Posted by mightyoaks on May 4th, 2006 — Posted in Ethnic, Family
Not related to the Sal’s in Durham, Sal’s Italian Restaurant, located at 402 Huffman Mill Rd in Burlington, is a nice little Italian restaurant. I’ve been there a couple times recently for lunch, and their lunch buffet is pretty good. They have a selection of 3-4 main dishes, a couple different types of pizza, and some sides for $7.76 including a drink and tax.
When I first went to Sal’s for lunch, my roommate ordered their spaghetti and meatballs, while I went with the buffet. It’s a very welcome change from other buffets, like Golden Corral, or Cici’s. While I like both of those establishments, Sal’s offers a simlper arrangement, and it’s easier to get people to agree to go there.
Their main entrees, available at lunch or dinner, run from about $7 to $18. I’ve been quite impressed both times I’ve been recently, and lok forward to introducing more of my friends to Sal’s as time goes on.
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Posted by mightyoaks on April 20th, 2006 — Posted in Ethnic, Family
Located on the busy corner of Main St, in Brightleaf Square in Downtown Durham is a decent Mexican restaurant. Different from several others I’ve been to, Torero’s serves less saucy food than I typically like, but their offerings are typically still enjoyable.
I don’t recommend their sister location on 9th St in Durham because it has a fast-food feel to it, and though there are tables, it’s not a condusive location to sit and enjoy your meal.
Their salsa is generally good, but they change the consistency on some irregular basis, so some nights it isn’t as good as others. I’ve tried several items off their menu, and have found them to be a pretty good value for the cost. However, having been more recently introduced to El Rodeo across the block from Torero’s, I must say that I like them better, and would only recommend Torero’s if El Rodeo is packed.
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Posted by mightyoaks on April 13th, 2006 — Posted in Ethnic, Family
I spend about as much time near Elon as I do near Durham because of school and work. Because of this, I have been exploring Durham recently to find new places to eat, and went to Sal’s with my roommate, on his recommendation.
Located at 1821 Hillandale Rd in Durham, it’s only about 35 minutes from Elon, and is near Northgate Mall. I ordered their Ziti a la Vodka, which has a really creamy ham, vodka, and tomato sauce, while my roommate ordered their lasagna. His food came out still bubbling, and took a while to cool off – a sign that the cooks care about what they’re making. My meal came in a large, flat bowl and was very hot, also.
Along with our main dishes, they brought out fresh, hot rolls and side salads. We also ordered some garlic bread (with cheese!) for an appetizer.
Sal’s menu ranges from about $7 for the least expensive meal to just under $20 for their most expensive offering. I think they’re worth the ride from Elon – especially if you want to escape the humdrumness of Burlington for an evening.
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Posted by mightyoaks on April 11th, 2006 — Posted in Ethnic, Family
I recently tried out YAMR – yet another Mexican restaurant. One of the cool things about living in North Carolina, in my opinion, is the abundance of Mexican (or at least Americanized Mexican) restaurants actually run by Mexicans. My most recent sampling took me to the Brightleaf Square El Rodeo at 905 W Main St in Durham. Finding El Rodeo is a little tricky, since it’s not on Main St proper, but is behind Satisfaction’s.
I went with my roommate, and we enjoyed two fo their dinner combos. I got their Enchilada and Chile Relleno (#14) combo with rice and beans, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole meal. Their chips were served warm, and had a very smooth texture. I also liked their salsa a lot: it’s very smooth – almost the consistency of cocktail sauce – but has a good kick to it. I don’t personally like chunk salsas very much, and was pleased to see theirs to be quite easy to scoop with my chips.
All of their dinner combos are the same price, $6.75, so with a drink and tip, an individual meal is likely to cost less than $10. El Rodeo also offers student discounts, so if you come to downtown Durham, be sure to bring your Student ID.
El Rodeo is probably not worth the drive just for itself from Elon, but if you’er in the neighborhood, definitely check them out.
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Posted by mightyoaks on March 29th, 2006 — Posted in Family
Sagebrush Steakhouse, a regional chain along the lines of an Outback or Chili’s, sits just off exit 147 in Graham at 800 South Main St. I had heard a mix – good, bad, and meh – of reviews of Sagebrush, so decided I would check it out for myself.
First, the staff is incredibly friendly. Due a misunderstanding, I got to the restaurant with two friends almost an hour before the other 3 people coming got there. However, our waitress did a fantastic job of keeping our drinks full, and checking to see if we needed more peanuts; but otherwise letting us just sit till the rest of our party arrived.
When they did show up, she was back seemingly instantly to get their drink orders (and again to make sure our glasses were full). A few minutes later we ordered our meals, all of which came out quicker than we expected. I ordered the Filet Tips with Portabella meal which includes a decent helping of filet mignon chunks along with some sauteed portabella mushroom slices and peppers.
Including my drink, a potato skin appetizer, and my main dish, my total bill was just over $20. While their prices may be a bit higher than a typical college student would want to spend on a regular basis, it’s in the same range as an Outback, O’Charley’s, or Ruby Tuesday’s – and is, in my opinion, a nice change from those establishments.
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