Posts filed under 'American'

Garden Grill :: 64 N. Country Road/25A, Smithtown

(No photo)

We’ve finally ventured off the main strip(s) of 25 and Rte.111. We discovered this little cafe tucked away just north of 25 on N. Country Road. The Garden Grill Restaurant is a 120 year old Victorian Country Inn with a self-proclaimed warm and gracious atmosphere.

Jennifer ate:

Almond Encrusted Artichoke Hearts (appetizer) — ($9)
Fresh Mozzarella (appetizer)
($9)

I’ve probably driven by this place a dozen times and never even noticed it. It’s clearly a converted house (just like our ZeroG offices!) and it really is very warm and cozy once you get inside. We were seated immediately and attended to quickly.

I’d reviewed the menu online prior to visiting, so I was prepared for how few vegetarian options there would be. I opted for two appetizers to make up a meal, the almond encrusted artichoke hearts and the fresh mozzarella. They were both presented on simple, square plates and were minimally decorated.

The mozzarella was layered with tomato slices, and decorated with too few of the tasty onions and roasted red peppers. The balsamic dressing on the side was a nice touch, and very tasty. Overall though, it was pretty bland. Neither the mozzarella nor the tomatoes were remarkably tasty.

I was surprised to find that the almond encrusted artichoke hearts were deep fried, especially since that was not mentioned on the menu. (If I had known I would not have ordered it!) And while deep frying can be light, like in the case of most tempura dishes, these were still pretty greasy inside. The almond crust was good, but the oil inside really diluted the artichoke flavor. The balsamic reduction was drizzled on sparingly, which is a shame because it was tastier than the creamy dressing served with it on the side.

All in all it was a decent meal. The service was fast, the food wasn’t bad, the ambiance was nice (the temperature was okay), and I would probably even go there again. It would be a great place to take clients. But for a health-conscious vegetarian, they have woefully few options.

The bottom line:

Almond Encrusted Artichoke Hearts – Kinda greasy, not enough flavor.
Fresh Mozzarella – Kinda bland, but okay.
Overall rating: It was okay. Not bad, not great. If you’re not vegetarian, and less picky about fat and calories, they have lots of options for you.

Chuck ate:

Well, Chuck did eat here, but he’s been “too busy” to blog about it. So you’re stuck with my review alone…

Add comment September 22, 2009

American Roadside :: 80 East Main St., Smithtown

American Roadside Burgers recently opened up in Smithtown, right on Main Street (where the Boston Market used to be). You can’t miss it as you drive down 25A through the village, especially since you’ll probably be stuck in traffic.

Jennifer ate:

Veggie Burger — ($4.24)
Sweet Potato Fries
($2.66)

A burger joint. How very appealing to a health-conscious vegetarian. I’d been avoiding this place since it opened. Even Chuck, with his (mildly) high cholesterol, wasn’t looking forward to blogging about a hamburger restaurant. But, it is in Smithtown, right in the village, and we vowed to review every restaurant in Smithtown (if it’s open for lunch) when we started this blog, so we resolved ourselves to going.

The decor is pretty cool. The dining room is spacious with comfy places to sit, there are interesting things to look at, there’s a hand washing station outside of the bathrooms, rolls of paper towels at each table, an interesting fountain soda selection, and funky music to match the theme. There’s also a wall to commemorate all the brave souls who ordered, and consumed, the RoadStar burger (four cheeseburgers on a bun, yes, FOUR!). I suppose if your heart can survive that, you deserve to have your name on the wall. (Either that or it’s a great place for cardiologists to find patients.)

I checked the menu online so I could mentally prepare, and was happily surprised to see a veggie burger on the menu. And the thing about American Roadside is, it’s all about the toppings, which are free. So, piled on my veggie burger I got ketchup, mustard, pickles, red onion, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and roasted jalapeños. I also ordered the sweet potato fries. (When in Rome…)

I was happy to see that they offered a “skinny” option, which was the burger without the bun, wrapped, instead, in lettuce. I’ve had other things this way and it’s quite tasty and you don’t miss the bread. But for this, I felt I owed it to the blog to have the American Roadside experience, so I had the bun. They also have a salad on the menu, which sounds pretty bland. But, hey, at least it’s on the menu.

Getting down to the flavor. It was GOOD! Honestly, I was surprised. I’ve had dozens of veggie burgers that ranged in flavor from “good” to “not unlike cardboard”. The toppings do make the burger and these toppings were tasty. I should have also asked for the “pink” sauce, but I didn’t know what it was. It’s a mixture of ketchup, mayo and Worcestershire sauce, and we ended up getting a little cup of it to dip our sweet potato fries in — yum! I definitely recommend that. The fries were very tasty. Of course, deep fry just about anything and it will taste good.

So, pleasant surprise, American Roadside is good. It would be a really fun place to take your kids and teenagers. We were tempted by the old fashioned milkshakes and ice cream sandwiches (and something called Lug Nuts which sounded to me like zepolis), but felt guilty enough eating burgers and fries so we skipped dessert.

The bottom line:

Veggie Burger with all the fixins – Pretty good.
Sweet Potato Fries – Sinfully good.
Overall rating: I actually liked it. I don’t know if I’d recommend it, since red meat is so bad for you, but if you take the veggie burger route, you might have a tasty meal with decent prices.

Chuck ate:

Cheeseburger ($3.82)

Boy oh boy. American Roadside Burger (ARB) is like the modern day soda shop from yesteryear. The decor is brick and exposed, painted steel and decidedly “rough.” The addition of a new Harley INSIDE the restaurant is a nice touch. Especially since it’s part of a promotional giveaway in conjunction with Lighthouse Harley Davidson (Each a pound of meat, win a hog).

So, I will admit I was dreading this one. I’ve just been trying to eat healthier as of late and the thought of a greasy burger wasn’t too appetizing. Man was I wrong. I went for the cheeseburger and topped it with onions, pickles, hot sauce, roasted jalapeños, ketchup, and lettuce. The burger was hot and the toppings where VERY fresh and tasty. This is probably one of the better burgers I’ve had lately. The thing I really liked about it was that it was a nice proportion. So if I was hungrier, I could go for the double and that would work nicely.

The fries where good (as Jen said) and the pink sauce was intriguing. I usually mix up a mayo/maple syrup sauce to dip sweet potato fries in (before you saw EWWWW…try it, seriously) and I think that would be a nice addition on the menu (hint, hint).

The food came out FAST. It wasn’t very busy, so I was expecting it to come out quickly, but we had pretty much just sat down when our server brought it out. So that was nice.

The bottom line:

Cheeseburger – Awesome, one of the best burgers I’ve had in a while
Overall rating: With a clean, retro/hip decor, fast service, and tasty burgers ARB is the place to go for your fast food fix.

2 comments September 11, 2008

Maureen’s Kitchen :: 108 Terry Road

A staple of the Smithtown area for as long as I can remember, Maureen’s Kitchen started out as a trailer-style diner on the north side of Terry Rd (anyone remember the cow-painted Honda?). Several years ago they relocated to a large barn-style building on the south side of Terry Rd and increased their size and presence. Maureen’s kitchen is best described as an upper class, gourmet “greasy spoon“. Be aware though that Maureen’s does NOT accept credit cards — it is cash only and some menu options are fairly pricey (e.g. $6.50 for a kids PB&J).

Jennifer ate:

Vegetarian version of the Sliced Chicken, Eggplant, Asparagus, Roasted Peppers, Mozzarella & Pesto on Grilled Rye — without the chicken, of course! ($10.25)
Unsweetened Iced Tea ($2.25)

If you’ve read our blog before, you know that not only am I a strict vegetarian (not vegan), I also try to eat healthy as well. That means as little as possible of anything fried, anything too oily or creamy, as few as possible processed grains (white breads and most pastas) or refined sugars, food dyes and processed foods. If at this point you say, “I don’t care, just get to the food, what else is there to eat?!”, please scroll down to Chuck’s review. If you’re saying, “yeah, me too”, then please read on.

I’ve been to Maureen’s a few times before and have always opted for a breakfast-type food because Maureen’s is well-known for their pancakes and omelettes. But I’ve never been very satisfied with their breakfast food so I found an interesting-sounding sandwich and had them make it without the meat. (There are no meat-free sandwiches on their menu.)

I like unsweetened iced tea because I can sweeten it with just a little sugar and avoid all the processing that’s involved in pre-sweetened iced tea that comes in cans and bottles. They brought me a big glass of ice, with a little bit of tea on top. The rest of the tea came in a cute, but completely useless container which did not pour out the top but rather dribbled tea all the way down the side and all over the table. Once I was able to actually drink some of the tea, it was quite tasty.

Our food arrived very quickly — much more quickly than any time I had been there in the past — so I didn’t really have time to admire the decor, which is cute-ly themed with cows and cow patterned everything. (Hence the very large cow out in front of the restaurant.) It was a very diner-feeling food arrangement (without anything to snack on while waiting) of sandwich cut in half, pickle and red potato salad.

It is here that I must pause to complain. Yes, complain. Because while the sandwhich was yummy, the potato salad had BACON in it. It was mixed in and very hard to see since the chunky red potato skins were mixed in, too. So after going through the process with our server that I wanted a chicken sandwich WITHOUT the chicken, she didn’t feel it was necessary to inform me that the potato salad contained MEAT. Chuck said he has heard of bacon in potato salad but this was a first (and hopefully last) for me. Fortunately for the staff at Maureen’s, I did not ingest any bacon.

So, the sandwich was pretty good. However, the menu neglected to mention that the eggplant was breaded and FRIED. (Once, at TGI Friday’s, I ordered eggplant parmesan. And while I figured the eggplant would be breaded and fried, I never imagined that it would also contain a breaded and fried mozzerella patty, which made it virtually inedible if I didn’t want to die of a heart attack before my 40th birthday… but I digress.)

Even though I was surprised by the breaded and fried eggplant, it was relatively light-tasting and the rest of the sandwhich was very good and bordered on delicious. (Deep fry just about anything and it tastes good.) The asparagus was cooked well and the balance was great. I couldn’t really taste the pesto, but I could see it. The allover flavor was really dominated by the fried eggplant. The pickle was great. I love a good pickle with a sandwich.

We didn’t stay for dessert. We were full and Chuck was afraid I would embarass him by reprimanding the server for not mentioning the MEAT in a supposedly meat-free side dish like potato salad. So I spared him — this time.

The bottom line:
Eggplant (fried!), asparagus, roasted peppers, mozzarela & pesto on grilled rye – Pretty good.
Iced tea – good, if you can get it into your glass!
Potato salad – it had BACON in it! (Yuck.)
Overall rating: In my opinion, Maureen’s is overrated. I quite like Chuck’s description of it as a gourmet greasy spoon type eaterie (gourmet in pricing only). In my handfull of visits, I’m underwhelmed.

Chuck ate:

Salsalito Turkey, Coleslaw, Swiss Cheese & Russian dressing on Bakery Rye bread ($8.75)

I’ve been to Maureen’s quite a bit over the last several years but usually for breakfast. So it was nice to go and have lunch and see what it was like without the ridiculous weekend crowds (seriously, you’d think that Billy Joel was doing a signing there on a Sunday morning).

The place is decorated in turn-of-the-century cow, with white black and red all over the place. Everything about this place screams COW (even the two life-sized wooden cows out front). Did I mention that there are cows everywhere? Anyway, it’s a fun place with ample room in the booths and a diner-style counter with the griddle-kitchen in full view. We were seated and served quickly – so (against what you’d think) this made a great, quick lunch stop.

