J.J. Hapgood General Store and Eatery (Peru, Vermont, U.S.A.)

No, this blog is not dead! As I was doing work for Mieum Media’s video series interseCTion, I was far busier than before, but I am still visiting all sorts of tasty places. In November 2018, right before the midterm election, I went on a trip to my friends’ cabin in Vermont with my significant other. The owners of the cabin gave us some great recommendations. On November 5, we tried out J.J. Hapgood General Store and Eatery in Peru, Vermont.Read More »

Liv’s Oyster Bar (Old Saybrook, Connecticut, U.S.A.)

It is hard to believe that, until today, I have not covered any seafood on Masjib Mania. Yes, I know that I reviewed the white clam pizza from Pepe’s in New Haven, but I was really referring to dedicated seafood restaurants. Living on the Connecticut shoreline means that there are more restaurants serving fresh seafood than I can even keep straight. To celebrate my parents’ anniversary, we visited Liv’s Oyster Bar in Old Saybrook on September 7.Read More »

Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers (Oakland, California, U.S.A.)

There are a lot of negative perceptions of the City of Oakland in California. Whenever I tell people that I’m here, they more often than not reply with some variation of “be careful.” While Oakland’s crime rates are undeniable, it’s not accurate or fair to let that define the entire city. I have enjoyed my time here, and I always encourage my friends to come to Oakland to see it for themselves. On July 22, I did just that, eating lunch at Barney’s Gourmet Burgers with a friend from out of town.Read More »

Bar Bouchée (Madison, CT, U.S.A.)

While French restaurants have a certain allure in popular culture, there aren’t actually that many of them in the United States. You can certainly find them, but given all of the praise that French cuisine receives, it has not achieved the ubiquity of Italian or Chinese cuisine. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had French food! On May 17, I went with my parents and my significant other to Bar Bouchée in Madison, Connecticut.Read More »

Bowl’d BBQ (Alameda County, California, U.S.A.)

Being back in the United States, I’ve begun to miss Korean food more than one might expect. And while I love going to Korean restaurants in the US, a number of these spots, when compared to restaurants in Korea, hold reputations for being expensive and not serving large-enough portions. But when a friend told me that he would be interested in Korean cuisine, I was more than happy to try out Bowl’d BBQ in Alameda County, California.Read More »

Mi Casa (Norwich, CT, U.S.A)

When reading my review of lackluster Tequila’s of Old Saybrook, CT, my friend Mr. J told me that my “mistake was trying to find good Mexican food in New England.” While I appreciate his sense of humor and snark, he is dead wrong about this assertion! As I found when I went to Mi Casa in Norwich, CT on April 12, good Mexican food can indeed be found in the northeast.Read More »

Toss Noodle Bar (Berkeley, California, U.S.A.)

Berkeley, California is one of the best-known communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, largely due to the University of California Berkeley. Having never been to the campus before, I decided to head to the city during a particularly warm summer afternoon. I had not eaten lunch, but I was pleased to find a number of different restaurants clustered downtown. On July 7, I checked out Toss Noodle Bar.Read More »

Dawg House Bar and Grill (Meriden, CT, U.S.A.)

According to Wikipedia, a 1961 edition of Webster’s dictionary defined dive bars as, “a disreputable resort for drinking or entertainment.” In the subsequent 57 years, some dive bars have certainly earned this reputation, but many have managed to keep the grungy aesthetic while serving high quality alcoholic beverages and sometimes even good food. On April 10, I checked out a new dive bar in Meriden, CT called Dawg House Bar & Grill.
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The Monkey Farm Café (Old Saybrook, CT, U.S.A.)

My great-great-aunt lived in Old Saybrook for her whole life and, according to family lore, she never touched a drop of alcohol. In homage to her, we always joked that she spent countless days tossing back brewskis in the town’s local bar, The Monkey Farm Café. In addition to serving alcohol, it also serves traditional American fare. As I frequently visited it during my childhood, I returned on March 30 to see if it retained its original luster.Read More »

Gusto Taco, Sangsu-dong

Gusto Taco is not a new restaurant, nor is it one without a plethora of other reviews. In fact, it has been so successful that it has expanded from its original location near Sangsu Staton (상수역) to a Hongdae (홍대) location and a branch in the U.S. Yongsan army base. I made the decision to cover this restaurant for one reason: Gusto Taco is one of my favorite restaurants in Seoul. On February 27, I returned with a friend for dinner.Read More »