La Taverna

We stopped here on our way back from vacation.  I have found some great places through Yelp and I had very high hopes for this place.  I am torn in my assessment of the food.  My expectations were very high since it was reviewed all 5 stars.  If I didn't expect great I think I would have been blown away.  One doesn't expect to have great food in a strip mall just off the highway in Spartanburg SC.  Everyone was happy with their meal (myself included) but I did try everything and it wasn't all great.  The bread was wonderful and I had to hold off devouring it so I would have room for our meal.  We got some mozzarella sticks for the kids.  They needed something quick.

Penne

 At the table we had: Lasagna, 2 pizzas, Eggplant Parmigiana, Portobello Chicken and I had the Penne Del Boscaiola.   The menu stated that all was cooked to order and be patient, but all came out pretty quick. (the restaurant was fairly empty as it was an off time to eat) I loved my penne, but it was a tad on the salty side. It was still the best dish on the table in my opinion.  The eggplant was good but a little mushy.  The lasagna was enjoyed by the carnivore who ordered it, but I thought it was a little to heavy on the meat.  The pizza looked good, but I didn't try it until later when we reheated it and it was not good.  I know it was better when fresh, but I have tasted good pizza and it was way better than this.  The worst thing on the table (which was enjoyed by the person who ordered it) was the chicken portobello.  It wasn't horrible but I thought it was a little bland. I also didn't like that the vegetable side was 3 starchy veggies. (carrots, green beans and potatoes)  They were cooked well and tasty but I prefer my veggies to be veggies and not starches.  But that's just me. Perhaps the salt and the emphasis on starch are catering to the local tastes.

Eggplant

So the breakdown.  I would eat there again. I admit to having two prejudices that make it hard to give a fair review so I am trying to compensate for them. 1) I expect in a town of about 40, 000 in South Carolina, the chance of excellent Italian would be slim and 2) if a place got 5 stars across the board on Yelp, its really good.  Hopefully these conflicting preconceptions cancel each other out.

La Taverna
120 Dorman Dr
Spartanburg SC 29301
(864) 576-8660
http://latavernaitaliancuisine.com/



Portobello Chicken

Veggies

Lasagna



Lenny's New York Pizza



garlic knots

Calzone

Lenny's is one of the few places in town to get a truly great pizza.  As you can see from the picture the pieces are HUGE!  I and I do mean huge.  One slice would fill just about anyone. Notice the size of the fork in relation to the slice?  Yeah, it's that big.  And it's only virtue isn't it's size; it is a pretty darn fine slice of pizza.  Lenny's is conveniently located near my favorite beach spot and I will take any excuse to head on in for a bite.  I do have a problem when I go there;  I need to order the garlic knots.  They are amazing!  A single knot could fill you up and the order come with, I think, 8.  I order the and I eat one.  Now I am too full for my pizza but I soldier on and try to eat some of it.  As if I haven't eaten enough fat and calories, I have to drizzle some of the unbelievable garlic, oil and Parmesan on the pizza;).  I try to tell myself I burned a lot of calories at the beach, but I don't think a week of aerobics would work it off but hey, every once in a while right?  My family all enjoy the garlic knots also, so I get help eating them. And I can blame them when the next day my clothes feel a tad snug.  I haven't had the pleasure of trying every ting on the menu; really I haven't been able to get beyond the pizza and the knots.  With the intent of taking a lot home, this trip, I did order an eggplant pinwheel.  It was very good too.  The service there is not traditional.  Depending on who is there, you may get someone who comes out to the table, but usually we get our own menus and sit, someone from the kitchen asks what we want, and we holler it out to them.  I admit I thought it a bit odd at first, but it has come to have it's own charm. 

Clockwise from top: Cheese Sticks, Veggie Slice, Pinwheel

Bottom line, it's good.  It's not fancy but it's good food for a good price and you can roll on in in your bathing suit.

Lenny's New York Pizza Co.
1456 Oceanshore Blvd
Ormond Beach Fl
(386) 441-8811
http://lennysnewyorkpizzaco.com/

River Rocks

Strawberry mojito

Well I saw mixed reviews on yelp but it was the only place I had bookmarked nearby with a full bar.  The need for alcohol for the travel weary group outweighed the need for excellent food.  We pull into the parking lot and it's valet only.  Now I don't mind valet parking, but with a 2 year old in tow, it just easier to collect all my stuff, possibly change a diaper and get everyone moving at a spot rather than while some guys stand there waiting for us to get our butts in gear.  It turns out that there is another parking lot on the other side of the building that isn't valet so we go there.  The restaurant is right on the river and we decide to sit outside.  The smartest thing we could have done!

