Carnation Buffet

Okay - I know it has been a while since I have written any reviews of places where we have had an opportunity to eat.  However, I am going to try to catch up, so visit often as I will be writing about a few different places shortly.

Today however, I want to say that we recently had an opportunity to try a new place in the Bessemer, Alabama area called Carnation Buffet.  We had never been there and had not spoken with anyone else who had eaten there.  We simply decided to take a chance.

What a good choice!  Carnation Buffet is just that - an all you can eat buffet.  They have both some traditional "American" items, as well as the typical Chinese buffet items.  The buffet offers many, many choices and everything that I tried was excellent.  Everything was well labeled, had an excellent taste and seemed very fresh.  They also have sushi and, in the back, a grill for freshly grilled items such as steak.  They have a salad bar with many choices for a salad as well as a desert bar, which includes ice cream.  This is not the typical "soft ice cream" machine - this is a dip your ice cream out of a bucket ice cream and they had multiple flavors to choose from.  There were many seafood items available as well, such as oysters on the half shell and steamed shrimp.  They also offered frog legs - not often found on a buffet bar.

The service was great and the price for the buffet was very reasonable - $11.99 per person.  We will certainly be visiting this place again!

Youth League Sports - What it is all about

Now, I realize this is NOT about eating out anywhere - but a very important issue.

          I know that many parents have children who are participating in Youth League sports.  I am very disappointed in Youth League Sports programs and for good reason.

     

       I have a grandson playing Youth League Football.  Let me re-phrase that – I have a grandson who goes to practice on a Youth League Football team.  I had a son who also was a part of a Youth League Football team years ago and am disappointed to see that it has not changed. 

            We were all happy that he wanted to play football on the Youth League, thinking this would be very good for a child with some issues and a very low self-esteem.  We mistakenly thought that this would help his self-confidence and self-esteem issues.  Isn’t this what Youth League Sports is all about?  Helping children?  Teaching them discipline and team work?  If this is your impression of Youth League Sports, let me tell you now – YOU ARE DEAD WRONG.

            How many of you were under the impression that Youth League Sports was all about the children involved?  I am betting that a high number of you thought that.  Well, again, YOU ARE DEAD WRONG. 

            Now, I will give you this much – Youth League Sports SHOULD be about the children – teaching them teamwork, self discipline, self confidence and self esteem.  This is why Youth League Sports was formed.  Children need activities that teach these things and they need them early in life.  It would be great if these activities, while teaching these things, could also be fun.  If Youth League Sports were properly managed, they could accomplish this.

            Now, I realize that not every child is athletically gifted – some are just downright not very good at sports.  And, that is okay.  Some are gifted and are very good at the sport in which they are involved and that is great.  However, during practice they are all on the fields working.  Good or bad.  However, come game day, only the “good” ones get to actually play in the game.  I have witnessed this first hand.  I witnessed it years ago and am witnessing it now.  On the particular Youth League Football team that I am following, there are a handful – maybe 6 or 7 boys – who simply are not great athletes.  But they show up at practice every afternoon and then stand on the sideline every game.  There are games when they never step foot on the field. 

            Each Saturday that these young men stand on the sideline and do not get to participate, they leave the ballgame with a little less self confidence and a little less self esteem than they had when they got there.  Their having to stand on the sideline says one thing to them … “You are not good enough.”

            Now, I don’t know about you, but in my opinion, this is something that should never happen to any child.  No child should have to walk off the field and say to his family that is waiting, “I didn’t get to play.” 

            Why is this happening?  One simple reason – WINNING.  The Youth League Sports programs are not about the kids – they are not about helping kids – they are all about winning.  The children on the team are not what are important – it is the scoreboard.  So, the self confidence and self esteem of our children are being sacrificed for the sake of WINNING.  It is great for a team to win a game, but not at this expense.  Those players who are not great could be rotated in and out of the game one at a time.  I would never propose putting them all in at one time.  But, they should be given a chance!  Who knows – with a little “game practice”, an infusion of self confidence and self esteem – they might actually get better.  But whether they do or not is not the issue.

            This, my friends, should NEVER happen.  Have any of you witnessed similar experiences?  I would love to hear from you.  Something needs to happen to change this.  Children growing up in this day and age need good values and good values begin with feeling good about yourself.

            Does anyone agree?  Let me hear from you.

JJ's Bar-B-Que

Well, we had an opportunity to eat at a place we had eaten at a long time ago and not been back.  We stopped in at JJ's Bar-B-Que on Highway 79 in the Pinson Valley area last night.  As I said, we had eaten there a long time ago, was trying to think of somewhere to eat, and could not remember what we had thought about the place the last time we were there.  So, we decided to give it another try.

I had chicken and dressing, "homemade' macaroni and cheese and home-fried potatoes with onions.  I also ordered cornbread instead of rolls.  My companion also had the chicken and dressing, but had sweet potatoes and fried okra.  They also had the cornbread, although they didn't eat any of it.

Now, the meat and two vegetables was approximately $7.29 (without tax).  On the menu, they also advertised a meat and three vegetable dinner for approximately $7.79 or so.  As I said, we both opted for the meat and two vegetables.

The food was okay.  The pasta in the macaroni and cheese was well overcooked - to the point of being mushy and there wasn't a great cheese taste.  In fact, there wasn't much taste to it.  The potatoes were in very large chunks and I am not at all sure they were actually cooked "with" the onions.  They gave the impression of having been deep fried rather than pan fried.  The sweet potatoes were good and the fried okra was - well - breaded fried okra.  It was not good pan fried okra.  The cornbread muffins were good.

When we finished our meal, and walked up to the register, I stopped to read a sign that was standing there.  I barely noticed it when we came in and they had a piece of paper taped to it stating that the area behind the sign was closed.  This was fine, there were plenty of seating available.  What I did not notice when entering, was that there was also a letter sized piece of paper on it that stated various daily specials.  Well, the day was Thursday so I naturally looked at Thursday - although it was a bit "after the fact."  The special deal for Thursdays was $1.00 off a meat and three vegetable dinner.

Now, wouldn't it have been nice if our waitress had told us this when we ordered a meat and two vegetable dinner - that we could have gotten a meat and three vegetables for less????

With our drinks and tax, dinner was approximately $10.00 each.

Will we go back???     NO

Ladu's Cafe

Yesterday, we took the opportunity to try out a relatively new restaurant in Warrior, Alabama.  This is Ladu's Cafe and is located on Main Street.  This was about 1:30 PM in the afternoon.

Normally, when we decide to try a new place to eat, there is an apprehension as to what is the menu going to be like - how is the food going to be - how "pricey" is it going to be?  Of course, we too, had all these questions in mind.

We went in and seated ourselves.  We were not greeted by anyone, but sat and waited patiently.  The place was, in fairness to the girl working, pretty busy.  The young lady brought us a menu and got our drink orders.  We decided to try sandwiches.  I had been "wishing" for a local restaurant that made a really good hamburger, so I decided to try theirs.  There was a sign on the front window saying they had the best hamburger and fries in town.  So, I thought I would try that out. 

My companion decided to try to grilled ham and cheese sandwich.  We both decided to have a small order of fries with our sandwiches.  The young lady brought our drinks and took our order.  It took several minutes to get our food, but not an unreasonable time when you consider that the food was not prepared ahead of time.

Our order came and we were both pleased (and amazed) at the food.  The young lady brought me a knife so I could cut the hamburger in half - good thing!  And, if this was a small order of fries, I was certainly glad I didn't order a large order.  The ham and cheese sandwich was done on Texas toast and had several slices of ham.  The fries are "home cut" fries and cooked just right!  I have included a picture of the cut hamburger below.  All of the food was delicious.

You can also see the "small" order of fries!  The hamburger was $4.99 and the small order of fries was $2.99.  The grilled ham and cheese was $3.99.  We thought the prices were very reasonable. 

So, if you are looking for a new place to try out - I highly recommend Ladu's Cafe in Warrior, Alabama.  If you should have any questions about Ladu's, or if you have tried Ladu's, please leave a comment and ask a question or let us know about your experience at Ladu's !!!

LaGorda's

This past Friday, we again had an opportunity to visit LaGorda's in Locust Fork, AL.  They have excellent Mexican cuisine.  I had my typical combination dinner of two enchiladas, refried beans and Spanish rice.  It was quite tasty, as usual.  The service was also excellent, even on a busy Friday night.

The prices are quite reasonable also.  Evey time we have been there, the service has been great and the food quite good.  I highly recommend LaGorda's if you are in the Locust Fork, Al area and in the mood for Mexican!!

La Gorda Mexican Grill
29984 State Hwy 79
Ste 400
Locust Fork, AL 35097
(205) 680-9229

Stockyard Steakhouse

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to take a chance on a restaurant that we had never been to before.  Of course, we were out of town and were just looking for a buffet.  We noticed the Stockyard Steakhouse and their marque stated that they had a buffet.

The price was a little much - although it was a Friday evening.  I would not have minded the price so much had the dining experience been a good one.  Unfortunately, it was far from that!

The food was not very good.  The steak that was on the buffet was very tough and not very tasty.  They did have some good fried fish.  One of our favorites is meat loaf - and what they were serving as meat loaf was absolutely awful. 

The piece of lemon cake that I chose for desert was a dismal disappointment as well.  The cake had a burnt crust.  You would think they would have removed that - but no.  Our waitress was not super efficient and was far less than cordial.

Overall, I would certainly have to rate this as a bad dining experience.  Not only can I NOT recommend this restaurant, but we will certainly never go back there either.

Chick-Fil-A

Our expectations of what we are going to see when we turn on our local news, or open the local newspaper is certainly changing.  In the past, we expected to see stories on local crimes, local events or stories about politicians, local and nationwide.  Now, the tops stories seem to have turned to which companies and organizations are taking which side regarding the subject of gays and same sex marriages.  I can remember when we did not hear of these things – much less have large corporations “taking sides” on the issue of gay rights.

This has certainly changed though.  One of the top news stories this week has been about the stance taken on this subject by the CEO of Chick-Fil-A.  The CEO’s statement reflected Chick-Fil-A’s stance that they would not and do not support gay rights and same sex marriages.  They have taken a firm stance on their Christianity. 

Chick-Fil-A does not open on Sunday, thereby not requiring any of its employees to have to work who might otherwise go to church to worship.  Of course, they have taken quite a bit of “heat” for their stance, as well as having received a lot of support as well.  So, now one of the focuses of the news seems to be which companies support gay rights versus which ones do not.

It seems a sad state of affairs that this has become such an issue.  A local Christian radio station in this area hosted callers who wanted to call in and tell listeners of local businesses in their area who openly support Christianity in their places of business.

This is a “contest” that I would never have thought we would be having in this country.  Why?  The reason for this is simple.  My Bible tells me that God created a man and a woman to populate the earth.  This is clear and there is no room for misinterpretation, nor do I hear people who seem to argue on this point.  So, even without going any further into the scriptures, this point seems to clearly address the issue.  I saw a comment posted on a blog yesterday that makes a good point.  “If God had created Adam and Steve, instead of Adam and Eve, would we be having this controversy?”

What do you think?? 

So long Papa's

Wanted to let everyone know that Papa's Rib Shack has closed down.  We were certainly sorry to see them close.  The food there was really good and it was a reasonably priced place to eat.

Sonic

Earlier today, we stopped at the Sonic in Millbrook, AL.  I pulled up, we discussed what we wanted, and I lowered the window and pushed the "red" button.  It sat there and blinked and blinked and blinked.  Meanwhile, I waited and waited and waited.  In a few minutes, a car pulled in a couple of spaces to my left.  Their summon was answered right away.  So, I was instantly not impressed that I had been sitting there several minutes waiting to give my order and someone else pulls in and their order is taken right away.

Finally, once their order was taken, the girl came on and asked for my order.  I began my order and when I got to the part where I specify that I wanted a diet soda, I am informed that their fountain machine is down and would I like a slushy instead.  Needless to say, that was the last straw.  I told her never mind.  Raised my window and left. 

So, no matter how good the food might have been - we didn't even get that far.  The poor customer service up front ruined what might have been a good meal.

I'd love to hear about your Sonic experience!!

Stix

This past week, I had the opportunity to take my grandsons to Stix in Fultondale, AL for dinner.  Of course, we sat at the grill.  One had the Kid's Steak and the other shared the steak and chicken combo with me. 

We had fried rice, vegetables, shrimp and, of course, the steak/chicken.  All of the food was really good.  I suppose though that the main attraction of eating at Stix is the "show" that the chef puts on while preparing the food right in front of you.  And, in this case, we had an excellent chef and the "show" was great.  The kids really enjoyed this part of the meal.

Of course, we also had ginger soup and salad and I took home one salad and a "to go" box filled to the brim with food for the next day.   This really is an excellent place to go, particularly for special occasions.  Two girls, twins, that were seated at the same table with us were celebrating their ninth birthday, so we had a bit of "extra" excitement.

If you get a chance to go, I highly recommend Stix for an excellent meal and entertainment.

Waffle House - Pinson

We went to Waffle House this morning for breakfast.  As usual, the food was good - the service - not so much!  For example, we had to wait on a seat and another couple that came in after us also had to wait.  A booth finally opened up and we sat down.  Of course, the table had not yet been cleaned.  Within a few minutes, two seats at the end bar opened up and the couple that came in after us took those two seats.  The waitress for that area cleaned the counter and took that couple's order before even cleaning the table where we had seated ourselves.  I should have known then, there would be a service problem.

She took their order then cleaned the table where we were seated.  She then had to go back to the other couple and confirm something on their order.  Finally, we got our beverages.  Several - and I do mean several - minutes passed.  As I said, the place was busy.  The waitress brought the other couple their order.  Something was not right so that issue had to be addressed.  Finally one of the other waitresses brought our waffles and asked if we had anything else.  We told her what we were supposed to have and, in just a few minutes, we received the rest of our order - but not brought by our waitress.  Then, a waitress came down to that end with two plates of food - not knowing where they belonged as it was, again, not our waitress.  She finally determined that it was the corrected order for the other couple - only to find out that there was still a problem  - and still some stuff missing from the order.  It was apparent that this couple was getting aggravated as well.

To make matters worse, it was so cold that I felt like a popsicle.  Now, Waffle House is notorious for being on the cool side.  So much so, that we always make sure to carry a jacket when going to a Waffle House to eat.  I had my jacket on and I absolutely felt like I was freezing - and I AM NOT a cold natured person.

Things really got worse when the other couple discovered a bug on the plate that held their hashbrowns.  The guy stood up, took the plate to the front counter, told them there was a bug on the plate and that he was through with the place.  They then left.

In summation, this was obviously not my best trip ever to a Waffle House.  The service was an issue with a "not so good" waitress.  The bug - now that's a different thing.  I would think that the cook, even in a busy time, would notice a bug on a plate - but maybe not!  Can't say that I will ever visit that particular Waffle House again though. 

Golden Corral

We had an opportunity to eat at Golden Corral in Center Point, AL yesterday evening.  Of course, Golden Corral is a buffet and, between the three of us, I think we tried a wide variety of foods.  All of the food was very good as far as flavor.  My friend had a small wait for the pan seared shrimp, as that station was very busy and being manned by the same person who was also handling the grill.

The salad bar was good and, between us, we tried several desserts.  Our waiter did an excellent job - the dirty dishes were cleared promptly and we never ran out of beverages.

I would recommend this location - if you are hungry.  The cost of the evening buffet, with a beverage, ran about $14.00.  So, if you are in the area, please stop by and try them out.

If you have eaten at a Golden Corral lately, I would love to hear your opinion!  Looking forward to hearing from you .....

PaPa's Rib Shack

We had another opportunity to go to PaPa's Rib Shack.  We each had a plate with boston butt, french fries and baked beans.  Of course, you get PaPa's own version of cheese biscuits which, in this case, are actually muffins.

PaPa's offers several options.  Our favorite is their "plate."  You choose one meat and two sides.  Meat choices are:  ribs, boston butt, brisket, smoked turkey and smoked sausage.  As far as side items, you can choose from fries, okra, baked beans, baby sweet potatoes, coleslaw, potato salad, regular corn and potatoes or Cajun corn and potatoes.

They have a Kid's Menu, Sandwich Menu, stuffed bakers, salad bar and various seafood items.  Be sure to go by and try PaPa's.  They are open every day from 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM and are located on Highway 79 in Locust Fork, AL.

Specials at Jack's

Jack's is currently running their Fish and Fry for $2.99 special.  You can also add a pie for $.99.

Did you know that you can go to Jack's website and sign up to receive coupons and special promotions?  Don't miss this opportunity for savings!  Go to Jack's now to sign up.
Do you know of any noteworthy specials at local restaurants??  Let us know!!!

Pizza Hut

We decided to take advantage this week of Pizza Hut's newest special offer - The Big Box.  It really is a pretty good deal. . You get a medium one-topping pizza - pan crust.  You also get an order of bread sticks, which you can upgrade to cheese bread sticks for only $1 more. Of course, you get a container of the marina dipping sauce for the bread sticks.  You also get a dozen of the cinnamon sticks, along with a container of the icing for dipping those as well.

We were very satisfied with the amount of food we received for our $10.00 - hard to beat.  We got the pepperoni topping and opted for regular bread sticks instead of the upgrade.  We ordered online and when we got to the Warrior location, our order was ready and waiting for us.

Have you tried this deal yet?

Captain D's Seafood

Had an opportunity to eat at Captain D's Seafood in Trussville yesterday.  They actually had a great Manager;'s Special.  You get two - 3 piece fish dinners plus a side order of 6 butterfly shrimp for only $10.98.   This, of course, is what we had.  The food was all very good and they even brought our plates out to our tables.  A refreshing change for a Captain D's!!

Be sure to check and see if your local Captain D's is having this Manager's Special.  It is a really good deal.  And, if you are in the Trussville, AL area, stop in at the Captain D's there and enjoy a great meal.

Chili's

OK -this time we thought we would give Chili's a try.  They have the great 2 dinners for $20.00 special.  You get an appetizer to share and two full size entrees for $20.00

We had the Texas Cheese Fries (minus the jalapenos) for our appetizer.  I had the sirloin steak, which came with loaded mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.  My companion had the Chicken Crispers which came with corn on the cob (large ear) and fries.  We finished off the Texas Cheese Fries - which were absolutely delicious.  We were unable to finish our entrees, but brought "doggie bags" home  that I am sure will be good for lunch tomorrow. 

Of course, beverages (tea and soda) were $2.49 each, bringing our total to $27 and change.  But, the service was excellent and the food was all very good.  We also received very good size portions.  I highly recommend Chili's 2 for $20 Dinner Deal.

Do you know of a good deal at a local restaurant??

Casa Fiesta

A few days ago, we had occassion to go to Casa Fiesta in Fultondale, AL.  We each chose the "create your combo" option.  I had an enchilada, soft taco, refried beans and rice.  My friend had an enchilada, crispy taco, burrito, refried beans and rice.

Both meals were very good.  The service was also very good.  The meals were very reasonably priced for the amount of food we received.

I would recommend this restaurant for anyone who likes the mexican cuisine.

Bryant's Seafood

We had a late lunch at Bryant's Seafood today.  I had the canadian flounder with french fries and fried okra.  My friend also had the canadian flounder, but with cole slaw and fried okra.  Another person with us had the whole catfish, fried okra and french fries.  Of course, we also had beverages.  The bill was less than $25 for all three of us. 

The food was very good - well cooked.  The small hush puppies that they bring to the table when you arrive are really good.  They are just a bit sweet.

I would have to recommend Bryant's if you are looking for good seafood.

Home/Family

Of course, with yesterday being Christmas, most of us enjoyed a holiday dinner either at home or with family.  Now, I know this could have ranged from traditional ham and/or turkey to prime rib.  Or - you could have just had sandwiches.

Share with us what you had for Christmas dinner/lunch??