Antone's - Chicken Parmesan

Antone's Chicken Parm

Antone's Italian Restaurant, just off Western Reserve Road, has been around for many years. Many people know them for their famous "Fried Cheese" but they have much more to offer than that.

For some reason, the restaurant is never crowded when we dine. It is a small place, so perhaps it is better known as a quick take out service restaurant.

Anyway, we were seated quickly at a booth and our waitress asked for our drink orders. Diet pops all around. In a few minutes she returned with the drinks and asked if we were ready to order. We were. As you can see from above, I ordered the Chicken Parmesan and I added a meatball for luck. (Actually, the meatballs are very good and I had to have one) No famous fried cheese this time around for I usually do not finish the meals in front of me.

Our waitress returned with our meals in about 10 minutes and I was surprised at how much pasta and chicken was on the plate. Two pieces of breaded chicken, layered with cheese and sauce and a very generous portion of rigatoni with sauce. And of course topped off with the meatball.

The chicken was moist, tender, hot, and tasty. It was not greasy and the cheese was just enough, not overpowering, but a compliment to the chicken. The rigatoni was well cooked, and with the sauce atop they were very good. Of course the meatball was good.

The cost was about $11 dollars without tip or drink. A very fair deal for the amount of food on the plate. And no, I did not finish all the pasta.


The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3.5 out of 5 shots and recommends Antone's Italian Restaurant for dinner.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Francesco’s Italian Restaurant – Las Vegas

Francesco's

Francesco's restaurant, nestled inside the Treasure Island casino was hard to find. It blended right into the casino atmosphere. Luckily, we found it and wandered in for dinner.

Appetizers

There were a few of dining that evening so table table appetizers were ordered. Above is a fine selection  of seafood dishes from the menu.

Chicken Parm

I ordered the chicken parmigiana. Before I did, I saw an order delivered to a table next to us and it looked fabulous. It would not disappoint.

The chicken was very lightly breaded, well cooked, juicy, smothered in cheese, with a tangy tomato sauce covering a tender chicken breast. The taste was very good. The sauce was tangy, the cheese good, and the chicken well cooked and good tasting. The meal was cooked to perfection and the service very efficient. And the cost, surprisingly low at around $25.00 without tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner awards 3.75 shots out of 5 to Francesco's Italian Restaurant and recommends them for dinner.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Margherita's Italian Restaurant

Margherita's Italian Restaurant

Patty calls me and tells me of a new restaurant close to town called Margaritaville. Al right! I was down with that. I loved Mararitaville in Las Vegas and Orlando and now there was one close in town. I was ready for some “Cheeseburger In Paradise.” We went as soon as I got home.
We found ourselves in Girard on the main drag and Patty says, there it is, there’s Margaritaville. Damn, I must of heard wrong, (I am 51) for there before me was the Margherita’s Restaurant sign. The place was packed and the parking lot full so it took some ingenuity in parking.

Italian Bread And Butter

Totally bummed that I wouldn’t be having mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potato, I settled for a standard classic. A short time later, some Italian Bread was brought to the table. It was fresh and tasted good. Bravo!

Standard Salad

Next came the salad. It was standard fare. It was good, fresh, with plenty of lettuce and enough added items to compliment the dish. So far, so good.

Margherita's Chicken Parm

You guessed it. I ordered the Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti. After all, it was an Italian restaurant, the sauce is usually good and the meals generally very above average.

The portions were good. The chicken juicy and zero fat. The cheese melted and the sauce plenty and zesty. The Penne was well cooked, hot, and with the sauce, was good.

Margherita's Restaurant Inside Dining

My only real complaint was the seating. Not that we were cramped, but we were right next door to the rest room. Not that it’s a bad thing, but usually, you cannot hear what’s going on inside the rest room. At Margherita’s, you know everyone’s business if you know what I mean.

The cost was roughly $10 dollars without tip which is a real good price. The food was good, portions adequate, the service OK, but the placement, not so good.
The Grassy Knoll Institute scores 3 out of 5 shots and recommends Margherita’s Italian Restaurant for dinner. (Just make sure you are not seated by the rest room)

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Belleria Restaurant - Chicken Parmesan Dinner

Belleria Pizza

Belleria Italian Restaurant, located on Market Street in Boardman, Ohio, is much more than a pizza joint. And I found that out on my second visit. As usual, you seat yourselves in this restaurant. A table was open and we owned it.

Belleria Salad

Our waitress was over directly and took our drink order. Diet pop was my call. In a moment, she returned and took our dinner order. I started with the house salad. It was standard fare, it was good, fresh, and adequate.

