Tonight we decided to splurge and went to Kennedy’s at Stone Creek. I had recently read about their Fall Pairs specials which feature lobster tails or shrimp or crab cakes paired with each other or a filet mignon. That sounded good to me, so we went there hoping the main menu had also changed. Our past meals at Kennedy’s have always been excellent, but the menu tends to be pretty static. The specials interested us, though.

We got there about 5:30 and were surprised at how few people were there. Never a good sign. Sarah started off with the Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola and I had the Mushroom Explosion soup. Sarah ordered the Sirloin Tips and I got the Lobster Tail with Filet. The salad and soup were excellent, as always. Our meals were less so. There was nothing wrong with them, per se. But they were just ok. My lobster tail was a bit mushy and somewhat tasteless. The filet was good, as were the garlic mashed potatoes. The grilled veggies consisted of a squash and carrot combo that I rarely eat. The fact that they were soggy kept me from even picking at them. Sarah’s sirloin tips were a tad overcooked and she wasn’t happy with the mushroom gravy they were tossed with. Last time she ordered tips there, they were in a teriyaki-based sauce and were much better.

Before I started this blog, we had eaten at Kennedy’s many times and always had a great meal that would have easily been Four or Five Spoon ratings. But tonight’s meal was just ok, and as such, it rates Three Spoons.

Tonight we stopped in at AJ’s again for steaks. This is the second such trip in as many weeks. AJ’s does steaks right. Tonight Sarah started with a Caesar side salad and I had a garden side salad. Sarah got the House Sirloin and I went with the New York Strip. Baked potato for Sarah, whipped for me. The steaks were delicious and perfectly cooked. I really like the New York Strip at AJ’s. The extra marbling gives it a great flavor. The House Sirloin is tender as can be. And the last two times we’ve been there, the potatoes, both baked and whipped, have been excellent. And as always at AJ’s, the service is first rate.

We’re down in Carbondale for the weekend and, having done a little pre-trip research, stopped in at Glassy Junction for dinner. We’re always up for Indian, and Glassy Junction’s website advertised Balti, which is one of our favorite dishes. Unfortunately it was not on the menu. We went with our trusty stand-bys: Saag Paneer for Sarah and Butter Chicken (Makhani) for me. We had started with Veggie Pakoras and added Raita and Naan. The pakoras were good, but that’s where it ended. Butter chicken is supposed to be chunks of chicken in a tomato cream sauce. Well, there was no cream. Saag paneer is also supposed to have cream, but again, it was AWOL. My butter chicken was the worst parts of dark meat (with skin and fat attached) in tomato sauce (almost like a bad version of Ragu). The rice was overcooked and soggy. Sarah’s saag was chunks of cheese in spinach, but without the requisite cream and spices. The naan was dry as crackers and the raita was a few measley bits of cucumber in liquid yogurt. On top of it all, the atmosphere was like sitting in someone’s basement barroom, and the service was slow. I guess that explains the complete lack of customers, save us and a couple of barflies.