Las Tias de Beto (CLOSED)

Always on the lookout for a good Mexican place we tried the recently opened Las Tias de Beto (The Aunts of Beto) the other day. This restaurant is conveniently located next door to the wonderful Juarez Bakery in the small shopping center at 1068 N. Waco. It appeared that we had picked a good day to try this place because a small sign outside the restaurant listed the daily specials as fish tacos, barbacoa tacos, and menudo.

Fish Tacos With Delicious White Rice

Inside Las Tias you will find a newly remodeled space that is clean and inviting. The menu at Las Tias is small, but I have heard that it will be expanded in the coming months. For now there is just a short list of typical Mexican fare including burritos, sopes, enchiladas, and tortas.

Beef Sopes

Much to my dismay there were no pork options on the menu, but for now I am willing to let it go in hopes that they will add them later on. Steph and I were both intrigued by the specials, so we ordered the fish taco plate and a barbacoa taco. I also got a beef sope plate to sample something off the menu. While we waited, the obligatory chips and salsa came out to our table. The salsa was average, but the chips were warm, thick, and homemade.

Simple Yet Amazing Barbacoa

As it turned out the specials of the day were truly special, the fish tacos were lightly breaded and served with corn tortillas, a fresh vegetable garnish, and rice and beans. Another highlight of this dish was the white rice. Seasoned with whole cloves of garlic and herbs it was simple yet delicious. The barbacoa was probably the best I have tasted in Wichita. The meat melted in your mouth and had a wonderful velvety texture. Served with just a corn tortilla, cilantro, and onions it was a classic Mexican dish. The sope platter was a hit as well. The chewy masa shells were topped with ground beef, lettuce, and queso fresco.

True to its name, Las Tias appeared to be operated by an entirely female staff.  They were very friendly and appreciative that we had visited their restaurant. Although I would have liked to see a few more menu items, what we sampled was great.  If you like to eat REAL Mexican food and not something covered in layers of Monterrey jack cheese this is definitely a place you need to check out. Just remember to leave yourself room for dessert, because Juarez Bakery it just a few shorts steps away.

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Farewell Kwan Court

As of Sunday the 18th of September one of Wichita’s landmark Asian restaurants has closed. Kwan Court had a 20+ year run as having arguably the best Chinese buffet in town as well as some darn good sushi. Kwan Court was one of the first places to get in on the sushi craze before it had really caught on in Wichita. Their extensive Chinese and Japanese menu appealed to just about everyone’s tastes, but unfortunately they fell on hard times.

I had been to Kwan Court a number of times growing up, but it wasn’t until I started dating my wife that I started eating there regularly. After years of having a disdain for sushi, Kwan Court was the first place I broke down and tried it. That experience was the springboard for my adventures in sushi as well as my overall exploration of new and exotic food. Besides the sushi one of my all time favorite dishes was served at Kwan Court. I’m talking about the Crispy Walnut Shrimp. If you ever had this dish then you know what I am talking about. It is hard to think that I may never get to have this dish again.

Last week we had a family birthday bash at Kwan Court and even though they were closing in two days their food was as good as always. It was a great way to say good bye to a beloved restaurant. And although the owner would not give us his Walnut Shrimp recipe he did present me with a gallon of the sauce as a parting gift.

The restaurant business is tough, especially in the current economy. With the many dining choices out there, it  is important that people continue to support our local places. The more unique places we lose, the more homogenized and bland out restaurant scene becomes.

And The Wiener Is – Wichita KS (CLOSED)

In honor of Congressman Wiener’s recent troubles we hit up a place that he would have loved to tweet about. And the Wiener Is has had a tumultuous few years on the Wichita restaurant scene. They have changed their name and location several times and currently reside on the northwest corner of Douglas and Grove. The Wiener has a simple concept, serve lots of hot dogs. 47 varieties to be exact, although a few were not available on the day we visited, thus we were left with only 44 some odd dogs to choose from.

The restaurant is trendy and cozy with about 10 tables in the place and some nice wiener inspired art on the walls. All the hot dogs are listed on a wall next to the counter where you place your order. I would recommend taking your time to read through all the offerings to find the perfect dog for your mood that day. Whether you want Italian or Mexican food they can accommodate your cravings. One highlight of the menu is the PB and J dog. Perhaps after a night in Old Town that might be a delicious combination, but not at 3pm on a Wednesday, so I passed that bad boy up. I eventually decided on the Cob Dog which was modeled off of a Cobb salad with lettuce, tomato, bacon, and blue cheese dressing. Steph went with the Tater Dog which contained bits of potato, cheese, green onions, and sour cream. The Wiener offers several sides including chips, mac’n'cheese, fries, and cole slaw as well as throwback RC Cola. I went with the mac’n'cheese and Steph tried the slaw out.

After settling in at our comic book surfaced table our food was quickly delivered to us. The different flavor profiles of my dog  worked well together. It was basically a salad stacked on top of a hot dog and stuffed into a bun. Speaking of buns, The Wiener Is does not use your typically store bought buns. Their buns are light, flaky, and slightly toasted. As for their wieners, they use a nice plump version that has plenty of flavor. My mac’n'cheese was as it should be, cheesy and creamy. Steph’s wiener was masterpiece of flavors and visual appeal. On top of the dog were cubed fried potatoes, cheese, sour cream, and green onions. It was great on so many levels. One word of caution with these hot dogs is do not attempt to eat them with your hands. These guys are large, overstuffed, and messy. Do yourself a favor and grab a knife and fork. It will save you from unnecessary spills, burns, and general embarrassment.

And the Wiener Is does a good job at being a specialty hot dog establishment. Their side dishes are nothing to get excited about, so I would suggest ordering two varieties or doing the double dog. The Wiener is a good option for a late night meal, a quick lunch stop, or any time you are in the mood for an exotic hot dog.

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Gaslamp Grille and Lounge- Wichita KS (CLOSED)

4/27/12 After months of rumors Gaslamp Grille has closed. A sad end to what was initially a great fine dining restuarant.

NOTE: Much to my dismay, Gaslamp has dramatically changed its menu around and no longer offers some of the more upscale options we mention in the following review.

Words to live by: A special celebration deserves a special restaurant. For Steph’s birthday we decided to splurge a bit and go to one of Wichita’s fine dining establishments. We picked the Gaslamp Grille because it is relatively new and we had not heard much about it. Gaslamp is located in the old Shadow Lounge at Rock and Central. The owners did a considerable amount of remodeling to transform the space into a classy, upscale place. As you walk into the lounge area you are met by a large wrap around bar with a giant fish tank in the middle. The main dining room is spacious and there appeared to be a second level as well as outdoor seating. All in all a big place.

I had glanced at the menu several times online and was rather intrigued with what I saw.  Luckily the menu we were handed was not very far from the online version. Although it was small, it packed a culinary punch that is not seen too often in Wichita. We recently traveled to France and fell in love with the cuisine there. Gaslamp is the best place we have found locally that offers some French influenced dishes. For appetizers they offer escargot, fondue, and pork belly. Main dishes include salmon confit and braised duck breast. We were intrigued by the pork belly with port cherry sorbet and decided to go with it as our appetizer. When it was served there was some alarm on our part because our piece of pork belly was about 1 x1 inch. Rather small for two people. It was delicious though as was the sorbet that accompanied it, if we could have had a bit more pork belly it would have been perfect.  All menu items are served a la carte so we hoped that the portion sizes would better than what we had just had as an appetizer. We were both drawn to the braised duck breast, since both of us had wonderful duck in Paris and have been looking for some local place that serves it. Since Steph was the birthday girl I let her order it and I went with the apple bourbon pork chop(surprise surprise I ordered pork). I took a calculated risk ordering the pork chop because I knew that things could go terribly wrong, but I had faith that the Gaslamp would know how to cook pork.

When our food was served I was delighted to see that it was a pork rib chop, which is the Cadillac of pork chops because it contains a nice 2 inch thick center-cut pork loin as well as a back rib.  I anxiously cut into the chop to find out what we were dealing with and sure enough it was cooked just right. I would say the internal temp was about 145 degrees which is how you should serve a nice cut of pork. The mushroom pan sauce was great with the pork as were the potatoes au gratin. All in all this was one of the best pork chops I have ever had. Steph’s duck breast was delicious as well, although not on the same level as those severed in Paris. The fruit gnocchi and poached pear were a great accompaniment to the duck. We were both pleased to see that our entrees were of decent portion size. For dessert that night they were offering a goat cheese cheesecake, their signature Gran Marnier pot du creme, and mint chocolate dipped bacon. The fact that they offered chocolate bacon made me want to cry sweet, bacony tears of joy. Steph had her heart set on the cheesecake and unfortunately they had just sold out of it so we decided to pass on dessert at the Gaslamp. One last note about the Gaslamp is the fact that they dry age their rib-eye steaks in-house, which is very impressive. You can either order the 28 or 55 day aged steak. Next time I am going to hit that up.

It is safe to say that the Gaslamp has quickly become our favorite fine dining destination in Wichita. They have the perfect combination of unique, masterfully prepared food, ambiance, and top-notch service that one would expect to find at an upscale restaurant. Make no mistake you will pay a premium for your meal, but you will have the opportunity to enjoy food in a way that you have probably never experienced in Wichita.

On a side note, if anyone knows of a place in Wichita to get a good duck breast I would like to know.

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Imbiss Grille- Wichita KS(Authentic Food From das Vaterland) (CLOSED)

So how many people out there know that Wichita has a pretty authentic German restaurant hiding amidst the decadence and depravity of Old Town Square? I’m not just talking about some bierocks and bratwurst, but spaetzle, potato pancakes, and schnitzel. Imbiss Grille, located just a few doors down from Hanna Cafe, is the place bringing all that delicious food to Wichita. I had the pleasure of introducing my mother to Imbiss the other day. We basically had the place to ourselves, which is a little concerning since it was 1230 on a weekday. I hope everyday is not that slow or they may be in trouble. The inside of the place is clean with subtle German decor throughout. Just in case the decor isn’t enough for you to get your German on they had some tunes playing. The good news is there was no polka music, but the bad news was there was German pop music playing. Now I enjoy “99 Luftballons” just as much as anybody, but there is something frantic about German pop that scares the hell out of me. If only I knew what they were talking about.

The menu at Imbiss is rather comprehensive and ranges from salads to sandwiches, entrees, assorted sausages, and dessert. My mom was determined to order the Reuben sandwich so there was no stopping her. For her side dish she went with the potato pancakes. If you have never had a potato pancake you are missing out on some beautiful fried goodness. I was looking to try something new at Imbiss so I went with a slow roasted pork dish called Gefulltes Schwein Kottlet. Loosely translated it means “badass pork loin”. I typically have an uncontrollable fear of ordering pork loins and chops in restaurants due to the fact that they are always overcooked. Pork gets a bad rap as being dry because people typically cook the hell out of it. This makes me very sad:( Pork should be cooked to an internal temp between 150 and 160 and much to my surprise Imbiss understands this. My piece of pork loin was wonderfully moist and stuffed with dried raisins, apples, and pecans, then finished with a brown gravy. It was a dish that I would definitely order again. For my sides I went with the spaetzle and potato pancakes. The spaetzle was very good when coupled with brown gravy and the apple sauce they served us went very well with the potato pancakes.

My mom and I both left Imbiss with full tummys and internal happiness that such a place exists in Wichita. If you are looking for some good hearty food I suggest you try this place out. The expanse of their menu allows you to be as adventurous as you would like, yet you can always opt for a traditional sandwich or salad.  In my opinion Imbiss is probably one of Wichita’s best kept restaurant secrets and well deserving of the patronage of everyone who likes good food.

The Bay Leaf- Wichita KS (closed)

With our groupon in hand Steph and I set out for the Bay Leaf last weekend. We had glanced at their menu and website before hand, so we thought we had an idea as to what we were getting ourselves into. The Bay Leaf is tucked in back of Clifton Square on east Douglas. Steph and I were thinking that this would be a nice, cozy place that one could enjoy a good meal at on a Friday night. When I saw that the special on Friday was $1.50 PBRs I started to wonder what was up. Upon entering the restaurant we were met with a strange layout. There was a small bar and counter in the front with the dining room (which was empty) located in the back. The dining room was small with only 6 or 7 tables set up, the large PA system and laptop made it seem even more cozy. The decor throughout the restaurant had a trendy classic feel to it. I don’t really know what that means, but I’m not an interior decorator so I have no idea how to describe what I saw. Anyway the decor contrasted sharply with the T-95(hard rock station) that was playing in the background, the daily special stapled on a pillar, and our waitress’ exposed navel area.

Steph tried to order the Papa Giorgio’s Pasta but the waitress informed us that they aren’t making it anymore because they are in the process of changing their menu. We were a bit annoyed by this. Either the waitress should have informed us that dish was unavailable before we ordered or they shouldn’t have it on the menu. Since the waitress seemed more concerned about her friends up front, this should not be shocking. So Steph ended up getting the chicken salad sandwich. It came out with a large scoop of chicken salad in the middle with slices of tomatoes and four slices of French bread. The chicken salad looked as though it had been put through a food processor which made the various parts difficult to taste. We weren’t too impressed with it.