I opted for the Salsalito Turkey sandwich grilled (instead of “cold”) and it was really quite good. I would have liked the turkey warmed through a bit, but the rye was crispy, the cheese was melted and the Russian dressing had a very good flavor (better than most). All-in-all this was a great sandwich and very filling. On the side I had the potato salad, which required some salt and pepper and as you no doubt have already read above, it has bacon in it. Luckily I was able to recognize this and stop Jennifer before she chewed any of it (close call). The sandwich was finished off with a 1/4 slice of a dill pickle (very good).

Soft drinks are served with glasses and the can, so no fountain drinks FYI.

The bottom line:
Salsalito Turkey Sandwich – flavorful and filling.
Potato salad – good but a bit bland.
Overall rating: Maureen’s Kitchen is a great lunch spot with fast service and tasty food with a gourmet tilt. There are no reservations though, so if you want breakfast, get there early.

4 comments July 30, 2008

The Old Street Pub :: 92 E. Main Street, Smithtown

The Old Street Pub

Located in the Branch Shopping Plaza, this Restaurant/Pub is a Smithtown mainstay and a surprisingly good eat.

Jennifer ate:

Mediterranean Wrap ($9.95)

We’ve driven past The Old Street Pub many times. Personally, the name itself has little appeal, probably since a pub-style eaterie is not usually my thing. I have, however, heard great things about this particular place so I felt we had to give it a try.

The inside was dark and the high ceilings make the restaurant noise resonate throughout the dining area. We sat at a booth in the bar section because the dining room was completely empty. The wait staff knew the menu well and seemed to know many of the patrons, too. As usual, it was chilly inside, but not nearly as cold as some of the other restaurants we’ve tried lately.

Nothing was served on the table as we waited, so we sipped our drinks until they brought out the cole slaw and pickles that came with our meals. I have never liked cole slaw of any kind, but I resolved to try it here since the ultimate goal is to write a review. And I’m glad I did because the cole slaw was actually tasty! A surprise to say the least, so if you find yourself at the Old Street Pub, try a bite of the cole slaw even if you haven’t liked it in the past.

Their menu is online so I previewed it before we went. It was nice to see a few vegetarian options that weren’t pasta-based! I settled on the Mediterranean Wrap, which has goat cheese, tomatoes, sliced Portabello mushrooms and mixed greens in a tasty (although white-flour) tortilla. It wasn’t greasy or oily and was very good! A small scoop of red-skinned potato salad on the side was also good, and the small portion was a worth-while indulgence. (Next time I’ll be tempted to try the Portobello Mushroom Burger.)

I didn’t have an appetizer or salad (besides the small scoop of cole slaw), but the wrap itself was filling! We never saw a dessert menu, and didn’t see one online so I’m not sure what they offer. If you try something good while you’re there, let me know!

The bottom line:
Mediterranean Wrap – Very good!
Overall rating: Not bad at all! I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty my lunch was.

Chuck ate:

Chicken Verona  ($9.95)
Baked potato ($1.25 )

So the Old Street has been around since before I was born (est. 1969). While growing up in Hauppauge, my family would frequent the Pub regularly. I always enjoyed it as a child and have eaten there many, many times since 1975 (when we moved to Hauppauge). Well, now that I have the opportunity to review this beloved and nostalgic destination, I was eager to see how it holds up against Smithtown’s other restaurant competition.

The ambiance hasn’t really changed much and has a dark, pub feel to it. For this outing, we opted to eat in the pub section and not the dining room. However, I have eaten in the dining room before and it is pleasant with dark wood and dim lighting. We were seated quickly and even though there weren’t any snackables on the table, the cole slaw and pickles (very good, BTW) came out quickly. I ordered the Chicken Verona sandwich (a grilled chicken cutlet on a garlic toasted roll w/ roasted red peppers and melted mozzarella) and substituted the baked potato for the default steak fries. One word of warning… while the bun was extremely tasty, it was SOAKED with butter and garlic. So if you are watching fat and cholesterol, watch out. (Another cholesterol watch… but sinfully good is the deep fried toast and cheddar spread. I know, I KNOW).

The sandwich was excellent: tender, tasty, with just the right balance of flavors and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Regardless of the fact that there was a lot of butter on the roll, it still tasted great! So while my stomach thanked me, my heart was a bit upset.

