The food that we ordered from Whistle Binkies (https://www.whistlebinkiespub.com/) was a Smoked Half Chicken, 6oz Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Sesame Mahi Jasmine Rice, and Fish and Chips. The half chicken was delicious and was big enough for 2 people. The chicken had an exquisite texture and it was truly a delight. It melted in your mouth and it was delicious. The skin of the chicken was also awesome and it had a really potent smoky flavor which was amazing. The 6oz crispy chicken sandwich lived up to the name and was really crispy and delicious. The chicken sandwich was really crunchy and it added a nice texture to the meal. The fries were probably some of the best fries I have ever had and they were really delicious. The chicken sandwich also was cooked perfectly and it was really good. Also my mom and a friend from England said the Fish and Chips were quite good. I give the food 5 stars

The atmosphere at Whistle Binkies was amazing. The wait was really short to get in and we were quickly shown to a table and we were served quickly. Once we were seated we were able to watch numerous sports games on T.V. and acclimated quickly. The atmosphere was almost rowdy but not rowdy enough to be annoying and it was overall an energetic atmosphere. The service was really good and we were served quickly and well. The waiters were super helpful and the service overall was really good. We were seated inside and the noise was really controlled and it was honestly a really good time. We also were at the one by the lake and there were a few volleyball courts and a lake nearby which if it weren’t so hot when we went would have been amazing to enjoy the patio. I give the atmosphere 4.5 stars.

For creativity and uniqueness Whistle Binkies has a variety of food. They had food from many different places and countries. The food that we had had a very unique taste and it was unlike any experience I have ever had. The experience was highly creative and it was awesome, they even have a popcorn machine! It was also on a lake which made it unique and different from most other party restaurants. I give the creativity and uniqueness 4 stars.

The price of the meal for four was $85.49 and I think that that is a good price because the food was delicious and it was a good experience. It was also cool because it was on a lake and they had some outdoor activities. I give price 4 stars. Which makes the overall rating 17.5 stars.

Did you know that more Irish people live outside of Ireland than in it.*

The atmosphere at Olde Brick House (https://oldebrickhousemn.com/) was welcoming and relaxing. The atmosphere felt very congenial in large part due to the wood paneling and book cases imported from Ireland. Another part that made it feel homely was the comfortable seating and the authenticity. Our table was very close to the kitchen, and the service was really good. The server was really helpful and recommended the Chicken Marsala, the Perrystown Pretzels for an appetizer, and my mom’s food (chicken tacos, she really liked it). The server was very knowledgeable about the menu and it really helped us choose our food. The service really elevated the experience and was truly a delight. I give service/atmosphere 5 stars.

The food that I ordered from Olde brick house was the Chicken Marsala with fries and asparagus. We also ordered the Perrystown Pretzels. The Chicken Marsala was really good, and tasted exquisite, with the sauce pairing really well with the noodles. The chicken was really well cooked and melted in my mouth. There also was a lot of the chicken so it had a perfect ratio with the sauce and noodles. The asparagus was also perfectly cooked and complimented the fries really well. The asparagus also was really well seasoned, and was probably some of the best asparagus I have ever had. The beer battered fries were simply delicious and were extremely crispy and were amazingly seasoned. The Perrystown Pretzels were the best pretzels that I have ever had, and they melted in my mouth. The pretzels were a beautiful and elegant  appetizer and they were a delicious starter. The pretzels came with two different sauces, and although I didn’t try them, my mom said they were good.  I give the food 4.5 stars.

For creativity and uniqueness Olde Brick House really shined. Irish food in Rochester Minnesota is nothing new, but Olde Brick House put a spin on it. The authenticity was outstanding and really shined to me. The overlaying Irish theme was amazing and it really gave you the experience of a Irish pub. They also had a whole list of traditional Irish dishes which we did not try  this time, but looked delicious. For creativity and uniqueness I give it 4 stars.

The price of all of our food was $47.58. I think that that is a fair price because we ordered one appetizer and 2 entrees. For price I give it 4 stars. Which brings Olde Brick Houses’ rating to  17.5 stars.

