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Vancouver, WA: Operation Schnitzel: Gustav’s Remains a Trusted Rally Point

Gustav's 1705 SE 164th Avenue Vancouver, WA 98683 Phone number:  (360) 883-0222 gustavsvancouver.com Prices: $$ $$ After redeploying fro...

Showing posts with label barbecue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label barbecue. Show all posts

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Washougal, WA: SOLID - Shelby's Rivals KC Barbecue, Some Of The Best You Can Get

Shelby's Grille
419 E Street
Washougal, WA 98671
Phone number: (360) 835-1103
Prices: $$$$

SOLID. No BS here like I had at a place in downtown Washougal recently, Shelby's has fresh, hot food (not frozen); excellent and friendly service; and fair prices. What more can you ask for?



It was chow time, so we headed to Shelby's for the first time and I am not quite sure why we waited so long because I had heard good things about them. The decor is simple and nostalgic with tasteful maple wainscoting and knick-knacks adorning the walls. Best of all, it was very clean! We were met with a smile and a welcome, then taken immediately to a booth in the main dining room (the pub-style lounge was also an option).

I asked about happy hour and was told that it was from 2-5pm daily in the lounge, so we were a bit late anyway. Their happy hour food menu looked appealing with a few real bargains like a hamburger or BBQ sandwich for $7 or street tacos for $3 a piece. I was a bit dismayed by their happy hour drink discounts with just 50¢ off of wells ($8-$11), wine ($9), and beer ($6). Their drinks are not particularly cheap, so a food deal is definitely in order.
My wife got the Mushroom and Havarti Burger ($13) with grilled mushrooms, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and garlic mayo, coming with a large side o' fries, a relative bargain in this town ... HOOAH! Her meal was hot, obviously freshly made, and very tasty. The meat looked fresh and the Havarti was real cheese, not the processed cheese-like squares some places serve their customers.

I had a hankerin' for some BBQ, so I asked for the Brisket Plate ($14.50) with 6 ounces of brisket so tender and juicy that you could cut it with a fork, choice of two sides (fries, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, hush puppies, brussel sprouts and bacon, etc. - I had the fries and hush puppies), choice of BBQ sauce, and cornbread and butter. The brisket was scrummy, perfectly cooked and seasoned, and the fries were cut in house and hot and crispy, just like I like them. The brisket rivaled some of the best BBQ I had during our 11 years living in Kansas City, a city where you can find some of the best BBQ in the world. The hush puppies were also very good, crispy outside and soft and moist inside although I could taste neither the bacon nor the jalapeños purportedly contained therein. 

The only negatives were minor ones: the temperature inside (could have been 4-5 degrees cooler); the minuscule happy hour drink discount; and the honey for the cornbread we were promised, but which never quite materialized. Those minor infractions were the only things separating this review from a perfect rating, a rating I do not routinely hand out as readily as many other reviewers do. So there ya have it ... good grub!

CombatCritic Gives Shelby's Grille 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 
  • 650,000+ Views A Year
Read Chris S.'s review of Shelby's Grille on Yelp

Shelby's Bar & Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!
Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!



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Title: Washougal, WA: SOLID - Shelby's Rivals KC Barbecue, Some Of The Best You Can Get

Key Words: Washougal, WA, Shelby's Grille, Shelby's, grille, grill, brisket, KC, Kansas City, barbecue, BBQ, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato


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Monday, April 24, 2017

Lawrence, Kansas: HuHot Is HoHum With Nary A "Crab" In Sight

HuHot Mongolian Grill
2525 Iowa Street
Lawrence, KS 66046
Phone number: (785) 551-7100
Website: huhot.com
Prices: $$$$

Just opened next to Planet Fitness on Iowa, Lawrence finally has a Mongolian barbecue ... HOOAH!
About $10 for lunch and $15 for dinner, it's "all you can eat" which should go over well with KU students or anybody else for that matter. The place is big, but the bowls you put your meat, noodles, veggies and sauce in are very small and my main complaint. My recommendation, take two bowls, one for meat and one for noodles and veggies, that way you get a full plate of food rather than a half.

We tried A Taste of the Bounty appetizer ($9.99), with three each crispy egg rolls, Asian potstickers and krab rangoons, whatever the hell they are, accompanied by a rather boring sweet and sour dipping sauce. The egg rolls and potstickers were rather flavorless. The "krab" (note the spelling folks because there ain't a microgram of "crab" in these puppies) rangoons taste only of Philadelphia cream cheese in the center, again boring, bland and blah. Do not waste your money on any of the appetizers. 
They have a nice variety of traditional meats (beef, chicken, pork) for the Mongolian Barbecue, adding some novelty with meatballs and sliced sausage, mild and hot. The veggie selection is somewhat inadequate with the basics that I like (mushrooms, onion, cabbage, and bell peppers), but not much else other than carrots and a few others. You get white rice, soup or salad for the extra $5 at dinner, but do not get your hopes up. Go for lunch and save your $5.


The food is decent, but not anywhere near the best Mongolian barbecue I have had and I have had it many times for less than $15. However, as Bob Barker would say, "The Price is Right", so sachet your little behind over to HuHot and try some of their mediocre Mongolian, then to Planet Fitness to work off some of them Krab Rangoons.

CombatCritic Gives HuHot An Initial 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)


Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over  1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

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Read Chris S.'s review of HuHot Mongolian Grill on Yelp

HuHot Mongolian Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Tabelog Reviewer CombatCritic
View my food journey on Zomato!

Title: Lawrence, Kansas: HuHot Is HoHum With Nary A "Crab" In Sight

Key Words: HuHot Mongolian Grill, Chinese, Asian Fusion, Mongolian, HuHot, grill, barbecue, Lawrence, Kansas, Iowa, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: Charlie-Mike = "Continue Mission"

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Bella Vista, AR: "Fred's" Is Back In Business And They Mean "Business"!

Fred’s Hickory Inn

1502 N. Walton Blvd
Bentonville, AR 72712
Phone; (479) 273-3303
Website: fredshickoryinn.net

I will update this review in more detail as time allows, but I wanted to get it on the books ASAP.
Great place, very good food, excellent service and fair prices.
They accommodated our 20-person group without a flinch, just like we were a party of 4 dropping in for dinner. The drinks and food came post haste and with not just a smile, but a story or two and some good humored jabs from our server.
Excellent barbecue, they also have steaks, seafood, and pasta dishes, although their Bolognese sauce on the side of spaghetti I had was the primary reason for the one-star downgrade. On night two I had the lasagna which was pretty good, not quite like my mom, grandma, mother-in-law, and Zia Gina make, but not bad.

Prices range from $14-$35+ for dinner entrees, including soup or salad and a side or two, very fair for food and service of this caliber.
CombatCritic Gives Fred's Hickory Inn A Very Respectable 8 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Thumbs-Up ... More Bombs Are Better ... See You In The Fall Y'All! 

Eight Bombs Equates To:



Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

TripAdvisor - Top Contributor

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie

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Tabelog Reviewer CombatCriticView my food journey on Zomato!







Title: "Fred's" Is Back In Business And They Mean "Business"!

Key Words: Fred's Hickory Inn, Fred's, Freds, hickory, inn, Bella Vista, AR, Bentonville, Arkansas, barbecue, BarBQ, steak, pasta, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: WTFO! = "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

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