Peach's -- Holmes Beach

There are a number of Peach's location in the Sarasota/Bradenton, and I can see why they are so popular, good food, served well, at a reasonable price. This makes them "top notch" in my book.

 I ordered the Ranch Hand Omelet, bacon, ham, sausage, turkey, and a blend of cheeses. It was excellent. The eggs were nicely cooked and not overcooked. The filings were a decent portion and quite tasty. It was served with the requested toasted whole wheat bread and a side of fresh fruit. Everything about this omelet was spot-on, the way it should be. They know how to cook.

I could not pass up a half side-order of sausage gravy and biscuits. It was pretty good, better than a lot of places, but of course not as good as I can make. Still, I'd order it again. I think that it was home made. It could have used a bit more sausage and a bit less gravy, but still, I finished it up, with a bit of help.

Tom had a "real" breakfast, sausage, eggs over medium, sausage links, home fries, and white toast. They eggs were perfectly done, over-medium. Everything was just like it should be. 

Peach's is a very nice place. It's open and airy and light in side. The service was very good, friendly and fast. Our food came out very quick. Our coffee cups were kept full. There was absolutely nothing not to like about this place, and I'd be happy to return, again and again and again! Well done!

Skinny's Place

A hole in the wall, dive place with great food, steps from the beach. Can it get any better than this? Skinny's Place is very popular "fast food"--burgers and brews for the most part. You can get a cold frosty mug of Bud/Bud-light for $1.50, and they have other beers. Sides include fries and onion rings. And there are a number of variations on their 1/4 pound burger, up to and including the Mid Island Pounder--4 patties, if you dare. Make sure to say "mayo" or "no mayo" and the LTOP will be on the side (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles). There is a small bar and some other eclectic seating, inside and out. Order at the window, give your name, and they'll yell when your order is ready. But oh my, it is so worth it. Cash only, by the way.

There were four of us and we had quite a great lunch here, as you can see from the picture. We all enjoyed our burgers and cheeseburgers immensely. The tater tots were nice, but the onion rings were really very good, nice and thick, a good breading, and came out very hot, yet not too greasy. The burgers? Well, they may not be gourmet, but they sure tasted great. Add the side dressings and I for one, needed no additional condiments such as my normal mustard and ketchup--this burger was just too good to ruin with that.

We were there just before noon on a Sunday in early October, definitely after the "season" is over in Anna Maria Island. Still they were fairly busy, but I'm told that when it's peak season, the place is an absolute madhouse!  I can see why locals and tourists alike would flock to this place. A good burger, an ice cold beer, and only a few steps from the gulf beaches. This is island life. I highly recommend Skinny's. You won't go for the decor or atmosphere, you'll go for the food and be thoroughly satisfied, I am sure of it!

Anna Maria Oyster Bar

Anna Maria Oyster Bar has, I believe, 3 locations in the Bradenton, FL area. I can see why. The only thing that surprised any locals when we visited is that there was not a wait, but we were there after the "season" ended. Everything about our visit was top notch, we'd go again, for sure.

We were a group of six and were promptly seated, greeted, and told about their specials, drink and food--we arrived during happy hour, luck for us! My cold Jai Alai and all the other drinks arrived promptly. For my dinner I ordered the Salmon Oscar, a nice portion of properly cooked salmon topped with crabmeat stuffing, hollandaise sauce, and asparagus. It was excellent, absolutely fabulous. The salmon was moist and tender, and the crabmeat and hollandaise added to the richness. I had coleslaw for a side and I've never met a coleslaw I didn't like, this was no exception. The fresh green beans, wax beans, and carrots were also very good, nice and crisp. This was a very fine meal in every respect.

Tommy started with the Lobster Bisque, and I had a taste: awesome. The bisque was velvety, smooth and creamy and boasted of a nice rich lobster flavor. It was also served with crackers, and if you knew Tommy, you'd know how important crackers are with his soup!  

A number of the friends we were with had a number of various dishes, including fish chowder which they said was good. As a matter of fact, everyone enjoyed their meals, without a doubt.

Tommy, lucky for me, ordered the AYCE (All You Can Eat) fried shrimp. I say lucky for me because i may have speared on or two of them--or maybe a dozen or two! These shrimp were perfectly, perfectly deep fried, tender, crisp, buttery, and not at all greasy. I don't know how the do it, but I've never seen deep fried shrimp this perfect. A number of our friend had the same and the orders kept coming, promptly. I'd go there again just to order this. I'm telling you, these were truly outstanding. 

We all had a great time at Anna Maria Oyster Bar. They have a few locations and are very popular, we are told. I can see why! 

Star Fish Company

There are two parts to Star Fish Company, the market and a restaurant. Though this review is primarily about the restaurant, we also shopped the market a different day, and I'll comment on that as well, because fresh can't be beat, and their seafood is certainly fresh!

I decided to give the Fried Gulf Shrimp a try, as perfectly cooked shrimp are hard to come by. First off, the shrimp were cooked right, not overly cooked. I had them breaded and deep fried, but they were just a bit greasy, unfortunately. Tasty, but the breading was greasy. The cheesy grits and coleslaw I had to go-with, as well as the hush puppies, were both good.

Tommy started with a bowl of the Seafood Chowder. However, it was a bit on the spicy side, too spicy for him, and I ended up eating most of it. The seafood was mostly fish of some sort, and the chowder was certainly very chili-like, with some corn, onions and a few other veggies. While it was good, it was not great, unless you really like a spicy chowder.

However, Tommy's Grouper Sandwich did not disappoint at all. It was a nicely breaded and fried piece of fish, and not at all greasy. Served with the normal LTO (lettuce, tomato, and onion) on a bun, it was just a delicious sandwich. The fries were good as well. 
This is a real dive sort of place, a hole in the wall, but right on the fishing docks. You order at the counter and give your name, and the dinners come out in waxed cardboard boxes. Find yourself a table or belly up to the small counter area. It's a hard to find place and very popular with the locals.  

Now for the market. We were on Anna Maria Island visiting with my cousins, and on a subsequent day, they were cooking dinner for us. There were six of us all told. Debbie went to Star Fish market for 3# of shrimp and 2# of ahi tuna. OMG. It was all so very good. She lightly seared the tuna and it was among the best tuna i've ever had. Wow. And the shrimp? She prepared them two ways, boiled for peel 'n eat, and scampi, sauteed in butter and garlic--both excellent. I'd say if you're looking for good, fresh, local seafood, check out the Star Fish Seafood Market, you will not be disappointed. 

Sage Biscuit Cafe

I can see now why this place is a highly rated breakfast/lunch spot. We decide to have breakfast/lunch at Sage Biscuit Cafe and I'm so glad we did. We were here on a Friday in late September, definitely after the peak tourist season. Sage Biscuit Cafe is in Bradenton along busy Cortez Avenue, but not at all hard to find and had plenty of parking. They were plenty busy, but not packed, and we were quickly seated and taken well care of. 

I ordered the Fried Green Tomato BLT, and was not disappointed, it was all I hoped it would be. There was a lot of bacon on this sandwich, nice and crispy. The fried green tomato gave it a nice zing and a regular tomato slice added to the tomato taste. The lettuce was very fresh and crunch. And the whole wheat bread was just perfect for this sandwich. I loved it, a lot. It was accompanied by a dish of cottage cheese. A very good sandwich, i'd order this again, no doubt.

Tommy had the Eggs Benedict Capicola and said it was excellent--and the bite I had confirms that. He ordered it on a sage biscuit, though said next time he'd stick with tradition and have it on an English muffin. The sage biscuit was, however, quite tasty. The home fried that accompanied it were very good and not at all greasy. The hollandaise was just what it should be, and along with the creamy poached egg, made a nice counterpoint for the slightly spicy capicola. 

Tommy loves his pancakes, and since we rarely--if ever--have them at home, ordered a single buttermilk pancake to go with his breakfast. It was a very good pancake, tender, flavorful, all that it should be. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal here and I'd certainly go back. I can see why it's such a popular place. I encourage you to go and find out for yourself! We loved it.

Barnes BBQ

Wow, great BBQ in Savannah at Barne's BBQ Express. And the BBQ sauce had just a touch a mustard, very South Carolina-ey. I loved it.

I had the pulled pork, and it was awesome. Not greasy, but with a great smoke flavor and a very evident smoke ring. I also had baked beans that were nice and smoky and had some of the BBQ sauce and meat flavor as well, and coleslaw which was good. Excellent.

Tommy had a BBQ sandwich that came with coleslaw and cheese on it. He loved it. For his side he had the rice, it was a bit spicy but a great flavor.

You order at the counter and they bring it out to you. Nice setting and the food was wonderful. Yumm. Great BBQ in Savannah. I'm happy! I'd eat here again---and again--and again, if I lived in Savannah. Wonderful!

The Olde Pink House

We decided to try The Olde Pink House in Savannah, GA for a truly upscale dinner on a recent visit, and we were not at all disappointed, it was a great experience, start to finish. 

We were told reservations were needed or there'd be a 40 minute wait, but then when we got there they said we could eat in the bar area or the tavern. We went to the bar and it was on the ground level, open to the outside, with tables in and out. They said 10 or so minute wait and so we found a spot at the bar (as another couple was led to their table) and had some wine while waiting.

We had excellent service, start to finish. We were soon seated, and we started our with Fried Green tomatoes and crabcakes. Both very good. They actually split the order for the two of us. Yummy

Tommy had the She Crab soup, it was excellent, not too salty, and a nice crab flavor.

I had a salad, it came out dressed without the requested dressing on the side and when our server saw that, offered to get me what I ordered, but it was OK and not overly dressed, a nice salad.

For dinner I had pan fried salmon over horseradish potatoes with a bit of cucumber/radish salad on top. It was excellent. The potatoes could have used just a bit more horseradish for me, it was very subtle, but it was good. The salmon was cooked perfectly.

Tommy had the pork tenderloins with sweet potatoes and asparagus. The pork was nicely flavored and extremely tender. The sweet potato was good and the asparagus nice with a bit of crisp, just the way I like it.

Overall a great meal.

Afterward we toured the house a bit, it's an olde house and quite swanky, I can see why there's a wait to eat in the main dining rooms...there are a bunch of them first and second floor. Very nice.

Vinnie Van Go-Go's

The name may be a bit funny, and it may be in a tourist district, but there was nothing funny about the good New York style pizza we had at Vinnie Van Go-Go's in Savannah recently. It was a real hit! 


We had a New York Style pepperoni and mushroom pizza here. It was excellent, the crust was great and it was cooked perfectly--all that a NY style pizza should be. The medium was more than enough for the two of us. Yumm.

Your Pie

We were in search of dinner when we were in Savanna recently, but were not overly hungry, so we settled upon Your Pie. We were glad we did. We had a special, minus the green peppers. It has pepperoni, sausage, and green and black olives. We had the small and it was more than enough for two of us. The crust was excellent, nice and crispy. The toppings were warm but not hot, probably because there were a lot of them and the pizza was pulled when the crust was done. But still this was excellent pizza. I'd certainly recommend this as a great place for some very good pizza. Definitely good eats!

Sgt White's Restaurant

We stopped at Sgt White's Restaurant for lunch when were were passing through Beaufort, SC, on our recent vacation and were in for a real surprise: great home cooking at a little hole-in-the-wall place. We had good food and left full--what more can you ask for? 

We walked into this place and I could only describe it as a "dive." But don't get the wrong impression, the food was good, the place was clean, and we had a great experience. Plastic/foam plates, plastic silverware, old fashioned tablecloths--it did not matter--the food was good and truly  home cooking.

I ordered the Pulled Pork plate with three sides, fried okra, corn, and mac n cheese. It was served with a nice big hunk of cornbread. The pork was great--it was tender and had a very nice smoky flavor that was not obscured by a lot of sauce. The fried okra was excellent, about the best I've ever had. The corn was very good though quite starchy--but that did not matter, it was cooked and flavored well. And the mac n cheese, though not very creamy, had a good cheesy flavor. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal.

Tommy ordered the Pork Chop Plate. Wow! Two fried pork chops! Yumm, they were very tender and fried nicely. He also had the corn and mac n cheese, but also some sweet potato casserole that was very good, tender and flavorful.

The best part of the experience... when we first ordered, they were a bit busy. So she told us, just pay me later! So we didn't even pay until after we ate. No fancy POS or anything else here, just plenty of good food and good folk. I can see why the seemed to be doing a great take-out business. I'd eat here a lot if I lived nearby!

O'Charley's

We had an OK, average dinner at O'Charley's when we were in Hendersonville overnight on our recent vacation. Nothing spectacular, but it was OK food.

It was OK. I had a nice salad, just iceberg but nice and fresh, was very good. And filling. 

I had a fried fish and shrimp combo, with broccoli for the side. It was OK, but nothing spectacular. The broccoli was good but I thought a few of the pieces were a bit old. The fish was good. The shrimp were small, very small, and heavily breaded.

Tommy had a sirloin steak, medium rare. It was just that. A bit tough but not too bad. The smashed potatoes were very good, nice chunks in it, etc. Very good.

We also had desserts, I had key lime, it was too sweet. 

Tommy had apple cobbler. It was OK.

Overall we had an average meal. OK for a chain, but certainly nothing too special either. 

Bistro at the Biltmore

We had a very good, surprisingly good lunch at the Bistro at the Biltmore Estates on our recent vacation.

The service was fast and very good. I think the best bite we had was Tommy's lunch, the Roast Beef Sandwich. It was excellent. The roast beef was juicy and tender, and it was served on a very tasty, soft roll. It was really outstanding, everything a good roast beef sandwich should be, and very tender. The fries served with it were hot and crispy, excellent Fries.

For my man dish I had the Roast Turkey with Dressing Sandwich. It, too, was excellent, served on a cranberry pecan bread. It was served with a bit of a very flavorful salad on the side. This was a real hit.

But before we got to the sandwiches, we each had some soup. Tommy had the squash soup. I'd say the flavors were a bit subdued compared to the soup I had, but still it was a very good soup and you could definitely taste the squash.

I had the carrot soup, and it was excellent. It was a bit spicy, and i loved that. The carrots gave it a lot of sweetness, which the spiciness balanced nicely. I liked this a lot.

Or service was very good here as well, Giovannie took good care of us. I'd certainly recommend this place for a great bite to eat when visiting the Biltmore, and the prices were pretty reasonable for attraction prices. 

Tupelo Honey Cafe

Tupelo Honey Cafe has been featured a few times on Food Network shows, so when we were in Asheville recently, we decided to give it a try. Maybe my expectation was too high, but i came away satisfied, but not overly impressed. There were some hits and some "eh's" here. 

We had about a 40 minute wait here (popular place!) but passed that time at a nearby establishment where we had a glass of wine. Once seated, we ordered drinks and an appetizer, the Fried Green Tomatoes. The friend green tomatoes themselves were pretty good, but they were served over some goat cheese grits that needed a bit of salt. It's the attention to little details like that which I found the most annoying here--good food served with something that was just not quite as top notch.

By the way, I started with the beer sampler, a nice sample of a few good beers. That sure hit the spot!

For my main course, I had the Brian's Shrimp and Grits. Seven large shrimp were cooked well and served over a bed of Goat Cheese Grits and a bit of roasted red pepper sauce. My shrimp were just OK, not too over cooked, but not perfect either. Again, the dish needed just a bit of salt. But with the pepper sauce, the shrimp were nice and spicy.

For his main course Tommy had the Southern Fried Chicken Saltimbocca with Country Ham and Mushroom Marsala. It's a mouthfull to say, but it was very good. The most surprising part of the dish, however, was the bed of cheesy mashed cauliflower that it was served on. The chicken, too, was breaded and fried and topped with country ham and melted havarti cheese and a bit of basil. The dish was garnished with a bit of grilled asparagus. This dish was a real hit, very flavorful and delicious. The mushroom marsala was a nice and earthy but sweet component as well. This was the best bite of the meal, for sure.

We'd started out with a bowl of Tomato Soup (called ToMAYto or ToMAHto soup) and two spoons. It was very good and had a nice tomato flavor. I'd have served it a bit thicker or with a bit of cream, but still, it was quite good, no major complaints.

Overall we had a nice meal here. I think maybe a bit of attention to a few details is needed, but still, I'd come back to try a few of the other things on the menu--it has a lot of good-looking food on it!

DiOGi's

We were in Fayetteville, WV just overnight, a quick place to rest on our way from Buffalo to Asheville. We're glad we found DiOGi's, however, because we had a very nice dinner here. 

We happened upon solely thanks to Urbanspoon.com! We were going to eat at the restaurant at our hotel--until we walked in and found that the allowed smoking! No thanks! Fortunately, my Urbanspoon app on my iPhone let us to DiOGi's and we had a very nice meal.

I don't know where to start, because it was all so good. So I'll start with my entree, the Enchiladas Supreme. I had four enchiladas, filled with chicken, beef, cheese and refried beans. They were topped with a bit of lettuce, tomato, and sour cream, and served with refried black beans and rice. Everything were very, very good! The red salsa, the sauce they used, was very good, rich with a nice tomato and chile flavor and, I think, just a hint of chocolate. The rice also was above average, with lots of good stuff in it.

Tommy had the Carnitas Quiesadilla, and it, too was excellent. Tender chunks of fried pork (carnitas) were the star of this dish, with onions, jalapenos, and white cheese. It was served with a bit of pico de gallo and some sour cream. It was absolutely delicious and a huge portion.

He also had a fish taco--well, we shared it actually. And it was excellent. The star was a nice piece of fried fish, topped with some cabbage slaw, a bit of tomato salsa, and a remoulade, with a few bits of cilantro. It was very good and the fish was cooked perfectly

One of the most interesting parts of our meal was the chips and salsa they started us out with. These were no ordinary chips and salsa--they were fantastic. The salsa had a nice bit of gentle heat to it. Perhaps one of the best salsa's I've ever had, actually. I loved it a lot.

We are glad we stumbled upon this gem, it really was a great experience and a good value. Nice job!