Better late then never. I have dined a plenty of establishments since my last blog related to salads.
Where shall I begin... My sister, Joan's birthday dinner. When I heard we were dining at The Texas Roadhouse in Greensburg pa. texasroadhouse.com . My picky self thought. Well-they do have great warm, soft dinner rolls with yummy cinnamon butter. Buckets of peanuts & tall cold beer while you wait. It would be the perfect atmosphere for our party of 10, one would think. Until you are surprised when the party arrives and the hostess (without explanation) proceeds with seating half of our party at one table and the other half at another. Of course the first half of our party was seated 8 minutes before the second half. My thoughts were immediately walking out the door to a more accommodating place to dine. I wouldn't have chosen this place in the first place. To be separated for the birthday celebration, was dumb and what was the point! Its not like the food is amazing. Despite our seating debacle.
FYI : The first Texas roadhouse was founded in 1993 in Indiana by Wayne Kent Taylor. Formally co owner of Buckheads bar and grill in Atlanta GA. Speaking of Buckshead, Fogo de chao Steakhouse is a winner. The eloquent salad bar is amazing. fogodechao.com
Lets talk steak. I ordered a 16 oz Rib Eye. That was my mom's steak of choice, which then became mine. When I order food anywhere, I take into consideration the day of week and time of day. Most establishments have their most reliable and seasoned cooks preparing popular meals for hungry customers on a Friday or Saturday night. Well at least that is how I would schedule my seasoned crew.
I picked my steak from the case at the front of the house. As if my finger pointing would somehow make the steak amazingly tasty. I asked the person behind the case, when were these steaks cut. He didn't know. I pointed out the steak I wanted and went back to my table.
Rib eye, medium with mushrooms. Loaded sweet potato and a salad ordered.
Trying to have dinner talk with the second half of your dinner party, behind us, was pretty difficult. The joint isn't exactly quiet dining.
Dinner arrives. The loaded sweet potato is a favorite of mine. I started on that. It was good, but was over baked and flat. I am guessing it was already baked then reheated. It was not as hearty as once upon a time.
The 16 oz $22 steak, was over seasoned and not as tender as I had hoped. I did not eat the steak. The waitress was kind enough to remove the charge from our bill.
The Roadhouse doesn't fall into the countries top 50 steakhouses. Number one Steakhouse is in Beverly Hills CA. Owned by Wolfgang. On my next trip to the Big Apple, Id like to try Peter Lugers Steakhouse, located Brooklyn Williamsburg area.. Ranked number 5 in the country.
It has been reported that the roadhouse quality of steak is less than the Longhorn, steakhouse.
Next time we want to have a party of more than 5 & need the flavor of Steak. We will do our research on seating and quality.
The best steaks in PA: Morton's steakhouse in Pgh, Ruth Chris Steaks in Pgh, Hyde Park prime steakhouse in Pgh.
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Salad Savvy
Summer heat wave has arrived, finally. Its almost immediate that my cravings change from a hearty meal to a hearty salad. Most restaurants detail the menu items with specific ingredients that are "supposed" to be in the dish, that caught your eye at first glance. Just from the picture and the description. That's called advertising. Marketing. Selling....Or is it.
For a diehard foodie like myself. When I read a descriptive menu item. That's chock full with the combination of flavors that I grave. It chills my food anxiety, for mmm exactly what I could go for. Perfect... sigh.
We decided to hit Dino's I, our local wing joint. A pretty extensive menu. The way I look at it. If you have such an extensive menu, is there any one menu item that will be perfected? The wings would be a good bet. Dino's wings are pretty good. The sweet and hot is probably the best. In my opinion. I really do prefer the whole wing vs the wing ding. dinoslatrobe.com.
Back to the salad craving......
Of course I looked at all the salads about 10 times. Finally landing on the "Italian salad" aka:
Cubed pepperoni, salami, American and swiss cheese. Peppercinis, eggs and black olives on a bed of romaine lettuce. Doesn't that sound like a lovely antipasto.
