Tag Archive | restaurant

Restaurant.com

Restaurant.com claims that you can get the best deals on the web by using their website. Having used their website, sometimes I got good deals and other times, it was a different story.

The normal cost of the certificates I have seen range from $5 – $40. The value may be $15 – $200. The way it works is that you pay a price for value at that restaurant. For example, I saw a “$25 off of $35 purchase” certificate that cost $10. At first glance this is a great deal. But you have to read the small print to see what is not included from the menu. Also, tax and 18% gratuity is added before deducting the certificate value.

Even if you only purchase $35 worth of food, your out of pocket costs at the restaurant will still be about $20. Add that to what you paid for the certificate, and your total out of pocket cost is $30. In essence, you only saved $5 by going through Restaurant.com. It is true that you still saved some money, but what the time and effort worth it? It depends on what you wanted.

When I went to San Francisco, I planned my dinners around what certificates I had. Since I did not know where I wanted to eat, I checked Restaurant.com, looked over the restaurant menus, and other websites for restaurant reviews. When I go to Atlanta, I check to see what is available also. If I have a taste for a certain cuisine, I might check to see what restaurants they have. Since I am not saving an extreme amount of money, I look at the certificate value also.

The bottom line is that if I am going to a restaurant with a coupon (which is what this essentially is), I want to feel as if I am getting some savings. If I have to pay a lot (yes, this is arbitrary and can mean different things to different people) in my opinion, the whole certificate purchasing process is not worth it. The way that I try to maximize my deal is to buy the certificates on sale. They regularly have 70% and 80% off certificates prices. Instead of paying $10, I would pay $2 or $3 for a certificate with $25 value. However, for many of the fancier restaurants, the promo codes do not apply.

I recommend using Restaurant.com but do the math first to make sure you are mentally prepared for what you will have to pay at the restaurant. Using their certificates does not slash your restaurant cost drastically, but it will reduce them.

Farmer’s Shed – Lexington SC

Feb8

Farmer’s Shed is another triple D (Diners Drive-Ins and Dives) pick located in Lexington, SC

This is a Southern food joint with different meats and sides for each day Monday through Friday. The allure of this place is that it is located next to their farm where a lot of the vegetables are grown. I was fortunate to have a vacation day on a Wednesday and was able to visit. The food was so good!!!!

I ordered the cranberry pork chop because I like all things pork. I was served a thick cut pork chop with cranberry/meat broth drippings. I do not even think that is the proper way to describe it. The cranberries were not too sweet or too tart. In any case, the pork-cranberry flavors worked very well together. After I finished my plate, I wanted more. The collard greens were some of the best that I have tasted in a restaurant. I think they might even have rivaled Daddy Dz (Atlanta, GA) and that is saying a lot. Their cornbread has a little sugar on top before they bake it and so there is a little crunch on the top. It went very well with the collards. The hint of salt from the collards paired with the hint of sweet from the cornbread had my taste buds performing gymnastic flips of

joy in my mouth. At one point, I had to close my eyes to fully enjoy the experience.

If you have read any of my other posts featuring restaurants that have been featured on TV, you know that I hold the restaurants to a higher standard than normal. If a place is rumored to be so good that it is on TV, the food quality has to be perfect. Sometimes Southern food restaurants fall short because the food is not as flavorful as it appears to be on TV. I can say that is NOT the case with Farmer’s Shed. This restaurant is worth all the accolades they have received. I wished that I lived closer so that I could go there every day. I am already trying to figure out how I can get there on a Friday. There Friday menu

looks really good too.

Overall: Farmer’s Shed is definitely worth a trip! Check out their menu beforehand so that you can decide what you want to eat. Otherwise, you
might to order one of everything 😀

Filippi Pizza Grotto – Napa CA

Dec9

Filippi Pizza Grotto is an Italian food restaurant with 14 locations throughout California. We chose the Napa location because we were going to Oxbow Market across the street but wanted more filling food than a taco. And we did not want something as ordinary as a hamburger. Filippi was across the street and we decided to give it a try after looking at their menu and prices. Their prices are comparable to Olive Garden, but the food tastes way better. The amount of food that they give is also a bargain. They are serving family size dishes here. There is enough food for two especially if you do not want to have a carry out box of leftovers.

