What the heck Mr. Stirfry?

Just a couple weeks ago I wrote about the injustice Mr. Stirfry was a victim of. Well, unfortunately for them the false post was on the right track. Although the buffet doesn't have pest problems, they have sanitation problems it appears.

According to the article link below on CJonline.com, Mr. Stifry has had more critical food violations than any other restaurant in Topeka. The worst violation that I read about what the overflowing, cut up, raw chicken that was stored above raw vegetables. This is a simple, common sense thing and I feel like the blame is on management. They need to train their employees better and require them to pass food safety tests.

When I lived in Maricopa County in Arizona, before I could even get a job in the kitchen I had to take a test and pass with a certain percentage before I could even apply for a kitchen job. Why doesn't Kansas have this same law? I think it should be required in all counties, but that is my personal opinion.

The only thing that scares me is that Mr. Stirfry offers sushi. Some sushi - not all - has raw fish and other items. One of the problems with their violations, as I stated before, was with storing raw chicken incorrectly. The correct practices should be common knowledge.

If you look at my recent posts, I also reviewed Sakura restaurant in the past. They had tasty sushi and good service - plus it was close to my house. I bet if the people handling food there had been trained or were required to have certain knowledge, that place wouldn't have closed. Sadly, it's not the worker's fault, it's the establishment and the management for not enforcing safe food handling practices.

Anyway, at least they don't have bugs or mice like some Topeka restaurants do.

http://cjonline.com/news/2013-04-29/mr-stirfry-fined-3700-food-code-violations

Manny's, finally a good restaurant at that location!

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I love the place out on 17^th and Wanamaker called Manny’s.
Featuring Greek cuisine, pasta and burgers, Manny’s includes a dine-in or a car-hop experience. The first time I dined in and the second time I tried the car-hop. Inside is pretty small though, with only three to four booths, four window seats and a small bar-like area. The place was busy both times I went, and the people working did a good job serving everyone. It wasn’t fast - I waited a couple minutes to be served - but only had to wait seven to 10 minutes minutes for my food, and they were busy the whole time. 

The first time I visited, I ordered the cheeseburger and French fries, the second time I got the gyro and onion rings. I have been back many times for the gyro. The French fries are the thick restaurant-style and can be ordered plain or with seasoning - I ordered plain. The second time I went, I ordered the onion rings and would recommend those over fries, every time. The onion rings were crispy and traveled well, unlike the fries that were soggy by the time I got home. Even when I ordered them the first time, when I dined in, they weren’t that memorable – just basic French fries. 

The burger was pretty tasty too, but was a basic cheeseburger. Good but there are much better things on the menu than a boring cheeseburger and fries. What really stood out to me was the gyro. If you don’t like meat, they offer the veggie gyro, too, but the meat was the best part. It’s usually a combination of lamb and beef and Manny’s has cone-style gyro meat, which means it isn’t the frozen, already sliced meat. It’s on a huge spit that rotates and they cut the meat off in strips. The tzatziki sauce was tangy and garlicky with a robust cucumber flavor, (tzatziki is a cucumber sauce) and they added plenty to the sandwich so it wasn’t dry like some gyros I have tried in the past. They give you a choice of grilled or raw onions, I chose grilled, of course – I don’t like raw onions. The pita bread was grilled, but soft and held up nicely to the hot meat and sauce. It comes with lettuce, tomato and feta cheese. Instead of crumbling the feta on top, they place a cube of feta for you to crumble yourself. I like this because you can control how much cheese you want, and it doesn’t get lost in the tzatziki sauce, which is a whitish color and has chunks of cucumbers in it.  

Everything tasted homemade, and I know for a fact they make their baklava from scratch. This is another thing I look forward to trying when I go back in the near future. 

For a look at their menu and to see what others are saying about Manny’s, check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mannys/544025782274259. I am looking forward to returning and trying their souvlaki dinner, which is like skewered chunks of meat and vegetables  and it looks like they have chicken.

Chipotle vs. Qdoba

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I have heard so many people argue about which restaurant is better - Qdoba or Chipotle. I decided to compare the two myself and let you know what I have come up with.

First off I would like to let you all know I have always been a fan of Chipotle and in my household that is where we always go. I tried Qdoba once, a long time ago and decided I liked Chipotle better. Because of this recurring argument, I started second guessing my decision and wanted to give Qdoba a fair chance, hence this blog post. Usually at Chipotle I order the salad with chicken because I love the dressing they have.

I started by ordering a salad at Qdoba because I already knew what the salad at Chipotle was like. Then, I went back for round two by ordering burritos. I also enjoy guacamole so I ordered chips and guac at both places. I also tried to used similar ingredients in each restaurant - cilantro-lime rice, black beans, chicken, pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese and lettuce - this way I could more accurately compare the two. I found many differences but surprisingly a lot of similarities.

 First, I will begin with the differences that I found:

1. (salad) Most noticeably is that Qdoba has a shell and Chipotle does not. This is one thing that I like better at Qdoba - I really enjoy taco salads with the huge shell. It gives some texture and saltiness to the salad and it's optional. You can eat all of it, some of it or none of it - it's up to you.

2. (salad) The dressings are different. Qdoba has a creamy dressing whereas Chipotle's is more of a vinaigrette. I like the dressing at Chipotle better because it has a tanginess that is a distinct flavor in the salad, whereas in Qdoba's I didn't notice it as much.

3. The big deciding factor for a lot of people who choose Qdoba over Chipotle is the fact that Qdoba has queso where Chipotle doesn't. Personally, queso doesn't matter to me and is not going to determine where I choose, mainly because it wasn't anything to write home about. Chipotle's guacamole is much better than Qdoba's queso - there I said it. I ordered the Queso Burrito and I just didn't see the big deal.

Here are some similarities:

1. The tortillas for the burritos are alike. I saw no real difference there. Qdoba does offer a whole wheat option whereas Chipotle does not. Both places steam their shells to soften them up.

2. The pico, cilantro-lime rice, beans, sour cream and cheese are all the same. It also seems like the other salsas available are similar. The include pica de gallo, green chile salsa, corn salsa and a mild crushed tomato salsa.

3. I didn't see any difference in the chicken except for that it seems like Qdoba gives a little bit more of it, per serving.

4. The prices are the same. You can get dinner or lunch for under $10 unless you want a drink and a side. I usually spend $12 at both places when I order the salad/burrito (doesn't matter which), guacamole and a drink.

If there are any other aspects that I failed to cover, please ask me below on the comments. I plan to visit each place a few more times and update this post because I know there are many other menu items that both of these places have to offer and that I can compare.

As of now I still prefer Chipotle. I appreciate the variety Qdoba offers but I am still more of a fan of Chipotle's flavor - there just seems to be more of it.

Here is a link for Qdoba's menu - http://www.qdoba.com/menu-nutrition
Here is a link for Chipotle's menu - http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/menu.aspx

Qdoba's Location:



Chipotle's Location:

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A Taste of Wichita

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I visited Wichita for a Kansas Collegiate Media conference last weekend and the first place I ate was definitely worth noting.
My group and I wanted lunch somewhere near, and Old Town was near. I Google searched for restaurants in the area and found River City Brewing Company. It was the second or third place that came up, then the lady at the front desk had a list of recommended places to eat and it was at the top, as well.
The place was pretty cool and I enjoyed the way it was set up. The bar in the middle with tables and booths all around. The walls featured the names of their beers and what they tasted like, daily specials and various flatscreen televisions. Everything was made out of thick, reddish wood, which made it feel welcoming and pub-like.
The menu includes soups, salads, seafood, steaks, pizzas and sandwiches. Since I was only visiting I could only sample a limited number of dishes, but the ones I did try were worth ordering again some time.
I started off with chips and salsa because I wanted the fish tacos for my entree and wanted to keep the theme going. The salsa was homemade and the menu claimed it was "fire roasted" and the taste and texture reflected just that. The chips were fried in-house and overall I was happy with them. Much better than Pace picante sauce, that's for sure.
I enjoyed my grilled fish tacos even though I was expecting a hard taco and received a soft shell, it was tasty. The chipotle cream sauce was just spicy enough for me but if you are sensitive to heat you might ask for this on the side. The fish was grilled and not crumbly - it held together well and didn't fall out of the taco, which I have had a lot of grilled fish tacos that do that. There was a ton of avocado, which I love, and it was topped with lettuce and queso fresco, (white cheese). The rice that was served as the side was okay. It had a hint of nutmeg that I can't say I appreciated because nutmeg isn't my favorite spice. There wasn't too much that I couldn't eat the rice, but I didn't eat it all. I ate every last bite of my fish tacos, though.
Everything my friends ordered looked good and they all enjoyed their meals. We ordered a beer sampler and tried a few of the beers they make there. I am not a beer critic but I liked most of the light colored beers but I am not a fan of dark beers. It seemed to me that their beer was quality and would recommend checking it out the next time you are in Wichita.
Here is their menu: http://www.rivercitybrewingco.com/rcbmenu.pdf

Facebook's true power revealed to Mr. Stirfry on April Fools Day

 I heard about this and felt really bad for this restaurant and the people that work there. Apparently, someone thought it would be a funny joke on April 1 to post a picture on Facebook. The picture showed a box of Chinese food with what appeared to be a baby mouse inside. The chain has lost 1/3 of its normal business in the last couple weeks due to this accusation. Upon further investigation the photo was found to be a fake, used on other websites such as epicFail.com.

This was definitely an epic fail on the part of whoever posted this photo. I don't know why they haven't told us who this person was, but I would be embarrassed if it were me. I can't believe some people. Facebook and other social media are powerful and can get you sued, and this person has learned that the hard way.



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Best Mexican Restaurants in Topeka

If you are a native Topekan like me you know Topeka has a ton of Mexican restaurants. Instead of reviewing some of them, since there are so many, I thought I would just rank my top favorites in town.

1. El Mezcal

El Mezcal is voted No. 1 in Topeka and I can't argue with that. I have been to their various locations and each time I am impressed. My favorite is the Burrito Gigante and I get that almost every time I visit. I have tried many of the menu items over the years and I don't think there has been anything I was unhappy with. Plus, there are various locations so it's always close.

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The North Topeka location


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The Fairlawn location

2. Cielito Lindo

This place is awesome, especially their lunch buffet. They offer it at a low price and the buffet features a wide variety of items. My favorite is always the white cheese sauce and the guacamole - usually these items are expensive when bought by themselves but here they are included. The fajitas are great and they offer some different combinations, such as their Hawaiian-style fajitas. I would recommend this place over many restaurants in town.


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3. Casa

A long time favorite of mine is Casa. Their lunch buffet is always good and their fried ice cream is something to write home about.


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4. Taco Casa

My grandma Pat always brought me to the Taco Casa on Sixth Avenue. It's mostly microwaved but at least I know it's real meat and not some powder mixed with water and grilled. I love the family atmosphere and you always know what you are gonna get. I love the tostidos, the queso and their burritos, without the black olives, of course.


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5. Pancho's

This is a great late-night spot for some Mexican food, especially if you don't want Taco Bell. The menu offers items that can normally be found on most Mexican restaurant menus and prices are low. I have been here a few times and I never left unhappy or hungry. Their portions are huge and I can never finish my entree. They also offer Jarritos in various flavors and that's a huge plus for me, I love Jarritos.

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6. Taco Villa

Yeah, yeah. Some would say this isn't a "Mexican" restaurant but I still like it. The food is mostly micrwaved, or so it seems, but the food is fresh and not packaged. The service is fast, the food is cheap. The Thing is a popular choice on the menu and I like to order that as well as the taco burger.

www.tacovillatopeka.com


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Ellen Stardust Diner - New York City

I had many good experiences in New York City, but the one that stood out the most was the worst experience, of course. I would have to say that it was the single worst dining experience in my entire life. I must tell you that I was extremely hungover and had just woke up. My friend Kelly and I walked around Manhattan in search for a place to eat where we wouldn't have to stand in line for an hour before getting seated.

We found a place called Ellen Stardust Diner that looked nice enough and there was no line out front, score. We walked in and were seated right away, score. The seats were cramped and we were next to the server station and bar, no score. Usually this wouldn't be a problem, but at this restaurant, it proved to be a hazard. The music was loud but wasn't that big of deal, at first. After ordering off of the extremely over priced menu, $21.99 for a freaking cheeseburger, and getting our drinks, I realized that our server, instead of serving us, was singing and dancing around the restaurant.

Our food didn't take long, but some other person than our server served it to us - she was too busy dancing around. The food was ok. The cuisine offered is that of your typical diner food, burgers, fries, shakes and meatloaf. I wouldn't say it was great, nor would I say it was worth the money they wanted. Kelly ordered chicken fettucini Alfredo which didn't seem to have any sauce or flavor. The burger I ordered was like two inches thick and reminded me of a hockey puck. The fries served were crispy and good, but nothing special. Nothing was special about this place, except for the singing waitstaff. I guess I should be nice, they are trying to get on Broadway, and I mistakingly patronized it unknowingly - this is not their fault. BUT, I would never go back. I don't like people singing in my face, nor do I appreciate being ignored by my waitress so she can sing and dance. On that note, the music was so extremely loud, Kelly and I couldn't even talk to each other, let alone ask a member of the waitstaff for extra sauce. I also had a problem with the servers sanding on the back of my chair and dancing, kicking my seat while I was trying to eat. Not only that but I also had someone singing in my face and jangling bells and just causing me to want to bolt without paying. I did pay, but after the waitress chased me down to demand more of a tip, it made me want to rethink paying for this horrible experience. 

Normall, I have something good to say about the restaurant, but not this time. This restaurant offended and appalled me in a way that I can't believe this place is popular. I guess if you like people singing in your face while you try to eat instead of serving you, go to this diner. If you are like me and want to actually get service when you pay over $20 for a cheeseburger, go to another restaurant, even if you have to wait 30 minutes, it will be worth the wait.
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