Resturant Review: Teriyaki Madness

My husband and I haven't had very much luck eating out at non-chain restaurants. We always say lets try that new local place and then get scared and take a pass and end up somewhere we've eaten before. Teriyaki Madness is a chain of restaurants but new to me. I love teriyaki and I wanted to try a new restaurant and I was able to convince my husband that going out for dinner was a good idea despite the pouring rain and the fact that this place is miles away from our new place.  We had other errands in the area so it all worked out but I hate driving in the rain.  Thankfully the fearful in the dark rain driving was worth it.

Teriyaki Madness is located near the Loop but across John Young in a new shopping plaza that has gone up near BJs.  I guess it's the Loops competition because it also has an Outback Steakhouse, Cheddars, Hoppy Lobby, PetSmart and many other great shops. There is still construction going on and we noticed a couple other new eateries to be open soon and something called a Fresh Market to be open soon. Wish I lived closer!

Teriyaki Madness has a very simple menu. You pretty much pick a protein and a base of veggies, noodles or veggies (or a combo) and there are some appetizers and side items to choose from as well. I don't recall seeing any dessert items being available which was kind of sad since Menchii's is all the way over by the Loop.  Like I need the extra calories, lol!

The really neat thing about Teriyaki Madness is that it is a franchise run by the Brevard Achievement Center (BAC), a nonprofit agency with headquarters in Rockledge Colorado that offers programs and services to assist people with disabilities. According to the signage in store these restaurants are a revenue source (obviously) and can provide on-the-job training, not to mention employment, for people with disabilities. Pretty awesome, right?

It was pouring down rain so it wasn't very busy in the store. The few people we saw looked like employees from the surrounding stores. This location was also hard to see from the road and when we tried to get directions via our phone it insisted that this location did not exist. It's a small building really. I couldn't get a picture of the exterior due to rain but it's just grey with a large lit sign with the Teriyaki Madness in black in red. I love the color and the madness, lol! The store was clean and all teh tables came well stocked with teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and sriracha. They offer the typical fountain drinks and some bottled items as well.

I did feel like we waited quite a long time for our order but since everything was made fresh and the staff was uber friendly I didn't mind over much. I think their might have been some to-go orders holding up service as well.

I ordered the teriyaki chicken bowl with rice and stir-fried veggies. I also ordered an appetizer of crab rangoon. I received a ton of food. I honestly could not finish it all. I had so much rice leftover! The chicken was delicious and the crab rangoon? OMG! The best I have had in a long time. It came with some sort of dipping sauce that was just fantastic. I ordered 4 but next time I'll do the order of two. I couldn't eat everything and ended up taking 2 of mine home to eat later.

My husband ordered a bowl with katsu with yakisoba noodles and stir fried veggies (half of which I consumed because he doesn't like squash or broccoli). I tried some of the chicken and thought it was delicious. I wasn't a big fan of the noodles but they were okay.

I can't remember if my husband was able to finish the whole bowl. If he left anything it was veggies. He said he really liked his meal too.

Our final bill total was a bit pricey but I don't think much more than ordering Chinese take out and I really feel it was better tasting than any of the Chinese food we have ordered recently.I think the bowl I ordered was around $7.00 and includes the chicken, the rice and the veggie side. The crab rangoon only comes 4 to an around and was around $4.00.Next time me and the hubby will split an order. Hubby's bowl was a bit more because yakisoba noodles are $1.00 extra. The menu does have vegetarian items (like tofu)and also salads. You can also save carbs by ordring all veggies and no rice/noodles.

By the way, my husband's dish came with a sauce to pour on his chicken which I didn't much care for. It reminded me a bit of A-1 steak sauce with cinnamon added to it. It comes on the side so you can control how much to put on your food. My husband really liked it but guess what? He's a more adventurous eater than I am.

I will definetly be eating at Teriyaki Madness in the future. I'm not sure if I'll take my husband with me though. Unfortunately he could see that PetSmart from were he was seated and he decided it would be a brilliant idea to go look around at all the little critters. We ended up bring home one of those little critters:

Her name is Onyxia and she is currently a rambunctious brat. Well, she is a kitten still and I guess that is to be expected. She's a cute one and I couldn't say no to my husband's puppy dog eyes asking if we could take her home. So welcome home Onyxia.

