<p>It’s possible. Also, a lot of the right-of-way in that area is going to consumed from an upcoming project to widen McFarland Blvd and add dedicated right-turn lanes at the 15th-McFarland intersection.</p>
<p>So, do you think that corner is going to get cut into?</p>
<p>I think so.</p>
<p>We went to Bento the other day and I ordered the Sunday Morning Rolls from the Sushi menu…oh my…so very good. Amazing.</p>
<p>m2ck: Have your tried Ichiban? It’s on 15th St in the old Sears shopping center (where the Bama Bowl bowling alley is now).</p>
<p>No…what kind of food is it and what’s good to order?</p>
<p>It’s Japanese, like Bento, Hokkaido and Kobe. It’s small (really small, like the entire dining area is around 400 sq ft) and family-owned so there’s only one server working all the tables, but the food is good IMO and the prices always a good 20% lower than the other places. The sushi is supposed to be very fresh there (I’m not into sushi, so I really don’t know).</p>
<p>I will try it. I’m not a big sushi eater either. I just ordered that dish at Bento because the server raved about it. </p>
<p>It was amazing. My son and H ate a good bit of it, so I had an excuse to also order my fav meal there…Bento chicken. </p>
<p>the Sunday Morning Rolls would make a good appetizer for a group. </p>
<p>I can’t remember all it had in it…I think salmon, cream cheese, guacamole, rice and this amazing sauce poured on top.</p>
<p>I see that Hoikkaido has a sign up in its new location (south side of 15th). Glad to see that it will be back after the tornado destruction.</p>
<p>Did you ever try Archibald’s? The kids cannot wait until their spring break begins this weekend to enjoy their wings again.</p>
<p>A new place in town that I had to try was Tacogi in downtown at the corner of University Blvd and Greensboro Avenue, two doors up down from Chuck’s Fish. They make Korean tacos and burritos, that craze from a few years back. It’s not the most authentic fare, but I really liked it - been there twice!</p>
<p>I haven’t been to Archibalds…I’ve only been to that other one Archibald and Woodrows. Where is Archibalds?</p>
<p>Sorry, my kids just call it Archibald’s because they think it is a super cool name and I’ve picked it up from them. I was referring to Archibald and Woodrows.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>There is a Archibald’s, too.</p>
<p>Yes, I think I read about it in a previous post. That is actually why we ended up at Archibald and Woodrow’s. We never would have stopped there from seeing the outside of the place. We’ve tried the ribs, the pork, and the wings. They are all excellent and the folk’s working there are really personable. It reminded me of my dad’s barbeque.</p>
<p>I received informal word that Cheddar’s is coming to the McFarland Mall area. I will update when there’s official confirmation.</p>
<p>Oh good…we really like Cheddars! So, it will be by Books A Million?</p>
<p>The Cheddars by us is always super busy…If you don’t get there before it opens, you’ll have a wait…even if you come in quite late. We’ve gone for “lunch” at 3pm and still have had to wait.</p>
<p>So what would be an absolute must try? I am visiting for the first time on monday and tuesday. If you had to name one or two places specific to tuscaloosa, what would be your favorite?</p>
<p>Bento Japanese…The Bento Chicken and the Sunday Morning Roll are very good! So are the Scallops. (west of the stadium, on University…on The Strip)</p>
<p>DePalma’s Italian…on University…in Downtown. Look what the specials are…the last time we went, I had a dish that was unbelievably good.</p>
<p>For those looking for a place to stay, I’ll share our personal experiences with some of the hotels. When we look for a hotel we look for a smoke free facility, clean rooms, an appearance of safety in the surrounding area, affordable rates, convenience to campus, and the general appearance of a well-maintained facility. This is purely our personal opinion and is based solely on our own experiences, so take it for what it is worth. We don’t require luxury accommodations, but clean is a must.</p>
<p>The Yellow Hammer Inn is okay, but an older facility. It is basically in the middle of the North River Yacht Club golf community. The rooms are much more spacious than most of the hotels in the area and it is very quiet. The room size is a plus when traveling with children. It takes about 20 minutes to get to campus. There is a large elephant statue on the grounds that is nice for pictures. Prices are comparable to other hotels in the area. We recommend it even though it could use a facelift on the outside.</p>
<p>The first time we stayed there it was because the Capstone “mistakenly” (right) gave our club level room away and stuck us in an uninhabitable room. Seriously, the heat was stuck on and when we arrived it was over 90 degrees in the room. The response from the front desk was, “Oh, sorry, the entire building is either on heat or cool…no way to change between the two settings. We’ll try to look into the thermostat issue later.”, so with three kids we went searching for a decent, clean hotel. Area hotels were booked, but we found the Yellow Hammer at 2:00 a.m. The kids thought it was haunted because there was only one car which belonged to the desk assistant. I don’t think a lot of people know about the place. It has been bustling on subsequent visits. The lobby is very nice and features beautiful art work and mounted wildlife. The kids were amused to find 4 deer standing outside the front door staring at the ones mounted on the wall. It was hysterically funny. We have stayed since then and also enjoyed our stay.</p>
<p>The Hampton Inn on Harper Lee is clean and friendly. It is directly across from campus which makes it convenient. All rooms are smoke free. We recommend it.</p>
<p>The Capstone is on campus, but that is about all I can say for it based on our experiences. If you choose to stay there, insist on a club level room, not club level access. The lobby is the nicest part of the facility and we received consistently poor service. In our experience, it is loud from patrons of the bar and smoke travels from the bar through the ventilation to the rooms. The location makes it very convenient, but parking is a problem. We will only stay here if we cannot go elsewhere.</p>
<p>The Hilton Garden Inn is nice, but book early. It fills quickly. It is fairly new and convenient to campus. We recommend it.</p>
<p>We took a couple of hours to scope out hotels once last year for future stays. The rooms at The Country Inn and Suites looked clean, but we haven’t stayed there. The Comfort Inn room also looked clean, but we didn’t like the looks of the facility beside it and didn’t stay there either. </p>
<p>As for Taco Casa, I wish we’d read this before someone insisted we try it. Oh my…we couldn’t eat it either and the prices are NOT cheap. You could easily eat at a sit down restaurant for their prices.</p>
<p>We just had the wings again from Archibald and Woodrows. Yummy! Don’t be put off by the outside…this is a place you simply must try.</p>
<p>Taco Casa should have been swept away from the tornado. I went there once, couldn’t even take a second bite. In the trash it went. I don’t understand how it gets business.</p>