New Yorkers can lay claim to the pizza pie in its flat form, but the deep-dish variety is purely a Chicago creation.

While most Americans were eating pizza as a snack, Chicagoan Ike Sewell created a deep dish meal of pizza with authentic Italian recipes including flavorful spices, fresh meats and cheeses, and vegetables.

Pizzeria Uno has become a Chicago legend in the deep dish pizza arena and began to expand across the nation as Uno Chicago Grill. In the mid-1990s, the establishment expanded its menu as well, with the use of saute stations, grills and fryers.

Uno Chicago Grill locations have a “Chicago warehouse” look that keeps the continuity in atmosphere, while the food maintains such in quality.

As a native son of Chicago, imagine my delight to find an authentic Chicago deep dish pizza joint in San Diego. For me, when I take the drive down toward the border, it’s all about the traditional sausage pizza, now known as the Chicago Classic with crumbled sausage, tomato sausage and two cheeses—mozzarella and Romano.

For the uninitiated or novices, Uno Chicago Grill has a nice selection of pies, including sausage and pepperoni, mushroom and the bacon cheeseburger, which has a real bacon cheeseburger taste, with hamburger, bacon cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, tomatoes, onions and a burger’s friends—ketchup, mustard and pickle.

If you have problems deciding what to choose, just get the Chef’s Choice and add your own toppings to a basic cheese and tomato pie.

If you are there with friends and just don’t feel like pizza, Uno Chicago Grill offers steaks, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, chicken and seafood.

Uno Chicago Grill wouldn’t be authentically Chicago if it didn’t pay attention to its bar area, offering 12 different wines and a number of specialty drinks.

Chicago style pizza in a Chicago style environment. If I can’t get to the Midwest, at least I can get some real pizza.

Click to Comment   |  Comments (0)  

Remember the craze over fondue? Well, it’s back and there is a restaurant that specializes in a variety of fondue in a unique dining experience—the Melting Pot.

The Melting Pot was launched in 1975 during the height of the fondue craze with only three items on the menu: Beef fondue, Swiss cheese fondue and milk chocolate fondue for dessert.

Even though the fondue fad passed, the fondue restaurant took off and continued to grow. Today, there are more than 70 locations across the nation.

The fondue history goes back to Europe, where hard cheese would be melted and used as a bread dip.

At the Melting Pot, fondue has evolved into a four-course meal, including entrées in the form of beef, boneless breast of chicken, duck, lobster, shrimp, scallops or salmon; a side of vegetables or salads; a selection of cheese fondues and chocolate fondue choices for dessert To accompany your selection, the Melting Pot has a wide wine list.

There are a variety of Melting Pot fondue items to go. Chocolate fondue bars can be melted at home for dipping and the Melting Pot dressings are good for salads you make yourself.

Fondue is fun as well as tasty. Take the family and play.

Click to Comment   |  Comments (0)  

PF Chang’s China Bistro

For many, the Chinese food experience is all about quickly prepared food at low prices. Ambiance is not high on the list of required items.

However, P.F. Chang’s has taken Chinese cuisine to the next level in its stylish, upscale bistros.

P.F. Chang’s philosophy is to create harmony with taste, texture, color and aroma. That goal is attained by balancing fan and t’sai, two traditional Chinese principles.

Fan typically denotes starches, such as rice, noodle, gains and dumplings. T’sai typically denotes vegetables, meat, poultry and seafood for traditional Chinese items as well as innovative items from the rest of Southeast Asia.

P.F. Chang’s also balances the meal with service and style.

Order the meal of your choice and the wait staff will recommend proper sauce/food combinations. Custom sauces can be created right at you table.

Once your food has been ordered, turn towards the kitchen to watch it being prepared, using the Mandarin wok cooking style.

All-star items on the menu include Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps (also available in a vegetarian version), crab wontons, Pan-fried Shrimp Dumplings (also available in a steamed version), Orange Peel Chicken, the Oriental Chicken Salad and Beef with Broccoli.

P.F. Chang’s is progressive in that you can order traditional Asian desserts such as Banana Spring Rolls, but you can also get New York Cheesecake and the Great Wall of Chocolate—six layers of chocolate cake with raspberry sauce.

Remember, this is a bistro, not the fast-food version of Chinese food that probably gets microwaved when you order.

Click to Comment   |  Comments (0)  

Hooters is a place where reality is permanently suspended. Amid the owls and the orange lies an eatery that is unapologetically tacky and borderline improper. What started in 1983 as a singles restaurant in Clearwater, Florida has now grown into a worldwide franchise. There are currently over 425 Hooters locations in 46 states and 19 foreign countries. If you’re looking for a uniquely stimulating way to enjoy a meal, then there’s no place like Hooters.

By design, Hooters is a fantasyland for adult males. The restaurant’s setting feels like a playful beach bar with a clear emphasis on sports. Dozens of television screens are scattered throughout the restaurant, so no matter where you’re sitting, you can catch one or multiple sporting events from any spot in the restaurant. Sports memorabilia and beautiful women decorate the walls of the interior. Hooters is a great place to congregate with friends, enjoy some food and beer and watch your favorite sports team play.

The food at Hooters is pretty standard. Large appetizers like nachos, onion rings, buffalo shrimp and cheese sticks are a good way to start your meal. Seafood, sandwich and burger options are the menu’s main fixtures. If your go to Hooters, you need to order the hot wings. These chicken wings are available breaded or naked, and are served with your choice of wing sauce: Mild, Medium, Hot, 3 Mile Island, 911, Cajun, Samurai or Spicy Jack. What’s that you say? No one goes to Hooters for the food? Well, maybe you’re right, but if you’re at Hooters and you’re hungry, you can’t go wrong with the wings.

Hooters does not claim to be a family establishment. The restaurant aims squarely at providing men a playful, daydream-like dining experience. A sign on the wall jokingly instructs guests to stop staring at their waitress and eat their food. Hooters is a place that doesn’t take itself seriously. For example, if it’s your birthday and you’re going to Hooters, expect to be embarrassed. The perky waitresses will bring inflatable balloons to your table. After inserting these balloons under your shirt, you are instructed to do your own Hooters dance as you stand on a chair. The Hooter’s girls then encircle you and sing a happy birthday cheer. It’s all pretty cheeky stuff.

The scantily-clad waitresses are obliged to make you feel special. Throughout your meal, various servers will approach your table and introduce themselves. In a very suggestive tone they will ask you how you’re doing, if you need anything and then they’ll personally autograph your coaster so that you have take-home record of the fact that semi-attractive girls actually talked to you.

Some people may take issue with the fact that all the waitresses at Hooters wear bright orange super short-shorts and skin tight tops. Many feminist groups view the restaurant as demeaning and exploitive. The Hooters website has a message for all of these party-poopers:

Claims that Hooters exploits attractive women are as ridiculous as saying the NFL exploits men who are big and fast. Hooters Girls have the same right to use their natural female sex appeal to earn a living as do super models Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. To Hooters, the women’s rights movement is important because it guarantees women have the right to choose their own careers, be it a Supreme Court Justice or Hooters Girl.

While the jury may still be out on whether or not Hooters restaurant is at the forefront of the women’s right’s movement, no one can question the success of the franchise. If it’s boys night out, and you and your buddies want to drink some beer, catch a game and score some autographs, then Hooters is the spot for you. It’s a self-proclaimed tacky escape from reality.

Click to Comment   |  Comments (0)  

If you want a casual American dining experience with a touch of class, check out the Daily Grill.

In 1984, the Daily Grill on the Alley first opened its doors in Beverly Hills. The spot was everything you’d think a fine American restaurant should be—classic American dishes served in large portions in a sophisticated yet accessible atmosphere. The Daily Grill on the Alley became a popular Southern California dining destination, and more restaurants were opened in LA and Orange County. Daily Grill restaurants have since expanded throughout California, Oregon, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Illinois.

When you walk into a Daily Grill restaurant, the first thing you notice is the the restaurant is impeccably clean, classy and comfortable. Warm light fixtures and black and white photos adorn the walls. Cherry wood booths with black leather cushions rest on checkered floors. Coat racks are attached to each booth. Guests will find the dining environment impressive and inviting.

The spotless and traditional surroundings are just the beginning. The service at the Daily Grill is first rate. You could be dressed in a t-shirt and warm-ups and still be treated like a king. The accommodating servers wear ties, and they do their best to make your dining experience enjoyable. No need to pour your own drink, your waiter will pour your beer for you in a frosty fluted glass. Quality service goes right to the top, with managers making frequent table rounds to make sure that everyone’s pleased with their meals.

With a posh appearance and excellent service, what more could you want? How about some ridiculously tasty food. When you look at a Daily Grill menu, you’ll be surprised how un-exotic it is. There are no crazy international dishes, imported ingredients or rare delicacies. You’ll find signature American dishes like Meatloaf with mashed potatoes, veggies and mushroom sauce, or Chicken Pot Pie with carrots, onions, peas, mushrooms and a super-flaky crust. Whether you order soup, salad, sandwich or seafood, portions are plentiful. There are solid appetizer selections like Fried Calamari, Crab Cakes and Spinach Artichoke Dip. You can get a quality steak, fresh fish, pasta dishes or a classic deli sandwich. Be sure to wash your fine meal down with a savory martini, chilled beer, or fine wine. Concluding your meal with a nice cappuccino or carrot cake is also recommended.

