Eating Montgomery

Lunch at El Paso Chili Company

2005-10-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

I went out with some co-workers to a place I've never been to before and was pleasantly surprised. Its a hole in the wall restaurant hidden in an old strip mall off of Lagoon park and the Eastern Boulevard. The servers could all have been your mother or grandmother, always over offering refills.

On the recommendation of a friend, I ordered the cajun burger. It was served on a bun with Lettuce, Tomato, Onions and Mayo, and came with fries. Even without the cheese that I forgot to order, it was very good. My only suggestion would be to update the look of the place, and get rid of the Pepsi products.

Good place for a quick hearty lunch

Aborted dessert.

2005-10-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

After eating out at the Olive Room, we were going to stop by Bruno's bakery to bring back a cake to share with our friends. The Perry Hill and Carmicheal location was the closest, so we stopped in around 815pm to pick something up. We spent around 5 minutes looking at each cake, and everyone that had fruit on it looked gross. Either the fruit glaze was turning cloudy, or the strawberries were decomposing.

This is why I no longer buy pastries from Bruno's. Fresh Market is the only way to go.

Dinner at the Olive Room

2005-10-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.noblesandoliveroom.com/OliveRoom/menu.htm

I recently had the opportunity to dine out sans child, and since I've been tired of going to Bonefish all the time at the behest of my significant other, I thought we'd give the Olive Room another try. We've only been there two other times previously, and they've batted about 500. This time was as good as the first time we went there. It was pretty empty when we got there, at 7pm on Saturday night, but with the lighting just barely above pitch dark, it didn't really matter. We could have been alone, had it not been for the Waiter, and the loud cacklings of a party of slightly drunk, obnoxious thirty somethings a few tables away.

For an appetizer we had the Tomato Napolean, which was a tower of lucious thick slices of tomatoes from the farmer's market, bruschetta, bacon, goat cheese, fresh basil, and a warm bacon vineagrette. The S.O. had the Mixed green fruit salad, which was also good.
Dinner consisted of the Duck for myself, and an off menu special of Halibut, prepared in much the same way as the Parmesean crusted Snapper listed on their menu. The duck was well roasted, and the Jicama slaw that accompanied it was also suprisingly tasty. The "fingerling" potatoes served with both entree's were quite dissapointing, and seemed more like quartered new potatoes, instead of the more flavorfull butteryness of whole, roasted fingerlings.

Service was good (not great, but still above par) and attentive enough. We were seated promptly, by our waiter, and drinks were ordered as soon as we sat down, and kept them topped off most of the time. He seemed a little bit scatter brained however, when he couldn't even remember which entree went with which person. There was also no "thanks, come again", or even recognition that we were leaving after we paid the check.

The Atmosphere is still great. The dining room is a small 20'x100' olive drab "closet" which is lit by sparse flood lighting, but mainly tea lights. The Restrooms are cool, featuring a waterfall urinal, and a stainless steel prison toilet with a 6" lucite seat. The portions are smaller than the price, but guess you pay for the quality.

Overall, this is a good place to bring a date, good taste in food, and a full wallet, but not the kids.

Lunch at the Garden Cafe at Southern Homes and Gardens on Vaughn

2005-09-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

I stopped in to get some plants, and had a bite to eat at their cafe. The Vaughn SHAG is even better than the Wetumpka location. It is all new and has cool spacious greenhouses. I had a chicken salad croisant, with chips and fruit salad. Their chicken salad has to be the best I've ever eaten. There were big chunks of seasoned white meat, mixed greens and seasoned tomatoes sandwiched between a firm croisant. The fruit salad was also quite good. It consisted of Blueberries, Strawberries, red grapes and muskmelon, all drizzled with a sweet dressing with poppy seeds.

Great food for a light lunch, patio seating available.

Lunch at Nobles

2005-09-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

We went to Nobles for lunch recently, and were not very impressed. Let me start out by saying that I've eaten lunch there at least two other times before, and have never been dissapointed. This time was different, however. We sat down almost as soon as we walked in, and continued to do so, ungreated for at least 5 minutes. When our waiter did finally arrive, he joked about us having enough time to decide on what we wanted, and offered no apology. Besides the slowness of our waiter, his appearence left something to be desired as well. He was wearing the standard uniform of a open collared button down, but his T-Shirt underneath was old and threadbare.

I ordered the Blackened Tuna Sandwich with Wasabi Aoli and Sweet Potato Fries, and my guest had the special of the day, Spaghetti and Meatballs, with a side salad. After waiting an increadibly long time for our food to come out, I was sorely dissapointed. The blackened tuna was not blackened, only coated with very hot spices, that had not been blackened at all. The tuna was almost cool to the touch. It had the appearace that it had been cooked ahead of time, or at least seasoned ahead of time, and cooked on a cool stove. The sweet potato fries were all limp, as though they were cooked earlier in the day as well. My guest's spaghetti was watery, probably a result of insufficient draining. The balsamic vineagrette dressing and the mixed green salad was quite good however. We later split a layered strawberry cake which was iced with a wonderfull strawberry icing. It was almost as dense as a fruit bread, but still very good and eat-able.

Overall, I would have to say that either Nobles is slipping, or we just came on a bad day. Either way, that dining experience was bad.

Dinner at Outback Steakhouse.

2005-09-21T13:30:00.001-07:00

It had been awhile since I've eaten at Outback, mainly due to my dislike of waiting 45+ minutes for a table. We got there at 5:30, and went straight to our table. I'm still not sure if that is because it was early, or if the new Prattville location has helped to take some of the damand off the Montgomery one.

We ordered the Bloomin' Onion, one of our favorites, aside from Bacon Cheese Fries, and were not dissapointed. We then split the Royal Port catch with the Toowoomba sauce, which is a cream sauce with crawfish tails and shrimp, and a side of steamed veggies. The only thing that dissapointed was the size of the filet, and the Outback standard of zero garnish.
Our waiter was always there when we needed him, and kept our drinks full. It wasn't spectacular service, but it was helpful, and there when needed, which, for Montgomery, is still above par.

Overall, Outback was what we expected from Outback, always great food, and a good dining experience.

Dinner: Bonefish Grill

2005-08-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted, and although I've reduced the amounts of times I've eaten out, I haven't been very diligent in recording my experiences.

Last night, we ate at Bonefish Grill, again. I had my favorite, the Spinach Bacon Gorgonzola Swordfish. It was delicious, although the gorgonzola was a little cold, and the seasonal vegatable side was very petite. For desert, I had something that I hadn't seen there before, a Banana's Foster. It was 2 scoops of vanilla with a standard banana-cinnamon-rum syrup, and a small sopapilla.

The service was to be expected, great. Our waitress was attentive and kept our drinks constantly refilled.

Bonefish continues to prove that a restaurant can provide quality service and food, provided it hires the right people.

Dessert: Cheesecake Factory, Birmingham

2005-07-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

I was in Birmingham, and I thought I'd try some cheesecake at a place that is supposedly so good at it, they call them selves the Cheesecake Factory.

I was originally hoping for a savory cheesecake. I've watched several shows on Food Network where the host has mentioned savory cheesecakes with lobster, crab meat or whatever. Hey this is THE Cheesecake Factory right? They should have it.

Nope, just dessert cheesecakes, so that is what I had, along with some Coffee. I ordered the Toblerone Swiss chocolate cheese cake. It was good, but no great. it had a chocolate and almond topping that was reminiscent of chocolate no-bake cookies. The coffee was mediocre, and made me regret not ordering one of their many coffee or kahlua flavored cheesecakes.

The service was ok, it was 5pm when I stopped in, not busy at all, yet my server still managed to elude me, causing me to wait for refills, and a paid check.

I'd like to try it again, perhaps give one of their entree's a chance.

Lunch: Smokey Bones

2005-06-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to return to Smokey Bones due to a coworker's going away luncheon. I had the Brisket Lunch with BBQ Beans and fries. This is what I usually get, and with some splashes of their great habanero hot sauce, it was great. The only complaint I've ever had with Smokey Bones is their lack of vegatables.

The service was great, even though we had a table of 10, with even the manager stopping by every now and then to check up on us.

Smokey Bones is the best full service BBQ joint in town, fuhgitabout Country's

Lunch: Fat Man's Smokehouse

2005-06-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

Just about the last place I would expect to find good food would be in a gas station convenience store. I've tried my share of quickie burgers and gas station pizza, and they all ended in at the very least, disappointment. Fat Man's Smokehouse is an exception to the rule. They are co-located with a Citgo convenience store off of Cong. Dick and the bypass. This is the second time I've eaten there, and I've left full and happy both times.

SERVICE: N/A, but the folks behind the counter were pleasant to talk to and friendly. The manager even let me have a sample of their rib tips to help make up my mind. There is limited dining available, but no table service.

FOOD: I've had the rib tips and the ribs now. Their lunch combo comes with two sides, and a slice of white bread. They have several choices of BBQ sauce, I liked to mix their Sweet with the hot sauce, it turned out great. The BBQ Baked beans and Potato salad were also great. Drinks were self serve. My only complaint was that the unsweet tea was in an old reused jug, while both tea pots were filled with Sweet Tea. I guess I can't really complain, since everyone seems to like it sweet. Not that I like anything besides Ice in my tea, but I've been given sweet tea before, and it tasted like tea flavored syrup.

If you work anywhere between Coliseum and the Boulevard, Fat Man's is the closest place to go for great BBQ.

Smoking is not permitted, it's a GAS STATION!!!

Lunch: China Dragon

2005-06-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if Chinese take-out classifies as fast food, but it isn't a chain. All I can say is that for 4.25, you get a helluva lot of good General Tso's Chicken. It was served with Fried Rice and a couple of pieces of broccoli.

Food good, Service N/A. Limited dining available.

For good Mu Shu Pork, there is a place off of Perry Hill Rd.

No Smoking.

Dinner: Buffalo Wild Wings

2005-06-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

Stay away Larry!

Wow! I would have to say that this was one of the few restaurants that made me want to leave before we even got our drinks. We were sat down for over 5 minutes before the waiters could figure out who would wait on us. Once we did get a waiter, we ordered drinks, which took another 5 minutes. Then before he could leave us again, we ordered an appetizer of Chile con queso, along with our entree's of BBQ Burger, 12 wings with Hot BBQ sauce, and a child's mini Corn Dogs. The Chile con queso was actually Chilli con Queso. It was queso with chilli dropped on top. It was good however. The wings were good too, however, when they say Hot BBQ, they mean HOT! The wife had just one bite of my wings, and her lips were on fire. I like hot, and my nose was running and my lips numb by the time I finished them all. I had a Michelob Amber bock, which is just a watered down version of Shiner bock, but good in a pinch.

Service: Our waiter, Larry, was a total loser. He was unshaven, and the way he waited tables seemed as though they just picked him up off the street. The only time we were taken care of was when other waiters came by to check on us, because they had noticed how long we were waiting with out food, and took pity on us. A manager came buy and apologized for it taking so long, but she couldn't even apologize to the right table.

I can understand opening night snags, but this was a cluster-fsck. I was so agravated, that I don't think I'll go there again. The other wings place has better service.

Lunch: On the Border: Birmingham

2005-06-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Location: Summit shopping center, Birmingham

We swung by because I had heard from a co-worker that OTB was good. I had vaguely remembered eating at one in Houston a long time ago, but figured that if they couldn't stay in business in Houston, then they probably weren't all that good. We ate lunch, and I had Fajitas de Carnita's, the wife had a Chimichanga. Whenever I eat mexican, one of the first things I look for on the menu is Carnitas. It is essentially roasted pork, and it is very good. These fajitas were no exception. The carmelized onions, carnita's peppers and lime on a sizzle plate was great. Brandi's chimichaga was good, but seemed undercooked, as the tortilla was soggy from the sauce, and only tasted like it had been fried. The complementary chips were huge, crispy and well salted, and the salsa was quite good as well.

Service was another story, our waiter seemed stoned. He couldn't remember what kind of tea we wanted, even after we had just told him. He brought our food out, took mine back because there was gum on the bottom of my plate, and then didn't even return for another 5 minutes. At least when he returned, my fajitas were sizzling. The first time he came out he served them Montgomery style, which means, no longer sizzling because they have been sitting out while the waiter was smoking crack.

I didn't have a chance to try their margaritas, since I was driving back to Montgomery, and we were too full for desert, although they looked quite good.

I would have to say that for a Mexican restaurant, they would have to be the best I have ever had... in Alabama. It's a truely sad thing, when what is essentially a Chili's with a stronger accent is good in comparison to all the local restaurants.

Dinner: Charles Anthony's The Pub

2005-06-24T19:16:00.001-07:00

Editor's Note: This is pasted from my personal blog, it was originally writen April 30, 2005
Menu
We finally got around to eating at the pub. We never went to it's Montgomery mall location, mainly because the Montgomery Mall location was in the 'hood, and we didn't want our car broken into, or deal with the roving gangs of hoodlums that loitered there. I swear, so called "urban" fashion these days makes grown men look like little boys wearing their daddies clothes.

Anyhow, back on topic, The Pub has a great new location on the fringes of the boonies of Montgomery. We were sat in the bar area, which was cramped, loaded with red-necks in shorts and t-shirts, and detracted from the english pub setting. Perhaps I just think of O'Doherty's Irish Pub in downtown Spokane when I think of pub. We had a round of cocktails to start off. I had a Crown and Coke, and Brandi had a fairly mediocre $7 apple martini. If you are going to charge 7 bucks for a martini, you should use something better than Absolute! Bonefish uses Van Gogh in their $7 Sour Appel Martini. Anyhow, it was just absolut, apple pucker and S&S. I make a much better Apple martini with even cheaper vodka. Our house salads came without croutons, not a big deal. I chose the house dressing, which allegedly was a balsamic vineagrette. I say allegedly because, although it shared the characteristically brown color, it tasted more like steak sauce watered down with malt vineagar. It was not sweet at all, like one would expect. Oh, and save your fork. Even though all entree's are served with salads, you silverware is not served with a salad fork. Brandi ordered the Filet and Crap Cake, and I ordered the Split Beef Tenderloin. Our steaks were both well cooked to order, and even though they were only USDA Choice cuts, they were very tender and flavorful. I chose green beans for a side, and they were quite good. Brandi had a "loaded" baked potato, which arrived late by the way. On thing that I can't stand is when a baked potato is served with less than what god intended it to have, Bacon, Cheese, Sour Cream and Chives. Brandi's only came with butter and sour cream. I went out on a limb and ordered the desert. I tried the bread pudding, which was not bad. It was certainly better than Ryan's left-over yeast roll pudding, but it was very dense, and lacked any visual appeal, since its only garnish was a poof of Whipped cream and Maraschino Cherry.

My final verdict: Not worth waiting more than fifteen minutes for a seat. The price level on most of their better entree's are disparate to the level and quality of service. If you want country service, go to a meal and three, if you want good service to go with your good food, go to Bonefish.

Since Bonefish Grill is my Benchmark for grading restaurants in montgomery, I would have to give The Pub a three quarters Bonefish rating.
Link: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/ads/thePub/index.htm

Dinner: Red Star Tavern

2005-06-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

Editor's Note: This is pasted from my personal blog, it was originally writen June 20, 2005

Red Star Tavern is a new restaurant in town, located in East Chase, where Crepes Egg-cetera used to be. I was initially hesitant to go there because the sign outside is off a martini glass, and I associate taverns with bars, not grills. I would have to say I was completely mistaken.

Walking in, you see the atmosphere is wood paneled upscale chop house. Walking through the bar area to the spacious seating area, you will pick up a beat in your step from the classical Jazz and blues playing overhead. It is like an upscale BBQ shack, serving everything from the lowly $12 meatloaf, all the way up to the $33 Porterhouse.

For drinks, I had a golden Cadillac martini, which was essentially, a mini margarita, made from Patron Anejo Tequila, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, and Sweet & Sour. It was served in a stemless martini glass, and shaken and poured directly at my table.

Our appetizer was a sweet pepper cornbread with honey butter. It was really good, the Jalepeno's really complemented the sweetness of the corn bread. I would have to say that this was even better than Smokey Bones' corn bread, witch I like as well.

Dinner was a sesame encrusted Tuna steak with ginger sauce cooked MR for myself, and the Sirloin Stack cooked MW for the wife. The tuna was cooked spot-on, although for $20, I would have like to get more than just 8 oz. The ginger sauce went really well with the tuna, but the sauce on my plate was broken, and was mainly islets of flavor surrounded by butter fat. The tuna without the sauce was unremarkable, and almost tasteless. I would definitely try it again if they could keep a sauce together. I had a Cesar salad and sweet potato fries for my sides. The Cesar was good, but a little different, instead of Parmesan, it tasted like they used blue cheese or gorgonzola and the croutons were toasted chunks of their sweet corn bread. The sweet fries were great. I first discovered them at a place downtown called Noble's, and these are almost as good. The Sirloin stack was a stack of thin cuts of Sirloin interleaved with thick oven roasted tomato slices, on a bed of carmelized onions. The sirloin was tender. The cooking to MW left charred stripes of burnt that detracted from the flavor. The onions were soft, but not carmelized. The mashed potatoes that came as a side were good; had a good balance of both mealy and new potatoes; and had bits of red skins, adding to the texture and presentation.

We had the brownie for dessert. It was truly an abomination of anything even resembling food. It was a homogeneous lump of what looked and felt like solidified slurry of cornstarch and cocoa powder. It broke apart into solid chunks, in almost crystal-like formations of irregular cubes. I think that someone must have messed up that batch, as I don't think any self respecting chef would ever conjure up a recipe so sadistically gross.

The service was spectacular. It was definitely outstanding for Montgomery. We had an attentive waiter that was actually interested in helping us, and at least 3 floor managers that were genuinely interested in our dining experience. The staff was familiar with the menu, although hazy on wine recommendations. Our waiter served my wine with my cocktail, and took a really long time getting my sweet fries out. That by itself did nothing much to detract from the meal, and we left pleased and ready to return.

Overall, on my Bonefish rating scale, I would have to give Red Star 1.50 Bonefishes. Their menu is more varied, the dining area and bar is larger, the ambiance is better, and there are more parking spaces. The Service is on par with, or slightly better than bonefish as well. Red Star is a definite must eat.

Link: http://www.redstartavern.net/montgomery/homeMA.html

Eating Montgomery

2005-06-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

I thought that in my first post, I'd try to explain the motivation for writing this 'blog. I've been in Montgomery Alabama for four long years. I have been searching for good places to eat for the same time. Up until recently, the reviews for local area restaurants have been less than helpful. The local rag has switched over to a three critic format, allowing for more diverse perspectives. The only problem is, several of the new critics are just as cheap and tasteless as the previous critic, Betts. I am still on a search for what many ex-pat Texans would consider the Holy Grail, a decent Tex-Mex restaurant.

What makes me more capable to review local cuisine? I have worked in the food service industry for over 4 years, as a highly trained waiter in an upscale restaurant, sous-chef in the same, and Bartender. I am now a practicing foodie, and thoroughly enjoy entertaining friends and family with cocktails, gourmet food and fine wine. I have an insiders perspective of what goes on in the back and front of the house. I bring a depth of experience that most local critics lack.

I do this for the enjoyment I take from eating at good restaurants, and from sharing useful information. I will be posting about every place I eat, every time I eat.