Did you say Siegfried?

Synopsis

I really enjoyed the carrot cake and the Wienerschnitzel at Siegfried's Deli.  The employees were a bit brisk, but helpful.  Not only is the food worth going back for, but the imported goods store is a great boon as well.

Review

A friend of mine and I decided it was time to give Siegfried's Deli a try.  I went up for the food; he went because he's a fan of Get Smart and had to eat here just for the name's sake.

Upon arriving I was surprised to see an imported goods store as well.  They don't just sell cooked German food, but also imported chocolate, cookies, and several other things.  The place to order and the deli counter is but a small corner of the entire place; the rest is made up of tables and shelves.

I've always wanted to try Wienerschnitzel, and here was my chance.   My mouth watered as they put the Wienerschnitzel in the frier; it looked very good.  However, I wasn't too impressed with the sides. I decided to go with the Hot Potato salad (since many users on Urbanspoon enjoyed it) and Spaetzle; for dessert I ordered a slice of carrot cake.  The Wienerschnitzel was as good as I thought it would be with some lemon juice on top of it.  The Spaetzle and Hot Potato Salad were a little tough to swallow.  The Spaetzle looks like spaghetti with gravy and tasted about the same whereas the Hot Potato Salad  was a bit bitter and not what I was expecting.  However, the carrot cake was very good.  Granted, it's more of a European design than an American, but I enjoyed it.  And my friend really liked his German Chocolate cake (that was the only thing he completely ate).


All in all I was very pleased to find this location.  This is definitely something on my places to visit in downtown Salt Lake.  After finishing the meal, I purchased a few other chocolate items and brought them to my parents who lived in Germany and Austria for 11/2 - 2 years.  Both are eager to try this little slice of Germany once they have a chance.

Cost and Big John Rating

$8.49 = Wienerschnitzel and two sides
Service = 8
Quality = 8
Taste = 7
Ambiance = 8
Price Rating = 8.5
Big John Rating = 7.8

Notable URLs

Siegfried's Website
Siegfried's Menu

Moochie's Meatballs and Real Cheese steaks

Synopsis

Amazing Philly Cheese steaks, good prices, and a great location makes Moochie's Meatballs & More! a winner.

Review

I saw this place on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri and couldn't resist trying it out.  After all, I'm always in the mood for a good Philly Cheese steak and apparently this is the place to get one.

Knowing that this place tends to draw a crowd, I thought I'd get here at about 2pm after the lunch crowd had died out to see if I couldn't come at a slow time of day.  Unfortunately, it was still fairly busy even at 2, and when I left at 2:30 it hadn't slowed down.  The seven tables inside filled up quickly and rotated slowly, but they also have outdoor seating as well.  Although they have but one cash register (which is typical in the Philly Cheese steak places I've been to and is a necessity with the square footage), they also had an extra person taking orders while the other one both took orders and worked the register.  This really helped speed up the amount of time people were in line and made what would have been a long wait very manageable.

Right after my John Hancock made it to the credit card receipt, they called my name and my order was ready.  If I was in a position to order to go, I would have done so since the place was crowded; however, it didn't take long before a table opened up.  After pulling off the brown wrapping paper and aluminum foil covering my Philly, I dug right in.  I was a little surprised and, perhaps, disappointed when I felt a harder bun covering my Cheese steak rather than the softer one I was used to at other locations.  I was also skeptical about the American cheese rather than my typical Cheese wiz order.  However, that's probably why I'm a critic and not a chef.  Although the outside crust was hard, the inside was as soft as I like.  The crust didn't detract from the sandwich at all but really added to it since it added extra texture that combined well with the rest.  As for the American cheese, it was creamy, blended well with the rest of the meat, and as I ate the sandwich I didn't miss my Cheese wiz at all.  Part of the secret to their great sandwich is that they put the cheese on top of the meat while it's cooking which allows that cheese to melt and blend with the meat whereas at other times it's placed on top as an after thought and doesn't always blend well.  All this included with their tender rib eye and longer strips of well cooked onions makes this a winning combination.

