Entertainment

Players Smoked BBQ

I kept hearing about this new BBQ place in town opened by some guys I went to school with and thought I would give it a try. My daughter and I checked the place out today; Players Smoked BBQ next to GBS on Howard Road in Madera.

The menu offers meat combos and sandwiches. There are also full dinners you can take home with you. My daughter ordered the tri-tip sandwich and I ordered the three meat combo (hot link, tri-tip, pulled pork and two sides with garlic bread). Of course they have ribs too but we didn't order those today.

Steak n Shake in Las Vegas - Good Food, Bad Service

RESTAURANT REVIEW - My girlfriend and I had been planning a trip to Las Vegas for CES2012 for the last few months and went through the Internet to find interesting places to eat. We found the site for the South Point Casino and saw a link for the Steak n Shake. It looked interesting and we made plans to make that one of our destinations for a meal.

After a long day at the Consumer Electronics Show we got to South Point which is on the Las Vegas Strip but a ways from the main casinos (Luxor, MGM, etc). It was a nice looking casino with many choices for dining. When we got to the Steak n Shake there were about three couples ahead of us waiting for tables on a very long couch near the entrance.

Me n Ed's - Ranch Dressingis a Condiment

RESTAURANT REVIEW - Me n Ed's Pizza is probably the best example of California brick oven pizza on the West Coast. The toppings are fresh and the dough passes the ultimate test, it is still great the next day cold. The problem isn't with the pizza, the service or even the restaurant but something that I hope doesn't become a trend; charging for ranch dressing.

When Me n Ed's changed their pricing, they began charging for jalapeños and ranch dressing. Before, they would load a bag up with more than you could use. Now if you want the little bag of goodies it will cost you a quarter per one ounce cup.

Mountain Mike's in Madera

RESTAURANT REVIEW - When I worked in Merced ions ago I used to eat at Mountain Mike's all the time. I have always preferred a brick oven pizza like Me n Ed's, Straw Hat or Downtown Pizza Cafe in Madera. Mountain Mike's is one of the only conveyor ovens pizza's I like. Round Table in Madera and all the Pizza Hut's use conveyor ovens. The toppings on Mountain Mike's pizzas were extremely fresh and tasty. I will probably be back to this place quite often.

Now I know they are working out the kinks of just opening but there are a few things they need to work on. We went in for the lunch buffet and we had a hard time getting to the buffet. Every thing was shoved into a corner; salad, pizza and soda. A table was in the way of getting your food in a smooth flow. In fact the people who were sitting at that table moved because other customers were right on top of them the whole time they sat there.

Superior Dairy - Great Ice Cream Bad Service

RESTAURANT REVIEW - Ok first of all the ice cream is great with very large portions. My problem was with the service and the rude little high school girl that was our waitress. I have wanted to take the family to Hanford via train for a long time and when we got into town we went right to the park.

The kids rode the horses a couple times then we headed over to Superior Dairy for the ice cream. We wanted to order the big $10 behemoth but didn't want sherbet ice cream. I asked for chocolate .to which I was told that was against the rules. I told the waitress to charge me for the chocolate and she refused to take the order.

Cravings Wood Grill - Best Hot Dog in Fresno

RESTAURANT REVIEW - Had to take mom into the Clovis KP for an appointment. So while she handled the stuff at Kaiser I took my girls out for lunch. I wanted hot dogs and let my smart phone find a near by hot dog place. Cravings Wood Grill popped up a couple blocks away. I had no idea about this place but thought we'd give it a try.

Walking in I thought this must be a new franchise concept. They had hot dogs, hamburgers and other sandwiches. I wanted a hot dogs but when I saw they had pastrami burgers, that is what I picked. My youngest daughter had a corndog and my oldest a grilled chicken sandwich.

Perkos Farm Fresh - Madera's Best Coffee Shop

RESTAURANT REVIEW - This place just remodeled and it looks great. The new menu is awesome. I wish they would bring the KIDS EAT FREE days back but I am sure they need to pay for the remodeling. I love the HAYSTACK burger with Swish cheese.

When you get off of Highway 99 at Cleavland Avenue look for the Red Barn. I think the new look of this place is going to make it a Madera landmark. Before the place looked like every other coffee shop up and down the freeway. Now it really stands out.