I had not been to the new location, so I stopped in for breakfast before the game on Saturday. The new location
is clean and open inside. I was politely greeted and ordered a
Breakfast on a Bun with sausage, potato sticks and coffee.
Slight
downgrade here because the regular coffee wasn't out at the time I
ordered, so another customer and I had to flag down a staffer and ask
for coffee. But they put it out shortly thereafter so it was fresh.
It's coffee, not Starbucks but fine.
The breakfast was OK, not sure
if I would prefer it over other fast food but it was competently made.
The bathroom was clean and ready. It's all you can ask for in fast
food.
I guess they moved because they expect more traffic in the
new location, though that intersection at Kuykendahl and 2920 looks as
busy as usual to me. The layout is different but not radically so. The
service concept is the same, colors the same, it is pretty much like
the old location that closed.
If you are in downtown Corpus Christi it's worthwhile to check out the flagship Whataburger on Shoreline, though you should keep expectations in check. The view from the second floor is great, but the quality varies a lot.
My Yelp Review
Monday, November 26, 2018
Monday, November 19, 2018
Cotton Patch Cafe
Tried the place out for lunch on a busy but not overwhelming Saturday.
I was greeted politely and seated promptly--tables were empty but not
quite clean, so they are probably still having some of the service
issues mentioned by early customers.
I started off with the chicken-fried bacon. It's a novelty item, but one that actually works. The breading is very crisp, and the bacon inside is crisp enough to snap with it. Great flavor with gravy, I kept going back to nibble at it.
For my entree I tried one of the Holiday skillets. The beef tenderloin skillet comes with beef tenderloin tips in a red wine reduction sauce over mashed potatoes. The beef was reasonably tender and cooked well, with a nice char. The sauce was nothing special, basically a mildly sweet brown sauce with just enough wine flavor to keep it from being off-putting. The mashed potatoes were OK but could have used more help from the sauce. Overall fine but not good enough for me to finish.
I went for dessert and got Mama's Butter Cake. Who doesn't like butter? But again, nothing special. The cake was supposed to be kind of a cheesecake but was a bit mushy for that. Cake and crust were pretty much the same texture. The sauce was basically just a mild syrup, and only a tiny dab of whipped cream. Piling it on might have saved this dish.
Cotton Patch is moving into the vacuum left by Black Eyed Pea, and has lots of demand--I've heard the wait is still long in the evenings. Recent reviews have been better than the early ones. But there are plenty of places to get good southern food here, like Neal's Restaurant or Mel's Diner. You can find things on the menu to eat if you're accompanying someone that loves Cotton Patch--the chicken-fried steak has some mixed reviews but is probably good if they use the same breading as is on the bacon. If you're tempted by that chicken fried bacon, go ahead and get it, it's absolutely worthwhile. The service issues are getting better, and I think may be caused in part by a restaurant labor shortage in this part of town. Several new places are opening at once.
My Yelp Review
I started off with the chicken-fried bacon. It's a novelty item, but one that actually works. The breading is very crisp, and the bacon inside is crisp enough to snap with it. Great flavor with gravy, I kept going back to nibble at it.
For my entree I tried one of the Holiday skillets. The beef tenderloin skillet comes with beef tenderloin tips in a red wine reduction sauce over mashed potatoes. The beef was reasonably tender and cooked well, with a nice char. The sauce was nothing special, basically a mildly sweet brown sauce with just enough wine flavor to keep it from being off-putting. The mashed potatoes were OK but could have used more help from the sauce. Overall fine but not good enough for me to finish.
I went for dessert and got Mama's Butter Cake. Who doesn't like butter? But again, nothing special. The cake was supposed to be kind of a cheesecake but was a bit mushy for that. Cake and crust were pretty much the same texture. The sauce was basically just a mild syrup, and only a tiny dab of whipped cream. Piling it on might have saved this dish.
Cotton Patch is moving into the vacuum left by Black Eyed Pea, and has lots of demand--I've heard the wait is still long in the evenings. Recent reviews have been better than the early ones. But there are plenty of places to get good southern food here, like Neal's Restaurant or Mel's Diner. You can find things on the menu to eat if you're accompanying someone that loves Cotton Patch--the chicken-fried steak has some mixed reviews but is probably good if they use the same breading as is on the bacon. If you're tempted by that chicken fried bacon, go ahead and get it, it's absolutely worthwhile. The service issues are getting better, and I think may be caused in part by a restaurant labor shortage in this part of town. Several new places are opening at once.
My Yelp Review
Monday, November 12, 2018
TJ Baja Taco Shop
We have plenty of Tex-Mex places here, but now we have an option from the Baja side. TJ Baja Tacos emphasizes seafood on the menu with a definite California influence.
I have heard many good things about the place, so I stopped in the other day to give it a try. I was served by a man who was most likely the owner. He described the different menu items and enthusiastically answered all of my questions.
I went with the "pick 3" taco option. I had the carne asada, grilled shrimp and marlin tacos, the seafood on corn and the beef on flour tortillas. The corn tortillas were firm and substantial enough to keep from falling apart, which I appreciate. I went with the suggested sauces (creamy garlic sauce and avocado), which were delicious and made a great combination with the meats. I would only say that if they truly had confidence in their suggestions they would serve the tacos with the sauce instead of letting customers have the option. I didn't try the habanero salsa since that is a bit much for me, but the traditional red salsa is one of the best I've tasted--it had great depth of flavor. The green chile sauce was OK but go with the red one.
The tacos were all very worthy. The carne asada was a good rendition, tender with only a little gristle, and good flavor. The grilled shrimp were cooked very well with a nice snap, and were well complemented by the sauce and garnishes. But the real standout was the marlin taco. Marlin is a very "meaty" fish, and the taco ate almost like a very tender beef one. The peppers and cheese were perfect companions. It's a "must try".
I got a basket of chips and guacamole with my meal. The chips are cut thick, which is fine if they are very crunchy. The regular ones were, but the colorful ones, while pretty, weren't quite as crisp. The guacamole had good flavor and texture, but both it and the chips were, in my opinion, undersalted. Good if you're trying to avoid it.
I washed all of this down with what on the in-store menu is called "fruit water" but it is traditional agua fresca (and says so on their printed one). Same price as the soda so you should definitely try it as a change.
The decor is very clean and inviting, lots of nautical blue. The bathroom was clean and ready--all it needs is a bit of decoration to carry the theme from the dining room and it's perfect.
They have an item on the menu that I definitely want to try, called Aguachiles. Think Mexican style sushi--uncooked seafood marinated in acidic juices for 24 hours or more. They also have ceviche if you prefer your seafood cooked.
All in all, a great experience and I expect to be back.
My Yelp Review
I have heard many good things about the place, so I stopped in the other day to give it a try. I was served by a man who was most likely the owner. He described the different menu items and enthusiastically answered all of my questions.
I went with the "pick 3" taco option. I had the carne asada, grilled shrimp and marlin tacos, the seafood on corn and the beef on flour tortillas. The corn tortillas were firm and substantial enough to keep from falling apart, which I appreciate. I went with the suggested sauces (creamy garlic sauce and avocado), which were delicious and made a great combination with the meats. I would only say that if they truly had confidence in their suggestions they would serve the tacos with the sauce instead of letting customers have the option. I didn't try the habanero salsa since that is a bit much for me, but the traditional red salsa is one of the best I've tasted--it had great depth of flavor. The green chile sauce was OK but go with the red one.
The tacos were all very worthy. The carne asada was a good rendition, tender with only a little gristle, and good flavor. The grilled shrimp were cooked very well with a nice snap, and were well complemented by the sauce and garnishes. But the real standout was the marlin taco. Marlin is a very "meaty" fish, and the taco ate almost like a very tender beef one. The peppers and cheese were perfect companions. It's a "must try".
I got a basket of chips and guacamole with my meal. The chips are cut thick, which is fine if they are very crunchy. The regular ones were, but the colorful ones, while pretty, weren't quite as crisp. The guacamole had good flavor and texture, but both it and the chips were, in my opinion, undersalted. Good if you're trying to avoid it.
I washed all of this down with what on the in-store menu is called "fruit water" but it is traditional agua fresca (and says so on their printed one). Same price as the soda so you should definitely try it as a change.
The decor is very clean and inviting, lots of nautical blue. The bathroom was clean and ready--all it needs is a bit of decoration to carry the theme from the dining room and it's perfect.
They have an item on the menu that I definitely want to try, called Aguachiles. Think Mexican style sushi--uncooked seafood marinated in acidic juices for 24 hours or more. They also have ceviche if you prefer your seafood cooked.
All in all, a great experience and I expect to be back.
My Yelp Review
Monday, November 5, 2018
Ma Donuts
We've been extremely busy as a family lately so I've been doing a lot of eating on the run. This weekend I stopped in to Ma Donuts at 5am on a Saturday for a very early donut breakfast.
They were actually open a couple of minutes early. They had a full
selection on hand but I'm not sure if they were fresh. The donuts are
decent, not quite as light and tasty as Shipley's, but they do have old
fashioned donuts and several combinations of glazed, cake, frosted and
sprinkled ones. I also got a couple of sausage and cheese kolaches and a
bacon and egg breakfast taco. The kolaches were pretty forgettable,
definitely not fresh and kind of a high bread-to-sausage ratio. The
taco was delicious, very generous with crisp, salty bacon.
The drinks are OK, coffee is cheap in all respects but gets the caffeine delivery job done.
The bathroom was not in acceptable condition when I visited, it was borderline on cleanliness and had no paper towels or toilet paper ready (though extra rolls of toilet paper were stored in the bathroom).
We usually go to other donut shops but we have gotten donuts from Ma and will again. It's a friendly, family owned shop.
My Yelp Review
The drinks are OK, coffee is cheap in all respects but gets the caffeine delivery job done.
The bathroom was not in acceptable condition when I visited, it was borderline on cleanliness and had no paper towels or toilet paper ready (though extra rolls of toilet paper were stored in the bathroom).
We usually go to other donut shops but we have gotten donuts from Ma and will again. It's a friendly, family owned shop.
My Yelp Review
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)