morningside munchies

On Thursday we went to our first Italian restaurant.  We dressed a little classier and headed to Trattoria Fresco, which is downtown Sioux City next to the Sioux City Hotel and Convention Center on Jackson Street.  From the moment we walked in, we knew we were in the right place.  The nice orchestra dinner music playing over the speakers created good background sound to set the mood for our nice meal.  The host seated us immediately to our table with our cloth napkins set up creatively on our plates. I was in a great mood for this meal.

We ordered some bruschetta alla fresco and a plate of imported Italian meats and cheeses for appetizers, which was a great decision because they tasted great. I had a tough time deciding what I wanted to order for my entree, but ultimately chose the pollo alla cacciatora, which is a chicken breast in pasta with vegetables on it.  We ate our appetizers fairly quickly, so we had time to wait for our food.  Between the two waiters that took care of us, our bread basket and glasses were never empty. They did a fantastic job always checking on our table to make sure we had everything we needed.

My food came out and filled a huge plate! I already knew it would be way too much for me to handle, but I was excited to eat it for supper later that evening as well.  The sauce was very good and the meat and vegetables went great together. The sauce was a red wine and tomato with basil mixture and it had a sweetness to it.  Our waiters continued keeping our bead stocked, so I was able to dip the bread in my pasta sauce which tasted amazing as well.  The pasta was very filling and eventually I got to a point where I had plenty to take home and I was comfortably full.

We checked out the dessert menu and found a few options to sound pretty tasty, but it was an easy decision for me to order the tiramisu.  I had tiramisu at an Italian restaurant in Las Vegas a couple months ago, so I wanted to see how good it would be here.

It came out and it was a massive piece.  The presentation of it was even better. It was very moist and tasted very good.  With each bite I took it kept tasting better and it was a great finish to an already delicious meal.

I liked Trattoria Fresco very much. The servers did a great job taking care of us, and kept us happy throughout the whole meal.  The portions were large and everything that I ate, I thoroughly enjoyed. The atmosphere was relaxing and comfortable and the classiness of it made it better, rather than some family-style pasta buffet that I was expecting at first. With the prices being what they are, I don’t think I will be headed back because of my poor college student budget, but I could see myself taking a beautiful lady there for a fancy dinner.

Our class recently split up and went to Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar. It is a big building behind the mall and right next to my favorite frisbee golfing course, so I have driven past it many, many times, but have never stopped.  I haven’t there for the simple reason that I do not care for sushi or any seafood for that matter. I am a huge fan of steak, so I knew I at least had that to look forward to, but I was also excited to try something new at this restaurant.  We were the first customers of the day and the hostess welcomes us right in.  The building had a Japanese feel to it as she seated us around a hibachi grill.  I had never experienced anything like that, but it always looked sweet on movies. I had never tried calamari before, so I ordered the fried calamari as an appetizer for my meal.

I looked over the menu and after talking with the other classmates, decided on the lunch combination.  It allowed me to choose two different meat/fish to be grilled with my rice and vegetables.  I went with the filet mignon because that is my favorite steak, and for my second option I got the swordfish. This was a big step for me because I have never been able to eat seafood, but the waitress recommended it, so a lot of us tried it.

Our hibachi grillmaster came out and began cooking the rice for us, while also entertaining us the entire time.  I have no idea what he was spraying on there to cause the high flames, but it was pretty awesome to watch and made it a great dining experience.

The calamari came out and was surprisingly really tasty, but I was just a little skeptical while eating it because I knew what it was and that was new to me. After cooking the rice and vegetables, he started on the meats, and it took no time at all for each one to get cooked.  Before I knew it, I had my filet mignon and swordfish on my plate.  I dipped the swordfish in what the grillmaster called, “yum-yum sauce.” Wow! That swordfish was good. I could hardly taste the fishiness of it and it went great with the rice and vegetables.  I then moved on to the filet mignon and that steak was so juicy and perfectly cooked. I was extremely pleased with my meal choice.

I managed to save a little room for dessert and the fried ice cream sounded like it would hit the spot.  I was right about that one! It came out and it looked and smelled delicious.  It didn’t take long for it to be all gone and then I was finally full.

Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar has been my favorite restaurant from this course.  The atmosphere was relaxing, the service was great, and the entertainment was fantastic.  I mind was blown by how great the food was and price was not too bad either.  You can count on me returning back to this restaurant soon! YUM!

The next stop on our tour de Sioux City was Rebo’s.  It is located downtown historic 4th Street amongst the bars and two blocks from the movie theater.  This was another restaurant that I had never been to, but had heard many good things about it. It was a spacious building with a large bar right inside the doors. There were a lot of tables and there was also an upstairs area that tables as well. We were the only ones seated at tables, but it didn’t take long for the place to become filled during the lunch hour.  It was clear that Rebo’s was a popular place for workers in the area to come during their lunch break.

The sign on the wall said, “New Mexi-Caribbean Food,” and I’m not sure what that really means, but it was pretty fitting for the menu items.  Our table shared a few of the appetizers and I was pleased with the different salsas, so I ordered a steak burrito that sounded pretty good to me. It took a little time for our food to come out, but that was expected for a group of 20 students.  When my food came, the wait was suddenly all worth it.  I was more than pleased with the portion size of my meal.  The burrito was covered in different sauces, beans, and cheeses and it was a pretty sight. I couldn’t wait to see how it tasted!

    It tasted just as good as I thought it would.  The burrito was stuffed with a ton of food and after I spent what seemed like a long time eating it I looked up and noticed that it was only half eaten. There was some spice to this burrito as well. I’m not sure if there were any jalapeños in it or not, or maybe it was just the spice of the beans and salsa.  Either way, I wasn’t complaining and I was stuffed from it, but I couldn’t resist ordering the bananas foster for dessert.  I have had bananas foster only once and I loved it, so it was time to try it again.

I could not have made a better decision getting the bananas foster for dessert. It was AMAZING! the bananas practically melted in my mouth with each bite and I couldn’t make myself put the spoon down until it was all eaten, which didn’t take long due to the deliciousness of it.

I enjoyed Rebo’s a lot. It looked like a nice place from the outside, had a nice interior with good lighting and music, and the service was pretty good as well.  Our waitress took care of us nicely and did a great job describing our options of appetizers and desserts.  The quality of food was better than I expected and even though it was a little more expensive than the previous restaurants, I can see myself heading back to Rebo’s soon for at least some more of that bananas foster.

Last week, Dr. Elder chose two restaurants for us to eat at for lunch. He chose two different hot dog places that have been in Sioux City for a long time. We ate at the Milwaukee Wiener House and Coney Island.  They were similar in many ways, but each one brought its own uniqueness to the table.

First up was the Milwaukee Wiener House.  I hadn’t heard of it until it made the local news recently because they will be relocating due to the construction of the Hard Rock Casino.  It is a small building about a block and a half away from the Tyson Event Center.  We brought a large group to what seemed a small building, but they were more than able to accommodate us.  I looked for what could be considered a spicy food on the item and chose a hot dog with mustard and sauerkraut, but also got two hot dogs on one bun with onions and mustard and chili.  They had  plenty of hot dogs cooking on the grill and the assembly line worked quickly to put the toppings on our hot dogs, while also being extremely friendly to us even though they were busy.

I found the sauerkraut mixed with the onions, mustard, and chili to be a little spicy, but overall my meal was very good and I still had plenty of room in my stomach for round 2 at Coney Island.

We then continued our journey a couple blocks away to Coney Island. We got there a little bit before the rest of our class did, so we starting talking to the couple that owned the restaurant. They told us all about the family members that went to Morningside and made us feel welcome to be in their establishment.  I looked at their menu and attempted to mimic what I got at Milwaukee Wiener House, so I ordered the hot dog with sauerkraut and mustard, but replaced the other hot dog with onion chips.  We took up mostly all the seating in the building, but it was fine because we were also the only people in there. The hot dog and onion chips tasted great and I finished the day with a full stomach. I am definitely not fit to be competitively eating hot dogs like Joey Chestnut.

I enjoyed eating at both restaurants.  Although they had many similarities, it was easy for me to have a preference of the Milwaukee Wiener House between the two based  on the following categories: seating, menu, quality of  food.

Seating: Both places had adequate seating for a large group of people such as our class, but Milwaukee Wiener House was able to host a larger number of people outside our group.

Menu: Both restaurants had a nice selection for different styles of serving the hot dogs.  Coney Island offered specialty items like the onion chips, french fries, chicken patty, and cheeseburgers, which was nice to have, but the wiener house had ice cream, which was a big hit with our class. The prices were about equal at both places and both were inexpensive.

Quality of Food: The food was delicious at both restaurants.  The hot dogs were the same size and included the same ingredients on top. The onion chips were fresh when I got them at Coney Island and they tasted great with the french onion dip.  I’d say the difference maker for me was that that Milwaukee Wiener House served me hot sauerkraut on top, while Coney Island served cold sauerkraut.  I was a big fan of the hot sauerkraut.

