If You Want a Piece of This, I Suggest You Wear This

This is really too good to be true. Burger King has just launched a signature scent (I have a signature color - pink is my signature color - my colors are blush and bashful, her colors are pink and pink). It is called Flame (that's hot) and it "captures the essence of love and gives it to you." Hey now. "Behold the scent of seduction with a hint of flame broiled meat." Wow I bet that smells really, really good. I mean why not smell like a really good hamburger. If you read the descriptions on colognes it is usually like oak or wood or musk, might as well smell like a good piece of meat.

Burger King, congrats, you really out did yourself on this one. I am totally going to pick up a bottle to give to my significant other (marshmallow) so he smells like all your flame broiled goodness.

Check out the site. It is hysterical. It is like one of those Mt. Airy Lodge commericals with the champagne bath.

http://www.firemeetsdesire.com/

The Travel Channel is a Wealth of Information

I have a new love.... and it is The Travel Channel. It started with this special on Steaks then progressed into an obsession with the dude from Man vs. Food (he is no Eater X - but a close second). The Travel Channel should really be called the Food Travel Channel because 85% of their shows have something to do with food. What is great is that a lot of the times they focus on, you guessed it, chains! I wanted to share some of the knowledge I learned from the various shows I have been watching with you, my loyal readers.

The coolest thing I learned is that The Palm started in New York on Second Ave (that is not the cool part). If you go to any Palm (they have many because it is a chain) you will see all the cartoon drawings on the wall. That actually started because newspaper people would exchange their drawings for food. Awesome. So now, they have a frequent dining club there called the 837 club and if you earn enough points (I think it is 25,00o) you can have a cartoon of yourself put on the wall. How cool is that? I really want a cartoon Rori on the walls of The Palm. Maybe I can barter my positive blog reviews for a cartoon of me! Who would not want to have a cartoon version of me staring at them while they are dining on a piece of cow carcass and creamed spinach.

Another extremely interesting chain fact I learned while watching The Travel Channel is that the Potato Skin was invented at TGI Fridays. I like potato skins. I am not a big cheese person, but overall, skins are a great appetizer as long as the bacon bits are good and not fake.

I also learned how nachos were invented but it wasn't at a chain so I can not talk about it. I will say though, that it was in Mexico. That is all you are getting out of me.

Urth Caffe - One of the Best Places On Earth

If you are in on the LA scene like I obviously am then you know what Urth Caffe is. If you aren't, it's cool, I will give you a quick explanation. Urth Caffe is a coffee, tea, salad, soup and sandwich shop located in the LA area. There are 4 locations, the one I went to and of course the most trendy is located on Melrose in West Hollywood. It was also the first location as well. Also if you watch Entourage and read the Gossip pages you might notice the name because it is always mentioned on both. I really wanted to run into Turtle there and talk about the Yankees and CC or what it it like to date my twin, something.

It is a very unassuming looking place. There are tons of tables outside so a New Yorker like me can take in the LA sun while dining, maybe even get some color on my see through skin. Inside it looks like any other coffee shop. What impressed me most about this place was the menu. It was like catered to me almost. I had a hard time picking between all the great salad and sandwich options. I figured because so many celebs go there it must be all be healthy. I went with a bowl of the butternut squash soup and a half size pesto chicken salad. Let me tell you, this was no half size portion. Huge portion, huge! It was all just so delicious. The soup was perfect and the salad was filled with chicken and a great pesto sauce that somehow managed to not hurt my belly. You order at the counter and get a number and then a waiter brings you your food. I like that a lot. I find that very relaxing. Other menu options that caught my eye was of course the hummus, a farmers market salad with lots of dried fruits, and a chicken curry sandwich. After seeing Slumdog Millionaire and The Namesake and singing Heart to Rikin all the time, I love anything with Curry! They have tons of organic coffees and teas too. I went with an iced tea because it was lunch time. Quite refreshing for my lunch time celeb spotting spree. Oh yes Urth Caffe is where I saw Queen Latifah pull up in her sick Rolls Royce Phantom Convertible. Truthfully, the car is a bit much. I like nice cars A LOT but something like that almost looks like a cartoon character of a fancy car. Give me my little Saab Convertible any day over that.

Oh they also have valet parking here which is ridiculous, but I did it. I will never risk getting towed again.

Anyway, I get why this place is so cool now. Next time I am in LA I am going to make sure to go again. I would love a place like this to open in NY. I envision it near Madison Square Park or in the village.

Katsuya - Go Stand Next to Nobu Because You Are a Chain Too

Katsuya, Katsuya, Katsuya, how trendy and cool you are. Trendy and cool my friend, but obvi a chain. With three locations in the LA area plus plans to open in Vegas and Miami, you are certainly a member of the chain food family and because of that, I can blog about you.

I had the honor of dining at the Hollywood location with lovely clients and one of my bosses. As any loyaly chain of food reader knows, my immediate boss ditched me so I have a whole new slew of bosses, yippee!

The ambiance of Katsuya is very cool and very trendy. Paper boss (that is what I just decided to call him) noticed that there were all these knives near the bar that were in tall columns of glass. I guess they were kinda like cocktail tables. Interesting.

Anyway when I was seated with my clients I think they put us in the VIP section. I kinda learned how to hint to hostesses that I am a food blogger so they must put me where the important people sit. We started with edamame and these delicious sauteed shisito peppers. Those were my pick and damn were they good. Very flavorful and not overwhelming at all. Katsuya, if you couldn't tell by the name is a Japanese restaurant and the focus of the menu is sushi. RorDawg is just not a sushi fan. I know people hate that about me, but I am sorry. I need my food cooked. I do not think that is a weird thing at all. There is a reason there are stoves and pans and microwaves and all that stuff. Anyway, you pretty much just ordered a bunch of dishes and share them all here. I let everyone order all their crazy sushi dishes like spicy tail sashimi, yuck. I made sure to order Rori food too though. I got a shrimp tempura roll with rice paper. Now that is a sushi I can eat. No seaweed and my food is cooked, thank you! I also got a Kobe steak dish with mushrooms. That seemed to be a real crowd pleaser. We even ordered a second one. I liked it but for sure have had better meats at places like Koi and Tao. The drink I got here was phemon. It was a White Grapefruit Cosmo, I do not think you can have a more perfect drink for me. I only had two because I was the designated driver (can you believe it?). What a hot car it was too, a white Chevy Malibu that smelled like a camel. Every time I got in the car I said, Paper boss, do you think it smells like a camel in here. Gross dude.

At the end of the meal Paper boss was still hungry and was making all these jokes about needing a pizza still. I was rather stuffed but still had room for dessert. Besides the drink, the dessert was my favorite part. We got Mochi Ice Cream, I never heard of it before but it was so so so good. It is really just little balls of ice cream wrapped in some sort of thin jello like material. I was afraid at first to try it because it sounded weird, but boy am I glad I did. We also got Creme Brulee and a very rich Chocolate Cake.

The real amazing part of my journey at Katsuya was all of the great celebrity sightings. The first was John Leguizano and that cutie Jay Hernandez. I have always had a thing for him since he was in that movie Crazy Love with dirty Kirsten Dunst. Also sitting two tables away was Cacee Cobb, who was celebrating her birthday, Donald Fiason, Zach Braff and Ken Paves. Not too shabby for one night.

Everybody Starts Somewhere

Is it just me or is everyone and their mother pregnant? Between my office and my little Tyrone, it is babypalooza. Don't worry, I am not preggers so I can continue drinking my way through my twenties. Let's face it, I can't even get a dude to buy me dinner, how can I expect someone to care for me and little Shelby Aiden.


So I am not preggers and can't find a dude to buy me dinner BUT I do have some fabulous friends. So fabulous in fact that they always send me links to articles about chain restaurants. Here is one that really caught my eye. I have had it for a while but I have been so busy traveling that I have not been able to talk about it. Alas, here it is. It is all about where some of the most famous chain restaurants got their start, their birth!

For example, Carvel was born in Hartsdale, NY. Westchester!!!! I have actually been to that Carvel because so much of my summer life was spent in my favorite NY suburb. I am way too classy for Rockland, my parents should have moved to Scarsdale. I should have spoke up more when I was 12 and we moved out of the city.

Other interesting things learned in this article are that Subway was originally Pete's Super Submarine and was founded in Bridgeport, Ct. The first McDonalds was in Illinois. Well, well, well Illinois, you are the home to my baby McDonalds and the home to our 1st black president, arent you special. Wow, you make NY look pretty weak. The first Burger King was in Miami, I am surprised about that one. The first Starbucks is obvi in Seattle. I have been there and it was really nothing special. I am just not a Starbucks girl at all. Give me Coffee Bean, Caribou or Dunkin anyday over that stuff. Wendy's which mommydawg served for dinner many nights was born in Ohio (dont you think Wendy's should do a takeover on the Post and Chain of Food). I don't really like Ohio. I feel people from there are pretty lame. They are. I mean the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is cool besides that, what the hell is cool about Ohio. Actually I take that back, P&G is in Ohio and if you know me, I love me some P&G. Atlanta, home of Nene, Kim and all the other housewives is actually the birthplace of Chick Fil A, OMFG, so freaking good and Applebees. I am not going to lie. I always wished that my picture was up in Applebees representing NRHS. I think I deserve it. Maybe a prom pic or a Key Club event, something. The first Dunkin Donuts is in Quincy, Mass. Hmm, I usually hate everything out of Massachusetts. Not Dunkin. I am proud to say the NYC is the birth place of TGI Friday's. Yeah, NYC, go big or go home. TGI Friday's was for so long my favorite chain so it makes me smile to know that we share the same birthplace.

Anyway, see the link below for some more chain birthplaces. My third favorite city, Beverly Hills is the mommy of many awesome chains like CPK and the Cheesecake Factory.

http://www.walletpop.com/specials/chain-restaurants-where-it-all-began

East Side Mario's - Will Always Have a Special Place on the West Side of My Heart

Oh East Side Mario's, how did it take me this long to write about you. I actually forgot about you for awhile but when I was brainstorming ideas for new blog posts you came up again.

For those that do not know, East Side Mario's is an Italian chain restaurant that has a NY, Little Italy theme. The best way to describe it is that it is like the NY, NY casino in Vegas but a restaurant. It is based in Canada and had a few locations in the USA - one was once in Ramsey, NY. It was at that location that I had my first date with HSB (high school boyfriend) and many more after. Looking back now, of course HSB would take me to a chain. He was so smart and somehow knew that one day I would make a career of writing about chain restaurants (ok, maybe not a career but def a hobby.

I vividly remember pulling up to East Side Mario's in that hot white Ford Taurus. Damn that was a sweet ride. From the second I walked inside, I know I was going to love it. It had such a fun, lively atmosphere. Maybe it was not romantic, but who cares, I have Nina when I need romance.

At East Side Mario's you start the meal with delicious hot garlic bread. HSB was so excited for me to try these. I bet he doesn't eat carbs anymore because it would ruin his healthy physique. Obvi, I eat carbs. You also get unlimited soup or salad here. I got the soup because back in HS I did not eat salad. I wish HSB could see me today because I think he would be proud to see me eating my veggies. His mom would be too. For my entree I got the Chicken Parm. It was a huge delicious portion.

This is my favorite part of the story. I guess I did not really know how to cut my food that well back then which is just bizarre, but whatever. Anyway, HSB was so cute and noticed me having problems with my chicken parm so he taught me the proper way to hold a knife and fork. It is a skill I still use today! In fact, I was recently out to lunch with my friend Ted and he complimented me on my table manners. So HSB, thank you for sharing your skills with me.

I can not tell you about the drinks here because back in HS I did not really drink. Yes you read that correctly. Clearly and thankfully that has changed.

Sadly HSB and I broke up when he was in college and I could never go back into an East Side Mario's. It was just too painful. Whenever Brett wanted to tease me he would say, Rori, where should we go to dinner - East Side Mario's - ha ha. That was mean little Bretty. I hope Fordham loses. Ironically, East Side Mario's closed its Ramsey doors a few years after I stopped going. I think that was very symbolic.

Sinigual - Just a Bitter Sweet Memory Now

I am wiping the tears off my keyboard as I write this posting. The only thing that gets me out of bed and into work is the thought of my new brown riding boots (they are very Betty Draper).

My boss, and one of the Chain of Food Board members did an unthinkable thing to me. He quit!

Not cool dude, not cool at all. Who else will leave me sick in a sketchy South Beach Hotel so he can dine in luxury at Nobu or literally kick me out of a car my first time in LA so he doesn't miss a second of the Boston - Lakers Championship game.

Before he deserted me we dined at a chain. A new chain in fact! It is called Sinigual and is located in the heart of mid-town Manhattan.

I have been dying to try this place ever since I saw it being built. Then when I was in LA and I passed one I almost lost control. Sinigual, that restaurant I have been passing everday is a chain I said to myself. No way!!!! What a lucky little duck in brown riding boots I am.

Sinigual is a contemporary mexican restaurant that can easily be compared to Dos Caminos or Rosa Mexicana. The atmosphere is lively and not as dark as Dos Caminos.

To start the meal I of course got a margarita. Princess loves herself some margaritas. The one I got was some sort of grapefruit one. I really liked it. My ex boss was not as happy with his marg. It was small and full of ice and expensive. I did not care about the price.

Then we got guacamole, spicy! It was really good. What I loved the most is that they give you warm soft tortillas as well as chips. Daddy dawg would tell you that the soft tortillas are way more authentic. The chips were also good. Ex boss even let me have the red ones (he equated them to red states - very smart). For my entree I got the Chipotle Barbecue Shrimp and was really happy. It was nice large shrimp with rice and crispy plantains. I enjoyed that they put the plantains. It was a nice touch. Other things on the large menu that caught my eye were the Steak Fajitas, Steak and Shrimp Skewers, Grilled Fajita Salad and a Chicken in an Orange Sauce. The menu was quite good, so I would love to dine here again. I did not get dessert because I figured I would just drink margaritas as my dessert.

This place is lovely and a welcome addition to mid-town east. The only thing that might make it better is if they hire Billy Bingo from Austin, TX to sing in the restaurant.

Good Taste in Men and Food

Happy Monday!

Just a quick post about an article I stumbled upon this morning. It turns out our future first lady hangs out at California Pizza Kitchen with friends. How cool is that?

According to the New York Times, "Michelle has spent most Saturday evenings for the past decade with two friends and their families, most recently at a local California Pizza Kitchen where the group recaps the previous week. "

I wonder what kind of pizza she gets. I hope she is not lame and just gets salad. Oh I bet she starts with the spinach artichoke dip then her and Barry decide on two pizzas to share and fist pump when they pick two they both like. It is probably the Hawaiian (to celebrate BHO's home) and the Thai Chicken Pizza. Oh maybe the Jamaican Jerk Chicken.

Lucky for the first family there is a CPK right near the White House so they can continue to dine on gourmet pizza for the next 4 to 8 years.

Also if they are ever in NY I am more than happy to take them to the CPK near my apt. It would be so bi-partisan of me. That is just the kind of patriot I am. I would also invite Rahm of course. I can see him eating The Original BBQ Chicken Pizza.

Welcome To My Blog Mommy Dawg

So I have a new loyal reader, Mommy Dawg. I am so excited that she decided to join the 21st century and learn how to use the internet. Little did I know that her favorite thing to do would be reading Chain of Food (one would assume it would be online shopping). The first thing she said about the blog was not, Ror, I am concerned, you refer to yourself as an alcoholic a few times or maybe you should not blog so much and focus on selling ads. Nope, she said, "Why don't you write about me more." Well old lady, be careful what you wish for cause you just might get, cause you just might get it.

I would like to highlight some memorable Mommy Dawg chain moments throughout my life (I wish I had some background music for this).

My most favorite is of course watching her drink 3 sips of her sour apple martini at Carmine's a few years ago and getting so drunk from 3 sips that she could hardly walk up the stairs and then giggled her cute Mommy Dawg giggle throughout the whole dinner. She is now forbidden to drink sour apple martinis because I do not like being embarrassed at Carmine's, especially in front of the cute waiter we always have.

Most great chain mommy memories come from TGI Friday's. One summer we actually ate their EVERY single day after camp. It would be 4:30 and we would be the only ones in the restaurant. Even though I was a teenager at the time, I ordered from the kids menu and had to lie and say I was 12. I wonder why I am a chicken finger freak, it is probably because I spent a good portion of my life eating nothing but chicken fingers and french friends from Fridays. Nice way to teach you kids about nutrition mom. Oh and then the Friday's points. Nothing made Mommy Dawg happier than collecting her Friday's points so she could earn things like free appetizers. Getting a free Sesame Jack Chicken Strips would be the highlight of her month. I am pretty sure that if she saved all her points we would totally have earned a free vacation. Collecting the Frequent Friday's Points was always a difficult process for Mommy Dawg because she could never find her card because it was floating around in the great dark abyss also know as her purse. The waiters would have to stand around waiting for her to find her card, "one second I know it is in here somewhere." One second, yeah right, how about 15 minutes. Luckily the Friday's staff has so much flair that they never would get annoyed at her. She was their best customer after all.

See Mommy Dawg, I write about you! I hope this weekend we can create some more chain memories. Jose Tejas baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cracker Barrel - As Addicting As Crack (for some)

Whenever I say or type the word Crack, I think of Whitney Houston. "Crack is cheap. I make too much for me to ever smoke crack. Crack is wack."

Well Miss Houston, Crack may be wack but Cracker Barrel is not.

I had mixed feelings about Cracker Barrel prior to my most recent visit there. I used to go a lot with my family when they would drive me to college. I know I was always excited to stop and have breakfast there but once I was actually eating I never really loved my meal and thought it tasted rather processed. I also always remembered the long wait for a table which is rather annoying, even though they have those fun rocking chairs out front. For me the best part was playing that little wooden triangular peg game when you hop over pieces. I think I stole a few of those games off the table and played them in the car on road trips (editorial note - stealing is bad - do not steal, unless it is a really awesome glass from a bar and you have a big bag).

A week or two ago I was traveling to Philly so we hit some rural towns outside of the city. Cracker Barrel's are pretty much located off major highways in kinda white trash areas of our fine nation. You know, the real America! I am kidding. I was with my girl Roadie and she is big foodie like myself. Anyway it turns our she LOVES Cracker Barrel the same way I love Jose Tejas so when we drove past one I told her I would love to stop at one on the way home. I figured I would give the Cracker another chance.

It was rather early for dinner when we arrived so we dined with the over 90 crowd. The ambiance here is very inviting. The front of the restaurant is a shop with country like things and candy. As a kid I used to always get those flavored candy sticks. Those things totes rock! The actual dining area is very cozy, they even have a huge fire place that warms up the whole restaurant which was nice the day we went because it was cold, rainy and miserable out. It did leave my fro smelling like smoke though.

I figured I was going to eat breakfast for dinner because breakfast is obviously their speciality. I was dying for pancakes because I saw a commercial for pancakes on TV (ummm advertising does work I guess). I ordered two eggs, pancakes and bacon. It was a lot of food but I could handle it. I was really happy with my order. The pancakes were fluffy and the eggs were fresh. The bacon was also delicious, nice and crispy, just the way I like it. Roadie is a real Cracker Barrel expert, she even worked at one in college which I can not get over and knows all about the star system they have for workers there. She gets all country legit and eats the grits, gravy and all that kinda stuff. Girls from the Bronx do not really eat grits.

I looked at their dinner menu and it seemed OK. Real traditional American food, kinda boring, nothing outside the box. What did stand out to me is that you are able to pick your sides and as any fan of this blog may know, I love being able to pick my sides. I need options. From the sides that they have I would pick, Fried Apples, Mac n' Cheese, Mashed Potatoes and Hashbrown Casserole.

So if you are traveling along the east coast and see one of these on the side of the road, stop and treat yourself to a country breakfast. It would be very American of you.

All I Am Saying is Give Peace A Pizza A Chance

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day in lovely Villanova, PA, which was infiltrated by OBAMA. I never have been to Villanova before because I had enough of that atmosphere in my high school, I did not see the need to keep it going in college. Change is good. Anyway, it was pretty much what I expected.

For lunch during my trip the girls that I was with said we had to go to Peace A Pizza. I was not really excited because I assumed that a pizza place in Pennsylvania was going to be pretty weak with little options (kinda like every bad pizza place in Boston - the pizza would taste like cardboard and sauce). You know what happens when you assume something......

Anyway, the second I walked in, I knew I was in for something special. Yes the name might be the most cheesy name for a pizza place ever but it was a theme and I like a theme.

The focus of this place is as expected, pizza, but not just any kind of pizza, gourmet pizza by the slice. How genius! A lot of places claim to be gourmet but by the slice they only offer 3-4 choices. To really go gourmet you have to order a pie which is hard because people like different things. For example some people like socialism, some people don't.

So highlights of the pizza menu in my opinion are the Caribbean Chicken, Chicken Parm (a best seller), Pesto Chicken, (girlfriend loves herself some pesto), Baked Ziti (another best seller), Chicken Fajita, Mac n Cheese, Honey Lime Chicken and Eggplant Parm.

