This is pretty long, sorry. I can't help myself. I have listed the places where I ate in order from best to worst:
Mama Melroses: This was my favorite meal and my favorite restaurant. I switched my dinner reservation at the (almost) last minute with no problem and got in immediately with no wait. It definitely felt like an Italian restaurant. The décor, the Italian music playing in the background, the smell of woodfired pizza, and little twinkly lights on the ceiling all contributed to the atmosphere. I think I was the only solo diner there at 5 pm, the rest were all families, probably doing the Fantasmic dinner package. My rationale for not doing the dinner package was that I didnt think I could eat $30 worth of food, and I was darned if I was going to pay $30 for the privilege of getting a good seat at an otherwise free show. As it turned out, I could eat $30 worth of food, but I didnt need the dinner package at all. My waiter (Gilberto, I think?), was very professional and I never had to wait long for anything. He took my order, brought me my drink, my bread, my dinner, my bill, all in a very timely fashion (which was important, because I wanted to get to Fantasmic). I ordered a cocktail, the Italian Surfer, to go with my dinner. This drink has Amaretto, Malibu Rum, and assorted fruit juices and was absolutely delicious, but I dont think the alcohol content is very high, because I sucked it right down and never got a buzz. The little loaf of bread came with a tomato pesto and olive oil for spreading/dipping, and was also very good. I had to stop myself at 2 pieces, though, because I was afraid I wouldnt be able to eat my dinner. I had planned on just having a flatbread for dinner, but once I looked at the menu, I changed my mind and went with the Charred Sirloin Steak over roasted red pepper polenta, grilled asparagus, with gorgonzola butter and red wine reduction. Oh my God. It was heaven on a plate. Everything was cooked to perfection, and best of all, it was the perfect size portion (for me). Probably people with a very hearty appetite would be disappointed in the portion size, so if thats you, you might plan on getting an appetizer, too, or eating the entire loaf of bread and getting dessert. For me, I was almost able to eat it all (and if I hadnt had the bread, probably could have). I wanted to eat it all, believe me. It was that good. I had never tried polenta before, so that was a nice treat. This restaurant gets five stars and two thumbs up from me. I will definitely eat here again. The total bill (before tip) came to approximately $28.
Chefs de France: Sat down to eat around 5 pm, the place was almost empty. My waitress was an older woman, Marie, and she was extremely efficient, not chatty, but very good at her job. I had an iced tea (unsweetenedjust the way I like it!), the escargot (6 of them, delicious), the lobster bisque (also mighty yummy), and the crème brule for dessert. I started to seriously worry about my appetite and the size of my stomach. The 6 escargot and the cup of lobster bisque filled me up. But I had promised myself the crème brule (my favorite dessert) ahead of time, so I forced myself to eat half of it. It was good, but not the best Ive ever had (the caramelized glazing on top was a little overdone). Overall, though, an outstanding meal. I will definitely return here. The total bill (before tip) came to approximately $23.
House of Blues: This was on my list of places I really wanted to try. I sat at the bar and got a chance to take in the décorvery funky, very cool. Their stuff has sayings on it like unity in diversity and help ever, hurt neverI can get behind that. I liked it, as well as the background music. I ordered a marguerita for dinner, but the bartender didnt hear me say no salt and I didnt notice the salt until I sucked up a strawful. Bleck! How can people drink salty drinks? It was horrid. But I drank it anyway because I didnt want to make a scene, and besides, it was, you know, alcohol.
For dinner, I had the gumbo (spicy but delicious) and the crispy catfish nuggets with tartar sauce and sweet potato fries (I looooove sweet potato fries!). The nuggets and fries were good, but had I known portion size would be so huge (and it was an appetizer!), I wouldnt have had the gumbo, too. I could hardly make a dent in it. The total bill (before tip) came to: $22.30. Great place, Ill eat here again.
Wolfgang Puck Café: I found a seat at a counter, where I got to watch the chef (Andrew from Boston) make my dinner and chat with him about the 4 feet of snow Boston recently got. I was a bit alarmed by the size of the salads he was making (they were served on platters), and asked my waitress if the portion sizes were all that big, since Im a light eater. She confirmed that I might want to stick with the appetizers. So I ordered the Asian spring rolls (2 large rolls sliced in half, so it makes 4), which sat in a plum sauce with chopped marinated cucumbers. The presentation was fabulous, and they were delicious, if a bit spicy. Also had a side of herb and parmesan crusted crispy bread, which was okay, but a little too hard, in my opinion. Overall, I liked this place a lot and would definitely eat here again. Total bill (before tip) came to: $12.20.
Tusker House: All fast food restaurants should be so cool. I loved the décor of this place! I had the fried chicken sandwich, which was very good. It came with fat French fries, which I didnt care for. I would definitely eat here again. All the tables here are long tables, meaning if it's crowded, you might end up eating with strangers. The total bill came to: $9.57.
Sassagoula Floatworks: I had breakfast here twice. The first time, I got French toast with bacon and juice. The French toast was a little raw in the center, but I ate the rest. The total bill came to: $8.50. The second time, I got the strawberry pancakes and bacon with juicemuch better. The total bill came to: $9.14.
ABC Commissary: Adequate cheeseburger and fries with a Coke. Id eat here again if I was hungry, but I wouldnt go out of my way for it. There werent even pickles on the cheeseburger. The total bill came to: $8.72.
Lotus Blossom Café: I ordered the veggie lo mein and an iced tea. The lo mein was adequate, not great, but since I was pretty hungry at the time, it hit the spot. I wont go out of my way to eat here again, though. The total bill came to: $7.01.
Electric Umbrella: All I got here was a fruit cup, so I really cant comment on the overall quality. I ate at an outside table, and some very aggressive birds started inching their way closer and closer to me. I ate fast and left before they could peck me to death for my fruit. The total bill came to: $2.44.
Mama Melroses: This was my favorite meal and my favorite restaurant. I switched my dinner reservation at the (almost) last minute with no problem and got in immediately with no wait. It definitely felt like an Italian restaurant. The décor, the Italian music playing in the background, the smell of woodfired pizza, and little twinkly lights on the ceiling all contributed to the atmosphere. I think I was the only solo diner there at 5 pm, the rest were all families, probably doing the Fantasmic dinner package. My rationale for not doing the dinner package was that I didnt think I could eat $30 worth of food, and I was darned if I was going to pay $30 for the privilege of getting a good seat at an otherwise free show. As it turned out, I could eat $30 worth of food, but I didnt need the dinner package at all. My waiter (Gilberto, I think?), was very professional and I never had to wait long for anything. He took my order, brought me my drink, my bread, my dinner, my bill, all in a very timely fashion (which was important, because I wanted to get to Fantasmic). I ordered a cocktail, the Italian Surfer, to go with my dinner. This drink has Amaretto, Malibu Rum, and assorted fruit juices and was absolutely delicious, but I dont think the alcohol content is very high, because I sucked it right down and never got a buzz. The little loaf of bread came with a tomato pesto and olive oil for spreading/dipping, and was also very good. I had to stop myself at 2 pieces, though, because I was afraid I wouldnt be able to eat my dinner. I had planned on just having a flatbread for dinner, but once I looked at the menu, I changed my mind and went with the Charred Sirloin Steak over roasted red pepper polenta, grilled asparagus, with gorgonzola butter and red wine reduction. Oh my God. It was heaven on a plate. Everything was cooked to perfection, and best of all, it was the perfect size portion (for me). Probably people with a very hearty appetite would be disappointed in the portion size, so if thats you, you might plan on getting an appetizer, too, or eating the entire loaf of bread and getting dessert. For me, I was almost able to eat it all (and if I hadnt had the bread, probably could have). I wanted to eat it all, believe me. It was that good. I had never tried polenta before, so that was a nice treat. This restaurant gets five stars and two thumbs up from me. I will definitely eat here again. The total bill (before tip) came to approximately $28.
Chefs de France: Sat down to eat around 5 pm, the place was almost empty. My waitress was an older woman, Marie, and she was extremely efficient, not chatty, but very good at her job. I had an iced tea (unsweetenedjust the way I like it!), the escargot (6 of them, delicious), the lobster bisque (also mighty yummy), and the crème brule for dessert. I started to seriously worry about my appetite and the size of my stomach. The 6 escargot and the cup of lobster bisque filled me up. But I had promised myself the crème brule (my favorite dessert) ahead of time, so I forced myself to eat half of it. It was good, but not the best Ive ever had (the caramelized glazing on top was a little overdone). Overall, though, an outstanding meal. I will definitely return here. The total bill (before tip) came to approximately $23.
House of Blues: This was on my list of places I really wanted to try. I sat at the bar and got a chance to take in the décorvery funky, very cool. Their stuff has sayings on it like unity in diversity and help ever, hurt neverI can get behind that. I liked it, as well as the background music. I ordered a marguerita for dinner, but the bartender didnt hear me say no salt and I didnt notice the salt until I sucked up a strawful. Bleck! How can people drink salty drinks? It was horrid. But I drank it anyway because I didnt want to make a scene, and besides, it was, you know, alcohol.
For dinner, I had the gumbo (spicy but delicious) and the crispy catfish nuggets with tartar sauce and sweet potato fries (I looooove sweet potato fries!). The nuggets and fries were good, but had I known portion size would be so huge (and it was an appetizer!), I wouldnt have had the gumbo, too. I could hardly make a dent in it. The total bill (before tip) came to: $22.30. Great place, Ill eat here again.Wolfgang Puck Café: I found a seat at a counter, where I got to watch the chef (Andrew from Boston) make my dinner and chat with him about the 4 feet of snow Boston recently got. I was a bit alarmed by the size of the salads he was making (they were served on platters), and asked my waitress if the portion sizes were all that big, since Im a light eater. She confirmed that I might want to stick with the appetizers. So I ordered the Asian spring rolls (2 large rolls sliced in half, so it makes 4), which sat in a plum sauce with chopped marinated cucumbers. The presentation was fabulous, and they were delicious, if a bit spicy. Also had a side of herb and parmesan crusted crispy bread, which was okay, but a little too hard, in my opinion. Overall, I liked this place a lot and would definitely eat here again. Total bill (before tip) came to: $12.20.
Tusker House: All fast food restaurants should be so cool. I loved the décor of this place! I had the fried chicken sandwich, which was very good. It came with fat French fries, which I didnt care for. I would definitely eat here again. All the tables here are long tables, meaning if it's crowded, you might end up eating with strangers. The total bill came to: $9.57.
Sassagoula Floatworks: I had breakfast here twice. The first time, I got French toast with bacon and juice. The French toast was a little raw in the center, but I ate the rest. The total bill came to: $8.50. The second time, I got the strawberry pancakes and bacon with juicemuch better. The total bill came to: $9.14.
ABC Commissary: Adequate cheeseburger and fries with a Coke. Id eat here again if I was hungry, but I wouldnt go out of my way for it. There werent even pickles on the cheeseburger. The total bill came to: $8.72.
Lotus Blossom Café: I ordered the veggie lo mein and an iced tea. The lo mein was adequate, not great, but since I was pretty hungry at the time, it hit the spot. I wont go out of my way to eat here again, though. The total bill came to: $7.01.
Electric Umbrella: All I got here was a fruit cup, so I really cant comment on the overall quality. I ate at an outside table, and some very aggressive birds started inching their way closer and closer to me. I ate fast and left before they could peck me to death for my fruit.
The total bill came to: $2.44.
I also found out that way in the back of the restaurant, Tusker House does a few tables for two, so I always get one of those! I also was worried about eating at those long tables and feeling awkward if anyone else sits there!
