SK8's Plate Rate

New Food Blog

Hi, this is SK8! I am starting a new blog, a food blog! I will be posting my reviews on various restaurants. I have set up a plate rating system consisting of a point-based system in which a restaurant can receive 20 points as the highest rating. I will judge the restaurant on food, cleanliness, service, and overall experience. Why do I think I am an expert in this area? Because I have been a foodie since I was a little girl. I love to try new and unique foods and flavors and I love to visit restaurants. I hope you find this blog interesting and helpful! Bon appetit!

SK8's Plate Rating System

Hi, this is SK8. Here is how I am going to rate the restaurants. For each restaurant there is a total of 20 points. They will be broken down into the following categories: Cleanliness, Service, Food Flavor, and Experience. These categories will each be scored and then I will show the overall score. I will also show an easy to read rating system with plates next to the restaurant name. On some reviews I will even give some of my Insider Tips on foods to try or how to make the experience more enjoyable.

Summer Restaurant Reviews-Travel Edition

Emeril's Tchoup Chop at Lowe's Royal Pacific Resort in Universal Studios Orlando

Cleanliness: 5 out of 5
Service: 5 out of 5
Food: 5 out of 5
Experience: 4.5 out of 5
Overall Score: 19.5, which gives Emeril's Tchoup Chop five plates on SK8's plate rate!

I was really looking forward to eating at Emeril's Tchoup Chop when we stayed at the Royal Pacific Resort this summer. The restaurant was easy to get to as it was in our resort. The decor is water-inspired and has a Mediterranean feel to it. There is a lot of colorful glass, bamboo, and a water wall feature.

For my drink, I chose a non-alcoholic strawberry colada which was very yummy! There were fried wonton chips with a sesame peanut dipping sauce instead of a bread basket that most restaurants serve. These were delicious!

We chose to have the Chef's Tasting Menu for our dinner.

The first course, fried soft shell crab was good in flavor but kind of creepy to be eating an entire crab deep fried. This was my first soft shell crab experience. The flavor was really nice though the portion was a little too big for me.

The second course, prosciutto wrapped scallops was delicious, but I didn't care for the soy bean reduction. Since there wasn't much of this on my plate, it didn't detract from the delicious and delicate flavor of the scallops.

The third course was my favorite! The presentation was exquisite and the taste matched it bite for bite. My steak was cooked to perfection and the spices used to crust the steak were perfectly balanced to bring out the flavor. The veggies were nicely grilled, soft but still crisp, and the spices used were a good counterpoint to the steak.

The final course, coconut tapioca pudding was a light finish and just the right amount of sweetness and tropical flavor to top off the savory courses. All of the courses were small in size, but that enabled me to actually get to the dessert! Each course was different in flavor and presentation, but they complimented each other. I really enjoyed my meal at Emeril's Tchoup Chop, and I will definitely look forward to eating there again!

To see the menu for Emeril's Tchoup Chop and to find out more information, please click on this link:

Via Napoli at Italy pavilion in Disney World's Epcot

Cleanliness: 5 out of 5
Service: 5 out of 5 (authentic Italian wait staff)
Food: 5 out of 5
Experience: 5 out of 5
Overall Score: 20, which gives Via Napoli five plates on SK8's plate rate!

Via Napoli is one of my family's favorite restaurants. We always eat at Via Napoli when we are in Disney World. It never disappoints us! This restaurant has THE BEST margherita pizza we have ever had, and we won't even order it at any other restaurant because we know it won't compare. The restaurant is a large open dining room, with a large mural on the back wall, but the main focal point are the pizza ovens. These are named after the three active volcanoes in Italy.

On this particular visit, I had the blood orange aqua fresca to drink. It is so refreshing and unfortunately does not qualify for a free refill. My parents had the white wine sangria which they said was delicious.

We had the sampler platter for an appetizer. It had fried calamari and fried veggies with marinara. It was really large and a lot of fried foods, but very tasty.

