Update to Blog

Update! Hey all, I'll be posting my next review probably this week. It'll be the 2013 Fall Festival!! YEA! Well hey, enjoy the time off before my next post, as it'll be a long one!

Thanks again Subscribers!

~Stocky~

Jimmy Jeng's Restaurant Review : Evansville, Indiana

I'm stepping a bit out of my normal zone here... and doing a restaurant review!

I'd prefer to give this a 2.5 star if i could... given the below mentioned 50/50 split. (This will make sense as you read)

Before people go on hating me for not raving about the wonderful food. Realize that my reviews are based both on equal parts service and equal parts food quality/taste etc. Bottom line is this, maybe we caught them on a bad time, or maybe just the fact we didn't order drinks. I was however, heavily recommended this place, by my manager at work.

That said let me start at the top. I went out with my mother and father in-law. This alone is a risk in and of itself, as they are really nice to me and I really like them. That aside, he was apprehensive in trying a new place. So we were seated by Jimmy Jeng himself, which is a treat. However his wife asked us for our drinks, and we declined and choose to go all water. My tendencies around my in-laws is to err on the side of being frugal. We also chose to not enjoy some of their wine. Upon that, I guess the wife did not seem to like the fact that we needed extra attention because she left us for a good 10-15 minutes before checking on an order. Again maybe i'm assuming something, but I've had several experiences similar, where wait staff don't want to take time with you. I guess this is because they perceive that you don't tip well.  My in laws and I, being new to the restaurant, didn't know what to order. She asked if we were ready, and we weren't. Then another 15 minutes go by, and no waitress. Jimmy came over maybe 10 minutes later, to take our order, we had questions, and took our order. All in maybe 30 or so minutes. At this point we ordered an appetizer to settle us in. The crab rangoons were INCREDIBLE and tasted pretty fresh!

Here is, however where the story turns bad... it was a table of 4 people, with 2 orders of their signature dish, string bean pancakes, and an order of sweet and sour chicken, finally an order of non spicy general tso's chicken. I'd say the order wasn't all that unconventional. However the orders took about an hour and a half to get out to us, maybe longer. As much as I love my wife and her parents, being stuck in a restaurant for nearly 2 hours without food, and being pumped full of expectations from my manager and this  Community... didn't make me feel any better. Not to mention they came over maybe 4-5 times with water, which at this point was downright offensive.We had to ask maybe 4  times, once to Jimmy himself, where our orders were. No, it wasn't busy, no there weren't any huge parties, no excuse. There were plenty of same size tables being served two-fold before we saw ours.

Anyway after about 2 hours or so, we finally got down to our food. I personally got the string bean w/ pancakes, of which you get 4 of them. A good size and I struggled to get through them. That said, the food looked great, and tasted really unique. I'd definitely recommend this dish 'if' you do go.

I hate not to concentrate on my food, as this SHOULD be where it is focused but as I said I've had such a poor experience, I could not, and probably will not, recommend this establishment. I think they were trying, but it wasn't good enough.

Final words, if I was being penalized, or treated poorly for not ordering any drinks or supplemental items, then that's just bad business. If however the service is just that slow for people who are NOT regulars (newbies), then I think it'll be hard for them to acquire some new business. It's a shame that i've had this poor experience, 3 hours ... and a headache, full stomach and some angry in-laws. That is what I got from my one, and likely only experience. Sorry JJ, I tried.

Overall ... 2.5 stars... not terrible food, just ... terrible service

Vinh Long *Shrimp and Mushroom Rice Plate*

As most of you may already know, I'm a huge fan of Vinh Long's restaurant here in Nashville. What you may NOT know is that I was born and raised Catholic. What that means is that I observe Lent. If you'd like more information on this religious practice, click here. Basically for those who want to know, Fridays during this period we are prohibited from consuming red meat, along with a couple other things, however this is the big one. That said I strayed from my normal beef and carrot stew... and suffice to say, I wasn't disappointed.

Semi-Touched plate... couldn't resist! ;-)

That aside, this will likely be one of my shorter reviews, but hey it DID take me a while to settle on this menu item. I tell you, squid particularly, which was pretty prevalent on this menu, was not going to be an option.I tell you what, I may in the future try it, but hell ... I can't justify it. As I mentioned a bunch of times before, I won't eat anything that will potentially get me sick, or otherwise nauseate me. Thankfully this dish did not disappoint  and was at a reasonable price point $8.75. I would say that's a bit high for Shrimp and Mushroom Teriyaki. However the sauce, doesn't taste like all the other Teriyaki sauces I've had before, more salty than tangy. It's a great contrast on two or three foods that go good with salt (Rice, Shrimp, and Mushrooms). 

A bit closer in, DIG IN!

That said, if you're looking for a solid alternative, or in my case, disallowed to eat meat on a Friday during Lent, this is a SOLID option. Bottom line, not as good as the beef and carrot stew, but a good change of pace and a solid second place plate. I could see that some people might not be a fan of a more savory dish, but I've never shied away from a good savory dish! Thanks for reading and supporting Bloggers, and my food habit -

Stocky!

Vinh Long *Beef & Carrot Stew* Nashville, TN

Vinh Long Vietnamese / Japanese

Tell you what, this SHOULD be one of the easier reviews I've ever done because this is hands-down the best eastern food experience I've had since a chance encounter on a NYC vacation. This place is much closer to home for me, and you know what... I love it!

When it comes to charm, this place is chock full of it. This is a typical hole-in-the-wall place, that people probably wouldn't go out of the way to get to, but is RARELY not standing room waiting for a seat during lunch. I cannot recall a time when I've not seen someone I know, and we're all probably at this point, considered regulars. I'd say this place seats 30 people TOPS, it's a crowded, yet clean place to sit and eat. Full of charm, trinkets, and a HUGE fish tank (proportionate to the rest of the place). They also only take CASH payment, no ATM/Debit/Credit cards here... so bring cash. There's not a lot to be said, but hey, enjoy my review on one of my most favorite dishes of alllllllllll time!

Now on to the first picture. Mind you, they have a much larger menu than just this one item... speaking of which, my friend always orders the teriaki that comes out sizzling hot! Without further ado, here we go!

Best STEW ever!!!

So anyway what is this 'Stew' of sort? I normally order it as it comes, a nice and full hearty beef dish with noodles mixed in the bowl ... similar to Ramen in a traditional sense. However this is way heartier with HUGE cuts of beef, carrots, onions, and various greens. For garnishing and a bit of a taste, they add crumbled peanuts. The broth is definitely on the 'spicy' side but is a relative term and is ALWAYS different every time I come in. This isn't a bad  thing, and you can ALWAYS tell how hot it'll be due to the amount of red hue. I assume most of this is some sort of chili oil or something similar. Again if someone knows more about the actual 'making' of this please comment below. Honestly I can't put my finger on it, but there is just SOMETHING in this dish that makes it appeal to me, and to a lot of other people too. Again, I'm no culinary genius but, this stew just has it all going on, and it's filling. I always leave really full. This is probably at least partially due to the side of bread they give you, which really rounds off the dish! I don't know if it's fresh baked, but it's certainly yummy!

Anyway I can't say too much more about  this dish without getting incredibly hungry, I may have to even go and eat there today! Bottom line, thank you to my loyal readers and you are a BIG part of why I do these blogs, but please comment and let me know if you want to see more content.

Dig in!

Thanks again,

Stocky!

A Post to my Followers (and a mystery review)

Hey guys! As you're probably reading this you're either one of a couple things. Either you're reading this blog for  the first time, and if that's you... welcome! However I am willing to admit, I've been less than thorough with this blog. I will say that it DID start off as a hobby and that's exactly what it is. When it comes to hobbies, as a married man... there just isn't room for as many I had before.

That said... PLEASE guys, who are my readers, let me know if and what you want to see from me. I'm here to entertain you guys. I do have a suggestion and here goes! I'd LOVE it if you guys and gals (my followers) ask me what I should review next? I know it sounds crazy, but let me know of something you either enjoy or think I would? Please don't suggest something that's incredibly dangerous, spicy or otherwise unsavory. Bottom line, I want to know what you guys and gals like... that might just kick-start me!

Thanks again!

Here's a random picture for ya! From my vacation!

Thanks again to my loyal readers,
Stocky