 Mr. Smith  June 24, 2010, at 8:00 am  When you think Italian fine dining, do you think of the Olive Garden? Well the obvious answer is no, of course not but for me and the misses we decided to take the plunge and visit the Olive Garden together for the first time. Our restaurant of choice this time around resides at NE 181 st. and Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami FL.
We arrived around 7 pm on a Saturday evening and the place was pretty packed, as we expected. We grabbed one of those black square things and waited around about 15 minutes before being seated at a booth, as we requested. Our waiter’s name was Daniel and as I remember it, he came over and offered us drinks immediately. Good Start.
As is tradition now when Mrs. Smith and I visit a chain restaurant, I ordered the sampler appetizer of fried calamari, chicken fingers and beef toasted ravioli. As an entree, I decided on the mixed grill (one chicken skewer and one beef skewer with grilled vegetables) and Mrs. Smith picked the Seafood Portofino, which was made up of mussels, shrimp and other seafood I can’t remember at the moment, on a bed of pasta with a cream sauce. While we waited, we were treated to unlimited salad and bread-sticks. FINALLY after 25 years of non-stop commercials, I was able to see what the fuss was all about. Salad great / bread-sticks not so much for me because I’m not a fan of garlic. Mrs. Smith liked ‘em, so I guess they were good.
While we were waiting for our food to arrive, we noticed just how many elderly people there were at Olive Garden this time of night. To our left was a very German couple and everywhere else we looked, there seemed to be senior citizens between the ages of 65 and 95. The poor bastard we had serve us also had some very demanding customers to take care of and I felt nothing but pity for him. I heard conversations about everything from WWII to if the television “program” called “Letterman” was on Saturday’s. Serious life changing stuff.
Appetizers arrived and the chicken and calamari was great. Unfortunately, I found the fried beef ravioli to be all bread and no meat so we plowed through the first two and reluctantly finished up the rest of our ravioli. Shortly after finishing our appetizers, our food arrived and the portion size was very nice. My skewers looked quite tasty and Mrs. Smith also found her dish appealing. Digging in, I found my medium-rare beef and vegetables to be absolutely fantastic. The chicken was somewhat dry, so I tried to eat that right away before it turned into a rock (which it did anyway). Mrs. Smith took care of all her seafood and left just a little pasta on her plate and I can’t remember exactly what we talked about but we chatted away for about an hour.
Around 9pm, we asked for our check and with tax and tip, our bill came to a flat $55. That’s somewhat expensive for a chain restaurant but I consider the Olive Garden on the Outback Steakhouse level. Just a notch above the rest. Overall, our experience was fantastic, the service was fantastic and our food was very good. We’ll definitely be planning a second and third visit to the Olive Garden soon. I certainly wouldn’t consider the Olive Garden Fine Italian Dining, but I would consider it Quality Italian Dining.
Mrs. Smith June 18, 2010, at 10:40 am
 All this started when Mr. Smith and I were watching Top Chef last night and Mr. Smith innocently asked, “Is Padma married?… Well she’s got to be married right, because she just had a baby. Actually no she doesn’t” to which I answered, “Yeah, she probably is”. For some reason that conversation stayed on my mind. I decided to do some research and you are not going to believe what I found.
So here is the story: Padma married novelist Salman Rushdie on April 17th 2004, in New York City. Three years later, on July 2nd 2007, the couple filed for divorce. This guy is a doozie, check out the picture below. When Lakshmi was asked about the obvious age difference between the two (Rushdie is only seven years younger than her father), she replied “I think that we are attracted to what we feel we need”. Lakshmi and her father are long estranged from each other even though she has described him as “the most sexy, manic, in-shape, lean, tall, handsome man I have ever met”. Three words – Creepy Daddy Issues!
So wait, who’s the father of her new born baby you ask? Well that would be the brother of business mogul and founder of Dell Inc., Adam Dell. No one knows exactly how long these two have been dating (Or if they are dating) but after delivering her baby girl Krishna Thea Lakshmi on October 1st 2009, Lakshmi waited five long months to even reveal him as the biological father.
One more thing, what is up with the huge scar on her right arm? When Lakshmi was 14 years old, she was in a tragic car accident which left her with injuries that included a fractured right hip and a shattered upper right arm. After going through surgery on her arm, Lakshmi was left with a 7-inch scar.
Fun Food Fact: Padma Lakshmi was actually brought up as a vegetarian and credits the fast food chain, Carl’s Jr., with showing her a new world of meat to her. Lakshmi even did a Carl’s Jr. commercial in 2009, which featured her eating a Western Bacon Cheeseburger. Good thing she switched sides, otherwise the vegetarianism would have made her life on Top Chef that much harder.
Mr. Smith April 16, 2010, at 10:40 pm
 The Mrs and I don’t eat out often, probably because we are diligently saving money for our future. Eventually, we would like to move from Miami into a colder climate and make a sizable down payment on our first house. When we are able to splurge, we usually visit a globally recognized chain restaurant, like you’ve seen in our previous Applebee’s, Chili’s and TGI Friday’s reviews. In keeping with the trend, we decided to go to our local Denny’s restaurant, located on Biscayne and 36th ave, about 2 miles north of downtown Miami.
We arrived around 7:00 pm ET and noticed right away that there was only one other family eating at that time. The location I mentioned above is extremely busy at almost every hour of a 24-hour day and I would have thought that this Denny’s would be buzzing on a Friday night, but the place was super dead. We were seated in one of the 1,000 open booths and checked out Denny’s new value menu that had a lot of choices at $2, $4, $6 and $8. The wife and I agreed on getting the sampler for an appetizer then I ordered the cowboy steak with cheddar mashed potatoes and hash-browns and she also ordered the cowboy steak (but with no onions) with sides of coleslaw and ranchero mashed potatoes. I would guess the orders were placed around 7:15 pm ET.
Well, 7:30 pm rolls around and our waiter was no where to be seen. We were getting worried because there is literally 3 other customers in the restaurant who arrived around 10 minutes after us and it’s at this time Mrs. Smith starts getting antsy. Another five minutes passes and she goes from antsy to angry. Five minutes after that, we are served the WRONG entrees. Not even the wrong appetizer mind you … the wrong entrees. So the three people sitting next to us received their meals first and right after that, we were given our meals. It would appear that the appetizer was forgotten about completely and with zero appetizer orders outside of ours, it was extremely disappointing.
So here we have our dinners but there’s another problem. Mrs. Smith no-onion steak was loaded with onions. To prevent her from throwing them around the room, I grabbed her plate and gave it back to the waiter. He said he put the order in with no onions and even tried to show me on the monitor where orders are taken but I didn’t care, I just wanted a steak with no onions. One minute later, the steak returned, obviously scraped free of visible onions. Problem #2 … there were still plenty of onions in the cheese and on the steak. The Medusa-like stare that I received from Mrs. Smith for the next 10 minutes would have turned any other man into stone I assure you.
The next twenty or so minutes were spent trying to calm her down from a rampage in Denny’s that would have killed only me, because I was the only one there. To be fair, the hamburger steaks were actually pretty good, as were the sides. The waiter, admitting defeat, gave us our check without even offering dessert and even though the meal was like Chinese water torture, I ordered the $2 pancake puff dessert. By far, the best part of the evening as it’s well proportioned and quite tasty. $19 and change bill because there was no appetizer and I strangely left a very high tip to round the total to $21.00. (10% was not deserved but at Denny’s you pay at the cashier and I was compelled to leave a dollar more than I should have)
The empty restaurant on what should be a busy Friday night should have told us to keep on walking but we didn’t listen. Mrs. Smith undoubtedly had a worse go of it than I did but her anger quickly turned into my anger and rightfully so. We only received half of our order … and even that was wrong! Sadly, I was a big fan of Denny’s before this incident and while we might still go to Denny’s in the future, one thing is for sure, the Denny’s on 36th and Biscayne in Miami should be avoided at all costs. Sometimes good food is worth the trouble but this isn’t even close.
