Tuesdays are "I Tried It Tuesdays" where I'll tell you about something I recently tried -- an item, a movie, an activity, etc.
Today's Topic: O'Charley's Restaurant, 2077 Interchange Road
Why I tried it: A friend had given us a gift card and it was Valentine's Day.
When we went: Saturday night -- Valentine's Day -- at 8:15 p.m. Which was not the best time to go. I thought we'd beat the dinner crowd by going later, but...alas...we hit the dinner crowd and were told there was an hour to an hour-and-a-half wait. We decided to wait because we had the gift card (and I'm that cheap). And, I could people watch all day long...so sitting in the lobby with 30 other people (and with none of them being my children), was kinda fun for me. We waited about an hour.
The restaurant: Decor was nice -- reminded me of Applebee's, but with more space and elegance. Big booths, lots of local photos and art on the walls. A local mural above the bar.
The menu: More extensive than I thought with several fairly healthy choices (though they're not marked as such...which would've been nice). They offered everything from ribs to chicken to pasta and salads.
The appetizers: Not one on that menu that my healthy conscious would let me order, so we skipped the appetizer. I saw nearly every other table order a plate of the Southwestern Twisted Chips, so I'll assume they were good (But that comes at a cost of 1,300 calories and 90 grams of fat per serving and, frankly, nothing is THAT good).
What we ordered:
I debated long & hard between the salmon and the California Chicken Salad. I ended up getting the salad & it was absolutely fantastic (and you can order a low-cal dressing). It was also huge. I thought...no way I'll finish this. Well, I did..and would have licked the bowl if I weren't in a public place. :-) The salad had mandarin oranges, candied pecans, dried blu cheese, strawberries, dried cranberries...mmmm.....
My husband got the ribs which came with two sides. He got fries and I talked him into ordering the fresh asparagus for me (hey, it was Valentine's Day!). He said the ribs were great and the asparagus was perfect (even my husband who claims to "hate" asparagus and tried a piece only after I cajoled him into trying it for me...hey, it was Valentine's Day...he had to do what I asked!).
Prices: Were actually a lot lower than I would've thought for a mall-area restaurant. My salad was $10, I think (Heck, I pay $8 for a salad at Calamari's these days) and Dan's rib dinner was $13.
Tips for drinkers: O'Charley's offers 22-ounce Miller Lite drafts every day, all day for $2. My husband ordered a Labatt draft (thinking I said all drafts were $2) and it was almost $5. So...if you're dining with a beer drinker, tell them to order Miller Lite.
The service: Good enough for me. I'm very low-maintenance though. Waiter stopped by to see how everything was once or twice and was quick to notice if we needed drink refills.
To-Go: Turns out that O'Charley's offers everything on their menu as a take-out item. Nice. They even offer curbside delivery. Even nicer. Just call ahead and pick up diner on your way home -- they bring it right to your car.
Nutritional info: Can be found at their Web site, if you care/want to look.
Healthy choices: If you're health-conscious, a few good choices would be the Tilapia, Teriyaki chicken, grilled chicken, Key West Chicken and most of the soups and salads (with lo-cal dressing). Obviously, you want to avoid anything deep fried or served in any kind of creamy sauce.
Would I go again? Definitely. I may even order takeout now that I know how easy (and fairly inexpensive..comparatively) it is.