Chain. Cheesesteak Comfort.

Okay, to start off I've never been to Philadelphia. I'm not sure what a Philly Cheesesteak is supposed to taste like. Don't take me as someone who is a good judge of this infamous sandwich. What I can say though is out of the chain Philly Cheesesteak joints, my favorite is Great Steak & Potatoes. Not all of them either though. There's ones in particular where the owners and cooks season the meat as it's cooking to add the extra pizzazz to it.

This particular Great Steak in Richmond had Chili Cheese Fries on the menu. I wish I knew they use the cheese goop instead of real cheese because if I knew this information prior, I definitely would not have ordered it. Meh, pass on this weak side.

We don't get anything special. Just the regular Cheesesteak with everything on it. Is it the best thing in the world? Nope. Is it good? Yep. Is it great? Depends if I'm craving it. Nothing great, but try it out if you haven't before.

Great Steak
2439 Hilltop Mall Rd.
San Pablo, CA 94806
510-262-0606

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Treats. In the Morning.

What's better than waking up to a nice sea breeze, listening to the oceans crash just 50 yards away, clear skies and having sun rays kiss your skin ever so gently? Nothing to be honest but the addition of having something light and sweet in the morning is always a bonus. My girlfriend and I probably stayed about 6 minutes away from Front St. and ended up here everyday for shaved ice or to try something since there's a lot of places to eat here. Many of the times we misses our chance to try out this small joint because we always ended up here after they closed. So this one morning we were there, at almost 9:00AM.

Red Velvet Cupcake. I am the type who loves cakes and chocolate so what better than a small red velvet cupcake. Yes, the frosting is a lot of sugar in the AM but that's fine because my better half and I always dispose of 90% of the frosting. Call us wasteful but we enjoy our teeth and our taste buds dislike the overwhelming bombardment of sugar attempting to break down our bodies which would only to leave us diabetes and limbless. No offense to anyone but seriously, a lot of people and bakeries focus all this energy in the super sweet frosting. Flavor should be in the cake! About this little fluffy cake: definitely moist but strange at the same time. The cocoa taste was a bit hidden and the texture of the cupcake reminded me of an Asian sponge cake. It definitely is not your traditional cupcake and to be honest I would not buy another one. Just not my preference I guess?

Turkey sandwich with some au jus. The homemade bread is pretty awesome. Almost like your mom made it for you. Fresh chunks of turkey, we both enjoyed this. Very refreshing with local great ingredients. Thumbs up for this one, most definitely.

Currant Scone. So why the scone? Well, my girlfriend and I love tea time/high tea/afternoon tea and we enjoy fresh scones. This one was fresh, but I guess it was sitting out for awhile so it was a bit tough by the time we got to it. Some parts were a little warm still. Either way, this scone was light in taste and sweetness but pretty dense in tense of baking soda. Made me so thirsty!

This place is cozy, the fresh baked bread is wonderful, sandwiches are tasty, and the service is spectacular. I wouldn't hesistant to come back. Just choose your favorite type of pastry though because if you also get a sandwich you might just want to go back to your hotel and sleep until the afternoon. Give this place a try. Is it the best? Most definitely not. Will the service and food provide you with a nice welcoming, home-like feeling? Yes.

Banyan Tree Deli & Bakery
626 Front St.
Lahaina, HI 96761
909-662-3354

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