7032 Woodhollow
346-4600
Men's room rating: did not rate.
Dwight's comments:
We've been making something of an effort to try places near the apartment that we haven't hit before. So we figured we'd give La Fiesta a try, since we'd never been there.
It turned out to be a surprisingly competent Tex-Mex place: not outstanding, but not aggressively average.
We all ended up ordering fajitas, so I can't testify about any of their other dishes: however, the fajitas (beef and chicken) were well prepared and tasty.
Service at times seemed a little confused, but we got everything we ordered in a reasonable time frame.
And they're one of the few Mexican places we've found that serves butter with the chips and salsa.
I suggest giving this a try, instead of some refuge of the bland like Compadre's Cafe & Cantina next time you're in the mood for Tex-Mex.
Men's room rating: 2. (Way too small for a place of this capacity, but they seem to have made an effort to keep it cleaner since my last visit.)
Lawrence's comments:
Where God eats barbeque. Up to it's usual transcendent standards. George R.R. Martin seemed to like it as well, despite my spilling Dr Pepper on him.
Both better and cheaper than the County Line. When a BBQ joint has a larger population than the surrounding town (Driftwood), you KNOW it's good.
Dwight's comments:
First off, Mister Webb is mistaken: I don't eat potato salad, not even the Salt Lick's.
Secondly, Lawrence's comments fall squarely within the grand tradition of over-the-top barbecue writing. (We were speculating at dinner that Calvin Trillin must have a significant ownership share in Arthur Bryant's. You are forgiven for making the same speculation about Lawrence and the Salt Lick, although, as far as I know, it is untrue.)
Do I like the Salt Lick? Well, yes, but with significant reservations.
I like the Salt Lick more as an event than as dining: it's a great place to take a large party of friends. (And the last few times we've been there, seating has been reasonably quick, unlike the Mongolian cluster-fucks of the past.)
As far as the food, I think it's okay, but certainly not the manna from heaven Lawrence thinks it is. (We usually get family-style, and I think there's a definite decline in quality between the first plate and later plates.)
Further, my standard rant applies here as well: would it kill them to offer something besides beans/slaw/potato salad?
As it was, I loaded up on meat and bread (and, for what it's worth, suffered violent gastrointestinal distress a few hours later.)
One of these days, I will find a barbeque place I'm really happy with: and, with my luck, it will close a week later.
While I wait, though, irregular trips to the Salt Lick will have to do.
5416 Parkcrest Drive
459-9960
Men's room rating: no rating/2.5. (Cafe Spiazzo is located in a sort of mini-mall like complex. They don't have a restroom of their own, but there is one outside the cafe itself that's shared with a couple of other stores. If I was rating this restroom as part of the cafe, I'd give it a solid 2.5. But, since someone else maintains it, I don't feel comfortable actually rating it on the normal scale.)
Dwight's comments:
A real find. This is what Sfuzzi wants to be, but without the inflated prices and swelled heads.
My dinner (a smoked salmon pasta dish) was delightful, and I enjoyed the foccacia bread (with carmelized red onion and cheese) appetizer. (Sadly, the calamari was only average, not outstanding. Next time, we'll try the mussels.)
Service was very attentive, keeping our bread, water, tea, and Dr. Pepper (no ice) constantly filled.
I barely had room for the (rather rich) chocolate pate after my meal.
And, finally, while Cafe Spiazzo is rather small, it didn't feel as crowded, and wasn't as noisy, as Carrabba's. Nor was it as dark as most other Italian places.
This could easily become a new frequent dining spot for me.
Men's room rating: 1.5.
Dwight's comments:
I like Chinese food.
I like seafood.
I like Chinese seafood.
As good as it is for dim sum, though, the Rainbow was disappointing for dinner.
This may just have been me: I didn't order any of the more daring seafood dishes, but went with the standard "mixed seafoods served on a hot plate". Okay, but no more so than the same dish anywhere else.
None of my fellow diners commented (either positively or negatively) about their dishes at the time, either.
I'm led to conclude that, for dinner at least, the North Rainbow is just another generic storefront Chinese place.
(However, I may go back and give the more exotic oyster and/or crab dishes a whirl.)
(1/1/97 update: I never got that chance. The North location of the Rainbow is now, sadly, closed.)
(4/26/97 update: And lives again, this time as Mong Kok.)
Send e-mail to Dwight Brown (stainles@bga.com).
Return to the main Saturday Dining Conspiracy page.
See the logs for October of 1996.
See the logs for August of 1996.