Review of Five Guys Burgers and Fries
I love a good Hamburger!
Who doesn’t, right?
I am constantly looking out for a new place to try in hopes that they will have the perfect Burger. Of course, everyone’s idea of their perfect burger is going to be a bit different. For some, it’s all about the meat. Toppings are a side note at best. For others, toppings will make or break a burger. The list can go on and on.
In my opinion, here is what the perfect hamburger should look like.
A patty that is juicy, but not bloody. For me, just a little pink is perfect.
The patty should be well formed, not too think, and not too thin. About a 1/3 pound is about right.
The meat should be Charcoal Broiled or grilled over an open flame to give it some wood or smoke flavor.
The meat should be full of flavor and life. Not tough and chewy like old shoe leather, but also able to hold its form while eating.
A bun that is different from the norm. Perhaps an onion bun or something else a bit different.
The bun should be large enough to handle the patty, but not too large so that I have to take 5 bites before I even get any meat.
Toppings should compliment the meat. When I take a bite, I don’t want to taste nothing but toppings. After all, it’s called a hamburger, not a toppings burger.
I wanted to spell out my idea of a good burger first, so that you know my expectations. Like I stated at the start, your idea of a good burger might be completely different than mine. Now that you know what my version of the perfect burger is, I can proceed with the review.
“Five Guys Burgers and Fries” is pretty new to the Boise area. They currently have a location off of Milwaukee and are about to open another off of Eagle Rd in Meridian. I visited the location in Boise for my review.
This location is in a strip mall, so the outside is very unremarkable. As soon as I entered, I was accosted by signs. No decorations at all, just signs. It reminded me of that old song. “Sign sign, everywhere a sign, blocking the scenery, breaking my mind….”
To make matters worse, the signage is not even anything interesting. Their walls are filled with marketing messages. “Voted Best Burger”, Best Fries in town”, Best..blah..blah..blah.
How full off yourself, Five Guys!!!
One of the advertisements on the wall says that their hamburgers are cheap.
Really?
Well, I guess it could be considered cheap, if you consider almost 6 bucks for a fast food burger cheap. Id gladly pay this for a really good restaurant quality burger. But for a fast food burger, that’s expensive.
Even with these price concerns, I went ahead and placed my order for a Bacon Cheese Burger with Jalapeños and Bar-b-que sauce. Something of note here is their menu. There is very little on it. Four Burgers (Hamburger, Cheese Burger, Hamburger with Bacon and Bacon Cheese Burger), Fries, Hotdogs and drinks. That’s it!! Not even chicken nuggets or strips for my daughter.
For me, the biggest disappointment, by far, came when I got my order. Five Guys does not use trays for eat in orders. When my number was called, I was presented with a plain brown paper bag with my food it.
I opened the bag and found my burger. It came tightly wrapped in plain aluminum foil. What! No wrapper with the Five Guys logo or some other marketing message on it?
When I unwrapped the burger, I noticed that the buns were smashed down due to the foil wrapping. So it did not even look appetizing. The burger had no Bar-b-q sauce, no Bacon, and the Jalapeños I wanted tasted like Bell peppers. The patty was in 3 pieces, but otherwise looked ok.
The flavor of the burger was equally lame. The meat was mostly flavorless and boring. The only real taste I could gather came from the grease that it was fried in.
Next, I came to the fries. Since these were part of the Five Guys name, and they had lots of advertising on their walls proclaiming how good they were, I was excited to try them. We had ordered a large order. The fries came in a large cup.
What ever happened to the art of presentation?
They were a natural cut of the potato with the skin on. Signs said that they had been cooked in Peanut Oil, which was supposedly meant to make them extra special. Why I’m not sure.
They went limp when I picked them up. When I tried them, all I could taste was grease. Again, it seemed that the fries were meant to be unremarkable. Instead, you were meant to drown them in ketchup or fry sauce and get your flavor there.
I was very disappointed in Five Guys Burgers and Fries.
If you are like me and are always searching for a great hamburger, don’t look here. You won’t find it.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
1587 N Milwaukee StBoise, ID 83704-8471
(208) 658-4930
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tablerock Brewpub & Grill
Tablerock Brewpub & Grill
705 Fulton
Boise, Idaho 83702
208-342-0944
http://www.tablerockbrewpub.com/
Tablerock – Restaurant or bar with a personality disorder?
As you approach, the brick exterior and signage gives the impression of a bar. To contrast that, the covered entry door that is set in off the street and the outside dining area take you back to thinking that it’s a restaurant. Once inside though, the confusion only gets worse. The inside of this half pub, half restaurant has an Arizona flavor, which is a bit odd for a Boise based eating establishment. The inside is pretty drab and boring with plain browns and bare walls reminiscent of a bar. My wife, that normally accompanies me, made a comment on the design and feel of the restaurant. Just past the bar the ceiling rises to the roof like a hole that goes upward. She commented that if it wasn’t for this rise in the ceiling, this place would feel claustrophobic.
