Blog Post 2

Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood

Applebee’s is not a fancy place. It’s really just a run-of-the-mill steakhouse; although it is advertised for its friendly atmosphere and family oriented menus. It encourages coworkers to gather there after working hours and families to spend quality time together there. That being said, I love the food there. So Sunday afternoon, when my parents asked me where I wanted to eat lunch at, I immediately responded, “I haven’t had a good steak since I left home. Let’s go to Applebee’s.”

My parents, brother, and grandparents were all going out to lunch to spend time together while I was home for fall break. I arrived a little late, taking the long way there to enjoy the scenery of home. Everyone was waiting on me, including the waitress. Right as I sat down, she appeared seemingly out of nowhere to collect my drink order. When she returned with my soda, we were all ready to order. Big surprise, every one of us ordered steak in one form or another. My dad also asked for their appetizer sampler.

The sampler has mozzarella sticks (my favorite), buffalo wings, cheese quesadillas, and a spinach-artichoke dip with tortilla chips. As always, I immensely enjoy the cheese sticks. The buffalo wings are perfect, just hot enough to be enjoyable, but not painful. I was unable to get a quesadilla before my family, with their own special brand of magic, made them “disappear.” So grudgingly, I tried the dip. Now, I under no circumstances like spinach. I think it to be a wretched excuse for food. However, this dip, which is combines spinach leaves and artichoke hearts with melted cheeses, is absolutely delicious. Never have I though spinach could be so wonderful.

After a relatively short wait, our steaks come out. I ordered the house sirloin with the shrimp parmesan topping. Now, surely most people have heard of steak and shrimp. But steak, shrimp and cheese? I was compelled to try it. And I am most certainly glad that I did.

The steak was mouthwatering. I have never had a bad steak at Applebee’s. This one might have been the best, though. As odd as the idea sounded in my head, the cheese blended amazingly well with the shrimp and steak; the flavor in my mouth was beyond description. Alas, the sides were not up to par with the entrée. I ordered garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli. The broccoli I felt was undercooked; I like mine to be quite soft. The broccoli I received was still quite crisp, almost as if it had only been heated up and not cooked. The potatoes, even with as much seasoning that I could plainly see, tasted quite bland. They didn’t taste bad, per se; but they were far from outstanding.

While we had been waiting for our food, I found myself paging through the dessert menu. I had selected something that looked amazing; a chocolate chip cookie sundae. A scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with fudge sauce and Oreo cookie crumbs served on an enormous cookie; it seems meant to be shared with the whole table. “Surely,’ I thought, “my brother and I can split this after our meal.” I will freely admit I was dead wrong. Between the appetizer and entrée, not a soul at our table had room to feast on what is surely a decadent treat. I would most gladly have taken one to-go were it not for the ice cream.
The service was quite good. Empty glasses were promptly refilled, and the waitress was polite. Also, she was able to withstand a whole hour of my family’s lame jokes, and that is quite a feat that even I sometimes cannot accomplish.

It seems that my hometown has a lack of fancy restaurants; instead, we simply dine at mediocre chain restaurants. However, I think that some of these eateries are underestimated. I had a (mostly) wonderful meal at Applebee’s, and for a price that I’m sure is quite low compared to the “better” places. The portions were well sized and the service was excellent. I will be sure to encourage my family to go back more often (especially with me).

Applebee's
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Image “Appetizer Sampler” Photograph (n.d.) From applebees.com http://www.applebees.com/Menu_Starters.aspx (Accessed October 8, 2009)

Image “Shrimp and Parmesan Steak” Photograph (n.d.) From applebees.com http://www.applebees.com/Menu_Steaks.aspx (Accessed October 8, 2009)