Well, Ol Bob is right, it really is the best steak in town. It's also one of the best salads as well. I decided to review my last meal there, even though I've been going there since it opened several years ago.
One thing I like about Binions is that it is very consistent. I always know what to expect. The staff is cheery, if you come between 12noon & 1:30 pm or between 5:30 & 7pm, it will be crowded--count on a wait in the evening. There are barrels of roasted peanuts sitting around to get you through the wait.
Binions has a gambling/old west motif. Kind of what you expect at a steakhouse--rough floors, red-checkered tablecloths. The staff is uniformly cheery.
I ordered a sirloin, house salad, steamed veggies, & unsweetened tea. All came out quickly & they got the order right. Come to think of it, I can't remember them ever making a mistake on my order. Nice.
The Binions house salad is so good. It's not made with that "bag o salad" stuff that I can't stand. You know--stale lettuce, purple cabbage, & little carrot sticks. Yuck. The salad had fresh lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, onions, & the best blue cheese dressing in town. It's probably PYA or Sisco but I don't care--it's good!
The steak was tender & cooked exactly as requested. The vegetables were...well they were vegetables. Nothing especially good or bad there.
The tea didn't taste like it had been made yesterday. I really don't like skanky tea & have been known to send it back.
It's nice to have a good mid-priced restaurant that is consistent. I know what to expect from Mr. Quattlebaum's restaurants & that is important to me.
Now if we could just get him to take that damn music off of his website! It messed up my mp3's when I was trying to get the link for you : )
Showing posts with label restaurant review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label restaurant review. Show all posts
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Restaurant Review - Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Tom & I love good french fries. Through the years we have tried many restaurants, just on a friend's recommendation about their fries. So naturally we were pretty stoked to hear that Five Guys had opened near our office & that they had hand-cut french fries.
You can't help but notice all the glowing reviews & news articles about the restaurant when you walk in. As a matter of fact, it was their main decor. There were probably 50 reviews, pics of other Five Guys restaurants, & testimonials on the walls. The main colors were red & white, & it basically looked like a burger joint--exactly as expected.
The sound system (Bose) was kicking out some excellent classic rock-not too loud, not too quiet either. Just the way I like it.
I ordered a cheeseburger, fries, & a soda. Tom ordered the exact same thing. They assigned us a number & we sat down to wait...and wait...and wait some more. It was 2:30pm when we got there & it wasn't crowded at all so we were a little surprised at how long it took to get our order ready but it wasn't an inordinate amount of time so we were ok about it.
When our food came out they set down a brown paper bag on the counter & called our number. That was a little surprising since we were eating in & most places give out trays but again, no big deal, probably some kind of burger joint theme or something. There were bulk boxes of roasted peanuts being sitting out & we noticed a couple of people chowing down. Interesting. This is certainly not something I've ever seen anywhere but at a steakhouse. Kind of nice I guess, if you're into roasted peanuts.
When we opened the bag we literally could not see the burgers in the bag at all--there were so many fries spilled out. So we split the bag open & laid it on the table & proceeded to eat one of our favorite meals--burgers & fries. The burgers were alot smaller than expected. Also, for some reason I was surprised that they were obviously fried. As a matter of fact they reminded me of the burgers my Mom used to make (probably the point). The lettuce & tomatoes were fresh, the bun was fine, the condiments were as ordered, but there was just nothing spectacular about the burger at all. Seriously, nothing at all except that it cost $4.99 just for the burger. The fries were definitely hand-cut, but they were so greasy that they literally soaked through the bag & on to the table before we were through eating. Yuck! The fries were $2.59 each (regular size).
Within 30 minutes of finishing the meal we were both feeling a little queasy. Don't get me wrong, I love love love a good meal of burger & fries & had high hopes for this place--especially after reading all the rave reviews posted on their walls. But considering the fact that our bill was $19.32 for only a so-so meal that left us a bit queasy afterwards, I won't go back. Not even if I'm really hungry.
The same meal at the diner down the road from my parents house would have cost about $11 & we would have had someone bring it to our table on a plate & probably make conversation & smile a little too.
Call me picky, whatever, just don't invite me to meet you there...
Here is their website.
You can't help but notice all the glowing reviews & news articles about the restaurant when you walk in. As a matter of fact, it was their main decor. There were probably 50 reviews, pics of other Five Guys restaurants, & testimonials on the walls. The main colors were red & white, & it basically looked like a burger joint--exactly as expected.
The sound system (Bose) was kicking out some excellent classic rock-not too loud, not too quiet either. Just the way I like it.
I ordered a cheeseburger, fries, & a soda. Tom ordered the exact same thing. They assigned us a number & we sat down to wait...and wait...and wait some more. It was 2:30pm when we got there & it wasn't crowded at all so we were a little surprised at how long it took to get our order ready but it wasn't an inordinate amount of time so we were ok about it.
When our food came out they set down a brown paper bag on the counter & called our number. That was a little surprising since we were eating in & most places give out trays but again, no big deal, probably some kind of burger joint theme or something. There were bulk boxes of roasted peanuts being sitting out & we noticed a couple of people chowing down. Interesting. This is certainly not something I've ever seen anywhere but at a steakhouse. Kind of nice I guess, if you're into roasted peanuts.
When we opened the bag we literally could not see the burgers in the bag at all--there were so many fries spilled out. So we split the bag open & laid it on the table & proceeded to eat one of our favorite meals--burgers & fries. The burgers were alot smaller than expected. Also, for some reason I was surprised that they were obviously fried. As a matter of fact they reminded me of the burgers my Mom used to make (probably the point). The lettuce & tomatoes were fresh, the bun was fine, the condiments were as ordered, but there was just nothing spectacular about the burger at all. Seriously, nothing at all except that it cost $4.99 just for the burger. The fries were definitely hand-cut, but they were so greasy that they literally soaked through the bag & on to the table before we were through eating. Yuck! The fries were $2.59 each (regular size).
Within 30 minutes of finishing the meal we were both feeling a little queasy. Don't get me wrong, I love love love a good meal of burger & fries & had high hopes for this place--especially after reading all the rave reviews posted on their walls. But considering the fact that our bill was $19.32 for only a so-so meal that left us a bit queasy afterwards, I won't go back. Not even if I'm really hungry.
The same meal at the diner down the road from my parents house would have cost about $11 & we would have had someone bring it to our table on a plate & probably make conversation & smile a little too.
Call me picky, whatever, just don't invite me to meet you there...
Here is their website.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Restaurant Review Umi Sushi Hendersonville
My friends & I went to the all you can eat sushi night at Umi's in Hendersonville last night. The food was good as usual but they could have done a better job of crowd control. When it's an invitation-only event & you are paying a pretty good price ($25 each + tax, tip, drinks) you really don't want to have to wait in a line for 10 minutes with a paper plate like you were at a BBQ fundraiser.
We had a good table but I pity the folks who were in the main dining area--the restaurant created a buffet line at the sushi bar & when everybody showed up at the same time the line ended up snaking all through the dining area. Folks sitting there had to be a miserable trying to gobble down dinner with all that noise going on, people staring down at their food, faces right at butt level, etc. I wouldn't have stayed if I had been seated there.
Now before you get on me for hating Umi's let me just tell you that it is my favorite Japanese restaurant--bar none. Every other time I've been there the service has been great & the food (all of it, not just sushi) has been fresh & tasty.
I think next time they have an "invitation only" sushi night I'll decline.
We had a good table but I pity the folks who were in the main dining area--the restaurant created a buffet line at the sushi bar & when everybody showed up at the same time the line ended up snaking all through the dining area. Folks sitting there had to be a miserable trying to gobble down dinner with all that noise going on, people staring down at their food, faces right at butt level, etc. I wouldn't have stayed if I had been seated there.
Now before you get on me for hating Umi's let me just tell you that it is my favorite Japanese restaurant--bar none. Every other time I've been there the service has been great & the food (all of it, not just sushi) has been fresh & tasty.
I think next time they have an "invitation only" sushi night I'll decline.
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