Editor’s Note: I apologize for the delay in a few of these, it has been a busy half year. Plus I am not sure where three that I posted went, will have to track those down. Don’t worry I’ll get back on the horse!
Address:
Wallaby’s
3720 Lincoln Way
Ames, IA 50014
515-292-1167
The Dish:
Kids Grill Cheese (Chloe)
Patty Melt w/fries and cheese sauce (Me)
Strawberry Lemonade
$20 (Tax and tip included)
Grade: 1 Fork, 1 Spoon
I thought it would be a nice night to take my daughter Chloe out of the house. It just so happened that a friend of mine (who recommended the place) was available for dinner. I have always wanted to try Wallaby’s, just never got around to it. Or rather never had the courage to try it. Some casual readers might recognize from previous posts and future posts that I am not a person to blindly try out a new place to eat unless I go with someone who has been there before, or we are in un-familiar territory. This is something that someday I’ll probably have to talk to a qualified therapist about someday, but hey we all have our issues…
Ambiance: Wallaby’s would imply somewhat of an “Australian” feel. However when you enter, it has more of a sports bar feel. Nothing wrong with that, I was just expecting something more like Outback, instead of something closer to Buffalo Wild Wings. Granted it is a college town there was plenty of Iowa State flair (as expected) but maybe a better name would have been “Cy’s Grill” or “West Side Sports Bar & Grill.” Anyway naming aside, I definitely felt that this would be a good place to watch any sort of sporting game as many tables had dedicated flat screen TVs and many larger TVs were in high visibility areas. The one thing of note that helped overcome the lack of a down under feel was the framed and signed Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson (as Johnson) jersey. Who-Dey!
Menu/Price: Most items seemed somewhat higher priced for the area but pretty standard for an establishment of the type. I strongly believe $2.25 for any non-alcoholic drink is excessive. But with free refills and Strawberry Lemonade that was fabulous, it seems like somewhat of a drink that was worth it. The kids meal seem adequately priced, and sized for a kid (not necessarily a toddler). As for the rest of the menu, it looked like a carbon copy of TGIF’s with a few locally themed items. Again no Australian themed items.
Meal: First let me talk about the Strawberry Lemonade. I don’t know how they made it, I don’t know why it was so good, but if I would have had more time I probably would have had at least three more refills of that awesome lemonade. Chloe had a kid’s grilled cheese that would have been ok as a meal itself. Although she only ate, at most a quarter of the entire basket I did try the grilled cheese and did enjoy it. They also had an “adult” grilled cheese that was made with three cheeses other fun things. My patty melt was above average, as it was loaded with grilled onions and cooked well done. It was as if they read my mind! The cheese sauce that came as an extra for the fries was equally tasty and perfect for the grill cheese (oh yea I tried it). Portions and sizing were somewhat equal to the pricing. I did not feel hungry after I left.
Service: It is a different experience with a toddler. Always have to get a high chair, and never know if it will be clean or fully functional or not. In this case that was not a problem. Our waitress felt somewhat bad because I grabbed a high chair on our way to the table. No big deal for me, I had an open hand and it was right there. Initial drinks to a bit to get to us but refills came without asking, and standard “how’s everything” every so often.
Overall: I think the only thing holding the grade back from the fork and knife is the whole naming thing. I did enjoy my meal there and would gladly pay $2.25 for another pitcher of that Strawberry Lemonade. Next trip there will probably be during an actual game that I wish to watch an will munch on some of the nachos (made with the cheese sauce above I am told) and sip some of that awesome lemonade.