Jimmy Mac’s Roadhouse
34902 Pacific Hwy South
225 SW 7th Street (Location visited)
Renton, WA

I have told people a couple of times that, when I am on a business trip, I have a meal budget (a topic which was briefly mentioned in Tuesday’s post of Shiro’s Sushi). While that is all good, truth is constant business travelling is not as glamorous as a lot of people believe it is – specially not in North American airports. Sure, some expenses are paid for; however, you still have to deal with a lot. For example, security check-in, customs checks, dealing with different time zones and then there is the travelling itself component (delayed flights, among a long list of things that can go wrong…). In my case, depending on the customer’s hours and the project itself, I can be out of their office as early as 4:00 p.m. (mainly because all the office start work early due to commute) and as late as 9:00 p.m. (needed things done). That is why, a lot of times, I do research of places I want to go ahead of time as well as backup plans. On one day, I had to stay in the office until late because, well, it was a case of things needed to be done and didn’t leave until it was close to 8:00 p.m. At the time of my visit to Seattle, it was technically spring but it was so close to the solstice (which was this past Monday), that, having still that sunlight gives you some desire to go outside and venture. However, rather than venturing to Seattle as previous nights, I decided to go to the areas near the hotel, namely, Renton. Alas, a couple of wacky turns lead me to nowhere and, when I finally found the place I wanted to go, it was sort of a disappointing looking fast food restaurant. It was a mixed blessing as that gave me an out but, at the same time, that meant looking for another place to eat. That’s how I spotted Jimmy Mac’s Roadhouse and just went in for something to eat…

After walking in, this space reminded me right away of Lone Star Steakhouse, a mid-end steakhouse in New Jersey. Open space, a cooling fridge with what seems to be a butcher on-site, peanuts shells on the floor (though no peanuts were offered this time – damn, that sounded strange…; I guess I should have walked somewhere to grab some…) and… Why the hell I was seated in the darkest corner in the restaurant?! OK, I mentioned I wanted a table but, c’mon, you didn’t have to hide me. I have absolutely no shame for hoarding a table for myself! (OK, I didn’t want to seat at the bar because there were too many intimidating guys in that area and not sure if they would have appreciated my SLR…) As a result, I apologize for the subpar pictures.

When I was walking to the restaurant, the waitress grabbed a basket with bread and some butter. Sigh… C’mon, did you really have to serve all this??? I mean, I was by myself and I am sure I could have eaten all that but you didn’t have to bring it all at once! Anyway, these are their “homemade yeast rolls with whipped honey butter” was actually what was promised it would be. If was really airy (if you have had certain buns in a Chinese bakery, you will have an idea), fluffy, soft and buttery (it was partially “glazed” on top). Didn’t taste much of a honey component of the butter but, regardless, the rolls were actually quite good due to that fluffiness. But, the Chinese in me hit me with the “c’mon, you are going to get full eating bread!”. OK, me eating more than one of these would have been overkill – there is a limit on how much bread I am willing to eat on a daily basis.

Moving to the “appetizer”, and that might be a stretch, I ordered their crawfish chowder. there were some chunks of what seems to be crawfish; however, because it was quite dark, I couldn’t really tell if that was indeed the case. The texture was quite creamy but wasn’t really smooth. Depending on how you like your chowder, it could go both wasy. However, one thing turned me off: a salty aftertaste. Now, I understand there is the need for sodium but in this case it was overkill…

Moving to the entrees, here are the two sides I chose to along with the main. In this case, sauteed mushrooms and baked beans. The beans were actually quite good and, other than some excessive sweetness, I could be eating bowls and bowls of this. The mushroom, though… Not sure if sauteed will be the best description; instead, it felt similar to the ones you from the canned version. Furthermore, that saltiness issue I had with the chowder was observed here as well. Ouch.

Finally, then entree. In their menu, they make mention of steaks and crab cakes so that automatically means I will be ordering it. Fortunately, I had the option of make my own “combo” by choosing two different options, like sirloin, crab cakes, baby back ribs, chicken, shrimps, et al. When it arrived at the table, the waitress asked me to cut the steak to ensure it was cooked the way I wanted (medium rare). Now, again, I wasn’t sure how I would be able to determine how pink it was because there was barely enough light but I wasn’t in the mood of sending it back so I told her it was OK.

The steak wasn’t that bad considering the $$$. It was as tender as it could be and it was juicy enough. Not sure if they really let it rest because there was a lot of liquid/juices flowing the plate after that first cut. Again, by the price, it wasn’t that bad, if not for one factor… That one common detail that has plagued this meal: A heavy salty aftertaste. (sigh). As for the crab cake, that was the one single component that I can say was good (based on the restaurant) without too much complain. It had a good ratio of crab/non-crab meat/fillers and crispy enough.

After settling the bill, I noticed the other customers were having a good time. I guess this is a place for gathering, not necessarily for the food. Instead, the food is the excuse. As for me, it is the type of restaurant you can expect and, while it worked because I was hungry, I think I can do better. If you are in the area, though, and don’t want to drive to Seattle, at least it is an option.

Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon
Several locations in the US
1271 US Highway 22 (Location visited)
Bridgewater, NJ

Did I mention I ate a lot of beef on this trip? Similar to my post yesterday where I went to Famous Dave’s BBQ for meat, on my last night in New Jersey, I decided to go for meat, again – this time in the form of a steak. Lone Star Steakhouse was the place I ended up going just because it happened to be on the way from my customer’s site back to the hotel. But, being a chain restaurant, I was sure there will be some gotchas. The question was instead if these were tolerable…

Now, now, I mentioned “gotchas” because Lone Star isn’t a high-end restaurant. In fact, it wasn’t even my first option: that “honour” will go to Char Steakhouse. So, why I did not go there? Since I was on business, that meant I was under a budget on how much I could spend on meals per day. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to check their prices on-line which made my decision difficult (*). Should I take a plunge to find out? Also, being on the higher end, what about somebody taking pictures, not to mention how packed full it might be? Recession? What recession? There were too many variables to consider – plus one that I will mention in the end – and, reality is, I wasn’t in thinking mood. So, in the end, I just went for the easy way out, i.e., Lone Star.

(*) It wasn’t until I came back and did further digging that I found out the cost of one of a meal: with sides, a drink and tips, it would have blown my meal budget…

Did I mention I was not in thinking mode? Well, when I walked in, they asked me if I wanted one of their bucket of peanuts. Yup, they have peanuts in buckets as appetizers too. I am not sure if it would have been in addition to the bread above. Regardless, somehow I said “no”. What? A food blogger saying “no” to an opportunity to take a picture of food? After I realized what I said, I thought I should have killed myself… But, back to the bread. The waitress mentioned the name/component of the bread that made it chocolate coloured but, because of the background noise, I couldn’t really hear what she said. As for the bread itself, it was surprising it was still warm and, when I spread the butter, it melted nicely. The taste was… Strange. It did not have that bland white bread taste but had some undertones I couldn’t identify. Regardless, it was OK not something I would die for.

Before I go to the actual steak, first the sides I ordered, starting with the creamed spinach which was topped with some cheese and broiled. It wasn’t actually that bad, despite there wasn’t too much spinach taste left. How come it is good still? It was creamy and rather than overpower any other side (or the steak itself), it was able to complement the rest. I would order this as a side again.

I must apologize for this really odd picture. In fact, for most of the pictures in this post, as the lightning conditions (again, a common theme on this trip) were somewhat challenging. Back to the picture above, it is supposed to be a baked sweet potato. One part that really threw me off was that it had a huge dollop of butter plus a generous serving of brown sugar on top. Sure, they asked me if I wanted that (and I foolishly said yes – second time that night!) but, do you really need it? It is not called *sweet* potato for nothing! Anyway, I ended up scrapping the butter and sugar out and ate what was left. And, reality is, the sweet potato was actually quite good on its own. That extra butter and sugar was not required at all.

Not knowing how much food I was getting, I decided to order one additional side in the form of mushroom and onion. I won’t say much more about it other than it was OK. I guess 2 out of three wasn’t that bad, eh?

And finally, the steak itself…

Behold, Lone Star’s Delmonico steak, a “12 oz. classic marbled ribeye”. I know the picture is not the prettiest but there are reasons behind it. See, in the last couple of months, based on some feedback, I have learned to take a picture of the food “as delivered” and, depending on what was ordered, might take additional shots. Obviously, that is not the case. Why? After I received my order, I was asked to cut the steak open to ensure it is cooked the way I wanted it. The part I cut it at first was a bit too too red to be medium-rare but it was OK for me. But, as I kept eating the other part of the meat was medium rare pink. Add that “puddle” of juice at the bottom of the plate translates into a piece of steak that wasn’t rested before being delivered. While that is something I can deal with to an extent, there is one thing that failed: Notice that piece of fat at the bottom right of the second picture? Yup it was actually a blob. While I want my steak to be fatty to a certain point, I do not want it to be as fat as that. As for the taste of the steak, while it did not require some side sauces, it wasn’t too outstanding.

In the end, there is something I must keep in mind. The steak was $19, not that bad considering it came with two sides. While it is not Brave Bull’s House of Steak type of steak, I must understand there will be some limitations. Still, I believe it could have been better. Which now circles back to Char. Again, I knowingly chose not to go there and then there is a marketing component behind it. Some time ago, fellow blogger o-toro of F o o d o s o p h y wrote a post on Chop, a steakhouse in Edmonton, which started strong but started to fail almost miserably afterwards. One noticeable marketing gimmick (for the lack of word for it) was their claim of cooking the steaks at 1800F – a claim also made by Char. That post was in a way lingering in the back of my head which in an unconscious way made me go to Lone Star instead. In my case, while I was not necessarily fulfilled, my stomach was full and seeing families gathered around the table enjoying their meal means something.

Che, Pibe Argentinian Grill
11040 Pembroke Road
Miramar, FL

Out of the meals I have had so far in Miramar, most of you might think: “hey, your overall experience was below par, eh?”. Again, as mentioned in my post yesterday of Eddie Hill’s Sushi Thai, there was a great meal and the main dish was ceviche. However, it won’t be blogged for personal reasons. Given the case, I will be straight to the point: the meal at Che Pibe Argentinian Grill was great…

When I read the name of the restaurant, I already had an idea of what to expect: meat. I know, I know, the “grill” part of the name should have told me that already. True; however, it was the Argentinian part that got me salivating. See, despite all the cattle in the US, the Americans are NOT the largest meat consumers per capita. No sir… Yes, you guessed it, Argentinians can claim that title with over 60Kg of beef per capita; while the Americans are way behind with just over 40Kg. So, when you eat so much beef, you ought to know how to cook it, right? Well, yes and no. Depending on how you like your beef, you might be in good hands or it might be a disappointment. In my case, I was in for the adventure!

One thing that can’t be denied from this restaurant is its odd location: it was hidden in the far side of a mall. In fact, I got myself lost trying to get there! Fortunately, I did a U-turn (unlike us here, it seems that is allowed as signs explicitly tells you that) an was able to spot it. Since it is in a far corner, it wasn’t that big (10 or so tables?) but, at least, the decoration made it feel warm (and I am not referring to the 30C/90F outside!).

When you are given this knife as part of the “default” set of cutlery, there are no questions about what you will be up for…

One thing you should notice from the previous pictures is that bottle of wine on the table but, alas, there was none in the table I chose to sat (I was told I could sit anywhere). However, one thing that partially made me shake my head was that bottle of catsup. Now, I am sure it was because *somebody* would ask for it (or its partner in crime, the H1 sauce). But, c’mon, if somebody prepares a steak well (not referring to the done-ness, of course), there shouldn’t be the need for this condiment! Heck, specially considering when the Argentinians have even a better condiment for that! And what that is? Chimichurri!

