Black Barts Steakhouse - Flagstaff, AZ

After a day trip to the Grand Canyon, it was time for dinner. On the drive back to the hotel in Holbrook, I passed through Flagstaff and came upon Black Barts Steakhouse. As I walked inside the restaurant's dining area reminded me of a barn. It was a wide open room with criss-crossing beams spanning from wall to wall. I sat down and ordered the rack of lambs. As I was waiting for my meal to arrive, little did I know that the wait staff would be breaking out into song and dance.

When the food did arrive, the lamb was served with a jalapeno mint sauce and a baked potato for a side. The lamb was a little tough, but very well seasoned. The combination of jalapenos in the mint sauce was gross. Overall a good meal with unexpected entertainment.

Black Barts Steakhouse
2760 East Butler
Flagstaff, AZ 86004

Cracker Barrel - Titusville, FL

My sister is in town for a few days. She is today’s guest blogger.

Even though I know my brother likes to feature local, non-chain
restaurants, I wanted to devote this posting to our dinner at Cracker
Barrel. On long drives, I always passed signs for this
southern home-cooking chain and wanted to give it a try, especially
after we passed by one after a visit to Kennedy Space Center.

We went on a Friday – Fish Fry Friday, to be exact. I stopped eating
meat about a month ago but I still eat fish, so I was in luck. I
ordered the special (with catfish) that came with two sides. I chose
corn and mashed potatoes.I found the fish to be light and crispy,
paired well with the creamy tartar sauce. The mashed potatoes were
creamy and corn a little over-cooked. But overall, the food was great
– nothing mind-blowing, just good southern food.

Cracker Barrel

4745 Helen Hauser Boulevard

Titusville, FL 32780

Primanti Bros. - Pittsburgh, PA

As seen on the Travel Channel's "Man v. Food", Primanti Bros. is a must when visiting Pittsburgh. I stopped by for lunch ordering the roast beef and cheese sandwich. Primanti Bros. is known for their French fry sandwiches. My sandwich was loaded with tender roast beef, provolone cheese, topped with tomatoes and coleslaw, and fries. The sandwich was super greasy, but that's what you would expect. I was there right at noon during the lunch hour rush, and the place was packed! There are several locations in and around the Pittsburgh area, and two in Florida. I would definitely recommend Primanti Bros., and will hopefully be back soon.

11 Cherry Way
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Jalapeños - Schererville, IN

Driving to Chicago from Rose, there was always a point where Brett and I would feel like we were lost. However, whenever we saw the big jalapeño-shaped sign for Jalapeños we knew we were on the right path. We always talked about stopping here, but never did until recently. I ordered Jaime's Tacos Guadalajara. The tacos consisted of grilled chicken, an assortment of peppers, cheese, lime juice, and a slice of avocado. Sides included rice and a slice of watermelon.

200 Indianapolis Boulevard

Schererville, IN 46375

Taco Garage - San Antonio, Texas

After a full day at the river walk, we went to Taco Garage for dinner. As I was looking over the menu, the "voted world's best" puffy tacos caught my eye. The puffy tacos came in either chicken or beef, with a side of rice, and your choice of refried or borracho beans. The puffy taco shell was light and airy. However, the taco itself was very dry and bland.

Taco Garage

8403 Broadway

San Antonio, Texas 78209

Casa Rio - San Antonio, TX

It was a Sunday, and the plant I was working at in Houston was delayed. So, Brett and I decided to make a road trip to visit our friend Crystal in San Antonio. We had lunch on the river walk at Casa Rio. I ordered two chicken enchiladas and one taco. My meal also came with a side of rice and a small pot of borracho beans. The bean soup was a spicy combination of jalapeños, bacon, and various beans.

430 E. Commerce St.

Between Commerce St. & Market St.

On the San Antonio River Walk

BJ's Restaurant & Brewery - Pearland, TX

I was in Houston for work, and for dinner I met up with an old college friend (Brett) who now works in Houston. We went to BJ's Restaurant & Brewery which was near his apartment. I ordered the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and a side of vegetables. After eating half of the steak I was already full, but I decided to finish anyways. It's true what they say...everything is bigger in Texas.

BJ's Restaurant & Brewery

11200 West Broadway Street

Pearland, TX 77584

Hunt's Seafood Restaurant and Oyster Bar - Dothan, AL

At Hunt's I ordered raw oysters for an appetizer and the seafood platter for my main entree. The oysters were about 2 for $1. I remembered liking oysters the last time I had them so I decided to get a half order (6). After a couple, I realized that I don’t like them, and I wish had not ordered them. The seafood platter ($17.99) consisted of a catfish filet, shrimp (3), scallops, hushpuppies (2), crab cake, and your choice of side. I ordered the grilled version, however it also comes in a fried variety. The crab cake was prepared and baked in a crab shell. A trip to the salad bar was also included with the meal. All of the seafood tasted very fresh, and Hunt’s was a tasty dining experience.

Red's Backwoods BBQ - Klamath Falls, OR

For lunch I stopped by Red's Backwoods BBQ. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich lunch special with cole slaw for only $5. On the table was a bevy of BBQ sauces. These included: Memphis, North Carolina, Southern, Red's Hot, Texas, and "Betcha can't eat this" BBQ sauces. My pick was the Southern sauce which was a sweet mustard blend. The other sauces had too much of a tabasco sauce flavor for me. The service was friendly and quick.

Heineken restaurant at the Atlanta airport

This morning at 11 i got a call saying i was to leave for louisville today. Another eit (Ravi) and I traveled on the same flight from Orlando to Atlanta. Walking around the terminal, we came upon the Heineken restaurant. The brightly colored sign led us to escalators which brought us to the restaurant level. Everything looked pretty standard so we decided to stay. I ordered the "Hotlanta" burger and a Heineken. Ravi got a Heineken and a pastrami sandwich. Our food arrived on paper plates and our silverware was plastic. We were both surprised given that the restaurant was a sit down place. My Burger was nothing special. It had typical fixings, lettuce and tomatoes, and with lays potato chips for a side. The food quality was average at best. The service was slow, and when we got our bill the price was expensive even for airport food. The total was $32 for both our meals. I would not recommend or go back to this place.