On our way home from church Sunday evening, hubby and I decided to stop for a quick bite before the long trek back up 301. Usually we pass a lot of fast food restaurants, so we decided to try to grab something before we ended up with french fries and burgers. We pulled off 288 onto Broad Street toward Short Pump, VA and looked around for something that might catch our fancy and we saw a strip mall that contained a pizza place called "Extreme Pizza."
You might wonder what would be so 'extreme' about the pizza they serve. I was hoping they offered something that was not the 'typical' pizza fare we get when we go out. When we lived in Germany, my favorite pizza was my 'dandelion greens' pizza with ham. I thought that was pretty extreme. I am happy to say that I was impressed by the extremely good prices, variety of ingredients, and the excellent service.
When we stepped through the doors, it looked like any other strip mall food spot. There were a few tables around, two televisions angled to the center of the room in opposite corners of the ceiling. Toward the back on the right was a place for patrons to get their own fountain drinks, sweet, and unsweet tea. On the left in the back was the counter to place orders. Up on the wall they have cardboard samples of their pizza sizes so you know what you are getting.
As we walked to the counter, I walked by a few patrons that had already received their pizza's and were chowing down. The pizza was delivered to the table piping hot and I could smell how delicious the ingredients were as I passed.
The menu they offer contains more than just pizza. They offer wings, salads, subs and desserts. I'm not going to say that the menu is exactly 'health food' since it is not, but they take popular quick foods and try to make them taste less like 'processed food' and more like a good, fresh meal. They also offer a gluten free menu for those who are gluten intolerant or have celiac's disease!
The pizza selections can be on either a wheat crust or a traditional crust. Hubby and I decided to get 2 individual size pizzas in our own choice of flavors. I got the Boar'der with a wheat crust and hubby chose the Everest and got a traditional crust. We discovered that they had a Buy 1 get 1 half price offer (great!) so for two individual pizzas and two regular sodas, the price came to about $15.
We got our drinks and sat down. I got sweet tea and hubby got diet soda. There was some issue with the carbonation, but that was quickly handled when the employees were informed. Within about ten minutes, both of our pizzas were placed in front of us and both were piping hot. On mine, the ingredients were a perfect balance, not greasy, full of flavor. My pizza had a barbecue sauce base, a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella which were hot enough to still be melting as I picked up my slices of pizza. There was an even distribution of stripped pork over the entire pie. I even enjoyed the onions and I am not typically a fan of onions on my pizza. They didn't sit on top to get burnt, but were under the cheese, with the sauce. The ingredients all tasted fresh, the crust was light and crisp. I thought it was the best pizza I had eaten since Germany. Hubby wolfed down his entire pizza and also refused to share because the flavor was so delicious. His only complaint was that the cashier did not ask him if HE wanted a wheat crust.
Taste: I give 4/4 stars for flavor. Everything was fresh, came out quickly, was properly cooked, and had delicious flavor.
Service: I give 2/4 stars for the service of the staff. We had a few minutes of a wait for someone to take our order. The person who took our order didn't ask my husband if he wanted wheat crust. However, we did get the discount and our food was cooked quickly and arrived at our table quickly.
Prices: I give 3.5/4 for the prices. The special price for our two pizzas were excellent, but I wouldn't have known about the special if it hadn't automatically come up in their computer. No where was the special listed as far as I could see. The prices on the menu were a little higher than average, but I would expect that for the freshness and quality of the food.
Atmosphere: I give a 1/4 stars for the ambiance. The place is not impressive. It looks like any other strip mall pizza/burger joint. It didn't have good lighting. The two televisions were on different channels, but one had the volume turned up. The other didn't even have subtitles on the screen.
Overall, I think we would return. I'd be willing to order from them for a pizza party at the church. I wouldn't recommend dining in the establishment, but the prices and the flavor and freshness would definitely make it worth my while to purchase food there again. The fact that they offer a gluten free menu is particularly of interest in my family since my brother's wife and most of her family are gluten intolerant. Maybe next time I'll try their salad and wings!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
The Stanford Grill
This morning hubby asked me if I wanted to go out to breakfast since it is a rare treat to be able to do brunch on a Sunday morning. Usually, we are at church. I decided to go online and see if there were any restaurants in the area that offered a Sunday brunch. We are already familiar with the weekend brunches at Victoria Gastro Pub in Columbia, MD and we are aware that The Cheesecake Factory at the Columbia Mall also offers a Sunday brunch as well, but we wanted to try something that was atypical.
I went onto Yelp and found that The Stanford Grill in Columbia, MD offers brunch only on Sundays and we decided to try it.
When we arrived around 11:30am, we were greeted by two hostesses. At the entrance there was a pianist and cellist that were both playing softly. We were seated immediately. The hostess that seated us took us over to the fireplace and told us we were welcome to sit at our choice of either the large booths or any of the tables around the fireplace. We chose to sit at a booth and she gave us our menus. Our waitress was Ashley. She came to our table within moments of our being seated and asked us what we would like to drink. There are several options for beverages and all of them are included in the cost of the meal. I asked if I could choose two (coffee and mimosa) and hubby requested coffee. She said that she could bring out a French Press Pot for us and then she could just bring out an extra cup for me and not charge for a second drink. That was nice!
After that, as we were looking at our menus, I asked her what she recommended. She mentioned several of the breakfast items she enjoyed that were sweet (french toast and pancakes), but I was more interested in a savory. When she mentioned the Crab Scramble and the Crab Eggs Benedict, I decided to go with the Crab Eggs Benedict. Hubby will tell you that Eggs Benedict is my 'test' for how good a restaurant is. If the egg isn't poached well or if the hollandaise sauce is too thin or too thick or has no flavor, the entire dish is ruined. I had ordered Eggs Benedict four times in the last ten years and only one time was it cooked properly when I placed my order. Ashley asked me if it was ok that potatoes came with my order and I told her that was fine with me.
Hubby could not decide what he wanted to eat, so Ashley offered to return for his order with our drinks. When she returned with our coffee and fresh cream in a small pot, she poured our coffees for us and then hubby ordered a Breakfast Burrito and requested a side order of scrambled eggs and a side of Canadian Bacon. I noticed they offered Applewood Bacon at that point and requested a side of that as well. There was a bit of difficulty regarding spoons. Ashley told us that no coffee spoons were clean, but she could bring us soup spoons to stir our cream and sugar into the coffee. Hubby used his knife to stir his coffee and I waited for the soup spoon. When she brought them, one of the spoons had dried food on it still. Ashley apologized profusely. I need to specify at this point that I am already not a huge fan of French Press Pot coffee because I don't like grounds in my coffee and am more accustomed to a 'regular coffee' having free refills, but compared to my previous experience, the flavor was good and there were not as many grounds in my cup when I finished.
A few minutes passed and we talked and enjoyed the ambiance. We were seated near the fireplace, but there is also a wall of windows that overlooks an outdoor fireplace and what appears to be a relaxing outdoor patio. Both the indoor and outdoor fireplaces were lit and the music was very soothing after the stressful holiday rush of Thanksgiving. My mimosa arrived and I noted that more people were being seated around the room. Around noon, the pianist and cellist stopped playing. I noticed that on our table was an offer for their frequent dining plan. They are a local chain and apparently have sister locations under the name Copper Canyon Grill within the Blueridge Restaurant Group.
When our food arrived, the portions were tremendous. Hubby's burrito was larger than the burritos we get at Chipotle. The plating was excellent. The burrito was at an angle on his oval plate and on either side was a generous portion of delicious pablano sauce. His second plate held his scrambled eggs and potatoes, and a third plate held 5 pieces of Canadian Bacon. The potatoes were roasted, redskin potatoes.
My plate had two generous portions of Crab Eggs Benedict and half a plate of potatoes. The chunks were one inch chunks of potato and they were fully cooked. They tasted as though they had very little seasoning on them, I would have preferred a bit more salt when they cooked them, but they were cooked to the perfect consistency. I had 4 pieces of well cooked, just chewy enough, thick pieces of bacon.
