Chuy's

Another gem of a place I found in my travels in Texas is a Tex-Mex restaurant called Chuy's. This is definitely one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, although not exactly the "authentic" Mexican style.
They start you out with chips and salsa, and upon request, their Creamy Jalapeno sauce, which is awesome! It's almost like a ranch dip, but with a kick of jalapeno. I love this dip! If they were to bottle it, I would buy it. If you sit in the seat-yourself area of the restaurant by the bar, there is a chips and salsa "bar" where you can just go up as often as you like and get your own chips and choice of salsas and dips. The ones I have seen are in what looks like the trunk of a '57 Chevy.
Their entrees are all very good from what I have had. Below you will see one of my favorites, their Baja Tacos. You can get them with fried or grilled fish or shrimp, or a combination of two. I got the combination, and although both were good, their fish was a little better than their shrimp. All the sides are very tasty as well: the rice, re-fried beans, and even their fresh tortillas. I haven't had a bad meal here.
A couple of other things I like about this place is that it has a really friendly and light atmosphere, with palm trees and a Caribbean feel to it. Also I am always pleasantly surprised by the bill. Their prices are very good, most entrees under $10. The place is always very busy because it is so popular, but they have plenty of staff when I go, so as long as you can get seated, you get good service.
I highly recommend Chuy's if you're ever near one. It looks like most of their restaurants are in Texas, but some in Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee.
Web site: http://www.chuys.com/ 

 

Capital Ale House

Occasionally I travel to and stay in Fredericksburg, Virginia for work. Fredericksburg is a nice town to stay in, and has a lot of historic sites downtown. One of those sites is the Capital Ale House. As its name suggests, its main attraction is its beverages. I like to go there on Monday nights for dinner, though. They have a special on Mondays called Burger Night. You can get a half pound Certified Angus Beef Burger, Black Bean Burger or Cheeseburger from 4:00pm to 1:00 am every Monday night for only $2.00 with any beverage purchase.The burger is great, and the bun is like a roll, very tasty as well. If you're ever in the area, check the place out. They have three other locations in Virginia as well.
Web site: http://www.capitalalehouse.com/

Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt

Some of us who remember the late 1980's may remember a wave of frozen yogurt franchises that started up, most of which fizzled out, with maybe the exception of TCBY. It seems that this fad may be making a comeback. So far, none of my friends who live East of Colorado have heard of this yet, but in the Denver metro area, these franchises seem to be popping up as fast as smoothie shops were five years ago. From what I can tell, this started in California a couple of years ago. Many of these frozen yogurt shops now, however, are self-serve to add a new twist on the fun. There are several yogurt dispensers, each a different flavor. They are in pairs, so the paired flavors can be "twisted" together. They all usually have little sample cups you can use to try out the flavors. Once you have decided, you grab a paper bowl and fill it up. You can add toppings on top of the yogurt as well, some including fresh fruit. Some of the yogurts are non-fat, others are premium. Once you are finished making your dream dessert, you take the bowl to the cashier and set it on a scale. You are charged by the ounce usually. Some places are more expensive than others, some offer more flavors.
I haven't found that there is one single franchise. All the yogurt places I have been to are single franchises, but all with the same general idea. Nearby the office and home in Denver, I have been to COYO (Colorado Yogurt, Co.) on Arapahoe and Havana, which charges $0.44 an ounce; Yo Craze on Hampton and Tower in Aurora, which charges $0.39 an ounce; and Crave It on Arapahoe and Peoria, which charges $0.37 an ounce. I'm sure as these franchises continue to open up, competition will increase and we will see a more steady price. My personal favorite is Crave It but like to take the family to Yo Craze too, both of which I love because I like gummy bears with just a sprinkle of Nerds on top, as seen in the picture. Adding the cherries to this dish was a mistake, a little overkill. I recommend checking one of these places out. Just Google "yogurt" for your area and see what comes up.

Razzoo's

I was on my way back to Waco, Texas this morning from Denver via DFW airport, where I drive the rest of the way. I have said before that I time my arrival so I can hit lunch at Rudy's or Bone Daddy's in Arlington. Today I decided to try a Cajun place in the same area called Razzoo's. My brother had it last week when he was in the area, and I asked some of the locals about it. They all said it was awesome, so I was naturally intrigued.
I read mixed reviews online, with no specific meal recommendations, so I asked my waitress for the "best thing ever" on the menu. She said her favorite was the Stuff'd Fish, which is a Tilapia filet on top of  "shrimp and crap stuffing", topped with creamy crawfish butter sauce, all on a bed of rice. I got the half-order, which was plenty of food, and also because I started with some Fried Crawfish Tails, half-order of that as well. The crawfish tails were pretty good, a little heavily breaded in my opinion, and not the best I have had. The Cherry Mustard sauce they came with was pretty tasty, a little different from the usual cocktail sauce. The fries that came with the appetizer were actually really good. The spices were nice and tasty. As for the entree, I was very impressed. That was a really, really good dish. The waitress did well with her recommendation. The creamy crawfish butter sauce was awesome, tasting just like it sounds like. The shrimp and crab stuffing under the Tilapia was very good as well, and with the sauce on top, everything came together nicely. I would like to eat here again when I get the chance.
It looks like there are about fourteen of these restaurants, all but one located in Texas. The other one looks like it is in North Carolina. They have a lunch menu, which has good prices, all around $8. I ordered off the regular menu, but got half-orders of each item, and thought the price was good. Their dinner entrees are mostly under $15.
I recommend trying this place. I give it four stars with the possibility to go up later!
Web site: http://razzoos.com/