Quizznos $5 Dollar Sub Deal - Turkey, Cheese, Bacon

Quizznos Turkey Sub

I stopped at the Quizznos restaurant off Lockwood Blvd and Route 224 for dinner tonight. I saw all the commercials from Subway and from Quizzno's. Both joints are touting $5 dollar foot long sandwiches. Well, feast your eyes upon Quizznos version of the $5 dollar sub.

To begin with, the sub above was not a foot long. More like 9 inches. I measured when I got home.

Next, this so-called giant sub had three slices of turkey. Yes kids, that's right, three thin slices of turkey. Not anything remotely similar to what the commercials on TV depict. This is blatant false advertising at it's finest.

Moving on, the sandwich had two pieces of cheese. Yup, just two pieces of cheese. Cut in half and spread on the bun.

To top it off, the bacon was pieces, but just by eye balling the sandwich, it was not more than two standard slices of bacon.

The cost was $5.00 for this sandwich. Let's take a minute and analyze the ingredients of this sandwich. three slices of turkey. I can buy a pound of turkey at the local Giant Eagle grocery store for $4.99 which consists of approximately 25 slices, or about 20 cents a slice.

The bacon is $1.99 a box, which is 15 slices, or 13 cents a slice.

The cheese is $4.99 per pound which is 20 slices or 25 cents a slice.

The bun is $1.99 for an eight pack of sub buns, which is 25 cents a bun.

Let's add it all together. 60 cents turkey, 26 cents bacon, 50 cents for cheese, and 25 cents for the bun. Grand total $1.61 for the sandwich. Keep in mind that Quizznos has to have better costs than my retail prices.

The Grassy Knoll Diner is highly disappointed in Quizznos pathetic attempt at a $5 dollar foot long sandwich and we award only 1 shot out of 5 and DOES NOT RECOMMEND them for lunch, dinner, or any event of any kind.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Arby's Giant Roast Beef Sandwich

Arbys Roast Beef Giant Size Sandwich

Arby's has many different varieties of it's roast beef sandwich. The line up includes the junior, the regular, the giant, and the big Montana. This is the "Giant" critique.

The deal was two giants for five dollars. I added an order of potato cakes to seal the deal. (And my arteries)

What you see is what you get. Standard fare, thin sliced roast beef haphazardly tossed and stacked on a flat sesame seed bun. I would guess it was about 30% larger than the regular roast beef.

The sandwich was as expected, tasted good for fast food, was hot, the bun not stale, and the beef not fatty. The potato cakes were hot, and not as greasy as usual.

At $2.50 per sandwich, you are better off with the regular size.

The Grassy Knoll Diner awards 2.75 shots out of 5 and recommends Arby's Giant roast beef sandwich for lunch or dinner.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

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.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Willy Wonka Chocolate Bar

Stopped at a candy store while visiting Geneva On The Lake back in May. I did not think that a Wonka bar was real but only made for the two movies staring Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp. Seeing it in the showcase, I had to have it.It was a standard chocolate bar likening it to a Nestle crunch bar only with a thin layer of graham cracker bottom. The chocolate was rich enough, not over powering, and no after taste. The cost was $1.50 which was pricey, but it was a specialty shop.

In essence, the novelty of the Wonka bar was more than the actual taste. The Grassy Knoll Institute suggests you spend your money on a Hershey or Nestle chocolate bar.

Sidenote: No golden ticket inside the bar.

Back To Geneva On The Lake Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

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.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

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.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Duffs Smorgasbord

Duffs Smorgasbord Of Pigeon Forge

You guessed it. We are staying with the Gatlinburg, Tennessee cuisine for a few more entries. This time, we went to Duffs Smorgasbord in Pigeon Forge. It was Saturday night and Gatlinburg was packed with the lighting of the Christmas lights ceremony plus the Smoky Mountain Gift Show was in town packing the city to above maximum capacity. Hence, all the restaurants had a minimum of one hour wait time. So we set off to the Forge. We spotted the Duffs Sign and pulled in.

The line was short as it was a self serve set up. I quickly paid my $11.95 and got in line. I selected Mac and Cheese and a salad for starters and then went for the main entree pictured above. The fried chicken was crispy, not greasy, hot, and very good. The mashed potatoes were real, not flaky, and the rolls were fresh, hot, and tasty.

For dessert, there was Strawberry Shortcake and Brownies. And you could go back as many times as you wanted. The cokes were bottomless as well. It was a feast indeed. Duffs receives 4.5 out of 5 shots and the Grassy Knoll Institute recommends Duffs Smorgasbord.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

$3.00 Hot Dog

This is what a $3.00 hot dog at a typical trade show looks like. Yes, 3 bucks for a hot dog. And not even a foot long, or a chili dog, just a plain hot dog.

This one was purchased at the Smoky Mountain Gift Show in Gatlinburg, Tennessee November 6th, of this year. Being a little busy that day, I decided to stop at the kiosk and grab a dog. What a mistake. I re-tasted that hot dog all day long and well into the evening. That was the last hot dog I will buy there. (BURP!)

The Grassy Knoll Institute fires 1 out of 5 shots and does not recommend trade show hot dogs.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

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.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

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.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL




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

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.

Back To Geneva On The Lake Archives

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.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Arby's Restaurant - Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich

Arbys Original Roast Beef Sandwich

Arby’s Restaurant
Location: Arby’s on Route 46, Youngstown, Ohio
The Order: Arby’s Giant Roast beef sandwich and an order of potato cakes.
The Service: But of course it was take out service again.
The Taste: Sandwich and cakes were hot. The bun was not soggy. The beef completely cooked. No fat. The cakes were a little greasy but good.
Presentation: Wrapped in an Arby’s aluminum foil package and an Arby’s logo cakes holder.
The Value: With coupon, the giant was $1.99 and the potato cakes were 79 cents.
The Rating: 3.25 out of 5 shots. Grassy Knoll Diner recommends Arbys giant sandwich.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Canfield Scaregrounds - Pizza And Fries

Canfield Scaregrounds Pizza And Fries

In our continuing search for supernatural occurrences, the Grassy Knoll Institute scientists found ourselves at the Canfield Scaregrounds for a round of the haunted hay ride which will be critiqued in an upcoming entry. This entry however is all about the food offered before and after the haunt.
We selected a slice of pizza, which was $2.50 a slice, and the $4.00 cup of french fries. Napkins were optional. We had to hunt them down. A seating area was also very elusive. There were no seats, a bench, nothing except the counter top of the pizza and fries booth.

The pizza, well, let me say that at least it was hot. Other than that, it was terrible. In fact, it may have been toast with tomato sauce and cheese cut in the shape of a slice of pizza. It was that bad.

The cup of fries, I didn’t opt for the big Bucket O Fries for 8 bucks but instead went with the 4 buck size. Again, at least they were hot. A little undercooked, they were a little slimy, way to greasy, and no plastic fork to scoop out the fries.

The Grassy Knoll Diner does not recommend pizza and fries at the Canfield Scaregrounds and only rates 1.5 out of 5 shots.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

McDonalds Breakfast Sandwich

McDonalds Sausage Egg And Cheese Biscuit

Location: Market Street, Youngstown, Ohio The Order:. Two sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwiches and an order of hash browns. The Service: Drive through window. Very efficient, courteous, prompt, and accurate. The Taste: Very tasty. The biscuits were hot, fresh, the eggs not runny, the cheese melted, and the sausage cooked. The hash browns were not as greasy as they looked. Presentation: Standard white take out sack with each item individually wrapped. Napkins and utensils were supplied as well as salt, pepper, jam, and ketchup. They even told me to have a nice day. The Value: Just over 4 bucks, it was no value meal, but very filling and worth the price.

 The Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. Grassy Knoll Diner recommends McDonalds for breakfast.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Vending - Chip Chopped Ham Sandwich

Chipped Chopped Ham Sandwich

Location: Grassy Knoll Institute secret corporate office vending machines.
The order: Chipped ham and cheese sandwich.
The Service: Vending machine, self serve.
The Taste: Not bad for vending. A little stale but could have been due to the coldness of the sandwich.
Presentation: Cello wrapped in black plastic container with expiration date.
The Value: $1.00 for the sandwich. Two pieces of bread, one piece of cheese, two pieces of thin sliced chipped ham. Not bad.

The Rating: 2.5 out of 5 shots. The Grassy Knoll Diner barely recommends the ham and cheese.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Pizza Hut - 12 Inch Regular Pizza

Pizza Hut Delivery

Pizza Hut Restaurant
Location: 3917 Belmont Ave
Youngstown, Ohio

The order: One of every type of pizza pie they had.
The Service: Of course, it was delivered. And it was prompt and on time.
The Taste: For a franchise pizzeria, it was pretty good. the crust was cooked, the slices well separated, and the toppings abundant.
Presentation: Sturdy cardboard pizza boxes with the Pizza Hut logo.
The Value: Not bad for what you get. About $7.50 per regular pizza.

The Rating: 3.25 shots out of 5. The Grassy Knoll Diner recommends Pizza Hut for lunch.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Jib Jab Hot Dog Shoppe - Chili Dog

Jib Jab Hot Dog Shop Girard Ohio Chili Dog

Jib Jab Hot Dog Shop

Location: 313 S. State St. Girard, OH 44420
The order: Chili cheese dog, cheeseburger, large order of fries.

The Service: As always, very prompt and the order was correct.

The Taste: Chili dog, very good. Cheeseburger, average to good. Fries, very good. The buns were fresh, the fries cooked to a golden brown.

Presentation: Standard cardboard box and Styrofoam boxes.

The Value: All this for under 5 bucks. Pretty darn good deal.

The Rating: 4 out of 5 stars this time around. Grassy Knoll Diner recommends Jib Jab hot dog shoppe.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Arby's Roast Beef Four For Five Deal

Arbys Roast Beef Four For Five Deal

Arby's Restaurant
Location: Route 46, Youngstown, Ohio

The order: 4 roast beefs for 5 bucks and an order of potato cakes.
The Service: Standard drive through service. No long line, acceptable service. The order was correct.
The Taste: Pretty standard fare roast beef except one of them was a little fatty for my taste. Maybe they should change the spit more often.
Presentation: The sandwiches were pretty flat and wrapped in the standard Arby’s logo bag. They sure didn’t look like the ones touted in the TV commercials.
The Value: 4 sandwiches for 5 bucks. Do the math, that’s $1.25 per regular roast beef. Pretty good deal.

The Rating: 3 shots out of 5. The value was there but the sandwiches were smashed and the one was a little fatty. Grassy Knoll Diner recommends Arby’s roast beef.

Back To Blue Plate Special Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL