Report Card: Gordon Biersch Brewery

Gordon Biersch Brewery in the Arena District

http://www.gordonbiersch.com/

Overall GrubGrade B

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere: Grade B-: In a moment of sheer lunacy, we decided to attend the Columbus Auto Show at the Columbus Convention Center in downtown, Columbus. Attending the car show wasn’t lunacy in itself, but attending it on the same day when Nationwide Arena was hosting some of the NCAA first round Men’s Basketball Tournament games. Downtown was a madhouse, and there was nary a parking space near the downtown area. We happened to luck out and find a parking garage that most people didn’t seem to know about, but that was after battling traffic and pedestrians for about a half hour. So once we were done at the car show, we were hungry and decided it would be the most convenient to hit some place downtown. We had stopped by a Gordon Biersch many years ago, and since there was one in the Arena District, we decided “Why not?” On the inside, Gordon Biersch was decorated nicely with almost a minimalistic theme. There wasn’t a ton of wall clutter, and we sat in a fairly empty area of the restaurant (most of the other patrons were gathered in and around the bar area, where the flat screen televisions were mounted). On the negative side, the menus at Gordon Biersch were possible the dirtiest menus we’ve ever had to hold. We mean these things were absolutely scuzzy. We hoped the filthy menus weren’t going to be a reoccurring theme for our visit.

High marks: Tasteful décor and quiet dining area (at least on this visit)

Low marks: No convenient parking, and the menus were GROSS

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Service: Grade B: Our server’s name was Stephanie. There wasn’t too much that was memorable about the service, but in Stephanie’s defense, all the action in the restaurant was located elsewhere. We had minimal wait for our food, and our order was delivered with no mistakes. We did find it a little odd that when I asked for a “to go” box when our entrees came out, I kind of got just a smidge of attitude. Actually, it was more like a weird look, but the size of this entree was enormous, and I am trying to watch my figure for Pete’s sake.

High marks: Solid, mistake free service

Low marks: Nothing spectacular, and some possible offense made by my box request

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Food/Spirits: Grade B: We skipped the appetizer on this occasion. I had just started my diet, and therefore was not willing to partake in the extra calories. I have since become less Nazi-ish in my adherence to my diet, so most of our future posts will include the appetizer. Katina ordered the sangria for her drink. It was good, but nothing too memorable. I ordered one of Gordon Biersch’s in-house specialty brews called a Rauchbier. This beer was unique in that it was smoked, so it had a really nice, hearty smoky flavor that is usually absent from most beers. It was delicious, and it happened to pair nicely with food. I would definitely consider the Rauchbier a “dinner” beer and not one that you’d drink just to have a beer. For her entree, Katina ordered the braised beef tips, and I opted for the Cajun pasta. The beef tips were very flavorful, but a little lite on the beef. Katina felt the dish was too veggie-laden to be a knock-out, but it was still tasty, which is quite the endorsement coming from someone whom I’ve rarely seen eat beef tips. The Cajun pasta was also really good, but I have had better versions of Cajun pasta. Gordon Biersch’s version suffers from the same flaw as many of the other Cajun pasta’s I’ve had – too little andouille sausage. For me, a good Cajun pasta has plentiful sausage, chicken, and shrimp. The less stellar versions are usually 90% chicken, 8% shrimp, and 2% andouille sausage. So, the pasta was tasty, but no flavor-gasm (that’s Katina’s word, not mine).

High marks: Delicious and unique beer

Low marks: Too little beef in the beef tips and too little sausage in the Cajun pasta

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Value: Grade B: I’ve seen reviews on Urbanspoon claiming that Gordon Biersch was overpriced, and we have to disagree. It’s not cheap, but we dropped $52 before tip, and that’s not too out of line with our expectations. Had the quality of the food been a tad bit higher, we might have bumped this score up to an A- or B+. But if you’re in the Arena District and you’re looking to grab a bite to eat, Gordon Biersch Brewery is a pretty solid choice.

High marks: Reasonable prices for food

Low marks: Quality needs to be a little better …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Autism Friendly Score: 3 We can’t really imagine a reason to take someone on the spectrum to Gordon Biersh unless your little one is a rabid sports fan or you just caught a concert at Nationwide. But just in case, you should be aware that the lack of convenient parking, online reservations, and online kids menu doesn’t bode well. There wasn’t much noise or visual stimuli to bother an autistic child, but if the place were packed we imagine it might be an overwhelming environment.

Report Card: Beef O’Brady’s

Beef O’Bradys. from the inside

http://beefobradys.com

 

Overall GrubGrade B

 

The Breakdown:

 

Atmosphere: Grade B-: Well, we missed the turn for the Beef O’Brady’s parking lot, but that has more to do with my horrible sense of direction and a really damn slow navigation program. Beef’s looks pretty nondescript from the outside, and on the inside Beef O’Brady’s looks like exactly what it is – a sports bar. Lots of big flat screen televisions and OSU memorabilia adorn the walls, but that’s pretty much the case with every sports bar located in and around Columbus. The B- score comes from the high noise level, which normally is to be expected in this type of establishment, but not one that is pretty much empty, like Beef O’Brady’s was during our visit. The tables are spaced nicely, but the seats are fairly uncomfortable. Add to that the fact that there were a plethora of menus on our table, and all of those were really sticky, which makes us wonder a little bit about the hygiene of the place.

High marks: Straightforward décor, good table spacing

Low marks: Nothing really unique, sticky menus, uncomfortable seats

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Service: Grade B-: We really don’t like being served by committee. A good service to us means the same person takes care of our needs from start to finish. We don’t mind if runners bring the food to us, as long as our server accompanies them. The server’s name on our receipt is Steven, but we were served by no fewer than 3 different servers. All of them did an okay job, although the service wasn’t really engaging. The B- score, however, reflects a mistake (albeit small and quickly corrected) made with Katina’s order. We ordered our food pretty much straight up with very few tweaks (which is rare, especially for Katina), and the joint was far from jumping, so there was really no excuse for any mistakes.

High marks: Okay service

Low marks:   Not engaging, multiple servers, less than perfect accuracy

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Food/Spirits: Grade B: We started with a Whole Lotta Steak Nachos for our appetizer. While it didn’t seem to have near the amount of steak on as the menu picture suggested it would, it was still delicious. These were probably the most “American” tasting nachos we’ve ever had. The tortilla chips were nice and crispy, the steak was tender, and the use of a little bit of cheese sauce and shredded cheese instead of dousing the whole pile in cheese sauce kept everything nice and crisp. These nachos were better than most nachos we’ve gotten and Mexican restaurants. Katina opted for the Signature Sangria to drink, and I chose a Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold for my drink. The sangria was pretty good (not the best we’ve had) and was very fruity with some blackberry dominance. I’ve reviewed the Dortmunder Gold before, and I still enjoy the thick texture and hint of spiciness. I was just a touch disappointed with the beer selection at Beef O’Brady’s. It seemed a bit anemic, but the beer menu was so confusing that there was a good chance that I just missed half the selections. Katina ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich with onion rings instead of fries (she got fries delivered to her, hence the aforementioned mistake, but was quickly presented with a plate of onion rings).   The pork was nice and tender and the sandwiched was dressed with Sweet Baby Ray’s barbeque sauce, which is one of Katina’s favorites. We were impressed with high quality, lean pork on the sandwich. I ordered the Prime Rib Sandwich with fries. We’ll start by saying the fries may have been the most perfectly cooked fries we’ve had – they were scrumptious (Katina even ate some of the fries she received in error, which is like buying a dress, wearing it once, then returning it to the store the next day). The Prime Rib sandwich was probably the driest, greasy sandwich I’ve ever eaten. There was supposed to be a creamy horseradish sauce and brie cheese on the sandwich, but I am almost 100% convinced those ingredients were left off. I mean how can you miss the taste of horseradish – it’s a dominating flavor. Thank god for the au jus or the sandwich would have been difficult to choke down. Overall, it was pretty good, but I don’t think it was quite served the way it was supposed to be.

High marks: Great nachos, really good pulled pork, phenomenal fries   

Low marks: Prime Rib sandwich didn’t live up to the hype

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Value: Grade B: Two or three drinks, and appetizer, and a couple of decent sized sandwiches took us just north of the $50 mark. Not too bad. We left satisfied, but there was definitely not enough left over for doggie bags, so portion size was good but we wouldn’t call it generous. Beef O’Brady’s is definitely a nice place to eat if you looking for some pretty decent bar/pub style food. Make sure you stop by if you can navigate that stupid round-about in Hilliard.

High marks: Decent quality, not too expensive

Low marks: Portion size could be a tad more generous

Report Card: Ashland and Highland

Ashland & Highland in Dublin, Ohio

http://ashlandandhighland.com/

Overall GrubGrade B

 

The Breakdown:

 

Atmosphere:  Grade B+:  Ashland & Highland, in Dublin, is a fairly new restaurant.  It’s new enough that my car’s nav didn’t even think the road it is located on was finished.  I thought that my car wasn’t the only one that didn’t know where it was located when we arrived, as the place was pretty much empty.  We were a little early for the dinner crowd, and that was illustrated by the growing number of diners that were arriving when we left.  Decorated like a slightly upscale sports bar, Ashland & Highland even smelled new.  The smell was hard to describe, but it was reminiscent of a new car smell, but a little different.  Table spacing seemed adequate, but it would be hard to tell for sure with the sparse population of diners present.

High marks:   New, clean, quiet

Low marks:   So new it might be a little hard to locate

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Service:  Grade B:  Our server, Rob, seemed a little distracted when we first arrived.  However, he seemed to snap out of it once we had a couple of interactions.  We did drinks, appetizers, and a main course and it all came out within a reasonable amount of time.  It also seemed as though every time I started to look around the place to get his attention, he magically appeared.  Our service was friendly and accurate, and once Rob focused on the task at hand, he had a pleasant personality that put us at ease.

High marks:  Accurate, friendly service

Low marks:   Took server a little while to warm up to us

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Food/Spirits:  Grade B:   I usually take notes on my phone about the food and service, but I recently swapped phones and lost my notes, so the discussion of food in this case will be from memory.  That pretty much sucks for all involved since my memory is shot, but we’re going to do it anyway.   Katina ordered some sangria and a drink called Rooftop Punch.  I selected the Rogue Dead Guy ale, which I have had a few times recently and already described, so we’ll skip that part.  As for the sangria, it was good, but Katina is somewhat of a sangria savant and while she enjoyed it, she has had better.  The Rooftop Punch was very fruity and refreshing, and definitely the better of the two drinks.  For our appetizer, we ordered the calamari.  Other than the fact there were more tentacles than rings (Katina hates the tentacles, so I have to eat them), there was nothing about the calamari that was memorable.  For her entrée, Katina ordered the lobster mac and cheese.  Again, this was a dish she enjoyed, but after dining on the lobster mac and cheese at Eddie Merlot’s, we’ve found it almost pointless to eat it anywhere else – Eddie’s has set the bar too high.  I ordered the ribeye, which was cooked really well but was lacking seasoning.  If I find the need to ask for steak sauce with my steak, then usually that means the dish is lacking.  A really great steak should require nothing else but a fork and knife to eat.  But what the steak lacked in flavor it had in texture and tenderness.  I ordered my steak medium well, but I think the steak that got delivered to me was more on the well done side.  There should just be a smidgen of blood mixed in with the other steak juices if the meat is truly cooked to medium-well, but there was no blood to be found.  That did not detract from the steak’s texture, though.

High marks:   Very tender steak, decent drinks 

Low marks:   Lackluster calamari, steak was under-seasoned

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Value:  Grade B-:   We spent slightly less than I thought we were going to spend, considering I ordered a decent sized steak and Katina and I had plenty of drinks (we were kind of celebrating).  The quality of food was good but not exceptional, and portion size was adequate but not generous (we left full, but no doggy bags required).  While we probably won’t make a special trip back to Dublin to revisit, my would probably stop by again if we were in the area.  If you happen to be in Dublin, you should give Ashland & Highland a try – they were pretty good, and will probably only get better with time.

High marks:   Reasonable price considering drinks and steak

Low marks:  Portion size just adequate

Report Card: Bravo Cucina Italiana

http://www.bravoitalian.com/index.html

Overall Grade A-

 

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere:  Grade B:  Once upon a time, we considered Bravo Cucina Italiana the benchmark for Italian restaurants.  I remember taking Katina to Bravo’s when we first started dating, when we were both young and naïve, and thinking how amazing the food tasted.  We returned recently to Bravo with the intent of grading it and as soon as we walked in the door, it hit us – Bravo Cucina Italiana looks exactly the same as it did 15 years ago when we first visited it.  On the surface, that sounds like a negative comment, and while we won’t argue that the décor of Bravo could use a touch of updating, it was and still is a really nice restaurant.  Despite the age of the interior, Bravo is still well maintained and clean.  Tables are spaced appropriately, and we visited during non-peak hours, so there were few diners and little noise.

High marks:  Clean, nice décor

Low marks:   Could use some updating

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Service:  Grade A-:  Over the years, we’ve been to Bravo Cucina Italiana many, many times.  On this occasion, as with all of the previous occasions, we received very good service.  The service is always straight forward and competent.  Food and drinks move at very nice pace, and rarely do you need to ask for anything twice.  Bravo gets an “A-“ on this occasion (which is slightly higher than I would normally give it) because our server went the extra mile in getting Katina her Veal Marsala.  The Veal Marsala used to be on the menu, and now it is gone, but our server was able to still get it for Katina.  That extra little effort lifted Bravo’s grade.  Well done.

High marks:  Server obtained dish no longer on menu for Katina

Low marks:   Service really good – not spectacular

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Food/Spirits:  Grade A:  We are finding excellent Italian food harder and harder to find.  Brava Cucina Italiana has really good Italian food.  While we might no longer consider it the gold standard for Italian cuisine, you won’t find many places slinging better pasta.  Katina had Sangria for her drink and I once again settled for a Guinness.  We’ve done both of these drinks before, so there’s really no reason to keep flogging that dead horse.  As previously mentioned, Katina ordered the veal marsala.  Katina has always maintained that Bravo’s veal marsala was the best she’s had.  This held true for on this visit as well.  The veal was tender and was pounded nice and thin.  The sauce had a really good flavor, and there was plenty of it.  The herbed pasta that came with the veal marsala was cooked to perfection as well.  I settled on the sausage tortelloni, which was really well prepared.  The Italian sausage had just enough kick without overwhelming the rest of the dish.  The sauce had HUGE chunks of tomato in it.  While I am a fan of the flavor of tomato, I am not really in love with its texture.  So, I usually prefer any tomato in a dish to be diced or chopped into tiny pieces.  I know…how old am I?  My biggest complaint, though,  was definitely not Bravo giving me too much of a good thing.  Portion size on the sausage tortelloni was small.  I never like leaving a restaurant feeling as hungry as I did when I entered it.  Maybe the massive chunks of tomato were supposed to be a filler.  So, even though I enjoyed the taste, I was overall disappointed with the dish.  However, because the veal marsala gave Katina joy, and based on previous performance, we settled on a food/spirits grade of “A.”

High marks:  Still the best veal marsala out there, according to Katina

Low marks:  Portion size on sausage tortelloni too small

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Value:  Grade B:  Portion size is what kept Bravo Cucina Italiana from scoring an A in this category.  While Katina left with a doggie bag, I felt I had only eaten a few bites of my dish when I realized my dish was done.  Food is of really good quality and price is not overwhelming.  If Bravo can get the portion size more consistent, we can bring the grade up to “A.”

High marks:  Really good food at a reasonable price

Low marks:  Inconsistent portion size

Report Card: Six Penn Kitchen

www.sixpennkitchen.com

Overall Grade B+

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere:  Grade A:  Six Penn Kitchen is another downtown Pittsburgh restaurant that is very contemporary both inside and out.  With its location near the theatre, it seems to be the hot spot for the theatre crowd.  That appeared to be the case when we arrived.  Six Penn Kitchen was full of diners decked out in their Sunday best for whatever show was playing.  But by the time we left, the place was near empty.  We scored a table upstairs after a 15 minute wait (originally estimated at 30 minutes).  The tables upstairs were a little close together for my taste, but fortunately the diners around us must have had tickets to the show, because we that the 2^nd floor pretty much to ourselves by the time our appetizer arrived.  Even when it was packed, Six Penn Kitchen was fairly quiet and had a nice easy-going, but somewhat sophisticated feel about it.  The décor was very contemporary, and the dining area and bathrooms were quite clean — overall, a very good first impression.

High marks:  Clean, contemporary, quiet

Low marks:   Tables were a little too close together

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Service:  Grade B:  Based on its appearance, we had really high expectations for Six Penn Kitchen with regards to service.  We were slightly disappointed.  Our service was not bad, just very underwhelming.  Our appetizer seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to arrive, and our server seemed only interested in providing service just good enough to get a tip.  Now to be fair, we were arriving and the end of what appeared to be a pretty substantial rush, but a good server should not let that frazzle them.  After the wait for the appetizer, the rest of the meal seemed to proceed at an acceptable pace.

High marks:  Most of food arrived promptly

Low marks:   Server did not seem very interested in serving

* I need to add that our server threw in a free dessert to compensate us for the abnormally long wait for our appetizer.  I had forgotten about that, but my wife has seen fit to gently remind me of it. 

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Food/Spirits:  Grade B+:  Our meal started with house made pretzels as an appetizer.  When you order pretzels or pretzel bites for an appetizer, you have an expectation of what your appetizer is going to look like.  These pretzels did not look like your traditional pretzels.  Maybe they were albino pretzels, because they were definitely lacking in pigment.  But, they certainly tasted like pretzels – very good pretzels.  The pretzels were soft and warm, and served with a honey mustard and 6-cheese lager sauce.  Both sauces were really tasty.  For drinks, I played it safe with a Guinness, but Katina tries both the white and red sangria (yes, I said both).  The red had a stronger taste than the white, but she enjoyed both (Katina is somewhat of a Sangria specialist).  Six Penn Kitchen’s menu focuses on and promotes a lot of local food growers and vendors.   We found that admirable and thought it worth mentioning.  For our entrées, Katina ordered the Buffalo Mac N Cheese and I ordered the Lamb Bolognese.  The Buffalo Mac N Cheese was rich with gorgonzola cheese, and the bits of chicken were basted in a sauce was reminiscent of buffalo cheese dip (you all know buffalo cheese dip – that delicious concoction that one of your crazy aunts always brings to the family get together – it looks horrible but tastes delicious).  Katina felt that the Buffalo Mac N Cheese had the perfect amount of heat.  The Lamb Bolognese was heavenly.  The tender, mild lamb perfectly complemented the feta cheese.  Throw in some nice, wide pappardelle and you have a bowl full of heaven.

High marks:  Buffalo Mac N Cheese and Lamb Bolognese were very tasty

Low marks:  Never judge a book by its cover – the pretzels tasted far better than they looked

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Value:  Grade B+:  Portion size was fairly generous.  This wasn’t the cheapest or the best meal we had in Pittsburgh, but the quality and amount of food for the price was reasonable.  If you’re in Pittsburgh to see a show, you will want to stop by Six Penn Kitchen and see why it’s a favorite among the theater crowd.

High marks:  Unique menu with some interesting choices – generous portions

Low marks:  Food could have been slightly less expensive

Report Card: Bonefish Grill

www.bonefishgrill.com

Overall Grade B+

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere:  Grade A:  We hit Bonefish Grill at around 4:00pm on a Friday.  We actually arrived at a good time, since we did not have to wait for a table nor was the restaurant packed (I’m sure that changed once we left).  As always, Bonefish Grill provided a really nice atmosphere.  The restaurant was clean and noise level was at a minimum, but that’s nothing new.  We’ve always had a pleasant experience when we’ve visited Bonefish Grill.

High marks:  Clean and quiet

Low marks:  Décor is pretty standard – no real “wow” factor

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Service:  Grade B:  The service at Bonefish Grill is consistently really good.  Our server, Heidee, made sure that we had drinks when we needed them and that the meal proceeded with no delays.  Food arrived promptly, but that is probably also due to how few people were eating at the same time as us.  But, as previously stated, service at Bonefish is always really good, and we’ve been there a lot.  Bonefish Grill received a B for service primarily because the service on this particular day was a good as usual, but nothing about it really made this visit any more memorable than any of the dozen other times we’ve eaten there.

High marks:  Good service, minimal wait for drinks and food

Low marks:  Nothing spectacular about service

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Food/Spirits:  Grade B:  If you go to Bonefish Grill and do not order Bang Bang Shrimp as your appetizer, someone should sew your mouth shut.  This is simply the one of the BEST appetizers we’ve ever had (Columbus Brewing Company’s calamari is up there as well).  So of course we started with the Bang Bang Shrimp.  Once again, it was amazing.  The only negative is that you can’t order it by the bucket.  If that were possible, you’d find me at Bonefish nightly with a bib and an empty bucket at my feet – with only the telltale presence of Bang Bang sauce on my face to give me away.  For drinks, Katina had the red sangria and I ordered the massive Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale.  The sangria at Bonefish has really improved over the last couple of years and now is on par with the Bonefish on Franz Road.  The beer was awesome, as expected.  I could actually feel my chest sprouting more hair – definitely a man’s beer.  Here’s where things get good, and a little bad.  If you’ve read our Honor Roll, you know that we gave Bonefish Grill top honors for a seafood restaurant.  This was primarily due to the strength of their twin lobster tail dinner.  This is the place you need to visit if you like lobster.  The secret is the drawn butter they give you for dipping your lobster.  I’m not sure if they put heavy cream in it or crack cocaine, but it’s instantly addictive.  On this visit, Bonefish was running a special that allowed you to add a lobster tail to any entrée for $7.90 – good deal, right.  Bet you can guess what we did…we ordered the twin lobster tail dinner and indeed we did add a third tail.  We almost single handedly put lobster on the endangered species list.  This was going to be as close to heaven as one could expect, right.  Wrong.  While the lobster tails were still tasty, they were nowhere near the same quality as the lobster we received on our previous visits.  It was a little disappointing, but we got 3 lobster tails for less than $40, so we should probably not complain.

High marks:  Excellent appetizer and drinks

Low marks:  Lobster not on par with usual offering

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Value:  Grade A:  The meal was still delicious, and you would think we were off our rockers if we gave Bonefish Grill anything less than an “A.”  You did read the previous paragraph, right.  Remember the 3 lobster tails….good.  Enough said.

High marks:  Once again, 3 lobster tails

Low marks:  None

Report Card: Cantina Laredo

www.cantinalaredo.com

 

Overall Grade  A-

 

The Breakdown:  

Atmosphere: Grade B+:  Walking up to Cantina Laredo, one might think they are about to enter an upscale boutique store instead of a Mexican restaurant.  Inside, the décor might lead you to believe you’re visiting that friend you can’t stand with the super nice, uber modern house.  Cantina Laredo ditches the usual ceramic tile, brightly painted Aztec-style décor in favor of glass, chrome, and dark wood.  This is one the nicest places to eat from a décor standpoint.  The only drawback is the noise level can get pretty high, so Cantina Laredo is not the place you’d want to take someone on a first date.  That is, unless you have no interest in talking to your date.  Which means it might be an ideal site for the married couple (just kidding).

High marks:  Stylish and modern, not your typical Mexican eatery

Low marks:  Noise level can be a little high

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Service:  Grade A-:   We have visited Cantina Laredo quite a few times, and the service is consistently very, very good.  The servers are excellent in making sure that you have everything you need.  Chips and salsa are consistently refilled, as is the water or whatever else you might elect to drink.  There was minimal wait for our food, and Justin (our server) made sure we had everything we needed.  To get an A or A+ in this category, we need to see excellent service and a little bit of entertainment.  We got the excellent service, so well done, Cantina Laredo.

High marks:  Excellent service, minimal wait, good attention to detail

Low marks:  Nothing extraordinary about service

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Food/Spirits:  Grade A-:   If you happened to read our Honor Roll, then you know that we place a premium value on the quality of margaritas for Mexican restaurants.  The margaritas at Cantina Laredo are one of the reasons Cantina Laredo won our top honors for a Mexican restaurant.  Katina elected for the La Bandera and I tried the Perfect Patron.  Honestly, I was just a touch disappointed in the Perfect Patron because I thought it lacked character – it tasted pretty much like a strong, traditional margarita.  Katina was very pleased with her La Bandera.  It was smooth and fruity.  However, even a slightly disappointing margarita at Cantina Laredo is better than most other margaritas.  I will say this again – if you plan on drinking more than one, bring cab fare or check into the Hilton across the street.  Okay, now on to chips and salsa.   There’s little variety in the types of chips you traditionally get in Mexican restaurants, so there’s not much to report.  The salsa, however, is another reason we LOVE Cantina Laredo.  There are two salsas provided, and both are good.  The one that is served warm with the smoky flavor will make you redefine reality.  I would eat broccoli if it was dipped in this salsa (and I despise broccoli).  Katina had the Tacos Cascabel for her entrée, and I tried the Tacos al Carbon.  Both dishes can be summed up with one word – excellent.  And a nice bonus: the next day when I reheated the leftovers, they tasted just as good as they did the previous night.  So now you’re asking, why not an A or A+?  Real simple: the White Honey Sangria.  I ordered this because Katina wanted to try it but didn’t want to appear like a lush, so I risked the dirty looks and took the plunge.  While it was good, the sangria was not on par with the rest of the food and drinks, so we dropped the score just a bit.

High marks:  Excellent margaritas, salsa, and food

Low marks:  Sangria not up to standards of rest of menu

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Value:  Grade B:  Here’s where we talk about portion size and cost.  The portion size at Cantina Laredo borders on the generous side but doesn’t quite get there.  Who cares?  By the time your main course arrives, you’ve stuffed yourself on yummy chips and salsa, so you probably won’t notice.  The price is not cheap, but it is certainly not out of line for the quality of food.

High marks:  Not as expensive as you’d initially think

Low marks:  Portion size is almost perfect, but not quite (trust us, you won’t notice)