Crowne Metro - Chicago

The crowne Metro restaurant located inside the Crowne Plaza Hotel located in Rosemont, Illlinois, a suburb of Chicago, is the next stop on our list of critiques.

Upon entering the restaurant, there were only about a dozen people eating. That is a bad sign especially during a trade show when thousands of extra people are in the city. Anyway, we were seated immediately at a table. I ordered the grilled chicken as the main entree and the house salad.

The salad was adequate at best and a little on the bland side. No celery, no bacon, cheese, eggs, olives. Just some lettuce and a few croutons. I wasn’t holding out much hope for the chicken.

About 20 minutes later, my dinner arrived. The chicken was cooked well, wasn’t juicy, but wasn’t dry either. The lemon helped add a little flavor to the chicken. The portion was generous, two medium sized pieces.

The baked potato was average sized and well cooked. Butter was the topping of choice.

The cost was a little steep, $20 dollars without tip.

The Grassy Knoll Institute scores 2.5 out of 5 stars and barely recommends Crowne Metro for lunch or dinner.

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Stage Deli NY Cheesecake

Stage Deli New York Cheesecake

The Stage Deli in New York is not only famous for it’s huge sandwiches, they are also famous for their New york style cheesecake. And nothing says New York like a big ass piece of cheesecake from the Stage Deli located on Times Square.

When entering the Stage Deli, the cheesecakes are enclosed in a glass showcase. There are many different types of cheesecakes available. I chose the cherry cheesecake.

I must say, it was fantastic. The texture was smooth, creamy and tasted fantastic. Service at the Stage Deli is second to none. Very fast, courteous, and professional. The price was about 10 bucks without tip.

The Grassy Knoll Institute scores 5 out of 5 shots for Stage Deli Cherry Cheesecake and recommends them for dessert.

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Jays Restaurant Fairfax, Virginia

Spending the evening in Fairfax, Virginia, is not that exciting. Being tired from the day’s travel, I opted for the Best Western hotel house restaurant, Jay’s Place. As you can see, there were plenty Of Seats Still Available. In fact, all the seats were available. I was the only customer. My spider sense let me down on this choice.

After I sat down, I looked around to see if the joint was even opened. It was deserted. No hostess, no waiter, no cook, bus buy, no one. Just as I was about to get up, the waiter came out and welcomed me to Jay’s. He presented me the menu and asked what I wanted to drink.

Several minutes later, he returned with my Coke and asked if I was ready to order. I ordered the chicken wedges as an appetizer and stuffed chicken as my main course with mashed potatoes.

So far, so good. I noticed that there was still no one in the restaurant. The waiter went into the kitchen and I believe he was also the cook for the evening. In about 10 minutes, he returned with my chicken wedges and a refill of Coke. (He was the cook, I could smell the kitchen grease on him)

And then the main course came out. WTF was this? It certainly didn’t look like stuffed chicken breast to me. And why was there cheese sauce covering the chicken? I asked if perhaps he had brought me the wrong dish. But how could he, I was the only patron in the place.

He explained that it was Jay’s way of making stuffed chicken breast. I asked where was the breast for all I see are chicken parts and pieces. He said the breast was chopped up and mixed in with the stuffing. (And the fucking cheese sauce)

Some things don’t go together. One example is cranberries and cold milk. Jay’s stuffed chicken breast ingredients is another. From what I could make of it, there were chicken parts, cheese sauce, broccoli, stuffing, some type of brown chips, (Could have been bacon) and gravy. Broccoli and mashed potatoes were on the side.

I told the waiter, server, cook, cashier, whatever, that this was unacceptable and that it was not stuffed chicken breast and snapped this photo as I spoke to him. I told him I was dissatisfied with the meal and said I would pay only for the Coke and the chicken wedges I had ordered.

The waiter said he would make me anything else on the menu on the house. I declined and promptly paid for the portion of my bill and did leave a 15% tip. I usually leave much more for good service and good food, but this was substandard.

The Grassy Knoll Institute scores 0 out of 5 shots and does not recommend Jay’s Place in Fairfax, Virginia for dinner.

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Bob Evans Turkey Dinner

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Bob Evans serves more than breakfast. But you all knew that anyway. Well, sooner or later, the Grassy Knoll Institute will get around to every restaurant in the world. This was our latest stop.

We decided on take out and we were not disappointed. I ordered the turkey dinner with all the fixings. Price was $10 dollars.

The order was ready on time, and it was correct, and the dinner was hot and fresh. It was sealed and placed in a sturdy container.

The turkey was not processed turkey, but carved from the breast. Very moist and hot. The stuffing was good, considering it was a national chain restaurant. the mashed potatoes were a surprise. They were not instant, but real mashed potatoes. Gravy was OK. The steamed carrots were adequate. The rolls, pretty darn good.

The Grassy Knoll Institute scores 4 out of 5 shots for the turkey dinner and recommends Bob Evans of Boardman, Ohio for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Hello Sally!!!

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Jorgine’s Restaurant

Jorgine’s Restaurant Meatball Sub

Jorgine’s is located downtown Youngstown. The take out menu is faxed everyday. We decided to try them and fell right into their trap.

The above photo is of a $5.99 meatball sandwich. No cheese, no fries, no chips, no drink. Just a sandwich. To understand the size of this sandwich, it is a hot dog bun.

The taste was adequate. These were not home made meatballs, but frozen mass purchased type meatballs thawed out in a microwave tasting types. The bun was fresh though.

The Grassy Knoll Institute reluctantly scores 1.5 out of 5 shots to Jorgine’s meatball sandwich and does not recommend them for lunch or dinner.

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