Restaurant Hits & Misses: UMI Wichita Shines, Subway Dippers Impress, Sonic Disappoints, and The Kitchen Falls Short

Here's the latest edition of hits & misses, a snapshot review of restaurants I hit recently, be it for a relaxing sit-down dinner, checking out a new joint, re-visiting an old favorite, or grabbing something on the go. Different from the detailed food, restaurant, and bar reviews I do in the Food & Drink category, this is pretty much a quick thumbs up, thumbs down, what's trending, dining deals, and "is it worth it?" category you can refer to. Scroll down for some reading fun!

The Hits...

Some Surf & Turf at UMI WichitaPhoto byBachelor on the Cheap

UMI Wichita: It was both dinner and a show on a Saturday night date night. Watching the skilled maneuvers of a chef preparing the food at the table sounded nice, and so did a tasty surf and turf dinner. UMI Wichita delivers that kind of experience. Featuring Japanese teppanyaki, hibachi, and sushi, the dining experience comes complete with the classic flaming onion volcano and shrimp tosses to the mouth. The chef working our table was very skilled, cracking us up with one-liners while flipping, slicing, and tossing ingredients (and the occasional spatula and salt/pepper shaker). This is my kind of dinner theatre! The food was equally as great as the show. This was an excellent dining experience, making for a great date night. UMI Wichita serves up good eats and puts on a fine show, making it repeat visit-worthy.

Pepperoni & cheese Dipper from SubwayPhoto byBachelor on the Cheap

Subway: Subway recently introduced Dippers to the menu, I've wanted to try them since their debut on June 18, and earlier this week, I went for it. Coming in three flavor options, I ordered all three to sample. Costing me just under $10 for six Dippers, I'm giving Subway's new menu item 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars. A single order makes for a great snack, a double or triple order makes for a meal, and at just $3 for two 6" wraps, they're VERY reasonably priced. They are repeat buy-worthy, satisfying, and cheap eats perfect for on-the-go snacking.

The Misses...

That's a very dead patty right there...Photo byBachelor on the Cheap

Sonic Drive-in: Sonic introduced a new menu item back in May, the Cheesy Bacon SONIC Stack, which I had been wanting to try. Here's the description from the restaurant website: An all beef, seasoned patty stacked with crispy bacon and layered with two slices of melty American cheese, crinkle cut pickles, diced onions, tangy ketchup, creamy mayo, and served between two thick slices of Texas Toast.​ I took that first bite... The Texas Toast was executed well, the cheese was nicely melted, and the combination of condiments was generous in portion, all a nice marriage of flavors, but the Sonic kitchen messed up the meats! This was a well below-average effort by the kitchen. That's a very dead patty pictured right, and shouldn't have been served. If that wasn't bad enough, the bacon was past crispy, each slice dry, just shy of hitting the burnt line. Costing me $10.52 for the burger and drink, I'm giving the Cheesy Bacon SONIC Stack 2 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars. This would be a decent burger were it not for the less-than-stellar execution of the meats, but it's also a bit overpriced. I could have done a traditional bacon cheeseburger combo meal for about the same money.

Nice presentation, average eat.Photo byBachelor on the Cheap

The Kitchen: A first visit to The Kitchen was less than impressive. I ordered the Chicken Parmesan Sandwich, and my girlfriend Jennifer went with the Cuban. The presentation was great in both sandwiches, but the little things made it an average experience. The marinara was on point and there was a nice melt on the Mozzarella, but the chicken was overcooked, it was dry, and the bun didn't have a good enough toast to hold up to the sauce, it quickly went fall-apart-soggy. The fries looked better than they tasted, rather average, lacking the great outer edge crispiness and the light, fluffy potato interior. The Pannini pressed Cuban was both hot and cold, and the toasty bread was a perfectly prepared vessel, but the inconsistent temp on the meats didn't allow for a full flavor experience, coupled with the lack of enough mustard and pickles for that tart finish that a good Cuban provides. The house-fried chips were nicely seasoned and quite tasty, a better option than french fries. The Kitchen has a good-looking menu, worth a second visit.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike