Dinner at TRUAGO – Trenton, Michigan

My husband and I went out for dinner tonight at TRUAGO in Trenton, Michigan (Downriver area).

Let me tell you — the BEST part about this place is the customer service. It pops out immediately as soon as you walk through the door.

We were greeted by Carrie. She welcomed us as the hostess, but her personality and magnetic presence honestly gave an aura of ownership. I love seeing that. When employees feel like they have a real stake in the company, it shows in the way they treat customers and make people feel welcome.

The handoff to our server was also very professional. It felt like, “You’re not in my hands anymore, but I’m passing you off to the best person to make sure the rest of your visit is great.”

Our server’s name was Theresa — a beautiful woman who was very well kept, neat, and just all around pleasant. Now I know that in today’s world complimenting someone’s looks can sometimes be frowned upon, but let’s be honest — there’s something about having your attractive food served by an attractive person! 😂

The menu at TRUAGO.

Starters

For starters we ordered:

• Grilled shrimp

• Shrimp scampi

• Oysters Rockefeller

All three were delicious.

They did tell me their Rockefeller oysters are normally served raw, and I’m not the biggest fan of raw oysters, so they cooked mine a little longer than their usual char. I really appreciated that accommodation and they came out wonderful.

Shrimp Scampi

Broiled Shrimp

Oysters Rockefeller

The French Onion Soup (the only real miss)

I was a little disappointed with the French onion soup.

French onion soup is my go-to. Whenever it’s on a menu, I want to try it.

The first bowl came out cold and the cheese was still sitting there in the same block it started as. It wasn’t crispy and didn’t stretch — which is honestly the best part of French onion soup.

They took it back to try again. When it came back, it was extremely hot, the crouton had soaked up almost all the broth, and the cheese was over-charred. It felt like going from one extreme to the other.

I couldn’t imagine a chef being in the kitchen at that moment because I personally don’t think a chef would have let that leave the kitchen. Maybe he stepped away for a moment — who knows.

The 1st French Onion Soup (cold)

The Redemption

Thankfully, the rest of the food easily redeemed the soup.

Apparently the chef returned. 😄

My husband (Shon) ordered a medium-well ribeye with blue cheese crust. It actually came out closer to medium, but we didn’t send it back because it was incredibly flavorful.

I had never tried steak with blue cheese before, but my tastebuds are definitely more expanded now. Sometimes we just have to open our minds and receive what the Lord has for us.

He also ordered Brussels sprouts, but I didn’t try them because — in my heart — no one cooks Brussels sprouts better than I do. I’ve been disappointed too many times eating them anywhere but my own kitchen! He tore them up though. There were no complaints.

Ribeye steak with blue cheese crust and loaded baked potato.

Brussels sprouts with caramelized onions and bacon.

The Dish I Really Came For

I originally came for the King Crab legs that are still listed on the menu. Unfortunately, according to a regular customer, they haven’t actually had them in the kitchen for at least a year.

That’s a tough mental blow when you’ve been thinking about a dish for months, walk in ready to order it, and then find out it’s been discontinued — not just temporarily out, but gone.

Hopefully management updates the menu soon so that doesn’t keep happening to customers.

What I Ordered Instead

I ended up ordering the crab-stuffed flounder, drizzled with lobster cream sauce.

Let me just say… imagine me putting my fingers to my lips and making the chef’s kiss sound. That dish was excellent. Cooked perfectly.

We also added an 8 oz South African lobster tail.

It was decent, but honestly not worth the $55 price tag per tail. Not because of the size — but because the flavor was a little dull and the texture was slightly dry.

Crab stuffed flounder with lobster cream sauce…. You can actually see the burnt soup in the background (2nd round of soup) 😔

South African lobster tail.

Overall Experience

Despite a few hit-or-miss items, I would definitely go back and try other things that looked interesting on the menu.

The customer service alone is enough reason for another visit.

The atmosphere, drinks, and staff were all great. There were a few bumps along the way, but nothing that makes me want to give up on the place. I’m actually encouraged to come back and see what else they offer.

Our total bill came to $280 before tip, but our waitress did such a great job that tipping was honestly the least stressful part of the night.

My Final Thoughts

Customer service can make or break a restaurant experience. TRUAGO’s staff made us feel welcome from the moment we walked in, and that goes a long way.

I’ll definitely be back.

Quick Rating

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 10/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Value: 7/10

Would I return? Yes.

Comfort Keto

Are you a serial dieter? Can’t stay on task even if your life depended on it? Let me tell y’all the back story but first let me say DIETS SUCK!!

Let’s be clear… I eat A LOT lol I’m not called “Foody” for nothing. Sometimes I have to take some time to eat in a way that I can lose weight instead of gain. I’m a little conceited so maintaining somewhat of a figure is a must. In addition to that the older we get, the harder it is for us to stay physically fit. Imagine my excitement when I discovered the Keto Diet. Let me tell you how.

A couple of years ago about 2020, beginning of COVID pandemic when everyone was sitting at home eating their best life; my husband and I were trying to figure out how to lose a large amount of pounds and the quickest way to accomplish that. I looked up Medical Weight Loss. That song was stuck in my head, y’all know it, “Medical Weight Loss, the shape of things to coooome.” If the song is so catchy the diet must be good as well right. We went in there and spent about $800 to get started. The plan was for him to sign up and for me to just follow the diet with him. They gave us all kinds of boxed food, powdered drinks, powdered everything. I wish I could describe this mess. We did the 3 day detox which was nuts but I did lose about 9lbs. By the beginning of the 3rd day my head was on total fire. This was the first time I ever experienced a migraine headache. I was dying a slow death, this was not about to be my life.

This has to be the last resort and you must be ready to give up your life for this. Lots of money will be lost on this if you quit or change your mind about this decision.

$800 bucks and 2 weeks later the Medical Weight Loss Diet was over. Honestly we didn’t have the mindset for it. I’m sure it works for some people, I mean, it has been around for a long time, but for us this wasn’t it at all. We LOVE food and absolutely LOVE FLAVOR, that’s it that’s all.

While I was suffering with the Medical Weight Loss plan, I was in contact with a friend at work who told me about Keto. Let me be clear… I can’t call this a diet because the food really tastes delicious. The concept is to lose the carbs but still eat good. You need to get more calories from protein and fat and less from carbohydrates by cutting back most on the carbs that are easy to digest, like sugar, soda, pastries, and white bread.

The hardest thing for me to let go of when I’m “KETOing” is rice. Rice is one of my favorite carbs but if you can be lucky enough to find the right person to prepare your Keto meals, eating like this will be a piece of cake… LITERALLY and this is what I really want to tell you about.

I found a great way to Keto. At first I was trying to make my own food but ideas get slim and that’s another way you can lose your focus with dieting. The food gets boring and you’re right back to square one, eating the wrong thing and falling off track. In addition to that and when you think about it, how much money do you spend on food when you’re in the process of “dieting?” Food has become extremely expensive and the more healthy you try to eat the more you spend. Comfort Keto is a Keto food preparer who also does meal planning for a very reasonable price. They have dessert and beverages as well and the Keto Chef is absolutely AMAZING. I’m calling her a Chef because the food tastes so good you wouldn’t even think you were dieting at all. My favorite on the menu is the cabbage and sausage dish. Most of us love cabbage so eating it like this, dieting or not, is the standard for my home now. There’s even a little bacon in it OMG it’s delicious.

KETO Cabbage

This Keto Chef has many clients but if you’re serious about losing the pounds and she accepts you as a new client then I promise with a little seriousness the weight will be lost by just eating these delicious meals and sticking to the plan.

Let me add, this is not me advertising for Comfort Keto, this lady be BOOKED so she really don’t need my help. I’m just helping the person who’s reading this and is serious about losing weight but still enjoys the comfort of food (pun intended). I’m talking to you as a person who loves food and I’m telling you, if necessary, I absolutely could eat this way as a lifestyle.

