I meant to post these pictures up the day after my last entry about Emeril’s, but I’m not sure what happened.  I’ve been terrible at posting on here, so you should all really start following my twitter… you caught me, I really just want more twitter followers. 

Actually, the content on this page should start to pick up soon, as  Eric and Sharon have agreed to start blogging on this site too.  I’m not sure when they’re going to start, but it should hopefully be any day now.  Anyone want to help me out with redesigning my site banner?  We just have to Photoshop a couple more faces on there, I think.

Okay, to the food…

One of Eric’s dreams was to eat at the Bellagio buffet because he read on some website that it was the best on the strip.  Honestly, I don’t remember why we didn’t go eat there.  I’m sorry, Eric.  Regardless, I thought that the buffet at the Wynn was pretty darn good, however,  that might have been just because of my affinity for crab and prime rib.  Eric, Yin, and Paul seemed less impressed, though it didn’t seem to stop them from eating a ton of food.  The lighting at the Wynn was a lot better than at Emeril’s, so the pictures came out at a semi-decent quality.  Perhaps I should just buy the new iPhone because it has a slightly better camera, right?

Wynn Las Vegas, NV

some large crab legs at the Wynn buffet in Las Vegas, NV

prime rib at the buffet at the Wynn in Las Vegas, NV

Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 770-7000

Hey!  This blog isn’t dead yet.  Well, not officially anyway.  It’s been more like… terminally ill.  I’m thinking that it might make a spontaneous recovery though.

I do apologize for slacking for about an entire month on this thing.  I’ve still been taking pictures of everything.  I’ve just been so busy with what has been going on at work that the only thing that I’ve been able to make time to do is twitter (btw I now love twitter).  I’m going to try to make time to blog twice a week on this thing.  You’ll notice some changes to the site later today, as I’m going to work on retheming this thing.  I’ve missed adding so many meals to the counter that it’s now essentially useless.

ANYWAY

As you can see, Simande + Paul took a small trip across the country to Las Vegas for the weekend.  The trip ended up being kinda a mixed bag.  I ate delicious food.  I lost money.  I had to share a bed with Paul.  I drank a margarita on the street.  I witnessed Eric hit the x1000 thing on the most gigantic Wheel of Fortune wheel.  You know how it goes…

Sorry that the quality of the pictures below suck.  I have absolutely no idea why I didn’t carry my real camera around Vegas, so you’re stuck with these pictures that do the food no justice.

Anyway (I know, 3rd time using that word this post), Paul, Eric, and I have agreed that the food at Emeril’s in the MGM Grand was probably the best food that we had on our trip.  It’s not really saying THAT much because we didn’t eat at many places that were supposed to be amazing, but it is what it is.  I’m not even that big on cajun/creole food, but that tempura fried sushi salmon roll and seafood pan roast were ridiculously delicious.

Lastly, I’d just like to say that I hate myself for not making it over to in-n-out burger while in Las Vegas.  Some stupid highway was between our hotel and in-n-out burger, so we couldn’t walk there.  Will someone just FedEx me some of those burgers or something?!?  I want to try them!

Fried crawfish fritters at Emeril's in Las Vegas, NV

Tempura fried sushi salmon roll at Emeril's in Las Vegas, NV

Seafood pan roast at Emeril's in Las Vegas, NV

MGM Grand Las Vegas
3799, Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 891-1111

This has been quite an interesting and fun weekend.  Thank you to everyone who came to softball yesterday, though I think I enjoyed myself too much.

I have two objectives with this blog post. The first is obviously to talk about my meal at Mama Mexico in Englewood Cliffs, NJ.  The second is to make an announcement that should be news to everyone who doesn’t read my twitter.  (btw you should all be refreshing my twitter every 5 minutes)

Okay, Mama Mexico… my meal at Mama Mexico was pretty much how I thought it would be.  Above average Mexican food with a somewhat noisy atmosphere and delicious guacamole.  Even though my Crepas de Filet Mignon looks just like a pile of cheese on top of some beans, I hope you can believe me when I say that it tasted a lot better than it looks.  The guacamole was made at our table and was better than most places.  It was a little disappointing because it was supposed to be spicy but tasted more mild than the salsa.  I felt kinda bad for the couple at the table next to us.  You could tell that they were on a date and that they were both uncomfortable.  I think at most I heard them exchange like 10 words about the taste of the food.  The rest of the time they were just eating, drinking, or talking to the wait staff.  I hope that I’m not like that on dates.  Awkward moment of silence.  Anyway, if Mama Mexico was in school, it’d definitely get a B+.

