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Latest Reviews
Athenian Restaurant
Almost A True Greek Restaurant!
I say 'Almost' only because they do not have gyro meat that they cut off of a spit which was a total surprise, but the rest of the food we've had there has been very good. On our first visit I had the Gyro Plate with a baked potato side. Entrees here include a soup AND a salad AND a desert - what a surprise. I opted for the Egg Drop Soup. The soup was one of the best I've had. Not as thick and eggy as many oriental restaurants, with large pieces of green pepper in it - very tasty. I then had a side Greek salad which I really enjoyed. Crisp lettuce, topped with cucumber, olives, feta cheese crumbles and onions, dressed with creamy Greek dressing. My gyro plate came out with a very tasty and soft pita with a plentiful amount of gyro meat topped with shredded lettuce, diced tomato and onion accompanied by a container of wonderful tzatziki cucumber sauce. The gyro meat was cut fairly thin and probably heated on the flat top. It lacked the good garlicky, lamb and beef flavor that I was hoping for, but I ate it. I think my baked potato had been baked much earlier in the day as it was a bit dry and not very warm. Sour cream and butter accompanied the potato. My wife had the Large Greek Salad With Gyro Meat. A good amount of crisp lettuce topped with cucumber, olives, onions, feta cheese, quite a bit of the somewhat flavorless imposter gyro meat, warm and tasty pita bread triangles and a bowl of greek dressing. The salad plate also included one tasty Dolmades, which is a stuffed, rolled grape leaf. The gyro meat was the downfall of this otherwise tasty plate. As my entree also included desert, I opted for rice pudding which was good, just not spectacular. On our second visit, I selected the Full Order of Biscuits and Gravy ($7.99) and my wife had the Athenian Omelet ($10.95). My B & G was two split fluffy biscuits covered with sausage gravy. The gravy did have a decent amount of sausage in it and I felt the flavor was ok, better than many others, but not as good as a few. My wife's omelet included tomato, green pepper, onions, and the 'fake' gyro meat with a side of tzatziki sauce. Included hash browns were nice and crispy and the buttered rye toast was good. My wife said the omelet is probably the best place to use that gyro meat. We were there around 10:30 in the morning and they were very busy. We saw many good looking dishes coming out to the diners. Their prices are very fair, portions are large and service is good. We will return to try some other menu items as it is close to where we live.
I say 'Almost' only because they do not have gyro meat that they cut off of a spit which was a total surprise, but the rest of the food we've had there has been very good. On our first visit I had the Gyro Plate with a baked potato side. Entrees here include a soup AND a salad AND a desert - what a surprise. I opted for the Egg Drop Soup. The soup was one of the best I've had. Not as thick and eggy as many oriental restaurants, with large pieces of green pepper in it - very tasty. I then had a side Greek salad which I really enjoyed. Crisp lettuce, topped with cucumber, olives, feta cheese crumbles and onions, dressed with creamy Greek dressing. My gyro plate came out with a very tasty and soft pita with a plentiful amount of gyro meat topped with shredded lettuce, diced tomato and onion accompanied by a container of wonderful tzatziki cucumber sauce. The gyro meat was cut fairly thin and probably heated on the flat top. It lacked the good garlicky, lamb and beef flavor that I was hoping for, but I ate it. I think my baked potato had been baked much earlier in the day as it was a bit dry and not very warm. Sour cream and butter accompanied the potato. My wife had the Large Greek Salad With Gyro Meat. A good amount of crisp lettuce topped with cucumber, olives, onions, feta cheese, quite a bit of the somewhat flavorless imposter gyro meat, warm and tasty pita bread triangles and a bowl of greek dressing. The salad plate also included one tasty Dolmades, which is a stuffed, rolled grape leaf. The gyro meat was the downfall of this otherwise tasty plate. As my entree also included desert, I opted for rice pudding which was good, just not spectacular. On our second visit, I selected the Full Order of Biscuits and Gravy ($7.99) and my wife had the Athenian Omelet ($10.95). My B & G was two split fluffy biscuits covered with sausage gravy. The gravy did have a decent amount of sausage in it and I felt the flavor was ok, better than many others, but not as good as a few. My wife's omelet included tomato, green pepper, onions, and the 'fake' gyro meat with a side of tzatziki sauce. Included hash browns were nice and crispy and the buttered rye toast was good. My wife said the omelet is probably the best place to use that gyro meat. We were there around 10:30 in the morning and they were very busy. We saw many good looking dishes coming out to the diners. Their prices are very fair, portions are large and service is good. We will return to try some other menu items as it is close to where we live.
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Went here for the first time to see Straight No Chaser on November 17, 2023. The group is spectacular! A Capella music is so cool. Their harmonies are beyond compare. The first part of the show was a mix of non-holiday music. The voices, especially the bass and percussionist were excellent. All of their songs were just amazing. The second half was holiday music, each better than the one before. This is without a doubt the holiday show to see. The venue however has a major flaw. All seats are accessed via the outermost aisles, left and right sides. If you have a seat towards the center, you need to walk by, climb over, everyone who is already sitting in their seats in your row. Should you have to use the restroom, or need to leave your seat at any point during your visit after getting to your seat, you need to climb over, or pass by every person between your seat and the end of your row. In our opinion, this is a major flaw in order to be able to get more seating in the venue. Other than that, $10 beers and $24 twelve ounce wines are available for your enjoyment. The sound in this venue is exceptional. We will go back for shows as there is no bad seat in the house.
Historic Market Square
A Fun and Unique Place to Visit!
The market square is comprised of several buildings including several restaurants and numerous little shops selling just about any south of the border related item. We had no problem finding parking as there are several lots on the square and street parking. Cart vendors are selling fresh made churros, fruit bars, fruit drinks, etc. A bakery with an extensive display case offers many hard to resist items. A variety of tasty snacks and food is available inside the buildings. We were amazed at how many families were buying the fresh spun cotton candy. We really enjoyed browsing through the small shops that sit side by side with gorgeous hand painted pottery, dishes, yard art and more. Several leather shops offer very reasonably priced leather goods of exceptional quality. What is most impressive is how many items these vendors fit into their shops. Every inch of wall and ceiling space is covered with items for sale. Typically, one narrow walkway winds through the store - no room for strollers. We did see and hear some strolling mariachis who sang songs by request for anyone who was willing to put a few bucks in their hand. Their website has details on the shops, eateries and entertainment schedule. We think it's a must visit place if it's your first time in San Antonio.
The market square is comprised of several buildings including several restaurants and numerous little shops selling just about any south of the border related item. We had no problem finding parking as there are several lots on the square and street parking. Cart vendors are selling fresh made churros, fruit bars, fruit drinks, etc. A bakery with an extensive display case offers many hard to resist items. A variety of tasty snacks and food is available inside the buildings. We were amazed at how many families were buying the fresh spun cotton candy. We really enjoyed browsing through the small shops that sit side by side with gorgeous hand painted pottery, dishes, yard art and more. Several leather shops offer very reasonably priced leather goods of exceptional quality. What is most impressive is how many items these vendors fit into their shops. Every inch of wall and ceiling space is covered with items for sale. Typically, one narrow walkway winds through the store - no room for strollers. We did see and hear some strolling mariachis who sang songs by request for anyone who was willing to put a few bucks in their hand. Their website has details on the shops, eateries and entertainment schedule. We think it's a must visit place if it's your first time in San Antonio.
Stamatis Family Restaurant
A True Hidden Gem!
As future full-time residents, we're trying out different eateries on our trips in that area and found this true hidden gem in a strip mall off of Tamiami Trail. Inside is cozy with booths down the sides and tables in the center. Clearly this is a place that locals visit often as many are greeted by name and the super friendly servers already know what they want to order. Breakfast, lunch and dinner specials are posted on white boards and additional specials are on cards on the tables. And Specials they are! We both opted for the Western Omelet with Cheese, homefries and rye toast for just $7.99!! As our server left our table after taking our order, she said our meals would be right out. No joke, it was only a couple minutes and our meals were placed in front of us, steaming, piping hot. The omelet was abundantly loaded with ham, onion, sweet peppers and cheese. The potatoes, with a little onion, had been finished on the flat top with nice crunchy goodness on the outside and tender inside. Toast is toast? No. This rye is thick like Texas toast, toasted perfectly and soft inside, loaded up nicely with butter. A good flavor selection of jelly packs on the table made it even better - not the usual Mixed Fruit variety. Our server was very attentive, checking back with us often to see if we needed anything and refilled iced teas and water. Talk about value! Other specials for $8.99 even include your coffee. Lunch and dinner specials in the $11.99 to $14.99 range include soup or salad AND desert. This will become one of our regular stops in the future and worthy of your visit. You'll be delighted.
As future full-time residents, we're trying out different eateries on our trips in that area and found this true hidden gem in a strip mall off of Tamiami Trail. Inside is cozy with booths down the sides and tables in the center. Clearly this is a place that locals visit often as many are greeted by name and the super friendly servers already know what they want to order. Breakfast, lunch and dinner specials are posted on white boards and additional specials are on cards on the tables. And Specials they are! We both opted for the Western Omelet with Cheese, homefries and rye toast for just $7.99!! As our server left our table after taking our order, she said our meals would be right out. No joke, it was only a couple minutes and our meals were placed in front of us, steaming, piping hot. The omelet was abundantly loaded with ham, onion, sweet peppers and cheese. The potatoes, with a little onion, had been finished on the flat top with nice crunchy goodness on the outside and tender inside. Toast is toast? No. This rye is thick like Texas toast, toasted perfectly and soft inside, loaded up nicely with butter. A good flavor selection of jelly packs on the table made it even better - not the usual Mixed Fruit variety. Our server was very attentive, checking back with us often to see if we needed anything and refilled iced teas and water. Talk about value! Other specials for $8.99 even include your coffee. Lunch and dinner specials in the $11.99 to $14.99 range include soup or salad AND desert. This will become one of our regular stops in the future and worthy of your visit. You'll be delighted.
Tootsies Orchid Lounge Nashville Airport
Music and Excellent Airport Food
This is a spinoff of the famous Tootsie's honky tonk in downtown Nashville. We had a layover in Nashville and gave this place a try. Within a few minutes of us sitting down, a very good singer playing a guitar ended his day there. They regularly have musicians that play there. As with most airport eateries, they have a full bar with quite a few beers on tap. My wife had the Mushroom Swiss Burger ($12.50) which came with a side of fries. The burger was actually 2 burger patties, probably one half pound of meat total, with a swiss cheese slice, a few grilled mushrooms, lettuce, tomato and raw red onion. She said it had a very good beef flavor and she enjoyed it. The fries were just fries. I had the Supreme Nachos ($12.00). They come with Chili, but I substituted BBQ pork for an extra $2.00 and I'm glad I did. To my surprise, they added the pork along with chili atop the tortilla chips. The chili didn't have much flavor. There was plenty of melty queso, some tomato, and a few jalapeno slices. They were very generous with the pork. This was not pulled pork, but rather large chunks of very moist, lightly seasoned pork that had a pure pork flavor. I was very happy I got this. For airport food, it was pretty good.
This is a spinoff of the famous Tootsie's honky tonk in downtown Nashville. We had a layover in Nashville and gave this place a try. Within a few minutes of us sitting down, a very good singer playing a guitar ended his day there. They regularly have musicians that play there. As with most airport eateries, they have a full bar with quite a few beers on tap. My wife had the Mushroom Swiss Burger ($12.50) which came with a side of fries. The burger was actually 2 burger patties, probably one half pound of meat total, with a swiss cheese slice, a few grilled mushrooms, lettuce, tomato and raw red onion. She said it had a very good beef flavor and she enjoyed it. The fries were just fries. I had the Supreme Nachos ($12.00). They come with Chili, but I substituted BBQ pork for an extra $2.00 and I'm glad I did. To my surprise, they added the pork along with chili atop the tortilla chips. The chili didn't have much flavor. There was plenty of melty queso, some tomato, and a few jalapeno slices. They were very generous with the pork. This was not pulled pork, but rather large chunks of very moist, lightly seasoned pork that had a pure pork flavor. I was very happy I got this. For airport food, it was pretty good.