Canon Restaurant Review: Pizza Hut, Royston, GA

Earlier this evening (or technically the previous evening) I, along with a few of my friends, dined at the Pizza Hut located in the fabulous town of Royston, GA. In my previous experiences with Pizza Hut, I have found that no matter which one I go to, it seems like they are like a fastball pitcher with inconsistent control, in that when they're good, they're good, and when they're bad, they're so bad that you'll wonder just why you came there in the first place. Heck, I still get grief for suggesting a trip to Pizza Hut in Commerce, and that was two years ago. How was I to know of the events that took place? Anyway, I came into Pizza Hut tonight hoping for the best, or at least something halfway decent.

We get there and even though they are offering a pizza buffet tonight, we decide to eschew that because it was late and most of the pizza up there had been out there for a while. Instead, after a few minutes of heated debate, we decided on three large one topping pizzas, mushroom, pepperoni, and the always popular bacon. All three pizzas we ordered were with the hand-tossed crust. We also ordered a side of garlic covered wings, of which I chose not to partake. Now I wish I had, since I have no opinion about the wings, but those that ate the wings did have mostly good things to say about them.

Looking around at my surrounding, I'd say that even though it was late in the evening, there was a decent-sized crowd there, about 15 people or so including ourselves. There were also quite a few people carrying out pizzas, so this place wasn't exactly hurting for business tonight. The interior of the Pizza Hut is a bright room, with a brick interior, a few booths on three sides of the room and a couple of larger tables for parties of four or more people. The walls had a few pictures hanging on them, and there was a clock on each side of the restaurant. However, neither clock was set for the right time, which makes me wonder just what the purpose of having a clock on the wall is if you're not going to bother setting it to the correct time. Well, to each their own. Our table was rather clean, I must say, and a lot of the booths appeared to be in good shape, although I did notice that one of the seats had a big hole in the middle. Our service was good overall, especially considering that the place had only one waitress there. However, it seemed like our pizzas took a little longer than they should have, as I'd estimate we waited 25-30 minutes at least.

As for the pizzas themselves, well some people seemed to like them more than others, and some pizzas were better than others. The pepperoni pizza was just slathered with grease, almost as if somebody decided to pour some extra grease on it at the last second. Fortunately, the other two weren't quite as greasy. Also, the makers of the pizzas were quite generous with the toppings, which is always a good thing, and there was plenty of cheese on them. Of the three, I thought the mushroom was the superior pizza, and it seemed like most everybody else did too as it had the least pieces left at the end. The bacon pizza was decent, but not spectacular, while the pepperoni, while covered in pepperoni, was the weakest of the three. I thought the crust wasn't too bad, although I did hear some of my compatriots expressing slight displeasure over it.

Overall, continuing my poorly thought analogy at the beginning of this post, I thought this trip to Pizza Hut was like a pitcher allowing four runs in six innings and leaving with a no decision. Yes, it wasn't bad, but you were left wanting more. Overall, I'd give it a 5.45 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about this post, or ideas for future reviews, then feel free to share either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.

Canon Restaurant Review: Bar H Barbecue, Royston, GA

Earlier today, I, along with my sister, brother, and sister-in-law, went to the happening town of Royston, GA to dine at Bar H Barbecue. I had dined at Bar H a few times before, so I pretty much know what to expect when I went there today. Bar H Barbecue is only open three days a week (Thursday-Saturday) and like the name suggests, specializes in barbecue food.Bar H Barbecue doesn't have the biggest menu in the world, to be sure. It does one thing and one thing only, barbecue, and if I do say so myself, they do it quite well.

We arrived at Bar H at around 6:30 or so, and seated ourselves at a table against the wall. The restaurant has a little more than half-full when we walked in, so it wasn't too hard to find a place to sit. The tables in Bar H Barbecue are adorned with plaid patterned table cloths. Each table has a pitcher of tea on it and a couple of bottles of barbecue sauce, in both hot and mild flavors. Instead of napkins, each table is provided with a roll of paper towels for patrons to use, which is probably a smart idea, as barbecue can be quite messy to eat. The walls of the dining area are wooden, and there are a few nic-nacs and signs hanging off the wall that gives the dining area a folksy, old-fashioned feel.

So we sat then, and our server comes to take our order. Since there's not a whole lot to choose from, the menu is one page long. Bar H Barbecue offers plates of pork, chicken, and ribs, which come with sides of Brunswick stew, coleslaw, and slices of bread. They also offer pork sandwiches, and each person gets a pack of potato chips alongside their order. Myself, my brother, and sister-and-law all went with the all-you-can-eat barbecue pork plate, only my brother and I substituted an extra helping of stew in place of the slaw. Since it's all you can eat, you can get as many helpings of stew or meat as you wish. Meanwhile, my sister went with the barbecue chicken plate.

We ordered, and a mere minute or so passed before we were served, which was a good thing because I was quite hungry at this time. Even though I'm not the world's biggest fan of Brunswick stew, I happily ate the Brunswick stew on my plate. I don't know what it is they do with the stew, but whatever it is they shouldn't change a thing, as it is just great. The pork was pretty good, although it was a bit dry, all in all. But if you put enough sauce on it, it will take care of that rather quickly. The sauce that I had was quite tasty and complimented the barbecue pork very well. Meanwhile, my sister was quite complimentary of both the coleslaw and the barbeque chicken, especially the coleslaw. As for the service, I can honestly say that I have nothing bad whatsoever to say about it, as we were constantly checked on, and refills of stew were not a problem or a chore to obtain, as the servers were all quite friendly and seemed eager to assist.

Overall, if you're looking for quality barbecue at a reasonable price, then Bar H Barbecue is a very good choice, as the food is tasty and each of our meals were less than 10 dollars. Overall, I'd give Bar H Barbecue an 8.25 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading. Remember, if you have any ideas for future reviews, or comments about this or previous reviews, then send them to me either by e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com or by leaving a comment on the blog.

Canon Restaurant Review: Belle's Cooking

On Friday night, My companions and Canon Review readers Dickson S. and Maggie W. went to a restaurant out in the hip town of Royston, GA called Belle's Cooking. Belles' Cooking is in the left corner of a shopping center and can be rather hard to spot if you're not looking for it. Dickson swears by the place and Maggie and I had ate there before, so after a short discussion, we ended up eating there.

When you walk into Belle's Cooking for the first time, you might expect it to be your typical country cooking restaurant. From the name itself, to the red and white plaid tableclothes on every table, to all of the nic-nacs and old sings on the walls of the restaurant, you would probably expect to get a meal of country fried steak or fried chicken or something of the sort. Instead, Belle's Cooking is actually a Japanese restaurant, even though it has very little visual indications that it serves primarily Japanese food. Personally, I question the proprietor's reasoning for their choice of decor, but I do find it comfortable and all the stuff on the wall provides something to look at while you wait for your food, so actually I don't mind it at all.

Anyway, we get there and find a place to sit. The place wasn't that crowded, as there was only a table of four there when we arrived. Actually, the restaurant is so small that I think it would have trouble seating more than 30 people at one time. Anywho, we were able to order rather quickly, but not too quickly, if that makes any sense. Although Belle's doesn't have the largest menu around, I still had trouble choosing between a couple of dishes before I decided on the Teriyaki fried rice with shrimp. Dickson went with the Salmon Teriyaki dish, while Maggie W. went with the shrimp yakisoba. The food took about 10 to 15 minutes to cook it seemed, which wasn't too bad of a wait.

So we get our food. I've got to say that even though I'm not the biggest fried rice fan, the fried rice at Belle's Cooking is just great. It's so flavorful and cooked to perfection, plus the teriyaki sauce gives it a nice kick of flavor. It really is some good rice, let me tell you. Even if you combined the rice with brocoli, which is one vegetable I just cannot stand, it actually was pretty decent. The shrimp was decent, but I don't know if it was just me, but it seemed a bit stringy and undercooked, to be honest. However, Maggie also had shrimp and she had no complaints whatsoever about it. But if I'm calling it like I see it, I'd say the shrimp was only the second best part of the meal.

After our meal, Maggie decided to try some Green Tea ice cream. I ended up eating a few bites of the ice cream myself, and I felt it was pretty good. It wasn't the sweetest ice cream around, but I definitely wouldn't mind trying it again and would have no reservations about eating another bowl of it if somebody presented one for me to eat.

Overall, Belle's Cooking is an interesting place. A Japanese restaurant in a region that lacks both good Japanese food and, well, good restaurants in general (Seriously, there is not much to choose from in Royston, especially since I refuse to eat at a few of the town's dining facilities). But not only does it provide something different from the usual fast-food fare found in Royston, it also produces very good food. I'll give it a 7.1 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any ideas for future posts, or thoughts about this post, than leave a comment on the blog or send me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com. But before I go, here's a video about LeBron James for no good reason.

Unhealthy Burger Review: Wendy's Triple Baconator

A few days ago, Men's Health released their list of the seven worst burgers for you in America for 2010. While most people would look at a list like this and rightfully steer clear of any of these burgers, I take it as a challenge, a quest if you will, to survive and thrive after eating all seven of these burgers, because by golly, I do love me some hamburgers. Will I do it? probably not, because a couple of those burgers are served in places that aren't very close to where I live. But by golly, I will try to conquer each and every one of the Worst Burgers in America. Up first is the Wendy's Triple Baconator, which ranked number 7 on the list and was named the "Worst fast food burger". Since I happened to be in the happening town of Royston, GA tonight, My sister Maggie and I decided to go to the Wendy's drive-thru and I prepared to conquer the Triple Baconator.

The Baconator is a burger designed for those that want a lot of bacon on their burgers. A regular Baconator is made out a quarter bound of beef, three strips of bacon, a slice of cheese with ketchup and mayonnaise topping the whole thing off. That's enough for one man in of itself, but the Triple Baconator is that multiplied by three. So that's 3/4ths a pound of beef, three slices of cheese, nine slices of bacon all in one burger. The burger in of itself contains a mere 1,350 calories, 90 grams of fat and over 100% of the daily recommended intake of sodium, cholesterol, and protein. Wow, I'm just glad I exercised before eating this burger, so at least that should counteract the effects somewhat.

Well, as bad as it may be, a quest is a quest, so I ordered the behemoth, along with a small order of fries and a Coca-Cola. The whole meal cost me about nine dollars, so I wouldn't exactly call it a bargain. We went to the drive-thru, Maggie dropped a quarter on the ground and had to open the car door to pick it up, but otherwise we had no issues and we drove our food back to Canon Review reader Dickson's house. The first impression I got from opening up the wrapper, and this probably doesn't speak well of my dieting habits, was that I expected it to be bigger. But once I started eating it, I quickly realized that it was more than big enough.

Before I get deeper into the burger, I must say something about the drink and fries first. The coke was not very good at all. Fast-food sodas are always a little hit or miss, and this coke would qualify as a miss. It was flat and had a weird taste to it as well. The fries were at least hot, but these fries had probably been under the heat lamp a little too long, so they weren't quite what I would call fresh, but at least they were better than the drink. Now onto the burger. The bacon was cooked at a proper level, not too cripsy but not all rubbery either, so that was nice, since I really never know about the quality I get from Wendy's (it seems like every other time I go there, something just doesn't taste right, and I guess tonight was no different). The beef was cooked quite well I must say, and all the cheese added a lot to the burger. As far as taste goes, it was actually very good.

After I finished eating the burger, I really didn't feel any different that usual, except for the fact that I had developed a headache somehow. But I guess I was blessed with a strong stomach or something, because other than that headache which has gone away, I haven't felt bad at all, no upset stomach or heartburn or anything like that. I'm not going to eat it again any time soon to see if that was a fluke or not, though. Overall, if you want nine pieces of bacon and half of a cow, than by golly the Triple Baconator is for you. I can't really reccomend the burger, however, unless it was going to be like your only meal of the day or something, and for seven dollars (the cost of the burger alone), you could probably get something better. But as far as taste and flavor go, I'll give the burger a 7 out of 10, and the other parts of my meal a 2.5 out of 10. One thing's for sure, if I'm going to continue with this list, I probably should exercise a lot. Just a thought.

Well, thanks for reading my tale of gluttony. Remember, if you have any ideas for future reviews, than send them to me either by e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com or by leaving a comment on the blog.

Canon Restaurant Review: Italian Garden

It is 48 degrees in Canon. I was told to report that, so I did. Anyway, for the second time in three days, my friend Dickson, my sister Maggie, and myself went out to eat at one of the many fine establishments we have in our region. This time, it was Royston's own Italian Garden. We didn't plan on eating there, but since we were already at the Dollar General next to it and we were all hungry, we decided to eat there anyway. This is not the first time I have been to the Italian Garden, having been there a few times before. The Italian Garden is a restaurant that specializes in Italian and Greek foods, but also has a large variety of sandwiches and burgers. They also specialize in pizza, and I believe they are the only place in Royston that delivers.

We get there, and the place is empty. That's not unusual, as every time I go there the place is empty. I think most of their business comes from pizza deliveries and pickups. Anyway, we get there and order drinks, I asked for Dr. Pepper but was told that they had Mr. Pibb. Well, that just wouldn't do, so I had Coca-Cola instead. That's not really a problem, I was just stating what happened. Anyway, we were able to order rather quickly, since nobody else was in the building. I ordered the Chicken Parmesan sub with fries, Dickson ordered the all-meat stromboli, and Maggie ordered shrimp fettuccine alfredo, I think. I know it was a pasta with shrimp in it.

The food came out rather quickly, not surprising since we were the only people there until two other people entered just before we got our food. Anyway, the fries I got were pretty good, not too salty, although they could have used a little more taste, I suppose. As for the sub, the bread was good, the chicken was cooked just right, but the marinara sauce tasted like it had just come out of the freezer. As a frame of reference, the sauce tasted a lot like the sauce from the chicken parmesen dish I used to eat in the college cafeteria, which wasn't exactly the best food around. Then again, at least the restaurant didn't use a frozen chicken patty one could have gotten in the freezer, unlike the cafeteria food, so kudos to them on that. As for my compadres' meals, Dickson felt his Stromboli was ok, which is what he usually says about everything he gets from the Italian Garden. Since the place is within walking distance of his house, Dickson goes there a lot, so he would what's he speaking of. As for Maggie, she was very complimentary of her pasta dish, although not so much about the salad that came with it.

Overall, the service was good, the food was decent, nothing special, but not too bad and very filling. The price wasn't too high either. Overall, I was going to give it a 5.8 out of 10, but since Maggie was so complimentary of her food, I'll bump it up to a 6.3. Thanks for reading, and if you have any other ideas for reviews, either leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com