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.

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.