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.

I Lost My Rack

I have to thank my hetero lifemate Nina for this shocking, yet kind of exciting news. Back when we were young sophomores at BU we frequented a bar in Faneuil Hall at least once a week called the Rack. At the time it was one of the "trendiest" bars in Boston. It totally was not a college bar with dollar beers and boys in Red Sox hats that I eventually learned to love Junior year. Instead this was a bar with dudes in suits and cougars looking for their mate. They also had a huge outdoor seating portion and pool tables everywhere. For some reason Nina and I just loved it here. Maybe it was because they let us in with our fake IDs and they played awesome music. There are so many wonderful and funny memories I have of this bar but my favorite is definitely the night we were on Wild On E. No, I did not know anything shocking, I was just standing in the background sipping my Stoli Raz and Sprite but I still made it on TV.

Sadly this bar closed a few years ago so BU kids that are there now will never no the wonders of The Rack. Now, why is this posting on chainoffood? Good question because The Rack is now a Hard Rock Cafe. Can you believe it, one of my favorite bars is now a chain restaurant. What are the odds of that? I actually really like Hard Rock Cafe and think Faneuil Hall is the perfect location for one. I was just at the one in Times Square and was very impressed. I mean if you really like music the place is a great museum. I think seeing the sequin bra Madonna wore in 1989 is pretty cool . Next time I am in Boston, which I hope is soon, I will definitely have to stop by here and check out the new Hard Rock.

Huge News !!!!!

OMG, are you sitting down????
I just got a note saying that another blog wants to use one of my quotes on their site.
I am so honored and so in shock. I might finally make it big.
Stay tuned. We will soon have enough pageviews to have a Wendy's takeover.

Below is the note I got today. Check it out.

I’m doing a Top 10 List for our blog of customer quotes and wanted to get your permission to use the following from your 7/11/07 posting:"There was a time I used to eat it everyday. I am a bit better now..."I would include a link to the quote. Feel free to email me directly bemerson@tastidlite.com
Once I get permission from all of the customers, you will be able to find our blog here:http://www.xanga.com/tastidlite
Thanks,BJ

Wagamama - Ummm Not My Mama

Guess who is back???????????????????????

Yup I am back! Sorry I have been away so long. There is no excuse so I am not going to give one. Instead I will just try to blog more often. I hate to debut on a negative note BUT someone in my office just came back from Europe and reminded me of this terrible, terrible chain. When I went to London everyone I know told me that I just had to go to Wagamama because I would love it so much. It sounded like the perfect place for me, an Asian noodle shop that was a chain. I was so excited to try it. Anyway, it sucked. Nothing about this place was good. The ambiance is very cold and uninviting. I had to wait in line to sit at some communal table. I hate communal tables. Actually if i was sitting at a communal table with like 15 hot guys maybe I would like it. Weird couples devouring gross noodle soup, not so much. I do not remember what I ordered exactly but I remember not eating it because it was so so so bad. My hetero lifemate Nina was with me and she did not eat hers either. In fact, when we were done we had to go to another restaurant to get dinner. All I remember was gross things floating everywhere in my bowl.

Now these restaurants are everywhere in England and have spread throughout most of Europe and the Middle East. They have even made their way to our shores opening two locations in Boston. Boston does have the worst Chinese food ever, but still, it is better than this crap. I do not understand the phenomenon at all. Open more Baja Freshes and close these bad boys down.

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY FOOD BONANZA

Hello - what an amazing Superbowl we are going to have this year. It will be a showdown between the awesome, shy, awkward Eli Manning and the Hollywood Playboy, babies daddy, flower holding Tom Brady. Giants need to win. We need to show New England they are not the only place in the northeast that can win championships anymore. Do it for the Yankees, Red Sox suck!!
So in honor of this historic game I am giving you my list of best chain sports themed restaurants.

1) ESPN Zone - this is the mecca and the best. I love their salads, spinach artichoke tip and chicken sandwhiches. Their TV's are awesome and I like that the waitstaff has their favorite sportsteam on their name pins.

2) 40/40 Club. Party like a rap star!!! With locations in NY, Atantic City and the fabulous Palazzo in Las Vegas, Mr. Jay Z has created a nice chain for himself and Miss Knowles. I never actually ate here but I have drank here. Drinks are expensive but the atmosphere is awesome and there is a special Arod room, that is hot.

