Fairview, OR: Good Food, Small Portions, And Moderate Prices Left Me Fendering For More

Bumpers Grill and Bar

21935 NE Halsey Street, Suite 100

Fairview, OR 97024

Phone: (503) 618-1855

Website: bumpersgrill.com

Prices: $$$$

Stopped for lunch with some friends because they had their cute little doggie with them and Bumpers has a patio where our furry little companion was welcome.

The patio was nice on that sunny Portland day with little wind and our server was friendly and efficient. I had the French Dip ($12.99), my friend had the Baja Tacos ($13.99), and his better half had a Classic Caesar Salad ($10.99) and the Parmesan Encrusted Chicken Medallions ($9.99) appetizer.

The food was good, but I was not overly impressed with the quality to portion to price ratio. The roll my French dip came on was rather small, one of the smallest sandwich rolls I have seen, especially for a $13 French dip, and the crinkle cut fries were sparse and a tad greasy. My friend’s Baja tacos looked good, but for $14 all he got were two flour tortillas with some small battered cod pieces, a slew of cole slaw, some pico de gallo, and a couple avocado slices with some tortilla chips and a thimble of salsa. His wife’s Caesar salad was not impressive at all for the $11 price and the $10 chicken was tasty, but there were only four small medallions, a few carrot sticks and some ranch dressing.

Don’t get me wrong, what food we got was pretty good, but there was not all that much bang for the buck and at $60 for lunch for three with only ice tea and water to drink, it was not an exceedingly great value.

CombatCritic Gives Bumpers Bar And Grill A Very Average 5 Bombs Out Of 10 … More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp – Elite ’14/’15/’16

Tabelog – Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato – #1 Ranked Foodie





… And Don’t Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

 

Title: Fairview, OR: Good Food, Small Portions, And Moderate Prices Left Me Fendering For More

Key Words: Bumpers Grill and Bar, Bumpers, bar, grill, Fairview, Gresham, OR, Oregon, Halsey, 503-618-1855, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

“CombatCritic” and “TravelValue” Are Trademarks of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC

Copyright 2011-2016 – CombatCritic and 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC – All Rights Reserved

Brooklyn, NY: It’s The Little Things That Leave A Bad Taste In Your Mouth

Hamilton’s

2826 Fort Hamilton Pkwy

Brooklyn, NY 11218

Between 5th Street 4th Street

Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Flatbush

Phone: (718) 438-0488

Website: hamiltonsbrooklyn.com

Prices: $$$$

As Roseanne Roseannadanna always said, “It’s always something, if it’s not one thing, it’s another” ….

It is the little things that stand out in your mind, good or bad, that shade your opinion of a place. In Hamilton’s case, it was a mere 50¢. More on that later.

We sat outside after being seated for 10 minutes before a server arrived to greet us, but when she did, I ordered a Bell’s Two Hearted IPA , but all the drafts are $6-$7, MUCH LESS than most places in the NYC metro and they have a GREAT SELECTION. I had to hunt down another server because ours was nowhere to be found, ordering a Smuttynose Old Brown Dog (also $6 on the menu), but after another 10 minutes our food had arrived and still no Smuttynose, so I reminded our server. It arrived 5 minutes later while my dinner cooled whether it needed to or not.

My wife ordered the large Salty Pretzel ($4) and a Mac and Cheese appetizer ($8). The Mac and Cheese arrived with my sandwich, but we had to remind the server about her pretzel which took an additional 5 minutes to arrive. The pretzel was good, but it was hot from the oven and too crunchy, not warm, soft, and chewy as a good pretzel should be. The mac and cheese was tasty and a decent size portion for an appetizer.

My Reuben Sandwich ($15) was piled high with “house made corned beef”, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing. It was very good overall, but the house made corned beef had a slightly strange aftertaste which I could not quite put my finger on, or my tongue in this case. The accompanying potato wedges were scarce, but decent, nothing special.

When the check arrived, I have to admit that it was one of the smallest totals we have seen since arriving in NYC, but the Smuttynose was listed at $7 instead of the $6 stated on the menu. I called our server over, showed her the menu and the check, and asked her to make the correction to the $1 error. Those things happen. But when she came back, she had NOT deducted the $1 error, but had discounted the check by a mere 50¢! Rather than argue about the 50¢, I simply deducted it from her 20% tip along with a tad more for her inattention during our meal. After all, it is always the small things folks.

CombatCritic Gives Hamilton’s 5 Bombs Out Of 10 After A 2 Bomb Service and Check Error Deduction … More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp – Elite ’14/’15/’16

TripAdvisor – Top Contributor

Tabelog – Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato – #1 Ranked Foodie





… And Don’t Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Brooklyn, NY: It’s The Little Things That Leave A Bad Taste In Your Mouth

Key Words: Hamilton’s, Hamilton, bar, grill, pub, beer, Brooklyn, NYC, New York City, New York, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: Charlie-Mike = “Continue Mission”

“CombatCritic” and “TravelValue” Are Trademarks of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC

Copyright 2011-2016 – CombatCritic and 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC – All Rights Reserved

Lawrence, KS: Not "America’s Best Philly", But A Contender For "Lawrence’s Best Sandwich"

PepperJax Grill

919 Massachusetts Street

Lawrence, KS 66044

Phone: (785) 856-4529

Website: pepperjaxgrill.com

Prices: $$$$

Trying to find a decent sandwich in Lawrence is like trying to find the veal cordon bleu in an MRE box, ain’t gonna happen, not until I tried PepperJax Grill.

While far from the best sandwich, in general, or cheesesteak, in particular, I have ever had, PepperJax’ cheesesteak was the best sandwich I have eaten in Lawrence. Their menu is very limited with cheesesteaks, rice bowls, burritos, nachos and salads, all in the $7.29 to $7.99 range, as well as several sides including fries, chips and salsa/queso, and mandarin oranges. The combination of cheesesteaks and Mexican fare is a bit odd, but the cheesesteaks are decent.

Having eaten “real” cheesesteaks in Philadelphia, PepperJax claims theirs’ is “America’s Best Philly”, but I do not concur. There is ample diced beef sauteed with peppers and onions and the 10-12 inch roll was soft and fresh. The cheese was a nondescript American variety, not the traditional Cheese Whiz found on Philadelphia cheesesteaks and mushrooms, not green bell peppers, would be a more Philly-like addition. The sandwich was tasty and filling.

I also ordered two sides of fries ($2.50 each) , but the guy behind the counter talked me out of one, telling me “they’re really big, so you may want just one”, so I followed his advice. Turns out they were not as big as he had said and were just barely enough for two of us, but they were fresh, hot and crispy, a nice accompaniment to the cheesesteaks.

There is also a condiment bar with four sauces (au jus, chili sauce, and two others as well as the usual catsup, mustard, napkins, and plasticware. 

Overall, I have to say that PepperJax was worth the visit and a decent value. If in the mood for a Kansas cheesesteak, we will definitely return.

CombatCritic Gives PepperJax Grill 6 Bombs Out Of 10 … More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp – Elite ’14/’15/’16

TripAdvisor – Top Contributor

Tabelog – Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato – #1 Ranked Foodie





… And Don’t Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Lawrence, KS: Not “America’s Best Philly”, But A Contender For “Lawrence’s Best Sandwich”

Key Words: PepperJax Grill, PepperJax, grill, sandwich, Philadelphia, Philly, cheesesteak, Cheese Whiz, cheese, steak, Lawrence, Kansas, CombatCritic, travel, value, restaurant, menu review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: G2G = “Good To Go”

“CombatCritic” and “TravelValue” Are Trademarks of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC

Copyright 2011-2016 – CombatCritic and 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC – All Rights Reserved

Hey Chubby, Let’s Do The Twisters … Grill and Bar That Is

• Twisters Grill and Bar
• 13100 Kansas Ave
  Bonner Springs, KS 66012
• Phone number(913) 667-3700
• Website
• Prices: $$$$$

We found Twisters on Yelp after attending a Yelp Elite Event near Bonner Springs, about 20 miles east of our home in Lawrence, Kansas. I saw photos of their tacos and they looked better than any we have tried in Lawrence, so we decided to give them a go.

Twisters sits in the corner of a strip mall just off Interstate 70. For a Sunday night, they were rather busy with only a few open tables. The atmosphere is very casual with groups of friends, couples, and families scattered about. For example, there was a couple at the table next to us with a 10-year old boy who had ranch dressing accidentally dropped on his head by a passing server (I hope his meal was comped!). TVs abound with sports playing around the large room and sports memorabilia dotting the walls, from football jerseys to posters. The kitchen sits behind the busy bar where the friendly servers scramble back and forth while serving hungry customers.

The menu is eclectic, from Mexican fare (tacos, enchiladas, nachos) to burgers to meatloaf and sandwiches. I ordered a Dos Equis Amber draft on special for $2, some beef tacos ($2.25 each), and cheese and onion enchiladas (also $2.25 each). The taco shells were obviously deep fried in-house, stuffed with ground beef, lettuce, plenty of cheese, and diced tomatoes complimented with what appeared to be store bought salsa. They were the best tacos I have eaten since moving from Kansas City last year (Rancho Grande) minus the guacamole (or avocado), hence my only complaint … there was no guacamole available on the menu as either an appetizer or a side. The enchiladas were also very good with plenty of cheese and a tasty red sauce with hints of what seemed to be mole (a Mexican savory chocolate sauce). The tacos and enchiladas were better than any I have eaten at any of the dozen or so Mexican restaurants we have tried since moving to Lawrence last year and this from a bar and grill!

My wife ordered the half-pound (8 oz) Mushroom and Swiss Hamburger with fresh onion rings. The patty appeared smaller than 8 ounces and was not handmade, probably frozen from Sam’s Club, Cisco, or another restaurant supply chain. The bun was fresh, but the burger bland. The onion rings were made with fresh onion and deep fried, piping hot and missing only a bit of seasoning.

I would return for the tacos and enchiladas, but would pass on the burgers, trying the meatloaf instead, hopefully being homemade and not “Stoufer’s” or some other frozen variety.

CombatCritic Gives Twisters Grill and Bar 7 Out of 10 Bombs (for the tacos and enchiladas) and 6 Out of 10 Bombs Overall (for VALUE) … Bombs Are GOOD!

Key Words: Twisters Grill and Bar, twisters, twister’s, bar, grill, beer, Mexican, food, taco, enchilada, tacos, enchiladas, nachos, burger, hamburger, menu, Bonner, Springs, Kansas, Yelp, CombatCritic, TravelValue

Trófea Grill Etterem (Zugló): All You Can Eat Traditional Hungarian Buffet, Wine, and Show … All For Just $20!

Trófea Grill Etterem (Zugló): All You Can Eat Traditional Hungarian Buffet, Wine, and Show … All For Just $20!

Trófea Grill Etterem (Zugló)

1145 Budapest, Hungary

Erzsébet Királyné Útja 5

Prices: $$$$$

Website: English

Budapest, Hungary: While in Budapest on a recent trip we stumbled upon a great traditional Hungarian buffet that was recommended in a travel guide we had brought with us. For only $20 per person you can feast on an all you can eat buffet with local salads, soups, entrees, cooked-to-order steaks, starches, veggies, homemade breads, and desserts (including hand made ice cream). Also included is all of the local wine and water you desire as well as a spectacular, authentic gypsy floor show complete with instruments and exotic dancers.

 Zugló is the “original” of the three Trófea buffet location and just a short walk northwest of the large City Park and its picturesque Heroes’ Square, thermal baths, and Vajdahunyad Castle, made famous as the spectacular backdrop for the recent hit TV series “Dracula” starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The restaurant sits on a corner, is large, and reminiscent of a Bavarian chalet right in the middle of Budapest with warm furnishings that are both functional and comfortable. The staff are extremely friendly and efficient, and just a few spoke English. After all … YOU ARE IN BUDAPEST FOLKS!

The food was wonderful with a vast array of appetizers, entrees, side dishes, and desserts to suit anyone’s taste. An at just $20, Trófea is one of THE BEST VALUES we have experienced in our travels. There are better restaurants in Budapest, but none compare when it comes to great food at a reasonable price … booze included … and a traditional Hungarian show that you will remember for years to come!

CombatCritic Gives Trófea Grill Zugló 9 Bombs Out of 10 … BOMBS ARE GOOD … and is A MUST VISIT while in Budapest!

Key Words: Trófea Grill Zugló, Trófea, Grill, Zugló, Budapest, Hungary, HU, buda, pest, buffet, restaurant, all-you-can-eat, traditional, show, dancing, CombatCritic, TravelValue