Champions Restaurant – Philadelphia

Champions Of Philadelphia

After running the Philadelphia Museum Of Art steps ala Rocky Balboa, "Rocky Steps" we were hungry and stopped at Champions Restaurant, inside the Marriott Hotel in downtown Philadelphia for dinner.

My order was very simple. A bowl of chicken noodle soup and an order of chicken strips.

Champions Chicken Noodle Soup

After an almost 30 minute wait, (And there was no excuse for the restaurant was not crowded at all) my chicken soup came. It looked delicious and it was good. I was concerned for the restaurant was not busy, and as most restaurants, the soup of the day is prepared early and readily available in a minutes notice. Yet, it took almost 30 minutes for it to arrive. I wonder how long i would I have to wait for the main entree.

Chicken Strips

Before the chicken strips arrived, the server brought out fried fish and macaroni and cheese. I told him that wasn't what I ordered and he actually argued with me. I asked to speak to my waitress. She came over and saw the mistake and said she would put a rush on my order. No apology, no batting of the eyes, nothing. I wasn't holding out much hope on the rush part.

My wife ordered a Philly steak and cheese. It came without cheese! WTF! It also went back.

Finally, after another 20 minutes, our correct dinners arrived. I will admit the chicken strips tasted great, but i just can't get past the rude and lousy service we received.

Taking into account the shoddy service, the arguing, and the incorrect meals, the Grassy Knoll Diner awards 1.75 shots out of 5 and does not recommend Champions Restaurant inside the Downtown Marriott Marquis Philadelphia hotel.

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Hoss's Restaurant - Grove City - Chicken Strips

Typical Hoss Salad

Hoss's Steak House In Grove City, Pennsylvania has many an entree's on it's menu. I have sampled many of them. Today's offering is chicken strips, french fries, and salad bar.

I started with the salad bar that has a generous selection of items. Of course I constructed a standard salad, plus macaroni and cheese, potato wedges with hot cheese, chicken noodle soup, lemon cookies, jello, pudding, and ice cream.

Chicken And Fries

The main entree was chicken planks and french fires. The chicken strips was a generous portion and cooked to a golden brown, wasn't greasy, and lightly seasoned. The taste was very good. The french fries were also well cooked, crunchy, hot, and very good tasting.

The service was good, a sort of a help yourself plus waitress server, very friendly, and well priced at $9.99 plus tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner awards 4 out of 5 shots to Hoss's Steak House and recommends them for lunch and dinner.

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1. 
   

   Ulla said

   July 27, 2008 at 9:17 am e
   i wanna have lunch with you.
   btw can i be the official lesbo of the grassy knoll?
   Reply
2. 
   

   LOTGK said

   July 27, 2008 at 11:08 pm e
   I thought you’d never ask.
   Reply
3. 
   

   Bitzky said

   July 28, 2008 at 11:08 am e
   Can I be the official moomin then?
   And it might be weird but I love such posts. I’m always curious to see what people are eating in other countries 
   Reply
4. 
   

   LOTGK said

   July 28, 2008 at 12:54 pm e
   You are the official moonin of the site. I made you a sign and everything……
   Reply
5. 
   

   Ulla said

   July 29, 2008 at 7:40 pm e
   did i get a sign too?
   and i agree with luke, it’s seriously cool to see how other ppl eat
   Reply
6. 
   

   SKA2682 said

   July 30, 2008 at 7:31 am e
   Did the salad bar actually have mac and cheese, or was that seperate? I have never seen a salad bar with that or potato wedges, or cheese sauce. Usually it is the standard salad fair, ie: bacon bits, shredded cheese, cottage cheese, and maybe jell-o.
   Reply
7. 
   

   Bitzky said

   July 30, 2008 at 8:47 am e
   Not a moonin! A MooMin! >.<
   I don’t moon people ;P
   Reply
8. 
   

   LOTGK said

   July 30, 2008 at 11:24 am e
   Ska2682,
   Yes, the salad bar had mac and cheese,also pizza, three types of soup, chili, potato wedges, pasta, cookies, cakes, breads, ice cream, pudding, pie, fruit, jello, and other delights. It very well could be an entire meal in itself.
   Bitzky, whoops, sorry, you are also the official Moomin as well.
   Reply
9. 
   

   LOTGK said

   July 30, 2008 at 11:26 am e
   Blue, no you didn’t, but I will have it done very shortly.
   Promise…..
   Reply
10. 
    

    Anti-Christ said

    July 30, 2008 at 11:45 am e
    You want a sign? I’ll give you a sign. Gas prices are soaring forcing a conflict with the middle east nations which will bring to a head the rise of me, the Anti-Christ.
    Reply
11. 
    

Broadway 49 Cafe - Chicken Planks

Broadway 49 Cafe Chicken Planks

Inside the New York City Crowne Plaza Hotel sits the Broadway 49 lounge. It is not a complete service restaurant, just bar food type food. However, I found myself sitting there and ordered some chicken planks and french fries. In a few minutes my order was paced on my table.

The chicken tenders were surprisingly good. They were hot, lightly breaded, juicy, and seasoned just right. I hate when the batter is thick and the chicken is wafer thin. The proportion for these tender was good. The fries were hot, well cooked, and tasted good. A pickle, tomato, lettuce, and some dipping sauce was added. A diet Coke completed the order. What you see is exactly what I was expecting to see. And that's usually a good thing.

The service was adequate, the waitress friendly, and the food was good. The cost was $15 dollars which in New York City is acceptable.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3 out of 5 shots and recommends Broadway 49 Cafe for dinner.

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Smoky Mountain Brewery Chicken Tenders

Fresh Warm Rolls

If you read my Diner critiques, (And shame on you if you do not) then The Smoky Mountain Brewery restaurant on the Parkway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee is no stranger. Tonight's offering was a simple choice, and with the restaurant crowded but not over flowing, we were seated quickly and positioned our table to the TV with the football game of our choice.

Our waitress was bubbly and took our drink and dinner order and in a short time, rolls and drinks were at our table. The rolls were hot, fresh, and tasted very good. Of course they tasted home made, not known if they actually were, but tasted so.

Brewery Chicken Tenders

My order was a chage up from the standard menu. I ordered the chicken planks and a baked potato with butter. I saw an order of chicken go to a table next to us and they looked delicious. A few minutes later, my eyes were correct.

The chicken was hot, fresh, juicy, the batter spicy enough and cooked golden brown to almost perfection. The taste, delicious.

The baked potato was hot, well cooked, and completed the meal. A cold diet Coke was a refreshing addition to the meal.

The portion was adequate, not to much, not to little. the meal was filling and I left felling full but not bloated.

The cost was reasonable, $13 dollars before tip. Yes, only $13 dollars.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4 out of 5 shots and recommends Smoky Mountain Brewery in Gatlinburg for dinner.

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1. 
   

   Enis74 said

   November 11, 2009 at 3:27 pm e
   Now thats a whole lot of fried food. Fried chicken in the south, thats not surprising, the baked potato is whats surprising. They should be fries or biscuits and gravy.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     November 13, 2009 at 10:09 pm e
     I know, I was expecting biscuits and gravy for just about every meal in Tennessee, but alas, not many offer it.
     Reply
2. 
   

   Gumby said

   November 12, 2009 at 10:19 am e
   When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     November 13, 2009 at 10:22 pm e
     I’m in the South, that doesn’t help…..
     Reply
3. 
   

   Moominboy said

   November 14, 2009 at 5:44 pm e
   Looks very nice. I actually prefer cooked, baked or mashed potatoes to fries but I didn’t see many places in U.S. offering them. Good to know they are still around.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     November 15, 2009 at 11:38 am e
     Yes, they are still around, usually, you can get just about any variety at most places. Sometimes not though.
     Reply

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.

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Calhoun’s - Fried Chicken Strips

Calhouns Restuarant

Calhoun's restaurant of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, nestled in the heart of the Parkway is an excellent choice for dinner. They claim to have the best ribs in America. It's hard to argue with that. When we arrived, there was a small crowd waiting outside. We received our pager and were called in about 15 minutes. The waitress seated us at a very nice table.

Fantastic Fried Cheese

Our waitress promptly came to our table and took our drink order. When she returned, she took our dinner orders. I went with the fried cheese sticks and marinara sauce. As you can see, the portion was very generous, 8 pieces. As cheese sticks go, these were very good. The cheese hot and melted, the breading crisp and spicy. The sauce hot and spicy.

Calhouns Chicken Strips

The main course, fried chicken tenders platter. The platter came with 6 large pieces of breaded and battered chicken, a loaded baked potato with butter, cheese, and bacon, and warm fresh rolls. A side of cole slaw completed the platter.

The chicken was excellent. Golden brown, tender, juicy, and breaded perfectly. The baked potato was hot, plenty of butter, cheese, and bacon. I left the cole slaw alone.

The service was tip top even with it being busy. The cost was $20 dollars with drink plus tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4.25 out of 5 shots and recommends Calhoun's of Gatlinburg for dinner.

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1. 
   

   Gumby said

   August 10, 2009 at 9:17 am e
   Calhouns has gotten good reviews from you, you have several already in, if I am ever in Gatlinburg, I will surely stop and partake.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     August 10, 2009 at 7:01 pm e
     It will be worth it. Calhoun’s is inexpensive, good service, and good food.
     Reply
2. 
   

   MikeWJ At Too Many Mornings said

   August 11, 2009 at 2:54 am e
   Sounds good, but I have to ask: How much did Calhoun’s pay you for this review? Also, can you cut me in on this deal? I’d do it for a free dinner…..
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     August 11, 2009 at 8:34 am e
     The nerve of Calhoun’s, they actually charged me for the dinner. However, every now and again at restaurants, waiters and waitresses sometimes ask why I’m snapping pictures of my dinner. Sometimes I tell them I’m the health inspector but usually I tell them about my blog.
     Reply
   • 
     

     Max Jackl said

     August 11, 2009 at 9:02 am e
     MikeW has something here. You should publish your restaurant critiques. Maybe then you could eat for free.
     Reply
     • 
       

       LOTGK said

       August 11, 2009 at 12:06 pm e
       Sadly, I do. Right here on my blog. I’m not in it for the money, perhaps maybe the glory, but like when i go to haunted houses, I don’t want to get in free, it may taint my critique.
       Reply
3. 
   

   New Harvey said

   August 11, 2009 at 2:23 pm e
   They are known for their ribs and you order the chicken. WTF!
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     August 11, 2009 at 8:38 pm e
     Alas, if you would have surfed a little bit on the blog you would have seen that I already critiqued Calhoun’s ribs. Here is the link to it.
     Calhoun’s Ribs Critique
     Reply
4. 
   

   Bitzky said

   August 16, 2009 at 3:24 pm e
   Maaaaan, this is one of the (few) things that makes me want Tennessee to be closer to Sweden *drooooooools*
   Reply
5. 
   

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

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

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.

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Crowne Plaza Hotel Room Service – Cheeseburger And Chicken

Chicago Crowne Plaza Room Service

Sometimes when I'm on the road, I am just to tired to go out for dinner. At those times I rely on room service. Sometimes you get the bull, sometimes the bull gets you. Today, I got the bull. As in a side of beef.

I was in Chicago for a trade show and stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, just a quarter mile from the convention center. The flight was long and late. Tonight I would dine in room. I dialed up room service and ordered a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and an appetizer of chicken planks. And of course a Coke.

Twenty minutes later there was a knock at my door. My dinner had arrived. I signed and tipped and the waiter was on his way.

As you can see, the portions were huge. I underestimated the generosity of the Crowne. The bacon was crisp, thick, spicy, and hot. Three thick pieces covered the burger. The cheese was spicy and was also generous. The burger itself was a half pound of grade A beef. Perfectly cooked and juicy. The bun was lightly toasted and buttered. Combined, it was one hell of a cheeseburger.

On to the chicken planks. Lightly golden browned, crisp, tender chicken, with just the right spices. Very good. And let's not forget the fries. Very crisp, not soggy and undercooked. Very little grease present on them. And they were hot and very tasty.

All this for around $25 dollars with tip and room charge. Pretty damn good.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3.5 out of 5 shots and recommends the cheeseburger from the Crowne Plaza hotel in Chicago for dinner.

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Jays Restaurant - Fairfax, Virginia - Chicken Perhaps

Ain't No Body In The Joint

Spending the evening in Fairfax, Virginia, is not that exciting. Being tired from the day's travel, I opted for the Best Western hotel house restaurant, Jay's Place. As you can see, there were plenty Of Seats Still Available. In fact, all the seats were available. I was the only customer. My spider sense let me down on this choice.

Chicken Strips Appetizer

After I sat down, I looked around to see if the joint was even opened. It was deserted. No hostess, no waiter, no cook, bus buy, no one. Just as I was about to get up, the waiter came out and welcomed me to Jay's. He presented me the menu and asked what I wanted to drink.

Several minutes later, he returned with my Coke and asked if I was ready to order. I ordered the chicken wedges as an appetizer and stuffed chicken as my main course with mashed potatoes.

So far, so good. I noticed that there was still no one in the restaurant. The waiter went into the kitchen and I believe he was also the cook for the evening. In about 10 minutes, he returned with my chicken wedges and a refill of Coke. (He was the cook, I could smell the kitchen grease on him)

Mystery Dish - I Think It Was Chicken

And then the main course came out. WTF was this? It certainly didn't look like stuffed chicken breast to me. And why was there cheese sauce covering the chicken? I asked if perhaps he had brought me the wrong dish. But how could he, I was the only patron in the place.

He explained that it was Jay's way of making stuffed chicken breast. I asked where was the breast for all I see are chicken parts and pieces. He said the breast was chopped up and mixed in with the stuffing. (And the fucking cheese sauce)

Some things don't go together. One example is cranberries and cold milk. Jay's stuffed chicken breast ingredients is another. From what I could make of it, there were chicken parts, cheese sauce, broccoli, stuffing, some type of brown chips, (Could have been bacon) and gravy. Broccoli and mashed potatoes were on the side.

I told the waiter, server, cook, cashier, whatever, that this was unacceptable and that it was not stuffed chicken breast and snapped this photo as I spoke to him. I told him I was dissatisfied with the meal and said I would pay only for the Coke and the chicken wedges I had ordered.

The waiter said he would make me anything else on the menu on the house. I declined and promptly paid for the portion of my bill and did leave a 15% tip. I usually leave much more for good service and good food, but this was substandard.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 0 out of 5 shots and does not recommend Jay's Place in Fairfax, Virginia for dinner.

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1. 
   

   Bitzky said

   August 9, 2008 at 4:17 pm e
   Hmm… In Europe we would have slapped an Italian or French name on it and make it a new trend!
   Reply
2. 
   

   Augusto said

   August 9, 2008 at 4:48 pm e
   Hotel restaurant’s expectations are very low to begin with but I have a strong inclination to avoid unknown restaurants with no patrons if there is anything else at all available.
   Otherwise, I’m sure it was perfectly fine, bless their hearts.
   Reply
3. 
   

   Ulla said

   August 10, 2008 at 8:21 am e
   ok let’s not go there for lunch jeeps. let’s go to one of those places with the yummy BIG food.
   Reply

Apple Barn Restaurant - Chicken Strip Dinner - Gatlinburg

Apple Barn Chicken Strip Dinner

Right to the main course this time. The Apple Barn restaurant was a favorite place of mine in Pigeon Forge. Imagine my delight when they opened one right on the strip in Gatlinburg. It looks exactly the same outside and inside of the original restaurant. And the food and service, yes, just the same. Excellent.

As you can see, I ordered the fried chicken planks with all the fixins. The chicken was golden brown and tasted excellent. An ample portion was served. You were not going away hungry from this restaurant.

Also with the main course was a baked potato with real butter, a bowl of macaroni and cheese, which was creamy and delicious, and a hot fresh roll with butter.

Apple Barn Menu

Of course, this is the menu, which was clean and easy to read. I hate receiving a menu that has dirt or crud on it. It makes me suspect the food they are preparing in the kitchen. If the menu is dirty, more than likely so is the food.

Apple Barn Apple Fritters

Brought out first were the apple fritters and juice along with several rolls with jelly and butter. Not wanting to fill up before the main course, I only had one.

Apple Barn Chicken Noodle Soup

Although the picture is a little out of focus, the chicken noodle soup was right on. It tasted like home made, with big noodles and chunks of chicken and carrots in a thick broth all steaming hot. A cold, crisp coke completed the meal.

Over all, the waitress was very friendly, helpful, and professional. We were seated quite quickly, and on a busy evening, that doesn't happen all the time. The cost was very reasonable, about 15 dollars before tip.

The Grassy Knoll Institute awards 4.5 out of 5 shots to the Apple Barn restaurant and recommends eating lunch and dinner there.

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