We ordered the metro sized margherita pizza, with proscuitto on half of it. This pizza size is GIGANTIC. Seriously though, LOOK AT IT.

The secret to the flavor of this pizza is in the water that they use for the dough. The restaurant chefs and owners searched for a water that had the same chemical makeup as water in Naples, Italy and found that water in Pennsylvania. They have this special water shipped to them expressly for making the pizza dough. The sauce is not too sweet or too thick, and the cheese is of the highest quality. The basil is fresh and not burnt. The proscuitto is not too crispy and perfectly salted. Of course with a pizza of this caliber, we can not let ANY go to waste!

Unfortunately, we rarely get to dessert at Via Napoli and this time was no different. I know we will be back at Via Napoli the next time we are at Disney World.

To see the menu for Via Napoli, and find out more information, please click on this link:

Nick's Pizza, New York City, New York

Cleanliness: 3 out of 5 (The bathroom is what brings this score down)
Service: 4 out of 5
Food: 3.5 out of 5
Experience: 5 out of 5
Overall Score: 15.5, which gives Nick's Pizza three and a half plates on SK8's plate rate.

I visited NYC this summer during a heat wave. This is not recommended. We chose to go to Nick's Pizza because it was right across the street from our hotel and therefore we would only be out of air conditioning for a short amount of time! We did read the reviews and check out the menu beforehand though. The restaurant is small but cozy, with interior brick-lined walls. We were seated in the corner table by the windows so we had a view of the bustling NYC streets.

I chose water for my drink, and the bread service was tasty but not anything spectacular. I ordered the lemon artichoke chicken entree which was on special that evening. It was really delicious and a unique flavor combination. The chicken was moist, and the lemon artichoke sauce was so yummy. The vegetables on the side were nicely cooked but a little ordinary, except for the zucchini which was quite tasty.

Once again, we didn't have room for dessert. I think Nick's Pizza fit our appetites and convenience requirements for that evening.

To see the menu for Nick's Pizza, and for more information, please click on this link:

This wraps up my summer travel edition. I'm looking forward to reviewing more local restaurants in the coming months.

The Melting Pot

Cleanliness: 5 out of 5
Service: 4 out of 5
Food: 5 out of 5
Experience: 4 out of 5
Overall Score: 18, which gives The Melting Pot four and a half plates on SK8's plate rate.

I went to The Melting Pot in Huntsville with Mom and Grammy on Feb 1 2013. Grammy was visiting me and she had never been to The Melting Pot. We made a reservation since it was a Friday night. When we got there, we were seated quickly and our waiter introduced himself. He took our drink orders and we started perusing the menu.

So many yummy choices!

We decided to order salads, double cheese fondue, and double dessert fondue. We skipped the meat and vegetables with broth fondue because we knew we wanted more cheese and more chocolate! We were seated indoors, although they do have outdoor patio seating as well. All of the tables seem to be booths which makes it cozy. It is quite dark inside, and the decor is modern with a mix of metal and wood accents.

I had a blackberry sage lemonade for my drink. It was delicious! It had a light sage aftertaste. I wasn't sure if sage and fruit would complement each other, but they really did. Grammy had a strawberry blonde martini which she said was very smooth. Mom had pomegranate un-sweet tea.

After some deliberation, we decided on the bacon and brie cheese fondue which was one of the fondue features on the menu that night. It mostly had a swiss cheese base with some brie accents, but the swiss flavor dominated the brie flavor. There was a nice light flavor of bacon and chives. There was the normal selection of dippers; a variety of cubed bread, apples, and a mixture of fresh vegetables.

The salads were the next course of the meal. I had a caesar salad with pine nuts. The pine nuts were candied which was an unusual culinary decision, though they complemented the salad greatly. Grammy had the caesar salad as well, and Mom had the California salad which also had the candied pine nuts. My salad dressing was very good, but not as good as my Dad's homemade caesar dressing!

Then came the chocolate fondue! We decided to have the Yin and Yang chocolate fondue.

So cute!

I have always wanted to order this because of the picture in the menu and because of it's popularity status. It was exceptionally delicious! The dippers included Rice Krispie bites, marshmallows, chocolate cake, red velvet cake, cheesecake, strawberries, and bananas. I wished that there was more fruit to go with the chocolate because I got sweeted out very quickly.

We ordered some dessert drinks to go with our chocolate fondue. I had a hot chocolate, Grammy had a Billionaire's coffee, and Mom had a chocolate fontini. Grammy said that the Billionaire's coffee was not worth a billion. Mom loved her chocolate fontini!

We had one small annoyance at The Melting Pot. In the past we were able to order a double order of cheese fondue and a double order of chocolate fondue and we got a double order of each fondue. This time, even though we ordered a double order of each fondue, the waiter failed to tell us that the menu has changed and is now priced per person, so we got a fondue for three people, instead of four like in the past when we doubled the order. This left us with slightly less food than we were prepared for.

My overall experience at The Melting Pot was very good. I have eaten here many times and it has never failed to impress me. It is fun to go to for special occasions, but the dining experience takes a long time, so plan your time accordingly. The menu changes sometimes but I will include a link to the current menu.

SK8's Insider Tips:
Make reservations if it is a weekend night, some week nights you can just walk in.
Don't feel pressured into ordering all of the courses if you don't want to.
The inside sides of the fondue pot are the hottest part so be careful when you dip on the sides.

To see the menu for The Melting Pot and to find out more information, click on this link:

Old Hickory Steakhouse at Opryland

Cleanliness: 5 out of 5
Service: 5 out of 5
Food: 5 out of 5
Experience: 6 out of 5!!
Overall Score: 21, which gives Old Hickory Steakhouse five plates on SK8's plate rate!

I got to spend my birthday weekend at Opryland with my friend Ashley. I went to Old Hickory Steakhouse on my 12th birthday. It was a great birthday dinner and an awesome way to kick off my birthday weekend! We had reservations (highly recommended) and were quickly seated when we arrived. I was quite surprised to see that our menus had "Happy 12th Birthday" printed on them. The restaurant has "outdoor" seating which makes you feel like you are sitting outside in a beautiful botanical garden, but actually you are inside, so there are no bugs or weather issues. Opryland was decorated for the holidays when we went and the lights were beautiful. The restaurant is very clean and the staff are all very attentive and friendly.

I had a shirley temple for my drink. We decided to have the Artisanal Cheeses for our starters. The Maitre Fromager came to our table with a huge selection of imported and fancy cheeses. After listening to the story of each cheese, we narrowed down our choices to six cheeses. They all sounded so delicious. Each cheese came with a pairing of a fruit compote or honey.

I had lobster and corn bisque for my soup. I have had this there before and it is a divine soup experience! The soup comes in an individual sized copper pot that is poured table-side into the soup bowl which has lobster chunks and corn in the bottom of it. I could eat this soup every day.

For my entree, I had an 8 oz filet mignon with a Maytag bleu cheese topping cooked to medium rare doneness. It is the most tender, flavorful steak I have ever been served. It comes with a whole roasted garlic on the side. You can eat this or just leave it as a garnish. The sides are ordered a la carte and are served family-style with generous portions to share with the table. I had garlic truffle macaroni and cheese, the bleu cheese and thyme potatoes au gratin, and the sauteed mushrooms. Each side was more rich and delicious than the last! The macaroni and cheese was my favorite. It is so good that we duplicated it at home! The only problem with the food at this restaurant is that everything tastes so good and you get full too fast! I was so full, we didn't even consider dessert, but the chef had made a special dessert for my birthday which was a surprise to me! It was a chocolate lava cake with fresh whipped cream on a decorated plate! It was delicious even if I could only eat a few bites!

