Tag Archives: Casual Restaurant Critic

Blog Update

Inspired, Life in the Yucatan, , , , , , , , , ,

I have been tweaking and pinching this and that WordPress theme, and this one seems to be the winner so far.

Yesterday, I imported all my posts on blogger.com, from both the Casual Restaurant Critic blog AND the NotTheNews/EL Maloso blog. They should be all here now. Unfortunately, I lost some of the new posts I had put up here, but I am certainly not Hemingway so no big deal there.

I also figured out the FTP concept; downloaded a freeware FTP program and started loading photos (previous cropped, resized and chopped into the directory where they will appear ‘rotatingly’ at the top of the page.

There must be a search button widget here somewhere in order to look for a specific post; that’s next. Plus, a way of seeing the post archives since at the moment only the latest 10 appear.

Ideally, the categories will appear on the main page so you can click on Casual Restaurant Critic and only those posts will show up so you don’t have to wade through the other stuff.

Pappadeaux Revisited – Houston Airport, TX, USA

Casual Restaurant Critic, , ,

The Critics’ favorite airport restaurant is still in Houston but their buffet is not a gastronomical experience the Critic would recommend or repeat.

Upon being seated, the Critic and his Better Half were informed that ordering was possible off the menu or that the buffet was available until 3 pm for only $10.95. A deal! The Critic and the BH ordered the buffet, which, upon closer inspection, consisted of the following:

  • Mixed Green Salad (pretty plain, but alright)
  • Penne Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese (bland, not much going on here flavor-wise)
  • Breaded, Deep-Fried Chicken (just OK)
  • Breaded, Deep-Fried Fish (ditto)
  • Catfish Filet (this actually looks good, but is pretty bland)
  • Cooked unpeeled Shrimp (yummy, too bad there were only 5 of them)
  • Gumbo-like Soup with Rice and Shrimp (hot, peppery and delicious)

There is the hilarious moment when you unwrap your napkin to find your fork and spoon, in authentic silverware. Then the waiter appears with a plastic knife, since having a real metal knife would pose a deadly temptation for those would-be seafood-loving terrorists. The Critic imagines that stabbing someone with one of those metal forks would be more effective than any damage one could cause with dull silverware knife.

In general the buffet food is bland, but this seems to be a constant in the U.S. With so many concerns about salt content, and appealing to the masses, kitchens in many restaurants eschew flavor. The Critic recommends skipping the buffet and ordering from the menu, which has many a delicious, plentiful and well-presented dish.

Real Food – Houston airport, TX, USA

Casual Restaurant Critic, , ,

Real Food is a new restaurant featuring different kinds of food prepared or served at stations; like sandwiches, bakery, salads, barbeque, burrito and more.

Located near Gate 42, the place looks great. Unfortunately, the food is lackluster in the taste department.

The Critics’ recommendation? Skip it and go eat “real food” at Pappadeaux.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

What’s the Name of this Fondue Restaurant?

Casual Restaurant Critic, , , , , , ,
Fondue in Merida? Yes!
Here is a little gem of a restaurant that the Critic had recommended to him by his better half, who had been there already twice before.
XX is a tiny little restaurant located on Circuito Colonias next to TIGSA (a propane gas installation company) and across from a flashy new gas station. It is really a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, so tiny that only three or four tables fit inside, while another two await you outside unless, of course, it is raining, like it was last night.
Unassuming though it is in that there is no huge neon sign, the furniture is plastic red Coca Cola modern, one gets a warm vibe once inside. The welcome is friendly and your attention is seized by the sight of at least a hundred (or so it would appear) empty wine bottles hanging directly over your head on the ceiling. They are suspended by nylon and nails which have been approved by NASA, according to the funny blurb on the back of the menu which is worth reading to get a sense of who is running the place. Hey, if it makes the grumpy Critic smile, it must be funny. Also check out the mirror and poster, hung crookedly on purpose.
There are about 30 or so combinations of fondue options (including a mole fondue!); the Critic opted for the Italian, which features pomodoro, salami, sausage and pineapple – with the pineapple substituted for grilled mushrooms.
Along with a glass or two of red wine, the fondue was spectacular! The Critic could not get enough of the tangy cheese infused with tomato and salami! And at 150 pesos, the fondue is enough for two people so it is not expensive to escape cochinita-land for a couple of delightful hours, while you converse cozily with someone you enjoy being with.
On a scale of1-5, a solid 4.

La “Something” Norteña

Casual Restaurant Critic, , ,

Not much of a review, but if anyone is in the Francisco de Montejo fraccionamiento, especially along Calle 50, you will see quite a few options for tacos and food in general; everything from Burger King etc. to El Panucho de Kanasin.

Last night the Critic and his Better Half were in the area, making time before the Harry Potter preview in the Siglo XXI (do NOT see this movie in Spanish, ugh) and it was decided that having a taco would be a good way to spend 45 minutes.

Past Los Taquitos de PM, where the Critic should have stopped, was this place; its’ name escapes the pre-Alzheimer Critic. There was the word Norteña or Norteño prominently displayed on the large sign that probably had the entire menu on it as well, in that typical taqueria advertising strategy used in Mexican signage. In the interest of diversity, since the Taquitos PM has already been reviewed, the Critic decided to have that taco here.

Semi-outdoor white plastic tables in one area, along with other higher tables with stools in what looks like their original location, the Critic and BH sat under the head of a stuffed deer.

Really.

The waiter was so clueless that it was adorable and the food was fine. Chewy taco al pastor meat, melted cheese w/pastor meat that was not very melty in a dish they call the Fonduta.

Whatever that means.

The bill for 1 gringa and 2 tacos al pastor (2×1 promotion; you get two and four, respectively) as well as that Fonduta plus 1 jamaica, came to an astounding 102 pesos. Definitely a bargain!

Added bonus (or not, depending on your tastes) ; two girls played some acoustic music with a guitar and a djembe drum and then came around for donations, just like something you would see in Mexico City.

At a table nearby, the two couples at a table for four were asking the waiter for a menu so they could check their bill. One assumes that they thought their 211 pesos bill (the Critic looked as he was leaving) a little high. Gotta love stingy people.