Showing posts with label YTOWNR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YTOWNR. Show all posts

4/11/2010

Gia’s Pizzeria – Fried Haddock Dinner

Friday night Patty and I on a whim decided to try the new restaurant in town, Gia's Pizzeria, located at 708 Boardman Canfield Road, Youngstown, OH 44512. Its where the old Pizza Hut used to be. There were a good amount of cars in the lot but it wasn't crowded. We walked in and were greeted and seated quite quickly.
Gia's Pizzeria Fried Cheese
Gia's Pizzeria Fried Cheese
 Before we sat down our waitress asked us what we wanted to drink. I asked if she had Coke Zero which she said yes and would be right back with them. So far so good.

In a minute or two, our waitress returned with our Cokes and asked what we wanted for dinner. I started with a fried cheese appetizer in marinara sauce. Like the Cokes delivery, the fried cheese was brought out right away.

As you can see, the fried cheese looked good, but upon tasting, it was bland. The sauce tasted store bought and the breading and the cheese had almost no taste. Perhaps the main course would be better.
Gia's Fried Haddock Special
Gia's Fried Haddock Special
I ordered the beer batter haddock dinner with macaroni and cheese. Again, the fish looked good but it tasted horrendous. The only way I can describe this plate is, Shit On A Shingle! It was the worst piece of fish I ever had. The previous winner of "Worst Fish" was Galaxy Seafood but Gia's is the new king. Patty couldn't believe the fish tasted so bad and took a piece for herself and tasted it. Patty confirmed the Shit On A Shingle comparison. Within a minute, she told me she was going to throw up.

I called for the check and we left promptly. (Never to return again!) Luckily, Patty didn't spew chunks but for the entire next day she got sick just thinking about the haddock.

The service was good and this critique should not reflect badly on the waitress.

The cost of this nightmare was $9.99 for the Friday special plus $4.99 for the fried cheese plus $2 dollars for the Coke Zero. $17 dollars without tip. If the food were edible, this meal would be a good deal. However...

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 0 out of 5 shots and DOES NOT recommend Gia's Pizzeria for dinner.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

3/19/2010

Blue Wolf Tavern - Chicken Parmesan

Blue Wolf Tavern Boardman Sign
Blue Wolf Tavern Boardman Sign
Believe it or not but the Youngstown suburbs have many restaurants to choose for dining. Patty and I drive by the Blue Wolf often in our travels and decided to stop for dinner. Was it a wise choice?
Blue Wolf Salad
Blue Wolf Salad
We entered and I was amused with the sign on the door (More on that later) and we were seated right away. The waitress took our drink order and returned promptly with them and asked if we were ready to order. We were.

The salad came with my meal and as you can see, it is a standard salad. No frills attached. Just lettuce, a few onions, cabbage, cucumber, a few grated carrots, and mini tomatoes. No cheese, olives, hard-boiled eggs, celery! It was adequate, the lettuce crisp and fresh, the rest, in a word, adequate.
Blue Wolf Hot Fresh Rolls
Blue Wolf Hot Fresh Rolls
However, the rolls were more than adequate. They looked and tasted home-baked. Not mass-produced from some roll company. They were hot out of the over, very fresh, and very good. Things were looking up after the salad.
Blue Wolf Chicken Parmigiano
Blue Wolf Chicken Parmigiano
The main entrée was Chicken Parmigiano with Penne and meatballs and of course a diet Coke. Crazy combination but it looked appetizing. And it was. The chicken was a sizable portion, cooked well, juicy and tender. The breading was golden brown, the cheese plenty and the sauce, a zesty taste. It was delicious. The Penne was well-cooked, plentiful with the same tomato sauce. The meatballs were an added bonus and tasted very good. Usually, restaurant meatballs are not made on premises, but shipped by a mass producing meat company. I think these were home-made.
Jo Jo Fries Blue Wolf Style
Jo Jo Fries Blue Wolf Style
A quirky oddity was the Jo Jo fries. My meal came with an additional side. Not wanting mashed or baked potatoes, I opted for the Jo Jo fries. They were good. Crisp. Well cooked. Seasoned just right.
Cherry Cheesecake Blue Wolf Dessert
Cherry Cheesecake Blue Wolf Dessert
Usually we do not order dessert but we were feeling a little saucy that evening and went for it. I ordered a slice of New York style cherry cheesecake. It was excellent. Not the biggest slice in the world, but adequate. The taste more than made up for the slight offering.
No Guns Allowed Inside The Blue Wolf
No Guns Allowed Inside The Blue Wolf
Getting back to the sign in the window. Not only were we on surveillance but a sign clearly stated that no guns were permitted on the premises.

The service was very good, the waitress friendly and fast, the order was accurate and the food arrived in a timely manner and was good. The cost was $26.00 without tip including dessert.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4 out of 5 shots and recommends the Blue Wolf Tavern for lunch and dinner. Just keep your firearms at home.



LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

2/14/2010

Caffe Capri Restaurant – Valentines Day Dinner

caffe capri italian restaurant
Caffe Capri 
Happy St. Valentine's Day!
Patty and I decided to have our St. Valentine's Day dinner at Caffe' Capri in Boardman, (A suburb of Youngstown) Ohio. Luckily we arrived early enough before the crowd set in. We were greeted nicely and seated right away, in a very comfortable and intimate booth. We ordered our drinks, diet Cokes, and they were brought out in a timely manner.
Caffe Capri Fried Cheese And Sauce
Caffe Capri Fried Cheese And Sauce
I ordered the fried cheese with tomato sauce as my appetizer. As you can see, the appetizer was a generous portion. The taste was excellent, the cheese a good blend, the crust cooked to a golden brown, and the sauce, very thick with a zesty taste.
Caffe Capri Salad
Caffe Capri Salad
I had one problem with Caffe Capri. The service was slower than what I had expected. Upon further observation, our waitress was busy servicing at least three other tables. She did apologize for the slow service for which we said we understood and everything was just fine.

The salads arrived and they were standard fare as salads went. The lettuce was fresh and crisp, very little carrots, one black olive, one slice of cucumber, one small cherry tomato. It lacked cheese and croutons.
Chicken Parmigiana Caffe Capri Style
Chicken Parmigiana Caffe Capri Style
The main course was chicken parmigiana with a side of Penne pasta. The portion was very generous, consisting of two large pieces of chicken that was well cooked, juicy, tender, and baked to a golden brown. Melted cheese and a hearty tomato sauce smothered the chicken. It was delicious. The penne pasta and sauce was equally surprising. Classic Italian bread completed the meal.
Pattys Meal
Patty's meal consisted of shrimp cocktail for an appetizer, salad, and haddock francaise in a tangy wine sauce with a side order of spaghetti. Patty said the meal was delicious and that we would be returning to Caffe Capri in the near future for another fine dining experience.

The cost for both meals was $53 dollars excluding tip which was very reasonable with the quality and amount of food received. The service was very good even with the excessive burden on her.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4 out of 5 shots and recommends Caffe Capri for dinner.



LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

1/09/2010

Bob Evans - Bacon Cheeseburger Takeout

Bacon Cheeseburger Take Out Bob Evans
Bacon Cheeseburger Take Out Bob Evans
Bob Evans restaurant located in Youngstown, Ohio, is our next stop on the Blue Plate Special tour. However, this time, we ordered to go to test their take out service. I placed the call, ordered a bacon cheeseburger with french fries and the waitress said my order would be ready in about 20 minutes.

I arrived at Bob Evans in twenty minutes and went to the take out counter. A waitress asked if she could help me. I told her, "Pick up for the Grassy Knoll Institute!" She smiled and went into the back. She walked out with my order and packed it up in a plastic bag. She told me to pay at the check out.

As you can see, they did not skimp on the bacon. Two thick strips were on top and when I broke both pieces in half, they covered the burger completely. The cheese was plentiful, fully melted and hot. The bun was fresh, hot, and toasted just right. The one third pound burger patty was well cooked, juicy, and hot. The fries were golden brown, crunchy, not soggy, and hot. The container, a standard styrofoam container held up for well.

The burger was very good tasting. You could really taste the crisp thick bacon unlike other burgers where the bacon is undercooked and as thin as paper. The fries were very tasty as well.

Don't worry, I didn't forget about the cost which at $8 dollars was a fair price. All in all, the take out experience was worked well.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3.75 out of 5 shots and recommends Bob Evans Cheeseburger take out for dinner.



LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

9/30/2009

Elephant Ear Restaurant - Cheeseburger - Fries

Elephant Ear Restaurant Fair food
Elephant Ear Restaurant 

It's the end of September and the local and state fairs are now just a recent memory. Some wishing they would have bought that giant Elephant Ear or hot sausage sandwich smothered in peppers and onions.

As if my prayers had a direct hot line to the big guy, a new restaurant popped up in my old town called the Elephant Ear. The menu was simple and ingenious. All your fair food favorites.

We pulled in and the place was packed. There was one parking spot left out of about 25 in the lot. It must be good if the place is packed right?
Elephant Ear Corn Dog
Elephant Ear Corn Dog
The layout was simple. A small sit down area with a few booths and tables, maybe seating for 25-30 people. An order and pickup counter on the left side. We waited in line for our turn. We waited about 5 minutes to place our order. After we placed our order, it took almost 20 minutes for our order to come up. That is why the place was packed. The food preparation was very slow. We noticed that everyone sitting at the tables and booths were waiting for orders.

Finally, our number was called and I retrieved our order. Of course I had to order a corn dog. It was standard fare, (Fair) and standard size. It was cooked well and tasted good. I have to say, it tasted just like the Canfield Fair corn dogs. And at $2.75 it better.
Elephant Ear Cheeseburger And Fries
Elephant Ear Cheeseburger And Fries
The second part of my artery clogging dinner was a cheeseburger and original "Fair" french fries. The cheeseburger was nothing special, no outstanding qualities. The bun was a little beat up, and it looked like it was just tossed in the container. It was well cooked, the cheese melted, the beef adequate quality.

The fries, on the other hand, were not "Fair" quality. In fact, they were pretty horrendous. Perhaps if they were cooked properly, they would have tasted better. They had the texture of fat spaghetti strings. They were soggy, wet, greasy, and well, terrible. The cost was $6 dollars for the combo which was reasonable if the fries were edible.

So, the service was terrible, the food below average, and the price adequate. However, I have to commend the owners for the unique idea of Fair food without all the stinky animals and smelly pumpkins and rotting hay. Since the restaurant was still new, I have decided to give them one more chance to redeem themselves. With that.....

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2.5 out of 5 shots and is on the fence about recommending Elephant Ear Restaurant for dinner.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

9/29/2009

KFC - Chicken Strip Dinner

KFC Chicken Strip Dinner
KFC Chicken Strip Dinner
This is what Kentucky Fried Chicken considers a dinner! Pictured left, the three piece chicken strip meal. The meal consisted of three strips of breaded chicken, one biscuit, and one side which I selected mashed potatoes with gravy. It was all tossed packed in this handy box.

I will say that the chicken, although not healthy or good for you, did taste good. (600 plus calories, 27 fat grams, 80 gram of cholesterol, 54 carbs) As well as the biscuit and mashed potatoes. You can see by the photo how the food was packaged. Not the best as the grease from the chicken was beginning to ooze through the cardboard. The cost was $5 dollars, which is respectable I suppose.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2.75 out of 5 shots and recommends KFC chicken strip meal for dinner.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

9/20/2009

Belleria Italian Restaurant – Pizza

Belleria Signage
Continuing our tour of restaurants in the Youngstown, Ohio vicinity, we landed at Belleria's Italian Restaurant. I have heard they had good pizza and of course good Italian cuisine. We pulled in and at first thought the place was closed until we saw the neon sign glowing "OPEN"
Belleria Sampler Platter
Belleria Sampler Platter
The hostess was very pleasant and seated us at a table right away. It was not crowded at all, but there were patrons there eating. She took our drink orders and when she returned, we ordered the appetizer platter.

