Friday, August 17, 2007
Calico Jack's...DOWNGRADED
Awhile ago, I blogged that Calico Jacks on the North Shore, while not worth going out of the way for was OK for a pregame dinner. Well, I have to now downgrade Calico Jack's as an AVOID. Sadly, it has slipped to the horrid service and standards of its stablemate, the truly awful McFadden's.
The Mrs. and I headed down to the ballgame early tonight, with the intention of grabbing some grub at the Bettis Grille. Unfortunately, Bettis' place was packed, and remembering the unremarkable but serviceable din-din I had at Calico Jack's, we headed there.
The place was basically deserted. Aside from a few weirdo's at the bar (including one woman wearing an over sized purple swashbuckler's hat with white fur trim) there were only three other tables with diners. We were quickly herded to a table by a greeter who wore a black dress with an open back that revealed her ass. Fine for clubbing but totally inappropriate for a restaurant. Ass-crack is rather off-putting for dinner.
We then waited nearly 15 minutes for a waitress in this nearly empty eatery to attended to us. We were literally two minutes away from walking out at this point. We should have. I ordered the chicken fajitas while the better half got a chicken taco salad.
When the food came, wifey got a blob of lettuce layered with globs of taco-type toppings in a flatbread bowl. I got burned fajitas. Yes burned, and I cannot believe any chef allowed this disaster to leave the kitchen. As it arrived, I could smell the burning food. The chicken strips were dried out clumps of jerkey, and the beans and rice were served in the fajita pan. The burning smell was from the carbonized beans and rice subjected to blistering heat of the pan, and as for flavor? Nonexistent.
The fajita fixins were crammed into a quarter-moon dish, and arranged in such a way that is was impossible to add tomatoes if you also didn't want sour cream or guacamole. You also didn't have the option of guacamole OR sour cream, as both condiments were engaged in carnal relations.
Now some of you would have sent this crap back. I'm not that way. I choked down what I could, stiffed Shanyn, our lazy and inattentive server on the tip, and bitched to the manager, letting him know we wouldn't be back and I'd be telling everyone I knew about this experience. He wanted to "try and make it right" but how could he? You really get only one chance in the restaurant industry, and once you fuck up, you're fucked.
The Mrs. and I headed down to the ballgame early tonight, with the intention of grabbing some grub at the Bettis Grille. Unfortunately, Bettis' place was packed, and remembering the unremarkable but serviceable din-din I had at Calico Jack's, we headed there.
The place was basically deserted. Aside from a few weirdo's at the bar (including one woman wearing an over sized purple swashbuckler's hat with white fur trim) there were only three other tables with diners. We were quickly herded to a table by a greeter who wore a black dress with an open back that revealed her ass. Fine for clubbing but totally inappropriate for a restaurant. Ass-crack is rather off-putting for dinner.
We then waited nearly 15 minutes for a waitress in this nearly empty eatery to attended to us. We were literally two minutes away from walking out at this point. We should have. I ordered the chicken fajitas while the better half got a chicken taco salad.
When the food came, wifey got a blob of lettuce layered with globs of taco-type toppings in a flatbread bowl. I got burned fajitas. Yes burned, and I cannot believe any chef allowed this disaster to leave the kitchen. As it arrived, I could smell the burning food. The chicken strips were dried out clumps of jerkey, and the beans and rice were served in the fajita pan. The burning smell was from the carbonized beans and rice subjected to blistering heat of the pan, and as for flavor? Nonexistent.
The fajita fixins were crammed into a quarter-moon dish, and arranged in such a way that is was impossible to add tomatoes if you also didn't want sour cream or guacamole. You also didn't have the option of guacamole OR sour cream, as both condiments were engaged in carnal relations.
Now some of you would have sent this crap back. I'm not that way. I choked down what I could, stiffed Shanyn, our lazy and inattentive server on the tip, and bitched to the manager, letting him know we wouldn't be back and I'd be telling everyone I knew about this experience. He wanted to "try and make it right" but how could he? You really get only one chance in the restaurant industry, and once you fuck up, you're fucked.
Labels: calico jack's, froth eats, pans, reviews
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Froth Eats At Calico Jack's
I had some tome to kill before last night's Pirates game (a disappointing 6-2 loss where former Pirate Josh Fogg looked like Bob Gibson), so I decided to check out Calico Jack's Cantina, hard by the ballpark. This eatery/bar is owned by the same company that owns the awful McFadden's, so I wasn't sure what to expect.
The place wasn't terribly busy, and the decor isn't anything eye catching, but the service was fast and friendly. They started me out with chips and salsa, which is typical for such a place. The salsa had quite a bit of cilantro in it, boarding on the overkill region where it starts tasting like soap, and unfortunatly, the chips were a bit stale.
I started off with a bowl of the roasted chicken and cheese tortilla soup, and this is a meal unto inself. There must have been two cups of soup in the freakin' tureen the waitress brought out, way too much for me to finish and still have room for the entree, so I only had about a cup's worth. It was very good, but again, maybe a bit too much cilantro for most people.
My entree was the chipolte BBQ chicken breasts. For $15 dollars I got two grilled chiken breasts over rice and veggies slathered with the BBQ sauce. The BBQ sauce wasn't bad, but I really couldn't taste any chipolte in it. The chicken was a bit overdone, and looked like it had been cooked in an industrial sized George Forman grill.
Overall, it wasn't that bad, you get a heck of a lot of food for your money, and while it wasn't great, it wasn't bad either. The service was quite good. My soup, entree, and two beers came to just under $25.00. I was also pleased to see they have a very extensive tequila list, although my favorite, Chinaco Anejo was missing, so I did not partake.
Overall, I give the place a C+, not bad for meeting friends before or after a baseball or football game, but I wouldn't go out of my to eat here either. So, of the places I've been to that have sprung up between PNC Park and Hienz Field, I rate the Bettis Grille a B+, Calico Jack's a C+ and McFadden's an F. Still have to try the Hyde Park Steakhouse, that one just might be next.
The place wasn't terribly busy, and the decor isn't anything eye catching, but the service was fast and friendly. They started me out with chips and salsa, which is typical for such a place. The salsa had quite a bit of cilantro in it, boarding on the overkill region where it starts tasting like soap, and unfortunatly, the chips were a bit stale.
I started off with a bowl of the roasted chicken and cheese tortilla soup, and this is a meal unto inself. There must have been two cups of soup in the freakin' tureen the waitress brought out, way too much for me to finish and still have room for the entree, so I only had about a cup's worth. It was very good, but again, maybe a bit too much cilantro for most people.
My entree was the chipolte BBQ chicken breasts. For $15 dollars I got two grilled chiken breasts over rice and veggies slathered with the BBQ sauce. The BBQ sauce wasn't bad, but I really couldn't taste any chipolte in it. The chicken was a bit overdone, and looked like it had been cooked in an industrial sized George Forman grill.
Overall, it wasn't that bad, you get a heck of a lot of food for your money, and while it wasn't great, it wasn't bad either. The service was quite good. My soup, entree, and two beers came to just under $25.00. I was also pleased to see they have a very extensive tequila list, although my favorite, Chinaco Anejo was missing, so I did not partake.
Overall, I give the place a C+, not bad for meeting friends before or after a baseball or football game, but I wouldn't go out of my to eat here either. So, of the places I've been to that have sprung up between PNC Park and Hienz Field, I rate the Bettis Grille a B+, Calico Jack's a C+ and McFadden's an F. Still have to try the Hyde Park Steakhouse, that one just might be next.
Labels: food, froth eats, north shore, restaurants, reviews
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Faux Irish
I went to the ball game early today, because I noticed there's a new Irish Pub on the North Shore! McFadden's! Authentically festooned with shamrocks, Celtic knots, and Guinness posters on the wall!
Unfortunately, the disappointment sets in the moment you open the menu. Not ONE Irish dish listed (Rueben sandwiches and Shepherd's pie doesn't count, you can get that just about anywhere). Just the same old boring bar food that you can find at TGIFriday's or Applebees.
On tap, with the exception of Guinness, everything is domestic. I suspect the owner is an English twit named Gervase Brooks-Hamster.
Foodwise, I got the Rueben. It came on a plate heaped with frenchfries, probably to detract from the fact that the Rueben was the size of two silver dollars. Smallest sandwich I've ever been served at a restaurant. Heck, I've had grilled cheese at the Murphy's lunch counter that were bigger than that Rueben. $14.50 for that and a beer. Know what a huge fish sandwich, fries, and a beer runs you at PNC Park?? $13.00. Pretty damn sad when you cannot compete with stadium food. I liked this place better when it was called Houlihans. Trust me, unless you're looking for a place to get plastered, put this dog of a restaurant to sleep. Unfortunatly, due to its location between PNC Park and Heinz Field, this turd will thrive on the GET DRUNK GO STILLERS GO BUCS! crowd.
If you want chain Irish, you're far better off walking a couple of blocks to Finnigan's Wake, or hitting Molly Brannigan's in Mt Lebanon, or Claddagh's on the South Side.
Better yet, why not drop in at the Pour House or the Harp and Fiddle?
Unfortunately, the disappointment sets in the moment you open the menu. Not ONE Irish dish listed (Rueben sandwiches and Shepherd's pie doesn't count, you can get that just about anywhere). Just the same old boring bar food that you can find at TGIFriday's or Applebees.
On tap, with the exception of Guinness, everything is domestic. I suspect the owner is an English twit named Gervase Brooks-Hamster.
Foodwise, I got the Rueben. It came on a plate heaped with frenchfries, probably to detract from the fact that the Rueben was the size of two silver dollars. Smallest sandwich I've ever been served at a restaurant. Heck, I've had grilled cheese at the Murphy's lunch counter that were bigger than that Rueben. $14.50 for that and a beer. Know what a huge fish sandwich, fries, and a beer runs you at PNC Park?? $13.00. Pretty damn sad when you cannot compete with stadium food. I liked this place better when it was called Houlihans. Trust me, unless you're looking for a place to get plastered, put this dog of a restaurant to sleep. Unfortunatly, due to its location between PNC Park and Heinz Field, this turd will thrive on the GET DRUNK GO STILLERS GO BUCS! crowd.
If you want chain Irish, you're far better off walking a couple of blocks to Finnigan's Wake, or hitting Molly Brannigan's in Mt Lebanon, or Claddagh's on the South Side.
Better yet, why not drop in at the Pour House or the Harp and Fiddle?
Labels: bars, food, Irish, pittsburgh, restaurants, reviews
