Lunch Report: Hungry Farmer...

My wife and I just happened to be on the South Side around lunch time and started thinking about where we might get a bite to eat. It had been years (probably ten) since we had been into Hungry Farmer, so we figured, why not?Something I don't recall from our last visit is that they seem to have a second restaurant attached called Uncle Barney's Old Fashioned Hamburgers. I'm not sure why they would need a separate place for burgers when you are already at a steak place, but who knows?Anyway, along with the old tractor in the front and the cows on the roof, the inside of the place looks the same as it has for as long as I can remember.I really like how the minute you are seated, they hand you a little house salad. We had to laugh at the huge celery stalks, but aside from that, it is your standard house salad, minus any of the good croutons you'd get at Texas Road House.

They were having some sort of special where you can get a T-Bone with popcorn shrimp and a side, then get the second one for half price. That sounded like a deal to us, so we were in.For her side, my wife ordered the French fries. They are cut the way she likes them but unfortunately, seemed to be undercooked. Her steak was done just right - no need for any A1 or other offensive sauces, and within a few bites she was all worked up in a Happy Dance frenzy.As we were ordering, I inquired about the onion rings. Kudos to our waitress for telling me that I wouldn't like them. Instead, I ordered the baked potato and it was cooked just fine. The idea of the packet of sour cream always seems strange to me - at least for presentation purposes, but it all tastes the same.My steak seemed to have two personalities. I started to eat one side of the T-bone and there was a reasonable amount of gristle and fat, I suppose. As my wife continued her little happy dance, she watched me strategically maneuver my way through the steak looking for a good piece. The other side of the T-bone was seriously, melt in your mouth, wonderful. I guess that's how steak is sometimes.

The popcorn shrimp was okay since it seemed to be something they just throw in, so I didn't expect it to be Sea Island quality. It probably came from a frozen bag like the onion rings. But I ate it.

All in all, I can't complain. The steaks were huge, the waitress provided outstanding service and given the deal (second steak half price), the price was reasonable. If you haven't been to Hungry Farmer in a while, give it a try - tell me what you think.

Lunch Report: J. Anthony's Seafood Cafe, 410 & Culebra...

My wife and I actually eat at a lot more places than what I can account for in lunch and dinner reports here. If we really enjoy a place, I think it is the neighborly thing to pass along the information to you - sort of helping a restaurant get more business when they deserve it and letting you know of a good place to eat.

The flip side is, I usually don't write anything about a place that most people already know about or as often is the case, some place that simply isn't any good. Everyone has different tastes, so why should I speak ill of a place that just doesn't do it for me, right?But in the case of the newly opened J. Anthony's on Culebra at 410, I have been asked by several readers of this Blog if we have tried it yet. So this afternoon, my wife and I stopped in to give it a try. And why not? When have I ever been known to miss an opportunity for catfish?Make no mistake, this place must be popular. When we arrived just after 1PM, the place was packed. We actually got the only open table in the place when we sat down.J.Anthony's is housed in the old Barnacle's building, and from memory, it doesn't look as though they have changed anything but the sign out front. The process is simple; order, get a number, and find a seat - they bring the food to you in a little while.We ordered some onions rings that were brought out first. If you look at these, you can tell by the texture that they are the kind I do not like. There is just something about the texture that I don't like. But, they were hot and the taste was not bad. They wern't over cooked, and that helps.I ordered the catfish platter. It comes with four planks of catfish (some thin little catfish, perhaps from someone's home aquarium maybe), Cajun styled rice, fries, bread and a pepper. The catfish was certainly edible, but I'm guessing this is what you would get in some sort of institution on fish day. I left several small pieces that I could not identify. The rice was simply inedible. Aside from being dry, it appeared as though someone said as an afterthought, throw some spices in there to make it taste Cajun. But there was nothing Cajun about it. Just nasty. I offered a bite to my wife (on the off chance she might like it) and she nearly spit the forkful on the people at the next table.My wife ordered a Fish Burger (she wanted a fish sandwich, but the young lady taking our order corrected her twice, telling her it was a fish BURGER. Okay. Anyway, the fish BURGER came with fries and a pepper. The fries weren't bad, though I don't think either of us ate more than a few. The fish sandwich or BURGER if you will, was actually okay. It didn't look appetizing, but once doused with tarter sauce, it was pretty good.I think one of the popular items, and the reason so many people were there, was that they serve a family platter for a very reasonable price. It is loaded with fish.Even Dr. Phil made an appearance.

