Chelsea, aboard the Queen Mary (Long Beach, CA)
1126 Queen’s Highway, Long Beach, Ca. 90802 (562) 435-3511

Since John is covering the category of food, something I love, I thought I would help him out with places around the Los Angeles area. My fiancé and I decided to celebrate my new job at Bausch & Lomb with a nice dinner. After much research on the net I decided to try Chelsea about the famous Queen Mary. The restaurant setting is located port-side on the boat overlooking the Long Beach downtown skyline. Reservations are required at this restaurant which is one of four restaurants aboard the ship.

The restaurant was very small and clean with every table having a great waterside view. It’s located on the ship’s 4th floor so you had a great view. I ordered Chelsea’s signature dish which is the Cioppino, a blend of seafood including Shrimp, Scallops, Clams, Crab Legs, Lobster Tail, Mussels & Fresh Fish simmered in a broth of fresh Herbs, Tomato, Garlic And a Sauvignon Blanc Wine. All I can say is WOW! It was fantastic! Very filling and plenty of food. Rolls and a salad also come with this dish. The rolls were tasty, salad very crisp, and the seafood was magnificent. The service was great and we didn’t have to wait very long on our food to arrive. My fiancé ordered Baked Halibut, which is Alaskan Halibut in a Crisp Potato Crust with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis. Usually at nice restaurants you are given a small portion of pricey fish, but not here. She couldn’t finish her meal so I had to finish it for her (not complaining). That was some of the freshest fish I’ve ever had and the sauce…that sauce…we wanted a half gallon more to pour over the Halibut. Two very good dishes!! I also had rum and coke (with a lime) with my dinner. They were $5.50 a piece (not bad for LA) and they didn’t hold back on the rum either, so I was happy. The waiter was good about keeping the drinks coming and helpful about what to order. The total bill came to $85 with gratituity included. It was money well spent and I would definitely go back.

Food: (4.5)
Service: (4.25)
Price: (4)
Overall: (4.5)

Red City Buffet, 12551 Jefferson Ave #109, Newport News (757.877.7888, Fax 757.877.7885)

Announcing they had Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian Grill & American Food, Red City Buffet opened with a major faux pas when a vision impaired customer with a service animal was turned away because “no animals are allowed in the restaurant.” A local news program caught wind of it and broadcast it. While this experience may have left a bad taste in Stephen Banks’ mouth, other things didn’t set right with Randy, Sandi and I when we dined there Monday evening.

First off, unless you like seafood, there’s not a whole lot for you to eat. Other than the General Tsao’s Chicken, Chicken with Broccoli, Pepper Chicken, Pork Chop, and Roast Beef, almost every dish is shrimp, crab (or krab), or fish based. For Randy, who’s allergic to seafood, this was a problem. The General Tsao’s (or the stuffed mushroom caps) had curry in them, which Sandi is allergic to.

Other than those, let’s look at the food. The Roast Beef has to be carved by the buffet goers, and for some reason has been baked, covered in ketchup, taking on a very meatloaf like taste. The Mongolian Grill, simply put, isn’t. It’s a Japanese Grill, but with choices of shrimp, beef, or chicken that were paired with your choice of Chinese cabbage, carrots, or snow peas. There’s no selection of sauces to flavor with, and the sauce the cook used ended up making the dish sour, as if it were flavoured with Rice Wine Vinegar only. The sushi selection was sparse, because the sushi maker was also having to man the Japanese (Mongolian) Grill. The few pieces that were available were filled with avocado that had turned brown. The only bright spot were the chese wontons, which were perfect.

Missing were the traditional “potstickers” (fried dumplings), while Dim Sum was available. The sweet and sour chicken was tough, and greasy. The green beans had no flavour.

Service was spotty at best — while we had no problems keeping the table free of excess plates, we had to track down the server for refills to our drinks.

The bathrooms, normally not included in a review are mentioned here because they were in serious need of cleaning.

Overall, the $8.95 price wasn’t bad, but there does not seem to a single thing that Red City excels at; it’s almost as if, in trying to do so many things, they fall short in doing any of them superbly — a common downfall for many Chinese buffets these days.

Food: (1.5)
Service: (1.5)
Price: (2)
Overall: (1.5)

Wok “N” Roll Buffet & Grill, 2302 W. Mercury Blvd, Hampton, VA 23666 (757.838.6669, Fax 7570.838.6366)

Located in the former Old Country Buffet building, Hampton’s location of the Northern Virginia favorite Wok “N” Roll opened Sunday, July 9.

Sandi and I ventured out for their grand opening, which promised Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian BBQ & American Cuisine. Lunch Buffets are $5.95 and Dinner Buffets (as well as all day Saturday and Sunday) are $8.95.

Ever since the Mongolian BBQ in Riverdale Plaza closed, Sandi and I have been on the hunt for a decent replacement in Hampton. Unfortunately, this wasn’t it.

The word “Bland” is defined as “having little or no distinctive flavor.” It could also be used to describe most of the dishes served at Wok “N” Roll. What they call Mongolian BBQ actually isn’t. Sure, you can chose the meats and veggies you wish to have cooked, but it is done more Teppanyaki style (a la Japanese Steakhouse) instead of being cooked on a Mongolian BBQ grill, and you don’t have the option of various sauces or a good selection of ingredients. Of note, the chicken was cut into bite sized pieces by the chef, while the steak, about 1/4″ thick and 3″ square, was not. Wok “N” Roll does not provide knives, so it made eating the meat awkward at best.

The General Tsao’s chicken (one of the main draws to a Chinese restaurant) tasted like overly fried chicken bits in a barbeque sauce. The Green Beans suffered from the same fate as most of the other food: they had the texture of being blanched (some were over cooked, some were almost raw), but had no discernible flavor brought on by garlic, onions, ginger, soy, or even the beans themselves. My main item that I rate Chinese Buffets on is their Fried Dumplings (also known as Pot Stickers). Here, Wok “N” Roll was hit and miss. The first one I tasted was hot, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. The next batch that were brought out were like eating thickened styrofoam. Yes, it had the same look as the one I had eaten not 10 minutes earlier, but it may as well have been a movie prop with the lack of proper taste, mouthfeel and the like.

Also on the buffet was breaded octopus, which is an acquired taste in any restaurant. Unfortunately, here, the octopus was rubbery, chewy, and tasted like dried, tough fish.

Service was spotty, with plates being cleared within a reasonable time, but for drink refills, we had to flag down the server. The place wasn’t busy, so it was a matter of not paying attention to the stations.

Knowing the restaurant has only been open 2 days, I would normally give them leeway. Being that they are an established chain, however, well known in Northern Virginia/Washington DC, I feel they should not be having flavor issues at any time. It almost was as if they rushed to get this restaurant open (the seating [chairs, tables and booths] are the same from Old Country Buffet, while the hot tables have indeed been replaced) before the Wok “N” Roll in Newport News (in the former Ryan’s Steakhouse) had a chance to open.

I’ll give Wok “N” Roll another visit in about six months; perhaps by then they will have settled into a groove.

Food: (1.25)
Service: (1.5)
Price: (2.5)
Overall: (1.75)

Peking Restaurant, 122 Waller Mill Road, Williamsburg, VA (757.229.2288)

Peking Restaurant is best defined as a Las Vegas type Buffet in the Historic Triangle. Lunch is $7.99, while dinner is $10.99. There are three distinct areas within the restaurant: the Chinese buffet, the Mongolian BBQ, and the Japanese Hibachi & Sushi section.

Randy and I dined here for about the 10th time this evening, and found, as usual, the food to be fresh and plentiful. Being that it was 6:45 when we were seated, the restaurant was quite full, but the buffets were well stocked and, most importantly, clean. The selections of vegetables and meats at the Mongolian were tender and cooked to perfection. The sautéed spinach was not cooked so hard it turned to mush; it had a great texture in the mouth, as did the sautéed green beans. The General Tsao’s chicken, however, didn’t have the requisite “bite” to it and tasted like it had been dunked in ketchup.

The dumplings were fresh, hot and full of filling; the medium rare sirloin offered on the Japanese bar was tender and juicy. The sushi and dim sum bar was well stocked with the chef preparing additional offers before you eyes. He even took a request for a particular type of roll (the person was allergic to seafood, but enjoyed the Nori and rice with avocado).

Our server was quick the the drinks and refills, and kept the table clean.

Located in the Kingsgate Green Shopping Center, off Bypass Road in Williamsburg, this is a gem of a dining experience in Williamsburg, well worth the drive from Hampton to experience.

Food: (4.25)
Service: (4.25)
Price: (4.25)
Overall: (4.25)

Famous Dave’s Barbecue, 2430 Prince William Parkway, Woodbridge, VA 22192 Phone: 703.492.1300 Fax: 703.492.0651

When visiting northern Virginia, my friend Dave and I decided to take a chance on Famous Dave’s. After all, how could you go wrong with ‘cue, right?

We arrived at 6:45 on a Sunday night, and the place was packed. Our wait of 15-20 minutes, however, was not excessive.

Our server, explained the difference between St. Louis Style Ribs (more meat, less tender, more fat), and Baby-Back Ribs (less meat, more tender, less fat), took our drink orders, and left.

Dave ended up ordering the half-rack Baby Back Ribs (12.99), with sides of drunken’ apples and garlic mashed potatoes. I ordered the “take two”, consisting of beef brisket and bbq chicken quarter ($12.99), with sides of “firecracker” green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. Both came with corn on the cob and a corn muffin.

The food arrived almost immediately, and while everything tasted wonderful, I will say the corn on the cob had been overcooked, and that was a shame. Instead of being crisp and full of flavor, it was mushy and rather bland.

You have your choice of sauces on the table, and while nothing really needed it, I was compelled to use “Devil’s Spit” on the brisket. Trying a sample on my finger, it wasn’t much to write home about. Applied liberally to the brisket, however, produced a welcome burn on the taste buds.

Since we’d blown whatever diets we were attempting, Dave ordered the Pecan Pie ($5.29), while I ordered the Hot Fudge Kahlua brownie (also $5.29) that came with whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

We never felt rushed — in fact, even though the restaurant was packed, the server offered coffee before delivering the bill. Mind you, we had no room for coffee, but it was a nice touch. Smokey Bones could take some lessons from Famous Dave’s.

If you visit, be sure to read the backs of the server’s shirts. They include sayings such as: “The only thing better than ribs. More ribs.” “Get Sauced.” “Make sure the fingers you are licking are your own.” and “Ribilicious.”

Food: (4)
Service: (4)
Price: (4.5)
Overall: (4.25)

Texas Road House, 109 Cybernetics Way, Yorktown, VA 23693-5615, Phone: 757-874-5500, Fax: 757-874-1592

Located on one of the main thoroughfares between Newport News and York County, Texas Road house is off the beaten path (in fact, you must turn and go through what appears to be a parking lot alley to get to the restaurant.

Upon arrival, there’s a warning on the door: NOTICE: Peanut dust everywhere!. That’s because you’ll find a bucket of the salted, roasted nuts on your table, and they’re not shy about telling you to brush off your shells into the floor.

Randy and I chose to dine at 5:45 on a Saturday, notoriously a busy time for most steakhouses, however, we were escorted immediately to a table for two. Our server, Steven, introduced us to their menus — while they do not open until 4 pm on weekdays, they start preparing everything from the rolls to the veggies to the salad dressings from scratch at 10 each day. On the weekends, they open at noon.

The servers are known to line dance (which, unfortunately, didn’t occur during our visit, most likely because the place was so busy); Steven “warned” us about that, and asked if it was our first time there. We said it was, and he stated the manager would be right over. Megan, the manager on duty, brought us a platter with samples of the fresh made sides: chili with cheese, red-skinned mashed potatoes, white gravy, brown gravy, green beans, a portabello sauce, and a barbecue sauce used with their grilled chops. It made for a wonderful way to chose which side(s) to order.

Randy ordered the 6 ounce sirloin ($7.99) with a house salad, and a sweet potato, then he added a side of green beans. I ordered the 11 ounce sirloin ($12.99) called the “Hearty Cut”, a house salad, loaded baked potato, and like Randy, a side of those wonderfully seasoned green beans.

The hot rolls that were delivered were as promised: HOT. They were served with a cinnamon butter. The salads arrived in short order and you could taste the freshness — from the croûtons to the addition of chopped boiled egg — something you normally don’t find on a house salad. The Ranch dressing was tangy and went well with the crispness of the lettuce.

The steaks arrived — Randy had requested Well (which is hard for a restaurant to do without drying the steak out), while I ordered Medium-Rare. Both steaks were tender and cooked perfectly. There seems to have been a rush on sweet potatoes, for it was about 5 extra minutes before Randy’s potato arrived, but that wasn’t a problem. The problem was what to do with all the food. We were STUFFED, and unfortunately had no room for dessert.

If you’re in the mood for a steak, an EXCELLENT choice would be Texas Roadhouse.

Food: (4.75)
Service: (4.75)
Price: (5)
Overall: (4.75)