Again, this is coming from a foodie. The appreciation for particular cuts of meats or cheeses. Julianne vs cubed. All is considered when preparing a meal. I'm sure all channel surfers have scrolled past the cooking channel and caught a chef comment on the importance of "the cut".
Or perhaps the differences between Iceberg lettuce vs Romaine. Besides flavor. There is a plenty of nutrient value to romaine vs iceberg. Obviously iceberg is a cheaper lettuce. Some do know the difference Mr.Dino.
No cubes of cheese nor romaine were involved last evening.
I do believe if you make sure you remind the server exactly what is on that salad, it will come to you as described.
Fun fact: did you know, the expression of "rabbit food" was first recorded in 1930. Hmm
For a diehard foodie like myself. When I read a descriptive menu item. That's chock full with the combination of flavors that I grave. It chills my food anxiety, for mmm exactly what I could go for. Perfect... sigh.
We decided to hit Dino's I, our local wing joint. A pretty extensive menu. The way I look at it. If you have such an extensive menu, is there any one menu item that will be perfected? The wings would be a good bet. Dino's wings are pretty good. The sweet and hot is probably the best. In my opinion. I really do prefer the whole wing vs the wing ding. dinoslatrobe.com.
Back to the salad craving......
Of course I looked at all the salads about 10 times. Finally landing on the "Italian salad" aka:
Cubed pepperoni, salami, American and swiss cheese. Peppercinis, eggs and black olives on a bed of romaine lettuce. Doesn't that sound like a lovely antipasto.
Again, this is coming from a foodie. The appreciation for particular cuts of meats or cheeses. Julianne vs cubed. All is considered when preparing a meal. I'm sure all channel surfers have scrolled past the cooking channel and caught a chef comment on the importance of "the cut".
Or perhaps the differences between Iceberg lettuce vs Romaine. Besides flavor. There is a plenty of nutrient value to romaine vs iceberg. Obviously iceberg is a cheaper lettuce. Some do know the difference Mr.Dino.
No cubes of cheese nor romaine were involved last evening.
I do believe if you make sure you remind the server exactly what is on that salad, it will come to you as described.
Fun fact: did you know, the expression of "rabbit food" was first recorded in 1930. Hmm
Friday, May 27, 2016
Dining in
Hey food finder fans. We decided to dine in this evening. Feeling under the weather.
But not to disappoint the palate. Despite the house was hot as hell. We enjoyed cold brewskis on the covered side porch, with the great sounds of the 70's Pandora.
The house smelled of sautéed garlic in extra virgin olive oil (yummy) blended with 4 variety of peppers. Poblano, banana and green and red bell pep's. A lovely combo swimming in garlic ridden EVOO. Placed strategically in a baking dish and buried under a bed of shreds of delightful asiago cheese. Baked until golden brown and bubbly... ahhhhh. served with asiago bread for dipping. The best asiago bread can be found at Delallos Italian grocer. on Rt 30 in Jeanette pa.
delallo.co, It was a perfect appetizer made fresh and no high cost menu.
Followed by a small nest of fresh pasta with home made meatballs and sauce. Dinner was perfect. Quiet, inexpensive and no complaints about the service...
But not to disappoint the palate. Despite the house was hot as hell. We enjoyed cold brewskis on the covered side porch, with the great sounds of the 70's Pandora.
The house smelled of sautéed garlic in extra virgin olive oil (yummy) blended with 4 variety of peppers. Poblano, banana and green and red bell pep's. A lovely combo swimming in garlic ridden EVOO. Placed strategically in a baking dish and buried under a bed of shreds of delightful asiago cheese. Baked until golden brown and bubbly... ahhhhh. served with asiago bread for dipping. The best asiago bread can be found at Delallos Italian grocer. on Rt 30 in Jeanette pa.
delallo.co, It was a perfect appetizer made fresh and no high cost menu.
Followed by a small nest of fresh pasta with home made meatballs and sauce. Dinner was perfect. Quiet, inexpensive and no complaints about the service...
