Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sticks

For lunch yesterday we wandered over to Willow Lawn to try Sticks Kebob Shop.


Originally, from Charlottesville, they have recently opened in Richmond. The space is brightly painted and art work from the Crossroads Art Center graced the walls, which I thought was a very nice local touch. The ordering concept features picking a sandwich ($5.99 - $7.49), salad ($6.75 - $8.25), or platter ($7.49 - $8.99). Then pick a stick (or kebob). Options include mixed veggies, chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, or lamb. Select a sauce for your kebob – Cucumber-Yogurt, Fire-Roasted Pepper, Sesame-Lemon Vinaigrette, or Creamy Cilantro-Lime. If you pick a platter then you also pick a side – ranging from Hummus to Tabouleh to Roasted Eggplant Salad. Fries ($1.99) and onion rings ($2.49) can be ordered as extras. Limeades, Mango Lemonades, the usual assortment of beverages and beer are available in the liquid refreshment department.

We had a lot of decisions to make. I chose the sandwich (no tomato) with the African Spiced Pork Loin kebob and the creamy cilantro-lime sauce ($6.49). I added grilled onions for an extra $.75. The kebob was wrapped in a grilled flatbread. To drink I ordered the “fresh squeezed” limeade ($1.95). My grilled kebob delicately sported some spices, but the taste was lost with the sauce and the onions. And while the sauce, onions and grilled flatbread were all tasty for the $7.25 price tag, I did not seem to get a lot of food. And even though the limeade said “fresh-squeezed” it came out of one of those beverage circulators. All of the squeezing must have occurred in the morning before opening (I hope).

My hubby ordered the platter with the Chili-Spiked Beef Sirloin kebob ($7.99) with the cucumber-yogurt sauce and Tabouleh. The platter came with Basmati rice and grilled flatbread.


Once again the sauce over-powered the slightly spiced beef. He really liked the rice and the Tabouleh was decent. Still, for the price, the meal seemed skimpy.

Sticks has a neat concept that focuses on grilled preparations and not fried ones. It also offers plenty of veggie options. But we paid almost $20 for lunch and non-alcoholic beverages and left wanting to go across the street and order a Dairy Queen Blizzard because we were not satisfied. With Jason’s Deli just a few doors down and Panera Bread and Chipotle across the street, the competition will be fierce.

Sticks
Willow Lawn Plaza
1700 Willow Lawn Dr. #115
804.282.7010

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sticks makes the BEST hummus... you have to go back and try it!

Anonymous said...

My family (kids 11 & 13) LOVES this place and I like that it's a fresher alternative to fast food. Get the sandwich so you have the full-sized flatbread and order the sauce on the side so you can determine the amount to add. That and some pita chips/hummus is more than enough to feed anyone from a growing teen to a 40 something parent. We've filled up one frequent buyer card already...

Unknown said...

Cross the river and go to Jerusalem Halal, Turner & Hull.

Anonymous said...

I am so going there this weekend!

Anonymous said...

The time I went there I saw a lady squeezing a bunch of lime. So i guess it's for the limeade :).