As you can see, everything was battered and deep fried. The platter consisted of onion rings, chicken wings, and chicken tenders plus a collection of sauces for dipping. All were cooked well and tasted good. So far so good.
Belleria Pizza
Belleria Pizza
My main course was a cheese pizza. I know, plenty of other choices but I was rather fancying a slice of pizza at that time. I made sure to make the waitress aware that I did not want green peppers on my pizza.

In about 20 minutes, after the waitress cleared our table of our appetizer, my pizza arrived. Pretty impressive isn't it? Well, as I was cutting a slice, I noticed small green peppers scattered on the pizza. WTF!!! I distinctively ordered the pizza sans the peppers. Knowing that it would take 20-25 minutes to cook another pizza the way I ordered, I decided to buck up and endure. I delicately (As best one can with a knife and fork) picked the peppers off from each slice and pressed on. I only had several slices for the taste of the green peppers was embedded in the god damn pizza.

How did it taste you ask? It sucked! Plain and simple.
ravioli dinner belleria
Ravioli Dinner
Ahh, but here's the conundrum. My darling wife Patty ordered the ravioli and meatballs. Patty states that her meal was not terrible, and it did not suck, but was rather good. The meatballs were average, the ravioli's were good, and the sauce above average. This throws a curve ball into my ranking for Belleria and if I would recommend them or not.

So I fall back on my ranking format.
How was the service? Since my order was incorrect, I would have to say terrible.
How was the food? Again, with my order being incorrect and the pizza tasting like peppers, it was terrible.
How was the presentation? It was nice, adequate, plenty of room at the table, extra napkins, a pizza knife, plates.
How was the price? The appetizer and pizza and coke was around $15 dollars. Not to steep, not to low.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2 out of 5 shots and DOES NOT recommends Belleria Italian Restaurant for dinner.



LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

9/01/2009

Applebee’s Restaurant – Sampler Platter

Applebee's Restaurant Boardman Ohio
Applebee's Restaurant Boardman Ohio
One of the Lead Scientists favorite restaurants is Applebee's. After a little persuasion, we landed up there for dinner. It was not crowded when we arrived and we were seated rather quickly. The waitress took our drink order and returned shortly.
Applebee's Sample Platter
Applebee's Sample Platter
As you can see I ordered the Ultimate Trio sampler platter. (I really couldn't decide what I wanted so I ordered everything) Our dinners were brought to our table in less than 10 minutes. (Pretty speedy business)

The platter consisted of two mini burgers, (Sliders) which were surprisingly tasty and well cooked. So far so good. Also on the platter were fried cheese sticks with marinara sauce. Surprised again. They were well cooked, crunchy, and the sauce was zesty. Lastly, spicy boneless wing dings with celery sticks. The sauce was just hot enough, not five alarm hot, but ringing a bell at least, and the chicken itself was juicy and good tasting.

The cost was $12 dollars not including drink and tip which for what I received, was a fair deal. The service was efficient and speedy. A very good first impression. I could see why the Lead Scientist dined there frequently.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3.25 out of 5 shots and recommends Applebee's for lunch and dinner.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

7/06/2009

A Wish Sandwich

Schwebels White Bread
Schwebels White Bread
Yesterday at lunch, I had a wish sandwich. A wish sandwich is where you have two slices of bread, and you wish you had some meat. Bow bow bow.

Schwebel's Bakery makes more than just your standard fare bread. They also make Taliano select. Thirty seconds after I snapped this photo I added some sliced Butterball turkey from the Boardman Sparkle Market grocery store. It was delicious.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 5 out of 5 shots and recommends Schwebel's bread for lunch and dinner.

Thanks to the Blues Brothers for the "Wish Sandwich."


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

6/18/2009

Jump In Jack’s Chicken Shack

Jump In Jacks Chicken Shack
Jump In Jacks Chicken Shack
Patty and I decided to dine at Jump In Jacks, a local restaurant here in Boardman, Ohio. They have really tasty fried chicken. Sadly, this would be the last supper as the the Chicken Shack closed just the other day. Something about the liquor license and the lease. I was a little leary (Not the Denis type) seeing that there were only about a half dozen patrons in the restaurant, but we were there, and we were hungry.
Jump In Salad Minus Cheese
The waitress came out right away and sat us down and took our drink order. I had a diet Coke. A few minutes later we ordered. My salad arrived in mere minutes, and it was adequate, but there was no cheese. No worry. But no cheese.
Jojo Fries Loaded Bacon And Cheese
Jojo Fries Loaded Bacon And Cheese
Our appetizer was loaded potato wedges. This is what we got instead. Jojo wedges with cheese melted on top with a sliver of bacon. Seriously, jojo fries with cheese.
Jump In Jacks Chicken Parm
Jump In Jacks Chicken Parm
The main course was chicken parmigiana and a side of penne pasta in tomato sauce. The penne was adequate, the sauce was good, the chicken part, not so much. The breaded chicken was rubbery, and fatty, a combination not desired for your food. I will say it was edible, just barely, (I was hungry mind you) and the penne saved the meal.

The service was OK, not good, just OK. The waitress never came to check on us, (Not like she was busy with six people in the whole joint) never refilled my diet Coke, never brought any bread or rolls to our table. Perhaps she knew she was getting canned the next week.

The cost was reasonable, $7.50 for the entree, $6.00 for the wedges, $1.50 for the diet coke. The salad came with the entree. Total was $15 not including tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2 out of 5 shots and DOES NOT recommend Jumpin Jack's Chicken shack for dinner. Not that it matters anymore, the joint is closed.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

5/18/2009

KFC - Big Box Meal

KFC Big Box Meal
KFC Big Box Meal
So I ordered the KFC Big Box meal deal. From the commercial, it looked like you were getting a boat load, (Or box full of food) but when opening it, not so much. For the record, I ordered the standard box with one exception. I wanted the chicken sandwich to have no mayo on it.
KFC Big Box Dinner
KFC Big Box Dinner
As you can see, the chicken sandwich was in the top left quadrant and the biscuit located on the bottom left. The top right side held two chicken strips, original recipe of course, and one original recipe leg. A tub of mashed potatoes completed the ensemble on the bottom right.
KFC Buck Chicken Sandwich
KFC Buck Chicken Sandwich
Where to begin. The chicken sandwich had mayo on it rendering it uneatable. Into the trash it went. The mashed potatoes were processed of course but were not bad. The chicken strips were good, crispy, and tasty. The leg was all you remember about Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was greasy, fatty, juicy, but tasted damn good. The biscuit was good as well.

The cost was 8 bucks, pretty steep when you look at what you really got. We know the snack sandwich is 99 cents, and the three piece chicken strip dinner is $3.99 making the strips 99 cents at the max, and the leg 99 cents at the max, the biscuit, under a buck, and a side of potatoes at 99 cents. Add all six pieces up and you get 6 bucks if purchased individually. Apparently you pay 2 dollars for the snazzy box the food comes packed in.

