Texas Land and Cattle Steak House~ Branson, Missouri

We had a bike to pick up in Branson, Missouri and decided to spend some time at Branson Landing while we were there. To read more about our visit to Branson Landing click here.



Although there were many choices for lunch, we decided to eat at Texas Land and Cattle Steak House. This is a new addition to Branson Landing and we had previously seen these restaurants while out on the road, so we decided to try it out and see what they had to offer.



We were very impressed with the Texas Land and Cattle Steak House at Branson Landing! Our server was Andrew and he was very helpful and took great care of us. We both wanted a smoothie, which they don't serve, but he checked to see if they could accommodate us. Another server suggested a virgin strawberry daquari, made with fresh strawberries ~ they were excellent! Sometimes you get those daquari mixes, but this was made with fresh fruit and was some of the best we had ever had.



We also ordered steak nachos as an appetizers and they were incredible! We finished those off just in time for our food to arrive. Chris ordered the Carne Enchiladas ~ marinated, grilled steak, pico de gallo, and two cheese enchiladas with chili con carne on top ~ he said it was awesome (and only 8.99 on the lunch menu!). See pic below:

 

I had the BBQ Chicken Quesadilla with a side salad (I chose a ceasar salad and have to say, it was almost as big as a regular salad!). The BBQ Chicken Quesadilla was excellent. It was also severed with guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo ~ and at lunch menu prices, it was only 6.99. There was more than enough to fill me up. We both had leftovers to take home and heat up the next day for lunch. See pic below for BBQ Chicken Quesadilla:

 

We were at Texas Land and Cattle Steak House mid-afternoon, which is sometimes kind of 'iffy' on service and the speed in which you get your food, but we had excellent service while we were there and will definitely return next time we're in Branson.

Andrew was an excellent server. I even asked about recent flooding I had seen of the Branson Landing area and asked him how high up the water got. He showed us a couple of pictures he had on his cell phone of the water cresting and pointed out where the pictures were in relation to where we were sitting. He was very friendly and helpful and made us feel right at home. Thanks, Andrew!

Bianca's Ristorante Italiano ~ Fort Myers, Florida

This is an exceptional restaurant! Wow! Try Bianca's Ristorante Italiano in Fort Myers, Florida ~ you won't be disappointed!

Our friends, Bill and Stacy, bought this restaurant about a year ago. While in Naples to visit them, we stopped in to try out the cuisine. I have to say, friends or not, we were absolutely impressed.

We arrived around 4:15 on a Tuesday and they were almost at having a wait to be seated. They open at 4:00, so the fact that by 4:15 they already had nearly every table full ought to speak volumes.

We ordered appetizers: stuffed mushrooms and artichoke heart casserola and both were excellent. You also get homemade garlic rolls when you are seated....and they are scrumptious! Chris ordered the frutta del mare and I ordered the chicken portofino.....both were awesome. Huge portions.......trust me, you'll go away absolutely stuffed. Bill wanted us to try his pizza, so he had them prepare a meat lover's pizza, and it was excellent.....despite being completely full, we managed to share a piece, just to try it. We had coffee......and of course, a slice of chocolate cake (like we needed more food!) and this piece of cake was HUGE.......if you have dessert, order one and share! I saw a man order carrot cake and I think they brought him a quarter of a round cake!

The food was exceptional.......the service was exceptional........Bill makes it a point to visit every table and every customer, to check and make sure your experience in his restaurant is the best you've ever had. He also welcomes comments and if there's something he can do to make things better for you, just let him know, he honestly wants your feedback. And, how many places do you go where you get that kind of attention?

I listed to other customers as they talked and ate.......all very positive comments about the food and the service. Bill and Stacy's customers are happy and keep coming back for more. In the restaurant business, that says a lot.

So, next time you're in the Fort Myers, Florida area, stop in at Bianca's and get a bite to eat. Go hungry and prepare to be impressed. Bianca's is located at 16251 N Cleveland Ave Ste 3, Fort Myers, FL 33903 Hours of operation: Tuesday through Thursday 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm; Friday and Saturday 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm (closed Sunday and Monday)

No Name Pub ~ Big Pine Key/No Name Key, Florida

We went to Big Pine Key to pick up a motorcycle and ended up right around the corner from a little place called 'No Name Pub', which is out on No Name Key, Florida.

This was a great place! We were there around 3:00 pm and there were actually quite a few people eating. It is a small place, but the service was good and the food was even better.

The tables are wooden and all have a square pedastel in the center that stands up about 6" to 8". When you order pizza or something that has to be shared (in our case nachos), it's brought out on a wooden platter and placed on the pedastel. This is great for pizza and the like!

We were planning on eating when we got to Key West, but we needed something to hold us over till later in the evening. I guess it should be noted that I am slightly hypoglycemic. If I go too long without food or wait too late in the day to eat, I get really, really cranky. I get a headache and just real edgy and irritable. When I'm like that and Chris asks me what I want to eat, I don't care.....cardboard anybody? This is also when I make bad food decisions. I'm more likely to order a big ole greasy cheeseburger, which is something I wouldn't normally eat.

So, this is why we stopped to grab a bite, and why we ended up ordering nachos to share. But, they were GOOD! They were piled high and had some kind of chili/salsa/pico de gallo and beef and cheese......it was very good, and very fattening! Gotta get back to eating healthy....soon!

Our waitress was great. She was very attentive and energetic. She was friendly and offered suggestions on what to try.

We would definitely recommend this place!