Friday, February 1, 2013

To Dine or not To Dine....

This weeks restaurant is Eddie's Grill in Valley Springs.

On a visit to our daughter-in-law in Valley Springs we managed to fit in a little dining experience...imagine that...I have a talent for either fitting in shopping or dining...either one and I'm a happy camper.

I digress. So on this fateful day our daughter-in-law suggested Eddies. Hubby craving Mexican was a bit put-off, but with two hormonal women in the car knew better than to complain and off we headed to Eddies.

I opened the door and was instantly enveloped in the tantalizing scent of roasted garlic. I knew I had come to the right place. We were greeted by a sweet waitress (Liza) and seated immediately. Drinks were easy to order...food was not. The menu was extensive and the selection was all over the culinary map. My brain still stuck in garlic over-drive I knew I had to have whatever they were making that created that delicious scent. Lucky me....it was garlic fries! I was pretty sure garlic fries were not considered a meal so I also ordered a half BLT...just to cover my bases. Hubby ordered hot pastrami and daughter-in-law ordered Cobb salad.


The soup of the day was clam chowder. (Served only on Fridays.) As I am not one to pass up a bowl of clam chowder...ever...I ordered some. I would have to say that with my mass consumption of clam chowders over the years, I kind of know my clam chowders and this was by far and above the best clam chowder I had ever tasted! Full flavored, spicy without too much spice, thick, creamy, chunky and full of clams. I begrudgingly let hubby try a bite or two, but promptly removed the spoon from his hand so I didn't have to share anymore. If I hadn't have known my garlic fries would be coming to the table next I would have had another bowl. (Guess you know where to find me on Fridays!)

When the food arrived I didn't even glance at what everyone was served, my whole line of vision was zeroed in on the fries. Elbows on the table, double dipping pleasure is what those were.

Coming out of my garlic haze I asked about the others meals. The Cobb salad was so full of meats and toppings that she couldn't finish. The pastrami sandwich was so full of meat it was easily 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick of just meat, not to mention the grilled onions, cheese and fresh roll. Definitely a full meal. None of us ate dinner that night we were still so full from lunch.

So I did rant a bit on this particular column, but this is the first restaurant that I have done a critique on that has received full stars from me. It was clean beyond squeaky. The staff (Liza) was cheerful, helpful and efficient. The food portions were huge and delicious. The prices were extremely fair and the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. I cannot wait to go back again. Hopefully I will be able to get over my garlic fries addiction so that I can try some other items on the menu.


By,
Charity Maness

(My little disclaimer:  'To dine or not to dine' is meant to be a helpful - and humorous - informational piece only. I receive no monetary compensation for this column nor do I endorse any one eatery. This is simply my opinion. My tastes will be different from others and I readily admit that I have no culinary background, but I am pretty confident I know when food is cooked correctly or not, whether a drink is poured well or not and especially whether wait staff is first-rate or in need of a career change.) 

 Eddie's Grill is located at:
 10 Nove Way, Valley Springs, CA 95252
Phone:(209) 772-3322