Belleria Fried Cheese Sticks

As an alternate appetizer, we ordered the fried cheese sticks with marinaro sauce. They were surprisingly good. Well cooked, crunchy, hot, and the sauce was tangy but not to spicy.

Belleria Italian Bread

Of course Italian bread and butter were on the table. It was very good, fresh, and fit the bill.

Belleria Small Pizza

Just because we were at Belleria, I ordered a small 6 inch pizza topped with BBQ chicken. It wasn't as good as i expected. I was hoping the chicken would be cooked more, as well as the pizza. But that wasn't the main order.

Belleria Chicken Parmesan

To the main course, Chicken Parmesan and penne pasta. Again, the sauce was very good, zesty, and thick. The penne was well cooked and tasted good. The chicken was lightly breaded, well cooked, and the portion was adequate. The taste, good.

The costs: Small 6 inch pizza, $3.25

Fried Cheese sticks, $4.25

Chicken Parm, $9.50

$17.00 for the entire meal less tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3.5 out of 5 shots and recommends Belleria Italian Restaurant for dinner.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

---

Blaines Restaurant - Chicken Parmesan Penne

Blaine's Grill And Bar - Gatlinburg

Blaine's Grill And Bar located in the heart of Gatlinburg has a unique restaurant atmosphere. When entering, you quickly notice it's a multi-level restaurant with distinct sections for dining. The wood decor is very "Country Western" type. Very nice.

The hostess at the entrance radioed ahead to have us seated. after walking up two flights of stairs our table server greeted us and led us to our table.

Blaine's Loaded Potato Skins

In a minute, our waitress returned and asked for our drink and appetizer order. I ordered the loaded potato skins for an appetizer. in less than 10 minutes, our appetizers were delivered. As you can see, there were plenty of them and they were loaded with bacon and cheese. The potato skins were well done, not burnt, and very good tasting. The cheese was plenty as well as the well-cooked bacon. So far, so good.

Blaine's Chicken Pasta

For my dinner, I ordered the Chicken Parmesan Penne. I was expecting penne pasta in tomato sauce and a slab of breaded fried chicken covered with cheese and tomato sauce. I received this. I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of a slab of chicken, it was cut up into small strips and chunks and mixed with the penne and sauce. It was surprising good.

The chicken was juicy, hot, and plentiful, and smothered in a cheese and tomato sauce that was very good. The penne was well-cooked, and the aforementioned sauce was just zesty enough to bring the taste home.

The cost was very reasonable. The loaded potato skins were $5.95 and the main course was $9.95 plus diet drink. Total cost without tip was $18.00 dollars. For Gatlinburg, and for the portions served, it was a great bargain. The excellent service of the hostess and waitress only added to the good experience.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4.25 out of 5 shots and recommends Blaine's Grill And Bar of Gatlinburg for dinner.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Blue Wolf Tavern - Chicken Parmesan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Caffe Capri Restaurant – Valentines Day Dinner

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

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

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

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.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Jump In Jack’s 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

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

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.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Steamers Stonewall Tavern - Chicken Parmesan

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

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

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

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.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Carrabba’s Italian Restaurant – Chicken Parmesan

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

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.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Open Hearth Restaurant

While in Gatlinburg, Tennessee this past November, I found that the Open Hearth restaurant had closed it's doors. Perhaps they had lost their lease, couldn't afford the property taxes, or just had a bad business plan. Whatever the reason, here is a last meal from the now defunct Open Hearth.

We walked to the foothills of the Smoky Mountains and saw the sign, Open Hearth and walked in. It was very eloquent inside and we were waited on right away. For being a busy evening in Gatlinburg and waiting lists of an hour or more at the other restaurants, this was a pleasant surprise. I asked what the soup of the day was and the waiter said that they didn't have any soup today. Oh well, I went for the Loaded Potato Skins and for the main course, Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti.

My fellow Grassy Knoll Institute scientist tried to order several different appetizers but none were available. Even the main courses were not available. he settled for the prime rib. Five minutes later, the waiter came back and said that he was sorry but the prime rib was also not available that evening. Reluctantly, he settled for the fish.

The potato skins were cooked just right, plenty of bacon, cheese, and no sour cream which I asked to be left off.

The chicken parm was very good as well. A very generous portion with plenty of tangy sauce. The spaghetti was average, a little to rubbery, and almost cold, like they forget to warm it up. But I was so full from the skins and parm, that the spaghetti was left on the plate and not touched.

The cost was just under $30.00 without tip which was reasonable, but not the best. The Grassy Knoll Institute rates Open hearth 2.75 stars out of 5 shots and barely recommends Open Hearth for dinner.

The lights are on, but no one's home.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL