Meaty restaurant reviews...

In looking at the photos I took of two recent meals out, I realized they both were rather on the meaty side.

The first place was a new barbeque joint on Mission St. called Mission Street BBQ. I know, not much of a name and it's located in an old KFC. They have managed to make the place look clean, slightly less fast food than a KFC. I went there to lunch with a friend. We both ordered combo plates, mine had ribs, tri-tip and chicken. I was happy to see that the meat was not all smothered in barbeque sauce.

As you can see I also chose the coleslaw, which was a perfect foil for the barbeque. It was very fresh and not sweet which I appreciate. I enjoyed the tri-tip and the rib but felt the chicken fell short. The "garlic" toast was more tool than actual food, it didn't add much to the meal.

My dining companion had the pulled pork, rib and chicken. He felt the same way about the chicken. I did get to try his beans, they were more like chili beans that the sweeter barbeque beans I have had before. This was a feature for me not a bug.

The service was quick and very friendly. I would go back to try an amazing smoked chicken salad I saw go by. If you are looking for true southern barbeque you may be disappointed but for a quick lunch or relaxed dinner takeout, it's worth a try. For more information check out the reviews on Yelp.

For Valentine's Day we went to our favorite Cafe Sparrow in Aptos.
 On the drive there, the sunset was gorgeous.

We have been going to this lovely little restaurant for years. I am impressed when any small restaurant can sustain itself over time. The setting in Aptos Village is cute and quaint, the service is always personal and very good. For Valentine's Day they had a special menu. You can tell the lighting is "mood" as most of the photos came out a bit dark.

Several time the chef came out with an amuse bouche, these are little unsolicited dishes to entertain the mouth. This one was had pickled mustard seeds on cucumber slices.

I forgot to photograph the lentil salad in a Burssel sprout leaf, it was my favorite.

We decided to try the spinach cake in lemon butter appetizer. It was amazing, just the right amount of crunch to the spinach cake, the lemon sauce was light yet rich.

For the main course Bob had a filet mignon in sauce Diana which he loved.

I went with my new favorite braised short ribs. Not a great photo but the flavors were rich and the meat fell apart like it should. The grilled polenta was great too, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Yes, we had dessert, of course.
I went with the ever classic creme caramel. Just the right size and very delicate.

Bob chose the cheesecake, which he claimed was the better of the two desserts since he tasted mine but I did not taste his ;-)

We left feeling very sate but not over fed. I recommend this restaurant for a special night out or when company comes to town.