Exploring Gainesville, one might believe that it has little history, at least in a culinary sense. It seems as though sometime around the mid-70's, some enterprising young fellows looked around, realized there were no restaurants, and finally opened a few.
And that's where Louis' Lunch comes in. Opened shortly before the Great Depression, a family business for about 80 years, this is a piece of Gainesville history. And it's also incredibly easy to miss. From Main Street and University, go South on Main Street, take a Left onto 5th Avenue, and Louis Lunch will be to your left on the corner of 2nd street and 5th Avenue.
In Gainesville's downtown before downtown eventually shifted and left it behind, it is now buried amongst houses. Normally a place such as this would go out of business. But they're doing something right, and that's keeping the locals coming.
Atmosphere:
It looks it's age. Don't expect a spotless stainless steel and white tiled floor sort of place. This is a burger joint. The burger goes down on an old flat top, and the fries are fried in a pot. This is old school, and it's awesome because of that.
Service:
Friendly. We went during a very slow time, but I can't imagine they would be any less friendly while it was busy. You go up to the counter to order and they let you know when the food is done. Pretty simple stuff.
Menu:
About what you would expect. Shakes, fries, a wide variety of burgers, onion rings, and other assorted goodies.
Food:
Delicious. The fries are not seasoned heavily, so if you enjoy them salty you might want to put some on yourself. They however are fresh, hot, and enjoyable.
The burgers are fried in such a way that the edges are crispy while the interior is still juicy. It makes for a delicious burger, with plenty of onion, lettuce, tomato, and mustard. This seriously is exactly what you want from a fast food burger. It's sloppy, a little greasy, but phenomenal.
The shake was very good, though not exceptional.
Price:
Incredibly cheap. Cost is not an issue here. Bring cash though.
Overall:
Go. This is part of Gainesville's history, one that relies on customers to stick around. Try it and realize why it's been around for so long.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
The Jones
After hearing so much about this place, I was dying to try it. But I just did not have the time. With it being on the east side of Gainesville, and only being open until 3; things never worked out.
Until Shirley and I had a day off a few days ago. So, we decided we'd have lunch at this little place.
Atmosphere:
Nestled between a laundromat and a pawn shop, I'm sure it could be better. However, the inside of the shop has great art, and the place is arranged to make for a warm and inviting dining experience. The place screams having a nice breakfast and reading the paper in the morning.
Service:
Friendly, on the ball, and knowledgeable. The staff are all very helpful and made us feel welcome.
Menu:
I'll be honest, looking at the menu I was very disappointed that we had gone here for lunch instead of breakfast. The breakfast menu looks amazing! In addition to several original dishes, they have basic stuff that is "bare" and has a very low base price, which you then add accompaniments onto for an additional price. Kind of a neat concept, though I can see it being a bit frustrating for some. I'm sure the wait staff would be helpful enough to make it not a bother.
The lunch menu is your basic sandwich fare. They offer almost everything with a vegan or vegetarian option and use tempeh from Jose's Tempeh Shop. I prefer Artie's stuff, but no biggie. I ordered their tempeh reuben and Shirley ordered the tempeh samsara, which was described as the tempeh reuben on a salad.
Food:
The tempeh reuben was very good. The sauerkraut was very tasty, the tempeh was prepared well, and the bread (from Gainesville's own 2nd Street Bakery) was very good. An incredibly solid reuben. I had rice and beans as a side, and my only complaint was that it was about room temperature.
Shirley's general opinion of the tempeh samsara seemed to be that it should probably remain a sandwich. It tasted pretty good but the sandwich probably would have been better.
We had a frozen blueberry and honey mousse for dessert, and I have to say it was absolutely fantastic. Probably the highlight of the meal.
Price:
Very reasonable. Both the lunch and breakfasts can be enjoyed for under 8 dollars a person.
