Pack's Tavern Ashville, NC

7:55 PM | Labels: , , ,


December 31st, 2011
Menu: Lunch

Husband Campbell's Rating: 4/5 Soup Cans
Wife Campbell's Rating: 2/5 Soup Cans 
Price Rating: Microwave Singles 


If you are planning to try something appetizing or want more than average service, this is not the place. Overall the ambiance was appropriate for a tavern and would be a great place to go for a drink. However, let’s just say the menu descriptions do not live up to the kitchen staff’s abilities. I felt like I was on an episode of bar rescue where they stare at the food and make the face that says I wouldn’t eat this if I wasn’t getting paid to do so. 

Appetizer: The onion straws were pretty good. I think the parmesan cheese was a pleasant touch but the advertised lemon pepper batter was not noticeable and did not add any flavor.  

Husband's Entrée: The grilled portobello flotilla (flatbread) was very nice. The cucumbers were lightly pickled and the flavors of the hummus, mushroom, red onion, and sprouts melded well together to give a vegetarian sandwich a very filling and meaty texture.  As a side item the grilled asparagus was well seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled to a perfect tenderness. 

Wife's Entrée: Sad to say but the Fish taco’s were sadly one of the worst plates I have ever ordered. First of all, they’re not fish tacos. You see that  ‘s’? That means plural taco. What I had was a wrap, and you can’t even call it a fish wrap cause it was definitely a coleslaw wrap with sprinkles of mahi-mahi that tasted like tilapia. Individually the pico and coleslaw tasted fine by themselves but did not go well together in a wrap with fish and cheddar cheese. Whoever put this on the menu needs a taste bud analysis!! As a side item the sautéed mushrooms were flavorfully marinated in a sweet beef flavored broth. The sweetness was different but I did enjoy this side dish the most out of everything we ordered.  
 
 
Onion Straws
A basket of lemon pepper battered, flash fried sweet Spanish onions, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and served with ranch dressing


Grilled Portobello Flatilla 
Grilled portobello mushroom served in a grilled flatilla with hummus, cucumber, sprouts, tomato and red onion

 
Fish Tacos
Soft flour tortilla wrapped around Aztec spiced grilled and diced mahi-mahi, Baja slaw and a Cheddar-Jack cheese blend. Served with Pico de Gallo

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Buca di Beppo Alpharetta, Ga

8:33 PM | Labels: , , , ,

 November 11th, 2011
Menu: Dinner

Husband Campbell's Rating: 4/5 Soup Cans
Wife Campbell's Rating: 4/5 Soup Cans

If you are ready for eclectic family style dining you have found the place. The family part is discretionary considering there was a 3 foot poster of a topless woman holding watermelons next to the table. However, bring friends or you will have lots of leftovers. The entrée dishes serve 3-6 people.

Buca di Beppo literally translates to Bob’s Basement. The first timers visitors tour gives that piece of trivia and also takes you throughout the entire restaurant, kitchen, bread room, bar, and pope room. I can’t wait to go back and reserve the single booth that is located in the chef’s kitchen. What a place to enjoy your meal! Although, if you have a large party you could always reserve the private Pope Room that includes a large round table, a painted Sistine Chapel style ceiling and the popes head as a center piece watching you take every sinful bite. 

From the bar we ordered the white sangria’s which were… meh. Paul enjoyed it, but maybe too authentic for my pallet to appreciate. I would have liked a more rounded fruit flavor but it was definitely not lacking in Vodka!

From the kitchen we started with the caprese salad. One of Paul’s Italian must haves. The mozzarella was soft and flavorful and the tomatoes were crisp and fresh.

Next, we enjoyed the stuffed shells with a side of spaghetti and one ginormous meatball. Yes, the meatball could be an entrée by itself especially because of its meatloaf like texture. Not exactly what I expected but still enjoyable. As it being one of their main advertised dishes we had to give it a go. The shells on the other hand were filled with ricotta and spicy Italian sausage. The flavors married well and were very tasty. The imported spaghetti noodles were delicious with a light but chunky marinara sauce.

Overall, the experience is one that I will not forget and would go again for the discussion value of the ambiance and large portions that are reasonably priced giving this basement restaurant a price rating of ‘Microwave Single’.

 Mozzarella Caprese
Vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh mozzarella drizzled with basil olive oil and topped with fresh basil leaves.



 Stuffed Shells 
Pasta shells stuffed with spicy Italian sausage, spinach, ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, crowned with creamy Alfredo sauce on a bed of marinara sauce.  

 Side of Meatball
Their famous half-pound, mouth-watering meatball made with 100% premium ground beef served with marinara sauce. 

Side of Spaghetti Marinara
Homemade marinara sauce served on a bed of imported Italian spaghetti.


Holy cannoli we did it! Hope you enjoy the first post in ages! 

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Back Up And Running With A New Look

4:33 PM |

So its been awhile since we last posted but have no fear we are back to business with a fresh new template. Including our new look, you can now follow this blog by email and we have included our Foodie Bucket List which are food related things we want to do someday soon.

Thanks for reading and enjoy!!!
The Campbell's 

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Sri Thai Snellville, Ga

3:40 PM |

June 18th, 2010
Menu: Lunch

Husband Campbell's Rating: 5/5 Soup Cans
Wife Campbell's Rating: 4/5 Soup Cans

So I know the title of the blog says we eat more than soup...but its beginning to look like all we eat is sushi! We did name our cat Sushi...haha! Anyways, on a visit to make some arrangements on our new house we drove by this Thai place. We thought why not, we have never tried Thai food. After watching Alton Brown's  Pad Thai episode a few days earlier I didn't have to think twice about what to order. 

Needless to say I ordered the Pad Thai with Tom Ka Kai Soup. Since we were trying new things, why not venture to coconut chicken soup, right? (See, we do eat soup) Well I am glad I did because it was amazing. It was sweet and sour with a bit of heat to it. I can't wait to move up there and have another cup. The Pad Thai was very good as well. I can never cook rice noodles that don't stick together so it was nice to have them prepared properly for once.

Paul had the...I actually have no idea what he had. The menu had pictures on the back and he just pointed to one of them. It's a Sushi, Sashimi, and Nigiri Bento box with a Green Salad. One section of the box had a Salmon Tempura roll which is now his favorite type of sushi. He also enjoyed the cucumber salad portion and the tuna sashimi was tender, fresh, and favorably delectable.  

Sri Thai gets a price rating of condensed for their extremely affordable Thai cuisine. I am glad we decided to venture into a new culinary realm and can't wait to enjoy the stylish ambiance and wonderful service once again.

Tom Ka Kai
Coconut soup with chicken

Green Salad
Served with ginger dressing

Pad Thai
Rice noodle sauteed w/ shrimp, chicken, egg and bean sprout served w/ lime and crush peanut.

Sushi, Sashimi, Nigiri Bento Box
Top left to right: Tuna and salmon sashimi. Tuna, white fish, and salmon nigiri.
Bottom left to right: California roll, cucumber salad, salmon tempora roll.

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Don Corleone's Pizza &Wings Statesboro, Ga

2:15 PM |

June 14th, 2010
Menu: Dinner
Husband Campbell's Rating: 4/5 Soup Cans
Wife Campbell's Rating: 3/5 Soup Cans

Don Corelone's has similar food to The Last Don's which is where Paul and I used to work at a few years ago. Since we know what the pizza and wings taste like we decided to try their burgers.  First of all we got it to-go for good reason...there is little to no air conditioning! Also, the eating area is also a hooka bar and I like some fresh air with my dinner. But if you do go for the hooka, try White Grape and Plum. 

Don Corelone's gets the price rating of condensed for thier Hunker Down Burger with Texas Fries special. Its a fairly thick patty with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. We added American cheese and bacon for additional toppings. I mean, if your gonna 'hunker down' you better bring some bacon! 

Although the Hunker Down was very tasty and soo juicy, the meat was of low quality with a high fat ratio. With leaner quality meat the burger would have won me over. The fries on the other hand are delicious. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside covered with their Texas seasoning which is a season salt and Cajun spice blend. 


Hunker Down Burger and Texas Fries
Ground beef patty, lettuce, tomato, American cheese and bacon on a toasted white bun.
Season salt and Cajun spiced fries served with a dill pickle. 

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Sun Dial Restaurant Bar and View Atlanta, Ga

3:19 PM |

November 11th, 2008: Our 5 Year Aniversary
 Menu: Dinner
Husband Campbell's Rating: 4/5 Soup Cans
Wife Campbell's Rating: 4/5 Soup Cans 
*but the view gets 5/5 Soup Cans*

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the whole world. To prove this point...instead of having a 5th birthday party with my school friends I chose to come here for dinner. The views are absolutely amazing, especially if you dine around sunset. The restaurant is at the top of the 73 story Westin Hotel in downtown Atlanta. Once you get to the lobby of the hotel you take a scenic glass elevator to the very top floor. Here you have to hop on to the moving outer edge of the room where the dining tables spin slowly to give you a panoramic 360 degree view of downtown Atlanta.

Although the food is not the main reason to go, it is always artfully presented to give your eyes another spectacular site to see and fairly reasonable with a price rating of Chunky to Select depending on the occasion. The deserts on the other hand are delicious especially the Key Lime Pie, which was not available the night we dined, and the New York Cheesecake which is pictured below.

We hope to go back very soon, hopefully sometime this summer or maybe in November for our 7 year anniversary. I'm sure the menu has changed in the past two years and next time we would love to check out the bar that sits above the restaurant that spins as well. 

Appetizer
 Sweat Potato Tortellini

Appetizer
Stone Ground Shrimp and Grits


Dinner Entree
Beef Tenderloin 
with Au Jue, French Beans and Potato Mash


 Dinner Entree
Pan Seared Maine Diver Scallops 
with Truffled Cauliflower Yukon Gold Mash, Brown Butter Sauce and Kale 


Creamy New York Style Cheesecake
with Grand Marnier marinated strawberry sauce 
 

 
Valrhona Chocolate Volcano Molten Lava Cake & Vanilla Ice Cream


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Wings Restaurant Statesboro, Ga

6:48 PM |

June 8th, 2010
 Menu: Dinner

Husband Campbell's Rating: 4/5 Soup Cans
Wife Campbell's Rating: 4/5 Soup Cans

We have recently started to eat at this old favorite again. Freshman year it was one of the only places you could walk to. They had amazing bento boxes and the best sushi in town. Sushi is rumored to have a long awaited come back in July, but we will have to wait and see. Today, the menu lives up more to the name of the restaurant. Although we have yet to actually try their wings, we do know their gyros are amazing and Wings has an affordable price rating of Condensed. 

They don't speak much English and it is a serious hole in the wall, but they lady in the back can whip up an order of beef fried rice from scratch in less than 5 minutes. The gyros come smothered in tzatiki sauce (a personal indulgence) which makes them that much more enjoyable and the fried rice is good or amazing depending on the day...but is never bad. And if you are wondering what the familiar beef slices are in the fried rice...yes, it is Steak-umm's.

So if you have never gone to the weird yellow shack across from the late Oliff and Winburn dorms, grab a gyro and pester them about bringing the sushi back!

G
Gyro Plate with a side of Beef Fried Rice 
**usually comes with fries, but you can sub rice for an extra $2. 
Hope to post a picture of the actual place sometime this week.

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