Vivian's Express Grill is now open at the Fountains in Cedar Rapids. I stopped in to give it a try. They offer chicken wings, tenders, burgers, phillys, po'boys, fish & shrimp, wraps and salads. I was hoping they'd have fried chicken, but you won't find that here. Scanning the menu, the offerings are a bit on the pricey side for a quick service place. I was excited to see if the food lived up to the price.
I ordered the Shrimp Po'Boy which is $13 not including tax or tip. It comes with fries, which I normally wouldn't order, but I wasn't going to turn them down. It is a small place, but I ordered it for takeout. It probably took about 10 minutes to prepare. It was entertaining watching the workers singing and enjoying themselves as they prepared the food.
When I got home and opened it up, it looked like a lot of food. And it was. There were enough fries to feed an army. I pawned off as many as I could to the GF and still left half uneaten. In fact the po-boy was big enough for two, especially with the huge serving of fries. It was tasty with many large shrimp, but it was a mess to eat. I would have used up a ton of napkins but opted to periodically wash my hands at the sink.
Although it was good, I won't order it again. It's just too messy and too much to eat. I'll probably try a philly or wrap next and see if is as messy. The Fish & Shrimp section of the menu look to be dinner platters, so that might be a better way to go. They have catfish lunch/dinner, shrimp and a catfish & shrimp combination platter. At some point I may get around to trying the salads, burgers, wings or eggrolls. The Chicken & Waffles and Chicken & French Toast caught my eye, but their hours don't really align with my appetite for that fare. They open at 11 AM.
This is certainly a place worth trying if your into that kind of food. The quality and portion size justifies the higher price, although I'd prefer an option more sized to my appetite and lunch budget. It will take me a few more trips to check out more menu items, which will determine if it becomes a regular stop or not. It's nice to have something unique and different so close to my home.
I ordered the Shrimp Po'Boy which is $13 not including tax or tip. It comes with fries, which I normally wouldn't order, but I wasn't going to turn them down. It is a small place, but I ordered it for takeout. It probably took about 10 minutes to prepare. It was entertaining watching the workers singing and enjoying themselves as they prepared the food.
When I got home and opened it up, it looked like a lot of food. And it was. There were enough fries to feed an army. I pawned off as many as I could to the GF and still left half uneaten. In fact the po-boy was big enough for two, especially with the huge serving of fries. It was tasty with many large shrimp, but it was a mess to eat. I would have used up a ton of napkins but opted to periodically wash my hands at the sink.
Although it was good, I won't order it again. It's just too messy and too much to eat. I'll probably try a philly or wrap next and see if is as messy. The Fish & Shrimp section of the menu look to be dinner platters, so that might be a better way to go. They have catfish lunch/dinner, shrimp and a catfish & shrimp combination platter. At some point I may get around to trying the salads, burgers, wings or eggrolls. The Chicken & Waffles and Chicken & French Toast caught my eye, but their hours don't really align with my appetite for that fare. They open at 11 AM.
This is certainly a place worth trying if your into that kind of food. The quality and portion size justifies the higher price, although I'd prefer an option more sized to my appetite and lunch budget. It will take me a few more trips to check out more menu items, which will determine if it becomes a regular stop or not. It's nice to have something unique and different so close to my home.
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