if you eat 2 and so on.