Benny’s BBQ
2819 Hathaway Road
Richmond, VA 23225
804-320-7447 (PIGS) : ) We thought this was a neat touch. Talk about branding!
We arrived at Benny’s on a week night at 6:55 PM. This is a small restaurant located in the Stratford Hills Shopping Center on Forest Hill Avenue. We discovered a line of people waiting to be seated. The place was packed. There literally wasn’t much room to stand to wait for a table. There were a few emtpy chairs by the bar but it would have been a very tight squeeze. We could tell immediately from those waiting that many were repeat customers. We waited about 30 minutes to be seated.
The restaurant has a very laid back country casual decor and atmosphere. The staff was very friendly as if they know something you don’t when you go in for the first time. The BBQ sauce is more of a North Carolina vinegar base and isn’t my favorite but Rhonda enjoyed it. She had minced pork, slaw, greens, fries, and hush puppies. We both really enjoyed thew hush puppies! Hmmmm. I had chicken. I would have prefered a sweeter or even a smokey based sauce over the vinegar base. I also had BBQ beans which surpised me in as much as they actually had real BBQ in them versus just a BBQ sauce. Since I’m not a BBQ fan per say, I didn’t care for them. The bisuits were burnt pretty bad on the bottom which made them pretty much undesirable.
The meal over all wasn’t that bad. We would reccomend Benny’s to you if you enjoy Southern BBQ style food and are looking for a fairly priced restaurant on the Southside of the city. It was clean and the staff was reasonably attentive to our needs. Our meal was $27.89 and we rate Benny’s 3 out of 5 stars.
Qdoba Mexican Grill11500 Midlothian Turnpike
Richmond, VA 23235
We arrived at Qdoba on 6/14/09 at 1:35pm. The place was packed. In fact this is usually the case from several occasions in the past.
This establishment is semi buffet style. You walk up to the large wall mounted menu and tell the server your selection(s). The server then prepares your meal in front of you as you walk down the ingredient line. The ingredients are very fresh and appealing. There are many menu choices and combinations. And I’ve always found the staff to be very accommodating when asked to give extra portions and to customize our selections.
We each had a taco salad which consists of a large crisp bowl shaped shell, greens and many optional ingredient choices. Personally I love the chicken, rice, pinto beans, peppers, lime citrus sauce, sour cream, and mango tomato mix! I had chicken in mine while Rhonda chose steak. I especially like the way they prepare their chicken. It’s cooked the way I like it. It also has a very southwestern flavor. It’s really good. It makes me want to go there today for lunch! And I think I will!
You’ll have to check out the video below to see why Rhonda and I are split on this restaurant. I absolutely love it and recommend it very highly. She on the other hand isn’t a big fan.
The service is always great. The place is always clean and very busy. The food is great. The prices are very reasonable. We usually eat there for around$15. They offer a free frequent diner card which saves you money the more you go. I also appreciate the fact that it’s located in front of Chesterfield Town Center which makes it really convenient when running errands etc.
Our bill was $16.85 and we rate Qdoba 3 out of 5 stars. And if it were up to me the rating would have been higher!
Kuba Kuba
1601 Park Ave.
Richmond, VA 23220
804-355-8817
We arrived at Kuba Kuba on 3/8/09 at 7:17pm. Our first impression judging from the outward appearance was this isn’t a place we would ordinarily find appealing. However once we got inside we felt much better about it. We were promptly greeted by hostess and seated. Within a few minutes our waitress brought menus and took our drink order. Drinks were served quickly however we were a bit disappointed they didn’t have tea or bottled water. Initially Sprite was ordered however the surpage was waaaaaay off so lemonade was ordered to take its place. The lemonade was made with seltzer water which wasn’t very tasty. They made it without the seltzer and it was good.
The menu offered appetizers of Avocado Salad, Black Bean Soup, Empanadillas (pastries stuffed with spinach and ricotta or Kuban beef hash. Six other items rounded out the appetizer list. Sandwiches such as turkey, pork, codfish, and even a pesto-tomato-jack melt were included in the seven choices. Entrees included Kuban Roasted Pork, Arroz Con Pollo (seared chicken breast with roasted red peppers and peas in yellow rice) Seafood Sofrito (sauteed jumbo shrimp and mussels served in a white wine sauce over angel hair pasta, topped with Manchego cheese) as well as six additional choices.
We started with the Moros Y Cristianos which is described as red beans and rice with cornbread on the menu. However it’s really pinto beans! They were seasoned very well and came with a mixture of finely chopped red onions, yellow peppers, and tomatoes on top. This is a must have appetizer if you like pinto beans and a bit of seasoning. Very good. The salad was very fresh with the exception of the tomatoes. They weren’t ripe and were a bit on the mushy side. The dressing was very tasty. And the side of cornbread that came with both the appetizer and the salad was sweet and tasty. We ordered the Kuban Roast Pork and the Paella Vegetariana which is Traditional Spanish rice with artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, and spinach. It was served in a huge Jethro sized bowl. This was a very large portion. It was a bit on the bland side. It had no spice or seasoning and was sort of boring. More flavor was expected from the dish. The Kuban Pork however was really tasty. It’s marinated in MoJo sauce! It came with black beans and rice which were also very good.
Although we didn’t care for one of our entrees, we did see several other dishes being served that looked very appealing. The place was packed and people were enjoying their food. The atmosphere is a bit loud and reminds you of a short order diner type setting with lots of continuous activity all around. The cooks prepare the food from one corner of the room and the tables are very close together. There is limited seating as it is a small place. The food is tasty and the service is fast and friendly. Our bill was $49.23. We rate it 3 out of five stars.
Outback Steakhouse
2063 Huguenot Road
Richmond, VA 23235
804-272-4500
We arrived at Outback at 1:05pm on Sunday 2/8/09. There were several people waiting to be seated and several more already seated. The manager was very polite and greeted us properly. He also took care of seating us. Smoking preference was given. About five minutes after we were seated the manager realized we had not been waited on and asked for our drink order. At the same time our waiter approached and took over. We each ordered a drink and salad, along with the potato soup appetizer. Twenty minutes later we received our salads and appetizers. Both salads were wrong. Each contained iceberg as opposed to romaine. They also included other issues as well. I had to send mine back twice before they figured out I wanted romaine, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers. The potato soup was really good. It reminded me of the soup my mom used to make. Thirty nine minutes after we placed our food order it was on the table. We had pork chops and steamed lobster respectively. The steamed vegetables were good as they were not overcooked or swimming in butter. We enjoyed the food. I especially found the lobster to be good because often restaurants overcook it making it tough and chewy. My glass of cranberry juice was filled frequently. However my wife’s glass of sweet tea was not. The restaurant was clean, The restrooms were clean. The soap in the restrooms was especially nice. It had a very pleasant aroma. We overheard others in a nearby booth also giving the soap high praise. The bill was $62.79. Our overall impression of this Outback restaurant is a 3 out of 5 stars. We would eat there again and recommend it.
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