That Food Guy
Friday, August 26, 2016
Oriental Cuisine - Maryville, Tennessee
Oriental
Cuisine
622 Condry
Lane
Maryville,
TN 37803
I would have never known the Oriental Cuisine Restaurant was
there except for one thing. Several times a week my wife and I would go to the
local gym. When leaving, while waiting for traffic, we would be looking across
the street down a very small alley like street that has a name. In fact its
name denotes its diminutive stature, Condry Lane. A lane; it is so much less
that a boulevard, an avenue or even a street. It serves as the back entrance to
a muffler shop and a bank parking lot as well as access for some industrial
metal buildings on the left. Way down at the end of the street where it appears
to dead end is one small sign; Oriental Cuisine shares sign space with a rug
and tile company. From our vantage point we cannot see that building because it
is set back to allow for customer parking in front. I was intrigued by this
almost hidden restaurant and I thought that it must have something going for it
as it would not garner any drive-by traffic.
Many months went by before I finally decided to see what it was all about. I did some internet research and found their website which is basically their menu. They offer a mix of Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese foods. I was on my own for lunch one day and stopped by for a takeout meal of sweet and sour chicken ($9.00 Breaded white chicken chunks deep fried to a golden brown and served with diced tomato, green pepper and pineapple in our sweet and sour sauce. Served with fried or steamed rice). At $9.00 dollars it seemed a bit on the expensive side but this was an exploratory visit to see what they offered and on that day I did have a “hankering” for some Chinese food. I also asked for a spring roll to compliment the meal ($1.75 A delicious mixture of jicama, carrots, onions, rice thread and pork wrapped in a crunchy spring roll wrapper) .
My order soon arrived. It was a large brown paper bag,
neatly folded and stapled. I was quite surprised when I picked it up. Thinking
back to my thoughts about the rather high cost I now, at least, considered it a
very good deal on a price per pound basis. There was a lot of food inside that
bag. I could hardly wait to get it home and check out the contents. The fact
that it smelled so good made me even more eager.
(I just have to add
this in as a parenthetical comment: Over the years I have noticed that sweet
and sour chicken or pork have become cheapened and degraded under the
banner of “New York style” and the pineapple, sweet peppers and other
vegetables that helped to define the dish in Chinatown settings have been
eliminated and all you get is breaded chicken and sauce usually served separate.
That rendition of sweet and sour chicken is travesty and defames the sweet and
savory combination that is also beautiful to the eye. A pox on New York style.)
Taking myself at my word, I divided the food into two portions
and cut the spring roll in half. I would have half now and the remainder at a later
time. I plated the food for a photo before eating; nothing fancy, just so it
wasn’t a picture looking down into the bottom of a box. It was only half of my
order but the food literally filled the plate. The sweet and sour chicken was
delicious. The breading was fried crispy and the chicken inside was moist and
juicy. It occurred to me while I was eating it that the extra effort in separate packaging made for a crisp
chicken in the sauce whereas if it had been all packaged together the chicken
in all likelihood would have been soggy and unpalatable. The sweet and sour
sauce was very good with a bit of tang from perhaps vinegar and sweetness but
not just from sugar. I enjoyed the snap and flavor of the slightly crispy
pepper and loved the fruity sweetness of the pineapple. An excellent sweet and
sour dish I will definitely try again.
My drink was delivered with a bowl of fried wontons, I sat back
to await my meal. As I mentioned, it was a miserably hot day outside and the
cool interior of the restaurant was a relief. The shades were drawn and the lighting
subdued but you could still see images of the out-of-doors through the slats in
the shade. I looked around. It was as I described before. It was oriental in
motif, black lacquer chairs, a mural but not much else to give it that Asian
look, certainly not gaudy. A quick count found about 50 seats. There were two
tradesmen at the table next to me and a solo elderly gentleman across the aisle.
There was a party of about 6 or 8 in the alcove. About 8 people came in to pick
up their take-out orders; all must have called in and each order was ready on
their arrival. Towards the end of my meal several people arrive and must have
been regulars from the greetings. Apparently Sabrina, the server, saw one of
them parking his car and had his preferred beverage ready for him when he
entered the store. My observations answered the fundamental question I had
harbored. How does this almost hidden restaurant manage to survive? It requires
returning customers and word of mouth advertising. It certainly has returning
customers and I will be providing some word of mouth. It is not an ornate place
nor does it have an elegant ambiance but it is comfortable and it does have the
feeling like in the old Cheers theme song,
“…where everybody knows your name.”
The rice was the standard carbohydrate filler, seasoned with
just the right amount of soy sauce. It was a soup-bowl full of rice, upended on
the plate to make the rounded pile of rice. A line of three large florets of
steamed broccoli divided he plate. The remainder of the plate was filled with
chunks of breaded and fried chicken, coated with sauce and liberally sprinkled with
toasted sesame seeds. Great aroma and a very nice presentation; it looked very
appetizing.
Oriental
Cuisine
622 Condry
Lane
Maryville,
TN 37803
865-984-0810
First Visit – A Take-Out
Order
I would have never known the Oriental Cuisine Restaurant was
there except for one thing. Several times a week my wife and I would go to the
local gym. When leaving, while waiting for traffic, we would be looking across
the street down a very small alley like street that has a name. In fact its
name denotes its diminutive stature, Condry Lane. A lane; it is so much less
that a boulevard, an avenue or even a street. It serves as the back entrance to
a muffler shop and a bank parking lot as well as access for some industrial
metal buildings on the left. Way down at the end of the street where it appears
to dead end is one small sign; Oriental Cuisine shares sign space with a rug
and tile company. From our vantage point we cannot see that building because it
is set back to allow for customer parking in front. I was intrigued by this
almost hidden restaurant and I thought that it must have something going for it
as it would not garner any drive-by traffic.Many months went by before I finally decided to see what it was all about. I did some internet research and found their website which is basically their menu. They offer a mix of Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese foods. I was on my own for lunch one day and stopped by for a takeout meal of sweet and sour chicken ($9.00 Breaded white chicken chunks deep fried to a golden brown and served with diced tomato, green pepper and pineapple in our sweet and sour sauce. Served with fried or steamed rice). At $9.00 dollars it seemed a bit on the expensive side but this was an exploratory visit to see what they offered and on that day I did have a “hankering” for some Chinese food. I also asked for a spring roll to compliment the meal ($1.75 A delicious mixture of jicama, carrots, onions, rice thread and pork wrapped in a crunchy spring roll wrapper) .
I was offered a seat at the nearest table and while I was
waiting for my order I read over my take-home menu copy. I had ordered from the
inside, the a la carte portion. On the back was the lunch menu of lower-priced
combinations meals. Part of the combination is a bowl of soup. That would have
made for an inconvenient take-home but I planned one day, if my pending order
was good, return to try something their luncheon menu.
My order soon arrived. It was a large brown paper bag,
neatly folded and stapled. I was quite surprised when I picked it up. Thinking
back to my thoughts about the rather high cost I now, at least, considered it a
very good deal on a price per pound basis. There was a lot of food inside that
bag. I could hardly wait to get it home and check out the contents. The fact
that it smelled so good made me even more eager.
Opening the bag, I found a large (26-ounce?) traditional
Chinese take-out container of breaded fried chicken that was overflowing. I
suspect that was a fluke and I got the benefit of the chef’s “Oops, I cooked a
bit too much.” It was a large-sized container and if the chicken all fit inside
it would still be a large portion. There was a portion of sweet and sour sauce
and a portion of fruit and vegetables.
(I just have to add
this in as a parenthetical comment: Over the years I have noticed that sweet
and sour chicken or pork have become cheapened and degraded under the
banner of “New York style” and the pineapple, sweet peppers and other
vegetables that helped to define the dish in Chinatown settings have been
eliminated and all you get is breaded chicken and sauce usually served separate.
That rendition of sweet and sour chicken is travesty and defames the sweet and
savory combination that is also beautiful to the eye. A pox on New York style.)
There was a 16-ounce container of fried rice, the spring
roll, some packages of soy sauce, some plastic utensils and a fortune cookie.
Looking over my stash of Chinese food I realized that if I had bought another
spring roll I would have satisfying and filling meals for two; on a per serving
basis, $4.50 per person plus the spring roll. The economics of my Oriental Cuisine
purchase were looking much better. Now how does it taste?
Taking myself at my word, I divided the food into two portions
and cut the spring roll in half. I would have half now and the remainder at a later
time. I plated the food for a photo before eating; nothing fancy, just so it
wasn’t a picture looking down into the bottom of a box. It was only half of my
order but the food literally filled the plate. The sweet and sour chicken was
delicious. The breading was fried crispy and the chicken inside was moist and
juicy. It occurred to me while I was eating it that the extra effort in separate packaging made for a crisp
chicken in the sauce whereas if it had been all packaged together the chicken
in all likelihood would have been soggy and unpalatable. The sweet and sour
sauce was very good with a bit of tang from perhaps vinegar and sweetness but
not just from sugar. I enjoyed the snap and flavor of the slightly crispy
pepper and loved the fruity sweetness of the pineapple. An excellent sweet and
sour dish I will definitely try again.
You can order fried rice as an entrée and it will be more
elaborate that the pedestrian fried rice that usually serves as the
carbohydrate filler in combination plates. This rice was no exception to that
rule of thumb. There are bits and pieces here and there but for the most part
it is rice, fried and seasoned with soy sauce. Certainly more flavorful than
steamed rice but it was not too salty or overly seasoned with soy sauce. It was good as filler rice goes but at the
same time it was not exceptional.
The spring roll was crispy fried and the filling was tasty.
A bit of hot Chinese mustard would have been beneficial but not necessary.
Although I prefer the thicker, less crispy egg roll skins, I did enjoy the spring
roll. It seems that egg or spring rolls are always an appetizer on Chinese food
menus. I like them well enough that they should be a main course item. I will
certainly add these spring rolls to my next order.
As a side note, take-out orders don’t always go home to be
eaten. They may go to the office or on a climate day, to a picnic table in the
park. The inclusion of the plastic cutlery was a nice thought.
Second Visit A Month Or So Later – Eat In
Luncheon Special
It was a very hot and sultry day, one usually better spent
indoors. I had errands to run and as luck would have it, I was on my own for
meals that day. I decided to treat myself to lunch out. It wouldn’t be a
drive-thru burger this time. It would be the long awaited sit down meal at the
Oriental Cuisine Restaurant for lunch. On the previous visit I had ordered an entrée
from the main or dinner menu. While
waiting, I noticed that they also serve from a lunch menu with lower prices
from 11:00Am to 3:30PM. It is a long list of choices and the entrée is served with
soup (your choice of hot and sour, wonton or egg drop), a spring roll and rice
(your choice of steamed or fried). My expectation was that It would be smaller
portions and perhaps less elaborate in presentation. The lunch menu includes
sweet and sour chicken and it would have been a good comparison but I also
wanted to try a broader range of their offering so I chose the Sesame Chicken
at $6.00 instead. For my soup I ordered
the wonton. For beverage I went with Coca Cola. My server, Sabrina, was very
attentive, very personable. She checked on me at intervals and kept my soda
glass full. I need to thank her for making my dining experience pleasurable.
My drink was delivered with a bowl of fried wontons, I sat back
to await my meal. As I mentioned, it was a miserably hot day outside and the
cool interior of the restaurant was a relief. The shades were drawn and the lighting
subdued but you could still see images of the out-of-doors through the slats in
the shade. I looked around. It was as I described before. It was oriental in
motif, black lacquer chairs, a mural but not much else to give it that Asian
look, certainly not gaudy. A quick count found about 50 seats. There were two
tradesmen at the table next to me and a solo elderly gentleman across the aisle.
There was a party of about 6 or 8 in the alcove. About 8 people came in to pick
up their take-out orders; all must have called in and each order was ready on
their arrival. Towards the end of my meal several people arrive and must have
been regulars from the greetings. Apparently Sabrina, the server, saw one of
them parking his car and had his preferred beverage ready for him when he
entered the store. My observations answered the fundamental question I had
harbored. How does this almost hidden restaurant manage to survive? It requires
returning customers and word of mouth advertising. It certainly has returning
customers and I will be providing some word of mouth. It is not an ornate place
nor does it have an elegant ambiance but it is comfortable and it does have the
feeling like in the old Cheers theme song,
“…where everybody knows your name.”
The wonton soup arrived quickly. There were two wontons in a
clear broth. It is served hot. A couple
of the small ice pellet from my soda cooled it enough to sip. It is a mild
broth with hints of many flavors, chicken and vegetables but not highly
seasoned; nice flavor but mild, very subtle. The wontons are large and the wrappers are thick
that made for a slightly doughy texture. A seasoned pork mixture in the middle was
tasty. It was a flavorful way to await the entrée.
My entrée soon arrived. Oh, my God! The expected meager
portions were huge. I must admit that I ate the whole thing with relish but I
would have been much better of eating half and taking the rest home for later
(something I saw others in the restaurant do). Two people could have shared the
meal and felt satisfied. 
The rice was the standard carbohydrate filler, seasoned with
just the right amount of soy sauce. It was a soup-bowl full of rice, upended on
the plate to make the rounded pile of rice. A line of three large florets of
steamed broccoli divided he plate. The remainder of the plate was filled with
chunks of breaded and fried chicken, coated with sauce and liberally sprinkled with
toasted sesame seeds. Great aroma and a very nice presentation; it looked very
appetizing.
In conclusion: Will I go back to Oriental Cuisine? Most assuredly!
The food is good, the portions are large, the staff members are friendly and
the restaurant just seems to be a comfortable palace to be. They have a lot
more dishes that I would like to try but I will remember in the future to
divide my plate; eat that part there and take the other part home for later.
They are
open 6 day a week, closed on Mondays
Hours are
Sunday – Thursday 10:00AM to 9:30PM
Friday 11:00AM to 10:00PM
Labels: broccoli, chicken, Chinese, cuisine, fried rice, Maryville, oriental, pork, sesame, soup, steamed, sweet and sour, Tennessee, Thai, Vietnamese, won ton, wonton
¶ 12:51 PM 0 Comments
Friday, January 24, 2014
Cheddar's Casual Cafe
On arrival we were greeted by the maître de and shown
directly to a table. It was our luck to arrive at a lull in the lunch crowd
rush which was later very busy. Although the café is “casual,” the décor is more
upscale than expected, much more so than other casual cafes, from their own
applied description. Almost immediately we were greeted by our server, Angel,
who is aptly named. She was a very personable young lady, seemingly always busy
but never too busy to refill glasses or check on our progress, close at hand
but never hovering. Her attention added
to the pleasure of our meal.
This was a family get-together, time to exchange gossip and
enjoy family company. That called for an appetizer and beverages so we could
linger a bit before ordering. From previous visits, Uncle Gill suggested the onion
rings. (Homemade Onion Rings $4.49
Hand-battered, served with homemade ranch and Cajun dipping sauce.) It is
an impressive interleaved, plateful stack of onion rings. Light batter, fried
crispy and golden brown, the best description I can come up with is
tempura-like. Small bowls of the dipping sauces accompany the stack of onion
rings. The ranch dip is very good and makes an excellent accompaniment for the
excellent onion rings. The Cajun dipping sauce, on the other hand, has to be
what is called an acquired taste. I really don’t want to work that hard to
learn to like that sauce so if I were ever to order these onion rings again I
would ask for both dipping bowls to be the ranch variety. Of note, these onion
rings would also be excellent with tentsuyu, tempura dipping sauce. With the
slight exception of the Cajun sauce, I consider these onion rings to be the
best I have ever tasted even surpassing even the legendary stack of rings from
Red Robin.
The Salads & Soup menu section
offers the Ultimate Lunch Combination
(Chose 2: Choice of half sandwich and one
pairing $5.99, or Chose 3: Choice of half sandwich and two pairings. Sandwiches: Double Decker Club, Monte
Cristo or Buffalo Chicken Wrapper. Pairings:
Bowl of Soup, House Salad, Loaded Baked Potato or Caesar Salad.) Effie and
Gilbert ordered the same, a Club Sandwich (Potato
bread, smoked ham, turkey, bacon. Aged Cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and
seasoned mayo) with the Chicken Tortilla Soup (Grilled chicken, tomatoes and onions simmered with Southwestern spices,
grated Cheddar cheese and tortilla strips). Janis ordered from the same
area of the menu. She chose the club sandwich and the Baked Potato Soup (Made fresh in our kitchen from select
potatoes, celery, onions, grated Cheddar cheese and bacon). Each enjoyed
their meal finding them tasteful and leaving nothing for a doggie bag. Effie
and Gilbert may have found the tortilla soup spicier than they remembered and,
after seeing Janis’ bowl of soup, will probably go for the baked potato soup on
any future visit. Janis did enjoy her soup. It was a thick creamy soup with
lots of cheese and bacon on top; comfort food for a chilly day.
I was a bit different in my selection. I chose from the Half-Pound
Burgers (Grilled medium well. Add French fries, coleslaw or red beans and rice
$1.99). Of the five choices, I chose the Mushroom Swiss Burger ($5.79 Sautéed mushrooms, Swiss cheese,
onions and Cheddar’s dressing). An interesting note, the mushrooms are
sautéed whole mushrooms, caps and stems. The melted Swiss cheese does a good
job of anchoring them on top of the meat patty. The meat was cooked medium well
with just a bit of pink in the middle; still juicy and not dried out. The
lettuce was fresh and crisp enough to have a mouth feel. I had wondered what
they do with the center section of the onions they use for the onion rings. The
answer is they chop them and they find their way into the sandwiches and
presumably the soups. My hamburger had a nice scattering of the chopped onions;
enough to add to the flavor but not too many to be offensive. All in all, it
was a very tasty sandwich. The meat was juicy and flavorful, cooked just right,
the greens crisp and fresh and there were plenty of mushrooms (always a good
thing). That brings us to the Cheddar’s sauce. It had a distinct taste. It
certainly didn’t taste bad. However, if I were to order this burger again, I
would ask for it to be served dry with a spot of regular mayonnaise on the side
instead. The French fries, cut from whole unpeeled potatoes, were cooked to a
nice golden brown, were lightly salted, were not oily and had a good flavor.
They were okay French fries. I did enjoy my burger and fries, a very filling
meal especially with the refills of the soda.
As the dishes were cleared away the conversation continued
until it was suddenly decided that dessert was in order. Gilbert ordered the
Cheddar’s Monster Cookie Sundae ($4.99 A
homemade skillet-baked chocolate chip cookie topped with premium vanilla ice
cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. Please allow a few minutes).
A meal by itself, too big to be a solo dessert, it is meant to be shared. After
a short wait, apparently the cookies are bake to order, Angel arrived with the
luscious looking dessert and four long-handled spoons. Everyone dug in at once,
much like a four way fencing match, spoons clanking. As a result, I didn’t get
a presentation picture and I had to borrow a picture from the menu. As to how
good the Monster Cookie Sundae was, all I can offer is a picture of the
aftermath.
Cheddar’s Casual Café
4101 Park Blvd
Pinellas Park, FL 33781
727 544-8518 www.cheddars.com/
My wife Janis’ Aunt Effie and Uncle Gilbert called the other
day. Seems they had found a nice new place to dine out and wanted to share with
us. When someone wants to treat me to a
meal where they serve good food I’m ready. Let’s go!
The Cheddar’s concept is, according to their website, the
brainchild of Aubrey Good and Doug Rogers. Their vision was a casual,
comfortable eatery with scratch prepared good food at reasonable prices. They
opened their first establishment, located in Arlington, Texas, in 1979. They
have grown sine with many, many stores in many states.On arrival we were greeted by the maître de and shown
directly to a table. It was our luck to arrive at a lull in the lunch crowd
rush which was later very busy. Although the café is “casual,” the décor is more
upscale than expected, much more so than other casual cafes, from their own
applied description. Almost immediately we were greeted by our server, Angel,
who is aptly named. She was a very personable young lady, seemingly always busy
but never too busy to refill glasses or check on our progress, close at hand
but never hovering. Her attention added
to the pleasure of our meal.
Cheddar’s has a full menu featuring appetizers, soups,
salads and combos, a regular dinner menu as well as hot and cold sandwiches,
burgers in their own little section, a low calorie section, a children’s menu,
desserts. Each table has a color menu of their bar offerings, many of which are
colorful and inviting. Non-alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, soft drinks, fruit
lemonade and fruit teas are offered with free refills.
This was a family get-together, time to exchange gossip and
enjoy family company. That called for an appetizer and beverages so we could
linger a bit before ordering. From previous visits, Uncle Gill suggested the onion
rings. (Homemade Onion Rings $4.49
Hand-battered, served with homemade ranch and Cajun dipping sauce.) It is
an impressive interleaved, plateful stack of onion rings. Light batter, fried
crispy and golden brown, the best description I can come up with is
tempura-like. Small bowls of the dipping sauces accompany the stack of onion
rings. The ranch dip is very good and makes an excellent accompaniment for the
excellent onion rings. The Cajun dipping sauce, on the other hand, has to be
what is called an acquired taste. I really don’t want to work that hard to
learn to like that sauce so if I were ever to order these onion rings again I
would ask for both dipping bowls to be the ranch variety. Of note, these onion
rings would also be excellent with tentsuyu, tempura dipping sauce. With the
slight exception of the Cajun sauce, I consider these onion rings to be the
best I have ever tasted even surpassing even the legendary stack of rings from
Red Robin.The Salads & Soup menu section
offers the Ultimate Lunch Combination
(Chose 2: Choice of half sandwich and one
pairing $5.99, or Chose 3: Choice of half sandwich and two pairings. Sandwiches: Double Decker Club, Monte
Cristo or Buffalo Chicken Wrapper. Pairings:
Bowl of Soup, House Salad, Loaded Baked Potato or Caesar Salad.) Effie and
Gilbert ordered the same, a Club Sandwich (Potato
bread, smoked ham, turkey, bacon. Aged Cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and
seasoned mayo) with the Chicken Tortilla Soup (Grilled chicken, tomatoes and onions simmered with Southwestern spices,
grated Cheddar cheese and tortilla strips). Janis ordered from the same
area of the menu. She chose the club sandwich and the Baked Potato Soup (Made fresh in our kitchen from select
potatoes, celery, onions, grated Cheddar cheese and bacon). Each enjoyed
their meal finding them tasteful and leaving nothing for a doggie bag. Effie
and Gilbert may have found the tortilla soup spicier than they remembered and,
after seeing Janis’ bowl of soup, will probably go for the baked potato soup on
any future visit. Janis did enjoy her soup. It was a thick creamy soup with
lots of cheese and bacon on top; comfort food for a chilly day.I was a bit different in my selection. I chose from the Half-Pound
Burgers (Grilled medium well. Add French fries, coleslaw or red beans and rice
$1.99). Of the five choices, I chose the Mushroom Swiss Burger ($5.79 Sautéed mushrooms, Swiss cheese,
onions and Cheddar’s dressing). An interesting note, the mushrooms are
sautéed whole mushrooms, caps and stems. The melted Swiss cheese does a good
job of anchoring them on top of the meat patty. The meat was cooked medium well
with just a bit of pink in the middle; still juicy and not dried out. The
lettuce was fresh and crisp enough to have a mouth feel. I had wondered what
they do with the center section of the onions they use for the onion rings. The
answer is they chop them and they find their way into the sandwiches and
presumably the soups. My hamburger had a nice scattering of the chopped onions;
enough to add to the flavor but not too many to be offensive. All in all, it
was a very tasty sandwich. The meat was juicy and flavorful, cooked just right,
the greens crisp and fresh and there were plenty of mushrooms (always a good
thing). That brings us to the Cheddar’s sauce. It had a distinct taste. It
certainly didn’t taste bad. However, if I were to order this burger again, I
would ask for it to be served dry with a spot of regular mayonnaise on the side
instead. The French fries, cut from whole unpeeled potatoes, were cooked to a
nice golden brown, were lightly salted, were not oily and had a good flavor.
They were okay French fries. I did enjoy my burger and fries, a very filling
meal especially with the refills of the soda.As the dishes were cleared away the conversation continued
until it was suddenly decided that dessert was in order. Gilbert ordered the
Cheddar’s Monster Cookie Sundae ($4.99 A
homemade skillet-baked chocolate chip cookie topped with premium vanilla ice
cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. Please allow a few minutes).
A meal by itself, too big to be a solo dessert, it is meant to be shared. After
a short wait, apparently the cookies are bake to order, Angel arrived with the
luscious looking dessert and four long-handled spoons. Everyone dug in at once,
much like a four way fencing match, spoons clanking. As a result, I didn’t get
a presentation picture and I had to borrow a picture from the menu. As to how
good the Monster Cookie Sundae was, all I can offer is a picture of the
aftermath.
It was a very enjoyable interlude and I thoroughly enjoyed
the company of the in-laws. Being their treat didn’t hurt either. The time
together was great, the conversation wonderful and the food for the most part
was very good. All the elements made for a most enjoyable afternoon. If a
revisit to Cheddar’s is ever in the offing (even if we have to pay) we shall
certainly do so. If you try them I think you will find most of their offerings
to your liking.
Labels: baked, baked potato soup, Cajun, Cheddar's, club sandwich, cookie, French fries, monster, mushroom Swiss burger, onion rings, ranch, soup, sundae, tortilla soup
¶ 2:24 PM 0 Comments
Sunday, July 14, 2013
The Bake Shop - Girdwood, Alaska Revisit July 13, 2012
The Bake Shop – Girdwood, Alaska
On my very first trip to Alaska the Bake Shop in Girdwood
was a stop on a sightseeing bus tour. It has been a favorite place since then
and it is one of the places that I have to take first time visitors to Alaska.
It is a small store in the oldest Alyeska Ski Resort building. It certainly
isn’t fancy or even spacious. During the busy ski season the customers are
lined up waiting to get in and those with food are taking seats at the outdoor
picnic tables. Most of my visits have been during the off season, the summer
time, and usually only a short wait is needed.
The usual cloudy, overcast and often rainy skies cast a gray
pall over Girdwood in the summer. To
counter the gloom the Bake Shop decorates with flowers. Large planters overflow
with vibrant red, pink, white, gold and yellow blooms making a cheery sight.
Considering the size of the planters at least a lift gate truck would be needed
to move the planter boxes to greenhouse winter storage and back; all in all a
significant effort.
As its name would imply, the Bake Shop makes bread and other
baked goods. The giant-sized sweet roll and the sourdough buns are the best
examples. The sourdough, the buns and the take-home bread, are famous. The
sourdough starter dates back almost a hundred years. The buns, like little
round sheepherder breads, have a tough crispy crust with fragrant sourdough
bread on the inside. When hot from the oven, sliced and slathered with butter
and then paired with the soup of the day it is a meal to be to be desired.
During the summer of 2012 I had the pleasure of hosting my
sister, Pattie Sue and her son, Ron. Sister has been to Alaska several times
and knows the ropes, seen most of the sights. This was nephew Ron’s first visit
and, among other things, it called for a trip to the Bake Shop in Girdwood,
Alaska. It was to be an auto sightseeing tour day, covering great distances,
but we planned it to be in Girdwood come lunch time. It all worked out well;
hunger and destination converged.
The parking lot was moderately full. That was not surprising
as summer sight-seeing tourists and winter time ski fans alike all frequent the
Bake Shop; even tour busses stop there.
The menu is in very large print on the wall. You place your order at the
counter and then look for a place to sit. Luck was with us and a table was
vacant and we took seats on the pew benches to await our order. When your order
is ready, they call your name and you pick it up at the counter.
Sister Pattie Sue ordered the grilled cheese on sourdough
bread ($5.75 She
selected Havarti from a choice of Cheddar, Swiss and Havarti). The sandwich was made with nice thick slices of freshly baked
sourdough bread, well toasted to a golden brown and filled with a copious amount
of cheese. The sandwich is served with an orange slice twist and some dill
pickle chips. Pattie said the sandwich was excellent, the cheese hot and
melted, the bread delicious sourdough. That
may be a bit of a biased appraisal as she has learned to love the sourdough
bread from the bake shop. The starter
used in the Bake Shop is about 100 years old. If you bring in a suitable
container and ask nicely, they will give you a sample of the starter to take
home and make your own sourdough mix. On each trip to Alaska she has procured a
sample of the sourdough to take back to Idaho. Small batches of starter used in
home bread baking can change in flavor over time and Pattie takes advantage of
the Bake Shop’s generosity to renew her supply and guarantee that Bake Shop
flavor at home.
Nephew Ron and I both ordered the same thing, the soup of
the day and bun and butter. (Soup $6.25, Bun and butter $2.50) The soup of the
day was clam chowder. The serving was a
nice big bowl garnished with some fresh chopped parsley. The broth was thick
and creamy with lots of clams and potatoes; a hearty soup with great flavor. At
$6.60 a bowl the price may seem high but remember this is Alaska and Girdwood
is halfway to the end of the road. However, although it doesn’t say it anywhere
on the menu, the policy of the Bake Shop is to refill your bowl without charge
in which case the cost per bowl is less than in the Lower Forty Eight States.
The bun is more like a small loaf of round bread, about
4-inches in diameter. The Bake Shop heats them, slices them through and
slathers them with butter. The skin is
tough as with most sourdough but the bread inside is tender with a wonderful
sourdough aroma and a distinctive Girdwood flavor. A couple of bowls of soup
(and the soup of the day changes every day) and a buttered bun are a filling
and hearty meal and you feel prepared to tackle the rest of the day even in
cold, overcast and rainy weather. It is no wonder why it is such a popular
place during the ski season. Should you be fortunate enough to be in Girdwood
during any season, take the time to have a meal at the Bake Shop. You will be
glad that you did.
Labels: Alaska, Alyeska, Bake Shop, bread, bun, cheese, clam chowder, girdwood, soup, sourdough, starter
¶ 5:29 PM 0 Comments
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Azuma Sushi and Teppan
Azuma – Sushi and Teppan
4701 San Mateo Blvd
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 880-9800
This was to be a father and son day, a boys’ day out, a day at the museum, a rekindling of bonds. The morning chores completed, we started off and, and as it was nearing midday, we decided to stop somewhere for an early lunch. Larry took us to one of his favorite places. It was to be Azuma’a for a sushi lunch. Open daily at 11:00 am. When we entered we found that A
This was to be a father and son day, a boys’ day out, a day at the museum, a rekindling of bonds. The morning chores completed, we started off and, and as it was nearing midday, we decided to stop somewhere for an early lunch. Larry took us to one of his favorite places. It was to be Azuma’a for a sushi lunch. Open daily at 11:00 am. When we entered we found that A
zuma opens at 11:30 on the weekends. We were a bit early, about 15 minutes. Larry
told the receptionist that we would wait in the car. She bade us to have a seat in the lobby, “It is nice and cool inside.” Already a nice touch… We were soon seated in a comfortable booth adjacent to the sushi bar. Besides being a comfortable booth, the little glass dividers make a cozy open personal area with very low noise. Although several couples had followed us into the restaurant the noise level was pleasantly very low. The sushi chef from his station was able to ask my son about his order from across the room. With soft lighting, well appointed fixtures and a quiet atmosphere, the stage was set for a good meal without distractions. Your visit to Azuma is started off with a nice bowl of miso soup. Well. Miso soup is miso soup 
and our Azuma serving was as good as any other miso soup I have ever had. Hot with a tasty dashi broth it set the stage for things to come. For openers my son ordered the spicy tuna roll and I ordered the California roll and a cucumber roll. Strange as it may sound, Larry and I both don’t care at all for surimi but we do like a lot of other sushi offerings. Larry ate his spicy tuna roll with gusto and said that it was very good, very tasty. Freshly made sushi can sometimes be crumbly, the sushi rice not congealed. That was not the case here. The rice cake was firm enough to hold together when picked up with the hashi and dipped into the soy sauce and still be soft and tender to the bite. The Azuma sushi chef has the sushi master’s touch. The California roll and the cucumber roll were excellent. The rest of our order was soon served. Larry had ordered the Boston roll without the cream cheese. I ordered the nabeyaki udon soup. The Boston roll is a large serving of to inside-out filled rolls with an olio topping of vegetables and lightly drizzled with a succulent sauce. It took some time to assemble. My souvenir 
take-out menu copy didn’t list that sushi selection so I am at a bit of a loss to remember all the ingredients. That was not a problem for my son as he enjoyed all of it in short order. He considered it an excellent selection. Years ago I first encountered udon soup in the international passenger quarantine area at the Anchorage International Airport. Most of the passengers were on Asian carriers making a refueling stop before flights over the old Soviet Union were possible. The small snack bar’s menu reflected the clientele. It was not an elegant serving. A package of fresh udon noodle was placed in a tall Styrofoam cup, then the cup was filled to the rim from a kettle of hot dashi stock and something dead placed on top. It was served with the disposable hashi for a typical in-airport rip-off price. Not knowing what it was, the first thing I did was dispose of the dead thing floating on top into the nearest trash can. Then I sipped the dashi and developed a liking for the taste of the hot mild broth. The fresh udon noodles are not Italian pasta but a whole new world of noodles. They were delicious. Since then 
I have tasted udon soups in many places and was about to see if Azuma’s offering was up to par. It was a large soup bowl serving; a meal in itself. Considering that I had already eaten my California and cucumber rolls, it was a bit too much. It was served with two very large tempura shrimp on the side. The broth was hot and savory. The fresh noodles were excellent and the bits
and our Azuma serving was as good as any other miso soup I have ever had. Hot with a tasty dashi broth it set the stage for things to come. For openers my son ordered the spicy tuna roll and I ordered the California roll and a cucumber roll. Strange as it may sound, Larry and I both don’t care at all for surimi but we do like a lot of other sushi offerings. Larry ate his spicy tuna roll with gusto and said that it was very good, very tasty. Freshly made sushi can sometimes be crumbly, the sushi rice not congealed. That was not the case here. The rice cake was firm enough to hold together when picked up with the hashi and dipped into the soy sauce and still be soft and tender to the bite. The Azuma sushi chef has the sushi master’s touch. The California roll and the cucumber roll were excellent. The rest of our order was soon served. Larry had ordered the Boston roll without the cream cheese. I ordered the nabeyaki udon soup. The Boston roll is a large serving of to inside-out filled rolls with an olio topping of vegetables and lightly drizzled with a succulent sauce. It took some time to assemble. My souvenir 
take-out menu copy didn’t list that sushi selection so I am at a bit of a loss to remember all the ingredients. That was not a problem for my son as he enjoyed all of it in short order. He considered it an excellent selection. Years ago I first encountered udon soup in the international passenger quarantine area at the Anchorage International Airport. Most of the passengers were on Asian carriers making a refueling stop before flights over the old Soviet Union were possible. The small snack bar’s menu reflected the clientele. It was not an elegant serving. A package of fresh udon noodle was placed in a tall Styrofoam cup, then the cup was filled to the rim from a kettle of hot dashi stock and something dead placed on top. It was served with the disposable hashi for a typical in-airport rip-off price. Not knowing what it was, the first thing I did was dispose of the dead thing floating on top into the nearest trash can. Then I sipped the dashi and developed a liking for the taste of the hot mild broth. The fresh udon noodles are not Italian pasta but a whole new world of noodles. They were delicious. Since then 
I have tasted udon soups in many places and was about to see if Azuma’s offering was up to par. It was a large soup bowl serving; a meal in itself. Considering that I had already eaten my California and cucumber rolls, it was a bit too much. It was served with two very large tempura shrimp on the side. The broth was hot and savory. The fresh noodles were excellent and the bits
of vegetable, including asparagus, were delicious. It was as good as, if not better than any udon soup I have ever sampled. Even though it was more than I should have eaten, it was too good to leave any behind. Father and son enjoyed a quiet interlude in comfortable surroundings. We were catered to by a most courteous staff. We were served delicious food that charmed the eye as well as the pallet. Even the clientele, ma
ny of whom filled the dining room while we were there, were respectful of the surroundings and we were hardly aware of their presence. Surely the Azuma deserves high marks for quality of food, service and atmosphere; a place to go. It will surely be on my agenda for another visit on my next trip through Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Labels: Albuquerque, cheesecake, Nabeyaki, New Mexico, soup, sushi, teppan, Udon
¶ 1:42 PM 0 Comments
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Columbia Restaurant - St Petersburg Pier
Friends Dick and Cheryl were visiting for a few days. They had come back to town for a high school reunion. It was a free day and they wanted to take us out to dinner. But where to go? It was a typical hot summer day in St. Petersburg, Florida. The growing cumulus clouds in the west were drawing closer. They offered the chance of onshore breezes, a bit of cooling, to St. Pete’s waterfront. I suggested the Columbia Restaurant on the St. Petersburg Pier. It was a place Janis and I had both wanted to try especially after a pleasant experience at the Ybor City Columbia Restaurant (see my January 2010 blog). As it turns out, it is also a favorite of Dick and Cheryl They had frequented it when they lived locally.
There was light traffic making for an easy drive to the water front. We found a parallel parking slot on the causeway q
uite close, within easy walking distance, to the iconi
c inverted pyramid. The Columbia Restaurant occupies the entirety of the fourth floor of the pyramid. The kitchen and storage areas are in the center and the dining areas are lined along the sides giving every table a view out of the window of St. Petersburg or of Tampa Bay. The mirrored inner wall provides a feeling of spaciousness. The tables are set with linen tablecloths and napkins as well as a full setting of silverware. There is a promise of fine dining.
The three big factors that work for or against a fine dining experience are the setting, the food, and the service. Columbia on the pier has an abundance of ambiance in its favor. It has a spacious dining area with uncrowded seating, well appointed table settings and even the most remote seating is but a table away from a window view of Tampa Bay. The food we will cover later.
Our server, Denise, was definitely a positive asset. She was qu
ickly there after we were seated. She delivered the menus and took our drink orders. She heard us discussing the menu’s offerings. The Columbia has two menus, on for luncheon and one for dinner. We were late enough to be shown the dinner menu but what we wanted, a Cuban sandwich and a cup of soup, was only shown on the luncheon menu. Denise volunteered that we could also order from the luncheon menu.
Janis ordered a Cuban sandwich (Smoked ham, pork, salami, Swiss cheese, dill pickle and mustar
d on hot Cuban bread.) with black beans and rice (Frijoles Negros prepared exactly like their grandmother, Carmen Hernandez did. Served over a bed of white rice and topped with diced raw Spanish onions.).
Cheryl ordered Chicken and Shrimp Barcelona (Boneless chicken breast sautéed with shrimp in delicious lobster bisque, brandy, white wine carrots and onions. Served with yellow rice.).
Dick ordered the Columbia's 1905 Salad® (The Columbia's legendary salad tossed at your table. Crisp iceberg lettuce with julienne of baked ham, natural Swiss cheese, tomato, olives, grated Romano cheese and our famous garlic dressing and our 100 year old family recipe of fresh garlic, oregano, wine vinegar and Spanish extra virgin olive oil).) and a Cuban sandwich.
I chose Spanish Bean Soup (The soup that made the Columbia famous. The original recipe of Casimiro Hernandez, Sr. Garbanzo beans simmered with smoked ham, chorizo sausage and potatoes in a delicious broth of chicken and ham.) and a Cuban sa
ndwich. 
Our drink orders and Cuban bread arrived in short order. Dick had ordered a Bloody Mary to be made just so. From the grin on his face I would gather that it was made just right. I ordered a Coca Cola. It was a good sized glass without a lot of filler ice. Whenever the level in the glass neared the bottom, Denise brought me another, fresh glass. The water at the table is served with lemon wedges on the side. The bread is hot and tasty; tender inside with a flaky crust. Cuban bread is made with lard which gives it the good flavor and texture. Ample butter is served in individual ramekins.
Denise returned in a few moments this time bringing a stand and tray with the makings for the 1905 Salad. The salad is prepared at tableside with a bit theatrical flourish for the guest’s entertainment much as a Caesar Salad once was. Even though the rest of the orders had not yet arrived, Dick nibbled at his salad, offering samples. It is a nice looking and a large salad with crisp lettuce, sliced ham and cheese. The dressing is garlicky and piquant. It would make a nice light dinner all by itself.
The remainder of the order arrived shortly thereafter. Cheryl’s Chicken and Shrimp Barcelona was a nice serving with large shrimp. She found the shrimp to be delicious but considered the chicken a bit bland. Overall she considered it a good meal but to her palate the rice and sauce were a bit too salty.
Janis savored her black beans and rice. It is one of her favorite dishes, one she makes at home. She savored each bite asking how she could make her version at home taste more like the dish served at the Columbia. My Spanish bean soup was excellent. The broth was excellent, full flavored. The soup was thick with the garbanzo beans, ham sausage and potatoes. We also make this soup at home with good results.
Janis
, Dick and I had Cuban sandwiches. For those of you who are not familiar with a Cuban sandwich, it is made with a long roll of Cuban bread. It is split open and, much like a sub or hoagie sandwich, after a drizzle of mustard it is piled high with deli sliced roast pork and ham. A last layer is Swiss cheese and Dill pickle. It differs from the sub or hoagie in that the Cuban is a pressed sandwich; it is placed between hot weighted griddle plates. This toasts the Cuban bread to a golden brown, melts the Swiss cheese and compresses the sandwich to about a quarter of its original height; the melted cheese binding the flavor elements together. With a traditional diagonal slice, the sandwich is now ready to serve. The Columbia’s Cuban sandwich differs a bit from Cuban sandwiches you might find in other areas of Florida. The original Columbia was in Ybor City, a cigar manufacturing center. The Columbia served the mainly Cuban workers with Spani
sh bean soup and Cuban sandwiches. There was a later immigratio
n swell with many Italians coming to work in the Ybor City area. To accommodate the new arrivals, salami was added to the ingredients in the Columbia’s Cuban sandwich.
In spite of being pressed, our sandwiches were piled high with roast pork, ham, salami and cheese. The bread was nicely toasted and crisp. The filling was hot and flavorful. It is also filling. The sandwiches were served with a garnish of lettuce, a tomato slice and a wedge of Dill pickle. Also included was a serving of plantain chips. On the luncheon menu they offer the whole sandwich with a cup of soup as well as a lighter version, a half Cuban sandwich with a cup of soup. Dick and I finished our sandwiches with a bit of effort. Janis, perhaps more wisely, ate half of hers and took the second half home for the next day’s lunch. The Columbia does offer desserts (try their flan sometime) but we were sated and passed. We all had enjoyed our meal. It was in pleasant surroundings with a great view. We enjoyed watching the power and sail boats passing by the pier. The service was excellent, Denise did an excellent job.
So far, on my two Columbia Restaurant visits, I have gone with the tried and true, the Cuban sandwich and the Spanish bean soup. The menu has so many delicious sounding dishes I think that on my next visit to a Columbia Restaurant I will order from some other part of the menu. And if the next visit is during the evening, I will ask for seating on the west side. From my fourth floor vantage point I will be able to look out over St. Petersburg and watch the sun setting behind the city’s skyline.
For more information about the Columbia Restaurants, try http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/
For specific information about Columbia Restaurant on the St Petersburg Pier try http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/st_petersburg.asp
The Columbia Restaurant – On the St. Petersburg Pier June 9, 2011
Friends Dick and Cheryl were visiting for a few days. They had come back to town for a high school reunion. It was a free day and they wanted to take us out to dinner. But where to go? It was a typical hot summer day in St. Petersburg, Florida. The growing cumulus clouds in the west were drawing closer. They offered the chance of onshore breezes, a bit of cooling, to St. Pete’s waterfront. I suggested the Columbia Restaurant on the St. Petersburg Pier. It was a place Janis and I had both wanted to try especially after a pleasant experience at the Ybor City Columbia Restaurant (see my January 2010 blog). As it turns out, it is also a favorite of Dick and Cheryl They had frequented it when they lived locally.
There was light traffic making for an easy drive to the water front. We found a parallel parking slot on the causeway q
uite close, within easy walking distance, to the iconi
c inverted pyramid. The Columbia Restaurant occupies the entirety of the fourth floor of the pyramid. The kitchen and storage areas are in the center and the dining areas are lined along the sides giving every table a view out of the window of St. Petersburg or of Tampa Bay. The mirrored inner wall provides a feeling of spaciousness. The tables are set with linen tablecloths and napkins as well as a full setting of silverware. There is a promise of fine dining.
The three big factors that work for or against a fine dining experience are the setting, the food, and the service. Columbia on the pier has an abundance of ambiance in its favor. It has a spacious dining area with uncrowded seating, well appointed table settings and even the most remote seating is but a table away from a window view of Tampa Bay. The food we will cover later.
Our server, Denise, was definitely a positive asset. She was qu
ickly there after we were seated. She delivered the menus and took our drink orders. She heard us discussing the menu’s offerings. The Columbia has two menus, on for luncheon and one for dinner. We were late enough to be shown the dinner menu but what we wanted, a Cuban sandwich and a cup of soup, was only shown on the luncheon menu. Denise volunteered that we could also order from the luncheon menu.
Janis ordered a Cuban sandwich (Smoked ham, pork, salami, Swiss cheese, dill pickle and mustar
d on hot Cuban bread.) with black beans and rice (Frijoles Negros prepared exactly like their grandmother, Carmen Hernandez did. Served over a bed of white rice and topped with diced raw Spanish onions.).
Cheryl ordered Chicken and Shrimp Barcelona (Boneless chicken breast sautéed with shrimp in delicious lobster bisque, brandy, white wine carrots and onions. Served with yellow rice.).
Dick ordered the Columbia's 1905 Salad® (The Columbia's legendary salad tossed at your table. Crisp iceberg lettuce with julienne of baked ham, natural Swiss cheese, tomato, olives, grated Romano cheese and our famous garlic dressing and our 100 year old family recipe of fresh garlic, oregano, wine vinegar and Spanish extra virgin olive oil).) and a Cuban sandwich.
I chose Spanish Bean Soup (The soup that made the Columbia famous. The original recipe of Casimiro Hernandez, Sr. Garbanzo beans simmered with smoked ham, chorizo sausage and potatoes in a delicious broth of chicken and ham.) and a Cuban sa
ndwich. 
Our drink orders and Cuban bread arrived in short order. Dick had ordered a Bloody Mary to be made just so. From the grin on his face I would gather that it was made just right. I ordered a Coca Cola. It was a good sized glass without a lot of filler ice. Whenever the level in the glass neared the bottom, Denise brought me another, fresh glass. The water at the table is served with lemon wedges on the side. The bread is hot and tasty; tender inside with a flaky crust. Cuban bread is made with lard which gives it the good flavor and texture. Ample butter is served in individual ramekins.
Denise returned in a few moments this time bringing a stand and tray with the makings for the 1905 Salad. The salad is prepared at tableside with a bit theatrical flourish for the guest’s entertainment much as a Caesar Salad once was. Even though the rest of the orders had not yet arrived, Dick nibbled at his salad, offering samples. It is a nice looking and a large salad with crisp lettuce, sliced ham and cheese. The dressing is garlicky and piquant. It would make a nice light dinner all by itself.
The remainder of the order arrived shortly thereafter. Cheryl’s Chicken and Shrimp Barcelona was a nice serving with large shrimp. She found the shrimp to be delicious but considered the chicken a bit bland. Overall she considered it a good meal but to her palate the rice and sauce were a bit too salty.
Janis savored her black beans and rice. It is one of her favorite dishes, one she makes at home. She savored each bite asking how she could make her version at home taste more like the dish served at the Columbia. My Spanish bean soup was excellent. The broth was excellent, full flavored. The soup was thick with the garbanzo beans, ham sausage and potatoes. We also make this soup at home with good results.
Janis
, Dick and I had Cuban sandwiches. For those of you who are not familiar with a Cuban sandwich, it is made with a long roll of Cuban bread. It is split open and, much like a sub or hoagie sandwich, after a drizzle of mustard it is piled high with deli sliced roast pork and ham. A last layer is Swiss cheese and Dill pickle. It differs from the sub or hoagie in that the Cuban is a pressed sandwich; it is placed between hot weighted griddle plates. This toasts the Cuban bread to a golden brown, melts the Swiss cheese and compresses the sandwich to about a quarter of its original height; the melted cheese binding the flavor elements together. With a traditional diagonal slice, the sandwich is now ready to serve. The Columbia’s Cuban sandwich differs a bit from Cuban sandwiches you might find in other areas of Florida. The original Columbia was in Ybor City, a cigar manufacturing center. The Columbia served the mainly Cuban workers with Spani
sh bean soup and Cuban sandwiches. There was a later immigratio
n swell with many Italians coming to work in the Ybor City area. To accommodate the new arrivals, salami was added to the ingredients in the Columbia’s Cuban sandwich.
In spite of being pressed, our sandwiches were piled high with roast pork, ham, salami and cheese. The bread was nicely toasted and crisp. The filling was hot and flavorful. It is also filling. The sandwiches were served with a garnish of lettuce, a tomato slice and a wedge of Dill pickle. Also included was a serving of plantain chips. On the luncheon menu they offer the whole sandwich with a cup of soup as well as a lighter version, a half Cuban sandwich with a cup of soup. Dick and I finished our sandwiches with a bit of effort. Janis, perhaps more wisely, ate half of hers and took the second half home for the next day’s lunch. The Columbia does offer desserts (try their flan sometime) but we were sated and passed. We all had enjoyed our meal. It was in pleasant surroundings with a great view. We enjoyed watching the power and sail boats passing by the pier. The service was excellent, Denise did an excellent job.
So far, on my two Columbia Restaurant visits, I have gone with the tried and true, the Cuban sandwich and the Spanish bean soup. The menu has so many delicious sounding dishes I think that on my next visit to a Columbia Restaurant I will order from some other part of the menu. And if the next visit is during the evening, I will ask for seating on the west side. From my fourth floor vantage point I will be able to look out over St. Petersburg and watch the sun setting behind the city’s skyline.
For more information about the Columbia Restaurants, try http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/
For specific information about Columbia Restaurant on the St Petersburg Pier try http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/st_petersburg.asp
Labels: Barcelona, Columbia, pier, shrimp, soup, Spanish Bean Soup, St Petersburg. Cuban. sandwich
¶ 11:01 AM 0 Comments
