Mario's Pizza and Italian Restaurant: 9/3/13

Typically when I go to Mario's Pizza and Italian Restaurant (called Mario's for short) I get a sub of some kind because they are huge and very tasty, but for this visit I decided to try the chicken tenders and write a review. Madison and I decided to go to Mario's because he wanted a sub and I wanted some garlic knots (they are delicious and you have to have at least one basket). So here is my opinion on the chicken tenders at Mario's.

The logo for Mario's Pizza and Italian Restaurant is very simple.

Batter and crispiness: A
-The batter on these tenders was very thick, which is usually a negative but in this case I thoroughly enjoyed it. The batter was seasoned wonderfully and the tenders were quite crispy.

Tenderness and juiciness of chicken: B
-The chicken in these tenders was surprisingly tender and juicy considering that Mario's is known for its Italian food. However, when compared to other restaurants that serve chicken tenders, these tenders were not impressive in this category.

Portion size/presentation: C-
-As the description says, with this meal you get 3 chicken tenders and about four handfuls of fries. While this was a filling meal, I think there should have been an extra tender and less fries. 

Reheating: N/A
-I could not reheat this meal because it was on the small side and I ate it all at Mario's.

Side: C
-The fries at Mario's were just average. While they were crispy (a plus) and obviously hand-cut (another plus), they did not have much flavor.

Description:
-Fingers and fries combo (3 fingers and fries)......$7.50

 

Here is my chicken tender dinner from Mario's.

Overall I would give the chicken tenders at Mario's Pizza and Italian Restaurant a C+. The portion size was slightly below average, the side was average, and the batter and tenderness of the chicken were above average. There was nothing special about this meal, but I would get it again, just not very often because Mario's Pizza and Italian Restaurant does so many other dishes so well. 

LB

Char Bar 7: 8/28/13

Hello blogging world,

Sorry for the long delay, but my world has been pretty crazy in the last few months. I recently started a new job and just got done with 4 different trips. The good news is that since my last posts I have been enjoying some chicken tenders, so I hope you enjoy reading these posts.

The first restaurant I will review is Char Bar 7. Char Bar 7 is known for its delicious burgers (I am a huge fan of its Leap Year Burger, which has an over medium egg on it), but there are other dishes as well. So one day for dinner Madison and I went there and I decided to give the chicken tenders a try because I had never had them before.

Here's Char Bar 7's logo.

Batter and crispiness: C-

-The batter on these chicken tenders as very light and crispy, which I liked, but I was not a big fan of the seasoning. The tenders are coated with a beer batter, but unlike most beer batters, these tenders tasted bitter. Originally I was going to give this category a B-, but the more I ate the tenders, the less I liked them.

Tenderness and juiciness of chicken: A+
-These tenders definitely rank pretty high on the list for the most tender and juicy chicken tenders in Charlotte. I had no complaints when it came to this category. The chicken tenders were very tender and moist.

Portion size/presentation: B
-I thought the portion size was slightly above average because you got 5 pretty big chicken tenders and 2 big handfuls of fries.

Reheating: B
-I gave this category a B because the fries were still crispy and the slight bitter taste was still present, but not as strong as it originally was. Additionally, the tenders were still juicy, but not as crispy...which is to be expected.

Side: B
-When it comes to the french fries at Char Bar 7, I gave them a B because they were crispy and a good size, but they just did not have enough seasoning on them and were kind of bland as a result.

Description:
-Chicken tender basket - $9.75 - Hand battered & served with your choice of bbq or honey mustard and one side.

 

 

My chicken tender dinner at Char Bar 7. Btw, that brownish sauce by the ranch is their homemade sauce. I was not a fan, but you should try it.

Overall I would give the chicken tenders at Char Bar 7 a B-. Originally I wanted to give these tenders a higher score (because I love the restaurant so much), but ultimately I decided this was a fair grade. While there were some aspects that were great (the tenderness and juiciness of the chicken), there were other aspects that were disappointing (the batter specifically). In conclusion, I will definitely go back to Char Bar 7, but it will probably be a while before getting the chicken tenders again. It is not that I regret getting them, but it is so hard for me to not get the Leap Year Burger because it is absolutely fantastic! You should definitely check this place out, if not for the chicken tenders than definitely for the burgers.

LB

WC’s Hot Spot Café (in Water Country USA): 8/10/13

It’s time for another special posting of my chicken tender blog from Richmond, Virginia! Only this time was not a planned chicken tender post, Alex and I just happened to find chicken tenders at our destination for the day.

