Olhão (Faro), Portugal: Great Atmosphere, Excellent Service, Tasty Food, And Reasonable Prices In Olhão's 'Old Town'

Dona Manela

R. Dr. João Lúcio 8 

8700-456 Olhão, Portugal

968 476 784

Facebook: Dona Manela Restaurante

Prices: €€€€

I had no idea this restaurant had opened seven months ago and we live just a few blocks away, so that should tell you how much I have been getting out lately!

The restaurant is modern, bright and cheery, on a back street in the middle of Olhão's "Old Town", so we decided to give them a try and I am glad we did ... HOOAH!

The nice young lady who greeted and seated us was also our server, Amanda, and she did an outstanding job. Her English was good and she was very attentive, helping us navigate the menu.

We started with a nice vinho Duoro (tinto - red, finishing with another, and Couvert for four (bread, olives, seafood pâté, and olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They were all delicious!

I ordered the Picadinho à Manela (€14), strips of chicken breast and cleaned prawns in a curry cream sauce, a large portion coming with two sides (house made chips, salad, or rice) and it was absolutely superb. 

My wife had the Chicken (breast) Stroganoff (€11), my buddy Joe ordered the Sautéed Vegetables with Quinoa (€11), and his lady friend Maria got the Pepper Steak (€14.50), all coming with two sides as well. Everyone raved about the food and service, except for my wife who rightly complained that the stroganoff was a bit too salty. With the bill coming to €90 for the four of us, it was a pretty good deal considering the quality of the food and portion sizes as well as two bottles of wine we lapped up ... A DEFINITE "TravelValue"!

We will return again soon and I will include some photos because the ones I took mysteriously vanished from my Gallery ... OOPS!

CombatCritic Gives Dona Manela 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19/'20/'21/'22 

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Dona Manela on Yelp

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

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

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

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Olhão (Faro), Portugal: Great Atmosphere, Excellent Service, Tasty Food, And Reasonable Prices In Olhão's 'Old Town'

Key Words: Olhão, Faro, Portugal, Portuguese, food, Old Town, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2022 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz, Spain: Mehbe I Walked Too Far For The Mexican Food At El Villano

El Villano

Calle de las Magnolias, 37 11500 

El Puerto de Santa María, Spain

Phone: +34 956 853 845

Wesbite: N/A

Prices: €€€€

I walked one kilometer to eat here because, first, parking was impossible to find near my hotel and did not want to give up my space, and, second, the menu and photos made it appear that the food was nearly authentic Mexican.

The server spoke a little English, so I ordered a small pitcher of margarita, a half-order of nachos (€4.75) , and the Tacos Tijuana (€11.00).

The margarita was too sweet and had little alcohol. Meh!

The server told me that I could not order just chips and salsa and I thought he said that I could order a 'half' order of nachos, but when the nachos arrived, it was a full order (€9.50), obviously a miscommunication, so I let it slide. The chili was not bad and it came with a small cup of green salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo, but the chips were not house-made as appearing in the photos I saw, they were Tostitos. Had I known, I would not have bothered. Meh #2!

The tacos arrived looking pretty good, four corn tortillas with a decent portion of carne asada and a liquified guacamole with small cups of green salsa and pico de gallo. They were pretty tasty, but four small tacos for €11.00 was not exactly a TravelValue.

Overall, the food was decent, not great, and the service good, so I will go easy on them even though I was told the chef was from Tijuana. 

Meh...be I should not have walked so far for what I got.

CombatCritic Gives El Villano 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

MENU

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19/'20/'21/'22 

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of El Villano on Yelp

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

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

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

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Puerto de Santa Maria,  Cadiz, Spain: Mehbe I Walked Too Far For The Mexican Food At El Villano

Key Words: Puerto de Santa Maria,  Cadiz, Spain, Mexican, food, El Villano, taco, burrito, enchilada, margarita, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, business, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2022 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Goodyear (Phoenix), AZ: ¡Ay, Caramba, Not Bad Grub For A Mexican Chain!

Macayo's Mexican Food
1474 N Litchfield Road
Goodyear, AZ 85395
(623) 209-7000
macayo.com/goodyear
Prices: $$$$

Coming from the Pacific Northwest, and our dearth of decent Mexican restaurants, I was slightly impressed with Macayo's food and the service was good, not great. We were greeted warmly by a gaggle of young ladies who asked us if we wanted to take advantage of Happy Hour. 'You bet your bippy' we do, I said ... HOOAH!

Their house margarita was $6 and their guacamole $5, so we ordered both, but I got a Yelp Check-In offer for a free Cheese Crisp ($5 value) and could not turn it down. The chips and salsa were rather late in coming, but the chips seemed to be fresh and the salsa was fairly good. The guacamole had too many tomatoes for my taste, but it was OK, needing a little salt to enhance the flavor. My blended margarita came in a 16 ounce glass and tasted good, but their was not much tequila in it - little tequila taste, little buzz.

If you know me, one of my biggest pet peeves is when a server brings out the next course when you have not yet finished the previous course. The guacamole was not nearly finished when our dinner entrees arrived, something you would never see at even the most basic restaurants in Europe and many other countries. The message: GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE AS FAST AS YOU CAN SO WE CAN SEAT ANOTHER PARTY.

My friend's Green Chile Pork Stew ($8.99) consisted of pork sirloin, fire-roasted poblano chile, tomatillo, jalapeno, onion, and cilantro, served with warm flour tortillas. She thought it was great, except for the extra kick from the poblano chile and jalapeño pepper that was just a bit too much for her.

I ordered the Mex-and-Match (no, I am not a racist, it's their name for it, not mine - $13.99) with two items and two sides, specifically a shredded beef taco, cheese and onion enchilada, refried beans, and tortilla soup. I assumed that the tortilla soup would come before my meal, but it arrived along with my entree which became colder and colder while I ate the hot soup, which was very good by the way. The taco was very good, crunchy with the right ratio of shredded beef, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. The enchilada was also good, but I could not locate the onions in my cheese and 'onion' enchilada and my beans were rather unspectacular.

I started writing this review considering a 7 Bomb rating, but as I wrote, recalling the positives and negatives of the experience, that rating seemed a bit too high, particularly in light of my pet peeve outlined above - train your servers to hold off on submitting entree orders to the kitchen so that patrons can finish one course before receiving the next. Overall the food was pretty good, the prices reasonable, especially the happy hour items, the service decent, and the ambiance nice, especially out on their patio where we were seated.

CombatCritic Gives Macayo's Mexican Food 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Good To Go"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Macayo's Mexican Food on Yelp

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!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Goodyear (Phoenix), AZ: ¡Ay, Caramba! Not Bad Grub For A Mexican Chain

Key Words: Goodyear, Phoenix, AZ, Mexican, Macayo's, Macayo, food, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2019/2020 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Hilo, Hawaii: Cafe 100 Is A 100% TravelValue

Cafe 100
969 Kilauea Avenue
Hilo, HI 96720
Phone number (808) 935-8683
Website: cafe100.com
Prices: $$$$

This fast food joint on the outskirts of downtown Hilo pumps out quality food at very reasonable prices to hundreds of customers a day. Their specialty is Loco Moco, scoops of white rice topped with a hamburger patty, brown gravy, and a fried egg, with other variations including spam, chili, and other savory options.

The service was very friendly and efficient. We placed our order at the window, grabbed a table in their covered patio, and waited 10-15 minutes to get our food (you can to eat there or take it home).

My wife ordered the Double Loco Moco Combo ($8.95), coming with two scoops of rice, two burger patties, brown gravy, and two eggs over-medium. It also came with a medium fountain drink and a cookie, but when our order arrived there was no cookie. I asked the lady at the window and she told me that she forgot to tell me they were out of cookies, but she had deducted $0.50 from the price. Fair enough. The Loco Moco was a hit with my better half and as they say ... "happy wife, happy life!".

I ordered the Bacon Cheesy Girl ($5.55), a double cheeseburger with bacon, lettuce and tomato, and a side o' fries ($2.85). The bun was fresh, the meat well cooked, and the bacon just right - a little chewy and a little crispy. It was a good burger, not a great one, and the fries were hot and crispy, not burnt, just the way they should be.

If you are hungry and on a budget, this is the place to go - great service, tasty food, large portions, and fair prices - BIG ISLAND, BIG VALUE ... HOOAH!!

CombatCritic Gives Cafe 100 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

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 Cafe 100 on Yelp

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!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Hilo, Hawaii: Cafe 100 Is A 100% TravelValue

Key Words: Hilo, Hawaii, Cafe 100, cafe, 100, loco moco, loco, moco, fast, food, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu,  review, Yelp, Zomato, Google

Copyright 2019 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Paris, France: Bouillon Chartier - The Gold Standard For Value And Elegance In Paris

Bouillon Chartier
7 rue du Faubourg Montmartre
75009 Paris, France
9ème
Metro: Grands Boulevards and 2 more stations
Phone number +33 1 47 70 86 29
Website: bouillon-chartier.com
Prices: €€€€

Euro for Euro, this place is probably as good as it gets in Paris. A very good three-course meal for three in a historic restaurant, including 50cl of wine for €60 ... now that's a TravelValue folks!

Founded in 1896, Chartier, as it is known, has been serving quality food at reasonable prices to Parisians and tourists for 122 years, First of all, expect a line, a long line when you arrive, but do not feel dismayed because the queue moves very quickly thanks to the massive dining room with dozens of staff. They even have a wine station at the halfway point in the queue where you can get a cup of sangria, mulled wine, or their wine o' the day for just €1. 

No screwing around here y'all, you had better be ready to order post haste and the same goes after you pay - get the hell out so the next party can get on with their meal. The waiter's know their shit and do not mess around, so if you are not decided on what to order, do not waste their time because they have 10 other tables to worry about.This is not Italy where meals are at a leisurely pace and you have the table for the whole night - this is Paris and Bouillon Chartier!

I had half a dozen escargot (€7.30), steak au poivre with pommes frites (€11.50), chocolate mousse (€3.10) and a glass of wine. The snails were scrummy, having mopped up the excess garlic butter and parsley with a crust of baguette or two just for old times sake. The steak was not the best cut in the world and it was not particularly tender, but the taste was spot-on as were the peppercorn gravy and hot, crispy French fries. The mousse was thick, rich and chocolaty, just the way it should be.

My wife had a mixed green salad (€2.30) for her entree, the roasted pork loin with boiled new potatoes in a reduction sauce (€8.80), that was as good if not better than mine, for her plat, and the mousse as well. The salad was fresh, the three large slices of pork tender, and the potatoes well cooked.

The best dish of the night was the traditional veal stew and white rice (€11.20) with big chunks of veal, carrots and potatoes in a thick, creamy white sauce reminiscent of a wonderful meal I had at a little roadside place in the South of France many years ago. The veal was tender as a whore's heart and the sauce divine. Unfortunately, I did not order it, our friend did, but it will be on my radar the next time I eat here, because, as MacArthur said: "I shall return!".

What a great place! The massive dining room is typically French and ornate with an art deco vibe given the fact that the place is over 100 years old. The food and service are both top notch, especially for the price. Where else can you get a tasty three course dinner for €20 and get thrown out by the waiter - in a nicely roundabout way - when you are done eating? Only at Bouillon Chartier folks ... HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives Bouillon Chartier 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

When in France ... Follow Me To TravelValue on my new page:

CombatCritic's Travel Value: France

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18 

• 650,000+ Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Bouillon Chartier on Yelp

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!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

MENU

Title: Paris, France: Bouillon Chartier - The Gold Standard For Value And Elegance In Paris

Key Words: Paris, France, Bouillon Chartier, bouillon, chartier, gold, escargot, food, bargain, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2018 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved