An update

Lee and I have several more reviews to write and some healthy snacks you can eat at home to talk about. We will have a new review soon!

We love Taco Bell!

I admit to being a Taco Bell addict and sadly, this has rubbed off on Lee. We have never gotten ill after eating there, which I can't say for many fast food chains. The service is always good and you can't beat the $2 meal deals. You get a drink, a taco or burrito and chips for $2. The one with the seven layer beefy burrito is Lee's favorite.

Taco Bell is not perfect. Lee doesn't like the quesadillas because of the sauce they add. Their taco salads are more expensive than the ones at our sit down restaurants  and are not as good. But if you are looking for a quick dinner that won't break the bank, Lee and I highly recommend Taco Bell!

Are Those Pizza Deals Really "Deals?"

When Lee was younger, if you asked him what he wanted for dinner at my house, he always said, "pizza" and we frequent many Cleveland, Tenn. pizza establishments. He has moved on other "food groups" like Taco Bell and anything Italian, but pizza is a staple at our house. From these blog postings you would think we have terrible diets but you are only seeing a small sampling of what we eat!

We have loved the pizza wars and it hasn't bothered us that the best deals are take-out deals. I stopped having my pizza delivered when the restaurants added a delivery charge that wasn't part of the driver's tip. Luckily, I live close to all the major pizza chains in Cleveland, Tenn.

Lee and I decided to look at the four main Cleveland, Tenn. pizza restaurants, all of which are chains, and share our thoughts as "pizza experts."

Little Caesar's. I actually love their $5 hamburger pizza. I call ahead because they only have pepperoni and cheese "hot and ready." This pizza wins my vote for "Best Value." Lee likes this pizza but it's not his favorite.

Papa Johns. Lee is at a bit of a disadvantage here because we haven't eaten there in ages. However, this is the pizza place of choice for many of my friends and neighbors and we eat there regularly. Their pizza wins my vote for "Best Taste." You can get a $5, one-topping pizza on some nights that is so good you won't long for the rest of the toppings. Their staff in Cleveland is also very friendly. I love going in there.

Domino's.  Based on their ads and the fact that we had not ordered there from years, this Cleveland, Tenn. pizza restaurant seems to be reinventing itself. Lee and I ordered one three weeks ago and it was great. I ordered one a couple of days later and it was terrible. You do get three toppings for about $6 bucks and that's a deal but it's not good if the pizza is bad. They do have some great people taking the orders and working in the store.

Pizza Hut.  This used to be our Cleveland Tenn. pizza restaurant of choice every time we wanted pizza. We started going to the others because of the cost. Now they have deals, such as their current "any pizza for $10" special. Lee likes the stuffed crust barbecue which is usually about $14-$16 so that's a deal for us. Our Pizza Hut is the only of the four main chains that has a place where you can sit down and be served. However, the service has been hit or miss lately. I ordered one for the drive-thru (yes, we have a drive-thru in Cleveland) the other day. It took several minutes from them to come to the window and then they had my order wrong and made it seem as if it was my fault. They slammed the window hard when they were through--not very professional. With all the other great deals, they are moving to the bottom of my personal list.

The Bottom Line: Lee likes Domino's for taste while I prefer Papa John's. For service, we agree that Domino's is great but Lee likes that you can sit down at Pizza Hut. As for overall value, Little Caesar's is the best and their pizzas taste great, too!

Coming Friday: Lee and I review one of the most controversial fast food restaurants on Fast Food Friday.

No matter what you call it , this place is great!

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Our first review is of Casa Nacho, located at 3475 Keith Street in Cleveland, TN.  The Internet and the local paper called this Cleveland, TN restaurant “Casa Nachos,” but the sign and the tables clearly said “Casa Nacho.” Whatever you call it, the food is great! In fact, Lee told our waiter that he could eat there for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

We went on a Monday shortly after 2 p.m. and there were actually another dozen or so diners there at the time. As soon as we were seated, the chips and salsa came and our waiter quickly took our drink order. The sweet tea was very good. Sometimes when waiters see single moms with children, they automatically assume they will get a bad tip and ignore us. This didn’t happen here (even though it happened at another restaurant over the weekend).

As we always do when we go to a Cleveland, TN Mexican restaurant, we ordered cheese dip. It was thicker and much better than at some other restaurants. For lunch, Lee had a burrito and I had a taco salad with chicken. They were great, also.

However, the sopaipilla we had for dessert was the highlight of our meal—remember, one of us is still in middle school! It was fresh with just the right amount of honey, ice cream and sugar. The best Cleveland TN dessert we have had in a while!

For the appetizer, dessert and our entrees (that came off the lunch menu), it was $25. That is a little pricey for parents, especially if they have more than one child (it was pricey for me but it was a treat that turned into our first review). However, you won’t be disappointed in the food or service.

Here is our ranking of Casa Nacho:

Price: 4. There were some expensive items on there even though I was happy with the price of my salad, which was $4.75. Overall, it is a good value.

Quality of food: 5. The food was good and fresh. The tomatoes in my salad (and the one I ate off Lee’s plate since he hates them!) were some of the best I have tasted this season. Nutrition wise, the beans were a good choice but we don’t go to a Mexican restaurant expecting to eat healthy.

Service: 5. Our drinks were never empty but they didn’t bother us too much, either. That’s a delicate balance that most restaurants don’t get right.

Cleanliness: 5. It’s a new restaurant so we’ll see if it remains this spotless.

Family friendly: 4. If you don’t have a problem with wine and beer, you will find this restaurant more family friendly than we did. The place card on our table promoted happy hour and had beer advertising on it. This bothered Lee a bit. However, they do have a great children’s menu. I also like how the waiter was patient with Lee as he ordered his food, with a few modifications.

Total score: 28 out of 30

We are looking forward to our next visit to Casa Nacho, especially for the cheese dip and dessert. Let us know what you think if you have been there.

Coming Wednesday: Our take on some of the best restaurant deals for families in SE TN. And on Fast Food Friday we’ll tell you about one of the most controversial restaurants this year and how much we like it.

What is Restaurant Mania?

Let’s face it, parents. Whether you are a single parent like me, a two-parent home with several children or a foster parent, we are busy. We would all love to have a home-cooked nutritious meal on the table every night, but that just doesn’t happen. We rely on local restaurants and eateries from time to time.

My middle school-aged son and I eat out a lot. We are sometimes pleasantly surprised by the restaurants we find and sometimes we are just surprised. We decided to start this blog to help other busy families like us who want to patronize family-friendly restaurants with great food. You will get to hear about our experience from a child’s perspective and the parent’s perspective.

If there is a restaurant you want to know more about or if you just have some news about a restaurant in Southeast Tennessee or Northwest Georgia, please let us know. We love to eat and we love to write!

Kim Sloan and Lee Webb