*I got this info from https://www.skyscanner.ie/news/features/facts-about-ireland

*The average American eats 3 burgers a week, which means that the national total of burgers consumed in one year is 50 billion.The atmosphere at Hot Chip was splendid. The atmosphere was splendid because the outdoor seating that Hot Chip had was vast and spacious which left room for social distancing and gave each person a sense of privacy. The tent that they had over the seating area was also huge and accommodating to all of the guests because it covered the rays of the sun, while letting the heat of the sun go through. The outdoor seating area had 2 tables in relative privacy which I think is a good idea. The ordering system that Hot Chip was perfected to the finest with ordering requiring little contact. They did that because when you walk in you look at a menu and then you walk to where a designated person is standing and tell them your order, you then sit at your table and wait for the food to come, and all of the condiments are all in packet form to reduce contact with other people’s germs, and that system is one of the best that I have ever seen. I give the atmosphere 4.5 stars.

The food that I ordered from Hot Chip was a bacon burger (without the cheese), fries, and an oreo milkshake. The fries were amazing and the seasoning on them was some of the best seasoning that I have ever had because it achieved the perfect balance of seasoning to potato ratio. The bun on the burger was delicious because it evaporated in my mouth and it complimented the burger perfectly. The burger itself was also delicious with the burger having 2 patties, and the patties themselves being cooked to perfection, with that nice grilled char on them. The bacon was like no bacon that I have ever had before and it was delicious. I give the food 5 stars.

For creativity and uniqueness Hot Chip had many different options for all kinds of people including vegan and types of food from almost everywhere in the U.S. The burgers that they had I have never seen before anywhere I have been. Their adaption to Coronavirus is also unique because they found a way to make the whole restaurant experience with minimal human to human contact, so I give Hot Chip for creativity and uniqueness 4 stars. The price of our meal was about $60 and I think that that is fair because the food was really good and it was filling, so I give the price 4 stars which brings the overall rating to 17.5 stars.
* I got this info from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/the-hidden-costs-of-hamburgers#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20Americans%20eat%20three,50%20billion%20burgers%20per%20year.

Did you know that during WWII, compasses were smuggled into prisoner of war camps, sometimes in the form of buttons and razor blades.*

The atmosphere as you know I am doing off of ease of ordering and the accessibility of their website. Their website was very simple to use, and it was even easy to use on mobile which is something that is hard to do for even the simplest website. The time that it took for our food to be prepared (we picked it up at the restaurant) was almost exactly what the time that they said it would be. I give the atmosphere 4 stars.

The food that we ordered from 5 West (http://www.fivewestrochester.com/) was Buffalo Chicken Wontons, Maple Bouirbon Fried Chicken, and Steak Fettuccine. The Buffalo Chicken Wontons were delicious, the outer shell was nice and crispy, and the cream cheese complimented the chicken and buffalo sauce which could be a bit spicy, but they perfected the buffalo chicken flavor. The Maple Bourbon Fried Chicken was some of the best fried chicken I have ever had in my life. The breading of the chicken was delightful in my mouth, and the harsh texture of it complimented the smooth silkiness of the chicken and made it into a beautiful masterpiece. The chicken itself was delicious, because the meat was tender and boneless, and they did not try too hard to make the chicken the only taste on the plate, they let its strengths play perfectly to the dish. The Steak Fettuccine was my personal favorite of the night. That is because the steak was filet magnon, my personal favorite steak of all time, and was supplied in plunderful quantity. (I know plunderful isn’t a word, but it should be used in this instance). The noodles were lightly seasoned and they complimented the steak’s rough texture and the flavor of the noodles. Instead of contradicting the steak it helped it and rose the dish into stardom, so because of this I give food 5 stars.

For creativity and uniqueness the food put a unique twist onto every dish. The fried chicken although it was not too unique, the breading was crumbly and the flavoring on it was unlike anything that I have ever tasted. The Buffalo Chicken Wontons were unique in the aspect that the sauce and cheese did not taste like anything I have had before, because the Buffalo sauce was very faint, and the cheese made the chicken soft  and delicious, which is different. The steak and noodles was a combination that I have never seen before and I will probably never have again, the unique blend of Italian to American while taking some of the best elements of each cuisine is something that I have never seen before, although I wish I could have it more. For creativity and uniqueness, I give it 4.5 stars. For price our meal cost $61 and I think that that was a fair price because the food was delicious and it filled me up to the brim, so I give price 4 stars which brings the total rating to 17 stars.