Coco Shrimp

The first thing we ordered were drinks. I had a strawberry mojito.  It was tasty and strong even if I got teeth full of bits of green mint.  My friend got a margarita tini that was too heavy on fruit and not enough tequila.  Her second drink was much better even if it took her 3 paragraphs of instructions to order. (love ya but you know it's true;)  Hubby had a beer and while you can screw up tap beer, it's hard to do.  We were enjoying the view and the drinks. 

Rock's Crab Cake

Grouper Reuben

River Rock's House Salad

For our meal we ordered a bunch of appetizers for the ladies, my husband ordered the grouper Ruben that was recommended to him. My friend ordered the Rock's Crab Cake and Coco Shrimp.  I got the 'Dock Dip" (a lobster and crab dip) for the table, Jalapeno Toasted Ravioli  and River

Jalapeno Toasted Ravioli

Rocks House Salad for myself. The Reuben looked good but was flavorless and mushy.  The shrimp had way to much breading and were mediocre at best. The crab cake, which we worried would be the worst thing on the table was quite good.  The ravioli were ok but I could see them coming out of a bag in the freezer section. My salad was unusual for your side salad.  In addition to the greens it had shaved fennel, feta, watermelon and candied pecans.  It was very good and my husband loved it and pronounced it the best thing on the table.  I liked my drink way better.  To me the watermelon was flavorless.  At first I thought I had gotten some exceptionally mealy tomatoes.  I then realized it was just bad watermelon.  By opting to sit outside, we had a different menu than the indoor restaurant; it was also a less expensive menu as it turns out.  I haven't tried the inside menu, but I can't imagine that the same kitchen that turned out that over priced, poor quality meal can manage to do the pricier, fancier menu justice.  Our bill was close on to $100 for all of our items and 2 drinks each, but at a place like Chili's it would been half that and most likely better.  You are paying for the view, bottom line.  Our table was even on a lower deck and most of our view was obscured by a row of bar seats.  Unless you want to have a drink with a view and eat mediocre food, I would go somewhere else.

River Rocks
6485 South US1
Rockledge  Fl 32955
(321) 757-7200
http://www.riverrocksrestaurant.com/

Tommy John's Grill

Tommy John's Grill is a recent addition to beach side restaurants.  They had been open less than a week when my friend and I decided to stop in and see what they had to offer.  The staff was not informed on the menu.  It took quite a long time to get our order placed.  I realize that they are new, but I think the staff should be able to answer what comes on a sandwich.  Not a huge mark against them but for some one less patient and forgiving as I am, that could cause a problem.
The menu is short and simple.  It consists of several hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, a few salads and two similar pasta dishes. To accompany the sandwiches (they don't come with) they have some sides like fries, onion rings and wings.  They also offer a few desserts and small beer and wine selection. It is an order at the counter place., and then they bring it out to your table. 

I had the Vegi Sandwich. (pictured left)  The bun was quite good.  It came with grilled eggplant, lettuce, tomato, pickles and cheese.  The menu also said it came with mayo which I had to ask for. It was all fresh and I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was.  And at $3.75 a deal.  You can't get fast food garbage for that price.  And look at that tomato!  It was nice and ripe.  Not at all like the mealy pathetic things you find at other quick eats restaurants.  Sp far, except the complete lack of knowledge on the staff's part, (again less than a week open so I am overlooking it) it is looking great. If the other people in my party enjoyed their food as much as I did, I think that this place will be a real find.

My friend had the Beef Cheddar Croissant.  I tried it. (of course)  The meat was a little dry.  She added mayo to it and it was much better.  It was a hot sandwich with meat like in a Philly cheese steak.  If they had offered horseradish sauce, it would have been great.  It was also a great value at $5.95.  It was a substantial portion, and  like the Vegi sandwich above, less expensive and better quality than any fast food chain.  I am also pretty impressed with the breads that they are serving their sandwiches on.  They can make or break a sandwich and I am glad to see that they weren't overlooked by the owners of the place.

 My son decided to get the Bacon Burger ($5.70) and add cheese (0.69).  This is a 1/3 lb burger, on the great bun.  He loved it.  I tried it and while I thought pretty good.  It certainly put all fast food burgers to shame.  The only meh for me was the cheese fries.  They were frozen fries.  I liked the seasoned salt they put on it, but the cheese was like that nacho cheese in a pump.  Meh.  However, at $2.89 for a regular (pictured) it wasn't bad but the only item that didn't seem a bargain. 

 So to sum up, I think that this place is worth a look.  I can't honestly say that I would make the LONG drive from my house just to eat there, but I would certainly make it one of my regular after beach stops.  If I lived closer, it would be a great place to grab a reasonably priced lunch.  While the menu is limited, they seem to do those things well and they give you a 100% better meal for less than any other fast food place out there.

Tommy John's Grill

1064 Ocean Shore Blvd

Ormond Beach, Fl 32176

(386) 441-5422