population-we™: lasagna

Thursday, November 28, 2013

pop-we Dinner Club Reviews Council Bluff's Pizza King

We crossed the bridge to royalty this month as foodie Scott claimed Pizza King in Council Bluffs, Iowa, as our population-we™ (pop-we) Dinner Club's next stop. Since it was established in 1965, the Poulos family have been running the Pizza King. Located at 1101 North Broadway, this place got its name by starting with its namesake, pizza. Over the years they have expanded into steaks and seafood, which has brought them many first place accolades such as: service, bartender, pizza, server and favorite overall restaurant. Today it is still open seven days a week.

When you walk through the front door, before arriving at the host stand, you will pass a banquet room and a door to the bar on the right hand side. They can seat 350 people in the dining room and offer a full service bar. For larger parties there are three large banquet rooms for any occasion. We dined in a banquet room this evening. Looking at the décor, I do not believe it has changed much over the years--with the brass fixtures and large mirrors along the walls.

Tonight I decide on their lasagna. When it came out I was surprised that it was a good thick square. The sauce was a little on the sweet side but I was happy with the overall taste. It also came with a salad and bread. Salad was a little plain, not much too it, also they drowned it in dressing, which I did not care for.

After compiling the surveys from the other foodies the pop-we Dinner Club gives Pizza King a 3.93 star average on a scale of 1-5.

Pizza King Lasagna.

Atmosphere/Decor – 3.5

Cleanliness – 3.87

Wait Staff – 4

Menu – 4.12

Food Presentation – 4

Food Portions – 4.25

Food Taste – 4.12

Cost (was the cost worth meal?) – 4

Noise Level – 3.5

Overall Experience – 4

For more information regarding directions or Pizza King’s menu, visit their website at http://pizzaking1101.com/.

Fellow population-we™ readers, if you've been to Pizza King leave us a comment and tell us what you thought?

Want to do this yourself? To review how to start your own dinner club, visit our January post about doing just that. Remember it is a template; tweak it to fit you and your friends’ tastes. pop-we Dinner Club: good food…good friends…good times.

-population-we™ blog post by Brian Brown

© 2013 population-we, LLC
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Monday, January 28, 2013

pop-we Dinner Club Reviews Lo Sole Mio Ristorante Italiano

Lo Sole Mio entrance.

The great Dean Martin once said, “That’s amore!” In South Omaha, located at 3001 S. 32nd Ave., Conrad took us to a family-run Italian restaurant called Lo Sole Mio Ristorante Italiano. It sits in a neighborhood, they don’t have a parking lot and they are always busy. It was opened in 1992 by Don and Marie along with their children. They wanted a charming, "Old World" type of place that was a destination for people to come and people always do. Every year Omaha hosts the College World Series (NCAA baseball championship), the sports radio show I listen to always ask national sports writers what restaurant they are going to first? Lo Sole Mio is always first or second on their list while in town.

When you arrive at Lo Sole Mio, you can walk straight ahead into the bar area. The dining room is to the right of the entrance and is L shaped. There is seating in the basement, too. As you look around the room there are painting and statues for the Italian décor.

I ordered the Baked Lasagna for $17. The lasagna is layered with ground beef, ricotta cheese and a hearty marinara sauce. I like the dish for its flavors and how cheesy it was, I would recommend. One thing that is easily noticeable looking around the table is how big the portions are…go hungry! Conrad ordered, The Don, which is beef tips served with green peppers, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms in a white wine sauce over a bed of pasta. He highly recommends, as it is his favorite dish on the menu. Another hit was Michelle’s Pasta Con Aragosta and Gameri, which is lobster, shrimp cooked in a cream sauce with asiago cheese and basil over pasta.

After compiling the surveys from the other foodies the pop-we Dinner Club gives Lo Sole Mio: 4.18 star average on a scale of 1-5.

Lo Sole Mio Baked Lasagna entree.

Atmosphere/Decor – 4.41

Cleanliness – 4.5

Wait Staff – 3.9

Menu – 4.25

Food Presentation – 4.33

Food Portions – 4.66

Food Taste – 4.58

Cost (was the cost worth meal?) – 3.66

Noise Level – 3.33

Overall Experience – 4.16

For more information regarding directions or their menu you can go to their website at http://www.losolemio.com/ristorante/index.htm.

Fellow population-we™ readers, if you've been to the Lo Sole Mio leave us a comment and tell us what you thought?

Want to do this yourself? To review how to start your own dinner club, visit our January post about doing just that. Remember it is a template; tweak it to fit you and your friends’ tastes. pop-we Dinner Club: good food…good friends…good times.