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Sunday, September 1, 2013
Paul's Steakhouse - Helen, GA
As soon as we opened the door, I was overwhelmed with the smell of cigarette smoke, but I noticed a door that said 21 and older. I figured it was coming from the closed bar section. And while there is this separate section for the bar, they keep a window open so they can slide drinks from the bar to the regular eating area. It really defeats the purpose. I am not sure how they are even able to pull this off with Georgia's non-smoking laws for restaurants. The first thing my children said was that they thought the place smelled bad, and it did. They went so far as to put lemon juice on their noses to try to cover up the bad smell. If you are sensitive to cigarette smoke or have children, this is NOT the place for you. Honestly, we should have left then.
The carpet is dingy, and everything is really outdated. The best part is the view of the many people tubing on the water, if you're lucky enough to get one of the few window tables.
We arrived at about 4pm, and so we were seated right away. The waitress was fairly friendly, and we had our drinks quickly. However, once we placed our food order the service went downhill. This was probably because we only ordered two entrees for four people and no alcohol. Or because our kids were going nuts because they hated the smell, and had nothing to do. No kids menus to color or anything.
I was shocked when I saw the children's menu. $9.99 for chicken strips and french fries. So I quickly flipped through to the regular menu and saw that the adult portion was only $13.50. We decided to let our two boys (8 and 6) split the adult entree thinking there would be more than what was served with the children's portion.
My husband and I decided to share the fried seafood platter. It was $32.99. It came with a small salad and Ranch dressing in a plastic container with a top. I'm sorry, but if I'm paying that kind of money for food, then I expect a higher end container. And when I asked for more, I didn't get any. I will say the Ranch dressing was the best part of the meal. Thick, creamy, and homemade.
Once our orders were placed, we were given a cutting board with a small loaf of bread. The crust was very hard, but the inside was piping hot and soft. To me, there just wasn't any flavor. It was definitely missing something. It in no way can compare to breads I've had at other steakhouses. Oh and the buttery spread was served in a Land O Lakes plastic container. Seriously, not even real butter. And you know how most places will ask you if you want more. Yeah, don't expect that from this place.
The wait for our two entrees was a little longer than I would have expected at this time of day, and for the fact they weren't very busy. Our fried seafood platter had about 4 jumbo shrimp, 4 oysters, 6 scallops, one small filet of fish, a deviled crab, two hush puppies, and about 8 steak fries. Honestly, the chicken strips platter had more fries than this and was 1/3 of the price. But that reminds me. The chicken strips were nothing other than bagged (my guess would be Tyson brand) chicken strips that you would buy at Sam's. There were a total of 4 chicken strips. One was really small. The plate was full of steak fries. It was fine for the kids to share, but not worth the money and had I been an adult that ordered that, I would have been really upset. For $13.50, you expect real and fresh chicken strips.
The seafood batter didn't taste like it was fresh batter. It tasted like it had been mixed with maybe catfish batter. It didn't stay on the seafood well, which made me think that their grease was probably old, too. The oysters were overcooked. Again, the tarter was served in a small plastic container with a plastic lid. We had to ask several times for more. It was frustrating to feel like the place was being stingy with condiments when we were paying nearly $50 for two entrees.
The bathrooms were fairly clean, but were toasty. The girl's bathroom didn't have a changing table for children. So one lady was changing her baby on the counter where I was washing my hands. The best part of the bathroom was that they offer a sea salt scrub, but only because they want you to buy some when you checkout and pay for your food. Which reminds me, they don't even take care of your bill at the table. Yes, you read that right. You have to walk to a counter and check out, which is crowded because of the people waiting to be seated. It's like they can't decide what kind of restaurant they want to be. Upscale or a pub.
I will say if you're looking for seafood, make the drive to Gainesville and eat at the new Silver Bay Seafood. You get four times as much food for $35 and that includes the tip. The environment is much cleaner, not smoky, and the staff is much more friendly.
