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La Hacienda – Albuquerque, NM – Restaurant Review

January 2, 2014 / / 0 Comments

We were walking around the old part of town in Albuquerque last August, tired and hungry, and not quite sure as to where to go for dinner.   For a number of reasons, I wasn’t too happy to go to La Hacienda, but it was there and they had seating so there we went.  While I wasn’t predisposed to like it,  our waiter won me over with great service and a free sopapilla dessert, which was very, very, very good.

The rest of the food was standard quality for Tex-Mex places.  The chips and salsa reminded me of Chevy’s (which is a good thing).  The chips were light and thin and the salsa held its own.  I had a guacamole salad, and while there was a bit too much lettuce, it was pretty good, if simple (what i wanted).  My daughter enjoyed her taquitos and my husband’s Indian tacos turned out to be regular tacos served in fried bread, instead of a tortilla.  They worked and he was pleased.

The place is very cute inside, with lots of light-colored wood and bright pictures, and the location in the plaza could only be better if they had more ample outside sitting.  But it was nice and cool inside.

The only thumbs down in the menu went for my daughter’s corndog, but she also didn’t like the fries, and we felt they were very good (but they had the slight flavor of potato skin, which might be what she disliked).

Prices for most Tex-Mex entrees are in the low teens, with some dinners in the high-teens.  Pretty much what I’d expect to pay for the food.

La Hacienda also goes by the name Casa de Fiesta.

La Hacienda
2004 S Plaza St NW
Albuquerque, NM 
(505) 248-0110

Marga’s Restaurant Reviews: beyond the Bay Area

Cruiser’s Cafe 66 – Williams, AZ, Restaurant Review

January 2, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Three things attracted us to Cruiser’s Cafe 66, conveniently situated in Williams, in the way to the Grand Canyon: they had a singer playing music we like (folk music & soft rock), they had a nice patio for outdoor dining and we found a parking space nearby.

For lunch my husband and I split a rack of pork ribs ($20) and my daughter had the kid’s mac & cheese ($7 or $8, I believe).  She was happy with hers and ate the whole thing.  She must be going through a growth spur, because she then had several ribs as well.

Fortunately, neither my husband nor I are in need of extra calories, so the remaining ribs were enough for us.  Unfortunately, they weren’t that great.  The first thing that greeted you into the restaurant, even before the music, was the smoke from the grill – but none of it seemed to have permeated into the ribs, which tasted parboiled.  The BBQ sauce was just generic.

Service was quite good, our waiter was pretty attentive (Yelp reviews contained complaints of bad service).  Alas, we usually get good service even at restaurants when others don’t.  Perhaps we aren’t so picky, or perhaps we just look like bigger tippers.

In all, Crusier’s Cafe 66 is still a good place to stop for the atmosphere, just don’t order the ribs.

Cruiser’s Cafe 66
233 W Rte 66
Williams, AZ
(928) 635-2445
cruisers66.com

Marga’s Restaurant Reviews: Beyond the Bay Area

Cuisine of India (Delhi Palace) – Sedona, AZ – Restaurant Review

January 2, 2014 / / 0 Comments

We were in Sedona on vacation, staying at a house near Cuisine of India aka Indian Palace, India Palace and Delhi Palace.   I don’t know what the actual name of the restaurant is, I’ve found reviews under all names.  We wen there for lunch a rainy day in August, 2013.

According to my daughter, this was the smallest buffet at which she’s ever eaten.  That’s not necessarily true for me, but with ten or so offerings, including rice, it would definitely not win any prizes for size.  Then again, it also doesn’t seem to be very popular, at least for lunch, so few offerings hopefully mean the food is fresher.

As far as Indian food goes, this buffet was pretty average.  I liked the mushroom korma, but the chicken tikka masala was underseasoned (even though it was a bit spicy).  The same can be said for the chicken tandoori, it didn’t taste as if they’d use any spices on it other than pepper.  The lamb curry was OK, though the lamb was a bit dry and tough.  The rice was a bit too starchy for my taste, but the garlic/herb naan bread, served pipping hot, was quite good.  Sweet lassis also lacked flavor.

My biggest problem with the meal was the price.  We ended up paying $42 before the tip for 3 people.  That’s pretty ridiculous for a buffet lunch.  Now, my husband didn’t look at the bill carefully so perhaps they charged us for our other daughter who didn’t eat any of the food (which they knew, as she instead had a subway sandwich at the table).  According to the website, the lunch buffets are now $10

As far as the restaurant itself, it was your run-of-the-mill shopping center restaurant, it didn’t have any ambiance to speak of.

Cuisine of India/ Delhi Palace
1910 W Hwy 89A, Suite 102
Sedona, Arizona
928-204-2300
www.cuisineofindia-az.com

Marga’s Restaurant Reviews: Beyond the Bay Area

Olde Sedona Bar & Grill – Sedona, AZ – Restaurant Review

January 2, 2014 / / 1 Comment

We were staying in a residential neighborhood in Sedona,  and my husband wanted to go somewhere near for dinner.  The Olde Sedona Bar & Grill didn’t get the best of reviews, but I figured it was worth a try anyway.  Plus I had a  $25 restaurant.com voucher ($50 minimum purchase).  For what we ended up paying, $50 after the coupon,  including tax and dinner for a family of four, this ended up being a good experience.  I wouldn’t have been happy if I’d paid much more, however.
Probably what I liked the least about the place was the decor, it’s pretty run down.  I did appreciate the photos on the wall of movie scenes shot around Sedona.  No wonder I always imagined the old west to be full of cool rock formations, that’s where all the movies were filmed!

The Olde Sedona Bar & Grill offers unpretentious food, of the type served at family restaurants throughout the country.  None of it was particularly remarkable, but all of it was tasty enough.  I’d give it 3 stars.

I had the buffalo brochettes ($18), which were perfectly cooked medium-rare (OK, maybe on the rarer side, but it worked well).  The meat wasn’t terribly flavorful – but that’s always true with buffalo meat -, but the sauce was pretty yummy and adding some salt helped.  I appreciated how tender the pieces were, and the lumpy garlic mashed potatoes tasted like the ones I would  make.  They really hit the spot.

My husband had a burger ($10) which he characterized as a good, standard burger.

My oldest daughter had a child’s quesadilla ($6).  It was huge! Definitely adult sized, she only finished half or so.  She did like it, however.

My youngest, on the other hand, was unhappy with her bean and cheese burrito ($6) but she hasn’t been fond of any of the ones she’s had in the southwest.  The beans must be different from the ones used in California.  It was a huge burrito as well.

Service by our waitress was excellent.  She was solicitous, and when she didn’t know how to deal with the restaurant.com smart phone coupon, she promptly asked her manager for help.  Note: they did not include the supposedly automatic 18% tip, so make sure you add it (and remember to tip in the original amount).

Olde Sedona Family Restaurant Bar and Grill
1405 West Highway 89A
Sedona, AZ
928.282.5670
www.oldesedona.com
Daily: 11 AM – 2 AM

Marga’s Restaurant Reviews: Outside the Bay Area

Zayna Mediterranean – Tuczon, AZ – Restaurant Review

January 2, 2014 / / 0 Comments

We had dinner at Zayna Mediterranean last August 2013, while we were visiting Tucson.  Zayna was close to our hotel and had gotten pretty good reviews on Yelp.  Overall, the adults liked the food but the children were not very happy.

We got there pretty late, after 8 PM, and the place was buzzing. The two waitresses could not really serve the full-restaurant adequately.  That meant that our drinks were rarely refilled, and they weren’t available to correct mistakes.  They were friendly, just overwhelmed.

The menu is standard Arab/Syrian food.  I had the lamb kifta ($12.5) and the skewers were quite tasty.  My oldest daughter liked the green beans and we all thought the buttered rice was very good.

My daughter, on the other hand, did not like the mujadara ($8) she ordered.  Granted, it was probably my fault for not explaining to her what a pilaf was – she thought it’d be a lentil and rice soup!  We ordered it without the grilled onions, so it did lack flavor and it was very dry.  For me, mixing in the yogurt sauce helped greatly, though it still was a pretty boring dish.

My husband had some sort of pita sandwich which he enjoyed, we all liked the fried potatoes it came with.

The dressed salads, however, were so sour that they were basically inedible to us.

The restaurant itself is pretty cute, the colored walls are decorated with huge photos of Damascus.  Two or three of them looked exactly like the ones I took when I visited over twenty years ago.

Zayna Mediterranean
4122 E Speedway Blvd
Tucson, AZ
(520) 881-4348
zaynamediterranean.com
Mon-Sun 11 am – 9 pm

Marga’s Resturant Reviews: Beyond the Bay Area

Trader Joe’s Classic Lemon Bars

December 29, 2013 / / 1 Comment

Lemon-BarsI got these to serve as the last course of my 13-course Xmas Eve dinner and they were perfect.  Indeed, these were very good lemon bars overall. They come frozen, and the curd is perhaps more cream-like and less sticky than that of a regular lemon bar, but it had the right degree of balance between sweetness and sourness, and they were the perfect size for an after dinner bite.  All in all very satisfying for anyone who likes lemon bars.

Easy All Purpose Flour Breadmaker Bread

December 28, 2013 / / 0 Comments

All purpose flour breadI didn’t get a breadmaker for Christmas. Telling my husband “I want the breadmaker they are selling at Grocery Outlet for $30″ apparently was not enough of a hint. He didn’t think I was serious, even after I told him “I’m serious, I want it”. So, after I failed to find the bread maker under the tree on Christmas morning, I sent him to GO to buy it anyway. I got it last night, but it didn’t come with bread flour or dry milk.

I could, I suppose, go to the supermarket and get those things – but I figured instead I’d look to see if I could find a recipe that used all-purpose flour. Indeed, there is an abundance of them but I settled on the one below because it was easy and got good reviews.

For being my first time making bread, I was quite pleased. The bread wasn’t perfect, but it was quite tasty with grilled cheese, and even more with plain butter.   The bread is a bit sweet, so it’d go great with jam as well, or honey.

On the minus side, I used the 58′ express setting and the bread didn’t quite bake all the way.  It was also quite crumbly; I was able to cut it with a bread knife, but it didn’t hold fully together.  It was a bit dense and tasted a bit too much of flour, which I’m not sure if is a good thing or not.  My oldest didn’t really like it, but my youngest did.  I’m going to experiment with other recipes, but given that I can make this in a little over an hour, with regular ingredients, I’m sure I’ll make it again and again – next time in the regular time setting.

Update I made this recipe again using the basic bread maker option.  The results were very good. The bread had a browner crust and a more complex, balanced flavor (my older daughter compared it to sourdough, but I still find it sweet).  It was still underdone, however.  I did cut it right away, rather than let it rest, but it was just as crumbly as before.  All in all, I’m not sure it’s worth the extra time.

Update 2 I made it for a third time at the slower Express setting. Camila thought it was the best, while Mike thought it was much inferior to the 3 hour setting. I was happy enough with it, but the 3 hour setting does produce the best crust.

Easy All Purpose Flour Breadmaker Bread

  • 2 tsp yeast
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 cup hot water, bet. 115 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt

Place the yeast, sugar and water in the bread machine basket and let sit until it foams, 6 to 12 minutes.  Add the oil, flour and salt.  Place in the bread machine and cook in basic or express.

Based on TKDLVR’s recipe on Food.com

Marga’s Best Recipes

Chateau Souverain Estate Bottled 2003 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

December 27, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Chateau Souverain Estate Bottled 2003 Alexander Valley Cabernet SauvignonLast night, for our Xmas Eve dinner, we cracked opened a bottle of Chateau Souverain Estate Bottled 2003 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  We had bought the bottle at the winery’s tasting room back in 2008 for $25, and it’d been kept in my bedroom dresser drawer since.  I had been so busy preparing dinner that I hadn’t had the opportunity to chose a wine to serve with it, and this one was the first one I could reach.  It proved a good choice.

I liked the wine quite a bit. The tannins had actually softened with time, and I found it less bitter than my notes from 2008 indicate.  Indeed, it might have been right at the point when it was ready to turn because it was almost sweet.  It was balanced and easy to drink, perfect as a sipping wine but with enough fortitude to compliment the ribeye roast.

In all a good wine, but if you still have one around, you probably don’t want to keep it around for much longer.

White Hot Chocolate Recipe

December 27, 2013 / / 0 Comments

I personally liked this recipe for white hot chocolate, but nobody else was as fond of it as me.

  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • whipped cream for garnish
In a heavy pot, mix the white chocolate chips. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate chips dissolve.  Mix in the milk and vanilla extract. Continue cooking until the chocolate milk is heated through, stirring occasionally.  Serve and top with whipped cream.
Based on Paula Deen’s recipe at the Food Network.

Roasted Red Rosemary Potatoes

December 27, 2013 / / 0 Comments

This is a super easy and great way to make roasted potatoes. I particularly like it because I have a lot of rosemary growing by the side of my house.  I cooked the potatoes at 425F, as I was cooking them with another dish that required that temperature, but the original recipe has them cooking at 400F.  I think the added temperature had them dry out on the outside, and steam in the inside – something which my guests liked.  I prepared the potatoes about an our before roasting without them turning brown.

  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • sprinkle black pepper
  • 6 red potatoes, quartered
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oil, rosemary, salt and black pepper.  Add the quartered potatoes and coat well.  Transfer to a roasting pan or baking sheet.  Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender.

Based on Robin Miller’s recipe at the Food Network.

 

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