For those of you unfamiliar with Critic's On the Mall, it's located inside of Greece Ridge Mall in Greece, NY, right across from Chase Bank and Lollypop Farm, and it is definitely worth checking out the home-style cooking offered there.
My better judgment generally causes me to avoid mall diners and restaurants like a pit of used syringes, but Morgan (my girlfriend) and I were hungry, and wanted to try something new. Our first visit to Critic's was back in October and we've returned multiple times since.
I had ordered the Chicken a la King the past few times, and I can say it was like tasting something straight out of my mother's kitchen (this is a good thing). This particular visit, I decided to try the tenderloin tips of beef, which I had the option of enjoying over rice or noodles. I decided to go with the noodles, and ordered a small bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese as my side (also highly-recommended).
The first thing that I noticed about the meal was the lack of vegetables in the dish, giving it a stroganoff quality, whereas I was expecting something more like stew. Despite being just beef and noodles, the meal was still quite enjoyable; the meat was clearly slow-cooked and perfectly tender, and the noodles absorbed the rich sauce only enough to become flavorful, but not over-saturated or soggy. The dish was large enough to pleasantly fill me up, without making me feel over-stuffed, and without emptying my wallet too much; as with most items on Critic's menu, this meal was very reasonably priced.
The only qualm I had was minor and with the sauce: the flavor was great, and made with a beef base. However, the salty quality of the mix was a little stronger than I cared for; I believe it was made with beef broth with too much salt added, or made with one or two many beef bouillon cubes. Regardless, if you're someone who enjoys saltier sauces on your meat and noodles, this meal is probably right up your alley.
All in all, it was a dish I enjoyed and chances are I will try it again on a future visit. For those of you with less aversion to large quantities of salty food, I highly recommend trying this, whether it is your first time at Critic's or your 100th.
Score (out of 10): 8
Location: 362 Greece Ridge Center Drive, Rochester, NY 14626
Phone Number: (585) 227-5520
Website: N/A
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