CHILI'S RESTAURANT by Jim Fridas

ENOUGH SAID!             article by:  James  Thomas Fridas                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
I went to Chili's in Brentwood California last night and the food was excellent, I went with my brother, the atmosphere was OK, it could be better, I guess I am picky, I really do not like to many restaurants decor, maybe some day one of these chains will hire a real Interior Decorator who knows what they are doing, you think?

OK with that said the food was excellent as I said the decor could use help, but the food was very satisfying, my brother had the Chicken Salad and I had a steak with all the trimmings of course, mash potatoes were superb as were the vegetables, this cook knew his way around the kitchen, we went to a local restaurant that had a similar meal and the food was so horrible I refused to waste my time writing about it!

Well the environment was OK and the service was excellent to boot so do I recommend that you go to Chili's Restaurant in Brentwood California?  Would I recommend that you use Diamond Coach Tours to go to Reno?  Would I recommend you go to Church on Sunday?  Without reservation I would so do it and enjoy!! 
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Copyright © 2013 [JAMES THOMAS FRIDAS]. All Rights Reserved.

FOOD FANTASTIC!                  article by:  James Thomas Fridas

September 5, 2013

It was Friday evening so my brother and I went to you guessed it Black Bear Diner, special was Prime Rib, and it was special! Served on a platter with a lot of extras which included vegetables, a large baked potato and corn muffin, really good!

To be honest I really enjoyed the corn bread muffin and the entire meal it was very satisfying and very filling to say the least!   The entire evening was spectacular, the food was excellent and the service was great!  I use to eat at Black Bear Diner in Gridley California near Oroville.

It was about Friday evening around 7:30 pm and the crowd was gone so we had plenty of time to enjoy the meals we had as well as a large glass of Dr Pepper for me and my kid brother who is a tea toddler had you guessed it a large glass of tea and a lot of lemon on the side.

The service was excellent as was the ambiance of the restaurant, of course I miss the Black Bear Diner in Gridley I use to frequent when I lived there so I had a great time talking about the comparison of the two!

So when you are in Oakley California and decide to enjoy a Prime Rib dinner on Friday or Saturday then check out Black Bear Diner on Maine Street next to city hall, now that was easy!                
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Copyright © 2013 [JAMES THOMAS FRIDAS]. All Rights Reserved.

FOOD FANTASTIC!                  article by:  James Thomas Fridas

August 31, 2013

It was Friday evening so my brother and I went to you guessed it Black Bear Diner, special was Prime Rib, and it was special! Served on a platter with a lot of extras which included vegetables, a large baked potato and corn muffin, really good!

To be honest I really enjoyed the corn bread muffin and the entire meal it was very satisfying and very filling to say the least!   The entire evening was spectacular, the food was excellent and the service was great!  I use to eat at Black Bear Diner in Gridley California near Oroville.

It was about Friday evening around 7:30 pm and the crowd was gone so we had plenty of time to enjoy the meals we had as well as a large glass of Dr Pepper for me and my kid brother who is a tea toddler had you guessed it a large glass of tea and a lot of lemon on the side.

The service was excellent as was the ambiance of the restaurant, of course I miss the Black Bear Diner in Gridley I use to frequent when I lived there so I had a great time talking about the comparison of the two!

So when you are in Oakley California and decide to enjoy a Prime Rib dinner on Friday or Saturday then check out Black Bear Diner on Maine Street next to city hall, now that was easy!                  
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Copyright © 2013 [JAMES THOMAS FRIDAS]. All Rights Reserved.

SUNDAY BREAKFAST

GREAT DAY TO BE ALIVE         article by:  James Thomas Fridas

It is of course Sunday July 28 2013 and it was a beautiful morning so we headed off to have breakfast at Dad's Cafe in Antioch at the Safeway Shopping Center on Hillcrest and Deer Valley and it was a busy day for dad!

The patio is open for those who want to be in the open air where it is a beautiful place to dine with the view and the food so fine it is a plus as far as I am concerned, so net time you are in the area check it out the food is excellent and the prices are very good!

The service is on time and fast for a busy restaurant  can't complain unless your a habitual complainer so if you are stay away we do not need those around us, I look for all the good in the situation and that is what we should all look for so as to make our visit a good one!

I had pancakes with two eggs and turkey sausages coffee and a side of fruit while my brother had a Vegetarian Omelet and side of fruit with marble rye toast.

It may e a month or so when I had up to the Reno Sparks area so keep a close eye out for my trip and venture to the restaurants up there, I hope to be moving there in the next few months or who knows where but I am out of this place soon need to find new ventures, hope you follow me over the next few months!
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Copyright © 2013 [JAMES THOMAS FRIDAS]. All Rights Reserved.

JIM'S RESTAURANT REVIEW

SUNDAY DINNER FOR TWO           article by:  James Thomas Fridas

Charge of the foodie!                                                        July 23, 2013

It has been a hectic week, breakfast at Dad's in Antioch at the Safeway Shopping Center and then Sunday dinner my brother and I went to Apple bee's where we enjoyed a new menu with several different new items on it I would love to tell you that I love everything that  I order then you would know I am feeding you a line pun intended!

OK I did enjoy the chili, it had a great flavor and if you enjoy jalapenos then this is definitely your dish among other things I love the drinks because they are refilled free and of course I made the attempt to be very courteous and polite while sloshing down a lot of Dr Pepper among the fact that once again yours truly had just got out of the hospital from an allergic reaction to you got it medication!

So  with out going into boring details I am alright that is why we went to Dad's for breakfast and Apple bee's  for dinner, the atmosphere will be changing according to the manager and they will be auctioning off all the sports paraphernalia and movie legends photos.

I think that will be very interesting as they have hundreds of famous people on the walls from sports legends and many sports hero's and celebrities as well as actors and actresses, so I would encourage you to drop by Antioch California  Apple bee's and maybe take a camera and photograph the Walls that is my next project and if I can get google to co-operate I will post them on my blog letter for you to see if your not within a commute of the restaurant, until next post  this is Jim Fridas your wandering foodie just a wandering!

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Copyright © 2013 [JAMES THOMAS FRIDAS]. All Rights Reserved.

RESTAURANT REVIEW 4 U

ITS SO NICE                         article by:  James Thomas Fridas
                                                                        JULY 21, 2013


To know the ins and outs of restaurants is an invaluable trait that comes with years and years of experience, it can make a person either a great chef or manager or investor in these industries, some would never think being in the restaurant business is for them especially if they do not have a knack for boiling water let alone cooking.  To be what is referred to as an "EPICUREAN" takes a special kind of person, there are what are referred to as restaurant critics, sometimes I think that is a bad word, and while they are normally very good at what they do I thing restaurant reviewer is much more intelligent a job description that food critic or restaurant critic, now that I got that off my chest lets look at one of the newer restaurants in Oakley "Black Bear"  on main street in Oakley in the city square by city hall.

So I went in when it was new and it has been here a few years now the service is very good, fast paced at times, the food is excellent, they also cater to your sweet tooth with incredible pastries, the sandwiches are top rated I have not had dinner there yet , that is on the next trip so stand by for more  information about the dinners they serve.

Now the city has allowed two new restaurants to be built on the corner of Main Street and Vintage Parkway in Oakley, one is an old restaurant that is being given a new building where it used to be, it is a long time small restaurant that seems to be getting some good customer response, they have another restaurant in Brentwood.

I am looking at some of the Casino's in California that I may start to attend many have excellent restaurants that I have been to so I will keep you posted as to which one I will start with, in the mean time if there are restaurants that you would like me to check out post it in the comment section below, thank you for being my reader!
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Copyright © 2013 [JAMES THOMAS FRIDAS]. All Rights Reserved.

GREAT FOOD

How Glad Its Dad!                           article by:  James Thomas Fridas

Its Friday morning and my brother and I are heading to Dad's Cafe in Antioch in the Safeway shopping center on the corner of Hillcrest and Deer Valley.  Dad's is a restaurant with unique features, each table seats four and there are at last count twenty tables and the atmosphere is comfortable, there are two large screen televisions on each side wall and sports is on both.

The meals are excellent and the prices are very good most breakfasts are around $8.00 dinners are a little more this is a great place for family value as well.  There is WI Fi for those in need of computer time on there lunch or dinner time.

My brother and I eat there a couple times a week and truly enjoy the atmosphere and the staff is top notch, the service is excellent and friendly.

The hours of operation are from 8am to 9pm so breakfast lunch and dinner are on the table in addition there is a patio for lunch with a view, with summer coming its a great time to plan a lunch date with that special someone or just with friends.

Dad runs the place and is hands on, or all hands on deck, his father was a merchant seaman and was the ships cook so all hands on deck Dad is at the controls and the food will satisfy all critics, there is history here and Dad is a very friendly restaurateur.

This morning I had an Omelet and hash browns to boot, no I did not eat a boot!  My brother had the same except he had a side of fruit because he is on weight watchers so Dad makes sure his customers get what they want, so now you know why I give this absolutely fantastic restaurant a 5 star rating the highest there is!  Go Dad Go!

I would recommend you give Dad's a try and soon as the place is getting busy most weekdays, I haven't had the opportunity to check out the weekends yet but i will and soon then I will let you know how the weekends are.

I will of course do most of my reviews in Contra Costa County for now, but I plan on doing some traveling during the summer, so join me as we travel to some fun places and I will keep you posted, and remember there is a comment section when you frequent Dad's Cafe I would appreciate your feed back so I know if I am giving you the kind of information you would like, thank you for being my reader and I hope long tome supporter, thank you again!
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Copyright © 2013 [JAMES THOMAS FRIDAS]. All Rights Reserved.