Walmart Bakery

This was the first Walmart in our area, as I recall, and over the years it has gone through little cycles of better and worse. The store is usually in minor disarray, not as bad as some Walmarts, but enough to make me think that more care could be taken by the employees. The checkouts are often backed up a bit. The most annoying thing is the parking lot situation, which is bad even after a redesign a few years ago that moved exit traffic to a separate driveway. Getting across Hwy 100 to turn southbound can be a real problem. Between the K-Mart a mile south, and two recently added Targets in the area (Drexel/Hwy 100, and New Berlin), we've been able to visit this store less often in recent years.

Walmart's prices are often a little better than the competition's, but then again, sometimes not. I've rarely found that to be a compelling reason to shop here.

Linda's Cafe

Small place, great breakfasts all day, greasy spoon style. Hidden away a bit, it would be easy enough to miss, in a strip mall. Come hungry, you'll leave happy and full.

Hertz

Related to my review panning Dale Mabry HLE, this HLE also deserves a review.

We came into Tampa on Amtrak, and Dale Mabry had us call a different number to arrange for pickup. They didn't say it was another Hertz location. These guys did the pickup, and drove me to their location. I had no idea it wasn't Dale Mabry, but upon completing the paperwork, the rates weren't right. Apparently this location normally charges more, plus there's a hotel concession fee of some sort.

Two minor annoyances with this HLE: they didn't catch that they were charging me something higher than the rate guaranteed on my paperwork, and they issued me a car with only 5/8ths a tank without telling me.

Other than that, they were stellar, because they had an annoyed customer on their hands, through no particular fault of their own. After spending some time trying to "fix" it, they assured me that they would correct the problem, and that I should just take the car and go. In my experience, this is a recipe for disaster, but they were good to their word, and the rate I ended up with was actually a bit cheaper than the quote. They were friendly and professional about it, tried to figure out an immediate solution, actually followed through on what they promised when that didn't pan out, and got me on my way quickly, realizing that I had a family sitting at the Amtrak waiting for me.

American Serb Hall Banquet

Serb Hall is a Milwaukee landmark, and we enjoy stopping by now and then. To some, it is best known for the massive fish fry operation that is held all day every Friday, to others, it is known as a hub for major events and political visitors to the city, while the locals probably know it best for aspects such as the bowling.

Serb Hall is, first and foremost, a rental hall, and at this, I am hard-pressed to imagine a better place in the area to hold a large event. Sporting two large halls and the capability to manage several events simultaneously thanks to the hall's excellent design, they offer both the President's Hall and the Wisconsin Hall. The President's Hall has seen many events and famous people, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, all have appeared there, and the outstanding decor makes it a perfect place to hold an event. Rental rates are quite reasonable, all things considered, and management is willing to work with you to meet your catering requirements. Catering is excellent, some of the best around, food is great and the service, attentive and hardworking. Overall, hall rental operations: very friendly, professional, and they don't mess around.

I'm less impressed with the fish fry operation. It probably isn't Serb's fault, it is just so popular. They cope with it amazingly well, and are able to move people in and out at a rapid pace. The food is of a consistently good quality, which is amazing when you consider the scope of the operation. The food isn't amazing, but it really is consistent, over visits over the period of many years, good, solid, and tasty. However, all the action and people moving about and in and out tends to create some tension in the atmosphere, and I can't say that I care for that. We typically go out with friends to socialize and relax.

Bowling is ... well, eh, I think I prefer several of the real bowling lanes that are readily available in the area. It certainly rounds out Serb's capabilities as a destination, I can't think of another hall where you can go abuse ten pins when the reception gets boring. ;-) But I wouldn't normally go there.

After Hours Pediatrics

We were recently traveling in Florida and wound up with a kid with what we thought was an ear infection. A little research, and we found this very interesting alternative.

After Hours Pediatrics seems very popular with the locals. We found a number of web references and newspaper articles about it. We ended up there our first evening in town, and found a nice office, designed for children, and friendly, helpful staff and a doctor who didn't think a kid was just a micro-sized adult. We didn't wait long, the doctor quickly confirmed our suspicions, prescribed antibiotics, sent the prescription on to a pharmacy, and we were on our way in about an hour total, not bad for urgent care/no appointment service.

We're still waiting to see how they deal with our insurance company, and all that, but barring any major screwups on that front, we're extremely pleased.

Cicis

Okay, I guess you can't expect a lot from a place that's charging about five bucks for dinner, but on the other hand, we found one in Treasure Island, FL that was pristine.

This one was anything but. Perhaps it was just that it was dinnertime and the place was packed, but it was a mess. Uncleared tables, new customers coming in not finding a clean table to sit at, and one poor sorry busboy working like mad to keep up with the tables, several spilled Cokes, and everything else in the dining room.

Other than that, actually, the food was typical Cici's, pretty good, mostly fresh, and generally satisfactory.

We've noticed that restaurants, particularly buffets, along the 192 strip in Kissimmee all seem to suffer in various ways. Perhaps it is just that they're all in competition with each other, and maybe they're not making enough money during the Disney slow season, which is usually when we're there, but it seems to me that if your restaurant is full and you're unable to seat people because you're not clearing tables rapidly enough, paying a second busboy would mean fewer people getting disgusted and skipping out of the queue.

My advice? Try a different Cici's. There are plenty around.

Golden Corral Buffet & Grill

While I respect the reviewer that felt this was a "better buffet", I'm rating this as a one-star. When we visited, it set a new low for Golden Corral.

I'd rather eat at an Old Country Buffet than this Golden Corral. The layout was atrocious, the food was mostly terrible, and the service was only so-so. This isn't what we've come to expect at a Golden Corral.

In their defense, we ate at a few other buffet places in the area as well, and the quality was of a similar poor level. Perhaps it is just that these places are poorly maintained in the Disney off season. Or perhaps they're just poorly maintained year round, because they know that people aren't going to have a lot of options. I don't really know. Either way, it wasn't worth it, and that's unfortunate.

Golden Corral Buffet & Grill

GC Waukesha ...

Golden Corral is a relative newcomer in this area, but they've been here a number of years and have established a reputation. A relatively inexpensive large buffet, they have a wide variety of salad, dessert, and all the normal buffet items to keep a family happy.

We've been to a number of Golden Corrals, including ones in other states, and the one in Kenosha. The Waukesha one is fairly well kept, though it tends to be crowded and there's a tendency for it to be a bit of a mess during peak times. Overall, the quality is generally above average for a buffet restaurant, perhaps one in ten things are "bad", with most of the rest above average. We like the pot roast and the bourbon chicken... we've almost never seen them mess these up.

I'm giving this location a "satisfactory". It isn't the best GC we've been to, but it is a steady performer.

Golden Corral Buffet & Grill

GC Kenosha ...

Golden Corral is a relative newcomer in this area, but they've been here a number of years and have established their reputation. Relatively inexpensive large buffet, they have a wide variety of salad, dessert, and all the normal buffet items to keep a family happy.

We've been to a number of Golden Corrals, including ones in other states, and the one in Waukesha. Unfortunately, I have to report that the Kenosha location falls somewhat short in its housekeeping, and our last few visits have left an impression that they should close for a day and just do a general hosedown of the entire joint, touchups/fixups, etc. The waitstaff tends to be a bit surly and we often have to ask for plates or drink refills. Despite that, the quality of the food is generally above average for a buffet restaurant, maybe one in ten things are "bad", with a large percentage of the rest above average. We like the pot roast and the bourbon chicken, be sure to try them.

I'm giving this location a "wouldn't recommend", the ones in Waukesha or Illinois are preferable.

McDonald's

Six Flags McD...

In recent times, McDonald's has been undergoing something of a renaissance into trying to become some odd upscale Starbucks-a-like, and in doing so, as a parent, I've been disappointed to see a number of nice playlands disappear. McDonald's seems to have forgotten that they have the playland market cornered... so anyways, I've decided to review some and share some hints for other parents.

This McDonald's is generally in need of better maintenance, usually a bit on the dirty side when we've been here. On the other hand, it has a very nice playland that's usually very busy, well designed for both younger and older children, and we cannot drive past it without requests to "can we please go there?" It's a large playland, large enough to host large birthday parties, and with restroom facilities in the playland area, which is great for kids. We try to make the drive down a few times a year, and it seems to be a popular stop for families going to Gurnee Mills or Six Flags.