Overall:
I would very much like to come back here for breakfast as that seems to be the highlight of the Jones. The lunch is still worth a visit though, so don't fret if you can't make it for the breakfast. A reasonably priced, tasty, and vegetarian friendly option in east side Gainesville.
Addendum:
So, Shirley and I decided to go back to the Jones for some breakfast sooner or later, and felt it would be appropriate to put up the results of our trip for everyone. The verdict? Excellent. Gainesville has a hip, comfortable, and delicious breakfast spot in The Jones.
I ordered the Smoked Salmon Omelet, an omelet folded with red onions, dill cream cheese and smoked salmon. It was accompanied by homefries and some toast. The omelet was absolutely delicious, and the homefries were well-seasoned.
Shirley ordered The Jones Rancheros (don't kill me if I remembered this wrong!), which was very good. Definitely good for someone looking for a unique breakfast.
The Jones is open 7 days a week from 7am-3pm. Check it out.
Until Shirley and I had a day off a few days ago. So, we decided we'd have lunch at this little place.
Atmosphere:
Nestled between a laundromat and a pawn shop, I'm sure it could be better. However, the inside of the shop has great art, and the place is arranged to make for a warm and inviting dining experience. The place screams having a nice breakfast and reading the paper in the morning.
Service:
Friendly, on the ball, and knowledgeable. The staff are all very helpful and made us feel welcome.
Menu:
I'll be honest, looking at the menu I was very disappointed that we had gone here for lunch instead of breakfast. The breakfast menu looks amazing! In addition to several original dishes, they have basic stuff that is "bare" and has a very low base price, which you then add accompaniments onto for an additional price. Kind of a neat concept, though I can see it being a bit frustrating for some. I'm sure the wait staff would be helpful enough to make it not a bother.
The lunch menu is your basic sandwich fare. They offer almost everything with a vegan or vegetarian option and use tempeh from Jose's Tempeh Shop. I prefer Artie's stuff, but no biggie. I ordered their tempeh reuben and Shirley ordered the tempeh samsara, which was described as the tempeh reuben on a salad.
Food:
The tempeh reuben was very good. The sauerkraut was very tasty, the tempeh was prepared well, and the bread (from Gainesville's own 2nd Street Bakery) was very good. An incredibly solid reuben. I had rice and beans as a side, and my only complaint was that it was about room temperature.
Shirley's general opinion of the tempeh samsara seemed to be that it should probably remain a sandwich. It tasted pretty good but the sandwich probably would have been better.
We had a frozen blueberry and honey mousse for dessert, and I have to say it was absolutely fantastic. Probably the highlight of the meal.
Price:
Very reasonable. Both the lunch and breakfasts can be enjoyed for under 8 dollars a person.
Overall:
I would very much like to come back here for breakfast as that seems to be the highlight of the Jones. The lunch is still worth a visit though, so don't fret if you can't make it for the breakfast. A reasonably priced, tasty, and vegetarian friendly option in east side Gainesville.
Addendum:
So, Shirley and I decided to go back to the Jones for some breakfast sooner or later, and felt it would be appropriate to put up the results of our trip for everyone. The verdict? Excellent. Gainesville has a hip, comfortable, and delicious breakfast spot in The Jones.
I ordered the Smoked Salmon Omelet, an omelet folded with red onions, dill cream cheese and smoked salmon. It was accompanied by homefries and some toast. The omelet was absolutely delicious, and the homefries were well-seasoned.
Shirley ordered The Jones Rancheros (don't kill me if I remembered this wrong!), which was very good. Definitely good for someone looking for a unique breakfast.
The Jones is open 7 days a week from 7am-3pm. Check it out.
Pho Hanoi
So there's a new pho place in town, looking to muscle in on Saigon Legend's monopoly on Vietnamese food in Gainesville. This one is on 34th street, just south of Archer Road, across from the Kangaroo. I'm a sucker for pho (pronounced fuh) of all types, and Vietnamese food is always tasty.
To the review...