Both hubby and I were pleasantly surprised by both the flavors AND the portion sizes. Hubby said that the pablano sauce was not spicy, but it had an excellent taste and it was a little sweet with a hint of pepper with no bite. It was full of flavor. It brought all the other ingredients of the burrito out and significantly added to the essence of the burrito. He also said that if he had known the portion sizes were so large, he would only have purchased the eggs and Canadian Bacon, rather than also getting the burrito. In the end, he still had some eggs and most of his potatoes still on the plate because he was full.
Hubby told me he was concerned when I ordered the crab eggs benedict because I have been disappointed so often with that particular choice. When I told him how incredibly delicious it was, he was happy. I ate a few of my potatoes and only one of the two pieces. The flavor was so yummy that I wanted to eat the other one, but I was too full. I tried just tasting the crab with the sauce, but the corn tamale under the crabmeat was an essential part of bringing the flavors together. The poached egg had rolled off the top of one of the muffins, but I rolled it back onto the top before I broke it. Both poached eggs were cooked perfectly and when I dipped the potatoes in the Benedict sauce (I can't call it hollandaise because it was not lemony, but it was a perfect accent to the crab), I no longer missed the salt I thought had been missing in the taste of the potatoes. I enjoyed the meal so much that I wish I could have finished the second portion, but I ended up wasting about half the potatoes and most of the other portion of the muffin with crab.
Ashley brought us a second pot of coffee when we asked for it and told us at the end of the meal that she wasn't charging us for the second pot. She mentioned that it was unusually busy for a Sunday brunch. While the restaurant was not full, it was quite busy.
Taste: I give 4/4 stars for flavor. Everything came out in a reasonable time, was properly cooked, and had delicious flavor.
Service: I give 3.5/4 stars for the service of the staff. Everyone was pleasant from the moment we entered the restaurant until we left. We were seated quickly, received our food quickly, and any problems were dealt with quickly. I think the free second pot of coffee was likely due to the dirty spoon, but it could have just been that she was being nice. At one point, a manager came by and asked us if everything was ok and we had no complaints.
Prices: I give 3/4 for the prices. I'm tempted to give 4/4 since the flavor and portion sizes were excellent, the staff and ambiance were very good. For the two of us, the meal was about $45 without tip. For the combination of the ambiance, location, flavor, and portion sizes the price was reasonable, but a little on the high side. To put it simply, a character breakfast at Disney World was cheaper per person.
Atmosphere: I give a 3.5/4 stars for the ambiance. I loved the fireplace and thought the decor was nice. I was disappointed that the music ended at noon. I think it should have continued until at least 1pm. The staff was dressed professionally in suits.
Overall, we would definitely return. I would not mind trying their dinner. We attempted to have dinner here once without reservations and the wait was over an hour, so we left. I give an overall 3.5 out of 4 stars. I would not consider this a family dining experience at any time of day, but definitely be willing to try it as a date place or for a nice evening out with adult friends.
Eat and enjoy!
I went onto Yelp and found that The Stanford Grill in Columbia, MD offers brunch only on Sundays and we decided to try it.
When we arrived around 11:30am, we were greeted by two hostesses. At the entrance there was a pianist and cellist that were both playing softly. We were seated immediately. The hostess that seated us took us over to the fireplace and told us we were welcome to sit at our choice of either the large booths or any of the tables around the fireplace. We chose to sit at a booth and she gave us our menus. Our waitress was Ashley. She came to our table within moments of our being seated and asked us what we would like to drink. There are several options for beverages and all of them are included in the cost of the meal. I asked if I could choose two (coffee and mimosa) and hubby requested coffee. She said that she could bring out a French Press Pot for us and then she could just bring out an extra cup for me and not charge for a second drink. That was nice!
After that, as we were looking at our menus, I asked her what she recommended. She mentioned several of the breakfast items she enjoyed that were sweet (french toast and pancakes), but I was more interested in a savory. When she mentioned the Crab Scramble and the Crab Eggs Benedict, I decided to go with the Crab Eggs Benedict. Hubby will tell you that Eggs Benedict is my 'test' for how good a restaurant is. If the egg isn't poached well or if the hollandaise sauce is too thin or too thick or has no flavor, the entire dish is ruined. I had ordered Eggs Benedict four times in the last ten years and only one time was it cooked properly when I placed my order. Ashley asked me if it was ok that potatoes came with my order and I told her that was fine with me.
Hubby could not decide what he wanted to eat, so Ashley offered to return for his order with our drinks. When she returned with our coffee and fresh cream in a small pot, she poured our coffees for us and then hubby ordered a Breakfast Burrito and requested a side order of scrambled eggs and a side of Canadian Bacon. I noticed they offered Applewood Bacon at that point and requested a side of that as well. There was a bit of difficulty regarding spoons. Ashley told us that no coffee spoons were clean, but she could bring us soup spoons to stir our cream and sugar into the coffee. Hubby used his knife to stir his coffee and I waited for the soup spoon. When she brought them, one of the spoons had dried food on it still. Ashley apologized profusely. I need to specify at this point that I am already not a huge fan of French Press Pot coffee because I don't like grounds in my coffee and am more accustomed to a 'regular coffee' having free refills, but compared to my previous experience, the flavor was good and there were not as many grounds in my cup when I finished.
A few minutes passed and we talked and enjoyed the ambiance. We were seated near the fireplace, but there is also a wall of windows that overlooks an outdoor fireplace and what appears to be a relaxing outdoor patio. Both the indoor and outdoor fireplaces were lit and the music was very soothing after the stressful holiday rush of Thanksgiving. My mimosa arrived and I noted that more people were being seated around the room. Around noon, the pianist and cellist stopped playing. I noticed that on our table was an offer for their frequent dining plan. They are a local chain and apparently have sister locations under the name Copper Canyon Grill within the Blueridge Restaurant Group.
When our food arrived, the portions were tremendous. Hubby's burrito was larger than the burritos we get at Chipotle. The plating was excellent. The burrito was at an angle on his oval plate and on either side was a generous portion of delicious pablano sauce. His second plate held his scrambled eggs and potatoes, and a third plate held 5 pieces of Canadian Bacon. The potatoes were roasted, redskin potatoes.
My plate had two generous portions of Crab Eggs Benedict and half a plate of potatoes. The chunks were one inch chunks of potato and they were fully cooked. They tasted as though they had very little seasoning on them, I would have preferred a bit more salt when they cooked them, but they were cooked to the perfect consistency. I had 4 pieces of well cooked, just chewy enough, thick pieces of bacon.
Both hubby and I were pleasantly surprised by both the flavors AND the portion sizes. Hubby said that the pablano sauce was not spicy, but it had an excellent taste and it was a little sweet with a hint of pepper with no bite. It was full of flavor. It brought all the other ingredients of the burrito out and significantly added to the essence of the burrito. He also said that if he had known the portion sizes were so large, he would only have purchased the eggs and Canadian Bacon, rather than also getting the burrito. In the end, he still had some eggs and most of his potatoes still on the plate because he was full.
Hubby told me he was concerned when I ordered the crab eggs benedict because I have been disappointed so often with that particular choice. When I told him how incredibly delicious it was, he was happy. I ate a few of my potatoes and only one of the two pieces. The flavor was so yummy that I wanted to eat the other one, but I was too full. I tried just tasting the crab with the sauce, but the corn tamale under the crabmeat was an essential part of bringing the flavors together. The poached egg had rolled off the top of one of the muffins, but I rolled it back onto the top before I broke it. Both poached eggs were cooked perfectly and when I dipped the potatoes in the Benedict sauce (I can't call it hollandaise because it was not lemony, but it was a perfect accent to the crab), I no longer missed the salt I thought had been missing in the taste of the potatoes. I enjoyed the meal so much that I wish I could have finished the second portion, but I ended up wasting about half the potatoes and most of the other portion of the muffin with crab.
Ashley brought us a second pot of coffee when we asked for it and told us at the end of the meal that she wasn't charging us for the second pot. She mentioned that it was unusually busy for a Sunday brunch. While the restaurant was not full, it was quite busy.
