TJ Elliott's Entrees

This job as restaurant reporter is delicious, but I’m worried about getting fat. I feel obligated to try different items on the menu. Fortunately for me, Jimmy keeps some healthy choices on the menu. All I have to do is choose them.

Today I tried the Italian Wedding Soup, which is something I normally wouldn’t have ordered, but since I have seen it as a recurring special, I thought I should investigate. It was delicious, little meatballs and pasta that looks a bit like confetti. It did seem festive and I ate every drop.

When you have ordered something you enjoyed at a restaurant, do you tend to want to re-order the item you liked before? I do. I hate to chance ordering something new and wishing I had ordered the selection I knew I enjoyed. So far that hasn’t happened at TJ Elliott’s. I used to get the crabcakes every time. I know they are good. I enjoy crabcakes best with fries, which I’ve been trying to avoid. So it was time to branch out. I do love the Ledo pizza. I could eat pizza every day, but I shouldn’t. The next time I order it, however, I am going to try the “Jimmy’s Everything Elliott Pizza.” I have an ordering queue like you might at Netfliks.

I know a few other menu items at TJ Elliott’s that I’d love to eat again. I absolutely loved the lobster ravioli. It is so delicious that I sometimes think about it when I’m hungry and trying to decide what to have for dinner. I end up thinking I should go to TJ’s. The Bare Burger was also quite tasty. I think it is the well seasoned side veggies that make me not miss the bun. So that is another healthy choice I could select.

Today I tried the Black & Blue Steak. This is a seasoned sirloin topped with bleu cheese and served with veggies and a salad, no bread, so it’s good for a low-carber like me. I am always happy when the cook follows directions on meat doneness. I know I take a risk ordering medium rare, but it is a risk I willingly take. When a restaurant refused to cook lower than medium, I feel as cranky about it as bikers do about the helmet law. Please let me decide which risks I want to take. So my steak was tender and lean and scrumptious.

The soup for the appetizer worked to stave off my desire for dessert. I am trying to keep reasonably low sugar. That’s not easy at Jimmy’s restaurant. I’ve had the tiramisu before and it is divine.

Is it always best to order the specials or the restaurant specialty? For example, should you order the steak at a seafood restaurant or a burger at a Mexican restaurant? I had a friend who ordered the shrimp at "The Pork Palace" and he was nearly hospitalized. He should have stuck with the ribs. I know specialty restaurants have to keep some decent alternatives for the picky eaters in the crowds. Have you ever had a great meal that was not the house specialty?

Do you ever order wine or an item off a menu because of its name? For dinner this weekend at a Chinese restaurant I did just that. I ordered the "Happiness Lamb." I thought it might help me feel like frolicking. Probably if it just said "Lamb and Green Peppers" I wouldn't have ordered it.

Same with wine. I know a little about wines, but not a ton. Sometimes when deciding between bottles, the name will cast the deciding vote: like "Fat Bastard" wines.

Have you ever had the opportunity to name a menu item? Have you noticed a catchy name that prompted you to order something you might not have otherwise?

What inspires the name of a restaurant? I went into TJ Elliott's for dinner yesterday and had a conversation about that with owner, Jimmy Marcos. It is such a pleasure to have the owner of the restaurant available to mingle with the guests. He seemed to know everybody and all seemed happy to see him. I knew Ledo Pizza was a local franchise founded by his family. So who was Ledo, Grandpa? The name of the village in Italy where his family originated?

Jimmy chuckled at the question before relating the family story. When his family came to America, they did not arrive with any vast wealth. They decided to collaborate on a pizzaria. The brothers pooled their funds to equip the kitchen with the basic materials to create their now famous pizza. The initial investment nearly broke them. Despite their financial limitations, the brothers decided their restaurant needed a proper sign. They scraped up their meager remaining capital and met with a sign painter. On seeing the amount of money available for the sign, the painter declared that they had enough money for only a 4-letter name. “Marcos” was out of the question.

Jimmy's dad knew of a downtown nightclub what was popular named “Lido's.” He liked the ring of the name, but didn't want any trademark problems. So he suggested the spelling variation and sold his brothers on the idea. Now “Ledo” is one of the most delicious 4-letter words around.

By the way, I had the lobster ravioli and it was fantastic - as was the tiramisu.

Today I went to TJ Elliott's for a business lunch. I arrived first, a bit before noon, to a quiet restaurant and was quickly seated by a friendly woman who could have been my mother. As if she had seated me in her living room, she offered to get me a drink since it was at least 100 humid degrees outside. I glanced out the big front windows and saw that my business associate had not yet arrived. I glanced at the menu.

The main menu was a tri-folded binder with menu items listed on 5 pages. So I appreciated the speedier lunch specials laminated sheet that was separate from the menu. When I'm in a rush, I don't want to have to study through an extensive menu. The lunch menu even had a Healthier Fare section. Right away the Bare Burger caught my eye. I was hungry and the description made my stomach growl.

The air conditioning and lemony iced tea refreshed me after driving the the scorching August heat. I took a moment to scan the dining room. The unclothed tables were neatly awaiting their first guests. There were three men at the bar, laughing and chatting amiably with the pretty young barmaid. The tv was tuned to sports updates. The bar area was decorated with sports memorabilia, but not in an overpowering way. The long wall in the dining room had framed black and white photos of local sights and what I'm assuming are family photos. I would like to take a moment and look at them all, but my lunch date had arrived.