Shelter, Tofino BC

Shelter Restaurant in Tofino....

What to say about Shelter...other than, the MOST DISASTROUS DINING EXPERIENCE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!

As you may have guessed I am not that impressed with Shelter. Simply, it is an overpriced restaurant with crappy service!

To back up a bit, some friends of mine and I attended Shelter to celebrate an important event. We had reservations for 6:45 on a Saturday night for 20 people. On arrival we were seated upstairs at two large tables. So far so good, right? Well, about 30 - 40 minutes later someone finally came by to take our drink orders; and, another fifteen minutes later we finally got them!

About 7:30 (45 min after arrival) our waiter finally came to the table to take our diner orders. Without explaining specials or anything else, he opened with what you gettin'?

I am not going to go on forever with this review; in fact, I don't feel it is worth much more of my time. The food arrived at about 9 o'clock (2hr 15min after arrival); and, to say the least it was terrible. Oh, and did I mention we were never asked again about drink refills????

All in all, Shelter is a waste of time! Bad food, bad service and overpriced.

Dinner for two (with one drink each) : $75.00

Dick's Last Resort - Excalibur, Las Vegas NV

Dick's Last Resort isn't your typical restaurant; in fact, Dick's is anything but typical. The biggest difference with Dick's compared to other restaurants is that Dick's has horrible service. However, don't be afraid of the service, bad service is actually Dick's schtick.

The atmosphere is fun, light hearted and rude. Once you understand their way of doing things, Dick's can actually be quite enjoyable with a group of friends and some large alcoholic slushies.

As for the food... it isn't that great, but most people go to Dick's for the experience and the booze.

Floyd's Diner, Langford

The one thing the Westshore really lacks is good breakfast joints. Hopefully that problem has been solved with the opening of Floyd's Diner. Floyd's has taken over and remodeled the old Smoken Bones location into that of a classical American diner, complete with random posters of muscle cars, James Dean and Marylin Monroe.

For a Saturday, Floyd's was just as expected - BUSY. However, we were seated fast and they had plenty of staff on to deal with all the tables. All the servers seemed quite friendly, but I felt a little rushed to place my order.

I ended up settling on the First Kiss Burger. The First Kiss is described as a beef burger with cheese, bacon and BBQ sauce with lettuce, tomato, onions and a pickle. They also described it as a little messy which led me to believe that it would be really juice. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case, in fact, I wouldn't even call it a burger patty as the consistency was that of meatloaf. What happened to good old 80/20 burger patties where it was the quality of the meat that made the burger good, not all the crap you put into the meat. This tells me one thing, that the restaurant doesn't believe enough in their beef to serve it straight up. So to say the least, the burger was dry and tasted like a mixture of bread crumbs and seasoning salt.

Unfortunately, the burger was the best part of my lunch, the fries that came with burger were so salty that I could barely choke them down.

Now, I know what you are probably thinking...Floyd's is a breakfast joint not a burger joint. Well, you are probably right so, I will have to rely on my wife's opinion on that. She had eggs benny with a pesto hollandaise. She didn't have too much to say about it other than they messed up on her eggs. She ordered them poached medium and one was hard and the other soft. She also noted that the eggs benny at The Reef are much better. If that doesn't some it up...I don't know what will.

Verdict: It's nice to have breakfast option in the Westshore, but I think I'll stick to going downtown.

P.S. our two meals and one pop each came to just under $40. Definitely not deserving of that kind of dough.

Cactus Club Cafe, Abbotsford BC

I haven't been to a Cactus Club in quite a while (probably 4-5 years); however, while in Abbotsford and looking for somewhere to eat lunch I thought the Cactus Club would be better choice than Burger King or the Old Spaghetti Factory.

Cactus Club's menu is now under the creative control of the Iron Chef slayer...Rob Feenie. Feenie a former owner / chef of two Vancouver restaurants (Feenie's and Lumiere) and now residing as the "food concept architect" for the Cactus Club group of restaurants. One might wonder what is one of Canada's most highly recognized chefs, who once defeated Iron Chef Morimoto  and owned two of Vancouver's most prized restaurants doing at the Cactus Club... I too wonder...what went wrong? Regardless, of his past, Chef Feenie is still deserving of his accolades.

In my opinion, having Chef Feenie at a restaurant franchise such as the Cactus Club now allows more people to experience his culinary creativeness. Unfortunately, even having a great chef design the menu doesn't mean that a great chef is cooking your food. Case in point, my recent excursion to the a fore mentioned Abbotsford Cactus Club.

