I actually stumbled across Vinnie’s when I was down in Savannah for work. It was my last night there and I wanted something different to eat so I broke away from my group who was headed for a chain restaurant. It didn’t look like much from the outside but the aromas coming from that place were incredible. Since it was just me I walked right in and got a seat at the bar.

I included that last pic because in downtown Savannah you can walk around with your beer if it’s in a plastic cup….Pretty nice eh? I was shocked and pleased when I saw how reasonable the prices were. I started off with one slice just to see if I liked it. As soon as I took a bite of the first one I promptly ordered another. The slices are $2.50 each and .50 for each topping.

As you can see the slices are pretty big. 2 slices, plus 2 beers, and tip cost me about $16. I left there stuffed and happy. They have plenty of outside seating as well. The people are very friendly and like I mentioned before the prices are great. The pizza outstanding. It’s fresh from the oven and is just incredible.

If you are staying in downtown Savannah or just visiting I urge you to try out Vinnie Van Go-Go’s. It actually was my favorite place to eat in Savannah!

Recently my wife, son, and I went to Branson, MO on our annual family reunion trip to Branson, MO. We got in town on a Wednesday afternoon. Since we hadn’t really eaten anything decent while on the road we were pretty starved and we we didn’t really want to have a wait anywhere. We took off down the road until we noticed that the Shorty Small’s that we usually visit was closed. So we decided to go to Fall Creek. The last time we had eaten at Fall Creek was when Rudy was there throwing the hot rolls himself and serenading the customers. The place has changed a bit……

I didn’t even recognize the inside anymore. The person “tossing” the rolls was simply gingerly passing it to you from 6 inches away. Where’s the fun in that??? Look, I mean I’m not trying to compare them to Lambert’s or anything (wouldn’t even compare btw) but at least make it fun. My son Tristan said he thought they were gonna throw the rolls. We were all disappointed. They were decent tasting though.

We all made up our minds on what we wanted pretty quickly. My son had the grilled cheese, my wife had catfish, and I had a ribeye steak. They weren’t terribly busy. In fact it was only us and one other table, but the wait staff seemed like they would rather have idle chit chat at the other end of the restaurant. They didn’t seem to thrilled to have customers either. Somewhere in between annoyed and indifferent. Our server was nice enough to bring my son’s food out first, but that was about the only courtesy we were extended.

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My steak was pretty decent. I was so hungry it mattered very little what it tasted it like. My wife’s catfish was just pretty much ok. Nothing special and a little bit too salty to be honest. My son’s grilled cheese was average. (I’ve had better from Sonic.)

One thing that really peeves me is waiting for refills. If they had a packed house I would have understood. They didn’t. It pissed me off a little to be honest. When we were ready to pay I noticed they had a little sign asking customers to rate them on Urbanspoon. I hope the owner checks the approval rating. I think they are at a whopping 46% right now. A little advice to the owners….. get better people! I know Branson has a small population and they rely heavily on tourism. Most of the business is driven by bilboards and brochures. I can name several fast food establishments that are far more courteous and efficient that they poor crew I saw there that night. Also, if you are going to advertise throwed rolls make it fun!!!! Spruce up the menu!! There is a Lambert’s less than an hour away that blows this place out of the water. I would honestly be surprised if they are still in business this time next year. Perhaps they should give Gordon Ramsey a call….

I was recently in Murfreesboro for some job training and I was fortunate enough to be close to JoZoara. Everyone I worked with spoke very highly of this place so I went for lunch one day. To summarize I ended up going several times over the three weeks I was there. The atmosphere is very friendly and they do make you feel like family. They start remembering the kinds of coffee you like, and even your name.

The few times I went for lunch they had some absolutely outstanding sandwich and soup selections. They post a chalkboard out front displaying their soup specials of the day. One day they had a great potato and leek soup. They also have soup great panini sandwiches. The most memorable had chicken with roasted red peppers, and mushrooms. Everything you order is made fresh for you so you do have to wait. Trust me, it’s a wait you can appreciate. They really do take the time to make it right every time.

While I was in Murfreesboro I absolutely fell in love with JoZoara. I found myself making excuses to go there for anything. I had several cups of coffee from here and I ate lunch there several times. Like I said earlier the staff was very friendly and you do start to feel like family after a few trips. (To quote another apt review I read.) If you are near this area and have never been or just visiting please stop by and experience this outstanding place for yourself. You can visit their website at jozoaracoffeeshop.com

I feel compelled to write about Frank’s Lounge because I love a good story, and because I also love a good bloody mary.   If you have spent some time in Louisiana then you may have seen their famous drive thru daquiri bar’s.  The first time I saw one I asked how it was legal.  Apparently, in Louisiana, it’s not considered an open container if it’s in a styrofoam cup with a lid and straw.  Weird hunh?

Anyway, we were headed down Hwy 90E from Lafayette to New Orleans when we stopped at this place quite literally in the middle of nowhere.  Seriously, when you look at it on Google maps it’s literally just a point on Hwy 90.    They had a banner proclaiming they had a “World Famous Bloody Mary.”  Apparently my grandmother’s husband had suggested this place as well.

We walked in and place our orders……. to go of course.    When one of their “regulars” walks in and asked who is from Memphis.  Since we were the only ones in the place we hesitated before we said sheepisly…………”us.”  Then the stranger proudly told us that he was from Frasier!!  Small….strange………..world.  Anyway, we got these huge styrofoam cups filled with bloody mary that we sipped on until we got to New Orleans.  It made for a good ride through the swamps and an even better story later on.  The bloody mary’s were pretty good.  They weren’t too spicy which surprised me.  They were mixed very well which I did expect.  So, if you are ever traveling down this swampy highway and stumble upon Frank’s stop in and get a bloody mary.  Maybe you’ll bump into someone from your city too.