All Star Burger Review

We received a flyer (which was pretty much the restaurant menu + coupons) for All Star Burger at Hill Country Galleria in Bee Cave, so decided to check it out.  We were surprised that it was actually a fast-food restaurant.  Because of the high prices we saw on the menu, we thought it would be a place with server.

The Ahi Tuna burger (Five Islands) and the venison burger (ML Kaiser) sounded interesting, so we ordered those plus the Pioneer Chopped Salad.  Oddly, the price on the flyer said the Five Island burger was $9.50, and the ML Kaiser was $9.50 as well.  But we had to pay $11 and $10, respectively for the two sandwiches, which was a negative surprise.  Along with the two burgers and the salad, we also ordered a Kid's All Star Burger for our 2 year-old toddler.

The Kid's All Star Burger arrived first, and unfortunately it had mustard on it and our son didn't care for it because of it.  I tried it myself and it tasted similar to a McDonald's Big Mac.  Next came the Pioneer Salad which was in a large stainless steel bowl.  There was quite a bit of salad, and we liked the avocado, tomatoes, the sliced almonds, and the boiled egg in it as well.  The dressing was too sour, however, and there wasn't much if any Parmesan cheese.

Next came the Five Islands Ahi Tuna and the ML Kaiser Venison burgers.  The Five Islands burger was tasty with nice Asian seasoning, but not overall strong.  The avocado in it was a refreshing touch as well.  The ML Kaiser we had some issues with.  The patty was very thin, and the mustard certainly overpowered the taste of the meat.  It's certainly not a satisfying sandwich and not worth the $10, that's for sure.

In the end, we thought All Star Burger was a mixed bag.  The Ahi Tuna burger was good, and the salad was a generous portion, but ML Kaiser venison burger was disappointing, as was the kid's All Star burger.  And there was also the the sneaky practice of having higher menu prices than posted on the flyer menu (which we received a mere 5 days ago in the mail).  Would we return again- probably not.  I'm curious about their other burgers, but the high prices compared to what you could get at a Carl's Junior (i.e. vs the 6-dollar burgers) will likely deter us from returning.  Too bad there isn't a Carl's Jr. in Bee Cave, yet!

Rating: 3/5

Tony Chan's Water Club Review

We were in the mood for some Chinese food, and since Tony Chan's Water Club had some generally positive reviews, we decided to check it out. Getting there from the Hilton Downtown Miami was a little tricky if you didn't want to cross any street and use the crosswalk that connected the hotel to the Grand Double Tree where the restaurant was located. After having to ask several people for help, we finally found the restaurant.

When we got to Tony Chan's Water Club, unfortunately it was already getting very dark so we couldn't really enjoy the view to the marina. We were greeted and sat down, though it took longer than expected before they came to take our order. Not sure if it was because we didn't order any drinks, but the wait staff seemed much more enthusiastic and attentive with large tables, especially the ones that ordered alcohol. It was cool that there were huge windows into the kitchen where diners could look in and see the 3 chefs cooking with the woks.

We ordered chicken fried rice ($12), stir fried noodles with beef ($14), tofu seafood pot ($18) and eggplants in garlic sauce ($11). The prices were way up there, but we did have a Restaurant.com "coupon", so it made the prices more acceptable despite the 18% gratuity that was forced upon. The portions were not too much but not too small either. The taste was good and certainly authentic. Not surprising since the entire staff was Chinese.



Overall we certainly would return to the restaurant. Don't expect stellar service if you don't look like a big spender, but the food was tasty and the price reasonable when you do use a certificate from Restaurant.com.

Rating: 4/5

Rocco's Grill Lakeway Review

After a round of tennis at the World of Tennis, we headed to Rocco's Grill where we had made reservations. We thought we could turn left directly into the plaza from Lakeway Blvd but nope- you have to turn left onto 620 and then turn left after you see Wells Fargo. The decor of the restaurant is definitely interesting with original art painted on walls and even ceilings. Most interesting is probably the piano painting atop of the circular bar area.

We started off with sauteed calamari which suprisingly came with two large shrimp. The calamari were friend already and then stir-fried again with basil, tomato and balsamic vinegar. It's definitely different but we enjoyed it- $10 and it was a large portion.

For our main entrees we went with the Rack of Lamb ($27) and Trout ($21). The rack of lamb was actually cut into individual pieces. It had good flavor with a sort of cumin rub. The mash potato that it came with was pretty tasty as well. The trout was not as good- a little fishy but a generous size.

Overall we enjoyed our dinner and would recommend Rocco's Grill to others. The service was good- our server came to check on us serveral times and to refill our ice tea. Our rating for Rocco's Grill is 4/5 stars.

Blue Dahlia Austin Restaurant Review

On this Sunday evening we decided to try out the Blue Dahlia Bistro restaurant in east Austin. The neighborhood itself around the restaurant has a lot of construction. Parking for the Blue Dahlia was a bit hard to find since they don't have their own parking lot, so we ended up passing the restaurant (which is on 11th street) and parking a block away on Lydia St.

The Blue Dahlia certainly had a bistro feel to it. You go inside and you seat yourself. We helped ourselves to a small two person table in the corner. There was a musician with a guitar jamming some live music. It blended in the background and didn't seem to loud. There was a counter where the cashier is and also where the restaurant displayed some of their fresh bread.

We started by ordering the Mesclun Greens Salad with tomato, cucumber and basil pesto. The mescluns are organic which was a bonus. The cherry tomatoes were very sweet and the pesto was nice and strong but not too salty. We were surprised at the portion for the $4.95 salad. We also ordered one of their house soup ($3.95)- we selected the red pepper spicy soup. It had a ton of red pepper and quite a kick to it, tough it was a bit too salty. Using it as a dip for the bread turned out to be perfect. It was a sizable bowl and we could not finish it.

For the main entrees we went with the Prosciutto tartine sandwich with mozzarella, pesto and sun dried tomatoes ($9.95) and the Cassoulet of duck, sausage, white beans and tomato ($12.95). The prosciutto tartine was good, but the duck cassoulet was delicious. It had plenty of shredded duck meat and the broth was flavorful thanks to the herbs in it and was not too salty.

It was an enjoyable meal, and our waiter Greg provided good service. We would certainly return to Blue Dahlia. My rating for the Blue Dahlia Bistro is a hearty 4 out of 5.

The Melting Pot Austin Downtown Review

We made a reservation for 3 people for Sunday at 7 PM for the Melting Pot at downtown Austin on East 3rd Street. Parking was a problem. We parked in what we thought was a parking lot right next to the restaurant but as we were getting out a guy came and told us that we would be towed. We asked him where does he think we can park and he said the only ones available are valet. Hmmm- sounded suspicious. We drove and scanned the streets around the restaurant and the only spot was in a section where the valet parkers put a cover over the parking meter machine saying "Valet Parking Only - Towing Enforced". WTF? We finally found a spot after about ten minutes of circling the area, but these downtown Austin valet parking attendants seem kind like some sort of a scam- I mean is it legal to claim a PUBLIC street parking area for valet? End rant regarding parking.

When we first stepped into the Melting Pot there was nobody at the front. It took literally 5 minutes before a guy in a black jacket to come up and greet us. We found it odd and a bit annoying. We were seated inside our own "room" with a booth, which was nice. The room had a sliding door and the booth was as I had requested via the Melting Pot website reservation system. It was definitely a nice ambiance.

We had a Melting Pot coupon that was $46 for 2 people for their "Summer Feast" and $30 extra for the third person, which was the deal we went with. Our waitress told us that the Melting Pot Summer Feast was pretty much a cheese fondue, salad, and the Fondue Feast (included Sesame Crusted Teriyaki Sirloin, Citrus Infused Pork Tenderloin, Sushi-Grade Ahi Tuna, Garlic Chili Chicken Breast, Kiwi Lime Shrimp, Spring Vegetable Dumplings, and Fresh Vegetables).

For our cheese fondue we selected the Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue. It was unfortunately too thick and bitter- we probably wouldn't try this particular cheese fondue again. The green apple was a decent pairing for this fondue but yeah we would not recommend this cheese fondue to anyone. For salad we ordered the Spinach Mushroom Salad and the Melting Pot House Salad. Both were very good. The warm portobello mushrooms went well with the spinach leaves. The house salad came with a nice tangy and sweet Melting Pot house dressing. Both were definitely very good and we would heartily recommend.

Then came our main entree fondue. Our server had recommended the Mojo Style soup which is described as "Caribbean-seasoned bouillon with distinctive flavors of fresh garlic with a citrus flair" on the menu. It costed $6 extra, which turned out to be not worth it. The Teriyaki sirloin was very tender and flavorful. The pork was very good as well. The Ahi tuna was good- you dip it in for about a minute and it is still red inside. The chicken and shrimp had nice flavors as well. Each person got a small dumpling that was small and tasteless- not sure why they even bothered to include it. The vegetables included potatoes and mushrooms.

We certainly enjoyed the Fondue Feast entree but the portion was very small. Each person literally had about 7 or 8 bites of food and that was it. For the price we paid-$86 + $6 extra for Mojo Style, this was simply too little food. And the price was after coupon discount to boot. We did not bother with dessert as small size started at $16.

Overall we had a nice but some what unfulfilled dinner. The Melting Pot fondue experience was interesting and interactive, but the price was too high for the amount of food.

Melting Pot Austin Downtown Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Clay Pit Austin Sunday Lunch Buffet Review

We've been to Clay Pit Indian Restaurant in Austin several times for dinner, but never for their lunch buffet so we decided to check it out. I called ahead to make sure that it is indeed on- and they confirmed that lunch buffet was from 12-3 PM. It was $12 a person. There was traffic on the I-35 so we didn't get to the Clay Pit until 2:20.

There were a wide variety of curries and paneer. The spinch paneer was very good, and so were the other veggie curries. There were mini-samosas which were good as well. At the table they gave us four Indian flatbread. They were soft and tasty- we couldn't even finish two of them, however. There was also tandoori chicken which was a tad dry. The carrot cream soup was very good- very creamy with a hint of sweetness. The Desi bean soup was a tad too salty and strong. The seafood curry had white fish and was pretty good as well. The lamb curry was kind of interesting because the lambs were flat-steaks. It probably would have been better in chunks. Too bad there was no goat curry. There was also baby spinach salad which had blackberries which was nice.

For dessert the Clay Pit Sunday Buffet had a mango rice soup and these round donut-like balls in sugary syrup. We definitely liked the former better, the donut balls were too oil and the syrup was much too sweet.

Overall we really enjoyed the Clay Pit buffet for Sunday. We've never been to the buffet on the other days (which are cheaper) so we can't say about the quality of that. If you like Indian Food in Austin, Clay Pit is a top destination for lunch and dinner. Excellent flavor overall and a good selection at the buffet.

Review Rating: 4.5/5

Curra's Grill Austin Restaurant Review - Mole, Ceviche, Tacos Al Pastor, Oh My!

We went to Curra Grill on Oltorf in Austin on a Sunday evening. It didn't look very impressive on the outside, and was crowded by not overly so. The hostess asked whether if we wanted to sit inside or out, and when we asked for inside she had to go into another section to check whether if there was room. Once it was confirmed we got a table inside right next to the window wall to the outside.

It took about 10 minutes before the waitress came over- it's interesting because two people sitting outside who came after we had sat down for 5 minutes got their water right away and their chips and salsa followed right after that. So perhaps to get faster service outside at Curra Grill you have to sit outside?

For appetizer we shared a large ceviche. We could choose 2 out of the 3 seafood that included shrimp, octopus, and snapper. We went for the shrimp and snapper. When it came out we were surprised. This is the first time I've seem ceviche on a plate, and it was a BIG plate. I never seen such a huge portion of ceviche. Taste-wise it was fine- lots of lime, the fish wasn't fishy and had a nice texture. We had free salsa and chips because of the $11.99 ceviche- regularly the chips/salsa would have been $1.99.

For our main entrees we went for the Pollo Con Mole and the Tacos Al Pastor Plate. The Mole was good- the slight sweetness hits you first, then comes the spiciness, and then there is a bitter aftertaste. Though next time we probably would go for the Mole Enchiladas instead- the chicken was too big. Enchiladas would have been better to soak up the nice mole sauce. The Tacos Al Pastor which was tacos with grilled marinated pork, was terrific. It was porky and had good flavor especially with the pineapple- definitely a winner. Neither dishes were salty like some of the other Mexican or Tex-Mex places we've eaten at in Austin.

Overall Curra's Grill Austing gets a rating of 3.5 out of 5 from me. It would've had 4 out of 5 because of the food because of the lackluster decor and slow (but not bad) service at the beginning I had to knock 0.5 off. But this is definitely a good place to eat if you are in Austin and like Mexican food.

Puerto Sagua Miami Beach Review

We were at Miami Beach the day before a Caribbean cruise. It was around 6:30 PM and we walked to Ocean Dr and looked for a place to eat. We've been at a Ocean Drive restaurant before at our previous NCL Caribbean cruise (Western Caribbean with the Norwegian Sun), so we knew what to expect. Every restaurant had a soliciting hostess but all the menus pretty much looked the same.

We wanted something different so we walked around and saw this busy restaurant called Puerto Sagua jam packed with people. We had to wait about 15-20 minutes before we could get a table. We even noticed people sitting at a bar-like area eating breakfast-like items.

Peurto Sagua advertised itself as a "Cuban and American" Restaurant and we were wondering what we should order. The waiter, who didn't speak very understandable English, recommended the Cuban Shredded Beef. We asked the fish entrees and whether if the fish were fresh and his reply was "every restaurant no fresh" and that the fish could be dry. So we decided upon the Ox Tail Stew (one of the specials of the day) and the Cuban Shredded Beef he recommended. The Ox Tail was very tender and the sauce/juice it was bathed in was very flavorful and not too salty. The Cuban Shredded Beef was a tad too salty, however. Both dishes came with white rice and about 5 or 6 pieces of fried plantains which were yummy. The service overall was friendly and the price very reasonable so this restaurant gets a rating of 4 out 5 from us.

Bistro 88 Restaurant Review in Austin

We were looking for a place to go to for Valentine's Day via Restaurant.com and decided to try out Bistro 88 which seemed to have good reviews online. It is supposed to be a Asian Fusion restaurant of the East-meets-West variety. We called ahead and they said they would be having a fixed course menu for Valentines but they haven't decided yet and would call us back with the menu. They never did but we called again and the the menu sounded interesting we decided to give them a shot.

It was a bit hard to find Bistro 88 on the dark Bee Cave road but luckily our GPS got us there in time for our reservation. Once inside the restaurant you notice the sushi bar right away and also a cool glowing aquarium with fake moving neon jellyfish. We were lead to a table inside a room with french doors which seemed romantic at first glance. However later on we noticed that the room seemed more like a former classroom with the ceiling tiles and the glass windows with glass door leading to the outside.

It took a long 40 minutes before our appetizers came out. We had the crab asparagus soup and the smoked duck salad. The duck was terrific though a bit fatty. It reminded of a good Peking Duck. The asparagus soup was creamy but the amount of crab on top was literally a pinch- a pinky pinch. You couldn't really taste it. It was a good asparagus soup, but definitely not good "crab asparagus soup".

The second course took another 30 minutes to come out. We had Beef Short ribs and "Daniel's Seafood Combination". The the shortribs were very good- very tender though a tad crusty on the outside. The "Daniel's Seafood Combination" was probably the worst dish on the evening. It was several shrimps with cucumbers and some thinly sliced octopus. It had very little taste, the cucumbers had gritty sand between them like they were not washed.

Another at least another half hour, our main entrees came out. We went for the Grilled Miso Sea Bass and the Filet Mignon. The Sea Bass was a bit fishy but was cooked well and was tasty. The Filet Mignon came with a nice pepper sauce that was pretty good. The meat was well cooked.

For dessert, which did came out only about 15 minutes after our dinner plates were removed, we had a chocolate ganache and a raspberry topped cake. They were both decent but were not anything special.

Understandably the kitchen was swamped for Valentines, but still the food took too long to come out for our liking. It was not unacceptable but it was nearly so. The service was decent- our server forgot to bring us lemon and did not seem too friendly, but nothing more to complain about there. Would we go back to Bistro 88? The answer errrr- NO. The value and taste just wasn't there for the $58 a head price they charged. With tax and tip the meal for two was at $150. The portion sizes were those of very fancy restaurants but it just didn't FEEL like a fancy restaurant. We were also annoyed that they refused to honor their $25 Restaurant.com coupon which did not say it was invalid on Valentines (or any other day, for that matter). So if you ever want to try out Bistro88 with a Restaurant.com coupon, be sure you call ahead and make sure they will accept it.

On a scale of 1 through 5, my review for Bistro 88 is 2 out 5 Stars.

Bistro 88 Restaurant Info

Address: 2712 Bee Cave Road Austin,TX 78746
Phone: 512-328-8888

New York City McDonald's Time Square

We were on a vacation trip to New York and the East Coast. It was about 9 PM when we got to Time Square so we decided to get some drinks at McDonald's there. The menu looked pretty expensive- at least 25% more than the McDonlad's we're used to going. It's justifiable I suppose since they probably have to pay high rent costs at this popular NYC location. We got a large ice tea and a diet coke. The order took like 5 minutes. The ice tea, which I asked for without sugar, tasted really old. The Diet Coke was really watered down. Inside the McDonalds it was loud- even the order takers were loud. One of the employees taking orders actually start screaming and yelling (not in anger though). There were a lot of customers and it was pretty chaotic. Personally I would avoid eating there in the future.

We tried another McDonalds the next day for lunch near the Madame Troudaud's wax museum. The prices were similar to the one Time Square. We tried their new Angus Third-Pounder Swiss Cheese and Mushroom. It was pretty good- perhaps a tad too salty. We also got a Ceasar Salad and a Fillet-O-Fish. The latter was definitely not worth the $3.69. We didn't order any drinks at this McDonald's. The restroom was silly small for such a busy place.

If you ever visit a McDonald's in Manhattan- be prepared for much higher prices and poorer service!

Louie's 106 Austin Restaurant Review

While browsing around Restaurant.com, we noticed that Louie's 106 restaurant has a $25 off $35 coupon certificate for it. The menu looked pretty good so we decided to check it out. It was a Sunday so I called at around noon to make a reservation for the evening, but no one answered the phone. It turns out that they only offer dinner service, and on Sundays they're open from 6 to 10 PM. I called at 5 and made a reservation for 6:30 PM no problem.

Getting to Louie's 106 / Cake at Whole Foods Market

It was only 5:30 PM so we decided to visit Whole Foods first on Lamar, so we went east on 6th St and saw Louie's 106 on the corner of the 6th and Congress, right next to the Driskill. At the market we got a delicious white chocolate mousse cake. Whole Foods make really good cakes. I heartily recommend them if you're buying a cake.

On the way to the Louie's 106, we went on 5th street then turned right on Brazos St and parked. After a short walk we were at the restaurant. The building itself was connected to others on the sides, and a sign said "Louie's 106 Grill and Tapa Bar".

Restaurant Impressions

As we opened the glass doors and went inside, we were greeted by a hostess (who turned out to be our server). She lead us to a secluded section behind the cash register. The restaurnt seemed stately and well decorated with an English feel. I need to go to the restroom and a waiter told me that I had to go down a flight a stairs to get there. After walking down the stairs I was surprised by the size of the lower level of the restaurant- it seemed like they could seat 100 or more people down there. After a good walk I finally got to the restroom, which had old but clean fixtures.

Service and Food Taste/Quality

After returning to the table we looked over the menu. Our server brought us bread, which was Italian style. It was cold but went well with the olive oil and garlic. We then placed our orders. We had ice teas ($2) for beverage. We then decided on two appetizers- the Crispy Softshell Crab ($10) and Escargots ($9.75). After about 15 minutes of waiting, our appetizers came out. The Softshell Crab came with baby greens and diced mangos in a champagne vinaigrette and wasabi-honey aioli. That was really delicious. They were pretty generous with the amount of softshell crab which was crunchy and tasty. The mango salsa was good, though we couldn't taste the wasabi. The escargots were good- maybe a bit too well done, and nothing out of the ordinary. We did ask for extra bread to soak up the wine and butter sauce ;-).

For our main courses we went for the Jumbo Shrimp and Diver Scallop Risotto ($24), and the Sambal and Honey Marinated Sea Bass ($26.50). The shrimps on the risotto were big and crunchy. The scallop was pretty tasty as well. The risotto, which was cooked in lobster consomme, was a tad too salty, however. The sea bass was a bit burnt and small, and the basil risotto it came with was also a bit too salty.

The Verdict for Louie's 106

The ambiance was nice, and certainly more romantic than Cafe Josie. The highlight of our meal was the Cripsy Softshell Crab appetitizer. Unfortunately we were not nearly as impressed with the rest of our meal. It was good- but not great. Our waitress gave good service, and it was a good value after the $25 Restaraunt.com certificate. Overall we enjoyed our experience at Louie's 106.

On a scale of 1 through 5, I would give Louie's 106 4 out 5 Stars.

Louie's 106 Restaurant Info

Address: 106 E 6th St Austin, TX 78701
Phone: 512-476-1998

Cafe Josie Review in Austin

We read several positive reviews of Cafe Josie online so we decided to check it out. It was recommended as a romantic restaurant, so we decided to go on Valentine's Day. I called a couple weeks before to make a reservation. A credit card number was required to hold the reservation, and the person said if we don't show up and didn't cancel our reservation a week before Valentines, the card would be charged $25.

Getting to Cafe Josie Restaurant

Cafe Josie wasn't difficult to find, to the trick is to turn right at Blanco St. I made the mistake of turning into the tiny filled parking lot of Portabla restaurant, then having to back out. I then turned left on Walsh St. and parked there and we made the short walk across 6th street. Cafe Josie is actually located behind Portabla, with entry through Blanco St. It looked like a regular house painted in red.

Restaurant Impressions

After walking up a ramp entering the restaurant, we were greeted by a hostess who sat us down at our table in the dining room to the right. The entire Cafe Josie restaurant seemed cozy, with probably 25 tables max. The art work consisted of canvas paintings of flowers and other scenery, done in good taste. The table consisted of a tea light candle to the side, utensils wrapped in a red napkin (a nice touch), and wine glass on top of white table cloth.

Service and Food Taste/Quality

After several minutes of just sitting at our table, someone came out and gave both of us a glass of water. I lifted up the glass to drink but the glass stunk like stinky feet. We theorized that it was probably from the restaurant staff using a stinky cloth to dry the glasses. After some more waiting our waiter came by and asked us what we'd like to order. The menu had the several of the same items listed on the the men on the Cafe Josie website. For Valentine's Day it was $45 a person, and you got to pick an appetizer, soup or salad, and a main course. We selected the Crispy Calamari as the appetizer- we were only able to pick one because it was apparently servings for two people. That came out quickly and was delicious. The calamari was so tender, and the Chipotle Aioli dipping sauce was flavorful and gave a nice kick. For our salad and soup selections we picked the Baby Spinach Salad and the Corn Bisque soup. The passion fruit dressing on the salad was delicious, kind of mango like. And the corn bisque was creamy and tasty- you can really discern the grounded up corn.

For our main entrees we had the Pepita Redfish with Mango Habanero Butter and the Honey Chipotle Shrimp. The redfish was lightly fried with bread crumbs. I didn't taste the spice in the crust, though the habanero butter drizzled over the middle of the fillet was very good. I had expected more kick from something flavored with habenero, so that dish was a bit disappointing. The Honey Chipotle Shrimp, on the other hand, was delicious. The shrimps were large and plump, perfectly cooked served on skewers, and was sweet (but not too much so), tangy, and a bit spicy.

For dessert we decided on to share a Venezuelan Chocolate Pot ($6 extra). The pot was pretty small, probably about 3.5 inches in diameter. This was a dessert that kind of grew on us. We were not overly impressed initially but as we ate more, the rich chocolate flavor really took over. Plus it was not overly sweet.

The Verdict for Cafe Josie

Overall I didn't think the atmosphere was as romantic as I had expected. The tables were close to each other so chatter was very noticeable. The food was tasty but wasn't plated in any way that made them seem romantic. The service was good in general, though we did have to wait a while before we got any attention, and our server didn't show much enthusiasm. It was fairly enjoyable experience, however.

On a scale of 1 through 5, I would give Cafe Josie 3.5 out 5 Stars.

Cafe Josie Info

Address: 1200 West Sixth Street Austin Suite B, Texas 78703
Phone: 512-322-9226