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A Look Inside Black Bear Diner

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are okay. Apparently, I’m anemic and have a severe vitamin D deficiency. That’s about it. Otherwise, things are normal. After the doctor’s appointment, we went for a late lunch at Black Bear Diner in Mesquite. Check the website for locations and hours. We’ve been there twice now. For the people who are familiar with the area, it’s where the Chinese buffet was on restaurant row. So, I decided to do a review. Any pictures are borrowed from Google because I didn’t think about taking any.

First, a reminder of my rating system:

MMMMM = Everything is magnificent!
MMMM = Great, but something is off.
MMM = Pretty good, but a couple of things could be better.
MM = The bad’s starting to outweigh the good.
M = Definitely more cons than pros.
… = I couldn’t find anything nice to say.

Accessibility: There’s a nice ramp out front and plenty of room to get in easily. The handicap parking spaces are directly across from the ramp, so it’s easy access. The tables are a little high, which is great for me since my chair is on the tall side. You have to check out at the front. There’s a tall counter, so it would probably be annoying if you’re there on your own, but the staff is nice, so I have no doubt they would figure out a way to help.

Service: It was great. Our waiter was Hunter both times. He didn’t hesitate to talk to me directly, so he gets bonus points. He gave us plenty of time to look over the menu and made sure we were taken care of. He made the experience pleasant overall.

Food: The breakfast items were delicious. I especially liked the Bacon Avocado Benedict. Dad enjoyed his “The Grizz” with a waffle instead of pancakes. Dinner items weren’t as good. The chicken fried steak was the “pre-chewed” kind. That ultra processed patty that is basically just steak crumbles, so not very good unless that’s what you like. The chicken and waffle was good. The chili was not chili, but it was an okay bean stew.

Dessert: They have a nice selection. We only had the berry cobbler, but it was yummy. Everything else looks good too.

Price: Good sized portions at a relatively cheap price. It’s worth it.

My rating:
MMMM

A Look Inside Settler’s Table

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are okay. Thanksgiving was nice. We had all the yummy food and a lot of people came over. It was a good day. But a few days before turkey day, Dad and I tried a place called Settler’s Table. It’s on Collins in Sunnyvale. Anyway, I don’t really have anything else to ramble about, so I figured I’d do a food review. We got delivery, so I can’t comment on accessibility or service for this one, but the food is really the important part for any restaurant. Any pictures are borrowed from Google because I wasn’t actually planning on reviewing this place.

First, a reminder of my rating system:

MMMMM = Everything is magnificent!
MMMM = Great, but something is off.
MMM = Pretty good, but a couple of things could be better.
MM = The bad’s starting to outweigh the good.
M = Definitely more cons than pros.
… = I couldn’t find anything nice to say.

Appetizer: Horny Toads. They’re deep fried pimento cheese balls with a jalapeño glaze. The melty cheese and crispy crust were actually really good, but the glaze was cloyingly sweet. I only made it through one and half before I gave up. First bite was good, but it just got worse with every bite after that.

Entrees: I got Dad the Naked Burger (a burger on a salad instead of a bun). I ordered medium rare hoping it would at least still be juicy even if they overcooked it a bit. Calling it a hockey puck is being generous. The salad was nothing special either. I got the rig-a-tuna. It was supposed to be herbed rigatoni with tuna and other things I really like. The flavor was pretty good, but the dish was super dry. I was kind of expecting pesto or at least some kind of oil dressing to combine all the dry ingredients together into a cohesive dish. Nope. It was all dry. Even the stuff that usually has some moisture (canned tuna, sundried tomatoes, etc.) felt like it had been drained and blotted dry. It was all just very sad.

Dessert: I got a slice of peanut butter pie. I was looking forward to it because I haven’t found a good peanut butter pie since Denny’s got rid of theirs. I still haven’t found one. It was kind of gritty and had pockets of sweetness vs. pockets of saltiness, like the filling hadn’t been mixed well. It was disappointing.

Price: about the same as everywhere else. If the food had been good, it would’ve been a decent price really, but as is, it wasn’t worth it.

My rating:
M

Note: I actually really wanted to like this place. It’s close by and has outdoor seating and would’ve been a nice place to go for a late lunch once in a while. I’m not just being a dick. The food just wasn’t good.

A Look Inside Pho Garden

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? I haven’t seen any news about the end of the US yet, but it’s only 6:30pm on Tuesday as I’m writing this. Fingers crossed things go well. And by well, I mean anything but orange. Anyway, we spent most of the day in Rockwall so I could see the ENT. While we were out that way, we decided to stop for pho! It’s been a long time since we had it and it was our first time at this place. It’s called Pho Garden and is in the plaza at Rockwall (a strip mall) near the 24-Hour Fitness. You can find the address on their website above. I didn’t think about pictures, so everything here is borrowed from Google.

First, a reminder of my rating system:

MMMMM = Everything is magnificent!
MMMM = Great, but something is off.
MMM = Pretty good, but a couple of things could be better.
MM = The bad’s starting to outweigh the good.
M = Definitely more cons than pros.
… = I couldn’t find anything nice to say.

Accessibility: The nearest handicap parking space has one of those tiny loading zones that even able-bodied people have to squeeze through, so we had to block traffic a bit while I unloaded. It happens. Whatever. But going into the restaurant was the worst part. It’s one of those annoying double door things where you have to go in, turn, and go in another door. It’s a tiny space. In all honesty, I wouldn’t have even tried the place if I knew it had that kind of entrance. You literally need two people just to help you get inside. Once you make it inside, it’s great. Plenty of room to maneuver between tables. The tables are on the high side of normal, so I had no problem getting underneath. Nothing to block my footrests or bang my knees on. Perfect.

Service: It was great. Everyone talked to me like I was a normal human being. That’s pretty much all it takes to get on our good side. They kept everything full for the most part and made sure we had everything we needed and were super nice in general.

Appetizer: We got the spring rolls with shrimp. They were pretty good. The peanut sauce had a chocolaty flavor that was weird but not unpleasant.

Pho: Dad got the pho garden which had steak, brisket, meatballs, and tripe. He really enjoyed it. Loaded it up with chili oil. Yum. And I got the seafood pho which was shrimp, fish balls, and krab (imitation crab). It was really good too.

Price: It’s in line with everything else nowadays. About $45 pre-tip for two people, so not that bad.

My rating:
MMMM

A Look Inside King Noodle and Sushi

~ shawnaborman ~ 3 Comments

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely (or is it still dreary?) Wednesday? Things here are good. Talked to Dr. Lucifer (Lussier), my pulmonologist, and she said it was okay to venture out more as long as we use common sense (don’t let people hover right over me, use my mouthpiece most of the time since the vent filters are actually pretty good at their job, wear a mask when people are lingering within a couple of feet, and avoid crowded enclosed things like elevators where there’s no escape from people, etc.). Anyway, we had to drop one of the puppers off to get spayed. Sophia. Dropped her off Monday evening and she got spayed Tuesday. She’s home and loopy now. But I’m rambling. After we dropped her off, we decided to try King Noodle and Sushi over on Tripp Rd. Ate there instead of picking up and going home. That means you get a food review post! The pictures were borrowed from Facebook and Google because we forgot to take any.

First, a reminder of my rating system:

MMMMM = Everything is magnificent!
MMMM = Great, but something is off.
MMM = Pretty good, but a couple of things could be better.
MM = The bad’s starting to outweigh the good.
M = Definitely more cons than pros.
… = I couldn’t find anything nice to say.

Accessibility: It’s in a strip mall, but the handicap spaces and ramps are right next door to the restaurant and a couple of other restaurants, so it’s pretty convenient. There are two sets of doors and the inside doors don’t have windows, so all I could think was “Fuck, I hope no one tries to come out and smacks me with a door.” That was the only awkward bit. Plenty of room between the tables inside. They also have those half booth/half chairs tables which is nice. Tables were a little low. I could only get about halfway under.

Service: They get all the stars for service! I go through the door and the person at the counter actually greets me before Dad. The waitress is the same way. She talks to me and answers questions and just treats me like a person in general. It’s weird, but in the good way. Plus she stayed on top of things like refills and getting napkins and stuff. So yes, full stars for the service. It was wonderful.

Appetizers: The takoyaki was interesting. There was only one little lonely piece of tako (octopus) in each ball, but the flavor was good. The chili wontons were pretty good too.