Taste: I give 4/4 stars for flavor. Everything came out in a reasonable time, was properly cooked, and had delicious flavor.
Service: I give 3.5/4 stars for the service of the staff. Everyone was pleasant from the moment we entered the restaurant until we left. We were seated quickly, received our food quickly, and any problems were dealt with quickly. I think the free second pot of coffee was likely due to the dirty spoon, but it could have just been that she was being nice. At one point, a manager came by and asked us if everything was ok and we had no complaints.
Prices: I give 3/4 for the prices. I'm tempted to give 4/4 since the flavor and portion sizes were excellent, the staff and ambiance were very good. For the two of us, the meal was about $45 without tip. For the combination of the ambiance, location, flavor, and portion sizes the price was reasonable, but a little on the high side. To put it simply, a character breakfast at Disney World was cheaper per person.
Atmosphere: I give a 3.5/4 stars for the ambiance. I loved the fireplace and thought the decor was nice. I was disappointed that the music ended at noon. I think it should have continued until at least 1pm. The staff was dressed professionally in suits.
Overall, we would definitely return. I would not mind trying their dinner. We attempted to have dinner here once without reservations and the wait was over an hour, so we left. I give an overall 3.5 out of 4 stars. I would not consider this a family dining experience at any time of day, but definitely be willing to try it as a date place or for a nice evening out with adult friends.
Eat and enjoy!
Foodies
Our family loves food. We like to cook. We like to go out. We like to eat. We like to eat junk food. We like to eat healthy food. We like whatever tastes good.
We also travel quite a bit and have lived in or visited almost half the planet among us. Hubby has done Asia (Korea, Japan). We all have lived in Europe and traveled the continent while we were there. We live in Maryland, but have visited more than half the states in the United States and have friends and family all over the country that we enjoy visiting. I've been to Mexico. We've all been to the Caribbean. Everywhere we go we have to try something new.
I was a picky eater as a child. I loved well made vegetables, but hated fruit. I refused to eat anything 'raw' or 'steamed'. Fried or microwaved food all the way for me! When I married my husband, I learned rather quickly that I would be expected to try to expand my horizons. It took moving to Germany to force me to go out of my comfort zone and I haven't been back since!
Over the years we have gone to a LOT of restaurants. As we have gotten older, we have realized that we raised our kids to be foodies too. We all are somewhat picky about our preferences for what makes a great restaurant.
Taste-There is nothing more important than how tasty the food is. More than anything, this is judging COOKING. It has to have good flavor AND be properly prepared. Undercooked and overcooked are unacceptable. I give a restaurant two chances to get the cooking level correct. I figure that sometimes people have different ideas of what is medium as opposed to medium well. The second time I tell them exactly what I am looking for (pink with a little blood in the center is medium rare to me and that is how I want my steak, I like my pork cooked to medium well and no pink in my chicken at all). The food should be FRESH and you get bonus points for healthy options that still have excellent flavor.
Staff-I include hostessing on this part. The accuracy of how long I have been told I am going to wait for my table vs the actual time I wait to be seated. How long does it take to get my drinks once I was seated? How long for food? Did the server become obnoxious by showing up every ten seconds asking me how it is? Did the server ever show back up for refills? Did I have to hear the server's life story because they are aiming for a big tip or were they simply friendly? Was my silverware clean and if not, did the server quickly rectify the situation or did we have to wait forever?
Prices-The prices are of medium importance to us because sometimes it is nice to splurge and sometimes the atmosphere, staff, location, portions, and flavor are worth the extra expense. If I am judging a fast food restaurant, I am going to judge it compared to other fast food restaurants both within its chain and outside its chain. Basically, I think you should judge a restaurant against others in a similar atmosphere and price range. If your restaurant is trying to be a high end, European style restaurant and you are pricing your food as though you are a high end, European style restaurant, then your food quality, plating, and atmosphere should reflect that. I should not show up (with or without a Groupon) expecting a high end, European style restaurant and get paper napkins and sloppy plating that looks thrown together. Paper napkins are for fast food, NOT for table service. Was the level of service WORTH the price? Was the plating WORTH the price? Were the portions WORTH the price? Was the entertainment WORTH the price? Overall, it is less about cost and more about value in my opinion.
Atmosphere-This includes the ambiance, decor, plating, and entertainment. As I mentioned in 'prices,' I judge atmosphere according to what I am getting for my money. I don't expect 'plating' at a fast food restaurant and my staff expectation is lower as well. While I consider this among the least important for an overall score, I still think it is necessary to get an overall idea of what a restaurant offers. If the place is playing a radio with commercials, I will have a far different expectation for the food and prices than if effort has been put into the entertainment by hiring a pianist and cellist to play while we dine. If the restaurant intends to be a 'party spot', I expect the ambiance to reflect that in the decor and in the entertainment.
And so it begins... Eat and enjoy!
We also travel quite a bit and have lived in or visited almost half the planet among us. Hubby has done Asia (Korea, Japan). We all have lived in Europe and traveled the continent while we were there. We live in Maryland, but have visited more than half the states in the United States and have friends and family all over the country that we enjoy visiting. I've been to Mexico. We've all been to the Caribbean. Everywhere we go we have to try something new.
I was a picky eater as a child. I loved well made vegetables, but hated fruit. I refused to eat anything 'raw' or 'steamed'. Fried or microwaved food all the way for me! When I married my husband, I learned rather quickly that I would be expected to try to expand my horizons. It took moving to Germany to force me to go out of my comfort zone and I haven't been back since!
Over the years we have gone to a LOT of restaurants. As we have gotten older, we have realized that we raised our kids to be foodies too. We all are somewhat picky about our preferences for what makes a great restaurant.
Taste-There is nothing more important than how tasty the food is. More than anything, this is judging COOKING. It has to have good flavor AND be properly prepared. Undercooked and overcooked are unacceptable. I give a restaurant two chances to get the cooking level correct. I figure that sometimes people have different ideas of what is medium as opposed to medium well. The second time I tell them exactly what I am looking for (pink with a little blood in the center is medium rare to me and that is how I want my steak, I like my pork cooked to medium well and no pink in my chicken at all). The food should be FRESH and you get bonus points for healthy options that still have excellent flavor.
Staff-I include hostessing on this part. The accuracy of how long I have been told I am going to wait for my table vs the actual time I wait to be seated. How long does it take to get my drinks once I was seated? How long for food? Did the server become obnoxious by showing up every ten seconds asking me how it is? Did the server ever show back up for refills? Did I have to hear the server's life story because they are aiming for a big tip or were they simply friendly? Was my silverware clean and if not, did the server quickly rectify the situation or did we have to wait forever?
Prices-The prices are of medium importance to us because sometimes it is nice to splurge and sometimes the atmosphere, staff, location, portions, and flavor are worth the extra expense. If I am judging a fast food restaurant, I am going to judge it compared to other fast food restaurants both within its chain and outside its chain. Basically, I think you should judge a restaurant against others in a similar atmosphere and price range. If your restaurant is trying to be a high end, European style restaurant and you are pricing your food as though you are a high end, European style restaurant, then your food quality, plating, and atmosphere should reflect that. I should not show up (with or without a Groupon) expecting a high end, European style restaurant and get paper napkins and sloppy plating that looks thrown together. Paper napkins are for fast food, NOT for table service. Was the level of service WORTH the price? Was the plating WORTH the price? Were the portions WORTH the price? Was the entertainment WORTH the price? Overall, it is less about cost and more about value in my opinion.
Atmosphere-This includes the ambiance, decor, plating, and entertainment. As I mentioned in 'prices,' I judge atmosphere according to what I am getting for my money. I don't expect 'plating' at a fast food restaurant and my staff expectation is lower as well. While I consider this among the least important for an overall score, I still think it is necessary to get an overall idea of what a restaurant offers. If the place is playing a radio with commercials, I will have a far different expectation for the food and prices than if effort has been put into the entertainment by hiring a pianist and cellist to play while we dine. If the restaurant intends to be a 'party spot', I expect the ambiance to reflect that in the decor and in the entertainment.
And so it begins... Eat and enjoy!
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