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Chomp! Raven's helps with portion-control and ease on the wallet

The spaghetti at Raven's Family Dining was not only easy on the waistline, but also was easy on the wallet when paired with a bowl of soup in a quick lunch combo. It has a nice chunky tomato sauce and comes with a warm piece of garlic bread.
  • by jessica rodrigo/jrodrigo@vicad.com
  • Originally published November 16, 2011 at 2:45 p.m., updated November 16, 2011 at 2:45 p.m.

  • JESSICA'S RATING

  • FOOD: III

    SERVICE: III

    ATMOSPHERE: II

    The ratings are based purely on the individual's experience. Try them yourself and comment online about on the Chomp! post. 5 stars = raddest, 1 star = bummer

    Don't miss/Sure bets:

    Every ...

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    • JESSICA'S RATING

    FOOD: III

    SERVICE: III

    ATMOSPHERE: II

    The ratings are based purely on the individual's experience. Try them yourself and comment online about on the Chomp! post. 5 stars = raddest, 1 star = bummer

    Don't miss/Sure bets:

    Every Saturday, Raven's offers a spaghetti dinner for $3.99. That's a meal on a budget, so you can save for the holidays.

    Details:

    Open: Lunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday - Tuesday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Dinner 6-9 p.m. Thursday - Saturday Address: 1002 N. Navarro St.

    Phone: 361-582-0075

    Prices:

    Sandwich plates start at $3.99 Hand-made pizzas start at $7.99 for a medium one-topping pizza and specialty pizzas start at $12.99.

Lunch nowadays has become an on-the-go routine. The quicker, the easier, the better.

Also, I find that the less time you have to eat, the less likely you are to stuff your face and give yourself the "itis." You know, the drowsy feeling you get when you have eaten too much and need a nap.

I had a short break in between assignments and had the opportunity to grab a bite at Raven's Family Dining on Navarro a few weeks ago.

It's a quaint place. You order at the window and they bring it out to your table. The variety of food ranges from pizza to burgers to their specialties, including spaghetti and lasagna.

They offer quick lunch combos daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., which include some of the favorites from the menu. You can choose from eight items and mix and match them to make the perfect meal. Diners can choose any two items for $5.99 or three for $7.99.

I chose the spaghetti and the soup, a chicken with wild rice, and my date ordered a burger and fries.

His burger came out before my meal and he waited for my meal to arrive before he started on it. My soup and spaghetti came out at the same time, though I wish the soup had come first so my entree didn't sit there on the table cooling off as I shoveled spoonfuls of chicken with wild rice soup into my mouth. It was creamy and the almond rice pilaf they used put a nice crunch in every bite and the distinguishable chunks of chicken made me even more happy. There have been so many times when the term chicken in a soup name solely means the broth and no actual chicken exists in it.

Raven's spaghetti with meat sauce was a nice dish. I thought it was cooked well, the tomatoes were still chunky, and acidic. There wasn't as much meat as I was hoping for, but, alas, I must keep my girlish figure somehow, and I will take the help where I can get it. Especially with the holidays around the corner, I'm going to be piling all kinds of food on my plate, and portion control is not one of my biggest strong points.

Luckily, too, the prices are easy on the wallet, so that means more money for stocking stuffers.