Atmosphere:
Unfortunately, Pho Hanoi is in a strip mall. Restaurant owners can't really help this though, so while it's not the most scenic location you can't hold this against them. They have done a nice job on the interior, with a nice paint job and tasteful decorations. The seating is... cramped. But in a way, I think it fits. If you've never tried it, pho is an excellent hangover cure and generally good pick me up. Filing in, taking your seat next to someone else and eating seems a good part of the experience.
Service:
So-so. Friendly enough, but a bit forgetful. We received our spring rolls after the pho had been brought out and only after reminding the waiter we had ordered them. It was also only one person covering the restaurant for a little while, so it's certainly forgivable. I'm sure as this place comes into it's own and the employees gain more experience, it will improve.
One very negative point was that Shirley's pho was accompanied by a dirty soup spoon. We're talking several splotches of dried food. This is the kinda thing that can really kill a restaurant for me, so I hope that this was just a very rare mistake.
Menu:
I'll be honest and say I mostly came here for the pho. Everything else was secondary. But the quick glance at the rest of the menu showed a lot of names that are familiar to me from Saigon Legend, so I assume they are standard Vietnamese entrees. pho Hanoi offers some different choices than Saigon Legend in it's phos. They offer beef, beef tendon, tripe, chicken, and tofu as options. They also have bowls that have a combination of the beef, tendons, and tripe.
Food:
I ordered the pho with just the beef, while Shirley ordered the beef & tripe pho. The first thing that struck me upon seeing the dish was that it was not a clear broth as I am used to, you could easily tell the beef broth by it's color. It also had a stronger smell of anise than the pho at Saigon Legend. The accompaniments were the usual lime and bean sprouts, along with culantro and thai basil. This is the first time I've had thai basil in my pho, and I have to say I'm glad they include it. It's delicious.
The beef was sliced perfectly thin for the soup, and the broth was incredibly flavorful. I absolutely loved it. Shirley's pho with the tripe was very good too, and the tripe was very flavorful.
Price:
Expect a bowl of pho to run you around 7$. It's a pretty huge soup, so trust me that this is a pretty cheap meal for what you get.
Overall:
This is a promising new restaurant that offers what is currently the best pho in town. The service could stand to improve, but the quality of the food and the good prices would keep me coming back even if the service stayed the same.
To the review...
Atmosphere:
Unfortunately, Pho Hanoi is in a strip mall. Restaurant owners can't really help this though, so while it's not the most scenic location you can't hold this against them. They have done a nice job on the interior, with a nice paint job and tasteful decorations. The seating is... cramped. But in a way, I think it fits. If you've never tried it, pho is an excellent hangover cure and generally good pick me up. Filing in, taking your seat next to someone else and eating seems a good part of the experience.
Service:
So-so. Friendly enough, but a bit forgetful. We received our spring rolls after the pho had been brought out and only after reminding the waiter we had ordered them. It was also only one person covering the restaurant for a little while, so it's certainly forgivable. I'm sure as this place comes into it's own and the employees gain more experience, it will improve.
One very negative point was that Shirley's pho was accompanied by a dirty soup spoon. We're talking several splotches of dried food. This is the kinda thing that can really kill a restaurant for me, so I hope that this was just a very rare mistake.
Menu:
I'll be honest and say I mostly came here for the pho. Everything else was secondary. But the quick glance at the rest of the menu showed a lot of names that are familiar to me from Saigon Legend, so I assume they are standard Vietnamese entrees. pho Hanoi offers some different choices than Saigon Legend in it's phos. They offer beef, beef tendon, tripe, chicken, and tofu as options. They also have bowls that have a combination of the beef, tendons, and tripe.
Food:
I ordered the pho with just the beef, while Shirley ordered the beef & tripe pho. The first thing that struck me upon seeing the dish was that it was not a clear broth as I am used to, you could easily tell the beef broth by it's color. It also had a stronger smell of anise than the pho at Saigon Legend. The accompaniments were the usual lime and bean sprouts, along with culantro and thai basil. This is the first time I've had thai basil in my pho, and I have to say I'm glad they include it. It's delicious.
The beef was sliced perfectly thin for the soup, and the broth was incredibly flavorful. I absolutely loved it. Shirley's pho with the tripe was very good too, and the tripe was very flavorful.
Price:
Expect a bowl of pho to run you around 7$. It's a pretty huge soup, so trust me that this is a pretty cheap meal for what you get.
Overall:
This is a promising new restaurant that offers what is currently the best pho in town. The service could stand to improve, but the quality of the food and the good prices would keep me coming back even if the service stayed the same.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Manuel's Vintage Room
So just a couple weeks ago was my third anniversary with Shirley. We decided to make it a throwback night, to the days when we would wander downtown and pick some random place to eat at.
We couldn't quite help ourselves about looking up a few places, but I swear we didn't call ahead! We walked up Main Street past the lovely Stab n' Grab, and found ourselves by Manuel's Vintage Room. Manuel's took the place of Pio's Pasta Company, and I didn't see too much difference between the two on my first impression.
But anyways, here's my review:
Atmosphere:
Excellent. Taking a date for some Italian? Seriously, go here. Small, intimate, dim lighting. Can be a bit loud when there's groups, but it's not too bad. KItchen is slightly open, so there's something to look at.
Service:
Impressive. The waitress we had displayed a good mix of being knowledgeable and efficient while still being friendly. Food came out at a good pace, drinks were kept full, and we had a good time.
I wasn't sure to put this under service or atmosphere, but if you come during dinner you may actually see Manuel. When we walked in, he was eating his dinner in front of the kitchen, pausing a few times to get up and see how everyone in the restaurant was doing. Some might find that annoying, I found it pretty cool. Another bonus for me.
Menu:
The wine list has a decent amount of choices, but as is par for the course, everything is just too expensive to justify. I won't hold it against them, as I haven't found a place that's any better about it in Gainesville.
The menu consists of soup, salad, starters, pasta, and entrees. Fairly standard fare. The pasta is a 'create your own' deal. Normally I'm not a big fan of this, as I think it's the restaurants job to tell me what the best they have to offer is. But the waitress was good with recommending something for us, so it wasn't a big deal.
The entrees are mostly beef, veal, or fish options.
Overall, I felt the menu was balanced and offered a variety that anyone could enjoy. I find myself wanting to go back to try some things I didn't have a chance to sample.
Food:
To start the meal, we ordered 'Snails'. I guess they didn't want to call it escargot, but they prepared it very well anyways. Good texture, good amount of garlic and seasoning, very enjoyable.
For our entrees, we split one of the create your own pastas and the cognac grouper.
The pasta was served with a pesto that was very tasty, if a bit heavy on the cream.
The grouper was cooked excellently, and the sauce was delicious.
The meal was a very reasonable portion.
Price:
Moderately pricey. Appetizers go from 6-10$, Entrees from 15-20$
Overall:
The intimate atmosphere, friendly service, and the good food won me over. Definitely worth a try.
8.5/10
We couldn't quite help ourselves about looking up a few places, but I swear we didn't call ahead! We walked up Main Street past the lovely Stab n' Grab, and found ourselves by Manuel's Vintage Room. Manuel's took the place of Pio's Pasta Company, and I didn't see too much difference between the two on my first impression.
But anyways, here's my review:
Atmosphere:
Excellent. Taking a date for some Italian? Seriously, go here. Small, intimate, dim lighting. Can be a bit loud when there's groups, but it's not too bad. KItchen is slightly open, so there's something to look at.
Service:
Impressive. The waitress we had displayed a good mix of being knowledgeable and efficient while still being friendly. Food came out at a good pace, drinks were kept full, and we had a good time.
I wasn't sure to put this under service or atmosphere, but if you come during dinner you may actually see Manuel. When we walked in, he was eating his dinner in front of the kitchen, pausing a few times to get up and see how everyone in the restaurant was doing. Some might find that annoying, I found it pretty cool. Another bonus for me.
Menu:
The wine list has a decent amount of choices, but as is par for the course, everything is just too expensive to justify. I won't hold it against them, as I haven't found a place that's any better about it in Gainesville.
The menu consists of soup, salad, starters, pasta, and entrees. Fairly standard fare. The pasta is a 'create your own' deal. Normally I'm not a big fan of this, as I think it's the restaurants job to tell me what the best they have to offer is. But the waitress was good with recommending something for us, so it wasn't a big deal.
The entrees are mostly beef, veal, or fish options.
Overall, I felt the menu was balanced and offered a variety that anyone could enjoy. I find myself wanting to go back to try some things I didn't have a chance to sample.
Food:
To start the meal, we ordered 'Snails'. I guess they didn't want to call it escargot, but they prepared it very well anyways. Good texture, good amount of garlic and seasoning, very enjoyable.
For our entrees, we split one of the create your own pastas and the cognac grouper.
The pasta was served with a pesto that was very tasty, if a bit heavy on the cream.
The grouper was cooked excellently, and the sauce was delicious.
The meal was a very reasonable portion.
Price:
Moderately pricey. Appetizers go from 6-10$, Entrees from 15-20$
Overall:
The intimate atmosphere, friendly service, and the good food won me over. Definitely worth a try.
8.5/10
Monday, December 10, 2007
Lunch at Merlion Singapore Cuisine
Hi everyone, Shirley here. I'll be guestblogging while Alex deals with finals. A couple of days ago, Alex and I were hungry for something new. So we decided to try out Merlion Singapore Cuisine.
Location: On 13th street south of campus, across from the IHOP.
Now believe me when I say it may look like a total dive hiding behind some bushes, but it's actually impressive.
Atmosphere: Very clean look. We were surprised by the large amount of seating and the decor, which was simple yet elegant. There was definitely a struggle between the restaurant's ability to seat large parties and the desire to remain intimate. There were many 4-top tables in a large central area, lined by more spacious booths along one side and extra chairs and bar stools against another. There were beautiful candles and wall decorations around the room, but none were lit. I'm assuming this is because we went for lunch. Hopefully, they light the candles for dinner. I'm sure this place looks great, although too large to be romantic, at night. There also seemed to be a separate area to the left with curtains and 2 or 3 very large tables behind it. I wonder if this is a more private space for large parties, or an eating area for the people who work there?
Menu: I was personally impressed by their Afternoon Tea menu. Yes, Afternoon... Tea... MENU. If you decided to bypass a complete meal, you could pay anywhere from 7 to 15 dollars per person and enjoy a pot of delicious tea (they had at least 20 varieties listed) along with some traditional tea cakes and snacks. Great for the person who likes to eat out, but can't stand the huge portions offered in popular restaurants. I would check on the times for this before you go, I didn't note when it was available.
Alex and I ordered a pot of Rose Petal Green Tea, but went with full meals instead of the afternoon tea menu. The tea was delicious and served in a clear pot, decorated by what looked like hand-painted flowers. Rose buds floated in our green tea, which really makes you feel fancy. It was kept warm on a matching clear tea light holder. Food presentation itself was nice. Nothing too creative, but elegant nonetheless. Alex started off with the Communist Soup. Who can look at a menu, see Communist Soup, and not order it out of curiosity? It is described as a curry beef and potato soup. It tasted like a stew, but had the consistency of beef broth. It seemed like a flavorful, but light start to a meal. I had the Nyonya Veggie Soup. I was thrown off by the texture, which felt a bit like gelatin. Turns out it was textured soy protein. It tasted pretty good, but I think I'll steer clear of it next time. There was too much of an eggy taste to it, which I wasn't expecting. Not bad, but be prepared.
For his main dish, Alex had the Java Fried Rice. I had the Kung Pao Seafood. There were lots of options, even though it was the lunch menu. I would definitely go back to see their dinner menu selections. The menu was organized as multiple flavor combinations and sauces, and you could choose to put it on chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu, combination (chicken and beef) or seafood (shrimp, scallops, and octopus). I chose the Kung Pao Seafood. It was a spicy sauce with crunchy peanuts, red and green bell peppers, and of course, my seafood. The seafood seemed perfectly cooked (even the scallops), and you could tell they actually cooked it all together as opposed to just pouring sauce on a precooked seafood medley. Alex seemed to enjoy his fried rice. Our meals came with a spring roll (Alex loved it, my sentiments were "eh", so he ate mine), crab rangoon (fried wontons with crab and cream cheese), and white rice. The crab rangoon was especially good. There were plenty of other selections, including curry dishes, vegetarian dishes, appetizers, pad thai, and noodle dishes. It looks like their dinner menu even includes more "americanized" dishes (such as a Merlion burger).
Price: Great price. Keep in mind we were there for lunch, but Alex and I both ate filling meals and a great pot of tea for under $25 total. I would definitely go back. I also want to go back and try their dessert. I heard the guy in the booth next to us raving about a fried banana with ice cream. I also see fried ice cream on an online menu... mmmmm.
Service: Fast, professional. Don't expect your server to smile too much or make jokes, but you'll get your food/drinks. They're pretty attentive without being annoying (I dislike servers who ignore you, but I dislike the ones that check on you every 2 minutes more). I think they almost gave my plate to another table, but a woman came out and corrected the server before he handed it to anyone. Again, it was such fast service that this didn't even matter.
Score: Hmm, I feel like it's not my place to do scores on Alex's blog. I mean, it would be hard to compare to the other scores he's posted since we have different palettes. I would venture an 8/10 for lunch.
Location: On 13th street south of campus, across from the IHOP.
Now believe me when I say it may look like a total dive hiding behind some bushes, but it's actually impressive.
Atmosphere: Very clean look. We were surprised by the large amount of seating and the decor, which was simple yet elegant. There was definitely a struggle between the restaurant's ability to seat large parties and the desire to remain intimate. There were many 4-top tables in a large central area, lined by more spacious booths along one side and extra chairs and bar stools against another. There were beautiful candles and wall decorations around the room, but none were lit. I'm assuming this is because we went for lunch. Hopefully, they light the candles for dinner. I'm sure this place looks great, although too large to be romantic, at night. There also seemed to be a separate area to the left with curtains and 2 or 3 very large tables behind it. I wonder if this is a more private space for large parties, or an eating area for the people who work there?
Menu: I was personally impressed by their Afternoon Tea menu. Yes, Afternoon... Tea... MENU. If you decided to bypass a complete meal, you could pay anywhere from 7 to 15 dollars per person and enjoy a pot of delicious tea (they had at least 20 varieties listed) along with some traditional tea cakes and snacks. Great for the person who likes to eat out, but can't stand the huge portions offered in popular restaurants. I would check on the times for this before you go, I didn't note when it was available.
Alex and I ordered a pot of Rose Petal Green Tea, but went with full meals instead of the afternoon tea menu. The tea was delicious and served in a clear pot, decorated by what looked like hand-painted flowers. Rose buds floated in our green tea, which really makes you feel fancy. It was kept warm on a matching clear tea light holder. Food presentation itself was nice. Nothing too creative, but elegant nonetheless. Alex started off with the Communist Soup. Who can look at a menu, see Communist Soup, and not order it out of curiosity? It is described as a curry beef and potato soup. It tasted like a stew, but had the consistency of beef broth. It seemed like a flavorful, but light start to a meal. I had the Nyonya Veggie Soup. I was thrown off by the texture, which felt a bit like gelatin. Turns out it was textured soy protein. It tasted pretty good, but I think I'll steer clear of it next time. There was too much of an eggy taste to it, which I wasn't expecting. Not bad, but be prepared.
