Red and white-checkered posters and decor along with a short order menu, burgers wrapped in foil and put in paper bags all added to the feel of a time gone by.

What was different was the fresh made to order food that Five Guys served up.  I will say that I didn’t understand the menu lingo at first, but the person taking our order explained everything to us.  I guess she could tell we were new to this burger joint.  We both had the “little hamburger”, a full size burger with mayo, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions and grilled mushrooms.  You can add additional items for an extra charge, but we really didn’t need any more.  We also split a regular fries which was plenty for us, but you can get a large fries if you are really hungry. Our burgers were very juicy and all our food was very fresh.

The menu also offered hot dogs and a few sandwiches for those who aren’t in the mood for a burger.  The only thing missing to make this a real blast from the past was the jukebox and the ice cream shakes.

Five Guys is open 7 days a week from 11AM to 10PM.

1321 N. Loop 1604 East, Suite 105, next to Costco.

210.402.7305

www.fiveguys.com

In My Opinion By Culinary Cara:
A Truly Delicious Austin Experience: Shady Grove Restaurant in Austin, Texas is a melting pot of artistic culture of various mediums. Music, film, visual art and unique cuisines are all heavy influences to the capitol city.  Every single time I visit Austin, grabbing a meal at Shady Grove is mandatory.  The fresh flavors along with the beautiful environment make it a must see for anyone stopping by the music capitol of the world.

Most of the restaurant features al-fresco dining beneath the comfortable shade of a giant pecan tree in the center of their over-sized patio, which is a perfect treat to beat that legendary Texas heat.  The bar can be found outside as well, featuring many native Texas beers fresh on tap.  Keeping strong to the local music scene, Shady Grove also has a stage, and hosts bands on a weekly basis.  There is indoor seating as well, but you’ll never get the full experience of this eatery by hiding under a roof.  The staff are friendly, young and attentive.  If they can’t seat you quickly (it does get packed during peak hours), they will always make the extra effort to make you comfortable in the meantime.

My absolute favorite dish they serve at Shady Grove is the Tortilla Fried Queso Catfish, and it’s perhaps one of my favorite meals of all time.  The name sounds odd at first, but the flavors simply cannot be beat!  The use crushed tortilla chips to bread some of the freshest catfish ever, and fry it until just golden and the fish is perfectly cooked.  You can still taste some of that fresh water flavor in the fish that always makes me a happy camper.  The fish is topped with some fresh pico de gallo, and a wedge of lime for a brightly flavored garnish.  A slightly spicy queso sauce lies just beneath the fish, so that the breading stays crisp.  What a slick idea!  The flavors in this dish compliment each other so well, and I think it best represents the city of Austin on a plate.  Just like the city, this dish seems a little weird at first, but the creativity of the flavors make it dance on your taste buds in just the right way to keep you intrigued.  The entree does come with a side dish and a salad of your choice, which there are always differing selections.  Personally I get my house salad with balsamic vinaigrette and a side of fresh, buttery, steamed broccoli.  I’d hate to ruin such delicate flavors with some heavy fries on the side.  Every time I think about that fish, I just want to drop everything and make the hour drive just to have a plate.

It’s a truly delicious Austin experience.  It is indeed the perfect representation of what the colorful city of Austin has to offer; creativity, healthy demeanor, outdoorsy lifestyle, and of course, a little weird.  Stop by Shady Grove and enjoy the beauty of Austin, Texas.

For more information on the restaurant, including contact info, maps, menus and more at their website:
www.theshadygrove.com

My Overall Experience: 4.00 Stars out of 5
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Customer Service: 4.0
Food Quality: 3.5
Atmosphere: 4.0
Parking: 4.5
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Category: American Food, Tex-Mex
Price Range: $$ (between $10-$20 = Average)

Location Visited:
1624 Barton Springs Rd
Austin, TX 78704-1035
tel:(512) 474-9991

Google Map:

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In My Opinion By CulinaryCara:
Buffalo’s Southwest Cafe in San Antonio, TX – My Buffalo’s Southwest Cafe was over-cooked and under-flavored. Sometimes I catch myself being less adventurous with restaurants.  In the event that I do find a great new restaurant, I stick with it for awhile.  Every now and then, however, my bored palate gives me a swift kick in the rear to try something new.  This weekend, my better half and I decided to try something local in our San Antonio suburb (aka Helotes), and stopped by the relatively new Buffalo’s Southwest Cafe on Bandera and 1604.  Not being a huge fan of southwestern cuisine, I was a bit skeptical, but open-minded.

Upon entering the establishment, we arrive to an unattended host/hostess booth.  We stood there for a couple of awkward minutes and, out of nowhere, our hostess appears.  Our hostess completely lacked friendliness, enthusiasm, or even fundamental job skills.  She seemed confused as she looked at her seating chart, and didn’t even tell us to follow her when she walked off.  We arrived before the typical dinner crowd time, about 6pm, so the restaurant was fairly quiet.  Our hostess decides to seat us in the VERY corner of the restaurant.  My better half requested to her that we sit somewhere else, with a clear view of the bigscreen TVs to catch some Sunday football.  Without any verbal sign of agreement, she just walked us to another table.  Not exactly the welcome I was expecting.

The decor of the restaurant was done as an immitation of old saloon style with a modern twist, and a very TGI Friday’s method of wall decor.  Random objects with a western theme were displayed all over the walls.  The walls were a rustic wood paneling, painted in the most despressing color of brown.  The lighting was poorly done, making the ambiance much more dreary.  At least the restaurant and tables were clean and neat.

Our waiter was another interesting character.  Better than our hostess, but that’s not saying much.  He lacked confidence and basic customer service capabilities.  Greeting us in a rather drab manner, he took our orders.  We decided to try a couple of their signature burgers, the Western Burger, and the Blackjack Burger.  I was glad that our waiter asked us how we would like our burgers done, perhaps the only check-mark I could give for his service.  It was a long wait for our food considering that the restaurant was about 1/3rd full of customers.  They were small burgers and curly fries delivered in a plastic basket that I would usually see serving small portions of appetizers.  Not at all as they appeared on the menu.  The fries looked like something from a pre-cooked storebought product at your local grocer.  The buns were squished and as plain as the packaged buns you would find at the grocery store.  It reminded me of a McDonald’s combo meal, but at least McDonald’s has better fries.  I ordered the Blackjack burger, which came with onions, cheese, bacon, and their signature sauce.  The burger was chargrilled and well-done, not medium like I asked.  The burger has a little but of flavor, but I’ve had better at a drive-thru.  My better half ordered the Western Burger.  His burger was also overcooked, from a flat top and not chargrilled.  His burger has cheese, bacon, and something that looked and tasted like McDonald’s special sauce.  Not very western if you ask me, and was completely flavorless.  Our fries didn’t even taste like potatoes, moreso a vessel for frying oil.  When the waiter returned to check on us, my better half informed him about the burger being overcooked.  Instead of offering to take back the meal and offer something else, the waiter simply said, “Oh, I’m sorry about that,” and walked off.

Feeling ripped off, my better half decided to speak with the manager.  The manager was understanding and tried to offer us something else to make our experience better, but the damage was done.  Thankfully, the manager at least removed the western burger from our bill.  We politely paid the balance and left.  Neither one of us finished our meal, we ate about one quarter of our meals at best.

I can’t remember the last time I was this disappointed in a restaurant.  All the planets were in alignment  for culinary doom:  Poor service, poor food, poor design…thank goodness I didn’t order a cocktail!  Buffalo’s Southwest Cafe needs to ride off into the sunset.

My Overall Experience: 2.80 Stars out of 5
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Customer Service: 3.0
Food Quality: 2.0
Atmosphere: 2.0
Parking: 4.0
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Category: American Food, Southwest Food
Price Range: $$ ($10-$20 = Average)

www.buffaloscafe.com

Location Visited:
11812 Bandera Rd.
Helotes, TX 78023
tel: (210) 695-1810

Google Map:

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Rome's Pizza Logo

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In My Opinion By Jason Mancillas:
Rome’s Pizza in San Antonio, TX – From time to time we would order pizza from Pizza Hut so one day we decided to try something different and stopped by at the time was the New Rome’s Pizza parlor on Culebra.

The lunch specials at Rome’s Pizza are pretty good and range from $5 to $8 dollars more or less. You get a large slice of pizza and a drink which is pretty good size for your money. Not only with your meal you can sit and watch the flat screens they have inside so that’s always a plus. They normally have the Spurs game so it’s a pretty good place to hang out.

Now where the pizza gets pricey is when you go for the supreme pizza. The supreme runs you more or less for a large around $20 something dollars when you can get a large pepperoni for $12.

As for the pizza itself what I enjoy most compared to other pizza places is that they don’t over do it on the pizza sauce in my opinion. Its not as spicy compared to Pizza Hut and the sauce does not over power the pizza but complements all that’s going on the pizza.

The crust is really good which I feel is the best part and just brings it all together. Its not too greasy and it doesn’t taste like it has been processed and frozen like Pizza Huts’. Not to disrespect Pizza Hut but Romes in my opinion just makes a better pizza for the buck. Anyway that’s just my two pennies about the place and the food.

My Overall Experience: 4.50 Stars out of 5
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Customer Service: 4.5
Food Quality: 4.5
Atmosphere: 4.5
Parking: 4.5
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Category: Italian Food, Pizza
Price Range: $$ ($10-$20 = Average)

www.romespizza.com

Location Visited:
10555 Culebra Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78251
tel: (210) 256-7663

Google Map:

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Japaneiro's Sushi Bistro & Latin Grill

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In My Opinion By Inka Mathew:
Japaneiro’s in Sugar Land, TX – Japaneiro’s is a japanese-latin fusion restaurant. Can you imagine what kind of food they serve? One thing for sure funky sushi with some Latin twist! This is one of my favorite restaurants in Sugar Land. It’s located in Downtown Center, among shops and other nice eating places. The atmosphere is cool, hip and vibrant, especially at night. But I’ve seen families with kids felt comfortable eating here too. The food at Japaneiro’s is delicious, creative, and fresh.

I came last weekend with some friends for a birthday lunch. I ordered Mt. Fuji sushi, which is smoked salmon and avocado topped with spicy mayo and green onions, baked and served warm. Awesome! Explosion of intense taste in my mouth. My friends ordered Shaggy Dog, which is one their signature rolls. Also really good. Another friend ordered Sasu roll, fresh salmon cooked in a crispy tempura shell dressed in a mix of sweet and mildly spicy sauces. She’s very happy with that. One friend ordered a Latin entré, Encebollado – tender strip-loin steak “parrilla” strips topped with caramelized onions, yuquita fries and black beans. The Yuquita fried came with this killer roasted bell peppers sauce, that’s just so addictive!

Parking is pretty convenient, since there’s a big parking building right behind the restaurant. You can park for free. Customer service is pretty good, but just a bit slow when it’s packed. But I think the waiters are friendly and professional. I highly recommend Japaneiro’s if you ever come visit Houston. Stop by Sugar Land and dine there! You won’t regret it.

My Overall Experience: 4.50 Stars out of 5
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Customer Service: 4.0
Food Quality: 4.5
Atmosphere: 5.0
Parking: 5.0
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Category: Sushi, Japanese Food, Latin Food
Price Range: $$ ($10-$20 = Average)

www.japaneiro.com

Location Visited:
2168 Texas Dr.
Sugar Land, TX 77479
tel: (281) 242-1121

Google Map:

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Cheddars - Logo and Chocolate Cake Sundae

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In My Opinion By Mike Tezel:
Cheddar’s in San Antonio, TX – We went to Cheddar’s, which is a Casual Place, however they have dimmer lighting inside than a casual place. Music was on the ceiling speakers slightly louder than they needed to be. None of the Cheddar’s employees have name tags or logo shirts. They did all have long sleeve button down shirts with ties.

I have heard they normally have a line out the door. We were seated right away at 7:15PM on a Tuesday with a fairly busy parking lot. The bill was just over $55 for 5 of us, and we all got tea! Great food and great prices. Most expensive entree was $13 but most were under $10. Two of us loved the chicken pot pie, 1 of us loved the steak and chicken tenders, 1 of us liked the 2 inch tall “Baked Spasagna”, 1 of us liked the fried shrimp and couldn’t get enough of the cole slaw!

Sweet tea was good as was the mash potatoes and salads. My fries were average but everything else was excellent! Hope they build one on my side of town soon!

My Overall Experience: 4.60 Stars
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Customer Service: 5.0
Food Quality: 5.0
Atmosphere: 4.0
Parking: 4.0
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Category: American Food
Price Range: $$ ($10-$20 = Average)

www.cheddars.com

Location Visited:
7403 NW Loop 410
San Antonio, TX 78245
tel: (210) 522-0011

Google Map:

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Stock Image of Vietnamese Pho Tai

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In My Opinion By Heather Hunter:
Vietnam Gardens in San Antonio, TX – Vietnam Gardens is located in a dilapidated strip center at the corner of Blanco and Jackson-Keller, Vietnam Gardens is a great, off-the-beaten path find. Offering Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese food, the authenticity will inspire you to try new things and the lovely hostess will encourage you to try new things.

On our first visit, we had the summer rolls, which were just OK. The Squid Krapao, squid with a spicy basil sauce, was impressive. The spice was just right and the squid was very fresh.

On the second visit, we shared the cold seafood salad, which features hot and spicy squid and shrimp with tomato, onion, celery cucumber and lettuce. The dressing is refreshingly intriguing with a blend of fish sauce, lemon juice and other Asian influences. The friendly hostess told us to spoon the salad dressing over the rice…and she was right. It was “good”. But, next time, we would request this dish be made with only squid.

We also had the shredded pork with garlic sauce, which was stellar. Just the right amount of spice, it packed lots of flavor.

Be sure and order the special jasmine sweet tea. It’s a great palate cleanser and has the perfect balance of sweet to offset any spicy bites.

Very reasonably priced, this is our new favorite go-to Asian spot.

My Overall Experience: 3.40 Stars
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Customer Service: 4.5
Food Quality: 4.0
Atmosphere: 2.0
Parking: 2.0
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Category: Vietnamese Food, Dive Restaurant
Price Range: $$ ($10-$20 = Average)

Location Visited:
5433 Blanco Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78216
(210) 377-0079

Google Map:

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