Thursday, August 28, 2008

Taco Fresco

713 US Highway 41
Schererville, IN 46375
(219) 865-5300
http://www.tacofresco.com/


I was on my way to Chicago and came across Taco Fresco in Schererville. It is located in a strip mall along Highway 41. It looked the place had not been open long. It had a fresh clean look about the store. They advertise themselves as an authentic, healthy alternative to fast food.

I had the Chicken Taco $1.95 and the Grilled Yellow Fin Tuna Taco $2.75 both were good. The salsa bar had a very good selection of salsas both hot and mild.


I only found out later that this was a chain out of Chicago. This would be a place that I could eat at often if they had stores in Florida.

Free Wi-Fi is also available.
Rating: ***
Service: ****
Monday-Saturday:11am - 9pm
Sunday:11am - 7pm

Sunday, August 17, 2008

India Garden - dj

247 E. Ontario Street
2nd Floor
Chicago, Il 60611
312.280.4910
“Culinary Nirvana”

To enter India Garden you go up some stairs that look like you are going to an insurance company not Culinary Nirvana, but when you arrive you find a very nicely decorated space over looking E. Ontario Street. There are floating rose pedals in brass bowls and Indian cloth hanging from the walls.

We visited on the weekend at lunch time the buffet was being served for $11.95. When we arrived at the table we were happily greeted with a sizzling dish of fried onions and tandoor chicken. The buffet line was filled with treats from mixed vegetables to daal to a mushroom and chicken dish. Everything was cooked to perfection.



If I lived in Chicago this would surely be a favorite place to visit.

Rating: ****
Service: impeccable

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Greek Corner Restaurant - dj

1600 N. Orange Ave
Orlando, FL 32804
407.228.0303
www.thegreekcorner.net
“_Authentic Greek Cuisine at it’s Best_”



The Greek Corner is tucked away on the corner of North Orange Ave ath the corner of Ivanhoe Blvd. It is right across Ivanhoe from Gargi’s Italian restaurant. As we walked up they had misters on the porch to keep the heat down on a warm summer day in Central Florida. We were seated immediately to a table for 6. The restaurant was nicely decorated with the expected Greek items, a map of Greece, a manikin dressed in a Greek Foustanella a skirt or kilt, and kitschy Greek sayings on the wall.

We had downloaded the menu from their web site yesterday so we knew what we wanted to order. I had the Chicken Souvlaki one of their Classic Greek Sandwiches. It was a boneless breast of chicken grilled over an open flame , served with onions, tomatoes, & tzaktziki sauce (Yogurt cucumber sauce). The classic sandwiches come with either a Greek salad or rice pilaf, I chose the salad.

Our food arrived surprisingly fast. The chicken was very good as well as the tzaktziki sauce. The salad was also very good it had a nice dressing and was topped with feta cheese.


This is a nice place for lunch.

Rating: ***
Price: ***
Hour Monday-Saturday 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Free WiFi avaliable

Monday, June 23, 2008

The Alamo – DT

55 Medway Rd Milford, MA 01757

Just a short plane ride from Winter Park, FL, I found myself cruising the beautiful little hovel of Milford, MA for a late, after flight dinner. You know me. Nothing mainstreet like Applebee’s or Uno’s will do. So I drove out 190 for a few miles to see if anything looked enticing. The Alamo caught my attention just a few blocks from the hotel. This old converted home advertised a Mexican menu and the parking lot was full, which seemed impressive since it was late on a Sunday night. The friendliness of the staff represented the best of New England and shortly after being seated, I realized the source of the attraction. Karaoke upstairs in the “bah”. I usually find karaoke upsetting due to some past restaurant experiences, but the frequent cheering and laughter actually made the place fun while I ate too many tortillas and salsa. Apparently the owners are the parents of ‘Dewie’ from “Malcolm in the Middle”. I love that show. Dewie is Malcolm’s younger brother. The one who gets all the best lines.
I immediately search for, and find, fish tacos on the menu. I am going through your standard fish taco phase. Whenever I mention to someone that I like fish tacos, they all make the same face but hey, New England is legendary for their seafood. This should be good. Three tacos to a plate served with beans and rice for less than $8. I asked about tartar sauce, and my waitress explained that they are served with a Jalepeno Ranch dressing. After two flight delays and an hour’s drive outside of Boston, I was not in the mood to be discerning. I don’t remember the first taco but half way through the second, I started to slow down and examine this treat. “It’s not bad”, I thought. Cut pieces of fried fish and your basic lettuce and cheddar with a thin line of ranch at the bottom. But something seemed strangely familiar. Upon closer examination, I realized this was not New England’s finest seafood, it was more like Milford’s best fish sticks. I may have come in with pretty high expectations and I have children so I am not too good to eat fish sticks. Heck, I once made cashew chicken at home with left over chicken McNuggets. My point is, while this particular fish taco does not rank at the top of my list, the service was awesome and for an out-of-towner eating dinner alone, I left full and I enjoyed the experience. Next time I’ll get the fajitas. No one makes a face when I mention those.

Quantity: Plenty
Price: 3 tacos and a drink under $11.
Service: As kind as they come.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Atlanta Bread - dj

Atlanta Bread
Hartsfield Jackson Airport - Concourse C
Atlanta, GA
407.766.8345

With the lack of food available on airline flights these days the food at airports is becoming more and more important. On a recent visit to the Atlanta airport this is what we found.

In Concourse C we were greeted with these choices:

Atlanta Bread
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
Charley's Steakery
Last Call South
Miller Lite Victory Lane
Paschals Resturant/La Carrousel Bar
Popeye's Chicken
Samuel Adams
Seattle's Best Coffee
The Grove Natural Snacks
Vending Machines (Snacks)
Wendy's

We picked Atlanta Bread Company because it seemed like a healthier choose. I had a turkey sandwich. The sandwich itself was not bad, only missing Miracle Whip and sweet relish and of course the tomato's (salmonella). But when I unwrapped the sandwich it looked like someone had been sitting on it.


Rating: **
Service:**
Value: Airport food

Friday, June 20, 2008

Casa Serrano El Palacio - DJ

Casa Serrano El Palacio Mexican Restaurant and Cantina
401 E. Andy Devine Ave.
Kingman, AZ 86401
"Authentic and Unique Mexican Cuisine and Cocktails"

This restaurant is located on Route 66 in the historic old downtown area of Kingman Arizona. From the outside we were not sure if they were open but once we opened the door the place was full. Most of the clientele seemed to be locals.

I orderd "Mini Tacos and one enchilada with red sauce. Your choice of meat. $4.35" I had mine with chicken.



It was quite good. Just like the description the tacos were mini about 3 to 4 inches in diameter filled with chicken. The red sauce on the enchilada was also very good.

Outside while we were there the railway lines were busy. At least 4 long freight trains passed 2 in each direction.

You Tube video of passing train in Kingman AZ

Rating: ***
Service: ***
Price: $4.35 for Lunch item.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Mad Greek in the Desert - DJ

Mad Greek
72112 Baker Blvd
Baker, CA 92309

The world’s largest thermometer across the street was reading 109. I didn't even blame the flies for coming inside this oasis in the desert. There are signs for miles along I-15 for Mad Greeks in Baker California between Las Vegas and Las Angeles, so we had to stop to see what it was all about. I had also seen a feature on the Food Network: Guy's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives Episode DV0101.

The first thing I spotted was the big barrel of picked cucumbers, onions, carrots, cabbage, and other goodies. I scooped out a few and they were just as I expected, vinegary still with that crunch of freshly made pickles.


We stepped up to the counter to place our order there were 5 us we ordered a fairly wide selection of items.


Chicken Gyro
Gyro
Vegburger x 2
Turkey Breast grilled sandwich
Greek Salad

They were all good and before long everything was gone except for the salad which was much larger than we expected. The Chicken Gyro was very moist and tender and the accompanying yellow rice was perfect.




Rating: ***
Service:***
Value: Excellent

What others are saying:

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On the Food Network: Guy's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives Episode DV0101