On to the announcement… I’m not sure why I did what I did, but I did it.  On twitter of all places, I challenged the guys at the website Epic Portions to a White Castle Crave Case eating contest.  The event will be held on June 27th.   It sounds like it will be a 2 on 2 eating contest (Paul is my partner) and that the first team to finish a 30 pack of sliders (a Crave Case) from White Castle wins.  We’re still working out the logistics, but it sounds like we’re going to be watching each other via webcam and video taping it at the same time.  Does anyone out there know how we can share our webcam stream of the contest to other people?  Don’t worry.  If we can’t figure it out, we’ll definitely post up the video on our sites the next day.  So place your bets… iblogwhatieat Vs Epic Portions.

fresh guacamole made at the table at Mama Mexico in Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Crepas de Filet Mignon at Mama Mexico in Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Mama Mexico
464 Sylvan Ave
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
(201) 871-0555

I know that it’s been a solid week since I’ve last written and for that I apologize.  The minute that I got an e-mail from my father asking me if I’m okay because I haven’t blogged is when I knew that it’s been too long.  I’ve legitimately been sick so you all have to cut me a little slack.  If you’re worried that you’re not getting enough Matt Shampine, then please sign up to follow me on Twitter and @mjshampine me a little please.

I admit, the gaps in between blog posts is getting pretty bad though.  That money counter on my site isn’t even close to being correct anymore.  Should I take it down?  I’m thinking of semi-revamping the concept of the blog, but I’m not sure how you all will react.

Anyway, let’s get back to the task at hand.  There’s been a little bit of a debate going on in regards to the quality of the burgers at Bobby’s Burger Palace, so I thought I a trip back was in order.  Who knows, maybe that first positive experience was a fluke since it had just opened then.

I’m not sure if this will be surprising to you or not (maybe to those BBP haters), but the food was quite good again.  The onion rings were solid and my Philadelphia Burger (onions, provolone, and hot peppers) was cooked perfectly medium rare as expected.  This time I brought Paul and Rosanna with me to confirm, and they both said that their food was good too.  Paul can eat a lot of food and is quite strong, so you should trust him or he’ll beat you up.  Some people have been complaining about the service there, however, I thought it has always been as good as it’s going to get.  That is, we never really have to wait long for the food to come out (maybe a couple minutes) and there is always someone walking around asking if everything is okay.

If you still hate Bobby’s Burger Palace in Paramus, NJ, please leave a comment on this post and tell me why.  Better yet, why don’t you bring me to BBP with you and show me why.  Thanks.

Onion Rings at Bobby's Burger Palace in Paramus, NJ

Philadelphia Burger at Bobby's Burger Palace in Paramus, NJ

Bobby’s Burger Palace
Bergen Town Center
610 Bergen Town Center
Paramus, NJ 07652
Phone – 201.368.7001

First, I’d just like to mention that we finally passed 70 RSS readers this morning.  Good work people.  Keep up the good work.  Everyone should celebrate by making another Google Reader account and subscribing to this blog again.

Next, I’m curious who is interested in checking out Internet Week New York.  It goes from June 1-8, and it sounds like some of the events could be fun.  Let me know if you’re interested in going please.

I suppose that I’ll conclude by actually talking about the food at Bellisimo in Montvale, NJ.  The food here is pretty darn good.  You can get a salad, soup, and a homemade pasta dish for only $8.00, which is a great price for a sit-down restaurant.  The only real issue that I had with this place is that they never told you what the soup is that they were serving you.  I think it was crab bisque?  Eating unknown things should probably be avoided in the future though, right?