Look, I don't want to bad mouth the place just because we didn't like it and will never return. It happens. Some folks hate Bill Millers, I happen to love it. I know lots of people who think Rudy's is the cat's meow, and I'm more of a Grady's person. So I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from giving J. Anthony's Seafood a fair shake. But I would remind you that Sea Island is just down the road, and not further down Culebra is La PLaya. It's your call.

If you've tried J. Antohony's Seafood Cafe (either the new one or one of the older ones) I'd love to hear your report. Leave a comment and tell me about it.

Lunch Report: Sea Island - The Good One

You may recall a while back, I gave a report on lunch my wife and I had at the Sea Island at Bandera Pointe near 1604. I wasn't really impressed with the quality that time around. Well, here is an update: Go to the Sea Island at Loop 410 near Ingram Park Mall.

What with it being Columbus Day and such, I took a half-day off work and celebrated this holiday with lunch. I have been wanting some fish, and though it wasn't catfish, I figured Sea Island would do. My wife insisted that we go to the restaurant near Loop 410 as opposed to the 1604 location, and it was a good choice.

We both had the B Lunch (shrimp and fish) and were quite pleased. First, the fish was not dry at all and I got the bonus of having an extra piece thrown on for good measure. The hush puppies were perfectly cooked - not hard as a rock. And the cole slaw was out of this world.

My wife was so happy that she went to the manager and thanked him for the quality and complimented the friendly staff and quick service.

Sorry, I was too hungry to take a picture before eating, but it was such a Tasty Treat that shortly after this photograph was taken, I joined the "Clean Plate Club"!

Lunch Report: Sea Island

I’m no fan of fast food type restaurants, and we certainly have our share of the usual fare around Silver Creek, but I do enjoy the next level up in dining, the chain type bar and grill. You know, Chili’s, Applebee’s, Bennigans etc. It isn’t fast food but you know for the most part what you are getting regardless of which location you go to.

San Antonio has a local chain called Sea Island. As you would imagine, they serve fish. For the most part, they have a good system in place allowing you to order directly at the counter, get your drinks then find a place to sit while waiting for your food to be cooked. This system saves the issue of waiting for a waitress. Though they usually have a person walking around serving refills on your tea, it is also very acceptable for you to go to a drink station and get your own refills. I do like this system and wish say for instance, Chili’s would give it a shot. Especially the parts of letting me refill my own beer!

Okay, so having said that I like their system, I have to confess that as far as fish goes, I am more of a fan of Clear Springs out in Afton Oaks, or better, the one in between New Braunfels and Seguin. But, my wife likes Sea Ilsand and it is near the house. For the price and service, it usually hits the spot. We get the “B Lunch” which is quite a deal with shrimp and fish, hushpuppies and two sides. The cole slaw is okay and if you like fries, they work. Saturday, I tried the black beans and I have to tell you, they were excellent!

So the complaint? For whatever reason, both my wife and I agreed that the fish and the shrimp were in bad form. The plank of fried fish was flat and dry. My wife made the comment that we should have gone to the Fred’s Fish Fry that just opened on Culebra. The shrimp had a really fishy taste to it. Thankfully, the tarter sauce they serve has a good creamy quality and taste, and I was able to drown out the dry texture of the fish.

So, while we were not pleased with the quality (other than the wonderful Black Beans) this time around, I think that we have had enough good experiences at the Bandera Pointe and 1604 Sea Island to recommend it to others – just hope for a good day. Oh, and try the Black Beans.