I really enjoyed the Philly and look forward to then next time I visit Moochie's Meatballs and More.  Now that I've had my usual Philly and know the quality that comes from here, I'll have to try something with their marinara sauce (which also looks great and makes my mouth water thinking about it).  And, of course, I'll have to dig into a meatball or two.

Cost and Big John Rating

$9.49 = 12' Philly Cheese steak

Ambiance = 9

Taste = 9

Quality = 9

Service = 9

Price Rating = 8.6

Big John Rating = 8.9

Notable URLs

Moochie's Meatballs & More! Website

Menu

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives Youtube video:

Pad Thai Siam and the Massaman Curry Lunch Special

Synopsis

The Massaman Curry at Pad Thai Siam was very good because of the larger chunks of vegetables and chicken.  The service could use improvement (a common theme in Thai Restaurants), but overall I was very pleased with the experience.

Review

Being a fan of Thai Chili Gardens, I really enjoy this place as well.  The inside is well furnished with Thai decor and a complimentary fish tank greets the guests in their waiting area.  Even though it's Pad Thai Siam and owned by a new owner, the decor is the same as the old Thai Chili Gardens but the menu is very different.

One thing we pleasantly noticed was the addition of a lunch menu.  For some members of the crew the previous lunch prices were a little steep, but this new menu will allow us to eat here more frequently.  Not seeing my usual on the menu, I went with my second usual -- the Massaman curry.


With the lunch special ordered, the slow business day allowed for quick service and we soon had our appetizer (which comes with the lunch special) consisting of wonton soup and an egg roll.  I think this wonton soup is the best I've had!  The meat was full of flavor and I like the fish sauce included in it, the wrap wasn't doughy or overdone but done just right, and the broth was good as well.


Before our soup was finished, out came the curry.  Although it was a lunch special, I was impressed with the portion size.  When I left, I didn't feel like stopping by a dollar menu somewhere.  Their Massaman includes avocado as well as the typical potatoes, cashews, onions, and chicken.  It was good to see the avocado in there, but it wasn't something I really noticed.  The potato chunks were larger than I expected and were perhaps a little undercooked but not too bad.  Everything else about it was excellent; the chicken tasted great as well as the onion slices and cashews.  I really enjoyed it.


Overall I thought the food was excellent.  The service, for the most part was pretty good; however, my biggest complaint is that we never had a refill on our drinks.  For me, refills are critical when it comes to good service and not having refills is costly.  However, overall I was pleased with the experience and grateful there was a satisfying lunch menu.  Next time I'll get the rest of the lunch crew to come.

Cost and Big John Rating

$6.95 = Massaman Curry Lunch Special
Ambiance = 8
Service = 6
Quality = 9
Taste = 9
Price Rating = 9.1
Big John Rating = 8.0

Notable URLs
Pad Thai Siam
Facebook Wall

Spicy Thai and the Lunch Special

Synopsis

The food and price were good, but the service leaves something to be desired.

Review

One of the lunch crew decided to give this place a try.  He was coming back from a tough morning on the slopes and due to its relative proximity to Provo Canyon (and the fact that we haven't eaten here yet) asked us to come on by.  Although it is a bit further than we typically go (and we needed to pass several Thai restaurants to get here), we agreed.


Upon entering, I was amazed at how small it was.  Most Thai places in Utah County are small; this seems a bit smaller than most but not bad.  Just a little while later the server came, showed us our seats, and we were ready to order.


The special today was the red curry, but it can be substituted for Mussaman.  The fresh roll was quite good and the peanut sauce added to the flavor.  Although the soup shown here is the coconut, I ordered the sweet and sour which was switched on someone's plate.  The sweet and sour wasn't what I typically would expect.  The soup itself was mostly a clear color instead of the brown I've normally had.  There were also large helpings / slices of vegetables and chicken which went very well with the broth.  I thought it was unique and quite tasty; something I'll remember the next time I come.


The Mussaman was a typical Mussaman and tasted similar to most that I've had (which was what I was looking for in the curry).  Overall I thought the food was excellent.  Because it was a lunch special, the portion sizes were smaller than I would normally prefer with Thai food, but this is typical for a Thai lunch special (and it's fairly priced as well).  My biggest (and really only complaint) was the service.  The meal came out fairly quickly, but we didn't get our napkins or silverware until the meal was halfway through and our glasses were empty for most of it.  It could be that the person who helped us was new; however, everything else was pretty good.  Next time I'm in the area looking for Thai, I'll stop on by.

