Sometime this past May, Red Lobster opened a store in Spokane. We did not go to the one in Spokane, but we did visit Red Lobster Restaurant, and it was really good. I can hardly wait to try the local one as well.
While we were visiting relatives in Arizona, we asked mom if she wanted to go out with us and what she wanted to eat. I have to tell you that this mom is one who loves to cook, is a very good cook, and will seldom take an offer to dine out, but after being sick for so long and finally starting to feel better she was excited to go somewhere with us. She wanted to have some lobster and steak, so after exploring options in the phone book, we decided to try the Red Lobster in Scottsdale.
The service was exceptional. They made us feel welcomed and were attentive to the needs of the grandma with the walker too. Not only that, the food was great and we all had a wonderful time talking, laughing and eating.
Between four of us we ordered lobster, clam chowder shrimp, salmon, flounder, scallops and shrimp scampi, and we ate everything except for one biscuit, which we took home and ate the next day. Everything was scrumptious and we decided that even if you just went there for the chowder, it would be worth it.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
New Harbor
This restaurant has been in Spokane for 16 years...and so have we. Having driven past it hundreds of times we have never stopped to consider eating there. Part of the reason being that we had already found the places we liked the best and go there, but since we began trying new things, "New" Harbor came into view. Tonight we decided to drop anchor and see what the Chinese/America food this establishment offered was all about.
We began with an appetizer of "spring rolls," which when they came, were looking more like "egg rolls". When I commented on this to Geo, the waitress she said their egg roll and spring rolls are the same. That was odd to me. Spring rolls are usually smaller and fluffier, at least that hs been my experience. The eggroll/spring rolls came with a sauce that looked a little the the sauce our local Zips hamberger stop makes to go with their fries, only it had a horseradish, or hot mustard "kick" in it's flavor. (We affectionately called it, Chinese Zip dip.) Geo liked the sauce, and the rolls, which I thought were rather greasy. They were also really, really, really hot; like just-out- of-the-fryer hot.
It's a pretty restaurant with pretty Chinese lantern looking decorations over the tables, which reminded me of chandeliers. The menu choices looked good; all of our favorite Chinese eats were advertised there. The menu was even translated into Vietnamese, so they obviously have a lot of oriental patrons.
The service was great and the dinner items, like the egg rolls that came before them, were served hot. It tasted good, but it was a little different than we were used to when we order the same items elsewhere. Maybe it's because it was "Hong Kong " style food or maybe just different family recipe...or technique... I don't know. Anyhow...the dishes were prepared differently than how I have seen them served other places. I will explain:
Geo ordered Mu Shu Pork. I would have liked to order Chow Mein, but I am still learning about it, and do not want to oder something I do not want to eat, so I went with my old standby, Kung Pao Chicken. (We also figured that ordering this way was good for comparison.) I realize that all restaurants and cooks will have their variations, but there were no Kung Pao peppers in the Kung Pao Chicken.
Even without peppers, the Kung Pao was spicy enough. It also had water chestnuts which I like, as did our soup which started the meal. (The teeny tiny slivers of chestnut were a very nice variation I might add....) The Mu Shu Geo ordered, did not have a lot of gravy and it had a lot of Tofu. The pork was more like thin sliced pork chops as opposed to ground pork. So you see, things were different than we expected, not bad, just different. We ate it happily just the same.
Will we ever come back?
With so many places to try, and some places we really like, I doubt we would make a special trip back to this place, but I didn't really plan on going there tonight either... and did anyhow. So, I will just say, if it's the right time the right season and who knows what the reason...we might end up here again. I wouldn't mind, but It would not be my first choice. Instead, I look forward to either going back to one of our old favs or another someplace "new" next time.
I might try the American food one day.. just for fun. Somehow, I just never thought of ordering "American" at a Chinese place. Besides eating Chinese food seems like quite the American thing to do...
We began with an appetizer of "spring rolls," which when they came, were looking more like "egg rolls". When I commented on this to Geo, the waitress she said their egg roll and spring rolls are the same. That was odd to me. Spring rolls are usually smaller and fluffier, at least that hs been my experience. The eggroll/spring rolls came with a sauce that looked a little the the sauce our local Zips hamberger stop makes to go with their fries, only it had a horseradish, or hot mustard "kick" in it's flavor. (We affectionately called it, Chinese Zip dip.) Geo liked the sauce, and the rolls, which I thought were rather greasy. They were also really, really, really hot; like just-out- of-the-fryer hot.
It's a pretty restaurant with pretty Chinese lantern looking decorations over the tables, which reminded me of chandeliers. The menu choices looked good; all of our favorite Chinese eats were advertised there. The menu was even translated into Vietnamese, so they obviously have a lot of oriental patrons.
The service was great and the dinner items, like the egg rolls that came before them, were served hot. It tasted good, but it was a little different than we were used to when we order the same items elsewhere. Maybe it's because it was "Hong Kong " style food or maybe just different family recipe...or technique... I don't know. Anyhow...the dishes were prepared differently than how I have seen them served other places. I will explain:
Geo ordered Mu Shu Pork. I would have liked to order Chow Mein, but I am still learning about it, and do not want to oder something I do not want to eat, so I went with my old standby, Kung Pao Chicken. (We also figured that ordering this way was good for comparison.) I realize that all restaurants and cooks will have their variations, but there were no Kung Pao peppers in the Kung Pao Chicken.
Even without peppers, the Kung Pao was spicy enough. It also had water chestnuts which I like, as did our soup which started the meal. (The teeny tiny slivers of chestnut were a very nice variation I might add....) The Mu Shu Geo ordered, did not have a lot of gravy and it had a lot of Tofu. The pork was more like thin sliced pork chops as opposed to ground pork. So you see, things were different than we expected, not bad, just different. We ate it happily just the same.
Will we ever come back?
With so many places to try, and some places we really like, I doubt we would make a special trip back to this place, but I didn't really plan on going there tonight either... and did anyhow. So, I will just say, if it's the right time the right season and who knows what the reason...we might end up here again. I wouldn't mind, but It would not be my first choice. Instead, I look forward to either going back to one of our old favs or another someplace "new" next time.
I might try the American food one day.. just for fun. Somehow, I just never thought of ordering "American" at a Chinese place. Besides eating Chinese food seems like quite the American thing to do...
Monday, June 1, 2009
Sonic Drive In (not Drive thru)
Sonic Drive-in opened last summer in Spokane and it was all the rage for weeks. No doubt this was partially due to the fact that Californians who move to Spokane miss their old favorites and Sonic is one of them. I think that a lot of people just like the nostalgia of the 50's too. I never hear of Sonic before the new restaurant opened in our town, and I never took the opportunity to try them until last weekend after we watched Spokane Community College Theater's production of Hole in the Sky. (which, BTW, was an intense and amazing production~)
First we were simply going to go through Wendy's drive through, but before we reached the window we change our minds, thinking to try Sonic instead. We drove through the drive thru without stopping to order; we just drove right through. However, Geo decided that he wanted Wendy's not Sonic, so we drove back trough and ordered some stuff, then we went to Sonic for the rest of our order.
The nice thing about the experience was not having to hurry and and order because people were behind you. I also liked the fact that you sit there instead of drive away with your food. It's still eating in the car... but there is more mess control than what usually happens in a car when you go to fast food drive through.
Comparing Burger to burger... ice treat to ice treat...( between Wendy's and Sonic)... Wendy's wins, and I am sad to say, I did not think it was a very great burger, which was all I had.
Beth ordered a coconut something or another that didn't taste like coconut to her, but rather banana... George concurred, "banana." N. ordered food too... and I don't remember what Nate's verdict was on the matter, but I would probably not go there again as a first choice of someplace to go. We figured the confusion came about because Geo had to order the food three times because the person behind the speaker-phone and cash register asked him to repeat the order that many times. Later there was problem with the billing too and after swiping the card in the machine in front of him, the guy on skates had to go inside to redo the billing.
Okay, so maybe I am just being nice when I say that all in all, it was worth the experience. I was glad to finally be able to say I had tried the Sonic. I drive by it all the time, and now, I know that I am not missing much, except the unlimited selection of drink flavors you can order. If I do go again, it will probably be just for some fun slurpular thing... and I will check to be sure the order is right too. I will have to say that it was a kinda fun thing to do at least once. After all, it's not every day that you get your food brought to you on roller skates...and this while you sit in your car and eat, complete with kids in tow (in the back seat.)
I have to say that it was truly a family experience... a flashback in time...Before my time.. and yet, I think it might even be more fun... sipping a silly soda in say, a 57 Chevy, or maybe a mustang convertible.
First we were simply going to go through Wendy's drive through, but before we reached the window we change our minds, thinking to try Sonic instead. We drove through the drive thru without stopping to order; we just drove right through. However, Geo decided that he wanted Wendy's not Sonic, so we drove back trough and ordered some stuff, then we went to Sonic for the rest of our order.
The nice thing about the experience was not having to hurry and and order because people were behind you. I also liked the fact that you sit there instead of drive away with your food. It's still eating in the car... but there is more mess control than what usually happens in a car when you go to fast food drive through.
Comparing Burger to burger... ice treat to ice treat...( between Wendy's and Sonic)... Wendy's wins, and I am sad to say, I did not think it was a very great burger, which was all I had.
Beth ordered a coconut something or another that didn't taste like coconut to her, but rather banana... George concurred, "banana." N. ordered food too... and I don't remember what Nate's verdict was on the matter, but I would probably not go there again as a first choice of someplace to go. We figured the confusion came about because Geo had to order the food three times because the person behind the speaker-phone and cash register asked him to repeat the order that many times. Later there was problem with the billing too and after swiping the card in the machine in front of him, the guy on skates had to go inside to redo the billing.
Okay, so maybe I am just being nice when I say that all in all, it was worth the experience. I was glad to finally be able to say I had tried the Sonic. I drive by it all the time, and now, I know that I am not missing much, except the unlimited selection of drink flavors you can order. If I do go again, it will probably be just for some fun slurpular thing... and I will check to be sure the order is right too. I will have to say that it was a kinda fun thing to do at least once. After all, it's not every day that you get your food brought to you on roller skates...and this while you sit in your car and eat, complete with kids in tow (in the back seat.)
I have to say that it was truly a family experience... a flashback in time...Before my time.. and yet, I think it might even be more fun... sipping a silly soda in say, a 57 Chevy, or maybe a mustang convertible.
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