At the Daily Grill, the prices are a little steep, but you most definitely get what you pay for. Take the Chicken Picatta plate for example. Chicken Picatta is one of the most delicious dishes at the Daily Grill. Golden brown chicken breast medallions are smothered in a lemon-butter caper sauce and served with a mountain of mash potatoes and half a tree of broccoli. On the dinner menu, Chicken Picatta is $16.50. If you go for lunch, the price is reduced by a few bucks. This dish is sure to leave you with leftovers. So when the entree’s price is broken down into two separate meals, you’ll find that you’re really getting a bargain for the quality and quantity of food that you’ll consume.

The Daily Grill serves up traditional American eats with touch of class. With a posh atmosphere, first-rate service and memorably flavorful food, the Daily Grill is an exceptional spot to eat a meal.

Click to Comment   |  Comments (0)  

The Grand Lux Café serves good food done elegantly.

If it’s prime time in its Chicago or Los Angeles, locations, the wait may be a bit intimidating, but it’s worth the wait. Plus, you can typically chill in the bar with more drink choices than you can take advantage of in one trip, ranging from the DeLux Cosmopolitan to the Caramel Apple martini, you can experiment or find old favorites.

The Grand Lux Café comes from the same mind that created the Cheesecake Factory, but the mentality was to create an upscale yet casual venue to be connected to the Venetian Resort, Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Cheescake Factory founder David Overton took a trip overseas, taking concepts from Italian trattorias, French bistros, and cafes in Vienna. He blended food and interior design ideas from those eclectic locales and combined them with American sensibilities to create the Grand Lux Café.

With so many taste sensations from around the world and cooking in a kitchen on display to patrons, the menu has variety that will captivate nearly every kind of taste palette with specialty appetizers, oven-baked pizzas, burgers and other grill specialties, sandwiches, pasta and steaks.

When it comes to dessert, you’ll be like a kid in a candy store with so much to try from so many cultures, created in the in the in-house bakery so freshness assured. Order dessert when you order your entrée, because it may take as long as half an hour—but it’s worth the wait!

You already know that there will be a wide selection of cheesecake courtesy of its sister restaurant, the Cheesecake Factory. But you can also sample a lemon tart with meringue, a New Orleans Beignet, chocolate chip pecan cookies, and my personal favorite, the Molten Chocolate Cake—the center is melted chocolate, set off nicely by vanilla ice cream.

The Grand Lux Café is an experience whether you are dining as an intimate couple or a huge family with in-laws. And, in both the Vegas and Chicago locations, the restaurant offers private dining areas for special events.

From the look to the food, the Grand Lux Café is grand, indeed.

Click to Comment   |  Comments (0)  

Who would have guessed that when the movie Forrest Gump gave us Bubba Gump Shrimp that it would become a national chain of seafood restaurants?

Well, it is, and not only is the name fun to say, but the eating and drinking is fun and delicious, too.

You can open the experience with a non-alcoholic beverage, ranging from the Run Forrest Run (oranges, strawberries and raspberry yogurt), to the Jenny’s Favorite (cranberry juice, strawberries and raspberry yogurt), or the Speckled Lemonade, which is lemonade with strawberries.

Just like Forrest and Bubba dreamed of, the menu is filled with all kinds of shrimp delights.

For appetizers, there’s Cajun shrimp (Cajun butter sauce), ping pong shrimp (topped with mango pineapple salsa), popcorn shrimp and jumbo shrimp cocktail, or the Shrimper’s Net Catch—shrimps steamed in beer.

And if you think the shrimpin’ stops there, you ain’t seen nothin’. Forrest and Bubba thought up all kinds of tasty shrimp meals with the “fruit of the sea” fried, stuffed, baked, broiled and even tossed over some pasta. Whenever I go, I’m simple—I line up two beers and stuff myself with Mama Blue’s Southern Charmed Fried Shrimp—them’s good eats!

But don’t worry, there are a few other things besides shrimp, like the Director’s Cut ribeye, Mama’s southern fried chicken, sandwiches, salads and the Dixie Style Baby Back Ribs.

Forrest loved Jenny so much that he named all of his shrimpin’ boats after her, and dedicated a dessert to her that has become my personal favorite—Jenny’s Strawberry Dream. This dream starts with pound cake, and after the vanilla ice cream and strawberry puree, gets taken to a heavenly level by Jenny’s special sauce.

Forrest’s mama always had a chair at the table for hungry folks and so does each location of Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

Click to Comment   |  Comments (0)  

In the old gold rush days of California in the 1800’s, miners would stake claims to areas they believed would deliver rich lodes of gold ore. If the claim went unattended for too long, others would come along and “jump” the claim, meaning they would literally steal rights to the mining area.