KFC committed a fatal error here. Actually two errors. One, the order was incorrect. Two, the cost was exceedingly high.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 1.5 out of 5 shots and DOES NOT recommend KFC Big Box Meal for dinner.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

4/11/2009

Five Guys Burgers - Cheeseburger And Fries

Five Guys Burgers And Fries
Five Guys Burgers And Fries
Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips used to stand where Five Guys is now. Arthur's was there for as long as I can remember. Just a little while ago, they closed their doors and Five Guys had the building torn down and erected a new one. Naturally, we had to try the new burger joint.
Five Guys Menu
Five Guys Menu
Parking was easy, as there were only a few cars in the lot. Once inside, of course the place was sparkly clean. It was a brand new building. There were several prominent banners touting how famous Five Guys Burgers were. (I have never heard of them before) Anyway, we bellied up to the counter and placed our orders. I asked for the cheeseburger, large french fries, and regular size diet Coke.
Five Guys Cheeseburger
Five Guys Cheeseburger
This is the $4.59 Five Guys cheeseburger. Yes, that's right. Four and a half bucks for this so called "Famous" Five Guys burger. To me, not so much. I will say it wasn't terrible, but after seeing all the accolades posted all over the store, this burger was highly disappointing.
Five Guys Fries In A Cup
Five Guys Fries In A Cup
This is the $3.79 order of large fries. (Cooked in pure, no cholesterol, tasty peanut oil) Seriously, almost four bucks for a pack of fries. The fries were good, but not $4 dollars good.
Fries At The Bottom Of The Bag
At the bottom of the sack, there were some greasy fries left. I found it very strange to receive my order in a take out bag when we ordered for dining in. They even gave us a tray.

Here's how the dining experience went. Placed order, given an orange tray. Sat down at our table, waited for our number to be called. 10 minutes later our number was called, our order was packed in a take out sack. We were handed two empty plastic cups, the server motioned to the Coke dispenser on the left, we filled our cups, took the sack to our table, separated our dinners. No napkins were on the table, looked for napkins, found none, looked for salt, ketchup, mustard, found none. Asked the server, we had to go back to the counter to ask, we ate our dinner, and left.

Let's tally the dinner tab. A $4.59 cheeseburger, a $3.79 order of fries, and a $1.59 regular size diet Coke. What you see here is $9.97 of food. Sadly, McDonalds has better tasting burgers and fries and a hell of a lot cheaper. MsDonald's offers you a double cheeseburger for 99 cents, a large order of fries for $1.79 and a regular diet Coke for 79 cents for a total of $3.57 of food.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2 out of 5 shots and DOES NOT recommends Five Guys for lunch or dinner.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

2/20/2009

Elmton Bar - Pizza And Wings

Elmton Struthers Ohio
Elmton Struthers Ohio

The Elmton restaurant and bar is located in Struthers, Ohio, and is an old favorite place to dine. When we arrived, the place was packed, no parking, even in the parking lot across the street. A sure sign that the food and price is right. We waited about 10 minutes for a table to free up. The waitress squeezed us all at a table. Very cozy indeed.
Elmton Chicken Wings
Elmton Chicken Wings
Our waitress came over to our table in a couple of minutes and Patty and I ordered diet Cokes and the famous Elmton wing dings as an appetizer. The wings were brought to our table in about five minutes. Not bad for crowded evening. As you can see the wings were huge, not your standard fare wing dings. Let me tell you, they were very good. The batter coating was crunchy and tasty and the chicken was surprisingly good as well.
Elmton Pizza
Elmton Pizza
Our main course was Elmton's pizza. It took about 20-25 minutes but the wings came first which seemed to make the time go by. The pizza was brought out on a silver platter, steaming hot, just from the oven. The crust was crunchy and thick enough, not soggy. The cheese was melted completely and the sauce zesty enough. But damn, I ordered it with "No peppers" and damn, there they were, baked right in the cheese.

One of my pet peeves concerning pizza is when the pizza slices are not completely cut. For this pizza we had to use butter knives to saw through the pizza to get the slices separated. However, once we did, and then removed the peepers, the pizza was delicious.

Normally, Elmton gets the order right and the pizza is very good tasting. I will let this one incident slide but still deduct for an incorrect order. The rating would be much higher if it were correct.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2.25 out of 5 shots and recommends Elmton restaurant for dinner.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

2/10/2009

Steamers Stonewall Tavern - Chicken Parmesan

Steamers Stonewall Tavern Sign
Steamers Stonewall Tavern Sign
Steamers was never on my radar screen until my brother-in-law Jim tipped us off on it's excellent cuisine. The restaurant is not far from our house and we ventured out one fine Friday evening. A good sign, the parking lot was almost full but we found a spot and made our way inside.
Steamers Fresh Rolls
Steamers Fresh Rolls
We were cheerfully greeted and seated in a matter of minutes. All the tables were full. The waitress brought out some hot rolls which were delicious. She took our drink order and said she would be right back.
Steamers Salad
Steamers Salad

Our waitress returned with our drinks, (Diet Pepsi) and took our dinner order. I selected the chicken parmigiana with a side of spaghetti. our salads came right out. It was tasty, (No salad dressing for me) So far, service and food were excellent.
Steamers Chicken Parm
Steamers Chicken Parm
A few minutes after we finished our salads, our dinners arrived. Wow, what a portion it was. The chicken dominated the large plate with the spaghetti off to the side. It was baked golden brown, tender, juicy, and tasted fantastic. The cheese was plentiful, melted completely, with a nice taste. The sauce was zesty, hearty, and hot.

The cost was only $12 dollars not including tip and drinks. The service was excellent, even on a crowded evening. My diet Pepsi was refilled without asking and the waitress inquired if we needed anything else several times in the evening.

BTW, it would be a great place to watch sporting events. TV's were all over the restaurant with the games of choice playing.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4.5 out of 5 shots and recommends Steamers Stonewall Tavern for dinner.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

1/25/2009

Carrabba’s Italian Restaurant – Chicken Parmesan

Carrabba's Italian Grill
Carrabba's Italian Grill
Youngstown, Ohio and the surrounding area's have many fine restaurants. Unfortunately Carrabba's is not one of them. It's not the worst either. The service was adequate, the seating OK, the cost affordable, but there was nothing outstanding about the place. Nothing that snapped, popped, or sizzled.
House Salad
We were seated quickly and our waiter brought us water and our menu's. A few minutes later, she took our dinner orders. This salad is the standard house salad. A little cheese, a tomato, a cucumber, a few croutons, and some lettuce. The salad tasted good, not great, but good.
Carrabba's Chicken Parmigiana
Carrabba's Chicken Parmigiana
I ordered chicken parmigiana with a side order of rigatoni pasta. The proportion was generous, the chicken tender enough, the cheese plenty, but the sauce, well, again, it was adequate. Nothing outstanding about the meal including the price. What you see is about $23 dollars before tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2.5 out of 5 shots and barely recommends Carrabba's Italian Restaurant for dinner.



LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

9/16/2008

Outback Steakhouse - Filet Mignon

Outback Steakhouse Boardman Ohio
Outback Steakhouse Boardman Ohio
My lovely wife Patty convinced me to go to Outback for dinner. Let it be known there wasn't much convincing to be done, but that's between you and me.

We walked it and got a table right away. they had just opened and plenty of tables were available. The waiter came by and explained the specials and took our drink orders. Yeah! They have Coke Zero!
Outback Steakhouse Filet Mignon And Baked Potato
Outback Steakhouse Filet Mignon And Baked Potato
As you can see, I ordered the filet mignon and baked potato. I was allowed two sides, but the others didn't appeal to me so they doubled up the baked potato.

The filet was excellent. Cooked exactly as ordered. Medium well. It was hot, juicy, and flavorful. It was one of the best steaks I have had. And that is saying a lot. Not an ounce of fat as the entire cut was choice filet. It was served in a timely manner.

The baked potato was well cooked as well. The butter melted through and the bacon bits was a nice added touch. The Coke Zero was a bottomless glass and was refilled twice without asking.

The service was very good, the waitress very attention and knowledgeable and very efficient. The cost was about $20 dollars without tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4.5 out of 5 shots to the Outback Steakhouse and recommends them for lunch and dinner.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL