Metro Grill - Cheeseburger And Fries

Metro Grille - Chicago

I was in town during the Transworld Halloween show was in Chicago and made my hotel reservation with the Crowne Plaza. The Plaza is just a five minute walk to the convention center where the show is housed. Winning! Being in a suburb of Chicago and without a car, the dining experience was limited. The first night I opted for the hotel restaurant, the Metro Grille.

The restaurant was not crowded when we walked in. I recall perhaps ten people dining. Perhaps this wasn’t a wise choice. The hostess seated right away and brought us some water. A few minutes later our waitress took our order.

Cheeseburger And Fries

I went with a safe bet, a bacon cheeseburger and fries and a diet Coke. Like Indiana Jones, I choose wisely.
In about ten minutes my order was delivered to our table.

As you can see, it was a bacon cheeseburger. Upon further inspection, I noticed the bacon was not cooked completely. It was still fatty and greasy. I could overlook that if the rest of the burger was alright. A quick glance to my left to survey the french fries, which were well cooked and standard tasting, but seriously, if you can count the fries on your plate, the portion is small.

To the burger itself. The bun was fresh, lightly buttered and toasted. The beef was well cooked, well done as I specified. It was juicy with good flavor and the cheese melted added that extra touch. It wasn’t a big burger, certainly no half pounder, perhaps a little larger than a quarter pound, but no more. Nothing special, nothing terrible, just a typical burger.

The cost of this feast was $15 dollars without tip. Let’s see, uncooked bacon for a topping, a scant amount of french fries, a less than average size burger, for $15 dollars. It should have been set at around $10 dollars, no more.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2.25 out of 5 shots and only recommends Metro Grille Chicago for dinner for it’s convenience and proximity to my hotel. If you have a car, take the ride to plenty more options.

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Coke Zero Taste Test

Coke Zero Point Of Purchase At Its Best

Pay No Attention To The Sexy Blond Model Wearing Nothing But The Coca-Cola Zero Logo In Body Paint

Coca-cola has introduced yet another diet soda product to their long list of soft drinks. Coke Zero, being a diet soda, has zero calories, (Hence the name) zero total fat, zero total carbs, zero protein, zero sugar, and 40 mg of sodium which is 2% daily intake. I will hazard a guess and say that most diet soda's claim the same low calorie intake. But Coke Zero separates itself from all the others for one reason.

Taste!

I have tried many diet pops in my time and all of them left me not wanting for more. The only diet pop that is tolerable is Diet Dr. Pepper. (I ordered a Dr. Diet Pepper at a restaurant once and my son and wife almost fell over laughing at my mistake) All the other ones have such a bitter taste and a nasty after taste. I think these diet pops can be used as diesel fuel in a pinch.

Coke Zero however, as the commercials tout, it does taste a hell of a lot like Cokes flag ship brand cola, Coca-Cola Classic. Now hold on a minute! I didn't say it tasted exactly like Classic, but very close.

I was truly skeptical and I had to find out for myself if the Coke commercials were lying or not. I went to the local gas station, fueled up and went inside and purchased a 20 ounce size plastic bottle of Coke Zero. The cost was 99 cents, right in line with Classic, same price. (I mention this for a few years back, Coca-Cola introduced Coke C2, half the calorie soda but 50% more in cost. A 20 ounce bottle was $1.49 compared to 99 cents.)

Zero On Ice

I took the bottle of Coke Zero home and placed it in the fridge to get it ice cold. (Nothing better than an ice cold pop) A couple hours later, it was time to test the new Coke Zero.

I twisted the cap off and it fizzled just like Coke Classic which was a good sign. Then I went for it and took a big guzzle. Zero had that full bodied taste that did not disappoint. If I didn't already know, I would swear it wasn't a diet soda. After taste? Forgetaboutit! Absolutely none.  The first sip left me wanting more. I savored the rest of the bottle and each sip was as good as the last.

Coke Zero is the best diet soda on the market today and the Grassy Knoll Diner awards 5 out of 5 shots and highly recommends Coca-Cola Zero for a refreshing thirst quencher.

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Alliance Texas Roadhouse - BBQ Chicken And Ribs

Texas Roadhouse - Alliance Ohio

I was introduced to the Texas Roadhouse years ago in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The food was great and became one of my favorite places in Gatlinburg. To my surprise I found a Texas Roadhouse in Alliance, Ohio, just a mere 35 or so miles from my home. We had to go.

The Special Rolls

We got there around 4pm and it was crowded but not to bad and we were seated right away. The building interior was exactly the same layout as the one in Gatlinburg. I was pleased to see that the famous cinnamon rolls were also the same. Fresh baked, hot, and with a cinnamon butter spread to die for.

Coke Zero

I was also impressed that Texas Roadhouse carried Coke Zero, the best tasting diet cola on the planet. The waitress refilled my glass twice. Did I mention that Coke Zero really tastes good...

BBQ Chicken - Ribs - Bacon Cheese Fries

The Texas Roadhouse offers a combo platter of BBQ chicken and BBQ ribs plus two side dishes. The chicken was tender and with the tangy BBQ sauce, it was fantastic tasting. I couldn't wait to get to the ribs. Let me tell you, the ribs were worth the weight. They were fall off the bone tender and bursting with flavor. The BBQ sauce as I said before was a perfect blend of flavor that complimented the ribs, not over powered them. They were excellent.

Mac And Cheese

The side dishes selections were bacon cheese fries and macaroni and cheese. The fries were plentiful, the cheese melted perfectly over them with plenty of bacon pieces. (Not bacon bits the fake kind, but real bacon) The fries were well cooked, not soggy, not crunchy, but a good blend in between. The macaroni and cheese dish was very generic. I'm thinking Kraft right out of the box. A little pepper sprinkled on top and they were adequate.

The service was very good, the food excellent, and the price was nice, under $20 for the entire meal with bottomless Coke Zero, rolls, and roasted peanuts. 

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 5 out of 5 shots and recommends the Alliance Texas Roadhouse  for dinner.

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You Know It Is Christmas Time When

Coke Santa

As the cartoon character Charlie Brown hinted way back in 1966, Christmas has become to commercialized?

This mornings newspaper weighed in at over 5 pounds as advertisements from every store imaginable were visible.
It seems that Christmas advertising starts a little earlier each year.

I believe it won't be to long that the day after Halloween, we consumers will start to be bombarded with Christmas ads.
Heck, I opened the fridge today, grabbed a Coke, and Lo and Behold, who was on the front of the can. You guessed it, Santa Claus himself.

"Isn't there anyone that knows the true meaning of Christmas"?
Cue Linus......

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Avalon Gardens Restaurant

Avalon Gardens Chicken Strips And Potato Wedges

Location: 1719 Belmont Ave Youngstown, OH 44504 Phone (330) 747-7800
The Order:. Chicken fingers and french fries with barbeque sauce. Side order of loaded potato skins minus sour cream.
The Service: Standard take out service. Phone in order, pick up in 20 minutes.
The Taste: The Chicken was well cooked, juicy, and tasty and warm. The fries were Idora Park type and were a little soggy but still good. The potato skins were warm with plenty of cheese and bacon and no sour cream as was ordered.
Presentation: As usual, a white Styrofoam container with a lifeless piece of lettuce added for reasons unknown.
The Value: At $7.50 the value was adequate but unlike past visits, only four pieces of chicken and only a smattering of fries were present. Add a piece of chicken and more fries and you have a bargain.
The Rating: 3.5 out of 5 shots. Grassy Knoll Diner recommends Avalon Gardens for lunch.

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A Coke And A Smile

Coca Cola And Mike And Ikes

Location: Secret Corporate Office of Grassy Knoll Diner.
The Order:. 12 ounce can of Coke and a box of Mike And Ikes chewy candy.
The Service: Typical vending machine. Yuo had to shake the candy machine for the box to actually fall into the slot.
The Taste: Coca-Cola is by far the best tasting soft drink in the entire universe. The M & I’s were OK.
Presentation: What you see is what you get.
The Value: The Coke is still 50 cents at the secret Grassy knoll Diner corporate headquarters and the Ikes are a nickel more.
The Rating: The coke gets 5 out of 5 shots. The Mike and Ikes get a 3 out of 5.Grassy Knoll Diner recommends Coke and Mike and Ikes for lunch.

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