One of the consequences of putting our place on the market is having to be out when people want to look at it. As a result of having to be out when realtors show our place we have eaten dinner out more in the past month than we have in the past few years. I like to eat out from time to time but anymore since I know most of the food served in restaurant around here is not organic or naturally grown, I'm kind of leery about eating it. Also I like to cook and I've gotten pretty good at about a dozen or so dishes and so I prefer to eat at home where I have some control over what kind of foods I cook.Since I do have a few local readers I'm going to devote the rest of this post to mini reviews of some of the locally owned restaurants we've eaten at in the past few weeks.
Mardi Gras Cafe (on Oakland)-Avoid this joint. The food is so so at best. Everything they make seems to be deep fried. I had a oyster po' boy with fries and it was pretty bad. The ambiance in this place stinks as well.
The new German restaurant downtown-We ate there tonight and I can't remember the name of it but I can tell you I was pleasantly surprised. The food we had was very good, I had the grilled chicken in Riesling sauce with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut and it was quite tasty. Sparky enjoyed her meal as well. They've done a great job with the decor in the place, it has an old world but still cozy feel. I'd eat there again.
China Garden (next to Blockbuster on Roan Street)-If you have not tried this little Chinese place then you are missing out. It's a small restaurant and unlike most every other Chinese restaurant around here they don't do a buffet, there's no room for one. They make your order while you wait and they do it quick. The food is a bit on the salty side, that's to be expected with Chinese food though, but it's still damn good. I recommend the chicken in garlic sauce with steamed rice.
Scratch Bakery and Foodworks-I can't say enough good things about Scratch. They make great breads, desserts, smoked meats and fish, sandwiches, and other stuff. They also make great pizzas in their wood fired oven. They are only open from 11 to 11 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so get there when and if you can.
As far as the big chain restaurants go, if you've eaten at one, you've eaten at them all so I'm not going to review them here ever.
7 comments:
Eating out is fun when you "get to" but not so much when you "have to".
My favorite night of the week is Sat. night when Mr. Pop cooks something special or different. Sitting in the kitchen and chatting with him over cocktails and smelling dinner cooking is so very special to me.
Same here - we rarely eat out.
In fact, we even went on a mission to perfect Pad Thai as that was one thing we craved but just weren't jazzed about the Thai restaurants close to us.
I think the German joint is called Friebergs. It is good and they've done a great job remodeling the building. China Garden is quite good. Chinese food should not be served buffet style. It is only good when it is fresh. And as for Scratch - they're the most refreshing business in town. Let me recommend the bento box at Cafe 111. That's my favorite meal in town right now.
Salty-I'm boycotting Cafe 111. When they went frou frou they ruined what was once a good Chinese restaurant.
I love to eat out!!! Cooking and cleaning up after 5 people gets to be a chore. My hubby is picky and lactose intolerant so he's no fun, and the kids just plain like to whine no matter WHAT I serve. I love to cook but it's hard to plan around kids, schedules, what's on sale, etc.
We eat out about once a week, and it's usually sushi because that's just too hard to do at home, and costs almost as much.
The spot where that Mardi Gras Cafe is located is cursed. The Blue Pear that was there several years ago started out pretty good, but everything that has been there since... not so good.
I'll 2nd the German place downtown Freibergs. Been there a few times and it has always been good.
Scratch... awesome.
I'll add a couple of my other local favorites.
1. Volcano's Bakery - On Market Street between State of Franklin road an John Exum Parkway. Tamales, Tacos, Tortas... a mexican bakery. Super awesome. Cash only. It is in a small building that used to be the Oasis strip club.
2. Mid City Grill - downtown. love the burgers, the crazy hours, and everything else. Plus you can bring in your own beer & wine.
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