Archive for "Reviews"
Dempsey’s Burger Pub
Posted on August 1, 2015 by Ching under Food and Drink, Reviews.
Brian and I finally had a chance to try Dempsey’s a couple of weeks ago. When you enter the restaurant, you’ll notice they have an upstairs and downstairs section. Brian and I opted to go to the basement because it seemed like there was more energy down there and we wanted to be where the action was.
Here’s a picture of the upstairs. If you want to talk, it might be best to stay upstairs. Not sure if it’s that way all the time but it was pretty loud downstairs when we went.
I had the buffalo wings because I’m not really a burger person. I know. Right. Why go to a burger pub? LOL. Brian and I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about mostly.
The truffle fries were decent. They’re not as good as the ones they serve at the Anchor or Flying Stove, though.
Brian had their egg burger. It’s one of those burgers that looks so ugly that you expect it to be really good. Much like the truffle fries, it was just okay.
Overall Dempsey’s was pretty underwhelming. I’m not sure if we ordered the wrong things (although, we’ve been to restaurants before where everything’s fantastic so it didn’t matter what you ordered) or if everyone has been talking it up so much that we had unrealistic expectations. Either that, or we waited too long to check them out and they’re now in their mediocre phase. You know how that goes. Sometimes restaurants are amazing in the first couple of months but then they just kind of flatten out after a while.
On the plus side, our server was super nice and friendly. That’s not much of a differentiator, though. Maybe we’re just lucky but we get great service at most places. You really have to have great food. When we left Brian was like, “I really don’t care if we go back.” That pretty much sums the whole experience up.
Dempsey’s was just okay so Ziggy’s still rules Clifton Square as far as we’re concerned.
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Efes Restaurant
Posted on July 3, 2015 by Ching under Food and Drink, Reviews, Travel.
Darcy and I ended up at Efes on our first night in New Jersey because we didn’t want to be too far from the train station. We walked up and down the street and didn’t really find anything that appealed to us. Efes looked quaint and promising.
The naan and the sauces were good. Service was super slow, though. I was really thirsty and I think she only refilled my water once. I had to ask for a water refill and had to wait a really long time.
The hummus and falafel were good but neither Darcy nor I liked our entree, which was a bummer because it was one of the house specialties and came highly recommend by our server. We should have known she was clueless.
The description made it sound yummy and the server’s recommendation sold us. We both got the chicken dish, which Darcy describes sweet and sour chicken without the sweetness. It had a very pronounced sourness to it. Maybe we just don’t know our Turkish foods.
I wish that I would have ordered the salmon dish instead. It was that or the chicken dish. However, the chicken dish was a house specialty and our server told us it was her favorite and very popular. Usually, the house specialties are a good bet. Oh, well.
Maybe we just ordered the wrong thing because the restaurant is rated pretty well on Zagat. So disappointing.
The poor service didn’t help matters any. Our server never came unless we tried to get her attention. And, I really, really needed some water to tone down the sour flavor of the sauce. Darcy recommended just having more bread. I wanted my water, darn it!
The best part was the upside down “wash your hands” flyer in the restroom. The person who posted it couldn’t be bothered to make sure it was right side up. Seriously. You had one job! I had to take a picture.
Maybe this restaurant was good at one point but I’m guessing it’s been a long time since anyone who works there really cared.
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Family Style Italian Lunch
Posted on June 16, 2015 by Ching under Reviews.
I’m about to tell you about the best thing to happen to dining in Old Town. Gianni Bacci’s is pioneering a family style spaghetti lunch. You can find out more about it on their web site but Brian and I got to try out first hand last Saturday.
The lunch seatings are available on Fridays at noon and Saturdays and noon and 2 pm. We arrived at exactly noon so several people were already seated at the tables. There are two long tables that seat 14 each. I liked the amount of space between place settings because it didn’t feel like we were on top of each other, yet close enough to encourage conversation. Brian and I decided to sit across from each other for a change so I had strangers on either side of me. However, they didn’t feel like strangers at all.
Our meal started with an antipasti platter with prosciutto, salami, cheese, and grapes. Salad followed. It was good but I’m not much of a salad eater so I can’t comment too much on it. The main dishes were a garlic shrimp scampi with angel hair pasta and a beef penne pasta. They were both delicious. We also had some really good Italian sausage. There was plenty of food and garlic bread for everyone at the table. Several of us had seconds. I also liked that the bowls were lightweight so they were easy to pass around. For dessert we had lemon sponge cake with strawberry and whipped cream. It was so good that Brian ate it even though it wasn’t made of chocolate.
Brian tried two different beers: Sam Adam’s seasonal and the 90 Shillings IPA. He said that, of the two beer choices, he liked the 90 Shillings best. I kept it simple and just had a glass of moscato with my meal.
The service was fantastic. Steven talked to the group a little bit and the chefs even came out and were introduced. Everyone was super friendly. Not only was the food delicious, it was a great experience overall. I’m thinking that we’ll probably be back at the end of the month. We’d go back this weekend but it’s Father’s Day and my in-laws are in town.
Since seatings are limited to 28 people, I highly recommend making reservations. Just call Steven Bacci at 316-613-3350, email steven@giannibaccis.com, or reserve your spot on their web site. This is the part where I tell you how to save money on your meal. Make your reservation by emailing Steven and — this next part is very important so I’m putting it in bold type — mention that Ching sent you. By mentioning that I sent you everyone in your party gets $2 off their meal. Then use the money you saved towards wine or beer and enjoy a fabulous meal!
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Because We Absolutely Love Food
Posted on February 7, 2015 by Ching under Food and Drink, Reviews.
Because we love food, here are some more food pictures for you. These pictures are from our dinner with Jim and Karen (aka our favorite neighbors) last Saturday at Cy’s Hoof & Horn in Sedgwick.
Brian had the chicken fried steak. It was big enough for three people to share and it was fantastic. The breading had excellent flavor and texture. This was easily the best chicken fried steak I’d ever had.
I’m totally getting it on our next trip there.
Jim had the prime rib, which is on special every Saturday. I hear that it is amazing.
Karen and I both had the filet.
I’m not much of a steak eater but my filet was perfect. I asked for it medium well because I don’t like any pink in my steak. My steak was pretty darn good. I didn’t even need any steak sauce.
For dessert we got to try their lemon merengue and chocolate pies. Both were very good.
Cy’s Hoof & Horn is known by many names. I’ve heard it referred to as Cy’s Place or just Hoof & Horn. The sign out front reads The Hoof & Horn Supper Club.
That’s also the name listed on the menu.
We arrived a little after five thirty, which seemed to be the perfect time. More diners arrived shortly after and the place started to get pretty busy.
Here’s a picture of Brian with our neighbors Jim and Karen.
This is only the second time we’ve been out to dinner with Jim and Karen but we really enjoy their company. We had good conversation and the food was great. I’m really glad they recommended Cy’s Place or Hoof & Horn – whatever you want to call it.
The food is so good that we can’t wait to return. We are definitely taking Brian’s parents there on their next trip to Wichita. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend going. It may take 30-45 minutes to get there depending on where you live in Wichita, but it is totally worth the drive.
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Meddys
Posted on December 7, 2014 by Ching under Reviews.
Meddys opened a few months ago at the old Jimmy’s Egg location on Harry and Rock Road. However, we didn’t learn about it until after Lights on the Lake. We were super impressed with food at the event that we had to track down the caterer. That’s how we found out about Meddys.
We try not to eat out too often but we’ve been really lazy about cooking at home the last few months and it’s hard to resist a good hummus. LOL. Plus, it’s located in our section of town so we couldn’t not check it out.
Here are some pictures of the restaurant:
What I like most about Meddys is the simplicity of their menu.
You don’t have to spend a half an hour trying to decide what to have. Also, the sides are all $1.99 which beats any super value menu at any fast food restaurant.
Brian got the creamy tomato soup, which he had a chance to try and liked at the fundraising event.
He also got a chicken shawarma wrap and a side of shoe string fries.
I love skinny fries so they already got me. Brian prefers the fat, steak fries.
For dinner I had the beef shawarma bowl. I had to fish out the onions, which I don’t like, but it was great other than that. I’m not really that hard to please. You give me some meat and some rice, and I’m good to go.
Brian, on the other hand, wasn’t easily impressed. He felt that the quality of the food fell short of the restaurant’s promise. I would have to agree with Brian. Meddys is great but, if you have the opportunity to try their catering, it is way better. I wonder if different cooks prepare the catering food than the ones that cook at the restaurant on a regular basis. I still think it’s good either way, but Brian was really disappointed because he expected the food to be just as good (if not better) than the food at Lights on the Lake.
For me, if you have good food and good prices, you’re already winning. For instance, a couple of people can share the $1.99 hummus and call it good. They give you lots of pita. More than enough to share. Maybe that’s just me because I find hummus really filling.
If you want something more substantial, you can get the shawarma and hummus plate for $7.99. It’s enough to feed two hungry people. Where else can you eat well for that cheap (without resorting to ordering from a super value menu)? Nowhere.
Thank you, Meddys, for giving me another reason not to cook.
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