This year for Restaurant Week, Ryan and I decided to go to
Kenny's Wood Fired Grill and
Jasper's. Although we had been to the other two Kenny's restaurants in town, this was our first time at Kenny's Wood Fired Grill. Both restaurants were good but I think Ryan and I both preferred Jasper's and would even go there again.
At Kenny's Ryan started off with ahi tuna nachos and then had some of the best ribs that either of us had ever eaten. He chose to eat potato cakes in the side and they were quite awful. They were greasy and I had had better french fries from McDonald's. For dessert and he chose key lime pie which was also done expertly. I started with the best French onion soup I've ever had. The cheese had an appropriate amount of bite and wasn't to stringy and there was plenty of bread and just the right amount of onions. I selected the filet for my entrée. It was pretty good but nothing special. I was told by the waiter that I must try the adult mac & cheese. I took his advice but shouldn't have. It had a smoky flavor but it tasted very fake and the cheese sauce was drippy. For desert I chose to try the crème brûlée. It was foamy and not something I would ever order again. Overall, Kenny's was good but not somewhere that I would rush back to eat at.
Jasper's on the other hand was an excellent choice. The setting in Legacy Town Square was beautiful, although parking is always an issue. The interior of the restaurant was gorgeous with high ceilings and perfect lighting. The staff was both friendly and knowledgeable and we had an excellent waitress who explains many of the menu items to us in great detail. This is something we love as foodies! Ryan started with the chicken masa soup which tasted just like at tamale, unique and wonderful. I chose the beer cheese soup and although the popcorn garnish wasn't my thing the soup base was excellent, spiced just right. Ryan selected peach pork loin on a bed of cheese grits for his entrée while I decided to have the baby back ribs to see if they were as good as Kenny's. Ryan loved his dish and mine to, even thinking the ribs were better than Kenny's. I think I still like Kenny's ribs better, but Jasper's ribs didn't disappoint. The side dish that came with my ribs was labeled as a baked potato potato salad. It was basically chunks of potato with baked potato toppings on it. Sour cream, cheese, bacon bits, and chives covered the perfectly cooked potatoes making them somewhat soggy but still edible. The dessert offered was a shared tasting of three of the restaurant's usual desserts. This included a Grand Marnier cheesecake, a carrot bundt cake, and a chocolate torte. Ryan and I both agreed that the chocolate tort was the best thing on the plate and we each could have easily eat and 10 of them. The caretakers good, very moist and flavorful, and I would order it again. While you could tell that the cheesecake was homemade and very fresh the flavor was just so so my opinion.
Even though we did like one restaurant better than the other I would say that both selections for this year's restaurant week were winners and we look forward to next year's event.
