Archive for December, 2016

We recently dined at Ruscello, the Mediterranean-style restaurant located inside Nordstrom’s Department Store in Mayfair Mall. There, we enjoyed lunch and a Bloody Mary.

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Spice: Good flavor; lots of spice, but not too spicy in terms of heat.

Mix:Homemade.

Chaser: None offered

Fixin’s: Two Olives, Lemon & Lime

Price: $?

This was a day when the “hair of the dog” was needed–and much appreciated. You can tell that Ruscello at least doctored up a mix (if they didn’t make their own), by how many spices were visible within the drink. Despite the many spices, it didn’t have any odd or overpowering tastes and was not too spicy in terms of heat. I would’ve liked to see a chaser included and/or more fixin’s, but other than that, this was a solid beverage. Thanks, Ruscello!

Recently we paid a visit to Pike Lake House over the lunch hour. While we enjoyed a soup and sandwich, we also decided to try their Bloody Mary.

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Spice: Not too spicy…

Mix: They use Jimmy Luv’s

Chaser: None offered

Fixin’s: Pickle, Olive, Mushroom and Mozzarella Cheese Stick

Price: $5.68

We had never been to this bar/pub before, so we had no expectations regarding their food or drink; thus, we were surprised when the bartender went to the kitchen to grab a mozzarella cheese stick to add to the top of our drink.

That was a nice touch.

At just $5 plus tax, this is what I consider to be a decent-priced drink. Adding the mozzarella stick made it definitely worth it, even without offer of a chaser. I didn’t ask for one (because I like to see what is offered originally at establishments), but I have a hunch that the bartender just forgot to offer one to me as I did see “chaser-type” glasses behind the bar.

We aren’t the biggest fans of Jimmy Luv’s, but that was okay with us, too. Again, the cheese stick was a giant distraction, especially since we were hungry upon ordering and that helped tide me over until lunch arrived.

While the Bloody Mary was good and the food was also tasty, we were a little disappointed in the pricing of the food. My dining companion and I split an entree and we were charged $5 for a split plate charge. I don’t recall seeing that notice on the menu and we certainly weren’t told about that at the time of order. We had also ordered soup on the side, so at that price, we should’ve just ordered two entrees.

Because it is so far off the beaten path, this isn’t a place we’d be likely to return to often, even if everything was the best we’ve ever had, so we’ll overlook that, too, for now. Just beware if you’re in the same boat!