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Category: Restaurants (Page 17 of 53)

Willow Ranch Restaurant – Buttonwillow, CA – Review

April 27, 2014 / / 0 Comments

We were driving back home to the Bay Area, after my sister’s wedding in LA, and we were all starving by the time we hit Buttonwillow.  Choices for lunch here are pretty limited.  You have a Dennys and a couple of fast food joints, a taco truck or two, an Indian restaurant and Willow Ranch.  We had stopped at Willow Ranch once before, for breakfast, and had left unimpressed.  However, Yelp reviews promised something better for lunch, and we’re always up to trying some BBQ.  Willown Ranch did not disappoint.  They probably served the best bbq I’ve had outside E&J’s for a long time.

Willow Ranch is a simply, homey, coffeeshop/family restaurant style place.  They have a cool statute of a cow in the front, which the kids loved, and a western motif, but it’s not a place where you come for the decor.  The menu is extensive, but it caters to meat eaters (vegetarians should probably head for Taste of India).  That was perfectly fine with us.

Mike had a 1/2 rack of baby back ribs ($15). They came with coleslaw, corn-on-the-cob, baked beans and onion rings.  We both felt the ribs were excellent. I liked the flavor and the fact that they didn’t taste boiled, they had texture.  The BBQ sauce was also excellent, highlighting sour and sweet notes. Those who like a kick on their BBQ would be disappointed, but I don’t.  I had the tri-tip sandwich with onion rings ($10).  The beef itself was sort of blah, but the sauce was good enough to make it shine.  All in all, I was quite happy.  The onion rings were very good as well, make sure to ask for ranch sauce to go with them.

My oldest daughter was quite happy with her California Chicken Burger ($8) and the little one was quite happy with her mac & cheese.  The kids’ size dish was cheap at $4, but it did leave her hungry (she’s 9).   The rest of us had more than enough food together, however.

Drinks were about $2.50 and the whole lunch for the four of us came to about $51 after tax and before tip.

All in all, it was a great lunch and I look forward to stopping there in the future.

Update May 2014

We stopped again at Willow Ranch, again coming back from LA.  It was earlier in the day, so two of us had breakfast.

Mike had the Western Style Omelette ($9). He was not too happy with it.  It was described as ‘Shredded deep-pit Certified Angus Beef®, diced bell pepper and onions topped with Cheddar cheese and served with your choice of homemade BBQ sauce or salsa”.  He had expected that the beef and veggies would have been incorporated into the omelette.  Instead, an egg & cheese omelette was just served on top of the beef.  I just didn’t work for him.

Camila had some pancake combo from the kids’ menu which met her 9 year-old expectations.  The toast, however, was very hard and she did not like it.

Mika once again enjoyed her California chicken burger, sans bacon, and I had the kids’ BBQ ribs & fries ($6). I wasn’t very hungry, and as Mika was ordering from the adult menu I felt justified.  The entree came with four spare ribs, which was just the right amount for my hunger then and should satisfy a child’s appetite.  Again, they had a nice texture and a good sauce.  The fries were crispy and fine, but unremarkable.

In all, a good experience, but I think lunch rather than breakfast is the winner here.

Original Review, Breakfast, July 2009

We were on I-5 again, returning home from LA, the kids were hungry and the next stop was Buttonwillow so we headed there. We hadn’t been to the Willow Ranch restaurant before, and we figured it might be better than the other choices. In reality, it was not – we only had breakfast, but their breakfast left some to be desired. I’m rating it a solid “D” for Dennys-like quality.
I had the French toast (2 bread slices for $6) that came with a side of bacon or sausage. I got the bacon and it was overcooked and tough. The French toast was OK but not exciting, a rather small portion for the price (but I wouldn’t have wanted more). It was served with regular syrup.
Mike had the “hearty” breakfast ($8) which included pancakes, 2 eggs, sausage, and I think bacon. The pancakes were fine, but his eggs over medium were actually runny. Without any potatoes or bread to soak the yolk, they were a waste. The kids had the pancake and egg breakfast ($3) and were both happy, but they are easy to please. With 3 hot chocolates and a glass of milk the bill came to $30 after tax, expensive for a very mediocre breakfast.
The Willow Ranch is a modest, western-style restaurant and I think they specialize in BBQ foods, so their BBQ may be good – but I wouldn’t be rushing back in in any case.
Willow Ranch Restaurant
27770 Lagoon Dr.
Buttonwillow, CA
(661) 764 – 6605
http://www.willowranchrestaurant.com/
Marga’s Road Restaurant Reviews

BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger & Cheeseburger w/ Avocado & Bacon

The Habit Burger Grill – Walnut Creek – Review

January 4, 2014 / / 4 Comments

 

BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger & Cheeseburger w/ Avocado & Bacon

BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger & Cheeseburger w/ Avocado & Bacon

Habit Burger is a newish  chain of “upscale” fast food burger joints that is trying to spread throughout the Bay Area.  One may be opening in San Leandro in a year or two, a fact that Mayor Stephen Cassidy considers a major accomplishment of his administration (I kid you not!).  We were driving by Walnut Creek, and my husband decided we should stop by one of its restaurant and find out whether Cassidy’s characterization of the restaurant as “a hip, healthy and delicious” was accurate.   It wasn’t, but then again, I can’t say I am surprised.

As far as fast-food chains go, Habit Burger is definitely a step up from McDonalds and their ilk.  Its flavor profiles are closest to In-N-Out, but the restaurant is classier and it offers greater choices.  The burgers ($3.50) were tasty, though the patties were small, thin and dry.  They are charbroiled, which gives them a flavor similar to Burger King’s whoppers.  My youngest daughter, who had hers with cheese & ketchup but nothing else, found it too small and too dry.  This is a child that’s eaten her fair share of school cafeteria burgers, so criticism from her says somethings.  I ordered my burger with guacamole and bacon ($1 extra each) and that made all the difference.  The guacamole tasted fresh and vibrant and the bacon was crispy;  the two combined completely redeemed the burger – but the patty was pathetic.   My husband had the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger ($4.60) and he also thought the burger was just OK.

My 11-yo had the chicken sandwich ($5.75) . She found it “OK”. The chicken itself was dry and the sandwich was a bit too peppery. She wouldn’t return, even if we had one here.

Neither my husband nor kids liked the fries ($1.85).  They had a hard/chewy outer part and had a strange flavor. To me, they tasted as if they’d been cooked with their peels, but that wasn’t actually the case.  Still, they did remind me (flavor wise, not texture wise) of In-N-Out fries.  The portion was generous, but we didn’t finish them between the four of us.

We had different opinions with respect to the shakes ($3), however.  Hubby ordered the vanilla and he found it too thin and tasteless. I shared the mocha with my oldest, and we both enjoyed it.  It had a nice flavor, and while it was thin, I guess you don’t expect mochas to be thicker.

The food was ready fast and, as I mentioned, the restaurant was quite nice and clean.  It did smell horrible, though, like old, stale oil.  Maybe that’s why their fries were so unappetizing.

In all, I’d say this place is marginally better than In-N-Out, but nowhere as good as Nation’s.  It’s probably a good fit for those who like Burger King but want nicer surroundings. But if you want a burger that looks like it’s made of beef, then Habit Burger is not for you.

Chicken Sandwich

Chicken Sandwich

Closeup of beef patty

Closeup of beef patty

The Habit Burger Grill 
1255 S California Blvd
Walnut Creek, CA
(925) 279-2286
http://www.habitburger.com/

Marga’s Chain Restaurant Reviews

Bistro Buffet @ the Palm’s Casino – Las Vegas, NV – Restaurant Review

January 2, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Updated 2016:

We returned to the Palm’s Buffet in 2016 and found the prices higher (or rather, fewer good deals) and the food more tired.
—

Last August, 2013, we stayed at the Palm’s Place in Vegas, and had the opportunity to eat at the Bistro Buffet thrice.  We hit it for brunch, lunch and dinner on three different days.   In all, I can give the Bistro Buffet thumbs up, though my experience was as uneven as the actual price of the buffet.

The Bistro Buffet looks deceptively small, but it must have close to a hundred offerings.  In addition to basic American food, they have some ethnic offerings.  They also offer some ethnic specialties, mainly Mexican and Asian.

Indeed, my favorite dish was the kalbi short ribs available in the Hawaiian section.  The Thai curries were also very good.  Another plus goes to the Delmonico potatoes in a blue-cheese sauce.  These were worthy of their namesake restaurant.   How good the carved meats were depended on how long they’d been sitting.  The tri-tip, marinated in a chimichurri style sauce, was delicious.

The desserts were less impressive than they could be, but the warm, moist and perfect bread pudding was always a winner. Don’t bother with the overly sweet sauces, however.

The Sunday brunch includes a variety of seafood.  My daughter was less than impressed by the crab legs, but other people seemed to be enjoying them.

Service was always good.  I particularly enjoyed all the free champagne with the Sunday brunch, I was happy to have a nearby hotel room to sleep it off 🙂  Note, even though this buffet opens to the casino, the air was perfectly breathable and our meal felt relaxing.

The one somewhat frustrating part about this buffet was getting the best deal.  The regular price, if I’m not mistaken, is $8 for breakfast, $13 for dinner and $20 for dinner. With a player’s card, you get the meals for approximately $5/$8/$13.  However, you need a players’ card per discount.  Children’s prices are a couple of dollars lower than regular prices, which means that, given that children cannot have players’ cards, they are actually higher than for adults.  So, for example, I paid $8 for lunch, but had to pay $10 each for each of my daughters.   Now, $10 doesn’t seem like much for a buffet this big, but I have a child that eats a few grains of rice and considers herself done.

Sometimes travelzoo and restaurant.com also have deals that may make the price even lower. Restaurant.com deals work together with the players cards deals, when they have them.

Bistro Buffet
Palms Casino Resort
4321 W Flamingo Rd
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 942-7777
http://www.palms.com/casual-dining/bistrobuffet

Marga’s Restaurant Reviews

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

Li Do Vietnamese Sandwiches – San Leandro – Review

November 20, 2013 / / 1 Comment

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED

You get what you pay for.  At Li Do, that’s a lot of bread and very little meat in your Vietnamese sandwiches.

It’s been a while since we got there, so I don’t quite recall what we got.  I think one of us had the grilled pork and the other the BBQ pork sandwiches ($3.50). Whatever filling was there was good, but I rather pay twice as much and have a sandwich with a filling I can taste.

They also have noodle or rice plates for about $5

We haven’t return and won’t bother to.

Li Do Vietnamese Sandwiches
1338 Fairmont Dr
San Leandro, CA
M-Sa 8 am – 6:30 pm

San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

Looney’s Southern BBQ – San Leandro – Restaurant Review

November 20, 2013 / / 0 Comments

UPDATE May 2014: Looney’s has been sold.  The new owner will open a Mexican/American restaurant.

We had returned to Looney’s back in February and had a pretty good dinner. I liked my tri-tip quite a bit, Mike was enthused about his ribs, but they were good enough, and Camila was happy with her French bread pizza. We all loved being able to try all the sauces.

—

 

We love BBQ.  More to the point, we love Everett & Jones BBQ.  We want our ribs slowly smoked for hours and presented with a complex and exciting BBQ sauce.  We don’t want uniformity and we want a good value.

Looney’s can’t offer any of it.  To be fair, I think new environmental regulations do not allow for the type of commercial smokers that make E&J’s BBQ as amazing as it is.  But, well, that just means we have to drive a bit further.  We got the spare ribs at Looney’s and were pretty disappointed.  They were tough, uniform in texture – which suggests they had been boiled – and pretty tasteless.  The BBQ sauce was pretty generic, somewhat vinegary but also just blah.  For $20 for a half-rack we expected more.

In addition to BBQ and BBQ sandwiches, Looney’s offers burgers (~$10), stuffed potatoes ($6 + $2-$3.50 for toppings), steaks ($18-24), jambalaya ($15), catfish ($20)  soups and salads and pizzas.

Looney’s Southern BBQ
14680 Washington Ave
San Leandro CA
510-969-8889
http://www.looneysbbq.com/
M-Th 11am-10pm
F-Sa 11am-1am
Su 8am-10pm

San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

Closed restaurants

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