No. 243

Romano's Macaroni Grill
Otay Ranch
Chula Vista

We've been meaning to check this place out ever since we heard of them but only discovered they'd built one nearby a couple of days ago (we're still waiting for a Carrabas and a Ruby Tuesday, BTW)...

We had no preconceptions (other than they're owned by McDonalds) and we read their menu before we went (the wife didn't like the prices).

It's a large, almost cavern-like building with at least 100 overhead lights, a lot of seating and only one other set of customers when we arrived for the 3:30 dinner rush.

We were seated immediately, the waiter met all of his marks (fresh bread on the table within seconds of our arrival, almost instantaneous drinks, prompt and precise order taking, etc), a credit to his profession! The freshly baked mini loaf had a hint of rosemary, the table hosted the usual compliment (salt, pepper, olive oil, etc), and the tall bottle of ice water was a nice touch.

The Darla had the Shrimp Portofino and loved the combination of some fair sized shrimp, spinach, roasted pine nuts, mushrooms and lemon butter on a bed of .capellini. I had the Fettuccine Alfredo with side salad and iced tea. Both meals were hot when served; the shrimp didn't stand a chance and The Darla may re-create this dish at home.

Overall, the food was excellent and our only complaint is the fact that the servings are huge, easily large enough for 2 or 3 people (like an order of fries at Five Guys) and we could have split a dish and saved a few bucks. Our bill was slightly north of $35 plus we tossed the waiter $6 and coin.

To our surprise, we were very pleased with our Romano's Macaroni Grill experience (except for the Chula Vista rush hour traffic on our way home).

The web site: http://www.macaronigrill.com

No. 242

Yoshinoya

1299 Broadway

Chula Vista

Originally, we were on our way to Tamales Ancira. Not far from the border, they're known for having some of the best tamales around and I'd noticed their online reviews for years. When we got there, it was almost ready to close for the day (Sunday afternoon) and only had a few tamales left, all with either beans or cheese, which the wife can't have.

On our way elsewhere, we drove by this place and decided to check it out. It's a free standing building, on the corner, with large glass windows and a drive-thru. We ordered the large beef bowl, a side of Gyoza (fried dumplings), a bowl of miso soup and a bottle of water. Our total was $10.74 including the senior discount ($1.12). The meat was wretched, thin strips of something (not sure), with soggy, clumpy, congealed rice and a few stewed onions, the soup was close to flavorless and the dumplings were hard as a rock. We each had a bite of everything, tossed it all and left.

Their web site says they have over 1400 locations internationally and their slogan on the print out is "Tastes BETTER because it's COOKED FRESH"...

The web site: http://yoshinoyaamerica.com/

Then we went looking for Tamale Betty, only to find it closed (permanently).

I ended up grabbing a 6 inch cheesesteak, no salt, no onions at McGonagle's in National City. Unfortunately, I forgot to specify the traditional cheese (white American) and it arrived with Cheez Whiz.

Incidentally, McGonagle's has a cheesesteak eating contest (three 12 inch sandwiches, double meat, double cheese and a lb of fries in a specified amount of time. The winner gets some cash, bragging rights and to sit in an ornate throne they installed in the dining room (I'll snap a few pix the next time I'm there) and the losers get their pictures posted on the wall of shame...

After we left there, the wife ended up grabbing a couple of tacos (no cheese, no tomato) at our local (Paradise Valley Road) Taco Bell drive-thru and that was wrong too (plenty of cheese, no lettuce, no tomato)....

No. 241

Buffalo Wild Wings
Chula Vista, Ca.

In our seventh attempt to find the best chicken wings, we visited Buffalo Wild Wings in Chulajuana yesterday.

To start with, it's big and noisy. The wife counted at least 32 flat screen TVs lining the walls, tuned to at least a dozen different programs (in fact, there were so many that I noted two spaces where there weren't any). Add in the too-loud music and the noise of the customers (and their kids - think Chucky Cheese) and it's deafening at times. Our server said that there are over 40 sets but we never ventured any farther into the place as I can't walk any great distance and the hostess had already waltzed me around the place by the time she finally decided to seat us on the other side of the room.

The menu is very likely the largest of the places we've visited so far, with burgers, fish tacos, mini corn dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, popcorn shrimp, salads, sliders, wraps, etc: Side orders include fried pickles, nachos, onion rings, several types of fries, dips, mushrooms, mozzarella sticks, chips & salsa, soft pretzels, cheese curds, flat breads, Cole slaw and macaroni and cheese.

The menu (and salt & pepper shakers, etc) were all greasy, in serious need of a good wipe down. Additionally, service was slow, both in greeting us, in checking back in after the food was served and in bringing the check and then the change. Our server seems to have a very loose grip on making proper change (our total was $20.17, I put two $20s on the table and she returned with two $5 bills and nine $1 bills, pocketing the 83 cents right off the bat)....

Overall, the wings were the largest, meatiest of the places we've checked out so far, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about this place. The sauces were vinegary (we tasted the medium sauce and the Teriyaki), the $3.99 small order of potato wedges were generic and room temperature and they use generic catsup with their own label, and the bottles could also stand a good wiping down...

The web site: https://www.buffalowildwings.com

No. 240

BBQ 81

This place is on El Cajon Blvd (at Louisiana) and seats 36, plus 4 stools at the beer bar. On-street parking is problematical at best and very likely impossible during certain times of the day. It's only been open for a couple of months but the front door glass was smeared with handprints, a serious no-no in this biz, the carpet was threadbare and the reconditioned table tops were covered in either pleather or vinyl. There are a couple of flat screen TVs mounted on the walls but during our visit, the server / cashier / busser / beertender (she did it all without ever once washing her hands) was playing the stereo too loudly for us geezers. Finally, a couple of large windows were open, triggering the heater's thermostat and no doubt, jacking up the owner's SDG&E bill unnecessarily.

We had a half slab of baby back ribs with corn bread, slaw and fries for side dishes. I also ordered a hot link sandwich (2 grilled, butterflied links in a sandwich roll) and an iced tea, which I discovered was from the machine. I no longer drink from soda fountains because of the line cleaner, which you can taste. The ribs weren't bad (but definitely not falling-off-the-bone tender), the fries were nice and hot (but generic), the hot link was fairly spicy, the corn bread was cold, and the slaw wasn't anything to write home about.

Finally, it's a bit pricey ($25 & coin plus tip, making it an even $30 for a small lunch) and we won't be going back.

Their web site: http://www.barbeque81.com