Famous Dave's on Rosedale

Last weekend, my wife and I visited Famous Dave's as I was in the mood for BBQ (mostly because it was very warm and my neighbor was BBQing). I'd visited the restaurant previously in a different state and rather enjoyed myself.

The place itself is not so bad. The decor is similar to that of Cracker Barrel. It's set to an old country farm atmosphere. The music takes getting used to, but after a while, you tune it out. It's not exactly a place that you would go for date night, but certainly perfect for a family outing. I love the paper towels for napkins. That's always made me smile. I guess you could say it's like sharing a home cooked meal with a southern friend.

Prices are not too bad either. We ordered the Feast for Two (which was more like four). It came with a quarter slab of ribs, beef brisket, two corn cobs, two corn bread muffins, potato wedges, beans, coleslaw, and half a chicken for around $40. Not a bad bargain because we definitely had dinner for the next day. The food was...OK. I wouldn't say it was the best I've ever had, but it was decent. It did not, however, satisfy my hankering for BBQ. I will admit that I was a bit disappointed. I don't know if I had this unobtainable idea of BBQ that day or it was the meal, but I definitely left unfulfilled.

Overall, I'd give Famous Dave's a very low B-. The atmosphere is great and the service was excellent, but I just wasn't impressed with the food. I can't say that I'll be rushing back to dine again, but I'll keep it in mind for a fun, big family outing. If you happen to dine there, please leave you comments on your experience.

Teriyaki Fusion Bowl on Olive Dr

I had to grab lunch today rather quickly because my errands took up much of my lunch hour. I decided to go to one of my favorite places for Chinese food, Teriyaki Fusion Bowl on Olive drive behind Sonic and next to Subway. I love this place! It's small with only about ten tables seating about four people each and the kitchen area looks cramped, but they have some of the best Chinese I've had since moving to California over a year ago.

My personal favorite is the orange chicken. Although I do like Panda Express orange chicken better, TFB is not far from it. I will attest that the chow mein at TFB is far more superior then that of PE. Normally, I get a the orange bowl (which runs about $4.32 with taxes) with noodles which is surprisingly filling for a man of my size. If I'm feeling a bit hungry then I may upgrade to the one or two entree for about 75 cents or so more. If you're hungry like a hostage (as I was one day) then I would recommend getting the house chow mein. Be prepared to have left overs because for the around $8 it costs, you can surely feed two hostages.

I have also experienced their sushi which is very good for a hole in the wall. Come to think of it, they are normally the best. I'd recommend their sushi any day.

Teryaki Fusion Bowl gets a B+ for an overall rating. Their menu is very reasonable in price as you can get full off of $5. The atmosphere itself warrants the reduction in grade. As I said, it's a small place enough for about 20-40 people. I don't recommend dining in, but I would mos def recommend grabbing something to go if your in need of a good, cheap lunch. I would be remised if I didn't mention that mostly everything is made to order; so, you will have to wait a few minutes. But, the wait is well worth it. And as always, if you get a chance to check it out leave a comment about your experience.

Tahoe Joe's Famous Steakhouse

Yesterday, I visited Tahoe Joe's Famous Steakhouse with my wife for our weekly date. We have eaten there several times before as it is a pretty great restaurant. For anyone reading this, I recommend this restaurant if you have never been there. It is a moderately priced restaurant. Meals range from the low teens up to the 40s. Depending on your budget, you may opt to leave the children at home.

Tahoe Joe's has a very interesting but nice theme. It's setup as a quint, rustic cabin in the mountains. There are deer heads and antlers decoration on the walls, canoes, and other camping/mountainous decor. It's more or less like Applebee's meets the wilderness. The hanging lamps and table lamps are covered with a "hide" cone to give a dim lit cable feel. The stone fireplace at the entranced is definitely a nice touch. The overall appearance and atmosphere is definitely an A+.

Though I had been to Tahoe Joe's several times, one thing a do not remember is the very limited menu. Many would argue that a limited menu makes for a better and more efficient kitchen, but a little more (but not too much) would be nice. The menu does live up to it's title which is a steakhouse. So, if you're not in to steak, then you have a few other options such as: chicken, pasta, ribs, etc. I would highly recommend the Railroad Camp Shrimp appetizer. It's "hand-battered, tempura style shrimp tossed with wantons and peanuts in [a] sweet and spicy garlic-soy sauce". If you're not much of a shrimp eater like my wife, then the batter and the soy sauce will definitely help mask the fishy taste from the shrimp.

For our entrees we both went for the Cabin Combo. With it you get a 6 oz. Joe's Steak with your choice of three jumbo prawns, 10 oz. center cut pork chop, sierra mountain ribs, or wood grilled BBQ chicken; as well as, a choice of two sides. It's a pretty decent deal. I ordered the chicken with a baked potato and Caesar salad. Sunday may have be an off day for whomever made the dressing, because it taste like tuna. It had an absolutely retched fish taste-and I'm a avid sushi eater! My steak, on the other hand, was perfect as well as my chick. The BBQ sauce was a perfect blend of spices and taste. I would love to have a bottle at home. My baked potato was one of the best I've had and a fairly decent size. I loved the way it's brought out. The server had a rotating serving tray with butter, sour cream, chives, and bacon. Believe me, they are generous with the fixings!

Along with the food and decor, service was excellent! If you happen to go, I recommend a server named Taylor. She's great! I'm not a pork eater. When I ordered bacon on my baked potato my wife questioned the odd request. I told her that it's most likely not real bacon as most restaurants don't use it. Taylor very politely informed me that it was and deducted that since I quickly declined the bacon AND I declined the ribs because they were pork that I don't eat pork. Taylor takes the tray back and returns with a side of fresh veggies and informed me not to eat the string beans because they contained pork AND offered to re plate my meal to remove the string beans. All this WITHOUT a request from me. That's what I call great service!

All in all, my experience was great. Tahoe Joe's made for a very nice lunch date with my wife. From the service to the food (except the salad) to the atmosphere, I would rate this an A+ restaurant. Tahoe Joe's will most likely be seeing more of us on date night. If you have a chance, stop by and dine. Be sure to leave a comment about your experience.