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Published
by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. CLICK FOR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY
Friday, July 20, 2001
Mixing it up
Basic burgers at Beamer's share menu with espresso shakes, veggie pizzas
Good news
Those who loved EZ's have no reason to mourn the loss. Beamer's, located in the former EZ's site in Moore Plaza, more than lives up to the defunct restaurant's standards. The sign outside may not be as colorful and flashy, but Beamer's makes up for it with good food.
Bad news
I missed the Thai pizza. This is one item Beamer's didn't continue when it took over the site and kept the menu pretty much in tact. Beamer's has compensated for this by adding a wider variety of menu items. Menu categories include pizza, burgers, chicken, salads, calzones, quesadillas, onion rings and fries, kids meals, appetizers and shakes.
Food for thought
The color scheme has gone from green to red and the funny fish that once dangled from the ceiling are gone. One nice touch: Shades drawn over all but the very bottom of the windows cut the glare and made for cool, comfortable dining.
We started with small Caesar salads and foccacia (Fo-kah-cha) bread. I ordered Beamer's Infamous Bean Burger, while my companion, a bit of a health nut if you ask me, opted for the veggie pizza.
The Caesar salads came in chilled bowls and topped with shredded Parmesan cheese. The romaine lettuce was fresh and crisp and the Caesar dressing had a pleasant garlic taste that didn't overpower the salad.
The foccacia bread, chewy and moist on the inside and flaky crisp on the outside, came in two half moons brushed with olive oil and rosemary, giving it a rich aroma that matched the flavor.
My companion's veggie pizza was made with a thin crust baked dark brown on the edges thanks to the restaurant's brick oven.
It was topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, baby carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, red onions, green olives, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans and mushrooms. The veggies were fresh tasting and the olives added a pleasing salty flavor to the mix.
The bean burger is a charbroiled patty cooked until it's almost burned and accompanied by black beans, salsa, onions, corn ships, cheddar cheese and, for a little extra cost, guacamole, served on a whole wheat bun.
I enjoyed the grilled flavor of my burger and the black beans, onions, guacamole and salsa gave it an edge that will have even the biggest spicy food lovers heading for the soda fountain for free refills.
For dessert, I ordered an espresso shake, made with hand-dipped Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, espresso, whipped cream and topped with a cherry. The shake, rich and creamy, had a mild coffee flavor that complemented the sweet ice cream and whipped cream.
Service
The woman at the counter was friendly and made eye contact as she took our order. Our entrees were prepared correctly as well.
Restaurant reviews are written by a team of freelance writers. The Caller-Times pays for the meals. From time-to-time the writers visit previously reviewed restaurants to update the information.
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