Noble Roman's Pizza

Noble Roman's has been open at 2920 near Gosling for over two months, but so far has flown a bit under the radar.  I stopped in for lunch on Saturday, and went for a couple of the secondary items that they promote for lunch--an Italian roast beef sandwich and some wings.

The shop was empty at the time, so service was prompt but also polite.  It seems to be a family operated business.  I ordered the above mentioned items with a Coke from the cooler.  They advertise the lunch as fast, and indeed the sandwich came right out, as quick as Quizno's.  Not quite the variety of vegetables.  The sandwich had beef, banana peppers, and LOTS of mozzarella.  It was well toasted and nicely salty.

My wings came a few minutes later.  Freshly cooked and very hot.   I had wanted the boneless ones, but they were out of them in traditional flavor so they gave me wings for the same price (normally a bit more expensive).  The wings were cooked perfectly, with a nice crisp skin and tender on the inside. Unfortunately they didn't have a whole lot of flavor.

The restaurant itself is mostly set up for takeout.  The single rest room was not perfectly clean but good enough.  Decor is a single line of tables with a view of a large timeline of pizza in America.  According to that chart, the Noble Roman chain was founded in 1972.

So I have yet to try the pizza.  It has good reviews on Google, but I cannot speak from first hand knowledge--that's for another time.  They offer online ordering and delivery through third parties.  If the pizza is good, it's the only standout--the other items are edible but you can get better elsewhere.

Update: We tried the pizza on our next pizza night.  It's decent, but the selection is a bit narrow--only one kind of crust, and no alfredo sauce.  They do have individual size pizzas.  Overall it did not change my impression.

My Yelp Review

Mr. Taquito in Harvest Natural Market

There is a new food business in the Harvest Natural Market.  Mr. Taquito offers a wide variety of Mexican and Latin American influenced foods.  I stopped in the other day to give it a try while shopping.  I went for the Venezuelan burger with fries--I'd had that before when La Kountera was in the food court and liked it quite a bit.

Service was polite and friendly.  My order was made fresh.  The fries were cooked and seasoned perfectly.  And the sandwich had a lot going for it--a burger patty, fried egg, thin sliced ham, tomato, and potato stix, with a nice mix of sauces.

Now for the bad news--the burger part left a lot to be desired.  They use prefab patties that are very dense and not forgiving.  This one was done just a little too long, and it was tough as nails.  Couldn't finish it.

There's a lot on the menu besides burgers--hot dogs, tortas, tacos, entree plates, etc.  If I do try it again I'll get something else.  On this occasion I found the eating area very clean and ready to go.  It's a good option and there's nowhere else to eat at that intersection (besides Cafe Artesano in the same building, which is a good choice).

My Yelp Review

Waterfalls Cafe

I had lunch here on a busy Saturday.  Most of you probably know about the place, because there were lots of people there, only a few tables open.  It's a very informal, homey place--you seat yourself.  I ordered a chicken fried steak with onion rings and green beans, a coke, and the fried ice cream for dessert.

I must have come in at the end of the brunch service because it took about 30 minutes to get my food.  Most of the restaurant had cleared out by the time it came.  But the service was attentive and they kept my drink filled while I waited.

There were a lot of good things on the plate.  The green beans were tasty, mostly because they included a whole lot of bacon.  And it was crisp bacon--it held up in the liquid.  Initially it was excellent but--I can't believe I'm saying this--I think there might have been too much bacon.  As I got further down the brine got pretty sour.

The onion rings were good and had that homemade look.  They bit through cleanly so were done right.

Unfortunately the star of the show, the CFS, was not that great.  Some of that wait time went into cooking it--it was somewhat overdone and dry.  Excellent, flavorful gravy went some way to making up for it, but not enough to make it likeable.

You definitely should try the fried ice cream--beautiful presentation and absolutely delicious.  The ice cream was rolled in a crispy coating and served in a nice fried sopapilla shell.  It was a great way to end the meal.

I've also had the hash browns and eggs here, they are a good way to start the day.  The decor is very relaxed, mostly pictures of--waterfalls.  The single restroom was clean and functional, even right after the rush.  The place is perfect for a meal with friends or family, there is music but it is just loud enough so you don't end up listening to the conversation at a neighbor's table.  All in all, if you want a nice diner atmosphere this is a good place.

My Yelp Review

Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt at Grand Parkway Marketplace

Are all frozen yogurt places the same?  Pretty much, yes.  They all get their froyo mix from a small number of manufacturers (with the exception of Pinkberry, and that chain is struggling now--you have to go downtown or to the Galleria area to get it here), and they are all designed according to formulas for how best to present froyo.  Orange Leaf is very typical of these chains--it is neither the largest nor the smallest.  At one point there were over 300 stores, but that number has shrunk considerably as the frozen yogurt trend faded. 

Still, froyo will never disappear, and every neighborhood will have one or two shops.  Our Orange Leaf on Kuykendahl closed, but one has opened in the Grand Parkway marketplace.  It's a bit smaller than the old one, I believe it can have 12 flavors rather than the 16 in the old location.  But our favorites are still there, including some sorbets (like pineapple) that are not available from other froyo places. 

Orange leaf is trying to differentiate itself with some new menu products.  You can get your yogurt made into a shake or smoothie (another crowded retail space) and they now have "Froyo cake", a sponge cake with frozen yogurt for icing.  Somewhat confusing pricing labels put us off trying it.

But we come to Orange Leaf for the froyo, and it still delivers.  The store is very clean, including the bathrooms.  When you gotta have froyo, this will do just fine.

My Yelp Review