Machismo Burrito Bar-College Place, Norfolk VA

I know, I am a bit obsessed with Machismo. I was so excited today when I walked out of The Market at lunchtime and came face to face with a Machismo sign. It isn't what you might think. Machismo is NOT leaving the insanity of York Street construction. They are expanding with a new restaurant on the corner of Boush Street and College Place. This makes me happy. I can still take a nice stroll to York Street on days I feel like a walk, or take a quick jaunt to College Place on the days I need a quick Burrito fix.
They are scheduled to open Thursday of this week (8/6) and I have a feeling they will be swamped. All you downtowners who didn't have it in you to trek to York Street no longer have an excuse not to try them out. Suddenvalues.com has a coupon for FREE FOUNTAIN DRINK & CHIPS OR COOKIE with select entrees. Grab a few of your office buddies and check it out!

For more information visit their website at http://www.machismoburritobar.com or see our full review here.

_Laine


*Note-This location is just as good as York Street. It has a bit more urban feel to the interior decor with a lot more available setting. Lunch lines can get a bit long, but it is well worth the wait. You always get a big bang for your buck! Let me know what you think!_Laine

Waiters Who Won’t Write

Call me old school, but when a server comes up to the table and asks me if I am ready to order, I want to see a pen and paper in his hand. I find it very unsettling to see someone standing there just staring at me, memorizing (or not memorizing) my order. It seems that “paper free” ordering is a growing trend in restaurants these days and I don’t get it. Is this yet another effort to “go green”, or are we supposed to be impressed at their skill? I mean, if a waiter is such a master of memorization then why doesn’t he memorize a text book on rocket science and go work at NASA? When they don’t write an order down, there is always a lingering worry in the back of my mind that the order is going to come out wrong. Granted, errors occur even when the order is written down, but in these instances the waiter can blame the “kitchen”. If they don’t write it down, I’m placing the blame on the order taker. Some restaurants are even more advanced and use hand held, palmsized computers which eliminate the need to write down the order and enter later in a register. These devices send the orders immediately from table to kitchen. Not only does this eliminate errors, but it cuts down on wait time caused by the multitude of interruptions that could occur from the time you place your order until the time the server can get it entered in a register. Wow, I’d like to see more of these!


I discussed this topic recently with several friends and found that opinions are split down the middle. I decided to go straight to the source and find out what the masses think. As with everything else, this led me to Google, which in turn led me to a great article from this month’s Orlando Magazine 17 Service Slip-Ups That Can Ruin a Meal. He concurs with the need for written documentation of orders. Do you? Let me know!

_Laine

Enrico's Ristorante, Norfolk, VA

After an evening of entertaining my grandmother, Nikki and I decided on Enrico's Ristorante. We have been in the past, but it was a good while ago. Enrico's has the traditional Italian and Greek selections and while I am slightly fearful of ordering something for $25 in a place I do not know that well, I am very comfortable ordering a traditional pasta dish. We started with the Spanakopita and the Keftedes (Greek meatballs made with lamb) served with a feta-dill-cucumber dip. The Spanakopita was a little dry but the Keftedes were phenomenal.


For my entree, I opted for the spinach and cheese ravioli in a roasted tomato sauce and Nikki ordered the lasagna. Both were very good and we were happy. Enrico's did have crab cakes, scallops and some other items on special, but I think Enrico's is a good place to order pasta. As for atmosphere, it is not as casual as say, A.W. Shucks, but it is not fancy either. In the middle (with cloth napkins - always a plus!) and while it was not packed on a Friday night at 9:15, there was a few tables of lively people. Prices are reasonable and our server was very pleasant and things moved along at the right speed. Enrico's is also in the Entertainment Book, so if you are unsure, you can go for the buy one, get one free for your first visit.

Enrico's serves lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and dinner on Saturdays and is located at 4012 Colley Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23508.

~Alex

www.enricosristorante.com