Indigo Palette

If there was one restaurant thoughout this course that was the most out of the ordinary from my typical dining experience, it would be at the Indigo Palette. Located smack dab in the middle of downtown Sioux City’s historic fourth street, it is still somehow a hidden gem. Not only is it a restaurant, it is also an art gallery, as well as a coffee shop. The walls are decked with art, all of which is available for purchase. The bar in the store does serve alcohol, but doubles as the main coffee shop.

For my first trip to the Indigo Palette I decided to go with a slightly familiar yet somewhat different dish. I ordered the cajun chicken sandhwich, along with a cup of chili due to reccomendation by the waitress. The chili was composed of black beans and brown beans, along with shreds of beef. The beans were good. They were soft and had a great flavor and consistancy to them. The soup consisted of around 90% beans, a fact that in a way turned me away from loving the soup. Also, the beef was very scarce, though it was tender and juicy. All things considered, I did enjoy the chili. However, having more beef and less beans would have changed my mind from liking it, to loving it. Next to arrive was my sandwich, pictured below.

For one, the picture quality is total crap and I apologize. For two, notice the fact that the food is in a to go box. Yes, I forgot to take a picture, and again I apologize.

When the sandwich arrived it looked great and did not dissapoint. The bread was buttery, soft, and delicious. The cajun sauce was also quite good. It was spicy, but not too spicy. It was orange in color and creamy, having a sour cream ish taste about it. The chicken itself  was also quite delicious. It was grilled perfectly, leaving it juicy and seasoned with a salt and pepper like rub perfectly complementing the chicken. The fries that were the side were also good, actually my favorite thusfar throughout the course. The seasoning was salty, yet not over powering, and they had the crunchy outside soft inside combination that I love. To close out the meal, I could not resist the lemon raspberry cheesecake.

The cheesecake was… well… amazing! The cake itself was awesome. It’s lemon taste did not overpower the cheesecake flavor, but complimented it perfectly. On top of that, the raspberry sauce you see lace over the cake was yummy to say the least. It was very sweet, and paired with the lemon in a way I can’t describe it was so good.

All in all, I greatly enjoyed the Indigo Palette. Never would I think that an art gallery / coffee house / restaurant would be so good. It provided a new experience, one I greatly enjoyed, along with great food. I reccomend that everyone eat at the Indigo Palette, often!

El Tapatio

The one, and only, mexican style restaurant on our May Term was El Tapatio. Located on Gordon drive, I have drove past it maybe a thousand times over the years, but today would mark the first time that I have ever entered the place. And I was glad that I did.

From the outside, the place had a somewhat dingy feel. On the inside it was much better, sporting colorful mexican themed attire. Today I decided to order the ‘meat tower’. Ok, maybe it wasn’t called the meat tower, real name Parrilla, but that is what we called it today at lunch. Prior to receiving this course, however, were the chips and salsa. Due to my air headed-ness and shear immense hunger, I forgot to take a picture of the chips, so a description will have to do.

They appeared to be fried in house, and were perfectly salted. The salsa also seemed to be home made and was delicious. It was somewhat like pico de gallo, with a salsa like consistency. It was just spicy enough to satisfy, without taking copious amounts of water to calm down my tastebuds. After aboout an entire basket of chips came the Parrilla.

Evidently, in Spanish Parrilla most closely means a whole bunch of delicious food. On the left were the toppings; fried rice, pico, guacomole, lettuce, sour cream, and refried beans. These were good and very typical of any Mexican taco dish. That being said, when I ordered I was not aware that I was ordering a taco dish and had no shells. As I was thinking this arrived my flour tortilla soft shells, not pictured above. They were warm and perfectly soft. As for the dish you see above and to the left, it is basically a giant pile of meat and seared veggies.

On top, the shrimp. They were very large shrimp and coated in a red sauce. The sauce was very different; it was quite sweet but also quite spicy. This made the shrimp my favorite part of the plate. Directly underneath the shrimp was the pork chop. This was my least favorite part of the dish, but was still good. The thinness of the chop made it a little overdone, and had a tough consistency that was less than favorable. But wait, theres more.

Under the pork chop were shredded chicken and steak pieces. These were quite good. Both shreds were cooked very well; not to long or too little, giving them a juicy tenderness. Though they did not appear to have seasoning, the final part of the dish, the veggies, gave them a lot of flavor. The veggies were cooked perfectly. They had some sort of seasoning rub, consisting of green peppers and onions, and were cooked perfectly. They were soft yet too soft, still containing a crisp nature.

Overall, I had a great experience at El Tapatio. The enormous plate of food that I ordered was only $12, a price I found to be very reasonable.

I reccoment that El Tapatio be a regular spot for everyone in Sioux City. It has great food, great service, and at an affordable price.

Minervas

The restraunt of the day was Minervas. This would mark the final step in our lunch may term journey. I had never aten at Minerevas before today. The first thing that I noticed was the environment. It was much classier than any restaurant that we have yet ventured to. We were immediately seated to our table, and then came the food. To start with I ordered the chicken quesadilla.

This appetizer was very delicious. It was filled with chicken, shredded cheese, pico, and beans. The flavors combined to make an appetizer quite out of the ordinary. I did enjoy this appetizer, however it was not my favorite thing in the world. The chicken was slightly more blackened then I would have preffered and overall I just found it to be slightly average. Next to arrive was the salad.

I ordered the house salad, which was delivered with italian dressing. This salad was great, but again very ordinary. It was very reminiscent of Olive garden salad. That being said, differentiating a salad is no easy feat and no discredit to the restraunt; to say it is average is not to say that I did not enjoy it. Finally to arrive was my burger.

I ordered the Ranch Burger, cooked medium. The burger was quite juicy and cooked to a perfect warm red and pink center. It was topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, ranch, and lettuce. The bun was also warmed on what appeared to be a grill. The burger was quite good, all of the different components coming nicely together. The bacon was nice and crispy as was the lettuce, although much different forms of crispy, of course. The ranch, however, I feel could have been left off.  Though I only got about half way through the burger before becoming entirely too full to go on, I still could not steer away from the dessert.

I ordered the strawberry cheesecake. I was very happy that I decided to save the burger and order desert, for this was my favorite course of the entire meal. The cheesecake was incredibly creamy and amazing, with a perfect balance of ‘cheese’ and ‘cake’. The strawberry topping was also quite delicious, and pairing the sauce with the freshly cut strawberries made for a great accent to the desert.

Overall, I had a good experience at Minervas. I reccomend that at least every who has the chance to try it, at least once! That being said, it was quite pricey in comparison to a lot of other places that I have been to offering very similar types of food.

In short; get someone else to pay and go for it!

Bev’s on the River

Today was by far my favorite meal of the class, and was had at Bev’s on the River. I had never been to Bev’s before, but I was glad that ended today. Immediately upon entering I realized that this was a retaurant that was a cut above the others that we had eaten at so far. The furniture was nice, the scenery was perfect, and the place was spotless. Pictured below was the heavy duty menu, embelished with the Bev’s logo.

The lunch menu was what we were faced with today, and included many sandwiches accompanied by a few entrees, salads, soups, and pastas. Today, I decided to order a few things, starting with onion rings.

The onion rings, much larger than I expected, were very tasty. They were fried perfectly, not to long or too short. They were hot when served, and the onion inside was fully cooked leaving behind none of the raw onion taste I dispise. The sauce served with them was also great. I am not sure what it was made of, but it was very righ and seemed to be a ranch – mayonnaise – southwest – spice – sauce, if that is any help in describing it. Next to arrive was my caesar salad.

