The Joshua Moran Blog

Josh shares about ministry, business, current events, politics from a biblical point of view.

Archive for December, 2007

Johnny Carino’s Italian Grill in Waxahachie, TX

Dec 15

Posted by Joshua Moran in Italian Food | No Comments

We arrived at Carino’s in the evening for dinner after we were told the wait time at the Olive Garden in Waxahachie was about 65 minutes. It was a Friday and so we expected a wait time, but that was a bit long. We ended up meeting up with some friends at Carino’s and were seated within 2 minutes of arrival. I generally enjoy this restaurant and expected the normal package I get from Johnny Carino’s.

Menu Selection – 15 out of 17
The menu has both creative and classic italian dishes, but what I like most about Carino’s versus other chain italian restaurants is the panini on the menu. I did not order the panini this time, but enjoyed the Chicken Penne Gorgonzola. The highlight to the beverage section is the italian sodas that are offered with free refills.

Beverage Service – 12 out of 16
The beverage service we received was just about average. We ran out of drinks a few times and had to wait a little bit to get get refills.

Overall Service – 12 out of 17
I do not recall the servers name, but the gentlemen was a little pre-occupied with something. He seemed annoyed when a drink was refilled or one of us ordered an italian soda after we also ordered an iced tea. The bread service had much to be desired and the food service was average, and I believe the server did not even come and ask us if everything was ok. In my opinion Carino’s was least busy I have seen it on a Friday night as well.

Food – 14 of 17
I ordered the Chicken Penne Gorgonzola for the entree and it was great overall. I would have suggested a little lighter on the gorgonzola. I simply love their bread and the roasted garlic oil dip as well.

Ambience – 13 of 16
Country kitchen and Italian make a mesh in this restaurant, and they accomplish it well. It is louder than many Italian restaurants and wish that could change a little bit.

Overall Value – 14 of 17
A good place to eat and worth the cost. I think it is a resaonable dining experience and would recommend it as an everyday restaurant.

Total Score – 80 out of 100

Saltgrass In Cedar Hill, TX

Dec 12

Posted by Joshua Moran in Steak Houses | No Comments

Saltgrass Cedar Hill

I personally love a good steak, doesn’t everyone? My wife and I decided to have dinner at Saltgrass in Cedar Hill, TX. We have been there before and remember the whole experience as good. We put our name in and they told us 30 minutes, and they were closer to 40 minutes, but that was fine. When we walked in we were just about to be seated at a table right by the hostess. The table was so close to the door that I knew every time the doors opened we would get the colddraft. I requested another table and immediately they moved us with no problem.

Menu Selection – 13 out of 17
The menu had what we expected… steaks! The selection was above average, and allowed for a diner to select a topping on the steak. Personally I think the sauteed mushrooms were overpriced ($4.99), but they were tasty nontheless. When I opened the menu I was not overwhelmed with the amount to choose from, but wasnot bored with too little either.

Beverage Service – 15 out of 16
We ordered water so I expect bad beverage service, but the server proved herself by bringing a pitcher of water and came to refill when that was empty. So two thumbs up.

Overall Service – 14 out of 17
The servers name was Nichole (no I did not mispell it), and she was good and very helpful.

Food – 12 of 17
We ordered the Seafood Fondeau for an appetizer, had the beer bread, and I had the chicken tortilla soup with my meal. I was already getting full before the meal even came so portions are Texas large. My wife ordered the Prime Rib Cut and I had the Sirloin with Shrimp. Her steak was good as was mine. The shrimp in my meal was better than the steak. Mine was a sirloin cut so I did not expect Filet Minion, but it was a bit tough for a medium cooked steak. The mushrooms and onions were great, but overpriced. The flavor overall was just fine, butnothing to throw a party over.

Ambience - 10 of 16
The whole Texas look was accomplished inside and out, and the noise levels inside are on the higher side. If you are looking for a romantic date night and a steak, keep looking. If you are looking for a decent steak and hanging out with a few friends you found the right place. The tables are a little too close together in the front part of the restaurant to enjoy any private conversation, and the server desk was right in the middle of the front section so you were forced to stare at the servers, so that was a little uncomfortable. I enjoyed the atmosphere somewhat.

Overall Value – 10 of 17
Saltgrass in Cedar Hill, TX was a good place to eat overall, and I would eat there again. I believe it is a little pricy for the food quality. I walked out of there with two meals, waters and an appetizer for $55 plus tip.

Total Score – 74 out of 100

Check out next week as we go somewhere else to eat in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area.

The Canon HG10 and Bestpricecameras.com

Dec 12

Posted by Joshua Moran in Electronics / Toys | 2 Comments

I posted earlier about the Canon HG10 and iLife 08. I wanted to bring my findings and hopefully steer someone else in the right direction. After reading many forums and reviews I decided to change my order from a Canon HG10 to a Canon HV20. The Canon HV20 is an HD camcorder that uses Mini-DV versus HDD.

The reason I changed to a Mini-DV camcorder is because HDD cameras and especially AVCHD types, lose picture quality once decompressed through iMovie and iMovie is one of the only programs that can edit AVCHD formats. Basically the best picture you get on an AVCHD camcorder is through the viewing screen of the camcorder itself. The unfortunate part of not buying the HG10 is that you lose the ability to use the tapeless features of iMovie in iLife 08, but the picture quality has little loss with the HV20 and it cost less as well.

Now I have unfortunate news regarding how and whom, I bought the Canon HV20 from.Bestpricecameras.com is bait-and-switch scheme, a sham. The shopping comparison site ShopCartUSA.com is also a front fro these groups of websites that advertise the cameras for 50% off retail then they call you to tell you you must buy the battery and charger for $300.

I told them no thank you as I found the accessories on ebay, and they hung up on me. I called a week later and they said it was out of stock and that it would take weeks on backorder. I then hung up and called about 30 minutes later with another name and tried to order the same camera with the full package and wamo! They instantly found a model available and in stock. I then referred to my order number from the week before and they hung up again. I called back and all of a sudden the customer service center message told me they were closed because it was after hours. Problem was it was 1 PM CST. Also these supposed companies have the same type of website setup and affiliated with ShopCartUSA.com as well:

  • expresscameras.com
  • expecam.com
  • broadwayphoto.com
  • cameraaddict.com
  • 1wayphoto.com
  • lensesnmore.com
  • expocameras.com
  • fotoconnection.com
  • abesofmaine.com

I say stay away from these false advertising companies and stick with legit retailers.

Dallas Dining Begins

Dec 8

Posted by Joshua Moran in Dallas Dining | No Comments

I am excited to start this blog about dining in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metro Area. My wife and I will go out weekly and blog about our dining experiences. My purpose and mission with this blog is to inform the average Texan about your everyday restaurants. I hope to strike a chord with many regarding dining out.

I will review each restaurant according to the following six categories:

Menu Selection
Have you ever walked into a restaurant and they seemed to have just about everything, but somehow nothing jumps off the menu? You get this frustrating feeling and you just settle for an entree… Well I will give you my opinion on the menu.

Beverage Service
So your eating a Thai dish and the peanut sauce is drying out your mouth and your water is out and has been for a long time. Would you have gotten better beverage service with an Iced Tea? I do not consume alcohol so I will not be reviewing any such beverages.

Overall Service
Just because you remember your server’s name that does not mean something good. Did they even get your order right?

Food
Is steak supposed to be this chewy? You can trust me to be honest about how the food tastes, whether it was worth the money, and anything else regarding the food itself.

Overall Value
Was the whole long wait, bad service, decent food, and high priced bill really worth it?

Ambience
I love a restaurant that goes all the way with a theme, but it’s just wierd when a steakhouse has italian pictures on the wall while playing oriental music.