Location: 945 Sagamore Pkwy W, West Lafayette, IN (map it)
Phone: (765) 463-2364
Cuisine: Chinese

Considering that I live very close to Szechuan Garden, and that it was selected as the Journal and Courier’s Reader’s Choice favorite Chinese restaurant, I find it very surprising that I’ve never actually been to this place. I recently got an email suggesting that I rectify that, and today I am glad to say I did.

If you aren’t familiar, Szechuan Garden is located in West Lafayette on Sagamore Parkway, right next to the Miracles Fitness, Goodwill, and Sigma. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is no Chinese buffet. It is a sit down, get served restaurant, which is a nice change of pace when eating Chinese food. It’s really quite nice inside, very clean with plenty of tables.

We were seated quickly and given water and hot tea. The tea was excellent! The lunch menu has combinations that include soup, spring roll, main dish, and fried rice. The lunch menu was not expansive (although the to go menu was pretty standard) and had things such as chicken and beef with broccoli, etc. I ordered the beef with hot garlic sauce. The entrees come with fried rice, which I generally love, but I did ask for steamed rice with this.

First came the egg drop soup which was great. It was served very hot and was really tasty. Next came the main dish. I really enjoyed the beef with hot garlic sauce. It was really good, especially served with the steamed rice. The spring roll was fairly bland. My friend had spicy shrimp with peanuts and reported hers was really good as well. She did order it with the fried rice and let me taste and I have to unfortunately have to say it was pretty mediocre. It made me glad I got steamed rice, and I am a big fan of fried rice.

The service was really good, always had plates removed right away, glasses were always refilled, and we were frequently asked if everything was okay. In fact, it was almost a little overboard with the service.

Overall, it was a really good experience and I would definitely go back.

Kid Friendly: Yes.

Price: All lunch combos were either $5.65 or $5.85.

Location: 360 Brown St., West Lafayette (map it)
Phone: (765) 250-3060
Cuisine: Mexican

Recently there was an article in the Journal and Courier about a new Mexican plan over where the River Rock Grille used to be. Then I got a slew of emails from people requesting I go check it out. So being the good blogger I am, I did just that. I went to Poblanos on Monday (sorry I’m late with my review, I’ve been busy with my job that actually pays me.)

Located in West Lafayette, in the same strip as BW3 and the Neon Cactus, Poblanos is a very nice place. The inside has been redone, and it’s very clean and well organized. The decor is tasteful, the eating areas are nice, and the ambiance is also good. I was impressed.

Immediately we were brought two baskets of chips and two bottles of salsa with four salsa dishes. This is nice, because everyone had their own salsa dish and we could double dip as much as we wanted. The salsa was very good, but the chips were a bit lacking. Not warmed, which I prefer. The menu was expansive, with lunch specials as well as a regular full menu with everything you could possibly want.

From the JC article, it seemed to me that the fajitas were something of a specialty. I’m not one to normally order fajitas the first time I go to a restaurant. I like fajitas just fine, but I saw on Anthony Bourdain once that fajitas are what people who don’t like Mexican food eat. And I like Mexican food, all kinds. So my usual test is something a little more traditional, but since the fajitas were a specialty, I felt like I needed to try them.

The fajitas arrived on a sizzling platter with a separate plate of beans, rice, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce and pico. They looked fantastic. Unfortunately, I have to say they were not all that great. The chicken was pretty bland and dry. So I was definitely disappointed in the chicken fajitas. My friend who ordered a lunch special reported that all of her items were great. I am a big fan of refried beans, and the beans were quite tasty.

Perhaps the bland fajitas were a fluke, or else there’s some room for improvement. I’ll definitely go back and try again. The servers were really friendly and the manager or owner made his way around to greet the patrons, which is always a nice touch.

Kid Friendly: Yes.

Price: Very reasonable, lunch specials around $6-9.

Location: 102 North Chauncey Street, West Lafayette, IN (map it)
Phone: 412-216-1627
Cuisine: American

I mentioned on Facebook a few weeks ago that while out and about, I ran into one of the owners of the new School House of Chili. I had heard this restaurant was coming, but didn’t know anything about it so I was happy to meet him. He was very pleasant, told us all about his chilis and how the restaurant would be opening soon. Turns out he was wrong about the opening date, it took a few more weeks to get open. And I have to admit, today was actually my second trip in there. I was a bit disappointed my first time, and wanted to try it again before I wrote up this review.

So today myself and two friends went to try again. It’s located right at the corner of Chauncey and Columbia in West Lafayette, directly across from the Morton Center. It’s a small little venue, but nice with a fair number of tables and chairs. Here’s how it works. There’s a long counter and you order cafeteria style. They have a selection of chilis. Today they had: Cincinnati chili, California chili, tailgate chili, spicy chili, and white chicken chili. However, you can also choose a “bottom” on your chili, so you can have something else on the bottom of your bowl. The choices today were pasta, mac n cheese, rice, pasta, or fritos.

So you pick your bottom, then your chili. Then your bowl gets passed to the “toppings” area where you can choose from a variety of toppings such as sour cream, cheese, onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Then once that’s done, you get to the register where you can add in a drink and corn bread or a roll.

The last time I went, I ordered the Cincinnati chili. When I ordered, I was asked what bottom I wanted. I said, “Doesn’t Cincinnati chili come on spaghetti?” He answered yes, so I said I wanted that. But they didn’t have spaghetti, they had macaroni. Their own spin, he said. That’s fine, I’m not partial to one shape over another when it comes to noodles. So I topped it off with cheese and onions and went to eat. And I was utterly unimpressed. It wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t anything special either. I’ve had better Cincinnati chili. In fact, I make better Cincinnati chili.

So today I wanted to try something different just to be fair and give this place an honest review. I decided to order the tailgate chili, on Fritos, with cheese and onions. Since last time I got the corn bread, I choose rolls this time. One friend got the Cincinnati chili and another friend got the spicy chili. The tailgate chili was also unimpressive. Like the Cincinnati chili, it was okay. But it wasn’t anything special and it actually wasn’t even hot. It was warm, but I feel like chili should be served hot. My friend who ordered the Cincinnati chili gave it an “eh” review. So she was also unimpressed. My other friend ordered the spicy chili on rice and said it was quite good and she enjoyed it.  After eating, I asked for a sample (they are happy to give you samples) of the California chili. It seemed like more of a soup to me, and it was okay. Again, nothing special though.

We tried both the rolls and the corn bread and we all agreed the corn bread was good. However, there was no butter to be found anywhere. And corn bread just needs butter. The rolls might have been okay, but again without butter they were dry and bland.

While the staff was very pleasant, and very apologetic about the wait, the system they have for ordering is not exactly the most expedient system I’ve ever seen. When there are only a handful of people there, it is smooth enough but at one point, there was a line to the door and the ordering process was painfully slow. There was one person dishing chili, one person doing toppings, and then one person checking you out. Seems like maybe they need to work out a better system to get the food moving faster. It’s not like they have to go back and prepare each meal individually. I think this can be chalked up to being new and just opened, and will likely improve over time.

They also had a chalk board with the various menu items on it, but no real descriptions of what the chilis were. I think it would have been helpful if next to “tailgate chili” there was a description so I’d know what was in the chili. I had no idea what to expect when I ordered it.

The staff was very pleasant. One young man, who I think maybe was an owner, came over after the line died down to ask if we needed anything and make sure we enjoyed our meal. So I think there’s a lot of potential here. I just think the chili needs to get a little better.

From the friends: @kristenrielly “had lunch @House_of_Chili Very good spicy chili, it’s named appropriately; friendly staff; needs butter for roll/cornbread” @khaskett93 “Ate lunch @House_of_Chili. So-so Cincinnati chili. Good cornbread (though butter is desperately needed). Friendly staff. ”

Kid Friendly: Yes, so long as your kids like chili. (Although I think they have hot dogs.)

Price: Around $6-8 per meal it seemed.

Location: 111 South River Rd. Suite A West Lafayette (map it)
Phone: (765) 743-8226
Website: www.fuzzystacoshop.com
Cuisine: Mexican

When I announced on Facebook and Twitter that I was going to try Fuzzy’s today, I had a great deal of feedback – most of it really bad! So I went into the restaurant with low expectations and a fair amount of trepidation. And I learned a very important lesson: low expectations are good. Because my expectations were so low, I was pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed.

Fuzzy’s is located where Pot Belly used to be, right on the corner of SR 26 and US231 in West Lafayette. There’s a parking garage there, but depending on which location you are coming from, it can be difficult to get into. I had been in this location when it was Pot Belly, and I was surprised by just how different it was. I recall there being a balcony at Pot Belly where sometimes musicians would perform. There is no longer a balcony! But it was colorful and cheery. You enter and walk up to the register to order. It wasn’t that busy, but we had to wait a fair amount of time to place our orders. They have a big magnet board with their menu and prices. You order at the counter and they give you a number and you can find a seat and fill your drink cup while waiting for your number to be called.

Taco Dinner: one chicken, one beef, potatoes, and beans

I ordered the Taco Dinner. The menu has tacos, quesadillas, salads, sandwiches, burritos, and dinners. All the dinners are a combination of items and come with two sides. The side options include re-fried beans, black beans, rice, and something I’ve never seen offered in a Mexican restaurant: Latin fried potatoes. So I  knew that was something I was going to have to try because I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like.

I wanted to mix it up so I got one shredded beef taco and one shredded chicken taco with re-fried beans and Latin fried potatoes. A friend tried the enchiladas, one shredded chicken, and one shrimp. Another friend had a ground beef taco, so among us we had enough variety to test.

The beans were standard re-fried beans, and tasted exactly like what you’d get out of a can of Old El Paso. I happen to like canned re-fried beans, so I don’t have a problem with that. They certainly didn’t stand out among re-fried beans I’ve had. Then as for those potatoes that surprised me on the menu, they were actually quite good. I’m not sure how “Latin” they were, but they were tasty!

As for the tacos, they were okay. The shredded beef was better than the chicken, for sure. But neither had me jumping out of my seat. Neither were bad either, just average. My friend reported that the shrimp enchilada was tastier than the chicken, and my other friend said her ground beef taco was better than the chicken. So the consensus is that the chicken is not great.

Overall though, for a cheap and fast lunch, it’s not a bad option and I’d go again. This is a chain restaurant, with locations nationwide, but they do have a local Facebook page with specials.

Friends’ opinions: From @kristenrielly, “Fuzzy’s Taco Shop – my opinion: It certainly wasn’t bad, though it’s not a place I feel the need to go back to.” From @khaskett94, “Food was decent though hardly the “new addiction” they tout on the door. I would go again, but it’s not a priority.”

Kid Friendly: Yes.

Price: Starting at  $1.99 for a la carte items, and dinners starting at $5.99.

Restaurant Name: Heisei

Location: 1048C Sagamore Pkwy W West Lafayette, IN  (map it)

Phone: (765) 463-1682

Cuisine: Japanese

Either I’m running out of places to review, or else I’m not eating out enough. I think both. Either way, I finally made it over to Heisei the other day to try it out. It’s conveniently located in the Pay Less parking lot on the west side. Just a little place in a strip mall. I’d forgotten that I have actually been there before; it’s just been a long time.

We were pleasantly greeted and asked if we’d rather have a table or sit on the floor. This is not very common for Japanese restaurants in our area, the option of eating on the floor without your shoes on. And, as much as I enjoy not wearing shoes, I just didn’t feel like the floor this time so we took a table. The restaurant was very clean. One of my biggest pet peeves is places where you can see all the crumbs and dirt all over the floor. This place was perfect.

We were immediately brought a two cups of green tea and two glasses of water. I like being brought water without asking, something that doesn’t happen much anymore. The tea was a nice touch too. It wasn’t the best green tea I’ve had, but it was okay and it was nice to have it delivered as part of the experience, and not have to order it.

We were given our menus to peruse and it was pretty extensive. Lots of choices including sushi, noodles, teriyaki, rice dishes, and tempura. Truly something for every Japanese connoisseur. My husband stuck to the sushi menu and ordered a lunch combo, and I ordered something that was slightly more intriguing: katsu don. This item was described as a rice bowl, topped with a breaded pork cutlet, topped with a fried egg and some kind of vegetables. It was interesting. I like all those things, so I was curious.

The sushi was reportedly decent, but not the best in town. As for the katsu don, it was okay. The pork was fine and the rice was fine, but eventually the rice got soggy and I got a little bored with the combo. A little bland.

I think this is a really nice place with a lot of options. Maybe not the best Japanese in town, but a decent option at a fairly decent price.

Kid Friendly: Not really