after dinner sneeze

t says: As I had mentioned before, there was a lot of food consumed at restaurants recently. Rather that review each individually, here’s a super-fast highs-and-lows …

20 Manning Grill:

Props: Beef sirloin noodles. Despite having so much beef, this dish’s flavors are lively and playful; it’s also not served “hot” so that helps keep it light.  I think I didn’t order the “full” order, but boy that was more than enough – I don’t know how some people might eat more! Slops: A salad (not sure which one). g’s mom ordered a salad with grilled chicken and loved it … except that the plate they had used was so small and the salad so heaping that there was no way to cut the chicken without having some greens escape to the table. The weird part is that even the server admitted, “Yea, it’s such a pretty dish, but it’s not practical …” – then why do they use it?

Village Whiskey:

Props: BBQ pork sandwich. Yea – it’s ridiculously good – probably better than their burgers (in my opinion) and almost as good as the short rib cheddar fries.  It’s as good as Cochon’s (but different – Cochon’s is saltier, while VW’s is sweeter). Slops: Our server was obviously let down that we weren’t ordering “enough” – and his attitude showed it.  Yes – we’re splitting burgers. No – we’re not ordering drinks.  And no – we’re not ordering desserts, either. So yes, “that’s all”.  And your passive-aggressive, like-a-teenager-not-allowed-to-take-the-car-for-the-night attitude won’t change our minds.  Deal with it, or the next time, I’ll order a single burger for a party of 8.

Miga:

Props: Dukboki – the best I’ve had in a restaurant. Overall, the food tasted good enough for mom to admit it was the better than Giwa or Han Wool. Slops: Dolsot bibimbap was not as good as Giwa’s version with the eel.

Szechuan Hunan:

Props: The food was solid take-out Chinese food. Slops: The food was solid take-out Chinese food.

Sandy’s:

Props: The BLT and french fries. Slops: Italian sausage (i.e. a hot dog).

Mix:

Props: The Tomato Pie (the second time we had it) had some fresh tomato, a great crust, and a not-too-sweet a sauce. Slops: We’ve had some of their other pizzas that are only “ok”. The margherita is very hit-or-miss.