Bleu Monkey Grill, Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA

Lunch out with friends at the Bleu Monkey Grill was a treat.  We got to catch up and give the 'Bleu Monkey' at try.  It was on our 'eat out in 

Hot Springs' list.  

We really enjoyed the company, but the jury's still out on the Bleu Monkey Grill.  It was highly touted so maybe we set our expectations too high.  Then again, maybe we didn't order well.  Our friends have lunch there quite often.  They ordered the Club Sandwich and the Maui Salad, two of their favorites.  The Maui Salad was ordered without nuts or Sesame Seeds because of a health issue.  It came loaded with nuts. They got the Sesame seeds right.Chuck ordered the California Fish Tacos from the Lunch Menu and I ordered the Grilled Portabella on a Bun.  On a scale from '1 to 10' we rated each of them a '5'! Chuck was surprised to find his tacos in a soft flour taco. He likes them in a crispy corn taco. 

Reminded me of
Pringles

I had the choice of french fries, onion rings, or baked potato chips as a side.  Thinking they were all homemade... 'silly me'...I was really surprised when I got Baked Lay's.  To their credit the waitress and hostess were very accommodating.  They replaced my Lay's with onion rings. I asked and was told they were frozen, but very good.  They weren't.  The onion slid out of batter. Hand beer-battered onion rings are my favorite.  You would think I would learn about frozen onion rings?

The Welcome Mat is  out!

It wasn't a complete bust. We will go back again and give them a second chance.
The next time I am going to try an Angel Hair Pasta dish maybe with Chicken if I can substitute it for the Shrimp! 

La Hacienda Mexican Restaurants, Arkansas

I have now eaten at:

La Hacienda in Benton

La Hacienda on Cantrell in Little Rock

La Hacienda in Hot Springs


...and have yet to find anything that I absolutely wanted to go back and eat. Usually, I will find at least one item on a menu that I will order every time I go to that restaurant.  i.e. Buffalo Grill-Grilled Turkey sandwich or the Guacamole Salad or Franke's Roast Beef or Country Fried Steak and of course, a Hamburger with lettuce, tomato, and mayo at Arkansas Burger with fries, no salt.


But not at La Hacienda.  We keep trying but no such luck.

One more chance...
La Hacienda, West Little Rock
Keeping my fingers crossed!

Also, trying to figure out if they are connected in any way or is La Hacienda just a popular name?
Well...upon investigation...

The menus look alike

The logos look alike

The food looks the same

Conclusion: If it walks like a duck,

talks like a duck,

and looks like a duck...

It is probably 

La Hacienda !

Kierre's Kountry Kitchen Jury's Out

Hit some golf balls today at Northshore Golf Range near Maumelle.  We have been wanting to try Kierre's for a while.  Two different people recommended it to us.  So that is where we headed when we left the range.

It is certainly not a restaurant with an ambiance.  That is unless you like a warehouse atmosphere.  However, the service was good and the waitress had a great smile!  She was very helpful for us newbies.  Also, in her favor she didn't hover...my pet peeve.  Just when you are in the middle of a conversation the waiter/waitress interrupts.  


I had smoked chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans and buttered carrots.  Chuck had the fried catfish with slaw and French fries.  This is the good part.  The portions were so generous that we decided to split the catfish and my vegetables for lunch. We took the chicken home for tonight's dinner.  


That is where I am headed now...to the kitchen to warm up the chicken.  Chuck made his famous potato salad to go with it.  It can't get any better that this!

Taziki's

Lunch yesterday at Taziki's.  This was our first trip.  Our friends recommended it and they are Greek so we went with it. 


We have been to Greece and liked some Greek food ....Cucumber/Tomatoes with a slab of Feta Cheese and Ouzo...be careful of the Ouzo!  There is nothing like Feta Cheese in Greece.  However, the Feta on my Spanakopita Roll-Ups was close.  It didn't have that "goaty" taste that so much of the Feta in States has.  Oh, also the fried potatoes in Greece are to die for; the ones at Taziki's weren't.  

It was Wednesday and I had the Spanakopita Roll-ups with Fruit.  The Roll-Ups were delicious, but I will try a different side next time.  Chuck had a Lamb Gyro and was not impressed..".the Pita wrap was too doughy and the lamb was tasteless".   It was also hard to hold and eat without all the insides ending up in his tray, lap and/or floor.  


We will try again.  After all "they"* say that Mediterranean food is "good for you". 


*Whoever "they" is!

The Pizza Joint

The Pizza Joint is the

first stop in the quest.  

Pizza is our favorite "comfort" food, that is, almost equal to the "hamburger".  We have eaten a lot of pizza and have our favorites.  Now we are going to revisit these pizza restaurants with a "review" in mind.

The Pizza Joint is located on Hwy. 10 almost to Chenal Parkway.  It is a long trip to eat pizza so it has to be worth it.  We liked the decor...very "pizza-friendly".  We got the Veggie Thin Crust and a small house salad. The pizza was really good, but could have been excellent with more sauce.  The salad was nondescript: lettuce (not enough), mozzarella cheese(too much) and bacon bits (ok)...rated: boring. 


We will The Pizza Joint on our "TTA"* list.  However, there are so many pizza places and so little time.

*To Try Again

Bravo - Wow Out Two Nights In A Row!

Bella Sera! Friends called and we went.  Bravo is a part of a national chain located in the Promenade at Chenal.  This was the first time for us.  They had been before and liked it.  

We weren't so lucky.  Chuck got the 5 oz. fillet "medium" with a skewer of shrimp and mashed potatoes.  He was expecting a thick piece of meat...not!  What he got was a well-done thin fillet and cold mashed potatoes.  The waiter was most congenial and brought some hotter mashed potatoes.  Chuck didn't ask about the steak.  

I got the tilapia which was good, but a little dry.  Luckily, a substituted angel hair pasta for the potatoes and it was hot so I didn't have to contend with that issue.

For what we got it was a little pricey.  In hindsight, we should have split the tilapia and ordered house salads and maybe a cup of soup.  That would have been plenty for us, as we usually subscribe to the "everything in moderation" advice.  As we have gotten older we find we fill up much faster and metabolize our food much slower.  (heads-up to all of you that love "eat all you can buffets"...your time will come)


For such a large space our table was located by the windows so it seemed more private than the middle of the main dining room.  The service was a little slow, but that may be because it was new and really popular.  The chefs, I am sure, are kept pretty busy.  We will certainly give it another chance.