For those of you who don’t know, this past weekend (8/9-8/12) I visited my friend Alex in Richmond, Virginia (you may remember him from my post of Tenders back in January). Well after a leisurely day on Friday, he decided that we should do something more exciting and so Alex, Johnny (his boyfriend), and I went to Water Country USA, Virginia’s largest water park! There we spent the whole day riding all sorts of water slides, lazing around on the lazy river and the Hubba Hubba Highway (a lazy river where you wear life vests to float instead of use inner tubes), and just having fun being with each other. While we were at Water Country USA we were able to find a place called WC’s Hot Spot Café where I could get my chicken tenders and critic them for this blog. Below is my review of said chicken tenders

The view of WC's The Hot Spot from our lunch spot.

Batter and crispiness: C+
-I gave this section a C+ because there was too much breading on these tenders (I would say the amount of breading doubled the amount of chicken in each tender), but the seasoning used in the batter had a nice, peppery taste, which I very much enjoyed. When evaluating the crispiness, I was conflicted on a grade because while the tenders were crispy in parts, they were also soggy. It was as if they just were not cooked long enough.

Tenderness and juiciness of chicken: C+
-The actual chicken in the tenders was not great quality and it was a little dry (what little chicken there was…they kind of skimped on the chicken). I wish the chicken was prepared better, but you cannot expect much from an amusement park.

Portion size/presentation: C
-I gave this section a C because I felt it was the expected size for the price of a chicken tender meal at an amusement park. Truth be told, if I had received this same meal at an actual restaurant I would have been pretty upset. This meal consisted of 5 small chicken tenders and a little, high school cafeteria style, portion of fries. Now the fries where big which I usually like, but in this case that was probably a negative because it made the portion size look even smaller.

Reheating: N/A
-Unfortunately I could not take these chicken tenders back to reheat because I had them for lunch at the water park and we were planning on spending a few more hours there. However, even though I was unable to take this meal home because of the timing, I do not think there would have been enough to take back anyways.

Side: A-
-While the portion size of the fries was rather small, I actually did like the taste and texture of them. From the first bite it was clear that they were cooked in some sort of fat based product because you could taste the fat and see the grease of the fries (some people consider this cooking method to be a negative, but I actual like the taste…just not all of the grease, which knocked this category down a notch). Two of the things I really enjoyed about the fries were the crispiness of them and the amount of saltiness. Now, if you are reading this post then you have probably read some of my other ones and you know how much I love salt…well Hot Spot does a great job with its seasoning of salt.

Description:
-Chicken strips with French fries - $8.29, drink - $2.99

 

Here is my chicken tender meal!

Overall I would give the chicken tenders at Water Country USA a C/C+. There was nothing terribly wrong about the tenders, but at the same time there was nothing spectacular about them either. While I liked the tenders I felt as though I was ripped off (which is common for amusement parks) because there was not much chicken to the actual tenders and the portion size did not match the price (especially when you added the drink into the equation). However, I would say that in terms of taste, this meal was slightly above average for standard amusement park food. In conclusion, if I ever happen to be at Water Country USA again then I will probably order the chicken tender meal again because it kept me full for most of the afternoon (I got hungry on our way home) and the tenders tasted good.

Well there you have it, my second (and final) chicken tender post from restaurants in Richmond, Virginia. I hope you enjoyed these special edition posts and look out next time for a new tender locale in Charlotte, North Carolina (the home base of Love Me Tenders).

LB

Ukrop’s Café (in Martin’s): 8/9/13

Hello blogging world!

This is a special edition of my blog and it is about a restaurant in Richmond, Virginia! This past weekend (8/9-8/12) I went to Richmond to visit Alex, one of my best friends, and we decided that I should do a blog post about chicken tenders in Richmond. The week before I was set to visit Alex raked his brain for restaurants in Richmond that served fantastic chicken tenders, but he could not think of anything. Finally he mentioned this “quest” to his mom and one of his brothers, Christopher, and together they decided on Ukrop’s Café, which is a café located in Martin’s (a local grocery store).

So when I arrived on Friday morning Alex informed me that they plan was to have chicken tenders from Ukrop’s Café for dinner, and I was totally on board with that plan. Since I got in around 9 am that morning, Alex thought it would be best if we had a relaxing day of shopping, relaxing by the pool, and just hanging out. After a stress-free afternoon we then headed to Ukrop’s for dinner. Just so y’all get a feel for the café let me set up how it works. You walk into Martin’s, go to the Ukrop’s Café hot food counter, order your meal that is put into a to-go box, then go to the register to pay, and then you can either take your meal home or sit in the dining area to enjoy it…I thought I would describe so y’all could get a feel for the dining experience at Ukrop’s Café.

Since Ukrop's Cafe is in Martin's (a local grocery store) I put a picture of the chicken here instead of the restaurant so you could see a tender's size.

Batter and crispiness: A
-The batter on the chicken tenders from Ukrop’s Café was delicious. It was light, crunch, and had lots of flavor. It also had just the right amount of seasoning on both the chicken meat and in the batter so that they complimented each other nicely.

Tenderness and juiciness of chicken: B+
-These tenders were quite tender and the chicken used was great quality. The only reason I gave this category a B+ was because the tenders were not as juicy as some of the other ones I have reviewed for this blog. However, if you do not eat chicken tenders on a regular basis (such as Alex who only eats them with me), then they will seem very juicy to you.

Portion size/presentation: A+
-This was easily the best portion size for the money of any chicken tender meal I have had since writing this blog. The café worker (I cannot come up with a better term for her) who gave us our food, was very generous with our portion sizes – Alex said they always give you a lot of food – gave us both some of the largest chicken tenders in the bunch and lots of potato wedges. I was definitely impressed.

As a side note, if you do not want potato wedges as your side Ukrop’s Café offers other side options such as macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and potato salad.

Reheating: A
-This meal reheated very well. The chicken tenders tasted almost exactly like they did when I originally had them, only slightly soggier (which is to be expected).

Side: B
-First let me start with what I liked about the sides…the roll. I do not know if I have shared this with y’all, but I LOVE bread and I am very picky about breads, but the roll I had with my dinner was amazing! It was light and fluffy and just overall delicious (as I told Alex, I could have eaten 6 of those). I am not sure how best to explain it…you just have to try it for yourself. With that said, I was slightly disappointed with the other side, the potato wedges. For me they were a little hard and undercooked, but they were seasoned well. If I were scoring each of the sides individually I would have given the roll an A+ and the potato wedges a C+, so they balance out into a B in my book since the potato wedges are more substantial than the roll.

Description:
-Chicken tenders, one side and a roll. 3 pieces $3.99, 6-pieces $5.99

My wonderful and very filling meal from Ukrop's Cafe.

Overall I would give the chicken tenders at Ukrop’s Café a B+/A-. The meal was very filling (the 6-piece meal is definitely enough for 2 meals), the batter was great, and the price was phenomenal! The only negatives of the meal were the slightly undercooked potato wedges and I wish the chicken were a little more juicy. I never would have guessed eaten at Ukrop’s Café if Alex had not suggested it and I am glad that I did.

And there you have it, my review of the chicken tenders from Ukrop’s Café in Martin’s! If you are ever in the Richmond area you should definitely stop by Ukrop’s Café for some chicken tenders!

LB

Ivy Burger Co: 7/23/13

Since the weather has been nice some of my coworkers and I have taken to eating outside and enjoying the summer sun. On one of these such days I decided to try out Ivy Burger Co (a relatively new restaurant) which is across the street and down a block from the Hearst Tower. At first I was going to get a burger, but then I saw that they had chicken tenders, so I thought this was perfect!  

 I couldn't find a picture of the actual sign (and I did not have my phone with me at the time).

Batter and crispiness: C
-I was disappointed in the batter because while it was light, the seasoning was nothing special and it was easily forgettable.

Tenderness and juiciness of chicken: B-
-These chicken tenders were very tender, but where just moderately juicy. They were also tough in parts, but overall I enjoyed them, hence the slightly above average rating.

Portion size/presentation: C
-Considering the relatively low price ($5.99) this was about an average size to price ratio. In the meal you get 5 small chicken tenders and a small to medium fry. I cannot complain too much about the size of the meal because I was full after lunch.

Reheating: F
-These chicken tenders reheated so poorly that I could not eat them. I tried to eat parts of both tenders that I saved, but the chicken was hard and inedible. Therefore this category gets an F.

Sides: A-
-While I was kinda disappointed with the actual chicken tenders, I was pleasantly surprised with the french fries. They were very greasy (which I did not mind), seasoned well, and very crispy. Oh and I almost forgot! The meal also comes with Ivy Burger's own version of Texas toast which is so good because it's crispy with the perfect amount of butter and seasoning! I might consider going back to Ivy Burgers just for the fries and Texas toast.

Description:
-Chicken tenders and fries and bread. - $5.99

 

My chicken tender meal, sorry it is hard to see.

Overall I would give this meal a D+ because while the portion size was small, the tenders did not reheat at all, and the batter was average, the chicken was tender and the fries were very tasty. With that said, I do not think I will eat at Ivy Burgers again. I do not know if this was just an off day for the restaurant or what, but it was not worth the price (especially considering that their soda machine was down and the only thing you could get to drink was unsweet tea without ice).

LB

Hubee D’s: 7/17/13

Sorry for such a delay in posting. I have been very busy moving, traveling, and now I am actually going to be switching positions at my job, so I have been busy training for that as well. The good news is that I have some a backlog of chicken tender posts that I know you have been patiently waiting to read. Here is the first one.

After work on Wednesday, July 17th I met Madison for dinner at this place near my work called Hubee D’s. I found Hubee D’s through yelp.com when I was looking for new places to try chicken tenders. The place got pretty good ratings, so I decided to invite Madison to try it out.

 

Here's the logo for Hubee D's.

Batter and crispiness: B
-I thoroughly enjoyed the batter of the tenders because it was light yet surprisingly crunchy the tenders are obviously cooked to order. My only complaints in regards to the batter is that it flakes off when you bite into it and the batter was a little spicy, which I do not usually like because I do not like spicy dishes…especially if they are not advertised as such. Other than that, the tenders were very tasty.

Tenderness and juiciness of chicken: A+
-I gave this category a perfect score because the chicken tenders were overly juicy…just like with the ones I got from Flip n’ Chicken months ago, you could see the juiciness! Also, the tenders were very tender as a result of the overt juiciness.

Portion size/presentation: B-
-I liked the presentation of the meal because it was very low key…as you can see in the picture below. I felt like the portion size was good for the price because even though you only got 4 tenders, they were big and very filling. I was even able to save 2 for lunch the next day!

Reheating: F
-I was very disappointed when I reheated these tenders because they were inedible and I had to throw everything (fries included) away. Good thing I always keep snacks at my desk at work!

Side: C-
-When it came to the french fries I was disappointed because I thought they were going to be very tasty from just the look of them. However, the fries turned out to be very bland. The positives of the fries were that they were crispy, shoestring-esque style (I love shoestring fries), and the skin was on them. But overall I was not a fan of the french fries.

Description:  
-No 1: Crispy Tenders – large (4 tenders) with fries $6.79. There is also an option of a basket which includes hand-cut fries, coleslaw, and cornbread, but I do not like coleslaw or cornbread so I passed on those.

Look at how big the tenders are and the fries do not look shoestring-esque, but trust me...they are.

Overall I would give these chicken tenders a B-. The grade would have been higher – probably a B/B+ if they would have been graded independently of this blog – but when comparing these tenders to other ones I felt they deserved a lesser grade because they do not reheat at all. That is the main reason for the difference in the grades. When looking back on the meal it was very satisfying for dinner and I would really have liked to try them for lunch because I enjoyed the batter and tenderness of the tenders.

LB

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

John's Family Restaurant: 5/23/13

For this post I actually went with my grandfather! After work one day I decided to meet him at a restaurant owned by a local Greek family that my family has been going to for years called John's Family Restaurant, or John's for short. John's is fairly close to my office (a 15-20 minute drive) and it's only 10 minutes from his house. Now, this restaurant features good ole home-cooked meals and is not a common place for food critics to go, which is one of the reasons I chose it.

Here's the sign for John's Family Restaurant on Westinghouse Blvd.

Batter and crispiness: B-
-The batter on these tenders was very light that it was basically non-existent. Therefore, it did not have much taste to it. I think the tenders would have been better with more batter. One surprising aspect of the tenders was that they were quite crispy considering the lack of batter. I gave this category a B- because the tenders tasted good, I just wish they were modified slightly.

Tenderness and juiciness of chicken: A-
-I gave this category an A- because the chicken was clearly high quality, especially considering the moderate price, and the meat was above average when it came to juicy.

Portion size/presentation: B-
-The meal included 6 small tenders, a large soup of mashed potatoes, banana pudding, and a biscuit. Just thought I would note, you can choose any 2 sides to go with your meal and the sides change daily.

