Ho Hum, Another ... YELP REVIEW OF THE DAY (August 3rd, 2017 - Kansas City, MO): Bayleaf Indian Restaurant - Lawrence, Kansas

Chris S. wrote a review for Bayleaf Indian Restaurant & Bar

4/15/2017

• ROTD 8/3/2017

We have been wanting to try Bayleaf since they opened, but had not until tonight. The food was ready as promised, 20 minutes exactly after I ordered on Eat Street. The place was empty at 5:35 on a Saturday, a bit odd, but the friendly server gathered our order post haste, listing the contents by memory exactly as we ordered them ... meat samosas - check, beef vindaloo - check, palak paneer - check, plain and garlic naan - check. She handed me my bag and I left.

With the $7 Eat Street discount, the tab came to just a tad under $32, not bad. But $39 for one appetizer, two entrees and some bread - no soup or salad, no drinks, no dessert - without the coupon it would not be a great value.

The Meat Samosas ($4.95), savory pastries with a chicken and vegetable filling and two dipping sauces (a red sweet and sour and a mild green) were big and good. The Naan (Plain - $2 and Garlic $3) were large and as fresh and good as any I have eaten.

My wife's Palak Paneer ($10.95) with fresh spinach and homemade curd cheese in a mildly spicy sauce was also as good as any we had during my four months in India. The Beef Vindaloo ($14.95) had plenty of beef and a few potatoes in a tomato and onion curry that was delicious. Both the palak paneer and beef vindaloo came with basmati rice, but $14.95 for a medium size curry and rice is a bit on the pricey side. At $8.95 and $11.95, they would have been a much better value, but the Indian restaurants in Lawrence seem to think they can get away with charging $15 for a curry and rice, so they do. That is why we do not eat at the two Indian restaurants (across the street from each other) in town all that often.

OK, maybe I am spoiled, but having eaten similar, but much better, meals for two in India for $10-$12 max, I find it difficult to shell out nearly 4 times as much stateside. If it were not for the $7 Eat Street discount, we probably would not have bothered, but I am glad we did because the food at Bayleaf was very good. Having lived in England for three years and traveled India for four months, I am used to good Indian food at reasonable prices. The Indian restaurants in Lawrence need to drop their dinner prices if they hope to fill their tables, which they are not doing currently.

I am basing my rating on a dinner for two for $31.50 (7 rating  - with coupon), not $38.50 (5 rating  - without coupon) ...

CombatCritic Gives Bayleaf Indian Restaurant 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

YELP REVIEW OF THE DAY (August 3rd, 2017 - Kansas City, MO): Bayleaf Indian Restaurant - Lawrence, Kansas

Read Chris S.'s review of Bayleaf Indian Restaurant & Bar on Yelp

Title: Ho Hum, Another ... YELP REVIEW OF THE DAY (August 3rd, 2017 - Kansas City, MO): Bayleaf Indian Restaurant - Lawrence, Kansas

Key Words: Yelp, ROTD, review of the day, of, the, day, Kansas City, Lawrence, Portland, Oregon, Missouri, Kansas, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value

Kansas City yelp Review of the Day (ROTD) January 7, 2016

Taco Zone
13 East 8th Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
Phone: (785) 424-7123
Website: thetacozone.com
Prices: $$$$

Selected yelp Review of the Day (Jan 7, 2016)

In a small shop in downtown Lawrence on 8th Street just east of Massachusetts Street (known to locals as "Mass") you will find Taco Zone's new location. Having originated in the back of a bar a few blocks up the street on Mass, they have apparently done well enough to rate their own space. Yelp reviews have been very favorable so far, so we decided to give them a try.

Being a self-proclaimed guacamole connoisseur and aficionado (and legend in my own mind), we had to start with the Guacamole and Chips ($5). At first glance, the guacamole was a bit on the small side for the price, maybe half an avocado's worth ($.75 retail) at best considering, like many restaurants, they use tomato as an ingredient and "filler". Having grown up in California with its rich Mexican influence, tomatoes are not routinely used in guacamole and, I believe, they detract from the essence of the almighty avocado. Beside being on the puny side, the guacamole was not bad, the avocados ripe and, unlike many commercial varieties, it was well seasoned. The chips were obviously made in-house, perfectly crisp and a deep golden brown. Tortilla chips need just the right amount of salt and my wife and I normally have to add salt to restaurant tortilla chips, but these were over-salted, detracting from otherwise nearly perfect taste. Close on both counts, but unfortunately no cigar.

The menu selections are very limited. You can get tacos (3), a burrito, a torta (Mexican-style sandwich), nachos, or their "special", which in this case was a roasted pork and green chili soup, all at $7 a pop. Meals are not accompanied by rice or beans, in-fact they are not even an option. I am not a big rice fan, but a traditional side or two, such as borracho (the word for "drunk" due to beer being a primary ingredient) or charro ("horseman" or "cowboy") beans would be a nice option.

Traditional tacos vary by region in Mexico and come with some form of meat, normally grilled or roasted, such as "carne asada" (sliced or chopped, marinated beef steak), "al pastor" (roasted pork shoulder shavings, normally served with pineapple), "picadillo" (ground beef cooked with tomato, onion, and chiles), "carnitas" (pork braised or simmered in oil for several hours), "barbacoa" (barbecued beef, normally from the head of the cow), "de pescado" (grilled fish), or "de camarones" (grilled or sauteed shrimp) just to name a few. Each meat filling comes with its own unique accompaniments, including chopped/diced onion, pineapple, avocado, guacamole, tomato, pico de gallo, chile, radish and/or carrot, almost always accompanied by green or red salsa, chopped cilantro, and fresh, sliced lime.

Being our first visit, we tried the tacos and nachos for our entrees at $7 each. You get three tacos in a box with your choice of three of the seven somewhat unusual filling options. I say unusual only because these are, for the most part, uncommon taco combinations (beef and sweet potato, mole and poblano pepper, chorizo and potato) or ingredients (mole, sweet potato, potato, and cheese). I ordered one each taco cochinita pibil (pork, normally pigling, marinated in citrus juice with achiote seed), chile rojo beef and sweet potato, and green chile chorizo and potato. The nachos came with cochinita pibil and roasted garlic queso because my wife does not like pico de gallo (tomato in particular) or crema (cream, sour cream), both of which were included.

Each taco came with one tortilla instead of the usual two and they were a tad small, coming in at around 3.5 to 4 inches max, so the fillings appeared to be more substantial than they actually were. I am not positive if the corn tortillas are made on the premises or are purchased elsewhere, but they were good and thick enough that they held up well without falling apart, so two would have been overkill in this case. The cochinita pibil was topped with pickled carrot, the beef and sweet potato with sliced red onion, the chorizo with diced green chile and sour cream, and all were topped with too little chopped cilantro. There was a small container of a reddish salsa verde on the side which was obviously not store-bought and was neither too mild nor too hot (spicy). The cochinita pibil was tasty although a bit too dry and the other two were palatable enough, but could have done without the potatoes altogether in my opinion. Like the tomatoes in the guacamole, they seemed to serve more as a filler, saving the house some money rather than enhancing the culinary experience.

The nachos came in a similar size, but deeper cardboard box with the same good, but over-salted chips, the roasted garlic queso, and cochinita pibil (you also get your choice of the seven fillings - in this case toppings). There were plenty of chips and the cheese sauce, although again nontraditional, was warm, creamy, and delicious. There was also plenty of the too dry pork and another container of the red/green salsa. When I added the pico de gallo and salsa to the nachos, they were quite good although they were not bad without them. The crema was unnecessary in my opinion, detracting from the yummy cheese sauce and adding additional fat while contributing little to the flavor.

They have specials every day and a decent, varied selection of reasonably priced drinks. The taco plate would be more appropriately priced at $5.50 to $6 and "Taco Tuesday" brings the plate in at a much more reasonable $5. Another bargain is "Finally Friday" with Cadillac margaritas being half-price (on Fridays of course) although I am not positive about either the size of or ingredients in them, so I cannot comment on their full-price or half-price value. You get free "fresh water" on Wednesdays if that is any kind of deal or enticement. The only addition to the drink menu that could contribute to a better, more authentic experience would be horchata, a traditional sweet Mexican drink made from rice and with vanilla, cinnamon and sugar added. A digestivo such as RumChata, a liquor made with cream-based horchata and rum, would be another good after dinner option.

My recommendations for a better value and experience are:

1. Less salt on the chips
2. Slightly larger or cheaper guacamole WITHOUT tomato
3. A few more menu options, including some side dishes
4. Focus on more traditional meat fillings and lose the fillers
5. Fresh lime slices are required with traditional tacos and are very inexpensive - provide them
6. Drop the entree prices slightly or add a side, like borracho beans, effecting profits negligibly

I was quite pleased with our meal overall and service was excellent, but there are too many concerns for me to give them 9 or 10 Bombs (5 Stars on Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato, and Tabelog). Therefore, ...

CombatCritic Gives Taco Zone 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

TripAdvisor - Top Contributor

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Taco Zone

Title: Kansas City yelp Review of the Day (ROTD) - January 7, 2016

Key Words: Taco Zone, taco, tacos, zone, Lawrence, Kansas, Massachusetts, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, review of the day, ROTD, of, the, day

Translation for Civilians: "S&G" - Shits And Grins

Salon DiMarco: Hair Today, Spa Tomorrow!

This was my first time here after being haircut free for over a year. After 20 years in the Air Force, long hair is not something I am used to.

