Doing it better?
The Two Fat Guys check out Ponderosa Steakhouse.
Located at 956 Mountain Rd., Ponderosa advertises that they have family prices, senior discounts through their Golden Advantage club and encourage tours by providing complimentary meals to their tour guides. Hours of operation are Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., in July and August only the restaurant stays open until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more information, please call 384-7174.
The Fat Guy's verdict:
Ponderosa's old commercial tune rang through my head as I attempted a difficult left turn off Mountain Rd. into the parking lot, "Doing it better, a great deal better."
For some reason, Ponderosa strikes me as the restaurant that time forgot. The few times I've actually eaten there have been with my grandmother, who was itching for the seniors' discount, which by all accounts is really, really good. There's also a lunch club (your sixth lunch FREE) and a coupon club...let the savings begin.
The décor hasn't changed much in the last decade, or that's what my foggy memory seems to dictate. They've got a buffet set up, booths, regular tables, and a colour scheme they call New West. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but since I'm at a loss to describe the environment as anything other than a slightly upscale cafeteria, New West it is.
The menu is a lengthy one. There are a lot of choices - a wide variety of steaks, chicken platters, and seafood entrees. Most come with hot baked potato, french fries, or a salad and of course a roll.
Then there's my selection for the afternoon - The Grand Buffet ($9.99), which is touted as amazing and has over 95 items including soup, veggies, salad, fruit, pasta, meats, desserts and of course JELLO. Because what kind of seniors operation would dare dream of offering desert choices and not include JELLO?
While I didn't actually count the items at the buffet bar, it didn't quite look like just under a 100 items, but I figure they're counting the drink and dressing options too. So I filled up my own drink at the pop fountain station, which is how things work at this buffet, it's all self-serve.
And then I got my salad on. There were enough veggie choices to keep me contented, tomato, onion, mushroom, radishes. They also had a fair number of dressing choices, even low calorie ones. But the salad bar just didn't look all that appetizing and the veggies available didn't seem that fresh.
Everything tasted OK, including the soup, it just wasn't amazing. I also grabbed some melon slices. But this is probably the first all you can eat buffet-ary that didn't have me coming back for more.
As an aside, this the first time I've had JELLO in a while, and that was delicious.
Ponderosa is just not really my style. There wasn't anything that stood out as being really good, with the noted exception of the JELLO. In other words, to me, Ponderosa is for those who are at best budget savvy and at worst cheap. The Ponderosa website even states that tipping is not required, because this saves you 15 per cent! Which might make sense if you're eating a buffet, but the idea of being encouraged not to tip at all; well it made me feel a bit bad for the staff.
This Fat Guy gives the place 4/10, mostly because my grammy likes it.
Fatter Guy's verdict:
The last time I went to Ponderosa was when I was seven. I heard the catchy jingle on the radio and I asked my parents if we could go to 'Ponderosa, Ponderosa, doing it better, a great deal better' ALL THE TIME. I really didn't stop.
They eventually got annoyed and took me.
And that was the end of that.
So when I headed into the restaurant as an older, fatter adult, I really didn't know what to expect because I couldn't remember what it was like "" though I'm sure it hasn't changed much as the décor looks pretty dated.
When you walk in, you'll see a menu board on the wall. I checked it out but hadn't fully decided on what I wanted because I figured I'd sit down, be given a menu and decide then.
But you actually make your order right away, so I was glad to see another menu board by the cash so that I could decide.
It just boggles my mind this system of going out to eat but serving yourself, doesn't really seem like a 'night out'...but judging by the full restaurant, people enjoy the cafeteria style.
I ordered the seven ounce flat iron steak with baked potato ($9.99) and added the buffet. After ordering, you sit down and wait for your main meal to arrive, while eating the buffet you ordered "" if you don't get the buffet, you just wait for your meal to arrive.
The salad buffet is often touted as a Ponderosa staple, so when I was scooping caesar onto my plate, I was a bit excited. But I decided I've been spoiled by all the other caesars in town I've feasted on recently as this one did not fit the bill. Sogginess and fake bacon bits with dressing that was just..off was what I got here.
Other items I tried on the buffet were wings (pretty good "" full of meat), different types of hashbrowns, including what looked to be McCain's 'Tasty Taters' (also good), some pasta whose sauce reminded me of what I drown my noodles in at home (that'd be Prego, Ragu or whatever's handy - straight from the jar).
When my steak came, after two helpings from the buffet, presentation was obviously not a factor. It came on a small metal tray. Steak. And a baked potato. No parsley, no fixings to dress it up, just a small piece of meat. A roll should have been, but wasn't, included.
The AA grade meat was good. I was impressed with the flavour. What I wasn't impressed with was that I ordered it medium and it was basically well done. Though it was surprisingly still tender.
Afterwards I splurged on the sundae bar, making myself a treat.
Like the Fat Guy, I was also thinking I wouldn't like to work here and felt bad for staff. No tips, no serving/talking to customers really for staff to even earn tips; just grabbing empty plates from tables, adding fresh items to the buffet is all there is...
So to sum up, the buffet was all right, the steak was good, but not cooked as I'd ordered; 5/10 from me.
E-mail thetwofatguys@gmail.com
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