Tune In Tonight!!!

CNBC is doing an extraordinary special tonight that is not to be missed. It is a behind the scenes looks at my favorite and of course the biggest and best chain of them all.......McDonald's. This is not to be missed.
See below for a link to more information on the special.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/19168312

The Birthday Meal

I am sure many of you have been checking this blog to see where I had the big birthday lunch. I have to say, I am a bit disappointed in the lack of comments on where I should have gone. I thought more people would have voiced their opinion on what would go into my stomach. Whatever.

Anyway, sorry this posting is a bit late. I was kind of out of commission for a few days but I am back and ready to conquer the chain restaurant world.

Drum roll please, on July 18th I had the pleasure of dining at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse with the Food Snob. I was so excited to try this place because I only heard good things about it.

(side note: why is it Ruth's Chris and not just Ruth Chris, Ruth's is a very hard word to say)

I was very impressed and surprised with the atmosphere here. It is much more stuffy and high class than I imagined. You really feel like you are in a very high end restaurant. We did not have a reservation and because it is restaurant week in NY we had to wait a good 20 minutes for a table which was kind of annoying because the hostess was very vague on how long it would take to be seated. Once I was seated though all my annoyances vanished. To start I had a very simple salad with a vinaigrette. It was good, but not anything totally amazing. I was also kind of surprised with the bread here. Yes, it was very good, nice and hot, crusty outside and soft inside but I expect more variety when i go to a steak place, this was kind of plain. The best part of the meal here is definitely the steak. It really is superb. I got a wonderful Filet that was almost perfect. It was so soft and delicious. The steak is cooked in a sizzling butter. I am sure it is very unhealthy but it really is wonderful. I also got mashed potato's with my entree. They were good, but not spectacular. Again, the steak is what really stands out. For dessert I got a delightful chocolate moose pie. It was a very nice way of ending a fine meal.

All and all, a great meal on a great birthday. Rain and subway explosions do not stop me!

That Special Day Is One Day Away

One more day until one of the greatest days of the year, Joe Torre's birthday, oh and mine of course. This special day brings a huge debate to the table, what chain to I go to for my birthday lunch? This might be more simple if I lived in a suburb and had the luxury of almost every chain at my fingertips. Instead, I am stuck on Manhattan Island and must chose from what is offered here. What I am asking for is your help, my loyal readers, in choosing where I dine on the day I officially become kind of old.

Here is a list, in no specific order, of what the island of Manhattan has to offer me on my birthday.

1) California Pizza Kitchen ( I like it a lot)

2) Del Friscos (Can I handle a big steak for lunch, probably)

3) Capital Grill (Always a soft spot in my heart)

4) Apple Bee's (Two things to celebrate, being bought by IHOP and my Bday)

5) Red Lobster (The birth of me and the birth of the blog)

6) Bubba Gump (Been there, done that)

7) Ted's Montana Grill (Been there, done that, but would do it again)

8) McDonald's (Oh what a treat it would be, my favorite restaurant)

9) Wendy's (Very convenient, in my building and all)

10) Carmine's (We all know it is a chain now)

11) Nobu (OMG such a chain)

12) Heartland Brewery (No way jose)

13) McCormick & Schmicks (eh, rather go to Red Lobster)

14) Morton's (Never been, could be nice to try it)

15) Ruth Chris Steak House (Same as Morton's)

16) Pizzera Uno

17) Rosa Mexicana (I would usually pull for this but I am having Mexican for dinner)

18) Houston's (Almost forgot about that one, hmm that is a good one)

I will just put 18 up, for good luck!

Will Applebee's Serve Pancakes?

Good job NYPost.com! I just read that IHOP is buying Applebee's. I hope that does not bring the quality of the food at Applebee's down. I really like Applebee's, it would be sad to see it lose some it's neighborhood appeal.

Below is a link to the article on everyones favorite news website.

http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/I/IHOP_APPLEBEES?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=HOME

Stay tuned for more information about this business deal.

Breaking Carmine's News

Did anyone know that there was a Carmine's in some random slot machine casino in Rhode Island?????

I had no idea. I hope I am not off of my chain game.

Even though I love chain restaurants part of me is a bit upset that Carmine's is really turning into a big ol'chain. I can deal with the outposts in the Atlantis and AC but Twin Falls, Rhode Island? Something about it just rubs me the wrong way.

I guess at least I know now that the next time I am in the middle of nowhere Rhode Island I will be able to find awesome Chicken Parm and Ziti with Garlic and Oil (my personal favorite dishes there).

It's Hot in NY & I Need Ice Cream

Of course I do not really eat ice cream, I mean what NY girl really does. Ha, we all go and love Tasti D Lite. Tasti D Lite is really a NY institution. It might be one of my top 5 things I love about NY. For those of you who do not know Tasti D Lite is a low calorie (so they say), low fat frozen dessert. It is kind of like frozen yogurt, but I think better. You might remember it from a Sex and the City episode when my hero Charlotte was eating it while walking down the street with Harry. Anyway, what is so great about Tasti D Lite is all the flavors they offer. Of course they have the standard Vanilla and Chocolate but they also have just about every kind of dessert taste you can imagine. There are too many to list so I will just tell you my favorites. Drum roll please....................................................

(not in any specific order)

Oreos n Cream

Rice Pudding

Cake Batter

Pistachio

Creme Brulee

Dulce De Leche

Coffee n Cream

I really love this place. There was a time I used to eat it everyday. I am a bit better now, probably more like 3 times a week. One annoying thing is that I noticed the quality and service vary a lot throughout the different Tasti D Lites (there are like 1,000 in NYC). The one closest to my apt is very clean and nice but the servers all have attitudes. I yelled at them once and said come on guys, you serve ice cream (sort of) for a living, be happy, smile, you are making people happy and probably lots of money while doing it. They laughed and gave me a hint of a smile. Ever since they have been a bit nicer.

Nobu - OMG You Are Such A Chain

Really Nobu, who are you fooling, you are a such a chain. Now in almost every city you go you can find a Nobu. I think you were much cooler when you had one location in Tribeca and you had to know some secret number to call and actually get a reservation for 5:30pm on a Monday night. Besides opening a mid-town location to cater to business people like myself, you are also open in Mykonnos (FYI - I totally love Greece so I don't blame Mr. DeNiro for opening one there, I mean any excuse to go to Mykonnos makes sense). Other cities you are chaining yourself to include London, Dallas (umm really, if I go to Dallas I want Tex-Mex or BBQ not Tempura), Miami, Las Vegas (Ok, everything is in Vegas so that is fine), LA (3 locations), Honolulu, Milan (what, why would you eat Sushi in Italy), Melbourne, Hong Kong and by far my favorite Tokyo (give me a break).

Anyway this shows that really Nobu you are no better than P.F. Changs. At least they have killer Lettuce Wraps there, and not just Chicken Terriyaki that is still on the bone. Ok fine, your Rock Shrimp Tempura is amazing, I will give you that.

It Looks Like Chains Are The New Thing

Anyone who ever laughed at my love of chain restaurants, please see the article below.
It seems chains are not only helping my stomach but also helping the economy!
Awesome!
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyMiZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NzE1OTk3OA==