All I could think was that this place reminded me of something I'd see Robert Irvine going nuts about on Restaurant Impossible. My guess is if it weren't in a tourist location, it would eventually be on that show or already be out of business. Honestly, save your time and money.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Johnny Carinos - Lawrenceville, GA
After riding around for what seemed like an eternity wanting a new place to eat, they found they had made a near circle. The kids were getting grumpy from being in the car so long. They ended up in Lawrenceville, GA, at Sugar Loaf Mills. After pulling into Johnny Carinos, Chad looked up the menu on his cell phone. He wasn't completely sold.
He said it was too expensive for what they were looking for, which was more of a diner experience.
She said, "They have family meals."
They said, "We have to go potty!"
So before they knew it, they were piling out of the van, headed into Johnny Carinos for their first time ever. They should have probably known how this was going to go, as one child had already started crying, worrying about whether the kids menu would be entertaining enough.
This is our dining experience of Johnny Carinos.
The Exceptional: We were seated very quickly for it being a Friday. Our drinks were out fast, and the kids' coloring activity kept them busy. The bread was delicious and unlimited. The lighting inside was dark and cozy.
The Good: There were more children there than I expected. I was worried there wasn't going to be much of a family atmosphere. The menu had a variety of items to choose from. The House Salad was very good, and I liked the Ranch Dressing. On Mondays, the Family Meals are half price.
The Bad: Service was below average, especially since they knew it was our first visit. The waiter could not keep our drinks filled. I thought the sauce on the Spaghetti and Meatballs lacked flavor, and I had to add seasoning. There also could have been a little more sauce for the pasta. The prices were a lot higher than I expected compared to similar restaurants.
The Ugly: We were charged full price for an item we were led to believe was on the kids menu. It's hard to find a reason to go back when something like that happens. Also, the wait staff was smoking right outside of the exit door where the restrooms were located. It smelt like someone was smoking inside the building, and my youngest son was with me. Nothing stood out that would make me want to beg the family to go back. I should have known it was a bad sign that it wasn't busier for a Friday evening.
The Exceptional: Zero wait time on a Friday night. Quick service (may have been because there were only about 4 other tables seated in the entire place). Excellent bread and dip. Loved the house salad.
The Good: The staff was very friendly. Overall the food was good. Some things were a little dry or bland, but not something that couldn't be easily fixed with more dipping sauce or some salt. Monday's they have half price family dinners. This is a steal. A huge bowl of spaghetti, salads, and bread for $11 and some change.
The Bad: Prices are otherwise steep.
The Ugly: Waiter duped us into purchasing a regular entree for our eight year old by acting like we could substitute chicken for the ham on the grilled ham and cheese panini. When asked about it, he shrugged and gave a half-hearted apology. This was especially bothersome since he knew it was our first time. I honestly felt like he was just trying to pull one over on us because they were slow and we had not ordered alcoholoic beverages or an appetizer. Worst of all, Noah wasn't crazy about the panini. He ended up giving half of it to me. The girl's bathroom was filthy. The first stall had not been flushed and I didn't get close enough to see the disgusting crap in the commode. The second stall was completely out of toilet paper. The third (handicap) stall had the baby changing table still down. There was toilet paper all over the floor.
When I first got there I thought it was really dark. I was glad they had lemonade. I liked the bread. I was disappointed that they did not have just a grilled cheese. I couldn't decide between the Mac & Cheese and the Grilled Ham and Cheese Panini.
The waiter suggested a Chicken Parmesan Panini.
The food came super fast. There were a lot of french fries. The sandwich was really big. I wish it would have had more sauce and cheese. It was kind of dry, and because there wasn't cheese on both sides, it fell apart easily making it hard to eat.
I ended up giving half to Momma and eating the family spaghetti.
I was worried there wouldn't be a kids menu that had lots of fun activities, but there were so many that I didn't even get a chance to finish them all. They weren't too hard, and they weren't too easy. They were just right.
The menu promised a cool kids cup, but all it was was a styrofoam cup. Nothing special.
The activities on the menu were fun. My favorite was Tic Tac Toe with Daddy. We also got lots of crayons and our own pack, so we didn't have to share with each other. 4 each. They were even the same colors.
The bathroom was stinky.
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