Troy uses a secret spice rub and then gently smokes the ribs for hours over a wood mix that leaves them incredibly delicious and shake-the-meat-off-the-bone tender. He has a house BBQ that is good, but I rarely use it–those amazing ribs don’t need it!! It’s a sweet mustard based sauce that is very similar to Blue Front BBQ Sauce and it’s good, but the flavor of BBQ is in the meat, not in the sauce. Call ahead for large orders. He also does catering and I have served his ribs at countless parties where my guest ate every single rib and raved about them. Tell him the limo lady sent you, he’ll know! I wish I could talk him into franchising so I could get a franchise here in Illinois!! I used to live 15 minutes from there and now I live in Virginia and every time I come to visit, I bring back 50 pounds of ribs as carry-on luggage to sustain me until my next Florida visit. If there is a heaven, then Troy certainly will have the rib concession because between here and heaven there are no better ribs to be had for love or money, and I am sure that angels will line up for his BBQ! His fame has spread nationwide–I mentioned him to the owner of Pappy’s Smokehouse and he has also heard of Troy’s Ribs. I’d never live in Florida again, but I sure do miss Troy’s ribs–they are one of two places in Florida that I never fail to visit when I am home for a visit with my family!

Imagine the shock of moving to a tiny town in rural Illinois and discovering a Chinese restaurant on the same level as the magnificent ones I dined in all over Asia! This is the case with the China Restaurant located on the town square in Highland, Illinois. The place doesn’t look like much from the outside, but there’s ample parking and even though the booth seating is a little lumpy, the staff is friendly and they all speak English fluently. The menu prices are VERY reasonable and although the portions aren’t huge, they are more than enough for a substantial meal. The egg rolls are more like spring rolls, but are very tasty. The Wonton soup has big meaty wontons in a lovely chicken broth that was made from chickens instead of soup base. The Hot and Sour soup is one of the best I’ve had in the USA and only equalled by a restaurant in Palm Beach, FL and another one in Richmond, VA who use the virtually the same recipe. The LoMeins are tasy and filled with meats and veggies as is the fried rice, and even though this is ordinary fare, they do a very good job of it–and if you can’t do the basics well, the rest won’t be good either. They do excellent sweet and sour dishes as their meat pieces are mostly meat instead of mostly breading and is very crisp and not greasy.Where China Restaurant really shines is in the Chef Specialties. Their General Tao’s Chicken has a very thin crisp coating and is tossed in a wonderful sauce and served with very fresh steamed broccoli and has a spicy sweet bite that can be adjusted to your taste preferences. Their Orange Beef is likewise a tasty dish with a definite orange flavor and bits of juliennes orange peel prominently scattered through the dish. The Sesame Beef is tender with a light sauce that again will have a spicy bite altered to your taste. They will also add spice to dishes that are not normally though of as spicy dishes if you request it. The Mu Shu Pork (or beef, chicken and shrimp) is wonderfully flavored and rolled up in lovely thin rice pancakes with just the right touch of Hoisin sauce and the Twice Cooked Pork is a classic in brown sauce that lightly glazes the cabbage, peppers and pork. Even the fortune cookies are good–fresh, crisp and individually wrapped. The service is attentive and water and beverage service is prompt, and chopsticks are available on request. They have a small selection of imported beers including Tsing Tao which is a very good Chinese imported beer and a small wine selection. They deliver lunch and dinner locally as well as catering and selling their sauces (sweet and sour, etc.) by the pint or quart for use in home recipes. Friendly service, low prices, fresh ingredients and an excellent chef make this little Asian restaurant jewel shine in the heartland in a place you would not expect to find it!

Food: 4 stars

Service 3 stars

We dined here with my husband’s parents to celebrate his Dad’s birthday. The ambience was very nice and the table properly appointed, but the meal left a lot to be desired. Fleming’s is owned by Outback, so I was hoping for a great dining experience in the expensive restaurant category, in the class of the Raindancer Steak House. Alas, this was not to be. They did make an effort to make my father-in-law happy for his birthday by bringing him a “birthday salad” composed of a wedge of iceberg lettuce heart slathered in bleu cheese dressing which Dad absolutely LOVES after we declined the cake offer (we had gotten an Ambrosia Cake from Baton Rouge’s best bakery that was at home for later) but while it showed the dedication of our waiter, the rest of the meal was substantially below what we had expected for a restaurant of this alleged calibre. It was WAY WAY overpriced for a steak full of gristle. Service was good but it should be for what they charge. As expensive as Ruth’s Chris and also a la carte which I find annoying–for a steak would it kill you to toss me a 50 cent potato? The salads were good, the wine list impressive, but the steaks were a miserable failure all the way around. I’d never eat there again, I’ve had better steaks at Golden Corral than the miserable piece of meat they served me at this failure of a restaurant. My father-in-law had a good time, but he always has a good time with us–we could have stayed at home and gotten a slew of boiled crawfish like we did last time we were in Baton Rouge, spicy and fresh cooked with corn and potatoes, we dumped them on the patio table a had a feast! Fleming’s needs to find a new meat supplier or they need to lower the prices because their meat supplier is ripping them off in a big way–and apparently their executive chef doesn’t know how to pick out and butcher a decent piece of meat.

My husband and I had dinner at Mungo’s tonight (9/5/07) and it was quite a distressing experience. I grew up in the restaurant business, owned a very profitable one for a while and spent 2 years at Le Cordon Bleu in Tokyo–along with having been cooking for almost 40 years. First, there was some sort of black gunge in my iced tea–not a big deal, the tea was replaced immediately but I couldn’t figure out what it was that was in there–but it made a yukky dark brown smear on the tacky white butcher paper they put over the tablecloths–what’s up with that by the way? Can’t they afford tablecloth laundry? It looks REALLY tacky to have white paper over a burgundy tablecloth–here’s a hint–spring for the Plexiglas cover if you can’t afford tablecloths or better yet no tablecloth. Anything is better than the white-trash ambiance of the paper-covered table! I had the Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and asked for the chicken to be well done since I’ve been served MORE than my share of raw chicken and shrimp over salads and pastas and I hate sending food back. The fettuccine was good, but the chicken was ROCK HARD and obviously had been microwaved–there wasn’t a grill mark or browning of any sort to be seen on it and I could barely cut it with a knife–really bad. I told the waiter this but didn’t send it back because in all fairness I DID ask for well-done chicken and I figured the chef wanted to make sure it was not coming back. The waiter insisted that it hadn’t been microwaved, but it had been not that I cared to argue about it, I just wanted to eat after a stressful day of wedding planning and auditioning restaurant and caterers. I had forgotten about it; when to my utter astonishment, a man dressed in blue-jean cutoffs claiming to be the OWNER (who looked like he’d been nipping a few at the bar) came to my table and began screaming that the chicken had not been microwaved and that it had been sauteed in olive oil and that I had insulted his restaurant and that I shouldn’t tell them how I wanted my food cooked–just let them handle it. Up to this point the crud in the tea, the tacky butcher paper over the tablecloth and the rock-hard microwaved chicken were basically non-issues and I would have given the restaurant another try somewhere down the road since I always eat somewhere twice before reviewing or deciding never to eat there again. In the limo/wedding/hospitality biz one has to be a little flexible and realize that doo-doo does happen–regular chef is sick and the replacement pops a piece of chicken in a microwave to try and give the customer what was requested, but for the owner to come out and scream at dinner guests is an experience I have never had–and won’t repeat. I didn’t understand why the place was so empty at the dinner hour, but after being lambasted by the owner, it all makes perfect sense and I understand why the poor chef lied about microwaving the chicken to his enraged boss–who then turned his rage on the customer, a super no-no in the hospitality industry. As a retired restaurant owner, professionally trained chef and limousine business owner, I do have more than my fair share of cooking and hospitality experience and I wouldn’t eat there again if I were STARVING to DEATH. My wedding guests CERTAINLY won’t be subjected to a dining experience at Mungo’s and the owner should seriously consider some etiquette lessons–which would be a tax write-off because it would help him manage both his restaurant and temper. I was so stunned that I didn’t even think to get up and walk out–which astonished my husband to be who told me later that he was fully prepared to get up and walk out. This man has a LOT to learn about the restaurant business–treating customers badly explains why he can’t afford a good chef, table linens and iced tea without crud in the bottom of the glass!

