Overpriced, Underwhelming - Me Thinks Not

23rd Street Brewery
3512 Clinton Pkwy
Lawrence, KS 66047
Phone: (785) 856-2337
Website: brew23.com

Other reviews were mixed, but you cannot make everybody happy, so we decided to give 23rd Street Brewery a try when some of my wife's classmates suggested we meet there for dinner. For a Monday night, they were pretty busy, why I am not sure because the food was only "fair" and the prices rather "high". 

Five of us had to cram into a booth for four, so our meal was rather claustrophobic. The server was very nice and came quickly to take our drink orders. I tried a pint of their Bitter Professor IPA ($4.75) which, by the way, was not nearly as dark as the photo on their website indicates. It was very good with a robust hoppy, bitter taste indicative of a good IPA. I tried their More Cowbell Milk Stout (also $4.75) later in our meal. I love stouts, but this milk stout was not at all "milky" or as smooth as some I have had in the past, having a "burnt" taste as if someone had left the malt and barley unattended during roasting. I cannot imagine that it was intentional because it was not pleasant. One thumbs up, one down.

On to the food. The food is not abundant and the prices a bit high for what we got. I ordered the French Dip sandwich, advertised as 8 ounces of sliced prime rib "stuffed into a French loaf" with horseradish sauce, Swiss cheese, a side of beef au jus and seasoned fries. ($12.49). The first thing I noticed was the size of the sandwich, coming on a bread roll about the size of a hot dog bun, not a "French loaf". $12.50 for this I said to myself? I think the advertised "8 ounces" of beef was also a bit of a stretch, but it did overwhelm the diminutive bun and making it look like there was more meat than there was. The meat was flavorful and the fries crispy, hot and tasty, but the sandwich was a disappointment and the plate would have been a much better value in the $7 to $9 range.

My wife went with the Max's Mac & Cheese, advertised as "shell pasta in a creamy mozzarella, provolone, and cheddar cream sauce ... baked and topped with bread crumbs" ($12.99). Again, the portion was small for $13 considering that was all she got (a side salad is $3 extra), a plate of pasta with very little cheese sauce. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese has more flavor and I can buy a box of it for about a buck, so that tells you what a poor value this dish was. The dish was dry and flavorless.

I saw on their website that they have a "Mug Club" and their advertised Monday Night Special was a 24 ounce schooner of draft beer for $3.50 - for Mug Club members. However, I could find no information on this "Mug Club" on their website or menu nor did our server mention anything about it. So when she returned with my 16 ounce, $4.75 IPA, I enquired. She told me that for $50 a year "our regular customers" get discounts on beer. Well, I am not a regular customer and very likely will not be, so I guess $5 for a pint was not a bad price. Our bill came to a little over $38, $46 including tip, for two beers, a sandwich, and small plate of pasta, a poor value even in comparison to the routinely underwhelming and overpriced cuisine of Lawrence, Kansas.

Guess I will go to the liquor store, buy two good $1.50 to $2 bottles of beer ($9-$12 per six pack), and enjoy a couple boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese at home with my wife next time, saving $42 in the process.


CombatCritic Gives 23rd Street Brewery Four Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Overpriced, Underwhelming - Me Thinks Not

Key Words: 23rd Street Brewery, 23rd, 23, street, brewery, beer, micro, Lawrence, Kansas, mug, club, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Translation: BOHICA - Bend Over, Here It Comes Again

Great Burgers, Best-Value In Lawrence ... HOOAH!

KC Smoke Burger
1008 Massachusetts Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
Phone: (785) 424-7723
Website: kcsmokeburger.com

This will be easy ...

1. Excellent hamburger, one of the best I have had in recent memory and a tremendous value

2. Daily Specials Monday through Thursday - 2 for 1 burgers (Monday - dine-in only), hot dogs (Tuesday), Philly cheesesteaks (Wednesday), and Gyros (Thursday) give people a reason to visit mid-week

3. Burgers come to the table in their own individual smokers and are placed hot and juicy on the bun by your server. Nice touch.

4. Good variety of fast food options (starters, burgers, dogs, sandwiches, desserts) provide a choice to consumers

5. Extremely friendly, efficient, and professional service made our short stay enjoyable and pleasant

We were in a hurry due to a logistical SNAFU and only had 30 minutes to dine before we had to leave for an appointment 1/2 mile away down Mass Street. We were warmly greeted when we entered, quickly seated, and order taken. 

Our onion rings ($5) arrived posthaste on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce with accompanying dipping sauce (blue cheese dressing).  There were seven perfectly cooked rings, crispy, not greasy, on the large plate. They were the best onion rings I have had in quite a while, but could have used a little more seasoning.

My wife and I both had the bacon cheeseburger, my wife's without tomato ($9) and mine with avocado ($10 - fries included). The burgers were large and obviously handmade, thick and juicy, and cooked to perfection (medium-well). Unlike other burger joints in town, French fries accompany the sandwiches so you do not have to spend an additional $3-$6 and they are very good. The fries were fresh cut, hot on arrival, well seasoned, and plentiful. They were perfectly crisp on the outside, soft. moist and hot on the inside. Well done!

The decor is modern and basic with the red walls covered in customer graffiti, you know ... tacky. Our server handled our rapid departure requirement flawlessly, getting us our meals and the check in rapid succession interspersed with occasional friendly chit-chat. With our bill coming to just $16 including tax, this 2 for 1 meal was an exceptional value, but even at $25 for the full-price option, an excellent meal at a very reasonable price ... HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives KC Smokehouse Burgers A Near Perfect 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Great Burgers, Best-Value In Lawrence ... HOOAH!

Key Words: KC Smoke House, KC, smoke, house, smokehouse, burger, hamburger, sandwich, Mass, Lawrence, Kansas, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

A Few Flaws Drop Rating After Move To New Locale

El Potro
2351 W 31st St Lawrence, KS 66047‎

Phone: (785) 331-2500

Website
Prices: $$$$

Sunday is our weekly dinner out night and we were again surprised when we pulled into the parking lot to find a sea of cars and a restaurant full of people. Sunday night dinner out in Lawrence is normally so quiet you could be heard whispering three tables away, but not at El Potro. The new restaurant is bigger than the old place, but everything else seems pretty much the same with a few exceptions.

We were quickly seated with the waiter dropping by to take drink orders and the busboy dropping off chips, salsa and free chili con queso. Not only do they give you free cheese dip, it is in a decent size cup. My wife ordered orchata, a sweet rice-based drink from Mexico that tastes like liquid rice pudding with hints of cinnamon. I decided to go with the 22 ounce margarita (frozen with salt) and at $6, not a bad deal. It was fair, but with little alcohol. We also decided to try the guacamole (half order - $3.25), a good predictor of quality Mexican food. Not as good as mine or the best restaurant guac I have had, but plentiful and tasty with just a few chopped tomatoes on top to add color to the appetizer. It was a nice accompaniment to the cheese dip, chips, and salsa.

Veggie Quesadilla - $6.99

For our entrees, my wife ordered the vegetable and cheese quesadilla appetizer which came with more guacamole and pico di gallo (which they forgot). Quesadillas are pretty boring and this was no exception ... a flour tortilla, some melted cheese, and a few veggies ... at $7, it seemed a bit expensive to me.

Deep Fried Tacos - $8.49

I ordered the deep fried shredded beef tacos ($8.49 - ground beef or chicken also available) and a cheese and onion enchilada ala carte. The server brought three tacos in pre-fab shells (I hate pre-fab shells), so I asked them to bring the correct order. When they finally arrived, the tacos were crispy, the beef was well seasoned, and there was plenty of lettuce and cheese in addition to the standard rice and beans. The shells were pliable enough to add some guacamole, pico di gallo (from my wife's order - she hates tomatoes) and salsa, but the tortillas are thinner than I remember and fell apart on first bite. The enchilada came on a separate plate and was pleasing to the eye with a colorful accompaniment of sauce, cheese, lettuce and tomato. The enchilada ($2.50) was a tad small and the sauce spicy, but not overly so and the ratio of cheese to onion to sauce was good.

Cheese and Onion Enchilada Ala Carte - $2.50

They also had a guy with a guitar going from table to table singing Mexican mariachi songs. A nice touch, but he was not great and there were two small signs attached to his guitar reminding us that he works for tips. I understand that, but think it is a bit tacky to pressure customers into paying $1 or more for a single song which was all he stuck around to play. If you are going to provide music, pay the musician and if he gets a few tips, he can think of it as a bonus.

The new El Potro was not quite as good as the old one. The chips and corn tortilla taco shells are thinner than I remember, breaking easily. The margarita was not as tasty as at the old place and there was much less tequila. After drinking a 22 ounce margarita, I barely had a buzz. They got a 7 out of 10 score two years ago, but I have to drop a bomb after a less than stellar return visit.

CombatCritic Gives El Potro 6 out of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: A Few Flaws Drop Rating After Move To New Locale

Key Words: El Potro, el, potro, colt, Mexican, Lawrence, Kansas, Iowa, taco, guacamole, enchilada, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Translation: "G2G" - Good To Go