Saturday, October 17, 2009

Dinner -- 10/14/09

Elite Circle Grille
2132 S. Valley Hills Dr.
Waco, TX 76706

254.754.4941

http://www.elitecirclegrille.com/

5:00 - 5:50 PM

$

Ramona: French Dip Sandwich, Fries, iced tea

Jim: French Dip Sandwich, Fries, iced tea

A most excellent sandwich, and the best French Dip I have tasted in Waco. The bread was great, and the sandwich was warm and delicious.

Our server, Spring, also did a great job. She had the right balance of attention and service without hovering -- a problem in so many restaurants in Waco.

Do not miss this historic Waco eatery on any trip through Central Texas.

-Jim

Monday, September 14, 2009

Dinner -- 09/12/09

Selena's Table
2004 Valley Mills Dr.
Waco, TX 76710

254.235.9771

5:00 - 6:15 p.m.

$$$

Ramona: House salad with mystic cranberry citrus dressing; grilled marinated tuna Greco; garlic mashed potatoes; iced tea; Chaka Sanna; coffee

Jim: Pork vegetable soup; Perry's grilled balsamic steak; garlic mashed potatoes; iced tea; sfogliatella with fruit sauce; coffee

A new restaurant opening is always something to celebrate, and when a new dining spot opens that beats all expectations, that is really cause for excitement. While we like to visit new places early, there is always a fear things may be a little rough around the edges. Selena's Table came with some pretty lofty praise from some colleagues, so we decided to try it after it was open only five days.

Obviously a lot of planning went into this new place at Ridgewood east on the corner of Valley Mills and Cobbs. The decor is as eclectic as the menu, which features a wide variety of unusual dishes from South America, Mexico, the Mediterranean, and Asia. The menu had such an interesting selection, we had a hard time settling on our dinner, changing our minds a couple of times.

Jim started with the soup, which had a slightly spicy and wonderful taste. Ramona's salad had a colorful presentation with fresh ingredients and an excellent dressing neither of us had ever tasted.

The entrees were of a generous size, perfectly cooked, and served at the right temperature. Jim especially liked the fried spinach, which served as garnish for the steak. Ramona's tuna steak was embellished with Roma tomato slices, capers, Greek olives, capers and feta cheese. Grilled mixed vegetables accompanied each dish and were fresh and crisp.

Lastly, the dessert menu held every bit as much interest as the rest of the menu. Ramona went with one of her favorites -- a flourless chocolate cake, and Jim tried for something completely different, a delicate pastry with fruits sauce and Nutella. Both were outstanding.

The only glitch was the bread, which had no character at all. The owners assured us that the arrival -- soon -- of a new bread and pastry chef would remedy that situation. At least for the near future, BYOB.

Scott, our server, seemed a bit nervous, but for the early days of the restaurant he did a great job.

If you like 1424, you will love Selena's Table. Don't miss out on this great new spot in Waco's ever-improving dining scene. Shame on Waco if it cannot support two first class restaurants, which rival many, many places in Dallas or Austin. We eagerly await our second visit.

-Jim & Ramona.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Breakfast -- 06/16/09

Starbuck's
I-40
Little Rock, AR

Jim: Vente latte, Sausage, egg, and cheese on ciabatta bread

Ramona: Vente latte, Sausage, egg, and cheese on ciabatta bread

Starbuck's is a must for early morning travelling. Their orange cranberry scones are usually our number one choice, but they've just added hot sandwiches to the menu. We were pleased with the sausage, egg, and cheese on ciabatta bread. Next food stop: HOME!

--Ramona

Dinner -- 06/15/09

Parkside Grill
338 N. Peters Road
Knoxville, TN

865.862.5358

$$

Jim: Caesar salad, Parkside fish and chips, French fries, cole slaw, iced tea

Ramona: Kickin' Chicken (chicken breast, lightly breaded and deep fried, topped with creamy cravy), white cheddar mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, cole slaw, iced tea

It's not the restaurant I was looking for but it turned out fine. Jim says his fish and chips were the best he's ever had. They use grouper and serve it with a homemade remoulade sauce. He wasn't too crazy about the sauce, but everything else was excellent. I had a few bites of the Caesar salad and it was terrific. I also had a taste of his cole slaw and asked the waitress to bring me a side order of that. My chicken was kickin' and I loved the white cheddar mashed potatoes. This was a great dinner to see us on for another seventeen hours of driving!

--Ramona

Dinner -- 06/14/09

Dining Car
8826 Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19136

215.338.5113

$

Jim: Creamed chicken soup, roast turkey, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, iced tea

Ramona: Vegetable beef soup, roast turkey, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, candied yams, iced tea

The Dining Car is another of our favorite spots to go in Philadelphia. Jim and I both indulged in their great turkey dinner. Seems like the turkey portion was twice as big as the one we had at Cracker Barrel the week before. Jim's mother was able to repay him for his mushroom taunt that morning. She had lima beans in her vegetable beef soup!

Breakfast -- 06/14/09

Red Robin Diner
6330 Frankford Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19135

215.338.8643

9:00 --9:50 AM

$

Ramona: Scrapple, scrambled egg, fried potatoes, orange juice, coffee

Jim: Ham, cheese, and mushroom omellette, English muffin, fried potatoes, tomato juice, coffee

Two days in a row having scrapple is not too much for me. It's one of those foods we don't have in Texas, so I take advantage of the opportunity when I can. (We bought two packs to bring home with us in our cooler.) Jim had a tasty omellette, taunting his mother with mushooms, which she can't stand to see.

--Ramona

Breakfast -- 06/13/09

Red Robin Diner
6330 Frankford Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19135

215.338.8643

9:00 --9:50 AM

$

Ramona: Scrapple, pancakes, orange juice, coffee

Jim: Scrapple, two poached eggs on an English muffin, fried potatoes, tomato juice, coffee

A trip to Philadelphia wouldn't be complete without breakfast with scrapple. The Red Robin Diner is just a block away from Jim's parents' house, so it's our favorite place to go. The service is always great. The cost of the breakfast includes the juice and coffee. Can't beat it!

--Ramona