Food: 1 star

Service: 2 stars

Screaming and Possibly Drunken Owner: Unbelievable!

We visited Dewey’s Pizza in Kirkwood, MO on Saturday and were delighted by the entire experience. There was a 10 minute wait for a table, which wasn’t a big deal but we were surprised that the restaurant was so busy since Saturday lunch is historically the slowest day of the week for most places. We were seated at a booth that was spotlessly clean, (as was the restroom I visited while waiting for a table) given menus, and our drink order was taken promptly by our server, Annie. The menu was clear and concise and unusually informative, something I really appreciated as I like to know what’s going to be on my plate. Even though there was a team service concept going on, Annie was our main server and returned quickly with our drinks. She patiently told us about the pizza and answered our questions even though they were very busy and when I asked for a slight variation on my salad, her “no problem” reply was instant and came with a genuine smile. She also told me that there would be a slight extra charge for what I wanted, which was no big deal–fifty cents–but it was nice to be told in advance and not get the check and see it there. I love informed consent! She left with our order and the other wait staff members refilled our drinks at hal
-full cheerfully, albeit hurriedly, as they were still slammed. My salad arrived promptly and was delicious and unusual. The usual iceberg lettuce was nowhere to be seen, but the cold, crisp mix of field greens was a pleasant change! Since I was unable to decide between the peppercorn ranch and the house balsamic vinaigrette, Annie brought me a waffle cup of each on the side, and as a sidebar, she is one of the best wait staff I’ve ever had at any restaurant. She could easily make the jump to fine dining at any 5 star establishment in the country, I was very impressed with her and hope she realizes her potential. Both of the dressings were so good that we saved them after the salad course, something I normally do NOT do.Annie also told us that we could have a half white and half red pizza, a choice I have never been given before and was delighted to have since I like both red and white pizza. I finished my salad and one of the server team (not Annie) whisked away my plate, but took my used silverware off of the plate and placed it back on the table–the ONLY service flaw in the entire experience, I would have expected clean silverware to be offered and if it wasn’t, the dirty utensils removed–I left them on the salad plate for a reason. Service plates and extra napkins were left in advance of the arrival of the pie, and the plates were shiny clean. The pizza arrived and it was magnificent–plenty of toppings and perfectly done with a satisfyingly thick layer of cheese on both sides. I prefer my toppings under the cheese to hold them down and prevent them from escaping off the pie, but it’s a minor point. The red side was spicy with just the right bite and amount of sauce and the white side was just as good with the hint of garlic that could have been stronger, but that’s a personal preference. The crust was crispy on the outside, pillowy on the inside and totally delicious–one of the best pizza crusts I have ever had. I’m ashamed to admit that we ate every single morsel of the pizza between the two of us–we are hogs to be sure–but we couldn’t stop eating the delicious pizza which is why there is no dessert review included this time. Annie came by to make sure the pizza was the way we liked it and the tea refills were continued until we finished the pie and declined any further refills. The check was presented right after the empty pizza dish was removed, and the credit card was whisked away and returned for signature promptly but we were not rushed to leave even though they were STILL very busy. I have not had a service or dining experience to beat this one at any pizza establishment I have ever visited and it rates many returns and a top rating–the best I have ever given any pizza or family casual dining establishment in my life! Keep up the good word–I’m a customer forever! When I have 6 months to live, I am having my bed moved to the store!! I have also dined at their sister restaurant in University City Missouri and the food is just as good, but the service at the Kirkwood store is a little better. It’s nice to see consistency in a chain!

Service 4.75 starsFood 5 stars

My beloved husband and I went to celebrate our FIRST wedding anniversary tonight. He picked a restaurant that had a carousel top revolving 28 floors above the St. Louis streets: The Millennium Hotel’s Top of the Riverfront. The Arch and the river made for a beautiful view as the sun slowly sank in the west and the lights of the big city came on as we watched. Our waitress Brenda was a darling, and the evening began with the promise of wine, romance and a sumptuous meal. But, sadly, like the song says, two out of three ain’t bad. John did his very best and the romantic atmosphere was delightful–the view, starched white table linens and crystal clear goblets filled with a crisp German Riesling made for a wonderful beginning. Then the baby at the next table began to scream–and the evening that had started with such promise unraveled into an unparalleled dining disaster. We made our displeasure at having to listed to the screaming brat known to dear Brenda who did everything but toss the miserable spawn of Satan out the window to make the noise stop. My first instinct was to finish the wine and soup, pay the bill and leave but John said the periodic 110 decibel shrieks were tolerable so we stayed. I do not know why restaurants of this supposed calibre allow children under the age of 12 when the world is full of Denny’s and McDonald’s where even though screaming brats are still annoying, they are “family oriented”. At for a 9 oz filet, I don’t want to hear anything but the lovely sound of the talented piano player. We asked if we could move but that apparently wasn’t an option, but I digress. We started our dinner with the Apple Jack Onion soup which was topped with a thick and satisfying layer of melted cheese and two pieces of crispy garlic crostini. For some unknown reason, pieces of RAW purple onion were placed in the soup under the cheese, but after I picked them out, the soup had nice flavor even if they did add pepper by the boxful, but we like spicy food so it was an interesting twist on a classic recipe. The crisp Riesling was a nice counterpoint to the soup and the screams from the next table were intermittent and barely made me jump more than 2 or 3 inches. Brenda went to the table several times to try to quiet the demon seed, and to her credit (and tip) had some success in silencing the lamb and blowing them out of the restaurant in the way a good waitperson can do when s/he wants the table turned and fast! God bless Brenda. John ordered his steak medium and I opted for my standby of Pittsburgh rare (black and blue by any other name is still burnt and cold) and as I have come to expect in 99% of the steakhouses in the world, they didn’t know how to do it. They did manage to make John’s filet Mignon so raw that he barely nibbled around the edges (and to avoid the large chunk of gristle in the middle of his steak–the first time I’ve ever seen gristle in a filet Mignon) so that it wouldn’t bite him back since it was still alive and brought mine out barely pink and minus the burnt crust that I so love–and am willing to forgo overcooked centers for that burnt flavor I crave. The first bite of my steak was filled with gristle, the second bite flavorless and the third bite had another huge chunk of gristle and I didn’t bother with a fourth. I didn’t know that Dollar Tree had a meat section, but doubtless that’s where the restaurant buys their steaks. The “Bearnaise” sauce was from a mix and tasted of flour and tarragon with none of the buttery tartness of a Bearnaise made with tarragon, wine vinegar and egg yolks with butter lovingly beat in to form the emulsion that makes Bearnaise sauce what angels dine on, the “Yukon gold” potatoes were ordinary white potatoes with no cheese flavor and I didn’t bother to taste the lone baby carrot because I didn’t care by then, so it might have been the world’s best carrot ever–but I somehow doubt it. The 3 small asparagus spears were quite good though, they were the highlight of the meal. Brenda was mortified by the huge chunks of gristle and the errors in cooking and we ended up paying for the soup and the wine (and of course tipped her on the entire amount of what the bill was before they removed the steaks from the check) and then we left, John very disappointed in the food and me very disappointed that the wonderful evening that John planned for our first wedding anniversary went south since he had tried so hard to make it a special evening. He gets an A+ for effort because he really went to a lot of trouble, and I was astonished that the restaurant didn’t require jacket and tie. I guess when your food is that bad, you let anyone in–squalling babies and jeans and flip flops are welcome. The view was breathtaking as the sun went down and the lights of the city came up, but the food ruins the whole experience. I expected so much more from this gorgeous venue, it was a total disappointment. I might go there to have some wine and watch the sunset but I’d never eat there again. Service 3 stars Food 1/2 star