Caffe Capri - Filet Mignon

Caffe Capri, an Italian style restaurant is located in Boardman, Ohio. Patty and I have tried Caffe Capri several times before and found the restaurant and food very good. We were seated right away and our waitress came and took our drink orders.

We ordered appetizers as well. We went with the fried mozzarella cheese with spaghetti sauce. The breading was perfect, just enough crunch to keep the hot melted cheese manageable.

Bread was brought to the table. It was fresh, warm, and tasted fantastic.

The salad was standard fare but with the added grated cheese it was good.

I ordered the filet mignon, and it was very tender, zero fat, and a generous enough portion. The taste was good, it was juicy, and cooked just right. The filet came with a side of pasta. I chooose penne pasta. It was very well cooked, zesty sauce, and complimented the filet. The cost was around $30 dollars for the meal without tip which is adequate here in town.

Caffe Capri - Filet Mignon

The Grassy Knoll Institute scores 4.25 out of 5 shots and recommends Caffe Capri for dinner.

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Marinos Italian Cafe - Austintown, Ohio

I have heard about a quaint little restaurant called Marino's located in Austintown, Ohio. During Lent, we decided to stop in and try it. On a Friday night we were a little stunned that it was not busy. In fact, there were only about 4 tables being used by customers.

Anyway, we were seated right away and I ordered the fish dinner and a fried cheese appetizer. In about five minutes the cheese was brought to our table. There were five small pieces and a small bowl of dipping sauce. The sauce was OK, standard fare. The cheese sticks the same way. Standard, nothing bad, nothing good, just average.

The rolls were good though. I suspect they were home-made, they were warm, fresh, and tasted good, especially with melted butter.

The salad was standard fare. Excuse me for the late snapshot of the salad. I ate more than half when I realized I forgot to snap the picture.

About 20 minutes went by and our fish dinners arrived. I ordered Mac and Cheese as a side dish. As you can see, the fish was thin, and skinny. The breading was adequate but a little soggy. It had a "Fishy" smell to it which to me means it was not as fresh as it could be. The taste was OK. Certainly not what I had expected as several people told me about the place. The Mac and Cheese was cold.

All this for a Friday special of $12 dollars plus coke and tip.

The Grassy Knoll Institute scores 2.25 out of 5 shots and does not recommend Marino's Italian Cafe for dinner.

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Antone’s Restaurant - Deep Dish Pasta Bake

Antone’s Italian Restaurant, located on the corner of Market Street and Western Reserve Road in Boardman, Ohio. On a whim, Patty and I decided to stop here for some of Antone’s famous “Fried Cheese” and sauce.

The restaurant itself was quaint, and small, but it was not crowded so we got right in and seated.

Our waitress brought out our menu’s in a timely fashion and asked for our drink orders. Diet pops for everyone tonight.

Of course I ordered the fried cheese with sauce. It was the reason we pulled in the parking lot. The cost was $5.99 which is a little steep, but it one of the best fried cheese in the business. As you can see, there was plenty of zesty spaghetti sauce, a generous portion of cheese, and it was baked in a golden brown batter. It was delicious.

No visit to an Italian restaurant is complete without the bread. Antone’s offered a lightly seasoned garlic bread. Lightly toasted and warm, the bread was a perfect complement to the meal.

Our waitress took our orders and in less than ten minutes, our fried cheese and main course meals were delivered to our table. I ordered the Deep Dish Pasta Bake special. This was something I haven’t encountered before. It was baked penne smothered in melted provolone cheese in a spaghetti sauce with pieces of breaded chicken. Plus two good-sized meatballs completed the ensemble. The cost was $6.49 which for the portion given was an excellent value. BTW, it tasted delicious.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4 out of 5 shots and recommends Antone’s Italian Restaurant for dinner.

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Gia’s Pizzeria – Fried Haddock Dinner

Friday night Patty and I on a whim decided to try the new restaurant in town, Gia's Pizzeria, located at 708 Boardman Canfield Road, Youngstown, OH 44512. Its where the old Pizza Hut used to be. There were a good amount of cars in the lot but it wasn't crowded. We walked in and were greeted and seated quite quickly.

Gia's Pizzeria Fried Cheese

 Before we sat down our waitress asked us what we wanted to drink. I asked if she had Coke Zero which she said yes and would be right back with them. So far so good.

In a minute or two, our waitress returned with our Cokes and asked what we wanted for dinner. I started with a fried cheese appetizer in marinara sauce. Like the Cokes delivery, the fried cheese was brought out right away.

As you can see, the fried cheese looked good, but upon tasting, it was bland. The sauce tasted store bought and the breading and the cheese had almost no taste. Perhaps the main course would be better.