They also have lots of great salads and that is what I went with (editors note: when placing my order I had no idea this was a chain, the revelation came when I said, wow this place is good I wish I was a chain and my friends chimed in, ummm yeah it is, they have locations around South Jersey and Penn, ummm you should have told me that sooner because I would have ordered pizza so I could review it). I have to say though, I was really happy with my big salad choice because it was delicious! It was a Caribbean Chicken Salad that contained pears, raisins, almonds and nice hot chicken in a sweet honey lime dressing, which prob had more calories than if I just had the pizza, but whatever. Other salads that look delicious to me were the Thai Chicken Salad, Granny Smith Delight and Orange Nut N Honey Chicken. The salads come with a delicious garlic breadstick.

A great option here is that you can get a small salad with a slice of gourmet pizza. If they had a Peace A Pizza in NY I would probably get that a lot. Thinking about it, Peace A Pizza would fit in very well underground in the Rockefeller Center concourse. Perhaps I will open one??

The hidden gem here is the dessert restaurant adjacent to the pizza place. It is called Hope's and I must say that if everyone ate the cookies that they serve freshly baked there is Hope that there would be peace in this crazy world. I went with the standard sugar cookie with rainbow sprinkles because I am a rainbow sprinkle kind of girl. It was outstanding!! Soft and delicious. I also had a piece of Snickerdoodle that was spectacular. They have ice cream and yogurt too but because it was a monsoon out, ice cream really was not doing it for me.

In closing, this place totally rocked and I hope that they expand up north and bit, if not NYC at least the suburbs.

PEACE

War Zone Food and Fun

First I must give a big shout out to my little bro the Fresh Prince of Chains, Bretty.
Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are so cute.

Weird that I am going to focus this posting about the food chains in the war zone of Iraq on Brett's birthday but I think it is such an interesting topic that I could not wait to write about it.

My friend is actually in Iraq now so I have exclusive details about what chains are found in Iraq.

He said "All of the major bases have fast food restaurants that are setup through the Army/Air force exchange service. I've seen Taco Bell,Pizza Hut, Cinnabon, Burger King, Subway and their was even a McDonalds in Kuwait. But as far as in the cities, no."

Pretty crazy right, they have Pizza Hut and all that fun stuff on the bases. Thank God, because they deserve it. Actually they should really have like Capital Grille and Rosa Mexicana, forget Taco Bell. Cinnabon is pretty awesome though. If I was in Iraq I would probably treat myself to Cinnabon at least once a week.

Also I learned that someone did try to open up a McDonald's in Iraq but wasn't allowed so he opened a MaDonal and it was basically the same thing but that is now closed to because he was getting all these crazy threats from Al Qaeda and McDonald's. Ummmm that is scary. No french fry is worth Al Qaeda coming after you. Hellz no.

Anyway, happy bday Brett and God Bless Our Troops.

Brother Jimmy's - Welcome to the Chain Family

As a borderline alchy I am shocked it has taken me this long to dedicate a post to a chain that is more of a bar than a restaurant. When I think of Brother Jimmy's I think of 20- year old bridge and tunnel people coming into the city for a crazy night out. I also think of those fun alligators they give you in their famous fish bowls. Oh and I think of being called an "inappropriate drunk." Last year I heard from a little Chuck Bass wannabe that a Brother Jimmy's was opening up a block away from my apartment in the golden towers, Windsor Court. I could not believe it, WTF, why would a southern themed bar open up on in the worlds jappiest court? I did not make any sense to me at all. Japs don't eat BBQ food? I mean you can't put BBQ sauce on salad, can you???

Alas, I was wrong and a few months ago Brother Jimmy's made its glorious debut on 31st street. So far it seems to be a huge success with lines out the door certain nights of the week. I have been twice and have been very impressed both times. My favorite thing was the BBQ chicken sandwich. It is a nice size and you can add any sauce you like from the multiple varieties available on the table. I also like that you can pick what side you like. Much better than the standard fries that you are given at every other restaurant. I like variety in my life. I got the mac and cheese because I am really into mac and cheese. It is so weird that I never ate mac and cheese growing up. I know my mom doesn't really cook but I am pretty sure she could have heated up some mac and cheese for me and little Bretty. I have also sampled many appetizers here and all were very delicious. I loved the popcorn shrimp and the buffalo chicken fingers. I can not quite put my finger on it, but they are a little more jazzy than your standard buf chick fing.

Also I must note that the prices here are much more affordable then some of the other BBQ joints that are popping up all over the city these days. BBQ is totally the new Mexican.

Now, the good stuff - the drinks!!! The first time I went to the new location I sampled the Sangria with my Lilo and wowzers was it good. I was impressed, who knew they had Sangria like this in the deep south. Of course Lilo and I finished the huge pitcher and were nice and toasty.

The second time with my posty girls we got a fish bowl and though rather sweet it was quite good. Then I switched to vodka soda which is pretty lame, because it is a southern BBQ bar, like really drink beer dude. How can I make fun of a Jap when I am drinking vodka soda at Brother Jimmy's????

So now, with 6 locations in the great borough of Manhattan, Brother Jimmy's you are certainly a chain and a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I heard a rumor that you were opening up in Puerto Rico, would totally rock and give me an excuse to visit my favorite island and birthplace of Mr. Posada and Mr. Williams!!!

Seattle - The Chain Food Capital of America

I went to Seattle, Washington with no idea what to expect in terms of chain food variety. All I knew was that I had to find the first Starbucks (which I did and it was kind of lame and there was some homeless dude singing outside). Well I arrive in the rain late at night and as the taxi is taking me to my awesome hotel room (I have a really good skill at getting upgraded to suites by being nice to the people at the front desk) I notice all the chain restaurant signs and smile from ear to ear. The next day I explore the city and realize that almost every single restaurant is a chain. In fact, I do not think I even saw a non-chain. Could this be true, could Seattle be my chain heaven. Am I meant to live in Seattle and find my McDreamy??? It is rainy and cold and I did not see people wearing much black, but maybe Seattle is where I am meant to be. My hair did not even frizz in the rain there.

Anyway, some of the chains I saw within a 4 block radius of each other were P.F. Changs, Gordon Beirch, Cheesecake Factory, and Palomino. Palomino, you must be asking yourself, what is that. Well I never heard of it either but I noticed it when I was in San Francisco so I knew it was a chain. Turns out it is a huge chain on the West Coast and my favorite state TEXAS!!!

Palomino is an upscale Italian and American restaurant. The one I went to was in an office building which makes it cool for lunch during the week but not sure if I would want to go there for dinner on a weekend. Their symbol is also a horse which made me want to try it because I love horses, probably because my brother always tells me I look like one.

Well I went and was really impressed. I would compare it to an upscale Macaroni Grill. They had a very nice menu. To start the meal you get bread with this delicious tomato sauce. For an entree I opted for the Chicken Marsala which was actually in a light, clear sauce, not brown. It was a very nice portion, two chicken breasts and a good amount of al dente angel hair pasta in a garlicy sauce that I found very tasty. I did not get an appetizer or dessert because my skirts are getting a bit tight trying all this chain food.