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
cafe sharkay 2 stars
I must say, Sharkys café "the complete sports restaurant" is a sports environment. sharkyscafe.com. The many big screen TV's, pool tables and hockey foosball sure does classify a sports bar that serves food. The menu is pretty extensive. Wing Night, pizza night, burger night. I think we have exhausted our enthusiasm for the joint. So, why go there, you ask...
The Libation very reasonable, free pop corn and sports... That's the secret folks.
We have requested special items, off menu and not extensive. For Example, Egg salad. A few eggs, mayonnaise and salt & pepper, on white toast. Cant go wrong. Thank you Jake (manager, I think) Nice, pleasant young man. Whipped it together in no time. We did, however order 10 piece wing, Garlic Parm sauce.. Don't do it people! Stick to the sweet and hot, It is your best bet. The garlic parm tasted old. It did, I swear. I know I am a picky one, but trust me on this. We had an order of Buffalo Fries as an appendage to our egg salad Sammy. Buffalo fries, hardly. It was a bed of not crispy fries
a sauce, im thinking it was the bbq sauce tossed with the fries. Non melting mozzarella on the top. Ehh, we didn't eat them. Here Cato boy.. The dog loved them. When your in the mood for buffalo fries, gotta have em. A $48.32 bill, couple to eggs, 4 slices of toast, bbq fries wanna be buffalo fries. We did have about a dozen cold brews between us. Refreshing.
I will always bow down the ever so lovely loaded mac and cheese. Crispy bacon, onion straws, 3 cheese yummy mac. There is one menu item that we haven't tried, but hear its good, if you want to clog your heart. Its called the Grilled cheese cheese burger. 2 grilled cheese, with a 1/2 lb burger in the middle. Lettuce , tomato and onion. Sounds pretty good, I guess.
The wait staff , bar tenders. Efficient and not as friendly as you might expect. Careful, it appears we might have a skimmer off the tipping process, I will leave it at that.
The dessert menu: I didn't know they had one..
You can buy a big ceramic mug, personalized with a number on it, where it hangs above the bar for when the frequent flier arrives, for a bargain basement price of $50 , to then get 50.cents off a beer every time you use it.
The Libation very reasonable, free pop corn and sports... That's the secret folks.
We have requested special items, off menu and not extensive. For Example, Egg salad. A few eggs, mayonnaise and salt & pepper, on white toast. Cant go wrong. Thank you Jake (manager, I think) Nice, pleasant young man. Whipped it together in no time. We did, however order 10 piece wing, Garlic Parm sauce.. Don't do it people! Stick to the sweet and hot, It is your best bet. The garlic parm tasted old. It did, I swear. I know I am a picky one, but trust me on this. We had an order of Buffalo Fries as an appendage to our egg salad Sammy. Buffalo fries, hardly. It was a bed of not crispy fries
a sauce, im thinking it was the bbq sauce tossed with the fries. Non melting mozzarella on the top. Ehh, we didn't eat them. Here Cato boy.. The dog loved them. When your in the mood for buffalo fries, gotta have em. A $48.32 bill, couple to eggs, 4 slices of toast, bbq fries wanna be buffalo fries. We did have about a dozen cold brews between us. Refreshing.
I will always bow down the ever so lovely loaded mac and cheese. Crispy bacon, onion straws, 3 cheese yummy mac. There is one menu item that we haven't tried, but hear its good, if you want to clog your heart. Its called the Grilled cheese cheese burger. 2 grilled cheese, with a 1/2 lb burger in the middle. Lettuce , tomato and onion. Sounds pretty good, I guess.
The wait staff , bar tenders. Efficient and not as friendly as you might expect. Careful, it appears we might have a skimmer off the tipping process, I will leave it at that.
The dessert menu: I didn't know they had one..
You can buy a big ceramic mug, personalized with a number on it, where it hangs above the bar for when the frequent flier arrives, for a bargain basement price of $50 , to then get 50.cents off a beer every time you use it.
Sunday, May 22, 2016
dining in western pa and beyond.
