This was my first visit to a Frankie G’s, as my husband calls it. We’re closer to this location, so we chose it for a Sunday lunch, out without our four-year-old.

At first glance, I liked the place. The restaurant was clean and quiet, not real busy by the time we got there, and the decor was nice, almost minimalist. Just enough to enjoy without any decoration overload.

We soon placed our orders but the waitress came back to tell me that she’d told me the wrong kind of cheese that’s in the lasagna. This may be too much information, but I am highly lactose intolerant and can only handle certain kinds of cheeses without pills… pills that I didn’t have. I quickly found out, however, that Frankie G’s was happy to accommodate me, to put whatever kind of cheese I liked into any dish, except the lasagna. But that was okay and I soon enough placed a special order.

When the food arrived, I almost fainted. There was so much of it!! I think that food to money proportion is about right, but it was most certainly more than either of us could eat, especially after the appetizers (which were awesome, by the way). Seriously, the photo doesn’t show nearly the amount of food there was. I think that we agreed that next time, we would get by just fine with one plate for the three of us! I ate my fill but it hardly looked as if I’d touched my food. We went home with enough food for several snacks and lunches over the next two and a half days.

Over all, I had a great experience and I can’t wait to go back, I’m thinking on a soon-to-come girl’s night out this time!

Final Rating: 5 Star(s)

We have been to The Branding Iron in Farmington, MO many times now. Several times we have ordered carry-out as well. Please do not confuse this restaurant location with the one in Jackson, MO. There will be an upcoming review on our visit to the one in Jackson but in Farmington, we have NEVER had a problem, issue, or bad experience!

I mean, look at that, does that just not make you want to pick up and go there now? :)

Yes, every time we’ve been to TBI in Farmington, the food has been fresh, cooked perfectly, the waitress has always been friendly (and they never seem to mind my meatball four-year-old), and it doesn’t take a very long time to get the food. They are almost always busy yet we’ve only had to wait for a table once, and then we waited less than five minutes. The booths and tables are large which is always a plus for a restaurant like this, when food is often served family style.

If you go, we all recommend the rack of ribs! Depending on how many people you have, of course, you’ll all have enough to eat plus some left over. One thing I personally like about these ribs is that they don’t come smothered in BBQ sauce. I’m the type of person who doesn’t typically like a lot of sauce, if any, so these please all – they are cooked with just the right amount and anyone who wants ore, has several there at the table to choose from.

Of course, the pulled pork is also awesome. I usually get that for my boy, since it’s easier for a kid to eat that than the ribs or other items that might have bones in them. He loves it and usually as to defend the food from everyone else!

One more thing: the atmosphere. It’s typical to BBQ restaurants but also has some originality with items such as vintage guitars or Boy Scouts items on the wall. There’s always something interesting to look at while one is waiting on food!

Suddenly I want some BBQ…

Final Rating: 5 Star(s)

This was my second or third visit to The Midway, though the first visit in a while. It’s been long enough for the other visits that I don’t really remember my exact experiences. I guess they weren’t that memorable, and, after this last visit, maybe I’m glad to have forgotten?

The Midway kind-of sits out in the middle of nowhere. It’s approximately 12 miles from Ste. Genevieve city limits and maybe 20 miles from Farmington; on Highway 32. It has a nice atmosphere, but I think that’s about it, and even then, only for those who can deal with dead animals on the walls. It’s decorated like a hunting lodge and equipped with a bar, pool tables and games, televisions, and a private party-room upstairs.

The only benefit of the doubt I give them for this visit, is that we were with a rather large group. However, even with that considered, it was not any different from serving numerous “normal” sized parties, just that we sat close together. The rest of the restaurant was completely empty except for a few men sitting at the bar, watching the football game. So maybe there is no benefit of the doubt with this considered. We also received separate tickets just like we would if we were sitting at different tables. Yet, even though our ticket had only three people on it, we were still charged the “service charge” for groups of eight or more. Needless to say, after our rather bad experience with the food and such, few people, if any, saw fit to leave any additional tip.

I liked the waitress, she was very sweet and did her job well. However, my food and much of the food others around me had ordered, arrived cold. I had ordered the shrimp ka-bobs meal that came with green beans and mashed potatoes. My father-in-law, mother-in-law, and husband all ordered the special: roast beef with slaw, green beans, and mashed potatoes.

As far as my meal was concerned, the green beans were good, but cold. The main course was ice cold. My husband encouraged me to complain but I was so hungry I rathered to just eat it. My husband felt that his roast beef was dry.

My sister-in-law had ordered a cheeseburger meal, and, apparently, they had forgotten about her. While everyone else had their food, she was still sitting there. A second waitress, who appeared to have been a manager, was nearby – not the waitress that was really doing all the work for our table as far as we were concerned – and someone mentioned to her that my sister-in-law had not received her food. She rudely stated that it would be coming soon… with no apology. A few minutes later, she was back and someone else, mentioned the same problem to her. Again she was rude and said it would be coming soon, with no apology. More time passed and several people had even finished eating by now, including myself, when the burger arrived. Our original waitress brought it, set it in front of my sister-in-law and apologized for the wait. It interests me how this older and seemingly more seasoned waitress or maybe even manager was so rude, yet our regular waitress seemed genuinely sorry for the wait.

After our meal was finished, the waitress began cleaning up the tables. Of course, everyone was still sitting around talking. She asked me if I would like her to remove my plate, and I said, “sure.” In one swift move, she lifted the plate and the remaining butter from my shrimp spilled all over me. Stained my good jeans and the right arm of my good shirt. I knew that she did not mean it and she apologized profusely, but it just felt like it added insult to injury.

Then the “service charge” added to our bill just made things worse. Our ticket read that it was for nine people, yet stated three seats. It was obvious that the employees had doctored every ticket so as to receive an 18% tip on every meal when much of nothing was actually deserved.

All-in-all, I think the only thing the Midway has going for it are the pool tables and bar. If you want to sit and watch a game and hang with your buddies, it’s the perfect place to go. However, don’t count on the food being on time or very good at all… or getting out of there without staining your clothing.

Final Rating: 2 Star(s)

El Torero is located in the building that was once a Taco John’s and before that a Taco Bell. Of the three, El Torero is superior. It’s not that wanna-be Mexican fast food, but some good stuff.

We’ve visited several times though none lately. But every time has been a wonderful visit, including this last time. The waiter was attentive, the food arrived fast and fresh and absolutely delicious.

There’s really not much to say, because I give everything a thumbs up from the food and service to the atmosphere. Not to mention that they keep the kids happy with a kids’ menu that includes cheeseburgers (made my four-year-old very happy, he had been upset we weren’t going to McDonald’s). My only complaint would be that it is hard to choose what to eat because it is all so good! Yes, that’s sappy, but it is what it is. If you’re in the area and hungry for some Mexican food, stop by!

Final Rating: 5 Star(s)

Pearls Oyster Bar is advertised as “the best of New Orleans come to St. Charles.” I’ve never been to New Orleans, myself, but I did enjoy myself at Pearl’s. I’d like to do this review a little differently in that I will simply list the pros and cons of our visit this past April.


Pros
Once we were seated, we were treated quite well and served in a rather timely manner.

The food was wonderful and brought to us in large proportions. We were able to take a good amount home. My husband ordered the Cajun Shrimp & Crab Pasta (shrimp, crap, andouille sausage, Cajun cream sauce, penne pasta) while I had the Fried Seafood Platter (fried cod, shrimp and oysters, french fries, coleslaw, tarter sauce). Sorry, no photos this time – while there was enough light to see, there wasn’t much to get decent photos of food.

I don’t believe they cook all of the food here, but the area where the bar is, also has a cooking station and it was quite entertaining to watch the cooks at work.

Cons
The restaurant is inside the Ameristar Casino complex which may not be an attractive thing for a lot of people. We had some time to kill and thought we’d check out what kind of restaurants were in the casino, otherwise we would normally not have been there ourselves.

The atmosphere is quite noisy and busy because of the casino, people – especially the employees – are prone to yell quite a bit. The restaurant itself is open on at least two sides so quite a lot of noise filters in, as well.

It took a while for anyone to pay us any attention. We stood waiting to be seated for quite a while and honestly nearly left. The restaurant was by no means full (we were a bit early for the dinner crowd) and was actually quite empty and slow. Once someone started to seat us, they tried to seat us in what appeared to be the most undesirable location right at the edge of the restaurant in a little hallway-like area. However, upon asking for another table, we were accommodated.

Overall, I think that between the food, service, and atmosphere, this restaurant deserves four stars.

Final Rating: 4 Star(s)

My experience with Tractors was a bit different as I was actually a crafter outside of the restaurant during Mayfest 2007.

I went inside and placed a carry out order and was told it would be about twenty minutes. I expected this as they were extremely busy with the lunch crowd. I had to wait approximately ten minutes before I could place my order so I had some time to look around. The restaurant was nicely decorated and the ambiance was very nice and private for each table. I especially enjoyed the wall of photos of people with their tractors and that visitors can contribute their own photos if they want to.

We ordered two chicken strips meals and an appetizer of stuffed potato skins, and I went back to get them after about twenty-five minutes.

When I got back to my booth with the food, I opened up what turned out to be a napkin-less and utensil-less meal. I apologize if this comes across wrong, but isn’t it common sense to include utensils and napkins with a carry-out meal? Especially when the people serving us knew our situation? But as it was so busy and we were hungry, we didn’t bother going all the way back there for utensils and napkins.

But the food itself? The chicken strips left a little to be desired, they were not quite what we expected, but they were not bad, either. The stuffed potato skins? We loved them! There were a lot more in that container than we had expected there to be in an appetizer, it could have been a full meal for one person, in fact. There was an uneven number so we “fought” over the last one. ;-) They became the bigger part of our meal, actually, and neither of us finished our main courses. We didn’t even try our bread, however, it was mostly hard as a rock.

