Dinner -- 8/22/08

Tomatoes Mexican and Italian Restaurant
704 N. Hewitt Drive
Hewitt, TX 76643

254.420.3000

6:15 - 7:30 PM

Ramona: Caesar salad, Chicken Madonia (chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, ziti), cannoli, iced tea

Jim: Caesar salad, Chicken parmigiana with spaghetti, cannoli, iced tea

Shared: Shrimp cocktail

Our second visit to this fine, new restaurant. Every table was filled, and quickly refilled as people left. The manager Kim reported that business has been brisk with about equal orders for the Italian and Mexican dishes.

Jim's chicken parmigiana was unusual. The chicken was very lightly breaded, and the thin sauce was tasty. The peppers and onions mixed in gave the dish a pleasing appearance and a most delightful taste. Ramona's dish was also tasty, and so large, she ended up bringing half of it home.

The shrimp cocktail featured four large shrimp and several cut up and mixed in with the sauce in the Mexican style. Chunks of tomato, avocado, onions, peppers, and cilantro made this an unusual and excellent appetizer.

As on our first visit, the bread was warm and wonderful! We both agreed this was among the best examples of bread in Waco. The cannolis were also excellent - the cheese filling was thick and very tasty. Ramona's only complaint was the chocolate syrup dribbled over the top -- it was obviously not homemade -- but Jim says that is minor since the important thing about the cannoli is the pastry itself and the cheese filling. No complaints on that !

We both agreed that another weak spot was the salad. Their version of Caesar salad is less than ordinary. Iceberg lettuce, a thin slice of tomato (that has no business in a Caesar salad!), and a tasteless dressing were disappointing. We would like to elevate Tomatoes to our list of bests, but this important element of the meal needs to be addressed before we can do that!

-Jim and Ramona