On Tuesday, Alex and I decided to brave the worst service in town (and possibly the country) to have happy hour at Bacaro on the west end of Pearl St. Luckily, the big waiter wasn't there, meaning we could actually order food, and possibly receive it, within the hour and a half we had left of happy hour. Ambitious, I know. Anywho, I had forgotten about the $3 glass of house champagne, and so had a couple of those. Alex had beer, but we both usually have a few of their outstanding house cocktails/martinis, which are a bargain at happy hour. Because of my gluten-free/dairy-free phase, we avoided the $2 ounces of chevre that we love, and the pear and arugula pizza. We instead ordered chicken skewers (which came with mashed potatoes!), grilled artichokes (yummy!), kalamata olives, and tuna tar tar (that's how they spell it). The service was pretty bad, as usual, and I was overcharged by one glass of champagne that I ordered but never received, but the food, like always, was delicious and affordable. You do truly need an hour and a half for happy hour because it's so slow, but if you've got the time, and are burned out on other places, it's a good bet. Plus, the patio is nice, and great for people watching in the summer.
Happy hour at Bacaro is 7 days a week until 6:30 pm.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Golden Lotus
Golden Lotus is a Chinese restaurant in Boulder on 28th Street, just south of Target (between Pearl and Walnut). It's a nice, white tablecloth-type restaurant, with a decent wines-by-the-glass list (as far as Chinese restaurants go) and cheap, fun cocktails. They offer all the standards, plus a few "healthy" options with no sugar/salt/oil/MSG (none of the food has MSG). Rex and I went last night, and started with some hot and sour soup, which was just as you would expect. He had the sesame chicken (which comes with fresh, steamed broccoli). 'Twas delicious, just as it should be. I ordered the Moo Goo Gai Pan in an effort to avoid sugar, and like the sesame chicken, it was great. Lots of big, crunchy vegetables in a savory white sauce. We both had brown rice to make the meal a little healthier.
In terms of service and atmosphere, the place was very quiet and relaxing. I had a decent glass of wine, and Rex's zombie cocktail came in a skull mug, which pleased him very much. The service was rather slow, and our food came out at different times. Our server did apologize for the slowness, and I think that she was overworked. If you're in a hurry, perhaps avoid Golden Lotus, but otherwise, I would highly recommend it!
In terms of service and atmosphere, the place was very quiet and relaxing. I had a decent glass of wine, and Rex's zombie cocktail came in a skull mug, which pleased him very much. The service was rather slow, and our food came out at different times. Our server did apologize for the slowness, and I think that she was overworked. If you're in a hurry, perhaps avoid Golden Lotus, but otherwise, I would highly recommend it!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Juanita's, and an introduction
I can hear you calling me on it right now... you created that other blog, and never wrote on it! Well, hopefully you can rely on the fact that I eat out. A lot. And I figured, why not share those dining experiences with the world? I've always sought out decent restaurant reviews online, because not only do I eat out a lot, but I'm totally stuck-up about it. I've never found anything worthwhile, so I thought maybe I could fill the void, at least for those Boulder restaurants that I happen to frequent. Here it is: i like stuff eats. Oh, how she eats.
Unfortunately, I'm beginning this blog with a less-than-stellar experience. I would have liked to begin with, perhaps, my first foray into Frasca, or a reprise of the ever-fabulous Q's. But, here I am, writing about Juanita's. Rex and I dined there last night, and it's never been a favorite, but we chose it because on foot in that part of town, the choices within a couple blocks either suck (BJs, Old Chicago, and say what you want about the margs, but the food at the Rio sucks) or are too expensive for my broke-ass (The Kitchen, The West End Tavern). So Juanita's it was. I'm no margarita expert, so I'll leave that review to someone else. My short-and-sweet summary would be that Juanita's is totally unremarkable and average. It's not bad, it's just, well, just ok. The service is average (though sometimes average = great, given how bad it can get) . My complaint about the menu is that it doesn't have enough information. I like to know where my food is coming from, something about preparation, etc. This is one reason that were I to elect to have Mexican anywhere in Boulder, I'd go to Casa Alvarez. I was able to infer from the notation on the "vegetarian black beans" that the pintos were probably cooked in lard. Which means partially hydrogenated lard in this day and age, which means it converts to trans fats in your blood. I'm trying to avoid hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated and trans fatty foods, so I was avoiding the pintos this evening. I ordered the Blue Corn Enchiladas with Cheese and Onions, with the vegetarian beans, naturally. Like everything else about Juanita's, it was unremarkable. Bland, and the rice had peas and carrots in it (like the canned kind). Plus, it took FOREVER to get our food. By the end, I was cranky and ready to get out. It took me several visits, but I've finally realized that Juanita's is not worth the time and effort. If I wanted mild cheddar melted in a corn tortilla with slow service, I'd cook for myself.
Unfortunately, I'm beginning this blog with a less-than-stellar experience. I would have liked to begin with, perhaps, my first foray into Frasca, or a reprise of the ever-fabulous Q's. But, here I am, writing about Juanita's. Rex and I dined there last night, and it's never been a favorite, but we chose it because on foot in that part of town, the choices within a couple blocks either suck (BJs, Old Chicago, and say what you want about the margs, but the food at the Rio sucks) or are too expensive for my broke-ass (The Kitchen, The West End Tavern). So Juanita's it was. I'm no margarita expert, so I'll leave that review to someone else. My short-and-sweet summary would be that Juanita's is totally unremarkable and average. It's not bad, it's just, well, just ok. The service is average (though sometimes average = great, given how bad it can get) . My complaint about the menu is that it doesn't have enough information. I like to know where my food is coming from, something about preparation, etc. This is one reason that were I to elect to have Mexican anywhere in Boulder, I'd go to Casa Alvarez. I was able to infer from the notation on the "vegetarian black beans" that the pintos were probably cooked in lard. Which means partially hydrogenated lard in this day and age, which means it converts to trans fats in your blood. I'm trying to avoid hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated and trans fatty foods, so I was avoiding the pintos this evening. I ordered the Blue Corn Enchiladas with Cheese and Onions, with the vegetarian beans, naturally. Like everything else about Juanita's, it was unremarkable. Bland, and the rice had peas and carrots in it (like the canned kind). Plus, it took FOREVER to get our food. By the end, I was cranky and ready to get out. It took me several visits, but I've finally realized that Juanita's is not worth the time and effort. If I wanted mild cheddar melted in a corn tortilla with slow service, I'd cook for myself.
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