Posted on September 22, 2008 at 12:43 p.m.

Food: 4/5  Vibe: 5/5  Service: 4/5  Value: 5/5  Overall: 4/5

While we're attention-whoring...

One of these Charlies is married to the lady who owns and operates Headrush, a salon which recently relocated from just south of downtown to Hickory & Carroll (a bit east of Carroll, right next to the gas station on the corner).

Kristi (owner of Headrush) cut my hair for almost the entirety of my attendance at UNT (even had student pricing). For awhile, I made the drive up to Denton to get my ears lowered after I graduated so I could catch up with her and get some grub at my college hang-outs.

Most unfortunately, gas prices and time to drive from Dallas to Denton have made my visits less frequent, but I very much encourage peeps in the area to stop by.

Anyways, what I'm getting at is that I checked out II Charlies soon after they opened b/c Kristi mentioned hubby's grand opening (I believe he also owns & operates The Loophole, at least he used to). I vouch that II Charlies a pretty awesome spot - dunno about best pizza ever and all that mess, but certainly worth stopping in for a bite and a beer.

On II Charlies Bar & Grill

Posted on August 23, 2008 at 2:12 p.m.

Food: 4/5  Vibe: 3/5  Service: 5/5  Value: 4/5  Overall: 4/5

Margarita hit the spot. Cheese quesadillas very good. Kinda dark inside for lunchtime, though. Will eat again!

On Mario & Alberto

Posted on July 30, 2008 at 2:19 p.m.

Food: 4/5  Vibe: 5/5  Service: 5/5  Value: 4/5  Overall: 4/5

Went there for a bidness lunch today, second time I've gone at lunch (haven't gone at dinner). Average cost per person among 9 peeps was $13.59 - no appetizer, a couple of additional costs for soup, everyone had tea/soda.

Shockingly low lunch crowd made for a great vibe. Server is an Italian American with a pretty thick accent, but I don't get much of a kick out of that like some peeps.

Bread is absolutely addictive! I ate 3 pieces, contemplated a 4th. Iced tea hits the spot; has enough of a berry twist that sugar wasn't necessary while not being overly sweet.

Ordered chicken parmesan. Quite tasty, especially the tomato sauce. Served over a bed of angel-hair pasta, mixed well with veggies. Had no qualms whatsoever - portions were smaller than I'm used to seeing, but that's for the best (especially w/ all the bread).

Salad and entrees arrived timely, drink was never less than half full, and bread was basically endless until you hold your hand up in defeat. Will definitely head back. Whatever you cats who work in the area do at lunch, do it one less time and try this place out very soon.

On Bellini's

Posted on May 29, 2008 at 11:45 a.m.

Food: 5/5  Vibe: 4/5  Service: 5/5  Value: 5/5  Overall: 4/5

Went for lunch yesterday with coworkers and was amazed.

Ordered the red curry. They've got a spice range of 1-4...I played it safe with a 2 just to be sure I wasn't making a huge mistake as the n00b, and it was extremely tasty. Will probably try 3 next go around, but apparently 4 is only for peeps who grew up in Thailand (or have no taste buds).

I got water, but soft drinks or iced tea are $1.50 - I forgot to check how much hot teas are. My curry was $7.95 + tax (would have been $9.95 for a dinner portion). Reasonably priced for the portion and tastiness, imo.

Can't knock the hustle at all - drinks stayed full, soup came out very soon after we ordered, and plates were bused quickly.

As Peter said, not that big of a place. I only docked on Vibe since there seemed to be odd looks from other regulars that we had a fresh face in our group. I live relatively near here and never knew it existed - seems to be primarily word of mouth advertising, which explains things. Place was packed, though...definitely need to cut out a bit early at lunchtime.

Will be heading back many times, methinks. If only they delivered!

On Noodle Wave

Posted on May 24, 2008 at 2:08 p.m.

Food: 5/5  Vibe: 5/5  Service: 5/5  Value: 5/5  Overall: 5/5

All 5's from Doyle just the same. Very sad news that this is shutting down, went late last night just before they closed at 3 b/c of it. =(

On Big D's Dogs (Closed)

Posted on February 26, 2008 at 11:32 p.m.

Food: 5/5  Vibe: 4/5  Service: 5/5  Value: 5/5  Overall: 5/5

Absolutely amazing experience. I haven't been to Fogo de Chao, but apparently it's same idea: buffet (that I try not to bother with) for salad and pre-meal stuff, then BAM - dudes running around with the most tender medium-rare (at best) meat on a skewer to slice off a piece right at your table.

Quality of the meat is extremely tasty. Doyle recommends the house special. I've only been at lunch, too, so I'm not sure what they bring out in the evening.

Service is impeccable. Rarely is your plate empty unless you're through eating, and if it happens to be they tend to replace it with a fresh plate (even though I like the juices to gather in the middle as a dipping sauce, so I decline). I don't think I've ever had my water or tea get below half a glass.

If you dislike a lot of pink, it's not exactly the place for you (not for the price, anyways) - but it's heaven otherwise.

Only slight hit I gave was on vibe, and that's just b/c it can sometimes get crowded at your table when various meats are circulating...not a bad thing, just odd.

On Texas de Brazil Churrascaria (Addison)

Posted on February 26, 2008 at 10:35 p.m.

Food: 4/5  Vibe: 5/5  Service: 4/5  Value: 4/5  Overall: 4/5

Love me some Saucer.

Ridiculously broad beer selection - obviously with such an array of beers, many atypical to our area, it can get pricey. The Monday pint night is amazing, though - over 70 of the 100+ beers on tap are $2.50. That's until closing, too, not just happy hour.

There's a relatively amusing Trivia on Tuesdays that starts at 9. Fat Tire has traditionally been the Tuesday "fire sale", a.k.a. the $2.75 beer. Guy who runs trivia is interesting, and has no concern being risqué - so don't bring the kiddies.

Addison location has a side-room to enjoy cigars in, and allows cigarettes in the rest of the establishment (for now, anyways...no idea if Addison is going to implement an indoor smoking ban). Haven't been to the Ft. Worth one, but I imagine it's worth your while if you're on the west side.

I typically hit Saucer only Mondays or Tuesdays (maybe Wednesday if I like the pint glass), so peeps who frequent other times - please chime in.

On Flying Saucer (Addison)

Posted on February 26, 2008 at 9:51 p.m.

Food: 4/5  Vibe: 4/5  Service: 4/5  Value: 3/5  Overall: 4/5

Pavel, I'm not sure what drinks you were paying for, but it was $5 for a well drink and ~$6 for a decent beer (read: Guinness or something mixed with it).

Aside from what I felt were pricey pints, I dig the place. Had a big pretzel with a pretty amazing sauce (don't remember exactly what it was, and I don't see it on the site's menu). The Irish music was awesome, and the one time I went to the bloodsport trivia it was alright. Will definitely go back, but probably won't drink so many $6 beers this go-around. =p

On Tipperary Inn