Dave "The DLC" L.'s Profile

Dr. Computer is nestled in a small, tidy storefront on a residential street in the West Plaza. The business owner is a nice fellow, apparently with years of IT support under his belt, and he brought my 7-year-old PC back from the dead. He is conversant in multiple platforms and operating systems.  Hours of trolling support forums and asking friends were solved by leaving the machine at Dr. Computer for a few days.

The prices are very reasonable - a small, diagnostic fee followed by the cost of repairs themselves. Much like an auto mechanic, he will check with you before taking cost-incurring measures.

I'd recommend Dr. Computer especially because it is a local business at a human scale. Without the overhead of huge warehouses and advertising, he can provide great service at reasonable prices, and you can be confident that you aren't being upsold or taken for a ride.

The food won't kill you, but it's really not that great. Dave's will do in a pinch for a sandwich and some chips, served quickly at very affordable prices. It's a fairly interesting space, though not attractive by any means-- it just has some old school charm. The doughnuts are decent and they offer a good-sized hot breakfast menu which I have not tried. The staff here is friendly and keep the place tidy and clean.

A very typical, semi-divey north Johnson county bar and grill. The crowd is almost exclusively middle aged and probably middle class. It's popular with local motorcycle enthusiasts too. There seem to be a lot of regulars but everyone was pretty friendly to me.

Not much in the way of drink selection but the prices are very reasonable. Well drinks were on special my last visit and the tab was six dollars and change for three drinks.

I didn't try the food but the menu was classic bar and grill fare, with several kinds of burgers, chicken fingers, tacos and the like at reasonable prices.

Great downtown location but almost no easy parking, friendly but clueless desk help and surly mechanics. This place was mobbed when I went and they told me it would be at least 2 hours for an oil change and inspection. No problem, but it ended up taking more than 7 hours and only after I called to check on their progress. The only nice aspect of Calvert's is the fact that it's open Saturdays.

This is a clean, modestly-sized bar and grill on Renner Road just north of KU Med West. Lunch hour is pretty slow here and the bartender takes care of the whole place. Folks seemed to be getting fed quickly enough, so no complaints there. And the server was very friendly and efficient.

My main beef is with the menu which is pretty standard fare: burgers, wings, chicken sandwiches, chef salads, nachos, etc. One might say that Bar West has a more upscale approach but this really isn't true any more. It's now possible for any restaurant to get waffle fries, pretzel buns and chipotle mayo delivered from Sysco and other food vendors. The day's special was 3 ground beef tacos for $5.99. Um, no thanks. My pork tenderloin sandwich was enormous and hand-breaded but clumsily so. The meat was a little tough and the whole affair was utterly flavorless. Conversely, the fries had so much seasoning salt sprinkled on them that I could barely eat any.

This place is just...a little boring. The decor is drab and uninspired and the lights are a little lower than they should be. Being kind of a sports bar, there are naturally TVs everywhere and no place to sit where you can ignore them.

All in all this was a mediocre experience. Maybe if you were trapped in Western Shawnee and really needed a drink some night you could pop over for a Corona or a Captain and Coke. But there are plenty of places like The Peanut or Charlie Hoopers that have this kind of broad appeal but do it much better. I think Bar West benefits from being far enough out in Shawnee that it doesn't have much competition.

I think the reviewer below is referring to the fact that management of La Hacienda has been taken over by El Camino Real, who have some of the best-regarded taquerias in the metro. They have retained the La Hacienda name, adding "El Camino Real #3" to the sign. This place is much larger, has a full bar and an extensive menu.

I had three different tacos which were very good, but not nearly as revelatory as at the KCK locations. The meat was flavorful but a tad too dry and crunchy. They crisp it up on the grill and likely had it on there too long. Alas, the al pastor were simply not up to the usual Camino Real standard. But the cabeza, which is a fattier cut of meat, held up better to the high heat. Rice and beans were both great, especially the latter, which were creamy but not completely mashed.

Service was extremely spotty, but it was actually the waitress' first day, so I'd be a jerk to complain too strenuously about that. However, the manager and the other servers could have paid more attention and helped her out.

All in all, I fully expect the food and the service to improve as the new management gets adjusted. El Camino Real is a quality establishment with a great reputation. This is a solid Mexican option near downtown Olathe.

Your plate and food will be absolutely blazing hot when they come out. Seriously don't even think about touching your plate. Also, don't think about eating your food for a good five minutes. It's that hot.

Yet another Mexican spot in this cute little spot in downtown Merriam. Just like previous tenants La Cabana del Pollo, Pollo Loco, Coyoacan and Tarahumara, Carmen's dishes out a combination of American and Mexican favorites with no frills. I had some very good little gorditas and perfectly serviceable authentic soft tacos the other day.

While the staff is different, the experience and the quality of the food is the same: A-ok, but won't blow your mind.

Excellent burgers, handcut fries and really nice people. This is a no-frills neighborhood joint, along the lines of Kitty's on 31st street. Really small menu with counter service but a nice break from all the mediocre Mexican on the Boulevard.

This has always been a rather sad little strip mall location near Quivira and 77th. A few years ago it was home to a Mexican buffet called Abyssinia, and there was at least one aborted restaurant attempt in the space since then.

Now it's a spacious and clean spot called Ray's Breakfast & Burgers. As the name promises, all they serve is breakfast (24/7) and burgers. I had the "Big Poppa" burger ("we love it when you order Big Poppa") which was supposedly a peppercorn encrusted patty with sauteed mushrooms, blue cheese and red onions. Unfortunately the flavor of dried thyme completely overwhelmed the burger, which also had a slight bitter aftertaste. The whole affair was incredibly salty and I couldn't taste the pepper at all. A hefty portion of processed steak fries--undoubtedly a frozen product--came on the side: edible but average.

The server was very quick and attentive, no complaints there. The prices were perhaps a little high, with the burger coming in at 8.95. On the whole you get a lot of food for the money but you can get a better meal elsewhere.