Grace G.'s Profile

Although I love my new hometown, I've been secretly a little homesick for my native South Florida lately for some reason.  So what better way to satiate my homesickness than to hit up a  restaurant that will serve me some cuban food on a scalding hot summer day, right?  Um well....

We opted to sit indoors instead of outdoor seating (because Floridians are addicted to air conditioning).  The decor was bright and cheery.  We were seated right away, no wait.  The dining area wasn't too busy when we arrived around noon, although it did pick up later.  Oddly, it was really LOUD inside, in spite of being a somewhat small sitting room with many empty tables.

The server was friendly, but we just wish we could have seen his smiling face a little more often, He never bothered checked in on us after our food was served and we almost had to send out a search party to get our bill. Not to mention the length of time it took for him to first take our drink orders... then the unusually long period of time it took for him to come back with the drinks and take our food orders.  

I ordered the Carnitas Cubanas, which the menu notes is the 'customer favorite.'  The dish came on a platter with a sort of stewed beef with the sides of yucca, black beans and rice.  I'm not a fan of yucca in general, but it wasn't too bad.  The black beans, however, were cold.  And the rice had crunchy bits, which makes me think it was old.  The 'carnitas' were okay, but not really special.

My companion enjoyed his Cuban Sandwich more than I enjoyed my meal, but he was too annoyed by the (lack of) service to walk away with a positive impression.

I may be back someday to check out that upstairs piano bar, but in the meantime my search for decent Cuban food in the Washington DC area rages on....

This was our go-to cleaners when we lived in the Mark Center/Town Square neighborhood for our suits.  We utilized their same day service many times, which is only $1 or $2 more than the usual price I believe.  You may be able to find cheaper cleaners in the area, but we never bothered looking because these folks have never failed us.  The owners were consistently accommodating and friendly (which is more than I can say for their neighbors at CVS - service with a sneer & a snarl!).  Don't hesitate to give them a try if you're new to the area.

My mother is Vietnamese and she really likes this place.  (My mom is very stingy with compliments - so take this as being a pretty strong endorsement!)   My mom always complains that it's too expensive, but really, it's more expensive to go to a chain restaurant (a la Chilis, Applebees) for mediocre food.

On my last visit, I had the "Chicken Stir Fried with Onions with Vermicelli noodles" and it was great.  I cleaned my plate. My fiance was a pho virgin when he first tried Double Dragon's "Pho Eden" version and now he's a full-fledged devotee.

The ambience is not great. Really just a small step up from your typical strip mall take-out Chinese place, at best.  But isn't the food what's really important, after all?

Certainly not the worse pizza place in the area, but not the best either. I've gotten somewhat decent food there before.  But one time, my boyfriend's calzone was so hard that it broke one of his fillings!  They're okay, but I wouldn't go out of my way for this place.

I've been to several different spas in the area trying to find someone that I can trust to wax my eyebrows.  Sarah at Fusion is my girl!  She gets the job done right every time.  She is vey sweet too.  Fusion in general seems to be developing a strong and loyal following, very quickly.

The spa interiors are gorgeous and very, uh well, zen.  Even when getting hair ripped out of my head, I sometimes feel like I'm going to fall asleep!  I haven't had any experience with their salon, but it seems to be fashionable.  I'm happy with my current salon, but I get the feeling that these ladies would be just as capable.

Fusion is still pretty new and trying to break into the scene.  So they can sometimes come on a little strong with their marketing.  I'm hopeful that will tone down a bit with time.

Oh, I am told that Fusion is where all the Mets go when they are in town for spring training.  I guess that's a pretty strong endorsement.

This was my first time ever riding a horse, so I was terrified!  It was the first time for another girl in the group I went with.  Our guide was patient with us though and the horses are all gentle.  We all walked along the beach for a ways before circling back around and sometimes the horses break out into a little run.  It was memorable and oddly relaxing experience.  Nobody was thrown, nobody got hurt... the only negative about this experience was that it wasn't longer!  

Call ahead of time to set up your appointment/reservation. You will meet them at Frederick Douglas beach, which is a relatively quiet and secluded beach in Fort Pierce.

I went during "the season" (autumn) so the train ride was a bit more expensive than  normal.  Old brochures I found in my hotel said there were two locations, but be advised that they have closed their Dillon station indefinitely.  Bryson City is the only option.

The route I took started at Bryson City and stopped at Nanthala Gorge, then it turns around and goes back the same way.  The train ride was slow (it was a downright crawl at times!) and leisurely.  We rode on the open air cars - I recommend these highly.  The seats are long benches that face out of the window.  The scenery is absolutely breathtaking - mountains, rivers, fields, rapids.  After visiting Nanthala Gorge, I'm dying to go white-water rafting now too!

The thing that most bugged me was the complete lack of organization.  They only give out tickets right before the train ride, so needless to say, the ticket line can be a major headache.  Particularly during the season.  

When the passengers lined up to board the train, some of the employees were directing everyone to go to the same place.   Several fights nearly broke out when other people were accused of cutting ahead in the line.  (A little tip - no one seat on this train ride is better than another. Don't stress if you find yourself in the back of a large crowd.)  More efficient crowd control would go a looong way.

Despite all that, I think this is a fun time and a great way to see the Smoky Mountains.  If you have kids, you have the option of train rides with a Thomas the Tank Engine theme or Peanuts theme.  Cute!

West End Grill is one of my preferred go-to-places for weekday lunch in St. Lucie West.  I love grabbing a table on their outdoor patio on a sunny day.  The service has been pretty good every time I've been there -  no complaints on that front.

They serve "American" fare ranging from lighter items like salads/wraps to diner-style sandwiches.  (I personally dig their greasy selections - like the grilled veggie sandwich!)  They offer steak fries as a side - that's a bonus in my book.  Their large menu can which can be a tell-tale sign of reduced quality.  Not the case here as far as I can tell.  

This place also seems to be a favorite of the St Lucie West professionals/"suits."  The cost is on par with the other American-food area chains (like Ruby Tuesday and Chilis), but the quality seems to be far more consistent.   I haven't visited during dinner as it gets a bit more pricy then, but I imagine the food is still decent.

West End Grill is in the plaza located just beyond the Lake Charles development on the right side of St. Lucie West Boulevard (if heading East from I-95).  Parking can be a pain with their tiny lot, but it's worth the hassle.

My brother is a big fan of laidback steakhouse joints like this and thought we ought to check it out one night back in October when were visiting. He and I went on a weekend night and it was busy. Understandable, because Franklin, NC is a small town with few dining options. Our wait to get seated was somewhat long - 30 minutes or so.

After we were seated, our waitress came by to take our order. She introduced herself by writing her name in crayon on our disposable paper tablecloth. I thought that was a pretty cute gimmick. She seemed a little stressed and rushed, but was cordial enough.

I was prepared for a long wait, but I had NO idea what I was in for.... I ordered a chicken dish and my brother ordered a hamburger. No frills or special requests. We waited... and waited... and WAITED... Other parties that arrived & were seated long after us were getting their orders. We managed to get a hold of our waitress and she said it would just be a little bit longer.

So we waited and waited again. The other parties that came in long after us were getting their desserts and bills now. We asked our waitress what was going on and she apologized and brought us some (stale) nachos as some sort of compensation. After we had been sitting at the table for over an hour at that point, my brother had had enough and asked to speak to the house manager.

The house manager, in a very condescending tone, then fed us this line that the reason why is we were having to wait this long is because "in North Carolina, we have to have our hamburgers an exact temperature." Then she said the stale, inedible nachos our waitress gave us earlier will be "on the house". Um, thanks.

Are you kidding me!? So you mean to tell me that in order to get a hamburger in North Carolina you have to wait for two hours? Steaks and everything else are "anything goes" are fifteen minutes... Oh, but it seemed that other patrons could get their hamburgers back in a reasonable amount of time. Hm.

The other parties had long left and other people were seated. My brother and I were literally getting up to leave ourselves, when they FINALLY brought the food. The food was... okay, but certainly not worth the wait or the kind of treatment we received that night.

This was one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. It completely ruined our night and it will be a cold day in hell before I ever go back to that establishment again.

Roy's makes my favorite sushi on the Treasure Coast. SO GOOD! Writing this review is making me crave their food.  My favorite is their Narita roll.  Their lunchtime bento boxes are even better.  I always clean my plate ... err, box.

Roy's has attentive, but not pushy service.  Their decor is tasteful and beautiful.  The seating is a combination of comfortable couches and chairs.  Their food is not cheap, but not unreasonably priced either.  I think the quality of their sushi, their great service and the lovely decor makes Roy's a good deal and worth the mini-splurge.

As a sushi restaurant, they are perfect.  But I deducted a star because I'm not as fond of their Thai food.  Honestly, I find I have much better luck with my beloved pad thai at other Thai establishments in the area.

Roy's is tucked near the back of a newer shopping plaza, so it can be hard to find.  The shopping plaza is located west of the Publix shopping plaza in St. Lucie West.  (Edwin Watts Golf is located in the same plaza as Roy's.)