Gia's Fried Haddock Special

I ordered the beer batter haddock dinner with macaroni and cheese. Again, the fish looked good but it tasted horrendous. The only way I can describe this plate is, Shit On A Shingle! It was the worst piece of fish I ever had. The previous winner of "Worst Fish" was Galaxy Seafood but Gia's is the new king. Patty couldn't believe the fish tasted so bad and took a piece for herself and tasted it. Patty confirmed the Shit On A Shingle comparison. Within a minute, she told me she was going to throw up.

I called for the check and we left promptly. (Never to return again!) Luckily, Patty didn't spew chunks but for the entire next day she got sick just thinking about the haddock.

The service was good and this critique should not reflect badly on the waitress.

The cost of this nightmare was $9.99 for the Friday special plus $4.99 for the fried cheese plus $2 dollars for the Coke Zero. $17 dollars without tip. If the food were edible, this meal would be a good deal. However...

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 0 out of 5 shots and DOES NOT recommend Gia's Pizzeria for dinner.

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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.

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BLT Burger – Mirage Hotel

BLT Burger - Vegas

The Mirage hotel is full of many gambling games. Many fine eating establishments as well. BLT Burger is tucked away down one of the many hallways at the Mirage. On a whim, I decided to try it. Since this was a small restaurant, the seating was cramped. The hostess squeezed us in the middle of the floor. A few minutes later our waitress happened by and asked us what we wanted. I hope I wasn't interfering with her busy day. (She acted like I was)

I think It Was Fried Cheese

For my appetizer, I ordered fried cheese sticks and marinara sauce. Dammit, I thought I was in Mel's Diner and Flo was my waitress. After about ten minutes, she sort of tossed my plate on the table and moved on. Flo can "Kiss my grits!"

To top it off, half of the fried cheese sticks were hollow, I mean empty baby. Pretty much fried batter. Three sticks were like this. The others were adequate tasting, a little to greasy.

This Is Famous???

The way the night was progressing, I wasn't holding out for the entree. Being in BLT Burger, I thought it safe ordering a bacon cheeseburger and waffle fries. I would be wrong. Flo returned with my entree, but alas, it was not a cheeseburger, but some sort of chicken. I think it was chicken anyway. I sent it back to the disgust of Flo.

Ten minutes later my cheeseburger arrived along with burnt waffle fries. As you can see, the fries came in a fancy cup, and the bacon cheeseburger was nothing to write about. (Except in a bad way)

The price for this 7 ounce burger was $14 bucks. The waffle fries were $5 dollars.  The hollow cheese sticks were 8 bucks, and the Coke was $4 dollars. That's right folks, $31 dollars for this meal. Top off the shitty ass service from Flo the waitress tops off the evening.

Let's compare. A McDonalds double cheeseburger is $1 dollar. A large fry is $1.49. A Coke is $1 dollar. That's $3.49 for the same at BLT Burger. And you get curtesy at McDonalds as they ask you to please pull around to the second window.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 1 out of 5 shots and DOES NOT recommend BLT Burger in the Mirage for dinner.

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1. 
   

   No Way said

   December 6, 2009 at 6:05 pm e
   I was there last year and what do you expect, its a burger place. Did you expect filet mignon or something? Geez, its burgers.
   Reply
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     LOTGK said

     December 7, 2009 at 8:50 am e
     If you read my critique, you would understand i wasn’t looking for Filet Mignon. However, I was expecting courtesy and the correct order brought to my table. I don’t think that is asking to much.
     Reply
2. 
   

   Gumby said

   December 7, 2009 at 9:27 am e
   Welcome to good burger, home of the good burger, may I take your order!
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     December 8, 2009 at 10:14 pm e
     Pull around to the second window please….
     Reply
3. 
   

   Moominboy said

   December 7, 2009 at 4:26 pm e
   Meh, that’s a shame.
   Oh! I’m gonna post a picture of those swedish MAX burgers I was blabbering about. It’s a swedish burger chain that makes delicious stuff and they are actually buying out McD’s in Sweden.
   Reply
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     LOTGK said

     December 8, 2009 at 10:14 pm e
     Patiently waiting Luke, patiently waiting.
     Reply
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       Moominboy said

       December 15, 2009 at 5:19 pm e
       Alright! Here it is!
       http://yfrog.com/1fphoto2ijj
       This is not a regular MAX burger and fries. I went for something called Hot Meal, which is a burger with jalapenos and fries with bacon, melted cheese and jalapenos. The size is smaller than in U.S. but normal for Europe. What separates MAX from other chains is that they serve free coffee with a menu. The cost was 78 SEK which is $10.80 but this is meaningless because of the dollar exchange rate. Instead we can compare it to a Big Mac menu that costs 68 SEK or a can of Coke that costs 10 SEK. But it was delicious  The burger was smaller than their regular ones but very tasty.
       Reply
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         LOTGK said

         December 15, 2009 at 9:43 pm e
         I have had french fries, french fries with cheese, french fries with cheese and bacon, but not with jalapenos on them. Were they sliced or whole peppers?
         The burger looks standard fare and size for McDonalds and Burger King type food places. Not a bad price for the meal.
         Example, a Whopper burger king is $4 dollars, large fry is $2 dollars, large drink $2 dollars. I would guess it was $1 dollar for the add ons, the cheese and bacon for a total of $9 dollars.
         Thanks for posting the picture and critique.
         Reply
4. 
   

   Valdunagan said

   December 8, 2009 at 2:09 pm e
   Doesn’t look appealing. In N Out burger looks better.
   Reply
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     LOTGK said

     December 8, 2009 at 10:16 pm e
     Never been to In N out, so I’ll take your word for it.
     Reply
5. 
   

   Hawaii Flooring Leonard said

   December 8, 2009 at 10:08 pm e
   Hello I discovered your webpage by accident, I was browsing Yahoo when I came upon your site, I must say your webpage is very cool I just love the theme, its amazing!. I don’t have the time at the moment to entirely browse your site but I have bookmarked it and also subscribed for your RSS feeds. I will be back in a day or two. Thanks for a great webpage.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     December 8, 2009 at 10:12 pm e
     Oh Hawaii, somehow I thought SPAM was out of season on the islands. Looks like I was wrong.
     Reply
6. 
   

   Steve said

   December 12, 2009 at 10:09 am e
   This is a problem in so many places nowadays, whatever happend to the polite service and striving for a decent product of the burger establishments of my youth – I’ve paid similiar in a few places for what I thought was going to be a decent burger eating experience and got bad food, over salted/burned fries and shitty attitudes from the serving drones, If i wanted that I’d stay at home lol
   Reply
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     LOTGK said

     December 15, 2009 at 9:13 am e
     That was my thought. I know I was in a burger joint, but a little niceness goes a long way. I can accept that the food was bad, but when the service is also lousy, well….
     Reply
7. 
   

   Russ Mcglasson said

   January 3, 2010 at 4:14 am e
   I like blogs like this one, I am sure you put an effort on it to keep it up.
   Reply
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     LOTGK said

     January 5, 2010 at 8:24 am e
     No, not really.
     Reply

Applebee’s Restaurant – Sampler Platter

Applebee's Restaurant Boardman Ohio

One of the Lead Scientists favorite restaurants is Applebee's. After a little persuasion, we landed up there for dinner. It was not crowded when we arrived and we were seated rather quickly. The waitress took our drink order and returned shortly.

Applebee's Sample Platter

As you can see I ordered the Ultimate Trio sampler platter. (I really couldn't decide what I wanted so I ordered everything) Our dinners were brought to our table in less than 10 minutes. (Pretty speedy business)

The platter consisted of two mini burgers, (Sliders) which were surprisingly tasty and well cooked. So far so good. Also on the platter were fried cheese sticks with marinara sauce. Surprised again. They were well cooked, crunchy, and the sauce was zesty. Lastly, spicy boneless wing dings with celery sticks. The sauce was just hot enough, not five alarm hot, but ringing a bell at least, and the chicken itself was juicy and good tasting.

The cost was $12 dollars not including drink and tip which for what I received, was a fair deal. The service was efficient and speedy. A very good first impression. I could see why the Lead Scientist dined there frequently.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3.25 out of 5 shots and recommends Applebee's for lunch and dinner.

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Calhoun's - Cheeseburger And Fries

Calhouns Of Gatlinburg

Calhoun's on the Parkway located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee is well known for it's excellent tasting ribs. I know from personal experience but tonight, I was looking for something else on the menu.

Warm Rolls

Our waiter brought out some hot delicious rolls with warm butter that were almost heavenly. He took our appetizer and dinner orders. Yes, its crazy, but I ordered the cheeseburger in a restaurant famous for it's BBQ ribs. But, I had already had the ribs and they will be critiqued in an upcoming post.

Enough To Clog Your Heart

Our appetizer was fried cheese sticks. Ten of them with a tangy tomato sauce. They were brought out in a timely manner and were hot and delicious. Calhoun's fried cheese sticks were some of the best that I ever tasted.

Calhouns Cheeseburger

Our dinner orders were delivered to our table right on time. The cheeseburger was hot, juicy, and delicious. I ordered it well done and it was perfect. The bun was toasted just right and had plenty of cheese. The fries were cooked to a golden brown, and were crunchy, and just right.

The cost was just under $20 bucks without tip which is pretty fair considering the quality and quantity of food served.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4 out of 5 shots and recommends Calhoun's of Gatlinburg for dinner.

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1. 
   

   Craig Of The Avenue said

   December 9, 2008 at 4:31 pm e
   You didn’t buy the ribs, at a rib place, famous for ribs, pretty ballsy.
   Reply
2. 
   

   Bitzky said

   December 11, 2008 at 12:08 pm e
   Why no ribs? And I must say that the rolls look really fresh.
   LOTGK Replies:
   I already ordered the ribs previously but have not yet added them to the site. I’m lazy. But I will get them up there for they were delicious.
   Reply

Smoky’s Sports Bar – Cheeseburger - Fries - cheese

Smokys Sports Pub

It was Saturday night, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Joe wanted to see the rest of the Penn State game. We decided to pay Smoky's Sports Pub And Grill a visit. We walked in and there were plenty of TV sets with the football games on which was a good sign and the hostess came over and seated us right away. She asked what game we wanted to see and sat us accordingly.

Smokys Cheese Sticks

In a few minutes, our waiter appeared and took our drink order and appetizer order. I was feeling daring and ordered the cheese sticks. Ten minutes went by and no drinks but we got the cheese sticks. We placed our dinner orders and asked for our drinks.

I noticed that there were no napkins, no plates, no salt, no pepper, nothing on the table. After waiting a few minutes I went and flagged down our waiter. He looked startled! I said could we please get our drinks and perhaps a few napkins and plates. He said sure in just a few minutes. I went to the kitchen and got them myself.

The cheese sticks were OK, a little cold because we waited so long and two of them were empty. Just sticks, no cheese. Say that real fast.

Smokys Cheeseburger

My dinner order was a standard fare cheeseburger and steak fries. It came in a basket. There was no ketchup, mustard, well, you get the point. At least it was hot.

Actually, the cheeseburger tasted all right. It was well cooked, hot, fresh, (As fresh as frozen patties go) and the bun was toasted and not soggy. All in all, it was OK.

The steak fries however, choke, choke, they were terrible. A soggy mess of what once were potatoes in the bottom of the plastic basket. I choked down a few and performed the last rites on the rest of them.

The cost was 15 dollars for the empty sticks and burger, and a glass of water. A little steep for what you got.

Our drinks finally arrived halfway through dinner. The waiter said, hey, its one of those days man. Same right back at yea with your tip man.

Well, Joe was sad that Penn State lost and probably missed the chance for the BCS national championship game, but they would live to play another day. (Can't say the same for the fries though) And yes, I gave him only 15% for a tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2.25 out of 5 shots and does not recommend Smoky's for dinner. Sidenote: if you find that all the other restaurants are packed, and sometimes in Gatlinburg on a Friday and Saturday night during certain events they are, then go to Smoky's just to get something to eat but expect bad service.

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1. 
   

   Soup Cop Jean said

   November 25, 2008 at 2:26 pm e
   I’ll take your word that it was good tasting. it doesn’t from the picture. So what the burger was just tossed on top of the fries. And I see a black plastic fork there.
   Reply
2. 
   

   Louise Wheeler said

   November 29, 2008 at 8:08 am e
   We ate at Smokey’s 2 times during our stay in Gatlinburg. We found the food pretty good. The portions were good, the food was served quickly and was served hot. The food is bar food, so we didn’t expect any thing exceptional but it was tasty and for the price and atmosphere (football), we will definintely return.
   Reply
3. 
   

   Gumby said

   December 5, 2008 at 12:51 pm e
   Should be renamed to Smokys Greasy Spoon.
   Reply
4. 
   

   Michele said

   March 28, 2009 at 4:51 pm e
   My visit to smokeys was not very good. The pizza was good, but the bar tender jessica kept thrusting her boobs in my husbands face. In front of my child. I was very upset. She even tried to sit on his lap. She was rude to me and did not refill my drink until my husband took my glass to the bar and asked her to get me another. I actually checked to see if she spit in it.
   I do not recommend this place until they get rid of her.
   Reply
5. 
   

   Craig Plaisance said

   July 10, 2009 at 4:16 pm e
   We just came back from smokeys, very angry.
   The service was very bad, the waitress and waiter were very rude. I ordered ceasar salad and soup, the plate of salad came full, but only on the top was fresh lettuce, at the bottom it was just very dry leaves (almost half of the plate), i have never seen something like that served in a restaurant, just like garbage. I told the waiter and he just took it back to the kitchen and left me there, they didn’t do anything. No sorry, nothing. Never go back there again. I don’t recommend people to eat there, food is crapy however the price is same as if you go to a very good restaurant. They even don’t give you napkin, they just put paper roll like bad paper towel.
   Reply
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     LOTGK said

     July 11, 2009 at 2:30 pm e
     Too bad you didn’t read my blog before visiting. It may have saved you a bad dinner experience.
     Reply
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