An Average Joe in San Antonio

You know, sometimes you eat at a place that is not bad, not great, but works.  Rome’s was like that for me.  It definitely was not life changing pizza, it definitely was above mediocre pizza, but it really wasn’t memorable.  I don’t know if I will ever go back (heck, I might walk over there if they are changing my oil over at Meinike again), but then again I might.

So what should you surmise from this review? Give ole Rome’s Pizza a try instead of ordering Pizza Hut or Domino’s one evening to spend your money at a local business or swing by to get a $4.50 lunch combo of two slices of pizza with a drink instead of your #5 combo at McDonald’s.  It is definitely at least worth a try.

Maybe not a spectacular piece of pizza, but it is a good deal.

Value: 9/10 (how can you hate on $4.50 for a lunch of two pieces of pizza and a drink?)
Atmosphere: 8.5/10 (cool atmosphere with checkered floors on the inside; amongst all the Italian decorations there was a picture of the Eiffel Tower that made me go, “What the Hell?”)
Service: 6/10 (above average, not bad, but not memorable nor did it leave me with a WOW feeling)
Taste: 6.5/10 (tasted better than Pizza Hut)
Website: www.romespizza.com
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***NOTE: It appears that this restaurant is no longer in operation***

My continuing search for breakfast food besides tacos led me around the corner to the Flour Power Café.  With a funky painted interior, the restaurant tries to strike a chord with a hippy feel full of peace and love.

I will say that I tried to eat breakfast here once before and was like 5 minutes after 11:00AM, which I was told is when they stop serving breakfast.  I understand that there has to be a point in time when you stop serving breakfast, but I think you should have a grace time of at least 15 minutes!  I ended up returning on this morning to check them out.  (Oddly enough, their website shows that they serve breakfast all day long on the weekend, but I would advise getting there early and not chance it!)

I was in the mood for a big breakfast and ordered coffee, orange juice, the European Omelet (which came with a couple of biscuits), and a couple of jalepeño sausage kolaches.

When my plate was brought out, you could immediately smell the deliciousness of the European Omelet.  It is made with three eggs, pesto, garlic, tomato, basil, Parmesan and Brie cheese.  The two cheeses and the spices work incredibly well to get an amazing taste to the omelet.  Particularly pleasing was the way that the omelet smelled as you ate it; looking at other tables, this dish looked as though it was one of the tops.

This omelet is amazing and will really fill you up!

The homemade biscuits were really nice and had that more course crumbly texture rather than the flakey kind of biscuits.  With a little butter and jam, they made a nice sweet compliment to the omelet.  I will say that kolaches are not worth ordering.  They are really small  and the bread is really dense instead; there was also a strange sweet taste in the kolache that I was not a fan of at all.

My waitress was incredibly friendly and we talked a lot about where we were both from and some of the places we liked in San Antonio.  She was excellent at providing suggestions from the menu (the kolaches were my own doing) and didn’t let my coffee go empty.

I would say that Flour Power Café is pretty groovy man.

Value: 7.5/10 ($8.25 for a three egg omelet and $2 for coffee can make this a fairly expensive little breakfast, although the omelet is huge)
Atmosphere: 8.5/10 (funky colors on the interior, but not as much hippy décor as I would have thought)
Service: 9.5/10 (waitress really engaged me in conversation and made good suggestions)
Taste: 8.5/10 (great tasting omelet and biscuits; the kolaches were a miss so I don’t know how other entrees would be like; so-so coffee)
Website: www.flourpowercafesa.com
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Yes I go to Lula’s frequently and yes I have already written about the restaurant.  However, I had another plate that was worth talking about.  The Thursday special is poblano chicken and for $6 you get a glass of tea, rice, charro beans, and a large portion of chicken covered with poblano sauce.

No matter breakfast or lunch, Lula's always seems to run mean daily specials.

The sauce is very creamy and has a bite that has a sort of slow burn to it.  The chicken is nice and tender, kind of like you would expect fajita chicken to taste.  What really stole the show were Lula’s charro beans; I think that they are the best tasting ones in the city!  I had to get a pint to go to take home for later on that week.

Needless to say, if you haven’t already done so, get over to Lula’s!

I know we are in a recession and all, but the new dollar Frosty is ridiculous…

Really Wendy's? Really? (The Frosty is on the right)

Here is my second crazy creation, dubbed the “Rise and Shine,” which includes: hamburger, cheddar cheese, bacon, fried egg over easy, and pico de gallo.  Go order one up today!

The "Rise and Shine" Burger