Beats Solo3 Headphones

By Mike S.

 

These headphones are not just any ordinary headphones, they are the wireless Beat Solo 3. These headphone are the best headphones on the market, and here are some reasons why.

Beats Solo 3s are the best headphones on the market because they are the most stylish headphones on the market. They are the most stylish headphones because they come in around 50 – 60 color options, but if you want to get a color scheme that apple doesn’t make you problembly can buy a wrap for the headphones. A wrap is basically a heavy duty sticker that covers the whole headphone to make it look like the paint job. You can find many wraps on amazon, and any 3rd party market. If you want, to make your own wrap for your Beats Solo 3s you can go to Skinit.com and customize the wrap yourself.

These beats are also the best headphones on the market because, they have the best quality. Starting off with the packaging, you already know you are getting good quality because of the hard and protective box they come in. When you get inside the protective box there are instructions, underneath that are your Beats Solo 3s in a Beats bag. Under your beats are a charging cord, and wire cord to plug the headphone to the phone, and a custom beats carabiner. These Beats Solo 3s are a wireless headphone but if your headphone dies and you don’t want to charge them you can hook up the custom beats cord to the headphones and plug the cord into the device, now you have wired headphone. They also have the best quality because of the ear cuff. The ear cuff is made out of a nice thin leather with nice cushioning underneath it, to make sure that you don’t have crushed ear when you are done listening to your nice smooth sounding music. Another reason they have the best quality is because when you play your music the music is never blurry or unfocused. This gives you a nice warm up for sports or a nice sound quality for when you are watching your favorite youtuber. The last thing on why they have the best quality is because of the new feature call the W1 chip. The W1 chip makes the beats very easy and simple to pair with a apple device.

The only bad part of these Beats Solo 3s are the price. These headphones cost a total of 299.99$ and if you don’t like any colors that apple makes you can buy a wrap and that costs 19.99$ which brings the total up to 319.98. But these expensive headphones are definitely worth the 319.98$ if you are looking for an amazing pair of headphones with good quality and maybe a little flex on your teammates or classmates.

That is why the Beats Solo 3s are the best headphones on the market, and now that you know they are amazing you can close up your device and cheap headphones and go to your closes Target or Walmart and go buy yourself a pair of beats Solo 3s.

Martha’s Vineyard

By Tucker S.

Martha’s Vineyard is one of the best places to go in the summer. Martha has great beaches, extraordinary house designs, amazing stores, arcades, and restaurants that will leave you wanting more. The island also has many events through the year from 5k to the annual fireworks at the Ocean Park on July, 4th. The island’s beaches have soft sand and includes a lot of sea glass which would be a calming walk for anyone. In my opinion the best beaches are south beach and state beach. The south beach is a long beach but have big waves that may knock you over, but when if your bigger it is a lot of fun to ride the waves. State beach is probably the most famous beach on the island because it was the beach that was used in the movie, Jaws, where the shark swims under the bridge. So now people jump off the bridge as a tourist attraction. Also, if you bring all the right supplies and toys a beach day at one of these beaches would be so much fun. The houses at Martha’s Vineyard have many designs like the gingerbread houses, and the regular Edgartown house. The gingerbread houses look like how they sound, a gingerbread house. The regular Edgartown houses have to have green shutters, and shingles, or white beams. Some Edgartown houses have the kitchen upstairs and the all the bedrooms downstairs. The Vineyard includes many retail stores like Vineyard Vines, Into the Pink, Island Outfitters and much more. There are three big towns, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard haven, and Edgartown. Those towns have the most stores and restaurants since that they are the most popular. Oak bluffs also includes a arcade, fishing pier, ice cream stores, the oldest carousel in America, and a big park for anyone to run around. Vineyard haven doesn’t have as much shops and attractions as Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, but it does have mini golf, frozen yogurt, and supermarket along with the shops and restaurants. Finally, Edgartown has candy and ice cream stores, toy stores, fishing pier, and a park to walk or rest in. The restaurants can vary from Fat Ronnie’s Burgers to the Atlantic’s delicious seafood or even to the BackYard Tacos, all the food is great at Martha’s Vineyard. I don’t what my favorite restaurant is but I really enjoy them all. Martha’s Vineyard is a safe and friendly place there are no criminals. Most people just keep their door unlocked. Thank you for reading.

No Summit Out Of Sight Book Review

By Christiana S.

No Summit Out of Sight was the middle school assigned summer read from last year, and it was probably one of the most uninteresting and boring books I have ever read in my whole entire life. No Summit Out of Sight is an autobiography by a thirteen year-old boy named Jordan Romero who climbed the Seven Summits.

 

In general I have never been fond of autobiographies, and this book one hundred percent did not change my mind. Looking at the cover you would think “it’s about a kid who climbed the tallest mountain in the world! It must be interesting,” but you will be surprised how quickly you’ll change your mind. Even though the beginning of the book isn’t terribly boring, I just wanted to give up on reading it about half way through. Have you ever been so bored that you can not pay attention to what you’re supposed to be doing? Well, I almost fell asleep reading this book, and it was the middle of a summer day.

 

No Summit Out of Sight was three hundred and fifty pages, and I think that was very excessive for a book that repeats the same thing over and over again each chapter. Each time he described what climbing one of the seven mountains was like Jordan Romero wrote about the weather conditions, and who he was climbing with, and his struggles climbing, and each time it was the same thing. It was difficult for him to climb parts of the mountains, so he was helped by the people around him, and it was cold and windy. When they reached the summits they cried with joy and that’s just about all it said. Imagine continuously reading the same line because that is what it is like to read this book. Reading No Summit Out of Sight was as annoying as having an ant in your pants. I couldn’t motivate myself to read the book especially because each chapter was about twenty or more pages long. I think that if you are going to write the same thing with almost no detail, then you should at least make each chapter shorter. While reading the book I couldn’t make an image in my head of what he was talking about, because there was no description whatsoever. It’s like I was climbing the mountain with my eyes closed. The book should have been much shorter than three hundred and fifty pages.

 

Although I understand this was about a young teenager who made history, it just really did not spark any interest for me. Perhaps if the book wasn’t so repetitive and long I might have liked it a little more than I did. Overall I wouldn’t recommend this book to anybody unless they enjoy reading uninteresting, slow paced books.

Creed II movie review

By Omar S.

Creed II was a movie released in November 2018. It’s about Ivan Drago’s son, Victor Drago, stepping up to the ring to challenge Adonis Creed. The fight was really history repeating itself. It is adding a lot of characters from the Rocky series and continuing the story until the end. The main story was that Ivan Drago killed Adonis’s father, Apollo Creed, during a fight. After that, Rocky steps up and challenges Ivan. He wins with a clean victory, but then has to raise Adonis to become the champion he is now. After a couple of fights and training, Adonis is named the world champion boxer. Victor couldn’t take it anymore so he challenged Creed to a fight. Victor got disqualified during the first fight because he kept fighting even when Adonis was on the ground. That led to a rematch. However, Adonis had to play in Drago’s element, Russia. Creed took the victory in Russia by Ivan throwing the towel as in no more.

Once I heard about the movie, I had to watch it to see for myself if it was really good. This is what I thought.

 

I liked the way the creators of this movie started the film off by continuing the story. In other words, they started the movie off by Adonis being named the World Champion Boxer. It was a nice and solid start, like the beginning of a football game. I really liked it because of it started where it needed in the first movie of Creed.

 

Then, they transitioned stories from Adonis Creed to Victor Drago by switching stories every once and awhile. It’s like changing a person’s view in a book. I like their ideas of creativity because it really shows the way both boxers were feeling during their rough time an that is a very significant part that should be in every movie. It would make them a lot more magnificent than what they are now. To me, it would amaze people to actually have the movie tell a story that is easy to understand because if not, than what’s the point of having a story to share, like an autobiography book.

 

Then comes the part where Victor rises to the plate and challenges Adonis which to me was very significant in the movie because in Rocky IV, Ivan said basically the same thing like Victor. Both were as serious as a businessman. No facial expression but a knockout expression. The only difference was that in the old movie, Ivan’s wife was beside him. This time, a famous business maker was beside Victor. I think it would have been better if they followed the story the way it was. Ivan’s wife should’ve been beside Victor at that time, but since she left Ivan because he lost, it had to be different. However, it gets better.

 

Before the second fight, Victor had a special dinner with his divorced mother. He didn’t enjoy it and ditched it although she was with him during the fight. At the beginning of the fight, it starts slow, then fast. I always like slow to fast like a roller coaster, so good job moviemakers. Victor’s’ mother was with him the whole time, but left once he was losing. It was pretty sad, but added more passion and enthusiasm in the movie, like the different chords in a song. It starts a little slow and less enthusiastic, then it exceeds and keeps on transcending. It made people wonder. Why would she leave her own son like that? No one knows. It is mysterious. I like mystery. It makes me feel like I am in a mystery book. However, it gets even better.

 

The best part in the movie was that they added a couple of new characters in the movie. Rocky’s son all grown up, and Adonis’s newborn baby. That just means that there will most likely be a Creed III in the future which will make everyone go crazy, and I can’t wait to see it. Adding new characters always makes the movie better because the story has more to talk about and more passion to express. That’s what makes a movie.

 

Overall, out of ten, I will give Creed an 11 out of ten by the fabulous story they’ve created with their imaginative minds of theirs. I can’t wait to see Creed III.

2K10 Baseball Video Game

By Paul S.

2k10 baseball is a older game but it is a lot of fun. I believe that it is the best baseball video game ever, even out of the ones we have today. I believe this for a lot of reasons, one being that it has a online mode so you can play with your friends. Another being that you can make you own player, chose his position, and customize him. For example I made a pitcher with my name and I customized him to my hitting stance and the way I wear my uniform. Since my guy is a pitcher, I also got to pick what pitches I want. After you customize him you pick what team you want to play for. You first start in the farm leagues, then you have to complete a certain amount of goals and you have to play games to get called up to the big leagues. Once your in the big leagues you have to play games and finish more goals to get to the hall of fame. This is really repeating though and it gets bored after a while but, if you it gets fun when you get up to bat especially if you are a pitcher. There of course is other modes such as just playing a real mlb 9 inning game. You can also pick what team you want to be on, and you can play for either the American or national league all stars. Hitting is a lot of fun and you always have to look for a good pitch. One of the great features of the game is that you can pick what pitch you want to throw and were you want to throw them. A lot of baseball games now has it that you only have one pitch and it is a fastball. Throwing different pitches adds strategy and more fun to the game as well, you also have to throw the pitch in a certain mostian with your joystick. This allows you to use your pitches affectively. There is also a home run derby which you can pick up to 8 players that you want to use. This is a really fun mode and the power that you bat with is increased to make that ball go farther and so you can hit a home run most of the time. The game itself has good graphics but it was made in 2009 so today’s graphics are of course better. Also the roster is a lot different and it is from the 2009 season instead of this season. They also have music that plays when you are waiting to get into a game or are just on the home screen. The game itself is pretty easy to navigate, if you have never played before. There is also a franchise mode were you can play up to 162 games, which is a full season in the mlb. The game overall is pretty good, considering it was made 10 years ago. There is a lot of baseball games that you can play now but 2k for baseball is not made any more. They stopped making them and have stuck to other sports, which is kind of sad. This is also played on the Xbox 360 and when I bought it it was around 10 dollars. I will give it a 5 out of 5 even though the graphics are not as good as they are now. I mostly did this from a standpoint that if I was playing this game in 2009.

Cooler Master Devastator 3 gaming keyboard

By Darren S.

Gaming Keyboard-“Cooler Master Devastator 3”-Why Spending Those Extra Dollars for a Keyboard is Worth It

First Impressions- Keyboards, a technological device used to create essays and configured to send messages to your closest friends. Some keyboards started with super clunky and enormous keys and just do not feel natural to type on. But, over time, the keyboard has evolved to become smaller, thinner, and look more sleek. In the 21st century, technology is one of the most popular and relevant things in the entire world. Here is one of these items. Introducing the Cooler Master Devastator 3. The “Cooler Master Devastator” has a really unique and fun name and will unquestionably attract younger consumers. This device also has four different configurations for its mouse speed. It also has backlit keys with different colors to add to the composition of the keyboard. With a touch of a button, any user is able to change these keys to smokey red, dark blue, dazzling yellow, beaming teal, hot pink, and a white with a hint of purple. Of course another option involves no color at all. This button is precisely located under the right shift button. At first glance, this item absolutely looks modern and 21st century-like. The font of all the keys are really unique and seem like they are from the future. This device is also fairly easy to transport to other places. So far, the keyboard feels and looks really premium. But, for $39.99, is the keyboard worth it?

 

Pros and Cons- When using the keys on the keyboard, you will notice that the keys sound a bit unique. The sound the keys make are not overly loud and the sound is very faint and muffled. But, because this keyboard is mainly used for a desktop, the keys are not thin at all. But, when you press on the keys with a lot of pressure, the sound volume will increase. I think that the sound is not a problem and will only increase due to finger pressure. The key font seems to be more squared rather than a more curved font. The font also seems to be a lot thicker which gives the keyboard the modern and unique design. The crisp sound of the keys is really satisfying and delightful.  Also, another aspect of the gadget to notice could be the hand rest at the bottom of the keyboard. This hand rest has a particularly special design. There are many thin lines geometrically placed which, once again, gives the keyboard its outstanding sleek and modern feel. I have also took notice about these smooth bars that outline the keyboard on all four sides of it. They are so smooth, they are as smooth as a seal. These feel really nice and reflect a bit which makes the keyboard glisten brilliantly. So far, I have been using this keyboard for about 6 months, and I have not experienced any technological problems. I have also not really had much material stuck between the keys too.

