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: Steak 'n Shake, Acworth, GA

Because of reasons I won't get into in this space, I spent last night in the Kennesaw, GA area. After a while, I and my companions started to get hungry, and so at around 1 a.m., we went down to the Steak 'n Shake in Acworth because, well, it was open. Originally, I thought that the restaurant was in Kennesaw, but after looking up the address, it turns out we were in Acworth. Oh well, no biggie. In case you don't know, Steak 'n Shake is a nationwide chain operating in 22 states that is famous for its Steak burgers and a large variety of milkshakes. The interior is styled after the typical 50s style diner, with a black and white checkerboard floor, a long counter surrounded by stools at the front of the restaurant, and a number of booths. Steak 'n Shake also has drive-thru service, which I used some two months ago to get an orange cream milkshake, which by the way was probably one of the three best milkshakes I've ever had.

Like I said, we got to Steak 'n Shake a little after one o'clock in the morning. Despite that, there were quite a lot of people still dining in the restaurant, although we had no trouble finding a table. Even though there were a lot of empty tables, I noticed that most of the tables still had plates and glasses on them, and they only had one person trying to do anything about it. For our part, the table where we were sat was clean enough. Also, they had some music playing, and it was very, very loud, to the point where we could hardly hear each other talk. Plus, most of the music wasn't that good. I don't mind if restaurants play some music in the background, I just don't like it when they play it at ear-shattering levels. Our waiter was quick to get our drink orders, and a couple minutes later, we all ordered our food. I ordered the Original Double 'N Cheese, topped with mustard, pickles, ketchup, lettuce, and relish, which came with some thinly sliced fries on the side. My mother ordered something similar, only with a tomato and without pickles, while my sister ordered a cup of vegetable soup and a vanilla milkshake, as the milkshake was her primary motivation to go to Steak 'N Shake.

Maybe it was the fact that we hadn't ate in a long time, but it did seemed to take a long time for our food to arrive, considering we just ordered two burgers and a cup of soup. Nevertheless, we got our food and started chowing down. I thought the burger, even though it didn't seem to have a whole lot of meat for a double cheeseburger, was rather good, cooked nicely, with all of the toppings complimenting the burger nicely. However, the burger was coated in mustard, which wasn't that big of a deal to me, but my mother's burger also had lots of mustard on it, and she wasn't particularly happy about it. I also thought that the fries were rather good as well, as they were neither too soft nor too crunchy. My sister seemed to think that the vegetable soup was ok, while the vanilla milk shake was very good. I should know, as we ended up sharing the thing, and I must say it was rather tasty. Service was decent, as our waiter seemed to be a nice enough guy. However, it did take a while for me to get a refill after finishing my coke.

Overall, I thought my dining experience at Steak 'n Shake was ok, as it had its high points and low points. I'll give it a 6 out of 10, and if I go again, I might have to try their chili. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any comments about this or previous posts, or ideas for future reviews or posts, than share them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.

Canon Restaurant Review: Romano's Macaroni Grill, Buford, GA

Earlier this evening, myself and 36 other people went to Buford and dined at Romano's Macaroni Grill to celebrate the birthday of a friend. Okay, it wasn't 36 people, more like 14. Nevertheless, that's a lot of people to sit at one table. Actually, it was three tables turned into one table, but you know what I mean.

We get there, and wait a couple of minutes outside while the staff gets our tables set up. Well, at first we didn't have enough room, so the staff had to set up another series of tables so everybody had enough room to move around in the place. Even without our mass of tables, the dining area did seem a bit crowded, as there didn't look to be too much room between tables. The dining area itself is somewhat dimly lit, as it was to read the menu with the lack of light in the place. I would prefer a more well-lit area, but that's just me and others probably don't mind as much as I did. Romano's has an open kitchen, so diners can view their food being cooked if they are close enough. This did me little good, as we were on the other side, but I found it to be interesting.

The waiting staff provided us some bread and a plate of appetizers before our order came. The bread was all right, not the best nor the worst I've ever had. The appetizer plate contained some calamari, some toasted bread, a giant cheese stick type dish called a mozzarella fritta, and a couple of slices of Parmesan cheese. I must say that the toasted bread was better than the untoasted bread, and the fried calamari was also quite tasty, particularly when dipped in the marinara sauce. I wish I could have tasted the mozzarella fritta, but that sucker was gone before I could look up.

As far as the main dish, it took a while for me to decide. Originally I was trying to decide between the Lobster Ravioli and the Chicken Parmesan, but I really wasn't in the mood for Chicken Parmesan, and I was kind of worried that the lobster in the Lobster Ravioli would be frozen, and I've seen enough episodes of Kitchen Nightmares to know that frozen lobster is nowhere near the same as fresh lobster. Call me crazy, but that's why I didn't get the ravioli. Instead, I went with a dish called the Penne Rustica. According to the menu, the Penne Rustica is "Succulent shrimp, roasted chicken and aged prosciutto tossed with Parmesan cream sauce and imported penne pasta, then baked until golden." Well, that sounded good enough to me. Other people ordered dishes such as the lobster ravioli, chicken parmasen, grilled prime pork loin, and I think somebody got a New York strip steak, but who the heck knows?

Since our party had 14 people, and the rest of the restaurant was filled with diners, it took a good while to get all of the food served, but not terribly long. I digged in to the Penne Rustica, and there were parts of the dish that were satisfactory, such as the penne pasta and the chicken, which was nicely cooked. The sauce wasn't too bad, and it had a little bit of a tarty kick to it. The shrimp, however, was quite rubbery, and I don't want to accuse anybody of using frozen shrimp, but by golly that shrimp tasted as if it had in the freezer for a while. The waiting staff was quite attentive at first, but once the dishes came, it became nearly impossible to get a refill on a drink or get the tables cleared for desserts.

Overall, even though most of my dining companions seemed to enjoy their dishes a lot, I can't say that I shared their enthusiasm for Romano's Macaroni Grill. It wasn't bad, and if I were asked to dine there again, I wouldn't exactly refuse, but overall I was slightly disappointed, to be honest. Overall, I'll give Romano's a 5.4 out 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any ideas for future reviews, or comments about this review, then share them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com

Canon Restaurant Review: Marietta Diner

Earlier today, I was out in the old stomping grounds of the late Big Bossman, Cobb County, GA. Cobb County is a long drive from where I currently reside, so after making that drive, myself and my two compadres (my mother and my sister and Canon Review reader Maggie W.), were getting rather hungry. The first place that we chose to eat at was packed to the gills, so we decided to call an audible and eventually decided to eat at the Marietta Diner. The Marietta Diner is a 24-hour restaurant with a wide variety of items to choose from on the menu, and the outside of the building is made to look like a 50's style diner. The Marietta Diner was once featured on the Food Network, a fact you can't help but notice since there's a big poster of Food Network personality Guy Fieri next to the door. I had dined at the Marietta Diner once before earlier this year, and while my friends around me raved about the place and the wide selection of food, I found the place to be good, but not great. So, I was wondering what the second trip to the Marietta Diner would hold in store for me.

We got there at around 2:00 p.m. and the parking lot was full of cars. Luckily, even though the place was quite busy, we were able to get a booth as soon as we walked in the door. We took a look at the menu, which is about 12 pages long and has text covering nearly square inch of the page. It is safe to say that the Marietta Diner has a wide variety of foods that one can order at any time of the day. So if you wanted a seafood dish at 7 a.m., or some flapjacks at 7 p.m., well this is the place for you. It seemed to take a while before any of the wait staff noticed we were seated, but once our waiter came over we did not have a problem with service for the rest of our time there. We ordered drinks, and since I really needed some caffeine at the time I ordered a coke, and then we ordered our food. I didn't want anything too complicated at this time of the day, so I just ordered a well-done cheeseburger, which came with fries, two onion rings, and some coleslaw. Meanwhile, my mother ordered a Philly Cheese Steak which was covered in peppers, onions, and melted cheese and also came with fries and coleslaw. Maggie, who seems to eat at this place at least once a week since going to school down there, ordered the Shrimp Parmigiana, which basically is a bunch of shrimp served on spaghetti. Her meal also came with a choice of soup (chicken noodle, in Maggie's case) and salad, which Maggie would have no part of, so my mother ended up eating the salad.

I must say that I was happy to see that the Marietta Diner had a television in the corner showing the Falcons game. It wasn't the biggest television, but I could basically tell what was going on. The dining area itself is rather clean, and although it was packed and somewhat loud, it wasn't loud enough where we couldn't carry out a conversation. Actually, the noise level from the last visit of mine to the diner was one of the main turnoffs, as it was so loud that I couldn't hear anything but a constant stream of noise everywhere. That's not necessarily the restaurant's fault, I'm just saying.  Anyway, the waiter, whose name I unfortunately did not catch, was rather attentive to our table, as whenever our glasses even got to half full, or a plate had just been finished, he was there, and he was quite friendly while doing his job as well. A couple of other workers also would drop by from time to time just to see if we needed anything else.

If you ever want to check out the Marietta Diner, I must warn you of one thing. The portions are huge. So this isn't exactly the place to go for some 'light' dining. Maggie got a huge bowl of pasta and shrimp as her dish, which nearly took up half the table. Meanwhile, my cheeseburger was at least 1/2 a pound, and I got such a large piece of lettuce that I could have chopped that sucker up and had a respectable sized salad. Not to mention the mountain of fries on my plate and two huge onion rings that were about the size of 10 onion rings from Burger King. Not bad for a price of $5.50. There was also a deluxe size cheeseburger to choose on the menu, and I shudder to think about the size of the deluxe burger, as I have a feeling it would have been too much for me to handle. Heck, between the size of the meat and all of the cheese on the burger, I was pretty stuffed after finishing it off. As for the quality of the food, well I must say that I had no complaints whatsoever about my burger, the meat was nice and juicy, and cooked to my specifications, while they definitely did not go light on the cheese. The fries were also very good, not too crunchy or too mushy. As for my dining companions, my mother liked, but didn't love, her meal, while Maggie ate all of the shrimp but seemed to be expecting a different kind of pasta, so she wasn't crazy about the spaghetti. Well, live and learn. That did not stop Maggie from ordering a slice of Red Velvet cake to go, and the slice of cake she got filled a whole big-sized to go box. It was about as big as an entire half a regular sized cake at a grocery store bakery, and it would take me at least two or three times eating the cake before finishing the thing. But I've had a bit of this cake before, and let me tell you, the Marietta Diner's desserts are quite, quite good.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal a little more than the last time I was here, and while everything wasn't perfect, I definitely would not be against coming back to this place. I recommend you try out the Marietta Diner if you are in that neck of the woods, but you'd better be hungry, because they certainly do not skimp on the portions. Overall, I'd give the Marietta Diner an 8.1 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you any ideas for future posts, or thoughts about this post, than either leave a comment on the blog or send them to me at e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com

Canon Restaurant Review: Sonny's BBQ, Commerce, GA

Earlier today, I had the opportunity to dine at Sonny's BBQ in Commerce, GA with my family. This was not my first time dining at this restaurant, and usually have enjoyed the food, although it had been some 18 months since I had last ate there. So I had hoped that this dining experience would also be a delightful one.

We got to the restaurant at around 7:30 or so and were able to be seated as soon as we walked into the door. The restaurant had a healthy crowd in the place, but by no means was it packed. Then again, it was a little late in the day, and I'm pretty sure that they were more crowded an hour before. Anyway, the interior of the restaurant was rather well-lit, and the walls were covered with various nic-nacs like signs and license plates and other similar items. The tables and the chairs were colored lightly brown, and the overall setting of Sonny's is rather casual, but not too causal. So basically, you won't look too out of place whether you're wearing a nice shirt and pants or just a plain t-shirt and jeans. There are four different televisions, one in each corner of the dining area. They weren't big-screen television sets or anything, but they are big enough that you can at least tell what's going on on the screen, especially if you are close to one of the corners.

Once we were seated, we order our drinks right off. My dad and I both ordered cokes, while my mother ordered an iced tea. When we got our drinks, our waitress, a woman named Dixie, had accidentally given us two iced teas, but realized the mistake before I had actually even noticed. Other than that, she was quite an exceptional and friendly server who constantly made sure that we had everything that we needed. We ordered our food next, and I went with the Dry Rub Ribs plate, which also came with two sides and two slices of garlic bread. For my sides, I went with a bowl of Sonny's original recipe BBQ beans and an order of fries. Meanwhile, my parents both ordered the Big Deal sandwich combos, which is a big barbeque sandwich with your meat of choice between two slices of garlic bread. They both chose the pulled pork sandwich, and both ordered fries, although for their second side they had different choices (mom ordered coleslaw, dad ordered a bowl of beans).

Our food came in what I felt was an appropriate amount of time. One thing I noticed right away was that there were a lot of ribs and french fries on my plate. There was a lot of meat on those ribs, and they were barbecued to near perfection, although I had a little trouble getting the meat off of one of the ribs. The beans were some of the best beans that I have ever had. Even though I ended up taking some of my food home, the beans were so good that I made sure to finish them while still at the restaurant. The garlic bread was freshly cooked and rather tasty, while the fries were pretty good, but I have had better before from this location. My parents both were rather pleased with their food, and they noted that while it was filling, the food still did not leave you feeling stuffed.

Overall, I rather enjoyed my dining experience at Sonny's BBQ of Commerce, GA. The service was excellent, the food was rather good, and the place was quite clean as well. Out of 10, I'd give Sonny's BBQ of Commerce, GA a 7.89 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts or issues with this or other posts, or future ideas for reviews, than feel free to share them by leaving a comment, or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.

Canon Restaurant Review: Outback Steakhouse, Commerce, GA

Before I begin, I would like to apologize for my lack of activity this weekend, as quite frankly I just didn't have enough time to devote to the blog the last couple of days. Also, I'll probably be out of town for a couple of days this week, so don't expect too much activity for the next couple of days. But I will try to be back and devote all the attention a site like The Canon Review deserves.

Anyway, today I had the pleasure, or so I hoped, of dining at Outback Steakhouse in the lovely city of Commerce, GA. My brother Ben and his wife Rose, along with loyal Canon Review reader Dickson S., had been to this particular Outback on more than one occasion, and each of them have had rave reviews about this place. Well, I had never been to this particular Outback, or any Outback Steakhouse for that matter, so when they asked me to join them today, I accepted just to see what all of the fuss was about. Also, I had nothing else going on today.

We get there at about 6:00 or so, and the first thing I notice is that the location is kind of hidden in the back of a shopping center. I wasn't that surprised because there's only so much space in Commerce, and by the time this Outback was built most of the more desirable locations were already taken. I don't think it's had an effect on its business, as the restaurant was gradually filling up throughout our stay there, I just found it somewhat curious is all. When we got there, there were only a couple of tables filled, which isn't surprising considering it's 6 p.m. on a Monday. Heck, I actually prefer eating somewhat early at any restaurant just for that reason, so you miss the crowds and nothing is out of stock by that point. We get seated at a booth and wait a couple of minutes for our server to appear. The interior of the restaurant is rather dark, and there are some typical Australian artifacts like a boomerang on the walls. Also, there were at least three big screen televisions, and each one was tuned into a different channel for some reason. I guess because there was nothing special on at the time. After perusing the menu, which was about seven pages, for a few minutes, I decide to be different from the rest of my compatriots and not get a steak, even though I like steak and the name of the restaurant contains the word "steak" in its title. Instead, I go with one of the featured items on the menu, the BBQ Mixed Grill which came with three coconut shrimp, barbecue chicken, and some baby-back ribs. The dish also came with a side of fries and some coleslaw, which I'm not crazy about but I figured I would try anyway. My dining companions got three different cuts of steak, Rose ordered the Victoria Filet's with blue cheese and an add-on order of grilled shrimp, Dickson got the Teriyaki Marinated Sirloin dish, while I believe Ben order a New York Strip steak but to be honest, I'm not 100% sure about that one. They all ordered their steaks well done. Also, they ordered a Bloomin' Onion and one Alice Springs Chicken Quesadilla.

First we were served some bread, which after 10 seconds of researching on the internet, I have found out that the bread is known as Bushman Bread. It's a honey-wheat type of bread that is colored black, in case you're like I was and have never been to Outback before. The bread was okay, it wasn't exactly something I would order on its own, but it wasn't anything I would refuse to eat either. Our appetizers came soon after, and I only had a little of the Bloomin Onion, mainly because I'm not a huge onion fan. To me it was just ok, but I found no fault with how it was made, as it was nice and warm. The chicken quesadilla, on the other hand, was delicious. The dish was packed with chicken, cheese, sauteed mushrooms, bacon and honey mustard, and the combination of all of those flavors was just excellent. Heck, I could have just ate a whole one of those chicken quesidillas and I would have been happy with my meal. I even got the courage and tried a little bit of the beer that Dickson ordered (a Shock Top), mainly due to his prodding that I take a sip. Well, I don't drink beer (or any alcoholic beverage) and after tasting the beer, I'm not going to be drinking any more anytime soon. To be honest, I've had beer a couple of times, and I can't see how anyone can stand the taste, but to each their own. I think I'll just stick to drinking soda and juice.

After we polished off most of our appetizer, our main courses came. I started off mainly with the chicken, and it was everything I could have possibly hoped for. The sauce they used on the chicken was rather bold, although not spicy or anything like that, and added a real kick of flavor to the chicken, which was cooked perfectly and wasn't too tough to eat. The coconut shrimp was very good by itself, although I must say I didn't care much for the dipping sauce that the shrimp came with. It tasted rather bitter, like it had too much lemon flavoring in it or something, and I did not think it went all that well with the shrimp at all. I'm sure other people probably like that sauce, but it just wasn't for me. As for the ribs, there was a good bit of meat on them, and the meat and the sauce combined to make for a rather tasty dish. The fries were also pretty good, not too salty and flavored nicely, while the coleslaw seemed decent, although I'm not the most qualified judge on that subject. Everyone else at my table seemed to enjoy their meals immensely, and at the end we were all stuffed. Well, I thought about getting a desert, but since everyone else seemed ready to go, I decided to pass. In hindsight, I don't need the extra calories, anyway. The service at Outback was very good, as our waiter was very attentive and was always on top of things.

