Showing posts with label blue plate special. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blue plate special. Show all posts

11/02/2007

Summitville Turkey Dinner


There's a little old church in the small town of Summitville, Ohio that every October hold a fund raising turkey dinner. The Grassy Knoll Institute usually makes it to this event. The dinner is held in the church basement and after you bought the dinner ticket (Which was $7.00) you could spend your time playing dollar bingo with the townsfolk. Or take a stroll around the grounds.

As you can see from the photo above, there was plenty of juicy oven baked turkey, home made stuffing, whipped mashed potatoes with home style gravy, fresh corn, fresh warm rolls with butter, and a home made piece of pumpkin pie. There was no limit to how many servings you could have. I had three go arounds with the turkey plate and a double dip with the stuffing and potatoes. Right to the score. Grassy Knoll Institute ranks Summitville 5 out of 5 shots.

PS: The pumpkin pie was still warm and was a very generous portion. There was a selection of cherry, apple, pumpkin, and several other desserts to choose from, but being that it was October, the pumpkin seemed the logical choice.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL


Roadhouse Restaurant - Chicken Parmigiana


Chicken Parmigiana At The Roadhouse

Contrary to popular belief, there are still several restaurants operating in the Youngstown, Ohio area. The Roadhouse is one of them.

Being that we were dining with a group, about 20 of us, we were still seated quite promptly. Drinks were brought up quickly and all of our orders were served hot and correct. No small task for a group of 20.

As you can see, I ordered the Chicken Parmigiana and instead of getting a side of pasta, I went off the board and ordered steak fries covered with cheese and bacon.

The chicken was very tasty, and was a very generous portion. The cheese and sauce added a nice taste to the breaded chicken. It was delicious. The fries were equally good. They had plenty of bacon bits and melted cheese. And the fries were hot. All in all, a very good dinner.

The cost, at about $15 before tip was an excellent value. Of course rolls and cokes completed the meal. The Grassy Knoll Institute rates the Roadhouse 4 out of 5 shots and recommends the Roadhouse for dinner.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL


Hooters Of Las Vegas


Dave and I stopped at Hooters, a quaint little restaurant at the old San Remo hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Yes, of course the waitresses were good looking, we're at Hooters for God's sake.

The first we did, other than checking out the scenery, was to peruse the menu. They were already at our table. The menu had a pretty good selection of entree's but being at Hooters, I knew what I wanted.

Yes, Hooters famous wings with BBQ sauce. it was a very good portion, and the wings were just hot enough, not flaming hot, just spicey enough.

The main course was a bacon cheeseburger with french fries. The burger was hot and juicy and cooked to my specifiacations. The bacon was crisp. The fries were plentiful with a little seasoning on them.

The service was good and the order was correct. The waitress was nice and courteous.

The Grassy Knoll Institute gives 4.5 out of 5 shots and recommends Hooters of Las Vegas for dinner.


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Treasure Island Steak House

Las Vegas T.I. Steakhouse

The Treasure Island hotel and casino in Las Vegas has several fine eating establishments. Tonight's critique is the Steakhouse restaurant.

Of course, being in a steakhouse, I ordered the Filet Mignon, medium well done, and a baked potato with butter. And yes, a Coke.

The service was quite good, the filet cooked as ordered, and the baked potato loaded with butter. The filet had absolutely zero fat, was juicy, tender, and delicious. The potato was excellent as well as potato's go.

The price was $30.00 for the meal which included bread and rolls. For the quality, the price was good.

The Grassy Knoll Institute rates 4.5 out of 5 shots for the Steakhouse at the Treasure Island.


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Canters Deli Las Vegas - Turkey Sandwich

Canter's Deli At Treasure Island

On my most recent trip to Las Vegas, I stopped at Canter's Deli, an in house restaurant at Treasure Island Casino. They have several great places to eat, which I will critique at a latter time but lets get to Canter's.

The restaurant area was set up as an almost self serve type. You would order from the window, pay, and move your tray down the line. I ordered a turkey breast, American cheese sandwich on a Kaiser roll. Added french fries and a coke.

It was only a five minute wait and the order was correct. The cost was under 20 bucks. Not bad in Vegas.

I found a table with a view to the wide screen TV's around the restaurant. The tables were clean and comfortable. The turkey fresh and good, the bun fresh, and the fries, well, its hard to describe. They were crunchy yet fluffy. Very unique quality.

They did not skimp on the turkey, or the cheese and the fries were plenty. All in all, good value for the price.


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The Grassy Knoll Institute gives 3.5 shots out of 5 and recommends Canter's Deli.