Teriyaki Madness
680 Centerview Blvd, 
Kissimmee, FL 34741
(407) 530-5800

Out With the Girls (Abuelo's Mexican Resturant Review)

Yes, I know I have been M.I.A. this past month but now I'm back.  Maybe.  I've been feeling pretty down in the dumps lately and just haven't been in the mood to bake or take photos.  I'm still in the process of trying to find a house too and that has not been an easy or stress free adventure. 

While my Mother-in-law was in town she wanted to go check out houses and see where we might want to end of living.  We were supposed to look at a few properties but those plans fell through so we just drove around which was surprisingly helpful.

Before we set off on our journey I met up with mom-in-law,my sis-in-law and her daughter for lunch at Abuelo's Mexican Resturant at the Loop in Kissimmee.  I've passed by it many times but since my hubby isn't a fan of Mexican food that doesn't come from Taco Bell, never had the opportunity to try it out.

The first thing I loved about this restaurant was the decor.  I really hate going out to eat and then wishing I had brought a flashlight to read the menu.  This place is so bright and airy and doesn't feel crowded.  Of course we went for lunch but I have a feeling that at the height of dinner rush hour I would still feel comfortable and uncrowded.  It really feels like your seated outside on the patio without having to worry about the heat and bugs.

There is so much to look at while you wait for your food.  I don't know what this statue is all about but its gorgeous.  The murals on the wall are pretty awesome too.

Our server brought us free chips and a trio of salsas to dip them in.  The chips were nice and warm but could have used a touch of salt.  We ate two baskets full!  I didn't much care for the salsa but I don't care for salsa in general.

Here is my niece Claudia helping us polish off the chips.  I love getting to hang out with my husband's family.  Abuelo's seems pretty kid friendly.  They gave out color crayons and a kid's menu coloring page and serve the kid drinks in a plastic cup with a tight fitting lid.

I picked my entree from the lunch menu.  Everything is pretty affordable.  I really had a hard time picking out what I wanted to eat because it all sounded so good!

It looks like my Mom-in-law chose the chicken fajitas.  For some reason I thought the little pepper was the cutest thing I had ever seen.  I took so many pictures of it.  I'm completely ridiculous sometimes! 

Lil' Claudia chose the cheese quesadilla with rice and beans.  Looks pretty tasty to me. Anything covered in cheese usually is, right?  She couldn't finish all her food so momma had to get a to go box.  No skimpy servings here!

My meal consisted of pork soft tacos (Carnita Tacos), mashed potatoes, re-fried beans and some sort of onion cilantro topping.  I'm so glad they served the onions on the side.  I hate cilantro with a passion (and so does my husband!).  It tastes like soap, ick!

My favorite part of the whole meal were these potatoes (Papas con Chile).  I love potatoes anyways but these were taken to a whole other level.  They are combined with 4 cheeses, peppers, sour cream, garlic and jalapeno.  I was afraid that they would be uber spicy but they were perfectly seasoned and not spicy at all.  Just down right delicious.  I'd go back just for the potatoes!

Overall our experience at Abuelo's tells me that I will be returning even if I have to drag my husband into the lobby kicking and screaming. (J/K he isn't THAT picky).  Our waitress was friendly, the atmosphere wonderful and the food excellent.  It doesn't get batter than that.

Abuelo's Mexican Resturant

2431 West Osceola Pkwy.
Kissimmee, FL 34741
407.870.0901

Mikado & Japan Festival 2012

Last weekend I forced my husband out of bed, made him get dressed and bundled him into the car for an adventure.  I also convinced my roommate to come along (after he made me tell him where we were going to go...I guess he doesn't trust me as much as my husband does?).

My husband was so excited when we drove into area where a Japanese Festival was being held.  It was a small festival but big on entertainment and, best of all, free!  Well, sort of.  We did buy food and I bought a cute pair of earrings: