Dining Diva Review: Corky's BBQ Nashville TN

Traveling home from my Florida visit, I stopped in Nashville to visit my friend Chris and have dinner with her. Being the barbecue lover that I am, I asked her to take me to a place that had really good BBQ and she took me to Corky's Barbecue. I had a combo plate of ribs and pulled pork with a side of the BEST collard greens I've ever tasted--bar none! I'd go there again just for those greens! The ribs were tender as butter with the smoked me walking right off the bone and the pulled pork was also tender with excellent flavor. Chris had a BBQ brisket that she said was very good and I had a bite to check and it was excellent brisket--but I'm a Southern gal and I think good barbecue requires a pig, not a cow! Our server was very sweet and got our orders exactly right and checked on us to make sure we were enjoying our meal and she was very helpful when we asked her to make some menu recommendations. Their iced tea was very good too, brewed fresh and nicely strong. The ladies room was clean, as was the rest of the restaurant, and was nicely stocked with tissue and paper towels.
They do takeout and catering and you can order via their website at http://www.corkysbrentwood.com/ and the next time I pass through Nashville, you can bet I'll be eating there again!!

Dining Diva Review: Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers Baton Rouge, Louisiana

When all you serve is chicken fingers, they better be some really good ones! Raising Cane's has the very best chicken fingers on the planet, they have a secret sauce to dip them in, crisp, golden and fresh fries, creamy cole slaw and crisply grilled Texas toast made from thick slices of soft, sweet white bread slathered in a garlicy spread and grilled till crisp on each side and delicious. Even their iced tea is delicious, and it comes either unsweetened or as tooth-cracking sweet as Southern tea is noted for. I wish they had a selection of sauces, but the one they have is pretty good. Several locations through Baton Rouge, open late for the LSU crowd and owned by a loyal LSU supporter! I've eaten at 4 different locations, and each one has been as good as the previous and everyone has the same delicious chicken fingers, cole slaw, crispy crinkle-cut fries and slabs of Texas toast. I wish they had a different sauce or at least a choice of sauces but they only have one--and it's good but a little variety would be even better! A small chain with huge potential to become the next McDonalds or Popeye's!

Dining Diva Review: Bob Evans Restaurant--the best of it's kind!

Our Server, Tiffany ------------------------------------------->

There are any number of restaurants like Bob Evans, Denny's, Waffle House, Hen House, IHoP, Cracker Barrel et. al but not many of them are as good as the Bob Evans chain. We had a very nice dinner at the Bob Evans Restaurant in Collinsville IL--just off exit 10 on I-70, and believe me when I tell you that you CANNOT miss it! It is literally staring you in the face at the traffic light when you exit, and this makes for convenient access. We were promptly seated in a comfortable booth and the restaurant is decorated in early American Grandmother's Kitchen and was spotlessly clean. Our sever, Tiffany was a very good waitress and had a 5 year pin so she'll probably be there if you go! She was just as sweet as she could be and was very good at keeping our iced tea glasses full and the pumpkin bread coming! John had the open-faced turkey sandwich on Texas toast served with mashed potatoes and dressing slathered in turkey gravy (one of their "knife and fork" sandwiches) at the Bob Evans in Aberdeen, Maryland last week and had a craving for another one. I had the wonderful chicken salad with bleu cheese crumbles, REAL bacon bits, dried cranberries and sugared pecans with mixed greens. John said his "sandwich" was delicious and finished it in the blink of an eye and also made short work of a large serving of their wonderful pumpkin bread that came with the meal. He hates pumpkin so the fact that he ate 2 big slices and bought another loaf to take with us speaks volumes for how good it is. Moist, sweet and served in 1" thick slices it didn't need the butter than came with it, but of course I buttered it which made it even better! It would have been equally delicious with cream cheese or Devonshire cream and Tiffany kept us well-supplied with it. My salad was excellent with a very generous portion of white meat along with fresh, cold and crisp salad greens and all the little add-ins I mentioned above and was big enough to share. It does come in two sizes for the smaller appetite, but makes a very hearty dinner. The dressing was a spicy ranch that was a little sweet for my taste but I mixed some regular ranch with it and it was divine! Even the iced tea was delicious--fresh brewed and good flavor--not watered down or even worse: that horrid post-mix from the soft drink dispenser. We were too stuffed to order dessert but very happy with our meal and service and Tiffany let us take her picture for the review--she's a sweetheart! There are Bob Evans Restaurants all over the Northeast United States, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding one when you are out traveling. I'm going to be looking for them more often when I am on the road!

Food 3.5 stars (which for a diner is 5 stars for fine dining!)

Service 3.5 stars (ditto)

Dining Diva Review: Cutter's in Belleville: Astoundingly Good Pub Food!

My husband and I went to an office celebration at a pub called Cutter's where the drinks were cheap, the food was really cheap but the quality and flavor was a steal! We were there to celebrate an accomplishment of one of my husband's co-workers, and she chose the place. From the outside it was not impressive and looked like a million other gin mills on the side of the road with no interstate access and no advertising. The parking lot was filled and when we got our food, I understood why. The hamburgers were less than $3 and they were truly outstanding--I've paid a lot more for a lot less--juicy and flavorful with a crisp carmelized crust that gave the tender and juicy inside marvelous flavor! The patty had been hand-made and was bursting with the good burger flavor--the kind you get at a backyard cookout where someone cooked good beef with tender loving care. The fish dinner was also excellent and dirt cheap--a steal in fact! The outside was crisp and tasty with tender and flaky white fish inside. I would have expected to (and would have) parted with more than $12 for a portion of fish and fries this substantial and it would have been a deal at that price--but for under $5 I was astounded. The drinks were also cheap, my rum and diet coke was a paltry $2.50, a price you don't see outside of a private club like an American Legion hall, and it was a healthy drink--not tiny and watered down, but the kind of drink you only have 2 of unless you want a ride in the blue-light taxi! The place was crowded and noisy with people eating and drinking and it had a lot of room inside. The band shell tells me they have live music there was no advertisement for a band. There was also a generously sized sunken dance floor surrounded by a rail which allows seated patrons to view the band while people dance. The restrooms are clean and well stocked and the overall atmosphere was cheerful. The service is friendly, if hurried, because of the volume of food and drinks being served. All in all it was a much better dining experience and I could have hoped for in my wildest dreams when viewing the outside. I highly recommend Cutters as a great place to go for happy hour drinks and pub food!