What do ya wanna know.

So you might have noticed I haven't posted in a while.
Not because I haven't been out and about spending money, because we all know that would be impossible.

The problem is, I'm a creature of habit. And I like being in my comfort zone.
Or maybe that's not it. Maybe it's the lack of options in Danville that leave us heading to our ol' standby places.. Those places we all have that we know we can count on.. For us it's Village Garden. It's close, it's pretty inexpensive, it has a variety. And for the most part the food is decent (not excellent, but decent).
We have our favorite waitresses and everyone knows us there.

I'm getting off track.

Instead of me wandering around trying to figure out what to try and what's worth blogging about. I'm calling you all out.
Is there somewhere you'd like to try, but don't want to risk leaving you ol' standby?
Lemme hear it..

I'll go check it out for you and come back to blog my findings. Quality of food, hospitality, prices, anything you want to know.

This will even work for retail things. Have you passed by a store in town, that you're not sure about? Want to know what they sell, if they're clean, if it's worth the trip?

Bring it on Danville.

Niro's Gyro's

Guyro, Jyrow, Earo, Gearo. No matter how you say it, I love it!!!
I personally pronounce it Earo. I've been told they are lamb or goat, or beef. I really do not care. I'm a meat eater, doesn't matter if it's Mary had a lil lamb, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Three Billy Goats Gruff, Bambi, Thumper. I was raised in a big hunting, fishing, frog giggin' family. Bring on the meat.

Tonight Scott is in Richmond Indiana for an overnight work conference. So it was Ryleigh, Dalton and I going to dinner with Andrew to feed later.
We picked Niro's Gyro's.. I believe it's actually Noor's Gyro's now.. But it'll always be Niro's to me..

I have had gyro's at every restaurant in Danville that serves them.. And Niro's is by far the best in town.. Their meat is cooked perfectly, their cucumber sauce is the bomb, their feta is fresh and authentic and their fountain pop is just a little bubblier than the rest.

In addition to the most perfect gyro ever, I also had the most excellent service.
I wish I had gotten the young lady's name.
She was friendly, engaged in the conversation, interested, helpful and seemingly enjoyed her job.

I ordered first. Gyro with feta, fries and a giant fountain pop. I also ordered a "to-go" double gyro for Andrew. She immediately asked if I wanted her to wait until we were almost done, to prepare the "to-go" order. I said "he's 21, he doesn't care if he has to chip ice of it". She laughed and agreed.
Ry and Dalton were being pretty silly. And I looked at her and apologized for their goofiness.. She laughed again and said "oh it's fine, it's just giving me a taste of what I'm in for when mine grow up".
The kids continued to argue over who was copying who because they ordered the same thing. I asked if I could have a shot of tequila with my meal. She smiled and said "it would be great if I could help you out with that".
The kids each ordered 2 cheese dogs and fries. Well Wednesday is a 2 hot dog special. So the wonderful money saving queen said "I'll ring that up as the special, and just add a side of cheese sauce. It'll be less expensive that way". Love her!!! Love anyone that wants to save me a couple bucks.

We sat down and before ya know it she was bringing our food.
She set everything down on the table and then set Andrews order on the bench next to me. She patted the bag and said "there's your to-go order, enjoy your meal", and she was off. I noticed my side order of feta was missing. She was busy waiting on another customer, so I didn't walk up to the counter to ask for it. But before I knew it, she was walking back over to the table, cheese in hand "sorry.. here is your feta".
Technically, this is a fast food place (and the food is fast). The service is so beyond fast food.

The flaws (because you know there is always something with me). The location blows. East Voorhees street really is less than convenient (especially with Voorhees being closed for construction).
The interior is blah. Slightly outdated and not completely spotless.

But if you're tired of the mundane frozen patty or square fish on a bun, head to Niro's (or Noor's, whatever you want to call it). Try a gyro, a Chicago dog even their chicken wings are great..
Because this is my favorite gyro in town, I need you to keep their business up, so we don't lose them.
5 out of 5 tips for freshness, flavor and service.
3 out of 5 tips for cleanliness and decor.

Mr. Tips

It's Good Friday and a lazy day.
Yesterday, I was offered (and accepted) a full time permanent position at Presta.
My mom wanted to buy me a hanging basket for the porch as a celebratory gesture (I also got the most beautiful flowers delivered from my friend Beth in Arizona. Thank you Beth).
So. Mom picked me up to go to Danville Gardens so I could pick out my own basket.
She had some clothes in the back seat that we were going to drop off at the Humane Society for donation. The Humane Society was closed, so the clothes are still in her car.. But I almost ended up with a dog anyway. There were two young guys that had found a black and tan miniature dachshound (that can't be spelled right). They pulled into the parking lot to drop him off as we were getting ready to pull out. I really did almost take him home with me..
But I'm getting off track. While were sitting in the parking lot debating about the dog, I got this whiff of something so completely wonderful, I could barely keep my mind straight.. A smell that made drool seep from my mouth. It took everything I had to to leap from the car and follow my nose to where ever this aroma was coming from.. I could almost feel my teeth sink into the juicy meat that had undoubtedly been laying on a bed of coals for hours.
Across the street from the Humane Society is a little place called Mr. Tips.. I've driven past it a million times, noticed it, wondered about it, and blew it off. But today, I could blow it off no longer. Just one problem, mom was driving and she wouldn't turn her Honda into the parking lot.
So off to Danville Gardens we went. Then to the 610 for a celebratory beverage.
No matter what I did, or where I was for the rest of the day, my mouth was still thinking about whatever was cooking over those coals.

When Scott got home from work I said exactly this "my mom made me drink beer and I want ribs". We've talked about the small non-descript building before.. Things like "I think they just cater" or "I don't think it's really open", but we've never attempted to go.. Tonight we did.

If you have ever driven past this building and wondered what was inside.. STOP DRIVING.. AND GO IN..

What an "at home" atmosphere they have.. I felt comfortable and welcome and appreciated. The owner is a Pastor (I'm sorry I didn't get his name)that knows how to throw down some food..
We wanted to try everything on the menu. We ended up with rib tips, 2 giant catfish fillets, a monstrous polish sausage, cole slaw, potato salad and drinks for about $24.00.. Everything is prepared fresh. the sides were very obviously homemade. And the people working couldn't have been friendlier.
We were the only people that were dining it.. But several people came in for take out orders..
Now me being me, I have to point out some flaws (only they're not really flaws). Because they serve their food fresh, you can not just go in and get a slab of ribs. If you want ribs, you have to give them a 6 hour notice. Sucked for me because I wanted ribs. But if you think about it, how excellent is that?? Ribs right from the fiery coals.
Now I grew up on ribs from a well known to Danville travelling company whose name has three letters (you know the one). But I'm willing to bet when I finally get my grubby little hands on some Mr. Tips ribs, and my face is smeared with bbq sauce, my fingers are sticky and my white shirt has red polka dot drippings on it, they will be my new favorite.
I would really hate to see this place not make it. So make sure you go.
5 stars on the Rollins flavor and service scale.

Garfields.

Okay you have to be kidding me..
Last Friday we decided to splurge and go to Garfield's. If you ever get the urge to do that, let it pass.

We stopped going a long time ago. Not because of the service but because of the prices.
Garfield's seriously charges you for every morsel. At most restaurants you get a salad and a side dish with the order of every entree..
Not Garfield's.. Salad - extra, mushrooms for your steak - extra, butter and sour cream for your potato - extra. I'm pretty sure they even have a pedometer on the salt shaker so that they can charge you for every shake.
You would think that with their prices, service would be off the chart.
If so, you would be thinking wrong.

