Jorge U.'s Profile

In a word: DISGUSTING.

But I'll elaborate.  We were stuck in traffic by the mall &, having recently read an article that said Ruby Tuesday's had gone upscale, we thought we'd get some dinner & wait for traffic to clear.  What a terrible mistake.

To start with we got some kind of appetizer sampler. The chicken fingers were old & dry and no, they really don't know how to cook wings properly.  Fried cheese is pretty hard to mess up & they didn't and the little Southwest roll things were actually pretty tasty though a touch on the greasy side.

I got the baby back ribs.  They somehow managed to make them both terribly dry and horribly greasy at the same time.  I'm not sure how they managed it.  I'm almost impressed with that kind of kitchen magic.

The ribs were accompanied by steamed broccoli. It was beautifully green in the picture on the menu. It was nasty and brown on my plate.  I would think the server should have been embarrassed and apologetic to actually place that on the table in front of me.  But apparently that would be asking a bit too much.

We were heading home after doing a bit of shopping the night before last & we got stuck in traffic just as we were passing an entrance to the mall ... construction or an accident, whatever it was we were just sitting there.  We'd been planning dinner at home & we were pretty hungry. After a few minutes of sitting we decided to turn in to the mall.  We'd read an article very recently about how Ruby Tuesday had really gone upscale, improved their food, etc and we thought we might as well give it a try.

The one and only positive aspect of that experience is that I gained what was perhaps some much needed perspective.  When I eat out I tend to go to a certain kind of restaurant and I think my expectations have slowly crept higher and higher.  Even while we were trying to eat I realized I had to come back and change this review because I'd been very unfair to FlameStone.  Not deliberately -- I meant what I said when I wrote the original review just a few days ago -- but still very unfair.

For FlameStone's pricepoint it is an absolutely fantastic restaurant.  It really isn't any more expensive than restaurants like Ruby Tuesday or Applebee's, but what you get is so far beyond those other restaurants that it's really hard to believe.  Both the level of service and the quality of the food you receive at FlameStone just completely blow away what I previously thought were somewhat comparable restaurants.  

Previously I wasn't impressed with FlameStone's ribs, but after what I tried to eat the night before last, well ... I can admit it when I'm wrong.  Our waitress at FlameStone wasn't just blowing smoke when she said their ribs were to die for.

I'm not that familiar with Tampa but the neighborhood doesn't look the greatest and from the outside NoHo isn't impressive -- it looks like it used to be a liquor store.  But it's nice inside with some scenic murals on the walls that somewhat make up for the lack of windows. Although come to think of it, considering the neighborhood perhaps the lack of windows is a good thing.

There are some very interesting items on the menu.  To start, bison chili, middle eastern salads, and the wild mushroom-swiss dip caught our attention. We settled on the mushroom-swiss dip with crostini.  It was pretty good, made with a mellow swiss, but I still kinda wish we had tried the chili.

We were having a hard time deciding on entrees, there were a number of things we wanted to try.  Finally, since the prices are so low, we decided to order three entrees for the two of us.

The butternut squash risotto has a pretty strong sage flavor to it.  Since it was really more of a side for us, it worked -- we liked it a lot, but I'm not so sure the sage wouldn't be a bit much if it was a sole entree for someone.

The roast pork loin was OK. Don't get me wrong, there wasn't anything wrong with it. It's just that there wasn't anything special about it either.  I did like the crushed sweet potatoes that came with it. A hint of cinnamon & a hint of honey but not too sweet.  Very nicely done.

The lamb & veal meatloaf was fantastic.  I don't really know how to describe it since I have no comparison point. I haven't had any kind of meatloaf since I was a kid & I hated it then so I've avoided it ever since.  This meatloaf wasn't swimming in grease & it seemed to be mostly meat rather than bread crumbs or some other filler.  Whatever it was, it worked for me.

For dessert we had a lemon tartlet and chocolate-orange pots de crème. The tart was perfect -- nice & tart instead of sticky & sweet.  But to me it was blown away by the pots de crème.  Absolutely delicious.  I can't remember now which it was, but I loved the infusion of either grand marnier or cointreau. The bitter orange kept it from being too sweet. (Sensing a theme here? Yeah, I don't like sweet desserts.)

They say the menu changes seasonally. That definitely makes it worth a trip back next time I'm in Tampa.

They have a decent wine list with a nice but not extensive range of good wines at very very reasonable prices.  Cakebread chardonnay at $60 is about $30 less than at most restaurants.  We decided to try an unfamiliar Albariño.  It was sweeter than any Albariño I've ever had before, but I have to admit the waiter did warn us.  It was still pretty good, not overwhelmingly sweet or anything like that.

We started with two appetizers - a goat cheese spring roll & lobster "escargot style".  Neither goat cheese nor lobster are favorites of mine, but both were pretty tasty.  It is rather a lot of cheese, but at least it was a relatively mild goat cheese.  The lobster appetizer is exactly what it sounds like right down to the dish it's served in.

Most of the fish dishes on the menu involve sauces.  I'm not generally a fan of most sauces on fish so, despite being in a seafood restaurant, I was drawn to the bison tenderloin.  I was pretty hesitant though, because most experiences I've had with bison involved a lot of chewing.  When the waiter promised it would be tender & delicious I went for it.  Damn. It was absolutely fantastic. So tender I could cut it with a fork. And full of flavor despite being such a lean cut of meat.  The cherry pepper & sour cream mashed potatoes that came with it were equally delicious -- the peppers added a nice kick.

The service was good, the food was delicious and the prices were reasonable.  Two appetizers, two entrees & a mid-range bottle of wine and we were out of there for just under $100 before the tip.

We loved it. It was small, intimate and quiet. One of the very few restaurants I might actually call romantic -- a word I think is overused.  Perhaps a little too dark. It was kinda funny when the waiter handed me a flashlight so I could look at the wine list.

We really like to take our time and linger over a good dinner. Romeo's is perfect for that. Don't come here if you're in a hurry ... a decent amount of time passes between courses.

He definitely takes into account your likes and dislikes and tailors your meal to suit.  Since my date doesn't eat red meat, duck or rabbit, while I was enjoying those courses she had some fantastic seafood and pasta dishes.

You MUST come hungry.  It may be a small plate concept in theory, but these are not tiny portions and it all adds up.  By the end, we regretted having eaten all of our earlier courses because we were too full to properly enjoy the later courses.

Overall ... the concept is good, the service is great, and the food is absolutely delicious.

I'd never heard of this place when a friend from Ocala suggested that we meet here for lunch.  She raved about the food and promised it was worth the drive.  I checked out their website & I was intrigued. It looked promising.

It was ... OK.   If I lived in Williston I would probably eat here fairly regularly, but that's probably more of a comment on Williston than on the Ivy House.  The house is beautiful. It's in good shape & it's nicely decorated inside. The waitress was very friendly & helpful.

Unfortunately, the food was just average.  They had a pork chop sandwich special that I tried. It was heavily breaded & deep-fried.  It needed salt.  There was nothing bad about it as such, it's not like it was dripping with grease or anything, there just wasn't anything special about it.

My friend had the chicken salad & it looked like there was more mayonnaise than chicken.  Maybe that's tasty if you're in to that sort of thing.

Overall I'd have to say that if I happened to be in Williston at meal time I might stop in, but I wouldn't make the trip just to go to the Ivy House.

I've never been here for dinner, but we've done lunch here a couple of times.  I like it.  The antipasto appetizer is nearly a meal in itself -- cured meats, tasty cheeses & delicious olives.  Their sandwiches are great, I've had both the chicken cutlet parmigiana and the french wedge & both were worth the trip.  They have wines by the glass but it gets rather odd if you want a bottle of wine.  No wine list.  You get up, walk into the marketplace at the front, & pick out a bottle.  I guess at least that way they can never come back & tell you they're out of the wine you ordered.

We've stayed here 3 times over the past  year and we have plans to stay here for New Years. Get the corner suite. It's worth it. Big roomy bathrooms. Great views. The staff is friendly & helpful.  They do need to put a big sign on the ground floor that makes it clear where you need to go to check in.  Would be nice if the pool wasn't on the roof of a separate building or if they would put in a pedestrian overpass to connect the two buildings.  Not that big of a deal though.

We've stayed here 5 times over the past 2 1/2 years and we love it.  It's quiet & secluded, if you're looking for a scene, this ain't it, but it's within easy driving distance of the best of Coral Gables & South Beach.  The views of Biscayne Bay are beautiful.  The staff is always friendly & the service is great.  Nothing better than laying out by the pool all day having someone bring you frosty drinks.

I continue to go here occasionally. I almost always have a burger & I'm rarely disappointed.  Their burgers are big, juicy & delicious.  Service seems to have improved over time.  Nothing to write home about, but decent for Gainesville.