Side: C+
-Sadly I was slightly disappointed with my sides. The mashed potatoes needed salt, but they were smooth and creamy (I prefer my mashed potatoes to be this way rather than lumpy). The banana pudding was average, but I wish there were more banana slices and wafers to offset the large amount of pudding. Hands down the best side was the biscuit. I am not sure if you can tell this from the picture or not, but it was cooked to perfection so the outside was crispy and the inside was fluffy. I should definitely ask for more biscuits next time.

Reheating: D+
-This meal did not reheat well. The chicken tenders became chewy after microwaving and slightly soggy. However the mashed potatoes tasted almost the same as they did when I first had the meal.

Description:
-Fried chicken tenders with your choice of 2 sides. $6.95

 

 My chicken tenders with mashed potatoes and a complimentary biscuit. I always get mashed potatoes at John's.

Overall I would give the chicken tenders at John's Family Restaurant a B-. The whole meal was very flavorful and when you put everything together (the tenders, mashed potatoes, banana pudding, and biscuit) the meal was filling and there was enough for leftovers! Needless to say I will definitely be back to this restaurant. Not only is it a normal dining establishment for my family, but the wait staff is very helpful and it is always nice to be recognized at the places you eat.

Until we "meet" again,

LB 

PS. As always, if you have any recommendations of restaurants with good chicken tenders, please let me know. 

Steak n' Shake: 5/17/13

It is that time again. For this post I decided to go to another fast food restaurant, Steak 'n Shake. Now, I love Steak 'n Shake and I have been going there for many years, so it seemed appropriate to revisit the restaurant to see if they had the best chicken tenders (or in Steak 'n Shake's case "chicken fingers"...I'm simply going to refer to them as chicken tenders) in Charlotte. Here are my findings…

The Steak 'n Shake logo is quite simple and understated.

Batter and crispiness: B
-I had mixed reviews when it came to the batter on these chicken tenders. I thought the ratio of meat to batter was excellent and the tenders were crispy, but the batter was not very flavorful and thus I had to add Steak 'n Shake seasoning to them.

Tenderness and juiciness of chicken: A-
-There was not really anything spectacular of note in this category. The meat was tender except near the ends and it was very juicy for fast food standards.

Portion size/presentation: D+ or A
-Now you may be confused as to why I gave this category 2 grades, but let me explain. Since each chicken tender meal is only $3.99 you obviously do not get a lot of food (3 chicken tenders and 2-3 handfuls of fries), so from the start I knew that would not be enough to satisfy me for dinner and to reheat later. Therefore I gave the single order of chicken tenders a D+. The A comes into play because after I finished my actual dinner I then ordered a second serving of the chicken tender meal for later, so if you take the 2 orders into account, the serving size is very good...especially considering that you only pay $7.98 for 6 tenders and 4-6 handfuls of fries.

Side: B
-I have been going to Steak 'n Shake for years and a relatively new feature to the restaurant's menu is the option to add special seasonings to the french fries for a minimal fee of $0.29. I thought this was an interesting concept, so for my initial chicken tenders order I got the parmesan cheese n' herbs seasonings. As is standard for Steak 'n Shake, the fries were very crispy, which is one reason why I really enjoy them. But I felt as though the seasoning overpowered the fries. For my second order, the one I got for reheating, I ordered the fries with the standard seasoning and just added the Steak 'n Shake seasoning. The Steak 'n Shake seasoning was definitely the better choice of those options because it added the right amount of kick to the fries and they were very tasty.

Here's a picture of the fries with the parmesan cheese n' herb seasoning.

Reheating: B
-I was pleasantly surprised with how well these chicken tenders reheated since they were fast food tenders. The fries tasted pretty much the same as when I first ate them (just not as crispy). When it comes to the actual tenders 2 of them tasted just fine, the meat was still tender even, but the final tender was tough and almost unedible. Hence why I gave the meal a B when it comes to reheating.

Description:
-Chicken Fingers. Three breaded chicken fingers and your choice of honey mustard, BBQ, or buffalo sauce. Served with fries $3.99

One serving of chicken tenders at Steak n' Shake.

Overall I would give the chicken tenders at Steak 'n Shake a B+. The tenders were succulent, made with good cuts of chicken, and the batter was proportionate to the chicken meat. However, the batter did not have much flavor to it and you have to order 2 helpings of the chicken fingers in order for it the meal to be considered satisfying. I will definitely be back for these chicken "fingers," and when I return I'll be sure to order 2 servings and a milkshake (I didn't have one during this visit, but they are delicious) to ensure I leave full.

Until next time,

LB

The Philosopher's Stone: 5/12/13

It's time for another blog post.

For this chicken tender blog post Madison and I went to The Philosopher's Stone near Uptown. The restaurant is near a few other restaurants/bars and it's a pretty trendy location with games such as shuffleboard and corn-hole outside. Now, on to the review.

The sign for The Philosopher's Stone. I told you it was trendy...I don't think the restaurant was been in business that long.

Batter and crispiness: A-
-I enjoyed the batter of these tenders for the most part because it was light and had a great seasoning to it. And since the batter was so light, the tenders were not crispy at all, which was kind of disappointing.

Tenderness/juiciness of chicken: B-
-The actual meat in the tenders was peculiar. It was juicy and tender in parts, but then there were sections (mostly at the ends) were the meat was very tough and unenjoyable. Overall though, I think the juiciness of the chicken redeemed this category somewhat.

Portion size/presentation: C
-I was slightly disappointed with the size of the chicken tender dinner, but I feel like the main reason for that was the fact that I have had tenders at so many restaurants. At The Philosopher's Stone you get 8 small chicken tenders and about 3 handfuls. Needless to say, there was not enough to take back.

Sides: C
-The french fries at The Philosopher's Stone were about average. They were crispy, which was good, but they did not have any seasoning.

Reheating: unknown
-The portion size of this meal was small and there was not enough for me to take back.

Description:
-A basket of battered chicken tenders served with your choice of one side and dipping sauce. Buffalo or nuclear on request. $6.95

My dinner from The Philosopher's Stone.

Overall I would give the chicken tenders at The Philosopher's Stone a B-. The seasoning on the tenders was delicious and the meat was tender, but the portion size was very small and the batter was not crispy. Also, the fries had no flavor, but at least they were crispy. I will definitely try The Philosopher's Stone again because I've heard good things about other food options and I've had one of their burgers, which was really good. However, when I return I will forgo getting the chicken tenders again.

LB

Sonny's BBQ: 5/2/13

Hello blogging world,

For my next visit (once again I am late on this post) my mom, brother, and I went to Sonny's after our workout. Sonny's is known for its BBQ, but I am not a big BBQ fan and I used to always get chicken tenders at Sonny's. When we got there none of us saw the chicken tender plate on the menu, but apparently Sonny still serves chicken tenders, you just have to ask for them...there is a note about that on the menu. Now, on to the review.

Here's the sign for Sonny's...it's one of my favorite restaurant signs.

Batter and crispiness: C+
-The batter of these chicken tenders was very tasty. The batter was light, flavorful and had lots of pepper. Also, the tenders were just crispy enough and I really enjoyed them.

Tenderness/juiciness of chicken: B+
-The chicken in the tenders was quite juicy, but some parts were tough and I had to discard some chunks. Overall though I think the juiciness outweighed the toughness of some of the chicken.

Portion size/presentation: A+
-I thought the portion size was fantastic for the price! With the dinner plate I got six big chicken tenders, a lot of fries, 2 pieces of garlic bread, and macaroni and cheese. I do not think I could ever eat all of this food in one sitting.

Sides: A-
-When it came to the sides I was very impressed with them. The positives were the garlic bread was fantastic and the macaroni and cheese was the best I have had in a restaurant in a long time. The negative about the sides were the fries. They just lacked seasoning, but on the plus side they were crispy. 

Reheating: C
-I had leftovers for lunch at work and I was a little disappointed in them. First off, the fries were soggy and bland. Secondly, the meat in the chicken tenders tough and I actually had to throw away one of the tenders because it was impossible to eat through. In case you were wondering, I ate all of the garlic bread and macaroni and cheese at Sonny's.

Description:

-This item actually was not on the menu and the only way I was able to get it was by asking the waiter. Regardless, the price was $10.95

 My very filling dinner at Sonny's.

Overall I would give the chicken tender plate at Sonny's BBQ a B. The meal was very filling and tasty and I enjoyed the tenders for dinner. However, I did not like the meal as much when I reheated it because the tenders did not do well in the microwave (I think I also missed the garlic bread and macaroni and cheese). With that said, I would get the chicken tender plate at Sonny's again.

LB