Jul 31

Chowders

39 Pier 39 Concourse

San Francisco, CA 94133

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Today, I had tasted the best clam chowder ever! Unfortunately, Chowders is located at Pier 39, so the area is full of tourists and parking is a rip off. Luckily, if you live in Sacramento or many of the counties near San Francisco, you qualify for Pier 39’s Local Advantage, which includes a buy one get one free coupon for a classic clam chowder bowl. Since the bowl costs $7.75, this is a great deal, making this clam chowder bowl cheaper than the ones by Fisherman’s Grotto.

Today, we ordered two clam chowder bowls in sourdough bowls. The consistency of the soup was perfect and consisted of standard celery, potato, bacon, and clams. I would say there was an adequate amount of clam. The sourness of the bowl went perfectly with the clam chowder. The flavor profile of the chowder was perfect, and portion size was agreeable.

Overall, Chowders is definitely worth a stop if you are at Fisherman’s Wharf. The only downsides is that Chowders is in a heavily populated tourist destination, and that the price of the bowl is high compared to other restaurants in the area (if you don’t use the coupon). If you go, make sure you print out a coupon so that you can get a second bowl for free. If you want great tasting clam chowder, head to Chowders at Pier 39.

Jul 24

Strings Italian Cafe

1900 Douglas Blvd # G

Roseville, CA 95661

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

Upon entering the restaurant, you can definitely smell something funky in the air. I am not sure if they are trying to infuse the Italian aroma or if they just have a bunch of old furniture with unfavorable conditions. Arriving right around noon, the entire dining room was empty except for the two staff. I have to say, the service was pretty good.
Today, we ordered from the lunch specials. We ordered the Bruschetta Chicken and the Chicken Parmesan. The Bruschetta Chicken was quite tasty. Overall, the cheesy chicken over the olive-oil enriched angel hair pasta was a great combination. The Chicken Parmesan tasted great over the fettuccine pasta. The Parmesan crust covered well over the Chicken. Now, this is where Strings goes from a 4/5 to a 2/5. Including the fact that the restaurant smells funky, there was also some hair found on the pasta of the Chicken Parmesan. With this in mind, I don’t see myself coming back here, let alone suggest anyone come eat here. You might get better luck at a different location, but I am not taking my chances.
Overall, the food tasted good, and the meal went well with the provided bread, soup and salad. However, due to the smell of the restaurant and the hair, I do not suggest eating here.

Jul 12

TGI Fridays

7101 Laguna Blvd
Elk Grove, CA 95758

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

There’s a T.G.I. Fridays in Elk Grove and Roseville. This particular location sits next to an Outback Steakhouse and a Walgreens. The restaurant had a darker ambiance with dimmed lighting and various movie and show pictures and posters adorning the walls. Our server was prompt and funny.

Today we ordered the Queso with beef, pan-seared pot stickers, pretzel sticks, Korean Beef Tacos, and Jack Daniel’s Salmon. I also ordered a strawberry lemonade slush that had complementary refills. The queso was delicious! The chips were fresh and the dip delicious. A refill on chips was required. The pan-seared pot stickers were good, but nothing that good ole’ Ling Ling pot stickers from Costco can’t beat. The pretzel sticks were very salty, to the point where the pretzel should not be salted on the surface. The Korean Beef Tacos were creative, but salty. They also used red pepper paste instead of siracha. Overall, that dish tasted like teriyaki sauce. The Jack Daniel’s Salmon was delicious, mostly coming from the Jack Daniel’s sauce. The salmon was a bit overcooked. The potato wedges were hard and overly fulfilling. Throughout the meal, I had 3 refills on my drink.

Overall, the food was good, but had its downsides. If you come to TGI Fridays, please order Jack Daniel grill items. The sauce is tasty, and the meal is hefty.

Jul 12

Chipotle

4001 Freeport Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95822

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

I know quite a few people with disagree with my rating, but I will stand by it. Since I had a poor experience with the burritos from Chipotle, I decided to try their bowls. Today I ordered their Steak bowl with brown rice, cheese, hot sauce, and lettuce. I have to admit that I like their presentation of their food line, but I would prefer more options. The ingredients looked and tasted fresh. However, the employee who was preparing the bowl was not pleasant, nor sounded nice. Pricing was about right, but a bit high. The atmosphere of the restaurant was very open and inviting as well.

In terms of taste, I did not like my bowl. The rice was OK, but without beans, my bowl looked puny. Half my bowl was lettuce. The steak was tasty, but were too chunky. The hot sauce was hot, to a level where I would expect it, but mixed all together, I could only rate the meal as edible.

Overall, I do not recommend Chipotle. The two star rating comes only from the ambiance and presentation of the food. Plus, it’s quite hard to find parking at this location during lunch. If you are in search of good Mexican food, go elsewhere like a Taqueria, Oscars, Jimboy’s, or even Taco Bell. I would stay clear of Chipotle.

Jul 09

Wingstop

8471 N Freeway Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95834

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

I was craving wings and I could not think of a better place to go to that Wingstop. The only downside is that it usually takes 15-26 minutes for your wings to be ready. This time, I was prepared because i called in my order before arriving. Today I ordered a 20 pieces regular wings, half with original hot sauce and half with lemon pepper. I also ordered a side of fries.

The wings were served hot after being tossed with sauce. The original hot was very tasty. The lemon pepper was surprisingly lemony. In terms of meat, most of the wings were a bit small, but a few pieces were a bit larger. The wings seem a bit over fried as well as they are overly crispy. The fries look overcooked, but the flavor was amazing.

Overall, if you want wings, Wingstop is a great option. The only downsides are that the wings are a bit small and that the tables don’t seem as clean.

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