The bottom line:
Chicken Verona – Very flavorful, but watch out for the cholesterol-soaked bun.
Overall rating: The Old Street Pub is a tried and true landmark in Smithtown. Good food and a simple (albeit slightly upscale) pub feel makes this restaurant a winner.

4 comments January 30, 2008

Mykonos :: 45 Route 111, Smithtown

Mykonos

Mykonos Greek-American Restaurant in Smithtown is off the main strip tucked into the shopping center near Uncle Giuseppe’s. We’ve been there before for Greek salad take-out, but this was our first time for a sit-down meal.

Jennifer ate:

Humus – appetizer ($5.25)
Spinach Pie with Greek Salad – lunch special ($7.50)

All the booths were filled when we arrived for lunch, and we were seated immediately at a table. The décor is simple and the piped in music had a definite Mediterranean feel. Our beverage order was taken right away and we quickly ordered an appetizer of Humus for the table.

The lunch menu had many options —even for vegetarians — and each lunch comes with a beverage and soup. But vegetarians beware, the egg-lemon soup has chicken in it, which I did not expect.

The humus was tasty but probably pre-made — it didn’t taste fresh. It was good, but lacked the texture and garlic-bite to which I’m accustomed. I ordered the spinach pie for my meal. It was a bit on the salty side and a bit dry, but was overall pretty good. I always like their Greek salad. It’s usually the dressing that makes or breaks a Greek salad and Mykonos’ dressing is delicious. But I would prefer a little bit nicer lettuce, there is usually too much of the white inside of the iceberg lettuce and not enough of the outer green leaves for my tastes.

The bottom line:
Spinach Pie – pretty good, a little salty and dry I’d try something else next time.
Overall rating: Not bad. I’ll go back again for my Greek Salad take-out, and would try another sit-down meal, but I’d have something else… maybe the Greek pizza!

Chuck ate:

Keftedes in Pita w/ Greek Salad – lunch Special ($7.95)

We’ve been getting takeout Greek salads from Mykonos for years and they are quite good. So today we decided to give it a sit-down try and see what else they have to offer. The lunch menu had some excellent prices and a variety of offerings. Instead of going for the gyro (which I usually get when I eat Greek), I decided to try something different. I was unsure about what Keftedes were and our server was able to explain that it’s basically a Greek meatball. Interestingly enough, it seems more like falafel in texture and taste.

Jennifer ordered us a humus appetizer while I checked out the restrooms (which where large and clean – always a plus!). The meal began with a a soup. I had the chicken and escarole. The soup was hot and flavorful. The lunch itself was good and filling with tomatoes, onions and cilantro. The Keftedes where a bit dry, but a little yogurt sauce solved that problem. The courses of the lunch came out quickly and our server was friendly and very attentive.

The ambiance was interesting, kind of reminiscent of a Greek farming town with stucco walls and faux windows looking out to a field. In addition, they had farming tools like yolks and scythes hanging on the wall.

The bottom line:
Keftedes and salad – Flavorful and filling.
Overall rating: Good solid Greek food with tasty salads. If you’re in the area and hankering for Hellenic fare, drop in.

4 comments September 13, 2007

Johnnie’s Subside :: 75 West Main Street, Smithtown

Johnnie’s Subside

Johnnie’s subside is a small hero shop (just west of Schubert’s Auto Body) that’s been around since 1970. If you’ve driven down Main Street in the past 3+ decades, you’ve certainly passed by, and most likely have eaten at (or at least heard about) Johnnie’s Subside.

Jennifer ate:

Provolone Hero on Whole Wheat ($6.95)

I was reasonably sure there would be few options for a healthy-eating vegetarian at a hard-core sub shop, and my suspicions were verified quickly. While it was somewhat reassuring to see that Johnnie’s now have whole wheat hero rolls, it was dismaying to see only two viable options on the menu. Eggplant parmesan was the obvious choice, but since it was close to 90˚ and 100% humidity today, I opted for provolone and swiss on whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, onion, oregano and oil and vinegar.

This is not unlike any sandwich you can get at Blimpie or Subway, and was not as tasty. I’m not sure how a whole wheat roll can be so completely flavorless, as was the iceberg lettuce, onion, and diluted vinegar. The tomato and oregano were the only ingredients with any flavor, but that makes for a pretty boring sandwich.

The garlic pickle, which we shared, was just an average dill pickle. The garlic flavor was nearly non-existent and the pickle itself wasn’t especially crisp or fresh. We didn’t finish it between us. The iced tea that came with Chuck’s sandwich (free with any hot hero) was actually tasty and I believe it is made fresh on premisis.

For the price, the sandwiches are remarkably large (I could barely finish half!). If filling your stomach is the top priority, with flavor and nutrition far below, then by all means, stop by Johnnie’s for a sandwich. Otherwise, you’d do just as well at Subway or Quiznos, and you’ll probably enjoy more flavor less expense.

The bottom line:
Provolone Hero on Whole Wheat – Boring and virtually flavor-free.
Overall rating: You might want to walk on by. There are so many good places to eat in Smithtown. Just read our other posts!

Chuck ate:

Philly Steak w/ Onions & Muenster ($8.45)
Garlic Pickle ($1.35)

I’ve lived in Hauppauge most of my life and have been around Smithtown since my dad took me to get my first haircut at Mr. JP’s (which is still around, BTW). I know of Subside, I’ve eaten there before and it does have it’s good points. My brother swears by it (even makes special trips to Smithtown just to eat there) Price-wise it’s reasonable, especially if you’re hungry since the subs are enormous (seriously, they’re impossibly large) and for the price, it’s good stuff.

I gotta tell you, though, maybe this was just a bad day, but this outing at Subside was unappealing (which I was surprised about). Jennifer and I wanted to make a quick lunch stop today (since we’re quite busy) and decided to get something to go instead of having a sit-down lunch. Subside seemed like a good bet.

I went with the Philly Steak since I’ve had it here before and really enjoyed it (plus I was in the mood for it). I would have assumed that the default cheese for a Philly Steak would be American (since that is what was done the other times I’ve had the sandwich), but it was made with Muenster. The odd thing is that I wasn’t asked what I wanted, but I figured, hey, let’s try something different, right? The hero was hot, but the meat was a bit sinewy and bland and without the bolder flavor of American cheese, the sandwich fell kinda flat for me. The onions were not as caramelized as they should have been and were thus less sweet. The pickle was good, but it’s tough to f’ up a pickle.

The bottom line:
Philly Steak: big sandwich, not much flavor
Overall rating: Certainly a better bet than Subway, with large sandwiches and NY-style attitude. But with its inconsistent quality, it may be a catch-as-catch-can.

4 comments August 8, 2007

Union Station :: 155 W Main St., Smithtown

Union Station

Located just west of the LIRR overpass on Jericho Turnpike, Union Station was once the old Smithtown Hotel. Nice attention to interior detail, excellent food and friendly service round out Union Station’s upscale, tavern-styled appeal.

Website: http://www.unionstationrestaurantsmithtown.com

Jennifer Ate:

House Chopped Salad ($7.00)

[Hearts of palm, roasted tomoatoes, red onions, nicoises olives, cucumbers, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and honey balsamic dressing]

It’s easy to miss Union Station as you pass the busy stretch of Jericho Tpke/Main Street in Smithtown, but look up. Just west of the LIRR overpass is the entrance and you’ll be happy you stopped.

With outdoor seating that looks out over Main Street and is immediately adjacent to the LIRR overpass, it can be noisy at times, but the food and service will be worth it. The food presentation is no-nonsense but well done. The service was pleasant and prompt.

My salad came chopped and dressed and ready to eat without cutting or mixing. The salad was lightly and evenly dressed with a light and flavorful honey balsamic. It probably could have used the splash of ground pepper the server offered and I declined. (I usually prefer to try foods as-they-come the first time.)

We didn’t stick around for any dessert but might next time. The choices were few but interesting.

The bottom line:
House chopped salad : An excellent choice for a light, healthy lunch.

Overall I’d recommend trying Union Station. Especially during the spring and summer months when you can sit outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Chuck Ate:

Turkey Wrap ($9.00)

Since it was a really nice day, we had the opportunity to sit outside on the patio and have our lunch. The patio is raised a good 10 feet above Jericho and the train tressle runs right by. It had an interesting “Queens” kind of feel (outside with the train right next to us) which was cool. We were taken care of by the bartender who was funny, prompt and efficient (even quickly cleaning up some lettuce that “escaped” my plate while I was eating).

I had the turkey wrap which contained sliced turkey, swiss cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and smoked pepper aioli (which I’ve never had before). The meal also came with a mixed field greens salad with a homemade vinaigrette. The wrap was very good and the salad was excellent. The wrap had a more “gourmet” flavor to it which I typically don’t like, but in this case it it was really nice. The presentation was excellent as well with a large plate and the food laid out in an appetizing manner.

The bottom line:
Turkey Wrap: Very flavorful and filling.
Salad: Excellent, house vinaigrette was excellent as well.
Overall, I recommend Union Station. The lunch was leisurely and served quickly. The price was reasonable as well. I am actually interested in trying it for dinner one night. :)

Add comment July 5, 2007

The Country Rotisserie :: 264 West Main Street, Smithtown

The Country Rotisserie

The Country Rotisserie on Main Street in Smithtown opened its doors about a month ago. Its tag line says “Revive your taste buds!” and a second tag line reads, “Cause were always cookin’ something good”. (The spelling error is theirs.) The sign outside boasts of “chicken, ribs, wraps, burgers, soups and more!”

Jennifer ate:

Small side of rice ($1.99), small side of green beans ($1.99).

We visited this location for lunch on Wednesday, May 16th right around noon. The dining room was empty except for one patron who was just leaving. It immediately reminded me of a Boston Market, with its variety of chicken, ribs, and overprocessed side dishes. They also make fresh wraps and sandwiches.

With the exception of the pre-packaged simple salads and two decent-looking pasta salads, the only non-meat options were the side dishes. For anyone watching their caloric intake, this is probably not the best dining choice. Most of the sides were soaking in sauces and oils. I opted for the rice, which was tasty, and the green beans, because they were without sauce. Some tender-looking brussel sprouts would have been my first choice, if not for the hollandaise sauce they were floating in.

The bottom line:
Rice – decent, fairly tasty, slightly greasy.
Green beans – overcooked, limp and poorly seasoned.
Homemade potato chips (I tasted one of Chuck’s) – very tasty, not too salty, nice potato flavor.
Overall rating: if you liked Boston Market, you’ll like this place. Otherwise, steer clear.

Chuck ate:

The Spicy BBQ Chicken Wrap ($6.99)

The restaurant itself has a nice country feel (hence the name) with distressed green wood shutters decorating the walls and a rustic “charm” which offsets the “boxey” feel of the restaurant. It sits right on Jericho Turnpike and the windows provide an ample view of the road and large warehouse-type building across the street. Some blinds, or shades would be nice to hide the industrial view. The idea is much like a local Boston Market franchise and the offerings are similar. There are quite a few options including meals (lunch and dinner), wraps and sides including the standard fare of green beans, mac and cheese, cinnamon apples, etc.

The wrap was warm and made fresh with a spicy, tangy sauce on the chicken and crispy Romaine lettuce. It had an almost “Asian” taste to it (which was unexpected). The wrap came with homemade chips, rather thick potato slices, at about 1/32” thick. They had a nice potato flavor, but where rather bland. Taste-wise, I liked it, but I really don’t have a satisfied feeling in my gut as I write this now.

The bottom line:
The wrap – tasty and spicey.
Homemade potato chips – nice potato flavor but bland.
Overall rating: Without the corporate feel of a Boston Market, The Country Rotisserie provides a fairly priced, nice option for a quick lunch.

2 comments May 16, 2007




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