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Roberto's


jkgourmet

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Roberto's is an old standby, and everybody knows it. I'll keep my comments quite specific.

Went for dinner on Two-fer night (buy one entree, get one free). Place was not busy, service was excellent. Same old menu, same old food, from last year. Still great poblano soup and carrot thingy's. Good deal on two-fer night, but I think I'd go elsewhere at full prices. But they get extra points for reliability.

Chinese night on Sunday is a different experience entirely. Place was very crowded, service was embarrassingly slow. Meals come with so-so egg rolls and a "hot and sour soup" that was missing the hot and sour part. Actually, it tasted pretty good - but more like a beef broth based egg drop soup.

A surprisingly long list of Chinese entrees to select from, and our table of 9 probably ordered about 7 different items. All were pleased with their meals, though some rightfully commented that the servings seemed a bit small. I tasted the pork lo mein, the kung pow chicken and the mongolian beef. All were quite good, and I was surprised at how tender the beef and chicken were. No heat in the kung pow at all - maybe we should have asked for hot?

Is this "authentic" Chinese? Nope. Is this the "best" Chinese I've ever had? Hardly. Is it "better" than Min Wah? IMO, yes. Is it tasty and would I go back if I wanted something a little different or wanted to get a Chinese food fix? Absolutely (but expect slow service.)

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Well done, Jeanette.

If you don't think of it as "Chinese", it tastes much better. lol. I imagine that if you want some picante added and requested "hot chili sauce" it might appear. Lets' face it: it's not the usual clientele for spicy food, and pleasing the customer is number one on their list.

The waiter told us at lunch Saturday that Bobby is recuperating from recent surgery at home, so don't expect the food to improve until he does......and returns to shape up the kitchen. :rolleyes:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Roberto's is an old standby, and everybody knows it. I'll keep my comments quite specific.

Went for dinner on Two-fer night (buy one entree, get one free). Place was not busy, service was excellent. Same old menu, same old food, from last year. Still great poblano soup and carrot thingy's. Good deal on two-fer night, but I think I'd go elsewhere at full prices. But they get extra points for reliability.

We went last night on the 2 for 1 thing. We had pretty much the same experience as above. We ordered the Brisket and Fish&chips. Brisket was good. The Fish&chips a big disappointment a lot of Panko, hardly any fish, and limp fries. Both portions were small, (does this reflect a high class restaurant serving size ie. pay more for less, or is this the 2 for 1 special?).

Overall felt the cost for what we got was just about decent ($180 meals+beer), I would have been irritated if we had to pay the full $310 price. We were presented with two receipts, the bill and a small slip showing the "real price" - We tipped based on the "real" price - we got the hint.

Would we go back?, that's an open question. The service and ambient was good, but the serving's weren't inspiring.

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Roberto's is having some kind of special dinner on August 10th and 11th, where they will begin offering new menu items. We'll be attending one of these nights. I'll be happy to let you guys know what has changed in the menu and pricing - but I'm unlikely to comment on the food (as I've previously discussed in other threads.)

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Guest RevImmigrant

Three of us had lunch at Roberto's today. We all had fish and chips, which we all enjoyed. Two had the french onion soup and I had the cream of poblano soup. One of the things I like about the fish at Roberto's is that it is breaded with Panko, the queen of breadcrumbs. The french fries (chips)are thin and crispy too. Roberto's has some of the best bread around and it's served warm. The fish is far better than what I had in the restaurant in Old Town in San Diego 10 days ago; that fish and chips plate cost $14 USD and I got sick later in the evening from it.

For some reason (possibly catering to perceived tastes) the Chinese dishes that are supposed to be hot and spicy do not have any chiles in them like true Sichuan dishes and some dishes that normally wouldn't have any onions have onions. The fried rice seems to be a Mexican thing since I have been to Chinese restaurants all over in the US, east and west Germany and such unlikely places as Istanbul and Bergen (Norway, not NJ) and they serve white rice except for some combination plates in some restaurants.

Bobby is now back and is better.

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The fried rice seems to be a Mexican thing since I have been to Chinese restaurants all over in the US, east and west Germany and such unlikely places as Istanbul and Bergen (Norway, not NJ) and they serve white rice except for some combination plates in some restaurants.

That may be because white rice is part of a Chinese meal; fried rice is a "dish". I order fried rice wherever I go in the U.S. and Canada.

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In the areas of China that have rice as a staple, fried rice is normally a leftover dish, made from yesterday's rice and whatever other things are handy.

I think probably was is more likely, just as pozole was a traditional holiday dish in Mexico.

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Guest RevImmigrant

Cheapo, that's my point. Here they serve fried rice as part of the meal and not the traditional white rice. Personally, I'll take fried noodles over fried rice as a meal any day and frequently have them at home.

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Cheapo, that's my point. Here they serve fried rice as part of the meal and not the traditional white rice. Personally, I'll take fried noodles over fried rice as a meal any day and frequently have them at home.

An interesting point. Upon reflection, I can say that around here the fried rice is always on offer, while the white rice usually has to be asked for. In fact, back home, I always have to ask to make sure they include the white if I order fried; they assume if I want fried, I don't want white. Good call.

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