Jim's

 

Our ninth entry takes us to another San Antonio tradition, Jim's. Jims started back in 1947 as the Frontier Drive-in when a young Jim Hasslocher and a business partner started to sell char-broiled hamburgers to customers at Brackenridge Park. 63 years later Jim's has 20 locations in south and central Texas with the goal of good food, low prices, and great service in mind. Jim's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to thousands of people 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This entry puts the location on Hwy 281 and 1000 Oaks to the test, lets see how they did.

What we ordered:

This time around was the family meal after Church, so there were a few more people involved. First off we started off with the fried mushrooms, these are some of my favorite appetizers that Jim's has to offer. Breaded and fried to a delicious golden brown, these mushrooms are big and juicy with a meaty flavor that I enjoy. Served with cream gravy as well these were really good, too bad there were so many people today I really could have enjoyed a couple more... Next off for me was a cup of their famous tortilla soup. The soup comes adorned with strips of fried corn tortillas, chicken, and shredded cheese. All of these things make an awesome soup that is enjoyed almost every time I eat here. For my main course, and what seemed to be everyone's choice today was the club sandwich. The club sandwich is served with thinly sliced ham and turkey, bacon, lettuce and tomato round out this sandwich and your choice of thin cut fries or hand-breaded onion rings finish off the plate. Everyone except my Grandmother got this same sandwich, I guess great minds think alike...

Grades:

Service: B+ I give this score not only on this visit, if I were to do that I would give this an A-. I will be honest and let you guys know that I have not had the best experiences at this particular location. So a B+ is all I could muster today. 9 times out of 10 the location is understaffed and the waitstaff that is there is not the best. The food quality is still good if you can get it correctly the first time. Maybe its just bad luck on my part, I dont know.

Pricing: A+ Jim's has always provided good food at low prices, I can never complain about the price at Jim's. 

Restaurant Cleanliness: B+ I think this has something to do with the service issues I have experienced in the past. I believe that Jim's has bussers on hand at the busy times of the day, but when I go at off-hours there seems to be dirty tables, or straw wrappers on the floor, or something that could be taken care of if the waitstaff was more efficient with their time. As far as food safety issues go, Jim's does do a good job with that. I do feel comfortable consuming the food I get here.

Overall Satisfaction: A- Pros: Great food, great price. Cons: sub-par service, and marginal cleanliness at this particular location. I like Jim's as a whole, but this location I waver on. Reluctantly I do end up at this location and I guess I will just deal with it.


For more information about Jim's go check out their website at http://www.jimsrestaurants.com/

HuHot Mongolian Grill

Here we are, back again. This entry is going to take you all to HuHot Mongolian Grill. A Mongolian Grill basically has no boundaries, you pick what you want to eat, pick your sauces for your meal, give it to the chefs to cook, and enjoy, repeat until full. HuHot does offer a few regular menu items for your enjoyment, but the main focus of your dining experience is the grill. Tonight we visited San Antonio's only location which is at the corner of DeZevala Rd and I H 10 East.

 

What We Ordered:

Tonight's section is a little different as there were several plates involved and each one was different. The layout of HuHot starts with the protein area where all types of meats are available, from beef and chicken to sea scallops and mussels are there for the picking, load them in your bowl and proceed to the veggies. Now at the veggie bar there are various types of items such as broccoli and bean sprouts to baby corn and watercress. 

The options here are various and delicious, but you are not done, get over to the sauce area to complete your custom plate. The sauce area in my opinion can either make or break your meal, the good thing is that HuHot has detailed instructions above the bar to guide you along the way. If you are wanting something specific such as sweet and sour, or teriyaki, you are good to go. 

Grades:

Service: A Basically since Im doing the majority of the work, the waitstaff just has to keep the dirty plates off of my table and keep my glass of tea full. This visit it was done at a rapid place.

Price: A The pricing is good for an all-you-can-eat places, I always look at it from the standpoint of the more I get to eat, the lower the cost-per-plate to me is. 

Restaurant Cleanliness: A This is a new grading point on my blog. Since I work in the food industry I tend to look at this a little more closely. HuHut was clean, the carpet was swept and vacuumed, and the tables were wiped down. One thing with HuHot I do cut some slack towards the buffet station, most of the food is raw and people due tend to drop things when they are putting their plates together, but the HuHot staff does a great job of food safety and cleanliness

Overall Satisfaction: A HuHot provided me a good meal and good service, the chefs at the station were friendly and the waitstaff did a good job. Ill visit them again.

For more information about HuHot Mongolian Grill, head on over to http://www.huhot.com/

Sea Island Shrimp House

This evenings entry takes us to yet another San Antonio tradition, Sea Island Shrimp House. Sea Island Shrimp House, or Sea Island for short started its first location back in 1965 by the Anthony family. While this venture was new for the Anthony family this was not the first. The Anthony family actually owned a small restaurant called the Manhattan in downtown San Antonio. Although successful, the family chose to start a seafood concept and Sea Island was born. Sea Island has grown from its original location off of Rector and San Pedro to six locations across the city. Tonight Megan and I chose the original one.

 

What We Ordered

Megan went with the Lot O' Shrimp platter this evening. Her meal consisted of 8 golden fried shrimp and fries. The one thing about Sea Island I have always enjoyed is the quality. Low grade seafood is very easy for me to notice and I have never had that issue here, EVER. With every meal just like this one the shrimp were perfectly fried, and fresh. Freshness in items such as shrimp and fish are very easy to tell and sometimes other places, even national chain restaurants can get this wrong, but not here. I had the seafood platter which also has perfectly fried shrimp, but it also came with fried oysters, fried sea scallops, a fried fish filet and a deviled crab. Both of our entrees come with homemade hush puppies and you also can grab all the homemade tartar sauce and cocktail sauce as you can get. The portions are more than adequate and you walk out feeling full but not overfull. 

I will be completely honest and tell everyone that Sea Island is one of my favorite places to eat. The Value is great, portions are good, service is always good, and I am always happy when I leave here.

Grades: 

Service: A The service at Sea Island is good, basically you order at the cashier and the waitstaff keeps your drinks full. Like in previous posts my tea glass was always full, and I was pleased with the associate grabbing me another cocktail sauce for me when I needed it.

Price: A+ The price you pay for the quality you get is great here. FRESH, well prepared, seafood at this price is hard to find close to the water, nevermind 150 miles away...

Overall Satisfaction: A+ Again, one of my favorite places to eat. They have a reputation across the city and the folks at Sea Island continue to keep that up every day.

For more information go check them out online at http://www.shrimphouse.com/

Las Palapas

Tonights entry takes us to a San Antonio favorite, Las Palapas. Las Palapas started in as a San Antonio eatery back in 1981. The owners were transplants from east Los Angeles who brought southern Californian recipies and melded them with local Tex-Mex flair to create what they are today. Las Palapas has many locations across San Antonio, but this night we went to the location off of Tezel Rd.

We arrived to this Las Palapas location and to our surprise they weren't as busy as we thought, good for us as we walked right in and sat wherever we wanted. Once we sat we got the standard chips and homemade salsa. Las Palapas offers a choice of the regular fresh tomato salsa or their homemade roasted recipe. Im a fresh tomato salsa guy so that is what we chose. Fresh cilantro, garlic and tomatoes make the salsa light and the jalapenos bring a light heat that doesn't burn your tongue to the point that you cannot enjoy your meal. 

What we ordered

We started off with the bean and cheese nachos. These are pretty basic fare here, corn chips with refried beans and American cheese. One of the things I take notice of when I got to places that serve Mexican cuisine is what kind of cheese they use, American cheese doesn't have the oily, greasy melting properties like cheddar cheese does. While this might not bother many, it is something that I do take notice of. After the nachos were done our entrees arrived. Megan got the flautas and a bowl of the Caldo de Pollo(chicken soup).For those that might be wondering flautas consist of shredded white meat chicken rolled in a corn tortilla and deep fried. Flautas are great for dipping in things such as guacamole, salsa or nacho cheese, or you can enjoy them just as they are. I had the Puffy Taco plate which contained 2 beef puffy tacos (chicken is also available on the menu) and rice and refried beans. In my opinion Las Palapas has the best puffy tacos that a "fast" restaurant has to offer, most places have puffy tacos that are soggy and they fall apart before you even pick them up to eat, these hold together and you can enjoy them like you are supposed to. Also the picadillo (ground beef) that is in the tacos is well seasoned and I really enjoyed the Puffy Taco plate. 

Grades

Service: A   The service at this location was good, the waiter, although young, did a great job of making sure we were doing alright and keeping my glass of tea and Megans glass of water filled. Service at Las Palapas in general is always pretty good and its one of the reasons that we go there over some other places that are in the same genere.

Price: A Las Palapas has actually LOWERED prices... With the cost of food escalating to borderline ridiculous its a nice thing for Las Palapas to do this.

Overall Satisfaction: A I have always been a fan of Las Palapas and with 11 location across San Antonio and the surrounding its easy to say that I will return to get different items on the menu and share them with you guys.

Go visit Las Palapas online at http://mylaspalapas.com/

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers

Every Sunday after Church my family and I go out to lunch, today we chose Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. 

Red Robin started in Seattle Washington back in 1969. Since then they have grown to 450 locations across the U.S. and Canada. Red Robin specializes in "Gourmet" hamburgers. Specailized toppings such as pineapple, fried onion strings, steaksauce, and avocados are the norm here. Also gourmet cheeses are a big deal here as well with choices such as bleu cheese, pepper jack plus your regulars like Swiss, cheddar, and American for your choosing.

What we ordered:

This Sunday I ordered the Banzai Burger, this is a true gourmet burger in the fact that there are two pineapple rings between the meat and bun. I like this burger because of the sweet/sour mix of the pineapple and the saltiness of the meat. One of the things that I like about Red Robin is that you can get your burger cooked to your liking. Most places tend to overcook the meat and therefore dry it out. I ordered mine hamburger medium so the meat was still juicy and wasn't overdone. Megan ordered the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Sandwich which she enjoyed and my father had the Red Robin Burger. 

Another thing that makes Red Robin unique is that you get all you can eat fries with your meal. Usually I never get to a second helping because of the size of the burger, but it is nice to know that there are more fries available if I am still hungry.

 

Grades:

Service: A  As you know by now Im pretty easy to please, my tea was always filled, our food was delivered in a timely manner, no complaints here.

Price: A Good food at a good price, there is a reason Red Robin is as successful as they are.

Overall Satisfaction: A Red Robin is as consistant as it gets, and thats a good thing for me. Ill be back again.

Dough Pizzeira Napoletana

Next up on the list is Dough Pizzeria Napoletana. Dough was founded in November 2007 by Doug Horn and his wife, Lori. Since then they have been putting out authentic artisan pizzas that have received accolades both locally and nationally. Dough is a special place as it is one of only 32 restaurants in the US to receive the L'Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana certification for serving authentic Pizza Napoletana.

We arrived at Dough to find the place packed with customers, in my opinion that is always a good sign. People wont crowd a restaurant if the food isnt good. This put my mind a little at ease since this was my first time there. I'm always a little uneasy when I first try a new place to eat and there are no customers during the standard "dinner time" that's never a good sign and I'm glad that was not the case when we got there.

We were greeted by the hostess and we were notified that it would be a little over an hour for the wait, most of the time that is too long for me to wait, but after seeing how packed the place was I chose to stay, and I'm really glad we did. After a few names were called, we found a spot to sit in the waiting section outside of the restaurant. While seated they brought us a glass bottle of in-house filtered water and some glasses so we would have something to drink while we waited. Finally, our name was called, much sooner than we were told and we were seated. Once inside the place we noticed a very extensive wine selection, a true Italian pizza oven flown in from Napels, Italy, along with a mozzarella bar and a pizza bar. I thought it was very cool to watch everything being made right in front of you. 

After our table was ready, we were greeted by our waiter, who was very friendly and also very knowledgeable about all of the pizzas on the menu. Since it was our first time there he walked us through the menu and answered the questons we had very well with detailed explanations on any of the menu items we asked him about

What We Ordered:


Dough prides itself on most every item being made in-house. Megan had a peach Italian soda to drink, and from the sip that I stole from her, it was amazing. 

For starters we went with the Rollatini, with fresh, hand made daily mozzarella. This was extremely well executed and if it was the main course, I would have been satisfied right there. We also tried the flatbread and it too was really well done, it was well seasoned with truffle oil and sea salt, a perfect way to start your meal off.

Between myself, my girlfriend Megan, and my buddy Jake we decided to get two pizzas. Again, with the assistance of our server we went with the Pancetta and the Arugula and Prosciutto Pizzas. The Pancetta was very good, the sauce was light and delicious. The pancetta was well done along with the home made mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano provided a great balance atop the homemade pizza dough. The Arugula and Prosciutto pizza was my personal favorite though. The pizza was piled high with peppery arugula and the prosciutto was top notch, the pizza was light and delicious, I had 2 slices of this one and I wish I had more, it really was that good. I will be sure to get this one again.

 

Grades

Service: A+ For our first time there, our server was extremely helpful and guided us to decisions that I'm glad we made, also the restaurant manager checked on us a few times to make sure our dining experience was enjoyable.

Price: A- Dough was a little steep as far as other pizza places go, but you must factor in that everything that went across my plate this evening was hand made in house. For me there was still value in the quality that we had.

Overall Satisfaction: A+ Great food, great service, great quality equals an A+ from me, I will most assuredly be back, and back often. You could really tell that the owner and staff were truly passionate about serving true pizza to its customers.

For more information and a look at the menus visit them at http://www.doughpizzeria.com/

Pluckers Wing Bar

Tonights entry takes us north of San Antonio to San Marcos for a visit to Pluckers Wing Bar. Pluckers is a wingery that is unavailable to us here in San Antonio, but is worth the drive up IH 35 to San Marcos for a visit.

The idea of Pluckers started back in 1991 by two guys that couldn't find a good "wing" place in Austin while attending the University of Texas. After a few years of research they opened their first location in 1995 and havent stopped making what are in my opinion the best wings around since.

How I discovered Pluckers.


On a trip home from Dallas after attending a sneaker show, my friend and I, Jake Danklefs decided to try something new. He and I drove past this place on the way up to Dallas and I had remarked that I wanted to try it. Little did we know that it would be a place we would become quite familiar with in the months to come.

The "Monthly Wing Meeting"

After Jake and I discovered Pluckers, we had to spread the word. We told some friends about this place and what they had to offer. We also told them of the all you can eat special every Monday from open to close, I think that is what swayed their decision more than anything. After the first trip our friends were hooked and the "Monthly Wing Meeting" was born. The first Monday of every month we head up north to get our "wing-on".

Atmosphere

As most wing places go this one fits right in, this location is themed by Texas State University decor since that is the major thing going on in town. Flat screen televisions playing everything from the NBA Playoffs to NHL Playoffs and some early season MLB are all around. Pretty typical of most places like this.




Wings

The way that the all you can eat special works out is that they start you out with 20 wings and the option of two flavors. Pluckers carries the regular wing flavors like mild, medium, and hot along with a slew of specialty recipes such as Lemon Pepper, Dr. Pepper, Sesame, and Cajun. The wing sizes are large comapred to other places I have tried which is a good thing. Is not satisfying to pay a price for wings and have small amounts of meat on them, these are quite the contrary. For tonights selections I started with the dry rub Cajun flavor and experimented with a new sauce called Spicy Lemon Pepper. I have had the Cajun in the past and it is one of my favorites, good seasoning with not a lot of spice which makes it easy to eat. The Spicy Lemon Pepper is a new flavor that was added to the menu this month combining the Buffalo Medium sauce with the Lemon Pepper. The heat factor was good with a strong lemon punch at the end, I liked it and will probably order it again. After I finished the first 20 wings I got a refill of 10 with my favorite Sesame sauce. The Sesame is right out of a Chinese restaurant complete with the seeds sprinkled atop the wings. The others at my table tried the new Garlic Parmesan flavor and while not terrible they both commented that it wasn't their favorite. Other flavors that were seen at our table were Honey BBQ and the mustard based Goldrush.




Sweet Tea

Another great thing about Pluckers is their sweet tea, served in a mason jar it is another great thing about the place. The sweet tea is some of the best you will get outside of your grandmas kitchen. If you go, get it, thats all I can say.




Grades

Service: A+ My mason jar of sweet tea is never empty, even on the busiest of nights, food is served to you in a VERY timely manner. I have never had a complaint there, ever.

Price: A All you can eat wings for $14.99, a deal any day...

Overall Satisfaction: A+ Great atmosphere, a TV playing sports at any viewing angle, fast service. all of those things earn a high score with me

For more information about Pluckers, visit their website at www.pluckers.com

MK Davis

So our journey begins at a local tradition unlike any other... MK Davis. MK Davis is located at 1302 North Flores street near downtown San Antonio. MK Davis has been a food staple of San Antonians since 1957, serving everything from seafood to chicken fried steaks and most importantly CRISPY DOGS!


When you arrive at MK Davis you are instantly greeted with a sense of yesterday. The decor at the restaurant is like a time warp to my parents house when I was growing up there. Wood paneling and velvet wallpaper cover areas of the place, while probably outdated, it makes me reminisce of my childhood. The furniture is basic but again a point of interest for me, big heavy hand engraved chairs adorn the matching wood tables. This place is also lit with neon signs promoting various beers and logos of the 4 time NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs.

 Now on to the most important part, the food...

I was not alone on my first adventure, I was dining with my girlfriend Megan this evening as this was her first experience at MK Davis. She ordered the fried shrimp plate while I kept it simple and ordered the chicken fried steak. But the real reason I chose to dine at MK Davis is the crispy dogs...

What is a crispy dog?

A crispy dog is a beautiful thing in its simplicity, basically it is a hot dog, filled with cheese, rolled in a corn tortilla and deep fried. Thats it, nothing more... It is served in an order of 3 with a side of yellow mustard. They are delicious and they are the reason I go to MK Davis on a semi-regular basis. This is a must have if you attend.




Now on to my chicken fried steak.

San Antonio has many options as far as good chicken fried steaks are concerned, and if you follow this blog in the future you will see a few varieties here. Im pretty picky on where I get them so if you see one on here, trust me I must like it. MK Davis offers this with the standard fries and cream gravy combination as most places do. One reason why I get this item here is because the gravy and chicken fried steak mix well. Some places salt the breading and salt the gravy as well, to me this makes for an over salty not so good meal. Here it is the right amount of salt on both. Again a very solid chicken fried steak that I will come back and enjoy many times again. Megan liked her fried shrimp platter too.

One thing I am going to add to this blog is a rating system, this is totally a personal opinion that will rate service, price, and overall satisfaction. I will keep it simple and grade it on a standard school rating. So for my review on MK Davis this is how I see it...

Service: B+ The place is constantly busy, and I understand that the waitstaff is always busy too. They really do the best they can given the fact that they are slammed from open to close.

Price: A+ Great value for the dollar, huge portions for a great price. The schooners are very well priced as well. I dont drink much anymore but I know a good beer value when I see one.

Overall Satisfaction: A Again, my favorite place for crispy dogs, great value and fair service make me come back every time.