We shared the spaghetti with marinara sauce and sausage ($9.45). All the pasta dishes came with Italian rolls. The Italian roll was about the size of a hoagie roll, crusty exterior with soft white bread on the inside. They brought it to the table warm and I ate two slices before I had a chance to butter the bread. It was that good. I am a sucker for good bread.

They make their own sausage and I could taste the effort that was put into it. The casing was a little chewy, but the meat inside was well seasoned and tender. The marinara sauce was thick and chunky with a lot of tomato pieces.

Overall: This was a hearty Italian meal served with friendly service at an affordable price.

Filippi Pizza Grotto 645 First Str Napa CA

707-254-9700

Hotel Fiesole

Dec9

There is a little hotel and restaurant in Skippack, PA called Hotel Fiesole. I went there a few times for catered company dinners.
Happy hour started with an assortment of cheeses (Parmesan, Blue, Brie), cream crackers, honey, walnuts, raisins, dates, and apricots, flatbread
with hummus, chips and guacamole, and meatballs. I could not stay away from the Parmesan/honey/crackers. Such a tasty combination! The bar
served beer, wine, and basic liquor drinks (e.g. rum and coke, amaretto sour, gin and juice, gin and tonic, margarita, martini). I asked for pina colada but unfortunately they could not make because they did not have a blender >>imagine my sad face<<. I ended up ordering amaretto

sour and then margarita on the rocks.
When we were called to the dining room, the main course was served buffet style: beef in puff pastry, Parmesan encrusted salmon, green beans with walnuts, mashed potatoes. The food tasted good, but it was not food that I would have preferred if I had ordered my own meal. The quality of the food and the preparation should be applauded though.
My favorite part of the meal was dessert. They had strawberry crunch, mini fruit tarts with vanilla cream filling, chocolate covered strawberries, and brownies with walnuts. The crusts for the mini fruit tarts were thick, buttery, and flakey. The vanilla filling was creamy and the fruit on top was sweet. When I requested hot tea to drink, I like that they brought a small tea pot with hot water and a selection of Mighty Leaf teas.

Overall: The whole experience was classy and the restaurant was what I would call "quaint".

Pascal’s Cafe and Grill – Greenwood SC

Dec9

When I want to treat myself or celebrate a special occasion, one of the places I like to go is Pascal’s This restaurant is considered upscale for Greenwood. They serve French-American style cuisine. Reservations are recommended to make sure you get a table in this small restaurant because they tend to get crowded. Some people have told me that they consider Pascal’s to be pricey, but I have been to other upscale restaurants and their prices are about par for what I expect. That being said, do not try to eat here if you are on a budget because plates average prices are probably about $20.

I am not very adventurous when it comes to trying different plates on their menu because I love the pork osso bucco. The meat is so tender that it falls off the bone. The rosemary demi-glace sauce is a wonderful complement to the mashed potatoes. And the asparagus qualifies as my serving of vegetables for the day because it is served al dente without having the life cooked out of it.

I do not know how many pork osso bucco Pascal cooks each night, but I always try to get there early so that I can get my order before they run out for the night. Pork osso bucco is so delicious that even after I am full, I might try to eat a little more. The only thing that keeps me from stuffing myself is the knowledge that I will be able to eat Crème Brulée for dessert.

Pascal’s Crème Brulée rivals Maggianos. I love the textural differences of the crunch of the burnt, slightly bitter caramelized sugar mixed with the soft, sweet, creamy, vanilla custard. It is like velvet in my mouth.

Overall: The service is good. I have never had a problem with any of the waitstaff. The quality of the pork osso bucco and Crème Brulée has always been top notch for me too.