If you really want to know the details of any menu any item at any restaurant in western pa. Stay tuned. From preparation , to ingredients, missing ingredients. From exceptional bar burgers to 5 star dining.
Most friends and family that dare to dine out with me, dread the pre meal banter with a server. Hope the server learned her/his menu. Including the cocktail. Get your notepad ready. Will include what to order from drinks, sides, salads entrees and desserts. Let us not forget customer service, is key. Friday night past, we had drinks and dinner at The Parkwood Inn, the long standing restaurant on the corner of 119 & Cribbs st. Greensburg pa. parkwoodgreensburg.com
We frequent this Italian American restaurant often. You can not go wrong with a pizza. Ever.
Over the past <2 years, a few back of the house changes were evident upon receipt of a meal, classic choice or other. Not for the better sadly. I, without hesitation , questioned the server on preparation and If changes had occurred. It was an indirect, ah huh.. The dessert menu was also effected, minimal choices. Cost efficacy was probable cause. But no one knows, at least that's what they say. Nothing like a special sweet treat to complete the dinner engagement. Let us not forget to mention, the front of the house. Our friendly and familiar bartenders. I guess, changing a long term bartender, to have a young girl, is supposed to be, ummm, a good business choice. Maybe in a chain restaurant. That's just my opinion. The drink menu: you cant really get a consistent cocktail, unless you prefer an on the rocks double. Martinis can be very very delish, but it isn't consistent. Sorry. The appetizer: Pretzel logs with home made mustard, is safe and delish. Cost friendly. The stuffed banana peppers: a favorite. Don't forget to ask for the bread, a must have with the spicy peppers.
The entrees: Pizza is super. The home made pasta and meatball special is delish!! Mama June, makes a delish sauce. Meatball, its good. The Rueben is also a good choice, its not as heaping and juicy as it once was, but it is good. The fish is a good choice also. There was a Cod Nico that was removed from the menu a few years prior, that was a great dish with spinach and canilli beans with a lovely piece of cod. We miss you Nico. The dessert: The chocolate 7 layer cake. Is good, if you are looking for death by chocolate. The dessert menu needs love and attention.
Most friends and family that dare to dine out with me, dread the pre meal banter with a server. Hope the server learned her/his menu. Including the cocktail. Get your notepad ready. Will include what to order from drinks, sides, salads entrees and desserts. Let us not forget customer service, is key. Friday night past, we had drinks and dinner at The Parkwood Inn, the long standing restaurant on the corner of 119 & Cribbs st. Greensburg pa. parkwoodgreensburg.com
We frequent this Italian American restaurant often. You can not go wrong with a pizza. Ever.
Over the past <2 years, a few back of the house changes were evident upon receipt of a meal, classic choice or other. Not for the better sadly. I, without hesitation , questioned the server on preparation and If changes had occurred. It was an indirect, ah huh.. The dessert menu was also effected, minimal choices. Cost efficacy was probable cause. But no one knows, at least that's what they say. Nothing like a special sweet treat to complete the dinner engagement. Let us not forget to mention, the front of the house. Our friendly and familiar bartenders. I guess, changing a long term bartender, to have a young girl, is supposed to be, ummm, a good business choice. Maybe in a chain restaurant. That's just my opinion. The drink menu: you cant really get a consistent cocktail, unless you prefer an on the rocks double. Martinis can be very very delish, but it isn't consistent. Sorry. The appetizer: Pretzel logs with home made mustard, is safe and delish. Cost friendly. The stuffed banana peppers: a favorite. Don't forget to ask for the bread, a must have with the spicy peppers.
The entrees: Pizza is super. The home made pasta and meatball special is delish!! Mama June, makes a delish sauce. Meatball, its good. The Rueben is also a good choice, its not as heaping and juicy as it once was, but it is good. The fish is a good choice also. There was a Cod Nico that was removed from the menu a few years prior, that was a great dish with spinach and canilli beans with a lovely piece of cod. We miss you Nico. The dessert: The chocolate 7 layer cake. Is good, if you are looking for death by chocolate. The dessert menu needs love and attention.
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