For his main dish, Alex had the Java Fried Rice. I had the Kung Pao Seafood. There were lots of options, even though it was the lunch menu. I would definitely go back to see their dinner menu selections. The menu was organized as multiple flavor combinations and sauces, and you could choose to put it on chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu, combination (chicken and beef) or seafood (shrimp, scallops, and octopus). I chose the Kung Pao Seafood. It was a spicy sauce with crunchy peanuts, red and green bell peppers, and of course, my seafood. The seafood seemed perfectly cooked (even the scallops), and you could tell they actually cooked it all together as opposed to just pouring sauce on a precooked seafood medley. Alex seemed to enjoy his fried rice. Our meals came with a spring roll (Alex loved it, my sentiments were "eh", so he ate mine), crab rangoon (fried wontons with crab and cream cheese), and white rice. The crab rangoon was especially good. There were plenty of other selections, including curry dishes, vegetarian dishes, appetizers, pad thai, and noodle dishes. It looks like their dinner menu even includes more "americanized" dishes (such as a Merlion burger).
Price: Great price. Keep in mind we were there for lunch, but Alex and I both ate filling meals and a great pot of tea for under $25 total. I would definitely go back. I also want to go back and try their dessert. I heard the guy in the booth next to us raving about a fried banana with ice cream. I also see fried ice cream on an online menu... mmmmm.
Service: Fast, professional. Don't expect your server to smile too much or make jokes, but you'll get your food/drinks. They're pretty attentive without being annoying (I dislike servers who ignore you, but I dislike the ones that check on you every 2 minutes more). I think they almost gave my plate to another table, but a woman came out and corrected the server before he handed it to anyone. Again, it was such fast service that this didn't even matter.
Score: Hmm, I feel like it's not my place to do scores on Alex's blog. I mean, it would be hard to compare to the other scores he's posted since we have different palettes. I would venture an 8/10 for lunch.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Copper Monkey
Copper Monkey
Service
Generally quick and friendly. Nothing special but always deserving of a good tip.
Food
Big, juicy, incredibly tasty burgers. Best burgers in Gainesville and they're had at a great price. My only complaint is that it's easy to hurt your jaw eating some of these burgers.
I usually get the chips and salsa, which are actually tasty. The salsa tastes fresh and the chips don't taste straight out of the bag.
They've also got your usual bar food appetizers, which being fried, can't be too bad.
They have lots of other sandwiches available, including grilled chicken for those who a bit more health concious. I've only ever gotten the burgers, because hey, it's a burger place.
Price
The sandwiches are all 5-8$, and are plenty for one person. If you're getting appetizers or some beers, expect 15-18$ a person.
Atmosphere
This is a good place to watch sports and drink a few beers. TV's in view from every seat and a well stocked bar. If you're looking for a place to watch the game, or ease yourself into going out for the night, this is a great place to do it.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Mark's US Prime
So, it was Shirley's birthday and I decided to make it a fancy one. I looked around for fine dining restaurants in Gainesville, and decided on the nicest steakhouse in town: Mark's.
Location: Downtown across from the parking garage and next to Dragonfly.
Atmosphere: It's a steakhouse. Mark's captures everything you want from a steakhouse very well. Cushy leather booths, dark wood everywhere, and some jazz playing in the background.
Service: Excellent. The wait staff is personable, knowledgable, and very quick. Empty dishes were cleared from the table as soon as they were emptied, and the food delivered as if they were reading our minds.
Food: We lead with the steak tartare and crab cakes for appetizers. The steak tartare is served with horeradish cream sauce, capers, and red onion. It was tender and full of flavor. I don't think I could have had a better introduction to steak tartare.
The crab cakes were served with a very nice looking presentation, and were absolutely delicious. These are not stuffed with fillers and grains. These are meaty, tasty, amazing crab cakes. If you like crab cakes, do not pass these up.
For our main course, we both had steak. Mark's has other items that looked good, but hell, we're in a steakhouse. Get the steak.
I chose the bone-in ribeye, and Shirley chose the petite filet. For sides, Mark's serves all their sides family-style. We chose grilled asparagus and potatoes lyonnaise.
The steaks came out, and we learned about something special Mark's does with the steaks. They heat all their plates to 400 degrees, meaning that your steak comes to your table sizzling, and stays hot and tender throughout your meal. For those worrying about it ruining your meat by cooking it further, it seems to be at just low enough temperature for that to not be a problem. My steak stayed at a nice medium rare throughout the meal.
The steak was near fork-tender. You will not have to work your knives much. It is delicious, large, and perfectly cooked. There's not much else I can say for these. They know steak, they have good cuts, and they prepare them perfectly.
The asparagus made me jealous, they had such large and tasty looking stalks. Much bigger and tastier than what I can get at the supermarket.
The potatoes lyonnaise were certainly not the highlight of the meal, but I think if I were not eating them alongside such great food, they would have stood out more to me.
For desert, we looked at the cocktail menu because we were so full of food. Mark's offers several dessert cocktails for those wanting both alcohol and a little sweetness to finish the night. I chose the chocolate decadence cocktail, and Shirley chose the creme brulee. I'm not quite sure how, but I think if I were to order the actual desserts I would have not enjoyed them as much. The cocktails were delicious and everything I come back, I will be ordering one.
Price: Expensive. Probably one of the most expensive meals you can get in Gainesville.
Overall: 9.5/10 Excellent food, service, atmosphere, and drinks. What more can you ask for?
Location: Downtown across from the parking garage and next to Dragonfly.
Atmosphere: It's a steakhouse. Mark's captures everything you want from a steakhouse very well. Cushy leather booths, dark wood everywhere, and some jazz playing in the background.
Service: Excellent. The wait staff is personable, knowledgable, and very quick. Empty dishes were cleared from the table as soon as they were emptied, and the food delivered as if they were reading our minds.
Food: We lead with the steak tartare and crab cakes for appetizers. The steak tartare is served with horeradish cream sauce, capers, and red onion. It was tender and full of flavor. I don't think I could have had a better introduction to steak tartare.
The crab cakes were served with a very nice looking presentation, and were absolutely delicious. These are not stuffed with fillers and grains. These are meaty, tasty, amazing crab cakes. If you like crab cakes, do not pass these up.
For our main course, we both had steak. Mark's has other items that looked good, but hell, we're in a steakhouse. Get the steak.
I chose the bone-in ribeye, and Shirley chose the petite filet. For sides, Mark's serves all their sides family-style. We chose grilled asparagus and potatoes lyonnaise.
The steaks came out, and we learned about something special Mark's does with the steaks. They heat all their plates to 400 degrees, meaning that your steak comes to your table sizzling, and stays hot and tender throughout your meal. For those worrying about it ruining your meat by cooking it further, it seems to be at just low enough temperature for that to not be a problem. My steak stayed at a nice medium rare throughout the meal.
The steak was near fork-tender. You will not have to work your knives much. It is delicious, large, and perfectly cooked. There's not much else I can say for these. They know steak, they have good cuts, and they prepare them perfectly.
The asparagus made me jealous, they had such large and tasty looking stalks. Much bigger and tastier than what I can get at the supermarket.
The potatoes lyonnaise were certainly not the highlight of the meal, but I think if I were not eating them alongside such great food, they would have stood out more to me.
For desert, we looked at the cocktail menu because we were so full of food. Mark's offers several dessert cocktails for those wanting both alcohol and a little sweetness to finish the night. I chose the chocolate decadence cocktail, and Shirley chose the creme brulee. I'm not quite sure how, but I think if I were to order the actual desserts I would have not enjoyed them as much. The cocktails were delicious and everything I come back, I will be ordering one.
Price: Expensive. Probably one of the most expensive meals you can get in Gainesville.
Overall: 9.5/10 Excellent food, service, atmosphere, and drinks. What more can you ask for?
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