 

Final Thoughts-  My opinion of this keyboard is that it is absolutely marvelous. I believe that this keyboard is able to be compatible with all sorts of tasks. This keyboard can easily handle tasks such as gaming, writing essays, or even shopping online. But, the big questions is: is it worth it? For $40, I believe, without a doubt, that this keyboard is 100% worth it. I think that the amount of money that you have to spend to purchase an item exactly like this is worth its design, build quality, and its durability. I have experienced no major problems with this keyboard. I confidently expect this keyboard, with daily use, to last another couple of years. The backlit keys especially make the keyboard very amusing and pleasant to look at when typing. If this keyboard in particular does not fit your budget, I still recommend budget options for keyboards too. If you are not considering getting a new keyboard at all, I completely disagree. I think that most keyboards have an amazing feel and design. Keyboards will last a long time and will definitely be worth the extra money. The advancement of keyboards are essentially the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix

By Kayzie S.

I am going to be reviewing Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix. When I first saw the box it made me want to try the brownies right at that moment because the box had a photo filled with mouth watering brownies. When I first looked at the instructions on the back of the box to make the brownies, I noticed a few things. First that the instructions were easy to read, which means that it would be hard to make a mistake. All I had to add were eggs, vegetable oil, and water. The next thing I noticed were pan sizes, although most brownie mixes typically do have multiple choices it it nice to have the option to choose from a thirteen by nine inch, a nine by nine inch, and an eight by eight inch. An intriguing suggestion that the box gave were more choices to stir into the mix, and they included candy bars, cranberries, and pretzels. These were options that I would have never thought to put into brownie mix.

    The first thing I did was preheat the oven and then grease the pan. When I first opened the box I saw a clear package filled with small brown dots that looked as small as dust particles. When I opened the crinkly clear package and poured it into the bowl I could immediately smell chocolate. Next the eggs were cracked, then the water and oil were also poured into the shiny bowl. I mixed all of these ingredients together until it  formed a liquidy brown mix that had the aroma of sweet chocolate. Then I poured the batter into the pan watched it take the shape of the pan. The oven timer was ready so put the pan in the oven and set the timer for fifty minutes.

    After about thirty  minutes I could start to smell the brownies, so I went to look and I saw there was a very light brown crust beginning to form at the top. I also noticed that the brownies had grown in height and were beginning to look cooked. When the timer finally went off, I was just about ready to take the brownies out of the pan and eat them on the spot, but I let the brownies cool. When they were cooled, using a plastic knife so I didn’t scratch the bottom of the pan, I slowly cut into the brownies down and across the middle and took I the middle piece out of the center of the brownies. I then placed the brownie on a plate and took a bite, the brownie was still warm, was full chocolate, soft, and inviting. Although delicious, a homemade brownie recipe would have tasted better. These tasty treats are perfect if you need something to bring to a pool party, or even advisory snack.

USA Football tryouts

Tyler B.

    The purpose of this tryout was to gain knowledge about your specific position, also to try and secure a spot on the National Football Team. Going into the event, I was thinking about all the possible drills we could be doing and wondering how the days schedule would end up. This specific tryout was hosted at Bryant University. Upon arrival my dad and I were pointed into the direction of the athletic facilities by campus security. When I got into the gym I signed in and got my two wristbands to signal to the coaches what age I was. Secondly, I got my jersey which was number 241. It was blue to signal to coaches I was a defensive lineman. With my yellow wristbands and blue tank top I headed on my way.   

    I wasn’t going into this tryout alone, because I had some of my boys with me from my youth football team the Worcester Cowboys. The six of us sat down and listened to the opening speech. Right off the bat I notice the high level of energy and I liked it. We were told what our schedule would look like and it didn’t seem to me that it was going to be very hard.

    Going into our first practice I had my ears open like a elephant. I was ready to receive and use feedback that I was given. The drills in the first practice were mostly about hand placement, but some were about hand battles stuff I have nailed down. These drills weren’t that hard for me, but I noticed some kids lacking behind and goofing off. When eating launch we all noticed something different about ourselves we looked like a bunch of tomatoes. My arms were burnt very badly and so was my neck. The coaches there all currently coach at the collegiate level, and they knew every little in and out about the game. I will never forget Coach Curan he was so funny, and I felt he helped craft my game the most. He also added a lot more tools into my toolbox, meaning he showed me more was to pass by offensive lineman faster and more efficient.

    The second day they let us use the indoor facilities because it was down poring. The field was incredible, and the turf had so much grip you could tell this place was high maintenance. There were minimal things I think the camp could improve on, one being during the competition part we did the same drill both days, for a combined at least five hours this got a bit repetitive. I would recommend they add more competition drills to allow the athletes to really showcase their talents.

    I hope those who play football after reading my review of the USA National Football Team tryout you go out next season and showcase your talents for a shot to make the team. Thanks for reading.

Eggo Waffles

By Suhas K.

The Eggos

 

        The mouth watering look of the golden crispy Eggo just makes you want eat it. But when you put the ravishing sweet syrup on it makes it look like paradise for your taste buds. The Eggos are like a lake full of tastyness. You can’t get enough. The delicate sphere like edge is like a waterfall made for the syrup. The cubic holes in the middle are like surgery aqueducts. The resilient box with crunchy wrapper make you love the Eggo already, and, you can see the Eggo right through the wrapper. For example, the scent that this scrumptious piece of deep lustrous yellow gives off is superb. It smell is unrepeatable. It smells homemade and full. You will love how it gratifies your nostrils. When it gets to your brain the sensation is spectacular. When you put it in the toaster you can just smell the Eggo. The exotic sensation wants you to just eat all of the Eggos in the world. I don’t know what feels better when your Eggo is done it feels like school just ended. The perfect unique smell is superb, and make go and make more. This tastes like mouthful of delightfulness. It entices your mouth with all it surgery syrups. The luscious and fulfilling flavors will make your mouth feel like heaven. When you bite in the blueberry flavored Eggo you can feel the crunchy and softness of the waffle. The taste will make your mouth explode with bursting out flavors. The cinnamon toast Eggos are absolutely delicious. The shape is like French toast which makes it even better. The surgery cinnamon mixed with sugar.

Restaurant Review: Thai Time

Thai Time is a small hidden restaurant with the many big shops surrounding it. The restaurant is in between to a tax company and a apartment complex.The parking space sometimes can be hard to find because there are so many people at the bar across from it. Though you can go and park behind that apartments and from that it is a one minute walk to restaurant.The waitress will  immediately escort you to a table when you first step in the door or you can choose.

The different seasonings and a food being cooked in the kitchen can be smelled from wherever you sit. The waitress gives you five minutes to choose what you want or if you know the restaurant well enough you order on the spot. The wait time is around ten-fifteen minutes though it is worth it. I usually order chicken spring rolls not fried and my dad gets veggie spring rolls not fried. The place expresses its culture with many Taiwanese decorations. It is private and often quiet despite not being very big space and the chairs being connected together.

There is a lamp above every table so there is just enough light when you are eating. The food is served on a very nice traditional Taiwanese type of plate with a vegetable flower design on the plate of the spring rolls. There is a peanut type of sauce that is sweet and spicy that is served with the spring rolls. I dip my spring roll inside the sweet and spicy sauce and take a bite, I can taste the sauce and then the soft vegetable chicken spring roll and the crunch of the cabbage and carrots. After I am finished with the meal I get served a duck soup. The soup is filled with rich seasoning such as parsley and soy sauce.

The rice noodles were soft and slipped right into you mouth as you ate them with the broth. Though the best out of it all is the duck. The duck has fried crumbs to the side of it so it’s a little fried. When you bite into it, it fills your mouth with so many flavors and the moist yet crunchy fried crumbs on it give it a nice texture of crunchiness and tender duck meat that is well cooked. When I had finished my duck soup I was going to the green curry. The curry had chicken, mushrooms, and bamboo strands in it. The curry was just right and not that spicy and it had a texture of soft juicy tender chicken. When you get to the bamboo strands though it is well cooked so it is soft and filled with the curry sauce it was just sitting in. With the curry, you have a side bowl of rice that gives it more taste and texture. After I had eaten all of the green curry I moved on to a more interesting dish and it was called fried ice cream. The ice was encased with fried dough and had the top with whipped cream. As I bit down there was a little bit of a warm touch to it and then you could feel the cold vanilla ice cream touch against my tongue. When the ice cream had been devoured the waitress came and gave my brother and me threes small hard candies and I didn’t want to eat them because I wanted to savor all the taste of the food I just had.

 

Food Review: Off-Brand Cereal

Have you ever been in the cereal aisle at the grocery store and noticed a box that seemed to look just like another more well known brand name cereal? Did you ever wonder if it actually tasted as good? Well, I will attempt to answer this question by reviewing three off brand cereals that I found at Wegman’s Grocery Store.

First cereal: Berry Corn Crunch

The box was purple with pink swirls on it. It certainly seemed like it was trying hard to look like a brand name cereal. Obviously, whoever created this cereal was not that imaginative, because it looked like a mix of Captain Crunch Cereal and fruit flavored Cocoa Puffs.  The cereal smelled like dried strawberries and vanilla. This may sound appealing to you, but I didn’t think it was something I would enjoy smelling everyday even as a candle scent.

As soon as I took a bite of the cereal it was definitely better than I thought it would be. It was not too sweet, and not too fruity. It reminded me of when I would enjoy a bowl of  freshly picked strawberries by my pool on a hot sunny day.

I think that Berry Corn Crunch  was actually quite good. I would definitely recommend this cereal if you like fruity flavors. It’s like they always say -don’t judge a book by its cover.

 

Second cereal: Marshmallow Treasures

The image on the box looked like something a five year old may have drawn.  To me, it resembled a very blurry picture of Lucky Charms. The name of the cereal seemed a bit childish as well.  When I opened the box, it smelled like stale Lucky Charms. Marshmallows were hard to come by in this cereal box, despite my hunting efforts.  The oat pieces looked like the snack you give babies who don’t yet have teeth.

Unfortunately, it tasted as unpleasant as it smelled.  It was oddly too crunchy, which made the taste of the bland oat pieces so much worse.  The name was quite true, because you get as many marshmallows as you do finding real life treasures.

I disliked this cereal a lot. I would not recommend this to anyone who prefers their breakfast to actually taste good. Please do not try this cereal – don’t waste a trip to the store.

 

Third cereal: Honey Smackers

This cereal is obviously meant to intrigue little kids, but from my point of view, the frog on the box is a bit creepy. From the sideways hat to  the “dig’em” t-shirt , it was just weird. On the back of the box, there was a game. When I opened the package, the smell was really alarming. I don’t even know how to describe it. And that is not a good thing.

This cereal tasted like a much blander form of Cheerios.  It had a hint of sweetness, but was not enough to make it interesting, or something I would want to eat again. The texture of the cereal was rough, and felt like sandpaper on my tongue. It left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.

I did not like this cereal. It was my least favorite. The name of the cereal was misleading, because it certainly didn’t taste like honey. I would not recommend this cereal to anyone, because there are so many more tasty cereal options to eat in the morning.

These three cereals were not what I was expecting. Some surprised me in a good way, and others were truly disappointing. What I learned from this food review, was that sometimes looks can be deceiving, but other times, what you expect, is what you get.

 

Restaurant Review: Hien Vuong Restaurant

I was recommended by my old piano teacher to try the Hien Vuong Restaurant in Worcester, Massachusetts, and I found out the restaurant is located on a street with many Vietnamese businesses, including markets and barber shops. Parking is a bit inconvenient, for there is only one parking lot for all the businesses on the street.

When I walked into the restaurant, I was struck by the smell, for it had a strong smell of raw seafood. I soon realized it was because of the large fish tank near the door. There were objects scattered around the restaurant, but the tables were really clean in comparison. The restaurant was pretty large, with a long mirror on one side. There were plenty of people eating there.

On the table, there were standard herbs for a Vietnamese store, including mint, bean sprout, and lime. There was also a container of chopsticks, but you can also ask for other utensils if you do not know how to use them. The waiter barely spoke to us which was just fine for me. The menu included at least 20 distinct noodles to try, and also three sizes, small, medium, and large. There was beef, chicken, and many different types of seafood. I decided to order the medium beef meatball noodles, for I am not a fan of the seafood options they had.

My noodles arrived within five minutes, and they tasted really good. They were thin and were floating on the surface in large clumps. However, it was the broth that was delicious. It was very savory. The herbs were very fresh, especially the lime, for they were bought at the nearby market. Many vegetables including bok choy were added in to the soup, so it was considerably healthy. The beef was not stale at all, and had absorbed a lot of the broth. The price of the noodles was about eight dollars.

I would recommend this restaurant to those who are there just for the food and not for the service. These are probably some of the best Vietnamese noodles you can get in Worcester.

 

Restaurant Review: Melt

Melt in the Natick mall has been one of my most favorite places to eat. Placed in the center of the second floor of the Natick mall, it is suspended by two walkways towards a small circular center. At first glance, the place seems like a small ice cream place. However, it is more like a cafe, for it also serves coffee, savory crepes, smoothies and sandwiches. The cafe has small with a small service center in the middle where you can order and pick up your food. Around the service center were a decent amount of seats. The tables had the occasional crumb or two, but otherwise, it was a pretty clean restaurant. I ordered the Texas chicken panini and strawberry banana smoothie. The sandwich comes with a side of crunchy golden kettle cooked chips. Then, I picked a spot and waited for my order to be completed.

When my order arrived I was very pleased. The portions were very fitting and it was placed on my plate like a piece of art. The chicken was glazed with a sweet honey barbecue sauce, topped with fresh tomatoes, onions, and melted cheese. The first bite I took was amazing, for I was taken back because of all of the flavors mixing in my mouth. The sweet barbecue mixed with the creamy cheese to make the perfect flavor along with the citrus onion and sweet tomato. When I finished the sandwich, it left me craving for more. While I was devouring my sandwich, my thirst was quenched by the perfect balance of sweet and sour in a tall glass strawberry banana smoothie. The light pink ocean filled my mouth with sweetness and a pinch of sour. Combined with the chips, they made the perfect balance of sweet fruit and savory potatoes. After I finished my meal, I got some gelato. The portions were perfect, for I had just finished a delicious lunch. I got a raspberry flavor and it was amazing. It tasted sweet but not to sweet, for I felt like I felt like I was taken back to ice cream land. I finished my gelato faster than anything that I had ever eaten in that size.

Melt is truly a destination if you crave flavor. This place will please your taste buds and your stomach. Along with being a good restaurant, it is a very convenient place to be, for it is right in the center of a mall. I recommend doing some shopping until you crave something delicious. In my opinion, food this good deserves a five star rating.

 

Cannoli Review: Gerardo’s Bakery, Whole Foods, and Wholly Cannoli

In this food review I picked three places; Gerardo’s, Whole Foods, and Wholly Cannoli to see which place has the best cannoli. I will rank each store. The ways I will critique the cannolis is based off of the looks and taste. I have bought two cannolis from each store, chocolate chip and plain.

The first store I will critique is Gerardo’s. Unlike the other stores, the cannolis are in a bag. They also put their sticker with their fancy logo and cursive on it, which gets points for the looks. The first cannoli I look at is the chocolate chip one. With chocolate chips on both sides, there is just the right amount, not too much or too little. They also have powdered sugar on the cannoli. As I take my first bite, the soft cream overtakes my taste buds. The chocolate chips don’t add much flavor and neither does the powdered sugar. Now my mouth is watering because of the rich taste and soft cream. It is almost as if the cannoli is daring me to take an another bite. As I take my second bite, the powdered sugar comes in, taking you back to a carnival and getting fried dough with powdered sugar. This time the cannoli breaks apart a little, like a earthquake just came through the streets. As I take my final bite the creaminess gives one last overdose of cream. The taste doesn’t linger in your mouth for long but instead wants you to eat another. This cannoli was very good and I am happy I started out with this one. I had only one problem and that was that the shell was a little tasteless.

The next cannoli I tried was the plain cannoli. It had the same packaging as the other cannoli. This time there was more of that soft cream and less of the powdered sugar.  I fear that on this one the shell will overtake the powdered sugar, which I would not like. I take a mini bite if the cream and it tastes like frosting. This cream is definitely better than the last cannoli because it was softer and more flavorful. I take my first bite and again, the cream overtakes my taste buds. With the other cannoli I did not like the taste of the shell because it was tasteless. This one taste like a waffle cone and it is soft in your mouth. I take my second bite and the shell is super hard. It is so hard it bends my braces a little bit. I take my final bites…….the cream takes me back to my birthdays with cupcake frosting and cakes. It brings happy memories back to me. Gerardo’s was the best so far (obviously) and I feel that it will be the best bakery out of all of them.

The next store is Whole Foods. As I open the box I see these two ugly cannolis. Unfortunately they did not have chocolate chip cannoli but they had a chocolate shell cannoli. I look at both of them and almost gag because they look really bad. The cream is spilling out and the shell is way too hard. I am thinking to myself “ am I about to die because of such a bad cannoli”. I have butterflies in my stomach. After I few minutes I decide to take the first bite. And I instantly regret it. The plain cannoli tastes like bread. The cream has no life to it, it’s just tasteless. The shell has no hardness and it tastes like bread. The chocolate shell is way too hard. Even with all my strength with my two fingers still can’t break it. There are so many words I could use to describe it and many of them would be vulgar. I recommend never to get cannolis at whole food. Never ever ever do it.

The last store I tried was Wholly Cannoli. These cannolis look good this time. The plain cannoli has a hint of powdered sugar but the chocolate chip one does not. These cannolis do look appetizing. I was hoping that they were small but packed a lot of flavor. I took the first bite…The plain cannoli tastes ok. Unlike the Gerardo’s this does not exceed my expectation. But for the chocolate chip one I can taste the chocolate chip this time. This cream isn’t as flavorful as I would like it to be. The cream and chocolate chips taste good but for both of them I don’t like the shell. The shell is soft but the taste of it is bland. Overall this is a good cannoli but it is not a cannoli that makes me want to eat it again. It is a one time dessert.

Conclusion

It did not take me long to think who came first, second, and third. The worst cannoli or third place was Whole Foods. The look of the cannoli almost made me gag and the taste was like bread. LIKE BREAD! BREAD DOES NOT BELONG IN A CANNOLI. I will never eat cannolis from there and I do not recommended that ever. I am not trying to put Whole Foods down but I guess cannolis aren’t their thing. Second would be Wholly Cannoli. The cannolis were good and had a good taste to it. It did not make me say WHOLLY CANNOLI but instead made me say “meh”. I would recommend for some if you want something quick to eat. Plus the store has pizzas and sandwiches to go along with your dessert. The best cannolis and first place is…… GERARDO’S. Gerardo’s was the best cannolis I have tasted. It had rich and soft cream and the powdered sugar made me go back in time when I was throwing rings on a bottle or throwing a wiffle ball into a cup. It made me speechless and it was one of the only desserts I really liked. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.

 

Restaurant Review: Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A is no doubt one of the most popular fast food restaurants in America. I wanted to find out if it really lived up to the hype. Walking into Chick-fil-A was no different than walking into any typical fast food restaurant. It was kind of like when you copy of your friends homework, but you have to make it a little different. It seems as though that’s exactly what chick-fil-a did with Burger King but much worse. Everything down to the menu was similar. Chick-fil-A was just another fast food restaurant trying to claw its way into being the best in the industry. With what I was looking at I was sure that wasn’t going to happen. I made a mental note to myself: first impression- not so great. I didn’t give up hope yet though. There were still a lot of things I had yet to experience.

As I get in line to place in order, I notice the strong smell of chemicals, clouding the air around me. I immediately felt uncomfortable. If this is what the food smelled like, what was it going to taste like. I told my dad and sister that I was going to find us a seat, and to just order me some chicken nuggets. I immediately regretted my decision to find tables after looking at them. The tables looked like they haven’t been cleaned in weeks. I found the unfinished lunch of the customer before me still lying on my booth as I attempted to save it since it had what was probably the cleanest table in the entirety of the restaurant. A significant amount of time later my family returned looking rather angry with their experience. My sister explained to me that when she asked if the food contained her allergens-eggs and peanuts-, and she was met with the response that they fried everything in peanut oil. The workers weren’t particularly thrilled to help her with her allergies. This was obviously disappointing for a variety of reasons. The biggest disappointment being that peanut allergies are one of the most common in the world. Chick-fil-A should have considered this a long time ago. The risk of cross contamination is just too high. If you have an allergy, Chick-fil-A probably isn’t the best place for you.

Putting all other complaints aside, I think that the most important test for Chick-fil-A is yet to come. After all, there is no good restaurant without good food. This could make or break the reputation of Chick- fil-A itself. I open the chicken nuggets which are still warm- a good sign. As I picked up the chicken nuggets, my mind immediately went to the image of mountains of breaded chicken nugget with valleys of oil swimming in between. I quickly the dabbed the nugget with a paper towel hoping to make a difference but it was no use. I hesitantly lifted the chicken into my mouth and felt my tongue slightly burn. My tongue felt us though it was met with hot stove. There was absolutely no warning as to how hot the chicken nuggets were. These were not ordinary temperature for a fast food restaurant meal. Despite the setback, I was determined to taste the food, and found that it left a rather bitter taste in my mouth. It was very much your typical chicken nugget. Nothing to set it apart from the others. It tasted like something you could get at Mcdonalds for a lower price. Obviously, I wasn’t a big fan of the food. My father wasn’t either. He described the french fries as visually appealing, however not something you would want to put in your stomach. The food obviously did not meet the standards, I hoped it would. But then again, what can you expect from a cliched fast food restaurant.

At the end of it all, one question still remains: would I recommend this restaurant to anyone? The answer is no. It was the worst fast food restaurant I have ever been to. If you factor in the service, cleanliness and overall taste off the food, it would probably be a 2 on a scale from one to ten. I guess if you want dirty tables, terrible service, and tasteless food, Chick-fil-A is the place to be.