In 1977, Craig Nickoloff opened a restaurant that allowed diners to stake claim to favorite meals or jump his claim to good food, fun mining-oriented themes and atmosphere.

The atmosphere of Claim Jumper throws back to mining days with wood logs, natural rocks, fireplaces and pressed tin. The authentic log chairs help, too.

Some locations have wood-burning stoves with cooking on display to patrons.

Claim Jumper offers steaks, fish, chicken, baby back ribs and even grilled liver, but the most attention-grabbing items are the thematic ones, including the Whiskey Chicken (boneless, skinless breast with whiskey stuffing) and the Goldrush Chicken (chicken breast topped with sour cream, mushroom and onion sauce).

If you’re with a large party or just an animal, order the Ore Cart, which is a sampler of entrees, including rotisserie barbecued chicken, baby back pork ribs and beef back ribs.

To finish things up, you can take a gi-normous slice from their six-layer chocolate cake, called the Chocolate Motherlode Cake. I am a fool for chocolate and cake, and this has it all!

Or, go for something different with the Cream Cheese Pie, sitting on a Lorna Doone Cookie Crust. If you only have a little baby appetite left, order the World’s Smallest Sundae, which ain’t too small at all, made of vanilla ice cream, Helen Grace Hot Fudge, whipped cream almonds and a cherry on top.

The bar is called, appropriately, a saloon, and its menu features signature cocktails, a full bar selection and Claim Jumper’s own honey blonde beer.

If you’re not drinking, or you’re ordering for the kids, you can get a bottomless soda to accompany your meal.

Stake your claim and eat up!

Click to Comment   |  Comments (0)  

Today, many theme restaurants are going retro with a “50’s style diner.” But is was A&W restaurants, the makers of the famous root beer, which has been on the market since 1919 and is now the world’s top selling root beer brand in the world, that helped pioneer the concept of the 50’s diner. In fact, the restaurants’ website suggests the eatery launched the country’s first drive-in.

Today, A&W still brings nostalgia to many fans with its throwback menu and the restaurant’s commitment to car clubs, which began when teens would gather at local A&W restaurants to drive through and eat, or hang out in the parking lot, as “tray-boys.” hustled out to the car to deliver the food. (The tray-boys may have departed, and not all A&W’s boast the 50’s theme décor, with some locations instead opting for a more “up-to-date” look.)

But the menu remains constituent. A&W has basic American fare—burgers and fries, hot dogs and onion rings. The made-to-order food is served fast and the frosty mugs that they are known for are still slapped on the table with your drink. But the icing on the cake is dessert.

You have to try the root beer float, which is A&W Root Beer, of course, blended with vanilla ice cream. Or you can sample the Polar Swirl, which is vanilla ice cream blended with Oreo cookies, M&Ms or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Click to Comment   |  Comments (0)  

Of course, living in California, Texas, or any of the other states adjacent to Mexico is ideal if you like Mexican food. But there are also chain restaurants such as Cozymel’s that offer traditional Mexican favorites that are authentic and delicious.

Cozymel’s will allow you to sit right at your table and watch fresh guacamole being made, providing an experience that is about as close to a trip to Mexico as you can get without crossing the border.

The kitchen at Cozymel’s is always open for you to take a peek. Stand anywhere near, and you’ll get a nose full. When you do look and examine the swirling margarita machines, you have to feel the Mexican experience.

The sights of cooking and the sounds of real margaritas set the stage for the real reason why Cozymel’s can be called authentic—the food.

You can go straight to whatever you recognize and are comfortable with, but if you do that, you may as well get fast food that is supposed to be Mexican, but is rarely found south of the US border.

Cozymel’s offers distinctive sauces and spices imbedded with cooking in their grilled beef and chicken, slow roasted pork and fresh seafood.

Experiment a little. Try the Yucatan Especial, for example, which is a combination of shrimp and scallops tossed in an authentic creamy Cancun Sauce.

Cozymel’s is experimenting, too, adding new items such as the Pollo Poblano and Salmon Tropical, which they say explore the delights of Mexico.

Accent your food choices with Cozymel’s unique tropical drink specialties, including the Maya Rita, the Cozy On The Beach, and the Margarita Sampler.

Don’t leave Cozymel’s without trying the Platano Parfait, which is, yes, you guessed it—banana…something. This dish is Cozymel’s signature homemade banana pudding layered with crushed vanilla wafers, fresh sliced bananas and real whipped cream.

If you don’t plan on traveling to Mexico any time soon, Cozymel’s is the next best thing.

Click to Comment   |  Comments (0)