Teenage Wrap Up to the Blog (For the Summer)

Thank you to all our faithful readers, as we take a break from eating out to have special family get togethers instead. Have a great summer! Remember to take some time to get out there and try the amazing restaurants where you live, and also try some of the ones we recommended! Enjoy!

Teenage perspective on Noodles and Company

The other day we went to Noodles and Company. They have amazing food- I didn't know you could do that much with pasta! Every trip is amazing, as it is one of those rare 6 plate visits every time. Their signature dish, Mac and Cheese, is the best I've ever tasted. I recommend this restaurant to anyone who has a passion for pasta!

P. F. Chang's Teenage Perspective

The other day we went to P. F. Chang's, a great restaurant with amazing Chinese food. There's not much more to say other than that it is worth the hour and a half drive there every time. A 6 plate (+) visit every time! I highly recommend this place!

Iron Hill Brewery a kids perspective...

When we first got there on time our table wasn’t ready -1 plate. Next, our waitress got our drinks faster than I expected +1 plate.  She took our food order as soon as our whole party was there+ 1 plate.  Our drinks were refilled very often +2 plates.  Our food came fairly fast +2 plates. All in all about 5 plates I suggest this restaurant to the many people who live near it.

Teenage Perspective on Iron Hill Brewery

Just last night we went to Iron Hill Brewery. I have been there plenty of times before, and it's been the same exact experience every time. The service is great, the food is amazing, and the atmosphere is friendly.  Every single visit is a 6 plate one. This time was no different. A great choice every time.

Teenage Perspective on Ciro's Italian Bistro

On Saturday, Poppi took the girls out to Ciro's Italian Bistro after a show at the Fulton Theater. First of all, we were seated very quickly and the server took our orders very efficiently. We didn't have to wait very long for our food to come out, just about 10-15 minutes. Our server was very good, refilling our drinks constantly. Our food was delicious, from wraps to salads to pizzas. Oh, and don't forget, you can't leave Ciro's without their wonderful gelato!

Overall, this trip to Ciro's was one that I would definitely repeat. This is one of the rare 6 out of 6 plate visits!

Don't forget to comment on the bog! Thanks for reading!

Has Obamacare already started to screw up going out to eat?

Tonight we went to Ruby Tuesday's.  Plenty of parking, easy access, and no wait...well sort of.  We arrived early to beat the crowd, but we ran into a problem.  We could be seated right away, but there wasn't a server available yet.   Hmm...Friday night and not enough staff with an empty restaurant?  Well, okay...we were seated and within a few minutes our server came to greet us.  Will was a good server, but I believe stretched a little thin because he didn't return to refill drinks as often as I would have preferred.

We placed our order, and then we waited and waited.  Ours chips and salsa appetizer came out about 10 minutes after ordering, but the chips were not refilled until an hour later.  A half an hour later, our food came.  It was brought out by different servers, and there were some mistakes (no cheese on a cheeseburger, no mustard for cheeseburgers) which we notified them of right away.  The cheese was brought out promptly, because we asked for just the cheese, not to be remade because we were not going to wait.  The mustard took several minutes to be brought out.

I had steak (medium well ordered - well received), and I prefer to eat it with worcestershire sauce.  Ruby Tuesday's does not have that available...bummer.  My grilled shrimp, green beans, and asparagus were all slightly over grilled but still maintained an adequate taste.  Coke Zero was available as my drink and that is a big plus for me.

The food was okay and the restaurant was clean.  The mistakes were minor and would not prevent me from returning in the next several months.  The problem was the lack of hired help.  On a Friday night, one would think that the restaurant would be fully staffed.  Clearly that was not the case on the floor, and I believe even more so in the kitchen.  Is this in preparation for Obamacare?  Limiting workers to under 30 hours a week, so as to not have to pay health benefits?  Don't know if it is true, but it makes me wonder. 2 1/2 plates for Ruby Tuesday's from me...0 plates for Obamacare.

Ruby Tuesday's Teen Perspective

Being a teenager means that I will look for amenities such as free wifi, which is a big thing for me since I only have an iPod touch, which requires wifi to be able to use the internet. I also have a passion for food, and I cook a lot myself. I am the kind of girl who looks not only at the big picture, but at all the details. If you have any questions, I am very willing to take time and research the answers and make sure they are reliable.

Anyways, tonight we went to Ruby Tuesday's, as it was stated on the blog. I have been to Ruby Tuesday's a number of times, since we live close to it. One plus for me is that they have quick and easy access to free wifi. But tonight's experience was not the best. We got in and were seated quickly, but it went all downhill after that. The food was ordered at a decent time, but it took way longer than it should've to get it out to us. When it did get out, it was incorrect. One of my mini burgers did not have cheese on it, which was maddening because it said on the menu that it would have cheese on it already. That to me showed that it was just an act of carelessness. The food was average, in which I've grown to realize what is actually "good" food, and what food is just "eh." Those two problems, minor they may be, have brought my rating from 6 plates to 4. I also realized, though, that they had lack of staff, so that also brought my rating down 1 plate. That totals my final rating to 3 plates, which is an average meal. Not the best, but not the worst. Remember to vote for next week's restaurant!

Plates and plates and more plates...

Over the course of the past few years, our family has started going out to eat with our Dad/Grandfather known as Poppi.  Poppi allows us to pick out any restaurant for a weekly meal.  The restaurants have ranged from pizza shops to fine dining restaurants; from less than a mile away to sixty miles away.  We have probably been to over 50 different restaurants on our adventures with Poppi.

We are a family of five; Mom and Dad (early forties), teen daughter, double digit daughter, and first grade son.  The purpose of our blog is to share our experiences from each of our perspectives.  We will comment on anything from the food (taste, quality, presentation) to the cleanliness of the bathrooms because we are sure to be there.  At the end of the blog entry, we will rate the restaurant as a family and give it a rating of plates.  It will take quite a meal to get six plates, but we will keep eating our way to try and find a restaurant worthy.  This is purely for our enjoyment but if you can get anything out of it...great!