Whataburger at Hufsmith-Kuykendahl

Stopped in the other day for a quick lunch.  Had the special Buffalo Chicken sandwich with fries and a drink, and a chocolate shake for dessert.  Food and service were both reasonably polite and competent.  Our food arrived at our table in good time--the server said they had mixed up our order number, but if he had not said anything we never would have known.  The chicken sandwich was quite good, the tenders were actually tender.  Fries were just OK, kind of chewy.

The bathroom was clean for a busy Saturday.  Overall this location was fine, hard to "wow" me on fast food but nothing to object to.

We love the spicy ketchup and the burgers here--Whataburger "gets" Texas, even if it's owned out of Chicago now.

It's good to have some inside knowledge.  Second-hand pro tip--large and medium fries are the same amount of fries.  Don't bother upsizing.

My Yelp Review  

Shipley Do-Nuts at Hufsmith-Kuykendahl

Stopped in this morning for donuts for friends and family.  Got a dozen in various forms, mostly cake, some glazed, along with a couple of kolaches and a coffee.  I would have had more glazed ones but they seemed to be out of the frosted glazed, which is what my family likes.  The donuts were fine, fully competent.  The kolaches were decent, except that I got sausage with cheese instead of plain sausage.  The cheese was kind of like butter, almost no taste, so I didn't object but maybe isn't great either.  The coffee was fine but not Dunkin'.  The bathroom was clean and ready to go, as was the seating area.  Overall it's a perfectly good place to get donuts.

My Yelp Review

Arby's

I love Arby's and am really jazzed to have a location in our neighborhood.  Gave them a little time to settle in, then came by to try them out the other day.  I went for the brisket sandwich combo, and added a snack size chocolate shake.

The sandwich itself was quite delicious, as all their offerings are.  The 3-pepper hot sauce was new since I had last been to Arby's--I think it is their best one yet.  It's spicy and just a little bit sweet, would be great on the roast beef.  I didn't think it fit the brisket so I used it on the curly fries.  And I also love those fries--they are second only to McDonald's in the fast food space.  The shake was perfectly competent, and props to them for offering it in a small size that is perfect for a dessert

The restaurant itself was clean and in good shape.  The bathroom was fine, clean and ready to go.  The place itself has little character, Arby's does not spend money on decor, even compared to McDonald's.  The service was quite acceptable, just a little shaky which I put down to inexperienced staff jitters.  But it represents well.

My Yelp Review

Laredo Taco Company Inside Stripes at Hufsmith-Kuykendahl

I love Laredo Taco Company and stopped into this location for lunch the other day.  I ordered the Street Taco plate, which comes with four small tacos and two sides.  On this visit I noticed that they have Laredo Taco Company branded desserts, mostly parfaits.  I got a cookies-and-cream parfait to finish the meal.

They make the tortillas for the regular tacos fresh in the store, but the street taco tortillas are from a package.  They were fine but keep that in mind if you like the fresh ones, which I do.  I got beef fajita tacos, Mexican rice and refried beans.  The fajita beef was nice and tender, and the rice and beans were quite tasty.  The parfait is a huge portion, 10 oz. of pudding and cookies.  Not outstanding but just fine as a finish, you would want to share it with at least one other person.  Overall a good meal.

Service was something of an issue.  The server's English was not strong.  I am monolingual in English and consider that a liability.  I will do my best to come to an understanding with someone who doesn't speak English, but the server wasn't trying too hard to be helpful.  I didn't get to choose my proteins (you're supposed to be able to choose two) or my sides (there are many, and I would have chosen differently).  Stripes usually does better than this.

Same with the restroom--it was moderately dirty though not unusable, not as good as usual with Stripes.

They have a dining area that is reasonably inviting--even a TV for watching sports while you eat.  I had a Coke with the meal and the drink machine was working well.  Overall not bad.

Yelp Listing

Marco's Pizza at Hufsmith and Kuykendahl

Tried out this location for family pizza night recently.  We got an All Meat, a Garden, and a cheese pizza. The pizza was ready when I arrived, and the server was very helpful--applied a coupon I couldn't use online, and checked the order with me before I left (a great practice).

Pizza is mostly takeout or delivery, but they have a nice seating area at this location.  It was clean and ready to go.  The restroom was also quite clean and ready, especially for the end of the day.

Marco's is not my favorite pizza recipe, for me it just lacks a little "character".  My favorite has been Pizza Hut, but they have such trouble with execution that Domino's has displaced it.  Marco's is quite good though, and just a matter of preference.  We find them somewhat expensive (two large and one medium pizza were nearly $50 before the coupon) but the execution is highly competent.

My Yelp Review