Rosa Mexicano: Eh....

You know, it might be better if people told you that a restaurant sucked before you went there, because if it were only halfway decent, you'd probably be okay with your experience there. Of course, the problem with that is that you might never go if you heard that it sucked. How does this relate to Rosa Mexicano (http://www.rosamexicano.info/ -- D.C. location at 575 7th Street)? Well, I had been wanting to try it for the longest time, because I had heard great things about it. As a result, my expectations were rather high. RM was fine, but I don't think that it lived up to the hype. I was with a big group and we first ordered the guacamole, which was made tableside, always a fun touch. It was of course nice and fresh, but a bit on the bland side; maybe it could have used some salt or something... I ordered the chicken tortilla pie. I once had a discussion with a fellow cheese-loving friend about whether something could be over-cheesed, and we concluded that it could be. I think that the tortilla pie was a tad overcheesed, which detracted from the overall presentation of the dish. We ordered churros, which were okay and could have tasted a little less greasy and a little fresher. The coffee was fine. Nothing to write home about, but not bad at all. Would I go back? Sure, if other people were going, I wouldn't pitch a fit, but I wouldn't go out of my way. If I went back, I would order the mole because it looked really really good. Oh, and the black beans served with the entrees are to die for. Hands down the best part of the meal.

Ledo Pizza

Ledo's Pizza (http://www.ledopizza.com), a chain restaurant, is good if you like sweet tomato sauce. It's pizza and spaghetti sauce is sweeter than other places I've tried. The pizza crust is thin and crunchy and the pizza comes out in squares. Don't order the garlic bread. It's a bit soggy and blah. The stromboli is ok, but it's made from the same crust as the pizza. I think that stromboli should have nice thick crust. It just doesn't work.

P.F. Chang's Annapolis

Before I get to the food part, I would like to warn you that this location doesn't have real parking except for valet, which seems a bit weird for a P.F. Changs in the Annapolis suburbs. Since the rest of the new shopping center isn't open yet, I'm not sure if the parking situation is permanent or if a lot will open. If the restaurant isn't going to have a lot, that could create a problem because we parked further away and walked, and parking won't be anywhere near as available once everything else is open. Now for the food. There's a healthy debate about whether P.F. Chang's (http://www.pfchangs.com) is good food. I know people who scoff at it because it's not authentic Asian food. My take on it is that it's all about attitude. You don't go to Chipotle expecting authentic Mexican food, but it's still ok fast food. Likewise, if you wanted authetnic Asian food, you would go to an authentic Chinese (or whatever ethnicity) restaurant and not a pan-Asian national chain restaurant. Of course, P.F. Chang's isn't authentic Asian food. Once you get over that hurdle, you can appreciate the food, which belongs in the Americanized pan-Asian genre. For appetizers, we ordered the chicken lettuce wraps and the spring rolls. The lettuce of the lettuce wraps is iceberg lettuce, and the filling is minced and seasoned chicken mixed with mushrooms and other veggies. The lettuce wraps are good enough, but every time I've ordered them, they don't come with nearly enough lettuce. Even if you were to stuff the lettuce wraps as full of filling as possible, there would still be some left over. C'mon now restaurant management people! The spring rolls were too greasy and therefore mediocre. I ordered the spicy chicken, and my companions ordered the beef chow fun and the wok charred beef. The spicy chicken was fine and flavorful, but I can't say that I was impressed enough to order it again. The beef chow fun was good with nice pieces of charred beef. I didn't try the wok charred beef. For the sake of the blog, I ordered coffee with my meal and was pleasantly surprised. It's billed on the menu as organic French roast, had a nice flavor and strength, and was well brewed. My only complaint about it is that it wasn't hot. However, we went to the restaurant at about 10:30, so chances are, it had been sitting in a caraffe so as not to burn.

Fondue Monopoly

I went to the Annapolis Melting Pot (http://www.meltingpot.com/) because my friend AZ had a giftcard, which we happily discovered was worth $75. Fondue is fun, but I wish that I could try it somewhere other than the Melting Pot or at home. While the Melting Pot changes its menu up, and the food is fine, it would be interesting to see what a different and probably more authentic take on it would be. I've seen other fondue restaurants in Denver and Quebec, but unfortunately didn't get the chance to go. Here are my main gripes with the Annapolis Melting Pot. First, the ventilation is horrible. I wreak when I leave, and steam was constantly blowing in my face. The Melting Pot should seriously consider installing hoods at each table. Second, I think that it woud be nice if fondue restaurants provided timers if people want them so that they can more thoroughly monitor cooking times. We ordered the Wisconsin trio cheese fondue, Southwest Cobb Salad (a bit bland and too icebergy), the signature selection (two types of beef, shrimp, chicken, and salmon) cooked mojo style (think citrus), and the Oreo fondue. The mojo cooking style is my favorite to date, but costs an extra $5. As always, the chocolate was excellent! The Melting Pot shined in the beverage category. No, I'm not talking about anything as unimportant as cocktails. I'm referring to the coffee. I asked the server if it was good, and she gave it a ringing endorsement as a regular coffee drinker. She was pretty right on. It had that restauranty twinge, but otherwise was pretty good. It was nice and strong without tasting bitter or burnt, and tasted as if it had been brewed in a clean coffee maker. Here's to hoping that the Melting Pot gets a competitor!