Dining Diva Review: Outlaw Blues Restaurant and Saloon, Fairview Heights, IL

Hubby and I had lunch at the brand-new Outlaw Blues in Fairview Heights and it was a mixed bag of delights and disappointments. The restaurant is painted a deep plum shade which is surprisingly attractive when you get over the surprise of the fact that they really did paint it purple. Our server, Keith, was very pleasant and our drinks arrived quickly and they make very good iced tea. The menu items are an eclectic mix of barbecue favorites and Cajun/Southern staples with a twist. The delicious complimentary bread was a freshly baked biscuit and sweet cornbread with a very unique presentation that was original and interesting--they were served in the cast-iron skillet that they were baked in and each quarter of the pan had either biscuit or cornbread batter placed in it before baking. The biscuit was moist and tender and the cornbread was moist and sweet--just the way I like it! John had the barbecue brisket sandwich and I had the shrimp and grits which come in your choice of scampi or creole. I ordered scampi but they sent creole which meant they must have remade it in a hurry and didn't do well. The butter sauce was totally devoid of any garlic flavor and the shrimp, while large and fresh, were as bland as boiled chicken breast. They were purported to be served over cheese grits but my grits were obviously instant and had no salt, cheese or flavor--some of the worst grits I've ever had. They were topped with a teaspoon of finely shredded yellow cheese that I mixed in to the grits along with the 'scampi sauce' and a good helping of salt and pepper. John's sandwich was another story altogether. Overflowing the fresh bun was a more than generous serving of barbecued beef brisket with a deep smoke ring in the meat. He shared a big slice of the brisket with me (as I had to wait for my lunch to be corrected) and it was delicious--everything brisket should be and as I waited for my shrimp and grits, I was wishing I had ordered the same thing! When I tasted my totally flavorless (albeit fresh)lunch, I really wished for that brisket sandwich! Luckily the sandwich was so enormous he couldn't finish it so I did polish off what he left behind. Keith was apologetic and very nice but the kitchen needs to learn how to make cheese grits and scampi sauce! I'd give it another try just to have that brisket again along with the skillet of biscuits and cornbread--but I'll wait till they iron out the 'just opened' kinks!
I'll update you when I go back for another try!

DINING DIVA REVIEW: Rotelli's Pizza & Pasta

We had lunch at Rotelli's in Stuart, Florida on Black Friday and it was a delightful experience! They are a small regional chain that has stores in several states in the Southeast. It was very tastefully decorated and smelled great when we came in. It was fairly empty because everyone was in the Wal-mart and mall stampedes and this worried me until the food arrived. John and I had the daily lunch special which is a cup of soup or a salad with a half sandwich and a large slice of cheese pizza. I chose the pasta fazole and John took the Italian wedding soup and he had the chicken parm as his sandwich choice while I tool the eggplant parm. My soup was thick and full of beans and pasta and had a nice flavor, but the Italian wedding soup was a star--delicious broth and filled with tiny meatballs and both were served piping hot. The sandwiches were on fresh Italian bread and had been baked and were excellent and the pizza slice was truly excellent with plenty of cheese. My mother had their chopped chicken salad which was ice cold mixed greens, ripe avocado pieces, fresh cooked bacon bits, tomatoes and a generous size grilled chicken breast sliced fresh and topped with their basalmic vinaigrette and fresh croutons. The iced tea was freshly brewed and tasty and the meal was delicious all the way around. The lunch special was a steal at 6.99 and the salad was 9.99. Service was cheerful and efficient and tea refills were prompt and automatic--we didn't have to ask! Rotini's is a gem in the strip mall and was located next to the ColdStone Creamery so we had dessert there!

If you go:

Rotelli's Pizza & Pasta
2181 SE Federal HwyStuart, FL 34994
(772) 403-2200‎

Food 3.5 Stars
Service 3.5 Stars

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!