The caesar salad was, you guessed it, delicious as well. The lettuce was crisp, cold, fresh, and coated with just the right amount of dressing. The dressing itself was not too spicy or peppery and had a creamy consistancy that I couldn’t have asked to be any better. The croutons also were great, but the best part was the bread stick. The bread stick was extremely soft and warm covered with an incredible cheese-ish butter crumble. I  would have been happy with just the salad and breadstick, but next was the entree I ordered; 7oz prime rib.

As you can see, this tremendous piece of meat was much more than 7oz, a very pleasant surprise. Ordered medium rare, this steak was tender, juicy, and perfect. It was not tough, chewy, or any of those other bad adjectives that are so often associated with steak. The au jus that is used to dip the prime rib in was also very good; it contained a good balance of salt and flavoring along with a not so traditional taste that paired well. The last side were the garlic mashed potato’s. Complete with the skin of the potato inside the mash, they too were good. The garlic was a great compliment to the potato without overpowering its initial starchy goodness.

Overall, my lunch today at Bev’s was very good. Every single course was just as good as the one before it, leading up to the best course of all, the prime rib. I would reccomend that everyone get to Bev’s and make it a regular dining spot. The only thing keeping me from reccomending it being a once a week thing for a college kid is the price, but for everyone else, it should be your new favorite spot!

Trattoria Fresco

Today our class dined at Trattoria Fresco, an Italian restaurant located on Jackson street in downtown Sioux City. On a side note, I have come to realize than many hidden gem restaurants are located on the North side of the city and I clearly do not venture out enough. Fresco, until today, was a complete mystery to me, as I am assuming it is for most people in Siouxland. I forgot to get a picture of the menu today, so my apologies for the poor quality picture from Google seen below.

The first thing I noticed was immediate; the environment. As soon as you enter the door into the restaurant you immediately find yourself in a dimly lit waiting area full of Italian themed decoration. After a short wait, we were then escorted to our table. It was a pretty nice place; had the wine glasses, nice table cloth, etc. As it was lunch time, we then were able to choose an entree off of their lunch menu. After much debate inside of my head, I decided to go with the chicken parmesan, as pictured below.

The breaded and fried chicken was smothered in mozzarella cheese, and the boiled penne noodles as well as the chicken were coated in a creamy tomato based sauce. As for the chicken, it was quite good. The gooey cheese and sauce were both seasoned in garlic and made a great pair over the chicken. Parts of the chicken were tender, while around the edges where the chicken was more thin it was slightly over done. The noodles were cooked perfectly, however, and were soft and not at all hard or chewy. The sauce over the noodles gave it a little spicy kick as well. When incorporating the chicken, noodles, sauce, and cheese into a single bite it was truly a great Italian tasting dish with each of the different areas going great together. By the time I finished this meal I was quite full, but still decide to give a desert a try. And boy was I glad I did.

The tiramisu, pictured above, was incredible. Tiramisu, in a nutshell, is a very moist cake soaked in rum with a cinnamon taste. This tiramisu was literally the best desert I have ever had. It was incredibly moist and soft, quite literally melting in your mouth. The cinnamon taste was very evident, and the decadency of this desert cannot be overstated. When I though it couldn’t get any better, notice the very well presented flower sauce design on the side. It was almost too pretty to eat, but I am glad I ate it anyway. I am not sure what it was, but it tasted very sweet, like a melted candy; a very good melted candy at that. The sweetness of the sauce paired with the melt-in-your-mouth consistency of the tiramisu paired together to make this the best tasting desert I have ever had.

Overall, I had a good experience at this restaurant. The service was decent; at first, our waiter confused a couple of things, but by the end seemed to have everything down. The environment provided a pleasant out-of-the-ordinary experience, my entree was pretty good (though not super amazing), and the desert was incredible.

My Recommendation: Try the food once, go there for desert all the time. Especially if you have a special someone you are trying to impress with your culinary knowledge.

Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse

Throughout the course of this May Term class we have went to many restaurants. It is today at the Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse that we encountered our first eating experience and personal chef cooking show. Tokyo is a Hibachi grill establishment; that is, your table also serves as a flat top hibachi grill where your food is prepared, right in front of your eyes. The chefs are all highly trained in the culinary departments, as well as in cooking in such a way as to entertain the customers simultaneously with preparing their food. Below shown on the left is the initial blast of flame that occurs shortly after the chef arrives as he douses the grill with some sort of liquid, as well as on the right a picture of a ‘onion volcano’ that the chef made on the spot.

Today would mark my first trip to Tokyo, so I decided to try a few different things. For a drink, I ordered a Michelob Ultra (adventurous I know) but also tried some Saki. Saki, as I discovered, is a very traditional alcoholic drink in Mexico, consisting of rice wine and couple other ingredients and is served warm. My beer was delicious and as for the Saki, lets just say it wasn’t for me. Below is an image of the drinks.

For lunch I decided to order the filet mignon and swordfish combo. As it sounds, I expected it to cost an arm and a leg, however, it was only $16 for the combo. I saved about $7 due to going for lunch, not dinner. When you order a meal such as I did, the first thing you get is your salad.

Relatively plain looking, this was not the case when it came to taste. There was no choice of dressing, rather it was served with a ginger based, somewhat sugary, dressing. Topped on the salad were what I call ‘crunchies’ and some shredded cheese. The lettuce was cold, ver fresh, and crisp. The ‘crunchies’ added more crisp to the salad, and the cheese added yet another dimension. Combined, these factors made the salad very tasty. Next to arrive was the main course. On the left is the table’s food as it was being cooked, on the right pictured is my completed meal on my plate.

The food did not arrive on the plate all at the same time; first to come was the rice. The rice prepared was yellow rice, seared on the hibachi at the table with butter and garlic. This gave the rice an amazing taste of butter and garlic and was very tender. Next to arrive was the filet steak meat. I ordered mine cooked medium and it was seared to perfect medium temperature with a warm pink hint of red center. It too was seasoned lightly to a point that perfectly matched the tender and juicy nature of the filet. This steak was, without a doubt, the most tender piece of meat I have ever tasted. Next was the swordfish. I am not much of a fish guy, but the fact that swordfish was on the menu was too big of an opportunity to match up; how many places have you been to that actually have swordfish?! As it turned out, I was glad I ordered the fish so I can say that I have tried it. That being said, I was not too fond of it. It had a ‘fishy’ taste, which a lot of people love, but I do not. It was seared in butter and some spice, making it not so much for my own taste buds  but I assume very delicious to people who enjoy fish. Last to arrive, yes, there’s more, was the veggies. A micture of brocolli, onions, carrots, and squash, all seared in butter, garlic, and other spices I was unable to identify. This too was extremely delicious, the vegetables were cooked enough to make them soft, yet not too much where they were chewy and overdone.

Overall, my experience at the Tokyo Steakhouse was incredible. Not only was the food amazing it came in vast quantities and beyond the usual dining experience I also got a first hand look at how food is prepared and even got a show while it was happening. The service was perfect, the food was even better, and the environment formed a thread to sew it all together.

Recommendation: This is truly an experience. No, it is not reasonable to eat here everyday. However, everyone should eat there, at least a few times a year. Even with the seemingly expensive price of $16, you really do get an amount of food making it worth your money, not to mention the excellent quality of each portion that is almost impossible to beat in Siouxland, or anywhere else for that matter.

The House of Q

As far as barbeque goes, we have all had it, probably several times throughout our lives. In my own opinion, I think barbeque is delicious, and home cooked barbecue is my favorite. On this day, however, my opinion of barbecue may have just changed all together after eating at The House of Q.

Upon arriving, the outside is neither overly impressive nor was it discouraging.  On the inside, the atmosphere very much matches the feel of a barbecue joint. The menu is located above the window where the food is ordered and is comprised of tons of different options all in the barbeque category. After the food is ordered, they do have employees bringing the food out to you.