My overall experience was exceptional at Old Hickory Steakhouse. I have eaten here twice before and requested it for my birthday dinner. It is quite an exquisite experience! The "outdoor" seating is in the delta atrium and the plants and trees make the environment so wonderful. Every wait staff that saw me wished me a happy birthday and the birthday message printed on the menu was an extra special touch! I would definitely recommend eating here if you go to Opryland.

SK8's Insider Tips:
Be sure to stir your soup to make sure you get lobster and corn in every bite!
Use your phone to see the menu if you are at a dark table or have late reservations.
Having the Maitre Fromager come to the table makes you feel like you are super fancy.

Go to the restaurant extremely hungry so you have room for all the delicious items.

to see the menu for Old Hickory Steakhouse at Opryland click on this link:

Connors Steak and Seafood

Cleanliness: 4 out of 5
Service: 5 out of 5
Food: 5 out of 5
Experience: 5 out of 5
Overall Score: 19, which gives Connors restaurant five plates on SK8's plate rate!

Recently I went to Connors Steak and Seafood restaurant at Bridge Street, in Huntsville Alabama. It was fantastic! The restaurant itself was very clean. I gave it a four out of five because the bathroom was really hot and there was water on the floor. The service was wonderful. We were seated quite quickly and we had a friendly and knowledgeable waiter who informed us of the specials and answered our questions about the menu. He checked on us frequently and got our drink refills without us asking. Our food came out in a timely fashion, and he made sure that we were happy with each course of our meal. The food was delicious! I wanted to sample so many items on the menu!

I had an unsweetened peach tea for my drink and I admired the variety of unsweetened tea flavors. The waiter brought a loaf of artisan bread which was crusty and soft, and made the pesto dipping sauce at the table.

For my appetizers, I had calamari and lobster dip. The calamari is the best calamari I have ever tasted. The secret is in how the chef cuts the calamari. He cuts it lengthwise instead of into rings, and it makes the calamari have a shrimp-like texture. The dip for the calamari was similar to shrimp cocktail sauce instead of marinara. The lobster dip is unique because it is served with shrimp crackers which are light and crispy but also soft. The dip itself is deliciously thick and chunky with niblets of corn in it.

For my soup, I had an impeccable lobster crab bisque. It was creamy and not too sweet. There were plenty of juicy chunks of lobster in the bottom of the bowl. Be sure to stir the soup so you get the delicious lobster in every bite!

For my entree, I had the 6 oz sized Boursin Filet cooked to medium doneness. Boursin is a soft, creamy cheese that is infused with garlic. The filet also comes with crispy tobacco onions, which are like thin-cut lightly breaded onion rings. This is one of the best steaks I have ever eaten! It is cooked to perfection and the Boursin and onions give it a delicious unique flavor. I had garlic mashed potatoes as a side which were well textured, (not too creamy and not too chunky) with a light garlic flavor, and a good balance of herbs.

For dessert, I had the house specialty of strawberry shortcake with homemade ice cream and homemade whipped cream. It was amazing! The shortcake was proper shortcake, dense and moist, not the dry, spongy cake some restaurants serve. The strawberries were ripe and juicy. The ice cream and whipped cream were creamy and delicious and went with the shortcake very well.

I gave the food, a five out of five. Everything I ate was flawless and there were many things on the menu that I would love to try.

My experience was a five out of five. The overall environment in the restaurant is very nice with lots of interesting architectural details. There is a large fireplace as a focal point in the middle of the main dining room. There is a lot of natural light throughout the restaurant and there were lots of accents of dark wood and stone work. The restaurant definitely has a rustic charm. The wait staff was attentive and the food was exceptional. I look forward to eating at Connors again!

SK8's Insider Tips:
Reservations are recommended, especially for bigger parties. If you arrive prior to regular lunch or dinner times, you will be seated quickly.
Try the calamari, even if you think you don't like calamari! This is a totally different eating experience than your usual calamari!

To see the restaurant's menu, click this link.