Paschal's is an iconic Atlanta restaurant known for its fried chicken. The restaurant has an outpost at the Atlanta airport, which has been named one of the best airport dining spots in the country by Food & Wine Magazine.
I opted for a chicken tender meal with sweet potatoes and macaroni & cheese, which were all options on the hot bar. This was a pretty good lunch - especially considering it is airport food. On the whole, the flavor was good, but the texture suffered a bit. The crunchy exterior of the chicken seemed to have been steamed a bit, making it softer. All in all, not bad.
Grade: B
On this day, I learned that Marie Callender's was more than just a grocery store frozen food line. It was actually first a chain of restaurants out west.
"In the 1940s, Marie started selling the pies she made in her home kitchen to local restaurants in Orange, California. Her son, Don, delivered her signature creations on his bicycle. In 1948, Marie sold the family car, giving her the means to turn her at-home bakery into a bona fide business. She baked more than 100 pies with wholesome ingredients every day. In 1964, Marie’s family opened their first pie and coffee shop. Her loyal customers savored the comforting, homemade touches in each and every serving. Her shop expanded into a chain - and into the meals and desserts found in grocery stores today," reads the website.
The restaurant had a very all Americana feel, with a huge display case of pies and a menu with comfort food classics.
Those include:
Braised and Slow-Roasted Pot Roast - Tender chunks of chuck roast slow-simmered for full flavor and tenderness, topped with a cabernet beef reduction. Served with fresh mashed potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables.
Marie's Meatloaf - Slow-baked with Angus ground beef, onions, green peppers, carrots and special seasonings. Topped with mushroom cabernet gravy.
Heartland Chicken Pot Pie - Loaded with tender chunks of chicken with seasonings and vegetables, and topped with our famous hand-pressed flaky crust.
I went with Home-Style Beef Stroganoff - Tender beef sautéed with fresh mushrooms in a demi-glace red wine beef sauce, with caramelized onions and a hint of Grey Poupon® Dijon. Served over fettuccine noodles with a dollop of sour cream.
It was hot and rich and comforting. Pasta is always a personal favorite, though I rarely go for the deep brown gravy. Sometimes I think that flavor is too concentrated, but not here. I do still think there was too much sauce on this dish, but the sour cream rounded it out a bit.
I added a slice of lemon cream cheese pie. It's like a lemon curd pie and cheesecake had a baby in a graham cracker crust. Very tasty.
Grade: B
"Situated smack-dab in the middle of 'downtown' Pioche’s Main Street, the family-run Historic Silver Café has been filling the bellies of locals and visitors alike with hearty breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for more than a century. And after a day exploring eastern Nevada parks and wandering through the Wild Western past of 'Nevada’s Liveliest Ghost Town,' that’s exactly what you’re going to deserve," reads the Travel Nevada website.
Classic diner fare fills the menu here: french toast, omelets, country fried steaks, breakfast burritos, burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, ribeye steaks, pizzas and fried sides.
I ordered the Meatball Sub - Homemade Meatballs and Marinara Sauce on a toasted French Roll topped with Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese. AND a side of fried mushrooms.
This sub is a monster of a sandwich. The roll is toasted hard, and the hearty meatballs are in a chunky sauce. I typically like meatballs ground a bit smoother and same for the sauce. I'll take all that cheese, though, all day, every day.
The side of fried mushrooms were more rustic, with the frying a bit uneven and in need of some salt. Overall, a standard diner with homestyle favorites.
Grade: B
Dan the Baker is a small toast bar in Columbus.
"Dan Riesenberger produces world-renowned sourdough breads using time-honored practices and honest ingredients with great integrity, right here in Columbus! His products are available in some of the best grocers and restaurants in the city," reads his Facebook.
His website continues: Dan the Baker's artisan breads are deftly created from 100% organic grains, using the ancient method of sourdough fermentation. For most of our breads, we use only our wild leaven to raise the dough. This time-honored technique imparts a beautiful complexity and savor to our bread, and yields easily digestible loaves.
Dan the Baker's breads are baked directly on our Italian oven's radiant stone hearth and develop a deep, flavorful crust. We are inspired to use many unique whole grain combinations, some of which are 100% whole grain pan loaves, (rye, whole spelt) and additions of sprouted whole grains (millet, quinoa, buckwheat and oats, to name a few.)
Dan has a passion to source as many locally cultivated ingredients from small purveyors whenever possible. We believe that in order to make the best, most nutritious food available, one must start with the best possible ingredients.
Dan the Baker's breads and pastries are a reflection of this philosophy: from the stone-ground Ohio whole wheat flour to seasonally gathered local fruits and vegetables, to locally grown herbs and mushrooms, each ingredient has been carefully chosen with this in mind.
I left with two pastries, which were simple yet tasty and artfully executed. Not overly sweet or out of the ordinary. But solidly good.
Grade: B
Pete's Breakfast House is a family-owned restaurant that has been serving Ventura County since 1981.
"Back in the early 80’s, a young entrepreneur and food wizard, Peter Ransom, took over the small café '2055 Main Street,' with the intent to serve freshly prepared breakfast ... In 2003 Peter and Lyndsay Timpson (two transplanted Brits) happened upon 'Pete’s Breakfast House' and they had to buy it. Pete’s name was on the door after all! Forever after, Peter Timpson became known as Re-Pete."
This restaurant was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
"First airing in 2012, Pete's Breakfast House was featured on the Food Network's hit show Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. Host Guy Fieri stopped by to see what your local diner was cooking up. We shared with him some of our favorites, including our pancake roll with yogurt and berries that he called 'righteous.'"
I ordered a simple grilled ham & cheese with a side of fruit. I always like having a side of something cool, fresh and sweet anytime I have a hot main entree.
Overall, it was fine. It was nicely grilled, and there was ample cheese. I was happy my side of fruit wasn't primarily composed of melon. A good, simple meal.
Grade: B
Crisppi's Chicken is a new restaurant in Huntington that was opened with the help of hometown-boy-turned-football-legend Randy Moss. Raised in Rand, West Virginia, Moss is a Pro Football Hall of Famer who played in the NFL for 14 seasons, most notably with the Minnesota Vikings.
The chicken restaurant, originally known as Chick-a-Boom, started in Philadelphia and serves a menu full of chicken sandwiches, tenders and waffles. Within the past week, though, the restaurant has created a bit of stir when owner Kurt created a social media video to call out the Huntington community, claiming it has not been supportive of the restaurant and only spouts negativity. “The entire community is filled with negativity. Being an African American company, this is what we deal with on a regular basis. We are not the other color, which is unfortunate to you guys, because if we were the other color, I’m sure there would be a lot more respect," Kurt says in the video.
That created some backlash on social and led to Kurt and co-owner Brittany going on the "Talk Huntington” podcast led by host David Williams, also known as "Alligator Jackson," where they doubled down on their stance - claiming Kurt was not calling Huntington racist but was instead saying his own African-American community isn't supporting the restaurant, defending their decision to not serve ketchup by calling it sugar and tomatoes, as well as their decision to not accept cash.
Here's my quick, unsolicited two cents: Social media is tough. As someone who has been on the business side of social media for over a decade, you see a lot of negativity. Part of being a PR professional is growing a thick skin and being able to not take the heat personally. It takes a lot of practice and experience to know when to respond on social and when not to. There's also a time to stick to your guns and a time to give the customer what they want (like ketchup) if you want to stay in business (side note: My proximity to Pittsburgh growing up will always make me loyal to Heinz).
I made a trip to Huntington today to check this place out. They have cute branding with bubbly letters, an adorable chicken, a countertop with a neat flame visual and some sleek black & white furniture inside. I placed an order on DoorDash and picked up my squared box bag to go. The bag is super sturdy with cloth handles, and the packaging has a foil interior to keep the food crispy. I'm legitimately impressed with the packaging.
I ordered the Sweet Thai Combo -
Served On A Brioche Bun, Crisppi's Sauce, Scallions, Sweet Pickle, American Cheese, Coleslaw, Sweet Thai Sauce. This in which was very good. The two tenders were super crisp, but moist inside, and the sauces, added some sweetness and tang. Crunchy slaw and a soft bun took it touchdown territory. It may be the best chicken sandwich in the region; I don't say that lightly.
The fries, however, were thick and soggy and had no seasoning. They may have benefited from that box had they not been sitting in the bag for too long, which kept the air still inside. I also had the Fruity Pebble waffles, which, too, ended up too soggy for me. But I did like the flavor of the waffle. Even without the syrup and cereal, the batter itself was slightly sweet.
So, there is a lot to digest here. And, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and how that affects where you do or do not dine. But if we are talking food alone, then I give it a ...
Grade: B
Lee Street Lounge is primarily a bar and entertainment venue. It does, however, have a limited menu of fried apps and pizza. Occasionally, they will have other specials or additional items.
I went around the holidays when they had drag bingo. It was so entertaining and fun to be part of the lively atmosphere. I even won a round of bingo!
For food, they actually had just hot dogs and nuts available outside that I think was a separate sort of fundraiser.
Though I wasn't mad at a simple hot dog with ketchup! Even if that is sacrilegious in most parts of southern West Virginia.
I thought it was only appropriate to stop back to experience the food coming out of their own kitchen.
On a return visit, I had a trio of cheeseburger sliders and a side of fries. Pretty basic. A bit cold. But serviceable.
Environment and experience are great. Food could use a little work.
Grade: B
Adel's is an American-style restaurant my friends and I passed while roadtripping across California.
The restaurant has these large, curved windows that remind me of the 80s. The menu features hearty favorites for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including: omelettes, burgers, quesadillas, chicken fried steak and much more.
I ordered the teriyaki chicken rice bowl, which included white rice with peppers, onions, broccoli, carrots and chicken drizzled with teriyaki sauce. Plus a side of fresh fruit. This was all okay. It was a bit one-note in regards to texture. I also wanted some more seasoning, some more punch in the sauce, and maybe even just a fresh squeeze of lemon to add a bit of acid.
Kaitlynn and I split a "Brownie Obsession," which consisted of a brownie, vanilla ice cream, fudge, whipped cream and a cherry. we had a dessert like this on our minds for days, so it hit the spot when we ordered it. The contrast of warm, brownie and cold ice cream is one of the best there is when it comes to desserts.
Grade: B
Fruits of Labor has been expanding across southern West Virginia - from Rainelle and Alderson to Montgomery and now Beckley.
"You'll be greeted warmly at all five of our locations which are nestled in four different river valleys across West Virginia. Sometimes by a core staff member, other times by a neighbor in recovery or young person in an addiction prevention program.
Both groups of students participate in our Nationally Certified American Culinary Federation Quality Training Program & Farm-to-Table Café and Bakery.
Each time you visit Fruits of Labor, your purchase invests in our students and allows us to offer this training and certification free of charge," reads the website.
This location is much like the others, offering soup, salads and sandwiches. It has several small tables inside and a bar area touting baked goods. It is also home to a separate spin off downstairs that offers pizza and coffee. I'll have to come back for that one.
For now, I ordered the Bacon & Blue Burger: Made with 1/3-pound Ground Beef, topped with crumbled Amish Blue Cheese, Smoked Bacon, and Baby Swiss Cheese served on our house made Café Bun. I do love some bleu cheese on a burger, but this one was pretty heavy on the funk so it overpowered the other flavors. I would love to see a bacon jam or candied bacon to bring the flavors into harmony. Overall, though, fairly tasty.
Grade: B
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