I’d love to give this place a second try, but for now three stars because the main courses weren’t that great and for the lack of service regarding utensils and napkins, etc.

Final Rating: 3 Star(s)

From the very start, I was fascinated by the decor of the restaurant. It is three floors, and, I believe, the kitchen is on the second floor. Our table, though I felt we were crammed into a corner, had a nice view of historic St. Charles and a peek of the Missouri River.

I ordered the Mahi Mahi sandwich and my husband the Philly cheese steak. I guess I should have asked for some mayonnaise or something because the sandwich was very dry. It is served with a cheesy-tasting sauce that I’d never heard of, however, and it was delicious, but because I am very sensitive to lactose, I was afraid to eat very much. Of course, I have since found out that the sauce was hollandaise and is made of butter, lemon juice, and eggs, mostly. Had I paid enough attention to the menu and then asked what it was, I probably could and would have eaten more of it. Having said this, I would be willing to give it a second try. My husband, also, loved his sandwich and had no complaints whatsoever about it.

Overall, there is not much to say about this visit other than we had a wonderful, enjoyable time in a restaurant with friends and good food. I’d go back again!

View more photos taken by our friends?
Food: Fettuchini Alfredo, Hot Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, Riverwalk Sandwich, Mushroom & Swiss
Decor: Moon and a boat

Final Rating: 5 Star(s)

We visited Penny’s Diner around 1pm on Saturday, April 28th, 2007. I had been here twice before (we don’t live in the area) but both times were several years ago. Since then, the menu has completely changed.

We noticed the diner was pretty dirty inside – the tables, the floors, etc. – but we figured they were still recovering from a lunch rush, though the place was mostly deserted now. We decided to give it a chance anyway. I was a little unhappy that it seemed we were being ignored, however, rather than seated. We stood waiting for more than enough time with two hungry children. In fact, throughout the whole time, I got the feeling that the employees (at least our waitress and the cook) were quite annoyed by our presence. There were hardly any smiles and they all seemed very impatient and in a hurry to get rid of us.

The booths are roomy, so we were able to seat two children with us rather than in high chairs for a total of six people in the booth.

We ordered as soon as we could but our food took a while to arrive. Two members of our party ordered the Fiesta Burger which is a cheeseburger smothered in jalapeño peppers. One of these was a 12-year-old. When the burgers arrived, the 12-year-old’s had at least two times the amount of peppers as the adult’s burger. I can only assume it was meant for the adult but the two plates were mixed up.

I ordered a regular burger for myself and chicken strips for my three-year-old (who, of course, hardly ate anything at all). My burger and fries was absolutely delicious. Believe it or not, the 12-year-old ate most of her Fiesta Burger.

One of the things I’ve always liked about Penny’s is the building itself and the decor inside. It is decorated like a 50′s diner. The old menu used to reflect this as well – they had a burger named after Chubby Checker. I am left to wonder why the menu changed so drastically. But I really love the black and white checkered flooring and the barstools at the counter as well as the dawn-on white board all around the ceiling. Outside, the building is silver and very shiny – almost to the point of blinding one when the sun is right – it reminds me of an overgrown city bus.

Later, after we had paid and were leaving, I looked down near the door and there was a huge disgusting bug, not moving. Good thing we saw it on the way out, rather than in! Each adult in our party stated that had they seen that on the way in, they would have insisted we go elsewhere.

Overall, I will give the restaurant 3 out of 5 stars because of the cleanliness and the attitude of the employees.

Final Rating: 3 Star(s)

I’ve upgraded it, got a new style going (still working on customizing it) and have at least three reviews in draft form coming from me.

Stay tuned!

China Buffet hasn’t been open all that long. In fact, the tall sign still reads the name of the restaurant that was in the building previoiusly. However, the inside of the restaurant has been rennovated and the space maximized. One thing I typically find is that Chinese restaurants tend to not allow for each table to have much room. However, this China Buffet gives the diner plenty of room, and every time I’ve visited, the restaurant has been very clean both in dining areas, around the food, and the bathrooms.

The food is delicious, even when visiting on a weekday at 2:30pm. It’s all hot and fresh, not stale as tends to happen to some buffet restaurants during their slow times. My favorite dish is what they have labeled as “Japanese Chicken.” It does disappoint me, though, that this is only served during the dinner period and not during lunchtime. Their crab ragoon is also extra delicious and they do not “skimp” on the insides.

The staff is also always friendly and the women don’t seem to mind the flirting of my three-year-old one bit. He loves visiting the restaurant, too, he always gets so much attention.

Add all of these things to the reasonable prices and you have one fabulous Chinese restaurant! I admit, it’s not my absolute absolulte favorite Chinese place, but it’s most definitely my favorite place within a half an hour of my home, and I will most assuredly continue to visit when I’m in Perryville. I hope they’re around for a long time!

Final Rating: 5 Star(s)