Today I decided to go all out and order a few different things, mainly because I was starving and also had never been there before. I ordered the half pound pulled pork sandwich, a side of fries, and twelve wings.  The pulled pork was nothing less than delicious. The bun was soft and perfectly warm, with what seemed to be a butter seasoning coating it. The meat was also very tender and tasty. Coming dry (meaning no sauce, with no connection to the very juicy meat), it is up to you to put whichever of their barbecue sauces on the sandwich you would like. Today, as with most days, I choose the spicy barbeque option. It was delicious as well, with the perfect touch of spicy and tangy barbeque. The fries were steak fries, being thinker in nature, and had a lot of seasoning on them. This seasoning seemed to have a salt and pepper nature. Usually I would be upset with the amount of seasoning, but it was actually quite good on the fries. This sandwich is pictured below, and coming at a price of $7.99 including the side of fries and a drink of my choice makes it very affordable.

The second part of my order today was twelve buffalo wings. If you can’t already tell by the amount of wings I have ordered, I love them and 9 out of 10 times order them if it is an option. The wings at The Q are very different then the typical wing I am used to. They were much bigger in size per wing and had about equal amounts of seasoning and sauce, rather than just sauce. The sauce was buffalo-ish, with its own unique flavor and the seasoning was great, consisting of spices that I could not individually pick out. Together, the sauce and spice made for terrific, one of a kind, buffalo wings. They are pictured below. Coming at $8.99 for the wings, they are not too expensive at all.

The service at the House of Q was also impressive; the restaurant was largely already busy and even so the food was out to our group of twenty no more than ten minutes after each person had ordered their individual meal. Not yet mentioned are the drinks available. They have Coke products on tap that the customer can refill at their leisure, and as for beer they have over 100 different bottled choices, making them the restaurant in Siouxland with more beer than any other. The prices for the beer are starting at $3 as well, making it quite affordable.

Overall, The House of Q is an amazing place to eat lunch or dinner. I went into this meal with the mindset to eat only half and save the rest for dinner, yet I managed to escape the restaurant with only three wings and a small handful of fries.

Recommendation: If you’ve tried it, go again. If you haven’t, drop everything, get in the car, and drive to 2520 Transit Avenue

Old Milwaukee vs. Coney Island

When talking to anyone about America and it’s past times, not often is left out the is the wonderful and historical existence of hot dogs. Though this is true, hot dogs, their ancestors being know as ‘frankfurters’, originated in Germany a very long time ago. (click here for a full disposition of the history of these wonderful things) Going beyond just America, hot dogs are a very affordable and yummy choice in deciding how to fill your stomach. Because of this, hot dogs have basically became one of the main food groups in a college students diet, along with Ramen Noodles. Today, our Eating Siouxland class traveled to not one, but two hot dog staples of Siouxland. In today’s blog, these two establishments will be reviewed as usually, but then a winner will be chosen and crowned the top dog, pun intended, of hot dog eating establishments in Siouxland. To start I will state what I ordered, complete with pictures of the two menus and dishes, and following this will be the critique, analysis, comparison, and statement of the ‘top dog’ based on the comparison.

First up, Milwaukee Wiener. Above is the picture of the menu at the restaurant. Milwaukee has been around since long before I was, and has seemingly perfected the hot dog making craft. The standard price of a dog is around $2 at Milwaukee, making them reasonably priced as far as going out to eat, but exponentially more expensive then the grocery store, microwavable alternative that is the staple of a college students diet. That being said, no microwave can produce a hot dog quite as tasty as those found at Milwaukee. They are cooked to a juicy perfection, paired with a heat softened bun, and come with a variety of choices concerning toppings, such as chili, onions, sauerkraut, mustard, and other such items. As for sides, cups of chili, the soup of the day, candy, and bags of chips consist of the options. For drinks, cans of Coke products, bottles of root beer, and a small assortment of canned beer such as PBR are available to the customers. The atmosphere is somewhat reminiscent of Happy Days, a TV show set in the fifties. The service was fast and the staff was seemingly not fazed at all by the addition of our twenty person party to their already busy establishment. As pictured below, I ordered a couple of dogs today along with a side.  From left to right, we have Old Dutch salt and vinegar chips,  a small glass of water , a chili dog, and a chili cheese ‘Bow Wow’, aka two hot dogs in one bun.

