Come join us February 21, 2013 at 6:30 at the South of Philly deli. They are located in the Quinn Theater shopping center. A great deli, great food and super folks. Sitting space is a bit limited, but its all good!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
February 7, 2013 - Rae's, Sylva, NC
Well here we are.. into uncharted territory. Tonite, we are at Rae's in Sylva. Rae's is next to the Bread Outlet and across the street from Rite Aid.
This night we were fortunate to have Beth and Robert join us. We always have fun with them and never know what our conversation topic will be.
None of us had been to Rae's before except Lisa and Greg, and that was only for lunch about a year or so ago. Both had commented on the long wait for their order. I have to say, I was very surprised when I walked in the building. It looked cavernous in there. And the booths were the largest I have ever seen. They could have seated 10 people each. And, each had a TV on the wall at the booths. Just like the old miniature jukeboxes that used to be at the booths back in the 50's. I liked the jukeboxes better. You all know how I feel about TV's in restaurants, except bars. HATE THEM. The decor is weird.. kinda like a mutation of Tiki Bar, Pee Wee's Playhouse, Fishhouse and Kid's Day Care. I was not sure what theme they were going for, but check out the colors in this place.
Anyway, everyone was there already, except for Pam. We had a hard time finding a place to park. There is not much parking at all and towaway signs everywhere around the restaurant.
There were not many folks in the place so, we thought we would have an easy time getting waited on and getting our orders.
It took the waitress about 3 trips to our table for us to order. None of us could make up our minds. The menu is very expansive with Burgers, Sandwiches, Dinners, Salads, Appetizers, Soups, Steaks, Pizza and Calzones. Lots to pick from and all of it sounded mediocre. Nothing really stood out for me. Lisa and Rosemary ordered the Fried Mushrooms, which turned out to be sliced Portabello mushrooms. A different variation on the usual Fried Mushrooms elsewhere. I tasted some and they were pretty good. A bit on the greasy side, but not bad. Greg ordered Fried Pickles and they were really good. Greg like Paul's better. The other's liked them also. Both of these items came with Ranch Dressing.
After a lengthy time, we finally decided on our orders. I ordered a Mediterranean Pizza. Greg ordered the Lasagna. Rosemary and Lisa ordered Calzones. Beth, Pam and Robert ordered Burgers. Pam and I also ordered a salad, which we made ourselves from the salad bar. The items on the salad bar were fresh looking except for the mushrooms. They needed to be thrown out as they were brown and shriveled. Way past their prime. The dressings were not labeled, so we just guessed as to what they were. There were 6 to pick from. There were several items to pick from which was nice. A bonus was that the base was Spinach not Iceburg Lettuce. How different is that? A nice change.
We finished the Appetizers and still no food. Pam and I finished our salads and still no food. It did take a very long time to get our orders. The waitress was very nice and kept coming by apologizing and explaining why it was taking so long. Apparently, the justification was that all food was cooked fresh to order.
Time passes..... we continued to talk. Beth shared with us her latest activities of her children, particularly her son. It sounds like he lives quite the life of Riley in DC. Which is how it should be when you're young with no responsibilities. We also talked about the Superbowl halftime show and commercials. We were split on the how entertaining both were. I personally did not care for either. I thought the commercials were very disappointing. I also just do not get the entertainers of today. What happened to the true entertainers? The ones who sang and moved you with their singing? Now it seems that most are just pseudo dancers with a little undecipherable lyrics thrown in here and there. And the dancing is just gyrating.. not true dancers. I hate to say.... they will not be remembered when they are gone. Not like Crosby, Ann Margaret, Rogers and Astaire. What they do is not time immortal. Sad.. and just not worth watching. anyway..... some of us felt different. Lisa, on the other hand is focused on the Grammy's, where Adele and Streisand are performing.
After this discussion.. still no food. I think the last we checked, we had waited over an hour for our order. Finally, mine came. Then Greg's. Then Rosemary's and Lisa's. Then after another length of time, the others got their burgers, with Pam getting hers last. I was pretty much finished by the time she got her order. And ask anyone... I am the slowest eater on the planet.
My pizza had Spinach, Feta, Onions, Black Olives, Mushrooms and Chicken on it. It had no sauce of any kind, which kinda surprised me. It was a small pizza, definitely enough for one person. The crust was not thin nor thick. The taste was bland. I dipped it in Lisa's Calzone sauce because it had no flavor.
Greg's Lasagna was huge. That portion was enough for 3 people. It was stacked high and filled the entire plate. It came with no sides, such as veggies, or salad. He reports it was good, was filled with meat, and he liked the sauce. I tried the sauce and found it a bit sweet for me.
