Parkys: Attention to Detail

Here's a little tip - you can tell a lot about a restaurant by looking at their selection of salad dressings. If a restaurant offers the standard fare, chances are they arrived to the establishment in a jar. The rest of the menu will usually be equally boring and un-inventive. If on the other hand, someone has taken the time to make dressings from scratch and put some imagination into them, you are probably going to have a great meal.

My family and I had dinner at Parky's Smokehouse (new website here) last week. Parky's salad dressing menu includes seven different house-made dressings - Julie Parks' culinary creativity shines through with offerings like Barbecue Cheddar, Barbecue Ranch, and my favorite, Sweet Orange Vinaigrette. The vinaigrette is filled with zesty bits of orange peel and stricks the perfect balance of sweet and sour. This is one of those dressings you want to sop up with your dinner roll. Parky's put a lot of thought into their salad dressings as well as the rest of the menu.