The appetizer that we ordered was the best part of the meal. We tried the bierock bites, which as the name implies were nice little balls of bierock. You could tell they were freshly made and seasoned just right. I chose the Philly cheese steak with fries for my entree. My sandwich had a good combination of melted cheese and tender, lean beef. The peppers and onions were cooked just right and it was all served on a tasty hoagie bun. The waffle fries were nothing too exciting, but after looking at Steph’s side salad I was happy with my side choice.

I know this may sound like our worst review ever, but overall our experience was not awful. There were just several small things that snowballed. I hope that once the Bay Leaf completes their menu renovation things will get better. I just hope they don’t remove the bierock bites.  Unfortunately, or fortunately we finished our dinner before the two piece band started their set. From what I witnessed while they were setting up I wonder if anyone who witnessed the performance has regained their hearing. Between the bass amp that was wheeled in, the large PA system, and the fact they were going to play in room the size of my basement I can only wonder what in the world it sounded like.

Siam Cuisine- Wichita KS (CLOSED)

In preparation for Steph and I’s onslaught of 24 hours of family Christmas fun, we escaped by ourselves on the eve of Christmas Eve to try out a Thai place. Siam Cuisine is located at 21st and Woodlawn in the strip mall on the southwest corner. This little gem was completely empty when we went in at 8:15 pm. Steph didn’t believe me when I informed her that I had called ahead to clear the place out. She was also slightly creeped out by the massage parlor next door that is open until 10:00 pm, which is an hour later than Siam. The inside of the restaurant isn’t much to talk about,  the usual standard tables, posters of Thailand, and a large fish tank. However, they did have a nice Christmas tree and some holiday music playing.

We started out with an order of chicken satay with peanut dipping sauce. The chicken was tasty, although I don’t think the peanut sauce was as good as Thai House on West St. Steph being her adventurous self tried the pad thai, which is what she always orders at Thai places. It came with large pieces of both shrimp and chicken and was quite good. The only problem was that the noodles were too sticky and clumped up. I ordered the beef coconut red curry, which is what I usually get at Thai places. It was the perfect dish for a cold night, the heat of the curry was just right. Our portion sizes were both rather generous and everything was nice and fresh. The only thing that detracted from the meal was the fact that our window table allowed me a full view of the KFC next door advertising chicken gizzards for $2.99. Yum.

Siam is a solid Thai food place that offers a wide variety of tasty Thai dishes sure to please everyone. If you are hesitant to try Thai, just go with the Pad Thai. It is very similar to Chinese dishes that you have probably had and is a good way to test the Thai waters. One additional note: If you notice the cashier talking under her breath while taking your payment do not  be alarmed or insulted she may just be talking on her Blue Tooth.

Maharaja-CLOSED

This past week we were treated to a visit from our high school friend Abby who lives with her husband Brian in Augusta, Georgia. Abby had informed us that she is a fan of our blog so we decided to take her along with us. NOTE: If there are any other fans of this blog, we will gladly take you along as well, but don’t expect a free meal.

We have heard a lot about Maharaja through Wichita Eagle writer Denise Neil and food websites like urbanspoon.com. Maharaja is located at 3008 W Central. If you know where Riverside Hospital is, it is just west of the hospital. If you noticed the picture you will know that they serve Indian cuisine. I would just like to clarify that Phil had to talk me into this place since I am not a big fan of spicy food. I really had no interest in trying any of the restaurants on our list that serve Indian food because all I ever hear is how spicy it is. Abby, being a good friend, let me know she also isn’t much for spicy food but still enjoyed Indian food. So off we went.

Like many of the places we visit, Maharaja is pretty small, but there were only 4 other customers in the place with us. The inside of the restaurant is adorned with Indian themed artwork and murals. They also had some kicking Indian club music playing, either that or some sort of rap music. I couldn’t discern any English vocabulary being used, so I figured it was what all the kids are dancing to in India these days. Definitely no Robbie Shankar.