Mr. Smith February 9, 2010, at 9:46 am
It’s tradition of That’s All Folks to take advantage of low-priced quality food from chain restaurants and when TGI Friday’s relaunched their 3 Course Meal for $12.99, we weren’t gonna miss it this time. Our first restaurant chain review of Applebee’s didn’t go well at all and our second chain review of Chili’s was pretty awesome. TGI Friday’s has always been a favorite in the Smith household but how would their menu options and food quality hold up this time?
As is standard operating procedure, we patronized the TGI Friday’s restaurant located in the Biscayne and 146th Shopping Plaza. The Mrs. and I have been to this one a few times before, always walking away satisfied. We arrived at 6pm sharp and after a 15 minute wait for the dining room, we were promptly seated at a wobbly table next to a screaming brat! If any of you reading this are married, then you know that when your wife is not happy, she can stare a burning laser through your eyes right into the back of your brain. Well the second we sat down, I could feel that laser and knew that we had to move. Luckily for us, there was an open booth available and we quickly scampered over.
Our waitress found us fast and promptly brought out the Pepsi and water, ready to take our orders. Mrs. Smith decided to go with the Pot Stickers as an appetizer, Parmesan Encrusted Chicken as the entrée and finished off the meal with a Brownie Obsession. I on the other hand opened with the safe selection of Fried Mozzarella Sticks, ventured into new territory with the Ultimate Sicilian Chicken Sandwich and closed shop with the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake.
The appetizers came in good time and were both delicious. You simply can’t go wrong with mozzarella sticks, no matter you situation or your tastes and the pot stickers that the Mrs. ordered were quite tasty. Portions were six a piece and unlike the deals at Chili’s and Applebee’s, these were regular sized and very fulfilling.
Continue reading “TGI Friday’s 3 Course Meal for $12.99 Review»” »
Mrs. Smith January 4, 2010, at 10:45 pm
 I know this story actually came out months ago, but I just found out, and I think it definitely deserves a second wind. In honor of National Ice Cream Week in the UK, there was a poll of more than 1,000 women who voted on which actors body they would like to immortalize in a Popsicle. The majority of the voters wanted the image of Daniel Craig, emerging from the water in Casino Royale.
A smoothie store called Del Monte has taken liberty of making that dream come true, and sculpted a limited edition Popsicle in the shape of Daniel Craig’s nude upper body. The frozen treat supposedly comes in pomegranate, blueberry and cranberry flavors and are under 100 calories each. The icy desert is no longer available for mass production, but the image of Daniel Craig’s upper body on a stick will be edged in our minds forever.
Mrs. Smith January 1, 2010, at 8:33 pm
 Boy oh boy I wish it was. If you’ve watched TV in the last month or so, you have probably seen the new Taco Bell drive-thru diet commercials. As part of the latest craze to stay healthy, Taco Bell came out with its own version of the Veggie Burger – The Fresco Menu. The commercial stars a lady named Christine Dougherty who miraculously lost 54 pounds in 2 years with the help of Taco Bell’s Fresco menu. Funny enough Taco Bell made disclaimers like ” The fresco menu is NOT a low-calorie food“. Even Christine Dougherty’s statement states the following:
“As you know, the Drive-Thru Diet® menu is not a weight-loss program. For me, I didn’t want to cut out my fast food so I started choosing Fresco items from the Drive-Thru Diet® menu and making other sensible choices“
And my favorite…
“These results aren’t typical, but for me they were fantastic!”
Notice the bolded parts? makes you wonder if it’s the “other sensible choices” she made that helped her lose all that weight, or the fact that she had a burrito with no cheese. Are you kidding me? who’s to say that in the midst of all the Taco Bell runs, she didn’t have a salad from Burger King?… can we credit her weight loss to that fine fast food organization? Well, let’s look at the facts more closely. The Fresco menu includes delectable treats like a Fresco steak taco, burrito supreme, bean burrito, both soft and crunchy tacos and the ranchero chicken soft taco. But are they really better for you then the originals? Lets compare one.
Would you look at that, the fresco burrito has 20 fewer calories than the original… I feel the weight melting off already. Lets also note that it has more carbohydrates, more sodium and less protein then the original. All great things when your trying to lose weight. NOT. So for conclusion, if you are really trying to lose weight… exercise and don’t eat Taco Bell.
Want to try this “miracle food”? grab a free taco coupon, and hurry… they are only giving out a million of these.
Mrs. Smith December 18, 2009, at 7:32 pm
 If you love eating food, watching food and watching other people eat food – This is the show for you! The Travel Channels’ Man Vs. Food is unstoppable. But first, let me tell you a little secret, you’re going to want to sit down for this one, I… have never had cable. (Pause for gasps). You could only imagine the joy I experienced when I first moved out on my own (Ok, the second time I moved out on my own) and got cable! Especially now since I have nothing else to do but write and watch TV. It’s needless to say that the Travel Channel is one of my favorite channels, and this show is a big part of the why.
Man Vs. Food premiered December 3, 2008 on the Travel challenge and is all about a guy named Adam Richman who travels the country to find the most unique dishes and explore the local culture. Adam faces different types of eating challenges at local restaurants, from ultra hot dishes to incredible amounts for food that he has to eat, with a time limit or without. From a massive 2-gallon sundae heaped with 8 softball-sized scoops of ice cream to the Firebrand Chili Challenge. Adam Richman will eat anything for the sake of television.
Adam Richman began his superstar life on May 16, 1974 in Brooklyn, New York. And don’t think that food is the only thing he can do, Adam got his undergraduate degree in International Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama (Not bad for a TV personality). Richman’s passion for food has always been there, he held numerous restaurant jobs from the front to the back of the kitchen and kept a journal of the best food joints he has had the pleasure of visiting. Man Vs. Food was not Adam’s first gig, he had the chance to guest star on shows like on The Guiding Light, All My Children, Law & Order and a funny portrayal of God as a butcher on Joan of Arcadia. But don’t think of Adam as a fame loving food man, while interviewing with another one of travel channels best, Andrew Zimmerman, Adam stated the following:
At some point within the last handful of years though, I just really began to take stock in two philosophies – one of my Dad’s old maxims about life, “This Ain’t No Dress Rehearsal.” And the Samurai Bushido’s principal of making a decision about anything within the span of seven breaths. I acknowledge the outward-seeming esoteric, hippie-dippyosity of this, but in truth, I just combined them both and now approach actions, travel, people, food challenges with a sort of “suck the marrow out of the moment” philosophy. I strive to throw myself into whatever situation with a kind of committed, focused abandon. And I have to tell you — it’s sooooo cool. But I’m not a competitive eater and have no aspirations to be. That’s kinda the point — I’m just a dude who loves traditional food and likes to eat and travel.
The million dollar question – How does he tackle the food filled challenges? Richman exercises twice a day while he’s on the road, he does not eat the day before a challenge and he tries to stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water or club soda. He regularly gets his cholesterol, liver enzymes and blood lipids checked when not on the road. And after ending each taping he spends an hour on the treadmill.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nsE6gpegeQ[/youtube]
Mrs. Smith October 30, 2009, at 9:54 am
Finally a candy that’s actually good for you. The new Jelly Belly Superfruit Mix is made with real fruit like Acai Berry, Barbados Cherry, Cranberry, Blueberry and Pomegranate. It’s the perfect Halloween snack when kids can’t get enough of candy (Just don’t tell them it’s good for them otherwise they wont eat it! Like the Chef Boyardee commercial lol).
The Beans also contain 25 percent of your daily Vitamin C intake and contain only 5 calories each. Who doesn’t like jelly beans? and now spend $35+ and get a FREE BeanBoozled Spinner Gift Box when you enter the coupon code: SPIN + get 10% off for Halloween with coupon code: BOO. Oh and did I mention that any purchase over $50 also ships for FREE! Get your last minute Halloween candy now!
Mr. Smith August 2, 2009, at 10:03 am
 Yet again, Mrs. Smith and I took to the streets and decided to try the 3-course meal that Chili’s had been advertising every 10 seconds. We paired this with going to see the horror movie “The Collector” (Review to follow later today) just to make sure this was a very memorable evening, one way or the other.
Our Chili’s of choice this time around was the one located right next to the Movie Theater (Biscayne and 199th) and we arrived promptly at 7:30pm. Packed as expected, I dropped the Mrs. off to get our place in line while I found a parking space. When I made it to the restaurant, it looked to be about a half-an-hour wait. We were given a black beeper, which seems to be the norm for chain restaurants around the country, and we found a cozy seat inside to wait our turn. After only about 15 minutes, our hostess was kind enough to seat us at a booth in the middle of the restaurant.
Hallie, our waitress was lightning fast in getting over to us and kindly pointed out the specials that were running. First came the drinks and I splurged this time with a Coke (Asked for Pepsi, but what can you do, no restaurant in the country carries both) and the Mrs. stuck to her water with lemon. 60 seconds later, we had our drinks and were ready to give the appetizer: half order of Texas Cheese Fries. Took us a few minutes to find the right entrée’ choice (15 total to choose from for this promotion) but we finally decided. Mrs. Smith chose the Mesquite Chicken Salad and I chose the Country Fried Steak. Again, I let my decision be based on the most expensive thing on the menu; I don’t know why I do that! We had also decided on the Molten Chocolate Cake dessert early, so we were straight to the gate.
The Cheese Fries arrived promptly, about 10 minutes before the Entrée’s and were very good. Melted cheese with jalapenos, bacon, and proper seasoning went a long way and were quickly devoured. A few minutes of digestion time later, our meal was ready. First, the large salad was placed down and I smiled knowing there was no way that could be taken out in one sitting, then, when I was presented with my meal, I quickly hit my head with my hand thinking “There’s absolutely no way I can finish this!” In addition to the massive amount of Country Fried Stake, I also was given a healthy portion of Mashed Potatoes and a nice piece of Corn-on-the-Cob. Just as quickly as I laughed at the Mrs., I knew I too was doomed. Rather than try to eat the whole thing and be in pain for the movie, I made the decision to eat half, box half, and leave room for the looming dessert. (Certainly the right move)
My steak was crispy, very tasty and well presented. The corn was fantastic, well buttered and salted, and easily stripped of the cob with my chompers. The mashed potatoes were thick and creamy … very tough at a chain restaurant from what I have experienced in the past. The Mrs. quickly went through her salad, knocking out everything but some lettuce. She mentioned it was good too, though needed more BBQ sauce to make it better. When finished, Hallie was quickly over to provide a box and take our plates. (I also did not mention that she provided refills without us asking, another rarity these days). With room to spare, we were ready for our Molten Cake.
Wonderfully presented, we smiled when we saw what was shortly to exist only in our stomachs. The chocolate cake provides a foundation for the one scoop of vanilla ice cream, which is encapsulated in chocolate. Drizzled on the plate was a little caramel, just for effect. A few minutes later we placed our backs against the plush booth seats after a job well done. Certainly a great finish to a great meal and experience.
The total cost of the meal was $30.00 (Including Tax and a generous tip which was well-deserved). I also walked out of there with lunch for today, which only adds to the good time we had. Unlike Applebees, we WANTED to go back and do this again, rather than hope it goes better the next time. A great way to kick of the Saturday Night!
For huge dining savings check out Restaurant.com
Mrs. Smith July 16, 2009, at 9:07 am
Restaurant.com Alert People!!!
Get 60% Off at Restaurant.com + receive a FREE $10 Gift Certificate! Use coupon code “KITCHEN” on both of their most popular products, Dinner of the Month Club and the $25 Gift Certificates.
$25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificates for $4.00
Offer Terms and Conditions: The FREE $10 Gift Certificate code is not valid on Dinner of the Month purchases and will be emailed to you within 24 hours.
Check out the full Restaurant.com review
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Destination Truth - 9/09
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When you think Italian fine dining, do you think of the Olive Garden? Well the obvious answer is no, of course not but for me and the misses we decided to take the plunge and visit the Olive Garden together for the first time. Our restaurant of choice this time around resides at NE 181 st. and Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami FL.
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