Here is the link to Comfort Keto Face Book group https://www.facebook.com/groups/467840723969701/media

If you are on a weight loss journey, I’m wishing you luck and passing on a tool to reach your goals. Good luck!

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse

First let me say…. I tried it y’all, I tried it TWICE!

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse 23002 Eureka Rd, Taylor, MI 48180

Scene: I’m in Florida on a modeling opportunity for my kid. My moms calling us telling us how much she misses us and wants to take us out to this fabulous place called BJ’s. She said, “the food is so good, you are going to love it!” We were literally gone for 8 days and each day we talked to her she’s going on and on about BJ’s. Now you guys don’t know my mom, I’m sure you will hear about her often on this journey of mine but if you did know her now, you would know that she is an extremely picky eater AND she’s the Queen of Pork at the same damn time! This lady absolutely loves pork right down to the gutter of canned spam LOL. Anyway, we weren't home a whole day and she decided she’s “taking us to dinner.” I definitely don’t have to choose where we go if it’s FREE. AJ Foody LOVES FREE FOOD but please, I’d also appreciate if it tastes good; PLEASE and THANK YOU!

I wish I could say this place is amazing. The customer service was actually pretty good. It has to be because that’s the only way the wait staff is going to make any money at all. If employee income was based on food quality or management standards the staff would be homeless.

On the first visit with my mom I ordered the Enlightened Cherry Chipotle Glazed Salmon. My food came out room temperature and my silverware came out dirty. As a matter of fact there were 5 of us at the dinner table and ALL the silverware was dirty. This was extremely disappointing because food gets colder by the second and mine was already lukewarm when it came out. The waitress tried twice to get us clean silverware which she failed miserably at so she decided plastic ware was the best move, I was super hungry so I decided to use the flimsy supplies.

Enlightened Cherry Chipotle Glazed Salmon

If salmon is on a menu chances are I’m going to try it, especially if it has some sort of sweet glaze on it and that’s exactly what JB’s offered. Whenever I try something new I always make sure there are ingredients in it I like to help familiarize my palate and get it accustomed to new flavors. I ordered this dish exactly the way it came. I didn’t make any substitutes. I love asparagus and spinach so I was completely turned off by how over cooked it was. I absolutely hate mushy vegetables, asparagus should have a tender crunch to it not melt in your mouth. The couscous was new to me but the texture is like tiny pasta balls. It was heavy and seemed to be over cooked as well. Imagine eating heavy mushy pasta balls and mushy asparagus with a flimsy plastic fork… The salmon fillet was actually not that bad. I probably would have enjoyed it if it wasn’t covered in a chilled glaze.

Double Bone-In Pork Chop

My mom and my daughter got this pork chop. They actually said the pork chop was “decent” but the broccoli was dry like it belonged on a salad and the mashed potatoes were cold. This plate reminded me of a display plate in a hospital cafeteria. It sits there all day to showcase what the lunch of the day is. What a disappointment!

Enlightened Cherry Chipotle Glazed Salmon x2

This is the second visit to BJ’s… I came back with my sister who was visiting from Georgia. I figured I’d give it a second shot. My sister ordered the salmon this time. She doesn’t like asparagus or tomatoes so she basically ordered it plain and it still came out looking a hot mess. Presentation is everything when it comes to dining even if the establishment is not considered five star. They brought out this raggedy burnt salmon fillet. Notice how the edges are burnt crispy so imagine what the bottom tastes like. The spinach is all caked together instead of being mixed throughout the couscous. This plate does not look appealing at all. Needless to say, if you go to a restaurant not once but twice and both times the the experience is less than that of your favorite food truck, just give up, that place is not for you!

Let’s recap: BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse… Cold food, overcooked food, burnt food, dirty silverware, irritation, thumbs down.

Message to the establishment: Dear BJ’s, I can see how your atmosphere could draw in patrons. This could very well be someone’s favorite hangout spot. That is why you owe it to your customers to give them an experience they can rave about to their friends. In an age where people take pictures of their food before they eat it and social media is the driving force of influence, temperature, taste, texture, and presentation means a lot. PLEASE DO BETTER!

Chef Greg’s Soul “N” THE WALL

It hasn’t been that long since I moved out of Detroit. City life was becoming too much for me but who knew that almost as soon as I got out something yummy would come to my attention to draw me back in!

Let me roll my sleeves up for this one y’all and let me be clear. You’re not going to find too many places in rural areas that will satisfy your urban palate so please beware of that before you give up your city life only to find that you still have to drive 45 minutes away to get the “Foody Fix” you need.

It’s a Friday night and I’m laying around thinking about what I always think about, FOOD… The husband tells me about a news segment he watched about this guy named Chef Greg and how there’s a sandwich Chef Greg makes that’s kinda like a Sloppy Joe. He said he use to get it at some other place when he was in high school but the place went out of business and the only other person who could make this sandwich is, you guessed it, CHEF GREG! Ok, well at that point we decided to take a trip to the city to find out if this sandwich was anything like the one he had when he was a kid and I of course wanted to know if the hype was true.

Boogaloo Wonderland

Let me tell y’all, not only is the hype true but this ain’t your childhood Sloppy Joe I promise you! This sandwich is called Boogaloo Wonderland and the name is very fitting because as soon as I took the first bite I wanted to dance. OMG, have you ever tasted food so good a rhythm started to play in your head and you had to just rock to the beat? That’s what this Boogaloo Wonderland did to me.

Fist off, when I stepped up to the quaint little store front, my attention was immediately grabbed because of the eye catching art work and stepping inside definitely helped me see how this spot got it’s name. There was “soul” all over the joint. When I walked in the first person I met was Chef Greg’s son LOL he was looking at me trying to figure out what the heck I was doing there. I walked in taking pictures of course. I had a gut feeling I wasn’t going to be disappointed so I got right down to work. I told the husband “if this food is good I’m definitely going to write about it so I might as well get my pictures now”. I’m sorry Greg Jr. I already knew my food was gonna be bussin so, I wasn’t about to waist no time letting my food get cold to take photos LOL. Thanks for not kicking me out!

Store Front

Chef Greg’s Wall of Fame

This is not a sit down restaurant (although there might be whispers of expansion, I’ll let y’all know) so after ordering my food the only thing left to do was meet the magic maker himself. Now keep in mind I’m writing this AFTER I’ve actually eaten the food so when I say “magic maker” I mean this shit was MAGIC y’all (excuse my French). Greg Jr. introduced us to his dad while we were waiting on our food and I was pleasantly surprised how down to earth he was. You would think the secret sauce maker would be a little arrogant but he welcomed me and the husband with A++ customer service and even schooled us a little on nutrition and the art in cooking sides without meat sometimes. I was able to get a look at the menu as well. It’s very extensive, and now that I’ve tried what I came for I definitely want to try EVERYTHING else. Once our food was ready we had to say goodbye to Chef Greg but trust me, we could have talked to him for hours.

AJ Foody with Chef Greg and Greg Jr.

Chef Greg & Allee Willis, co-writer of the song Boogie Wonderland by R&B supergroup Earth, Wind and Fire.

Once we got our food we went back to the car and like I told y’all before the ride back home is 45 mins so thank God I had a driver cause I was READY TO EAT!

I opened that bag and the smell came rushing out filling the car up with absolute delight. You can’t eat this sandwich with your hands y’all, you will need a fork for sure. So I’m sitting there with my food in my lap and a plastic knife and fork in my hands throwing down. This sandwich is a game changer! The sauce was the most idiosyncratic sauce to go on meat that I’ve ever tasted in my life. The Boogaloo Wonderland sandwich is for the Grown and Sexy and that’s coming from a woman who’s sitting in a car eating out of her lap. I was not feeling like a kid because this is not “sloppy joe.” I did not need a napkin I was licking my fingers. I did not have any leftovers because I AM A FOODY!

This is the part where I ask my followers to trust my palate. Visit Chef Greg’s SOUL “N” THE WALL restaurant. Definitely try the Boogaloo, then come back and let me know what you think. Try other things off their extensive menu then come back and share that as well. This spot is a Diamond in the Rough you won’t want to miss!

19yrs…The Anniversary Flemings Steak House

Ok so my husband had been promising to take me out for a good steak for over a year. COVID-19 came and turned everyone’s world upside down. No one was goin NOWHERE. In fact it was so crazy, people went to Washington D.C. and stormed the capitol 🤦🏾‍♀️! It was definitely too nuts out there for us to be roaming the streets catching COVID or getting attacked. By August 2021 we had had enough. We were tired of being cooped up and I was particularly feeling like public displays of affection from my man was long overdue 🤷🏽‍♀️😂.

When I tell you this place was amazing I mean what I say. This is not a made up story…. We walked in the place and as soon as we walked in we were seated at our table and it was ready for the anniversary couple. There was confetti, a box of chocolates, and two complementary glasses of champagne complete with the most attentive waiter I ever met to pour it. Now don’t get me wrong I been to a few nice places so I know this is what should at least be the standard; but tell me, when was the last time you made reservations and came right in and your table was ready and waiting on you.

Let me start with this dessert, I need to get this off my chest… Chocolate Lava Cake. This cake came out warm and delicious. I mean, I could smell the chocolate being placed on the table. I imagined the way it tasted before actually tasting it and my imagination didn’t fail. This Lava Cake literally melts in your mouth. There’s molten chocolate in the center which I thought when I read the description, would be overwhelming; my concerns were immediately put to rest upon the first nibble. I think I’m going to have to go back for sure because I can’t remember the name of that cookie on the side, I neeeed to find out! The vanilla ice cream just set the whole thing off, it was the perfect combination of hot and cold, sweet and salty, hard and soft. This dessert ended the night sweetly.

Hold up, don’t do what I did and give this the side eye. This had me fooled for sure. My first thought was “I don’t really want to eat that, but my food addiction makes me try almost anything and boy was I wrong… Seared Pork Belly! OMG Jesus! I don’t know who’s idea it was to serve this pork belly on top of some cheese grits (NO WAIT, some goat cheese grits) but whoever came up with this deserves the MVP award for Most Talented Chef! This dish took real vision. The flavors exploded in my mouth. Excuse my language but it was de-fuckin-licious, glory to the highest praise. I think my new favorite meat is actual pigs belly now, especially if it can be made like this.

Now take a look at this… This steak is called the Prime Tomahawk! I wish you could hear my voice saying the name of this steak lol. This steak is big enough for two, maybe even three because you’re definitely taking some home with you when you leave. Don’t let the size fool you though, this steak was quantity and quality at the same time. I like my steak medium well and it came out tender and juicy, fantastically delicious. The Tomahawk was followed by Lobster Mac & Cheese, Roasted Asparagus, and Sautéed Shiitake & get this… Portobello Mushrooms MIXED. I’m definitely a lover of mushrooms so this made me excited.

My plate… The sides were a’la-cart so I was able to make my own plate with the perfect portions. There was enough left for me to take a little home for my kids to try. I use to always need to prove to them how good my food was because they had a hard time thinking something other than chicken nuggets could be as delicious as I say until they try the food too. Now they eat almost anything I eat. I think I’ve earned their trust now (wink)… and now my food bills are bigger smh.

My anniversary ended in the most spectacular way. You all are not going to believe this but we racked up an close to $300 bill that for sure was worth every penny but when the waitress came back with the bill she said a couple who had just left paid our bill for us already and our dinner was totally free. The Chef came out to meet us asking if we enjoyed our dinner and telling us that the couple who paid our dinner bill comes in often and selects random people to pay for their dinner. (These people like the food so much they come in and pay for other people to eat it!) We actually liked the food so much that for me it wasn’t enough for the Chef Erik to come greet me, I wanted to take a picture with him so I could remember the face who prepared this wonderful meal for us and pray that the universe keeps blessing this amazing culinary talent. It was a cherry on top of the pie when the Operating Partner, Kristi came out and greeted me as well. The customer service at Flemings Steak house is almost better than the food. This place is a “must return” for me just for the Pork Belly dish alone!