Eating Out

When I first started this blog, I thought I would post my opinions on restaurants that we eat at. I think I did a pretty good job the first 6 months but then it went away. Not that I meant to but I just forgot! Here are a few reviews of restaurants that we have eaten at within the last 3 weeks:


Moonshine

We were lucky to receive a gift certificate to Moonshine recently. I have been there once before for dinner and for bunch. This experience at dinner did not disappoint. We went with my brother and we were all pleased with our meals. Hubby ordered the catfish with a side of macaroni and cheese. The catfish was delicately spiced and crunchy! My problem with catfish is that it can taste fishy, and this fish tasted fresh. You didn’t have to fight through the fishy-ness to taste the seasoning. My brother ordered the maple pork chop with apples. I had a bite, and it was tender and juicy. Lee didn’t want to try the apples at first, but they were damn tasty and went well with the pork chop. I ordered the safe bet and ordered the chicken almandine. Oh mommy, mine was juicy and crunchy all rolled into one. It was the perfect comfort meal and we were all very happy when we left. The veggies and garlic mashed potatoes were perfect sides. I like the feel of Moonshine and desperately wish that my back yard looked similar to their back patio. Moonshine has been a good choice every time we have gone.

Mama Fu’s

We have been searching for a Chinese food restaurant that is good but not to expensive. We really like Suzis, but we never leave there spending less than 45 dollars and we need to find a cheaper alternative. We don’t mind splurging on Suzi’s but we wanted a cheaper option for nights that we just need some good take out. We walked through Mama Fu’s awhile back when we were looking for the Flying Saucer. Mama Fu’s is just a slight step above fast food Chinese food,,, not that it is a bad thing. Mama Fu’s cooks all of their foods in a wok, not deep fried, so that is a plus (unless you have your woman friend with you, and you want fried food… HA!). I ordered the sweet and sour chicken and the hubby ordered a spicy chicken dish. I had total dish envy…. Jim’s was so much better than mine. Not that mine was bad, but I liked the way his tasted so much better. The veggies were tender crisp and both dishes were light on sauce. I want to go back and try one of their noodle bowls. Forgot to mention that we also ordered the egg rolls and they were good, nothing spectacular but not the worst egg rolls I have ever had. I guess I should mention that we got take out, so the egg rolls did have to sit in their container for about 15 minutes. 15 minutes to an egg roll is a life time and can make it quite soggy (which ours wasn’t, so not sure why I just mentioned it). Mama Fu’s was good and we’ll be back. Still looking for the GREAT cheap Chinese food place…..



Hickory Street Grill

I wish, wish, WISH Hickory Street Grill was better. Now, they have some items on their menu like hamburgers and fries that always seem to be good, but to many times the rest of their menu isn’t very good. They have great French fries. The fries are thick cut with skins and is crunch on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. They also include a artery clogging sauce with the fries that is some type of mayo dipping sauce. Of course it is a welcomed change to ketchup. Recently I ordered the salad bar, and walked away somewhat disappointed. Kudu’s for having lots of options on the salad bar, but it was messy (pea’s mixed in with the carrots and cheese mixed in with the mushrooms, etc) and there were quite a few veggies that looked less than stellar. It was far after the lunch rush (2:30pm) so there would have been plenty of time to pick up after the rush and make their food more presentable. Now, I haven’t worked in a restaurant before, but it seems like a simple thing to go through and make sure the various salad toppings aren’t all mixed together from rambunctious patrons trying to pile their rabbit food high on their plate during the rush hour. In a previous experience I ordered their turkey sandwich and was really grossed out by the meat on the bun. It looked like pressed together pieces of meat to resemble a slice of deli turkey. YUCK.

Hickory Street Grill always has cheap marg’s and beer, so that is a nice plus while sitting on their large patio in the middle of downtown. I just desperately wish their food was better. So now I know, when I go (if I go back) I’ll stick with their hamburger to eat with my cheap beers.

Hog Island Deli

It is hard for me to dislike a sandwich shop. I can eat sandwiches for every meal and I would never complain! I took my brother to get a cheese steak from Hog Island before he left Austin. He ordered his with Wiz (ummmm, YUCK) and I ordered mine with provolone (YUM!) :) The sesame seed bun was toasted but it was soft on the inside. The meat was tender and not chewy and the cheese was melted perfectly. I was very happy with my sandwich and think that it gives Delaware subs a run for the money. I will say that any person that knows what a real Philly cheese steak is like, might night enjoy the sesame seed bun. I’ll have to take my mom there, to see what she thinks. I would like to go back and try another sandwich as well as one of their other specials. They had gnocchi on special, and I have found that I really like gnocchi and am curious to try it from Hog Island. I heard a rumor that Hog Island Deli makes a cheese steak egg role for one of the sports bars in Austin. The hubby and I will have to make a special trip over there to try them out! The only complaint that I have about Hog Island is that I forget about it when I am hungry and we aren't that close to their downtown location:)