Casey "No Name" A.'s Profile

My DH and I were given a gift certificate and decided to use it but were a bit wary after reading the reviews here on Yelp!  We figured, well if it is as bad as it says, at least we're using a gift certificate right?  We were pleasantly surprised.

We've dined here in the past, with the previous owners and way back when it was Ruby's.  It has a fresh feel, and I had no idea the back lounge room was there!  We were told that they have some plans to put some booths in the front room to so it feels more like the back room and I think it will lift that room even more.

But I digress.  We arrived, on a Thursday evening, were promptly seated in the back lounge area and there was only one other table occupied in the whole restaurant, and before we had ordered they were headed out the door.

I have been on a huge calamari kick lately and was delighted to see it on the menu! So we ordered that for appetizers, I had the salmon for main and my DH had the lamb with gnocchi.

The calamari was fresh, cooked expertly and was absolutely delicious.  Nice and tender with only a light batter.  The jalapeno coleslaw gave it a good kick and was addictive.  My salmon was also cooked perfectly.  The wilted greens were a perfect complement to the sweet and tender flavor of the salmon and the risotto with the golden beets brought the whole dish together.  Well done!  My DH is a big fan of gnocchi, and if it is fresh and homemade you can certainly tell and this was no exception!  Fresh, tender, made in house, and delicious.

For dessert I had the apple crisp (with delicious vanilla ice cream) and DH had creme brulee.  It was way too much food for me, but I had to finish it, how could I not!

We talked to our waitress (which turned out to be one of the owners) , and she said they make everything in house now, nothing is pre-made or frozen; from the bread to the salad dressings.  We could sure tell from our dining experience.

The portion sizes were generous, the service excellent and the food delicious.  We'll be back for sure.  As for the comparisons to the previous restaurants that occupied the space and the name, hand down better.  We're looking forward to seeing their improvements and growth.  The new owners are coming up on their one year anniversary and I would say they have settled in and are just making the train move along nicely now.

We eat at Gardner's at least once a year, more if we can fit it into our schedule.  We are never disappointed.  The food always delicious, and if you go in April they roll back the wine list to the year they opened which makes for very affordable wines.

Our last trip we had the calamari appetizer (a break from our usual stuffed mushrooms) and it was amazingly delicious and tender and flavorful and I could have eaten several plates of it.

For my main I had the seafood fettuccine and the portion was SO generous I had enough to take home for lunch the next day and it was more than enough to fill me up the next day too.

Oh and the desserts, you have to have the desserts!  How can you look at that huge tray and not have one!?!

I am not sure when a 3 star review began being seen as bad.  I know, its not 5 stars, but it was A-ok in my book.  For me a 5 star review would be for a restaurant that upon leaving I would walk back in for more food (stuffed or not), and a four star restaurant I would be craving their food for at least a week.  This doesn't fall into either of those categories, but we'll probably return at some point in the future.

It was a Wednesday evening.  My DH and I had plans to go to another restaurant but found it shut for dinner (odd that a restaurant would only open for lunch during the week, but oh well), so we tried another restaurant we had been meaning to try.  The second restaurant said since we didn't have reservations the kitchen had a 20 minute hold to send in an order.  Ok...restaurant #3 it is.

We have heard great things about Basilico, we walked in, loved the decor, were greeted right away, were sat at a table, there were a couple of other tables already sat.  Great atmosphere, great wine list (not that we ordered any), and lots of good menu choices.

We ordered the Calamari Fritti as an appetizer.  I've been on a calamari kick.  It was good, cooked well, not overcooked, we were hungry and devoured the plate, including the salad garnish.

Between ordering and receiving our Calamari a flood of patrons came in.  All the tables were full and there was quite a collection of characters.  It was quite funny people watching.  There was more than once that I felt sorry for the staff by the way certain diners were treating them.  It did take a little while for our mains to come out, but they did apologize and brought some of the yummy bread and dip out.

For my main I ordered the Strozzapreti  alla Norcina.  The pasta was cooked perfectly, not mushy not too al dente, just right.  It was a ground pork sausage (I expected sliced), but like another reviewer said, it seemed to be a very high quality sausage, no "gross bits" to be found.  The first few bites, were delicious, but by bites four and five, the salt was just overpowering and the flavor just kind of disappeared.  I think maybe just too much sauce and salt.  My DH had Ravioli di Agnello and enjoyed it.  I had a bite and it had great flavors but I am not the biggest fan of tomato sauces.

For dessert we had Tiramisu.  It was good, not the best we've had but good, and certainly not the worst either.  The only surprise was on the bill.  We ordered the calamari as I mentioned earlier.  On the menu it said it was $12 (at least we think, online it says it is $10), and they charged us x2 ($22).  We only had the one dish brought out, so we aren't sure if that was a double order but it seemed to be the same size as other tables that had ordered it as well.  By this time they were swamped and we really just couldn't be bothered in asking.  But next time we will!

We'll be back, not sure when but we can say we have now tried it and it is good.  We didn't ask for the gluten free menu (as we aren't gluten free folks), but I like that it is an option.

Well as it would happen, we planned on dining at a nearby restaurant, but found it closed, well not just closed, gutted...ok, now what?!  We started walking down the street and stopped in front of Kitzel's.  We have heard good things, so we decided to give it a shot, plus we didn't have a ton of time, and figured a deli would be a good option.

My hubby decided to look at the menu to see if there was anything he would eat (he says he's not picky),  and looked at me, and says, "what about you?"  I knew when I walked in what I was going to order, a Reuben.  Hubbster decided on a poppy bagel with egg and cheese.  For the kiddos a plain bagel with cream cheese.  Bill was under $20.

We did wait a little for our food, but when it did arrive, it was devoured!  The Reuben had excellent flavors, and a more than generous amount of meat as well as everything else.  Was it smaller than other deli sandwiches, perhaps, but it was plenty big enough for me, and I would take quality over quantity any day.  I had the Hungarian potato salad and it had perfect flavoring.  Hubby said his bagel was good, and since daughter was more interested in my very delicious pickle and the dreidel in the front window, and son was asleep, we ate their bagel too that had SO much cream cheese, more than what I would call a schmear.  The bagel was fresh and chewey, and something I could eat in large quantities.

We'll be back!  Looking forward to trying something new the next time, maybe, the Reuben was really good!

Wow!  What an amazing meal.  Went with my husband and another couple, and were looking forward to a leisurely relaxed meal with delicious food.  And that is exactly what we got!  The new owners did an amazing job on the renovation, the space is beautiful.  We went early on a Saturday and didn't have a problem with reservations, but it was starting to fill up by the time we left.  The food was delicious, very well prepared and presented and the portion sizes were just right so I could sample things from all over the menu from starters to dessert and not feel overly stuffed.  Will definitely be back, and I am looking forward to it.

Delish!  Loved the options, the toppings, the taste, the peanuts, the fries that fill the cup and the bag.   My little one was really getting into the music, apparently he really likes classic rock (that for him is probably ancient rock).  My daughter got a grilled cheese and she ate the whole thing, which is saying something.  I am glad they aren't in my home town or I might be there all the time!

Meh.  Yup that sums up my thoughts of Mercato.  When my husband and I moved to Olympia, we heard good things about this restaurant.  We ate here three times, before giving up on having a fantastic meal.  This was going back 6 years ago.  We have told people who were headed to a meal there to go to another Italian restaurant in town and all of them thanked us profusely.  So fast forward 6 years and after hearing from numerous people in a short time period about how good the food was, we decided maybe they had improved/changed and to give them another shot.

The decor is nice, maybe they were going for an upscale Cucina Cucina decor wise.  The menu is impressive, lovely sounding dishes.  But the food is just ok.  Wasn't horrible, but not fantastic, nothing to rave about.  Makes me wonder about the people who raved about it, and where else they were eating to compare it to.  To top it off all their pasta says it is "made fresh"  yes...by a company in Seattle and they get deliveries of it every few weeks, it is not fresh as I would describe it.

We love The Painted Plate.  When our daughter was about 6 months old we had her hand print and foot print done in clay and then came back after it was fired to decorate it.  Since then we have been several times.  We have picture frames, trinket boxes, and a clock, all are great treasures and memories.

The Parent/Child package is a great deal, two items to paint and two drinks or two ice creams for $30.  We went recently with the whole family and I had no qualms about letting my 2.5 yo paint her own plate while I painted her a popcorn bowl.  When we go to pick up those pieces we are going to do our son's hand and foot prints!

Ok...well...it was ok.  We have heard that they had revamped the menu and the interior, so we decided to give them another try (after the last time when I ordered my burger without BBQ sauce and it came without ANYTHING on it, why would I order a Western Burger with nothing but the patty and the bun?).  We looked at the menu online and it said the house specialty was fish and chips of halibut in house made beer batter.  Sounded good.

The remodeling they have done has really opened up the space, I can see how it will be much more functional for the events they host frequently.  It is a historic (read old) building and in some ways shows its age, but I love the architecture.

The waiter was pretty good.  We ordered, the hubby ordered a Coke and I ordered a carrot juice (which I haven't had in YEARS, probably close to 15) to be adventurous.  The coke came with so much ice that there was barely any coke in it and it wasn't until well after our food arrived that he came back to ask about a refill and never refilled our water.  The carrot juice was quite delicious, and fresh.  The fish and chips.  They were good, the portion size was enough to fill me up (I ordered the 3 piece) but it was in no way generous.  I think it came on what most restaurants would deem a salad plate.  The three pieces *might* have made one dinner sized fillet, and the two piece wouldn't have been enough.  For $13.99 I thought the pieces of fish might have been a bit larger and there might be a side of cole slaw or something, but nope, three "pieces" of fish and some chips.

All in all, it was ok.  The food wasn't bad, the prices weren't bad, the decor wasn't bad, the service wasn't bad, but nothing was amazing either.  We might go back some day.

I was in a bind.  No coffee for the AM and our favorite coffee roaster in town was already closed.  Went to the grocery store looking for another well known coffee and I found B&B.  Debated on which to get, ended up with Skye's Mountain Blend.  It was flavorless.  For our second pot I even doubled up on the amount and it was still flavorless.  Had a great aroma, but no flavor.  Sorry.