Located across the parking lot of the delicious restaurant, House of Q, is another popular place known as Bob Roe’s for short.  It is a conveniently located restaurant that is just a few blocks from campus. The interior walls are covered in sports memorabilia ranging from old to new and it is fairly dark lighting. A lot of the memorabilia was from Morningside, but also included a bunch from the bigger schools like Iowa, ISU, and even Nebraska. We were greeted when we walked through the doors and were directed to a back room with tables set up for our group.

I had only been to Bob Roe’s a few times leading up to this visit, but have only ordered the hot wings and the pizza.  I was willing to try something new this time if it sparked my interest and if it was hot or spicy at all.  I scanned over the menu and noticed a few items, but I wasn’t able to stray from what I loved. I decided to order the hot wings with their amazing sour cream ranch dip on the side.

Hot wings and sour cream ranch

Their homemade wing sauce tasted fantastic and had a nice kick to it which only led me to dip them in the sour cream ranch.  The two worked hand-in-hand to create a tasty meal for me.  The hotness of the wings started to creep up on me, so the only logical choice for me was to order a frosty beer in one of their signature mason jar mugs.

The beer did its job and complimented the wings tremendously.  I was then able to get a couple slices of pizza from my friends which completed my meal.  With no room left in the stomach for dessert, I threw my remaining 5 wings in a box and headed home.

After eating at Bob Roe’s Point After four times now, I would rate the service as excellent.  The wait staff has been friendly each time and was on hand when we needed refills or extra things for our food. Many students in our class have met the owners before and that shows that they care about their customers, which is good to see.  It is a pretty inexpensive place to eat and would be a great place to bring your family. It is common to find youth sports teams having their banquets because there is a small arcade that provides entertainment for them while their parents are able to watch the many TV’s mounted on the walls all around the place.  Bob Roe’s’  big night is wing night which is on Wednesdays and the building is packed each week.  I have no complaints on the food as the pizza and wings have tasted great during each visit. I hope to try something new eventually, but it will be pretty hard to stray from the normal selection of wings, beer, and pizza.

This is my first blog entry for our may term class, Eating Siouxland. Our first assignment for the class was to think of a spin to put on each of our entries, and this was a pretty difficult assignment for me.  I finally decided that I would eat something spicy at each restaurant these next two and a half weeks.

Yesterday, Dr. Elder chose the House of Q as the destination for our meal. I have driven past this restaurant many times because it is located just a few blocks from our football stadium and shares its parking lot with the popular wing restaurant, Bob Roe’s Point After.  I knew that barbecue was the specialty, and I have heard good things about it, so I was excited to finally experience it for myself.

I walked into the House of Q and my first thoughts came from my nose where the aroma of barbecue was finding its way.  The atmosphere was welcoming with inviting music playing in the background of the well-lit building.  The employees welcomed us in with smiles and directed us to the back room where the rest of our group was already seated.  I grabbed a menu from the table, but in the process saw the large selection of barbecue sauces placed in the middle of the table.

The array of sauces placed on each table

Seeing that there was both Spicy and Chipotle BBQ flavored sauces, I knew that I had to get either the ribs or some sort of pulled pork sandwich that I could smother in those sauces.  After looking over the menu and remembering a recommendation from a friend, I ordered the Heaven on a Bun sandwich which consisted of a smoked burger topped with Cheese, a Spicy Sausage Link, and Brisket. It came with two sides and a drink, so I got steak fries and coleslaw with it.  The description had the word “spicy” in it, so I could start the class off by trying something spicy at the restaurant.

Heaven on a Bun Sandwich with steak fries, coleslaw, and a root beer

The food took a little while to get to the table, but I was expecting that because we had a large group and we ordered a lot of food.  I tried my sides first in order to lead up to the sandwich and they were both delicious.  I squirted the Spicy and Chipotle BBQ sauces on the sandwich and took a big bite.  The mixture of the perfectly smoked meats and the sauces was too much for me to handle.  I was literally “in heaven” and the name of the sandwich couldn’t be more fitting.  I ate half of the sandwich and took the rest home to eat for supper that evening.

I could not have been more satisfied leaving the House of Q.  The food was amazing and inexpensive, the wait staff was friendly and helpful, and the atmosphere was great. It really did feel like a home. You can definitely count on me returning to enjoy another delicious meal at the House of Q in the near future.