4 out of 5 stars

Happy to finally have a chance for a date night since having baby Wolfie, I arranged for some friends to meet Glen and I out at Fosters American Grille. It’s located right in Cameron Village and seemed a great place to meet up with some buddies and eat well, but not too pretentiously. I have a problem with pretension as I generally have pretty uncomplicated (but demanding) tastes.

Reviews online have varied wildly but of late Fosters has gotten some acclaim from the peanut gallery. Rumor on the grapevine is that management has changed and some original staff has been hired back which has revitalized the food and service. I have to agree!

Fosters has a broad menu so I knew everyone would be able to find something they’d enjoy and I was right. It spans salads, grilled pizza, pasta, and a selection of traditional entrees. (Menu here.) We started with a few appetizers, taking advantage of the $5 for any appetizer special that happens from 4-7pm daily. The crab dip was splendid, served with toasted flat bread. The lettuce wraps were just ok, consisting of a hoisin sauce over chicken, water chestnuts and little fried noodles. Friends also appeared to enjoy the crab cakes served over a corn succotash.

The entrees really wowed us, all served with fluffy mashed potatoes that were clearly homemade with care and lightly sauteed vegetables that were tender and not oily. I really enjoyed my short rib entree which was fall-apart tender and rich, “simmered overnight in red wine, tomatoes and garlic,” according to the menu. Hubs had the 6 ounce filet, which was perfect, and D had the rack of ribs which he enjoyed. Our lady friend was in love with her Chicken Rockefeller, a spinach and bacon stuffed chicken breast.

Apologies for the low-light iPhone pics.

Chicken Rockefeller

Short Rib

Ribs (I think half rack?)

Filet

We fully enjoyed most everything we ordered and I look forward to returning. I also wish I had left room to try dessert. The atmosphere here is lovely whether you sit downstairs in the dining room or bar area, or upstairs where you’ll be outside and have a view of activity on Cameron Village streets below. I hear it turns into quite the late-night spot and they seem to have music and dancing many nights. But don’t underestimate what a delicious meal you can get at reasonable prices. Sandwiches from $8 and entrees from $14.

A wonderful surprise for me was the check-in special on Four Square!  We got 20% off the food!

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4 out of 5 stars

I’ve been to Trali Irish Pub twice now and both times really enjoyed both my meal and the atmosphere.  Once you find Trali (behind BJ’s at Brier Creek) and struggle to find parking you’ll enter a warmly lit convivial environment complete with comfortable tapestried seating at traditional-looking wooden tables.  Weeknights this place will be buzzing with activity and it can get a bit loud, but not rowdily so when I’ve been.

One our recent visit, we enjoyed one of the appetizer specials of the day, fresh mozzarella with tomato and basalmic vinegar.  Friends have highly recommended the Guinness flavored mussels as well but I must admit I was also tempted by the fried camembert cheese with strawberries.  For my entree, I tried a prociutto and pea cream sauce over bowtie pasta.  It was perfect, lightly creamy and not too heavy, with thick slices of prociutto and fresh peas. Hubs tried out some baked cod from the daily specials menu as well, which he enjoyed. On a previous visit I had the cornish game hen, which was acompanied by some delicious roasted potatoes.

I don’t think you can go wrong at this friendly pub, where the attention to detail put into the décor hasn’t exceeded the attention paid to the quality of the food and the preparation of it. Stop in for a drink and find out what the new specials are.

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4 out of 5 stars

O’Malley’s Tavern is hidden in a quaint shopping center off of Glenwood Avenue, across from the Rooms to Go and just up the road from Crabtree Mall. Fellow reviewers’ descriptions of a dive bar are correct, but this is a dive bar with personality. Well-worn wooden booths welcome you on one side, and the other sports pool tables and comfortable-looking couches. Patrons seem to be made up of a come-as-you are local crowd, which is a breath of fresh air compared to many places farther down Glenwood. Speaking of fresh air, now that all bars are non-smoking it shan’t deter you from visiting this hidden gem. They even have a nice patio out front.

I actually only stopped in here for breakfast, but really did enjoy the simple meal and friendly service. The breakfast menu here is actually pretty broad, taking up two sides of a menu page. I had the country fried steak and two eggs with toast, plus choice of hash browns or oatmeal or grits for $5.75. My steak was relatively small, but quite satisfying for the price paid. Hubs had Byron’s Breakfast, consisting of two eggs, two sausage links plus wheat toast for $5. His sausage links were deliciously herby and tasted homemade. Prices are reasonable with lots of options to choose from, including corned beef hash, sweet potato sticks, yogurt, omelettes, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, french toast and more.

Drink (including pitchers) and food specials look generous, so try them out any time of the day.

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