We went, we had Ryleigh and one of her friends and baby Braydon with us.
They sat us at booth with a high chair for Bray at the end. He was hungry, so as we ordered drinks, I said "do you have mac and cheese, and can I have that right now please". Apparently it comes as a meal and what did I want for my side dish. This poor girl apparently has never been around small children. I said "okay throw some broccoli on there". Getting Bray started early meant there was a chance he would be slowing down in time for me to get my food and be able to eat it while it was still hot..

The mac and cheese came - with fries.. HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY TEETH.. And she set it down right in front of him. He's 7 months old!!!! His hand went right for the steaming noodles (don't worry Amy, I caught him before he got there and moved the plate).
So she says she'll bring me the broccoli I originally asked for. I'm pretty sure we got charged for that.

The girls ordered an appetizer (Braydon was finished eating before the appetizer ever got there). It was set down amongst our empty glasses (pet peeve). We didn't get any small plate for the appetizer. So it was everyones hands in one plate (ewwww - germaphope).

A half an hour later our food came. I always get a pepper steak (steak on a bed of green peppers and onions). It comes on a sizzling (like fajitas) platter that has obviously been put in the oven prior to service. Again, she set it down right in front of "all hands" Braydon (I caught him again Amy and moved the plate).
We finally asked for more drinks, got them, and then we never saw her again (until it was time to pay).

Do you know that the maximum amount of time a 7 month old can sit in a wooden high chair without deciding he's had enough, is about an hour.. We were there for two..
So as I held and entertained Braydon to rescue him from his macaroni boredom, Scott had to cut my steak, and prep my potato so that I could eat one handed.

Garfield's.. Either adjust your prices or improve your service.. Although the food is great, both of them suck.

1.25 out of 5 Kerri stars.

Buffalo Wild Wings

I just have to throw out some quick kudo's to Buffalo Wild Wings.
When they first opened I had to go try it out.
It was the worst service in the midwest. There was so much "that's not my job" going on there, it was crazy.
The manager on duty met us at the door and said "someone will seat you in a minute". And then he proceded to stare at us for 5 minutes until a hostess finally came along. He wasn't doing anything. And the place was not at all busy. It was right at their opening time of the day. He could have easily grabbed some menu's and led us to a booth. But apparently it wasn't his job. We were there for an hour and a half FOR LUNCH.
A friend of mine goes there quite a bit I think. On one occassion, he had an empty glass in front of him for more than 10 minutes. His waitress walked by and said "I'm going to take a smoke break, then I'll get you some more soda".

I love wings, and was truly disappointed that I wasn't going to be able to go back because of the crap service. Bad service will stop me in my tracks.

Well I gave it a second (and fifth) chance, and went back a couple of times (times when it wasn't up to me to pick the restaraunt), and saw some improvements. The best service is actually in the bar area. The bartenders there are the bomb.

Most recently I went back yesterday (Scott, myself and three kids) What strides they've made (BWW's, not the kids). We had Ryan as our waiter. He was pretty good.. Not outstanding, but good. He got a decent tip.
But I did watch all of the other employees. It really looks like they've weeded out the "not my job" people.
Great job Buffalo Wild Wings on the service improvements..
And the wings aren't too bad either.

County Market North

All I can say is "what the hell?".

Ryleigh is having a couple friends spend the night. So Scott and I ran to County Market North to get them some snacks.

I happen to LOVE the dill dip you can buy there in a cooler right next to the deli section. So that's where I headed. There was veggie dip and spinach dip, but no dill dip. So I walked over to the deli to see if by chance they had some in the back.
There were four women working. One was cleaning up the hot food counter, several feet from where I stood. One was on the phone in a back office, one was mopping the floor directly in front of where I was standing and the fourth I'm not sure about. She was just carrying a giant ham around. So I think she was just trying to look busy. Both the busy bee and the mop lady did everything in their power to not notice me. The were both within three feet of me and yet I was invisible to them.
It's like when you have a newborn and you and your spouse are both pretending to sleep through the 2am screaming to see who will cave in first.
Finally the "busy" lady sighed and looked at me. "what do you need". In my very friendliest voice ever, I said "you wouldn't happen to have some of that great dill dip hiding back there, would you?" I do have to give her credit, she did actually walk to a back cooler and look. But no luck.

So we went on about our snack shopping and then headed to the check out.
We went to Shajuana's lane. She was finishing up a customer and it didn't look like there would be a wait.
Shajuana had two friends with her (at work) They were sitting at the end of the lane, one of them hiked up on the lane next to Shajuana's, and the other one sitting on the shelf that the bags sit on. Shujauna was going on and on about what "Q" better be getting her for Valentines day, and her friends were talking about how it didn't matter because he was so good looking and his dread locks were amazing.
Unbelievable.. Was there no manager on duty????? I couldn't find one.

So guess what friends. Feel free to come to work with me and keep me company. Apparently, it's okay.

El Toro

Normally we go North for dinner out on Friday nights. Montana Mikes or Steak-n-Shake.
And normally I don't want Mexican food.

But tonight I was not feeling normal and I was craving something spicey.
When you hear people talking about Mexican restaurants in Danville they're talking about Buen Appetito or La Potosina (both good choices).
BUT I LOVE EL TORO.
Not because their food is superior. It is good food. But because their employees are outstanding. I have never had bad service at El Toro.

They are quick, efficient, friendly, fun. ALL OF THEM.
Tonight we had Lucy (I think that was her name. I asked her, but she spoke so softly, I'm not sure I got it right). She brought our chips and salsa and got our drink orders. When she came back with the drinks, she asked if we were ready to order. we were not. She waited the perfect amount of time to come back and check again. Took our order and then said "oh you need more salsa". At the other places, you ALWAYS have to ask for more. I saw her waiting on other tables, yet I really felt like we were her priotity.
When Scott ordered his second Budweiser funky wheat beer, Lucy set it down. As she walked away he picked the bottle up and was showing me how the wheat had built up on the lip of the bottle. Lucy heard him say "look at that". She turned around and asked if everything was okay.
How many times have you complained about something and you know the waitress heard you, but she walked away like she didn't. Not Lucy.

The manager (who started out as a waiter) came by and asked if everything was okay. He asked everyone in the restaurant. But I watched him and he was really taking time with each table and even sat down at one table to chat with the customers.

I had Del Mar Fajitas (salmon, talapia, shrimp, crab). No seafood cooks the same, but everything on my plate was cooked perfectly. Scott had a Santa Anna combo and he said "there is a surprise in every bite".
Ryleigh is the only one that complained. She had chicken strips and fries, and was in "complain about everything" mode.

Try as I might, the only complaint I have for the El Toro staff is that on 2 occassions they have refused to give me a "to go" cup for my leftover margarita.

Ducks Quack

My friend Susan Warrick sent this to me. I had to share.
Thank you Susan.

Ducks Quack - Eagles Soar

No one can make you serve customers well....that's because great service is a choice.
Harvey Mackay tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.

He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment....

This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.' My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.' Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.'

Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today..'

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred to leave him with his own thoughts.

'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.

He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'

'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally. 'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers.. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said.

'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.

Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.
How about us? Smile and the whole world smiles with you....The ball is in our hands!

A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up... let us do good to all people.

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar.

Gas station

Well now that I have a new job on the outskirts of Danville, and only a 30 minute lunch, there aren't many places I can go over lunch and still get back in time.

I've started frequenting the gas station at the four way stop by Blue Cross Blue Shield. I honestly have not paid attention to name.

Yesterday the cashier was great. She was super friendly and outgoing. Very pleasant. I hate to say she was Indiana because I'm not sure that's appropriate. But if you go in there, look for an olive skinned young girl.

Today, not so lucky. It was a blonde. I wandered around the place waiting for something to jump out at me that I was interested in eating (I settled on a cup of Ramen). I was getting ready to head to the register and noticed the blonde was on the phone. So I kept wandering (trying not be rude while she was chatting). I wandered until I couldn't wander any longer or I'd be late getting back to work.

So I walked to the register. She continued to talk on the phone (it was not her manager or anyone else that was business related). She rang up my noodles and soda as she talked and then she looked at me. That's right. She looked at me. Like she was sending my total telepathically. Finally, after I didn't hand her any money, she moved her mouth away from the phone (keeping her ear to the earpiece) and in an annoyed voice, gave me my total. She took my money, gave me my change, closed her drawer and CONTINUED HER CONVERSATION. No "good bye" no "have a nice day" NOTHING.

I'll go back and try again. Before now, I had never been into that gas station. So I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she was just having a bad day.

I do recommend the gas station. They have a good variety of lunch stuff, somewhere to sit, and fountain pop (i'm sold). And like I said, I had excellent service yesterday. I'm not sure if the olive skinned young lady was physically attractive or not, but her personality made her beautiful.

Overboard and Over bored

First of all I need to say this. I love shoes. Quality isn't the issue, quantity is. I have more shoes than I know what to do with.
But my winter favorites are my lined Croc's. I have 2 pair and I live in them.

Because I was starting a new job that required business casual dress, and occasionally steel toed boots, the Croc must be reserved for weekends.
A perfect excuse to buy new shoes. And of course I need brown and black, so a perfect excuse to buy TWO new pairs of shoes. Sounded good.

Back to my point. I went to Payless (on Gilbert).
Now I haven't been told this, but I'm going to guess that Payless Corporate has a "no sit" policy for their employees.
When I pulled into the lot, I noticed I was the only car and very likely the only customer (I was right). I didn't get both of my Croc covered feet in the door before this girl says "What are we looking for today?" Hmmm.. I didn't know "WE" were looking for anything. But I politely said "I'm just browsing, thanks" and she said "okay, let me know what I can help you with". I really wanted to say "okay now hush". But I smiled and headed for the size 8's..
So I'm just standing in front of them scanning the selections.
I pull a black loafer looking shoe out of a box and inspect it. I hear on my right "you finding everything okay". I look, and she's poking her head around the end of the row.. "Yeah, thanks, I'm fine". I put the shoe on and look down at it. I hear on my left "Doing okay?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I swear Scotty from Star Trek beamed her instantly from one end of the aisle to the other in a half a second.
I wanted to say "look Genie, get back in your bottle, you're freaking me out".

Is there such thing as too much attention in a shoe store? Uh yes!!
But apparently she is so bored with tucking shoe laces into shoes, she is thrilled to have an actual human to play with. Me, not so much. They day hadn't gone as perfectly as I had anticipated and I was more than anything, shoe shopping while I waited on Andrew to call for a ride home from work. Bonding with the shoe lately was about the last thing I was in the mood for.

I really don't blame this woman one bit.. She really was friendly and wanted to help (even though I was annoyed).. But I'm almost positive Payless has the "no sit" policy I was talking about. And very likely they have surveillance cameras. And because there are no customers to watch, corporate doesn't have anything to do but watch the employees dance around this store trying to look busy. But you can only rearrange shoes for so long.

So Dear Payless Corporate,
Please buy you employees a computer so that they can play solitaire or surf the net, and ignore me..

And Dear Payless Employees,
In the mean time buy a netbook or one of those fancy phones with internet, or even a book. Stash whichever one of those you buy in a shoe box and aim it away from the surveillance camera. You can read, Facebook, blog.. Whatever.. Just carry the box around with you. Or even put it on the shelf and stand in front of it.
Whatever it takes to keep you from shimmering in when I'm not expecting you.

I would like to reiterate. I don't think this is employee driven. Corporate has to be controlling this. And I understand the business side. If they give their employees an inch, they'll take a mile.
But isn't there a happy medium style solution?