Cost and Big John Rating

$7.99 = Lunch Special (Mussaman Curry, spring roll, and soup)
Service = 6
Ambiance = 8
Quality = 8
Taste = 8
Price Rating = 8.0
Big John Rating = 7.5

Notable URLs

Disappointed at Asian Panda

Synopsis

At Asian Panda, the chicken was dry, the meat had little flavor, and although the service was great out of the 8 of us, 7 will not go back.

Review

The lunch crew saw that a new Asian restaurant had opened up on 8th North.  Because we enjoy Asian food, we decided to give this one a try.  Unfortunately, we were very disappointed.

The interior looked great and the server was very prompt at taking our order and getting us accommodated with drinks.  Because we came during their grand opening, they had several specials for lunch and we decided to take the buy one get one half off deal and I went with the Kung Pao Beef, brown rice, and wonton soup.


The soup came out fairly quickly.  I thought that the wonton was very good -- perhaps a little doughy but not that bad.  Just a little bit after finishing, out came my order.  Excited by the soup, I dug right in.  I was quite disappointed.  I spent most of my meal chewing on the gristle from my meat.  I thought that the vegetables that went with the meal were very good and I probably would have enjoyed the meal if that was all I had, but I didn't care for the beef at all.  Not only did I spend most of the meal time chewing on gristle, but the meal itself had little flavor.


Whilst chewing on the gristle, a friend of mine took a piece of my meat and offered me some of his orange chicken.  Thinking that I couldn't go wrong with my favorite (I rarely if ever order the Kung Pao Beef, but decided to order it because it's one of their most requested dishes), I took up my friend's offer and grabbed a piece of his orange chicken.  I think that was probably the driest chicken I've had in a long time.  Plus I didn't get the taste of citrus that I normally love with the orange chicken -- there wasn't anything orange about this chicken, including the taste and color.  This is the first time I've ever gone wrong with my favorite meal.


All in all, the service and cost were the only two good parts of the meal.  If it was just me, that would be one thing.  However, 8 of us were there and only one person liked his meal.  The rest of us aren't going back.  The price is excellent for Asian food, but the food just isn't worth the price.  Next time I crave Chinese food, I'll probably end up at Panda express before I think of coming here.

Cost and Big John Rating

$6.75 = Kung Pao Beef
Taste = 4
Quality = 5
Ambiance = 8
Service = 8
Price Rating = 5.4
Big John Rating = 6.2

Notable URLs
Asian Panda Website
Asian Panda Menu

A Butch Cassidy Burger from Broiler Express

Synopsis
If you want good food and great service but don't want to wait in a long line, Broiler Express is the place for you.


Review
I was amazed to see that this place has finally opened.  Who would have known?  It's been an empty building for so long that I wouldn't believe it was open except for the fact that someone I trusted ate there.


Although open, it's still very vacant inside.  There were four other customers in there which, from what I've been told, was actually quite busy for this location.  Since no one else was in line, I stood up to the register and placed my order.  The Butch Cassidy burger is one of their most popular ones and once I heard it included swiss cheese I decided to go for it.


I'm not one for a western burger.  I like the idea of an onion ring on a burger; I'm not such a fan of barbecue sauce on a burger.  In spite of that bias, though, I did enjoy this one.  The processed swiss cheese is something I rather enjoy and the onion ring fit nicely.  On some western burgers the onion ring can get in the way, sometimes it's so large that it pretty much is the burger and not an accessory to it.  But on the Butch Cassidy burger, it belongs.


The onion rings in general were excellent.  These onion rings are more onion than they are batter.  Deep fried to a golden brown, they have surprisingly little grease.  The container had little if any grease left on it after they were eaten.  Of course, my hands had some; you can't expect to eat onion rings without any grease, but they are close to the least greasy ones I've had.  The fry sauce was pretty good as well.  I look forward to ordering them the next time I come.


Perhaps its because there isn't a lot of customers, but the service was very good as well.  On the way out the door the person who took my order asked me how I liked my burger, and the person bringing it out offered to get me fry sauce and / or ketchup from the condiment bar that I overlooked on the way over.  This is some of the best service I've had at a fast food place.  Because of the service and the good food, I'm looking forward to my next visit.


Cost and Big John Rating
$5.76 = Large Butch Cassidy Burger Combo includes Butch Cassidy Burger, Onion Rings, and a Large Drink.
Service = 9
Ambiance = 8
Quality = 8
Taste = 8
Price Rating = 8.3
Big John Rating = 8.6


Notable URLs

The Steak Sandwich at La Jolla Groves

Synopsis
The service was, for the most part, very good and the Sourdough Steak Sandwich was tasty as well.  However, the cost was a little too steep for my taste.  It seems that most everything had its pros and cons, but the sandwich was good.


Review
The Riverwoods is a place that the lunch crew does not like to frequent.  For starters, we prefer places with parking.  I have mixed emotions about the changes made to their main street (now main walkway); I really like the change but parking was already a difficult experience beforehand and now it's crossed the line to atrocious.  However, road rage does seem to build up an appetite and the Riverwoods definitely has that cure, but if you're new to the area I would recommend coming early just to get a spot at all -- much less a good one.  You'll thank me later.

The main entry way into La Jolla Groves

Now that my rant about the parking and the general location is out of the way, on to the review of La Jolla Groves.  It was a bit difficult to find because there wasn't a big sign outside the entry way or above the front door indicating where it was like there are on the other establishments in the area (or just in general).  There was a metal stand with the words "La Jolla Groves" written on a piece of paper pointing the way for us to go, but I almost ended up in their bakery section simply because the name was written on the door.  Luckily, though, we did find the location and a parking spot before we starved.   But finding it wasn't as easy as one would expect.


Upon entering the restaurant, the first thing we noticed was the fragrance of the flowers near the entryway.  The rustic theme of the area faded quickly into a lemon grove after walking past the stone archway.  I heard they had a cheese steak here and I was looking forward to try it, but I was slightly disappointed to see that it's a Sourdough Steak Sandwich and not an actual cheese steak.  However, I'm one who likes sourdough and decided that was the way to go.  And it was a good decision.


The Sourdough Steak Sandwich comes with sourdough bread, grilled marinated steak, cheese, grilled onions, some kind of dressing, lettuce, and tomato.  It also included a side salad with a balsamic vinaigrette.  The sourdough bread was a very mild sourdough. It took me a while when eating the sandwich to remember what kind of bread came with it (which is very ironic considering that's the reason why I ordered it).  I do like sourdough bread but not at the expense of the sandwich. I thought that the different tastes blended well and complimented each other.  The steak was well cooked and tender, the cheese wasn't very noticeable but it was there, and the hint of spread accented the sandwich.  Surprisingly, though, I really liked the lettuce and tomato.  Most of the time they get overlooked, but this time they stood out perhaps because they were the only vegetables on the sandwich.


For dessert I had a lemon cake.  I was expecting a cake wedge, instead I got a round cake with crystalized sugar topping.  This was a tough dish to eat mainly because I had a tough time bringing myself to break the netting.  However, it was pretty good.  At first I thought the taste of lemon was just right.  I really enjoy lemon cake and I like the lemon to stand out and make itself known.  There should be no question when tasting a crumb that it is a lemon cake.  At first I found the lemon taste to be quite adequate but it seemed to deteriorate as I ate my way through the cake.  It was good, and I would probably buy it again just for the plating, but it wasn't as strong as I would like.


Although I did like the taste of the food, I didn't like the portion sizes.  I almost stopped at Del Taco on the way back for one or two $0.99 burritos to finish the job, but settled on a drink run instead.  I have mixed emotions with the service as well.  I think they have one person there who does nothing but top off glasses and he did a great job of keeping it filled.  I never reached for an empty glass.  However, I did order a Diet Coke along with the water which never showed up.  I wasn't charged for it, but I really would have liked it.  Overall I thought it was mostly good.  The service was good but not great, the sandwich was great but not filling, the price is steep, the decor grand, and the odds of a return trip probable.  I will return to impress a date (and combine it with a movie to get popcorn that will hopefully fill me up) but not for an informal trip with the lunch crew.  The crew likes good food at a low price and this just misses the price mark.

Cost and Big John Rating
$9.49 = Sourdough Steak Sandwich
$6 = Lemon Cake
7 = Service
9 = Ambiance
9 = Taste
9 = Quality
7.3 = Price Rating
8.0 = Big John Rating


Notable URLs
La Jolla Groves
Shops at the Redwoods

The Usual at El Gallo Giro

Synopsis
El Gallo Giro offers good Mexican food at a great price.  Combined with friendly service, this is one place the lunch crew frequents.


Review
This is another one of those places that the lunch crew frequently drove past and one day stopped by to see what they had to offer.  What we found was a place that we've kept coming back to.


The outside looks a bit old and rundown, but the inside is very hospitable.  It is a relatively older building, but they have done a pretty good job keeping up the building.  Once we entered we were amazed all the different menu choices.  We could literally get just about anything we want.  My favorite lunch combo is the #4 which includes to enchiladas, a burrito, rice, beans, and a drink for only $5.99!  Most places would consider that their entire lunch special; this place, however, has a number of other items ranging anywhere from $4-8.  And they seem to keep adding things to their menu every few month.  The fact that it fits our budgets so nicely one reason why we keep returning.


As with most Mexican restaurants, once you sit down they bring out the chips and salsa.  Theirs are some of my favorite.  Their tortilla chips are relatively thick, crunchy, and the salsa is nice and thick.  It is, as one would expect, spicy but only mildly so.  Soon my usual order comes out -- the #4 with enchiladas and a burrito.  For the meat I typically order chicken enchiladas and a pork burrito although I sometimes mix it up with the steak.  The pork is well marinated and tastes very good.  They also cover the enchiladas with sour cream and cheese as well and that topped with the green sauce is what I crave the most about the meal.  The chicken as well has a hint of lime that mixes well with the sauce, sour cream, and cheese which is why I order it with the enchiladas instead of the burrito.


The beans are cooked well and the cheese melts nicely on top of it; the rice is good, too.  The service is always friendly and eager to serve.  It's worth a visit at the very least and at this price it isn't something to regret.

Cost and Big John Rating
$5.99 = #4 Lunch Special
9 = Service
8 = Ambiance
9 = Taste
9 = Quality
10.5 = Price Rating
9.2 = Big John Rating


Notable URLs
El Gallo Giro Website

State Street's 50's Grill

Review
State Street Grill is definitely bigger than it looks.  Not only was I surprised upon entering to see it bigger than I expected it to be, but I also found that the menu was bigger than expected as well.  I've driven past here several times and wanted to stop by but for whatever reason didn't make it until now.  I'm glad I stopped.


Although I've always wanted to come, it wasn't until some friends of mine dropped by and really enjoyed it that I decided to give it a try.  According to them, this place makes the best onion rings they've had (and they know onion rings).  With a review such as that, I couldn't wait another week to stop by.


I arrived after the dinner traffic and ended up having the entire place to myself (which was nice).  They have two flat screen TVs on the corners near the entrance for their guests to watch while dining (and I was able to choose what I wanted to watch).  The whole setup has a 50's car shop ambiance but clearly was designed to be a grill.  I really like their theme; it is a small place (which I think is fitting for a grill), but it feels (to some degree) like you've gone back in time to when things were a bit smaller and more personable.  I really like the design; it suits the place well.


For my order I went with the Boston which is their version of a pastrami burger.  I also ordered their onion rings and topped it off with a brownie a la mode.  You can order different kinds of cheeses on it; I went with the swiss cheese.  As soon as I placed my order, the grill fired up and the burger was cooking.  These burgers are made fresh so it took a little bit to make it, but it was worth the wait.  The pastrami on the burger seems thicker than normal and really has some good seasoning on it.  The bun looks rather scary (I thought it was doughy when it first came out) but it was well cooked, very soft and went well with the sandwich.  I don't mind a greasy sandwich (I know some do) and this sandwich is very greasy but I think it really enhanced the flavor.


The onion rings were really good.  Fair warning -- they are more batter than onion and greasy as well, but I enjoyed them.  Even though they were greasy they weren't soggy which is something I really appreciated (I'm not a fan of soggy fries or onion rings).  The fry sauce has extra flavors in it and goes well with the onion ring.


As for the brownie a al mode, I thought it was excellent.  The brownie itself isn't something that I would like just by itself but it combines very well with the ice cream and chocolate syrup.  They put the brownie in the microwave before adding on the ice cream and syrup so when it was served the soft ice cream melted over the brownie and tasted really good.  I prefer my ice cream soft and just starting to melt -- I think that kind has the best flavor.  And their ice cream is served soft.


In general I really liked this place.  Some of the lunch crew has eaten here as well and enjoyed it, too.  Can't wait to try it again!


Cost and Big John Rating
$9.48 = Boston Buger Combo (including fries and drink) + 0.50 for the onion rings instead of fries
$2.47 = Brownie A la mode (with combo meal; $3.47 without)
Ambiance = 9
Quality = 9
Service = 9
Taste = 9
Price Rating = 9.0
Big John Rating = 9.0


Notable URLs

CheeZSteak: We Put the Z in Cheez Whiz

Review
After seeing my friend's sandwich and reading his blog post (shown here), I decided I have to give it a try.  And I wasn't disappointed.  Located in a high-turnover area (this is the third or fourth business I've seen at this exact location in the past few years), this small Cheese steak shop looks to stay here the longest.  Not only do they sell a mean Cheese steak, but it is also fairly well priced.


I am a Philly purist.  I'm not one who likes a lot of toppings on my Philly; all I'm looking for is just the basics of a Philly and this provides that.  For those who aren't a purist, it does offer other toppings as well (such as banana peppers, green peppers, etc).  It does cost $1.50 extra for three toppings on a foot long, but if you like extra toppings they do provide that.  They also offer different kinds of cheeses such as Provolone and American cheese.


As I mentioned, I just like a simple Philly.  For my Philly, I ordered the Cheese Whiz Philly.  to prepare it, they grill up rib eye steak, add in some onions, grill them together until well cooked, take a bun, put the cheese whiz on the bun, add in the steak and onions, then finish it off with extra cheese whiz on top.  Man, that's good!  I'm not a person who likes a dry sandwich which could happen to a Philly if not careful; however, the cheese whiz makes the sandwich very moist and very good.  The meat is tender and well grilled; the onions are big enough to make themselves known but aren't in the way.  I really like the combination presented as I worked my way through the sandwich.  The bun as well is very soft and doesn't get in the way of the sandwich's meat.  I've had three of these sandwiches this past week alone.  Even though this is a rather big sandwich, I always feel like it wasn't enough.  It's just that good.


The fries, on the other hand, are a different story.  They were rather soggy and didn't taste that good.  But if you don't want fries they also sell chips as well.


I am very excited to see a great Philly Cheese steak shop next to where I work.  I believe I have a new favorite hang out spot, one I hope to frequent often.


Cost and Big John Review
$8.49 = Philly Cheese steak (with cheese whiz and no tax)
$2.69 = Fries and a drink combo (without tax)
The rest are for the Cheese Whiz Philly only:
Quality = 9
Taste = 9
Ambiance = 8
Service = 8
Price Rating = 8.5
Big John Rating = 8.4


Notable URLs

The Coupe de Wing Coop

Review

When I first decided to review this particular location, I thought I'd review this one separately from the other Wing Coop.  However, I don't know if it has to do with a difference in location, difference in chefs, or if they've made some significant changes all together recently, but my experience at this location was completely different than my experience at their other location.  During the entire meal we kept contrasting the two and came up with several significant changes.

Apart from this location being harder to find (it's behind a Blockbuster and isn't as easily seen from the main road as the other location), the store itself appears to be a bit bigger.  Like the other store, this one keeps to an extreme sports theme ideal for a wing environment.  Other than that and the names of the sauces, almost everything else is different.  This one feels a bit bigger than the other one (not huge, but bigger) -- I didn't feel nearly as claustrophobic in this one as the other one.  I felt that the customer service was better (it seems that they had a little more experience under their belts than the other location) and they let us try their sauces to help us make up our minds.

Left - Honey Habanero, Right - Raspberry Chipotle

This time we went with their raspberry chipotle, honey habanero, tiger teriyaki, and confucius.  We also mixed things up a bit by ordering some deep fried and others grilled.  We really enjoyed the deep fried wings -- they were cooked perfectly.  They had a crisp outer layer and the inside was well cooked. The grilled ones had a good flavor to them, but we prefer the crispy wing rather than the grilled.  However, because we like the flavor of the grilled we'll try to see if we can't combine both (deep fried first and then grilled).

The amount of sauce we had this time was excellent.  Our wings were well covered, dripping with sauce and there was still quite a bit in our container.  It seemed a lot thicker than last time as well.  The raspberry chipotle had a great flavor to it that the blue cheese nicely complimented.  Surprisingly, this had a sweetness to it that I wasn't expecting; it was by far our favorite today and the one we talked about on our drive back to work.  The honey habanero was good but not as good.  Last time we really enjoyed the confucious and were looking forward to it again today; however, this time it lacked taste.  Maybe our taste buds were fried from the spicy wings, but it tasted like a grilled chicken wing and not a confucious wing.  Perhaps ordering it grilled instead of fried caused the taste to differ than last time, but it lacked the ginger flavor (or any flavor) that we enjoyed.  As for the grilled tiger teriyaki, I really liked it -- but I also like teriyaki wings.  However, this isn't for everyone as the connotation of a buffalo wing is spice and not necessarily teriyaki.  But I thought it was good.

Although I did enjoy my last experience, I really enjoyed this one.  Like I said, I don't know if it's the location, the chef, or if a change has happened in general, but this was a really good set of wings.  I wonder if I can talk my coworkers into taking a longer lunch again to go there?  If it's the same crew as last time, I don't think it'll be too hard.

Cost and Big John Rating

$10.99 = 12 wings (without tax)

Service = 8

Quality = 9

Ambiance = 9

Taste = 8

Price Rating = 8.2

Big John Rating = 8.2

URLs

The Parlor of Pizza

Review

We came here expecting Pier 49 only to see that it was gone and something else had taken its place.  Considering the lunch crew's craving for pizza, we decided to give The Parlor a chance. From the outside it appears to be a small location (which Pier 49 was as well), but you can't judge a book by the cover.  The inside is relatively small as well, but it fits the theme of a parlor.


Once inside we went to the counter and were greeted by the owner who took our orders, cooked our meal, and waited on our table.  Keeping to the Pier 49 tradition, the main selling point for our group was the all-you-can-eat pizza which included a salad and a drink.  Getting the all-you-can-eat pizza worked out really well since it allowed us to try a few pizzas we normally wouldn't have ordered otherwise and found out that we really liked.  Our hostess really bent over backwards to make sure we were satisfied and allowed us to choose which pizzas she would put in for the all-you-can-eat menu.  Because of that we were able to sample quite a few different pizzas.


The combination pizza was exactly as I like it -- with so many toppings that the cheese was barely visible.  The toppings were great, the crust was good, and with so many toppings blending together it tasted great.  For the toppings they typically put on large slices of everything (such as ham, pineapple, etc).  The barbecue pizza was sweet, but not overpowering.  The real key to a barbecue pizza is to allow for some sweetness while not making it so sweet you can't finish more than one slice.  This one kept a good balance of sweetness and tasted great.


There were a few other pizzas we tried, but much to my surprise the margarita pizza was one of my favorites.  As I've mentioned before my favorite topping is a wide variety of toppings and, in addition, I'm not the type of person to think that a pizza containing mostly tomato chunks is a good pizza.  This, on the other hand, was really good.  The cheese was creamy, the sun dried tomatoes added some intense flavor when combined with the cheese and the basil.  She also cooked a strawberry dessert pizza for us with fresh chunks of strawberry.  By this time I was already very full from the rest of the pizza, but just the smell alone started to make me hungry again.  If it wasn't so full I would have had a second one.


Overall I was rather impressed with this place and the fact that it was all-you-can-eat pizza at a very reasonable price.  There have been a lot of changes on Center Street as of late.  The burned-down tabernacle isn't the only empty building on Center.  With the loss of Pier 49, Los Hermanos (still vacant), Stumpys, and who knows whatever other businesses on that street, Center Street is in a time of transition.  With all the businesses coming and going this is definitely one that deserves to stick around for a while.  Not only did they have great customer service, but they also have pizza worth coming back for.


Cost and Big John Rating
$7.99 = Pizza, drink, and salad without tax (lunch special)
Service = 9
Taste = 8
Quality = 8
Ambiance = 7
Price Rating = 8.0
Big John Rating = 8.1


Notable URLs

Omaha's Taste of Old Chicago

Review
The fam decided once again it was time to hit the street in search of another good place to eat.  After our great experience with the Reuben, our expectations were high as we searched out our next place.  And we weren't disappointed.  In Old Market fashion, the red brick greeted us and welcomed us inside.  Looking over the menu, I decided to branch out a little bit and try something I never, ever get in a pizza place -- nachos.  Shortly after ordering the appetizer and a Chicago Seven pizza, out came the nachos.  I didn't enjoy the chips as much as I did the rest of the appetizer mainly because I'm not one for greasy chips.  I prefer a dry chip, but they were crisp and came out with a generous amount of meat and toppings.  I would order these again; they aren't my favorite but they are very good.


Right after the fam ate up the nachos, out came the pizza.  This particular pizza has my favorite toppings -- lots.  I always go for the one with the most mostly because I like different tastes, textures, and smells on my pizza.  This particular pizza features Italian sausage, pepperoni, fresh mushrooms, black olives, green peppers, red onions and Mozzarella cheese.  I knew it was going to be good when I saw very little cheese and mostly toppings.  Indeed it was good.

Overall I came away pleased with Old Chicago.  I thought the service was all right.  Although the times I saw the waiter were far and in between especially for a small lunch crowd, at least my drink was always filled.  Plus the food was good and the nachos were a good find.  The next time we're in the Old Market and craving pizza, we'll need to drop by Old Chicago for their nachos and deep dish.




Cost and Big John Rating
$25.98 = Deep dish Chicago 7 pizza and Italian Nachos (without tax)
Ambiance = 8
Service = 7
Taste = 8
Quality = 8
Price Rating = 6.5
Big John Rating = 7.3


URLs
Old Chicago
Menu
Old Market Location

The Best Reuben I've Ever Had at the Crescent Moon

Review

Not only is it the best, but it is also the only Reuben I've ever liked.  Typically the Reubens I've had usually include one or two very strong tastes with a few hints at other things that never really blend.  For example, the rye bread really stands out and no other flavors tease the palate or the sauerkraut is so strong not even the rye bread can stand up to its overpowering flavor.  I expect more from a sandwich.  I don't buy a sandwich just to eat bread or sour cabbage.  I expect a Ruben just like any other sandwich to have a blend of flavors.  Whether it's corned beef or pastrami, I expect the meat to stand up and blend with the other flavors involved and not bow to the powerhouses at play.

That's exactly what I got when I received my Reuben at the Crescent Moon.  Although no one else was there, the service was disappointingly slow and no one acknowledged us until we flagged someone down.  However, none of that really seemed to matter once I got my Reuben.  This Reuben is the original recipe straight from the Blackstone Hotel just a few steps away (which is arguably the birthplace of the Reuben sandwich).  This Reuben features corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss and 1000 island dressing, plus a couple of other secret ingredients, grilled on marble rye.  The corned beef was tender and the saltiness of the beef really went well with the sandwich.  The marbled rye was noticeable but not so strong it overpowered the sandwich and the sauerkraut didn't stand out.  After eating it, I craved the taste the rest of the day.


Although very hesitant to eat this sandwich (I expected it to be like all the other ones I've ever had), I went away very glad that I had eaten it.  Although initially the service was missing, it did get better after we initially flagged them down.  Overall I was very pleased with the experience and want like to go again, especially for the Reuben.


Cost and Big John Rating
$7.15 = Reuben (without tax)
Ambiance = 9
Taste = 9
Quality = 9
Service = 7
Price Ratio = 8.8
Big John Rating = 8.4


URLs
History on the Reuben
Website
Menu