Vending Machine Cheese Curls

Vending Machine Action

Take a good look people. What you see is one dollar's worth of a vending machine snack, Herr's Cheese Curls. That's 15 churls to a bag. One ounce for $1 dollar. Is this a good deal? Depends on how hungry you are and the availability of other viable choices. For me, for that day, the vending machine was one of two options. Insert a $1 dollar bill into the machine or go hungry.

As cheese curls go, well, they were puffy and crunchy. They had fake cheese glued on them. And they are orange.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 1.25 out of 5 shots and does not recommend Vending Machine Cheese Curls for a snack. My advice, pack a lunch.

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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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Halloween Pumpkin Cookies - Home Made

Trick Or Treat

 Forget about all the chocolate candy and sugared candy you get for Trick Or Treat. For me, it's all about the cookies. As in home made cookies. Made in the shape of Halloween pumpkins. Add a healthy coating of orange and green frosting and you have the makings of a very tasty cookie.

Beginning November 1st, I will be updating the Grassy Knoll Diner daily with dishes from Youngstown, Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, Gatlinburg, Houston, and San Francisco.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 5 out of 5 shots and recommends  Home made Halloween Cookies for a treat.

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Cheeseburger In Paradise - Orlando

Not Wasting Away

During Spring Break, Patrick, the Lead Scientist ventured to a warmer climate to soak up the suns rays and investigate several conspiracy theories the Grassy Knoll Institute is working on.

Patrick found himself at Universal Theme Park (Of course he was hard at work chasing down a hot lead concerning Amanda Bynes and thong underwear, or lack thereof)

I Like Mine With...

After a very thorough investigation, Patrick stopped for dinner at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville located inside the theme park. Although the restaurant was busy, it was not crowded and was seated right away. The waiter came over promptly and took their orders.

Of course, Patrick ordered the famous Cheeseburger In Paradise, well done, with fries on the side. A very short wait and the sensuous treat on a big old bun was brought to the table.

The burger was cooked perfect, just exactly as asked. the cheese melted but not sloppy. The tomato and lettuce were crisp and fresh, and the bun warm and toasty. Fries were an after thought, but could stand alone as they were well cooked and plentiful.

The Grassy Knoll Diner awards the cheeseburger in paradise 4.5 shots out of 5 for Margaritaville in Orlando, Florida for dinner.

I'll leave you with the lyrics to Jimmy Buffett's famous tune, cheeseburger In Paradise.

Tried to amend my carnivorous habits,
Made it nearly seventy days.
Losing weight without speed, eating sunflower seeds,
Drinking lots of carrot juice and soaking up rays.

But at night I'd have these wonderful dreams,
Some kind of sensuous treat.
Not zucchini, fettucini or bulgur wheat,
But a big warm bun and a huge hunk of meat.

Cheeseburger is paradise.
Heaven on earth with an onion slice.
Not too particular, not too precise.
I'm just a cheeseburger in paradise.

I like mine with lettuce and tomato,
Heinz Fifty-seven and French fried potatoes.
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer.
Well, good God Almighty, which way do I steer,
For my cheeseburger in paradise.

Heard about the old time sailor men,
They eat the same thing again and again.
Warm beer and bread they say could raise the dead,
Well, it reminds me of the menu at a Holiday Inn.

But times have changed for sailors these days,
When I'm in port I get what I need.
Not just Havanas or banana or daiquiris,
But that American creation on which I feed.

Cheeseburger is paradise,
Medium rare with mustard be nice.
Not too particular, not too precise,
I'm just a cheeseburger in paradise.

I like mine with lettuce and tomato,
Heinz 57 and French fried potatoes.
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer,
Well, good god Almighty which way do I steer.

For a cheeseburger in paradise,
Making the best of every virtue and vice.
Worth every damn bit of sacrifice,
To get a cheeseburger in paradise.
To be a cheeseburger in paradise.
I'm just a cheeseburger in paradise.

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1. 
   

   Max Jackl said

   June 24, 2008 at 6:29 pm e
   Looks tasty, a little lacking on lettuce, but good looking.
   Reply
2. 
   

   Gumby said

   June 25, 2008 at 9:20 am e
   Buffett gone commercial. When will the insanity end?
   Reply
3. 
   

   Jack Sparrow said

   June 25, 2008 at 9:41 am e
   It’s my favorite place when I’m in port.
   Reply
4. 
   

   Aintgotno said

   June 25, 2008 at 2:01 pm e
   every time i visit this blog i have to go get a snack
   Reply
5. 
   

   Contessa Confessa said

   June 25, 2008 at 11:10 pm e
   The pic of the margarita is what I want to see… 
   Reply
6. 
   

   Anderson said

   June 25, 2008 at 11:41 pm e
   I like fried onion rings as a topping, crunchy onion rings. Thats a cheesebueger in paradise.
   Reply
7. 
   

   808stevan said

   June 28, 2008 at 1:21 pm e
   True fact: Jimmy didn’t go commercial at first. A couple of saavy ladies and a dude opened a burger joint on Maui called “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. It opened right on Front Street in Old Lahaina town. It is a very successful and reputable business (amidst many a food poisoning claim). The menu features big burgers, but none that look as good as the picture in this blog from Margaritaville. Anyhoo, they also featured a continuous soundtrack booming the CB-Paradise song about every tenth song or so. This place is so busy, I know a Wairess there who sells about $400,000 worth every year. She makes about as much $$$ as the Mayor of the island. Infact, everyone hits a similar mark in the 20 or so wait help that run the place. A big success, but they had to settle a suit filed against them by the Buff master himself to cease and desist use of his trademark sing. An out of court settlement, rumoured to be in the millions came forth and this led to Jimmy’s folks to wonder,”Why don’t we open our own burger joints?”Which they did, however, they unfortunately could not use the name Cheeseburger in Paradise because they had already licensed the name in that aforementioned settlement.
   Reply

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. 
    

Conneaut Lake Park - Corn Dog And Fries

Conneaut Corn Dog And Fry Shack

Conneaut Lake Park, old time amusement park, home of the Blue Streak roller coaster and one of only two left Tumble Bug rides left in existence, still draws a small crowd. Located in Conneaut, Pennsylvania, is just an hour ride from home. After a long day at the park, we stopped for some amusement park food.

Conneaut Corn Dog

I ordered a corn dog and an order of french fries. The corn dog was quite small in size. Pathetic actually. The taste was standard fare, but I believed they were recently microwaved. Any corn dog fan knows a microwave destroys the corn dog. This cost $3 dollars. Clearly not worth it.

Conneaut Fries

The saving grace was the fresh cut french fries. The portion was adequate for $3 dollars. The fries were hot, well cooked, in relatively fresh grease and the portion was good. The taste was very good.

A corn dog and an order of fries cost $6 dollars. There were other food stands with more choices and better prices which I will post in a future update. However, I am going to barely recommend the shack for several reasons. One: It's amusement park food, there are no five stars ratings on the marque. Two: Perhaps I received the runt of the corn dogs. The next one could have been regular size. Three: The fries were hot, and very good.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2 out of 5 shots and recommends Conneaut Lake Park French Fry Stand  for dinner.

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1. 
   

   Rich said

   September 10, 2010 at 5:29 pm e
   Way too much for the corn dog but than I don’t know what corn dogs are going for in the State Fair in Dallas this year.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     September 19, 2010 at 8:24 pm e
     Agreed! It was way to much money for the small corn dog.
     Reply
2. 
   

   Moominboy said

   September 13, 2010 at 2:35 pm e
   A simple meal but still good 
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     September 19, 2010 at 8:32 pm e
     Yes, very simple meal. A staple food for all fairs and amusement parks.
     Reply
3. 
   

   Now See Here said

   September 14, 2010 at 10:46 pm e
   you can buy a six pack of corn dogs for five bucks at the store. what a rip.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     September 19, 2010 at 8:35 pm e
     Absolutely you can. But what is the fun in that?
     Reply
4. 
   

   Gumby said

   September 16, 2010 at 2:08 am e
   How is Vegas Pat? when do you return?
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     September 19, 2010 at 8:36 pm e
     Las vegas was great. Very hot. And San Francisco was awesome.
     Reply
   • 
     

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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Philadelphia Hard Rock Cafe - Twisted Mac Chicken

Philly Hard Rock Cafe

Running the "Rocky" steps works up a powerful appetite. Luckily the Philadelphia Hard Rock Cafe was right around the corner. And I was hungry. It was crowded but we got a seat. The waitress took our drink order and few minutes later our dinner order. I ordered Twisted Mac Chicken and cheese.

Twisted Mac And Cheese

It took about 20 minutes for our entree's to reach the table. This is not what  thought I was ordering. It was chicken, and there were some twizzly noodles with melted cheese at the bottom of the plate. Anyway, as I said, I was hungry.

You are looking at $18 dollars of food. Yes, 18 bucks. The chicken was well cooked, hot, tender, and tasted good. The macaroni and cheese was also hot and adequate. The bread however, well, you could pound nails with it.

The service was adequate, it was busy, the waiter did his job, but nothing exceptional. A refill on the water and soda would have been nice.

The walls and tables were lined with pictures of rock legends giving the restaurant a nice feel. I snapped some pictures of the Beatles, the greatest rock band in the history of rock.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3 out of 5 shots and recommends the Philadelphia Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. for dinner.

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1. 
   

   PeterW.A. said

   April 24, 2009 at 1:44 pm e
   The hard Rock is k not known for its food but the atmosphere surrounding it. As long as its edible the Hard Rock considers it a win win.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     April 24, 2009 at 3:47 pm e
     A win win. Not entirely sure. Although I recommend the Hard Rock, if the service and food slip, then the customers will as well.
     Reply
2. 
   

   G Clock M said

   April 24, 2009 at 2:36 pm e
   That looks horrible. And you gave it kudos and recommend people to go and eat there. No way.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     April 24, 2009 at 3:50 pm e
     Looks are sometimes deceiving. I’ll agree on the bread, it was pretty bad. The atmosphere was cool, good music, adequate service on a busy evening, the food OK.
     Reply
3. 
   

   Contessa Confessa said

   April 25, 2009 at 4:02 pm e
   you know, this is probably one of the first blue plate specials that hasn’t made my mouth water… (i’m blaming it on the bread!).
   Reply
4. 
   

   Bitzky said

   April 26, 2009 at 12:15 pm e
   I’d totally eat it but for around 12 bucks (converted to Swedish price levels, of course).
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     April 27, 2009 at 11:28 pm e
     Yea, don’t get me wrong, the chicken was good, the mac and cheese OK, but the presentation, all thrown together in a bowl with stale bread, well, it lost some points for that.
     Reply
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