Burgers in SoBe

I had been dying to try 8oz Burger Bar, the new burger place from Table 8's Govind Armstrong. I probably get to South Beach less than once a month, so on my last detour there I knew I had to go! It was definitely worth it.


We walked in around Noon on a Sunday and it was about half full. I browsed the menu and my mouth was watering. They had great sounding apps, like Mini Kobe Corn Dogs and Fried Olives stuffed with Chorizo. We opted for the olives and were impressed. They were crunchy but not greasy. You could taste the olive and the chorizo equally.


The burger comes with the basics...lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and "special sauce" (which is basically ketchup & mayo mixed). Any toppings beyond that cost extra. The price can definitely add up quickly if you want to pile everything on your burger. They have alot of cheese options (for $2 extra) from cheddar to the very intriguing bel paese (which I heard was really yummy). They also have different sauces and toppings ranging from $1 - $2 additional. My sister got fried green tomato which she said was great.


I ordered the basic 8 oz with fried mozzarella (yes, it's actually a topping!!). I couldn't resist. The burger was really good. It was not over seasoned, so the flavor of the beef really shined. The fried mozzarella had a nice smooth flavor and even added a little crunch. I really liked the brioche bun, which wasn't too heavy and tasted fresh.

The sides were good too. The kennebec fries were the most "potato-y" french fries I've ever had. I also like the onion rings, but I got a bite that was kind of doughy...they might have needed to wait to get some of the extra batter off before they fried it.


I will definitely come back! It's not cheap, but it's an innovative burger place that's great for a treat. The service was good overall, but started lacking at the end when it started getting really busy.

Food: 4 out of 5
Service 3.5 out of 5

Pack Your Knives and Go!

I got an inside scoop today about one of the restaurants I recently reviewed.... Forte di Asprinio. You can read my full review by clicking here. To sum it up, it was a very bad experience with mediocre food and horrible service.

The breaking news is that Stephen Asprinio, the Top Chef contestant whose name is etched on this eatery, just got FIRED!* I'm assuming they'll be changing the name of this restaurant. I really hope that they change the concept too.

*As of 12/4, Stephen's departure has been confirmed. The executive chef remains with the restaurant.

UPDATE:Stephen e-mailed me to let me know he sold his shares of Forte to pursue other opportunities in Dubai and Las Vegas (he was not fired, as I stated in the original post). I wish him the best of luck on these new ventures!

West Palm Beach: Forte di Asprinio

Since Forte opened, I've been dying to try it! Not only because the infamous Stephen Asprinio from Top Chef owned it, but because the menu looked inventive. When I heard they had a special of 3 courses for $30, I thought it would be a great time to try it out. It was Halloween night and we had reservations for 8:30. I was expecting the restaurant to be busy, but was surprised when there were only 3 tables occupied.

Wine: I looked through the wine list and was impressed! They had lots of great wines. A good amount were available by the glass. They also had wine flights (I chose the medium bodied reds), which aren't readily accessible at restaurants. The medium red flight was a great choice and the sommelier did a great job explaining the 3 that were included.

Service: Our server was horrible. I asked him a couple of questions regarding the menu, which he replied with a shrug and "I don't know". He acted as if we were wasting his time. When he poured water, some of it was splashed on my sister and he didn't apologize. I mean, come on, he had 3 tables and couldn't do his job! He also got our wine order messed up. The good part was the sommelier, he was friendly, and quickly fixed the mistake our server made when he input our wine flights.

First Course: Was the ricotta/eggplant terrina. It seemed like it was sitting around for a while. I tried to eat it by itself but it was very bland. It was only good when smeared on the bread, which was doused in garlic & butter.


Main Course: I had the buccatini alla carbonara. It was the best of the 3 courses. The pasta was cooked perfectly and there was a perfect amount of sauce. The sauce was creamy and well flavored with the pancetta and cheese.


Dessert: This was the butterscotch budino (basically pudding). It was creamy, but just blah. Pudding isn't my dessert of choice. The mini beignets were bland and had to be smothered in pudding to taste good.


I would not come back to Forte to eat. I think the menu verbiage makes the food seem much more unique than it actually is. The service should have been much better. The food was decent, but not worth the price (even though it was only $30). The best part was the wine, and I would only come back to sit at the bar and indulge in another flight or one of their cocktails.

