Showing posts with label pennsylvania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pennsylvania. Show all posts

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Texas Lunch, Lock Haven, PA

Vegetarian Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.


Meet and Greet
@ Texas LunchWe came to this location purely by accident. Our GPS mentioned some other restaurant, which lay in a vacant space on the other side of Main Street. So, as we walked to the other end of Main Street, we found the glittery sign and being it the only place we could find open, by default, we walked in. We were surprised it being so nicely decorated inside and looking well established that this location was not logged in our GPS.

This is another seat yourself diner. We did not know that when we walked in and the waitress let us know we could choose our own seats. Within minutes of sitting, we were served coffee and menus.


Mise en Scène
Seems this place is a 50s theme restaurant in décor. Waitresses and staff though are not dressed in 50s garb. Some booths have art work next to them. Next to our booth was a painting called “Game of Chance.” In this paining Jimmy Dean was getting ready to shoot pool. On the other end of the table was Marilyn Monroe while Humphrey Bogart was chalking his cue. While all this was going on, Larry, Curly and Moe were standing in the corner (right side of drawing) laughing or talking. We could not figure out what tied together all these people in the ‘Game of Chance.’ Do you know?

Flowery Parking Meter
I liked the décor inside, with the fire engine red vinyl seats; white table tops with red designs on it, and the black and white checker board floor and neon signs within. We had sat across from the open air kitchen. We could see the cook’s heads and also see our reflection in the wall partition that was covered in a metal decoration that showed us our broken reflections. The setting of the restaurant outside on Main Street is also scenic with mountain and river views. (Photo right: Lock Haven's fancy parking meters. Can't beat the look and price of parking!)

**We did not have to use restrooms, so no comment on that ambiance!


Choosing a Veggie Treat
I guess breakfast treats for vegetarians that eat eggs are the extent of veggie treats offered. I say this though I haven’t studied the lunch or dinner menus, but I say this as Texas Lunch is the ‘home of the growler,” a chili dog- which I think is a hot dog covered with beef chili. Knowing this I had made a fatal mistake in my own ordering. I had decided to try the Greek Eggs which were scrambled eggs with few vegetables and chili. Somehow when I read this, I thought chili meant ‘chili peppers’ and not beef chili. Though I thought it was odd Greek themed eggs would have chili peppers, I did not question this. When our order came, I gave a surprised look and commented to the waitress that it wasn’t what I expected. When I told her I was a vegetarian and thought chili meant ‘chili peppers,’ she immediately took it back without hesitation and asked me what else I wanted. Though my husband offered many times to take it and exchange his vegetable (Spanish) omelet with me, the waitress said, “The Spanish omelet is what you wanted, this is not what she wanted. You choose something else you want.” I opted for the Greek Omelet, which was different- stuffed with feta and olives.

The one thing I noticed about the omelets was the egg whites were visible in the omelet. For us, seeing egg whites is not only tempting but told me they are using real eggs. Often times (especially at Denny’s), I get the feeling some kind of egg batter is used rather than fresh eggs cracked on the grill. The eggs were not only very tasty, slightly browned but the contents of both the Spanish and Greek (feta and olives) omelets were perfectly proportioned. With the Spanish, we had a side of well done breakfast potatoes, while mine was done regular style. There was a difference. The well done ones were indeed well done, browned and crispy on the outside. These potatoes also tasted ‘real’ rather than the processed ones that we get in other locations that are perfectly shaped and deep fried.

The other memorable food item here was actually the drinks- we ordered coffee. Here they actually served coffee with real milk in a metal container. We were in heaven, especially since up to this point coffee had been served along with coffeemate which we abhor.


Checking In
Our waitress was fantastic. She was flexible and friendly. Offering us another dish without hesitation was refreshing, and quite memorable. Our waitress checked on us in regular intervals and made sure our coffee cups were always filled to the brim.


See you later
We got the bill within the time of finishing our meal. We decided to pay with cash. We had thought of leaving the money on the table and leaving. Instead, I decided to pay at the counter. There was a little wait to do so, but that was no problem.


Pay Scale
$6-10 per person
Tips We left 20%. The service was fantastic and the food was good value for the money.
Star System 4/5

I would have to study the menu for vegetarian options for lunch and dinner to adjust the rating. Being known for chili dogs, one may think it’s a typical ‘greasy spoon’ establishment, where all foods are dripping with grease. Not true! This is one aspect of the experience that ups the rating for me!


To find/Contact
Texas Lunch
204 E Main St
Lock Haven, PA 17745
Phone: (570) 748-3522‎

Get Directions: To here - From here

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Reviews at Yahoo!

Photos in this post, courtesy Krishna Kumar. More of Krishna's photos of Lock Haven, PA here.

Have you eaten at Texas Lunch? If so, please share your thoughts below.

Thank you for reading!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Bob Evans, Erie, PA

Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.

Meet and Greet
We were greeted at the door instantaneously by a hostess and whisked off to a nice table. Within a few minutes of being seated, coffee was served. The waitress did not take much time to take our order. But, waiting for it to arrive to our table, seemed to take about 15 minutes, which seemed a bit longer than what we are used to. (Photo left: Krishna Kumar- big size click here.)


Mise en Scène

Right off the interstate 90 highway on exit 24, you will find Bob Evans right next to the highway. This location is quite a bit bigger than the ones I have gone to in the past. It was big and spacious and at the time we showed up, about 7:30pm on a Sunday night, was not very busy.


Though the place was quite empty, I was surprised to find that many tables had not been cleared. I originally thought possibly they were to be cleared very soon; maybe the people had left just before we arrived. The tables had not been cleared throughout our stay there. Though hubby did not mind it because customers would not be seated near us (and the staff allowed him to charge his cell phone at a nearby table yet to be cleared), I thought it did not add to the cleanest environment that I usually find at Bob Evans.


** I did use the restrooms at this location. The restrooms were spacious, had a different kind of layout, and were very clean.


Choosing a Veggie Treat
It seems Bob Evans changes their menu on a yearly or sometimes a seasonal basis. Possibly menus are targeted to certain regions also. In my favorite location (Corning, NY), they had some veggie Chinese stir fry on the menu along with some pasta choices with non-meat based sauces. This was not the case at this location. There were no vegetarian dinner meals (though plenty of vegetarian side dishes), so I opted for a breakfast menu item. Again, with Bob Evans one can not go wrong in wanting Breakfast, as there are a multitude of choices. At my preferred Bob Evans location, they used to offer (saying used to as I have not been there in a long time) the ‘sausage gravy’ breakfast without sausage. That means the flour gravy is cooked separate from the sausage and the sausage is added on the top. But, it seems most locations (and restaurants that I have visited that have this menu item) do not make it this way anymore. If you want this menu item, it will have the sausage mixed into the gravy. It’s a shame as besides vegetarians, Muslims and some Hindus also do not eat sausage (as it is pork). I went for my second choice, eggs Florentine (without ham).


Overall, my suggestion is to add more vegetarian dinner items and to take the sausage out of the gravy!


Checking In

Once our food was served, our waitress did not come back to check on us until she bought the bill. Luckily we did not need anything. I also admit during the whole time we were eating, I was bothered they had not worked on clearing the surrounding tables. It actually is not appetising to see all those dirty place settings all around you.


See you later

After the bill was handed to us, we waited about 10 minutes for her to return and collect our payment. She did not come, so we went up and paid at the register. This may not have been the waitress’ fault as what I have noticed is that the habit of collecting the payment depends on the location. (Photo to right: Jennifer Kumar)


**Interestingly enough, the lady who took our payment at the register was very knowledgeable about Rodeos and seems to travel to many different places to see them.

**While sitting at the table, I read about Bob Evans. Till this visit, I did not realize Bob Evans was a real person. But, I was happy to find out he was and the restaurant is based on a business he used to run on his farm. In fact, there is a Bob Evans farmstead where they do events throughout the year.


Pay
Scale
$6-10 per person
Tips
We left $3.00
Star System: 3/5
(Could be improved by adding more vegetarian options and clearing off the tables. We love the Bob Evans coffee that is what keeps us coming back in addition to knowing something can be had from the breakfast menu.)


To find/Contact

Bob Evans Restaurant
8041 Peach St
Erie, PA 16509

(814) 864-5444‎
bobevans.com
Other reviews at Google


tags: 3 stars, breakfast, diner, pennsylvania, restaurant review,