Overall, I don't really have any qualms with my experience at the Commerce Outback Steakhouse today. I suppose I have a couple of minor issues, but I would definitely dine there again. I'll give it a 7.838 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts or issues with this or other posts, or future ideas for reviews, than feel free to share them by leaving a comment, or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.

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.

Canon Restaurant Review: La Parrilla Mexican Restaurant (Flowery Branch, GA)

In any aspect of life, there are certain things that are so overhyped by people around you or on television or whatever that you think there is no way it could possibly be as good as they say it is. Sometimes, the hype is actually worth it, and other times you end up disappointed, like how many people were disappointed with Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy, or how I was disappointed by The Matrix Reloaded. Now, you're probably wondering why I am bringing all of this up during a restaurant review. Well, I have a very good reason, because everything I have heard about La Parrilla is that it is the best by golly Mexican restaurant in the stratosphere. A lot of that talk has come from my good friend and Canon Review reader Dickson S., who is quite fond of the place. But he doesn't seem to be the only one. Go ahead and Google La Parrilla, and you will see a lot more positive reviews than negative reviews. Anyway, today Dickson, my sister Maggie and myself made the trek to Flowery Branch and I finally got to experience the majestically of La Parrilla for myself. Will it live up to the hype, or will it make me feel as if I had once again seen that crappy Matrix film?


We get there, and the place is packed, so we have to wait a few minutes for a table. Although it's a bit annoying, it's also a very good sign because the place wouldn't be so crowded if the food was terrible. There was an open bench outside the restaurant, so I decided to sit my butt down. We waited for about a couple of minutes, not too long, and were seated at a booth not too far away from the bar. The place is decorated like, well, a typical Mexican Restaurant, I suppose. They had a couple of big-screen televisions on the wall, and I was fortunate to sit near one of those TVs, so that was nice. Of course, I couldn't hear anything because they didn't have the sound on, but whatever. There was also a mariachi band in the restaurant, and while it may had added some authenticity, there loud playing also annoyed the heck out of me. The band plays different standard songs and even played a couple of mariachi versions of popular mainstream songs, like "Margaritaville" and Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child of Mine". I wanted to request a Nickelback song, but neither one of my dining companions liked that idea at all.

Like a lot of Mexican restaurant, La Parrilla provided a free bowl of tortilla chips and some salsa. The chips were good and fresh, and the salsa was decent, although I wouldn't have minded a bit more spice, to be honest. The menu at La Parrilla was at least 10 pages long, and there was quite a wide variety of Mexican flavored foods available. If one were so inclined, they could try the Mexican Cheeseburger or Mexican Chicken Sandwich, or they could order a steak or different seafood or chicken dishes. They also have a selection of vegetarian dishes as well. Well, since this was my first time here, I decided to order something simple, so I went with combination number 2: one taco, one enchilada, and one chalupa. Meanwhile, Dickson ordered his favorite dish, a Burrito a La Parrilla with steak, while Maggie opted for the Seafood Burrito.

To my surprise, the wait for our food wasn't too long at all, especially considering that the place was packed. Actually, the service was very good overall, although I have a feeling that our waiter may have been a bit flustered, as he forgot what drink I had ordered at first and later seemed to forget a refill of Maggie's drink. But he tried hard and was attentive, so overall I have no problem with the service. As for the food, I wasn't all that crazy about the taco, as it tasted no different than a taco you might get at Taco Bell or something. The chalupa was pretty decent, as the beans were good, but there wasn't a lot of cheese on it, which was disappointing. I will say that the enchilada was very good, and if I ever eat here again, I'll probably end up ordering one of their enchilada specials. That was by far the best part of my meal, as the sauce was just right and the meat was cooked very well. Plus, unlike the other two dishes, they loaded up the cheese on the enchilada. Of course, Dickson liked his dish a whole lot, and Maggie seemed to like hers as well, although I found it odd that her rice looked as if it were dumped out of a can and served on the plate. I can't attest to how it tasted, because I didn't have any and I never did ask Maggie how it tasted either, so chalk that up as a mistake on my part.

Even though I probably shouldn't have, I ended up ordering some dessert. I thought about ordering some churros, but instead I went with the fried ice cream dish, which was served with bits of granola and honey and came in a flour tortilla shell, and the whole thing was topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and had a cherry on top. The dessert tasted very good, but it was quite rich and even though I ate it all, I kind of felt sick to my stomach for a few minutes after eating it. That's not the fault of La Parrilla, but still I feel as if you should know these things. It was quite a sizeable portion as well, so if you ever want to order a dessert from La Parrilla, make sure you are able to eat it first, or just do what I did and share it with someone (in this case Maggie).

Overall, did La Parrilla live up to the hype? Well, not really, but then again it was hyped so much that I was led to expect the greatest meal of all-time or something from there. La Parrilla was a very good Mexican restaurant, though, and I certainly wouldn't mind if I had to go there again. I'll probably order something different though. My final score for La Parrilla of Flowery Branch, GA is a 7.43 out of 10.

Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any ideas for future reviews, or thoughts about this and previous reviews, than feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com. Now, for no good reason, here's a music video from Savage Garden:

Canon Restaurant Review: Downtown Cafe (Lavonia, GA)

Earlier today, my friend Dickson S. and I went to The Downtown Cafe in Lavonia, GA for an early dinner. The place has been open for over ten years, but for some reason, I had never dined there until today. Why, you might ask? Well, it's because I tend to go out of town whenever I want to go out to eat. To be honest, I had not heard a lot of strong recommendations about this place, but I was in the mood to eat some Italian food and was curious to see what it was all about for myself.

So we get there and enter the building. Not surprisingly, since it was 5:00 on a Wednesday, the place was nearly empty, as there were a mere three people there eating when we got there. We stayed there about 45 minutes, and not many other people came in during the time we were in there. I don't know if that was because of the time of day or because of the quality of the food, but since they've been open so long I guess they're doing something right.

Anyway, we get there and take a seat at a table next to a koi pond. The decor is rather basic, but not too shabby, and there are plenty of tables there. Plus the place has a little bar that diners can sit and eat their food at if they so wish. The menu reminded me a lot of the menu from Royston's Italian Garden, which I reviewed a few months back (and has unfortunately closed since then). In fact, there wasn't much difference at all, as both places served Greek and Italian dinners, traditional American dishes like hamburgers and steaks, and a variety of subs. The waitress took our drink orders, and I asked for Dr. Pepper but I was told that they were out. Well, I found that a bit odd, but I just ordered a Mountain Dew instead, while Dickson ordered some pink lemonade. Once I got a look at the menu, I decided on ordering Spaghetti a la Venus, which basically was a giant bowl of spaghetti topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, along with sliced peppers, onions, and mushrooms. The dish came with a side salad and some garlic bread. Dickson ordered the chicken Parmesan dish, which I actually almost ordered before settling on my choice.

The salad came rather quickly, and came with two slices of tomato and a green chili pepper. Normally, the salad also would come with cucumbers, but they were out of that as well. Since I don't like cucumbers, I did not mind too much, but still it was a little odd. The salad was decent enough, and unlike other places, at least the lettuce looked clean and tasted somewhat fresh. After that, our meal came, and I was surprised at just how big my bowl of food was. It was quite a generous portion of spaghetti, I must say. The meal was really just ok, as the sauce wasn't very flavorful and it was a bit runny. Other than that it was all right. Dickson really didn't say much about his food, but from what I could tell he wasn't very fond of it. I will say that our waitress was quite attentive and friendly, so that's a positive.

Afterwards, we were bored so we decided to walk over to the Lavonia Antique Mall to see what kind of stuff they had in there. It was packed was stuff, most of which I would have no idea what it's worth or what to do with it, but it had a little bit of everything. After a half an hour or so, I ended up by a book (Billyball, by Billy Martin with Phil Pepe) and two comic books from the X-Factor series from 1987. Dickson purchased a giant aquamarine change bank so he can keep his change and fight his enemies with. Well, that's my version of things anyway.

Overall, if you're in the mood for eating out and are limited to staying in Lavonia, well there are worst choices than the Downtown Cafe. It's not too bad, and I suppose I would go again if somebody I was with wanted to go there, but it's rather mediocre I would say. Overall, I'll give the place a 4.6 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any ideas for future reviews, than send them over to me at KtheC2001@gmail.com. Tommorow, I think I'll watch and review Starrcade 1994, so that should be excruciating for me, but it could be entertaining, so we will see.

Canon Restaurant Review: Lavonia Moose Lodge

I don't know if I could technically call it a restaurant review, but since this is about a public place that served meals to its patrons, I'll guess it will count. On Thursday, I was invited to go eat at the Moose Lodge in Lavonia, GA, by my friend Dickson S. and his dad, who I believe is a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose. If not, than I wonder how we were able to get in, because I'm not a member and neither is Dickson, and this is a private club. Anyway, I agreed to go and see what was happening up at the Moose Lodge.

So we get there and take our seats. Most of the people in the lodge were sitting around the bar, which had an oval shape and served a variety of American beers. Dickson and I decided to take a seat at one of the side tables. The place was about half-full, but the way the sound carried in the building, it sounded as if 259 people were in that place. You could hardly hear yourself think in there. The lighting in the building was rather dim, at least at the table where we were sitting. This was also karaoke night at the Moose Lodge, and let me tell you, some people did a fine job of murdering some country music classics in there. That's all I'm really going to say about that.

Anyway, it takes about a couple of minutes before a server notices us. Dickson orders the special of the day, which are salmon patties, served with green beans, mashed potatoes and two biscuits. I'm not a huge salmon fan, so I ordered the chicken strip plate with a side of french fries and honey mustard. You had to order whatever drinks you wanted at the bar, which wasn't a big deal, I had a can of Dr. Pepper while Dickson got a bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade. The menu wasn't too big, as they had the special, three different plates, and about six or seven side dishes, including chicken wings, fried mushrooms and pickles, and cheese sticks. They had Friday night's menu on the back, and it seemed to have a lot more variety, including a steak platter and a shrimp platter. In hindsight, maybe I should have waited a day to eat here.

After about a 19 minute wait, we get our food. I found it somewhat curious that my fries did not come with ketchup. I also found it curious that my meal came with a piece of buttered toast, so I guess in the end it evened out. Perhaps I should of asked my server where it was, but once she delivered our food she became a ghost, as I didn't see her the rest of the time I was in the lodge. Maybe she pulled a Houdini and disappeared, I don't know. The chicken was battered and fried, and while I wouldn't necessarily call them strips, at least the chicken was cooked well enough and it wasn't dry. The fries were just your generic crinkle fries that are normally found in your grocer's freezer, and to be honest, could of used a little more salt. It's impossible to screw up toast, and they didn't, so that's that. Dickson did not seem impressed with his food, saying that his salmon patties were better and noting that they burnt the bottom of one of his biscuits to the point where he just picked off the non-burnt parts with a fork. He seemed to also want desert, but since our server disappeared, eventually we just gave up on that and decided to leave.

Overall, I will say that the price (5 dollars for mine, 6 for Dickson) was right, but it just didn't seem like my kind of place. Perhaps if I had came on a Friday, or been a member, or something else, I might have 'gotten it' more, so to speak. The food was decent, but nothing spectacular. Overall, I'll give my experience at the Moose Lodge of Lavonia, GA a 4.2 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and 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.

Canon Restaurant Review: Bullfeathers Lakeside Grille & Tiki Hut

Earlier this evening, I had the chance to eat at a restaurant in Anderson, SC with the slightly unusual name of Bullfeathers' Lakeside Grille & Tiki Hut. Bullfeathers' is located on the shore of Lake Hartwell, and has an outdoor seating area right on the lake. The menu consists of a variety of items such as burgers, steaks, seafood, chicken wings, and some pasta as well. There is a fully-stocked bar on the premises, but I don't drink so it doesn't affect me one way or the other. The restaurant only opened a few months ago, but before that the location was a restaurant known as Charlie T's, a somewhat similar place, but the two do have some distinct differences.  Here are a few thoughts about my experience at Bullfeathers.

Myself, along with Canon Review reader Dickson S. and his father, arrived at the restaurant at around 7:30 or so. The place was busy, but far from packed. There were a lot of TVs on the wall, but for some reason about half of them were turned off, but I didn't go there to watch television so that's ok. The atmosphere there is rather loose, as most of the customers seemed to be dressed in T-shirts and jeans. The tables have four different sports logos on the surface. For example, our table had the logos of Duke, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Wake Forest painted on the table. The walls have a lot of neon beer signs up, as well as posters of both the University of Clemson and University of South Carolina framed on the wall. Overall, Bullfeathers may not be the fanciest place, but it does have a laid-back atmosphere that makes anyone feel welcome.

So anyway, we order our food soon after. I ordered the Western Bacon Cheeseburger with a side order of fries, while my compatriots both order wings, and Dickson's father orders a chili cheeseburger as well. We get our drinks relatively fast. To be honest, my Dr. Pepper tasted a little flat, or at least my first glass did. Once I got a refill, the soda tasted fine. The food took a little while to prepare, but it wasn't as if we waited an unreasonably long time for it. The fries I received were waffle fries, like the fries you get a Chick-Fil-A. I didn't expect that, but they still were pretty good, so I'm not complaining. The burger I got was a third-pound of meat with both Provolone and Cheddar cheese melted on the burger, with lettuce, onions, and two slices of bacon on the burger. The menu said that the burger was supposed to also have some barbecue sauce, but to be honest, I didn't taste any. Nevertheless, it was a very good burger, as the meat was juicy and cooked just to my liking, and the generous amount of cheese on the burger really added a lot of flavor to it. I'd say it's the best burger that I have had ... in the past 3 days or so at least. To be honest, I don't exactly know how the others felt about the food, but they seemed to like it and the fact that they ate all of it is probably a sign that they felt favorably about the food. Our waitress was friendly and eager to serve, but to be frank, I don't think she's been doing this a long time, as she made a couple of mistakes and often seemed confused. But she did her best to fix her mistakes, and did an admirable job of doing so, so I won't penalize her for that.

Compared to the previous restaurant at this location, Charlie T's I found Bullfeathers to be an improvement. The one time I ate at Charlie T's, I had a similar meal and found the burger and other food to merely be decent. This time, I must say that I was quite satisfied with my meal, and would like to go there again in the future to try something different. Overall, I'll give Bullfeathers' a 7.49 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you any ideas for future posts, than either leave a comment on the blog or send them to me at e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com. Since writing about Bullfeathers has made me hungry, I think I'll go find something to eat now.

Canon Restaurant Review: The Swamp Guinea

For those of you anxiously awaiting The Canon Review's tribute to Kenny Kaos, that is coming up sometime in the next eight to ten hours. But first, I will review a restaurant at which I ate this evening. This restaurant is called The Swamp Guinea. Why is it called The Swamp Guinea, you ask? Well, according to the website, the original owners wanted a name that people would remember, and since the first Swamp Guinea was built near swamp land, they decided just to call it the Swamp Guinea because it's an unusual name and yet easy to pronounce at the same time. Anyway, since we wanted to go out to eat for Mother's Day (which I know is tomorrow but I have to work so we had to go today), my mom decided, what the hey, let's try The Swamp Guinea, a restaurant located on the shores of Lake Hartwell in Hartwell, GA. So off we went, my mother, my sister and Canon Review reader Maggie, and myself.


We get there, and it's somewhat crowded at the time, but we only waited about a minute before we were seated. The first thing I noticed is that I could barely hear myself think, as there was a table of about 20 people seated near us, and sound seems to carry quite well in this place. The decor is rather simple, and Maggie compared to eating at a chow hall at summer camp. It is rather simple, as the place has wooden walls and a tiled floor, and not a whole lot of decor on the walls either. But it did look clean, so I can't complain too much about it.

The menu at The Swamp Guinea offers primarily seafood, but does have other favorites like country ham, steak, chicken, and Brunswick stew. They offer platters, as well as all you can eat specials where you can get refills on your meal, like shrimp and stew if you so choose. Since I was hungry but not hungry enough for an all you can eat meal, I opted for a platter, and since I had little idea what I wanted, I ordered the Swamp Guinea combination platter, which comes with scallops, oysters, catfish, a fish fillet, a deviled crab and two onion rings, with fries and a salad on the side. So basically I ordered a whole bunch of fried food, but at least I did get a salad. Maggie ordered the crab platter, while my mom ordered a shrimp platter. One thing I found interesting was that they do not offer refills on soft drinks, rather, they give you a can of soda, and you want another one, you're going to have to pay full price for it.  Well, there was no way I was paying for two cans, so I had to drink slowly.

First, I get my salad, and something I found peculiar was that they bring your food to you on plastic pushcarts. Not a bad idea, but it is a little different than most places. The salad was merely decent, as I think it's the same kind of prepackaged salads one can get at the grocery store with the lettuce already chopped up. I wish I got some cheese with it, but oh well. Our food came soon thereafter, and I must say we didn't wait long at all for it. Our food also came with some mini hush puppies, which were pretty good, and three dinner rolls. I must say that I didn't care for the oysters too much. I mean they were ok, but since I never had oysters I was curious as to what they would taste like. But oysters just don't seem like my kind of food. The fries were merely ok, as they could have probably used a little more salt to give them more flavor. But the rest of my food was quite good. The fish was nice and flaky and nicely flavored, and the crab and scallops were both excellent. Everything was nicely cooked (or, more likely, fried) and was quite filling. Maggie seemed to also like her food a lot as well.

Overall, the food was good, and our waitress was attentive and the staff was very friendly. The Swamp Guinea may not be the fanciest place in the world, but if you are looking for good food at a reasonable price, you can't go wrong with The Swamp Guinea. It's not perfect, but it still is very good. I'll give it a 7.3 out of 10 overall. Thanks for reading, and if anyone has ideas for future reviews, well you know where to find me.

Canon Restaurant Review: Quarterback's Wings and Steaks

I meant to do this yesterday, but I was really tired, so I apologize. I know that lately I have been a bit sporadic in my updates for this blog, and I will try to rectify that over the next few days. So keep reading, and hopefully you will like what's coming from The Canon Review in the next few days or weeks or whatever. Anyway, yesterday I was asked by my friend and Canon Review reader Dickson S to help him pick up a desk and a hutch that he paid a dollar for. So I did, and after picking up the desk, we got hungry. So Dickson recommended Quarterback's Wings and Steaks in Toccoa (well technically, it's in Eastonalle, but it might as well be in Toccoa), in the Wal-Mart Shopping Center. So off we went.

Quarterback's, like the name might suggest, is a sports themed bar and grill. There is a dining area in the front, and the bar is behind that. There are two big screen tv's in the dining area, although one was tuned on Great American Country and the other was on the Weather Channel for some reason. I know that there was no football or anything on last night, but come on man, the Hawks were playing the Cavaliers last night, so I would assume that one of the televisions would be tuned into that game.  I guess the people at Quarterback's aren't big basketball fans. The restuarant is decorated with football helmets and jerseys from local high school teams, as well as posters of some of the local sports teams (like the Braves and Georgia Bulldogs) and there's a wallpaper of logos of NFL teams on the top of each wall. The restaurant doesn't look too bad, as it just looks like your typical bar and grill where people gather to eat wings and watch the big game.

But enough about interior decorating, instead, let's move on to the food. Since there wasn't a big crowd, we ordered rather quickly. I ordered a cheeseburger on texas toast with french fries, while Dickson ordered 20 chicken wings, 10 of which came in mild sauce, while the other 10 came in a mixture of lemon pepper and teriyaki sauce, a combination he dubbed "lemonaki". He also ordered the wings to be crispy, and because of that, the waitress explained that the wait might be a little long. So we waited, and I regretted not ordering any chili. Why, you may ask? Well because I love me some chili, and Quarterback's claims to have their own special chili, so I would have liked to try that and see how good it was. Well, maybe next time.

The wait was about 20-25 minutes I would say, although I didn't have a watch on so I really have no idea how long it was. Anyway, our food came, and I was pleased to see that their fries were the big, thick steak fries. They were pretty good, although there wasn't a lot of salt on them, but oh well. My burger was thick and cooked well-done, with no pink in the meat, unlike another place I expected to get a well-done burger from a few weeks ago. The texas toast it was served on tasted pretty good as well, making for what I thought was a good burger. Dickson really seemed to like his "lemonaki" flavored wings, but wasn't so crazy about the mild wings. Nevertheless, he seemed to be satisfied with his meal. The waitress that we had was decent, although it took me 10 minutes to get a refill on my drink. Then again, she did seem to be the only waitress in the place, so I'll give her a slight pass on that.

Overall, I was pleased with Quarterback's. It might not have the best food of all time, but it did taste good and was rather filling. I would definitely consider coming back to Quarterback's again, although next time, I'm ordering the chili. Out of 10, I would give Quarterback's a score of 7.41320485650. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any ideas for future reviews, than let me know about them. I will not, however, be reviewing this video, as it speaks for itself.

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

Canon Restaurant Review: Gumlog Barbecue

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of eating at Gumlog Barbecue with my sister Maggie and my friend Dickson. Gumlog Barbecue is somewhat of an institution in my hometown of Lavonia. It's only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but each weekend the restaurant is packed with people, and there are times where it is impossible to find a parking space in the gravel parking lot. Whether it's because the food is so good, or because there's not a lot of places to choose from is up for debate. I have been there a few times before, and I always thought that the food was rather good. Will this experience also lead to good food? We shall see.

We arrived at Gumlog around 7:00 p.m. which was 45 minutes before closing time. Although there are times where the place is packed to the gills, there were plenty of tables available, so we were fortunate in that regard. We sat down and ordered our drinks (Pepsi for me and Maggie, water for Dickson). However, the waitress brought Dickson tea, but quickly rectified her mistake. We then ordered our food. Since Maggie and I weren't all that hungry, we ordered smaller portions. Maggie ordered some Brunswick stew and some coleslaw, while I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and a bag of potato chips. Meanwhile, Dickson ordered a plate of barbecue chicken, with sides of french fries and Brunswick stew.

The food came, and, I eventually noticed that there were no chips with my sandwich. This did not make me too happy, but instead of making a scene, I waited until the waitress came back over and said that I didn't get my chips. Well, she apologized, and gave me two bags of chips, The chips were Tom's Potato Chips, which are pretty decent, and since it was only 50 cents, the chips were a decent deal. Anyway, I ate one bag, and gave the other to Maggie and Dickson. Then the waitress asked if we wanted more chips, and by golly, Dickson got another bag. As for the sandwich, it was good, but not the best grilled chicken sandwich I ever had. I understand that it's a barbecue place, and that grilled chicken may not be their specialty, but the grilled chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A is a lot better, and the piece of chicken is bigger, for the same price. However, I'd say that I was satisfied with my meal overall.

I can not say the same about Dickson however, as he complained that his barbecued chicken was dry, and wasn't very flavorful at all. Since Dickson had been to Gumlog Barbeque many times in the past, and had spoken favorably of its food before, this came as somewhat of a surprise to me.  He didn't seem to be overjoyed with the stew, but then again he ordered another portion of stew, so I guess it wasn't all that bad. Maggie seemed to like her food, as I really don't remember her saying anything either way, but she did eat it all.

There was a little confusion when it came to paying our bill. We had all of the tickets separated, but lo and behold, we found out that Gumlog Barbecue doesn't take debit or credit cards. That put my companions at a slight disadvantage, since they don't usually carry cash. Luckily, I always carry cash (whenever I have it, that is) and I had enough to cover everyone's meals, as well as the takeout order I placed (my parents asked for two barbecue sandwiches, although I don't know if they liked them or not).  Although their no card policy cheesed Dickson off, in the end, at least our food was paid for.

So, overall, there were a couple of mistakes made with our order, but since they were fixed quickly and in a friendly manner, I won't penalize anybody for that. My meal was pretty decent, nothing extraordinary, but not too bad either. However, Dickson's lack of satisfaction with his food will drive my score down somewhat. In the end, I'll give yesterday's experience a 6 out of 10. Perhaps next time I will order the fish instead, as that's really their specialty. Well, thanks for reading, if you have any opinions on the subject, feel free to comment, and if you have any ideas for future reviews, than either leave a comment or e-mail me your ideas at KtheC2001@gmail.com.

Canon Restuarant Review: Loco's and The Golden Dragon

First of all, Canada sucks. Just kidding, congratulations to Canada for their Gold Medal victory over the United States in hockey earlier today. It was one of the greatest hockey games I've ever seen, easily in the top five. I'm just bummed the U.S. came short, but they had a heck of a tournament, and exceeded expectations by grabbing the silver medal.  But enough about that. Today's review is of two restaurants in Athens, GA, a city where parking is scarce but restaurants are not. Yesterday, I had the privilege of having dinner at Loco's Deli and Pub, and had the additional privilege of having dessert at the Golden Dragon restaurant. Actually, privilege is too strong a word, as basically what happened was that my friends got hungry and so was I, so we went out to eat. Simple as that.

The first place we went to was Loco's Deli and Pub, recommended by my friend Sonny, who had ate there before and had nothing but good things to say about it. It turns out that the location of Loco's has changed, unbeknown to any of us, who very rarely visit Athens these days. Anyway, we went to two shopping centers, hoping that Loco's was there, but it wasn't. I did stop at a Barnes and Noble to pick up a copy of Baseball Prospectus 2010. My quick review, it seemed a bit clustered, but they had what I wanted and checkout was quick, so I give it a 7. Anyway, after consulting our friend Dickson, who was working in Athens last night for two whole hours, we found a Loco's. Unfortunately, it was so crowded that it would take 30 minutes to get a table. Undaunted, we found another Loco's, this one on South Harris Street, in case anyone was wondering, and we were able to be seated relatively quickly.

We ordered (and by we I mean my brother Ben, Sonny, and myself), and we waited on our food, and waited, and then we got some potato skins that Sonny ordered as an appetizer. The potato skins were just OK, nothing too special, but I rarely have potato skins so I am not really a worthy judge. So, we ate our potato skins and waited for our orders, and waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally, after what was at least 45 minutes, we got our food. Let me say that I do not blame the wait on our waiter, as he was courteous and apologized for our long wait. I lay the fault on the fact that they had two waiters serving the entire restaurant, on a Saturday Night where all tables were full. I think that's just poor management, they probably could have used at least two more waiters. Plus, if the wait staff is understaffed, I have no doubt in my mind that the kitchen was understaffed as well. Then again, how long does it take to make two sandwiches and a hamburger?

I ordered the mushroom and swiss burger, well done, with no tomato and cheese fries. The good news is I did not get a tomato, however I had a different expectation of cheese fries than what I was presented. See, I was expecting the cheese to be covered in cheese. Instead of the 25 or 30 fries I got, only about six of them had cheese on it. The fries were pretty decent, good but not great, but I did wish for more cheese. I asked for the burger well done, but while the burger was good, it was also still rather pink on the inside. It was more medium well than well done, but at least they put tons of cheese and mushrooms on it. Overall, based on my meal alone, I would give it a 6.2 out of 10, even with the long wait. However, Sonny's Cuban sandwich was, in his opinion, a big pile of suck, and they also messed up his black beans. So, keeping that in mind, I must deduct 1.5 points off my score, giving Loco's a 4.7 out of 10. I'd be willing to try it again, but I have a feeling that that won't happen anytime soon. It's a shame because I had heard about Loco's for so many years, and was really looking forward to it, but it failed to live up to my expectations and the testimonials of others that I had heard.

But WAITAMINUTE! There's more. See Dickson had just gotten off of work, so he was pretty dang hungry. After driving around for a few minutes trying to find parking downtown, Dickson went for a familiar place, and went to the Golden Dragon Restaurant on Alps Road, a Chinese restaurant that he had been to many times. The rest of us weren't too hungry, having just ate minutes before, but I don't like going into restaurants without trying at least something, so I thought I might have a quick desert. What happened next was somewhat perplexing. I had seen that they ice cream tempura on the menu, and had never had that before and have wanted to try it for years. So I asked if I could have the ice cream tempura. The waitress responded with a sharp and curt "no", not explaining why I couldn't have the dish. So I ended up ordering the glazed banana instead, which is basically sugar covered bananas that are baked. About 10 minutes later, I get glazed apples instead. Well then. I didn't say anything because 1) Dickson was already eating, and he was the only one eating, so I didn't want to hold everybody else up, 2) the apples were the same price as the bananas, and 3), I had a feeling that they already didn't like me enough, and if I had sent it back I would get a "bonus" ingredient with my glazed bananas. So I just ate what I got, and what I got was pretty good, although I wouldn't have minded if it was a little sweeter. Overall, I would give the apples a 7, and my experience about a 3, but I don't feel I can make a proper judgment on a restaurant unless I actually eat a course. I'd be willing to try that, but I have a feeling they couldn't care less what my cracker ass thought of their place.

So, there you have it, my first one and a half restaurant reviews here at The Canon Review. Maybe I'll do more, but I don't really eat out too much so I doubt it. Anyway, if you any ideas for future reviews or posts, send them to me at KtheC2001@gmail.com. Feel free to make comments, and if you have any problems with the comment section, let me know and I will try to fix it.