Miami Spice at Table 8

I'm on vacation in New Orleans and I finally got some time to squeeze in some blogging. Soon I'll be writing all about my trip...but I wanted to review Table 8 before I ventured into NOLA...

My friend Chris and I decided to extend our Miami Spice experience to lunch as well. We saw that Table 8 offered their Spice Menu on weekends. It was Saturday afternoon, and there were about 30 people in the restaurant. I guess it's a lot more crowded for dinner. It was a steaming hot summer day in Florida, so I chose a glass of Pinot Grigio from Italy. It was the perfect choice, crisp and refreshing.

My first course arrived. It was basically a "deconstructed" Caesar salad. Big romaine leaves with a crunchy buttery "crouton" and some parmesan chunks on the side. It was good, but I've had better. Maybe since it was eggless the dressing wasn't as creamy as I'd hoped for. The second course was a bbq pork sandwich with parmesan fries. The pork was cooked perfectly. The sauce was well spiced and wasn't overpowering the pork. What made this sandwich different was that there was avocado and pickled onions. The avocado gave it a nice creaminess, while the onions gave it some tang. It was a great combo. The fries were amazing! They were perfectly seasoned and fried. The parmesan sprinkled on top was a nice touch. Dessert was a chocolate molten cake. It was not as chocolaty and slightly drier than the one from Talula, but it was still good. As you can see, I LOVE chocolate molten cakes!

It was a great experience, but the service was spotty. Our server was MIA half the time. Plus, the food seemed to take forever! We waited about 20 minutes between courses, which is pretty bad. The service was much better when I went for dinner there about a year ago. But the food here is great, and I'll be back!

Food: 4.5 out of 5
Service: 2.5 out of 5

Miami Spice at Talula

One of the great things about summer in Miami is going to Miami Spice. During August and September, some great Miami Restaurants offer a 3 course menu selection for $23 (lunch) and $36 (dinner). It's a great deal! I hopefully will be going to a fair share of Miami Spice meals, and I'll be sure to report on all them!

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of going to Talula to take advantage of their Miami Spice Menu (unfortunately no pics, I forgot my camera). I've heard so many great things about Talula, and I was thrilled to try it out. We got there exactly at our reservation time and were seated immediately. The good part was that the Miami Spice menu was presented to us, and we didn't have to ask.

We started off with a great bottle of Cab (I forgot the name, but it was $40, from California, and started with an S). The wine was excellent! Then our server brought us nice warm, soft bread with a very creamy hummus. The hummus was perfect...very smooth with just a hint of garlic.

First Course: I got the Gouda and Caramelized Onion Tart. It was served with a small side salad. The tart was superb. The rich, buttery crust went perfectly with the smokiness of the gouda and the caramelized onion flavor. My friend go the Shrimp Ceviche, which was tasty, but he said mine was better.

Second Course: After much deliberation, I decided on the Mahi. It was served on a bed of cous cous. The flavors were very good and it was a perfect size portion. But my absolute favorite part of the dish was the crispy edge of the Mahi. I'm still wondering how they got the extremely crispy edge without drying out the fish! My friend got the steak, which was served with whipped sweet potatoes. I knew he must have loved it, because he wouldn't share (how rude! lol).

Third Course: We both ordered my all time fav, the molten chocolate cake. It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal. It had excellent chocolate flavor without being too sweet. It was topped with a big dollop of espresso cream, which complemented the chocolate perfectly. There were candied oranges as well, but I hate orange and chocolate together so I just pushed it aside (I still don't get how people like that combo).

To conclude...I was really impressed with Talula. Their Miami Spice changes twice a month so there is always something different to be enjoyed. The food was incredible and so was the service.

Food: 5 out of 5
Service: 5 out of 5

Fort Lauderdale: Taverna Opa

Food: 3.5 out of 5
Service: 1 out of 5

Saturday night was my sister's birthday! She wanted to go to a fun place for her big 2-6. We thought Taverna Opa would be a great choice since it's very lively and conveniently close to my house.

We arrived at the restaurant at our reservation time and were told by the hostess that it would be a few minutes. It had just rained so I knew they had to get rid of some outside seating they were counting on. Twenty minutes later, no sign of a table. I finally found the hostess and she said it would be a "few more minutes". Well...if a "few" is 20 minutes then I won't be happy. But we were seated pretty quickly after that.


Our apps(from left to right) Meatballs, Hummus, Greek Salad

We did not get menus. I knew that on Friday & Saturday nights they have a set menu. I had looked online, and the cheapest option was $25. Being that there were 10 of us and various income levels I'm sure, I already looked and decided on the $25. With that said...the waiter came by and started explaining to the table the $45 menu only and exclaimed how wonderful it was. When I asked about the $25, he told me it was not good at all and not enough food. He said that the $45 was much better. I told him again I wanted the $25 menu. He then told me again that it was a bad decision. This went on for about 2 minutes...I was fuming!! Plus...he did not even ask us if we wanted drinks. We had to get all our drinks from the bar. The bartender was the only good service of the whole night! Our server was insanely incompetent. I wish I remembered his name because I would have mentioned it...so everyone reading this could avoid him...but so you know, he was a middle aged, short, stocky jerk-off who was obviously suffering from a bad case of Napoleon Complex. I was trying not to show my anger at the restaurant because I didn't want him to spit in my food. Okay, now I think I'm done venting.


My Gyro...yes there is pita bread underneath all that

The food came...lots of food! "Not Enough" my a$$! First we got some warm pita bread and a make your own hummus with chickpeas, olive oil and spices served in a mortar in pestle so you would grind it up yourself. It was good, but I like the creaminess of regular hummus better. We also got a greek salad, meatballs, stuffed grape leaves, saganaki (the flaming cheese!), and an assortment of dips. Those were just the appetizers! My favorite was the cheese. It had great flavor and was hot and melty. The meatballs were dry. Most of the dips were good. They were tzatziki, baba ganoush (eggplant), and some kind of fish. This fish one was too fishy tasting. But the baba ganoush was delicious. Obviously all these appetizers take up a lot of space on the table, but the servers didn't clear the table even once! Then our entrees came, I got a Gyro. It was tasty, but I was too full to eat. I only ate about 1/4 of it. It tasted like mostly beef, and it looked more like a thinly sliced sausage than being sliced from a big slab of meat. I would have also liked to be able to pick it up to eat it, but there was alot of fillings and picking it up was not a good idea.

We didn't have dessert, but we did have a really good time dancing. At Taverna Opa, they play really loud pop, Latin, and Greek music. They also let you throw napkins everywhere and dance on the tables. It's worth it to go once for a big celebration, but the service was so horrible I would not go back.


Our table after the napkin throwing

NYC: Pizza & Ethiopian

My 2nd day in New York City was here. What good things will I eat today? For lunch, I was definitely going to have pizza or hot dogs. For dinner, I wanted something really unique. I ended up making reservations for Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian Restaurant.

I was perusing our new Manhattan map, which was very helpful! It listed all the streets and subway stops. We were both starving and needed a quick fix for lunch. We discovered that the PATH train stopped right by one of the NYC pizza staples, Famous Ray's in Greenwich Village. It's a small, simple place. You order at the counter and hopefully find a place to sit. There are about 5 tables and counter space for about 15 people. The pizza was really delicious. The crust was super thin (of course). The sauce tasted fresh and light. It had the perfect amount of cheese. Too bad you can't get too many pizzas like that in Florida...I think it's the sauce. But it could be the NYC water, which a lot of people claim is the reason it's so good.



After a great day of window shopping and visiting Central Park, it was time to eat dinner. I was so excited to go to Queen of Sheba! I had never tried Ethiopian food before. All I kind of knew is that you ate with your hands, picking up some kind of stewed meat with the pancake-like "plate". We stepped into the restaurant and were quickly seated at a table. It's a small place, but it was very packed. The menu had a big selection of entrees that were all reasonably priced (from $14 - $17). But my eyes went to the entree, Taste of Sheba, which had a sampling of it's favorite dishes. Ten minutes after we ordered, the dish came out. It was huge! The pancake must have had a 20 inch diameter. On the pancake were all the samplings, seven to be exact. Five were beef, two were lamb. I enjoyed all of them, but there were a couple which were outstanding. My two favorite were the Mechet Abesh Wot (ground beef cooked in green pepper sauce with garlic and ginger) and the Bozena Shiro (finely diced beef simmered in chickpea gravy). They serve you pancakes to eat on the side as well. The texture was very similar to a crepe, with a tangy taste. You just tear a piece off, and use it to scoop up your meat. It was a little messy, but fun. If you're in NYC, definitely check this place out if you're feeling adventurous.

NYC: Ice Cream and Sushi

I got back to Florida yesterday from visiting my friend who just moved to Hoboken, NJ. It's only a 10 minute train ride into New York City. We did a lot of exploring and ate some really good food. Today and Wednesday I'll post the highlights of my food adventures. It was a yummy trip.

The first journey was through Chinatown. I've been to NYC several times but have never ventured there. It was a mob scene! It was the most crowded of anywhere I went to the whole trip. Tourists and vendors were crowding the streets. I was thinking of buying a purse, but the huge crowds in every store deterred me. I really didn't need a purse anyway. I wanted to get some solace from the hordes of people, and it was a hot day, so ice cream sounded great. I remember hearing about Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, so we asked around and finally found it. We walked up to the store and there was a line out the door, so it had to be good! They had a list of flavors, "exotic" and "regular". The exotic flavors were flavors Americans are born and raised on like chocolate chip, pistachio and cherry vanilla. The regular flavors were asian favorites like red bean, green tea and lychee. I wanted to try one of each so I settled on almond cookie (regular) and coconut fudge (exotic). They were both excellent! The flavors were both very creamy. The almond cookie had very small bits of cookie with a great almond flavored base. The coconut fudge had the perfect amount of coconut flavor (I hate that "suntan lotion" taste I usually find in coconut products, which is overpowering) and a rich fudge swirl. You could taste each of the flavors in each bite.



Now onto the sushi...We ventured back into Hoboken and were ready to relax. We were starting to get hungry and I hadn't had sushi in a while. My friend said, "Nothing will be as cool as Dragonfly" (Dragonfly is the BEST sushi place in Florida, it's in Gainesville). I agreed with her, but thought we should try it out anyway. So we headed into the Sushi Lounge. It's very unassuming from the outside, but then we walked in and it was a very modern, dark atmosphere with a DJ playing house music. I turned to my friend and said, "It's exactly like Dragonfly". It was pretty crowded, the bar was full as were most of the tables. They had a good selection of martinis, and I had one which was a combo of sake and plum wine. The menu was great! They had a big selection of innovative rolls. I had one with tuna, salmon, avocado, mango and a sweet miso sauce (that's the large roll in the picture). My friend had one with lobster, mango and jalapeno. The service wasn't the best, but I wasn't in a rush so that was okay. I'd highly recommend it and I'm sure I'll be going back next time.

Miami Beach: Tantra

I was so excited about the Miami Spice preview week so of course I had to try it out. After looking at all the menus, we decided to go to Tantra. None of us had ever had a meal there, and the menu looked really good. So Tantra here we come! (Sorry no food pics...I forgot my camera).

We had reservations at 9:00 and were seated immediately. The path to get to the bar and dining room is grass, real grass! It's pretty neat. The hostess told me they replace it once a week. The decor is Indian themed, with rich colors and subdued lighting. They have an ample dining area, but it was only about half full. I was surprised it was that empty. We were seated and handed menus, but the menus we were given did not include the Miami Spice menu. We had to ask for it, and our server did not look too pleased. In my opinion, they should include it with their regular menus. It seemed like they were trying to fool the guests (When I looked around, it seemed we were the only ones who even knew about the menu). Also, the regular menu seemed a little but pricey. Appetizers were about $15, entrees were about $40.

The service was very good. After we ordered, we were immediately brought warm bread with olive oil and raspberry vinegar to dip. The water was constantly being refilled at the table. The first course came out and it looked great. It was a Thai Style Shrimp Cake. It was okay. It was served lukewarm, and the cilantro was a little bit overpowering. My entree was the Kobe Sirloin wrapped in bacon and served with roasted sweet potato wedges. It was delicious. The steak came out perfectly cooked and was very tender. The bacon was a nice touch and added a good flavor to the steak (come on...everything is better with bacon). The sauce they served with the sweet potatoes was perfect! It tasted like a garlic aioli with cinnamon, sounds a little strange but it tasted great and accentuated the flavor of the sweet potatoes. Now onto the grand finale...dessert. The server described it as "chocolate cake with ice cream", which did not do it any justice. The dessert was the highlight of the dinner. The ice cream was creamy and just sweet enough for the cake, which was a pyramid shape of dense, bittersweet chocolate. It was rich and slightly undercooked in the middle...which was perfect for me! Overall, it was a great dinner, but I would not come back for the "regular" menu, which was too expensive. Our bill came to $70 per person, which included 2 drinks each & tip. Not bad for a 3 course decadent meal.

