Tequila's
We enjoy visiting Tequila's for good, basic Mexican food. Their combinations are always tasty and satisfying, their menu items are yummy and everything always arrives fast and hot! They have good, cold beer and the servers are friendly and helpful. I don't know if this is "authentic" Mexican, but it is very good and we always enjoy our visits. Saturday night brings karaoke and a good time for the whole family. Check this place out!
Devereauxs
We have had dinner at Devereaux's twice now, and I will recommend it for a small party, probably no more than 4-5 people. The first time we visited, we were a party of 7, and while the server was knowledgeable and the service gimmick of having every server in the restaurant come together to bring the entire table's food at the same time is pretty catchy, we thought she was completely overwhelmed at the size of our party and our needs. We arrived at 6, telling her we had show tickets at 8, and asking that she help us to make that deadline, but everything took so long, we ended up having to ask her to bring our bills at 7:50, knowing we would never make our show on time. And then she screwed up the bills, so that we were charged for one of our companions' meals, which we didn't catch until later, after we had left. I did call and speak to the manager about this, and after several calls, that mistake finally was rectified. The second time we dined with this establishment went much better. Only 5 people in our party and the service and food were excellent. This restaurant is really a pretty good example of what I would expect "fine dining" to be, with the caveat that larger parties are probably not their forte. The prices are not outrageous for the portions, although the portions are smaller than we Americans probably expect, but the food is excellent and served with flair, and the atmosphere, while a bit dark, is nice and very relaxing. There was live music during our second visit, and even that was toned down pretty well so that we could still enjoy a conversation without yelling. Overall, a pretty nice place to dine.
Lazy Goat
We visited Lazy Goat in March with a group of friends. I have to say that the bar service was absolutely terrible. I sat down, waiting for my husband to park the car, and the bartender grudgingly left his conversation with a female server to bring me a wine menu, but didn't wait around to answer any questions. By the time my husband arrived, he still had not come back for an order. When we got his attention, we asked about the "decanter" vs "half decanter", and had to figure out on our own that they pour wine from the bottle into a "decanter" for resale, as all he did was hold up a decanter for our review. When we ordered a half decanter of our choice, the bartender made a face and said he didn't think he had enough of that wine left for a half decanter. We told him that would be fine if he thought he could adjust the price accordingly; so he poured us somewhat less than a half decanter, set it down in between us, and left. We had no glasses, so - - no way to drink our wine unless we grabbed a straw from the bar service. So we waited until a different bartender noticed our plight and plopped down a couple of glasses, without offering to pour them. This was REALLY poor service from a place that considers itself "better than average" dining, we thought. And when we closed our tab, there was no discount for the "less than half" decanter. Luckily, our dinner was absolutely wonderful, and our very knowledgeable and attentive server more than made up for the shortfalls of his bar compatriots. We will definitely return for another lovely dinner, but we will be skipping cocktails at the bar before eating.
A Brick Oven Cafe Trio
I have eaten at Trio for both lunch and dinner; the food is always good and the service is OK depending on how busy they are. But the food comes out pretty fast and is reasonably priced. This place seems to pull off the old remodeled building thing, and is not too loud or cold; maybe the brick oven in the back, where you can watch them prepare it, helps. I love the Southwest Ravioli - it has a hint of hot, and is very tasty!
Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria
I recommend this place for the beers served at the bar if nothing else. I have not been in a while, but when I have eaten there the food was very good and the portions were generous. I had veggie lasagna and could not finish it; I took it home and had some the next day, too. The service could improve, but this place stays busy and I think they try hard to please. The beers are cold, and the variety ensures you will never get bored with your choices. They actually offer a sampler platter so you can try some different varieties. I think it might be non-smoking now, as is most of downtown, so that might help the atmosphere.
Tony's New York Style Pizzeria
I have eaten here once, and the food was very good; I actually had a chicken Philly, it was excellent and one of the best I have had. The service is quick, and the prices were reasonable.
Savoury Corner
I agree with another reviewer, this place is a little too small to plan on dining in, but the food is always delicious and prepared fresh as you order it. They have a lot of tasty choices and you get a sandwich, a side, and a cookie as well as a drink for one price.
Soby's
I have to agree with another reviewer, this place does not live up to all the hype. The food is OK, but I've had better. Sometimes I think that when a chef tries to make "high-class Southern cuisine" it ends up being something less than what they try to make it. I think this is what happens here. The "atmosphere" is questionable; if you like old, remodeled buildings, you'll love it, but I find that the place is large, cold, and loud. The prices are outrageous for the portions; we went for brunch one day and were shocked when we got our bill. For 2 people and a couple of drinks we were close to $100. And they were taking up the buffet while we were there, so we really didn't feel satisfied. Spend your money elsewhere is my advice. EDITED 6/10/09: We tried dinner with 2 companions last month, and WHAT a mistake! Although our dinner was very tasty (small portions aside) and our own server was doing the very best she could under the circumstances, it was AFTER our dinner that things got really bad. A waitress from a different table got in a hurry and slung a plate out of her hand, onto the floor at our feet, and seemed not to notice that she had covered my husband and myself with the leftover food that was on it. When I finally got someone's attention to get something to wipe us off, she didn't even offer an apology, just made a comment about how "accidents happen". And there was no offer to pay for dry cleaning my husband's silk pants and shirt. I would think that a "fine dining establishment" would have been falling all over themselves to make this right, but she seemed steamed that I was upset. This place is definitely one to AVOID!
Bubba Annies
I have been to Bubba Annies a couple of times; it is a typical bar, nothing special inside in the way of atmosphere, but they do have tv screens so you can watch sports and enjoy a cold beer with your friends. The food is pretty good, too, and the prices are not unreasonable. Some nights they do karaoke, and that is always entertaining, too!
China Restaurant
Because I lived close by, I ate at China many times, sometimes once or twice a week. They have an extensive menu, and they are very fast when preparing your food fresh. The restaurant is in a little strip mall and does not have a lot of "atmosphere", but the food is great, the prices reasonable, and the service friendly.