Crosstown BBQ

If you live in the area, you've seen Steve's commercials. It's one of the most memorable commercials for a restaurant chain EVER. In this area, it's just as memorable as "twoallbeefpattiesspecialsaucelettucecheesepicklesonionsonasesameseedbun." However, the food is way better than any Big Mac, and the service outranks that fancy "Millionare's McDonald's" in Manhatten, anytime.

Crosstown Bar-B-Que is famous for its sandwich platters and hand-cut fries, not to mention the ribs. And Steve makes his own sauce DAILY, and even sells it. He makes two different varieties: mild and spicy. The mild is what I prefer. The spicy is...well... Let me put it this way. The Angry Whopper is MILD. Steve's spicy sauce is so hot even I can't handle it, and I can handle Sonic's Island Fire Burger without flinching.

There is always a fantastic smell just getting near the case. This is because the smokers are always going, and the food is always fresh. Have the burnt ends if you like. They're $7.99 for a plate of them that includes two sides. My husband really likes the Bluto and the K.C. Melt, and me? Well, my favorite is a regular sandwich platter with beef and pork, and cheese on the side to dip fries and sandwich in.

And there's another great thing about Crosstown. If I go somewhere else and ask for cheese for my fries, I'm just going to get a little cup. There's never enough cheese. But Crosstown? There's MORE than enough, and it's always fantastic. In short, I've got nothing but good to say about this place.

$-$$

Sonic

I've been boycotting Sonic for over a year because they support Planned Parenthood. (For more on my pro-life views, see http://danalas.livejournal.com) However, my dog really loves their chili cheese coneys, and I've been craving a cherry-chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper. So, off my husband and I went to Sonic in order to spoil our doggie who is to be put down on Thursday because his doggie lung cancer metastasized into the brain, making the poor thing partially blind, and he's been in a lot of pain, so it really is the most merciful thing to do.

Anyway, because of these unfortunate circumstances, we made our way to the Sonic location on Republic (near Republic and Glenstone). I gave in to my cherry-chocolate cravings, made easier by the fact that they now offer the Route 44 size for free with combo purchase. My choice? The #5, the bacon cheeseburger toaster. My husband's choice? The #3, a coney, with an added grilled chicken wrap (sans tomato). The coney was quickly devoured by our sweet, loving, and sadly doomed pup, as well as about half my chili-cheese fries and my husband's tots.

My toaster was as good as I remembered it. There's just something about that hickory sauce. My husband described his wrap as "pretty good." They got my drink order almost right (a little too much chocolate and not enough cherry), and they also screwed up my husband's. He ordered a watermelon Sprite, and they brought him a regular Sprite.

Other than the drink problems, though, it was worth abandoning my unspoken personal boycott, especially for the most wonderful dog in the world.

Dominos

I finally took care of my pizza craving after class today by utilizing the Dominos in the Plaster Student Union at MSU.

I normally really like Dominos. However, I would really advise against getting one of their "big slices" too soon after the lunch rush. What's left over between the lunch rush and the time they manage to get fresh pizzas out is....not so great.

The service is better in the off times, though, which offsets it. I just adivse getting, say, the 6" pizza, since they have to be made fresh. I'm thinking that, next time, I'll try the pasta bread bowl.

$-$$

Taco Bell

Okay, so yesterday was the first day of the summer semester, and I packed a cheese sandwich for lunch, but it just didn't work. So, I convinced my husband, after we went to DeSales, to take me over to the Taco Bell on Sunshine.

It is one of the Taco Bells in town that carries sweet tea (the one over by MSU does not). I got a couple of grilled chicken burritos (sans sauce), an empenada, a couple of the new pina colada fruitistas (one for me, one for my husband) and a large sweet tea (for the male roommate).

So, is it just me? Or has Taco Bell downsized the ammount of filling it puts in its tacos and burritos? Even the caramel empenada seemed a bit smaller than it used to. They were fairly good, though. And my husband and I love the new pina colada Fruitista. It tastes just like the real thing!

Today, I went to the Taco Bell over by MSU. My husband had one of the volcano tacos and one of the volcano burritos. The taco, he said, was tame, but the burrito lived up to the volcano name. I was still seriously craving pizza, and they did NOT have any empenadas up. So, I grudgingly ordered a couple of the grilled chicken soft tacos. Still not bad, but I can't say it was a fair shake, since I was wanting pizza.

$

Golden Corral

Saturday nights at Golden Corral, as you probably know if you've paid attention to the commercials, is beef lover's night, and I am a beef lover. Put a good steak or pot roast or hamburger in front of me, and I will probably not complain.

The roommates treated hubby and me again tonight for dinner, and we went to the Golden Corral on South Glenstone, just outside the Primrose Shopping Center. I am rarely disappointed when we go, whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I normally only have one complaint, that I don't have enough room in my stomach, and tonight was no different.

Now I will admit that I have been craving pizza for quite a while. To that end, I attempted to satisfy my pizza craving with the pizza on the buffet. The pizza was not as good as most, but better than some, and has earned the #8 spot in my pizza rankings, making it better than Pizza World, Papa Murphy's and Marco's. (If you're curious, my #1 always has been, and probably always will be, Papa John's.)

While my pizza craving wasn't quite satisfied, it was calmed down enough for me to wait until I could afford some pizza on my own and so that I could enjoy the rest of the buffet. On my plate my first round along with the pizza? Fried chicken, beef tips, rice, pot roast w/potatoes, and a chop steak covered with grilled onions. I also had the macaroni and cheese, cornbread, mashed potatoes, turkey that had a little too much pepper, and, of course, the yeast roll.

Of all the breads that Golden Corral now offers, the yeast roll is what they started out with and is still their best offering. Spread on some of that honey butter and it's a real treat, almost better than desert. That being said, they have also begun offering garlic-cheddar biscuits, whole grain rolls, sour dough rolls, bruschetta, and garlic cheesy bread. I had one of the garlic-cheddar biscuits, and to be honest, they reminded me of the ones at Red Lobster and Rodizio. The bruschetta could have been a little better, but the issue was really quantity, not quality.

The salad bar was fresh, as always, and just as I was heading up, I noticed them putting out some fresh strawberries. I was getting full, though, and hadn't quite made it to the desert bar, yet, so that's where I headed. I have always loved their brownies, and contemplated a slice of the yummy looking red velvet cake, though I skipped it in favor of some banana pudding, coconut cream pie, and ice cream. I didn't quite get to the pudding or ice cream (damn the inability of my stomach to stretch any further), but I can safely say that the coconut cream pie was some of the best I ever had.

Though we had a difficult time finding a table where my male roommate could comfortably sit thanks to the crowds, Golden Corral is far more handicap accessable than the McDonalds we went to the other day.

$$, and breakfast is slightly cheaper than lunch or dinner, but it is served only on the weekends.

Burger King

Hubby and I had Burger King for lunch, today. We almost always go to the location at National and Republic because the female roommate works there. Besides, it's so darn close, why travel further?

We both had the angry Whopper, which we've been fans of since it came out, and picked up a plain double cheeseburger for our very spoiled greyhound mix. (What can I say? The dog also gets peanut butter and popcorn on a regular basis, as well as your standard doggie treats and the occasional peanutbutter cup and the VERY occasional white chocolate covered cricket. Thank you HotLinx!) We also got a large order of fries for our male roommate, who has been caving french fries a lot lately.

Now, we got in there right at 10:30, which is when they switch over from breakfast to lunch on weekdays. So it was understandable that it took 10 minutes to get the first burgers off the grill and the first fries out of the friers. But at least that meant it was all fresh! And in food, I've always been a big believer that freshness, taste, and accuracy of order is far more important than speed. I'm willing to wait a little longer for better tasting food.

The service, as always, was fast and friendly. I never feel pressured to hurry up and order when I go in, even when it's the middle of a rush. (At least, I never feel pressured by the staff. My husband, on the other hand...)

If I had to make any complaint at all, it's that there's not NEARLY enough angry sauce. I want more angry sauce! It's too mild, though it seems hotter when applied to the burger shots. Perhaps it's the higher concentration on smaller burgers? If it just had a bit more angry sauce, the angry Whopper (for me, sans mayo and jalapenos; for my husband, sans tomato) would be perfect.

$, can be $$, but like at McDonalds, this requires a HUGE appetite.

McDonald's

The same roommates that treated my husband and me to Ziggies yesterday treated us to McDonald's this evening after doing some shopping at the South Wal*Mart SuperCenter over on Independance. We went to the McDonald's location right there in the parking lot.

McDonald's normally has some awesome sweet tea. Not so much tonight. It was overly sweet, as if, instead of using sugar, they used aspertame and failed to compensate for the difference in sweetness intensity.

On the up side, they got our order right, and the food was about as fresh as your average fast food chain's food can get. This, of course, is the reason my roommates, husband, and I all tend to special order our food. It forces them to make at least the burgers fresh. Even the fries had just come out of the frier. They could have, of course, given me a fruit and yogurt parfait that was a little less frozen, but at least it was cold and hadn't been out too long.

The location was clean, and the restrooms were fairly clean, but one major problem. Though the restaurant calls itself handicap accesseble, it is not handicap friendly. The doors do not open automatically, meaning that a person in a wheelchair who is alone is going to have to either keep the door open themselves or rely on the kindness of strangers. Even with someone to keep the doors open, the doorways are not very wide.

And then there are the restrooms. I mentioned in my last post that my male roommate recently had his ankle fused. To that end, he is in a wheelchair because he's not able to put any weight on his ankle. My husband helped him get in and out of the wheelchair and to navigate the restroom, and, since our roommate is supposed to keep his leg elevated, that just makes navigation of those tight corners even harder.

For handicap stalls, they're narrow. I also checked out the one in the women's restroom and compared notes with my husband. They're similar, and my husband said that our male roommate's bathroom trip there was more of a struggle than it could and should have been.

$, can be $$ if you're REALLY hungry, but you'd need to eat at least a couple of the most expensive value meals on your own to get $$/person.

Ziggies

Today my husband and I had the good fortune of being treated to lunch at Ziggies by our roommates, one of whom was having his first meal out since his ankle fusion surgery a few weeks ago.

My husband and our female roommate both had omeletts with biscuits and gravy. Our male roommate had the chicken fried steak, and I had the French dip. He and I both had side salads. The three of them shared an appetizer of fried mushrooms. I would have had some, too, but I've never liked mushrooms. As it was, it was a fairly large sized order for the price.

I had sweet tea to drink. It's difficult, in this town, to find sweet tea that is just right for my taste buds, and Ziggies rarely nails it. Today, they did. The rest of the food was fabulous. I drank the rest of the au jus after dipping sandwich and fries in it.

As a group, we do have two complaints. For me, and this was a minor one, but there were onions with the lettuce, tomato, and pickles that that Ziggies lists in its menu as coming with the sandwich. The onions are not listed, so I did not expect them, and I really expected a pickle spear, which is what is normally served with a sandwich, not the slices. And there was only one slice of tomato, when the sandwich clearly needed two.

Now I know what you're probably thinking. Lettuce, tomato, and pickle on a French Dip? But it's actually really good. I just had to go with less lettuce than I normally would have because the majority of the leaves were tainted with the taste of onion, something I've never found appealing outside of grilled, nearly carmalized onions on Phillies and White Castles.

The other complaint came from my husband. He felt that the biscuits and gravy were "ice cold." He exagerated, of course. He generally does. But our female roommate confirmed that yes, they were room temperature, especially on the surface, but she also pointed out that she and my husband had both waited until they'd finished everything else before eating them, something that would naturally contribute to their being cold because biscuits cool quickly.

The location that we went to was the one attached to the Price Cutter on South National, near National and Republic. It has recently expanded its hours and is now open 6 AM to 9 PM, 7 days a week. Its service has also improved to match that of the other Ziggies locations, and Wednesdays are free pie day, during which they offer a free slice of pie with the purchase of two entries.

$$-$$$
Price range includes appetizer and desert.

Mr. Yen's

Okay, so this is what inspired the blog in the first place.

On Friday evening, my husband and I took my step-daughter to Mr. Yen's. And, up until Friday evening, we have always had fond thoughts regarding the building, the waitstaff, the management, and, especially, the food. However, it recently gained new ownership, and since then, it has all gone downhill.

First, there is the building itself. The outside is beginning to fall into disrepair. We are talking about a restaurant where $1,000,000 was spent on the outside alone. The original owner kept it up very well. However, there are hints that the new owner is not doing quite as well in this area.

The inside looked as my husband and I remembered it. The menus even looked the same until we opened them up. Some of the prices had gone up, and one item was conspiculously absent: the fried pig intestine. Now, I am not a fan of fried pig intestine. I can't stand the stuff. However, my husband loves it (and yes, he also likes haggis), and he was looking forward to not only eating it, but getting my step-daughter to try some. It was basically his only reason for going to Mr. Yen's.

My husband got the fried dumplings and the Springfield style cashew chicken. It was a little less flavorful than he remembered. My step-daughter got the crab rangoon and beef with scallops. She was perfectly happy. I got the cho cho beef and the moo shi pork. The cho cho beef was just as I remembered. It was perfectly tasty, even when I let it stay on the miniature fire a little too long and it burned a little on one side. The moo shi pork, however, was less pork and more... I don't know what. Yeah, there were chunks of pork. But they were difficult to distinguish from the mushrooms/other fungi, cabbage, etc.

I got very little flavor from the pork, and there was a little too much soy sauce in the rice. (Why, oh why, must the rice come already soaked in soy sauce?) The hoisin sauce also tasted a little off, a bit... I don't know, really. Bitter, is the only word I can think of.

So, would I recommend it? There once was a time when I would call Mr. Yen's the best Chinese restaurant in Springfield. It's still the only place to get good duck, but that and some of the appetizers are the only things really worth getting there.

Price includes appetizer.
$$-$$$

Housekeeping

This first post is going to be basic housekeeping: explination, groundrules, etc.

I like to eat, and I live in a town with a lot of restaurants. I've also got some fairly sensitive taste buds, and I can sense when a restaurant's food is starting to go downhill. (Don't even get me started on the popcorn offerings of the Boy Scouts or Girl Scout cookies.)

I am also on a budget. My husband is disabled, and I am a full time college student whose main income is through the federal workstudy program as well as grant/loan refunds. I have noticed that there are very few dining guides out there who have a price guide that actually gives me a good idea about the price I'll be paying for a meal. For example, most of them will give a $20.00 and up range for the classier restaurants around town, but more often, if I go in with a $20-30 budget per person, I'm going to find myself begging people to get the least expensive stuff on the menu.

So, with that in mind, here's my pricing guide that lends a little more accuracy.

$ - You can easily spend less than $10/person.
$$ - Restaurants in this range will cost approximately $10-20/person.
$$$ - Restaurants in this range will cost $20-30/person
$$$$ -Plan $30-40/person
$$$$$ - Hope you've got a large income. You'll be spending at LEAST $40/person!

Something else I've noticed about your usual price guides is that they don't tend to include the price of drinks/deserts/appetizers/tips in their price ranges. Unless otherwise noted, my price range is for a meal that includes a tea/soda. Very rarely do my friends and I drink alcohol, and we like to hit buffets for ultimate value, which generally includes desert anyway. I'll also indicate which meal we went for, because there are some restaurants where the prices can be cheaper at breakfast or lunch.

Now, as for the ground rules. Since I'm the only one who will be posting, these apply to comments.

1) Please keep your language clean. You never know when a child is going to be reading this. Anyone who is a parent can testify that children can and do understand and repeat swear words that they've heard/read.

2) Please, no flaming. If you have a genuine disagreement with something I've written about a restaurant, be respectful about it. "Hey, I've got to disagree. I went there and what I had was a lot better than you make it out to be," is respectful. "You ******* *****, you don't know what you're talking about!" is NOT respectful and also breaks rule #1.

3) Be respectful not just of myself but of other readers. Remember the person! If you wouldn't say it to their face, don't say it online. I do NOT tolerate cyber-bullying!

So, just be nice, basically, and everything will be fine.