Olive Garden

http://www.olivegarden.com/default_f.asp
4240 BELTLINE RD

ADDISON TX 75001

Rod and I had a wonderful lunch out at Olive Garden today. We have been seeing the comercials about the never ending bowls of pasta and wanted to give them a try.

I really enjoy how thi restaurant is decoreated. Wine bottles all over the place how could that be anything but good? :0)

They have a wonderful garden salad with all the things I think should be in a salad and they will grate cheese in it if you like at your table. (unlimited refills)

Delicious warm garlic bread. (unlimited refills)

I think it is a wonderful mix of lettuce, tomatoe, shredded carrots, onion and black olives (which are my favorite) with crunchy crutons tossed in.

Sometimes I like to have black pepper sprinkled on it but not today.

Rod's first order was the whole wheat linguine with creamy parmesan portobello.

Topped with shredded parmesan. I did get a bite and it was so yummy!

I thought the noodles would be grainy but they weren't. It was really a delicious dish, the parmesan sauce was just loaded with portobello mushrooms.

I ordered angel hair pasta with the chianti sauce on one side and the parmesan portobello on the other.

I mixed the two together to make a "pink" sauce. My friend Lynn got me hooked on it.

Rod's second order was fettuccine with alfredo sauce.

It was totally yummy!

My second order was penne with the five cheese marinara. I just loved it, couldn't eat it all so brought it home.

Loved the little chunks of tomotoes in it.

It was nice that they had people coming by to see if you wanted a refill. I hate my glass being empty and having to wait to get it refilled.

Piccoli Dolci "little dessert treats".

Amaretto Tiramisu with Almond Cookie Crumble

This one had a wonderful flavor but I didn't like the cookie they had at the bottom.

Limoncello Mousse with Vanilla Cookie Crust

This is the favorite of the three that we picked.

 

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse & Caramel Cream

This one was okay. The boys would haved liked it best but it just didn't have any "pop".

Our waitress was just wonderful!



Poor Girls Cafe

1010 E. Main Street
Davis, Oklahoma 73030

Stopped off at this cute little cafe after spending the day at Turner Falls. Rod had eaten here before but it was my first time.

The commodes as planters was just so "redneck" I couldn't wait to see the inside.

I chose the Poor Girl Scrambler. It is a meat lovers delight with sausage, bacon and ham on the side and in the eggs. The hashbrowns were perfect, golden brown on the outside and nice and soft in the center.

I just added a little pepper to mine then dug in. I couldn't eat it all because I wanted to save room for the lemon pie.

The gravy doesn't have meat in it so if you know anyone that's a vegetarian I think they will be pleased if they stop here.

Rod had the cheese omlette, hashbrowns, buscuits and gravy.

The lemon pie was perfect from the homemade crust to the whipped cream on top. I loved it!

The pecan pie was another yummy dessert that we tried. The thick filling was so good I had to lick the fork.

I can't wait till our next visit to Turner Falls and Poor Girls Cafe. I think I am trying the burgers next time.

Babe's; Carrollton, Texas

http://www.babeschicken.com/Babes-Chicken-Dinner-House-Carrollton.html
1006 West Main

Carrollton, Texas 75006

My friends Genia and Marc went to Babe's with me to have some of their wonderful fried foods.

There is seating outside if you like.

But we chose to sit inside as it's still really hot out.

Sitting inside is nice and cool but the music is a bit too loud for me and it was really dark. I had to stop when I stepped in to let my eyes adjust to it.

The salad was okay and if you are one of those that likes just lettuce, like my nine year old, then you will love it. I still felt that a nice cucumber would be good with it.

The green beans  had a great flavor but I felt they were over cooked. They were really quite soft.

The sweet corn was just yummy with just the right amount of butter added to them.

The fresh buscuits were fabulous especially when I added honey to it. :0)

The gravy and mashed potatoes were the best. We had the waitress bring several bowls of them.

I picked chicken fried steak and Genia and Marc picked the chicken. They were very kind to let me get in a few shots before it was devoured. :0)

It was quite the home style meal and very enjoyable. I will be back to try another fried temptation as I still haven't tried thier fish.

The mashed potatoes were just right and perfect for dipping my chicken fried steak into.

The fried chicken was a wonderful golden brown and nice and juicy on the inside.

I loved the lemon meringue pie.  It tasted like a lemon had been fresh squeezed in every bite. I am not a big fan of meringue so I gave it to Marc. He loved adding it to his chocolate pie.

Genia picked the banana pudding which I did get a tasty bite of. It was wonderful, just like my mom would have made.

Marc had the chocolate pie which was yummy and rich. It made me long for a big glass of milk. :0)

The price isn't too bad, the three of us ate for under $50.00 and that is including tip.

The waitresses are friendly and work really hard making sure you have what you need.

Ruchi Palace; Carrollton, Texas

http://www.ruchipalace.com/
3128 E Trinity Mills Rd

Carrollton, TX 75006

We went here once for lunch, I was so disapointed in the food. The only thing I truely liked was one of the chutnies. Well, the naan was good too. (Which is a really yummy flat bread.) The service was excellent, as they made me feel like they were happy to have my there, but the tea was bitter to me. Even the salad was anemic looking. We had their buffet and it just seemed like everything had way too much curry. (Or atleast it did for me and I have been to the Clay Pit and love their food.) They really fail on trying to make it a warm inviting place to eat as well. I will try and get by there and get a picture of the outside but I just don't know if I can give them a second try when I know I can go to Addison and have a wonderful meal at The Clay Pit or Dimassi's. time will tell.

Schlotzsky's Deli

http://www.schlotzskys.com/
2661 Midway Road Suite 214, Carrollton, Texas 75006

Since Rod still wasn't feeling too good we opted for soup and sandwich this day. After a few minutes of hunting on the net and calling to see what kind of vegetarian soups were available Schlotzsky's won.

I really liked the display of all their breads. The sourdough is the one I pick the most. I just like the taste and texture of it with the dark rye comint in as second choice. I would love a sourdough and rye swirl but it's not offered yet. :o)

This place was really clean. This is only my second visit here but the last time it was really nice as well.

The decoration of the place is nice and reminds me of an old general store. I liked all the wood accents they had.

 Broccoli cheese was one of three they offered today. It is served really hot so becareful not to burn your tongue. The flavor is really good, nice and creamy my only complaint would be that I wish the broccoli was a little bigger. Other than that it was a perfect soup.

 My order was a Tulsa Two Step today. It is angus roast beef, bacon, cheddar cheese, and red onion topped with hickory sauce and served on toasted Sourdough bread.

 The red onion wasn't piled on, just enough for nice add of flavor.

Schlotzsky's sandwiches are quite a handful. :o) 

 Rod ordered the Fresh Veggie sandwich. I didn't get a chance to try it but it looked yummy. They put cheddar cheese, cucumber slices, red onion, tomato and lettuce with fat-free spicy ranch dressing and black olives on a toasted wheat bread usually but Rod picked sourdough like me.

The dressing wasn't too spicy just added a nice zip to the sandwich.  

They really pile on the veggies.  

 You can sit at a table, bar or outside here. Since it was raining this day we chose inside at a table. I can't wait to go back and try one of their pizzas.

Sweet Basil

sweetbasilitalian.com
17610 Midway Road, Dallas, TX 75287

Rod and I have driven by this place many times and have always said we would try it out. Our friend Michael suggested it one evening so we went. The prices are expensive for what they serve. None of it tasted fresh. I ordered the Mozzarella Fritta and was expecting more than what I could go pick up myself at Wal Mart for the $5.95 that I spent on them. They were small and tasted like frozen food.

My main course was Chicken Parmigiana which was okay but way over priced for what it was and the portion size. At the high cost of $13.99 I expected freshly made but got what I consider poorly prepared. I seriously could have gotten better at Kroger frozen foods isle and have. I had coffee with my meal and it was okay, not bitter. They have an extensive wine list and maybe I should have had some with my meal to make it more palatable but I usually don't drink out. My dessert was tiramisu and again tasted like something out of a box but was the best thing I tasted all evening. Honestly, my boys have made better foods.

I will get a picture of the place eventually up, but since I will never be wasting my money on their food again photos of it will not be forth coming. I wish I had taken my camera with me that night but it was before I had started my blog.

The restaurant was cozy and clean but I felt the tables were too close together and our server forgot about us after serving the food. I had to call him over to get a second cup of coffee.

I hope this keeps you from making the mistake of going with high expectations of their food. Go to Kroger or Wal Mart and buy Buitoni frozen foods you will like it better and spend less money.

Whataburger

http://www.whataburger.com/
18253 Marsh Lane

Dallas, TX 75287-5704

One night after work I was craving a hambuger and my favorite has always been from Whataburger. I picked a number 2 without onions and onion rings. I had the combo because I didn't want to make tea when I reached home. I also ordered an apple pie.

The place looked clean from where I was.

The onion rings were good and the burger was alright except for the wilted lettuce on it. Also I didn't get that pie that I ordered. Always check your bag before you leave. I usually do but I was tired and I thought since I went inside and ordered it would be fine. No, I didn't go back to get the .99 cent pie, it just wasn't worth it.

There were five pieces of wilted lettuce on my sandwich. If I get the same the next time I go I may not be going back to this Whataburger again.