LongHorn Steakhouse: 7/10/13

Before Wednesday, July 10th I had not been to LongHorn Steakhouse in at least 4 years. I am not a huge steak fan, but when I am in the mood we usually cook out at my mom’s house or we go to Outback Steakhouse, so I really did not know what to expect from LongHorn. The reason I went again is because I decided that I want to get involved with the Animal Adoption League (a local animal foster/adoption program) in Charlotte and this is the location of their monthly meeting. I heard about the Animal Adoption League shortly after I moved into my apartment and I actually adopted my cat Fritz from the center back in October. So I was very excited to give back to such a great organization and do something new…I love trying new things

Here is the logo for LongHorn Steakhouse

Batter and crispiness: A+
-The seasoning on these tenders was excellent. The batter was light, fluffy, and crispy all at the same time. I wish all chicken tenders could be seasoned this well.

Tenderness and juiciness: A
-Not only was I very impressed with the batter of the tenders, but I was also impressed with the quality of the chicken used in them. The chicken was very tender (no toughness whatsoever) and it was quite juicy.

Portion Size/Presentation: B-
-In my opinion this meal was a little on the pricy side for chicken tenders, but it was a decent value for the amount of food that you got. For $13.95 you get 8 chicken tenders, 6-8 handfuls of fries, and another side of your choosing (I chose soup for an upgrade of $2.49). This meal was very filling and I definitely could not eat it in one sitting.

Reheating: B
-The meal reheated fairly well. The tenders were still slightly crispy and the fries were not soggy. It tasted pretty close to the original meal except that the chicken meat was tougher and the batter fell off the tenders.

Side: C
-The fries were big and crispy, but they had little to no seasoning. They kind of reminded me of the frozen fries you buy at the grocery store.

Description:
-Fresh chicken tenders - Hand-battered fresh chicken tenders. Served with Honey Mustard and 2 sides. $13.95

Here is my meal! Sorry it is kinda dark.

Overall I would give the chicken tenders at LongHorn Steakhouse a B-/B. The batter was done really well as was the chicken. The downsides the sides, the price of the meal, and the reheating aspect. While none of these categories were horrible, they definitely brought down the overall score of the meal. However, I was impressed with the meal as a whole considering the restaurant is a steakhouse, so I have to give it props and I would come back for their chicken tenders...just not very often considering the price.

Leroy Fox: 7/4/13

For July 4th Madison and I decided to go to Leroy Fox’s for lunch and have some good ole American food to celebrate the holiday. As soon as I stepped into Leroy Fox I knew I would like the place. The atmosphere was laid back with a classic modern bar feel, it was also very clean. I especially liked the exposed brick walls, high quality big screen TVs, and the dark wood floors and tables. Also worth mentioning, the bar was very well set-up and one feature I thought was very unique is that the waiting area had a wall of different street signs in Charlotte. Before I even tried the food I had high expectations for this restaurant.

I think the outside of Leroy Fox looks really cool. 

Batter and crispiness: B
-This category was slightly disappointing because I had very high expectations for these tenders. They were very crispy, but the flavor was very subtle and it took me 2 tenders until I could actually taste it. However, when I dipped the tenders in the ranch (which is excellent btw) it was fantastic! I am pretty sure that they make the ranch in house.

Tenderness and juiciness: B
-The reason I gave this category was because the chicken tenders were very juicy (you could see the juice), but the chicken was almost chewy in some parts. However, the slight chewiness did not affect the category too severely because overall the tenders were cooked very well.

Portion Size/Presentation: B+/A-
-There is always one in every bunch…or in this case, every blog post. This was the category that gave me trouble grading this week. On the one hand, I think the size deserves a B+ because Leroy Fox gives you a good number of chicken tenders (5) but they are on the small side. However, they give you A TON of fries, so I feel like the category should receive an A- because of that. So taking both of those factors into account I decided to revert to my B+/A- grade because it is only fair considering this blog focuses on chicken tenders and not the side items.

Reheating: A-
-I gave this category an A- because this meal reheated really well. The fries tasted about the same as when I first had them (just a little less crispy) and the chicken tenders actually tasted better! My only complaint is that I wish the tenders themselves were bigger because my reheated portion (with 3 tenders) was more like a snack than a second meal.

Side: A+
-For my sides I had the mac & cheese and the fries and let me tell you, these were the best sides I have had in a long time. The fries were very crispy, hand-cut, and had lots of Cajun seasoning on them so they were very flavorful but not hot. Then the macaroni & cheese…it was AMAZING! It was the perfect combination of being light, very creamy yet crunchy at the same time, and it had the perfect amount of sweetness with a little ground pepper on top. Now, I am kind of biased because I make a pretty great mac & cheese (if I do say so myself…trust me, other people have said it is delicious as well), but this had to be the best restaurant mac & cheese that I have ever had. It tasted as like it were made with actual grated cheese instead of the highly processed cheese and I did not have any complaints about it.

Description:
-The Elizabeth $12 – Hot and juicy barreled chicken tenderloins are breaded and deep fried then served with honey mustard and ranch over a bed of shoestring fries.

Here is my delicious lunch!

Overall I would give the chicken tenders at Leroy Fox a B. The potion size was pretty good for the price, I just wish I got more tenders and a few less fries. Also, the sides were absolutely amazing (I would have given them an A++ if I could). Oh and Leroy Fox gets points for the décor of the restaurant because I really enjoyed that. The only negatives of the meal were the batter, which lacked any substantial flavor and the tenderness of the chicken…parts of it were tough. Regardless, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives and I will definitely be back for these tenders…and a side of mac & cheese (it is the best I have ever had at a restaurant…and that is saying something because I love a good mac & cheese). One more thing…if you are like me and like ranch with your chicken tenders then definitely get the ranch at Leroy Fox. It is delicious!

I just wanted to show y'all the wall of street signs.

Until next time,

LB

Church's Chicken: 6/29/13

Hello again,

This week I went, Madison rode with me, to Church’s Chicken. I have passed by Church’s Chicken many times and I have always wanted to try the food there, so I figured why not make this restaurant the next entry for my chicken tender blog! The reason I chose to go to Church’s Chicken was because I was not too hungry at the time (it was after 2pm) and we were meeting friends for dinner a few hours later, so I did not want to have a big lunch anyways. 

 

 Here is the logo for Church's Chicken.

Batter and crispiness: A

-I really enjoyed the batter on the chicken tenders from Church’s Chicken. It was very crunchy and very flavorful. Overall I think Church’s does a fantastic job with the actual taste and texture of the batter, but the ratio of batter to chicken is disproportionate so much that you cannot taste the chicken in some bites.

Tenderness and juiciness of the chicken:  B

-Continuing with what I said in the previous statement, there is a lot of batter on these chicken tenders. In fact, there is so much batter that I had a hard time scoring this section.

Every time I took I bite I tried to focus on the texture of the chicken, but I could not decide on a grade until after I ate almost two chicken tenders. However, I concluded that the chicken is tender, the tips of the tenders and juicy, the middle is on the dry side.

Portion size/presentation: C-

-I was very disappointed in the size of this meal. When I first drove up and saw the prices on the menu I almost left because it seemed a little unreasonable, but I decided to order because I had already driven 20 minutes to go to Church’s…originally I did not realize it was that far away. Now, while $7.99 does not seem like a for a fast food meal, it was not warranted in this case. My meal consisted of 4 extremely thin tenders (on one of them there was a thicker middle portion), a small fry (it had about a handful of fries), and a regularly sized biscuit. Good thing I ate this meal only a few hours before I ate a big dinner or I would have been very hungry.

Description:

-Delicious all white meat chicken tenders available in spicy or original. Choose your favorite dipping sauce and you’re good to go. The four chicken tender meal comes with fries, a biscuit, and a drink for $7.99.

Side: C-

-As I said before, with this meal I got a biscuit and a small fry as my side items. When it comes to the biscuit I thought it was very tasty. The biscuit was the perfect mix of fluffiness and crunchiness, however I was not a big fan of the honey butter on top. Overall I liked the biscuit, but the same cannot be said for the fries. The fries were slightly soggy and lacked any seasoning. If I go back to Church’s Chicken then I will definitely get a different side.

Reheating: D+

-Not surprisingly, this meal did not reheat well. The tenders lacked any flavor, were chewy, and not crunchy at all…I actually had to throw away big chucks of the tenders because I could not bite through them. Also, the fries were almost inedible and there was a lot of grease when I finished eating. The one bright spot of the meal was the biscuit, which I think improved during reheating. Gone was the honey butter taste that I disliked while the fluffiness and crunchiness stayed. Originally I was going to give this section a D, but the biscuit bumped my grade up to a D+ because I was left hungry after eating the meal. Luckily, I ate a late lunch, so it was able to sustain me until dinner.

 

Here is my meal...see what I mean when I say it was small?

