Shannon "Shannon" G.'s Profile

I enjoyed my business lunch here so much that I brought my husband for dinner the following weekend.
Still very good, but . . .
The lentil soup, which was all lentil at lunch, had a considerable amount of kidney beans at dinner.  Can an Indian restaurant have run short of lentils???
The lamb curry that I loved at lunch was still good, except that it was served with a huge amount of oil floating in it.  I spooned out the oil; it was several large serving spoonfuls!
The menu includes a long list of different flavors of naan.  We ordered the garlic naan - yuck!  The naan had been slathered with garlic paste (looked like a cheese pizza); it was overwhelming when hot and disgusting when it cooled off.
The Hemalayan platter, sizzling hot vegetables with tandoori chicken, prawns and beef, was really good.
We'll go back and I will hope for more consistency in the cooking.

Service is friendly and prompt.  The restaurant and the bathrooms are quite clean.

I confess that I took my cynicism with me to dinner on Saturday the 30th.  It isn't that I was a huge fan of Carver's; I wanted to avoid a naive appreciation of a familiar location.  The two couples celebrate the ladies' January birthdays together every year, so it was a perfect occasion to give the restaurant a try.

I had been a guest speaker to large groups in the banquet room twice last year, but without the opportunity to try the food.  I did notice then how much more spacious the interior looked, compared to Carver's.

I left my cynicism somewhere while I read the menu.  My girlfriend was impressed (although suffering no fools . . . etc) with the descriptions of many of the dishes, and we all agreed that the various dishes we ordered lived up to the descriptions.  My husband liked the wine list; he felt that it represented an adequate level of quality selections without going on for the length of a novel.

We raved about the following:  filet mignon and ribeye steaks cooked exactly as ordered, chicken and artichoke entree luscious, husband's Ahi Tuna out of this world!  Caprese salad was a winner.  Kudos to the kitchen for not drowning my Iceberg Wedge salad in dressing.  I was offered a side vegetable of broccoli when I declined the potato sides, and the broccoli was not cooked one second too long.  We did receive our coffee promptly after ordering it, and it was very good.  The bread was great.  The bread pudding dessert was fabulous.  The server presented our dessert choices with the requisite birthday candles!

Only a few negatives:  my Iceberg Wedge salad was reallyl good except that the bacon was served as two strips, not crumbled.  It was difficult to cut it up without sending Iceberg leaves off the plate.  And the bacon edges were heavily crusted with a spicy pepper; I was not prepared for that and I found it unpleasant when combined with the mildness of the lettuce.  We had to ask for more butter for the bread; the tiny pot of butter contained an even tinier serving of butter, not much more than a large slice, for 4 people!  Dessert seemed to take a little longer than necessary, considering what we ordered.  

Service was appropriately attentive, not too overwhelming or condescending.  The manager seemed very attentive - was seen floating around quite a bit and checking in with guests - twice at our table.  Perhaps he was performing some quality checks for a reason?

My friend thought the booth seat was uncomfortable.  Booth seating usually is unless you are the perfect height with the perfect leg length.  We all noticed how much roomier the dining rooms seem, and there is less heavy and dark decor than when it was Carver's.

So many of the menu items sounded so good that we are planning on returning soon to try them.

Antoine designed a beautiful catered buffet for a business meeting.  The guests were impressed.  The panini sandwiches were delicious, and he included a big variety of ingredients.  The Power Lunch comes with a huge fresh tossed green salad with lots of ingredients and three dressings to choose from, there was a beautiful tray of fresh fruit with a dip, a big platter of tri-colored chips and really good salsa, and some beautiful pastries for dessert.  They also bring a big selection of beverages.  I will have Camille's for catered lunches whenever I have the chance.  Everything was fresh and delicious.

We visit the area often and we NEVER leave without having breakfast at least once at Hal & Kathy's.  Portions are healthy, cooked to order, and bakery items to choose from also.  Everyone eats here!

Great business lunch today!  I ordered the Ahi Tacos, served with black beans, chips, and salsa.  The tacos were delicious - the cabbage was incredibly fresh and there was plenty of fish in each taco.  The chips were really good, fresh, not greasy; the black beans were good too.  One companion ordered the Caesar salad with chicken, and there was a lot of chicken on that salad.  The other companion ordered the Thai salad with shrimp and that salad was pretty big and I saw a lot of shrimp on her plate.  Service was just right, sufficiently attentive and knowledgeable.  It's nice atmosphere in such an interesting building, and the revolving artwork keeps it new for each visit.

2nd choice after seeing long lines at Hawaiin Style Cafe.  Just okay - very basic, like dated coffee shop.  Paniolo cowboy decor.  Friendly staff.
Husband ordered the macadamia nut pancake sandwich.  He was surprised to see that the only difference between that and a regular pancake sandwich was that macadamia nuts were (generously) sprinkled all over.  He had anticipated nuts in the batter.  His side of sausage consisted of two small links.
My eggs and bacon followed suit - bacon just the regular old fashioned run of the mill stuff.  I'm spoiled on the thick center slice we see more and more.
Well, the price was right.  We'll hope for Hawaiin Style next time.

Prefer restaurants locals patronize instead of the tourist traps, so had dinner here one night based on Yelp reviews.  Love my fellow Yelpers!
Food very good, and menu offered a big variety to choose from. The service was not fast, and while not unfriendly, it was efficient.  Clearly this is family-operated and they are all moving as fast as just two people can to service the whole dining room.  It would be nice to eat there again during off-hours to see if they have the chance to visit a little.  The decor is dark and warm.
Restrooms - like aging latrines in an old state park.  Unexpected after the cleanliness of the dining room.  Hope that prosperity funds a remodel.
That being said, we will return.  The food was a good value.

Adjacent Piccadilly Inn claimed this is the best breakfast in the area.  Must have been paid to say so.
I ordered eggs over medium, bacon, no hash browns, dry whole wheat toast, coffee.  So the first thing they plunk down is a loaf of blueberry coffeecake.  Nice, but maybe I don't want that kind of temptation on the table???
Next is the very plain and boring mug of coffee.  Now why would I bother to read the menu - well, in this case, to discover that a cup of coffee is $2.39!!!  For that price, it should have been memorable.
Now here comes my breakfast - half of the platter is hash browns.  I tell the server that I specifically said "no hash browns."  She informs me that she can take the platter back, have the hash browns removed, and it will cost me more!  (I guess because now I dared to order a la carte.)  Back comes the platter - no, not a platter this time - they've moved my eggs and bacon to a little side dish plate!  This is getting ridiculous.
Let's address the bacon.  Do we all remember a time when an order of bacon consisted of two little strips, sans much meat, fried to a crisp?  And do we all not appreciate the transition to a meaty, center-cut bacon, maybe 3 or 4 strips?  No transition yet at this chain.
Oh, and what's that runny white stuff in my eggs?  Well, it's definitely not "over medium."
Well, I had not been in a Marie Callender's in years.  Now I know why.  What a waste!

I'm surprised at some of the negative comments.  Is everything always perfect - no, and at precious few restaurants anywhere.  This is one of our all-time standby dinner restaurants when we have no other in mind, just want to go out.

We do miss one of our favorite pizzas that was removed from the menu, and at our last visit the waiter smelled of cigarette smoke - yuck!

And we keep going back!

Update from Sept 30 visit:
I hosted a small business dinner, and the waiter was the same one who earned my "cigarette smoke" comment before.  Guess the restaurant read my review - he did not smell of cigarette smoke at all!  And my guests were completely impressed with the service, the food, the decor, etc.
I ordered the Grilled Angus Filet Mignon from the Starters menu - will probably order on every future visit - that beef was butter-tender and the mushrooms were perfect!  The caramelized apple salad is my standard order - love every bite!  My favorite entree is the Parmesan Crusted Halibut - wonderful sauce, and the sauteed spinach is garlicky and they will substitute it for any other side you opt out of.
Sooooo glad to have this restaurant close by.

The owner likes to get to know his customers, by name, and is generous with extras.  This is my husband's favorite doughnut shop - he's the kind of guy whose last meal will be doughnuts, doughnuts, and more doughnuts.  He's so addicted that he will put leftover doughnuts in the freezer - sad!

I don't even like doughnuts.  This bakery / coffee shop sure does bake up some nice scones, muffins, and other tempting treats.  Their croissants are nice and fresh.  Their coffees and lattes are good.

When I have to take breakfast pastries to an office gathering, this is THE place I go to.  There are many regular customers every day.  The service is fast and friendly.  I'm glad to support a locally owned shop.

The prices seem very reasonable.  This morning's two lattes and a croissant cost only $6-something.