Name: Matt
Bio: I now live in Clearwater, FL and from here the food shall be reviewed.
Posts by Twin:
The Brickhouse – paying homage to Hooters.
June 22nd, 2010The Brickhouse
1102 N. Dale Mabry (1100 Block, not sure of the exact address as it’s not published on their website or in google maps)
Tampa, FL
33607
Visiting the Brickhouse was basically an accident. My coworker Mike had a doctor’s appointment in the area prior to lunch and happened to drive past this joint. There were girls out front with signs stating that “We’re Open”, or something to that effect, and surprise surprise pretty girls caught his eye. When the matter of lunch was brought up he mentioned this place, and after a quick jaunt to Google we saw on their online menu that they had Chili Cheese Tater Tots. With thoughts of greasy, cheese-laden, potato bits dancing in our heads we loaded up the car and headed over to the Brickhouse.
We showed up not knowing what to expect. From looking at their website, we thought that maybe they’d have an emphasis on scantily clad servers or broads in general (with a desert entitled “Double D Cupcakes”, and references to “Man Food”), but the website was fairly oblique. After walking in, our suspicions were confirmed. The place looked like Tim Allen and Christian Audigier popped a couple boners and went around getting all “Home Improvement” meets “Ed Hardy”-style zealous on this place. There is a large and very unnecessary fireplace, open air ceilings, gothic script announcing the restrooms, and lame “inspirational” phrases on the walls. The only inspiration I derived from that was wanting to take a blow my nose on their decorations.
To our surpise (and chagrin) the Brickhouse had just opened up today (June 22nd). All of the servers were new, and likewise their cooks were all brand new to the Brickhouse way of doing things. They weren’t doing their full menu when we showed up, but instead a pared down version of their menu. Oh, did I mention that all of the food (and non alcholic beverages) are all FREE? Oh, I didn’t? Well they were, and are until Friday June 25th 2010. As much as I don’t like the thought of TimAl-Stianidigier’s renob all up in my face, it’s hard to thumb my nose at free food. We ordered the Buffalo Wings for our free appetizer. I would’ve taken a picture but I forgot to due to being endlessly interrupted by a never ending stream of servers asking fairly inane questions. I can appreciate pretty girls as much as the next guy, but when you keep hearing “What are you drinking?”, “Have you heard of Brickhouse before?”, “How is everything?”, again and again and again and again my eyes start to glaze over. In writing it doesn’t sound nearly as annoying as it was in person. We literally had a girl come up asking, “How is everything, how are you guys?” and literally as she was stepping away from our table another girl came and asked the exact same thing. As I’m writing this, I feel like I sound like a complete asshole because I’m basically saying, “Oh man, it was so annoying how these girls were being very attentive and basically waiting on us hand and foot.” The thing is, when I go to a restaurant I don’t want to feel pressured into talking, shooting the shit, or doing anything aside from ordering my food and eating said food. As peculiar as it sounds, I think a good server is nearly prescient or just very observant. They keep an eye on your drink getting low and then offer you a refill, or they see that you’re just sitting around picking-at/not-eating your food and offer to take your plate. If someplace is very busy I of course scale back my expectations, but when the reverse happens it’s fairly startling and somewhat unsettling.
After all of my bitching we’re onto a highlight. The food. They served up very large portions, and the prices on the menu were very reasonable for what we received ($7-$10 for most entrees). All 3 of my coworkers ordered the Prime Rib Sandwich. As you can see it appeared to be topped with shoe-string onion fries/straws. They were given a side of au jus sauce, and from some appreciative murmurs I gathered that the samiches were alright. They do come with a horseradish sauce, so those with a tempermental palette may want to ask for the samich sans the horsey sauce. I ordered the Chicken Parm samich, and it was huge. The fork and knife were apparently crafted for Paul Bunyun so you can’t really appreciate the size of the samich I received. Within the samich were 2 filets of fried chicken, and I was unable to finish the beast. The marinara on the samich was tasty, it had hints of oregano and other ‘Italian’ spices; the flavors were very balanced. They also heaped an order of fries on the plate. While the food wasn’t breathtaking, I would certainly eat at the Brickhouse again.