Next up, Coney Island

Coney Island is very similar in many ways to Milwaukee Wiener. In this case the word ‘Coney’ is actually referring to the specialty hot dog served here, being topped with mustard, onions, and chili. Just as was the case with Milwaukee, these dogs were far above the grocery store standard. Prepared identically as the dogs at Milwaukee, they were juicy and delicious. These dogs had a slightly different taste, they had a slightly sausage-like taste. The toppings for these dogs were identical consisting of mustard, onions, sauerkraut, and chili. As for sides, there were slightly more to choose from. They offered fries and onion chips paired with french onion dipping sauce. The chip selection was smaller, however. Coney Island did not offer beer, did offer fountain Coke products, but did not offer beer. The environment was no more modern then Milwaukee, but was much like a scene from That 70’s Show. The service at Coney was not as prompt as was the case at Milwaukee. The staff was very friendly and accommodating, but even considering there currently empty establishment, was not able to provide as fast of a service. This is no discredit to the staff; a group of twenty is no easy task. Again pictured below is my order; two chili cheese dogs, a side of fried onion chips, and a water.

Analysis Time

First is food. The price was equal and the choice of sides was larger at Coney. As for taste, I preferred the chili at Milwaukee as well as the shredded cheese there over the sliced cheese at Coney. The dogs themselves I found to be nearly equal, but preferred the Milwaukee dogs that were more traditional over the slightly sausage tasting dogs at Coney. Score: Milwaukee 1, Coney 0

Next Up, Service. Milwaukee was faster, plain and simple. With the full establishment there was virtually no wait for every item our large party ordered. At Coney, the limitied amount of fryers delayed the fried sides, and the dogs were not produced as promptly. This is no discredit to Coney, they are great. However, this does not change the fact that Milwaukee simply outperformed Coney. Score: Milwaukee 2, Coney 0

Lastly, environment. Again, the two places were very, very similar. Yet again, I preferred the openness of Milwaukee and its larger size over the narrow and small Coney Island.

Final Score: Milwaukee 3, Coney 0

MILWAUKEE WIENER WINS!!

Red Bone’s Cafe

Today I had one of the best meals that I can remember. Ever. The Red Bones Cafe, located on West 7th street, is one of Siouxland’s hidden gems. Red Bones offers a true southern menu coming right in the middle of the Sioux City. Let me just say this; if soul food in the southern states is anywhere near as good as Red Bones, I might just start packing my bags.

Though the outside of the restaurant is a little rough around the edges in the looks department, this should not discourage one from going inside. Once inside, I feel that the atmosphere of Red Bones does a good job at matching the food you order.

For my first trip to Red Bones I decided to stick with something familiar for one part of the meal and to try something new for the second half. First up, salad. Though I greatly enjoyed my trip to Red Bones, evidently soul food does not include an especially unique salad. Upon the salad arriving, I found myself with a bowl of lettuce and a side plastic container of ranch. Yes, it was simple and largely mediocre, but it was leading up to bigger and better things.

Wings are my all time favorite food. That being said, I have them at almost every opportunity. The wings I ordered at Red Bones were buffalo in flavor, and amazing in taste. They had the fall off the bone feel, combined with a spicy, yet not overwhelming, kick. They were great, and I quickly realized that the six I order were gone all too soon. Along with the wings came a serving of fries and two pieces of toast. The toast I found to a great pairing with the course and was pleasantly surprised when it was in my basket. As for the fries, they were heavily seasoned in a great blend of what seemed to be salt and pure deliciousness. Price:$7

After moving past the salad and the wings, I took on the challenge of the main course. For my main course, I ordered the Cajun Chicken Pasta. I had no idea what to expect, and even if I had, I wouldn’t have been able to expect it to be as great as it was. The penne noodles were smothered in a slightly spicy, packed with flavor, alfredo-ish sauce complimented by grilled peppers and onions. On top of this collage of flavor was a reasonably sized serving of grilled chicken sliced into thin pieces. And once again appearing on the outskirts of the plate were those wonderful little pieces of toast. The pasta was great and full of flavor. If there is a down side, it could have been a little more warm. The chicken was grilled for the perfect amount of time, not over done nor was it overcooked and the grilled char mixed with the seasoning was great. Price: $8.75

Overall, what would I say about Red Bones Cafe? I would say, how have I never heard of this place?! Immediately putting the blame on the ones I love for all of the money wasted at chain restaurants.

But seriously. The food is great, the service is on point, and the price is reasonable. I very much urge everyone that likes any kind of food to go there the first chance they get, I know i’ll be going back very soon!

College Perspective: No Beer, Average Price, Amazing Food

My Recommendation: Go there! Right Now!

Bob Roe’s Point After

A few years ago,walking through the front door at The Point After would lead to being faced with a dense, overwhelming, eye-watering wall of smoke. Today, all that remains of the smoke is the somewhat dingy, slightly dark, yet somehow immensely appealing atmosphere and same run of the mill sports, beer, and food Siouxland has grown to know and love.

Usually my Bob Roe’s experience does not consist of any thought on what to order, not even a glimpse at the menu, and without thought order pizza and wings. Today, however, in honor of my first food blog I thought that I would branch out and try something new. After perusing the menu, I quickly realized that there were several items on the menu that I have never even seen before. Eventually I decided that I would order the special of the day, the steak sandwich, a draft jar of Michelob Ultra, and even though I tried to resist the usual, six wings.

First and foremost, the beer. It was no Keystone or Bud Light; it was Michelob Ultra. I mention this fact due to even though it is not usual a ‘cheap’ beer, it ran me only $2.25 for the jar that I ordered, pictured below. The service of the bartender was prompt and friendly, and the taste of the beer was perfect.

Next to arrive for my meal was the six wings. Fried to an overdone perfection, covered with a deliciously greasy buffalo sauce, and paired with Bob Roe’s famous sour cream-ranch-blue cheese sauce, they were as always awesome. In fact, I was so hungry and they looked and smelled so good, by the time I remembered to take a picture they were already completely gone. Upon finishing them my hunger was slightly subdued and my happiness from eating them was paired with a guilty conscious of the ‘unhealthy-ness’ of the appetizer. Price: $6

Last to arrive was my steak ‘sandwich’. I put sandwich in quotes because my initial reaction upon it’s arrival was confusion. Contrary to most people’s view of a sandwich, what arrived was roughly a six ounce steak wrapped in what appeared to be bacon on a single toasted slice of white bread paired with a decent sized serving of fries. Despite my original reservations, I began to eat my meal. The steak, ordered medium, was overcooked to what I would consider to be well done. The seasoning was decent, and the steak was tough to cut and chew. The ‘bacon’, gave the outside half of the steak a taste of sausage, a fact that confuses me and I have no answer to. Overall, I would rate the $7.75 sandwich reasonably priced and incredibly average at best.

Being a regular at Bob Roe’s I have a relative understanding of the service that I will receive when going there. Today, the service was very good. The waitress was friendly and accommodating, a fact that should not be underplayed due to the large size of our party. The food arrived somewhat tardy; a fact to be expected any time that one goes to eat with a party of 20.

Overall, no one experience could deter me from Bob Roe’s. For your first visit, I recommend skipping the steak sandwich and sticking with the beer, wings, and pizza that are the specialty of the establishment.

Recommendation: Not to be overlooked; Make it there soon

College Perspective: Cheap cold beer, reasonable priced, great pizza and wings.