We have enjoyed the Garden Center Cafe for years… and considered it one of the nicest spots in Fallbrook for a nice lunch.

It is upscale… spotless… and has a wonderful almost enchanting setting in the Oaks and Boulders. The menu reads beautifully… and the food presentations are beautiful.

Recently when I saw a critical review show up… with regard to the proprietor… I just took it as … they had a bad day… both the diner and the proprietor.

Yesterday we had a business lunch with a couple moving to Fallbrook from New Jersey. We chose the Garden Center because it is so pleasant… and the food has always been excellent.

The table service was excellent.. but the attitude of the proprietor (not our server) was rude. We were dissapointed with the experience and it was not the Lunch we would have preferred.

Don’t know if it has changed hands… but something has changed…. and something more needs to change.

I found this place over a year ago… had been showing homes in Chula Vista… taking a short cut home through Bonita to the Freeway… and I was starved.

Saw their cute little sign next to the Robinwood Liquor… and pulled in hoping that it would be decent.

Had a Hot Ruben that I have been remembering ever since. So the other day Terri, my wife, wanted a good Deli sandwich… and we were headed to Eastlake (East Chula Vista)… and she reminded me that I had mentioned several times the great sandwich I had in that area.

The treat from a year ago was repeated! There is nothing better in a restaurant than consistency!

It’s small… quaint… cute… with blue oil cloth tablecloths… and it is spotless. The owner always has a smile on her face… and the experience is always a joy. There is even a great view out over Bonita Valley… to add to the fun experience.

Nothing fancy… but fun and great food. The prices are an incredible value… two couples sitting near us were smart enough to split a sandwich… we were happy to take home a doggy bag with another meal each.

Terri had a Pastrami Melt that she said was delicious… and I had another Hot Ruben… and it was wonderful.

They do not have a grill… so the bread was toasted and the ingredients warmed in a micro wave… and the quality is top notch.

The flavor was to die for. The service… prompt… friendly… and smiling. Do not miss this one if you are in the area.

Most small airports around the Nation have a cafe. They are usually fun places just due to being able to watch planes come and go… and have a nice meal… for a fair price.

French Valley Cafe is really a great destination… for a great meal. The food is excellent… the service is excellent. The menu is surprisingly complete and everything I’ve seen served there looks excellent.

The atmosphere is friendly… inviting… and what I would call “Middle America Diner”. The view of the planes … through walls of windows… is as good as it gets… and there is always a steady coming and going of small private aircraft. You can watch the pilots and friends land… tie down in front of the Cafe… come in for a nice meal… and then they load up… check off… and away they go. But… the difference with French Valley Cafe is the quality of the food. I was surprised to see they have a full bar… and happy to see not a single pilot drinking :-) I enjoyed a good draft :-)

When you drive up to the airport… except for the Marquee you would not know there is a restaurant there. Go through the main door off of the traffice circle…and straight ahead… you can’t miss it.

It’s Light… Bright… Cheerful and Spotless. The only difficulty is making a choice from the complete menu… that makes everything sound wonderful. I noticed several people had substituted Onion Rings… which were not to me very evident on the menu…. do the substituion… the onion rings are sinfull.

I’m not sure of their hours… have only been there for lunch… but if they are open… and I lived closer… it would be a favorite for a light evening meal too.

When the weather is right… they have a few tables on the patio that look like fun too. My last two trips to Murrieta have been highlighted by two consequitive great lunches here. When I think of the French Valley Cafe…. it puts a smile on my face. I look forward to the next time.

Get ready to have fun. Gaetano Cicciotti has created one of the best Italian Dining experiences in Southern California.

Shuttered Craftsman Architecture… you’ll think you are in Hana… or maybe Southern Italy… looking out over the coast. Cool Ocean Breezes… light … bright… and always cheerful.

It has a wonderful feel of casual elegance… and the service is excellent.

The menu is a joy to read… and the food is an even greater joy. Quality fresh ingredients… prepared to perfection.

The full bar is beautiful… and will become one of your favorite watering holes.

Try one of the tempting appetizers… bruschetta, baked artichoke hearts, steamed asparagus with prosciutto and mozzarella, crab cakes, carpaccio, or calamari fritti… and there are others.

The your main-course choice will be from a couple of dozen pastas or chicken, veal, seafood and beef entrées, and don’t forget those terrific, paper-thin gourmet pizzas. Among the highlights are Penne Arrabiata (tube pasta in spicy sauce), a spaghetti dish made with crab and shrimp called Due Golfi, Ravioli D’Aragosta (lobster), Gnocchi Gorgonzola or the linguini with tiger shrimp in spicy sauce.

There are five chicken dishes, including a superb Pollo Marsala (sautéed with mushrooms and marsala wine sauce). The veal selections include Saltimbocca alla Romana w/prosciutto, sage, mozzarella and white wine sauce).

Always check the fresh fish and daily special menu, which usually includes an incredible version of osso buco.

If you are looking for a World Class Deli… in San Diego… look no further.

Great food… warm atmosphere… friendly… and always dependable.

On July 12, 1984, Native New Yorker, Alan Bilmes and partner Michael Wright from the Minnesota farm country, opened City Deli. Since the beginning, City Deli has prided itself on food made from scratch. From real mashed potatoes, homemade salad dressings, custom-made extra lean deli meats, to cakes and pastries baked on site by staff bakers, this food is fresh!

Two walls of glass to the sidewalks of Hillcrest… bright spotless interior.. and a smile on everyone’s face. When is the last time you sat down to a dining table that had gourmet Dill Pickles there just waiting for you.

Belly up to the counter… or snuggle into a booth… and get ready for some great food. They will even validate your parking.

A restaurant with “Family Restaurant” in the name tends to suggest less expensive food. And price is always important… especially in our current economy. But… Excellent Food is what keeps the doors open… and people coming back.

I’m surprised that we had not heard of this restaurant before… but it took a coupon in the local newspaper to catch our eye. Complete meal for two… $13.95. Now that’s a hard price to beat… so we decided to head over there last Friday night.

I would say built in the 60’s… remodeled in the 90’s… nothing fancy… just friendly… warm… spotless… and as you would expect with the pricing…. very busy. The service was excellent… joking… personable… and prompt. High open beam ceilings… kind of a Diner or Coffee Shop feel… and while open and spacious…. felt cozy. The first thing I noticed… before even looking over the extensive menu… was everyone around us was having fun. Everybody was smiling.

I had one of my favorites… Liver and Onions… it was wonderful… see the Dish Review to follow. Terri had Chicken Fried Steak… said it was great too.

Booths and chairs done in a mauve vinyl… Formica table tops… also mauve… had to be the 90’s :-) But… it was a wonderful fun dining experience. The value is incredible… and the quality of the food is top notch. We had decided after just a couple bites that we would be regulars. Ice tea was bottomless… and the smiling waitress kept an eye on us.

When we paid the bill… there was Charlie… the owner… big smile on his face… honestly questioning if everything had been up to par… and it had… even better. You can tell what someone is committed to… by the results. And Charlie is committed to happy customers

We are honestly looking forward to our next visit… and another fun meal. It’s refreshing to find this kind of value… quality… and attention to detail in today’s world.

Last night Terri and I wanted to go out to dinner with her Dad and his wife. Dad is 89… Alice is 87.

We just joined Passport Unlimited… and I wanted to try out one of their new restaurants … and most of them are pretty pricey…. but… we were going to get one entree free :-)

Got to Dad and Alice’s… they had a coupon from the Black Angus… $34 for a four course steak or prime rib dinner… for TWO ! Well the Black Angus has always been dependable… they were close… and no question they would be less expensive… and all in all easier.

Because of the “Special” offered… there was a 40 minute wait prior to dinner. We waited in the bar… had a drink and wondered if they had enough people working… for the huge crowd… there did not seem to be much activity with waitresses or bus boys. The Bartenders were really busy and we had to approach the bar to order our drinks. (Drinks were very well priced) I even commented that if the Kitchen was understaffed as much as the bar… we’d be eating at midnight. Boy was I wrong :-) In less than the 40 minutes predicted… we were in a quiet booth deciding which options we were going to choose.

How can you go wrong with Appetizer… soup or salad… Steak or prime rib and choice of Desert for $17. You can’t… as long as the food is good and the service pleasant.

This was not a gourmet meal… but it was an excellent meal. Both couples split the jumbo shrimp cocktail appetizer (the special gave each couple one appetizer and one desert to split) and the shrimp were fresh… cleaned beautifully… and the cocktail sauce had some horseradish kick to it… was as good as any I’ve had… and some of the other’s have cost more than this meal.

The salad was a tossed green salad… choice of dressing. Greens were fresh.. crisp… and the blue cheese dressing was excellent… I hear… I still like old time vinegar and oil… and it was great.

I ordered the 10 oz Rib Eye… Terri ordered the 9 oz Top Sirloin… Dad and Alice ordered the 10 oz New York Center Cut. All of the steaks were cooked perfectly… and all were tasty. But… Alice’s steak was full of gristle… and she could really not eat it. That’s where this gets really interesting… but I’ll come back to that.

Desert… Terri and I had Sky -High Mud Pie… great! Alice and Dad had Big Mountain Chocolate Fudge cake… and they said it was excellent.

But before the deserts… we called the waitress to the table about Alice’s steak. She was not defensive at all… she was very pleasant… sincerely sorry for the problem… and offered to rush another steak… or take it off the bill entirely. Alice decided to just take it off the bill… as the rest of us were almost finished with the main entree… and we were full by the time they brought the steaks anyway. The young lady took away the gristly steak… and we started in on the yummy deserts.

Then Art Schwark… the General Manager came to the table to apologize for our experience with Alice’s steak. He explained that they cut their own beef… and that the New York was a center cut.. not a strip… and the butcher must have just cut just one too many steaks from that area… getting into gristly material. He confirmed that they had taken the item off of the bill. They actually took off the entire $17 for the four course meal. Then he said they would have another prepared for Alice… to take home as a “Doggy Bag”. When they brought the “Doggy Bag”… it wasn’t just a steak… it was another Steak… another baked potato… and another serving of the mixed vegetables. A full meal… free.

The gesture was incredibly kind. His tone and message made clear that he cared about us as customers. What otherwise might have distracted from a fun evening… if fact added to the pleasant experience. Black Angus is lucky to have managers like Art Schwark… and no doubt the way his waitress handled it… is due to his employees following his excellent example. My impression in the bar that they were understaffed was wrong. There was enough staff that if they were working hard… and hustling… they could provide excellence in dining… while keeping their payroll down. They were doing exactly that… with smiles on their faces.

We will go back. We will tell others about this experience… this is the first step :-)

For less than the price of one steak at Flemings… a la carte… we had a four course meal for two. I love Flemings… will continue to go there for birthdays… special events… but day in and day out… the Black Angus in Oceanside is an incredible value. In an economy like we have today… Black Angus is making it possible for people to still get out and have a wonderful evening… at a very low price. Thanks… and while the service and value is what made this review five stars…. The food really was good.

We were driving from Gatlinburg to Asheville… to see Biltmore… and struck Gold in Clyde

Terri was sleeping… I was hungry for breakfast… and had no idea where Clyde, North Carolina even was. As I turned off of I-40… it occurred to me that Clyde might be miles away instead of just next to the freeway… but before I could even zoom the GPS out… there was the off ramp to Clyde.

Down Main Street we went… it’s really Carolina Blvd… and sure enough there was “Sherrill’s Pioneer Restaurant”… gravel parking lot… full… cars parked on the sidewalk… it was busy… I’m sure it always is… for good reason.

Opens at 5:00am… bet it’s busy then too. Inside we found American… felt like we’d stepped back to my childhood. Everybody friendly… place was spotless… lots of signs like “If we don’t take good care of our customer… somebody else will”… well they have no peers.

I had a fried egg sandwich with bacon and cheese… with a side order of grits… it was wonderful. Terri had an omelet that she said was great… it was great big for sure.

Immediately served some hot excellent coffee… food came quick… service with a smile and genuine. I read that this was the third generation of the family now running the restaurant… no wonder they have done well. Dean the Dad was in the Kitchen… working… it was his 69th Birthday… and his Daughter came in with a cake… and the entire restaurant sang happy birthday to Dean. They’re open till 9:00pm… I couldn’t help but wonder how many hours a week Dean works. The results are evident.

We told the waitress we were from San Diego… but as we left… she waived and hollered… “please come back and see us now”… The food was so good… the service was so good… the experience made us feel so good… that three days later… on the way to the Charlotte NC airport… we went out of our way to have breakfast there again. Terri ordered what I had the first time… I had ham steak “Hungry Man” breakfast to die for.

This is the sort of restaurant that people would go 100 miles out of the way to enjoy. I checked online… could not find their web site… of course… they don’t have one… they do great food… not Internet. But… I found mention of them everywhere… from local newspaper articles… to food sites all over the place. There is a reason people love this place. Give it a try… put a smile on your face!

This was the first night of our trip to Tennessee for our 40th Anniversary. We wanted BBQ… Southern BBQ… and I had done hours of research and came to Gatlinburg with 58 waypoints on the GPS. This was our first restaurant meal in Tennessee … and set the stage 

This location of Bennett’s is a block off of the noisy busy Main St… Parkway through Gatlinburg. A huge shaded porch if weather allows… and we had a balmy Friday night that was spectacular.

The Cicadas were singing… there was a warm… but not hot breeze… the trees were rustling… and we could hear the babbling brook. It was really great… but what about the food?

Well the beer was Ice Cold… that’s a good start… and of course their signature is Ribs. So Terri had Baby Backs and I had the Spareribs… both pork… there is no other BBQ meat in Tennessee or North Carolina. Both were wonderful… but toward the end of the meal… I decided I wanted some extra sauce… and then they became spectacular. We were later to find out that the Vinegar based sauce Bennett’s uses is more North Carolina than Tennessee. For our taste… it was fantastic.

Great menu… great choices… the side dishes were excellent.

The setting was spectacular… the service excellent… joking… friendly… quick and attentive… we had a wonderful first night in Tennessee…. Thanks to Bennett’s

Terri and I were in Tennessee for our 40th Wedding Anniversary… and went into Knoxville for “Boomday”… the Labor Day fireworks show that the city puts on. We had walked all along the riverwalk… were hot… tired… and hungry. Now the Riverwalk was packed with food vendors… but it was all the kind of stuff we could get in San Diego. So we headed downtown to see if we could find some more “Local Favorite”… our favorite type of Restaurant. We were incredibly lucky to stumble on the “Market Square Kitchen”.

Right on the corner of the Square… at One Market Square… it looks more like an old general store… with an inviting front porch. We stepped inside… the AC was on and it was cool and cute. Spotless too!

Immediately we were the victim of Southern Hospitality again. Friendly… joking… and made us feel right at home. The old building is charming… and the views into the Square and along the street are enjoyable. The best part… the food.

I told the waitress that there was no decision to make at all as soon as I saw “Chicken and Dumplings” on the menu. You do not see “Chicken and Dumplings” on many menus these days… and I wondered how it would compare to my Grandma’s.

She later came back to the table to tell me that she had told Eddie the cook about my comparison… and he wanted me to know … that the recipe was from his Grandma. I believe it… and she must have been an excellent cook.

Terri had a sandwich… Chicken Salad… said it was great. Ice tea… unsweetened for us… and a bottomless glass of course.

The tables are covered in an oil cloth tablecloth… made me think of my childhood in Indiana. We had fun… and we had a meal that was one of the best of our trip. Charming… Quaint… Cozy… Friendly… and excellent food… how do you beat that?