Some dishes that stood out on the menu to me were their Brick Oven Pizzas, Kobe Ravioli and Shrimp Scampi. For lunch they also have combos like Soup and Salads and Sandwich and Pastas. Very fun!!!!

I Found My LA Heaven

I have been going to LA a lot for work and was having trouble finding really solid LA chains. Nothing really stood out in my mind so instead I focused all my efforts on spotting celebrities, with an emphasis on D list ones like the "stars" of the Hills and Tara Reid. Last Thursday though all that changed. At approximately 3:00 pm PST the LA sun shinned a little brighter as I pulled into the Universal Studios City Walk with my cheesey white convertible. Yes, I was lost and late for a meeting but so what, I had finally found what I was looking for. Here it was right in front of my eyes, a chain food mecca in LA. For those of you not familiar, Universal Studios City Walk is a manufactured "city" filled with chain restaurants, touristy stores, a huge movie theater and an amphitheater (that by the way will be hosting the Smashing Pumpkins in December, awesome).

Anyway the chains here are an all star game of some of my favs and some of the ones I am dying to try. The one that sticks out most in my mind is Buca Di Beppo. Ever since all of the Real World Las Vegas cast members used to eat there I have always been fascinated by it. They do not have any in the NY area so I have not been able to try it. There was one in DC but I was too young to realize that I should try it. Other members of the Universal Studios Chain Food All Star Team are Cafe Tu Tu Tango, Bubba Gump Shrimp, Hard Rock Cafe, Jillian's (at least this one isn't near Fenway), Daily Grill (I did actually try this in DC - Georgetown, I love Georgetown, it is so preppy and Jordy went there and I love her) and Wolfgang Puck Cafe. Wow, what a team!

Next time I am in LA I am for sure going to eat here and maybe even see the Smashing Pumpkins. At least I know my car will not be towed and homeless men will not laugh at me and Monti for not taking their advice on parking somewhere else. "This is my home, it may be outside but I know they tow here." At least we got a good laugh and a free drink from Beso out of it.

Rosh Hashanah - RorDawg Style

Happy New Year! I am skipping any religious celebrations this year to honor the opening of Religulous. I kinda hate Bill Maher lately but tend to agree on his stance on religion so I hope to see this movie. I am sure I will enjoy it and find it rather funny.

Anyway if you are a bi coastal orphan like me and do not have any family home cooking here is a list of places I think would be great for a Rosh Hashanah food (at least what I will be eating).

I present to you Rosh Hashanah - The RorDawg Chronicles......

1) P.F. Chang's - I mean you are a Jew so you probably like Chinese food. This is where my family held their mock Rosh dinner and it was delicious. Who needs brisket when you can have Mongolian Beef.

2) Tasti D Lite - Perhaps you are busy, realized you have no food in your apt and are leaving for LA the next morning. Maybe you are lazy and want to just grab something to eat while you watch Chucky Bass on Gossip Girl. Tasti D Lite is the perfect solution, delicious and kosher!

3) In N Out Burger - When in LA!!!!! I figure it will be a nice treat for my Rosh Hashanah lunch.

4) Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf - What a Rosh breakfast treat. Instead of apples and honey, I am having a Caramel Ice Blended!!!

5) STK - You think grandma makes you feel like a superstar, forget it!!! I am going to STK in LA (2 locations so it is a chain) where the paparazzi will be outside taking pictures of me thinking I am Meadow Soprano or Chuy.

6) Jerry's Famous Deli - These are all over South Florida and LA. I figure I might as well have one Jew meal during the holidays so it will probably be here.

Happy New Year!

Rise, Shine and Have Some Chain Food

This is a topic I have never touched upon before. I realized I never wrote about the most important meal of the day......breakfast. I love breakfast! Last night I was in bed and all I could think about was French Toast Sticks. Breakfast is probably the one meal where I like most options on the menu. I think one of the greatest indulgences around is the breakfast options at fast food chains. McDonalds and Burger King have amazing breakfasts. When I was a freshman in college before I would go to my Hip Hop Dance class I would stop in McDonald's on Comm Ave to get a McDonalds breakfast. It was my treat for working so hard in Hip Hop.

Here is my list of my favorite breakfast items at Burger King and McDonalds.

1) McDonald's Hash Brown. Those ovals are heaven in a paper wrapping. Add some salt and pepper and you have perfection.

2) Burger King French Toast Sticks. These sticks are just right. Crispy on the outside, warm and eggy on the inside. Dip them in syrup and you got your self a pretty sweet meal.

3) Burget King Croissantwich. What a great idea, eggs, bacon and a croissant. I must have one of these sometime soon again.

4) McDonald's Bacon and Egg Biscuit. Notice I do not put cheese because I do not like cheese on my eggs. Also if you order it this way, you know it is fresh because they have to make it special for you. Everyone likes something special, right?

5) McDonald's pancakes, or as they call them, Hotcakes. These things are awesome. Light, fluffy and served in that awesome Styrofoam plate. These remind me of being a kid. I guess I ate them a lot as a kid.

I have to admit that I have never tried a McGriddle. I always wanted to but never got around to it. I think this posting has inspired me to go try one. Perhaps tomorrow morning???

The Economy is Rough, Chain It Up

Anyone who works around midtown has to notice the somber mood around town. It was sad to see all those cute Lehman Brother boys carrying their boxes out on Monday. There was a time when I was so jealous of bankers. I was intrigued and jealous of their big bonuses around Christmas time. The most I ever got was a gift certificate to Bloomingdale's. I thought hmm maybe I should go back to school and get into finance, but alas I have adult onset ADD and there is no way I could ever take the GMATs or GRESs So instead, I blog about chain restaurants.

Anyway I thought I would use this posting as a guide to some of the best chain restaurant deals around. With this tough economy, we could all use a good food deal.

1) Olive Garden all you can eat soup, salad and breadsticks. For around ten bucks you can eat all you want. I went once and found it very tasty and for ten bucks, what else could you want!

2) Applebee's now also has an all you can eat option. They are offering all you can eat chicken fingers, riblet basket or fried shrimp. This offer is only available in the burbs. From $9.95 - $13.95 you can have all the chicken fingers, riblets or shrimp you could want. You are only allowed one but you can mix and match with your friends. I called and asked. No question about which one I would pick. Chicken fingers, ching-ching! I might go and practice for my chicken fingers competitive eating competition.

3) McDonald's Dollar Menu. So you are not a millionaire anymore, you can still be a Dollar Menunaire. I mean for 3 bucks you can get a double cheeseburger, fries and a coke. Now that is a deal.

4) Wendy's 99cent Menu. This is my favorite value menu. No doubt for 3 bucks you can get a 5 piece chicken nugget with sweet and sour sauce, a yummy baked potato and a diet coke. What a feast!

5) McCormick & Schmick's $1.95 Bar menu. Put down your $15 cosmo at the rooftop bar and head over to McCormick & Schmicks to indulge on their $1.95 Happy Hour bar menu. Highlights include Cheeseburgers, Fish Tacos, Chicken Wings and Steamed Mussels.

So let the European tourists drink $5.00 coffees and $6.00 smoothies. Us tough New Yorkers will get through these hard times with my helpful guide!

The 100th Posting

Well can you believe it. It is my 100th posting. Who would have thought this little idea that was imagined while dining on Red Lobster biscuits would turn into such a major food blog. Ok maybe it is not a major food blog yet BUT I do have a lot of loyal supporters and because of that I am dedicating my 100th posting to them. I have created a list of my All-Star readers. Those who have been there from the beginning and have supported me with comments and kind notes (do not be offended if you did not make the list, but I had to cut it somewhere - if you are upset maybe you should comment more).

Here is my Chain of Food All-Star readers and where I would like to dine with them as a thank you for all of their support.

Nina - my girl, my hetero, I would love to dine with you at Buddakan in AC. I have been talking a lot about this place recently, I know, but we have had so much fun here and both love the edamame dumplings. Let's do it again!

Brian E. - I thought a lot about this one and have come up with The Hard Rock Cafe at Yankee Stadium before a Yankee Met game. I have no idea if Citi Field will have a chain in it because poor little Citi Field gets no press coverage. Regardless this is my pick. Also we can kill two birds with one stone because I still owe you a Mets game based on that silly Obama bet.

Bretty - For a while you used a fake name which was kinda odd. Does not matter though, nobody loves chains as much as us. I would like to dine at Del Friscos with you because that is the best and you are the best!! Also if I take you there maybe you will not make fun of me for being cheap.

Cousin - You always put such thoughtful remarks on this bad boy and for that I thank you. I would like to dine with you at Capital Grille. You introduced me to this wonderful place and I will always be grateful.

Paul, Nadine's Husband - You comment was probably the nicest thing anyone ever said about this blog. I was really touched, nobody ever called me their hero before. My pick for you is Dave and Busters.

Again, thanks everyone for reading. When I am published and become the food version of Candace Bushnell I promise to not forget anyone.

The Best Chain Appetizers

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought it was about time for me to create another best list. I have not done one in a while and figured this hazy, crazy, Wednesday in September would be the perfect time for one. So without further ado, I present to you the best appetizers served at chain restaurants.

1) Ravioli Edamame at Buddakan. You can see the posting below for more details on those little nuggets of joy.

2) Sesame Jack Chicken Strips from TGI Fridays. These are heaven on a plate. One of the most tasty things you can put in your mouth.

3) Rock Shrimp Tempura from Nobu. This is by far the best thing on their menu. A lot of other places offer this, but Nobu has by far the best one.

4) Spinach Artichoke Dip from CPK

5) Spinach Artichoke Dip from Houstons.

6) Chicken Lettuce Wraps from PF Changs. Oh boy these babies are good. So much fun to make and eat.

7) Avocado Egg Rolls from Cheesecake Factory. I love avocado and I love egg rolls so the combination is great.

7) Guacamole from Rosa Mexicana. Rosa beats out Dos Caminos in the avocado arena because they serve it with warm tortillas and I like that.

9) Quesidilla from Applebee's. Little Bretty introduced me to these and we both concur that they are the best quesidillas from any chain.

10) Fried zucchini from Carmine's. I try to make believe I don't love it but I do. It is an indulgence of fried wonderfulness. It is extra good topped with lemon and tomato sauce.

Let me know what you think of this list.

My next posting is my 100th so stay tuned. It is going to be extra special.

Buddakan - Fancy, But Still a Chain

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Buddha. It probably stems from Freshman year of college when I got the freshman 15 (or 20) and one of the girls on my floor introduced me to her dad and then proceeded to say, Rori, show my dad your Buddha belly. Ummm yeah that really happened.

Anyway, since then the Buddha has always been special to me so I was thrilled when a restaurant called Buddakan opened in NYC about a year and a half ago and quickly became the new hot spot. I was even happier when this trendy hot spot opened in my favorite NJ town - Atlantic City. With 3 locations, the original in Philly, NY and AC, this my friends is surely a chain.
I was lucky enough to dine here at the AC spot with some of my favorite people last weekend. We started the meal with delicious cocktails (lychee martini for me, dirty martini for others) and then moved on to my all time favorite appetizer. I know that is a bold statement to make but put your seat belts on because I am making it. The edamame ravioli (or dumplings) are beyond a doubt my favorite appetizer at any restaurant. They are pricey, but so delicious. In fact, after our first order we all decided to get another because they are that good. All they are mashed up edamame and prob some sort of sauce or something all wrapped together in a pasta or dumpling like case. Whatever they are, they rock my world! I also shared the boneless spareribs with Lilo, I mean Nina, and they were also excellent with a tasty sauce and cooked just right. It was def not too fatty for the princess. The portion is kind of small and served of very long plate that my parents seem to find very amusing and still talk about it to this day.
For an entree I shared the veggie fried rice and chicken with cashews with Lilo, I mean Nina. The rice was excellent. I love carbs, so I obvi loved this. The rice was not too greasy and had lots of eggs, eggs are awesome. Now, the chicken w/ cashews, that kind of sucked. The chicken had this funky taste to it like it was frozen and made from a Lean Cuisine. The sauce and the cashews were fine but as Harvard Professor Nina pointed out, it was the cheapest entree on the menu and probably why it sucked. I think that no matter what, if you are gonna charge 20 bucks for 4 bucks worth of chicken and nuts, it better be good. I do not care if I would strip for your dumplings. I guess I should have listened to Nina and ordered a steak dish. Too bad I wear the pants in this relationship. Anyway, the other girls at my table shared the sea bass and to quote Jen Roy, it was "fabulous." I would have tried it but for some reason I was not in the mood. For dessert I got a stoli vanilla and diet coke - very sweet!!!!

The ambiance at this place is very cool. It is very dark with Asian accents and on the ceiling they have a starry sky. It sounds cheesy but it works. The NY location is also very cool. No starry sky, but very big and grandiose. The only thing besides the chicken with cashews I do not like about this place is they have a communal table. Umm yes, I like to be nosy and listen to other peoples conversations but I can do that from another table, I do not need to be all up in their lo mein. If you go here, ask to not sit at the communal table.

This is Not a Coincidence

One of my most loyal readers Sarah just sent me this ridiculous story. It turns out right after I posted about my lunch time experience at the Olive Garden the future President of the USA, John McCain, (if we are lucky) had a lunch there with Senator Graham and my real hero Senator Josepth Liberman. Joey L makes me want to live in Conn so he can be my Senator. Some of you might know this already but back in the day when I lived in Riverdale Liberman would visit his lady friend Hadassa there. MommyDawg would wheel me in my stroller and good Ol'Joe would comment on what a cute baby she had. Smart man.

Anyway, I do not think this is a coincidence and truly believe McCain has people on his staff reading my blog. They must have seen my posting and decided to give it a try. Sen. Lieberman had a fish dish (no shocker there, he seems so cute and health conscience). President McCain had Spaghetti and Meatballs. That is my kind of meal.

Here is a link to the story.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/08/18/politics/fromtheroad/entry4357485.shtml

Everyone Deserves a Second Chance

As I grow older and wiser I see that everyone deserves a second chance. Therefore after much hesitation I decided to enter the grand garden in Time Square with some co-workers today for lunch. Olive Garden is actually one of the closest chains to my office and stands 3 glorious stories high smack in the middle of Manhattan. I also decided to give this place another try because it has been getting a lot of press lately due to the fact that they are not so into having my favorite Girl Next Door Kendra endorse them all the time on her show. I guess they think they are classier than she is. Sadly, they really aren't. I love Kendra. If I was a big boobed, blonde, I think I would be like her. She likes sports and tries to act ghetto. I doubt she is a republican though.

Anyway, I went to Olive Garden in Times Square and it was great! I only got the Soup, Salad and Unlimited Breadstick lunch but it was awesome. The salad was really tasty. I liked the dressing and the fact that they put Parmesan cheese on top. I also like the soup. The best one is the pasta fagiola. It is really tasty and filled with pasta, beans, beef and veggies. It was great. The breadsticks were OK. They were a bit salty and I think maybe could have had more garlic on them or something. Overall, I was really pleased with my experience and for $8.95 it is a great deal in this big city of ours.
I am still afraid to try any of their actual dishes. Maybe oneday. Not a work day though.

Truly The Most Disgusting Thing Ever

I was going to use today's posting to focus on the amazing NYPost Softball Team and their championship victory last night. I of course did not really contribute to the win going 0-3, but I hit the ball hard and had a lot of spirit so I think that counts for something. I was going to talk about Manhattan Chains that are perfect for celebrating a team victory but when I saw this article on the Post site (clearly the only site I read) I had to put it up here.

Anyway it is about a Burger King employee who bathed in the sink there. That is truly repulsive. Like was he naked? Totally gross. It is almost as bad as those old school shots of rats playing in the donuts of Dunkin Donuts.

Check out the article below.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08122008/news/nationalnews/video_show_man_bathing_in_burger_king_ki_124159.htm

Can You Trust The Picture??

Well I do not think you can really trust anything.

My good friend and boss Jason just sent me a link to this site that shows you what fast food items look like in their ads (I seem to be writing a lot about ads this week - I really should be selling them, not writing about them) and then what they actually look like when purchased. It is really interesting and at times rather disgusting. As any loyal reader to this site knows, I love fast food but even I would not eat some of these things.

The items that look the most gross to me are the Arby's sandwich & the McDonald's Sausage Burrito.

Check it out.

http://www.thewvsr.com/adsvsreality.htm

Ruby Tuesday is Blowing Up

I have to say as a chain food expert and advertising extraordinaire (ok maybe I am just mediocre) this interesting Ruby Tuesday ad campaign and image overhaul is really a dream come true for me. I actually really like Ruby Tuesday and do not see the need for the great change but I do see how things are shifting to more upscale dining experiences overall. Essentially the are "blowing up" the last Ruby Tuesdays online today. Very exciting!!!

After that there will be new ads showing the new Ruby Tuesdays and all it had to offer. I am kind of excited to see. No matter what, I really hope they keep their salad bar. Me and Nina, I mean Lilo, really loved it there. We had so many great lunches after long days of Boston shopping there back in the day.

Here is the blow up that just happened online.

http://www.rubytuesday.com/

I am checking out the new menu now and it seems pretty good. Some things that stand out to me are the shrimp and chicken fingers platter, Shrimp Diablo, Chicken Fresco, Chicken Bella (someone can make a joke here), and the Fresh Avocado Quesadilla. It seems they still will have the salad bar which is freaking awesome. Also they have some smart eating choices which I am very into. You can get seafood, steak or chicken and then pick 2 sides. That is really perfect for me. Very cool, good job!

From the pics on the site, the new look is not that different. It kind of looks the way the new Friday's look. Eh

Anyway, I hope to try this out soon and let you know firsthand how everything is.

Pret a Manger - Yeah I am Ready

So I have a new love. It is Pret a Manger and lucky for me it is across the street from my office. When these first started opening up in NY I did not like at all. I think it is because I am much more adventurous in my eating habits then I was even 2 years ago. Now I love things like avocado and chipotle mayo ( I know I am CRAZY).

For those not familiar Pret a Manger is a sandwich, soup and salad chain that I believe originated in London. When my friend Erin lived in London she always spoke highly of the place. Again when I first tried I did not love. Everything is already prepared so you can not pick and chose what you want in your sandwich or salad and that annoyed me because I am kind of picky and only like the things I like.

Then cousin said he really liked it recently so I gave it another chance and boy am I glad I did. They have this FABULOUS chipotle shrimp sandwich. It is fresh, succulent shrimp with avocado, lettuce and a spicy chipotle mayo. I love it! I also love their chicken, mozzarella, tomato baguette. What is great about this place is you can get half (they call them slim) sandwiches so I mix and match. Today I mixed and matched the ones I just told you about. I have also tried the hummus sandwich here but I did not really love that. Cosi has a much better one.

Sometimes I mix half a sandwich with a soup. My go to soup is the butternut squash with apples. It is a bit more watery then other butternut squash soups but I still really like it.

I never had breakfast here but it looks like they have nice granola and yogurt parfaits as well as some fun pastries.

In closing I really recommend this place. It is perfect for grabbing a quick sandwich. They def have a gourmet taste and feel to them and everything tastes fresh.

So get ready and go eat!!!

Oh I just looked online and it seems the only American Pret locations are in NY and they do not seem to be in a rush to open anymore. I think they would do well in cities like DC and Boston. Maybe I will open one in Boston and then move into one of Somberg's extra bedrooms and hang out with Tyrone.

Great Article in The Post Today

Actually everyday there are great articles in the Post but this one is near and dear to my heart.
It talks about how chains are taking over the city. Interesting?? Maybe this means that the Post will finally allow me to link my blog on their site. That is my life goal.
Anyway, Dunkin Donuts (my love) is the #1 chain in the city. I am kinda shocked by that. I thought Starbucks would be higher. That is actually #4. There are more Subway's and my real true love forever, McDonald's.
Here is a link to the article.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08012008/news/regionalnews/bucks_getting_dunked_122540.htm

Lots of Big News

There is lots of big news going on in the chain world lately. The first is that Bennigans is going to be closing its doors. I was never a huge fan of Bennigans but I still am kind of sad. This was pretty much one of the only chain restaurants in Rockland before the opening of the big mall. I have many high school and middle school memories of this place. So many friends birthday dinners were held here. Actually I think I went on a date here once and obvi ordered chicken fingers. Pretty funny. I remember when I got older Bennigans was one of those places you could go and drink underage. I do not think I did that much there though. Anyway, it is sad but I am not surprised. They were totally eclipsed by more progressive chains.

In other news, a Qdoba opened in midtown. I love Qdoba so I am really excited. I can not wait for that random Friday to go and get a Pesto Burrito with some co-workers. Yesterday when I walked by the line was out the door and every single person in the line was a dude. Crazy!

A Not So Plain Jane in Spain

The chains of Spain fall mainly on the ....well everywhere really.

I am back from my 10 glorious days of Spanish travel. I have to say it was really the best vacation of my life. I saw and did so much. While I was taking in all the sites I made sure to also pay attention to all the chains around me. This posting is going to focus on all the American chains I saw in Spain and there were many! Most of the chains I saw were more fast food chains, not casual dining ones that I love so much. The only casual restaurants I saw were Friday's in Madrid and Hard Rock Cafe in Barcelona. Every city I traveled to had a Starbucks. It was nuts. It was just like NY, one on every other block it felt like. Of all the iced coffee I sampled, this was the best. They also had good yogurt and muffins which was nice when you wanted something other than a croissant. Yeah, no bagels in Spain, kinda annoying. Now when I came across a sign that said Dunkin Coffee (yes, it is called Dunkin Coffee, not Dunkin Donuts, how cool is that), I thought the heavens parted. I could not believe it. I would be able to get my Iced French Vanilla Coffee. Anyway, I tried the iced coffee and it was gross. They made it hot and just poured it over ice. I could not even drink it. I was so sad that I had to ease my sorrows on a few glasses of Cava. I also tried a Juan Valdez iced coffee and that too was very gross and had to be thrown away. Thank god for Coca Cola Lite, it was the only way I could get my caffeine fix.

Now, what I do in every foreign land is sample the McDonald's. I do not know how this tradition started but it is a very fun one. I LOVED the McDonald's in Spain. The chicken nuggies were fab, better than the US and the fries were just right. They also had a curry dipping sauce which is tons of fun.

Maoz, a falafel chain was found in Barcelona. I actually never had it in NY and was kinda hungry after shopping all day so I decided to try it. I heard such terrific things about it and have to agree, it was delicious. One of the best meals I had in Spain. The hummus and pita sandwich was amazing. I am def going to start going to the one in NY. I wish they would open one in my office.

Other chains I saw were Subway, Burger King, Pizza Hut and KFC.

Anyway I tried to take lots of pictures so enjoy!

Adios

The Airport Chain

Lately I have been spending a lot of time in airports and will probably continue to be doing so in the future. I have always been fascinated by the airport chain. I do not mean the typical Burger King, Au Bon Pain, Starbucks that are pretty standard in most terminals. I mean the kind of abridged version of sit down chains that are located in many airports. I have seen abridged Friday's, CPK's (which I think is CPK ASAP which is kinda cute), On the Border and Chill's (Too) to name a few. Anyway I had some extra time before my delightful red eye back to NYC so I decided to try one out. Located in the American Airlines LAX terminal is a Chilli's Too (that is about all that is there). The menu is a smaller (abridged) version of the regular menu with most of the basics and favorites like burgers, buffalo wings, fajitas and salads. I saw my favorite salad on the menu, the Grilled Caribbean Chicken Salad but sadly they were all out of that. That kind of upset me because I have been trying (key word is trying) to be healthy before my big trip to Spain. Anyway I made a quick decision and decided to get the fajita quesidillas. I got a mix of both chicken and steak and they were surprisingly delicious. I was really, really impressed. It was also a huge portion!!! I even did not finish it and I consider myself a competitive eater (Tim Janus - Eater X - you are my hero!). Also the wait staff here is very nice. They do not rush you out and even brought me a huge side of guac for my quesidillas.

So if you are ever in an airport and see a Chilli's Too. Go in, it is delicious and way better than airplane food, not that they serve food on planes anymore.

The House That Arod Built

I am so embarrassed that I did not know about this sooner (my brother took almost a week to tell me) but opening up at the new Yankee Stadium (my most favorite place in the world) will be a Hard Rock Cafe. Can you believe it?? A mecca chain. Actually the grand daddy of the theme chains will be finding a home in Yankee Stadium. I really do not understand the marriage of the two, Hard Rock and Sports??? I think an ESPN Zone or Fox Sports Grill would have made more sense but what do I know? I am just a lowly chain food blogger.

No matter what they better have a section dedicated to Bernie Williams and his music. That would be awesome!

Also I think I would buy a Hard Rock Cafe Yankee Stadium T. I can see those being really cool. I am excited to see the merchandise they will offer. I also wonder if the menu will be more stadium like or will it be consistent what is offered in most of the other Hard Rocks.

Another thing I think is cool is that the restaurant will be open all year and you can eat there without tickets to the game. You will not be able to see the field at all but I imagine the atmosphere will be awesome and probably a fun place to watch the game if you don't have tickets to a big playoff game or something.

Did You Know Applebee's Was The Largest Chain?

Ummm I didn't. I am really surprised at that. Anyway here is a really interesting article about Applebee's and a new chain called BJ's (nice name). Supposedly it is the next big chain. I wonder if they get really big will they have to fight with the BJ's wholesale club for rights to the name.

Anyway, they are based out in California and have an on site brewery which is pretty cool. I was checking out the menu online and it is pretty legit. Lots of salads, pizzas, sandwiches and Rori like entrees (which means chicken in fun sauces). Next time I am in Cali I will def check it out. They even have one in Rancho Cucamonga which is my favorite city just because of the name.

Here is the article.
http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/06/29/the-next-applebees-is-bjs-restaurant-and-brewery/

The Wild Wild West

I am on my way back to NY waiting in the airport for my plane but I wanted to do a quick posting about my trip to LA. I have to say I was really disappointed by the diversity of the chains here. Besides In N Out Burger and Carls Jr, I did not notice any chains we do not have in NY. I guess there were a few Mexican ones but I really was not in LA long enough to notice what is a chain and what is not. I probably need to expore the outskirts of the city to really find the good chains we do not have in NY.
There is a BLT Steak in West Hollywood. Maybe next time I am in LA I will go there so I can write about it. The BLT's are so becoming huge mecca chains.
Oh I thought of something else that might be cool to explore and find. The first California Pizza Kitchen. I bet that is in LA somewhere. OMFG, the first Cheesecake Factory is also in LA. I def need to pay my respects and make a visit there. Good thing I will be back soon.
My quick trip did make me reconfirm my love of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. I thought I liked my Atlanta Caribou Coffee more but no way. My heart belongs to the Coffee Bean.
Anyway I have a few more things to talk about but for now I will just wallow in the lack of LA chain diversity.

Chain Your Dad

One of my best past posts was titled Chain Your Mom and was a list of all the best chains to take your mom to on Mother's Day. I figured today was a great day to write a posting dedicated to Dad, the guy that taught you how to swing a baseball bat (too bad I grounded out three times in softball this week) and the guy that builds your 300 pound, 60 foot glass T.V. stand and picks you up in the city after your morning jog with your laundry so you don't have to do it in your scary basement. So in honor of dad I am writing a post of all the best chain restaurants to take your dad to this Father's Day!

1) ESPN Zone - so much fun! You can play video games, watch the Yankees, Tiger Woods and eat a pretty decent meal.

2) Capital Grille - Step it up for dad this year. He deserves a good steak and even better a Stoli Doli

3) Texas Roadhouse - The food is just so good here that your dad will love it. Everything from the biscuits, sweet butter, and as my bro says, fall off the bone ribs will make dad happy.

4) Hooters - Enough said

5) Del Frisco's - Really treat your dad for something good. I can not think of a better steak or a better place.