Lawrence, KS: No Road-Kill Here, Just Decent Food, Fair Prices, And FREE PEANUTS

Texas Roadhouse

2329 Iowa Street
Lawrence, KS 66046
Phone number (785) 312-7427
Website: texasroadhouse.com

Prices: $$$$

Not that busy for a Friday night, unlike many other restaurants, I never had a burning desire to try the Roadhouse, being a steak chain and all, until recently.

Loud country music and servers line dancing greeted us as we sat at a corner table. Our server was attentive, but not very efficient. He forgot to bring my son's salad and instead of "mashed potatoes twice", be brought me mashed potatoes and rice.

We did not order an appetizer, only because after eating free peanuts, I knew I could not possibly eat a full meal.

My better half went with the Beef Tips ($10.99), chunks o' beef sauteed with mushrooms and onion and smothered with brown gravy atop a heap o' mashed potatoes (or rice). The potatoes were her first side dish (you get two with most entrees) and fresh vegetables (steamed carrots and broccoli) the second. A generous portion, the tips were tender, succulent and savory and a very good value.

I love Prime Rib and do not splurge too often, but it sounded good and at just $15.99 for a 10 ounce cut and two sides, I could not resist. I like the end cut and the one I got was about the right size, tender as a whore's heart, but a tad overcooked even for me and a little dry. The smoked flavor was not what I was expecting either, but a dip in the aus jus and creamed horseradish sauce eliminated the dryness as well as the smokiness of the cut. But for $15.99, I have to say that although dry, it was flavorful and also an excellent value.

My only complaint is the drink menu that lacks prices, another pet peeve of mine, as I have learned NEVER to order anything unless I know the price first. I might have ordered a beer or a glass of wine or two, increasing the tab by 1/3 as well as the tip, but we stayed with water instead, only because I am neither going to ask how much a menu item is nor find out post de facto that a glass of wine cost $12.

CombatCritic Gives Texas Roadhouse 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

"Good To Go"

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Title: Lawrence, KS: No Road-Kill Here, Just Decent Food, Fair Prices, And FREE PEANUTS

Key Words: Texas Roadhouse, texas, roadhouse, Lawrence, Kansas, KS, Iowa, steak, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, product, service, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

San Antonio, TX: "Louie, Louie, Oh No, I Said" You "Gotta Go ... Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"

Louie Italian Restaurant

4979 NW Loop 410

San Antonio, TX 78229

Phone number: (210) 481-4360

Website: louieitalianrestaurant.com

Prices: $$$$

This place was at the top of Yelp's list when I searched for "Best Italian Restaurants" in San Antonio, Texas with 4.5 stars out of 207 reviews ... pretty impressive. We joined their e-newsletter list (promising coupons and 1/2 price bottles of wine to "members") and made a reservation for that evening.

The exterior is strange, looking more like a 22nd Century burger joint than an Italian restaurant, but the interior was much nicer. Not "Italian", but a bit on the "classy" side. We were quickly greeted and seated and our server, Adelina, promptly took our drink order. I asked about the 1/2 price bottles of wine, but she told me (pointing to a placard on the table) that they are only offered on Tuesday and Wednesday, apparently available to the general public, not just members of their e-newsletter club as advertised. We ordered two glasses of house cabernet ($5.50 each), but Adelina quickly returned telling us that they were "out of the house cabernet" and only had Chianti. Chianti it was.

Our dinners would come with a salad, so we ordered the garlic bread ($3.99 - bread does not come with your meal oddly enough). The salads were small, but fresh, with a spring mix, tomato and cucumber slice, and exactly four croutons along with dressing of choice. The garlic bread was a good size loaf cut in two and tasty.

My wife had the Tortellini Michelangelo ($10.99) with cheese filled pasta in a mushrooms cream sauce. The pasta and sauce were both good, but the sauce had a unique taste we could not quite put our fingers on and definitely not Italian

I ordered the Veal Marsala ($15.99), sautéed with fresh mushrooms in a sweet marsala wine sauce and served over spaghetti. The sauce was actually quite rich and good with just the right number of button mushrooms, but the veal was not very plentiful with just two small scallops sitting atop the pasta. For the price, the veal was not a bad value at all and I went away satiated, not hungry.

The 1/2 price bottle promotion to lure people into signing up for their newsletter was misleading and the lack of bread accompanying the meal was odd for an Italian restaurant. The service was excellent and Adelina, an MBA student from Kosovo (where I served at the NATO HQ during the war in late 1998 and early 1999), was as charming and efficient as could be. Not the best Italian I have had by far, but good food and portions at a reasonable price.

CombatCritic Gives Louie Italian Restaurant 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

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Read Chris S.'s review of Louie Italian Restaurant on Yelp

Title: San Antonio, TX: "Louie, Louie, Oh No, I Said" You "Gotta Go ... Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"

Key Words: Louie Italian Restaurant, Louie, Italian, pasta, veal, Italy, Loop 410, San Antonio, Texas, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

Austin, TX: Downtown Grocery Selection And Prices Left Me A Little Blue

Royal Blue Grocery - Congress Avenue

609 Congress Avenue

Austin, TX 78701

Phone number: (512) 469-5888

Website: royalbluegrocery.com

Prices: $$$$

If you are downtown and need a market, this is your only choice. The staff are friendly and helpful, but the inventory is severely lacking. 

You can buy a sandwich, a cookie, or other prepared meals, but the "grocery" sections are ridiculously understocked. The prices are a tad high, but considering the prime real estate this store occupies, they could be worse.

My wife needed something for breakfast, so we bought two cookies at $1.75 each. The cookies were big and tasty enough, but there was little else to choose from.

Trying to find a supermarket in central Austin is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, In 2+ days in Austin, we saw only one, a H-E-B on the northern outskirts as we drove into town, so choices are limited, especially downtown.

CombatCritic Gives Royal Blue Grocery 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over  1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Royal Blue Grocery - Congress Ave on Yelp

Title: Austin, TX: Downtown Grocery Selection And Prices Left Me A Little Blue

Key Words: Royal Blue Grocery, royal, blue, grocery, Austin, Texas, downtown, sandwiches, convenient, sandwich, expensive, convenience, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, business, review, Yelp

Translation for Civilians: BOHICA = "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"