Yes, that mix of parsley, garlic, chili peppers flakes and olive oil. It is one of those sauces that you can use on almost any meat, heck, even some vegetables like potatoes, and will heighten the output. In this case, while I did not think I tasted too much the garlic; the parsley, at least, was noticeable and gave some contrast for the main dish to come. And, talking about that dish, after making my order (I must add I did not use my Spanish while on the restaurant), I was given some bread.

A quick poll here: how do you like your complimentary bread? Do you like the fluffy light version where you can flatten it or do you like the hard crusty breads? Sometimes it boils down to what you are eating but here it was extremely light. It won’t surprise me if it was loaded with yeast. However, I won’t complain here because of what I ordered. One thing that really caught my attention is that container of butter on the back. While not really noticeable, that was a lot of butter! However, even better, it was soft and easily spreadable. I haven’t had butter like that in a while! Alas, my love for chimichurri was more than what the butter could take and ended up having the rest of the bread with chimichurri! And now, finally, the main dish…

It was so large I couldn’t fit everything in a single picture! Listed as an Argentine Grill/Parrillada Argentina for one, you can call it an asado. OK, that might be exaggerating a little bit as it did not have that endless type of meats. However, it did contain: sirloin, ribs, sausage, chicken, sweetbread and kidney with the option of one side. That one side ended up being yuca/fried cassava (actually, when ordering, I did not care too much about it, as I was all in for the meat. But, ended up going for the yuca because, well, I haven’t had that in a while). If I had to guess, I would say there was easily 700 grams (1.5 pounds?), if not a full kilogram (2.2 pounds) of food. So, after snapping my pictures, I started to dig in…

I started with the sweetbread which is the thymus gland or pancreas of a lamb or calf. Lightly fried, it had a small “snap” while biting into it. And, again, the chimichurri made wonders. Then I sliced some sausage, which ended up being similar to chorizo and it was good, though I wish it was a bit more seasoned. The sirloin, originally they asked if I wanted it well done but I told them medium rare, ended up being on the medium side. No harm, though, as it was still quite juicy. The ribs were a bit fatty so that was a bit of a disappointment but not by much. One thing I must mention here is that the beef wasn’t marinated at all, as a result, it had a bit more of a meatier taste. And, again, chimichurri? The chicken, though, was disappointing. It was overdone and lacked much taste. Sure, the chimichurri managed to salvage it; however, I think I would have been fine without it.

Notice something strange? Specifically, notice I made no mention of the kidney. Well, it just happened they ran out of it and, in lieu of the kidney, I was given more sweetbread! Now, if it wasn’t because I ask about it, they would have easily overlooked that part. Slightly disappointed but no harm done. (I will have to say, though, similar to liver, in my experience, kidney is quite tricky. I think if they couldn’t get good kidney or did not have enough time to clean it correctly, it would have been better not to serve it).

While I was a bit hungry that night, even then, I couldn’t finish everything. I did finish the sweetbread and chorizo and a good part of the sirloin and ribs. Chicken, well, not that I cared much. Opposed to that horrendous meal at Sushi Thai, I left really happy – or as we say in Spanish: barriga llena, corazón contento.

Brave Bull’s House of Steaks
1298 E Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC

After our visit to Alvin Garden, I “volunteered” to organize the next food bloggers outing. But, I will say it right away: boy, I really messed up this time. I mean, who suggests an outing in the middle of summer? Add a last minute communication snafu and failure was only steps away (*). But, thankfully, Jenny (My Secret Eden), Jessica (Yumorama) and Frank (Vanfoodies) were able to make it… And the place for this gathering? Brave Bull’s House of Steaks.

Edit: Jessica’s post is up! Check it here!
Edit: Jenny’s post is up! Check it here!

(*) OK, Drea, feel free to blame me for all the epic fails we have had so far…

Now, this is not my first time here. I blogged about it late last year. I mentioned that, despite food wasn’t spectacular, you get more than what you paid for and it was a lesson of humility. Why choose this place as a location for a food bloggers meeting? Well, we don’t always have to go to the fanciest, most popular, places, should we? With that said…

It is obvious the restaurant has seen better years. As Linda, our host, told us, they have been there for since 1985 and prices have not changed since 1991 (!!!). But, let’s face it, this restaurant is not located in the fanciest of the neighbourhoods in Vancouver: technically part of the infamous Vancouver Downtown East Side, it is a long walking distance from both Commercial Drive and Main Street. And, nearby, well, there is not much nearby after 6:00 p.m., as it is mostly an industrial area. (Actually, there is an Ethiopian restaurant across the street but…).

Since I called ahead of time, a table in a separate section of the restaurant was set up for us. It was quite different from the area I had my meal last time: In a way, it was more private. And, decorating the walls, were different cuts from different articles and awards, some of them over 10 years ago. But, despite these were old, let me assure you, what was written still holds true…

In total, it was six of us and Linda told us in advance they were quite busy that night, as there were customers on the other side of the restaurant as well. I couldn’t see how many walked in during our 2+ hour stay, but I think there were at least three other tables when I walked in. Now, you might say, how it is possible you call it busy? Well, you must keep in mind this is not The Keg, Morton’s or any steak house where you have a large front house staff plus a dozen or so cooks in the back. This operation is really small, with Linda in the front house and her grandson helping that night plus the cook (probably a single cook) in the back. But, it was the fact we were told in advance. And, then, there was the really good company… Eventually, our dishes started to arrive.

Chowder

Beef barley

Pan fried oyster. Normally an order would be four pieces but, given our “patience”, the cook gave us the half dozen.

Some garlic bread. I wished it was more garlic-y but otherwise, it was OK.

T-bone steak (13~14 oz), ordered by three of us.

Sirloin steak

Pork chops

Veal

I myself did not try the oyster; however, though the general consensus was the exterior being slightly chewy, everybody seemed to enjoy it. As for the different dishes, I will only comment on mine, hehehehe. In my case, while the meat was not melt-in-your-mouth or the most tender piece of beef I ever had, it was quite enjoyable. Aside from the pieces next to the bones, it was plump and juicy. Again, while not the most tender piece of beef, the knife did not have to work overtime either. But, let’s face it, you are not paying a premium for the steak – it was just $15… In fact, the aside from the T-Bone steaks, the other dishes were under $10. Did I mention the soups and the bread, along with the small side of veggies and the baked potato are included?

After we finished, Linda stopped by and entertained us a little bit. She told us about the history of the place, how things have changed and, interestingly, printouts collected by her grandson of other blogger visits (check here and here). Hey, she even posed with us for some pictures! Overall, a really gracious, charming host. And the meal? Everybody agreed it was a good meal. As for myself, I think there is more I wish to say but I simply can’t. It is one of those cases it is better for the reader to experience it by visiting the restaurant. No, I am not setting you up, instead, it is an experience on its own.

Gibson’s Grill
708 E Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219

As mentioned in yesterday’s post on Richmond, VA, I visited two local restaurants. Today’s post is the second restaurant: Gibson’s Grill. The reason I ended up here was that it was the only other restaurant that enticed me in the nearby area (there was one other but I did not find it until the morning of my departure). I was hoping I was not going to mess up the same way as Capital Ale House… (Please keep in mind that, being a short trip, I was not even trying to adjust time zones).

Heck, not even a real sign!

Judging from the picture above, you might think it looks like a diner. Well, I thought that as well until I was a couple of metres away from the door! So, let’s try again, check the picture below of part of the dining room.

Well, that’s not all. There is a stairs to a lower level, which serves also as a club. I guess appearances are deceiving…

Now, to the food… Before I went there, I asked myself, is there anything “local” to Richmond, VA? Probably, Soul Food? Southern Food? Well, if that is what it is supposed to be, I couldn’t find such restaurant so that left “American” (whatever that is supposed to mean…). Anyway, with my order, I also got a salad. Déjà vu, anybody?

There is not much to talk about here, it was about the same, except it did not have the grilled peppers. However, there was one “plus”: it had an olive. Well, that was a single olive but, hey, the fact it had it is what counts.

And the main… I think I went for broke and ordered steak (12 ounces) and oysters, which came also with some side fries. The steak itself was, well, disappointing. Sure, it was cooked to order (medium rare); however, the cut was a bit tough for a ribeye, not to mention I did not feel it juicy enough. As a result, I was wondering if the cut was indeed ribeye but something else. The fries felt they were an afterthought. However, what saved the dish was the oysters. They were plump and, when bitten, juices started flowing. The only thing missing was a lemon wedge.

Overall, it was quite a good meal for a business traveller. For a local, well, I guess there is a reason why people like to go to Cactus Club/Earl’s/Moxie’s and similar places.

Brave Bull’s House of Steaks
1298 E Hastings St
Vancouver, BC

Whenever you think of steak in a restaurant, one thing that might come to your mind is the cash you have to fork to pay for it. So, six years ago, when I passed by The Brave Bull’s House of Steaks and saw the prices, my first thought was “you gotta be kidding me…”. Furthermore, the fact it is located in the intersection of Hastings and Clark Drive, in the east side of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside should make you wonder what they can offer… With all these thoughts in mind, I braced myself and said to myself, it is time for me to find out.

OK, let me make things clear here: this picture was NOT taken 6+ years ago…

After seeing this board, I thought myself appearance might be deceiving. Unless they were filling the board themselves, the only (logical?) explanation was that they actually had customers coming in.

Now, I have mentioned this previously and I will mention it again: Unless I simply can’t help it, I try NOT to take picture of the customers. However, in this case, it was not that much of a problem. Only two other tables were occupied.

OK, just at the top right of the picture above shows, cash only! Given the prices, that should not be a problem right?

An old lady soon – I soon found out her name is Linda – greeted me and told me I could sit on any (open) table. Not long after, I was given the menu:

It is quite obvious from the first picture the “tonite specials” have not changed in ages. And, needless to say, the prices have neither changed. As for what I ordered…

The drink

My order comes with a soup – I had the option of chowder or vegetable and beef and chose the later. It was quite decent, however, too salty for my liking.

And here is the main item: prime rib (medium), which also came with garlic toast (above picture) a roasted potato (had the option for mashed) and some steamed vegetables. One those small plastic containers, from top, clockwise, sour cream, “bacon” bits and… Well, the last item I am not sure what it was… I guess it should be horseradish but I couldn’t really “taste” it.

Obviously, at $9, I should not expect a big piece of meat. In fact, I was surprised at the size of the “cut” I was given. And, indeed, it was medium, though not too warm. The gravy was actually tasty in its own way. The vegetables were OK, nothing spectacular. At this point, you might think “indeed, you get what you pay for”. Well, that’s true; however, I learned something quickly… Hmmmm… Probably “learn” is not the correct word, rather, it reminded me of something I forgot long time ago.

See, while I was waiting for the food, a small family (of four, plus a toddler) walked in. Just like me, they were quickly seated. However, it seems they were long time customers, as Linda was talking with them, with the conversation centered around the toddler and how fast he/she was growing. What does it have to do with food? Absolutely nothing; rather the fact there is a person there, he/she (in this case, Linda – despite her 70+ years) can still remember who his/her customers are and can establish a relationship with.

Would I come back? Despite the food was not spectacular, I think I will. Not necessarily for the food, rather as a lesson of humility.