West Palm Beach: Bar Louie

I went up to West Palm this past weekend to do dinner a movie with some friends. After seeing The Happening (which was such a disappointment), we decided to have dinner at Bar Louie. Bar Louie is a new restaurant that opened in City Place about a month ago, where The Original Steakhouse was located. We walked in and were able to seat ourselves. The decor has dark woods and olive greens, with black & white pictures on the wall. The restaurant area was about half full, but the bar was pretty packed. We sat down in a booth (that was already stained, don't they clean these things?) and were ready to eat.


The menu has a solid offering of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pizzas and burgers. It's a slightly more upscale version of a typical sports bar menu (think Duffy's meets Yard House). They also have a pretty large selection of beers and mixed drinks. The mixed drinks were original and intriguing. I almost got the Strawberry Basil Caipiroska, but settled for a Blue Moon instead. The prices are reasonable here as well, with most entrees ranging from $10 - $15. My dinner was the Luigi Sandwich. It's Bar Louie's version of a cheesesteak, with thinly sliced rib eye, cheddar, and the usual sandwich condiments. The sandwich was good, beef seemed to lack a little flavor but cheddar cheese was sharp and melty. The bread was soft and fresh. The fries were perfectly cooked, with the right amount of seasoning. Our service was good too, but the food came out a little bit too quickly. I will definitely be going back, it's a great place for a casual dinner.

My Free Chicken Sandwich

Thursday was McDonald's free sandwich day. They were promoting their new Southern - Style Chicken Sandwich and Biscuit. Luckily, I forgot to bring in my lunch to work so I decided to brave the drive-thru line to taste this Chick-fil-a replica. I drove up to the menu board and placed my order for a medium soda and the chicken sandwich(you had to buy a medium or large drink to get this "free" sandwich). I was going to wait until I was at work to unveil it, but I was ravenous! I was in the parking lot and opened up the box to smell the deep fried goodness.



It looked good to me, the bun was soft and the crust looked crispy. I took my first bite and I was impressed. It was spiced well, crispy, and fairly juicy (it even had the 2 pickle slices). It tasted fresh and not like it was kept under a heat lamp all day. Overall, I have to stick with Chick-fil-a, because the chicken seems a little less processed and definitely larger in size. But the new McDonald's Southern-Style Chicken Sandwich is a great substitute in a pinch.

North Palm Beach: Pronti's Italian Kitchen

I love Pronti's. I have great memories of it. It's where I enjoyed my first salad... their Gorgonzola salad when I was around 12 years old. That was about 15 years ago, and Pronti's used to be packed! We always had to wait on a Friday night. It's unfortunate now that it's not very crowded. We went there last Friday and it was about 1/3 full.

We always order the same thing every time we go. Gorgonzola Salad & Pizza. The salad is great, the contents are pretty basic, lettuce, carrots, olives and tomatoes. But the dressing is the kicker, it has tons of Gorgonzola cheese so you get plenty in every bite. I really enjoy the pizza there too. Make sure to order the "New York Pounded" crust. It's not on the menu, but I think it's the best crust they have. It's thin and slightly buttery, perfect for folding (like so many New Yorkers like to do). We ordered extra cheese as a topping, and we got it! There was plenty of oozy mozzarella cheese and a perfectly balanced tomato sauce. The service is always good there too. I hope I'll be enjoying Pronti's for at least another 15 years.

Royal Palm Beach: The Counter

I had read about The Counter in the local newspaper. The Royal Palm Beach location is its first franchise in Florida. The atmosphere is very simple & clean, modern & retro at the same time. The focus of the menu is the build your own burger. They also have a great selection of beers. They serve wine as well. When you sit down, you get a clipboard and a pencil. The bottom of the clipboard lists all the sides like french fries & fried pickles. The paper on the clipboard lists all your build your own burger choices. The beef for their burgers comes in on the bone and is ground fresh there. Also, the veggie patties are made in house. You can have the burger with a bun, or in a "bowl" (which is basically a salad). You then pick the size of your burger, cheese, toppings, sauce and the type of bun. They have so many great options it's hard to choose. We also got an order of the Sweet Potato Fries and Onion Strings, which comes with ranch, bbq, and horseradish sauce. The fries and onion strings were delicious! They were crispy without being greasy and had great flavor. The burger also tasted great. The bun was soft, the toppings were just right, and the burger was juicy. My only complaint would be that the burger, although thick, was smaller than the bun. I would rather have a little thinner burger that was at least the same diameter of the bun. All in all, it was a great meal.

Miami Beach: Taco Rico

I spent part of last weekend in Miami for my friend's birthday. We spent way too much money on Saturday night, so it was time to get a filling & cheap meal (I know this seems impossible for South Beach). So it was time to head to Taco Rico, which is south of Lincoln Rd on Alton Rd. They have great lunch specials. Three of us had 3 entrees, 3 sodas, and Queso dip for $27.00 total. We each got the Three taco platter ($4.95, which is served with beans & rice). You can pick your meat (I got 2 beef, 1 chicken). You order at the counter and they give you chips to start. They have a good salsa bar with about 8 different salsas, the hottest being Atomic (I am not brave enough for that). I got Tomatillo, which is my favorite. The Queso was really good, but the cheese did clump up in some spots. The tacos were yummy! They had a good portion of meat and toppings. You really can't beat the prices here. The quality is great for the money paid.

Fort Lauderdale: Aruba Beach Cafe

I live pretty close to Aruba Beach Cafe and it is a nice place to go when you want decent food and an amazing view. It's literally on the beach, right by the Pier in Fort Lauderdale. It's so fun to people watch there. We even saw a guy that was on the beach cross country skiing! I've been there a handful of times. Even though the bar is crowded, I haven't had to wait for a table. Service is usually efficient. Prices aren't too bad either.

My last visit I ordered the Crabcake Sandwich. The crabcake was pretty good. I love crabcakes so I've definitely had my fair share, and I'd give it a 6/10. I love their french fries. The fries are thin and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. My sister had the Seafood Louie salad. It was delicious! They toss the seafood in a creamy dill sauce (I LOVE dill!). This is one of their best items. One thing I missed though is their Lobster Pizza. It was great, but they took it off the menu. I hope they put it back on soon.

Salad Creations vs. Tossed

I usually try to keep it somewhat healthy for lunch and have a salad. I work in Boca and have 2 salad restaurant franchises that are pretty close to me. I have tried them both and this is how they compare.

Salad Creations: They feature salads, wraps and soups. The salads have a "create your own" option which is $6.99 ($2.25 extra for meat). I like this idea because you can pick anything you want and it's the same price. They also have a great choice of dressings, including several that are low fat (and actually taste good). Salad Creations is the winner for overall value, and it's my pick.


Tossed: They have a larger menu than Salad Creations. They also offer regular sandwiches and smoothies. Their wraps are "crepes", but it's basically the same. Their Salad Palate (their version of Create Your Own, which you can also put in a crepe) lets you choose all your toppings, but they charge you for each individually. This really adds up! For the same price of Salad Creations, I get about half as many toppings. The best deals are the pre-designed salads and crepes. The dressings they offer are regular (way too many calories) and Fat Free (gross!). But overall, Tossed is good if you're looking for the most variety.

Fort Lauderdale: BBQ Jacks

After about a year and a half of constantly driving by the fragrant smoker, I decided to try it and see what BBQ Jacks was all about. They have a pretty typical BBQ menu, featuring Pork, Ribs, other meats and sides. I decided to go for the Pulled BBQ Sandwich Combo ($6.99). The combo comes with the sandwich, fries and baked beans. I placed my order at the counter and it was ready for me to take home in about 5 minutes. The dining area itself is very basic, similar to any fast food restaurant. So I get home and open the box, there plenty of meat on the sandwich, and the pork had the smoked pink look which was good. The sides looked good too, just the right amount of fries and beans.

The pulled pork sandwich: The bread was standard, nice and soft. The pork seemed much more like chopped up than "pulled" and some bites had some tough pieces which I wasn't quite fond of. The smoky flavor was slightly overpowering and the sauce a little sweeter than I like.

The sides: Fries were great, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The beans were really good too, probably the best I've had in a while. You could taste the bacon slightly and they had just the right amount of sweetness.
Overall: Not bad, but I have definitely had better. Next time I'll try Tom Jenkins.