Trip to Bountiful Calvert

A long anticipated trip to Cocoamoda Chocolate Boutique & Restaurant in Calvert confirmed what many people have told me. Cocoamoda offers a first class dining experience at first class prices.

I have always had reservations about spending $100 for a dinner for two in Central Texas. Could anything in this area be as good as the top tier of restaurants in Austin? In Ft. Worth? In Dallas? The logical answer is probably not but there are some things that just defy logic.

It is not exactly a short drive down Highway 6 to Calvert, Texas. With only 1,350 people and shrinking, you would not expect to find a chocolate factory and first class eatery in the middle of town.


The restaurant is small only a few tables that will seat 25 maybe 30 people. The staff is limited but expert in their handling of guests. I can recommend both the appetizers and the soups as well conceived and delicious. The Cocoamoda Shrimp was very unusual. I am not sure about the soggy pastry under the jumbo shrimp but the dark chocolate sauce (made from their wonderful recipe) gave the shrimp a slightly sweet mole flavor. The salads suffered from a little dryness due to being made ahead. The outstanding blackberry vinaigrette dressing almost made up for the slightly wilted greens.

My lamb chops were very good. They came pan fried and seasoned to a bright red-orange color. The presentation could have been a nice one accept for the pool of red-orange oil that ran amok on the plate as it drained from the chops. Although it did not affect the flavor, it was one of the few missteps of the evening.

One of the menu specials was Beef Wellington. Delicious pastry surrounded a very large piece of tender beef. The portion was certainly more than one person should eat. Both entrees were accompanied by carefully prepared vegetables. Asparagus, carrots, and mashed potatoes were all tasty.

Cocoamoda also has some huge lobsters. These 3 to 5 pound monsters were carefully dissected by the wait staff and served with drawn butter. They looked great.

There are some desserts on the menu but if chocolates are their specialty, why would you try the pumpkin pie?

Cocoamoda is a great place for a special occasion or a day-trip adventure. Do make reservations. Take advantage of their BYOB situation at least through May 2011.

Top Choices in Waco

A New List

Top Restaurants

Cheeves Brothers (Temple) - Not a bargain but excellent beef and side dishes

1424 - For adults looking for a moderately priced evening/Greek influence

Elite Circle Grille - Nice bar and decent but not great food

135 Prime - Good steaks, not great but very good

Top Chains (not BBQ or Mexican)

Cheddar's - very consistent with just plain good food.

Panera Bread Company

Pei Wei - not a good representative of this chain's quality

Top Barbecue

Bunkhouse Barbecue (Clifton, TX)

Rudy's

Michna's Barbecue

Uncle Dan's Barbecue and Rib House

Unusual

Bangkok Royal (Thai) - Really the only Thai in Waco but good

Tokyo - Japanese Steakhouse

Park's Buffet - Best country buffet around

D's Chicken - Middle Eastern in Waco

Top Burgers

Kitok's Restaurant

Fuddrucker's

Cricket's Grill & Drafthouse

Cupps - Breakfast and lunch counter

Top Tex/Mex

Chuy's

Don Carlos - This Houston import has its ups and downs but is a good value

Ninfa's

El Tapatio

Top Italian

Rosati's

Gratizano's

Tokyo Road

After three visits to Tokyo in the last month, you might think I have gone overboard on the newest Japanese Steakhouse in Waco. Located on Franklin Avenue in the former TGIFridays location, Tokyo is a very nice addition to Waco. Waco now has 4 very similar Japanese Steakhouse restaurants. Tokyo certainly tops its numerous rivals.

After an extensive remodeling that seemed to take forever, Tokyo offers a fresh and clean look that is both comfortable and engaging. The Hibachi grill service is similar to others that you have probably experienced but Tokyo's attractive sushi bar and table service set it apart from other restaurants. The service was not quite as knowledgeable as it could have been but was attentive and swift.

The menu is reasonably priced compared to the other choices in Waco. It offers some combination opportunities not found at the others. Most of the entrees come with a generous dinner salad with a very tangy Asian dressing and some unique little crispy bits of crunch sprinkled on top. I have enjoyed the glazed salmon on two visits - once at lunch and again in combination at dinner. I have found the Bento Boxes to be a good value both at lunch or dinner.

I usually do not eat raw fish in Waco but the sushi I have tasted at Tokyo has been both fresh and tasty. Don't be afraid to ask for a sample of any of the choices before committing to a full order.


Compared to the other three Japanese Steakhouses - Tokyo is at the top.

Local News

I am sad to report that A Cancun which opened last year is gone. It has been replace by El Ranchito #5 (where are the other 4?). Too bad. It had some good things to offer and a bit of money was spent to upgrade this multi-failure location.


The construction taking place on the Highway 6 access road inside Texas Central Marketplace is a new restaurant called Newk's Express Cafe.

The team behind Newk’s are the founders of McAlister’s Deli, Don Newcomb, Debra Bryson and Chris Newcomb. They sold the successful chain to focus on creating the future of fast casual dining: Newk’s Express Café. Newk’s provides a tantalizing variety of made-to-order menu choices, available for comfortable in-café dining or for convenient pick-up.

New Heights

The attractive new Heitmiller's Steakhouse maintains a similar relationship to I-35 as its former location once did. Both were/are larger structures, both only a few feet from the west side of the highway, and both attracted large crowds of hungry diners. Fortunately for the new Heitmiller's, there are enough positive changes that a lunch or dinner can actually be recommended.

The new building is an attractive structure both inside and out. The restrooms are nice as is the comfortable waiting area. A new gift shop helps pass the wait for your table. The glass enclosed bar area has its own separate entrance. Only the acoustics are disappointing. Hard floor and high beamed ceilings bounce every whoop and holler all through the main dining area. Don't come here for a quiet evening.

The hundreds of customers who have besieged Heitmiller's since it opening have been rewarded with a much better dining experience, good service, and an improved menu and food quality. I expect some additional improvements when the initial Waco Rush subsides.

There is no doubt that the kitchen and service are strained by a tidal wave of customers. If you went during the first month of the new Heitmiller's opening, you probably experienced a long wait for a table and service that was feeling its way through a new menu and an overwhelmed kitchen.

The menu and table service has undergone a transformation. Gone are the golf pencils and the pick your dinner menu sheets. You now place your order with the waitstaff just like in other restaurants. Gone too are the squeeze bottles of salad dressing and liquid margarine that gave a distinctive kitchen table feel to the old location. Neither of these will be missed by most diners.

The quality of meat served has also improved. Steaks were flavorful and are now thick enough to be cooked to order. The list of side dishes has grown and improved. Sweet potatoes and a mashed potato offering topped with sour cream, cheese and bacon both were tasty.

On a lesser note, the kitchen's fry cook need to reduce the cooking time or perhaps the temperature for most of the items. On two visits, the fried potatoes and the adventurous calf fries were well passes done when presented. For the calf fries, this is a disaster, since they are similar to oysters.

The service was rushed on each of my visits but you can tell and appreciate a more experienced server from the newbies who can't really answer questions about the menu. All the help seems willing to please.

The new Heitmiller's is a solid improvement over its former self. As a country steakhouse, it represents Waco in a positive way. For the price, it is an acceptable alternative to the chain steakhouses (Outback, Texas Roadhouse, or Logan's) we have here in Waco.

Redos That Do Not

My recent trip to Tommy B's on Valley Mills and Bubba's on Hewitt Drive produced similar results. We now have two places that make only average greasy burgers but can produce a pretty good breakfast. Tommy's is a bit nicer. The redo of whatever previous restaurant occupied that space is a bit classier. This version of Bubba's seemed cramped in the former Quizno's. Focus on the breakfast offerings at each and you will get some value for the dollar. I was told that they were better that the Zeb's across the street but that is not the case.

The new Heitmiller's is now open in Lacy-Lakeview. Like the previous location, it is next to I-35. The crowds have produced some long lines and a good amount of wait time for a table. Maybe new ownership and a clean new start will restore some quality to this decaying giant.

REDO EXCEPTION

After watching the renovation for months, A Cancun Mexican Restaurant opened in the former El Colorado space at 23rd and Waco Drive. I had sampled some of their food at a recent festival and found it worth a visit. Is it the best Mexican in Waco? No but it is an interesting lunch or dinner choice and a bit different than some others. Large plates! OK rice and well flavored beans were filling. I thought the shrimp cocktail was a good value. I will visit here again.

OTHER NEWS

The new George's is now open on Hewitt Drive. While I am not a fan of George's, I will check out the new location as soon as the initial rush slows down.

The 4th Japanese steakhouse in Waco - Tokyo - is still not open. Considerable work is being done on the old TGIFriday's location.

Ground has been moved at a prime location near Panera. Could this be a new restaurant in Texas Central Marketplace?

Waco Eats News

Your sources of restaurant news will soon be diminished as the Waco Trib becomes a pay site this month. Not that they had too much restaurant news anyway. A few years ago they published a negative restaurant review about a place that had many loyal customers. These customers disagreed loud and long and probably threatened to not advertise. So no more reviews - just something called Nibbles that is like reprinting the telephone book.

The real restaurant news is in the Trib's Business Section. They tell you what is coming even if they don't tell you if it is good.

If you haven't noticed, there is a new Heitmiller's Steakhouse being built on I-35 near the Lakeshore Drive exit. There are almost as many Heitmiller's around Waco as Japanese steakhouses.

The Heitmiller's Family Steakhouse in Elm Mott is still there but is going to be removed when I-35 is expanded. This Heitmiller's was owned by K. K. and Donna Heitmiller until Jay Hinojosa bought the restaurant in 2007.

After operating his family's steakhouse for almost 20 years, Dale Heitmiller (recently deceased) opened his Original Outlaw Steakhouse & Saloon in 2008 in Hubbard, Texas.

This new Heitmiller's will be a great opportunity to upgrade the restaurant atmosphere, service and food making it the landmark restaurant it could be.

Another Japanese Steakhouse!

Waco now holds the record for most Japanese Steakhouses for a town of less that 150,000 located on the Brazos River. This unique honor is just what makes our town such a special place to live.

CURRENT JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE RANKINGS
1. Shogun Japanese Restaurant
2. Fuji Steakhouse and Sushi Bar
3. Samurai Japanese Steakhouse
4. That Place Where Friday's Used to Be

And we have Teriyaki Park, although it is not really a steakhouse and the waiters can't juggle.

I actually enjoy this type of restaurant. I even visited Japan once to find out what this food was all about. They are generally a bit overpriced but are a great place to take the family for a special occasion with entertainment. Younger kids are easily fascinated by the hibachi cooking and older kids behave because of the knives.

5 Guys That Know How to Fry

Five Guys Burgers and Fries arrived in town from the east coast and set up shop on Valley Mills Dr. between Pei Wei and Jason's Deli. Having eaten at a 5 Guys last year, I knew what to expect from this fast growing burger and potato palace (200 will open in 2010). They focus almost entirely on two items. Generously sized burgers and well prepared fried potatoes.

While not cheap, the burgers and fries are a good value. A single order of fries could easily be split between two or three people. The flexible menu of additions allows you to make any number of combination. The result is a burger that is just like you like it and probably a bit bigger that you need. Oh well somebody has to eat it.

I love the gimmick of building the room divider out of stacks of potatoes and proclaiming on a sign where today's fresh potatoes are from.

I am not ready to move their burger to the top spot on my Waco Eats Burger List but they are quickly making an impact. About my only complaint about 5 Guys, is a lack of Diet Dr Pepper on the fountain. This is something that its two neighbor chains listed above learned very quickly when they came to Waco.

GreeZy Bar and Grill

The Z Bar and Grill has taken the place of Basaberu on 6th St. It is an improvement over its predecessor and on a good day can turn out some acceptable food. The main flaw I have found on both my visits starts and ends in the deep fryer. What could be a signature dish- thick cut sweet potato fries - has consistently been limp and greasy when they arrived on the plate. Someone needs a lesson in how to properly deep fry the lifeless onion strings as well. While tasty and well seasoned, they came as a mass of soft onions sitting in a pool of fry oil. Both of these problems could have been solved by better temperature control.. The smaller matchstick potato fries came out in good shape.

One my first visit, the hamburger was large and delicious with a thick juicy patty and a trace of pink in the center. The second time around the patty was overcooked to about half its size - even though it was ordered medium. A chicken fried steak looked good but lost most of its shell immediately and suffered from too much cream gravy.

There is some promise here but more skill and consistency needs to come from the kitchen.

Although the striped booths and waitstaff shirts fit the theme, my veggie companion was offended by the actual zebra head at the entrance. He probably wasn't that happy about it either.