We came on opening day on a whim, despite not knowing it was opening day. The servers applied a little too much pressure as most of us felt inundated with repeated pleasantries, but I suspect as the Brickhouse breaks into the full swing of normal operations the servers will calm down and the atmosphere will be more pleasant.
If you do want a free meal and to see what this joint is all about you might as well stop by before this Friday rolls around and cop a free meal (speaking of coppers, there were quite a few officers of the law coming around to gawk and grab a free bite, apparently those radio waves aren’t just used to communicate crimes).
Food: Rating: 
Service: Rating: 
(this would be a little higher without the over-attention)
Atmosphere: Rating: (I’m a hole-in-the-wall bar guy, so this kind of presentation is a bit over the top for me)
Overall: Rating: (I think this has a chance to go up with a second visit when they’re under normal operation)
-Matt in Tampa
Tom Yum Thai & Sushi
June 9th, 2010Tom Yum Thai & Sushi
104 Patricia Avenue
Dunedin, FL 34698
(727) 953-9898
When Sia and I first moved to Clearwater we had a hell of a time finding a sushi restaurant. From Sia’s tireless research using Google reviews she eventually found a couple acceptable places. Tom Yum was one of those joints. Our first experiences with Tom Yum were via take out.
The prices are average for a sushi place. We both liked the ‘cute’ way they store their silverware/chopsticks in a rolled up napkin with custom embroidery. The restaurant had a number of Buddhist accoutrements, and a very warm interior. As you can see on their sign they have a fat cat waving at you, and to stick with that theme they did have a number of ‘golden paw waving cats’ that many eastern restaurants favor. I’ve considered purchasing some of those cracked out golden cats for my apartment so that I can have frighteningly-large-eyed, ever-waving cats greet any visitors to my humble abode. You’ve gotta make a good first impression, right? Really though, are these statuettes on LSD?
To start we ordered Tuna nachos. The concept was unique to me and the presentation was dead-on but the implementation was slightly off. First, when eating nachos I’ve come to expect something hot or warm in temperature. Due to the Tuna being uncooked the nachos were fairly cold, which is foreseeable. Next, the sauce that the tuna was tossed in was almost cloyingly sweet. Again, this was slightly unexpected as I’ve grown accustomed to cumin and hot peppers getting involved with nachos. The nachos were topped with a spicy mayo that had a kick and really pulled the dish back into the “nacho” realm. In the end, the dish was very good but I felt that the term ‘nachos’ brought me to expect something different from what I received. Despite all my nit-picking and bitching, I would order this dish again.
For our second course we ordered a spicy tuna roll, and a dragon roll. From what I can recall, and I most certainly could be wrong about this, every sushi joint I’ve been to serves these same two rolls. The spicy tuna roll is basically tuna, nori (seaweed wrap), and some hot mayo (and sometimes cucumber) and the dragon roll varies from restaurant to restaurant. This particular variation included salmon, tuna, and white fish with an imitation crab center. Both rolls were crafted fairly well and both were delectable. In retrospect, after describing the ‘dragon roll’, I think it may have actually been the Rainbow Roll. I could be mistaken either way as it has been nearly 10 months since I ate at Tom Yum.
For round three I ordered “Mother In-law Beef ” which was described as ‘real Thai!’ The dish was essentially chopped beef stir fried with basil, green beens, and chilies. Just as the menu forewarned, this dish was hot. The chilies didn’t have a kick-you-in-the-teeth-wasabi effect, but rather a slow heat that gradually built up in your mouth and left you gasping for water. The heat was great and I would gladly order this again if I was in the mood for something hot.
I would give Tom Yum a higher rating, but the service we received was terrible. Twice, I had to remind the waitress to get my drink (after waiting 15 minutes when it became apparent that my drink was not coming), and not to be a dick but she bombed as a waitress. Likewise, she took our drink order, never showed up with the drinks and after being reminded and showing up with the drinks disappeared for 20 minutes before taking our order. I know people have off days, or perhaps are learning the ropes but it wasn’t busy in the restaurant, and the carry out orders didn’t seem to be coming in at an overwhelming volume. One of the other waitresses paid more mind to our dining experience by asking how we were doing or if we needed anything else when it became clear out waitress was a no-show. By the good grace of previous experiences and the quality of the food Tom Yum isn’t pulling a one.
Overall: Rating:
-Matt in Clearwater
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
June 6th, 2010Tropical Smoothie Cafe
1201 4th Street North
Saint Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 821-3100
First, I’d like to thank Google Streetview’s camera-van for grabbing a great picture of the front of Tropical Smoothie Cafe. When I went and grabbed a bite to eat there, I didn’t have any plan to review the place. In fact I wasn’t even planning on eating there. I wound up swinging over there to meet up with Chris Werner to show him my new bike, the Harley Davidson 2010 Iron 883. As a great man about town, Chris comp’ed me a delicious meal on his tab as well as a smoothie while I was there.
Chris made me a Buffalo Chicken wrap, and while I’m certain it’s not the most healthy item on the menu, it was certainly delicious. I’m sure you’re asking yourself right now, “Hey Matt, why the fuck are you talking about the healthiness of your meal?” Well, good sir, I bring this up because Tropical Smoothie Cafe appears to pride itself upon ‘Eating Better’ and ‘Feeling Better’. While I didn’t necessary feel better about myself or my health after eating said wrap, I certainly enjoyed it. What I did like was that the meal was served with a freshly cut orange which is a great substitute for french fries. I believe I also received a Caribbean Breeze smoothie and it basically tasted like mangos… but I’m not sure exactly what was in there. Either way it was sweet and cold on a sweltering day, just what the doctor ordered. I don’t really know for sure what I had as I basically told Chris to “make me something good.” As you can see above they have a somewhat goofy decor, going for an island theme which feels a little less contrived in Florida than it would feel in Michigan… nothing like snow on the ground in March to make you feel Caribbean.
Due to my circumstances of receiving a free meal, I’m going to give a jaded rating. I would rate my experience as Rating: .
I may have to give this one a more impartial review, but I’m not itching to drive 35 minutes to have a smoothie and a wrap, so this will have to wait for some future date.
-Matt in Tampa
Mykonos, but this ain’t no Fleet Foxes.
June 6th, 2010Mykonos
‘Authentic Greek cookery’
628 Dodecanese Boulevard
Tarpon Springs, FL 34689-3130
(727) 934-4306
Mykonos is located in a tourist area of Tarpon Springs. This particular spot is populated by Greek people, and the primary trade (other than trinkets and ‘Florida’-baubles) is sea sponges. So despite it being fairly chilly for Florida in December, you could see tourists wandering around that evening in shorts and wearing no shirts (I happened to be wearing a hoodie). This particular section of Tarpon Springs has a particular flavor or character to itself that most of the Tampa area lacks. I doubt I can accurately ascribe the character that belongs to the town, but there is a grit and a feeling of history for the place. For those of you who haven’t visited Tampa, a large portion of the surrounding development is either new, and fairly unremarkable architecture. Either that, or it’s filled with car dealerships, boat dealerships, and titty bars. When driving Sia down to Tampa for the first time, I made the mistake of taking the “scenic” route and getting off of I-75 South and rerouting to US 19 somewhere around Odessa or New Port Richey. So her first fill of the area was driving past an alternating strip of Walmarts, Car Dealerships, Boat Dealerships, assorted Fast Food joints, and a slew of greasy Strip Clubs. In retrospect, that was a fair sampling of the Tampa area (admittedly there is more to Tampa than just that). Enough of my diatribe on the ‘city planning’ of the greater Tampa Bay area and on to Mykonos.
When we first arrived to Mykonos, it was quite busy. The dining area appeared fairly small and very busy. We had to wait for 10 or 15 minutes to get a table. While waiting to be seated I noticed that a number of the servers and cooks actually spoke Greek (as well as being staffed with folks from south of the Border as any great restaurant is). The music coming out over the boombox was also Greek, and the head chef was Greek. This all seemed indicative of having a fairly “authentic” and totally righteous meal.
Everyone showed up with a hearty appetite. Before we ordered we were served freshly baked bread. It was fairly standard ‘before the meal’-bread, but from what I understand Mykonos has it’s own in-house bakery. For an appetizer we ordered Saganaki (Opa!) which was salty, buttery and delicious. We also ordered Keftedes which is a pan-fried potato pastry. The Keftedes were crispy on the outside yet very moist and creamy inside; they were very rich. The salads that came with virtually every meal were composed of very fresh vegetables and a chunk of feta. The Chicken Lemon Soup had a very strong lemon flavor. The chicken was shredded and was great. Between the salad and the soup you could have stopped and had a nice meal from that alone.
To attempt to describe the meal that night would be to do it an injustice. To put it simply, the food was like an exquisite Greek orgy of flavors in my mouth. As is typical with my family, we all shared what we ordered so I got to taste everything on the table. I ordered the Mousaka, Dan got the Fila Dolmades (essentially Grape Leaves topped with an egg-lemon sauce), Sia ordered the Garides Mykonos which was a shrimp dish sautéed with fresh tomatoes, onions, herbs and feta cheese served on a bed of rice, my Mom ordered the Garides Ellinikes which is shrimp sautéed in garlic, oregano and Greek spices, and finally my Dad ordered the Lamp Chops which was served with another plate heaped with rice. We were also given a plate of freshly sautéed pees (which were very good). The portions were tremendous.
To top the evening off we ordered Baklava and Rice Pudding. The Rice Pudding was fairly thick and the Baklava was Baklava. We were also served a plate with a freshly cut apple topped with cinnamon which happened to trump the Baklava and Rice Pudding.
As you can see we had a considerable amount of leftovers to bring home (and later demolish). We had an amazing evening at Mykonos and I would highly recommend it to anyone passing by Tarpon Springs. Hell, it’s worth the effort to make the trip to Mykonos if you’re in the Tampa area.
Definitely a well deserved Rating: .
Belated in Tampa,
-Matt
La Bamba , no witty quips.
January 23rd, 2010La Bamba
4815 W Laurel St
Tampa, FL 33607-4507
(813) 287-2575
My first impression of La Bamba is that it looks like a very ‘Florida’ kind of restaurant. As you can see in the shot above, even the curbs are a bright and vibrant color. I first came to La Bamba on the good word of my coworker Jeff. His advice (which still stands): Anything Pork, and you Can’t Go Wrong With The Cuban. While Jeff might not have the wildest spectrum of food choices, he has never steered me wrong. So, with that chunk of advise I made my trip to La Bamba (actually just a short walk from the office, so not exactly a trip).
(I still don’t know why they had the orange construction cones up… it certainly didn’t appear that they were doing anything to the walk-way. Maybe it’s so someone bound to a wheelchair doesn’t try and ollie the steps)
La Bamba is a family owned and run restaurant. You can expect to see the same familiar faces dishing up your food each jaunt to this Spanish-American joint. According to their signage they serve Breakfast and Lunch. While I’ve had their Lunch items a number of times I have never visited them for Breakfast, but the prices are very modest. Their dining area can seat about 50 people.
As you can see above, La Bamba dishes out fairly typical Spanish-American cuisine. I stuck to Jeff’s advise and went for the pulled pork with a side of rice and green beans. I was in and out in about 5 minutes. La Bamba accepts cash and credit (I saw something on another site mentioning that they only accept cash, not true). Most of La Bamba’s menu choices are under $10 so you won’t break the bank grabbing a bite.
(Right before I jumped those 3 HUUUUUUUUGE steps: fakie 360 nose-grab… on my, um, modified wheel chair? That should be the next step in ‘XTREME’ sports, wheelchair sports; Murderball excluded, I’m talking about half-pipes and street riding. For the 2 people who read this who don’t know me, I don’t use a wheelchair… I’m just insensitive.)
As you can see, you get quite a bit of food. In hindsight I didn’t need any chips, there is a lot of food here.
The meat is Salty, moist, and almost buttery. Very strong rich flavor, but not cloying in its strength. Rice and green beans are second fiddle to the pork. Greens are a little soggy, they could use more snap. The rice is bland and generic… could really use some pepper, but it balances the pork well.
I really like to turn everything into a samich. Anything on a slice of bread instantly gets better (cake and ice cream included, nothing like Mint Chocolate Chip on a slice of swirled Rye & Pumpernickel! On second thought, that earlier statement might be a little hyperbolic. Just a little.). I have also had the Cuban from La Bamba, and it’s a solid choice. I would definitely recommend this joint to anyone looking for some fair-priced Lunch.
My overall experience merited a Rating: . I’ve had better, and I have yet to actually be enticed into sitting at La Bamba’s and eating but the food is great at the price offered.
-Matt in Tampa
A Larger More Efficient Sandwich, with better access to the Internet!
December 31st, 2009State Side Deli
3552 Meridian Crossings Drive (corner of Okemos Rd and Jolly Rd)
Okemos, MI 48864-6916
(517) 853-1100
On the advice of a friend, AJ Glaub a musician in the Lansing area, Dan, our friend Phil, and I decided to grab a hung-over samich from the State Side Deli. A quick perusal of their menu shows you that the State Side Deli fills in a lacking portion of Lansing cuisine, a genuine Deli. The Detroit area is littered with great Delis and it’s only fitting that the owners of the Bread Basket Deli’s in Detroit made their way west towards the capital. So, back to the Twin Tag-Team for this review!
Matt: This joint has a nice aesthetic to it; lots of stainless steel, Michigan State University’s green and white, and clean. The place is fairly small, only 6 or 7 tables and on each table is spicy brown mustard and plain mustard. As you can see in the picture below I’ve ordered the requisite Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry soda. I buy one every time I get a ‘deli’ samich if given the chance. One of the most underrated sodas in my opinion (Top 3 Underrated Soda Pop flavors: 1. Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry, 2. Stewart’s Key Lime, and 3. Jones’ Peachy Keen which is now ‘retired’. Runner up: Jones’ Orange Soda.)
Matt: I ended up ordering the number 51, Stateside’s Ultimate sandwich which weighs in at 1 and a half pounds of corned beef. The samich came with a side of Russian Dressing and frankly was a chore to muscle down, but I went at it with gusto. To be frank, I think the Stateside Deluxe (Corned beef, cole slaw, and Russian dressing) looked better as the components were much better balanced. The Ultimate really is a monster of meat to plow through and I had to finish it off by coating the meat with some Russian dressing. Unless you’re really craving a boat of corned beef, I’d stick with one of State Side Deli’s normal samiches.
Dan: Phil and I opted for the Deluxe. Their corned beef is nice and lean (and not stringy), the coleslaw tasted like it was made fresh. I wish the bread was a little tougher, but that’s just a minor kvetch. Easily the best corned beef sandwich I’ve had in the greater Lansing area. While it might seem a little pricey for a sammich, it’s well worth it. They pile the meat on and decent corned beef isn’t that easy to find.
Dan’s rating Rating: . This was just a jaunt over for a quick bite and ended up being a very pleasant surprise. If you are craving some deli food head on over and grab a sandwich. Definitely worth the cost. Nice clean place, and really excellent corned beef.
Matt: My only odd note to include is this, Why Are Melting Moments Products Being Used? I think it’s odd that State Side Deli would pass up using ice cream from the MSU Dairy Store, it’s local and it’s some of the best ice cream I’ve had. Other than that I think the State Side Deli is on the right track and definitely merits a visit if you’re in the mood for a great deli samich.
Matt’s rating Rating:
Dan’s rating Rating:
-Matt and Dan in Okemos, MI
Between a rock and a hard place in Grand Rapids.
December 30th, 2009The Blue Water Grill
5180 Northland Dr
Grand Rapids, MI 49525-1052
(616) 363-5900
The season is a time of thanking and giving… or taking, depending on whether you came in on the Mayflower or you were already in the Americas. Either way, now its a time of family and food. My family went to Grand Rapids to have a Thankstaking lunch with my Grandma. Back in the day we would all gather at her house and she would make an outstanding meal, but as time wears on so does our age and she has wearied of the chore of cooking for everyone. Typically, we eat at mild eateries as Grandma’s palate doesn’t stand for things with pizzazz, but you can only eat at Applebee’s so many times before you start losing your sense of taste (and your sense of decency). So, my Pops scouted a new joint for us to eat at and he found The Blue Water Grill . On the initial perusal the B.W. Grill looked like it was going to kick our asses in terms of the price, but after looking at the menu we found everything to be reasonably priced. Mission “Nomnomnom with Oma” is a go at The Blue Water Grill. Dan was with me, so we’re going to tag team this review, I’ll get it started:
Matt: First, I’d like to say that the place looked impressive. There is a massive 4 sided fireplace when you walk into the joint and it actually provides heat. Unfortunately the start of service didn’t deliver in this respect. The host/hostess had apparently fled their station and we, along with another irate customer, were stuck waiting for one of the staff to meet our eyes and come over and ask what they can do to help. Instead of stewing in my own Rage-juices I asked the bartendress if we could seat ourselves (kinda rude, I know, but I really didn’t have the patience to re-read the menu and pretend like waiting was a fun option), this prompted seats and menus to be provided post-haste.
Dan: I found the overall ambiance really nice. It’s an interesting setup. The Blue Water Grill feels like casual dining, and the menu choices seem like you’re paying for $25 plates. We chose to sit at a booth instead of taking a seat at the bar. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to sit at a bar and crane my neck every time I want to talk with my grandma. Anyways, taking a look around, you get to see what happens when a gravel pit runs dry. They fill it with water and call it a lake; new development gets to pop up around previously worthless real estate.
Matt: The art they have on and around the giant fireplace is fitting for the joint, it’s not breaking new ground but it’s not garish. I could hope for something more progressive but at least it’s not the disjointed schizophrenic cacophony that Applebee’s and their ilk litter the walls with. No one gives a shit about the local little league team that won 3 games over the past decade.
Matt: I think I may be developing a new art form called “The Joy of Bitching.” At the very least, I think it would make for a great book title. Now on with the bitching: What shouldn’t you do? Oh that’s right, eat with Old People. They’re picky and go about things in an odd way, is this because they’re old? My Grandma always asks for Decaf Black Tea, always. The annoying part is that the restaurants we go to with her NEVER carry Decaf Black Tea. She has quite literally asked for Decaf Black Tea on every excursion to a restaurant and they have not once had Decaf Black Tea. Black Tea? Sure. Decaf Black Tea? Not on your life. The second annoying part is that she always carries Decaf Black Tea bags with her. So, why ask for the tea if she already has it? The only reason I can suss out is the behaviour is a hold-over from going through hard times and getting the most bang for your buck possible.
Matt: One nice point is that they have a bread service. You get recently warmed up bread, vinegar, and oil to quell some of your hunger pangs. They served sourdough, which I happen to enjoy. Please note in the shot above, the aforementioned Decaf Black Tea.
