Texas Roadhouse - Danbury, CT

I really like when you go into a restaurant and you are greeted right away, which was the case at Texas Roadhouse.  Our server was very nice and on the ball.  The sweet rolls with cinnamon butter is a nice way to begin a meal.

Lee ordered an 8 oz. sirloin medium and shrimp.  He had a salad and baked potato for his 2 sides.  The steak was perfectly cooked and his salad looked so good that it made me wish that I had gotten one too.  I ordered half a rack of ribs, baked potato and green beans.  The ribs were so meaty that I could only eat half of them.  They were very good. They also put the right amount of butter on the potato and for once and I didn't have to request more butter. I don't have a lot to say about this meal except everything was yummy and the service was great!

Rating: 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

www.texasroadhouse.com

Kibberia - Danbury, CT

When we got there, the restaurant was slow and we were surprised because it was a Friday night.  I will say that it filled up quite a bit as the evening went on and there seemed to be many take out orders.  We ordered our food at the counter and I got my usual spinach pie with hummus and Lee ordered the lamb kabob rice platter. Lee's food was a little pricey for what he received.  Lee's food took 20-25 minutes to come out. My spinach pie was brown and crunchy on the outside, not soft and yummy like I'm used to.  Lee said his lamb tasted like beef, but I don't eat lamb, so I wouldn't even try it.
I also wish that I had enough pita bread for the amount of hummus I got.

The staff was friendly and polite, but I'm not sure that we will be heading there again any time soon.

Rating: 😐😐

www.kibberia.com

Tilly's Table - Brewster, NY

I'll start with the positives.  We loved looking out the window while we were eating and seeing alpacas and horses.  They are so cute!  The building looks like a renovated barn.  Very pretty place.  I loved visiting the miniature horses and chickens after we ate.
We were there today for brunch and the farmers table was amazing.  It had bagels, muffins, pastries, salmon, platters of cheese, meat, veggies, olives, tomatoes with mozzarella and a big salad.  There was also supposed to be a bottomless mimosa.

Lee ordered steak and eggs and I ordered a bacon and cheddar omelette.  Both dishes came with a side of bacon and home fries.  Lee's steak was supposed to be medium and parts of it was raw, and I mean raw!  The home fries on both plates were cold even though they had good flavor.  My omelette was burnt on the edges and I couldn't taste any bacon in it at all.  The cheese was a couple slices melted on top.  The best part of both of our meals was the side of bacon.  The rest was not so good!

The service left a lot to be desired.  Lee's bottomless mimosa was never refilled or even acknowledged as being empty.  My water wasn't refilled until it was time to leave.  Our server passed our table many times and never once asked how our food was even though we obviously left a good amount on our plates.  We waited for our check at least 15 minutes.  We gave all the indications that we were ready to leave.  Our napkins were on the table,  we were sitting back in our seat and I put on my lip gloss. We were very disappointed, because we expected so much more.  Tilly's is also an educational center with a culinary section.  They need to teach better if the students are the same people as the kitchen staff. We will give it one more try at some point and I'll do another review.

Ratings: 😞😞 (for food and service)
               😊 😊😊 😊 (for the farmers table, animals and ambiance)

www.tillystablerestaurant.com

Buffalo Wild Wings - Danbury, CT

We walked into another restaurant with disgusting carpeting.  Remember, this place is also a bar.  It kind of smelled.  I couldn't help but wonder how many drunks have barfed on that carpet or how much alcohol was embedded in the nooks and crannies.  As if I wasn't grossed out already, the tables were very dirty and sticky.  We had to ask for ours to be cleaned.  The booths were so worn out that the foam was showing.  I don't know why we didn't walk out.

The waitress was good.  She took our order in a timely manner.  Lee ordered wings and I had some kind of chicken sandwich.  Lee's wings weren't mild like he ordered them, they were more medium and my sandwich tasted a little off.  I'm not sure if the oil was a little old or it was an odd breading.  The waitress actually asked me about the sandwich, which leads me to believe that there have been issues.  The fries were the best part.

Rating: 🍗🍗

www.buffalowildwings.com

George's Place - Carmel Hamlet, NY

We've driven by George's a few times and it looked like a cute breakfast and lunch place.  We finally got a chance to try it a few days ago.  It's a home town kind of place and many of the customers seemed like regulars.  It was the place to be in Carmel.  Lee had a western omelette with home fries and toast and I had an bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on an english muffin.  The food was good.

If you want to try a new breakfast spot with a view of a lake, you should try George's. 

Rating: 🍳🍳🍳

No website

99 Restaurant & Pub - Danbury, CT

I don't know about anyone else, but I really like going to 99.  I've never had a meal that I didn't enjoy and I really love the popcorn they give you while you wait for the entrees.  My favorite thing to eat there is the mushroom sirloin.  It's an 8 oz top sirloin steak served over sauteed mushrooms with grilled asparagus and tomatoes.  There is also a small spring salad with a balsamic drizzle.  Very yummy and only 450 calories.  Lee enjoyed the lobster roll with fries and cole slaw on our most recent visit.  We had a waiter in training so things were a little slow, but that's understandable.  I won't complain about the service.

Why do restaurants insist on putting down carpeting???  It smells!!  It never really gets clean!! UGH!!  Get rid of the crappy carpet!

Rating: 😊😊😊

www.99restaurants.com

Hudson House River Inn - Cold Spring, NY

Lee and I went to the Hudson House River Inn for brunch a couple weeks ago. The setting of this Inn is beautiful.  It's right on the Hudson River and across the street is a gazebo.  There are many benches surrounding the gazebo, so no matter where you sit you can enjoy the beautiful scenery.  The Main Street is lined with quaint shops, so plan on making a day of your visit.  We will be returning in the fall just to witness the changing leaves.

The wait staff was exceptional and the food was an elevated brunch food.  We both had a delicious bowl of lobster bisque.  It wasn't just the essence of lobster, there were chunks of lobster in every bite.  That honestly would have been more than enough for me, but the brunch included an entree.  I had the Maryland crab meat and spinach omelette finished with a dijon mustard sauce and hash browns.  Lee had the Land and Sea, which consisted of a petite New York strip steak, bordelaise  sauce, cajun shrimp, horseradish mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables.  Both dishes were made to perfection.  My eggs were not overcooked and Lee's steak was a juicy medium.  He absolutely loved the cajun shrimp and asked me if I could make it for him.  Maybe I'll try one day.  The coffee and water were filled without asking. 

The Inn was very nice with a fireplace in the bar area and wide plank floors.  The only complaint I have is that the bathroom wasn't very clean.  The floor didn't look like it had been scrubbed in a while and the corners were filled with dirt.  This was very disappointing and it made me wonder about the cleanliness of the kitchen.

Rating: 🌄🌄🌄 (would have been more if it wasn't for the bathroom)

www.hudsonhouseinn.com

Health Inspections, Danbury, CT August

Fail:
-Beijing  80
216 White St
-Mezon Tapas Bar and Restaurant  81
56 Mill Plain Rd.

Pass:
-Home Depot  98
Federal Rd.
-Julia's Deli Market  98
78 White St.
-Master Songs  96
40 1/2 Padanaram Rd
-Poke House  88
130 Federal Rd
-Starbucks Coffee  95
67 Newtown Rd

I wasn't able to download the full report.  If you want more info on the report go to the City of Danbury website.

Table Talk Diner - Poughkeepsie, NY

Please feel free to share my reviews on your Facebook pages!!

Last night, we went to Poughkeepsie to see my cousins that were in town.  This wasn't my first time at this diner, but I have to say it's one of the best diners that I've ever been to.  My cousins all enjoyed their food which varied from a tuna melt to pot roast to fish.  Lee and I stuck to typical diner fair.  He had a gyro and I had a turkey club without mayo, but with ranch dressing on the side.  The waiter was surprised by my request.  Is it a New England thing or is it a me thing?  Either way, it tastes good. My sister had soup.  We also had dessert.  The pies were yummy and the dessert case had a nice assortment of cookies, pastries and pies.  I forgot to take a picture, because I was too busy laughing my butt off with my family. We were actually laughing so hard, everyone messed up their mascara...except for Lee.  I wish we all lived closer.  Here's the cousins picture!!

www.tabletalkdiner.com

Augies Numero 1 Restaurant and Pizza - Danbury, CT

Oh, what to say about Augies!  Those of us who live in Danbury know that Augies was sold a while ago and some drama ensued. I don't care about the drama, I care about the food.  I honestly don't notice much of a difference in the food since the sale. 

The place was busy when we got there and they were expecting a large group.  The room was not properly set up, because we were literally concerned about how we could get around to the front door when it was time to leave.  We were table blocked.  It was very weird.  We have been there before with a larger crowd and we were set up in the room to the right when you walk in, but this time the group was set up to the left, in front, and there was no room to move.  There were also tables that were unusable because of the setup. 

Anyway, the service was good.  Lee ordered his usual stuffed shells with a salad and I ordered chicken parm with penne pasta.  Lee liked his stuffed shells, but he never met a stuffed shell that he didn't like.  The bread was fresh and the garlic focaccia is good to dip in sauce.  My chicken was okay.  I must say that I am not a huge fan of their sauce.  It's a little too acidic for my liking.  I wish they would throw a raw carrot into the sauce while it's cooking, just to get the acid out and get a slight sweetness.  There's my two cents on that matter. HAHA!  I may be a sauce snob.  I didn't grow up in CT, I grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY and the Italians in my hometown really knew how to cook.  When Lee tasted Italian food in NY, he understood the difference.  I think the best Italian food in Danbury is made by Rocco at Anthony's Lake Club, but I haven't been to every Italian restaurant here yet.  Time and taste buds will tell.

Rating: 🍝🍝🍝

Billy Joe's Ribworks - Newburgh, NY

Last Friday Lee and I went for a nice boat ride on the Hudson River.  After our boat ride, we walked along the river and checked out all the restaurants and there are many to choose from.  We settled on Billy Joe's.  We sat inside, but everything is open, so it's like eating inside and outside all at once.  The wait staff was on top of their game, which was shocking in such a busy place.  It was quite a conglomeration of people.  From bikers to families to construction workers to really hungry people like us.  It was awesome!!

Lee ordered ribs with a side of baked beans and cole slaw.  I ordered sliced brisket and cheddar sandwich with mac and cheese.  Lee's ribs were cooked to perfection and the baked beans with chunks of bbq meat in it were very yummy. My sandwich was huge and the mac and cheese was the best I've ever eaten.  I ate half of my sandwich, because I couldn't stop eating the mac and cheese.  It was creamy and cheesy with toothsome elbow macaroni.  I'm salivating just thinking about it. The sandwich was also delicious.

The waitress made sure Lee's soda was filled and there wasn't a wait for anything. 
If you are ever in Newburgh, you should definitely stop by the waterfront and check out Billy Joe's. 

Rating: 🍖🍖🍖🍖
Mac and cheese 😄😄😄😄😄

www.ribworks.com