Restaurant Catch-up: Stone Creek Dining, Kincaid’s, Buca di Beppo

Over the past couple months, I have not updated the reviews as I have dined out.  So, let me take this opportunity to post some dining experiences that stick out in my mind.

I’ll start with the one that sticks out that was not so pleasant.  It was in Noblesville, IN at the Hamilton Town Center.  There, I dined at Stone Creek Dining Company.  From the outside and the interior decor, it looked as if this was going to be a really nice dinner.  After about a half an hour  to 45 minute wait, we finally were following some girl as she speed-walked to the table we were going to be sitting at.  Then, no friendly chit-chat or anything, she handed us our menus and was off.  Then, we were greeted by one of the worse servers I have had.  This person literally was sweating and wiping the sweat with their hands.    Yes, the same person that brought us our meal and drinks.  Well, I should add that this person was supposed to bring us our drinks…our drinks were empty for most of the meal.  The server never even came around much for us to ask for drinks, and when we did tell them, we would usually have to mention it again to actually get it.  We just left this dining establishment frazzled.  On top of that, the meal we got was just okay.  I really hope that things have gotten better there because we were extremely dissatisfied.

On a much better note, a place that I really enjoyed was Kincaid’s in Clay Terrace in Carmel, IN.  The service was okay, but the food was great.  I’ve been there twice in the last two months because I enjoyed the food so much.  I have had the Seafood Linguine for dinner and the Pacific Tiger Prawn Linguine for lunch.  The seafood is a good size, and I really enjoy the white alfredo sauces they use for both of those.  Here is the menu for both the lunch and dinner.  I have dined with others who have gotten the Bering Sea Red King Crab Cakes for dinner and the Fish and Chips for lunch, and they really enjoyed both.

I also dined at Buca di Beppo in Castleton.  There they serve a majority of their food family style, so you pick a couple dishesand share with others in your group.  Some items that we got were the Bruschetta, Mozzarella Garlic Bread, Cheese Manicotti, and Raviolli with Meat Sauce.  All the items were very good, and the dishes remind me of home cooking.  It’s definitely a different taste than other Italian restaurants such as Carrabba’s and Macaroni Grill.   Those two taste more like what you would expect when dining out, and to me, Buca di Beppo has more of a taste like my grandma had worked in the kitchen for hours preparing the meal.

Mitchell’s Fish Market Review – Carmel

Restaurant: Mitchell’s Fish Market
Location: Carmel, IN  Clay Terrace Shopping Center
Address: 14311 Clay Terrace Blvd, Suite 100  Carmel, IN 46032
Menu: Mitchell’s Menu
Type: Seafood
Loyalty Program: None Known
Today’s Meal: New Orleans VooDoo BBQ Shrimp, Maryland Crabcake Sandwich, Fries, Cole Slaw, Soft Drink
Cost: About $25

Today was a late lunch at Mitchell’s Fish Market.  First off, the host/hostess was amazing.  They not only let us choose the table that met our group’s needs for dining, but they also were attentive in seeing if we needed any help while we were getting everyone situated.  The server was also superb.  All our food came out at perfect intervals with the bread, appetizers, and main dishes, refills were presented before we needed them, and they were knowledgeable and very friendly.

First I ate the complimentary bread.  I believe that it is a sourdough type of bread, and it is very good.  They also serve a whipped butter with this.  Next the New Orleans VooDoo BBQ Shrimp came out.  This is very good.  It’s shrimp, with a sweet-tangy type of BBQ sauce and then a piece of bacon wrapped around the shrimp.  A small scoop of white sticky rice is in the middle of the plate with 5 of the shrimp fanned around.  I always find myself wanting more of these delicious shrimp!  Finally, the crabcake melt sandwich arrived.  This is a really good sandwich.  It is served on an English muffin and has a tomato with a slice of cheddar cheese melted over.  Onion is also on the sandwich, however mine came with only a small sliver.  Sometimes a side of tartar sauce is served, but if not, I always ask for some.  This adds a very nice zest to the sandwich.  The one thing about this sandwich is sometimes when I bite into it, I get little crunchy pieces.  I used to think it was bits of the crab shell, however now I’m wondering if it is just the edges of the crabcake where it has been cooked to a crisp.  That definitely makes me happier to think of it that way!  The fries in the past have been excellent, however this time they lacked enough of the sea salt that they use.  Other than that, it was a great meal with excellent service.

See if there’s a Mitchell’s Fish Market near you!

Macaroni Grill Review – Carmel

Restaurant: Macaroni Grill
Location: Carmel, IN
Address: 2375 116th East  Carmel, IN 46032
Menu: Macaroni Grill Menu (dinner menu for Carmel location, lunch menu also available)
Type: Italian
Loyalty Program: Mac Pack (Sign up on home page.  It says that you’ll get a free appetizer and other things.)
Today’s Meal: Bread and Oil, Create your Own Pasta of Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce, Capellini Pasta, Caesar Salad, and Soft Drink
Cost: About $16

Today I went to Macaroni Grill for lunch, and I immediately was seated.  A few minutes after being seated, I received my drink I had ordered as well as the complimentary bread loaf.  Here, they pour some Extra Virgin Olive Oil on a dish and grind some fresh pepper into it for dipping the bread.  Throughout the course of the meal, I requested two additional loaves of bread as it was so warm and fresh when it came out that I kept wanting more. 

I typically order off the Create Your Own Pasta menu when I come here.  They have other dishes that are quite good, but I really like a cheesy type of Fettuccine Alfredo which is what I can order off this menu.  You ask your server for a Create Your Own Pasta Pad, and you mark which type of pasta, sauce, meat, or extras that you want.  Some of the items are complimentary, while others cost more.  The menu denotes which costs more. 

First I got my Caesar Salad, and I must say that it is one of my favorite Caesar Salads out there.  The dressing and the croutons are just perfect to me.

The food came out at a perfect time after finishing off the salad, and it was really warm.  The sauce that I got on my pasta was four cheese Alfredo (which cost an additional $2), and I really like it.  When you are served your food, they ask you if you want freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and I always get that as well.

It was a great experience at Macaroni Grill.  The server was very polite, kept drink refills going, and was knowledgeable about the menu.  The food was equally as delicious.

Find a Macaroni Grill menu or location near you!