The Raven - "Nevermore"; But not really. Again. Again I say.

This month we chose a local eatery in Port Huron. A little cafe called The Raven. Downtown Port Huron has a surprising amount of neat cafes and pubs. We could eat for just a year in Port Huron at local restaurants.

We all agreed that we enjoyed visiting a local place rather than a chain. Not that the chains aren't fun and good food, but we think the local individual places will be more interesting over all.

Place: The Raven

Location: Military Street, Port Huron, MI

The Awesome Raven!

This month it was a toss up between The Quay and The Raven. Only Susie had been to The Raven before and that was years ago, and the online reviews for the cafe seemed really good. So it was decided. 

When we got there it was super busy. We couldn't find a seat inside. But that was okay, because they had patio seating out front. So, while we didn't get to enjoy the interior decor, we did get to enjoy a beautiful day outside in downtown Port Huron and no one gave us guff because we were loud. Like we usually are. The smokers only had to step outside the enclosed eating area to smoke and we were all still in talking distance of each other. 

And, Bonus!, older biker dudes blasting Michele Branch was great. We got to sing along as he was stopped at the light. Fun!

Highlights

Hummus

Patio Seating - We really loved the outside seating. It was a gorgeous day. The exhaust from passing vehicles was barely noticeable, and as a bonus we got to people watch. We like doing that. The table was a little small, but we did have five adults, so that was expected. 

Heaven on a plate

Hummus - I've never really had hummus before. Mom ordered the one with the red pepper. It was so good. Especially with pita bread. We even dipped our sandwiches in it later. We also tried mixing the spinach dip that we ordered with the humus. It was a great success.

Dessert - "Could we, for once, have a light lunch so we could order dessert?" - Jeri. So we ordered a desert to share. It was the Deluxe Jumbo Lemon Layered Shortcake. And it was a little bit of heaven. The lemon was perfect and the cake was so soft and fluffy. It was 6 bucks and it was the perfect size to share between the five of us.

The Ratings: On a Scale From 1 to 5

Paragrab Roast Beef Melt

Waitstaff

Mom - 4; She was very friendly. Service was a little slow, but it was incredibly busy inside, so we assumed that was the reason.

Jeri - 4

Terra - 5; Angela (our waitress) really impressed us with her listening skills. When we first got there, Jeri hadn't arrived yet. We must've said her name at the table, indicating that she would be there soon. Because when Jeri came in the back of the restaurant and Angela saw her she asked "Are you Jeri?" and then told Jeri where to find us. So, awesome awareness skills.

Susie - 5; She was friendly and very comfy with us. She wasn't shy or timid at all.

Marti - 4. She was very nice.

Black Cat BLT Deluxe

Food Quality

Mom - Santa Fe Ranchero Deluxe; 5; It was spicy, but not too much. Nice size as well.

Jeri - Paragrab Roast Beef Mushroom Melt; 5; It was as delicious as it sounds.

Terra - Black Cat BLT Deluxe; 5; It was a good lunch time sandwich. Really good toast and nice crispy bacon. The potato salad side was pretty tasty as well.

Susie - Plutonian Shore French Dip; 5; So delicious. The Au Jous went with everything on the table and the cripsy cheese on the edges was the ultimate plus.

Marti - Blackwood Fajita Quesadilla; 5; "I'm happy I got the quesadilla this time." - Marti. It was super good. Even dipped in the hummus.

Santa Fe Ranchero Deluxe

Food Value

All of our lunches were $7.99. And we all agreed they were worth the price we paid.

Drinks (Out of 10)

We all got coffee shakes this week and they were delicious. We do recommend that you get a small if you plan to have lunch because they are very filling. The mediums were $4.29

Mom - Raspberry Mocha; 4
Jeri - Coconut; 4

Terra - Irish Cream; 5

Susie; Chocolate Peanut Butter; 5

Marti; Caramel Mocha; 5

Fajita Quesadilla

Overall

Mom - 5; We loved eating outside. It was a wonderful day for it.

Jeri - 5

Terra - 5; I would love to go back and be able to eat inside. It seemed so cozy. And the food was definitely worth a repeat.

Susie - 5; The decor outside was pretty awesome. I loved the raven.

Marti - 5; I liked the place and loved the dessert!

French Dip

It was a wonderful experience and it's really inspired us to try more local establishments. We had fun and left in a joyful mood. Lunch was a success.

I've actually been having dreams about the french dip and the mushroom melt. That's got to be a good sign? Right? Until next time!

Terra

Cheeseburger in Paradise is not a Lie. It's Truth.

The Birthday Girl!

We waited until the end of the month because it was Marti's birthday on the 20th of May. Happy Birthday Marti! And we wanted to go out on her birthday. We like going out on our birthdays. It makes us feel special. We like special too. This month we also have 2 special guests. Mom's youngest sister, Kathy, and her youngest daughter, Vicky. I'm going to take this moment to thank them for spending the afternoon with us. Thanks Aunt Kathy and Vicky!

I'm also going to take this moment to apologize to my brother-in-law Mike. The first official lunch we had, at Red Robin, I offended him. I spoke without thinking in a sarcastic manner and I hurt his feelings. I cringe when I look back on it. I wish now that I had taken down his thoughts on the lunch because it would've been interesting to have not only a male point of view, but I believe he had a ghost pepper burger and that was something none of us had. I am sorry Mike.

Restaurant: Cheeseburger in Paradise

Location: Hall Road, Sterling Heights, MI

Electric Lizard

Since it was Marti's birthday this month, she got to decide where we went. She had been extolling the wonderment of Cheeseburger In Paradise for awhile and we were quite excited to go.

Walking in gave you a pretty good idea of how great lunch was gonna be. We are big on atmosphere. To us, it's almost as important as the food. Some places are so dark you need a flashlight in the middle of the day to read the menu. And some places are so bright you could wear sunglasses inside. Cheeseburger in Paradise found a happy medium. Though, they could've turned the air on. Just sayin'.

Highlights

Our apps!

The Staff - Yes. The staff are a highlight. From our waitress to ,what we assume, is the manager. Everyone was amazingly helpful, kind, and generally awesome sauce. Our waitress was Jocelyn and she was super nice. Some of our drinks didn't come with sunglasses on the fruit, but she put them on anyway. She listened to what we wanted, didn't ASSUME (I'm looking at you Garfield's waitress) on her tip, and smiled the entire time. Even though I'm sure we were somewhat obnoxious.

Garnish!

Garnishes - We do like our fruity fun drinks with lunch. And this was the best so far. It even beats bd's Mongolian BBQ. Which we didn't think was possible. Not only were their amazing garnishes, WITH SUNGLASSES!("I ate the sunglasses!" - Mom), but the drinks themselves were pretty and tasty. They looked like their pictures in the menu and tasted amazing. We considered coming back once a week till we had tried all the drinks. Who am I kidding. We're still considering it.

Appetizers - We had the Onion Six Strings and Frickles. I've never had fried pickles that were so tasty before. And they both came with this amazing dipping sauce. Between the seven of us, we demolished them pretty fast. They were deep fried, but not greasy. Nice and light. With so much flavor.

The Ratings: On a Scale From 1 to 5

Bacon Cheeseburger

Waitstaff

We all gave Jocelyn a 5. And since it was Marti's birthday, she gets to double her score to a 10. Which she did. We were very impressed with the service. A couple of us have been waitresses or are currently waitresses. We know what it's like to have to smile all day. To act happy when you have angry, rude, obnoxious, and downright mean people to wait on. We know the effort it takes to keep that smile on your face and make each table feel important and well taken care of. Jocelyn excelled at this.

Food Quality

Mango Chicken Wrap

Mom - All American Burger w/Fries; 5; It was really good. I had the leftovers 3 days later, and it was still awesome.

Jeri - Chicken Quesadilla; 5; delicious. No complaints. There was some great black beans and salsa with it.

Terra - Bacon Cheeseburger w/Fries; 5; So good. I have never had a burger from a restaurant that was so good before. The burger was so big that I had at least half left over to take home. And it warmed up real nice the next day for lunch. It's rare for a hamburger to taste good the next day.

Susie - Bacon Cheeseburger w/Fries; 5; Absolutely Delicious. I would definitely come again for MY birthday!

Tex Mex Burger

Marti - Tex Mex Burger w/Fries; 10; Frickin' Fantastic.

Aunt Kathy - Mango Chicken Wrap; 5; I love eating at Cheeseburger in Paradise!

Vicky - Tex Mex Burger w/Fries; 4; Fantistco! I made my own Tamayonnaise. Everyone eats Tamayonnaise! (Tamayonnaise - n.; Ketchup and Mayonnaise combined to make a delicious fry dipping sauce)

Chicken Quesadilla

Food Value

Mom - $8.95; Totally worth it.

Jeri - $9.75; Worth it.

Terra - $9.95; Totally worth it.

Susie - $9.95; Worth it.

Marti - $10.50; Worth it.

Aunt Kathy - $8.95; Worth it

Vicky - $10.50; Worth it.

Drinks (Out of 10)

Our First Round!

All of our drinks got a 10 out of 10. A 20 for Marti. Everything was so tasty. We sampled the Electric Lizard ($6.99), Mai Tai ($6.99), Goombay Smash ($6.99), Classic Margarita ($6.29), Mt. Gay Mango Pina Colada ($7.19), Signature Pina Colada ($7.19), Lady of the Sea ($6.79) and Frozen Sangria ($6.79).

They were the best, most fantastical drinks ever. Ever. The garnish was super awesome, the prices were just right, and! Bonus! Take home prizes! Mini sunglasses!

Overall

The Girls!

Mom - 5; Would visit again. And again. And again.

Jeri - 5; I'm coming tomorrow for a liquid lunch.

Terra - 5; I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The whole experience was pretty damn awesome.

Susie - 5; Awesome staff experience.

Marti - 10; I liked my drinks!

Aunt Kathy - 5

Vicky - 5

We had an amazing time. Everything seemed so easy. Like a lunch should be. Well, except maybe for finding the bathrooms ("That's the kitchen. Not the bathroom." - Jeri). But that was funny, so we'll let it slide.

Everything from the decor to the staff made for an inviting establishment and a great lunch. Cheeseburger in Paradise actually beats bd's Mongolian BBQ. Which we thought was impossible. They've now set the bar super high for any other lunch.

Terra