In my struggle to figure out what to order, I decided to ask our server how the grilled albacore tuna club tasted? The response: um, good... I had one today and it was really good. I don't know how to explain what it tasted like other than, good... Wow! That really sold me. However, regardless of the waitresses piss poor explanation of the food, I decided to give it a try. Upon arrival the food was well presented and looked quite appetizing. The tuna was cooked almost as described - medium rare, okay maybe a little more on the rare side, but  I can't complain as I quite enjoy sashimi. Unfortunately, the sandwich was bland. I thought for an award winning chef that the food would pack some punch! Some flare! Maybe eve some flavour...too bad that wasn't the case, the sandwich was just that a boring sandwich, albeit well presented.

I have no idea what the rest of the Cactus Club menu tastes like, but if this sandwich is any idea; I can understand why Chef Feenie is now at the Cactus Club and not running his own restaurants. I do have to give credit to where credit is due though; and that is to the marketing team at the Cactus Club. Between the scantily clad waitresses and the big name chef, it is no wonder why they are so busy. 

If only foresight was twenty-twenty, I would have considered a more tasty lunch option. In my opinion, if you are deciding to go out for lunch and you have the choice between the Cactus Club and say Earls: go to Earls. Chef Ruben Major of the Earls chain of restaurants definitely creates a much more flavorful and creative menu.

Royal Roads Cafe, Colwood

Always in the mood to try a new restaurant, my wife and I decided to check out the Royal Roads Cafe last Saturday. My wife is taking some courses at Royal Roads University and was told from some of her fellow students that the RRC was really good.

We arrived around 11:30 and the place was packed. It was clear to us that the RRC had a strong following; however, their clientele appeared to have an average age of 70 something. First glance at the menu and you could tell what attracted all the senior citizens; they serve up home style classics that tend to please our elderly population. Menu items such as Liver & Onions, Prime Rib and mashed potatoes with gravy. However, like I said I arrived close to lunch hour on a weekend so, most everyone was ordering breakfast. Another attraction item for the RRC is they have managed to keep their prices low and their menu big.

As for decor... outdated, old, plastic... hmmm, how many words do I need to say that the RRC is in need of a makeover both inside and out.

Enough of my verbal diarrhea, I am sure you are reading this to know about the food, not my critiques on plastic plants and old carpet.

The Food...

Yikes! That about sums it up. However, you've read this much nonsense, I will try and provide you with a more descriptive review on the culinary atrocities I experienced at the RRC. We ordered an appetizer platter to share and a couple of bowls of french onion soup. The appy platter consisted of chicken strips, deep fried zucchini, onion rings and chicken wings. What they should have called it was a plate full of oil. The oil obviously old due to the colour of the food, either that or, the chef cook way over fried everything. There were only two chicken strips and they appeared to come from the freezer section at your local Walmart. The chicken strips were so overcooked and flavorless that I could only manage to choke down one! The zucchini sticks were adequate and the onion rings were well... on par with the rest of the plate.

As for the French Onion Soup...it was awful! I couldn't figure out why it had a reddish oil all over the top of the melted cheese; then it hit me, they used vegetable soup for the broth instead of beef broth. The flavour was bland and other than that I have nothing good to say about it. You can get better french onion soup at your local Timmy's.

Overall experience - not good! However, I haven't written it off for a greasy spoon breakfast joint yet! I also think that this restaurant has a place in the restaurant world. In my experience elderly people like to be able to go out and have more simple food that reminds them of home cooking - I think the RRC serves this purpose. Not too many restaurants these days want to specialize in home-style cuisine.

Smoken Bones - Downtown

I have been wondering if the move from Langford to Victoria would be a wise choice or a regretful one for Smoken Bones. Victoria does tend to be a magnet for the granola munchers, vegetarians and vegans alike. Whereas, Langford's roots are still made up of the blue collar and redneck carnivores.

However, I can't seem to argue with the packed tables and line ups on a Friday night at their new "Hudson" location. They have stepped away from the minimalist decor of their former venue and have revamped their look with a trendy open ceiling - post and beam feel. Regardless, of their new look and larger location, the aroma when you first walk in is still that of smoky delicious smelling barbecue.

Now, this is where are night starts to go sideways. The server took 15-20 minutes to take our order. When she did (from their dine around stay in town menu), she wasn't familiar enough with the menu to know the wine pairings; instead, my wife had to explain each of them to her. Granted her or the menu might be new (maybe both), but you shouldn't have to ask for the type of wines - I am sure the bartenders are familiar with them.

After waiting another 20 minutes, or so, our appetizers finally arrived. My appy was truly delicious (fried pork wings), but everyone else wasn't as impressed with theirs.

Over an hour into our night - dinner finally arrived. I ordered their catfish with a side of butter cabbage and my wife had the Pear and Bacon Cured Pork Chop. Both meals were okay, but nothing to rave about. The butter cabbage which I have loved in the past fell short. For food that took so long, they undercooked the cabbage so much that it was almost raw.

Finally for dessert and another 20 minutes later it arrived. Who knew it took 20 minutes to scoop ice cream and heat a crumble and cut a slice of cake... The Peanut Butter Crunch Cake was way overpowering and altogether gross. The Peach Cobbler was okay, but the overabundance of nutmeg ruined it. The Bacon Ice Cream was decent, but surprisingly enough I couldn't taste the bacon.

Two hours and forty five minutes later we finally got our bill and left. I feel that I have given Smoken Bones enough opportunities to impress me, but they always seem to drop the ball. Their service was lack luster and extremely slow and not unlike every other meal I have eaten their, the food was mediocre.

Best of luck Smoken Bones - I don't think I'll be back.

Plates Eatery & Catering Co., Courtenay, BC

Restyled from an old Bino's restaurant plates is decorated in automobile memorabilia; more specifically, licence plates. In my humble opinion the decor is unfortunately the best part about Plates.

I had a steak sandwich with fries ($13); the steak was small, mostly fat (not marbling) and poorly cooked. I ordered my steak medium rare and when served it was closer to black and blue. It lacked proper seasoning; in fact, I don't believe there was any seasoning at all. The fries were okay, but after about 2 minutes the bottom of my plate was so covered in blood, that everything else became soggy.

Well, at least they had free pop refills...

Duke's Dockside Grill, Campbell River BC

Duke's is a small little joint on Hwy 19A near the junction with Hwy 19. With only about 15 tables Duke's is a place frequented by the locals and sometimes stumbled across by the tourists.

Duke's serves up mainly American diner fair, and having a fairly large menu it made somewhat difficult for me to make up my mind. However, there was one menu item that I just couldn't seem to pass up - the Duke's Biggest Sandwich N Rivercity ($11.99). This sandwich is piled high with shaved beef, grilled onions, mushrooms, peppers and smothered in melted cheese all on french bread. Now, if that doesn't seem filling enough it is all served with Duke's home fries or substitute soup for $1.99.

Wow, believe me when I tell you that the sandwich lives up to it's name. This thing was like a Quizno's foot long on steroids! The sandwich has good flavour; however, it was a little dry. The real star of the meal was the fries. Duke's adds something to their fries to make them irresistibly addicting. My guess is they add curry powder, parsley and salt...which sounds out of place on fries, but really works well. I suggest getting a side of gravy for the fries, but more importantly to aid with the slightly dry sandwich.

Overall, huge portions, decent prices and good fries.

Hanks Haute Dogs - Waikiki, Oahu HI

At one time Diners, Drive-inns and Dives was one of my favorite T.V. shows on the Food Network; I still enjoy the show, but find myself more interested in other programs lately. However, while walking through the Waikiki International Marketplace, I came across Hanks Haute Dogs which was featured on Triple D. Not being the type to pass up an opportunity to try a new restaurant; especially, on that was featured on the Food Network, I stepped up to the counter to order one of Hanks famous dogs.

I ordered the Fat boy which consisted of a dog wrapped in bacon and deep fried and served with mayo, lettuce and tomato. My wife ordered the Hawaiian which was dressed with pineapple relish, passion fruit mustard and grilled sweet Maui onions. Each dog cost just over five bucks.

Both dogs were decent, but left both of us thinking that they were just dogs and nothing special. My wife like the Hawaiian better as she felt it was more flavourful and I being the sucker for anything with bacon enjoyed the Fat boy much more. After coming back home to Victoria I "googled" Hanks and noticed that they also had a Duck & Foiegras dog - now that might just be the best sounding hot dog I have ever heard of - maybe next time...

Good Company Steak House, Duncan

Remember the days of Sizzler, when the salad bar was king. Well, Good Company Steak House in Duncan has resurrected this former restaurant staple. I have to say that the salad bar is a nice break from typical lunch time menus. The Salad bar at Good Company isn't huge by any means, but it definitely provides you with a decent variety of health choices.

One thing that I have a hard time trying to remember is that it is a salad bar and not a buffet. I sometime find myself hoping for more hot entrees, but then remind myself that I am here for the salad. The one definite highlight of the Good Company salad bar is surely the homemade soup; specifically, their spicy thai chicken soup. Truth be know, I actually only order their salad bar for their thai chicken soup. The one major downfall is their hot items which tend to be dry and taste like they have been sitting under a heat lamp for a few hours.

If your looking for a cheap sit down lunch in Duncan, check out the Good Company Steak House.

Clam Bucket Restaurant, Port Alberni

Sitting right across from the water in Port Alberni lies a cute little restaurant. I am speaking of none other than the Clam Bucket. After reading some review on Urbanspoon I was a little hesitant on trying it, but my co-worker absolutely raved on and on about the Clam Bucket. Needless to say I am not one to miss an oportunity to try a new restaurant; especially, one that someone tells me is good.

When I first walked in the door, I was struck by the nicely decorated; somewhat, romantic feel of the Clam Bucket; in fact, with a name like the Clam Bucket I was a little shocked at the decor. I pictured fishing nets and propellers to be draped all over the wall, but this was a nice surprise. The second thing that I noticed about the Clam Bucket is that the servers were all very nice and very attentive, the complete opposite from some of the reviews I have read.

I will say that their menu makes it very difficult to order; I haven't seen a menu that big in quite sometime. I almost wish it was a few pages shorter because it took me almost half an hour to figure out what I wanted. However, once we ordered the food was quick to arrive and the portions were huge. All of my co-workers seemed to enjoy their meals and so did I.

Verdict: I would go back to the Clam Bucket and I would recommend it to those looking for somewhere to eat in Port Alberni. The only downside would be that some of their menu items were a little overpriced, but I guess if you don't have much for competition you can set the market.

Paul's Motor Inn - Victoria

If you have ever driven down Douglas street in Victoria you have surly past by Paul's; infact, you have probably stared intently at the copper roof and flashing lights.

In our Saturday morning search for a new "greasy spoon" we decided to try out Paul's. From the outside it met the criteria of what a greasy spoon should be - flashing lights; old hotel and the look that your average long haul trucker had spent many a mornings drinking coffee and eating a heart attack plate of bacon and fried eggs. Ah, my imagination is running away on me, there is definitely no room to park a big rig their and knowing the City of Victoria it would cost about $20 bucks an hour to park it on the street. Nonetheless, the family was excited about the possibility of a new greasy spoon dining experience...

When you walk into Paul's it is much as you would expect from the outside - an older restaurant with that classic diner feel. I especially liked the booths that were cut away on the servers side; thus, making it easier for them to navigate all of the tables. Unfortunately, it didn't make it any faster for them to take our order or to offer us the much needed morning coffee!

There are two things that separate a greasy spoon from your average diner: 1) price; greasy spoons are ridiculously cheap! And 2) speed - every greasy spoon I have ever been to has taken my order and delivered my food in about 10-15 minutes of arriving. I wish I could say the same for Paul's; I don't think I even got my coffee within 15 minutes of arriving.

As for the food, the menu was limited, the food was nothing special, but decent; and, the price - well... let's just say that the price didn't reflect a greasy spoon, I paid just under $40 for the three of us to eat breakfast. All in all I didn't find my new greasy spoon; in fact, I think I just found another mediocre diner in a town filled with mediocre breakfast establishments.

The search continues.....

La Belle Patate, Esquilmalt

Have you ever seen that show Diners, Drive-ins & Dives on the Food Network? Well, I think I found a "Dive" worthy of Guy Fieri's show. This place would cause health conscious Victorians to shake in their boots; maybe, even run home crying "mommy, mommy...". On the other hand maybe this is like a dirty little secret that they never tell anyone, but dream about while eating nutritional shakes, tofu and spinach salads! I could only be talking about one place so greasy, so dirty, so delicious.... that's right, I am speaking of the one the only La Belle Patate on Esquilmalt Road.

Not being one to spend much time in Esquilmalt, I only recently heard of La Belle Patate while watching the local news do a story on it. After seeing their mouth watering Poutine and Bugers on T.V. I couldn't help myself, I had to check them out.

La Belle Patate is somewhat hidden in an older strip mall on Esquilmalt road. When you first walk in the smell of fryer grease and the smoke from the flat top grill hit you like a brick wall; and, if you are like me, you think to yourself....Finally, I have found it! A no frills restaurant that doesn't spend it's money on fancy decorations in the hopes that it will attract more people - NO! La Belle Patate attracts it customers by serving up Damn good food that no one else in the city is doing.

I ordered their La Belle Burger - a two patty cheese burger, with huge pieces of real bacon, mushrooms, onions, tomato, mayonnaise and "belle sauce". My fiance ordered the smoked meat sub which consisted of a hoggie bun topped with Montreal smoked meet, sauteed onions, pickles and yellow mustard; and, finally we split a medium poutine and large Pepsi. Our total bill for all of this heart-attack igniting food came to $31.00.

After about 15 minutes our food was ready and boy was I ready to eat! The Belle Burger was a huge, messy, greasy and delicious. Just as I said earlier this is one place Guy Fieri needs to check out because this burger definitely requires the "hunch" to eat. Oh yeah, don't wear nice or white clothes if you plan on eating the Belle burger.

As for the poutine... it was delicious! Even if you are vegetarian you could enjoy this poutine as it is not made with your traditional beef gravy, but rather a meatless beef substitute sauce. My only (personal) complaint about the poutine would be that the enormous amount of cheese curds didn't melt; however, people have informed me that they don't on traditional Montreal poutine...

I only had one bite of the smoked meat sub and found it okay, but a little too mustardy. My wife on the other hand didn't care for it.

I left La Belle Patate - stuffed, euphoric and feeling that I shouldn't come back for a year or so or, at least until my cholesterol has a chance to regulate itself again.

Everything is good in moderation.....right?

Spitfire Bar & Grill - Victoria International Airport

Located near the hangers of the Victoria International Airport (YYJ) and adjacent to the runways lies Spitfire Bar & Grill. For being quite secluded Spitfire stays surprisingly busy. Who can resist, watching planes come and go, dreaming of some far away vacation; and that is exactly what you get when you dine at Spitfire - the chance to imagine.

I can't do an in depth review of the food as I have only been here once, but from what I have tried I would say it's great. After looking at the menu for a long period of time trying to decide on what to order, I finally settled on the Indo Thai Wrap ($10.25). The wrap was loaded with rice, chicken, pickled onions, Thai peanut sauce and probably a bunch of other ingredients I forgot. Regardless, it was delicious and did I mention huge. I left Spitfire with money to spare and a belly ready to burst.

If you're in the area, check it out. I am sure you won't be disappointed.

Eating my way to Orlando, FL

Recently I had the pleasure of taking a work related trip to Orlando, Florida. Anyone who travels knows that you tend to eat out more than usual when on the road. And what better time then when traveling to try out some new spots and revisit some old faves.

Applebees's Neighbourhood Grill & Bar, Gordon Head

I visited Applebee's for the first time the other night; and, even after eating their, I am struggling with writing a solid review of it.

Applebee's is like many other franchise restaurants, it doesn't offer anything special in the way of decor or food. However, like other successful franchise restaurants it must be doing something right, or  it wouldn't last long.

The overall feel of Applebee's leads me to believe that they are trying to target younger to middle age people. There food says the same; typical American pub style dining (burger, wings, beer, etc...).

I wasn't wowed in anyway by my food, but I wasn't dissapointed either. If you don't have the expectations of fine dining cuisine, then you may just be happy with the food you order and the available menu options. I had a trio of appetizers, which by my choosing consisted of Wonton Tacos, Spinach & Artichoke dip & Buffalo Chicken Bites. The Tacos were filled with coleslaw and pulled pork, they were tasty; however, by the third one the over salted pork became a little hard to swallow. I can't say anything bad about the Spinach and Artichoke dip, in fact, I quite enjoyed it! As for the Buffalo Chicken Bites, they were tender, but the Buffalo sauce lacked any kick, and was actually quite bland.

If I do have one major complaint about Applebee's it is this: the service sucks! Maybe, I just happened to go on a night when the "B" team was on....but I will never know. I shouldn't say it sucks, better yet, it was non existent. Never once were we offered refills on our beverages, we actually had to track someone down after waiting for about 10 minutes with our empty glasses sitting on the edge of the table. The only times we saw our server was when she brought out the menus; and, when she brought us our bill.

Overall, I wouldn't avoid Applebee's like the plague, it isn't that bad. I do think that there are other restaurants similar to this that offer better food, atmosphere and  definitely better service.

Please keep in mind this is my own personal opinion, my fiance and step son both quite enjoyed their food.

Food: 3 out of 5 Stars

Service: 1.5 out of 5 Stars

Overall: 2.75 out of 5 Stars

Marina Restaurant, Oak Bay

For years I have been hearing about Oak Bay Marina Restaurant's Brunch Buffet. I have heard that this is the best brunch in the city. So, naturally I had to check it out for myself and what better time than for Mother's Day.

For your information, this is not a place you call up a week before for reservations (I made that mistake last year), in fact, I made my reservations about 3 months prior. I couldn't bear the thought of missing this much hyped buffet for a second year in a row.

Well, the time finally came, Mother's Day was upon us. I treated my fiance and my stepson to the renowned brunch buffet. The scenery around the marina is gorgeous and the restaurant is strategically designed to capture the beautiful views from every seat.

Now, I can't realistically write a review on all of the food that was available at the buffet, but I can give a general overview of the food as a whole. I enjoyed most everything I tried. The food ranged from Vanilla Scented French Toast, Waffles, Bacon, Sausages, Pasta, Barron n Beef, Seafood and a plethora of desserts. A couple of standouts for me were the french toast and smoked salmon and mussels. However, they also had eggs Benedict and made to order omelets.

As I stated earlier, all the food was good; however, I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more seafood options...we were at a marina restaurant...weren't we?

As for the service, I was not as impressed as I was with the food. Our server seemed to have somewhat of a chip off his shoulder, who knows, maybe he was just run off his feet. He was quick to provide new plates and cutlery; however, he was a little abrupt and quite slow to bring beverages and even at one point removed my fiance's coffee altogether.

As it was mother's day, the restaurant had plenty of fresh flowers available at the front door for outgoing mother's to create their own bouquets (nice touch).

Overall I would say the food was good, but like any buffet, you can get better food on it's own at other restaurants. As for the price, a little high, around $42 per person (including tip). In summary I think it was a nice treat for a special occasion, but it is definitely not somewhere I would go on a regular basis.

Food: 4 out of 5 Stars

Service: 3 out of 5 Stars

View: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

OVERALL: 3.8 out of 5 Stars

P.S. If you haven't been to the marina before, you can feed fish to the harbor seals. The seals have made the marina home and usually hang out by the docks.

Original Joe's Restaurant & Bar, Langford

I have driven by Original Joe's a number of times since its opening; and, every time the place has been packed and lined up out the door. Seeing line ups like this, day-in and day-out, get me excited about trying a new restaurant.

So, I finally did it. I went to original Joe's with the family last night (Wednesday) for a late dinner (eight o'clock). It was busy, but we were seated right away. On first glance it seemed like a new take on a Cactus Club or something similar. It had a restaurant/sports bar feel that seemed to be catered to the 20 to 30 something crowds.

The menu is quite varied in the type of food to choose from; everything, from butter chicken, Asian dishes, to burgers and fries. The other thing I noticed about their menu is that the food was all reasonably priced. I don't think there was anything on the menu over $16 - $17, this makes it affordable to take the family out for dinner every once in a while.

Smoken Bones Cookshack, Langford (Closed)

** UPDATE** It appears that the Langford location has now closed; however, I have noticed that there is a "Coming Soon" sign for them at the new Hudson condos.


I am having a hard time making an opinion on Smoken Bones. I have eaten their three times now and each time I leave feeling differently about it.

The first time the food was decent, but nothing review worthy. My one major complaint would be that they left the tough silver skin on the bottom of ribs making it quite hard to chew through. I left thinking the food was okay, but the hype around the restaurant was a little much.

My second experience was fantastic. My fiance and I went there for lunch and I absolutely loved their pulled pork sandwich and butter fried cabbage. My lunch experience gave me hope that all the good reviews were warranted; and I left feeling I can't wait to come back and try out the dinner menu again.

Well, I finally went back last night with a couple of friends.

Bliss' Hot Rod Grill - Florence, OR USA

I just recently returned from a trip to Oregon with the family for spring break. As part of our trip to Oregon, we journeyed out to Florence to check out the magnificent scenery, sea lion caves and sand dunes.

We were all quite hungry after our drive from Portland to Florence and upon arrival asked a local gas station attendant on where we might find some good food, he recommended Bliss' Hot Rod Grill.