9/19/2010
La Fiesta is located in a strip mall on Everly Brothers Blvd in Central City. The restaurant is not fancy, but the food is good and the waitstaff is friendly. The chips and salsa at La Fiesta were really good. The chips were served warm (but needed a little more salt) and the salsa was a nice thick consistency with a bit of heat but not too much.
Neil had the chicken fajitas. This was served sizzling on a hot skillet with chicken, green peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Another plate included rice and refried beans and all the fajita toppings: guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream and warm tortillas. The fajitas were really good. The chicken was juicy and there was plenty of it. The only thing not to my liking is the hot tomatoes served on the skillet, but Neil liked them.
Lauren had chicken, cheese, and rice. This is exactly what it sounds like - a plate of rice topped with chicken and queso. There was way too much for her to eat, but a half-order can be made, and she would do that next time.
I had the Cancun special. This dish was like the chicken, cheese, and rice but with California blend vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots) as well. The vegetables add another nice layer of flavor and I felt like it was a little bit healthy (even with all the queso sauce). Excellent!
Overall rating: Really good, especially the Cancun special
Would you return: Yes
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Jasmine Thai Cuisine and Sushi Bar, Paducah, KY
9/18/2010
We went to Jasmine for lunch because 1) I love Thai food and 2) I had heard that they had good sushi. The restaurant did not disappoint on either front.
We went to Jasmine for lunch because 1) I love Thai food and 2) I had heard that they had good sushi. The restaurant did not disappoint on either front.
The location in a strip mall doesn't seem very inviting, but once inside, the feel is that of a classy restaurant. The decor is very dark and polished and sleek - really nice. There is an open sushi bar where you can watch the chefs prepare your order.
We started with the crunch shrimp roll ($7.99). This was excellent - I wish I had it all to myself! It was shrimp and avocado on the inside, sesame seeds, masago, and crunchies on the outside, topped with eel sauce.
We all ordered from the lunch specials menu, so our items came with a salad. The salad was nice, but the dressing wasn't good - I thought it would be more like the dressing at a Japanese restaurant (don't know why??) but it wasn't to my liking - too gingery. There were other dressings available (Lauren had plain old ranch) so I would get a different dressing next time.
I had the red coconut curry ($8.99) with bamboo shoots, basil, and bell peppers served with white rice. It was nice and spicy and really good.
Lauren ordered the orange chicken, which came with broccoli ($9.99). It wasn't exactly as she expected it to be. It was more like chicken strips rather than smaller pieces, but she liked it.
Neil ordered the stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts, carrots, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and celery. This was also very tasty.
Overall rating: Excellent: great food, nicely plated, and a pretty restaurant
Would you return: Definitely
Moonlite Bar-B-Q, Owensboro, KY
9/18/2010
Moonlite is known for its mutton barbecue and for burgoo stew, also made with mutton. I don't go for mutton, but the buffet has a lot of other offerings, so I thought I would be able to find something to my liking.
The lunch buffet is served from 11-2 ($9.99) and includes a salad bar with the basics: lettuce, dressings, toppings, a few pasta and vegetable salads; burgoo; amazing corn bread; hot items like baked beans, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, pulled pork, mutton, chicken; and desserts.
I wasn't impressed with many of the offerings. The corn bread was amazing and was my favorite item along with the pork barbecue. The dessert offerings were skimpy for a buffet - only a few different items were available.
Another thing that bothered me at this restaurant was a sign on the buffet reminding customers to eat what they take so the management wouldn't have to raise prices due to food waste. I find negative signage to be a real turn-off at a business and that just rubbed me the wrong way.
Overall rating: Not a fan, especially because of the skimpy dessert offerings
Would you return: Yes, to try dinner and see if it's better
Moonlite is known for its mutton barbecue and for burgoo stew, also made with mutton. I don't go for mutton, but the buffet has a lot of other offerings, so I thought I would be able to find something to my liking.
The lunch buffet is served from 11-2 ($9.99) and includes a salad bar with the basics: lettuce, dressings, toppings, a few pasta and vegetable salads; burgoo; amazing corn bread; hot items like baked beans, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, pulled pork, mutton, chicken; and desserts.
I wasn't impressed with many of the offerings. The corn bread was amazing and was my favorite item along with the pork barbecue. The dessert offerings were skimpy for a buffet - only a few different items were available.
Another thing that bothered me at this restaurant was a sign on the buffet reminding customers to eat what they take so the management wouldn't have to raise prices due to food waste. I find negative signage to be a real turn-off at a business and that just rubbed me the wrong way.
Overall rating: Not a fan, especially because of the skimpy dessert offerings
Would you return: Yes, to try dinner and see if it's better
Tony Maroni's, Central City, KY
9/11/2010
Tony Maroni's is located downtown in Central City. When we visited the restaurant, it had only been open a short while. The restaurant is small but neatly decorated. We found the staff to be really friendly and helpful.
We had heard about their pizza crust being really delicious, so we ordered a medium pizza, half barbeque chicken and half with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, black olives, green peppers, and banana peppers. Our waitress came by several times to refill our drinks and see if we needed anything. Then she came up to our table with a sheepish look on her face and apologized, but when the cook removed our pizza from the oven and set it on the counter, half the pizza slid off the pan and fell on the floor! She offered to serve us the pizza that had been caught before it slipped off the pan, and then they made us another entire pizza.
The pizza was really delicious. The crust had a nice chewiness, and the toppings worked really well together. We were only able to eat the half that we were served, so they prepared the second pizza for us to go. The cook came out and apologized for our trouble, which I thought was nice. It was no big deal - just an accident, but we appreciated the way the staff tried to make up for the problem.
Overall rating: Good pizza, and good customer service
Would you return: Yes
Tony Maroni's is located downtown in Central City. When we visited the restaurant, it had only been open a short while. The restaurant is small but neatly decorated. We found the staff to be really friendly and helpful.
We had heard about their pizza crust being really delicious, so we ordered a medium pizza, half barbeque chicken and half with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, black olives, green peppers, and banana peppers. Our waitress came by several times to refill our drinks and see if we needed anything. Then she came up to our table with a sheepish look on her face and apologized, but when the cook removed our pizza from the oven and set it on the counter, half the pizza slid off the pan and fell on the floor! She offered to serve us the pizza that had been caught before it slipped off the pan, and then they made us another entire pizza.
The pizza was really delicious. The crust had a nice chewiness, and the toppings worked really well together. We were only able to eat the half that we were served, so they prepared the second pizza for us to go. The cook came out and apologized for our trouble, which I thought was nice. It was no big deal - just an accident, but we appreciated the way the staff tried to make up for the problem.
Overall rating: Good pizza, and good customer service
Would you return: Yes
Panera Bread, Bowling Green, KY
9/11/2010
We like to eat at Panera Bread when we are looking for something a little lighter and healthier for lunch or dinner. The Bowling Green location is much like all other Panera Bread locations - free WiFi, comfy booths and tables, and always clean.
Lauren was hungry for a bagel, so she had the cinnamon crunch bagel with raspberry cream cheese. This is my favorite bagel at Panera Bread. It has a cinnamon roll flavor but in bagel form. Really good!
I had the "You Pick 2," which allows you to choose any two from their salads, sandwiches, and soups. I like this option because you get a taste of a couple of different items. The portions are slightly smaller than if you were to just order a salad (about half the size), sandwich (half vs. whole sandwich), or soup (cup vs. bowl). I had the chicken noodle soup and Asian sesame salad. The soup was good - lots of good thick egg noodles and a tasty broth. The salad is one of my favorites at Panera Bread. It has thinly sliced chicken, almonds, sesame seeds, and wonton strips topped with a delicious Asian vinaigrette.
Neil also had the "You Pick 2" with a cup of chicken noodle soup and the cobb salad with chicken, tomatoes, bacon, Gorgonzola, hard-boiled eggs, and an herb vinaigrette. This salad is also good, but he said he preferred the Asain sesame salad. He is used to a cobb salad with blue cheese dressing, so the vinaigrette didn't fit with what he expected.
Overall rating: good food and healthy options
Would you return: yes
We like to eat at Panera Bread when we are looking for something a little lighter and healthier for lunch or dinner. The Bowling Green location is much like all other Panera Bread locations - free WiFi, comfy booths and tables, and always clean.
Lauren was hungry for a bagel, so she had the cinnamon crunch bagel with raspberry cream cheese. This is my favorite bagel at Panera Bread. It has a cinnamon roll flavor but in bagel form. Really good!
I had the "You Pick 2," which allows you to choose any two from their salads, sandwiches, and soups. I like this option because you get a taste of a couple of different items. The portions are slightly smaller than if you were to just order a salad (about half the size), sandwich (half vs. whole sandwich), or soup (cup vs. bowl). I had the chicken noodle soup and Asian sesame salad. The soup was good - lots of good thick egg noodles and a tasty broth. The salad is one of my favorites at Panera Bread. It has thinly sliced chicken, almonds, sesame seeds, and wonton strips topped with a delicious Asian vinaigrette.
Neil also had the "You Pick 2" with a cup of chicken noodle soup and the cobb salad with chicken, tomatoes, bacon, Gorgonzola, hard-boiled eggs, and an herb vinaigrette. This salad is also good, but he said he preferred the Asain sesame salad. He is used to a cobb salad with blue cheese dressing, so the vinaigrette didn't fit with what he expected.
Overall rating: good food and healthy options
Would you return: yes
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Culver's, Owensboro, KY
8/28/2010
We stopped at Culver's for a late lunch on a Saturday, around 2:00, and it was full of customers. One thing I love about Culver's is the workers are always friendly and helpful. We didn't want to eat too much (it was, after all, almost dinner time!), so we each ordered a kid's hamburger, each a little bit different ($4.79) and they all came prepared just as we had ordered them. The burgers have that hand-pattied texture, and the fries were nice and hot. I am not a huge fan of Culver's fries only because I do not like crinkle-cut fries, but Neil and Lauren love them dipped in lots of ketchup. My only complaint was that I ordered a chocolate milk, and it wasn't icy cold like I like milk to be.
The best part of getting a kid's meal is that the bag has a coupon for a free scoop of custard. We all had the flavor of the day, which was turtle - vanilla custard with caramel, chocolate bits, and pecans. If you have not tried the custard at Culver's, you need to get some. It is so amazingly good. It is richer and creamier than ice cream, and they have a different flavor of the day that is usually phenomenal.
Overall rating: One of our favorite fast food restaurants
Would you return: Absolutely
Overall rating:
We stopped at Culver's for a late lunch on a Saturday, around 2:00, and it was full of customers. One thing I love about Culver's is the workers are always friendly and helpful. We didn't want to eat too much (it was, after all, almost dinner time!), so we each ordered a kid's hamburger, each a little bit different ($4.79) and they all came prepared just as we had ordered them. The burgers have that hand-pattied texture, and the fries were nice and hot. I am not a huge fan of Culver's fries only because I do not like crinkle-cut fries, but Neil and Lauren love them dipped in lots of ketchup. My only complaint was that I ordered a chocolate milk, and it wasn't icy cold like I like milk to be.
The best part of getting a kid's meal is that the bag has a coupon for a free scoop of custard. We all had the flavor of the day, which was turtle - vanilla custard with caramel, chocolate bits, and pecans. If you have not tried the custard at Culver's, you need to get some. It is so amazingly good. It is richer and creamier than ice cream, and they have a different flavor of the day that is usually phenomenal.
Overall rating: One of our favorite fast food restaurants
Would you return: Absolutely
Overall rating:
The Oasis Southwest Grill, Madisonville, KY
8/28/2010
The Oasis Southwest Grill is an expanding chain of restaurants with locations in Franklin, Kuttawa, and Madisonville, Kentucky. The restaurant in Madisonville had only been open for a few weeks when we went for a friend's birthday. We part of a large group of 14. Because of the newness of the restaurant and our group size, we waited over an hour for a table. Once we were seated we waited between 45 minutes to an hour for our food to be served. We were all starving, so that may be why everything tasted so good!
The Oasis Southwest Grill is an expanding chain of restaurants with locations in Franklin, Kuttawa, and Madisonville, Kentucky. The restaurant in Madisonville had only been open for a few weeks when we went for a friend's birthday. We part of a large group of 14. Because of the newness of the restaurant and our group size, we waited over an hour for a table. Once we were seated we waited between 45 minutes to an hour for our food to be served. We were all starving, so that may be why everything tasted so good!
The menu has a wide variety of items, ranging from steaks, ribs, chicken, seafood, and pasta to salads, burgers, and sandwiches. Neil had the half order of wild salmon served on a bed of rice with a sweet potato as a side ($8.99). He said everything was delicious. The sweet potato was cooked completely and soft inside.
I had the half portion of Knob Creek salmon ($8.99), which is marinated in bourbon and spices. I ordered mine with steamed broccoli. The salmon had a nice amount of the marinade on it. It was nicely cooked and tender. The broccoli was a little over-cooked, but at that point I was so hungry I didn't really care!
Overall rating: Good food, long wait
Would you return: Yes
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)