Lawrence, KS: UPDATE - El Mezcal Open Again ... Same Location, Similar Menu, Upscale Decor, But No Margarita Specials

El Mezcal

1819 W. 23rd Street
Lawrence, KS 66046
Phone number: (785) 832-8775
Website: elmezcal.com
Prices: $$$$

Old information and reviews do not apply to "new and improved(?)" El Mezcal. There is a new menu and no great margarita specials like they had before they closed ... "We're still deciding" I was told ... Well, I am still deciding whether or not I want to come back! We used to eat at El Mezcal 3-4 times a month, now we eat there 1-2 times max.

Deep fried tacos (3 - $9.99) with shredded beef new on the menu, are a welcome addition, although they are much smaller and skimpier on meat than Mi Ranchito down the street. Unlike Mi Ranchito's deep fried tacos, El Mezcal's fall apart by the time you get to taco #2 and #3 and I do not like having to eat my tacos with a knife and fork. Otherwise, the food is pretty much the same and the decor more upscale after the infamous Italian/Mexican fiasco and expensive building renovation.

Cheese Quesadillas ala Carte

Taco "Plater" (Platter)

Cheese and Onion Enchiladas ala Carte

KU students cannot afford $7+ margaritas, so they should add some margarita specials soon or we and many others will be eating at Mi Ranchito where the food is better. If El Mezcal is trying to make up losses for the expensive renovation, they are going about it the wrong way. I have heard from many friends that the lack of reasonably priced margaritas (like before) is one thing keeping them away and I am sure that is the case with KU students. Cheap, strong margaritas was one of the few things that made the "old" El Mezcal stand out from the other mediocre Mexican restaurants in Lawrence, so they are losing customers and revenue by trying to recuperate losses by charging more for drinks. They could also offer daily specials like $1 tacos (e.g. El Potro) on Monday night ... their place is packed, El Mezcal is not.

CombatCritic Gives The "New And Improved" El Mezcal 4 Bombs Out Of 10 With A 2 Bomb Deduction For Overpriced Margaritas ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Read Chris S.'s review of El Mezcal on Yelp

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Title: Lawrence, KS: UPDATE - El Mezcal Open Again ... Same Location, Similar Menu, Upscale Decor, But No Margarita Specials

Translation for Civilians: BOHICA = "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

Key Words: 66044, burrito, CombatCritic, eat, El Mezcal, el, enchilada, food, guacamole, Kansas, Lawrence, margarita, Mexican, mezcal, restaurant, taco, travel, TravelValue, value

Lawrence, KS: Great Idea, So-So Execution

Pie Five

2500 Iowa St

Lawrence, KS 66046

Phone: (785) 551-7170

Website: piefivepizza.com

Prices $$$$

Had to try Pie Five because I had never heard of it and it looked interesting. Great idea, so-so execution. Skimpy with the "all you want" ingredients and small (10") pizzas for $7.50, about the size of my outstretched hand.

For an extra $3, I got a salad which was decent, but also skimpy on the carrots, onions and tomatoes, and a drink. You can get dessert or cheesy breadsticks ($1 extra) instead of salad if you like.

It's a cheap meal, but don't expect to be too impressed by the quality or quantity. As my Italian grandma would say, it was "mezzo-mezzo" (so-so).

CombatCritic Gives Pie Five 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

"Continue Mission"

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Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Title: Lawrence, KS: Great Idea, So-So Execution

Key Words: Pie Five, pie, five, 5 pizza, pizzeria, fast, food, Lawrence, Kansas, Iowa, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: Charlie-Mike = "Continue Mission"

Alexandria, VA: Sam Phao Means "Stuff Your Pie Hole With Great Food For Little Money"

Sam Phao Thai Cuisine

1019 King Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

Old Town Alexandria

Phone: (703) 548-3736

Website: samphaothaicuisine.com

To start, I love Thai food, so I appreciate good Thai when I taste it. Next, comparing the DC area to Lawrence, Kansas is like comparing Dom Perignon to Andre, "not gonna do it, wouldn't be prudent", particularly when it comes to restaurants and prices. Lawrence restaurant options are bleak at best, hardly a decent restaurant in town, but DC has an abundance of excellent restaurants and they ain't cheap compared to the Midwest.

Enter Sam Phao, a small place in central Old Town Alexandria. I checked several menus in Old Town after a day at Mount Vernon and the prices in Alexandria (for "average" food) were not cheap. The $$ options on Yelp were running $20-$30 for an entree and we did not really want to blow another C-note for dinner (my blog is named "TravelValue" after all), then I saw Sam Phao. Their prices were very reasonable and the reviews excellent, so I hit "Directions" and off we went.

The ground floor room we entered was very small, so we were taken upstairs to a larger dining room and a table for two by the window. For starters, we ordered a Chicken Satay ($5.95) and a Crispy Wonton ($4.95). There were four large skewers of chicken satay along with the peanut sauce, cucumber relish and four 1/4 pieces of toast. The satay and peanut sauce were yummy and the toast a novelty, but it made it easy to get the chicken, peanut sauce and relish all on a fork. The six wonton had a savory minced chicken inside of the crispy fried wrapper as well as sweet and sour sauce and cucumber relish for dipping. They were excellent as well ... what a great start!

For mains, my wife got the Pad Thai “J” ($10.95), thin rice noodles and mixed vegetables stir-fried with egg, bean sprouts, scallions, tofu, and crushed roasted peanuts. I ordered the Yellow Curry ($13.95) with beef, potatoes, carrots, and onion, all of them my favorites are a rare find in one dish. I was not wild about the Pad Thai because of the egg (which is optional), but it was massive and my wife loved it. The yellow curry was divine, one of the best curries i have had in a long, long time. There was plenty o' beef, big chunks of potato, large slices of carrot, and pieces of onion along with the white rice. The curry sauce was an incredible combination of hot spiciness along with a very slightly sweet aftertaste, so I dumped the rice in the bowl of curry, instead of the other way around, and delightfully spooned the contents into my pie hole until gone ... HOOAH!

At $40, including tax, for two appetizers and two entrees, we could not have been more pleased. The prices rival those of similar, but inferior, restaurants in Lawrence, so in Alexandria and the DC area, this place was THE BOMB.

CombatCritic Gives Sam Phao 9 Bombs Out Of 10, A Rare And Near Perfect Rating ... More Bombs Are Better Of Course!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

TripAdvisor - Top Contributor

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Title: Alexandria, VA: Sam Phao Means "Stuff Your Pie Hole With Great Food For Little Money"

Key Words: Sam Phao Thai Cuisine, Sam Phao, Sam, Phao, Thai, cuisine, food, curry, Alexandria, VA, Virginia, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: OOH-RAH! = "U.S. Marine Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Windber, PA: Not The Best Italian I Have Had, But Well Worth The Drive

Rizzo’s Restaurant
2200 Graham Avenue
Windber, PA 15963
Phone: (814) 467-7908
Website: rizzosofwindber.com

A little over 20 miles from Interstate 70 and Somerset, Pennsylvania where we stayed in a quaint B&B, we found Rizzo's when nothing in Somerset looked very interesting for our anniversary dinner.

Al large building in Eastern Windber, the family lives upstairs and the restaurant is downstairs. The restaurant itself is somewhat nondescript with bright lighting. The bar has a little more ambience, but we were seated in the "hallway" behind the bar, a high traffic area with little charm.

The service was friendly and efficient. I started with the house Burgundy ($4.50), coming in a small glass, it was chilled and somewhat sweet as expected of most inexpensive burgundies. My wife ordered the Fettucine Maria ($13.50), homemade fettucine noodles with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and peas in a light alfredo sauce. The noodles were perfectly cooked, but the sauce was rather bland. My wife, who is Italian and rarely adds grated cheese to her pasta, had to resort to the shaker of parmesan (parmigiano) in order to add some flavor. I had the Veal Parmigiana ($17.95), a large and very tasty cutlet topped with a delicious homemade marinara sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese and baked or broiled until melted.

The New York Cheesecake ($4.75) was rich and delicious, as good as any I have had whether or not in was made in-house. The owner's son stopped by to chat briefly, then brought me a small glass of homemade orangecello (orange version of limoncello) as a digestivo (after dinner drink to aid in digestion).

My only gripes were the small, inexpensive, cold glass of burgundy (I was expecting something different), the rather bland fettucine sauce, and the absence of much atmosphere in the restaurant. However, for under $50, Rizzo's was a very good value and well worth the nearly 30 mile drive.

CombatCritic Gives Rizzo's 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

TripAdvisor - Top Contributor

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Title: Windber, PA: Not The Best Italian I Have Had, But Well Worth The Drive

Key Words: Rizzo's, Rizzo, Italian, restaurant, food, pasta, veal, alfredo, Windber, PA, Pennsylvania, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: S&G = "Shits & Grins"

Omaha, NE: Le Voltaire ... Très Bien!

Le Voltaire

569 N 155th Plaza

Omaha, NE 68154

Phone: (402) 934-9374

Website: levoltaireomaha.com

Prices: $$$$

With two medium size rooms and drop ceilings in the corner of a strip mall in Western Omaha, Le Voltaire does not exactly ooze sophistication. What it lacks in charm is compensated for by the friendly service, quality food, and fair prices. Our server never told us her name, but she was very nice and attentive considering it was a Friday night and the place was fully-booked, always a good sign.

It took our server 10-15 minutes to tell me she could not find our first choice of wine, a French Syrah, so I had to make another choice. With bottles of wine starting at $26, I found an excellent value in the Château Sainte Eulalie, Plaisir d'Eulalie, Minervois 2014 at just $27. It was a deep, medium-bodied red (40% Carignan, 35% Syrah, 25% Grenache) with hints of dark berries and spices that complimented my beef main course very nicely.

For our appetizers we had the Brie Josette ($8.95), baked brie served on toast with an apricot-cranberry chutney, and the gratin aux fruits de mer (seafood gratin - $10.95), bay scallops, shrimp and mussels in a béchamel sauce covered with cheese and broiled. The baked brie and chutney came on six small slices of their toasted baguette and while not the greatest appetizer I have ever had, it was an interesting and tasty balance between sweet and savory. My seafood gratin was a tad on the small side, but creamy and delicious with small chunks of seafood that balanced well with the more savory baked cheese topping.

Our main courses consisted of moules frites façon Jacques Brel ($17.95), 20 ounces of fresh mussels in a Lucky Bucket beer and bacon broth served with French fries, and boeuf Bourguignon ($18.95), a beef stew simmered in red (Burgundy, hence the name) wine, with carrots, mushrooms and onions accompanied by whipped potatoes. The mussels were plentiful and yummy, balanced well by the big chunks of bacon in a beer broth. My beef stew was a bit light on beef, but what was there was tender and delicious. The burgundy-based sauce was very well done and the whipped potatoes creamy just like they should be.

The only things that detracted from the experience (and my rating) were small details, but important ones. First, in a restaurant where you drop $100+ for a meal for two, there should be tablecloths. There were none. Second, when I made our reservation (for my wife's birthday) through OpenTable, I specifically requested a "special dessert", but her special day was never even acknowledged. We left without a formal celebration or a sweet ending to our meal.

The atmosphere adequate, the service friendly and efficient, the food tasty, and the prices fair, Le Voltaire is an excellent choice if you are craving French cuisine and an exceptional value and a pleasant surprise in the Midwest where quality, gourmet cuisine is a rarity.

CombatCritic Gives Le Voltaire 7 out of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Title: Le Voltaire ... Très Bien!

Key Words: Le Voltaire, le, voltaire, French, restaurant, food, Burgundy, mussels, Lucky Bucket, beer, Bourguignon, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Omaha, NE, Nebraska, Yelp, TripAdvisor