Taco Bell Tacos

Yes, it finally happened. I broke down, in a very weak moment and visited Taco Hell, err, Taco Bell for some standard regular taco's. The drive through service was standard, and of course their "Check the electronic screen to assure your order is correct" wasn't working. The taco's were 79 cents each and a girl handed out a plastic bag unceremoniously and I was on my way home.

As you can see, the taco's were wrapped in paper and they were hot. The order was correct and relatively well priced. Hey, we're talking taco's here. They should be giving these things away.

Anyway, the shell wasn't soggy, the cheese was there, not much of it, but there. The lettuce was plentiful, more lettuce than any other ingredient. The secret meat product and sauce was layered on the bottom, not plentiful, but there.

The taste....... Well, they are edible. At 2am they would taste better I guess. The Grassy Knoll Institute reluctantly recommends Taco Bell for the over all cost and bulk of food for the price and awards 2.25 shots out of 5 for taco's at Taco Bell.

Side note: As the commercial touts. About an hour after I ate the taco's, I had to make my own run for the border.

Second side note: Also noticed that the building looked like it was made out of styro-foam. A chunk of the wall was missing and it seriously looked like foam.

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Inner Circle Pizza

Inner Circle Pizza

Inner Circle Pizza, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio.

Todays menu choice was a 12 inch pepperoni pizza. The crust was thick and crunchy, not burnt, but well done. The sauce was tangy, spicy, and hot. The cheese was a good blend of several varieties. Of course it was topped with pepperoni.

All the slices were completely cut, which is important so as not to rip half the cheese and pepperoni off another slice. The cost was a little pricey for a 12 inch pizza at $8.95 with pepperoni.

All in all, the Grassy Knoll Institute awards Inner Circle pizza 3 shots out of 5 and recommends Inner Circle for lunch.

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Texas Roadhouse Restaurant

Texas Roadhouse Restaurant Of Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Located on the Parkway, the popular Texas Roadhouse Restaurant really packs em in. Upon arrival, you receive a beeper and when your table is ready, it begins to hum and red lights flash alerting you that your table is ready. (Expect at least a 45 minute wait on weekends.)The wait was very minimal, and we were seated at a nice table. Rolls to die for were delivered right away. They were hot, fresh, tasty, and served with a cinnamon butter.

A bucket of shelled peanuts was waiting for us on the table. You kind of just swept the peanut shells on the floor when you were finished.

I ordered the chicken strips with bacon and cheese fries and of course a Coke.

The entree was of biblical proportions. Six big pieces of chicken and a moutain of artery clogging cheese fries. The chicken was crunchy and spiced just right. The fries were heaped with bacon and cheese and were crunchy and hot.The service was very good and the order right. The rolls were fresh and hot with cinnamon butter. I have to say that the rolls were the best I ever had at a restaurant.

The cost was just under $20.00 without tip. The Grassy Knoll Institute recommends the Texas Roadhouse and awards 4 out of 5 shots.

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Peddler Steak House - Gatlinburg

The Peddler Steakhouse of Gatlinburg, Tennessee

The Peddler Sign welcomes you to the best steakhouse in the South. The restaurant is packed every night of the week, and for good reason. The steaks and chops are legendary and delicious. There is always a good 1-2 hour wait depending on the time of arrival. The trick is to eat in the open bar and lounge area. We walk straight in and find an open table. Most people are sipping drinks waiting for a table to open up down stairs but we just inform the waiter that we are eating here.

The waiter brought out a basket of hot delicious rolls with butter. He took our order and we proceeded to the salad bar. My Salad was fantastic with big chunks of ham, real bacon, hard boiled eggs, green olives, celery, carrots, several varieties of grated cheese, tomato, and of course lettuce.

The main entree, Filet Mignon, was prepared medium well and I asked for it to be butterflied to ensure it would be done. It was perfect. Absolutely zero fat on the filet and it was very tender and juicy.A baked potato came with the filet and I smothered it with butter. The cokes were bottomless and crisp.

The service, considering the crowd was exceptional. Our meals were promptly served with a smile.

The cost is a little pricey. The Filet dinner was just over $50.00 without tip.

The Grassy Knoll Institute recommends the Peddler for dinner in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and awards 4 out of 5 stars deducting only for the crowd and the cost.

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Cafe Chloe - Las Vegas

While in Las Vegas several days ago, we ventured upon an Italian restaurant called Cafe Chloe that came highly recommended. The menu was simple yet plentiful, concise yet enticing. And as you can see, the prices were downright reasonable, especially for Las Vegas, the city of excess.

I ordered the Chicken Parmigiana with a side of Penne in a tomato sauce. Appetizers were fried buffalo cheese with tomatoes. They were delicious. Of course the rolls and butter were excellent.

In minutes the main course came and it was steaming hot and perfectly prepared. As you can see, the portion was hearty to say the least. The chicken was tender and juicy, the sauce just spicy enough, and the cheese was melted perfectly. The Penne was also quite delicious. A Coke completed the meal. The Grassy Knoll Institute awards 5 out of 5 shots and highly recommends Cafe Chloe for dinner.

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Burger King Big Enormous

I saw the commercials. Burger King has a new enormous breakfast sandwich. So, I tried it this morning.
The price was $2.85 so I was expecting a rather large sandwich. The bun was soggy. The bacon was cold and not fully cooked. The sausage was cut in two pieces making it appear to look larger than it really was and it was a little dry. The scrambled eggs were OK but overpowering. The cheese was melted but not centered on the sandwich and dripped onto the wrapper.

The Grassy Knoll Institute does not recommend the Burger King BK Enormous sandwich rating it only 2 out of 5 shots.

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Popeyes Fried Chicken

Popeyes Fried Chicken

Stopping on a whim at Popeye's Chicken, the money behind the Grassy Knoll Institute AKA my loving wife Patty, we ordered the 8 piece meal which included mashed potato's with gravy and rolls.

The service wasn't to bad, the waitress was a little ditzy but able enough. We had about a five minute wait for our order.

The chicken was hot and crunchy, and that's all the good I can say about it. The taste was pretty bad. It looked good, but was far from it. It was very greasy, almost soaking with oil, and the batter breading was bland, and the chicken was bruised. it was barely edible.

The mashed potato's were horrible. There was some sort of Cajun mustard gravy on them, (No, you could not order the potato's without gravy which signaled that they were pre-made and frozen and thawed out in the microwave for us customers) And they were processed potato's, and tasted chalky, even with the ultra spicy gravy.

The rolls were not much better. They were stale, and crunchy, which I don't think rolls are supposed to be. They were so stale that they actually crumbled in my hand while trying to eat it.

The cost was $18.00 which was pretty steep considering the food was poorly prepared and tasted terrible.

The Grassy Knoll Institute rates Popeye's Chicken one half shot out of 5 and does not recommend this establishment for dinner.

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