Sad, Depressing, Like Subway Only More Expensive

Yello Sub
Sandwiches
1814 W 23rd Street
Lawrence, KS 66046
Phone: (785) 843-6000
Web: yello-sub.planetsub.com
Prices: $$$$

There is not a lot I can say over and above what I said in the title. I love a good sandwich. I do not eat them often, but when I do I go to my "happy place", reminiscent of childhood, summers in SoCal, and being outdoors. Yello Sub did not take me to my happy place.

There are few decent restaurants and fewer good sandwich shops in this city of nearly 100,000, a college town no less, and I had high expectations after reading Yello Sub's reviews. Four-plus (4+) stars out of 5 on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Zomato? Really? What are you people thinking?

I stopped eating at Subway years ago, not just because of their false advertising (I have never seen a real sandwich that looks anything like those in the photos, online or in commercials), but because they are not a good value. A "$5 Footlong" has maybe 4 ounces of meat at most (although those in their advertising likely have 8 to 16) and so do Yello Sub's although I could not find a single photo of a sandwich in their store or on their website.

I grew up on "submarine" (Italian cold cut) sandwiches in Los Angeles where good delis are a dime a dozen. Those sandwiches were two-fisters. You had to wrap your hands around them, if you could, to keep all of the meat, cheese, and veggies on them from falling out. If you grew up in the Northeast or in Los Angeles, you know what I am talking about. YUM!

I ordered the footlong Super Hero ($8.49+ tax) with salami, pepperoni, spicy capicola (spelled "capocollo", an Italian ham made from the meat of a hog's head [capo] and shoulder [collo]), provolone cheese, red onions, lettuce, banana peppers, oregano, vinegar, and oil. The first thing I noticed was how light the bag was. When I got home, I found out why. The sandwich was smaller than a Subway Footlong with about the same amount of meat and cheese, but with less veggies. Notedly absent was sliced tomato, an absolute requirement for an Italian "hoagie" or "submarine" (depending on where you grew up). The sandwich was underwhelming to say the least and at nearly twice the price of its "low-value" Subway counterpart, a massive disappointment and poor value.

Well, I guess I had more to say than I thought I did. The only reason they got more than one bomb was because the service I received was friendly and professional and because they do not mis-advertise.

CombatCritic Gives Yello Sub 3 Out of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better!

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Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Title: Sad, Depressing, Like Subway Only More Expensive

Key Words: Yello Sub, yello, yellow, sub, submarine, Lawrence, Kansas, 23rd, sandwich, shop, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Alcoholic Root Beer? No Warning? No Apology!

Dempsey’s Burger Pub
623 Vermont St
Lawrence, KS 66044
Phone: (785) 856-5460
Website: dempseyslawrence.com
Prices: $$$$

Root Beer - 5.9% Alcohol By Volume

This is an update to my previous review which was selected "Yelp Review Of The Day". The burgers and fries are still good, maybe the best in town, but this visit was fraught with issues. I hate to replace a previous stellar review with this, but I have been left no choice.

First, between the AC and the fans, it was quite a bit too chilly. Pick one or the other, you do not need both. Go with the AC.

Second, my wife ordered a "root beer" and our server brought her a "Not Your Father's Root Beer" which is actually an alcoholic beer (5.9% - $4.50). Fortunately, my wife is not a recovering alcoholic or a Muslim. but she does not drink alcohol and that is a huge problem. So much for our designated driver!

Read The Fine Print Before You Drink!

Third, when I explained to our server that my wife does not drink alcohol and that they should warn people about the alcohol in the root beer, she did not seem the least bit concerned ... which should be a BIG concern for management. No apology, no nothing.

Finally, I was more than a bit dismayed when told that they had no dill pickles. What kind of burger joint does not have dill pickles? They have "sweet" pickles, but they just do not belong on a good burger, so I passed. So sad.

CombatCritic Has No Choice But To Downgrade Dempsey' Burger Pub To 6 Bombs Out Of 10 For Their Various Faux Pas ... More Bombs Are Better!

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Truffle Fries - $5

Shroom And Swiss Burger Minus The Swiss Add Cheddar No Pickle 'Cause They Don't Have Dill - $9

Portobello Burger - $9?

$4.50 for a root beer? Oh, there's alcohol in it? What if I were Muslim?

Title: Alcoholic Root Beer? No Warning? No Apology! 

Key Words: Dempsey's Burger Pub, Dempsey's, burger, hamburger, pub, bar, fries, truffle, French, food, beer, root, drink, Vermont, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, Lawrence, Kansas

Fuggedaboudit? Not Authentic Italian, Some Poor Execution, But Don't Fugeddaboudit Just Yet

Calzone - $8.00

Morningstar's New York Pizza

4931 6th Street, Suite 106

Lawrence, KS 66049

Phone: (785) 856-6973

Website: morningstarsnypizza.com

Prices: $$$$

I was here last Autumn with a friend for a calzone, which was actually pretty well done, so I decided to try it again with my Sicilian-born wife. For a city of nearly 100,000, it is appalling that Lawrence does not have a single decent. authentic Italian restaurant. A Carrabba's would even be a breath of fresh air, but the tight-knit city "powers that be" seem to be pretty good at discouraging innovation and "chains" in favor of "mom and pop" establishments. Unfortunately, none of the moms and pops seem to have a clue how to run a decent restaurant, Italian or otherwise. Anyway, all that being said, Morningstar's is not bad.

Garlic Knots - $3

We tried the garlic knots ($3) which came with a side of red sauce. Baked balls of pizza dough infused with garlic apparently, I could barely taste the garlic and the "knots" were not baked long enough, a little too chewy ... too bad!

Jumbo Combo - $9.75

The prices are decent except for the pizzas which are a bit pricey, so my wife ordered The New Yorker calzone ($7.25) with mozzarella, ricotta & parmigiana cheese, no sauce (she is allergic to tomatoes - some Italian!), with mushrooms added ($.50 extra). She was quite happy with the calzone. The dough was baked to perfection and there were just enough ingredients, so my wife (who has lived in Naples, Italy - the home of the best pizza in the World - most of her life) was actually impressed. Bravo!

Meatball

I wanted to try a few different things, so I got the Jumbo Combo ($9.75) which came with chicken parmigiana, eggplant rollatine, stuffed pasta shells, a side of spaghetti, and a meatball. I asked for the baked manicotti instead of the stuffed shells and they were happy to comply. Unfortunately, when my dish arrived I was a bit dismayed to see everything crammed into a casserole dish. The chicken parmigiana was actually cubes of breaded chicken piled on one end of the dish and the manicotti and eggplant rollatine were on the other end, layered one on top of the other. The whole dish was covered with sauce and mozzarella cheese, then baked in the oven. The side of spaghetti was not well drained, so it was a bit too watery. Too bad because the sauce was decent. With no meatball in sight, I asked the server where it was, but she said the dish did not come with one. After informing her that the menu indicated that a meatball did come with the dish, she scurried off and brought me one post haste. In all, the dish was a bit of a mess, but it was actually not that bad. It could have been better presented and would have been much more palatable had the chicken, manicotti, and eggplant been separated on a large plate, but with a name like Morningstar you cannot expect authentic Italian dishes.

Side of Spaghetti

Alas, still no authentic Italian food in Lawrence, but Morningstar's does a fair job of trying. Their prices are fair and the service is decent, but it looks more like a sports bar than an Italian restaurant. The old world ambience just is not there. As Morningstar's would say: "fuggedaboudit", but not just yet. We will likely be back because my wife liked the calzone (as did I on my first visit), so maybe I will try one of their sandwiches next time. I would also offer suggestions for improvement if invited because I will do ANYTHING to help a local business as well as my chances of having a decent Italian restaurant meal without having to drive 4o miles. HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives Morningstar's New York Pizza 5 Bombs Out Of 10 (2 1/2 Stars) ... More Bombs Are Better!

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Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Title: Fuggedaboudit? Not Authentic Italian, Some Poor Execution, But Don't Fugeddaboudit Just Yet

Key Words: Morningstar's New York Pizza, Morningstar, KU, basketball, Lawrence, Kansas, New York, pizza, pasta, calzone, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

100,000+ Visitors ... That's Our Goal!

With 2,867 blog views last month, and growing exponentially daily, we are on-track to have over 100,000+ views in the next year thanks to you!

The phenomenal growth and positive karma since my trip to meet His Holiness is a wonderful reminder of the quality, objective, unbiased products we provide, all free of charge, to our readers.

We will be expanding the CombatCritic's TravelValue eZine in the near future, adding city and country guides with tons of information, maps, and links to reviews of local restaurants, hotels, and attractions. 

So SUBSCRIBE NOW if you have not already and do not miss another TravelValue review by CombatCritic!

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CombatCritic Gives TravelValue eZine 10 Out of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better!

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Title: 100,000+ Visitors ... That's Our Goal!

Key Words: views, view, visitors, Blogger, blog, subscribe, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, hotel, destination, review, reviews, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Oh-Boy, A Po'Boy ... "Oy Vey!"

Terrebonne Po'Boys

805 Vermont St

Lawrence, KS 66044

Phone: (785) 856-3287

Web: terrebonnepoboys.com: 

Prices: $$$$

I had been meaning to try Terrebonne for some time, but I try not to eat fast food and sandwiches that often, just never having gotten around to going there. My Yelp friend Scott T and I decided to get together for lunch, trying the relatively new Taco Stand on 8th Street. However, when we arrived the door was locked and the lights off ... they are closed on Mondays! So, we headed over to Terrebonne.

The place is quaint with a chalkboard menu on the wall, a few small 1950's diner-style tables and chairs inside and more tables outside if you are the type that enjoys Lawrence's steamy summer days. You order from the counter, pay, and they bring your order to your table. The guy at the counter was not particularly friendly, not rude, but he did not go out of his way to make us feel welcome being my first visit.

The reuben and cheesesteak both sounded good, but being my first time and a NOLA/Cajun/Creole-style establishment, I decided to go with their signature po'boy. I ordered the catfish po'boy ($7) with all the trimmings and Scott got the alligator po'boy and an order of red beans and rice.

About 15 minutes later our order arrived. The bread, about eight inches worth, was fresh, lightly toasted on the outside and soft inside. The catfish breading was not as light and flaky or as spicy as I would expect from a Cajun restaurant, but it was "OK". There were several small pieces of fish rather than one long fillet, making the sandwich difficult to eat and forcing me to have to put the pieces back in the sandwich as they inevitably fell out over and over again. The fish was decent, but a few pieces were uncharacteristically "fishy" tasting, a taste I try to avoid and one of the main reasons I do not order fish in the Midwest. The lettuce and tomato rounded out the po'boy nicely, but I must admit that I was a bit disappointed overall by the sandwich and its price.

A $7 sandwich should impress and fill you, neither of which occurred on this occasion. By the time you order a sandwich, a side, and a drink, you are looking at a $12-$14 tab, a tad high for lunch at a sandwich place in my opinion.

CombatCritic Gives Terrebonne Po'Boys 5 Out Of 10 Bombs ... Bombs Are Good In This Case!

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Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

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Title: Oh-Boy, A Po'Boy ... "Oy Vey!"