Dan: We ended up being seated close to the kitchen. It was an open air grill type of deal, which I thought looked pretty good. However, the General Manager was hanging out at the server station working on silverware or some shit and basically felt like he was hovering over my shoulder the whole time. Probably not that noticeable when it’s busy, but for a slower lunch it was definitely irksome.
Dan: I ended up ordering the Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos. I was pretty excited since I can never seem to find fish tacos anywhere in Michigan. The plating was excellent, unfortunately the food wasn’t up to par with the plating. The fish was completely over seasoned; I didn’t taste any fish in my fish tacos. I don’t know about you, but if I order fish tacos… I’m hoping for some flavor of the water to come through. The rice was overcooked as well, the starches were completely coming apart and the rice was basically a mushy mess. My other beef with the tacos is that I had to build the fucking things. Don’t get me wrong, that can be fun to do under some circumstances (like when you’re cooking at home…) but I definitely don’t want to go somewhere and have to put my food together. Also, there was nowhere on my plate to build the damn things! So, I’m sitting here feebly cupping this tortilla and trying to shovel some of this food in while hoping to keep some semblance of balance. The biggest stand out for the whole dish was the salsa/chutney that they had. It was a good mixture of spicy and sweet, I probably would have been happier with more of that and some tortilla chips.
Matt: One unrelated note to my dining experience, I noticed a lot of folks with wine. This may have been due to it being the Thanksgiving season or perhaps people show up at this joint for wine at 2pm on a Wednesday. I’m not sure why they’d intentionally come to a place to drink wine and listen to the speakers drone out some shitty James Blunt songs and other miscellanious top 40 hits. One further note about the music, The BWG’s website has a jazzy atmospheric song playing and I’m somewhat disappointed that they couldn’t follow through with this theme in their restaurant.
Another interesting thing about the restaurant is that it was much smaller than it appeared. As Dan mentioned earlier The Blue Water Grill has an upscale appearance but a casual dining experience. I didn’t feel out of place wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The tables are made of a nice polished wood and were free of the slightly sticky surface that I’ve come to associate with all surfaces at an IHOP. The BWG is a bit of a gem in a Strip-Mall-Hell.
Matt: I ordered the Chili Crusted Burger which was covered in tasty shoestring onions on a thick roll. On the menu the roll is described as a ‘pretzel roll’ but I received a sourdough roll. The garlic butter crinkly fries that were served with it were alright as well. The burger didn’t come across as all that unique, burgers generally taste like burgers. My only beef with the samich: where is the “Chili Crusted” portion? There wasn’t a hint of kick to the flavor. Despite not being ‘Chili Crusted’ the burger did have a great flavor and I loved the avocado on the burger. One note, I ordered the burger to be cooked to medium, and it definitely did not show as Medium but rather medium-well to well-done. Quite a few restaurants seem to do this and I can only hazard to guess that this is because their patrons are dolts and send back food that is cooked to the appropriate degree (medium should be pink in the middle, which you can see on the Iowa Beef Council’s site here).
Dan: While I thought my food was merely edible, I tried some of the pizza my parent’s ordered. It was delicious. One of the things that The BWG promotes is their wood fire grill for Pizza. I’d definitely look at getting one of their Pizzas if I’m ever around that way again.
Dan’s Rating: Rating: . I was impressed with the ambiance, and the other food looked great.. but the tacos were a let down.
Matt: My Grandma and my Mom ordered the the Blue Water Grill Prime Rib which looked fairly tasty but I didn’t have a bite. Our bill ended up being below $50 which is fairly astounding considering 5 people were fed. In closing the service we received from our server was fantastic. She was very present, great on refills and follow-ups, courteous and friendly. I think Dan needs to lay off the pipe because I thought this place was great. The BWG merits a Rating: from me and could’ve come close to 5 stars had there been a host/hostess.
Matt: Rating:
Dan: Rating:
-Matt & Dan.