Overall I would give my chicken tender meal at Church’s Chicken a C. The actual tenders were good (even though they were small), the chicken was cooked fairly well (for a fast food restaurant), and the biscuit was delicious (even though I did not like the honey butter). My main complaints with the meal were the small portion size for the price, the disappointing fries, and the fact that the meal did not reheat well. I am not sure if I would choose to go back to Church’s Chicken, but I would go again if someone had a craving for it. In conclusion, it was not one of my favorite fast food restaurants, but it was not a bad enough experience that I would never eat there again. In my opinion there are just so many other places where you can get better chicken tenders for the same price or a little bit more.

Landmark Diner Restaurant: 6/21/13

 For this entry Madison and I went to the Landmark Diner Restaurant on 6/21/13. We had never heard of the restaurant before, but it was featured on Diners, Drive-In, and Dives, so we thought we would give it a shot. It was kind of hard to find the restaurant because the sign for it is small and not well lit. However, once we sat down in the restaurant we were pleased with our dining choice because there is so much to choose from...our waiter (a very nice man) said there are over 320 items on the regular menu and then the owner creates a special menu every Sunday. Oh and the 320 items do not include the 20+ desserts. Anyways, on to the review.

I decided to switch things up this time. Here's the menu for Landmark Diner Restaurant.

Batter and crispiness: B+/A-
-These tenders were surprisingly crispy, it did not look like they were going to be crispy at all and the batter had a subtle flavor to it that did not overpower the chicken. However, I would have liked them more if the chefs would have used more spices, it tasted like the batter only had pepper in it.

Tenderness and juiciness: B
-The chicken in these tenders was not juicy, but it was very tender, which I liked. A negative of the tenders was that the chicken was very flat, which made them appear smaller than most tenders. 

Portion size/presentation: A+
-I only have good things to say about the portion size. I started off with homemade bread (delicious) that is covered with an egg wash. Then the actual meal had 6 chicken tenders and 2 sides that were pretty substantial.

Side: A
-As I said in the previous section, you start off with homemade bread, which is very tasty. Then to accompany your meal you can choose from 2 sides off their regular menu or from their special sides for the day. For my sides I choose a stuffed potato shell and green beans. Now, I did not care for the green beans because while they were cooked very well, they had too strong of a vinegar taste to them. But I loved the stuffed potato shell. This shell was filled potato, cheese, ham, onion, and a little sour cream. When I first saw the description for this I was turned off because I do not like onions or sour cream, but them Madison said I should try it and I was very happy I did. The dish was just so flavorful and creamy and the combination of ingredients was perfect.

Reheating: B
-Honestly I do not remember much about this meal in terms of reheating, but the tenders were good to begin with and they were good to reheat.

Description:
Chicken tenders with a stuffed potato shell. $7.99 (it was a special for the day)

Here's my rather large dinner. It may not look like that much food, but it is...especially when you get your dessert.

Overall I would give this meal a B+. The tenders were good and tasty, the stuffed potato was delicious, and the portion size was amazing for the price. The only negatives about the meal were the green beans (which had too much vinegar on them) and the fact that the meat in the chicken tenders was slightly dry. With that said, I will definitely go back to this restaurant. It is really good food for a good price, the waiter was really, and it is a laid-back restaurant. Oh and make sure you get a dessert...they are all homemade and they are delicious!

Until next time.

LB

Ed's Tavern: 6/12/13

For this post I went with Katie and Madison to Ed's Tavern after Katie and I saw The Great Gatsby. We ended up at Ed's Tavern after going to this nearby bar and finding that it was closed, it was after 10 pm by this time. The first thing we noticed when we first walked in was how packed the restaurant was and it turned out that there was song trivia that night (teams had to guess the name and/or artist of different songs within seconds). It was very loud, but that's the risk you take by going to a bar on a late night.

 

Here is the sign for Ed's Tavern. 

Batter and crispiness: B
-These chicken tenders were very crispy, which was great, but I was not a huge fan of the taste and inconsistency of the tenders. Some of the them tasted as if they were slightly burned while other tasted a little spicy. As a result I had difficulty actually determining a score for this section, but I settled on a B because I enjoyed the crispiness of the tenders and one or two of them tasted great.

Tenderness and juiciness of chicken: A
-The chicken was very tender and juicy, especially considering that Ed's Tavern is a bar.

Portion size/presentation: A
-This meal was a very good size for the price. Included in the meal were 5 really big, thick chicken tenders and there was a good portion of fries. Not only that, but I loved the container they were in! In case you cannot tell, the chefs put the fries in a frying basket, so it looks like you get them right out of the fryer.

Side: B+
-Similarly to the chicken tenders, it was hard for me to score the french fries. The positives were that they were thick and hand-cut, which is always a plus and the seasoning was done very well. However, I gave the fries a B+ because they were hard in the middle like they were needed to be cooked just a little bit more.

Reheating: B-
-While I enjoyed this meal when I had it at the restaurant, I had mixed feelings when I reheated it. The first thing I noticed about the meal after reheating was that there was a pool of grease under the fries and tenders, so that tells me that this meal is cooked in a lot of grease...not good. The negatives of the tenders were they were not crispy at all, the batter fell off as soon as I picked them up, and some of the meat turned chewy/hard. The positives were that the meat was still tender and pretty juicy, just not as much as when I originally ate the meal. When it comes to the fries they were soggy, but still tasty.

Description:
-Chicken finger basket - Hand breaded buttermilk chicken tenders. Served with golden fries. $8.50

My meal from Ed's Tavern.

Overall I would give the chicken tenders at Ed's Tavern a B+. The meat was tender and juicy and the portion size was great for the price. While I thought the batter was lacking and the meal did not reheat well, overall I would say this was a solid meal and I would definitely get it again. Maybe next time I go we can even play trivia!

LB

Hardee's: 6/9/13

Hello again!

This week's post is kind of special because I enjoyed this meal with one of my best friends, Derek, who visited me for the weekend, so it was his first time going on a chicken tender critique with me! Derek lives in Raleigh, NC and he was visiting me for the weekend. Now before I continue I must admit that when Derek mentioned getting chicken tenders at Hardee's I was hesitant at first. Sometime last year I had the chicken tenders at Hardee's, but I did not really remember them because I rarely eat at the restaurant. But Derek said they were good so I thought "why not". So after a long day of zip lining near Asheville, NC (very cool experience by the way), we were both famished and decided to get some fast food on our way back to my apartment.

 

 The logo for Hardee's, a good fast food restaurant that I feel is commonly overlooked.

Batter and crispiness: B+
-I was actually pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed the batter on these chicken tenders. The batter is very light, but also very tasty. However, since the batter is so light, the tenders are not really crispy and I wish they were crispier. Overall the flavor was perfect and the proportion of batter to chicken was spot-on.

Tenderness and juiciness of chicken: A
-I was impressed by the tenderness and juiciness of the chicken in these tenders. There were no tough parts in the tenders and the chicken melted in your mouth. I just wish the tenders were crispier so the tenderness of the chicken could have shone through more.

Portion size/presentation: A
-At this point in time I had only eaten breakfast, so needless to say I was famished and I got the 5-piece chicken tender combo for $7.39. Hardee's offers many options for chicken tenders (available in 3 or 5 pieces and with or without fries), but I knew I needed the largest sizes so I would have leftovers to reheat. These 5 tenders were fairly large and very filling. I wish I got more french fries, but overall 2 handfuls of fries is pretty good for the price when you have large chicken tenders to supplement.

Side: B-
-These sides were unlike any I have ever had, which I noticed as soon as I opened our bag of takeout. The fries had no visible seasoning on them, but they were very flavorful. I was not sure how this was possible until Derek tried one and said that they were cooked in fat. He was not a fan of the fries because while they were tasty, he said they were too greasy for his tastes (they are pretty greasy, but nothing crazy). I on the other hand really enjoyed them because they were hand-cut and very crispy.

Reheating: B+
-When reheated the tenders were still juicy (just a little bit drier) and they were tough in parts. However, the taste did not change and they were still crispy, so overall they maintained their initial appeal. When it came to the fries the did not reheat as well because some of them were soggy and others were hard. But considering that they were from a fast food restaurant the meal reheated well.

Description:
-Premium, fresh, all-white meat chicken tenders, hand-dipped in eggs and buttermilk and lightly breaded. Served with your choice of honey mustard or buttermilk ranch sauces. 5-piece combo $7.39

 

My dinner from Hardee's, while it may not look like much it was very filling and quite satisfying.

Overall I would give the chicken tenders at Hardee's a B+, but this was a difficult grade to decide upon. The tenders were tasty and filling, but they were not outstanding enough to get a higher grade and there was nothing I would really change about them, so I decided that they deserved this grade. Now do not get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed them (hence the high grade), but I do not think they deserved a higher grade than B+ because the portion size was not great and the fries did not have much flavor to them. Also, while they were good, I would not go out of my way to get them, but I would definitely have these again.

O'Charley's: 5/31/13

Hello fellow bloggers!

Sorry for the delay, but this post was definitely worth the wait (in my opinion at least) because it is about one of my all-time favorite restaurants in which to get chicken tenders...O'Charley's! Back when I was in high school there was an O'Charley's about 5 minutes from my school and during our senior year Katie and I would go there for lunch fairly often...we had flex for our last periods every other day so we got to leave before lunch on those days. Anyways, I have always loved going to O'Charley's and I do not think I have gotten anything but the tenders in all of my visit...they really are that good.

For the first probably 10 years my family lived in Charlotte (I have lived here over 19 years) there was only 1 O'Charley's near us and it was about 40-45 minutes away, so it was always a special treat to go there. Then the second location opened near my school and we went more often, but unfortunately it closed about a year or so after I graduated. So once again O'Charley's was one of those "special occasion" type places. Now, I cannot remember the last time I had O'Charley's, but it had probably been about a year (we just always forget about it since it is so far away) and I was determined to have their famous chicken tenders. Below you will see my review of the chicken tender meal that I got when Katie and I made the trek (it only took us about 30 minutes because our apartment is closer to the location than my house) to get the infamous O'Charley's chicken tenders.

Batter and crispiness: A+
-This category received a perfect score because I would not have done or asked for these chicken tenders to be prepared in any other manner. The batter was perfectly crispy and was extremely flavorful. I could not distinguish what seasonings were used for the batter, but you could see the pepper which definitely kicked these tenders up a notch. Another positive of the batter was that it was not too heavy and not too light...the perfect combination.

 

Notice all of the pepper O'Charley's puts in the batter.

Tenderness and juiciness of chicken: A
-The tenderness of this chicken was commendable too. When you bit into a tender the chicken glistened, which is always a good sign, and the meat was very evenly cooked. While there were some parts of the chicken that were on the thin side, the flavor of the chicken outweighed the small portions of the tenders. 

Portion size/presentation: A+
-I was quite pleased with the portion size and presentation of my meal. While some people may think the price is a little high for chicken tenders (it is about 1 dollar higher than I have had at most restaurants), this meal is definitely worth it because you get so much food. For starters, you get unlimited bread rolls, which are delicious. Then you get your actual meal, which has 2 generous portions of side items (or you can choose a soup or salad as 1 of your sides). There is definitely enough to take back or share (that is what my family used to do).

Side: A+
-These side items were delicious! First I'll start with the rolls since they came out first and then I'll move on to the sides I got with my meal. The rolls at O'Charley's are to die for...ok not really, but you catch my drift. They come out fresh from the oven fluffy and glisten with butter (you also get butter on the side). Now on to the side items that accompanied my meal. I am not usually a fan of broccoli cheese casseroles, but this one was fantastic because it had rice mixed in and it was very creamy with a touch of sweetness. Additionally, the fries were perfectly seasoned and I did not need to add any type of seasoning to them or dip them in a dipping sauce (I did not even ask for ranch...that shows the quality of the meal).

Reheating: A-/A
-Of my chicken tender meal I took back 2 rolls (we asked for some To Go), 2 chicken tenders, and half of my fries. After some discussion with Katie we decided that the broccoli cheese casserole would not save well, so we both ate the entire portion of casserole. The majority of my meal reheated so well that it almost matched the initial quality. Some parts of the tenders were tough and chewy, but overall the flavor remained and they were still crispy and juicy. The fries heated up in the microwave pretty well too, just a little soggy but that is to be expected.

Description:
-O'Charley's Famous Chicken Tenders. Double hand-breaded white meat chicken, dipped in buttermilk and lightly fried to perfection. Served with our Honey Mustard dressing. Or try our Buffalo or Chipotle Tenders. Served with your choice of two side items. $10.99

My extremely satisfying meal at O'Charley's.

Overall I give the chicken tender meal at O'Charley's an A/A+. The tenders were prepared expertly, the portion size was outstanding, and the sides complemented the tenders very well. While I wish they reheated better, it does not affect the scoring because I could easily have eaten all 5 of these tenders in one sitting...I saved some so I could test the reheating ability. Honestly I do not think I have had better and more consistent chicken tenders from anywhere else (I have rarely had a disappointing chicken tender meal from O'Charley's). If you have not been to O'Charley's for their famous chicken tenders please do yourself a favor and go now...you won't regret it.

LB