Corrina ("Carina" means "pretty" in Italian) was very nice and she did a great job with what she had to work with ... my hair. She washed my hair, cut it, and blew it dry, spending about 30 minutes overall ($25 + tip).

The salon is in an old building downtown, occupying a large space two stores wide, with 12 foot ceilings and an old decorative copper ceiling (which could use a paint job by the way). 

Greeted as I walked in, my only complaint being that the nice pair of older ladies were offered tea by the receptionist while I was merely instructed to "have a seat". 

Overall, a nice experience and fair value, I will return, maybe getting a tea next time?

CombatCritic Gives Salon DiCarlo 7 Bombs Out of 10 ... BOMBS ARE GOOD!

Key Words: Salon DiMarco, salon, dimarco, di, marco, hair, cut, haircut, beauty, spa, color, massage, Lawrence, Kansas, 66044, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value

Deliciously Greasy Burgers, Cold Beer ... And Air ... Yummy Truffle Fries - Must Be Dempsey's!

Dempsey's Burger Pub
623 Vermont Avenue

Lawrence, KS 66044
(785) 856-5460
DempseysBurgerPub.com
Price: $$$$$

I was a bit reluctant to try Dempsey's after reading recent reviews by my Elite '14 brothers and sisters in Lawrence, Kansas saying that "things have gone downhill" and that the burgers are "greasy", but heck ... don't burgers and grease go hand-in-hand? I am sure glad we gave 'em a shot!

Don't want to gross you out, but in preparation for two scopes being inserted into my body, one in each end so to speak, two days later and the inevitable PREPeration (H), I knew I would not have a decent meal for at least 36 hours, so a big greasy burger and basket of truffle fries sounded pretty darn good!

The place is a local haunt for KU (college basketball powerhouse University of Kansas) students and this particular Tuesday night in Lawrence was no exception. With about half of their burgers being offered at half-price ($4-$5 a pop) to students, I know why they were busy. But a pub with just 5 or 6 draughts available on-tap was a bit unusual.  I ordered an O'Dell (not O'Doules) IPA and at $4.50 for a British-size pint it was a good value with a strong, rich, hoppy flavor as all good IPAs do.

Mushroom, Bacon, Swiss Burger

We decided on a Mushroom, Bacon, and Swiss burger ($9), a House Burger with Bacon and Cheddar ($8.50), and a basket of Truffle Fries ($4).

The fries were plentiful and awesome! Lightly salted, the hand cut fries were sprinkled with Parmesan (parmigiana in the old country) cheese, parsley, and accompanied by no less than 6 different sauces (catsup, spicy mustard, old bay and tomato coulis aioli, sweet chili aioli, truffle cream, and roasted garlic aioli ... all made from scratch). We barely made a notch in the basket, taking half home for my wife to eat the next night while I fasted in prep for the next morning's procedure under the influence of "Milk of Amnesia".

House Burger with Bacon

As usual, on my first visit to this and many other restaurants, I ordered the simplest burger on the menu, the "House" cheeseburger ($7.50) medium-well with cheddar cheese, a big piece of butter lettuce, two thick slices of tomato, homemade dill pickle, and both grilled white (as I had asked) and raw red onion. I added bacon for an extra buck, well cooked but not too crispy. The bun was nicely toasted, looking like a "pretzel" bun even though that was not the way it was described on the menu. The burger was in-fact greasy, but perfectly so, thick, and cooked just as I had ordered it. The bun was in a bit of disarray by the time I finished, but held together until the last bite, keeping my hands relatively clean although I did go through about 20 of the rather thin napkins supplied on the table.

The Bacon Mushroom Swiss Burger ($9) comes with sauteed shitake and portabello mushrooms, Gruyere and Swiss cheeses, and Applewood bacon on a toasted pretzel bun. Unfortunately, on this particular night at least, the bun was not toasted and, in-fact, was slightly cold to the touch. The burger was delicious nonetheless, an 8 ounce patty cooked to perfection with melted cheese oozing out of the side of the bun.

Basket O' Truffle Fries  ($4)

The service was very good, especially considering the large, energetic crown consuming burgers along with mass quantities of beer. The place is a bit of a dive, plain with lots of rough wood and glass, making the room rather chilly, particularly next to the window on a cold winter night where we needed to keep our coats on during our meal. Who knows, maybe KU research indicates that beer consumption is inversely proportionate to the temperature of the room?

CombatCritic Gives Dempsey's Burger Pub A Solid 7 Bombs Out of 10 ... BOMBS ARE GOOD!

Title: Deliciously Greasy Burgers, Cold Beer ... And Air ... Yummy Truffle Fries - Must Be Dempsey's!

Key Words: Dempsey's Burger Pub, Dempsey's, burger, hamburger, pub, bar, fries, truffle, French, food, eat, beer, drink, Vermont, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, Lawrence, Kansas