Key Words: Terrebonne Po'Boys, Terrebonne, po'boys, po'boy, po-boy, po, boy, sandwich, Cajun, New Orleans, Lawrence, Kansas, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Lawrence, Kansas: Mystified By BurgerFi's Small-Fry Burger

BURGERFI

Hot Dogs, American (Traditional), Burgers

918 Massachusetts Street
Lawrence, KS 66044

Phone: (785) 856-0824
Web: BurgerFi.com
Prices: $$$$

VegiFi Burger - $6.95

Reviews I had read were mixed, but having been out of the country since they opened, I had to give them a shot. Here is the low-down ...

Pros

1) Clean, inviting atmosphere

2) Prices seemed reasonable at first glance

3) Service was friendly and efficient 

4) Burgers, fries, and onion rings tasted great

5) Beer special, $2 for a cup of IPA, was a bargain

6) Bathrooms were clean

Cons

1) $27, not including $4 for the beer, is not exactly cheap for two burgers, a small order of fries and small onion rings

2) My $10 burger was ridiculously small, somewhere between a White Castle "Slider" and a McDonald's double cheeseburger

If you pay $10 for a burger, you should expect to need both hands to eat it. Mine was a one-hander and, other than Whitey One-Bites, the smallest hamburger I have ever seen. Unfortunately, the two cons overshadow the six pros in this case and, therefore ...

My $10 Burger

CombatCritic Gives BurgerFi A Middle Of The Road 5 Out Of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better!

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TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

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MENU

Title: Mystified By BurgerFi's Small-Fry Burger

Key Words: BURGERFI, burger, fi, hamburger, french, fry, onion, Massachusetts, street, Mass, Lawrence, Kansas, CombatCritic, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Exceptional Northern Italian Cuisine Plus Moderate Prices Equals A "Decent Value"

Lidia's Italy
101 W 22nd St
Kansas City, MO 64108
Phone number (816) 221-3722
Website: lidias-kc.com
Prices: $$$$

We have been going to Lidia's since we moved to Kansas City in 2008 and have never been disappointed. Whether ordering ala carte from the menu or enjoying their fabulous Sunday brunch, the food is always consistent and delicious although a bit pricey.

Antipasti (appetizers) range from $7.50 to $14.00 and include traditional favorites like "frico" (cheese crisp - $12.50), "cozze" (mussels - $12.00), "arancini" (deep fried risotto balls - $12.00), and "pappa al pomodoro" ( a Tuscan tomato and bread soup - $7.50). The frico, for example, is delicious with crispy cheese (usually a higher-fat hard cheeses like Montasio or Asiago) baked in the oven with various decadent ingredients, having originated in the Friuli region of Italy.

Insalate (salads) are normally ordered along with the main course (secondo) when dining in Italy and are not "meal size" as you will find in the United States. At Lidia's they range from $8.00 to $12.50, but I cannot comment on them as I have never ordered one because, other than the Caprese salad - one of my favorites, you should not come to restaurant like Lidia's unless you plan on focusing on pasta and meat/seafood dishes, all of which are quite filling.

Ranging from $17.00 (canneloni) to $22.00 (pasta trio), the prices for their "primi" (first courses - pastas) are Lidia's "Best Value", especially their "pasta trio" which my wife and I have had on numerous occasions. This "all you can eat" medley of three pastas changes daily and includes three different selections (fettucine, penne, ravioli, etc.), each with its own sauce (butter and sage, amatriciana, and other favorites). Servers come around with a large plate of each, giving you as much or as little as you desire so you can sample all three before deciding on which one (or three) you want more of. You can add a caesar salad and choice of dessert for an additional $13, but I would not waste my money and recommend enjoying as much pasta as you can eat instead.

The meat and seafood (secondi) dishes are not cheap at $21 for the lemon chicken to $49.50 for the bone-in rib eye steak, but if you like a traditional Italian meal with antipasto, primo and secondo, you will not be disappointed ... you will, however, be bursting at the seams! Secondi at Lidia's, unlike restaurants in Italy, are accompanied by "contorni" (vegetables and potatoes), making a full meal if you prefer meat and potatoes over pasta. My favorite used to be their "involtini di manzo", rolled beef scallops with pickle, vegetables and mustard (a Northern Italian recipe), accompanied by mashed potatoes, but it has not been on the menu lately.

Their wine list is extensive with nothing under $32 for a bottle (the "Value List" has a nice selection of reds and whites) and ranging up to as high as $495 for a bottle of Lange (2005) Gaja if that is your style. We have ordered from the value list every time we have been there and found the wines quite good and somewhat as the name implies, a "decent" value. They also have a full bar with drinks ranging from $9 to $34.

We have not been there for Sunday brunch in several years, but it used to be an excellent value at $25 (now $29.50). Served buffet style, you can help yourself to a nice selection of antipasti and dolci (desserts), ordering a selection from the wide variety of main courses, including the "Pasta Tasting Menu", frico, porchetta hash, osso buco, and lasagna Bolognese among others.

We have never been there for lunch, but looking at the menu it appears to be a decent value with meal selections reduced by $5 or so compared to the dinner menu and with sandwiches in the $12 to $13 range. 

Expect to pay a $100 to $125 for dinner for two, including antipasti and either a primo (pasta) or secondo, a bottle of wine from the value list, and a shared dessert (tip and tax included). We cannot afford to spend that kind of money every time we go out to eat, but for special occasions Lidia's Italy - Kansas City is a decent value with exceptional food, excellent service, and moderate prices.

CombatCritic Gives Lidia's Italy - Kansas City 7 out of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better!

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Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Title: Exceptional Northern Italian Cuisine Plus Moderate Prices Equals A "Decent Value"

Key Words: Lidia's Italy, Kansas City, Kansas, city, Lidia's, Italy, Lidia, Bastianich, Missouri, Italian, pasta, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

"Fair" Italian Fare in Historic Parkville

Café Italia

160 English Landing Dr

Parkville, MO 64152

Phone: (816) 584-0607

Web: CafeItalia2.com

Prices: $$$$

With a shortage of non-chain Italian restaurants in the Northland, Cafe Italia in Parkville did not let us down. The atmosphere is sparse, but modern with a touch of elegance as opposed to their old location on North Oak. The menu was missing one of my favorites from the old location, vitello (veal) saltimbocca. We started with wine, Canyon Road Cabernet ($22/bottle) from the limited wine list. Prices by the glass are reasonable, from $6-$7.50/glass.

We ordered a stuffed artichoke, while tasty, and hot, was too "cheesy" and drenched in olive oil. It was a bit disappointing, but my standards are very high because I learned an excellent stuffed artichoke recipe form my grandmother who was born in the Irpino region of Italy. We both had the caesar salad which was excellent, the only problem being the very large (but delicious) croutons that had to be eaten by hand because they were too hard to cut into pieces. My wife, a native Italian, had ravioli con funghi, stuffed with chicken, prosciutto, and capocollo in a mushroom sauce. The taste was excellent, but the pasta was too "al dente" (undercooked). Being Italian, my wife is hard to please when it comes to Italian food, but she enjoyed her meal very much. I had the vitello alla parmigiana which was tasty, but a little tough for "milk-fed veal" which was advertised on the menu. The color and texture seemed more like sliced beef to me, but it was tasty and reasonably priced, veal or beef.

The size of the portions were overly generous, so we had to pass on dessert. The owners stopped by to talk and one had family from the same area of Sicily where my wife was born, so they were able to speak in Italian about their shared heritage. Overall, we had a nice meal, the service was very good, and we will return soon to see if any of the problems noted above have been taken care of.

CombatCritic Gives Cafe Italia 6 out of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic On Yelp - "Elite '14/'15" - On TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" - "Official Judge - Bronze" On Tabelog And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: "Fair" Italian Fare in Historic Parkville

Key Words: Cafe Italia, cafe, café, Italia, pasta, Parkville, Missouri, MO, Kansas, City, restaurant, Italian, Italy, menu, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, food, definitive, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor