The Conservative Buckeye

My brother-in-law Bryan has been bragging about how much he loves Mcdonalds Biscuits and Gravy. So I thought I would give them a try this morning. Two things came to mind when I tried them. First, Bryan has never had real or good biscuits and gravy. Second, Mcdonalds Quality Control and Product Development (the same folks who gave us the McGriddle YUM) forgot to taste what they were making. It tasted like dog food……warm dog food….(YUCK)

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Let me start of by saying that I’m not a paid employee of the Amazon Grill.

Some friends and myself went to the Amazon Grill for lunch today. The Amazon Grill is an all you can eat Brazilian Barbeque. The eatery is located in the Crosswoods shopping center in the old Macaroni Grill building. The owners made few changes to the inside look of the resturant. When you walk in there is a large dining room with a huge hot and cold salad bar in the center.

I started off my lunch with a trip to the salad bar and selected the 8 hot dishes offered. Those were all exceptional dishes, but the mashed potatoes stood out above the rest. They were a wonderful grouping of garlic and other seasonings with an optional meat and gravy side. Also included in the hot dishes were bananas fried so delicately as to not cause them to become slimy. The other items were black beans and rice, grilled squash and other delicious choices. I didn’t try any of the 20 or more cold salads or condiments as I did not want to fill up before the meat came. Although on my next trip (which will be very soon), I do promise to try everything.

The main course is a selection of many different types of meat. The meat is served by a number of wait staff carrying swords full of meat. The first meat we received was a beef kabob that was flavorfull and well seasoned and cooked to a medium to medium well. Also on the kabob were peppers and red onions that were equally as delicious. The next piece of meat was a chicken thigh that was well prepared with crispy skin and full of flavor. The only drawback to the chicken was the bone still in. The next wave was a chorizo sausage link that most in the group did not enjoy so much, however, I enjoyed it. We also received 2 or 3 different types of steak which were all delightfull.

The next meat we received deserves a paragraph all of it’s own. It was a most enjoyable, incredibally tasty, moist and tender turkey breast medallion wrapped with bacon. It was cooked so perfectly that I would give it an 11 out of 10 score. The bacon was crispy, but not burnt. The turkey was moist and seasoned and quite possibly the best piece of meat I have ever eaten.

The Amazon Grill has been open for less than a week and they are still trying to work out a lot of bugs. The service was a bit slow as they didn’t have enough servers for the number of people wanting to eat. Our waitress was on the top of her game. We never went without a full drink or a clean plate and when we asked for anything specific, it was delivered in a more than timely manner. We also were helped out throughout lunch by a manager who was truly at our beck and call.

The group of friends I was with gave scores ranging from 8 to 9.5. My own rating of this wonderfull new restaurant is a 9.5, it leaves little room for improvement, but it truly is one of the best new eateries in the area.

The lunch bill was $12 for the buffet and drinks were $2. A 15% gratuity was added since there were 7 of us, but I was so happy with the overall experiance that I gave her an additional 15% tip. I do look forward to the dinner experiance which will include a larger selection of salad bar items and meats including lamb, fish, and seafood.

I truly would recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys a wonderful eating experiance as much as I do.

So I went to PF Changs tonight for dinner with some friends. Let me start off with the food. First, we had 3 appetizers. We ordered the Lettuce wraps, they were a favorite with the whole group a perfect 10. Then, we had the salt and pepper calamari, It was perfectly fried and seasoned to a greatness one can’t describe with justice. Another perfect 10. Then we ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna….it was a disappointment to the whole group. It was over seasoned and the mustard sauce was way to powerful, it left us wondering if it was Tuna we were eating after all. I give it a 4. Â

Our main courses were delivered in perfect timing after we finished all of our appetizers. In no particular order we had the Mongolian Beef, Kung Pao chicken (2 people ordered this), Chow Mein Combo, Sichuan Chicken Chow Fun, And the Chow Mein Chicken. The Mongolian Beef (my personal fav) was delicious as always. It scored a 9. The Kung pao was done to a good degree of delightfulness it scored a 7 and an 8 from the 2 ladies who ordered it. The Chow Mein Combo was a disappointment to its orderer it received only a 6, The Chicken Chow Mein ordered by the Beautiful Mrs. Conservative Buckeye received rave reviews except for the slimy mushrooms (she hates mushrooms though) she gave it a solid 8. My vote for the surprise of the night goes to the Sichuan Chicken Chow Fun, It was made with thick large delicious noodles that tasted almost like dumplings, the sauce was well prepared and overall it was enjoyed by everyone. It received a 9.5. Â

The overall experience was lowered by being placed right next to the kitchen door, and a rude hostess who wasn’t very patient. The Food was enough to give the restaurant an overall score of 7.5 which isn’t bad for a chain restaurant. I know for sure I will return and I will order the Sichuan Chicken Chow Fun. For $8.95 it is a must order for its taste, presentation, and size. It is truly a FUN dish. Â

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The Amazon Grill. It is an all-u-can eat Brazillian BBQ. All-u-can eat meat is all I need to say.