3) Champs - I only went once but I was very impressed. Good food and ambiance for watching sports.

4) Jocks and Jills - Has a neighborhood feel (read my post about it a few entries below).

5) Fox Sports - Hah, you think I need to place this higher because I work for Rup. Umm no, that is what you get for endorsing BHO.

A lot of athletes like Shula & Marino have opened sports bar like chains, I notice a lot of them in Florida. Once I move down there and fulfil my dream of being a gym teacher in Boca I will write all about them.

Famous Dave's BBQ - Back On The Sauce

I randomly found this place last weekend when I was doing my tour de Jersey mall trip. I heard about this place from my brother, the chain of food king so we decided to give it a try.

I must admit, I am not a huge pork eater so BBQ places do not always do it for me.

I love BBQ sauce but the meat, I can do without. Anyway I will get down to business.

I was disappointed that this place did not give you any bread or corn muffins to start your meal. I think a place where the food is so fatty should just start you with some bread, go all out ya know. For my meal I got a simple grilled chicken sandwich. I was very pleased with the size of the sandwich and the chicken was very juicy. What I really liked about this place was that you could pick from a long list what side you wanted. I went with the sweet potato mashed, which were just ok, I had better at many other places. On the sandwich they put what they called hell-fire pickle chips. They were awesome, hot, spicy pickles, amazing!! I also really loved the BBQ sauce here. I could not get enough of it which is important because it is a BBQ place. I was dipping my left over bread in it.

The platters at this place come with two side dishes, corn and corn bread. I think that is awesome because I like a lot of sides. I just could not find a platter I would eat because it was all meat on the bone or brisket and I am not so into that. Other side dish options here are apples, regular mashed potatoes, fries and green beans. They also have this huge family size BBQ plate which is probably fun to share with a big group.

The atmosphere here is very Texas BBQ like. I did not fee like I was in the middle of Jersey at all.

I must say though, I did like this place, loved the BBQ sauce, BUT Texas Roadhouse is 10times better for sure.

Cosi Can Be Cozy

Lately I have been having the majority of my lunches at Cosi. I was never a huge fan of Cosi but after listening to my cousin and trying their veggie and hummus sandwhich I was hooked. This is by far the best veggie and hummus sandwhich in the area. It is served on their delicious homemade flatbread and filled with hummus, cucumbers, basil (for some reason I totally love basil), and tomatoes. I of course HATE tomatoes so I get carrots instead. It is very fulfilling. You also get a choice of chips or carrots. This bothers me. I wish there was more choices like baked lays or sliced apples. That would be awesome.

I first started going to Cosi when I lived in DC. My roommate loved the square bagels. I liked the novelty of them too but now I just kind of think they are Ok and too doughy. I rather get a good NY bagel. The coffee drinks are pretty good there. They have all the standard fun coffee and tea drinks that most chain sandwhich places have. Nothing really stands out in my mind though.

Besides the hummus sandwich other sandwiches I recommend are the Tuscan Pesto Chicken, I love everything pesto so of course I pick that, and the Sesame Ginger Chicken which they claim to be on the healthy side. I get them heated up because I despise cold chicken (which actually is one of the reasons I used to not love Cosi, I did not know you can get them to heat up the chicken). I know a lot of people also really like their TBM, tomatoes basil and mozzarella sandwich but because I don't eat tomatoes it might be weird getting that.

When I am not eating the hummus sandwich I am probably getting their signature salad which is totally awesome and such a Rori salad. What does that mean??? It means it is filled with fruits and nuts and no veggies!!! The signature salad has dried cranberries, pistachio nuts, pears, grapes and gorgonzola cheese (I don't get the cheese). What is awesome about Cosi salads is that you also get a piece of their amazing hot bread in either wheat or plain. This is probably the best part of the salad experience.

Oh I also love having all the little pieces of bread that they keep in the front of the line. It is almost like a little preview of what is to come. My favorite are the people that take 10 pieces. I at least have some self control and only take about 2.

Cosi also has soups that my friend gets a lot. They look pretty good but I never had one. Another cool thing is that they have these flatbread pizzas in variety's like meatball pesto, pan asian chicken and Margarita. Again never had one, but they look really, really good. I will try one soon and let you know how they are.

Some Cosi's are fancier than others. It really depends on the location. The one in DC I used to go to kind of was a hot spot at night. I saw many a dates there. They have a dessert menu and fondue so I guess that is why. I never was taken on a date here. Probably because I am not going on some fondue date, hellz no, maybe if there was wine served too or something.

Puerto Rico The Shining Star of Chains

Santa was good to me this year, or maybe I was just good to myself.

I was fortunate enough to spend my Christmas in my mother's favorite play ground, Puerto Rico, the shining star. I love Puerto Rico. The people are really cool, you don't need a passport to get there, it is always warm, I can wear flip flops 24/7, get a hot tan, etc. The food in Puerto Rico is also outstanding. One thing that really stuck out in my mind was how many chain restaurants were there. It went from the low end of the chain pole all the way up to the high end stuff like Morton's. Below is a list of some of the chains that have a home in Bernie William's and Jorge Posada's hood, Puerto Rico. I think some might surprise you.

1) The Palm

2) Morton's

3) BLT Steak - ummm such a chain for sure now

4) Wendy's

5) Ponderosa

6) Burger King

7) Sizzler - this actually looked nice and was on the water

8) Hard Rock Cafe

9) Denny's - yuck

10) Ruth Chris Steakhouse - yum

11) Starbucks - had it everyday

12) Outback

Benihana is Benny Good!

Alright I am back and what a way to begin. Happy New Year! Here is to a fun, food filled 2008.

Last week I had the pleasure of dining with some of my favorite Mediavest people at a chain I have always been dying to try....................Benihanna. Of course I have been to other hibachi places but I never tried the original mecca before. This is where the chefs cook the food in front of you.

The ambiance of this place is just what you would expect, big rooms with big hibachi tables. Now, I hope I don't seem racist but I was a bit shocked when my cook introduced himself and his name was Pedro. Hmmm, ok.

Anyway I went for lunch and got a chicken and shrimp hibachi lunch special. It was outstanding! It came with a small salad with that yummy ginger dressing. Of course the best part is the actual meal. The chicken was very flavorful and the shrimp was scrumptious. It also came with good veggies like zucchini and onions. Of the 4 veggies I actually eat, those are two of them. My favorite part of the meal was the rice, yum, yum. It was delicious fried rice. Seeing Pedro dump mounds of garlic butter on it is probably why it was so good, but whatever it looked healthy. I did not get dessert here but I did get a fabulous drink. In fact, it was the Benihanna Special Rum Punch. It was awesome and brought me back to Sophomore year of college and the Booze Cruise in the Bahamas. Any drink that can bring you back to that is worth trying.

Booyah, I am back!

Cinnabon

There are some things that are so wonderful, delicious and decadent that they are almost too good to be true. One of those things is a Cinnabon. If Cinnabons weren't probaly 1,000 calories each I would have one every single time I went to the mall and walked by one (which is a lot because I shop a lot). I just read on their website that the cinnamon used to make the treat is actually from Indonesia which is really good news. I mean have you ever seen a fat Indonesian person, maybe these things are good for you?

I like the standard Cinnabon but the Caramel Pecanbon looks outstanding. Truthfully the buns are pretty big so I think getting a mini one is more than enough. They also have great coffee drinks here that are pretty much desserts. I like the Mochalatta Chill, I have not had one in a while but I remember it being awesome.

I think for my birthday next year I want a Cinnabon instead of a cake, not that I even had cake this year.

Happy Thanksgiving - All About The Sides

So I don't like Turkey. I don't like it hot, cold with gravy, without, doesn't matter, I don't like it. I actually don't think most people really like it that much either. They think they do but actually they like all the side dishes and desserts and would rather eat all that. The turkey is the centerpiece that you do not really need.

Since I only eat side dishes on Thanksgiving I am dedicating this post to the best side dishes served at chain restaurants.

1) Nathan's French Fries

2) McDonald's French Fries

3) Houston's Baked Potatoes

4) Cheesecake Factory Mashed Potatoes

5) Texas Roadhouse Baked Sweet Potatoes

Hmm I guess I really like carbs.

Have a great holiday everyone.

Jock's and Jill's Went Up The Hill

To fetch a pint a beer that is!

I just got back from Atlanta where the only restaurant I really got the chance to eat in was a southern sports bar chain called Jock's and Jill's. I have to say the name is really catchy. It makes me laugh at least.

The interior of this place is really your typical chain sports bar. It is pretty big with a decent sized bar and sports memorabilia everywhere. My favorite was the signed Jeter and Arod Yankees Jersey. It was right next to Manny's.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give the food here 7 overall which I think is pretty fair. For appetizers we got a spinach cheese dip and buffalo shrimp. The dip was OK, kinda watery so I would not really recommend it. The buffalo shrimp though was really excellent. You can tell this place really excels in the buffalo realm which it should as it is a sports bar. For my meal I got a burger and fries and I was happy with it. The burger was soft and flavorful and the fries tasted great. It is not a top 10 burger but better than a lot of others I have had recently. Most of the other people at my table got buffalo chicken sandwiches that looked delicious and seemed to be a crowd pleaser. Other items on the menu that stuck out to me where the buffalo chicken sliders,thai lettuce wrap salad and an oriental chicken salad. Next time I am back I would like to try those.

Of course the most important thing here is the beer and they had very nice list. My boss was into trying all the local Atlanta brews. It stuck with the Corona Light. I like when bars have Corona Light, why not ya know?

Anyway, if you are in the south and need a decent sports bar definitely check this place out.

Oh I just read more about this place on their website. It was actually founded by former Atlanta Hawk players. That is pretty cool.

The BIG Marathon Meal

As many of you know I will be running in the ING NYC Marathon. I am so excited, training has been a lot of fun and I was able to raise a lot of money for a very worthy cause. Of course one of the greatest things about training for the marathon is the CARB loading! Yup, the marathon is the greatest excuse to eat all the carbs you want. In honor of the big run I am going to list my choices (not in any particular order) of the best pasta dishes at chain restaurants. Please feel free to add some of your favorites.

1) Romano's Macaroni Grill Pasta Romano

2) California Pizza Kitchen's Chicken Tequilla Fettuccine

3) Grotto's (this is a TX chain) Pasta with Meat Sauce

4) Carmine's Penne with Garlic and Oil

5) Cheesecake Factory's Pad Thai

6) Maggiano's Chicken with Pesto Linguine

7) Bertucci's Shrimp Scampi

CPK For Your Catering Needs

As a professional person living in the Big Apple sometimes I need to cater food for meetings. Usually I go to all those standard city deli places but I had a big meeting so I wanted to try something new. I figured, I should go chain, I mean really if anyone is going to cater food for a big meeting from a chain, it better be me.

I decided on California Pizza Kitchen because I thought it would be perfect. I could get lots of salads and pizzas and everyone could try lots of new and tasty dishes.

They do not really have a catering department so you pretty much have to order the food the day of and pay a delievery fee. That is not such a big deal. I think it was worth it to try something new for my people. The one thing that really shocked me though was that they did not have plates, yup no plates. They had forks and napkins but no plates. CPK, if you are reading this, buy plates please.

Del Frisco's - Now That Is What I Call A Restaurant

I AM BACK!

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to post again but I have been a little busy. It is not an excuse but I promise I will never keep all my loyal readers waiting this long ever again.

Anyway I figure my for my fall debut I better write about something good, something really good.

This weekend I was fortunate enough to dine at Del Frisco's to celebrate my favorite persons birthday. The food is really outstanding. With all of the great steakhouses in NYC, this one really stands out. Lucky for me it is located right next to my office so I could literally go everyday if I wanted to, but that might make me really obese.

The ambiance of this place is outstanding. When you walk in here you know you are at a classy steakhouse and are in for a good meal. Big windows, dark woods and an imposing staircase are what catch your eye. The bread here is average. It is just a hot Italian loaf with butter. I mean it is tasty but for a steak place I usually like those bread baskets with lots of breads to chose from. For starters I had the onion rings. They were those huge onion rings lightly dusted with just the right amount of pepper for perfect flavoring. They also have nice salads to start. The house salad comes with bacon and I think that is pretty cool.

So of course the most important part of the meal here is the steak. I got the 8oz filet and I can not remember a better steak. It was perfect! Cooked the way I like it and with lots of flavor. The sides here were also wonderful. The one that stuck out as one of the greatest things I ever put in my mouth was the sweet potato casserole which was really sweet potato mashed potatoes. Really words do not describe how delicious this side was. It is not on the menu, it is a special, but really it should always be on the menu. We also got the sauteed potatoes and onions. These were like those fresh cut potato chips. I was not expecting that from the description but they were still really good, I think just a bit overshadowed but the goodness of the sweet potatoes though.

Sadly, I did not have room for dessert but I am sure they are delicious.

A great thing about this place is their business lunch. For 30 bucks you can get an appetizer, steak and dessert. That is incredible. I will surely start taking my clients here for special occasions.

Chili's New Menu Items

I was recently watching TV and saw an ad for the new menu options available at Chilis. This one just really stood out in my mind ......Buffalo Chicken Fajitas!!! OMG that sounds amazing!!! Two of my favorite types of food combined into one. I need to go soon and try this.

Who wants to come with me??????????

Red Lobster is Bringing Healthy Back

Besides being the sexiest restaurant in Times Square, Red Lobster will now also be the healthiest!

Read the article below, courtesy of my friend Erica who seems to love a good cheesy biscuit as much as I do. The article is about how Red Lobster is launching a new website to coincide with it's new healthier menus and fresh food choices. There is nothing I love more than healthy options at a stellar chain.

http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=66424&Nid=33681&p=293105

I can not wait to go back soon!

The Chains of Atlantic City

I love Atlantic City and I am not ashamed to admit it! It really has all the elements I love about a vacation. The beach, boardwalk, gambling (but I wish they had Sports betting), shopping and most importantly excellent chain restaurants. AC is really a chain restaurant meca. Below is my list of the best chains Atlantic City offers.

1) P.F. Chang's - Located in the Quarter at Tropicana Chang's gets my number one vote. I can go on for hours about why I love this place. The lettuce wraps, wonton soup, mongolian beef, double pan fried noodles. It really is a culinary extravaganza!

2) Carmine's -Also located at the Quarter at Tropicana this family style Italian restaurant is a NY gem that standouts in AC. Their chicken parm is my favorite.

3) Ruth's Chris Steakhouse - Located at Caesar's (not the pier) if you are going to have steak in AC I would do it here.

4) Hard Rock Cafe - Located at Trump Taj Mahal this classic chain serves up some of the best burgers and fries any chain has to offer.

5) House of Blues - Located at the Showboat hotel this fun chain serves up great soul food. I recommend the shrimp! It is much better than the new Southern Hospitality that opened here in NY. Sorry JT stick to stealing Jeter's ladies and singing songs about Brit Brit.

Other chains that did not make the top 5

(Applebee's, The Palm, Hooters, Rain Forest Cafe, Morton's)

Also I was unsure if I could count all the Steven Starr restaurants. Yes many of them have multiple locations but are they really national chains???? I guess they are. Next blog posting will just be about how much I love them all.

LC Loves Pinkberry Too!

OMG did you see the Hills last night?????????????????????

LC and Lo love and eat Pinkberry too. They were eating it in last nights episode.

LC if you are reading this, next time you are in NY, Pinkberry is on me!

Bergen County Restaurant Row - Keep Them Coming

The second of the Northern Bergen County Restaurant Row opened last week. I of course ran over to check it out and I was very pleased. PF Changs opened its doors and from what I saw things were going very well. On Saturday night it was packed. I was lucky enough to get a reservation. The food was like always amazing and the staff was very attentive. This is a wonderful addition to Bergen County. I can not wait for the next one to open!

I think if the Sopranos were still on the air there would definitely be an episode about Tony eating at PF Changs. As king of Bergen County I doubt he would have to wait.

Oh How I Wish I Was in Cali

Tonight is a big night in the world of chain restaurants. Restaurants and Institutions is having an awards ceremony at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, California. What a night, three of my favorite things, chain restaurants, Ritz Carlton's and parites all rolled up in one night. I really wish I was in California because I would go to this event.
Below is a list of the winners. You will see some of my favorites are on the list as well as some of my least favorites. Let me know what you think.
BURGERS:
Culver's Platinum Winner
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Gold Winner
In-N-Out Burger Silver Winner
CAFETERIA/BUFFET:
Sweet Tomatoes Platinum Winner
Golden Corral Steak,
Buffet & Bakery Gold Winner
Ryan's Grill, Buffet & Bakery Silver Winner
CASUAL DINING:
P.F. Chang's China Bistro Platinum Winner
The Cheesecake Factory Gold Winner
California Pizza Kitchen Silver Winner
CHICKEN:
Chick-fil-A Platinum Winner
El Pollo Loco Gold Winner
Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits Silver Winner
COFFEE/SNACKS:
Starbucks Coffee Platinum Winner
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Gold Winner
Tim Hortons Silver Winner
FAMILY DINING:
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Platinum Winner
Bob Evan's Gold Winner
Mimi's Cafe Silver Winner
ITALIAN:
Olive Garden Platinum Winner
Carrabba's Italian Grill Gold Winner
Buca di Beppo Silver Winner
MEXICAN:
Baja Fresh Mexican Grill Platinum Winner
On the Border Mexican
Grill & Cantina Gold Winner
Chipotle Mexican Grill Silver Winner
PIZZA:
Papa Murphy's Take 'N Bake Pizza Platinum Winner
Pizza Hut Gold Winner
CiCi's Pizza Silver Winner
SANDWICH:
Panera Bread Platinum Winner
Jason's Deli Gold Winner
Subway Silver Winner
SEAFOOD:
Red Lobster Platinum Winner
Joe's Crab Shack Gold Winner
Captain D's Silver Winner
STEAKHOUSE:
Outback Steakhouse Platinum Winner
LongHorn Steakhouse Gold Winner
Famous Dave's Silver Winner
TREATS:
Cold Stone Creamery Platinum Winner
Haagen-Dazs Gold Winner
Jamba Juice Silver Winner

(Thanks Shirra for this information)

The Palm is not the Bomb but it is still pretty good.

I recently had lunch at the Palm and I have to say, it is good, but it is certainly not the bomb.

The service is really what brings this place down a bit, at least the one I just went to. Our waiter pretty much told us that because a table of 10 is coming soon he is kind of going to have to pay more attention to them. What, who says that.?? Sadly, he did pay more attention to them

Ok, on to the food. To start I must give props to the bread basket. It is everything a steak place bread basket should be. There are lots of choices like garlic rolls, walnut raisin bread, breadsticks, etc.

There are lots of appetizers and salads to start which is nice because I like options. For my most recent visit I ordered a salad off the special summer menu and it was very eh. It was really just lettuce and watermelon in a light dressing. It was good but not outstanding. Next time I would like to try the shrimp appetizer or a house salad. Those looked good. For my entree I got a small Filet which was very good, cooked perfectly so I was happy with that. The annoying part of the entree portion were the sides. I again ordered off of the special summer menu which I think was a mistake. I got this slaw thing because it said it had apples in it. When it came out it was this weird purple thing that did not taste so great. Note to self, just eat apples as apples, you do not need them in your slaw. We also ordered truffle fries. They were essentially fries covered in Parmesan cheese. I liked them because I like fries and I like Parmesan cheese. Next time though I would stick with the staples like homefries (hmm those looked good) and mashed potatoes.
For dessert they bring out this huge tray with all of the options on it. Wow, everything looked so delicious, especially the carrot cake. I did not get any but it looked good!

The Palm is still family owned, probably one of the only chain restaurants around that still is. I think that is pretty cool.

Pinkberry - A Nice Treat

After a long run on Saturday I decided to treat myself to some Pinkberry. For those of you not in the know, Pinkberry is all the rage in California and is not making its imprint here in NY. What it is, is a pure frozen yogurt place, not fake chemical stuff (not that I mind that). They only have two flavors vanilla and green tea. I of course got vanilla. I love vanilla which is kind of ironic because I think my personality is so not vanilla. So because this is actual frozen yogurt it does not really taste like ice cream, instead it is more like actual yogurt and therefore a little sour. I think it takes a while to get used to it but once you do it is very tasty and refreshing. The awesome thing about this place is all the fresh toppings they offer. They pretty much have every fruit plus granola and cereal, yup cereal. I love cereal!

So, here is the annoying thing about Pinkberry, it is kind of expensive. It cost me close to 6 bucks for a small cup with pineapple and granola. Also because there are only a few locations in NY, the line here can be very long. Luckily I went early and did not have to wait in line.