As the class comes to a close, we got the chance to eat at Bev’s on the River. This was a very casual restaurant that I have never ate at. It is located down on the river off of Hamilton. The view from the restaurant is what I first noticed. It was impressive and set the mood for a nice lunch. The inside of the restaurant was unique and had a very casual feel. As a group they sat us at a big table so we could all sit together. I believe they just gave a lunch menu to us because it was simple and had a lot of sandwiches. Below is what was offered off the menu.

Menu

The menu had a lot of appealing choices on it. As a group we tried a few appetizers off the menu. We got some onion rings and steak strips. Both of these items were delicious and I would recommend them to anyone looking to have an appetizer. Everything on the menu looked good so I had a hard time deciding what to get. After looking it over carefully, I decided to get the chicken fried steak. Below is a picture of what my meal looked like.

Chicken Fried Steak

The chicken fried steak came with a side of mashed potato’s and a choice of soup or salad. I decided to get the soup of the day which was brocalli cheddar. That came out a little after the appetizers. The soup was real cheesy and delicious. It was not the best brocalli cheddar I’ve had, but it had good taste. After eating my chicken fried steak and mashed potato’s, I observed that it was a perfect size for lunch. It was an easy dish to have during the lunch hour. The chicken fried steak had great taste and was topped in a tasty gravy. It was the perfect amount of food for me.

Since this was the first time I have ate here, my expectations were unknown. I knew it was a upbeat place with a unique style. This place exceeded my expectations. The only place they could improve on, was there service. They seemed a little slow for the lunch hour. This could be because of our large group, but that could be one person’s opinion. I would defiantly recommend this place for anyone looking for a good meal and a fun atmosphere.

We got the chance to try some Mexican food today. We went to El Tapatio which is located Gordon drive. This would be the first time I have ate at this wonderful Mexican restaurant. We started are meal off with some salsa and cheese dip. This was a great snack while we looked over the menu. The waitress we had did her best to keep up with the busy lunch crowd. She fell a little behind on refilling are chip basket and are drinks. That was fine with me but I’m sure some would not approve of it.

After looking the menu over, I decided to get the chicken quesedilla. This lunch dish came with a side of beans and rice. This seemed like a common meal that was ordered. I wanted to see how authentic they made there food. They did not disappoint with the quesedilla. It had great flavor to go along with delicious beans and rice to top it off. The quesedilla was packed with chicken that tasted fresh. I was impressed with how fast the food came out also. It was fresh and hot as well.

Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a nice Mexican meal. It was fresh and delicious. They had nice drink deals that happen daily to keep the customers happy. They had nice sized margaritas for a reasonable price. I would also recommend this place to anyone who wants to have a few drinks with some friends. The food and service exceeded my expectations and I could see myself going back again real soon.

Today we got the chance to try a nice little restaurant down on 4th street. This restaurant was called Indigo Palette. Before today I was not aware that this place existed. It is a restaurant inside an art gallery. It seemed like a nice little coffee shop to go read or study at. It opens early, so I would assume this is what a lot of locals do. At first glimpse I was impressed with how unique this place was. The art on the wall was incredible and I’m not a big art fan. If you wanted to, you could purchase some of the paintings on the wall. We were seated at the back of the restaurant for lunch. The menu was basic but had a lot of unique choices after reviewing it. All of the food looked great on the menu. The service was probably the only thing that I did not care for. The waitress we had did not seem very happy. She might have been having a bad day, so I can’t assume she hated her job. It was not very crowded during the time we were there. It might be more of a dinner scene but I could not prove that.

I decided to order the prime rib sandwich. This was an item on the menu that caught my eye after looking it over. The sandwich came with a side of fries. Overall, it did not take long for the sandwich to come out. It was a little slow for lunch but we had a big group so I can’t complain. The sandwich was an open faced sandwich. The prime rib was delicious and had great flavor. The food was very delicious and below is a presentation of how my food looked.

Prime Rib Sandwich

Overall I thought this place was delicious and very unique. It was a small little restaurant to enjoy a meal down on 4th street. The food was very good and I would defiantly recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a good meal. My expectations were a little low going in due to the fact I had no idea this place existed. I was pleasantly surprised to find a new restaurant I could see myself going back to.

Today we got the opportunity to get a taste of some original Sioux City Italian. Trattoria Fresca is located downtown and this would be the first time that I have dined here. This was a nice casual dining spot that we tried for lunch. First looking at it, I could tell it was more of a dinner scene, but a quick lunch would work for us. My first impression was that the waiting staff was very quick to are every need. It was a nice set-up with the plates, napkins, and utensils. I was excited to try something authentic from the Italian side. The menu was reasonably priced for an Italian restaurant. I thought the menu had a lot of choices for someone looking to try something new.

Menu

After looking the menu over, I decided to get the chicken parmigiana. We decided as a table to get some appetizers early with are meal. They brought some bread out as well, so we had plenty of food to go around. We ordered some bruchetta bread early and that did not disappoint. The bread was delicious and had a lot of flavor. When my meal arrived I was already full from the appetizers. It was a large chicken breast with a side of noodles with sauce. The chicken was covered in marinara sauce and layered with cheese. It had excellent flavor and a great sauce to go along with it. Below is a picture of what it looked like.

Chicken and Pasta

Overall I thought this was a great restaurant to go for dinner. It had a nice casual Italian feel to it and I would recommend this to anyone looking for some authentic Italian. Every other dish I saw coming out looked fresh and appetizing as well. The waiting staff was great and helpful and the food was brought to us quickly. If you are an Italian fan, I would highly recommend trying this local restaurant.

We had the opportunity today to visit the small thai cuisine up north called Diamond Thai. I have personally never tried thai food but I hear it is delicious. After hearing about it, I was excited to give it a try and eat something new. The restaurant was interesting and unique. I loved the inside of the restaurant with all the pictures and statues. It was a small place and it eventually filled up by the time we had finished are meals. The waitress we had was helpful with those of us who had never tried thai food. It was a simple menu with different types of thai food. They were known for there curry dishes. That is a popular thai dish that I learned a lot about. It was known to be a spicy dish that was served with rice that you mix it with.

I did not take a chance on the curry meal. Instead I decided to order a chicken thai noodle dish. The noodles were cooked and mixed with a sauce. The dish was mixed together with chicken, broccoli, and carrots. I made a great choice after taking the first few bites. It had great flavor and was not spicy at all. The portion sizes were perfect for me. It was a great lunch portion that filled me up. I would recommend this dish if you are not a spicy food fan. Below I have a picture of my dish when I received it.

Thai Noodle

Overall I thought this was a great place to try something new. I enjoy trying new food from different cultures and had no idea this place existed until we got the chance to eat here. The service was fast and friendly. They took time to prepare each dish and all the food was fresh. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is interested in what thai food is all about. You will not be dissapointed if go to Diamond Thai.

Today my classmates and I got the chance to visit the Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse. This was a unique and special experience that everyone seemed to enjoy. We gathered around the grill so the chef could prepare are food in front of us and put on a show. The inside of the restaurant was very nice and clean. The waiting staff was knowledgeable and very helpful with the questions we had as a class. This would be my first time coming to Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse and it defiantly did not disappoint.

I have never had my food prepared right in front of me and this was truly an experience anyone should try. The chef started the cooking off by showing us some tricks and different ways to cook the food. Below are some pictures of what the experience was like.

Grill the food was prepared on.

The menu had many choices to pick from. I decided to go with the filet mignon on the lunch menu. They had a wide variety of meats to choose from. He prepared fried rice in front of us for all of us to have with are meals. Also he cooked up some vegetables for the other side dish.

I thought it was interesting how much faster some meats cook compared to others. I found out that seafood takes a little more time than steak to grill up. My filet mignon was chopped up and cooked perfectly. It melted in my mouth as I enjoyed it. I would highly recommend getting this steak, if you’re looking for a good steak. Below is what my finished dish looked like.

Filet Mignon

Overall I thought the restaurant was a very nice place and delicious. The service was fast and it was decently priced. You get a great meal and some fun entertainment. I would recommend this place to any family that is looking for a great meal and some wonderful entertainment.

Today we got the opportunity to eat at Rebos Wood Fire Grill down on 4th street. This would be the first time I ate at this restaurant. It was a Friday so we had to arrive early to beat the hungry crowd. The atmosphere on the inside is what impressed me the most. It was a nice relaxing place to have lunch. It was busy but the waiting staff kept up with the crowd. It was a unique place with neat designs on the wall to set up the atmosphere. They had a huge menu with lots of choices. Everything on the menu looked appealing to get. This restaurant was caribbean mexican food style restaurant. A lot of items on the menu were unique but looked good. Below is the menu that we looked at.

Menu

As a group we decided to share some appetizers because we heard they had some dips we wanted to try. We tried numerous kinds of salsa along with some cheese dip. They all were tasty and I would recommend all of the salsas they have to offer. After reviewing the menu for a while I decided to get the southwest chicken enchiladas. They came with rice and beans as side dishes. The portion size I received was just the right amount. The service was fast for how busy it was and the food came out fresh. Below is a picture of the dish I received.

Chicken Enchiladas

Overall I was really impressed with Rebos Wood Fire Grill. The experience was memorable along with some great food with it. Everyone I talked to told me that everything on the menu is good and you can’t go wrong with anything you order. All the food I saw being brought to the table looked delicious and presented well. The price was very reasonable for lunch and dinner occasions. I would recommend anyone looking to change up their taste in food to try Rebos Wood Fire Grill.

Today we ventured downtown to visit the local hot dog restaurants. The first restaurant we went to was The Old Milwaukee Wiener House. This was my first time visiting this place and my first impression was that it was small. It was a nice looking place and I felt like I was in a hot dog place. The prices were very reasonable. They had a few varieties of different hot dogs. The employees they had working were friendly and excited to see us. The service was fast and they had plenty of room for us to sit. Below I have a picture of the grill they made the hot dogs on.

Cooked Hot Dogs

I decided to order the double dog. It seemed like a popular item on the menu, so I went with it. The double dog had two hot dogs in one bun. It was topped with chilli and cheese. I also got an order of chips and a chocolate shake. I thought the hot dog was very delicious and filling. The price was right for what I received. I would defiantly recommend getting the double dog if you ever visit. The chocolate shake was made fresh and tasted real good. The picture below shows my meal that I received.

Double dog with chips

The next place we visited was Coney Island. This place was a few more blocks up from the other place. I thought this place was small as well but they had friendly staff. Below I took a picture of outside Coney Island. Overall this was a nice little place and the employees were very friendly. They took their time to prepare the food and waited to are every need.

Coney Island

At Coney Island I decided to get the Coney Dog. This was the most popular item on the menu and it was ordered frequently. The Coney Dog had cheese, mustard, onions, and chilli. This dog was loaded with a lot of flavor. It had quite a bit of onions on it and I’m not a big fan of onions. Next time I would probably go light on the onions. Overall it was a delicious hot dog that lived up to the hype.

Coney Dog

Overall both places were both good. If I were to choose a place to go back to, I would choose The Old Milwaukee Wiener House. I choose this place based off of the atmosphere and I thought they had a overall better hot dog. The service was fast and friendly. The food was delicious and I would not mind going back.

Today we got the pleasure of visiting a new little restaurant up north called Red Bones. Red Bones offered a variety of soul food type items on the menu. When we first arrived at the restaurant, I was a little concerned about how the outside looked. It looked run down from the outside. Once I stepped inside, it was clearly a good looking restaurant. It was kept clean and nice. We were greeted immediately as we entered so we felt welcome. We sat down at a clean table and the atmosphere was wonderful. The waitress was very helpful in giving us recommendations on what is good to order. I decided to order the southern chicken sandwich with a side of fries. Below is the picture of what my dish looked like.

Southern Chicken Sandwich

I thought the food came out rather quickly for the amount of people we had with us. My chicken sandwich came on a toasted bun with pickles on the side. The seasoned fries had just the right amount of seasoning on them to make them taste real good. The food was warm and fresh. The fries tasted delicious and were the highlight of my experience. Easily the best fries that I have had the chance to try lately. The chicken sandwich was good and had a great taste along with it. The only thing I noticed was that the chicken breast did not have that much meat on it compared to other chicken sandwiches I have had. I’m not sure if I just got a bad piece or if they are all like that. If I were to go back, I would probably try the catfish next time. That is the other item they boasted about on their menu. All the other food I saw throughout the restaurant looked delicious as well.

Overall I would defiantly recommend Red Bones to anyone. Anyone looking for great tasting food should defiantly give it a try. The employees and atmosphere impressed me a lot. If I were to go back, I would try the catfish. I have nothing against the chicken sandwich but I would be interested in trying something different the next time I return.

Today my classmates and I got the chance to eat at a local Morningside barbeque restaurant. We went to grab a bite at House of Q. I have dined at House of Q a few times in the past few years since it had opened. They are known for having some of the best barbeque in the siouxland. When you enter the establishment, you first notice that you seat yourself. The menus are placed at the table and when your party is ready to order, you go to the front to place the order. We arrived with roughly twenty hungry college students. The service was surprisingly fast for the amount of people we had. The restaurant had lots of seating and the employees were very friendly.

Below I have placed an image of the menu from the restaurant. Overall, they had quite a few choices to pick from. If you like a variety of barbeque, then this is your place. It is a simple menu with lots of choices. The have ribs, pulled pork, brisket, chicken, or sausage to pick from. House of Q had a wide variety of side dishes to choose from as well. I also noticed some unique menu items as well. For example, the special of the day combined all the house meats and put them onto a bun. I wish I would’ve tried this because it sounded good.

House of Q menu

After reviewing the menu, I decided to settle on the brisket sandwich. I wanted to keep it simple and see how well they make there barbeque. My sandwich came with the choice of two sides. I chose the smoked beans and the mac-n-cheese balls. When I received my order I was surprised to see how much food I received. I would defiantly recommend going hungry when you decide to go. Overall I thought my sandwich was delicious. It was warm and seemed rather fresh. The side dishes were chosen because they were recommended. The did not disappoint. Both side dishes were good sized portions and tasted great.

Brisket sandwich with two sides

Overall, my experience at House of Q was pleasant. The atmosphere inside made me feel like I was in a barbeque restaurant. They had some unique photos on the wall that featured them competing at barbeque competitions. I thought that was unique how they displayed that. Also they had over 100 choices of beer offered. They sure do have a lot of variety in all categories. I would defiantly recommend checking out House of Q if you want a good barbeque experience the Sioux City.