Lula's Louisiana Cookhouse

PLACE: 113 S. Washington, Owosso (Just south of the M21/Washington corner.  Parking available on the street or behind J.C. Penney's/the bowling alley, if you want the exercise.  ;) )

PHONE NUMBER: (989)720-5852

VISIT NUMBER: 1

PRICE: $$-$$$

CUISINE: Cajun/Creole

WAIT TIME TO ORDER: About 5 minutes

WAIT TIME TO FOOD: About 10-15 minutes.

STAFF IMPRESSIONS: I'm not easily won over by service.  I've worked in customer service, and honestly, I'm kind of picky.  This place...  The service was excellent.  The waitstaff was attentive without hovering, very acceptive and sweet to our small child.  We also had the owner of the restaurant come out to speak to us, which was a nice touch (I have never had anyone from "the back" come to my table, so that truly stands out to me); I noticed he made sure to speak to as many tables as he could, which was absolutely wonderful, and I appreciated the personal feeling that it gave our meal.

FOOD IMPRESSIONS:

•The Dolma is amazing - an explosion of lamb and grape leaf, with the rice sopping up the oil/garlic/herb flavor.  Add the tzaktziki sauce and it almost turns into a cake with a creamy, yoghurt-like frosting.

•The Gator and Catfish were coated with a phenomenal breading, that was not too salty or spicy, but gave a wonderful Cajun-like bite.  I've had Cajun that wanted to burn your tastebuds off in place of flavor...  This was not one of those times.

•The only steak on the menu was exceptional - tender, juicy, with a little Cajun tang...  And cooked to perfection, even to a picky eater with a rare way of ordering.

•The pasta was the perfect, just-below al dente texture.  The Cajun creme sauce is divine (think Alfredo with a twist), and worked exceptionally well with the Crawfish in the dish.

•Crawfish itself was a meaty, wild, more earthy-flavored lobster; it was kind of the backwoods cousin, what venison is to beef, if you will.

•The beignets...  Well, first, let me show you the only picture of our meal that I managed to take (food...too...delicious...can't...stop...eating!):

That is all of the powdered sugar that we couldn't eat.  I love powdered sugar, so that is...amazing.  The little tiny puffs taste like the high-class cousin of an elephant ear.  I love them.  I want more,

DRINKS:  The sweet tea is not sickeningly so, which is refreshing (no pun intended).  Other than Coke, teas (sweet and iced), and milk...  I was too busy drooling over the food menu to notice, I'm sorry.

SATISFACTION:  I'll only be satisfied if they put a location closer to Flint.  They are phenomenal!

WOULD RECOMMEND: Absolutely.

NOTES: It is small, but doesn't feel crowded.  I estimate about 20 tables are there, and they fill up QUICKLY, so definitely come early.  They also are open from 12-2, then reopen 430-9, so plan for that.

Alexander J's Smokehouse

PLACE: 5490 Fenton Rd, Mundy Twp (Just north of the Fenton/Hill intersection)

NUMBER: (810)715-9137

VISIT NUMBER: 1

PRICE: $$-$$$

CUISINE TYPE: BBQ/Steakhouse

TIME TO ORDER: About 5 minutes

TIME TO FOOD: 10-15 minutes for 4 entrées, 5 minutes for our appetizer.

STAFF IMPRESSIONS: Waitstaff was nice, but seemed unsure of himself.  Did not know about the beers, and let us order beers that were not available at the time, not once but twice.  We wanted a chance to look at the menus, but the waiter hovered either at our shoulders or at the table next to us, so we felt rushed.  It was early afternoon, though, and we were the only table, so perhaps he was bored.

FOOD IMPRESSIONS:

•The bacon boats were delicious.  Truly. The soft starchiness of the potato, creaminess of the melted cheese (Colby?), and the bacon!  Applewood smoked, I believe.  Excellent!

•The sauces were good, especially the candy apple, I believe it was called?  It was sweet, with a spicy kick as part of the aftertaste.  I forgot to write down the names, but if I could buy sets of the sauces, I would.  They'd be good gifts - there's something for everyone, and even the spiciest one had a really good flavor.

•Perhaps it was because we came in almost exactly when they opened, but the meat...  I tasted no smokiness, no dry rub, nothing without the sauce, which had been heaped onto the center of the sandwich & soaked into the bun, which made the bread oddly sloppy.  I would have liked my meat to have been completely coated in sauce, though.

•Honestly, the best part of the trip was dessert.  We tried the Kentucky Pie, and it was amazing.  I'm not a fan of pecan pie, but pecan pie with a chocolate chip cookie baked into it?  Sign me up!

DRINK SELECTION: I believe Coke products.  As for beer, I'd suggest deciding on a few beers, just in case some are out.  Their menus are posted on their site:

http://alexanderjs.com/menu.pdf for the full menu, or 

http://alexanderjs.com/bar.php for a "bar" menu.

SATISFACTION: Yes.

WOULD RECOMMEND?:  I'd like to return for dinner, to see if we came in before the kitchen was actually "ready" for us.  I know it can take some time to actually be ready for a big order, and we did order a lot of food.

NOTES: Our waiter was very sweet and attentive to the child we had with us, and there are spaces wide enough for high chairs, with room to walk between tables.

The restaurant was VERY clean!  VERY, VERY, VERY clean.  I was impressed.  The restaurant has a very fun and lively atmosphere, so it's easy to see why the trivia and karaoke nights here are popular.  They also schedule events quite often, so it helps to check their website, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

Have a place you want me to visit?  Contact me:

localflintrestaurants@gmail.com

OR

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Table & Tap

PLACE: 555 S. Saginaw St, Downtown Flint (Corner of S. Saginaw and W. 2nd St - NOT AVENUE. Between Kearsley & Court).

NUMBER: (810)250-3631

VISIT NUMBER: 1

PRICE: $$ for beer and food

CUISINE TYPE: "Bar Food", with a high-class twist.  And Beer, Glorious Beer!

TIME TO ORDER: Beer-0 mins; we held off on food for about 10 minutes.

TIME TO FOOD: 10-15 for a group of 4, on a moderately busy Saturday afternoon.

STAFF IMPRESSIONS: Very friendly, helpful, and knowledgable.  We even got tipped-off to a possible tap-takeover that may be happening in September.  Also, the server made sure to add a personal touch, adding (only good) commentary on our beers, and getting our names.

FOOD IMPRESSIONS:

•Baked Macaroni and Cheese was good (the crumble on top was crispy as opposed to mush, which can ruin the dish), but it wasn't anything special.  The pasta itself seemed a bit overcooked, almost rubbery, and the baked cheese had the same consistency.  The flavor was on the high side of average, but...

•Honestly, you don't come to T&T for the food.  The drink selection is one of the largest around, and is insanely diverse.  Trust me when I say, there's something for everyone - from Average Joe to Beer Snob to "I Don't Like Beer" (my pick for IDLB - the Kuhnhenn's DRIPA packs a punch without the bitter, hoppy flavor).

DRINK SELECTION: Coke, and a very good selection of beers.  They have their tap menu listed here, updated often: http://www.beermenus.com/places/8716-table-tap

SATISFACTION: Very.

WOULD RECOMMEND?: Absolutely.  I love a good beer.

NOTES: The tables tend to run too high for a high chair (unless you get the ones in the window nook), but the staff truly does try to make children feel welcome.  Unfortunately, with the small space (it's in downtown Flint) and tall tables, this joint isn't really kid-friendly.  Also, the bathroom is in the back, down the hall, and seems to be shared between the other commercial properties, which could be a bad thing after one too many beers.

Have a place you want me to visit?  Disagree with me?  Contact me:

localflintrestaurants@gmail.com

OR

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Puerto Vallarta

PLACE: Puerto Vallarta (3192 S. Linden Rd.  Across from the mall, in the strip mall with Hobby Lobby & TJ Maxx).

NUMBER: (810)732-0212

VISIT NUMBER: 1

PRICE: $$

CUISINE: Mexican

WAIT TIME TO ORDER: ~10 Minutes (we asked for more time; we were asked immediately if we were ready to order).

WAIT TIME TO FOOD: ~10 Minutes

STAFF IMPRESSIONS: Moderately pushy.  As this was my first visit, I wanted to look at the menu without interruptions, but that didn't happen.  I felt as though I was inconveniencing the waitstaff by not knowing what I wanted before I sat down.  Not a very good vibe.  The waitress did not know the name of a few of the dishes, had to be shown what they were in the menu, and then proceeded to act as though we were idiots!  Also, received the appetizer (nachos) alog with the rest of the food.

FOOD: Okay, for the price - but if you like fresh cilantro, you'll love this place.

•Skimpy on the cheese in the Chicken & Chorizo Quesadilla, and an adequate amount in the plain Cheese Quesadilla.

•Nacho Supreme was alright - nothing terribly memorable, except the guacamole was nice, creamy, and added a wonderfully "fresh" taste to the dish.  Honestly, for the appetizer/entrée, the guacamole was the best part.

•Pablo Burrito was, again, okay.  The beans had a metallic taste to them.

•Sopapillas were alright, but the tortillas used were too thick to fry properly, so the dessert didn't have a crunch, just a stale "pop".  Flavor was good - cocoa powder and cinnamon on them.

•Xachos (?) tasted like a flan, but again, nothing special.

DRINK SELECTION: Coke, Jarritos; quite a few domestic beers (& O'Doules), Mexican regulars (Corona, Modelos); lots of different kinds of Tequilas, obviously, but only "Gin", "Rum", "Vodka".

SATISFACTION: okay.

WOULD RECOMMEND?: If I was at the mall and didn't want to go out of my way for my favorite Mexican place, I would maybe consider returning.

NOTES: Kid-Friendly.  Very cute and bright decor, but it seems rather kitschy. The booths are gorgeous, though - I love the carvings!

Don't forget, you can contact me at:

localflintrestaurants@gmail.com

Or

twitter.com/FRestRevs

Coming up: Maybe a contest?  Details soon!

Habachi Buffet

PLACE: Habachi Buffet (3022 S. Linden Rd. Corner of Linden & Lennon Roads).
NUMBER: (810)732-3888
VISIT NUMBER: 1

PRICE: Weekday Lunch & Kid's Options - $; Dinner - $$
CUISINE: Asian-Style Buffet (Chinese, Japanese, American)
WAIT TIME TO ORDER: 0 Minutes
WAIT TIME FOR FOOD: 0 Minutes

STAFF IMPRESSIONS: Very quiet, very helpful.  A few seemed to not speak English as well as others, but it didn't hinder our experience at all.

FOOD IMPRESSIONS/TASTES:  Mostly good.  Sashimi, calamari (despite seeming to be made with octopus, not squid) were good with good textures.  Plain pork dumplings were not very appetizing.  Plenty of deserts: 6 kinds of ice cream, and chocolate-chip ginger snaps, and a peanut-marshmallow concoction.

DRINK SELECTION: Pepsi, Tea.

SATISFACTION: Overall good.

WOULD RECOMMEND?: Yes.

NOTES: The Sushi/Sashimi Bar is back!  Also, some things are dinner only (but they say it by the name), so watch and be careful if you don't want to be charged for a dinner.  The desserts were plentiful, but pretty run-of-the-mill.  Lots of chicken dishes for lunch; it seems like everything else (flounder, oyster, sashimi, etc) is for dinner only.  Also, prices were figured due to a group of three - one dinner, one lunch, and one kid's menu adding up to about $20.00, on a weeknight.  Not bad.