King Buffet - Nashville, Tennessee

 

 

King Buffet

1051 Murfreesboro Pike

Nashville, TN 37217

                The vacation, visiting with my brother in Tennessee, was coming to an end. A quick trip to Nashville and an overnight stay was in order for me to catch the very early in the morning flight back home. A bit of sightseeing in town done, we checked into our motel and asked the desk clerk where we could get something to eat. He pointed “that-a-way” and said to drive about a mile along the Pike and we would start to see restaurants. As strangers in a big city we were at the mercy of the local’s directions.

                It has been said that all good things must come to an end, so with that in mind one could say that portion of the Murfreesboro Pike and the establishments therein are doing just that.  While there is a smidgeon of rebuilding going on, mostly hotels, but the remainder of the businesses are dated and worn.  You can find the usual fast food eateries, some various ethnic cuisines are offered, a Mediterranean Kebab and a Greek Gyro to name a few  as well as a Mexican market complete with butcher and many smaller places offering fresh Carne Asada tacos.

                We found a rather dated but okay looking Chinese cafeteria and decided to give it a try, we were hungry and well “all you can eat” if it was good food, we won.  The young woman at the front was friendly and soon motioned to a young man at the back to take us to a table.  The décor is nothing fancy, plain table and chairs; separated down the length of the area by a wall with a partial decorative panel on top to offer light and a view out of the window.  A picture or two depicting an oriental motif was on the walls and at the front a smattering of oriental offerings.  There were about 6 self-serve tray lines set up each offering different menu options, but in no particular order. The back wall held the dessert section which had fresh fruit, pies, cakes and puddings.  Here too was found the sushi rolls which I found odd to have placed them there.

                A fresh salad bar offered the usual offerings for a small salad along with fresh fruit; there were two types of hot soup offered, egg drop and their special soup of unknown ingredients, neither of which I tried.  They had steam trays full of small cray fish, steamed shelled small shrimp, what appeared to be muscles topped with a yellow cheese, fried fish with a seasoned corn meal batter, white fish in a tomato type broth to name a few.  You had your usual offerings of all things Chicken, sweet & sour Chicken, Hunan Chicken, Szechuan Chicken, hot and spicy Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Chicken with vegetables and Chicken with mushrooms. 

                They offered tiny beef ribs (1”) Mongolian beef, beef with vegetables and so forth.  You had fried rice, but no white rice, an udon type noodle with seasonings but no broth.  Some fried eggplant coated again with a corn meal type crust.  Dumplings, spring rolls and egg rolls; then not to offend anyone they also offered macaroni and cheese, fried potatoes, taquitos and several other “American” type foods. You are served hot tea, soft drinks or sweet tea and refills are up to you.

                With plate in hand we set off to sample the offerings; some of the chicken dishes had a most familiar taste almost like you could purchase them frozen in your local store.  The Mongolian beef was a bit fatty and tough but had a nice flavor.  The fried white fish with corn meal batter was delicious, lightly seasoned and fried nicely.  The stir fried vegetables were just a bit more al dente that I like but none the less very tasty.  The fried eggplant was also excellent, golden brown and a delicate flavor.

                The egg rolls lacked for a dipping sauce but you got the dipping sauce for the dumplings which I found to be way too sweet.  The noodles were cooked but not mushy and had a nice seasoned coating on them.  I sampled two of the rolls and they were to my surprise very good. Sashimi with salmon and nori, sushi with avocado, white fish, ginger and carrot were both excellent.

                My brother and I both went back for a second plate in order to sample other menu items, when we sat back down I noticed the young man who seated us earlier was standing behind the back wall partition sort of watching our progress and when we were about ¾ done with the second plate he came around and gave us our bill.  This took us by surprise so much so that my brother felt he needed to offer a statement that he was not yet finished and was going back for dessert.  This ruffled my feathers quite a bit since neither one of us had filled our plates to excess, we only took small portions of items in order to taste them.

                So the burning question; would I go back if presented the chance?  I have given many establishments a second chance in the past but unfortunately this will not be the case for King Buffet.  On a scale rating the best at 10, I give them an overall rating of 4, some of the food was mediocre, some greasy and some was delicious but the overall factor in the scoring was the rudeness of the waiter who actually told us by his posturing, “…you go home now!”

Chicken Cafe - Chicken, Alaska

 

Chicken Café - Chicken, Alaska

September 9, 2006

 The Chicken Café is not on your usual dining route; in fact it’s not on any route to say; unless you are deliberately setting out to go there, you won’t get there.  It is off the Alaska Route 5, the Taylor Highway, where you begin an epic journey along the Top of the World Highway. You can also access it by small plane as there is a small local airstrip.  Since the highway is not maintained from October – March the café is open for business mid March-early October.

The café is on the main road, alongside the general store, bar and mercantile; the entire town site.  Void of any frills or modern conveniences, it reminds you of a late 40s early 50s small diner. This café has been featured on several television specials, the kind of programs that show seldom visited and hard to get to attractions. The Chicken Café proudly boasts that acclaim and being the best food around as well.  Since it’s the only food purveyor around I guess they can safely maintain that boast.

Having spent the night at the Chicken R.V. campsite we were eager for a hot cup of coffee and one of their acclaimed plate-size cinnamon rolls.  Linoleum covers the floors; several booths line the wall and the menu is a chalk board over the main counter.  It’s late in the season and they were closing up soon so the day’s menu choices were limited.  Otherwise, the hungry traveler had a wide choice of items to choose from and all are served trucker style, large portions.

The coffee was hot and the cinnamon rolls warm and they indeed fill the plates. They were oozing with that creamy white, sweet topping common to cinnamon rolls.  The coffee was good, not great, but good and the rolls I found to be a bit much for a smaller appetite, but to a person with a large appetite they would certainly fill the bill.  At another table, down the aisle from us, a couple was having ham and eggs and offered that they had been perfectly prepared.

The owner, a rather boastful lady, proudly proclaimed throughout our stay how impressive she and her establishment were.  Her menu was modest but for the area quite adequate; Hamburgers with a choice of bacon, cheese or the 40 mile variety with a slab of ham; reindeer bratwurst, chili con carne, BLT, hot dogs to name a few.  A small assortment of salads, including chicken and Greek, were offered. All the lunch plates were served with homemade potato salad or coleslaw and a pickle spear.

Prices were within a reasonable range with hamburgers from $8.95 to $14.95, adding a dollar for cheese.  Hot dog plate for $5.95; without salad was $2.95. Salads were $9.95 and a soup and sandwich combo for $6.95.  To top off your lunch she makes homemade pies from frozen ingredients. Since she is not on the main trucking road all items are local, cold-storage or frozen for long mileage transport from the nearby township.  Nonetheless, from gossip supplied by locals, they are mighty tasty.

It’s an experience you need to try, at least once, if ever you find yourself in that area. The nearest “big” town would be Tok Alaska. The next closest would be Fairbanks, Alaska so plan accordingly.  You owe it to yourself to visit Chicken just to say you’ve been there and learn about the name.

The Chicken Mercantile offers souvenirs and other memento of your trip to the far reaches of the Alaskan frontier. The area around Chicken also features gold mining exhibits such as this restored dredge, The Pedro Dredge, an interesting tour. There are no hotels but the area does have a privately operated RV and camping ground.

Chicken ala Morocco

As I was watching the movie Casablanca the other day, I wondered what they might serve at Rick's Café Americain. That café was depicted as an upscale night spot catering to Europeans so it would have probably been something French. The more I watched the movie the more I wondered what might be served just down the street in a more native establishment, something with a real Moroccan influence. I thumbed through some old cookbooks, some even older newspaper clippings, put this and that idea together and came up with this chicken dish for the slow cooker that I think has a distinctly Moroccan influence. I found that there are as many as thirty spices that may included in a Moroccan spice blend, including such things as cardamom, nutmeg, anise, mace, cinnamon, ginger, all kinds of peppers, and turmeric. I adapted a somewhat shorter list with what I think are good results. I hope you will enjoy as much as I have.

6-8 Chicken Thighs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 onion, cubed
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon salt
1 small can whole tomatoes
¼ teaspoon cayenne, generous if you like heat
1 can chick peas
½ cup black olives, whole or sliced (your choice)
½ cup raisins, dried figs, dried apricots (your choice)
1 cup chicken broth (stock can also be used for a richer flavor)

Prepared white rice for serving.

Place the following in your slow cooker (Crock Pot), Your cubed onion, minced garlic, your drained and rinsed chick peas, your fruit (either raisins, figs or apricots) and finally the can of tomatoes which have been drained and the juice discarded. Stir gently to combine and add the chicken broth.

Wash and pat dry your chicken pieces. Rub the spice mixture on both sides of the thighs and place on top of the mixture in the slow cooker. Do not add the peas or olives at this time, wait until 1 hour before final cooking to add them (you can add at the beginning but the quality will be more like canned peas) and the olives will become quite mushy.

Cook on low for 6-8 hrs or on high for 4 hours. Serve with fluffy rice and add any garnish of your choice; suggestions are chopped green onions, chopped parsley or chopped cilantro.

Depending on your family you can serve the mixture over the rice or drained of the juice place alongside the rice. The juice and vegetables mixed with a small amount of rice make an excellent soup the following day.

Rusty's Surf Ranch - Santa Monia Pier

Rusty’s Surf Ranch
AKA Rusty’s
256 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, Ca
http://www.rustyssurfranch.com/index.html

August 2011

I have always found that the smell of the ocean stimulates my appetite, or perhaps it was the double ride on the roller coaster. Just maybe it was just sitting on the world’s only solar powered Ferris wheel admiring the view from 150 feet above the pier. That’s not to mention we skipped breakfast we were just hungry and eager to eat. But after walking past all of the offerings on the pier we decided to stop and try Rusty’s. At first glance it appears to be a modest eatery but it spills over with the charm of the 60’s and surf boards and kids calling themselves Big Kahunas.

No need for air conditioning the front and back are open and the air flows freely through almost chilling but welcome from the searing sun’s rays. Small tables and chairs for the diners and a full bar in front, towards the rear are more tables and chairs and pool tables. They have happy hour drink specials as well as appetizers and cater events, parties etc.

We both picked the Malibu Beach sandwich, (Grilled chicken breast with sliced avaocado, melted Jack cheese and Rusty's sauce. Served with coleslaw. $9.95) served in a most peculiar bun. Slightly larger than a regular slice of bread it had the appearance of three small hot dog buns baked together. Thicker than bread but with a fluffy moist consistency and I must add that it added flavor to the sandwich. Served along with this is a nice bowl of Rusty’s Cole Slaw, which was flavorful, seasoned well and very scrumptious.

The menu offers something for just about everyone, from chicken sandwiches, homemade soups, a nice assortment of fresh salads, seafood sandwiches, shrimp, steak pasta and fajitas and tacos. You can get sides of fries, guacamole, onion strings, salads, bacon, garlic toast and even grilled chicken. They feature a kids menu of fish and chips, macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders to name a few. Soft drinks, wonderful coffee and a full bar are offered round out your options.

Prices are reasonable and they offer take out. The staff members are eager and friendly and make your dining enjoyable. If ever on the Santa Monica Pier do stop and try Rusty’s. Open daily at noon. I rate them a 10.

Chili's - Pocatello, ID and others...

CHILI’S
Pocatello, Idaho
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Ogden, Utah

Another fixture of malls among other places is the Chili’s Restaurants and their trademark Chili Pepper sign. A good advertising ploy since the “chili pepper” can be seen well before you can actually spot the restaurant. As with all national chains, their exterior save for a few plants is the same across the nation and the menu items offered are exactly alike. The interior has open ceilings so the din of the diners does carry. So if you dine at one you dine in all, but to be fair you need to try more than one to establish this.

They have a full service bar and I’m sure I won’t be the first to tell Chili’s staff knows how to mix some pretty nice drinks. Perhaps the drinks more so than the food is why I tried out three establishments to make sure about the chain. I didn’t find their food to be exceptional, not bad but not fantastic either. To me it all had the same taste to each item I sampled; perhaps it was their signature blend of spices applied to all their food. I suspect the wide appeal is to persons who have never been acquainted to the symphony of flavor of Southwestern cooking and cuisine

I sampled a chicken dish (Guiltless Grilled Chicken Sandwich, with tomato, lettuce and non-fat honey-mustard dressing on a wheat bun. Served with steamed broccoli.$8.29. There was way too much bun and I did not like the honey mustard sauce as I am not a sweet sauce person. It was OK but I would not order it again.).

Another sampling was the BBQ pulled pork sandwich (With crispy onion strings on a sesame seed or wheat bun. Served with coleslaw and original BBQ sauce. $7.99); again, on wheat bun which again was way too much bun and again the taste reminded me of every other item on Chili’s menu. It was OK but would not order it again if given the choice.

I sampled the Chili topped with cheese (Terlingua Chili – Slow-cooked chili with beef, onions and chilies, topped with cheese. From $2.69 a cup with entrée to $4.99 a bowl ala carte.) As before, it was OK, but there is something about the predominate seasonings at Chili’s that makes me think the dishes are all the same thing just with different wrappers, However, I must add that their coleslaw was delicious as was their loaded mashed potatoes, of which I could have had thirds on both.

I also have had the opportunity to sample a fish dish and their black bean burger and all had the same distinct taste of spices, and I found I needed to drink more water than normal so I could sample the dishes of my sons to judge fairly about the taste and textures of their dishes.

They offer a wide range of entrees and sides and I am sure they offer just about something for everyone, just not me. Each person has their own taste preferences and sadly Chili’s is not to my liking. Those dishes that my two sons and daughter had were to their liking and so I must say that their tastes must rule here.

Chili’s gives you nice size servings some with reduced calorie/fat contents but the majority is your traditional food chain fare, gooey, yummy and loaded with calories. But for an occasional day out, they provide a nice break from the ordinary food chain taste and give you a sampling of American Southwestern cooking. They offer children’s portions, steaks, burgers, seafood, Southwestern style Mexican, chicken entrees, their famous baby back ribs, sandwiches and soup and salads rounding off the list. They offer bottle water, soft drinks, a chillin’fruit freezer, coffee and tea (their Bottomless Beverages) and again a wonderful bar, featuring mixed drinks, beer and wine, which they are very proud of.

Complete your meal with Molten Chocolate Cake (Topped with vanilla ice cream under a hard chocolate shell $6.29), cheesecake (Served over strawberry sauce $5.49) or a thick and tasty chocolate shake ($3.99).

They are open 7 days a week but closed most major holidays.

Chicken Cafe - Chicken, Alaska

Chicken Café --- Chicken, Alaska The Chicken Café is not on your usual dining route; in fact it’s not on any route at all. That is to say unless you are deliberately setting out to go there, you won’t get there. It is off the Alaska Route 5, the Taylor Highway, where you begin an epic journey along the Top of the World Highway. You can also access it by small plane as there is a small local airstrip. Since the highway is not maintained from October – March the café is open for business mid March-early October. The café is on the main road, alongside the general store, bar and mercantile; the entire town site. Void of any frills or modern conveniences, it reminds you of a late 40s early 50s small diner. This café has been featured on several television specials, the kind of programs that show seldom visited and hard to get to attractions. The Chicken Café proudly boasts that acclaim and being the best food around as well. Since it’s the only food purveyor around I guess they can safely maintain that boast. Having spent the night at the Chicken R.V. campsite we were eager for a hot cup of coffee and one of their acclaimed plate-size cinnamon rolls. Linoleum covers the floors; several booths line the wall and the menu is a chalk board over the main counter. It’s late in the season and they were closing up soon so the day’s menu choices were limited. Otherwise, the hungry traveler had a wide choice of items to choose from and all are served trucker style, large portions. The coffee was hot and the cinnamon rolls warm and they indeed fill the plates. They were not oozing with that creamy white, sweet topping common to cinnamon rolls. The coffee was good, not great, but good and the rolls I found to be a bit much for a smaller appetite, but to a person with a large appetite they would certainly fill the bill. At another table, down the aisle from us, a couple was having ham and eggs and offered that they had been perfectly prepared. The owner, a rather boastful lady, proudly proclaimed throughout our stay how impressive she and her establishment were. Her menu was modest but for the area quite adequate; Hamburgers with a choice of bacon, cheese or the 40 mile variety with a slab of ham; reindeer bratwurst, chili con carne, BLT, hot dogs to name a few. A small assortment of salads, including chicken and Greek, were offered. All the lunch plates were served with homemade potato salad or coleslaw and a pickle spear. Prices were within a reasonable range with hamburgers from $8.95 to $14.95, adding a dollar for cheese. Hot dog plate for $5.95; without salad was $2.95. Salads were $9.95 and a soup and sandwich combo for $6.95. To top off your lunch she makes homemade pies from frozen ingredients. Since she is not on the main trucking road all items are local, cold-storage or frozen for long mileage transport from the nearby township. Nonetheless, from gossip supplied by locals, they are mighty tasty. It’s an experience you need to try, at least once, if ever you find yourself in that area. The nearest “big” town would be Tok Alaska. The next closest would be Fairbanks, Alaska so plan accordingly. You owe it to yourself to visit Chicken just to say you’ve been there and learn about the name. The Chicken Mercantile offers souvenirs and other memento of your trip to the far reaches of the Alaskan frontier. The area around Chicken also features gold mining exhibits such as this restored dredge, The Pedro Dredge, an interesting tour. There are no hotels but the area does have a privately operated RV and camping ground.

Thai Paradise - Pocatello, Idaho

Thai Paradise
Pocatello, Id.

Nestled in the old town area, Thai paradise offers the casual diner an excellent variety of Thai and Pho dishes. Open for lunch Monday –Friday 11am-2:30pm and Saturday noon to 2:30pm and dinner Monday-Saturday 5-9pm. Parking is street side until after 5pm when the parking lot across the street allows general parking.
An impressive menu offers appetizers, salads, soup, Pho (Noodle soup) stir fried noodles, entrees which are served with steamed jasmine rice or brown rice for a dollar extra. Curries, rice dishes and a selection entitled Chef’s Favorites which include BBQ Thai chicken, Thai steak, salmon curry, shrimp stir fry and spicy sesame mussels to name a few. For those with a sweet tooth there are nine offerings that include such delectable items as coconut rice topped with coconut custard, fried banana wraps with coconut ice cream, Thai paradise delight - a purple coconut rice with coconut ice cream and attap fruit (palm seeds). All of the ice cream is homemade.

Wine and beer is available along with the usual offering of soft drinks and ice tea with one free refill on the tea or sodas. Also offered is sweet Thai ice tea or coffee available with cream. Portions are generous and they offer the diner the choice of “heat” ranging from none to very hot. Prices range from $7.50 to about $14.00 and take out is available.

We made reservations right at 5pm which was a very good idea since 25 minutes after our arrival the waiting area was already filled and patrons were standing outside waiting patiently for their turn. We found the food to be fresh, seasoned well and served to you hot from the kitchen. We ate to our fill and then had the left over’s boxed for that mid night snack.

The décor is tastefully done with rich colors, wood and textures to add to your dining experience. Thai Paradise is located at 140 S Main Street, downtown Pocatello, (208) 269-7313