I didn't think the salad screw-up was anyone's fault (except maybe Lawrence's: why was he eating my salad anyway?) Beyond that, well, it strikes me as a very credible local pizza place: I think the chairs and tables could be a bit more comfortable, but the joint is clean and well-lighted (if a bit on the narrow side) and they turn out the best thin-crust pizza I've found so far south of the river. Also, they offer a nice selection of toppings (particularly noteworthy: the carmelized onion option. And wouldn't "The Carmelized Onion Option" be a great name for a band?)
Strip mall pizza place. Adequate as such. Nice large salads (I'll let Dwight comment on how grave he thought his salad screw up was (hey, when the server specifically puts the salad right in front of me and it's not obviously wrong, I eat it; turns out it was Dwight's salad, and they got his replacement wrong)). Garlic cheese bread was very bland, wings merely adequate. Decent pizza, but I think Austin Pizza offers you a bit better bang for your buck south of the river. And while I'm glad they offer 20 oz bottles of Diet Dr Pepper in addition to the Pepsi dispenser, $1.61 is too much to pay for one. $1.50 including tax I could live with.
Alas, I had a work-related social engagement.
Clearly, these people are well funded. It amazes me that the money they obviously have has managed to turn out something so bland.
Big problem: a clearly overwhelmed wait staff. They didn't get my salad right (but hey, at least they didn't serve it to Lawrence this time), the kitchen was so backed up that the server actually came out and apologized that our food was taking so long (it came out, by my best estimate, less than 120 seconds after this conversation) and drink refills languished. We try to give places at least three months to settle in before we review them: I believe we gave Saltgrass even longer than that. I'm inclined to think that their apparent staffing problems are actually good news: if they're having trouble finding waitstaff, clearly, this means that the George W. Bush, Jr. economic recovery has arrived, and all the under-employed waiters and waitresses have found new jobs writing Java applications for companies like kittylitterontheweb.com. (Speaking of which, would someone please hire our friend Chuck Zoch? Thanks.)
As for the food, the cheese fries weren't. Which I wouldn't have minded as much as Lawrence did if they were actually good. The tenderloin brochettes were nice cuts of meat, but I swear the barbecue sauce that came with them was something store-bought. (KC Masterpiece?) And I wasn't very impressed with the steak itself.
Go to Texas Land and Cattle instead.
Like a third-generation photocopy, the Saltgrass Steakhouse looks a little blurry around the edges. It looks like a copy of Texas Land & Cattle Company, which bears more than a passing resemblance to The Outback Steakhouse, with more than a few modern chain restaurant cliches thrown in. Stone and wood interior? Check. Wall decorations from BMTCRSC? Check. Completely unnecessary gas lamps on the walls (the cliche of choice for just about every new chain restaurant this year)? Check.
Originality: Zero. And the food itself? Pretty mixed.
The tenderloin brochettes were quite good, but the menu suggested that they had jalapenos; they did, but only in the sense that a dry martini has vermouth. On the other hand, the "Chuck Wagon Cheese Fries" aren't fries at all, they're cheese "new potatoes," and thus suck compared to the cheese fries offerings at the Outback, at The Filling Station, or anyone else with enough of a clue to know what "fries" are.
Good bread, served warm. Mediocre salads. Service started off a bit iffy (hint: If the waitress actually says "I'm working as fast as I can," you might be understaffed), but after she figured out that yes, she really did need to leave two glasses of Diet Coke for me every trip, things worked out fine. I did have a word with the manager after hearing her pre-canned spiel that "Certified Angus Beef" was the highest grade of steak available. No, it isn't. That would be USDA Prime (the manager agreed and apologized for the mistake).
And the steak itself? Actually, pretty darn good, perfectly cooked and very flavorful. Better, in fact, than that at my two most recent trips to an Outback, and on par with the offerings at Texas Land & Cattle (though not as good as JC's). I was too full for dessert.If I'm in the mood for this kind of steak, I'd probably opt for Texas Land & Cattle over Saltgrass, and probably opt for the Outback over it as well, if only for the cheese fries. Saltgrass isn't bad (and I wouldn't object if someone dragged me there), it's just that it isn't anything special.
Ten reasons why I like the Evangeline Café
I like it! This is a good neighborhood Cajun place. While it can't compare to Yoli's, and isn't quite as good (or the portions as generous) as Pappadeux, it is still miles above the likes of Mrs. B's.
The appetizers (including hot wings and stuffed pistolette) were pretty tasty (and the "regular" helping of onion rings is pretty generous; go for the half order unless you're really hungry or have a couple of fellow diners to split them with). My gumbo was a credible effort, although again not up to that served at Yoli's or JC's. The salad was adequate, service was pretty good, and the bread pudding was just fine. My only real complaint was that the Crawfish Evangeline was far too bland for a signature dish. The portions were fine, but I shouldn't have had to seriously salt and spice it.
If I weren't on Atkins during the week, and lived in the area (it's pretty damn far south), I could see dropping in on a regular basis. As it is, I'll probably still make return trips every now and then.
See the logs for July of 2004.