*I got the info from http://www.historyofcompass.com/compass-facts/interesting-facts-about-compass/

*350 slices of pizza are eaten each second in the U.S. and that means that 21,000 slices of pizza are eaten each minute 

The website for Pi (https://live4pi.com/) was user friendly and easy to use, because of the obvious menu item visibility, and descriptions of the menu items. The actual acquisition of the food was also simple and easy, when you walk into Pi you tell the cashier who you are and they tell you how long until the food is ready and then you wait in the store. Side note: the pizza was carried out so it was not fresh, although it was still warm. I give the atmosphere 4.5 stars.)

The food that I ate was  meat pie with no Siracha (although there is practically no difference between that with Siracha), garlic bread, and pi knots. The meat pi was very good with the thin crust eloquently paired with the sauce which all leads up to the final climax where you get meat, all the different types of meat including sausage, bacon, and pepperoni which all come together perfectly to make one delicious bite. The garlic bread is delicious and a perfect compliment to the meal with the unique taste of it perfectly. The pi knots were my favorite because they were hot bread coated with a cinnamon glaze, and do not get me started on the sauce. The sauce was delicious because it was cinnamon sauce and it was combined with icing like there would be on a cinnabon roll to make the best dipping sauce all of these factors combined make my rating a 5 star for food. 

For creativity and uniqueness Pi had lots of different pizza options ranging from vegetarian to plain cheese to make your own Pi has lots of different options. Pi was very creative because of all of the different menu options and the fact that every menu item fits with another it feels very custom and personalized, so I give creativity and uniqueness 4 stars. The price of our meal was about $40 and I think that that was fair because all of the food was delicious and we were all stuffed to the brim and as I said the food was delicious, so I give the price 4.5 stars which brings the overall rating to 18 stars.

*got the info from https://www.eatthis.com/pizza-facts/

*Did you know that chocolate chip cookies were made by accident, they were made by Ruth Wakefield when she added a broken up bar of  Nestlé semi sweet chocolate chips, intending them to make a chocolate cookie.

I know this isn’t my typical type of post, but we are practicing #StayHomeMN.  We made three types of chocolate chip cookies this week to do a comparison.

The three types of cookies that I had were Neiman Marcus, the perfect chocolate chip cookie, and 6oz chocolate cookies. Neiman Marcus cookies were good, although the texture was rough and had a taste of oatmeal, the inside of the cookie was good, chocolatey and delicious. The six ounce cookies were good, because the sheer amount of cookie that is produced is awesome, and there are 15 ounces of chocolate chips in the recipe. There is almost too much chocolate, because the actual cookie is lost. The perfect chocolate chip cookies were good because the recipe was making a classic chocolate chip cookie, and it had a good balance of chocolate to cookie. One downside was that the cookie did not have anything making it unique. 

I am now going to go onto the phase of this post where I analyze the similarities and differences of each cookie compared to the others. The first cookie is the Neiman Marcus, and they were the healthiest out of all of the cookies. The Neiman Marcus cookies were also the most unique cookies out of all of them because they used oatmeal, and they had chocolate chips, and chocolate chunks. Some of the cons were that the texture was rough and bumpy, and the cookie itself was crumbly. The 6 ounce cookies were by far the biggest and each cookie was 6 ounces each and the recipe made six, 6 ounce cookies. The actual cookie was unbalanced compared to the other ones, and even though it is the biggest, the cookie lacks key balance of flavor compared to the other cookies. The final cookie, the perfect chocolate chip cookie, was the best looking, but the smallest per cookie. The pros to that cookie was that the ratio of chocolate to cookie was the best, and aesthetically it was the best looking. The cons of this cookie were that there was no definitive feature that made it unique, and the cookies were small. Because of this my third favorite cookie was Neiman and Marcus, in second 6 ounce cookie, and that means that the best cookie was the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

*here are the links to the recipes:

•  Neiman Marcus https://www.cookingclassy.com/neiman-marcus-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe/,
• Six ounce cookies https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2019/04/super-thick-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe.html, and 
• The perfect chocolate chip cookie https://blog.williams-sonoma.com/the-perfect-chocolate-chip-cookies/

* got fact from https://www.delish.com/food-news/a49236/toll-house-cookie-dough-fun-facts/

Did you know that an average 1,000 pound cow produces 430 pounds of meat, and and 175 pound human has 15-20 pounds of meat on them, which means that the cow meat to human meat is 28 ⅔ pounds of cow meat to 1 pound of human meat. Although humans eat 222.2 pounds of meat per year.*

Since the Coronavirus is changing the way the world interacts, it is also changing the way my blog happens for a bit.  We ordered take-out from Newt’s.