Rosemary and Lisa's Calzones were ginormous!! I mean they were HUGE! Unreal. They were large enough for 5 people. Rosemary's came with Alfredo sauce and Lisa's came with Marinara Sauce.
Beth and Roberts burgers were also over sized. Robert's seemed to be done, but Beth's was over done. She had to cut the charred parts off each side. Beth's was not done in the middle as much as Robert's. Pam's on the other hand, was thinner than Beth's and Robert's and was bloody. I mean running blood. I couldn't have eaten it and would have sent it back.
All three had fries, which seemed to be OK.
Overall, the food was just OK. The wait was just too long for what we ordered, and how busy the place was. The waitress was very nice. She seemed to be working hard running from place to place. I don't think Rae's will be a place I return to. But who knows.. I sometimes give folks a second chance as anyone can have an off night. So, maybe I will check them out for lunch and see if there is any consistency.
The next location we will be at will be South Of Philly which is located in the Quinn Theater shopping area. This is a new restaurant and we are a bit concerned about being able to fit in there as they only have a couple of places to sit. So.. come join us on February 21 at 6:30. We are taking next week off for Valentines Day so the others can go be with their honey's. Greg and I are an old married couple so we don't get all freaked out by the holiday anymore. We try to make every day Valentine's Day.
Well here we are.. into uncharted territory. Tonite, we are at Rae's in Sylva. Rae's is next to the Bread Outlet and across the street from Rite Aid.
This night we were fortunate to have Beth and Robert join us. We always have fun with them and never know what our conversation topic will be.
None of us had been to Rae's before except Lisa and Greg, and that was only for lunch about a year or so ago. Both had commented on the long wait for their order. I have to say, I was very surprised when I walked in the building. It looked cavernous in there. And the booths were the largest I have ever seen. They could have seated 10 people each. And, each had a TV on the wall at the booths. Just like the old miniature jukeboxes that used to be at the booths back in the 50's. I liked the jukeboxes better. You all know how I feel about TV's in restaurants, except bars. HATE THEM. The decor is weird.. kinda like a mutation of Tiki Bar, Pee Wee's Playhouse, Fishhouse and Kid's Day Care. I was not sure what theme they were going for, but check out the colors in this place.
Anyway, everyone was there already, except for Pam. We had a hard time finding a place to park. There is not much parking at all and towaway signs everywhere around the restaurant.
There were not many folks in the place so, we thought we would have an easy time getting waited on and getting our orders.
After a lengthy time, we finally decided on our orders. I ordered a Mediterranean Pizza. Greg ordered the Lasagna. Rosemary and Lisa ordered Calzones. Beth, Pam and Robert ordered Burgers. Pam and I also ordered a salad, which we made ourselves from the salad bar. The items on the salad bar were fresh looking except for the mushrooms. They needed to be thrown out as they were brown and shriveled. Way past their prime. The dressings were not labeled, so we just guessed as to what they were. There were 6 to pick from. There were several items to pick from which was nice. A bonus was that the base was Spinach not Iceburg Lettuce. How different is that? A nice change.
We finished the Appetizers and still no food. Pam and I finished our salads and still no food. It did take a very long time to get our orders. The waitress was very nice and kept coming by apologizing and explaining why it was taking so long. Apparently, the justification was that all food was cooked fresh to order.
Time passes..... we continued to talk. Beth shared with us her latest activities of her children, particularly her son. It sounds like he lives quite the life of Riley in DC. Which is how it should be when you're young with no responsibilities. We also talked about the Superbowl halftime show and commercials. We were split on the how entertaining both were. I personally did not care for either. I thought the commercials were very disappointing. I also just do not get the entertainers of today. What happened to the true entertainers? The ones who sang and moved you with their singing? Now it seems that most are just pseudo dancers with a little undecipherable lyrics thrown in here and there. And the dancing is just gyrating.. not true dancers. I hate to say.... they will not be remembered when they are gone. Not like Crosby, Ann Margaret, Rogers and Astaire. What they do is not time immortal. Sad.. and just not worth watching. anyway..... some of us felt different. Lisa, on the other hand is focused on the Grammy's, where Adele and Streisand are performing.
After this discussion.. still no food. I think the last we checked, we had waited over an hour for our order. Finally, mine came. Then Greg's. Then Rosemary's and Lisa's. Then after another length of time, the others got their burgers, with Pam getting hers last. I was pretty much finished by the time she got her order. And ask anyone... I am the slowest eater on the planet.
My pizza had Spinach, Feta, Onions, Black Olives, Mushrooms and Chicken on it. It had no sauce of any kind, which kinda surprised me. It was a small pizza, definitely enough for one person. The crust was not thin nor thick. The taste was bland. I dipped it in Lisa's Calzone sauce because it had no flavor.
Greg's Lasagna was huge. That portion was enough for 3 people. It was stacked high and filled the entire plate. It came with no sides, such as veggies, or salad. He reports it was good, was filled with meat, and he liked the sauce. I tried the sauce and found it a bit sweet for me.
Rosemary and Lisa's Calzones were ginormous!! I mean they were HUGE! Unreal. They were large enough for 5 people. Rosemary's came with Alfredo sauce and Lisa's came with Marinara Sauce.
Beth and Roberts burgers were also over sized. Robert's seemed to be done, but Beth's was over done. She had to cut the charred parts off each side. Beth's was not done in the middle as much as Robert's. Pam's on the other hand, was thinner than Beth's and Robert's and was bloody. I mean running blood. I couldn't have eaten it and would have sent it back.
All three had fries, which seemed to be OK.
 |
| Pam Cheeseburger - completely raw inside |
 |
| Beths Burger.. Charred outside |
Overall, the food was just OK. The wait was just too long for what we ordered, and how busy the place was. The waitress was very nice. She seemed to be working hard running from place to place. I don't think Rae's will be a place I return to. But who knows.. I sometimes give folks a second chance as anyone can have an off night. So, maybe I will check them out for lunch and see if there is any consistency.
 |
| Roberts Cheeseburger with Fried Onion on top |
 |
| Lisa didn't like the food. so she just decided to drink.. and this is why you should not drink |
Sunday, February 10, 2013
January 31, 2013 - O'Malleys - Sylva, NC
As you might have guessed, we did not go to O'Malley's last week. We actually did go, but could not get in due to crowds.We opted to quit circling the parking lot looking for parking spaces, and go to Sazone instead. BUT! we were turned away at the door. US!!! Can you believe it? I guess it's true... we have no pull anywhere. The waitress told us they were covered up, had started running out of items and were closing. This was at 7:00! Oh well...time to back up and punt. We ended up at El Pacifico and it was OK. We ate, talked and had a good night.
When we arrived, the others had already ordered appetizers. And quite large ones at that. There sat a large platter of Nachos and chips and Hummus and Chips. I love Hummus as does Lisa. I didn't get a photo as it was almost gone. It was good, but tasted like store bought and I wondered it they make their own. I didn't care for the Nachos, just chips too done, and store bought salsa with no taste, some sour cream, cheese and that was pretty much it. Nothing to write home about and really nothing to order again.
Now, O'Malley's is known for their wings and beer. They have specials such as wing night, Karaoke night, live music night. But, since they pretty much cater to students, the bar food such as wings, cheese sticks, poppers, etc, is main fare. And from the looks of all the little take out food trays coming out of that kitchen, I would say they do a band up job of selling it too. O'Malley's has the feel, look and atmosphere of a neighborhood bar. It is crowded, loud, fast paced, and busy! This is not the place to go if you want a nice, quiet, romantic meal or if you want a working supper. If you want to gather with a bunch of your friends, grab a beer, eat some snack foods, and watch TV, this is it. Basic sports bar, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.
We did not order any of the snack foods, except for Rosemary, who ordered garlic wings. They came in a generous portion, were certainly saucy enough and she was generous enough to let us try one. They were tasty.. garlicky with a little bite. Good wings.
\
Pam ordered the Dublin sandwich with homemade chips. There was a generous portion of chips and the sandwich looked good. This is a turkey sandwich souped up a bit with bacon, mushrooms on marbled rye. According to Pam, it was pretty good. The bread was a bit greasy due to it being buttered before toasting. The chips are fantastic!!! Rippled - my favorite.
Greg ordered the Build A Burger. He chose Jalapenos, Cheddar, Provolone, Onions, Tomato, Lettuce, Pickle and Mustard. This all came on a Kaiser roll with of course.. homemade chips. My favorite! His portion didn't seem as generous as mine and Pam's. Greg reported his burger was good. The bread was not greasy but dry. The meat was Angus and not cooked too dry.
Lisa ordered the half sandwich and soup. She got the Chicken Salad on Marbled Rye and Chili. She did not eat much as she got full on Hummus and Chips/Salsa. So, she had lunch for the next day. Her bread was also greasy, but she reported the Chicken Salad was good. The chili she also reported as very tasty.
Overall, the food was OK. But you have to remember we were in a sports bar.. and as far as I know.. sports bars are not known for their food. They are known for their bars, beer and large TV's. In that sense, O'Malley's hits the mark. It is certainly a hit for students and young folks. There was a crowd when we got there (which was an hour early) and stayed crowded the entire time we were there and as we headed out. Apparently, it stays that way.