All diners are served a tortilla looking chip called a Papadam when they first sit down. It is accompanied by 3 unique dips. The first is a balsamic vinegar type dish, the second had and powerful mint taste to it, and the third was a red chili pepper sauce. I ordered the Seekh Kabob which was described on the menu as “Ground meat with spices, onions, cilantro and grilled in the clay oven.” I also followed Abby’s example of ordering a Mango Lassi to drink. She described it as drinkable mango yogurt. Our drinks came out quickly and were delicious. I had to remind myself to slow down so I wouldn’t drink all of it before the food got there. Abby’s description pretty much hit the nail on the head. I would also use the word smoothie to describe it though. When my food arrived I noticed that my kebabs had already been taken off of the sticks. Now some people may be disappointed by this, however seeing as I am known for being extremely uncoordinated when sharp sticks are around, I was relieved. The kebabs were tasty, but spicy and I was happy that I had saved plenty of my drink because it was extinguishing the fire in my mouth. Now remember I am not a fan of spicy food so other people may find the kebabs much more to their liking because they enjoy the feeling of their tongue being burned off. Phil will tell you that they were not that spicy and the fact that I ate all of them should let you know that they weren’t too hot. I just wouldn’t order them again only for the reason it was too much spice for my taste. I will probably just order a liter of Mango Lassi the next time we go.

Our friend Abby ordered the Chicken Korma and was kind enough to let us sample. I sat there through the rest of the meal envious that I hadn’t ordered the same. The Chicken Korma is very similar to a Thai dish called Pa-Naeng-Neua that Phil is rather partial to. The chicken is covered in a creamy coconut sauce, sprinkled with almonds and cashews, and served with rice. The dish was extremely scrumptious and one that I will order when we go back. The other great thing is that you can choose your “hotness” for the dish so mild food lovers like me can get what we want and those that want to burn their tongues off can get what they want.

I, Phil, ordered the classic Indian dish, Tandoori chicken. The plate came with two chicken thighs and two legs on a bed of sautéed veggies. The chicken was well seasoned, but did not have an overpowering spice to it. I enjoyed the chicken, but too was envious of Abby’s previously mentioned dish. The best part of the meal was the traditional Naan bread that came with Steph and I’s meals. It is a fried flatbread, similar to Native American fry bread. Two large pieces come with each meal.

Overall we liked our experience at Maharaja. The menu is large and filled with dishes that most people are not familiar with, so multiple trips are probably needed to get the complete picture. They have an affordable lunch buffet that I hear is very good, and would be a good way get to sample multiple dishes. The only knock that I have would be the price. The dinner prices were a bit higher than I thought they should be, but you do get a good quantity of food. CAUTION: By the cash register they have a small dish of fennel seed and small candy. This is meant as a pallet cleanser and should only be used in small doses, unless you are a fennel addict or something.

Kwan Court-Closed

This week we hit one of our favorite restaurants in Wichita, Kwan Court. If you have lived in Wichita for any length of time you have probably been to Kwan Court or at least heard of it. If not, you should probably get out more often instead of reading food blogs all day.

Kwan Court is an Asian themed restaurant with a wide range of menu offerings ranging from traditional Chinese options to seafood, and sushi. Steph and I both agree that they have some of the best sushi in Wichita. We understand that many people are hesitant to try sushi because they automatically assume it is raw fish. Steph actually doesn’t eat any rolls with raw fish, so don’t be afraid to try our suggestions. We have also introduced several of my family members to sushi at Kwan Court and they have enjoyed it.

This past Saturday we branched out a bit when we ordered our sushi-we stick to the maki menu. Just a FYI: when you order sushi at Kwan Court you also get a small bowl of miso soup and cucumber salad. The miso soup contains seaweed and tofu. It comes in a little bowl and you drink straight from it. Neither of us are big cucumber fans, but this is the only time Steph will eat them. They are cut into small pieces and mixed with seaweed and crab. I am not a big fan of it, mainly because I don’t like cucumbers. For sushi we ordered our favorite roll: the shrimp tempura roll. It is small pieces of tempura shrimp wrapped with the traditional algae and rice. We believe there are some other ingredients in there as well but cannot currently remember them. The other rolls we tried for the first time were the spider roll and the BBQ scallop. The spider roll is basically some crab meat and cream cheese rolled up in rice. The idea of the roll is simple, and yet the flavor was great. We aren’t quite sure why the scallop has BBQ in the name because we couldn’t taste any, but we still ate them all. Other rolls we have tried in the past include: the California roll (shout out to Steph’s sister Rachel who holds the family record for the most California rolls ever eaten), the Kwan Court roll (also called the Kansas roll, the meat in this roll is cooked steak), the shrimp roll, and the Philadelphia roll. Stephanie does not suggest the Philadelphia roll though because it is uncooked salmon with cream cheese.

We also like to order a dinner entrée when we eat there. Twelve pieces of sushi isn’t quite enough for a person’s dinner. This particular night we ordered the usual, Honey Crispy Walnut Shrimp. Yes I said Honey Crispy Walnut Shrimp. It is probably one of my most favorite dishes ever.  The menu describes this dish as “a creative ensemble of crunchy walnuts and fresh plump shrimp topped with a rich velvet smooth sauce that carries you where you want to be.” We can tell you that the sauce they use in this dish is amazing and it does carry you were you want to be. OH JOY!  Phil has been known to lick the plate. We tend to order this dish just about every time we come in because we love it so much. In fact when we see it on other restaurants’ menus we don’t order it because we know we will be disappointed because it won’t be as good.

We have visited Kwan Court several times and have never been disappointed. Try it out if you haven’t and if you have never tried sushi try one of our suggestions and you will enjoy it. And if you don’t like your food they have a large aquarium and lobster tank that you can entertain yourself with. By the way, they have a great Sunday buffet that is also exceptional, plus they have a nice old lady who plays the piano.

Dolci and Joes-CLOSED

This past Saturday we visited Dolci and Joes, located at 3425 E. Douglas, for dinner with my sister, her husband, and their two-year old daughter. We chose this place because we had a family member suggest it and also we were able to sample some of their food and drinks at Taste of Wichita. We also met the owner at the event and he informed us that everything served in the store is made from scratch, including the ketchup. This sparked our curiosity since it is pretty rare to find a place that makes even their ketchup from scratch.

We arrived around 8:30 in the evening and thought we would be fine since they close at 9:00. The young woman taking our order kindly informed us that they turn off the grill at 8:30 so we would only be able to order certain sandwiches and none of the burgers would be available. This riled up my (Phil) blood because I had been looking forward to trying one of the brined pork sandwiches. I am still trying to recover from missing out on the sweet, delicious pork. Not getting a pork sandwich is like waking up on Christmas with coal in your stocking.  While we were eating, they began putting chairs up on the other tables because it was after closing time. That is a pet peeve of mine. I believe that if there are still patrons in the restaurant you should not be so worried about looking closed because it makes the people eating uncomfortable. We didn’t even get our food until after 9:00. Lesson learned: be there before 8:30. Now onto the food.

I, along with my sister and her husband, went with the Dolci Tantalizing Chicken Salad sandwich. I am a big fan of the chicken salad my mom makes partly because she cuts up grapes in it so I usually steer clear of it in restaurants because hardly any use fruit. However, I decided to order this one since dried apricots was listed as an ingredient as well as cashews. I turned my sandwich into a combo with fries and a drink. Phil and I were trying to decide if one of us should get the sweet potato fries and the other regular, when the woman waiting on us told us that we could each get a little bit of both. That was a great option and of course we went with it. The next thing we noticed-our sodas were being mixed the old-fashioned way. Our Diet Cokes were filled with syrup and then had ice and carbonated water added. The sodas were quite scrumptious-I had them add some cherry into my Diet Coke and drank most of it before the food came. Once the food came I was a bit overwhelmed by how much food was on my plate. Talk about heaping portions. The bread comes from the Delano bakery and was good, although a bit too thick for my taste. The chicken salad was very good. I loved the apricot in it (not as good as grapes) and the cashews were also a great touch. The fries were also very good. They were large hand cut fries and right out of the fryer. I would say the sweet potato fries were almost as good as the Anchors-definitely comparable. I tried their ketchup and was not a fan. Now I have to admit, I hate tomatoes and this may have been why I didn’t like the ketchup. I thought it had too much vinegar, Phil suggested it tasted too much like tomatoes. I enjoyed my meal but was only able to eat half the sandwich because of the amount of bread. I, Phil, tried the Joshalotta sandwich. It was my third choice and I must say I wasn’t too thrilled with it. The turkey and salami were good, but I felt that they used way too much jalapeño mustard (which by the way is very good) on the sandwich. It really dominated all of the other elements. The fries were good as described above, although I thought they were a bit too soft. I like my fries to be somewhat crunchy.

The ambiance at Dolci and Joe’s is relaxed and retro, with nice vivid colors and small chalkboards on the wall.

Before we pass ultimate judgment on this establishment, we would like to try it again so the pork and perhaps the burgers can be sampled.