For the atmosphere I am going to do it on the ease of ordering, and the ease of pickup. So based on this criteria, the effort that it took to find what we wanted on their website (https://www.live2dine.com/newts-north) was minimal, and we found it within 5 minutes. The actual ordering was easy, because we called them on the phone, and we had to wait a bit to get through to a person; it just meant that they were busy. The actual process of getting our food was easy, and they told us 30 minutes to get the food, so we left the house in 30 minutes, and the food was easy to get and ready right when we arrived and they delivered it directly to our car. So I give the atmosphere 4.5 stars. 

The food that I ate from Newt’s was a plain hamburger and fries. The hamburger was delicious, because the bun was perfectly cooked, and had the perfect texture to go with the rough burger. The burger itself was the best burger that I have ever had in my life, because it was perfectly cooked throughout, and the meat was high quality. If you combine all of this together, the perfect and soft bun, with the splendid and juicy burger, it is awesome. The fries were also delicious, because they had the perfect seasoning to potato ratio that I have tasted. Also the fries were the perfect balance to the burger because the fries gave a unique flavoring to the burger which put it just over the top. They also customized our order to our likings.  Because of this, I give the food 5 stars. 

For creativity and uniqueness there is nothing new about Newts and the concept of a burger, however Newts has made probably the best burger ever, and the overall variety of burgers, so I think that they have taken the concept of a burger and elevated it to the next level. So I give creativity 4 stars. For the price of our meal it cost about $31 and I think that that is fair because the meal stuffed all of use to the brim, and it was the best burger I have ever had, so because of that I give the price 4.5 stars. This brings the overall rating to 18 stars.

*amount of meat on a cow (https://www.oda.state.ok.us/food/fs-cowweight.pdf), amount of meat on a human (https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=549847) top post, and the amount of meat that the average human eats per year (https://www.globalagriculture.org/whats-new/news/en/32921.html) as of 2018

Jamaica sold the first bananas into the Western world.*

The atmosphere at Jerk King (https://www.downtownrochestermn.com/go/jerk-king) was excellent to say the least, with the whole experience feeling custom and individualised, although the restaurant was mostly vacant, as they do most of their business at lunch. The owner was our server and probably the friendliest person I have ever met, because from the minute we arrived he answered all of our questions. While we were eating he answered all of our questions, and when we checked out we had a very friendly 15 minute conversation. The atmosphere was perfect for everybody because there was soft Jamacian music playing, but there was enough background noise to not make people uncomfortable. Because of this I give the atmosphere 5 stars.  

The food that we ordered from Jerk King were fries, Curry Potatoes, Jerk Chicken, Oxtail, and Chickpeas. The Jerk Chicken was my favorite of the night, with the chicken having a dry rub seasoning, which made the chicken tender and delicious. The jerk chicken itself was tender and   dissolved in my mouth, but it was spicy. The potatoes were my good, but they had little flavor, and the sauce was a bit seasonless, and was a bit spicy. The cxtail was peculiar, it tasted like meat, but it did not have a meat like texture; it was slimy, but not disgustingly slimy. The chickpeas lacked flavor and texture (they were a bit undercooked). The fries were the perfect compliment to the rest of the meal, because they were not spicy and dulled the spiciness of the other items. I give the food 4 stars. 

For creativity and uniqueness Jerk King is the only Jamacian restaurant in Rochester. The food at Jerk King was unlike any food that I had ever eaten, while I have had all of the main ingredients before, except oxtail, but was with different seasonings and flavors. Jerk King had lots of different options for vegetarians, so I give creativity and uniqueness 4.5 stars. For the price our meal cost about 30 dollars, and I think that is fair because at the end of the meal we were all full, and the location was easily accessible, so I give price 4 stars, which makes the overall rating 17.5 stars.

It should be noted that we were here prior to the restaurants closing down due to Covid 19.  Please support local business now and when they re-open!!!

*got the information from https://thefactfile.org/jamaica-facts/

Did you know that the Greeks often ate dinner while lying on their sides, which means that, if anybody tells you you are eating messy, tell them this*. 

The atmosphere at Nupa was good. Nupa is a “fast-casual” restaurant – you order at the counter and food is delivered to your table.  When we first entered Nupa (https://eatnupa.com/menu.php)  we were greeted by a cashier and asked what we wanted to order. Once we were seated, the food came out in around 5-10 minutes,and we ordered 5 different entrees. The atmosphere was really lively and perfect for families, friends alike to talk, and even if you are by yourself sitting on your phone. Because of these reasons I give the atmosphere 4 stars.

The food that we ordered was falafel, gyro meat, chicken and fries, and calamari. The gyro meat was amazing, with it looking thin and curvy like bacon, but not at all being greasy. It tasted spectacular and when I tasted it it was delicious. The falafel was good, but the inside was a little bit overwhelming and a bit soggy. The chicken was really good, and was served in very plentiful proportions. The meat was juicy, tender, and delicious throughout the whole meal. The fries were delicious, but a bit average and there were no seasonings or anything to make them special. This surprised me because usually when we go to Nupa the fries have a unique seasoning.  The calamari (octopus) was delicious and crispy, and the octopus was not overwhelming, but you still get the octopus flavor while the crust was helping the octopus be delicious. I give food 4.5 stars. 

For creativity and uniqueness, Nupa had lots of different foods that I have never tried, and is one of my favorite Greek restaurants in Rochester. Nupa was very inclusive of lots of different options for vegetarians, and meatarians alike. For the uniqueness of the food there was plentiful variety of food; from hardcore Greek, to Greek  American, they have it all for you. Because of this I give creativity and uniqueness 4 stars. For the price, our meal cost $47.18 and I think that is a fair price, because we got 1 appetizer and 3 entrees,and it had all of us stuffed into the brim, so because of that I give price 4 stars, which brings the total to 16.5 stars. 

*I got my information from https://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_greece.php

Ice Cream was first eaten in 97AD in China by King Tang of Shang who had 94 ice men help make the dish which consisted of buffalo milk, flour and camphor*.

The atmosphere of Flapdoodles (https://www.flapdoodlesicecream.com/) was funny and chill to say the least. The word Flapdoodles literally translates to “nonsense.” Every table has funny quotes, one of my favorites is “why do ducks have flat feet… to stamp out forest fires. Why do elephants have flat feet… to stamp out burning ducks.” The atmosphere of Flapdoodles is funny and perfect for everybody, except if you are trying to have any sort of serious conversation. I give the atmosphere 4.5 stars, because of the reasons listed above.

We ordered red velvet, Chocness monster, Cookie Monster, chocolate cheesecake, salted caramel, and mint chocolate ice cream. Red velvet was good with the red velvet coming through, but not being overwhelming. The Chocness monster was my personal favorite of the night, with the perfect balance of fresh cookie dough and Oreo to chocolate ice cream, just enough toppings to be delicious without being overpowering. The Cookie Monster was just like the Chocness monster, but the ice cream was vanilla dyed blue. The salted caramel was good with caramel ice cream, with a caramel sauce with a touch of salt in it to make it delicious. The mint chocolate was not my favorite, because the mint flavor is a bit overwhelming, so you do not get the full spectrum of flavors. All of the ice cream was creamy, because of these reasons I give the food 4.5 stars.

For creativity and uniqueness Flapdoodles has 24 different flavors of ice cream available each day. My family ordered 2 flights, which is 4 scoops of ice cream per flight. We actually sampled 6 unique flavors, because we doubled up on some of the flavors. I have been to Flapdoodles many times and only had 2 of those flavors. For uniqueness Flapdoodles is like no place I have ever been, with every part of it being unique from the funny and chill atmosphere to the 24 different flavors of ice cream. They also had a few dairy free options. Because of that, I give creativity and uniqueness 4 stars. The price of our meal cost $20, we were all filled to the brim. I give the price 4 stars. That gives Flapdoodles a total of 17 stars.

*got this info from http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/tech/ice-cream/newsid_3634000/3634978.stm