Quality Restaurant Guide

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Schilo's Deli, San Antonio, Texas


The first thing that comes to my mind when I associate San Antonio with food is Tex-Mex. Excellent restaurants like Casa Rio or Mi Tierra provide visitors with a taste of San Antonio's Spanish influences. Although San Antonio is heavily steeped in Spanish culture, the history of San Antonio reaches to many continents, with a wide range of early settlers bringing their traditions, food and architecture to the city. Among early settlers, German influences were heavy.

Among the German influences with a deep tradition is Schilo's (shee-lows) Deli located on Commerce Street next door to Casa Rio. Schilo's Deli dates back to the early 1900s. The restaurant and bar survived prohibition and the great depression, moving a couple of times along the way. The current location became Schilo's permanent home back in 1942.

Schilo's Deli is located close to the Riverwalk but does not have any frontage property. The entrance is on Commerce Street. The large restaurant has high ceilings that give the building a slightly industrial feel. The bar against the far wall completes the somewhat rustic look. Small tables that seat four are closely clustered in the center of the room, with booths running along the walls. I visited during lunch. The lunch crowd indicated that this restaurant is a popular lunchtime destination.

For lunch, I ordered the corned beef and cabbage special. My wife ordered the Wienerschnitzel. Our waiter arrived promptly and took drink orders which were quickly delivered to the table. After ordering our entrees, we waited another five minutes until our lunch arrived. Considering the size of the lunch crowd, I was impressed with how quickly we were served. The corned beef and cabbage had a good flavor, but the meat was sliced like lunch meat, which was a bit disappointing. The Wienerschnitzel came with a breading that appeared to be homemade and had visible chunks of breading. It was made from pork loin instead of veal. The Wienerschnitzel also had a nice flavor, while the breading gave it an interesting texture.


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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Casa Rio, San Antonio, Texas


A landmark restaurant, Casa Rio, opened its doors on the banks of the San Antonio river in 1946. Casa Rio became an early cornerstone of the Riverwalk, with gondola rides originating near the restaurant. Although ample indoor seating is available, Casa Rio operates the entire frontage area as well as tables located beneath the Commerce Street Bridge. This restaurant is a definite must-do during any vacation to San Antonio.

Casa Rio is open for lunch and dinner. I dined at this restaurant once at lunch time and once at dinner time. Both experiences were exceptional. The first thing I noticed during my original visit was the service. I checked in at the hostess station located on the Riverwalk and indicated that I would like to dine indoors. They advised me to step inside, where I was greeted by another hostess who seated me immediately. After browsing the menu, I decided upon the Regular Plate. This meal consists of one cheese enchilada, one tamale (complete with cornhusk), chili con carne (which is said to be a San Antonio creation), Mexican rice and refried beans. This entire plate was mine for the low price of six and a half dollars.

After placing my order, it seemed like moments before it arrived. In reality, I probably waited two or three minutes. I was provided a basket of warm chips and a bowl of medium heat salsa to nosh on while I waited for my meal. I only downed a couple of chips before my meal arrived. I was surprised at the question posed upon the arrival of my lunch. My waiter asked the pointed question “how does your meal look?” followed shortly thereafter with the question “how does your meal taste?” This specific line of questions made me feel as though my waiter was genuinely concerned with the quality of the meal, and not just “doing his job.” The exchange between my waiter and I did not feel like platitudes…it was the way service was intended to be.

The flavor of my meal at Casa Rio was also exceptional. In my region of the country, I generally do not order cheese enchiladas. What I normally get is a queso-filled enchilada with very little flavor or texture. The Casa Rio enchilada was served in a red tortilla shell. The yellow cheese inside had a sharp flavor like cheddar, although I did not ask what type of cheese it was. There was more cheese and sauce on top, creating a dense tasty enchilada that was one of the best I’ve had. My experience with tamales has also been a mixed bag. I have had many greasy tamales where the red grease and juice seeps through the corn meal leaving discoloration. Although these tamales generally have a good flavor, the grease can be a bit much. The Casa Rio tamales were a bit dryer than I am used to, but the flavor was spot on. The chili con carne consisted of thick chunks of meat covered in a nicely spiced sauce. They were served with tortillas, which created a meal too big for me to eat in one sitting. I enjoyed the chili con carne although I did not have anything to compare it with.


Read more about Casa Rio

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Hooters


Low Carb Dieting Nearly everyone has seen the commercials of “Jarrod” and the Subway Diet. You know the one, six sandwiches under six grams of fat. Subway has launched a major media campaign advertising their low-fat fare. Well, I have an answer to that campaign, targeted for followers of Dr. Atkins Low Carbohydrate Diet. The Hooter’s Diet allows low carbohydrate dieters the opportunity to eat out, without breaking their diet. The only drawback is the limited menu choices. The Meal Yes, that’s MEAL. There are no choices in this diet (Unless you count each type of sauce...hot, medium, mild, etc. as an individual choice). However, the single choice is my favorite, and I can eat it several times per week. The meal consists of the chicken wings, ordered “naked,” meaning that their is no batter on the wings. I normally order mine with the hot sauce. The chicken and hot sauce are both carbohydrate free. Along with the chicken, I order the celery sticks with bleu cheese dressing. The celery contains around 3 grams of carbohydrates, while the bleu cheese contains an additional gram or two. Combine that with unsweetened tea (sweetened with sweet N low), and you can add about one additional gram of carbohydrate. Your total damage? About six carbohydrates for the entire meal. This meal appears to even work during the induction diet (although you may want to substitute the tea for a non-caffeinated drink). Read More About Hooters

Moe's Southwest Grill


The last restaurant review I completed was Hooter's...so this may be a let down. Hooters is a tough act to follow!

I had never heard of Moe's Southwest Grill until I relocated to the Southeast...hmmm. I guess you could sum up my introduction to Moe's as "Love at first bite." The atmosphere and food are enjoyable and the price is within reason. You always know you are entering Moe's because the staff greet you with a hearty "Welcome to Mooooeeee's!" If they don't, you may have accidentally stumbled into the wrong joint.

The Menu
I don't know where they came up with the names for these menu items, but they certainly get your attention. "Joey Bag of Donuts" or "The Ugly Naked Guy" (not one that necessarily gets your appetite up). The menu names are an eclectic array of names taken from our pop culture. The names offer more variety than the actual menu.

Basically, the menu consists of flour tortillas (such as burritos and quesadillas), tacos and nachos. You get to choose the toppings for your burrito or nachos. Beef or chicken? Black beans or pinto beans? With or without rice? Do you want cheese? Salsa? Guacamole? The variety really lies in the way you build your burrito or nachos. Other options include tomatoes, onion, fresh cilantro, fresh chopped jalapeno or pickled jalapeno...and don't forget to add some Chipolte Ranch sauce!

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Panera Bread

Much has been written here at Epinions about Panera. There are currently 145 reviews, and I don't intend to read all the other ones. I would like to share my own anecdotal experiences at Panera, as well as taking the opportunity to point out some positive aspects of Panera that aren't about the food. I will start, of course, with the food. When I first visited Panera, I wasn't really sure how to order. The sandwich menu offered many interesting choices, but the soups looked really good. This first experience was in Indiana several years ago. Then, as now, Panera offered a half sandwich with your choice of soup or salad. This gives you the opportunity to have a fresh delicious sandwich, while enjoying a bowl of their good-as-homemade soup. (Okay, sometimes I opt for the salad instead...the salads are also exceptional). The soups rotate, but I can normally order my favorite, Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice. The Asiago Roast Beef sandwich is also a favorite. If you order a specialty sandwich, it costs slightly more than advertised. You also are given a choice of fresh bread, an apple or chips. After moving to South Carolina, Panera built a restaurant right down the street from my house. I quickly became a Saturday morning Panera junkie. With sleep still in my eyes, I'd pop some water in the coffee pot, drive to Panera, order a half dozen bagels (they have a nice variety to choose from) and grab a small tub of their specialty cream cheese. Honey walnut spread on Cinnamon bagels is always a special morning treat...it's like getting to eat candy for breakfast. Aside from bagels, the bake shop is packed with muffins, cookies, souffles, artisan breads, scones, brownies, tarts...I better stop...I may need to run down the street. Read More About Panera Bread

Chick-Fil-A


Most fast-food restaurants try to cover as many bases as they can. Your typical burger joint sells chicken sandwiches, fish squares, tacos, and any other thing they can market successfully. Generally speaking, fast-food restaurants that concentrate on one product tend to do a better job. This is true for Chick-fil-A. Even Kentucky Fried Chicken goes further beyond the basic menu you'll find at Chick-fil-A.

A Good Fried Chicken Breast Sandwich
Regardless of what you find on the menu, this is where it really begins and ends. A solid, delicious, lightly-breaded chicken sandwich with a pickle on it. If you want, you can add mayo or other condiments, but it all begins with a basic sandwich. This sandwich is really the base for the rest of the menu. In fact, locally, Chick-fil-A sponsors our PTA with chicken sandwich sales, which always tend to do very well.

Ligher Fare
Chick-fil-A would certainly be missing a trick if they didn't cater to the lighter menu option crowd. For people watching their calories, Chick-fil-A offers several wraps (Spicy Chicken Cool Wrap, Chargrilled Chicken Cool Wrap and Chicken Caesar Cool Wrap). Chick-fil-A also has a short selection of delicious salads (Chargrilled Chicken Garden Salad, Chicken-n-Strips Salad and Southwest Chargrilled Salad). The have a widevariety of dressings for these salads including fattening but delicious dressings as well as the reduced calorie, reduced fat selections. Chick-fil-A also has a chargrilled chicken sandwich on a golden wheat bun which is healthier than the fried version. If you prefer the fried version, you can still get it on the whole wheat bun for a small surcharge.

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Five Guys Burger and Fries (East Coast)


If you enjoy a good burger and fries, then you may be interested in trying the ultimate burger and fries. Five Guys Burger and Fries has a pretty simple menu...it's right there in the name...burger and fries. Okay, they also have hot dogs, drinks and free peanuts. But basically, the menu is about the burger. I have compiled a list of the top five reasons to visit five guys, as follows:

Reason Number One
Idaho Potatoes are stacked up in fifty pound bags all over the store. These potatoes will be the french fries that you eat...eventually. They cut their fries inside the store and fry them up fresh. No frozen potato by-product. No preservatives. Just fresh french fries. They need the bags and bags of potatoes to keep up with the demand. When you order...if there are two of you...just share one large order of fries. The large order comes in a 24 ounce styrofoam cup, placed inside a paperbag, and then overfilled by about that size again. That is a LOT of french fries. You have a choice of ketchup or vinegar on your fries...the vinegar gives you a "State Fair" feel...I like it.

Reason Number Two
Peanuts. Okay, so what...they have free peanuts...plenty of places have done that in the past. True...but how many burger joints do it. The free peanuts are nice to nosh on while you are waiting for your fresh burger and fries to get cooked up. It gives the restaurant a fun atmosphere. It is an atmosphere that welcomes the kids, without having a three-tiered jungle gym, or kids meal specials. The peanuts are help yourself in large fifty gallon wooden barrels. It is almost a contrast to the otherwise clean and shiny image that Five Guys projects.

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