Salad at Bellisimo in Montvale, NJ

Soup at Bellisimo in Montvale, NJ

Calamari at Bellisimo in Montvale, NJ

Gnocchi Sorrentino at Bellisimo in Montvale, NJ

Bellisimo
12 S. Kinderkamack Rd.
Montvale, NJ 07645
(201) 746-6669

You’ll have to excuse me.  I know that I’m a solid day late with this, but I’ve had a busy weekend and a bad day yesterday.  Anyway, the fact that I didn’t mail out any Mother’s Day cards for yesterday made me feel kinda bad, so I figured I have a 75% chance that both of my moms will read a “blog card” if I write one.  (For those who don’t know me or haven’t read all of my blog entries from the beginning, you can figure out what I’m talking about here.  Also, I arrived at the 75% chance number by assuming that my mother here in New Jersey will definitely read it and that there is a 50/50 chance that one of my siblings in Korea will see the picture of our 엄마 and get it translated for her.)

First though, I’ll quickly run through the pictures below.  I’m sorry for the bad Photoshopping in the first image.  I was in a rush and used the first pictures that I could find.  The other pictures are from Braddock’s Tavern in Medford, NJ.  I took my Mom there on Saturday for Mother’s Day.  The food wasn’t their best, but Braddock’s is pretty much a staple restaurant for all Medford residents.  The price for our lunch was a little higher than usual because we had a few drinks so don’t let that scare you away from trying Braddock’s in Medford, NJ,  it’s actually priced quite reasonably.

Okay, here we go.  My first “blog card.”  I suck at writing, so I make no guarantees Moms that this card will be good.  None the less, I hope this works out so that I never have to send out real cards again.

Moms ~

Regardless of what has happened in the past.
No matter what will happen in the future.
I want you both to know that I will always be here for you,
Like you promise to always be there for me.

I know that I don’t tell you this enough. Or ever, really. But…
For all of the sacrifices you’ve made for me,
For all of the lessons that you’ve taught,
And for all of the tears that I know you’ve shed on my behalf,
I truly do appreciate it.

I know that all of my past and future successes are in some way because of you.
I am thankful to God for having both of you in my life.
You are both perfect examples of why mothers are quintessential unsung heroes,
And I hope you know that I love you.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother's Day

Old sign from Braddock's Tavern in Medford, NJ

Lobster bisque at Braddock's Tavern in Medford, NJ

Lobster mac & cheese at Braddock's in Medford, NJ

Braddock’s Tavern
39 S Main St
Medford, NJ 08055
(609) 654-1604

I have good news and then I have great news.  The good news is obvious.  I’m actually blogging!  You’re welcome.

I thought that the food below from Todam was amazing, but I love sam gyup sal with a passion so you might need to go there and judge for yourself.  What’s the difference between wine sam gyup sal and regular sam gyup sal?  I have no idea.  We asked the waitress, however, we really didn’t understand what she was saying.  Regardless, any restaurant that ends the meal with a bowl of mul naeng myun is fantastic in my book.

Anyway, the great news is that Sticker Sauce is finally up and active.  What you should do now is click this awesome link and go buy a sticker or two to support the cause.  We’re obviously just getting everything setup, so you’ll have to excuse the lack of options right now.   If you have any good ideas for stickers, please submit your idea and let us know.  We want to expand this to all kinds of stickers, so feel free to tell us any and all ideas you might have.  We’ll reward you with something nice if we end up printing your sticker.  The price?  $4 with free shipping.  What a great deal.  If you hurry up, you can be our first customer

PS.  We are working on setting up our first eating session for the vlog.  Coming soon – I promise.

the first round of banchan at Todam in Leonia, NJ

wine sam gyup sal at Todam in Leonia, NJ

i love this meal

some mul naeng myun to finish off the meal

Todam Restaurant
344 Broad Ave
Leonia, NJ 07605
(201) 461 – 9111

A few quick notes about Dong A’Ri, then I have an important announcement.  First, I’m not sure if I correctly spelled the name of this restaurant.  I tried Googling for a while this morning, and I couldn’t find ANYTHING about this place.  I’m pretty sure Dong A’Ri is right though.  Second, I was kinda freaked out eating at this place.  I was the only one in the restaurant at 8PM.  Oh you know, it’s rather uncomfortable being the only one in a restaurant with the two people working just staring at you while you’re eating.  Regardless of the weirdness of the emptiness, the more important fact (I think) was that the food wasn’t that bad.  I mean, the menu was pretty much just generic Korean food, but at least they didn’t screw it up.  If this restaurant was in school, it would receive a B- from the teacher.

Now to the important announcement…

Eric and I have decided that we need to do something to kick this blog up to the next level.  That’s right, we’re going to start vlogging.  Our first attempt at this is actually going to be a “roll off.”  What’s a “roll off” you may be asking yourself.  Here’s what we got planned… Eric and I are going to take our excellent camera crew (probably just Paul and Yin with my Exilim camera) to all of the bakeries in the Palisades Park/Fort Lee/Edgewater area and buy a green tea roll at each of them.  Then I’m going to attempt to eat all of them on camera and judge which one is best.  I’m not sure how this will all play out, but I’m fairly certain that I will at least be able to thoroughly embarrass myself.

If anyone has any other ideas of things that we should eat to compare and/or places that we should review with a nice video post, please let me know in the comments section of this post.

Dong A'Ri was lonely on Tuesday night

Banchan at Dong A'Ri in Fort Lee, NJ

delicious fish at Dong A'Ri in Fort Lee, NJ

Haemul Dolsot Bibimbap at Dong A'Ri in Fort Lee, NJ

Dong A’Ri
209-A Main St.
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
201-461-4200

Yesterday seemed like a good Whole Foods day, so Rosanna and I met up at the one in Paramus for lunch sometime in the afternoon.  I tried to be “healthy,” but I think that I failed.  Yes, it’s definitely drenched in dressing.  Yes, those are buffalo wings on top.  Yes, there are ten thousand croutons underneath.  But it’s still a salad, right?  Salads are healthy.

Anyway, the other day I decided that I’m going to start making a small change to my diet.  For one thing, no more soda.  Actually, I’m not going to drink anything that isn’t water, coffee, tea, or alcohol.  That should help a little, I think.  Because srsly I think I drank way too much soda before.  It’s like I’m just asking for diabetes or something.  So that’s my explanation for the picture of water in this post.  I’ve been pounding that Fiji water over the past 24 hours.  I’m not sure if it’s really doing anything to help my health, but at least I feel as if I’m being a little proactive.

In other news, I’ve noticed that I’ve been getting a decent amount of hits from stumbleupon.  If you have any free time today, I’d appreciate it if you could click this awesome stumbleupon link and favorite my page and give it the ol’ thumbs up.  Thanks!

Caesar salad and hot wings at Whole Foods in Paramus, NJ

some Fiji water from Whole Foods in Paramus, NJ

Whole Foods
2701 Bergen Mall
Paramus, NJ 07652
(201) 226-1244

I think that I’m going to make it a new rule for the summer.  Any day that the temperature goes over 90, a trip to You Chun for Mul Naengmyun is required.

Christine and I were luckily on the same page yesterday.  Just as I was IMing Christine to see if she wanted to meet at You Chun for some Mul Naengmyun, she asked me the same exact thing.  Honestly, going to get some of those delicious cold noodles was all that I could think about while I was outside on a run before that.

Hmm… maybe I shouldn’t assume you that all know what mul naengmyun is.  Well, here’s the first decent description on the interwebs that I could find:

Naeng Myun literally means “cold noodles” and it is one of Koreans favorite dishes during the summer. It consists of thin noodles typically made from arrowroot or buckwheat flour, and is served in a large bowl with a tangy iced broth.  It is garnished with sliced beef or pork, a boiled half egg, slices of Asian pear, and sliced cucumber, sprinkled with chopped scallions and sesame seeds.

That sounds delicious, right?  You Chun definitely has the best naengmyun that I’ve had outside of Korea, so if you’re ever in the area on a hot summer day, you should stop by.  If it’s over 90 degrees, I’ll probably be there to high-five you.

Mul naengmyun at You Chun in Palisades Park, NJ

You Chun
135 Broad Ave
Palisades Park, NJ 07650
(201) 363-1950