My take on Tablerock is that they are trying to cater to both bar goers and restaurant goers and tried to accommodate and appeal to both crowds. In my opinion they failed to accomplish this. Tablerock looks like a bar that decided it wanted to be a restaurant but didn’t want to give up the bar life.
The most noticeable feature of the interior is the huge steel beer vats that sit behind glass enclosed rooms just behind the bar. Though the restaurant and the bar are both incorporated in this one building, I did not notice the smell of cigarette smoke or the unusual noise level that I would normally associate with a bar. In the corner there sits a large popcorn machine which adds to the bar like feel. In fact, I could not help but get visions of the TV show Cheers in my head.
We began with an appetizer of their “Buffalo Bites.” The menu describes these as a boneless version of Buffalo wings with tender chicken breast smothered in a traditional buffalo sauce. I was very disappointed with what arrived, though I have to admit that my review of these may be tainted by the fact that I loathe vinegar and vinegar based sauces.
The chicken strips were not especially tender or the light and fluffy textured meat that I would expect from using fresh chicken. They looked and tasted like the frozen chicken strips that can be purchased from any store. They were indeed drenched in a red sauce. Now for those of you out there that like the taste of vinegar, you might love these, as my wife does. They had a very strong vinegar flavor which was very overpowering and bitter. I thought that the heat level was pretty mild, but my wife had to drink a lot of water. (On a side note, water only spreads the heat. Dissipating the heat requires a milk based product.)
For our main course I ordered the bacon Cheeseburger, while by wife ordered the Meatloaf. After we had turned in our order and waited 10 minutes or so, our server came over to our table and told us that she had to make a confession. She admitted to us that she had neglected to turn in our order. After apologizing, she went off to turn in our order. I have to give her good marks for admitting to this error on her part. She could have kept this info to herself. We would have thought the service slow, but we would have been none the wiser to her mistake.
Our meal did finally arrive and we anxiously dug in. My hamburger was one of the better ones that I have had in Boise. There were large strips of crispy bacon to accompany the large hamburger patty. The meat itself had a wonderful charbroiled flavor but was a little red on one edge of the patty which indicated to me that it had not been cooked evenly.
My wife’s Meatloaf was dripping with grease. I tasted it and I liked the flavor in spite of the abundance of grease. Again, our server (#27) came to our rescue. She noticed that my wife had barely touched her meal and came to our table. She must have noticed the grease as well, because she commented that the Meatloaf did not go over too well, and offered to remove it. She took my wife’s Meatloaf without saying much else, but soon returned. She said that he Meatloaf and the drinks would be no charge and that she hoped that we would return.
In spite of the problems that we encountered at Tablerock, we will return. I was very impressed with how they handled the problems that we experienced. Many businesses seem to have the misconception that problems and mishaps are the end and even the talk or the admitting to such should be avoided. This is a result of poor thinking and a traditional view of sweeping problems under the proverbial carpet.
The reality is that problems and complaints should be viewed positively. Employees and businesses that admit to mistakes and problems and make restitution for those mistakes will win loyal employees. Most customers will respect that employees or that businesses honesty in admitting to the problem and going the extra mile of making some sort of restitution for their mistake. In fact static’s show precisely this.
So all that to say that I will indeed return to tablerock and give them another chance.
705 Fulton
Boise, Idaho 83702
208-342-0944
http://www.tablerockbrewpub.com/
Tablerock – Restaurant or bar with a personality disorder?
As you approach, the brick exterior and signage gives the impression of a bar. To contrast that, the covered entry door that is set in off the street and the outside dining area take you back to thinking that it’s a restaurant. Once inside though, the confusion only gets worse. The inside of this half pub, half restaurant has an Arizona flavor, which is a bit odd for a Boise based eating establishment. The inside is pretty drab and boring with plain browns and bare walls reminiscent of a bar. My wife, that normally accompanies me, made a comment on the design and feel of the restaurant. Just past the bar the ceiling rises to the roof like a hole that goes upward. She commented that if it wasn’t for this rise in the ceiling, this place would feel claustrophobic.
My take on Tablerock is that they are trying to cater to both bar goers and restaurant goers and tried to accommodate and appeal to both crowds. In my opinion they failed to accomplish this. Tablerock looks like a bar that decided it wanted to be a restaurant but didn’t want to give up the bar life.
The most noticeable feature of the interior is the huge steel beer vats that sit behind glass enclosed rooms just behind the bar. Though the restaurant and the bar are both incorporated in this one building, I did not notice the smell of cigarette smoke or the unusual noise level that I would normally associate with a bar. In the corner there sits a large popcorn machine which adds to the bar like feel. In fact, I could not help but get visions of the TV show Cheers in my head.
We began with an appetizer of their “Buffalo Bites.” The menu describes these as a boneless version of Buffalo wings with tender chicken breast smothered in a traditional buffalo sauce. I was very disappointed with what arrived, though I have to admit that my review of these may be tainted by the fact that I loathe vinegar and vinegar based sauces.
The chicken strips were not especially tender or the light and fluffy textured meat that I would expect from using fresh chicken. They looked and tasted like the frozen chicken strips that can be purchased from any store. They were indeed drenched in a red sauce. Now for those of you out there that like the taste of vinegar, you might love these, as my wife does. They had a very strong vinegar flavor which was very overpowering and bitter. I thought that the heat level was pretty mild, but my wife had to drink a lot of water. (On a side note, water only spreads the heat. Dissipating the heat requires a milk based product.)
For our main course I ordered the bacon Cheeseburger, while by wife ordered the Meatloaf. After we had turned in our order and waited 10 minutes or so, our server came over to our table and told us that she had to make a confession. She admitted to us that she had neglected to turn in our order. After apologizing, she went off to turn in our order. I have to give her good marks for admitting to this error on her part. She could have kept this info to herself. We would have thought the service slow, but we would have been none the wiser to her mistake.
Our meal did finally arrive and we anxiously dug in. My hamburger was one of the better ones that I have had in Boise. There were large strips of crispy bacon to accompany the large hamburger patty. The meat itself had a wonderful charbroiled flavor but was a little red on one edge of the patty which indicated to me that it had not been cooked evenly.
My wife’s Meatloaf was dripping with grease. I tasted it and I liked the flavor in spite of the abundance of grease. Again, our server (#27) came to our rescue. She noticed that my wife had barely touched her meal and came to our table. She must have noticed the grease as well, because she commented that the Meatloaf did not go over too well, and offered to remove it. She took my wife’s Meatloaf without saying much else, but soon returned. She said that he Meatloaf and the drinks would be no charge and that she hoped that we would return.
In spite of the problems that we encountered at Tablerock, we will return. I was very impressed with how they handled the problems that we experienced. Many businesses seem to have the misconception that problems and mishaps are the end and even the talk or the admitting to such should be avoided. This is a result of poor thinking and a traditional view of sweeping problems under the proverbial carpet.
The reality is that problems and complaints should be viewed positively. Employees and businesses that admit to mistakes and problems and make restitution for those mistakes will win loyal employees. Most customers will respect that employees or that businesses honesty in admitting to the problem and going the extra mile of making some sort of restitution for their mistake. In fact static’s show precisely this.
So all that to say that I will indeed return to tablerock and give them another chance.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Applebee’s Restaurant Review
Applebee’s Review 1527 Caldwell Blvd
Nampa, Idaho
In Nampa, with so few good newish restaurants to choose from, its easy to get into the habit of overlooking poor service and food. Such is the case with Applebee’s.
This was my 5th visit to Applebee’s over the course of the last several months. In fact, the only real reason why I keep coming here is because people keep giving me gift cards. This visit was on a Tuesday, when it was not especially busy. I have previously eaten at times when it was crowded, so I wanted to come when it was slow and see if the service and food was still the same.
My wife and I came with my 7 month old daughter this time. We were met at the door by the manager, which was very nice and pleasant. Though I got the distinct impression that this was seen by the employees as more of an annoyance than a pleasure. We were seated promptly and I quickly settled in for what I hoped was to be a very nice and enjoyable dining experience. At numerous restaurants, I have found that the little things are often overlooked, so I have come to look for these things. In particular, a filled and clean ketchup bottle has become one of my pet peeves. I scoped out the ketchup bottle and it did indeed look clean and full. It was not until I picked it up that I found that it was simply the color of ketchup, which made it impossible to tell if it was full unless it was physically checked. There was only a small amount of ketchup in the bottle, so I went for the one at the table next door, only to find that it too was almost empty.
My wife loves the Orange Chicken and orders this almost every time we come here. In the past 4 times though that we have come here, every time she has ordered Orange Chicken, there is very little to no sauce on it. The Chicken, though good and crispy, is as dry as a proverbial bone. My wife again ordered Orange Chicken, and we even explained to the waiter that every time that we ordered it, it had come without sauce. He told us that he would make sure that not only would it have sauce, but that he would bring out extra. We were satisfied at his assurance and placed the order. I wanted Chicken Fried Steak, but I only saw Chicken Fried Chicken on the menu. I asked the waiter if he had chicken Fried steak, but he didn’t seem to know. I finally had to point out the chicken fried chicken on the menu to which he also pointed and said that this was apparently the closest they had.
We got our order quickly, but we were sadly disappointed once again at the quality of the food at Applebee’s. My wife’s Orange Chicken not only came with without any sauce, but the waiter also forgot to bring the sauce on the side that he had promised us. It wasn’t until we complained that he came out with the sauce. The sauce that he brought us though was yellow and didn’t seem to have the same flavor as the sauce that was suppose to come with the Orange Chicken. My Chicken Fried Chicken was good, but didn’t have enough gravy on it.
Being from Texas, I love my iced tea. In my opinion that only way to serve tea is in the form of Unsweetened and pre-sweetened. It’s only common sense, as well and physics, that sugar just doesn’t dissolve well in cold liquids, so if you want your tea sweet, you have to stir and stir and stir. Even with all that stirring, you will still be left with unsweetened tea that is only slightly less bitter than the original. So, I have to take off points to any restaurant that does not have to good judgment to make two kinds of tea.
After about a dozen visits to Applebee’s Restaurant in Nampa, I have no choice but to conclude that their service and food is poor and has little if any chance of improving. My advice would be to find another place to eat at. It’s only a matter of time before a good restaurant. like maybe Chili’s, move into Nampa.
Nampa, Idaho
In Nampa, with so few good newish restaurants to choose from, its easy to get into the habit of overlooking poor service and food. Such is the case with Applebee’s.
This was my 5th visit to Applebee’s over the course of the last several months. In fact, the only real reason why I keep coming here is because people keep giving me gift cards. This visit was on a Tuesday, when it was not especially busy. I have previously eaten at times when it was crowded, so I wanted to come when it was slow and see if the service and food was still the same.
My wife and I came with my 7 month old daughter this time. We were met at the door by the manager, which was very nice and pleasant. Though I got the distinct impression that this was seen by the employees as more of an annoyance than a pleasure. We were seated promptly and I quickly settled in for what I hoped was to be a very nice and enjoyable dining experience. At numerous restaurants, I have found that the little things are often overlooked, so I have come to look for these things. In particular, a filled and clean ketchup bottle has become one of my pet peeves. I scoped out the ketchup bottle and it did indeed look clean and full. It was not until I picked it up that I found that it was simply the color of ketchup, which made it impossible to tell if it was full unless it was physically checked. There was only a small amount of ketchup in the bottle, so I went for the one at the table next door, only to find that it too was almost empty.
My wife loves the Orange Chicken and orders this almost every time we come here. In the past 4 times though that we have come here, every time she has ordered Orange Chicken, there is very little to no sauce on it. The Chicken, though good and crispy, is as dry as a proverbial bone. My wife again ordered Orange Chicken, and we even explained to the waiter that every time that we ordered it, it had come without sauce. He told us that he would make sure that not only would it have sauce, but that he would bring out extra. We were satisfied at his assurance and placed the order. I wanted Chicken Fried Steak, but I only saw Chicken Fried Chicken on the menu. I asked the waiter if he had chicken Fried steak, but he didn’t seem to know. I finally had to point out the chicken fried chicken on the menu to which he also pointed and said that this was apparently the closest they had.
We got our order quickly, but we were sadly disappointed once again at the quality of the food at Applebee’s. My wife’s Orange Chicken not only came with without any sauce, but the waiter also forgot to bring the sauce on the side that he had promised us. It wasn’t until we complained that he came out with the sauce. The sauce that he brought us though was yellow and didn’t seem to have the same flavor as the sauce that was suppose to come with the Orange Chicken. My Chicken Fried Chicken was good, but didn’t have enough gravy on it.
Being from Texas, I love my iced tea. In my opinion that only way to serve tea is in the form of Unsweetened and pre-sweetened. It’s only common sense, as well and physics, that sugar just doesn’t dissolve well in cold liquids, so if you want your tea sweet, you have to stir and stir and stir. Even with all that stirring, you will still be left with unsweetened tea that is only slightly less bitter than the original. So, I have to take off points to any restaurant that does not have to good judgment to make two kinds of tea.
After about a dozen visits to Applebee’s Restaurant in Nampa, I have no choice but to conclude that their service and food is poor and has little if any chance of improving. My advice would be to find another place to eat at. It’s only a matter of time before a good restaurant. like maybe Chili’s, move into Nampa.
Whitewater Pizza
Whitewater Pizza and Pasta Review
1510 N. Eagle Road at Fairview AveMeridian, Idaho 83642
I had been looking forward to eating at Whitewater for some time. It seems that there are an abundance of pizza parlors in the Boise area. However, most all of them offer up the very same boring, unimaginative choices. I had heard that Whitewater had some of the best pizza in the Boise area. Taking that as a personal challenge, I decided to try out Whitewater to determine if their pizza did indeed deserve this reputation.
It was a Tuesday evening at Whitewater Pizza and Pasta. My wife and I were only one of only 3 other tables that were occupied with hungry patrons. We eagerly awaited our server with our menus, which we hoped would offer up visual delights which would lead to gastronomic ecstasies.
As we so often find in the many Restaurants that we visit, the menu is the part of the dining experience that is overlooked. The dining experience starts with the menu and the menu is what is supposed to entice the patron and wet their appetite. We are visual creatures, especially men, and need that visual stimulation in order to get a good overall picture of what we desire to eat. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, which is all the more true when it comes to menus.
All that to say that we were disappointed to find that Whitewater as well had succumbed to the problem. However, putting that aside, we placed our order and settled in for what we hoped was a wonderful dining experience. We had our 8 month old daughter with us and we wanted to offer her some food as well, so we asked the waiter for a bread stick for her. The waiters braces glistened in the soft sun light as he said; “sure, I will be happy to bring her a bread stick.”
My wife ordered spaghetti and I ordered their newest pizza creation. I can’t recall the name of the pizza, but it came with the interesting ingredients of potatoes and a garlic sauce instead of the traditional red sauce. About 5 minutes after we placed the order, the waiter re-appeared to tell me that they were all out of potatoes, so I had to change my order to the “Hot Hawaiian.”
Our meals finally arrived and we prepared to dig in, though we wondered what had happened to the bread stick that the waiter had promised that he would bring our little girl. My pizza was good, but after being set to eat the potato pizza, it just didn’t have the impact that it might have had. I will withhold final judgment on their pizzas being some of the best until I have had a chance to sample more. However, so far, I would have to say that theirs is at least among the best. Though I would still have to give the designation for being the best pizza place to “Flying Pie.” I sampled my wife’s spaghetti and was sorely disappointed. The sauce tasted like it had come from a jar.
The thing that will stand out the most about our visit to Whitewater will be the service that we received. To say that it was poor would be the nicest thing that I could say about it. We never did receive the bread stick for our baby. We were charged separately for the bread that was supposed to be included at no charge in my wife’s meal. We had asked for extra napkins, that the waiter said that he would bring out, but never did. I did not want the salad that came with my meal (I ordered the personal pizza, which came with a salad), so I asked the waiter if my wife could have it instead. He replied that this would not be a problem, but when we got the check, we had been charged for a side salad.
In conclusion I would have to say that the food so far is a little better than average, with extra points for creativity. The service though was dismal, which I hope that Whitewater will address. While I understand that everyone can have a bad day, this waiter should definitely be retrained and re-evaluated. Good customer service is the only real thing that will get customers in your door and keep them coming back. Likewise, poor customer service will drive them away.
1510 N. Eagle Road at Fairview AveMeridian, Idaho 83642
I had been looking forward to eating at Whitewater for some time. It seems that there are an abundance of pizza parlors in the Boise area. However, most all of them offer up the very same boring, unimaginative choices. I had heard that Whitewater had some of the best pizza in the Boise area. Taking that as a personal challenge, I decided to try out Whitewater to determine if their pizza did indeed deserve this reputation.
It was a Tuesday evening at Whitewater Pizza and Pasta. My wife and I were only one of only 3 other tables that were occupied with hungry patrons. We eagerly awaited our server with our menus, which we hoped would offer up visual delights which would lead to gastronomic ecstasies.
As we so often find in the many Restaurants that we visit, the menu is the part of the dining experience that is overlooked. The dining experience starts with the menu and the menu is what is supposed to entice the patron and wet their appetite. We are visual creatures, especially men, and need that visual stimulation in order to get a good overall picture of what we desire to eat. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, which is all the more true when it comes to menus.
All that to say that we were disappointed to find that Whitewater as well had succumbed to the problem. However, putting that aside, we placed our order and settled in for what we hoped was a wonderful dining experience. We had our 8 month old daughter with us and we wanted to offer her some food as well, so we asked the waiter for a bread stick for her. The waiters braces glistened in the soft sun light as he said; “sure, I will be happy to bring her a bread stick.”
My wife ordered spaghetti and I ordered their newest pizza creation. I can’t recall the name of the pizza, but it came with the interesting ingredients of potatoes and a garlic sauce instead of the traditional red sauce. About 5 minutes after we placed the order, the waiter re-appeared to tell me that they were all out of potatoes, so I had to change my order to the “Hot Hawaiian.”
Our meals finally arrived and we prepared to dig in, though we wondered what had happened to the bread stick that the waiter had promised that he would bring our little girl. My pizza was good, but after being set to eat the potato pizza, it just didn’t have the impact that it might have had. I will withhold final judgment on their pizzas being some of the best until I have had a chance to sample more. However, so far, I would have to say that theirs is at least among the best. Though I would still have to give the designation for being the best pizza place to “Flying Pie.” I sampled my wife’s spaghetti and was sorely disappointed. The sauce tasted like it had come from a jar.
The thing that will stand out the most about our visit to Whitewater will be the service that we received. To say that it was poor would be the nicest thing that I could say about it. We never did receive the bread stick for our baby. We were charged separately for the bread that was supposed to be included at no charge in my wife’s meal. We had asked for extra napkins, that the waiter said that he would bring out, but never did. I did not want the salad that came with my meal (I ordered the personal pizza, which came with a salad), so I asked the waiter if my wife could have it instead. He replied that this would not be a problem, but when we got the check, we had been charged for a side salad.
In conclusion I would have to say that the food so far is a little better than average, with extra points for creativity. The service though was dismal, which I hope that Whitewater will address. While I understand that everyone can have a bad day, this waiter should definitely be retrained and re-evaluated. Good customer service is the only real thing that will get customers in your door and keep them coming back. Likewise, poor customer service will drive them away.
Monday, November 17, 2008
GoodWood - Eagle and Boise
GoodWood - 2 locations. Eagle & Boise
To make this a fair and comprehensive review, I have to make some comparisons between GoodWood and their newest rival, Dave's Famous Bar-B-Que, which just opened a couple months ago on eagle Road. I will do this first as a review of GoodWood, and then I will list the pros of cons of each. In that way, you can decide which you prefer.
GoodWood has been my favorite Bar-B-Q restaurant here in the Boise area for a long time now. But a couple months ago, they got some competition. Dave's Famous Bar-B-Q. I went to Dave's several times and wrote a review of my experiences. I have since returned to GoodWood.
GoodWoods food is consistently good, which is not something I can say about Dave's. If you want good Brisket, you need to be at GoodWood. Dave's Brisket is tough, fatty and unappetizing.
GoodWood gives off the air of being a good ole Texas Bar-B-Q restaurant. Right down to the roll of paper towels that you will find on each table. Yet they lack some of, what I consider to be, the primary ingredients of such a restaurant. In any good restaurant in Texas, you will find Sweet Tea. Pronounced Swait Tae. GoodWood, like most restaurants in Idaho, seem to have failed Physics class. If they had paid attention in class, they would have learned that sugar just does not dissolve well in cold liquid. If you want good swait tae, you have to mix the sugar in while the tea it is still warm.
Wheres the okra? Another thing you will find in most good Texas restaurants is Fried Okra. If Fried okra is done right, its just about one of the best things you will ever have. Ok, I will admit it. I’m from Texas, so maybe I’m just a tad biased.
The next thing missing is Chicken Fried Steak. GoodWood has Chicken Fried Chicken, which I guess is the northern version of the Texas dish. But this just aint good enough. Com’on guys, if you are going to go Texan, go all the way or not at all.
Ok, now that I got those rants out of the way, lets move on.
GoodWood is as nice and friendly a restaurant as you will run across. The staff is eager to please and very personable. The beans here are my 5 year old daughter’s favorite food. Many bar-b-q restaurants beans taste like modified Pork-n-beans. In fact, I went to one bar-b-q place that will remain nameless.... at least for now, that severed "Ranch Style" beans straight from a can. GoodWoods beans taste like the real thing.
Their sauces are some of the best I’ve ever had. (One word here. Bar-b-q sauces are very high in salt content. How bout some bar-b-q sauce for those of us that are on low salt diets?)
There just is not a whole lot more I can say about GoodWood. Good Food, Excellent Service, Good Variety, Excellent atmosphere. If you are looking for a good all around bar-B-Q place, then GoodWood is for you!
Goodwood
Pros
- Consistent food quality
- Brisket is lean
- Good Sized Portions
- Very Friendly staff
Cons
- No pre-sweetened Iced Tea (Swait Tae)
- No Chicken Fried Steak
- No Fried Okra
- Brisket does not have an ideal smoky flavor
Dave's famous Bar-B-Q
Pros
- Very good selection of bar-b-q sauces
- Sweet Iced Tea (Swait Tae)
- Very good Ribs
- Good menu variety
- Excellent Hamburgers, even if not as described in their menu
Cons
- Food quality is not consistent - hit and miss
- Food is often served in unappetizing clumps
- Brisket is tough and fatty
- Brisket does not have a good Smokey flavor
- Food items are not served as they are advertised on the menu
- Poor Portion size
- Very young inexperienced staff that is not as friendly as they could be
TableRock - Boise
Tablerock – Boise
Restaurant or bar with a personality disorder?
As you approach, the brick exterior and signage gives the impression of a bar. To contrast that, the covered entry door that is set in off the street and the outside dining area take you back to thinking that it’s a restaurant. Once inside though, the confusion only gets worse. The inside of this half pub, half restaurant has an Arizona flavor, which is a bit odd for a Boise based eating establishment. The inside is pretty drab and boring with plain browns and bare walls reminiscent of a bar. Just past the bar the ceiling rises to the roof like a hole that goes upward. My wife commented that if it wasn’t for this rise in the ceiling, this place would feel claustrophobic.
My take on Tablerock is that they are trying to cater to both bar goers and restaurant goers and tried to accommodate and appeal to both crowds. In my opinion they failed to accomplish this. TableRock looks like a bar that decided it wanted to be a restaurant but didn’t want to give up the bar life.
The most noticeable feature of the interior is the huge steel beer vats that sit behind glass enclosed rooms just behind the bar. Though the restaurant and the bar are both incorporated in this one building, I did not notice the smell of cigarette smoke or the unusual noise level that I would normally associate with a bar. In the corner there sits a large popcorn machine which adds to the bar like feel. In fact, I could not help but get visions of the TV show Cheers in my head.
We began with an appetizer of their “Buffalo Bites.” The menu describes these as a boneless version of Buffalo wings with tender chicken breast smothered in a traditional buffalo sauce. I was very disappointed with what arrived, though I have to admit that my review of these may be tainted by the fact that I loathe vinegar and vinegar based sauces.
The chicken strips were not especially tender or the "light and fluffy textured meat" that I would expect from using fresh chicken. They looked and tasted like the frozen chicken strips that can be purchased from any store. They were indeed drenched in a red sauce. Now for those of you out there that like the taste of vinegar, you might love these, as my wife does. They had a very strong vinegar flavor which was very overpowering and bitter. I thought that the heat level was pretty mild, but my wife had to drink a lot of water. (On a side note, water only spreads the heat. Dissipating the heat requires a milk based product.)
For our main course I ordered the bacon Cheeseburger, while by wife ordered the Meatloaf. After we had turned in our order and waited 10 minutes or so, our server came over to our table and told us that she had to make a confession. She admitted to us that she had neglected to turn in our order. After apologizing, she went off to turn in our order. I have to give her good marks for admitting to this error on her part. She could have kept this info to herself. We would have thought the service slow, but we would have been none the wiser to her mistake.
Our meal did finally arrive and we anxiously dug in. My hamburger was one of the better ones that I have had in Boise. There were large strips of crispy bacon to accompany the large hamburger patty. The meat itself had a wonderful charbroiled flavor but was a little red on one edge of the patty which indicated to me that it had not been cooked evenly.
My wife’s Meatloaf was dripping with grease. I tasted it and I liked the flavor in spite of the abundance of grease. Again, our server (#27) came to our rescue. She noticed that my wife had barely touched her meal and came to our table. She must have noticed the grease as well, because she commented that the Meatloaf did not go over too well, and offered to remove it. She took my wife’s Meatloaf without saying much else, but soon returned. She said that he Meatloaf and the drinks would be no charge and that she hoped that we would return.
In spite of the problems that we encountered at Tablerock, we will return.
I was very impressed with how they handled the problems that we experienced. Many businesses seem to have the misconception that problems and mishaps are the end and even the talk or the admitting to such should be avoided. This is a result of poor thinking and a traditional view of sweeping problems under the proverbial carpet.
The reality is that problems and complaints should be viewed positively. Employees and businesses that admit to mistakes and problems and make restitution for those mistakes will win loyal employees. Most customers will respect that employees or that businesses honesty in admitting to the problem and going the extra mile of making some sort of restitution for their mistake. In fact static’s show precisely this.
All that to say that we will Indeed return to TableRock.
Restaurant or bar with a personality disorder?
As you approach, the brick exterior and signage gives the impression of a bar. To contrast that, the covered entry door that is set in off the street and the outside dining area take you back to thinking that it’s a restaurant. Once inside though, the confusion only gets worse. The inside of this half pub, half restaurant has an Arizona flavor, which is a bit odd for a Boise based eating establishment. The inside is pretty drab and boring with plain browns and bare walls reminiscent of a bar. Just past the bar the ceiling rises to the roof like a hole that goes upward. My wife commented that if it wasn’t for this rise in the ceiling, this place would feel claustrophobic.
My take on Tablerock is that they are trying to cater to both bar goers and restaurant goers and tried to accommodate and appeal to both crowds. In my opinion they failed to accomplish this. TableRock looks like a bar that decided it wanted to be a restaurant but didn’t want to give up the bar life.
The most noticeable feature of the interior is the huge steel beer vats that sit behind glass enclosed rooms just behind the bar. Though the restaurant and the bar are both incorporated in this one building, I did not notice the smell of cigarette smoke or the unusual noise level that I would normally associate with a bar. In the corner there sits a large popcorn machine which adds to the bar like feel. In fact, I could not help but get visions of the TV show Cheers in my head.
We began with an appetizer of their “Buffalo Bites.” The menu describes these as a boneless version of Buffalo wings with tender chicken breast smothered in a traditional buffalo sauce. I was very disappointed with what arrived, though I have to admit that my review of these may be tainted by the fact that I loathe vinegar and vinegar based sauces.
The chicken strips were not especially tender or the "light and fluffy textured meat" that I would expect from using fresh chicken. They looked and tasted like the frozen chicken strips that can be purchased from any store. They were indeed drenched in a red sauce. Now for those of you out there that like the taste of vinegar, you might love these, as my wife does. They had a very strong vinegar flavor which was very overpowering and bitter. I thought that the heat level was pretty mild, but my wife had to drink a lot of water. (On a side note, water only spreads the heat. Dissipating the heat requires a milk based product.)
For our main course I ordered the bacon Cheeseburger, while by wife ordered the Meatloaf. After we had turned in our order and waited 10 minutes or so, our server came over to our table and told us that she had to make a confession. She admitted to us that she had neglected to turn in our order. After apologizing, she went off to turn in our order. I have to give her good marks for admitting to this error on her part. She could have kept this info to herself. We would have thought the service slow, but we would have been none the wiser to her mistake.
Our meal did finally arrive and we anxiously dug in. My hamburger was one of the better ones that I have had in Boise. There were large strips of crispy bacon to accompany the large hamburger patty. The meat itself had a wonderful charbroiled flavor but was a little red on one edge of the patty which indicated to me that it had not been cooked evenly.
My wife’s Meatloaf was dripping with grease. I tasted it and I liked the flavor in spite of the abundance of grease. Again, our server (#27) came to our rescue. She noticed that my wife had barely touched her meal and came to our table. She must have noticed the grease as well, because she commented that the Meatloaf did not go over too well, and offered to remove it. She took my wife’s Meatloaf without saying much else, but soon returned. She said that he Meatloaf and the drinks would be no charge and that she hoped that we would return.
In spite of the problems that we encountered at Tablerock, we will return.
I was very impressed with how they handled the problems that we experienced. Many businesses seem to have the misconception that problems and mishaps are the end and even the talk or the admitting to such should be avoided. This is a result of poor thinking and a traditional view of sweeping problems under the proverbial carpet.
The reality is that problems and complaints should be viewed positively. Employees and businesses that admit to mistakes and problems and make restitution for those mistakes will win loyal employees. Most customers will respect that employees or that businesses honesty in admitting to the problem and going the extra mile of making some sort of restitution for their mistake. In fact static’s show precisely this.
All that to say that we will Indeed return to TableRock.
Outback SteakHouse - Nampa
Please note that your visit may produce better results than mine. Cooks can have a bad day, as can the restaurant. (Of course this is where a good manager or another form of quality control comes in. Meals should be inspected before they are severed to insure that they meet at least standards.)
It might be a cook that was in training or he might just be having an off day. The server could be having an off day.
We were greeted well and quickly seated in one of their booths. My advice at these booths. Make sure that you seat yourself to either the inside or outside of the booth. If you sit in the middle, and you are tall like me, you head will meet their low hanging lights.
We both got iced tea. (My first pet peeve. Why cant local restaurants offer pre-sweetened iced tea?) What was supposed to be iced tea arrived with very little ice in it. When I asked our waitress to please bring us some ice, she made the excuse that the ice just melted very fast. (Somehow I doubt that the laws of physics missed this place, which caused their ice to melt faster than others restaurants ice.)
The 2nd refill that was brought to us came out in a hot mug. (My first indication on their problem. Why would anyone serve iced tea in a hot mug?) The mug had cracked in several places.
I ordered a hickory burger, which was to have some nice bacon on it along with melted cheese and a tasty hickory sauce. When the waitress served it, I immediately noticed bacon looked very close to raw. I had to get the waitress to take this back and replace it with some cooked bacon.
The hamburger was over cooked, dry and almost tasteless. The hickory sauce was almost non-existent. I did like the way that the wait staff either knelt at the tables or sat with you in your booth, or at your table when they took your order. This makes it feel more like they are involved and care, than just staff that hovers over your table like a Gestapo agent.
So to sum up, my visit to the Outback Steakhouse was very disappointing. Out of a possible 10 points, I would have to give them a pretty dismal 1.
It might be a cook that was in training or he might just be having an off day. The server could be having an off day.
We were greeted well and quickly seated in one of their booths. My advice at these booths. Make sure that you seat yourself to either the inside or outside of the booth. If you sit in the middle, and you are tall like me, you head will meet their low hanging lights.
We both got iced tea. (My first pet peeve. Why cant local restaurants offer pre-sweetened iced tea?) What was supposed to be iced tea arrived with very little ice in it. When I asked our waitress to please bring us some ice, she made the excuse that the ice just melted very fast. (Somehow I doubt that the laws of physics missed this place, which caused their ice to melt faster than others restaurants ice.)
The 2nd refill that was brought to us came out in a hot mug. (My first indication on their problem. Why would anyone serve iced tea in a hot mug?) The mug had cracked in several places.
I ordered a hickory burger, which was to have some nice bacon on it along with melted cheese and a tasty hickory sauce. When the waitress served it, I immediately noticed bacon looked very close to raw. I had to get the waitress to take this back and replace it with some cooked bacon.
The hamburger was over cooked, dry and almost tasteless. The hickory sauce was almost non-existent. I did like the way that the wait staff either knelt at the tables or sat with you in your booth, or at your table when they took your order. This makes it feel more like they are involved and care, than just staff that hovers over your table like a Gestapo agent.
So to sum up, my visit to the Outback Steakhouse was very disappointing. Out of a possible 10 points, I would have to give them a pretty dismal 1.
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