***** (5 stars)
Really good family Mexican restaurant in a shopping center. The service is terrific and the food is good. The lunch carnitas torta was huge and came with a delicious salad option rather than rice and beans or fries. Great blue cheese dressing. The appetizer sampler is also a nice variety. Very reasonable.El Jardin Restaurant & Catering
1119 S Main St
Manteca, CA
95337
(209) 825-8552
https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-jardin-restaurant-and-catering-manteca
***** (5 stars)
Restaurants in tourist areas don’t need to be all that great, because there is a constant supply of new patrons. But I’m a big fan of Gibson’s restaurants in Chicago, so I decided to give The Boathouse a try, and I’m glad I did.The Boathouse
1620 E Buena Vista Dr
Lake Buena Vista, FL
32830
(407) 939-2628
https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-boathouse-lake-buena-vista
***** (5 stars)
I’ve driven past here dozens of times but today was the first time I ever turned off the main road and wound my way down to the Cold Spring Tavern. What an amazing place! It’s an old stagecoach stop, and retains all of the charm (and rickety wood construction) of its historic past.Cold Spring Tavern
5995 Stagecoach Rd
Santa Barbara, CA
93105
(805) 967-0066
https://www.yelp.com/biz/cold-spring-tavern-santa-barbara
***** (5 stars)
This place offers perfectly grilled steaks and other meat and seafood dishes in a vibrant environment.Brother’s Restaurant At the Red Barn
3539 Sagunto St
Santa Ynez, CA
93460
(805) 688-4142
https://www.yelp.com/biz/brothers-restaurant-at-the-red-barn-santa-ynez
**** (4 stars)
This is a pleasant restaurant in Aspen’s most famous hotel. It’s probably not quite as good as that description would suggest, but perfectly adequate.
We had the five-course tasting menu, which was well presented, but without any real knockout courses, although there were tasty components in each.
We also had both the sommelier and premium wine pairings. In each instance the premium wines were MUCH better. Service by the sommelier was friendly and informative.
Food service was pretty slow, but the lovely outside summer dining area provided a pleasant venue to pass the time.
While neither the meal nor the wines were knockouts, the pricing was certainly fair for what we were served.
Element 47
675 E Durant Ave
Aspen, CO
81611
(970) 920-6330
https://www.yelp.com/biz/element-47-aspen-2
**** (4 stars)
You might expect an upscale hotel like The Brown Palace to have an equally upscale dining room, but this tavern is actually more like a 60s BBQ joint. The entree selection is somewhat limited, but there are lots of sandwiches and sports-bar-like appetizers. The prime rib was truly delicious, and they make a great burger. There is also a nice selection of whiskey. Service was friendly and helpful.
Ship Tavern
321 17th St
Denver, CO
80202
(303) 297-3111
https://www.yelp.com/biz/ship-tavern-denver-5
*** (3 stars)
Back when there weren’t many Tex Mex restaurants in town, we used to go here all the time. (Actually, our history goes back far longer, because back in the 80s this was our Sun Bank!) But somehow it fell off our radar, and we hadn’t been in years. We were surprised to discover the extensive remodel, which involved moving the door and making the bar area much larger and better than it used to be.
Unfortunately, the food hasn’t improved along with the decor. We shared an appetizer sampler, and it was pretty ho-hum. To give you an idea of how far this place has strayed from Mexican or Tex-Mex, the best thing on the platter was Buffalo wings. And, oddly, every single item included chicken, so that’s not really much of a sampler, is it?
The highlight was the house margarita, which was an excellent blend of balanced ingredients. Service was friendly and professional.
Chevys Fresh Mex
12547 State Rd 535
Lake Buena Vista, FL
32836
(407) 827-1052
https://www.yelp.com/biz/chevys-fresh-mex-lake-buena-vista
**** (4 stars)
This location is a bit of dejavu, since it is almost the same as the previous Bar Louie on Sand Lake Road. No doubt this is a better spot for the evening tourist trade. The large bar makes it good for groups, and the many roll-up doors are nice on cooler evenings. The menu is the same as other Bar Louies, with a mix of bar foods and burgers. A few of my favorite items from the past have disappeared or been simplified, but it’s still probably one of the better choices in the tourist corridor.
Bar Louie – I-Drive
8510 International Dr
Orlando, FL
32819
(407) 553-8502
https://www.yelp.com/biz/bar-louie-i-drive-orlando
**** (4 stars)
For a chain restaurant, there are some surprisingly authentic Carribean dishes in the Bahama Breeze menu. I visited the original location when they first opened and thought it was just okay, but a recent visit to this larger venue was more impressive.
There are standard sports bar-like items, of course, including an appetizer sampler that had some nicely fried coconut shrimp and onion rings. But there are also authentically seasoned items such as the goat curry bowl, which I thought was excellent. Best of all, unlike traditional goat curry, there were no bones!
My favorite item was a drink sampler that included 8 different tropical and tiki-style drinks. They were large enough that the assortment is intended for more than one person. Since I’ve recently been researching tiki drinks at some of the country’s top tiki bars, I wasn’t expecting them to be as good as they were. There were excellent examples of a Zombie, Painkiller, and Dark and Stormy, among others. At about $26 it was a good deal.
Service late at night seemed a bit harried, but was friendly. The restaurant is very large, nicely decorated, and there is a large outside dining area with live music.
Bahama Breeze
8735 Vineland Ave
Orlando, FL
32821
+1-407-938-9010
https://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/bahama-breeze-orlando-3
El Topo
Peruvian sea scallops
Kanpachi, yellowtail and yellowtail ceviche
Pumpkin spice old fashioned for Thanksgiving!
Interior
**** (4 stars)
Very good sushi with a slight Peruvian spin, such as the sauces used for the sashimi preparations. Fish quality was good, and service was friendly. Chill vibe.
SUSHISAMBA – Las Vegas
3327 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV
89109
(702) 607-0700
https://www.yelp.com/biz/sushisamba-las-vegas-las-vegas