November 2011

Why Do I Always Get Stuck Sitting by the Bad Kids in a Restaurant?

My boyfriend and I don't get out much. Actually, I take that back. He goes out whenever he wants, wherever he wants, while I stay home with the kids. That's a story for a different site, though.

Anyway, we don't get to go on many dates together, but when we do, the same thing happens every single time: We are seated next to a bunch of wild, screaming kids. At best, these kids could be described as overtired. At worst, the other people eating at the restaurant can be spotted discreetly hissing, "What a bunch of brats" to the rest of their table.

Look, I'm a parent, and I get that sometimes kids are bad in restaurants. In fact, my own kids have done things that made me want to crawl under the table with my enchilada or salad and hide until closing time. It happens.

Food Trends of 2011

Savory cupcakes, urban general stores and more.

Food & Wine Magazine keeps an eye on the biggest food trends in restaurants throughout the year. If a bunch of chefs are creating olfactory experiences for their diners by burning chestnuts or marshmallows, Food & Wine will know.

This year, if chefs weren’t creating fusion menus, the foodie trends were all about taking nostalgic food, drink and hangouts and updating them for modern diners. Let’s look at some of Food & Wine’s biggest foodie trends for 2011: Read more about Food Trends of 2011

Krispy Kreme Donuts

What's All the Hype About?

The other day I was out and about and was passing Krispy Kreme when the donut sign came on. Would you believe that someone nearly crashed into me trying to make that turn? When this took place it reminded me of a Florida moment because when I was there everyone seemed to go crazy when the hot donuts sign came on yet I had never seen anyone do that here in Virginia. This leads me to the question what is all the hype about Krispy Kreme donuts?

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Cook Salmon for Holiday Feast

Make the holiday special this year and consider cooking Roasted Curry Salmon with Tomatoes for your guest. You will find that this will spice up the dinner table and be a real pleasure to eat for everyone. The holiday meals do not always have to consist of the traditional foods instead have fun with your foods and make a special dish like the Roasted Curry Salmon.

Restaurant Review: Jimmy John's Subs

I have a friend who used to make a 40 minute drive just to get a Jimmy John's sub every couple of weeks. I love subs just as much as the next person, but they never been one of my "to die for" favorite restaurant foods. I have actually started eating subs less and less since the most popular sub chain in America, Subway, has been getting stingier and stingier when making their subs around where I live. The last time I came home from Subway I had a foot-long piece of bread with two slices of turkey on it and one slice of tomato. Of course, I am exaggerating a bit, but that is what it felt like I was eating. Anyways, back to Jimmy John's subs. Imagine my friend's delight when they opened a brand-new shop just minutes from both of our houses. He talked me into trying one of their subs (it didn't take much), and this is what I thought.
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Is Captain George's Worth The Money?

Captain George Review

Captain George is a seafood restaurant for those of you who do not have one of the available in your area. They are buffet style but you can also order dishes from the menu if you choose to. From my experience every time I go there they are really packed – it is quite a big restaurant.

Taco Bell Raised their Prices: Make your Mexican Food at Home

Anyone who knows me is familiar with my strange Taco Bell addiction. I could eat Taco Bell every day for months and never get tired of it. Who am I kidding? I HAVE eaten Taco Bell, in the past, for many days straight. Those were the good old days, before they raised their prices this past spring. I remember making late-night Taco Bell runs with my friends in high school and with each of us purchasing an entire meal for under $3. Now you are lucky to pay less than $7 for a decent meal. This popular chain Mexican restaurant raised the prices on virtually all of its items by at least 50 cents a piece in the spring of 2011. This would be expected to happen with inflation in a normal economy -- but today's economy is not normal by any means.
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What Type of Waitress Do You Tip the Most?

A friend of mine worked in nice restaurant for several years in her early twenties. She said they she almost never went home with less than $300 in tips but her fellow waitresses usually made less than $50 -$100.

So what was the difference?

IHOP Sucks In Their Customer Service Department

Bad IHOP Experience

IHOP is not one of my first choice restaurants anymore. I mean there food is good but the quality of their service absolutely sucks. I went their last night because I was in the mood for some breakfast food and I will have to tell you that it took almost 30 minutes just to get the order taken. Luckily, I was in the mood for their food or I would have just got up and left.

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