At a Minimum or Is it worth an hour?

I prefer to review local restaurants but there are so few Ponderosa restaurants left in the state it almost feels like a local restaurant. Is it possible to eat for less than $10.40?  It wasn't for us.  A salad bar option is available for just over minimum.  A small steak can be added for $4.  This is what we attempted to order.  We were charged for a steak dinner with the salad bar added resulting in a higher charge. It had been years since I visited a Ponderosa and l had forgotten how many options were on the salad bar.  They have something for everyone.  The salad bar should really be labeled buffet.  Adding a steak served with a baked potato for $4 gave us enough takeout to have another meal. Many of the options were very enjoyable however the focus seems to be variety and quantity over quality.     Rating 3.

The good news was it was absolutely possible to eat here for less than $10.40.  We visited at lunchtime and found an extensive lunch menu.  The bad news is we opted to try a vegetarian option and it didn't even taste like food.  The mushroom quesadilla was ok.  The spinach quesadilla tasted like salty chemicals.  We told the waiter we couldn't eat it.  He offered to make another one without salt.  It still had a very strange taste.  Still couldn't eat it.   Complementary chips and salsa.  Wonderful.  Fajitas, very good.  Not good.    Nice atmosphere.  Good service.  I am rating this restaurant a 2 which is an average.  One meal was a 0 the other a solid 4.

We had a great experience here visiting on a quiet week night.  A group of individuals who looked like they had been here before were leaving as we were arriving. All looked happy as they were exiting with their takeout.  We opted to eat in and were very happy with our choice.  The service was excellent.  Our waiter was quiet yet personable.  I don't pretend to be an expert on Thai food but I can tell you is thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. We chose one noodle dish and one dish served with jasmine rice.  I tend to order items that I haven't experienced before. This time I chose a Tamarind stir fry. The server was so proud as he described how the sauce was made.  Apparently the fruit used to make the dish is both sweet and spicy giving the dish it's excellent flavor.  It is difficult to eat here for less than the current minimum wage of $10.40.  Most entrees start at $12.95.  The portions are an adequate size so we enough left ove...