Burrito Bistro

After posing the question on twitter, "Getting take out from Burrito Bistro. Any thoughts?" I was surprised at the amount of replies I received, ranging from "good Mexican on the Cape? Are you serious?" to "We've tried it and it was decent for the portions and the price." I found the reply from Amanda Blum most humorous: "Its Mexican food. On Cape Cod. I would never ask what anyone thought of the chowder house in Detroit!" I find this funny mostly because I remember getting an odd look from my husband when we were on our honeymoon years back and I had ordered New England clam chowder on a cruise ship in the Caribbean and it was, needless to say, not up to par with what I was used to being a native New Englander.

Here's what we thought. My son had two of the kids tacos. I think he was fairly unimpressed. He's used to our homemade chicken quesadillas which are comprised of small pieces of chicken and cheese. The chicken in his taco, and he was expecting a hard shell taco which may have been an ordering faux pas on my part, consisted of large - very large - cubes of chicken that were fairly over cooked. But he ate both of them and he's an extremely picky eater, so I was happy I at least got my moneys worth on that part.

I had a Grande Burrito Max (black or pinto beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and salsa) with ground beef. You can also choose to have this with steak, chicken, veggies etc... I thought it was very good. The best ever? Perhaps not, I thought Chipotle's in NYC was much better, but good none-the-less. It was at the very least, a bargain for the price. I did, however, have a Coconut Coolada (coconut, pineapple, bananas and non-fat yogurt) that was to die for, delish!

My husband had the Boston Blue Burrito (steak, blue cheese, grilled onions and mushrooms, rice and lettuce). I asked what he thought and his response was "I hated it, that's why I ate the entire thing" and he rolled his eyes. Obviously it was a big hit.

This establishment also offers, chili's, soups, salads, many sides and a very wide variety of coffee drinks and smoothies. So all in all I would definitely go back to the Burrito Bistro as well as recommend this to others.

Grande Burrito Max $8.79
Grande Boston Blue Burrito $8.79
(2) Kids Single Tacos $4.98
Coconut Coolada $3.60

Total $26.16

Capetown Plaza
790 Iyannough Road (rt 132)
Hyannis, MA 02601
508-771-6071
http://burritobistro.com

Marylou's Coffee

An Ode Marylou’s

Marylou, Marylou
There is no coffee quite like you.

In the morning when I rise
I see the look in my husbands eyes

I know ‘tis only the coffee of which he dreams
Hot or frozen, topped with whipped cream.

He says “I’ll be back” and dashes out the door.
Headed for that grand ole’ coffee store.

Cute girls behind the counter? Simply no match!
For the coffee that they poor, now that’s the real catch!

Hazelnut, Maple Walnut, Cinnamon Candy,
Strawberry Shortcake, Coconut Cookie, any or all are just dandy.

Bagels, Muffins, Pastries galore.
Refill please? Yes, one more!

A large Frozen Minty Lou is my fave,
Of it all day is that of which I rave.

The accompanying cinnamon stick I hold so dear
I love you Marylou! Thank God you’re near!

Now that I’ve consumed enough calories for one week.
I’m all revved up and my outlook no longer so bleak!

The Hearth & Kettle

My family and I last night wanted to go out for dinner at a place we knew would be family friendly. At last minutes notice and three kids in tow, it was a toss up between Friendly's and Hearth & Kettle. After our experience two weeks ago at Friendly's where my daughter was so excited to get a Monster Mash Sundae that she even picked up her toys, we were extremely disappointed when we were presented with the most pathetic scoop of ice cream you've ever seen. It didn't even go half way up the cup! The poor monsters Reese's eyes were falling off! The very next day I was shocked to read on AOL news an article about well known restaurants jipping their customers. Not only was Friendly's mentioned as having been caught skimping on portions but the sundae in question was the one that was mentioned.

Taking all this into consideration we headed out to Hearth & Kettle. This is not our first visit to H&K, but I've had hit or miss meals there before. We started out with rolls for the kids and I had the French Onion Soup. Delicious. The bread was nice & warm and the kids were happy and being on their best behavior - ish. My soup was well seasoned and bubbling with lots of cheese, just the way I like it.

Our seating arrangement was perfect. These are the best booths in town, their wooden backs go straight to the ceiling providing an extra sound barrier when traveling with families and doing your best not to disturb the people you're sitting next to. The kids can't turn around and make funny faces at them. Not that I'm the type to let my children do that, well, only if the people looked like they really deserved it.

Matt ordered the Chicken Nantucket, $14.99: Lightly breaded boneless skinless breast baked stuffed with scallops, shrimp, and stuffing topped with lobster sauce. Sounds great. Unfortunately my husband found the chicken to be over cooked and quite dry. I had the Seafood Medley, also, $14.99: Native Haddock, Sea Scallops and shrimp topped with a savory seafood stuffing. I think I took only a few bites, the breading was too heavy and there was a faint fishy taste to the whole dish. My husband had a couple bites of mine and said it turned his stomach.

On a good note the Frozen Mudslide was fantastic, glassed lined with chocolate and topped with whipped cream, perfect. The kids meals, corn dogs and homemade mac & cheese - both very tasty and kid approved - came with a hoodsie cup. Matt & I split the Hot Fudge Sundae. Its hard to mess up a hot fudge sundae, however, I have to say, I've had better.

Overall, fairly disappointed in the meal. But as I said, I've found H&K to be hit or miss before. When we received our bill, it brought down the mood considerably. When the waitress took the signed copy back, realized she'd forgotten to add an $8 item, we were really ready to leave.

Restaurant: Hearth & Kettle 2 Stars **
Bill with Tip: $86
Return: Not anytime soon.
Location: This was the Hyannis location, apparently the Falmouth location recently closed.
Website: http://www.hearthnkettle.com

Hello to all!

This is officially our first post. So I just wanted to introduce myself, Carrie-Lee, my husband, Matthew, and my three screaming children, Cody, Colleen and Keely. You know, the family that you don't want to sit next to at a restaurant? The family you roll your eyes at when you see us being seated near your table? Don't feel bad, I roll our eyes at us, too. :)

My husband and I have been avid foodies since the day we met and we critique everything. I've always wanted to start some sort of website where we could spout off or rave about our favorite or not so favorite places to eat. Hear the replies, comments, and arguments for or against the restaurants we discuss. And also to act as a database to refer to when picking a place to dine.

And here we are. What I expect are foodie blogs, some alone, just the hubby and I, and others along the lines of what restaurants prove or disprove whether or not they're truly family friendly. All on Cape Cod and all with a bit of humor and 'tude. Now that we've moved to the Cape and are year round residents, we've got lots to talk about.

Please join us by following us on Twitter and subscribing or following us by the links provided in the sidebar. Thanks, and trust me, you'll hear from us soon. :)