Wednesday, Dec 30, 2009
Time: Approx 7:00pm

When we arrived we were greeted and promptly seated.  We noticed that there is a wait on weekends but we haven’t ever had to wait on a weekday.  The waiter came within a couple minutes and took our drink order. 

Red Robin’s atmosphere is pretty loud and frequently filled with children.  This isn’t somewhere that you’d want to go for a romantic dinner BUT no matter how noisy it is, it is worth it for the food.  Most of their menu is filled with burgers but you can replace any burger or chicken sandwich with a boca burger or a garden burger (I prefer boca).  They also have bottomless fries.  Their burger prices are about a dollar more than other comparable places but I’m sure it’s because of the fact that you can keep getting more and more fries.  The average burger is around $9.49.  These are huge burgers.  On some days if my husband and I are trying to save money or we aren’t as hungry, we split our burger and it is still enough to fill you up.  They give you half a burger and your own order of fries.  I recommend getting their free tangy campfire sauce with your fries.  That sauce is delicious and actually kind of addicting.

The waiter was very friendly throughout the night – we have never had any trouble with the service here. He made sure to refill our drinks and offered more fries when he noticed we were running low.

Even if you don’t normally like veggie burgers, I recommend trying Red Robin.  I’ve gone with friends who are not vegetarian but yet they get the boca burger because it’s sooo good and much healthier than the regular burgers.  My burger: Royal Red Robin Burger (without bacon and sub boca burger)… It’s a regular burger with a fried egg on top.  Definitely not the healthiest option but it sure is tasty!

Carrot Tree – Yorktown

The Carrot Tree, looks quaint and cute from the outside. The look on the inside matches the outside charm perfectly. The service was friendly and atmosphere quiet. This would be a great place to take your mom, girlfriend or friend. It’s a bit small so large parties should call ahead.Their website had menus and hours for more information.

www.carrottreekitchens.com

I had a wrap called “The Yorktown Onion” that was very tastey. It’s a wrap filled with hummus, shredded lettuce, red onion, chopped tomatoes, greek olives, cucumbers and carrots and comes with a side.

I the portions are on the small side, so if you are bringing a big appetite

with you, order an appetizer or another item from the menu too.

411 Main Street

Yorktown, VA

757-988-1999

Fun place for drinks and hanging out, but not for dinner. The atmosphere was packed, loud and full of energy. We did not have the full attention of a server and had to go to the bar to order items. They did have vegetarian items as well as non-vegetarian items that were easily converted if you wanted to get something to eat.

Pop’s is sooo good! The atmosphere is diner style. It’s very clean. The service is excellent and the breakfast is the best in the area that I’ve been to. The only down side is that it is small and you may have to wait to be seated, but it’s worth the wait.

I love Silver Diner.  Or, perhaps I should say, I loved Silver Diner.  They had the best veggie burger bites ever – granted they are made with what I think are the Morning Star sausage patties and barbecue sauce, they are still better than my homemade ones… Much better actually. 

When we went after work on Tuesday, August 5th, we were all really looking forward to our regular veggie burger bites.  Even the two non-vegetarians with us were wanting to get it – we always do because they are so good.  To our complete dismay, they told us that they no longer served it!  Our jaws dropped.  Now, they had a veggie black bean burger that replaced it – but they were out of that.* 

We ended up getting different things – veggie griddle and eggs benedict (without meat).  I was tempted to go eat somewhere else but stayed because we wanted to support MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association).  They had a fundraiser that day.

Anyway, the food we got was pretty good but not comparable to the veggie burger bites.  I do have to say that Silver Diner (at least in Newport News) has great service.  The servers are very friendly and do what they can to make you happy.  When you order one milkshake and say you want to share, they’ll bring out two with whipped cream and a cherry on each!  It’s awesome!  Granted, if you don’t share, you still get your regular shake and a tin can on the side with the leftovers.  It’s like getting two for the price of one!

Despite my recent letdown, I would like to say that Silver Diner is a fine place to dine with many vegetarian options – chili, griddles, omlets, and other breakfast items.  They have great desserts and excellent staff!  Their prices are also reasonable.

*Note: After trying the spicy black bean burger on another visit, it was EXCELLENT!  One of the best veggie burgers I have tried anywhere (in recent memory).

Baker's Crust - Norfolk, VA

This was my first time going to the Baker’s Crust.  After we walked in, we were greeted and sat down promptly.  There wasn’t a wait at all and on a Saturday night, that’s amazing.  We had the option to eat outside but decided to eat inside because it was kind of muggy out and getting dark.

Once we sat down and ordered our drinks (I had some great tasting peach tea), they brought out some bread and butter.  It wasn’t out of this world but was still pretty good.  I’m a bread-lover though so I have to say I’m a bit picky.

They only serve breakfast until 11am so that made our menu choices a little more limited.  Still, there were some good options.   I was craving some French Onion Soup but unfortunately, it isn’t vegetarian (when asked, the waitress wasn’t sure if it was beef or chicken broth but she knew it wasn’t vegetarian).  They do have a Mushroom and Brie soup that is vegetarian.  I tried some of my friend’s and it was really good.  The mushrooms weren’t too overpowering.

I ended up ordering their Baker’s Combo which allows for a cup of soup, half of your choice of sandwich and/or half of your choice of salad.  You can choose two of either and I chose to get their Roasted Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Panini and their Wine Country Salad.  This combo was $8.99 which I didn’t think was bad.  When it came out, the salad was enormous (for being a half-salad).  The panini was delicious and was smothered with pesto sauce – yum!  The salad was mixed greens garnished with strawberries, grapes, diced pears, and candied pecans.  It came with raspberry vinaigrette dressing.  This salad could be too sweet for some people.  I am a sweet-tooth so it was perfect for me.

For dessert, the Baker’s Crust has plenty of options though they seemed slightly overpriced.  I was in the mood for chocolate so I ordered their Ultimate Chocolate Lava Cake for $6.99.  This cake comes with a side of Vanilla Bean ice cream.  I was surprised when they brought it out because they also included some whipped cream with strawberries on top free of charge.    The chocolate was extremely rich and the ice cream made it a perfect combination.

All things considered, I was very pleasantly surprised with the Baker’s Crust.  I didn’t realize they would have such great food.  They had a couple different options for vegetarians in salads and a couple paninis (besides what I got, there’s also an Avocado Goat Cheese panini), as well as at least one soup option (Mushroom & Cheese soup is probably vegetarian too).  Of course their breakfast menu has many vegetarian options as well if you go before 11am.