We still had a good time, laughing and visiting. For some reason, we got started on nicknames. I think it all started when we generally asked what names we are glad our parents did not call us. We threw out names like Myrtle, Vergie, Maude.. ..really old timey names that we heard when were growing up. However, we were equally as glad we were not named Heather, Brittany, Tiffany, and those 80's names that were so rampant during that time. But we did really like the sound of Tiffany Lefler. We all thought it had a nice ring to it. I have been doing my part and calling Lisa Tiffany since.
We told a few jokes about names and if I see you, I will tell you the one about the lady finding her twins names out of the free clinic.
We sat there as long as we could and then felt we needed to get out. I don't know about the others, but that place made me feel old....and tired.
Anywho... next week we will be at Rae's in Sylva. This place used to be called The Boneshack a couple of years ago. See you next week at Rae's at 6:30.
We decided to plan a little better for O'Malley's. We planned to meet at 5:30 and whoever got there first would grab us a table and fend off any mad looking patrons wanting them to hurry up. It all fell into place and we were able to get a table. Greg and I were a bit late as I had a mishap with my sidewalk on our way out to the car. So, some Neosporin, band aids, body check, liniment and aspirin we were on our way.
O'Malley's has been in operation for several years. It seems to be quite popular with the WCU students and probably especially so now that they serve beer. They used to have pool tables in the back room, but due to their popularity, my guess is they did away with them as tables make more money. O'Malley's is located right outside of downtown, but is convenient if you can get across the road. They are below the theater and McDonald's and on the same side of the road as such. Their parking lot is very small and as such parking is a big ole' bitch. You can opt to park in the bank lot if they are closed, but from appearances, it looks like folks just circle until something comes open. Kinda like Walmart around Christmas.
When we arrived, the others had already ordered appetizers. And quite large ones at that. There sat a large platter of Nachos and chips and Hummus and Chips. I love Hummus as does Lisa. I didn't get a photo as it was almost gone. It was good, but tasted like store bought and I wondered it they make their own. I didn't care for the Nachos, just chips too done, and store bought salsa with no taste, some sour cream, cheese and that was pretty much it. Nothing to write home about and really nothing to order again.
Now, O'Malley's is known for their wings and beer. They have specials such as wing night, Karaoke night, live music night. But, since they pretty much cater to students, the bar food such as wings, cheese sticks, poppers, etc, is main fare. And from the looks of all the little take out food trays coming out of that kitchen, I would say they do a band up job of selling it too. O'Malley's has the feel, look and atmosphere of a neighborhood bar. It is crowded, loud, fast paced, and busy! This is not the place to go if you want a nice, quiet, romantic meal or if you want a working supper. If you want to gather with a bunch of your friends, grab a beer, eat some snack foods, and watch TV, this is it. Basic sports bar, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.
We did not order any of the snack foods, except for Rosemary, who ordered garlic wings. They came in a generous portion, were certainly saucy enough and she was generous enough to let us try one. They were tasty.. garlicky with a little bite. Good wings.
\Pam ordered the Dublin sandwich with homemade chips. There was a generous portion of chips and the sandwich looked good. This is a turkey sandwich souped up a bit with bacon, mushrooms on marbled rye. According to Pam, it was pretty good. The bread was a bit greasy due to it being buttered before toasting. The chips are fantastic!!! Rippled - my favorite.
 |
| The Dublin |
I ordered the Philly Steak sandwich without the peppers. It did have onions, no cheese, and was presented on a wheat hoagie. The bread has been nuked as it was soft. The sandwich was pretty good. I agree about the greasiness of it. The meat was tender, not any gristle or fat to speak of. The chips are fantastic!
 |
| Philly Steak |
Greg ordered the Build A Burger. He chose Jalapenos, Cheddar, Provolone, Onions, Tomato, Lettuce, Pickle and Mustard. This all came on a Kaiser roll with of course.. homemade chips. My favorite! His portion didn't seem as generous as mine and Pam's. Greg reported his burger was good. The bread was not greasy but dry. The meat was Angus and not cooked too dry.
 |
| Build a Burger |
 |
| Chili and Chicken Salad sandwich |
We still had a good time, laughing and visiting. For some reason, we got started on nicknames. I think it all started when we generally asked what names we are glad our parents did not call us. We threw out names like Myrtle, Vergie, Maude.. ..really old timey names that we heard when were growing up. However, we were equally as glad we were not named Heather, Brittany, Tiffany, and those 80's names that were so rampant during that time. But we did really like the sound of Tiffany Lefler. We all thought it had a nice ring to it. I have been doing my part and calling Lisa Tiffany since.
We told a few jokes about names and if I see you, I will tell you the one about the lady finding her twins names out of the free clinic.
We sat there as long as we could and then felt we needed to get out. I don't know about the others, but that place made me feel old....and tired.
Anywho... next week we will be at Rae's in Sylva. This place used to be called The Boneshack a couple of years ago. See you next week at Rae's at 6:30.
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