Arbys Big Montana Roast Beef


The Big Montana

Arbys roast beef fast food chain has a new sandwich code named "Big Montana" that is hyped as their biggest sandwich to date. Yes, tis a big sandwich, weighing in at 8 ounces of roast beef piled on a lightly buttered sesame seed bun. The container was a clear see through box.

The cost: $3.79 just for the sandwich. Pretty steep.

The taste: Good, as Arbys roast beef sandwiches go. It was well cooked and warm, the bun was fresh and not flat or beat up, and no fat in the meat.

The service and presentation: Drive through, and the order was correct, customer service courteous, and quick. As stated above, contents came in a see through container.

The Grassy Knoll Institute ranks Big Montana 3 out of 5 shots losing points for cost and a bit of confusion but still recommends Arbys for lunch.

The confusion: The Big Montana is not Big Montana anymore. it is now called Large Roast Beef Sandwich. Upon further investigation, Arbys has 4 sizes in roast beef sandwiches. They are the junior, regular, medium, and large roast beef sandwiches. Apparently, the old Giant roast beef is now deemed the medium and the Big Montana is now the large. The regular and junior remain the same. The Super roast beef is an altogether different sandwich as it has lettuce, tomato, mayo, on it. It has remained the Super with no name change.

On a side note: The regular roast beef costs $1.79 for 154 grams of meat. If you purchased two regulars for $3.58, you would save 21 cents and still receive 27 grams more meat plus an additional sesame seed bun. That's the bargain.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL


Burger King - BK Stacker Double

Burger King BK Stacker Double

The Grassy Knoll Institute has been watching the national commercials closely now for several months attempting to uncover some sort of subliminal message conspiracy embedded in the ads. The Institute believes we have found one.

Burger King, the fast food hamburger giant has been touting its new sandwich, the BK Stacker filled with meat and cheese. In the ad, the sandwiches look huge, bigger than the Whopper. In reality, it is merely a standard size hamburger bun, two hamburger patties, two pieces of cheese, and a piece of bacon. To put it more bluntly, a bacon double cheeseburger.

The cost is $2.50 for this so-called "Stacker."

The taste was alright. The burgers were cooked and hot, the bun fresh, the cheese melted. All wrapped up in a paper wrapper.

Why am I not impressed? Because right down the street you can buy a double cheeseburger at McDonalds for 99 cents. The same size less the one piece of bacon for $1.50 less.

The Grassy Knoll Institute does not recommend the BK Stacker and gives ZERO out of five shots. We recommend to order two cheeseburgers and put them together and save 72 cents.

On a side note. When I ordered this sandwich at the drive through today, I pulled to the second window and I asked if I could add one more BK Stacker sandwich. The BK employee said yes I could but I would have to pull around and wait several minutes until they made another sandwich. I quickly glanced in my rear view mirror noticing no one behind me and I asked politely why I would have to wait and pull around.

The employee simply said, "Do you want to wait or not?" I chose not to wait. Burger King lost another $2.50 in sales and profit. They act as if they are the only burger joint in town. That was absolutely lousy customer service.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL


10/26/2007

Geneva Times Square French Fries


Cheeseburger And Fries In Paradise.

One of my favorite summer time relaxation spots is Geneva On The Lake, Ohio. Geneva is a little town time has forgotten from the 1950's, when roll up cuffs on jeans and hot rods was the craze.

One place we always stopped at while there is Time Square Restaurant, a quaint little outside restaurant that is famous for its huge order of french fries.

The first time we ordered lunch, I went to the counter, ordered two cheeseburgers, a chili dog, three cokes, and three orders of french fries. The waitress kindly told me that I only wanted one order of fries. I told her, "No, I want three orders, there are three of us." She just looked at me in disbelief, smiled, and told me matter-of-factly that I would only be getting one order. I thought she was messing with me. She said to trust her. I did.

I grabbed my rock, which had a number painted on it, which was my order number, and took a seat on the round picnic table. (I did tell you that this place was right out of the 1950's)

The waitress called my rock number and I went to the counter to claim my prize. The picture above is what we received. Now I know why the waitress only gave me one order of fries. The fries were almost 8 inches tall and filled the entire cafeteria tray.

To the critique. The cheeseburgers were excellent, and were quarter pound in size. The buns were fresh, cheese melted, and tasted great. The fries were well cooked, almost crunchy, and as you can see, it was a large order. No, we did not finish the fries. There were to many of them.

The service was excellent, the waitress friendly, and the food fantastic. The price was under 18 bucks which was remarkable considering the ample amount of food received. The Grassy Knoll Institute rates Times Square Geneva On The Lake 5 shots out of 5 and recommends them for lunch and dinner.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Dairy Queen Dilly Bar


Dairy Queen Dilly Bar

Probably the most well known item Dairy Queen sells is the Dilly Bar. As a child, the Dilly bar was much bigger, more than twice the size and it only cost 10 cents. (Yes, it was back in the 1960's, but still, only a dime.) Today, the Dilly bar is how you see it above. And it costs 79 cents.

I bought this dilly bar from the North Lima Dairy Queen. It was frozen, which is always a bonus. (Sometimes, the bars are not cold enough and melt all over) The taste is as I remember.

The Grassy Knoll Institute recommends Dilly Bars and gives 3 out of 5 shots.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL



10/22/2007

Carver Turkey Sandwich - Rosemont Convention Center

Trade Show Convention Food
Anyone that has attended large trade shows and conventions know about the so-called cuisine served there. Its terrible. And whats worse, the food is expensive. An example is a regular hot dog costs $3.50 each. And if you want ketchup or mustard, its an additional 50 cents per packet. A twelve ounce beverage, Coke, Pepsi, water, is $3.00 per beverage. Pizza is $4.00 a slice. You get the gist. And I guess it wouldn’t be so awful a price if the food was good, or at least edible.

However, a saving grace is a little known secret at the convention centers around the nation. Its called Carver Food Service. Carver is at the Rosemont Convention center in Chicago and the Sands Exposition center in Las Vegas. In Vegas, its downstairs and out of the mainstay of the garbage food passed out. Those that don’t venture downstairs never see Carver. In Chicago, its all the way in the back with curtains blocking most of the entrance.

OK, to the critique. The lunch costs $12.00 either in Chicago or Vegas. You get your choice of turkey, roast beef, or ham on a roll, chips or slaw and a cold pepsi.

The turkey was real turkey, not processed lunch meat. It was hot, juicy, and smelled great. Several chefs are on hand to carve your turkey fresh. They do serve an ample amount. The roll was fresh and large. The chips were standard fare and the pepsi, although I prefer Coke, was cold with enough ice. All this on a cardboard carrier.

Grassy Knoll Institute rates Carver of Chicago 4 out of 5 shots for its value compared to other venues and its taste which is superior to other convention food.


LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

11/14/2003

Gatlinburg Restaurants


gatlinburg-parkway
Gatlinburg Parkway - View From Blaines
Gatlinburg Restaurants - Gatlinburg, Tennessee, nestled in the foothills of the great Smoky Mountains has hundreds of retail shops and a wide variety of restaurants of which many I have visited. From Filet Mignon to BBQ ribs, even deep fried twinkies. Check out my critiques below.

Applewood Farmouse Restaurant - Chicken Planks Dinner
Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant - Fried Chicken Strip Dinner
Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant - Potato Soup
Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant - Turkey Dinner
Aunt Mahalia's Candy Store - Cashew Turtle
Aunt Mahalia's Candy Store - Caramel Apples
Ben And Jerrys Ive Cream  - Mint Chocolate Chip
Blaine's Restaurant - Chicken Parmesan
Burg Coffees - Twist Ice Cream Cone
Calhoun's Restaurant - BBQ Ribs And Fries
Calhoun's Restaurant - Cheeseburger And Fries
Calhoun's Restaurant - Chicken Strips
Dicks Last Resort - Cheeseburger (November 2016)
Duffs Smorgasbord Buffet (Closed)
Fannie Farkles - Ogle Dog (Corn Dog)
Flapjacks - Wonderland Breakfast (January 2017)
Gatlinburg Convention Center - $3 Hot Dog
Maxwell's Grilled Chicken And Potato Soup
Maxwells - Stuffed Chicken And Baked Potato (Closed)
Ober Gatlinburg - Cherry Sno-Cones
Old Mill Restaurant - Southern Fried Chicken Dinner
Open Hearth - Chicken Parmigiana (Closed)
Parkway Pancake House - Breakfast (Closed)
Peddler Steakhouse - Filet And Killer Salad
Peddler Steakhouse - Filet Mignon And Baked Potato
Peddler Steakhouse - Filet Mignon With Cherry Cheesecake Dessert
Side Walk Cafe - Ober Gatlinburg - Pepperoni Pizza
Side Walk Cafe - Ober Gatlinburg Corn Dog And Fries
Smoky Mountain Brewery - Cheeseburger
Smoky Mountain Brewery - Chicken Parmesan Dinner
Smoky Mountain Brewery - Chicken Strip Dinner
Smoky Mountain Brewery - BBQ Pizza
Smoky's Sports Pub - Cheeseburger - Fries - Cheese
Texas Roadhouse - Chicken Strips
Texas Roadhouse - Filet Mignon
Timberwood Grill - Bacon Cheeseburger
Wonder Works Pigeon Forge - September 2024


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