An Outback Barbie

Wow, I haven't blogged for a while because I haven't been to any new restaurants. But, I went to Outback Steakhouse on Saturday, April 16, for dinner. Outback is a nickname for Australia, like "down under." I went with my family. I ran into Mr. and Mrs. Quigley, who is a good friend of my mom. There was lots of interesting Australian decor. There were several boomerangs painted red, blue and yellow. By the door, there was a black wooden thing that looked like a snake. There were also paintings of different criminals and constables from Australia. There was a poster with the Australian pledge and pictures of Australian animals. It was loud because it was busy. I, being at a steakhouse, had a joey (kid's) sirloin, a vegetable mix of summer squash, carrots and peas, bread and butter, and bloomin' onion. A bloomin' onion is vidalia onion wedges battered and deep fried. We dipped it in a spicy chipotle sauce. I washed it all down with Sprite. Mom and Ethan had burgers, dad had steak and shrimp, and Elsie got her chicken fingers. Everyone got what they wanted. The food was all very good. I liked Outback because of all the boomerangs, and the juicy sirloins. I waited only about 20 minutes to be seated. That wasn't bad for a Saturday night. The service was good. It was rather expensive. Kid's meals cost between $5 and $8. But it is worth going for a special occasion. I give 5 stars for Outback.

Perks at Perkins

On Saturday, February 27, 2011, at breakfast time, I went to Perkins, a restaurant on Alpine near Target. Perkins is a family restaurant with locations across the United States. It is famous for its pies and baked goods. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. A Perkins "perk" is that kids eat free. I went with Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Kathryn, my family, Uncle Josh and Aunt Renee and Abby and Ruthie. We went because Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Kathryn were going back to Texas. It was a goodbye party for them. The restaurant has cheery decor. The walls were a light yellow and the ceiling was white. There are windows between rooms with pictures of grapes etched on them. There is a painting of some red and yellow flowers. There is also a horse shaped tricycle. There were plants too. I had a french toast tower, (which is 6 french toast sticks) with a syrup of your choice, sausage links and orange juice. Ethan had rainbow pancakes-two pancakes with sprinkles and whipped cream. Elsie had scrambled eggs, a pancake and bacon. Our waitress was very friendly-even when Elsie spilled her apple juice. I give 4 stars for Perkins. The food is good, but its not really anything to write home about. (just to write a blog about.=))

Caution: Peanuts Ahead

On Saturday, February 12, 2011, at dinnertime, I went to Texas Roadhouse, near River Town Crossings Mall. Texas Roadhouse is a steakhouse chain restaurant. Dinnertime wasn't a good choice because I had to wait an hour to be seated. They had very interesting decor around the building. There were lots of paintings of an armadillo. One painting was a picture of him wake boarding, and his friend, an iguana, power cruising on the Grand River. There were also cactus plants, caricatures of race car drivers and their stock cars and Texas flags. I had a bucket of peanuts that you crack open to eat. I also has root beer. We shared a Baby Blossom, an appetizer that's a chopped deep fried onion that you can dip in Thousand Island dressing. I also has soft, cushy, big rolls with cinnamon butter. They were fresh from the oven. Then I had the Ranger Ribs-pig ribs with barbecue sauce-and fries. They were delicious, chewy and tangy. My favorite part was the peanuts which came from a big barrel. My least favorite part was waiting an hour to be seated. Our waitress was quick at bringing our food. She was nice. I give 4 stars for Texas Roadhouse because the food and experience were excellent, but the wait was long.

Hero of Gyros

On February 5, 2011 at lunch time, I went to The Pita House. It is also known as Sam's Gyros. When I walk in the door I see 10-15 little tables, yellow walls, and windows that have a view of 28th Street. Not much artwork. There is a patio to eat on in nice weather. It is a typical mom and pop hole in the wall. It is a fast food Middle Eastern restaurant. There is food from Lebanon, Greece and Israel. The menu is on the wall, along with some photos of the food. There is a buffet that the cooks prepare your food from. There is a spit with a lamb and beef mixture that turns while the meat cooks. They will shave the meat off it for your entree. I had a gyro with black olives, gyro meat, lettuce, tomato, cucumber sauce and feta cheese. I also tasted a purple vegetable, hummus, a stuffed grape leaf, falafel, and a cheese pie. My dad shared his fatosh which is a salad with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, mint and lemon. My mom shared her tabbouleh-a parsley, tomato, lemon, couscous salad. I like the food a lot. It is not spicy like Indian. The prominent flavors in Middle Eastern cuisine are lemon, mint and garlic. The food has a good taste and lots of flavor. I think the food is delicious. And the way they cook the food is interesting. This restaurant is not fancy. It is busy. People go because the food is fantastic. Most entrees are between $7-$13. It is definitely worth it. I give 5 stars for Sam's Gyros.

Food fit for an "Indian" King

On Sunday, January 16, at lunch time, I went to Palace of India with my family. This restaurant is on Diamond and Fulton. It serves Northern Indian cuisine. It is a buffet at lunch and a la carte at dinner. I don't like Indian too much but I went because mom and dad say, "you don't have to like it, but you do have to try it." Mom and dad also want to expand my tastes. There is lots of food on the buffet like fresh garden salad, vegetable curry, chicken curry, fried vegetables and chicken, spinach stuff, and tiki masala-which is a spicy mixture of tomatoes and chicken. They bring fresh naan to your table. I also had mango lassi-a drink that's made of mangos, milk, sugar, yogurt and cardamon. I also tried the tiki masala, salad, spicy spinach stuff, rice and chicken curry. My favorite was the naan and mango lassi. The restaurant is small with about 10 tables. It has a gold ceiling of carved plaster typical of old Eastown buildings. There were paintings of Indian girls doing the spinning wheel, getting water from a well, and swinging, and a painting a a lake by itself. I will maybe go again because it was good, though spicy and expensive. I give 4 stars for Palace of India because mom and dad liked it, but its rather too spicy for kids.

Howling for Wolfgang's

Wolfgang's is a restaurant near Yolanda's office in Eastown. I went with my family. I went because I had to do a blog, and because mom had to visit Yolanda. I went on Monday, 1-10-11, at lunch time. Wolfgang's is a local mom and pop restaurant that serves only breakfast and lunch. They have interesting decor. There were abstract paintings from local artists lining the walls. It is very busy on Saturdays, but it isn't bad on Mondays. We didn't have to wait. I ordered a chocolate chip pancake, 2 sausage patties, and a banana. The kid's menu had photos of animals on the back. You can pick 3 things out of 10 for $3.30. That's a good deal! The food was very, very delicious! They serve basics like eggs and bacon. But they also serve different kinds of things like mom's breakfast burrito and dad's english muffin with turkey, swiss cheese, corned beef and eggs benedict. Some of the adult entrees are named after local people. The cover of the menu has titles like, "The Grinch who cooked breakfast," and "Merry Breakfast," and so on. It took a while for our food to come, but I didn't mind. I thought the service was pretty good. I will go again. Probably soon, while mom is visiting Yolanda regularly. I give 5 stars for Wolfgangs.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2010

I went to my grandma's house in Texas for Thanksgiving. There was a crowd of 26 people there: the Eapens, the Gomez family, all the Thomas'(except for Josh and Renee, Abby and Ruth), and great grandma and great grandpa. There was lots of food-so much that it covered the island and a table. The food was served buffet style. Now get ready for your mouth to water...There was dark and light turkey, with gravy. There was applesauce and marshmellow jello- which is made of colored marshmellows, pineapple and pistatio pudding. Its a Thomas tradition. There was also another kind of jello. It was called blueberry jello. It had blueberries, and a layer of white cream. Grandma made a pretty basic stuffing, and mom made one with sausage, apples and nuts. Mom made cranberry creme dream salad. There was squash (which I don't like) and sweet potato casserole from Mrs. Gomez. There were mashed potatoes and Aunt Dena made a green bean casserole. And last of all there was a relish tray, and cranberry jelly, and rolls. I didn't try everything, but the food I had was awesome. I sat at a round table with all the kids. It was fun! Later, when everyone was hungry again, dessert was served. There was peanut butter pie, Aunt Bekah's cake balls, Mrs. Eapen's spice cake, Grandma's pumpkin pie, and Uncle Seth's strawberry chocolate cake. I like Thanksgiving because I can spend time with my family and remember what I am thankful for. Just to let you know, I'm thankful for delicious food. I give 10 stars for Grandma (and her helpers).