Other food: We tried a lot of different things and the flavors were great, but anything with dough (the noodles, dumpling wrappers, etc.) were mushy. Definitely overcooked. And it was a little off putting. It wasn’t inedible by any means, just disappointing. The spicy beef noodle soup wasn’t spicy, but there’s chili oil on the table, so that was easily remedied. The xiao long buns and shrimp dumplings were nice. I had the chicken pan fried noodles which were the least mushy and overall pretty good. I think the best thing we had was actually the Denton roll. All the other sushi rolls were just California rolls with toppings. The Denton roll was a little different and fried. In other words, the food is okay and if we were closer, we’d probably go again, but if we have to get in the van to go get noodles, we’d rather drive into Dallas for pho. Or just order lo mein from Chan’s and have them bring it to us.

Dessert: The options were cheesecake or mochi ice cream, so I got a mango and a matcha mochi ice cream. It was the standard kind you find in Japanese and sometimes Chinese restaurants around here.

Price: Everything is a little expensive nowadays, so this wasn’t out of line. Plus, we ordered a lot. Decent portions. So, not too bad.

My rating:
MMM

BooHoo

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this chilly first of February? I’m okay. I broke my writing streak on the 30th because who wants to write when it’s freezing and gloomy and you could be watching TV instead? I don’t even want to be writing this, but I am. But I proved to myself I could stick to a writing schedule if I wanted, so I’ll probably go back to my usual schedule next week (4 days of 1,000+ words, the blog day, and two days off a week). I haven’t decided about the rest of this week yet. But we’re here to finish off the number thing. This week’s prompt was chosen by Scotty, who sometimes stalks the blog. We’ve covered 13 (you can find the prompt list there), 7, 2, 8, 3, 10, 6, 14, and 11. And today, the prompt is “Tell me which book has made you cry more than any other book has.” This is a weirdly hard question.

I don’t remember being super emotional about books (or anything) when I was younger, mostly because I didn’t like explaining why I was crying if I got caught and would usually piss off whoever caught me because I would be like “it’s nothing” and apparently that was the worst possible answer. It was weird. I was weird. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become a sympathetic crier, especially if it’s a dude. TV, books, movies, whatever. If a character cries, I get misty. If a character I really like cries, I flat out cry too. I hate it. It was much more preferable when nothing affected me. I’m basically growing up to be a girl and nobody wants that (yes, I know that joke was sexist and I’m all for healthy emotional responses in both men and women, just not myself). Anyway, all this is to say that it was probably a book I read in the last ten years, but I’ll be damned if I can remember which one.

I’ve spent far too much time thinking about this one since it was chosen and I’m still coming up blank. Even with manga. The closest I can come to an answer is a Facebook post from August 13, 2017: “Might’ve spent three hours finishing reading a book today. There were probably tears. Strong, manly tears. Definitely not an ugly cry. Okay, maybe a little ugly.” It was about The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. I don’t even remember why it made me ugly cry. But apparently it did. That’s probably why it still ranks among my favorites. So, since it was Facebook worthy, I’m just going to make believe this is the answer.

And this is going to be a short post because I can’t think of any other books to ramble about. Anime, though. Definitely Fullmetal Alchemist. There are two particularly traumatic scenes that get me every time. If you’ve seen it, you know what they are. Anyway, what books made you cry? As always, feel free to leave your comments or questions here or on my social media pages!

Bonus pic of our icy backyard:

Birthday Bragging

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this week? I can’t believe we’re already in the down swing of January. Next week is my end of the month book review. Time just isn’t going to slow down anymore. But I’ve been writing. Still only a quarter of what I used to write, but it’s been steady and it’s getting easier to start each time, so hopefully I can work my way back up soon. Aside from that, I have nothing writerly to talk about. So, I thought I’d share my birthday swag with you.

Food and sharp things, you perverts.

For my birthday meal, Dad made a pastrami and smoked mac-n-cheese! Yum… And when I say he made a pastrami, it started out as a brisket. He corned the beef, then did the magic that makes it into a pastrami. I don’t know the technical details. It’s magic! And it includes smoking it for around 20 hours. With his new smoker, he should’ve been able to set it and mostly forget it, but the fan/billows thing decided it didn’t want to work properly, so he didn’t get much sleep that night since he had to check on it periodically. I don’t have any pictures, but there are five more bags worth of meat in the freezer (a couple of meals each). The mac-n-cheese had four different cheeses, totaling about two pounds. A panko breadcrumb topping. Some beer. Such cheesy. Much yum. You can be jealous. It’s okay.

Then, a couple of days ago, I got a box from Enza in the mail. It was the New Years in Kamakura box from Sakuraco! There’s a lovely set of chopsticks and a bunch of snacks and some tea. It’s from Japan, so of course all the labels are in Japanese. I know a little of the language, but not that much. I didn’t keep up with my studies (ごめんなさい, 先生). Luckily, a booklet is included that tells you what everything is, tells you a bit about the region everything comes from, and is very specific about how to make the tea. As of the time I’m writing this, I haven’t had a chance to try anything, but I’m looking forward to it!

Borrowed from the website.

Yesterday, a package arrived from the Ukraine. Dad got me my first axe! See, at least one person reads my posts. He started looking after he read this one. It’s beautiful and heavy and sharp. He bought it from ValhallaWorld on Etsy. Don’t be fooled by the cheaper versions. If you look closely at those shops, you’ll see the telltale signs of imposters. All of the descriptions are the same and slightly wonky. It’s weird. But my new axe is excellent. Now, I just have to figure out where I want Dad to hang it!

So, I had a lovely birthday week. Thank you again to Dad and Enza and everyone who sent me birthday love! I’m old. I know. As always, feel free to share your thoughts and comments here or on my social media pages!

Arguing With A Brick Wall

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this bright and beautiful day? It’s that time of year where all of the doctor check ups/appointments seem to pop up together. Dad and I had the one with our PCP last week, he has one with a shoulder specialist this week, I have a dentist appointment that I’ve been putting off since the pandemic began next week, at the end of the month I see the pulmonologist, then early next month we both have at least one more appointment. Anyway, it has me thinking about masks and how people refuse to wear them. It’s annoying. It’s idiotic. It’s just people being assholes. And I’ve already ranted about it before, but I guess I’ll do it again.

I laughed.

Despite what people say, there’s no reason not to wear a mask. Other countries have been wearing face masks for years. In Japan, it started about 150 years ago as a way for miners to cut back on inhaling dust. In 1918 they became more popular to help stop the spread of influenza. And from there it’s just become a normal part of life. It’s common courtesy to wear a mask, especially when sick, so you don’t spread your germs. Yes, having to wear it every time you go somewhere can be annoying if you’re not used to it, but that’s no reason to flip out about it. So, why are Americans so opposed to the little piece of cloth? It’s ridiculous.

I even got bored enough that when a friend made a snide comment on another friend’s Facebook post, I engaged in a stupid argument that ended up being about how masks are bad for kids, physically and mentally. I asked for sources. He sent three articles and a YouTube video. I didn’t watch the video (I had stuff to do and I prefer to read), but I did go through the articles. The first one quoted a study, but the study they link to is for something completely different and doesn’t mention the quote at all. The second article made claims without research to back it up (the research papers it did reference weren’t horrible, but left a lot of questions open), didn’t mention that solutions have been found for many of the issues, and was obviously skewed in what it mentioned or neglected to mention. The third article wasn’t even relevant since the study it was based on has been formally retracted due to questionable methodology. It took me a few clicks and some light reading to see how many holes these articles were full of. I didn’t even have to Google anything. I just followed their own links. Why don’t other people do that? It’s not usually hard, unless the sources and effort put into the article are legitimate. If everything is legit, it’s much harder to find flaws. And yet people still insist on using this stuff as “facts.” Just stop.

Yeah, I know. It’s all a conspiracy by the Left to control people. Right? Just like pants and shirts and shoes and every other item of clothing. That’s all masks are. New clothing. Why don’t you run around naked if you’re so against a piece of clothing? It’d be more entertaining than hearing another rant about civil liberties. Or is it because you don’t believe in Covid? I guess people are just dropping dead for no reason. Seriously. I don’t understand people. And it’s like arguing with a brick wall. Non-maskers are fucking idiots and that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.

I’ll try not to go off on a rant next week. Feel free to share your thoughts or comments here or on my social media pages as usual, but I will be monitoring any arguments and intervene if things devolve too far into chaos.

A Look Inside Sunday Morning Catfish and More

~ shawnaborman ~ 1 Comment

Hello, hello! How is everyone doing today? I actually left the house earlier this week to run errands with Dad. Granted, I stayed in the van the whole time, but at least I saw the world still existed. Kind of. And I was glad to see some people still wearing masks. I’m still not going to brave interacting with people (mostly because I like the excuse to ignore the world), but it’s nice to see they still exist. Anyway, yesterday Dad ran some errands while I stayed home. He grabbed some catfish for lunch/dinner and I realized I never wrote about this place, so here’s an impromptu food review. The place is called Sunday Morning Catfish and More (or just Sunday Morning Catering). It’s on Pioneer, in front of Planet Fitness. I linked to their Facebook page so you can find the address and hours and stuff.

First, a reminder of my rating system:

MMMMM = Everything is magnificent!
MMMM = Great, but something is off.
MMM = Pretty good, but a couple of things could be better.
MM = The bad’s starting to outweigh the good.
M = Definitely more cons than pros.
… = I couldn’t find anything nice to say.

Newest menu borrowed from their Facebook page.

Accessibility: I haven’t been able to go in a year and a half at least, but it used to be fine. As long as no one parks in front of the door, everything is even with the parking lot, so you don’t have to worry about a step or anything. Inside, there’s a little ramp that’s slightly on the steep side, but nothing unmanageable. Just be careful the first couple of times you use it. The tables were good and didn’t have any knee bangers or anything that got in the way of footrests. But things might have changed since then. It used to be easy enough to get around, though.

Service: I only went once after the restaurant changed hands (used to be Howard’s Catfish) and before the plague set in, but everyone was super nice and treated me like a person (bonus points!). The few times we’ve called in and Dad picked it up, he says they always ask how I am, which is nice. I look forward to going back in person one of these days.

Nuggets. Borrowed from their Facebook page because I never think of taking pictures.

Food: Delicious. It’s one of the few places where we order just about the same thing each time. We both get catfish nuggets and shrimp. I usually get fried pickles and Dad always has to get a fried porkchop. The porkchops are his absolute favorite. And we’ll sometimes get something extra to try. It’s all amazing. Unfortunately, it’s fried so we only go a couple of times a year. They do have Soul Food Sundays with different options, but we haven’t been able to try that.

Dessert: There’s usually a selection of cake slices. We’re usually full by the time we’re done, so we’ve only gotten cake twice. It was nice and moist both times. The pieces are big enough that I can save half for later unless Dad eats it. Yum.

Price: Not bad at all. We usually get two meals (sometimes three) out of our order, so it’s definitely worth the money portion-wise. And the food is always delicious, so quality-wise it’s worth it too.

My rating:
MMMMM

A Look Inside Reggae Wings and Tings

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How is everyone doing this beautiful day? It’s been a long time since I did a food review. I’m going to blame Covid since we haven’t been able to go out to eat since it started and we constantly have issues with GrubHub and DoorDash, so we don’t order in much, but the truth is that I hadn’t done one long before Covid. But, this weekend, Dad and I gave GrubHub another shot (still showed up late, but that’s really been our only continuous problem with them), in order to try a Jamaican place called Reggae Wings and Tings. They’re on the corner of Motley and Town East here in Mesquite. Their address and contact info is on the website linked above.

First, a reminder of my rating system:

MMMMM = Everything is magnificent!
MMMM = Great, but something is off.
MMM = Pretty good, but a couple of things could be better.
MM = The bad’s starting to outweigh the good.
M = Definitely more cons than pros.
… = I couldn’t find anything nice to say.

Front of their menu, borrowed from their website.

Accessibility: no first hand experience, but judging from pictures I found on Google, it looks pretty standard for around here. Tables don’t seem to have anything to bump your knees on. There appears to be a couple of unloading zones for wheelchairs. The area in front of the door looks wide enough so you shouldn’t have to make a tight turn to get in. But this is all from pictures, so I can’t be positive yet.

Service: we ordered from GrubHub, so there was no real service interactions. But Dad did call to let them know we enjoyed the food and the woman on the phone seemed friendly and nice.

Oxtails, rice and peas, and fried plantains. Borrowed from Google because I didn’t think to take pictures.

Entrees: absolutely delicious. I had the same as pictured above. The oxtails were soft and just amazing. I don’t usually get rice because it’s difficult for me to eat without help, but I’m glad I did. It was fluffy, but still clung together enough that I didn’t have too much trouble with it. I don’t know what the peas in it were, but they were tasty. Even the fried plantain (which I’m usually iffy about) was delicious. Dad had jerk pork with mac-n-cheese and fried dumplings. He loved it all. The pork was tender and just spicy enough. I wasn’t sure about the dumplings, but I’m not a big fan of sourdough. Dad enjoyed them, though!

Drinks: interesting. Dad got something called Irish Moss. It was like a super cinnamon-y eggnog, so we liked it. I got some kind of ginger beer, which was good. They have other drinks, but don’t really explain what they are on GrubHub, so we’ll just have to randomly choose again next time.

Back of the menu, borrowed from their website.

Dessert: yummy. We got a slice of both the cream cheese pound cake and the Jamaican rum cake. They were both nice and moist. The pound cake was good, but didn’t stand out as much as the rum cake. The rum cake had a lovely blend of spices and an interesting chewy texture.

Price: not bad at all. Without GrubHub’s fees (about $10 altogether), it would’ve been about $50 plus a tip. We were full and happy when we were done, so totally worth it.

My rating:
MMMMM

A Look Inside the Maple Leaf Diner

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! Can you believe it’s already February? Do you have any special plans this month? Any goals you’re hoping to achieve? Don’t worry. This isn’t another goals post or check in or anything like that. But I will say that I’m still on schedule with all my stuff and the date of my friend’s visit is closing in fast! Huzzah! Anyway, last week, Dad and I had to run an errand in Dallas over by the Galleria (corner of Alpha and Inwood), so I decided to look for something different to eat that would be on our way home. I found a Canadian diner on the corner of Preston and 635. Canadian food? Pretty much the only food I know of from Canada is poutine, so I figured why not try it. The place is called the Maple Leaf Diner and it’s tucked in a strip mall. Check the website linked above for the address and menu and all that.

First, a reminder of my rating system:

MMMMM = Everything is magnificent!
MMMM = Great, but something is off.
MMM = Pretty good, but a couple of things could be better.
MM = The bad’s starting to outweigh the good.
M = Definitely more cons than pros.
… = I couldn’t find anything nice to say.

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Pictures are borrowed from the diner’s Facebook page and Google.

Accessibility: standard for Texas. There’s a little rise to the doors, but the ramp comes at it from all angles, so getting in is easy. The tables are a little close together, so I can see maneuvering around the place getting difficult if it’s super busy, but we went when it wasn’t crowded at all. The tables are on the tall side of normal, which I like. There aren’t any knee bangers on the tables and they even have some half booth places so Dad didn’t have to sit in an uncomfortable chair. So yeah, it’s pretty good.

Service: fabulous. Our waitress, May, was super friendly and treated me like a human from the get go, so you know that gets her automatic bonus points. She made sure nothing came out too fast and didn’t rush us. She was attentive but not overbearing. May made the whole experience a wonderful one.

Appetizers: yummy. We had the pierogies. They’re dumplings filled with potatoes and cheese then topped with bacon, onions, and sour cream. I don’t know who decided to stuff a dumpling with mashed potatoes, but they were a genius.

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Pot roast poutine.

Entrees: worth the drive. Let’s be honest, I hate that part of Dallas because the roads are crap and the drivers are worse. But I will go back just for this place. The menu is huge. They have lots of breakfast items (served all day) and a bunch of items that are more for lunch or dinner. Dad had the pot roast poutine (french fries smothered with pot roast, gravy, and cheese curds). I had the lox benedict (eggs benedict with smoked salmon instead of Canadian bacon) with latkes and fresh fruit. To my surprise, it was actually fruit I could eat. And even Dad liked the lox, which he isn’t usually into. I’m actually sad we don’t have a place like this near us.

Drinks: so much to choose from. They have all the standards, plus lattes (iced or hot), milkshakes (adult versions also available), and booze. I had a hazelnut latte (hot) and really enjoyed it. I also had a Hummer (vanilla milkshake with Kahlua and I believe rum, but don’t quote me, and chocolate sauce). Yum. And of course Dad and I had a lovely conversation with all the inappropriate jokes about hummers. Dad just had iced tea and tastes of my drinks.

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A little bakery and dessert area they have.

Dessert: yes, please. I stuck with my milkshake for dessert, but they have cookies and pies and cream puffs and some other stuff. Dad got a nanaimo bar (pastry topped with custard and chocolate). It was tiny which was good because it’s super sweet. There was also shredded coconut in it, but it still tasted good.

67884433_1904979782937638_7837753477643108352_o
Nanaimo bars.

Price: surprisingly not bad. It’s in an area of Dallas where everything is more expensive, but even with everything we got, it was less than $60 (not including the tip). So, it’s definitely worth the price.

My rating:
MMMMM

Five Ms! The only issue I really have with the Maple Leaf Diner is that it’s so far away and I can’t fairly take away points because of that.