Achilles in Santa Clara, CA

Achilles in Santa Clara features Mediterranean food, but in some respects I found the actual food they served to be incidental. For a crowded restaurant where you pick up your food at the register, the employees are remarkably conscientious about the customer experience. All the employees smile there. The cashier threw on some extra meat before we carried away our trays. And, when I left, the same cashier thanked me by name, even though it was the first time we'd met.



Then there's the value. For less than $50 after tax but before tip, we received four meals heaping with meat and four heart-shaped falafel pieces that was the best I'd ever had (so crisp, yet fluffy and hot on the inside!).

Is there an Achilles' heel? If anything could have been improved, the Achilles chicken (pictured) was slightly overdone. That's it.

We went in on a Saturday night at about 5:30. There are far more customers than seats at that time. Your odds of finding a table are better at 5:00 or 6:30.

Blue Angel Cafe--South Lake Tahoe

We went to Blue Angel Cafe for dinner last weekend. Though we showed up at about 6 pm there was no line, which we were grateful for. Also, the staff there was friendly. However, for what we got, our meal was expensive at $77.50 before tax and tip. We needed to eat more when we got back to our hotel. Shown here are the Piri Piri Ribs. The sauce hits you with a sharp acidic taste, but the meat falls off the bone. For $22 you got veggies, mashed potatoes and five ribs.