Review for Savelli's on Sutherland Avenue

Good afternoon and I hope everyone is having a fantastic day!!! Today, I ate local. Today, I went to a restaurant that I have passed on several occasions and told myself I need to go. Well I made it happen and went for some Italian today.

Savelli's is a mom and pop restaurant that was established in 1993. Several people I know have told me great things about the food and being that Italian may be my favorite type of food, I can't miss. Plus going to a place like this insures you will receive some of the most authentic food in the city. It's a small establishment so make sure you get there early. Open Monday-Saturday,  11a-2p for lunch and 4p-9p for dinner. 

The menu gives you all the classics that you expect with some servings of the house specials. Pricing for the food is fair being this is a mom and pop restaurant and cost can run higher.  They have desserts and the whole nine but after my meal a dessert would have had me a sleep at my table.

Today I went with ome of my favorite dishes, Baked Ziti.  When it comes to Italian food, if your ziti is not on point,  the rest of your food is probably bad as well.  Today was not the case. The Baked Ziti was phenomenal.  The portion size they give you is the right amount for a big boy like myself, could easily be 2 meals for a light eater. The sauce was robust and had lots of flavor.  Everything blended so well and the cheese was melted down to perfection. (The stretch on the cheese was award-winning stretch in my eyes.) And the wait for service and food were minimal which is always a plus.

This restaurant will see me again for sure. The people were friendly,  the food was great and I was full at the end.  This place gets a 5X tee from me and I recommend you check it out for yourself. 

We are coming up on Thanksgiving so let's make sure we surround ourselves with the ones we love and most importantly make sure to treat yourself!!!!

Review for Babalu on Gay St.

Today's review is for a place that I have heard so much about that I had to see what the buzz was about. I've seen people talk about it, post about it and tell me this spot is a place I need to go to. Well, tonight was that night.

Now, the place itself was very modern and appealing to the eyes. The lights outside shined bright lighting up the clear night sky.  The inside was very intimate and cozy. They have a open kitchen that gives you a view of what is going on with your food. From the scene alone I was impressed and ready for an excellent experience.  Let's just say the experience took a turn for the worst quickly.

We were meeting up for our Men's FELLA-ship and the hostess was not the friendliest.  It seemed like she was not wanting to be there tonight.  We have a little wait which is not a problem.  When we finally get seated,  we were there for at least 10 minutes before a waitress came to our table. There were a couple and their child that came in after us that got served before us. When the waitress finally comes to our table after walking pass us multiple times,  she ask if, "we have been waited on?" This question should not be one, in my opinion, that should be asked in a restaurant. Needless to say, this killed the vibe for sure.

But we can't dwell on the service because that is not the reason we came. (Good service is appreciated for sure though and expected.) So for my meal today I went outside of my comfort zone a bit. I ordered the shrimp and grits. Now both selections I enjoy separately but was intrigued and wanted to branch out with my selection. 

So let's start with the presentation.  The presentation was very appealing and made you want to dig in. The shrimp were a nice size and they placed each one on a bed of cheese grits. It was garnished with green onions and served with 2 slices of bread.  The shrimp were also covered in a mushroom sauce that was a twist to the meal. 

Now let's talk about the taste. The shrimp were good. There was some type of breading on them but it didn't stand up to the mushroom sauce. The mushroom sauce added great flavor to the shrimp and worked well with the grits too. Now the grits were good but a little much. They used a chihuahua cheese that had great flavor. (And for a guy who enjoys his grits with sugar and butter,  this was a big step. And that's a debate for another time.) All together it wasn't a bad meal but for the price I was underwhelmed. 

So one thing I can say for sure is that this outing was not one of my favorites.  It started on the wrong foot and couldn't be saved.  I give this a 2X Tee and don't believe I will be back. 

I hope you guys enjoy this blog and please tell me what you think. You can check us out on Facebook,  Instagram and Twitter. 

Remember,  take the time to enjoy the people around you but most importantly make sure that you treat yourself!!!!!

Review for Amigos in Fountain City

This review will probably be short and sweet.  I was trying this place for the first time and wanted to see if we were different from all the other places in the city. Let's just say it was a familiar experience.

The restaurant and decor seemed to be the usual. It gave you a friendly feel and would be a great place for a night out if you are in the area. 

The food was good. I went with my go to for Mexican,  Fajita Nachos.  The portion was good and could have been shared. There was nothing really that separated it from the other restaurants I have been to before. 

The pricing was fair and I couldn't complain about it. The service was okay. I just didn't feel that the waitress was into her job. May have been a bad day.

All in all,  it was an average experience and I give them a 2X tee.

In closing,  take the time to enjoy the people around you and most importantly make sure to treat yourself!!!

Review for Hwy 55 at West Town Mall

Good evening and thank you in advance for reading today's blog. It's been a while I know but tonight I went to a place I have been wanting to check out for a while. It was suggested by one of my minis so we went and checked it out.

Hwy 55 restaurants have been popping up all over the area and made me curious to what type of restaurant it may be. When you hit the door,  you get the nostalgic vibes that they are going for. You are hit by the classic hits of the 50s and 60s. (A lot of you may not understand why the music is so important but music is major for this type of restaurant.) The place was decked out with vinyl on the walls and pics of popular celebrities of the time. For this, I was impressed. 

Our waitress tonight was good. She made sure we were good at all times. It wasn't too busy so this situation can be troublesome with the wrong waiter or waitress because they feel they don't have to work. This was not the case and I was pleased with the service. 

Now let's talk about the food. I love the fact that the burger was cooked on a flattop stove. It got the good crisp that you are looking for in a dinner burger but it tasted like it was left on the flattop a little too long,  dried out the burger.  You were given a choice of fries or tots, which was a plus. The tots I got were good and crispy on the outside and had lots of flavor. (Lil buddy wasn't too impressed with the fries and was sure to give me his opinion on it. Lol)

For the price I paid I really shouldn't expect the extraordinary, 14.16 total for us both, but it could have been better.  This may be one of the few times I was somewhat underwhelmed with the food but the music gave me life.

So I will give this place a 2X Tee. Maybe I will go back or maybe not. If you want something quick while you are at the mall, for a far price,  this place can't miss. It may be I had my expectations a little too high and it might have effected the outcome, but it's a must that I stay true.

I hope you guys enjoy this review and let me know what you think.  Make sure to enjoy all the good things around you but most importantly make sure you treat yourself!!!!!