Burger King Review 12/31 – Noblesville

Restaurant: Burger King
Location: Noblesville, IN
Address: 14125 Mundy Drive  Noblesville, IN 46060
Menu: Burger King Menu
Type: American Fast Food
Loyalty Program: None Known (Although for awhile the back of the receipts have a number that you can call in order to answer a survey to get a code.  Enter the code on the back of your receipt, and you can redeem it for a buy one get one free whopper.)
Today’s Meal: Original Chicken Sandwich, Fries, Soft Drink
Cost:

Today I had the chicken sandwich.  It comes with mayonnaise and lettuce.  These were very sparse on my sandwich today.  Next time I will ask for extra mayo.  The chicken also had a gristly piece in it, which after I pulled it out, it left a whole bite without any chicken, just the breading.  The fries were okay.

Panda Express Review 12/29 – Indianapolis

Restaurant: Panda Express
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Address: 7035 E. 96th Street  Indianapolis, IN 46250   Map This on MapQuest
Menu: Panda Express Menu
Type: Fast Chinese Food
Loyalty Program: None Known (Although for quite a while now, they have been giving opportunities on the back of the receipts where you can call in and answer survey questions about your Panda Express experience.  After you answer the questions, they give you a code to write down on the back of the receipt, and you can redeem this for a free entree when you purchase a two entree meal.)
Today’s Meal: 2 Entree Plate- Orange Chicken, Mushroom Chicken, Fried Rice, Fortune Cookie, Soft Drink
Cost: About $8

Panda Express Meal

Today the Orange Chicken seemed as if it had been sitting a little bit too long.  Some of the areas under the orange glaze were starting to get a dried appearance.  The mushroom chicken was very good.

See my other post on Panda Express.

Quiznos Review- Fishers

Restaurant: Quiznos
Location: Fishers, IN
Address: 11386 Olio Rd  Fishers Indiana 46038
Menu: Quiznos Menu
Today’s Meal: Regular Turkey Ranch & Swiss Sub Sandwich
Cost: Around $6
Type: Sub Shop
Loyalty Program: None Known

This Quiznos is a very small sub shop with the actual sandwich preparation area taking up much of the space.  The dining area is very small; however, I have never been when it has been busy here, so the seating is just fine.  It is a similar setup to Subway, however the sandwiches have more of a standard of what they are suppose to include instead of just going down the aisle and listing each thing you want added like you do at Subway.  You can still request things added or excluded though.

I typically enjoy the Turkey Ranch & Swiss Sub Sandwich at Quiznos.  They toast their subs here, so the cheese is lightly melted and the bread has a nice crispy texture.  The ranch adds a nice zesty taste while the lettuce, tomato, and red onion round the turkey sandwich off nicely.  I enjoyed the sandwich today as it was made well.

The staff here do wear gloves while they are preparing the sandwiches which is very nice to see.  However, it would have been great to have the staff also wear hair nets or caps or something.  One person who was involved in making sandwiches had their hair dangling and swooshing around above the food.  Hair nets or caps would definitely add a welcome element of sanitary precaution.

Qdoba Review 12/27 – Noblesville

Restaurant: Qdoba
Location – Noblesville, IN
Address – Hamilton Town Center 13230 Harrell Parkway Suite 200  Noblesville, IN 46060
Menu – Qdoba Menu
Today’s Meal – Vegetarian Nachos, Soft Drink
Cost – Around $8
Type – Fast Mexican Food
Loyalty Program – Qdoba Card

Wow, this Qdoba was packed today!  I stood in line for about 10-15 minutes before getting my order at a little after 1:00p.m.  This was likely do to all the shoppers out the first Saturday after Christmas at this busy mall location.  There were only 3 people behind the counter actually making the meals which resulted in quite a wait.  Despite being very busy, the staff remained quite upbeat and pleasant.  They also had someone cleaning tables and floors regularly, which helped people to be able to have a seat.

The nachos were really well made today with a generous amount of toppings which made them quite tasty.

Check out my other Qdoba reviews.

Paradise Bakery Review 12/21 – Noblesville

Restaurant: Paradise Bakery
Location: Noblesville, IN (Hamilton Town Center)
Address: 13230 Harrell Parkway, Suite 400  Noblesville, IN 46060
Hours: Mon – Sat 6:30am – 9pm; Sun 8am – 8pm
Menu: Paradise Bakery Menu
Type: Cafe and Bakery
Loyalty Program: Taste of Paradise Card (acts as gift card and loyalty card)
Today’s Meal: 1/2 Chicken Walnut Sandwich, 1 Cup Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Chocolate Chip Cookie
Cost: About $8

Paradise Bakery Meal

Paradise Bakery is located within the Hamilton Town Center.  It is a fairly large cafe/bakery type of restaurant.  The feel is light and airy; however the seating is a bit crowded.  The place has always looked clean and orderly when I have gone in there.  There are two different stations to order food.  They have the bakery area where you can get cookies and bread, and they have the other area where you get sandwiches, soups, and salads.  Today I got the 1/2 Chicken Walnut Sandwich.  It was good as usual with the big pieces of walnut in the chicken salad smothered on two halves of the wonderful Molasses Bread.  This bread is so good that I have bought loaves of it to use at home with my own sandwiches before.  It has just the right amount of sweetness for many different kinds of sandwiches.  I also had a cup of the broccoli cheddar soup.  It was very good as well.  This soup was the perfect consistency.  I’ve had some broccoli cheddar soups before that seem quite runny/watery, but this was not the case.  When I was getting the soup, they asked me if I would like to have crackers or bread with my soup.  They have not asked me that when I’ve gotten soup here before.  I chose the bread, and I got about three little half slices of white bread inside a paper sleeve (similar to what the cookies come in).  The chocolate chip cookie was a bit chewier than normal.  My preference is when they bake it and it comes out with that slight crisp on the outside but still soft and chewy inside.  That’s how I’ve gotten the cookies here most of the other times I’ve been.

My only complaint would be that they were a little too eager to get me served.  I had intended to step back for a moment and look at the menu and soup board and decide what I wanted, being there wasn’t any other customers in line.  When they asked what I wanted, I said that I was debating between a soup or a salad.  Then, they asked if they could make me a sandwich while I was deciding.  It seemed like I was getting rushed through while I was the only customer in line, and it wasn’t even near their closing time either.  The reply I would have rather heard  from them would have been something like, “Take your time, and let us know when you’re ready to order.”  Then, if they were really feeling generous, they could have even thrown in something like, “If you have any questions about the menu, let us know.”

Check out my other Paradise Bakery review.

Qdoba Review 12/20 – Fishers

Restaurant: Qdoba
Location – Fishers, IN
Address – 8971 E. 116th Street  Fishers, IN 46038  Map This
Menu – Qdoba Menu
Today’s Meal – Ground Beef Nachos, Soft Drink
Cost – Around $8
Type – Fast Mexican Food
Loyalty Program – Qdoba Card

Typically I get the vegetarian nachos at Qdoba, but today I decided to branch out and give the ground beef nachos a whirl.  I typically like ground beef on tacos and things, and I really did enjoy this variation on the Qdoba nachos.  I always get rice on my vegetarian nachos, and I really like that, so I thought I would add rice to this as well.  They did charge me extra for getting the rice.  Apparently you can substitute the beans that come on the ground beef nachos for rice, but it does cost extra for getting both.  Another thing to note is that the nachos were quite a bit greasier with the ground beef .  When I get the vegetarian nachos, I do not notice any extra grease; however with the ground beef, there were several areas where the queso cheese had grease dripped on it from the beef.

Check out my other Qdoba reviews.

McDonald’s Review 12/14 – McCordsville

Restaurant: McDonald’s
Location: McCordsville, IN
Address: 9707 Olio Road  McCordsville, IN 46040
Menu: McDonald’s Menu
Type: Fast Food American
Loyalty Program: None Known
Today’s Meal: Big Mac, Fries, and Soft Drink
Cost: About $5

Big Mac from Today

I went to this McDonald’s at lunch time and, as predicted, the line was really long.  So, I went inside to order, and even though there were no other customers in line, the turn-around from going in the building to leaving the building with my meal was a fairly long time. 

My Big Mac was pretty good.  The fries needed more salt.  Again, they were quite bland.

Visit my other posts about this and other McDonald’s in the area.

Olive Garden Review – Indianapolis

Restaurant: Olive Garden
Location: Indianapolis (Castleton), IN
Address: 6130 East 82nd Street  Indianapolis, IN 46250
Hours: Sun – Thurs 11:00a.m.-10:00p.m.  Fri – Sat 11:00a.m.-11:00p.m.
Menu: Olive Garden Menu
Today’s Meal: Zuppa Toscana Soup, Breadsticks, Fettucine Alfredo, and Soft Drink
Cost: About $15
Type: Italian
Loyalty Program: None Known

Today was lunch at Olive Garden.  I was anticipating that there could be quite a long lunch wait since this location is close to the mall, which would be extremely busy being so close to the holidays.  Upon entering, they told me it would be a 5-10 minute wait, not bad at all!  It ended up being about 10 minutes (perhaps a little longer), but the wait was very reasonable.  The table I set at ended up having a weird placement.  It was situated right by some little closet-like room, where from my seat, I could see a yellow industrial mop bucket with a mop in it and the clay-colored tiled floor with black grout.  It reminded me of a floor from the 80’s, like you would see in Pizza Hut or something.  The ambiance was a little ‘off’ from the Old World Italy (or something like that) they try to recreate from my seat! 

First up was the soup, and I really do enjoy the Zuppa Toscana.  It has sliced potatoes, sausage, and some greens in a white broth.  While I was there, I heard some customers raving about the new Chicken and Gnocchi soup with chicken, dumplings, and spinach.  I did not try it though.  I also had breadsticks with my soup.  The breadsticks are plain, and they are best eaten with other parts of the meal.  For instance, I really enjoy dipping them in a bit of the broth from my soup, and they are also good when I use the sauce from my meal to dip them in.  For some weird reason, one of my favorite places for bread sticks is the fast food Italian place, Fazolis.  They are so buttery, and when they come out warm, they almost melt in your mouth, delicious! 

My meal was the Fettucini Alfredo.  The pasta was cooked to perfection, and the alfredo had a nice, creamy taste to it.  It was served nice and warm.  My only complaint would be that I only had about two bites of my soup before the meal came out.  Therefore, I didn’t even get to enjoy most of the soup.

I happen to like a plain Fettucini Alfredo without meat or anything, but you would have to ask if you were interested in getting anything added to this dish.  It does not list anything available for add-ins such as broccoli or shrimp or chicken on the menu.

Make your own Fettucini Alfredo at home with this recipe from Kraft!  It only needs 8 ingredients, or which half you probably have around your kitchen.

Don Pablo’s Review – Indianapolis

Restaurant: Don Pablo’s
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Address: 3824 E. 82nd St.  Indianapolis, IN 46240  Map This on Mapquest
Menu: Don Pablo’s Menu (Must Click on “Menu” Link on Home Page)
Today’s Meal: Create Your Own Combo – Pick Two – Two Cheese and Onion Enchiladas, Mexican Rice, Corn Meal Spoon Bread, and Soft Drink
Cost: About $10
Type: Mexican Food Chain
Loyalty Program: Habaneros Club (Must Click on “Habaneros Club” link for more information.)

This was a very good meal at Don Pablo’s today.  I munched on chips and salsa and was asked if I wanted more when they were gone.  Also, refills of drinks were brought when needed without having to be asked if I indeed wanted more to drink.  (I never understood why someone would ask if you would like more to drink when you aren’t even half way through your meal and the refills are free.  Of course I would!  I don’t intend to choke on the rest of the food.  I intend to enjoy my meal and this typically means a drink.)  The enchiladas came out warm and the only thing that I would have changed would have been to add more onions to the cheese and onion enchiladas.  The rice was pretty good, and once again, the corn cake was delicious!

I will definitely go back!  Read my review from my last Don Pablo’s experience.  (It also has a way to make the Corn Meal Spoon Bread at home!  Yum!)

Taco Bell Review – Fishers

Restaurant: Taco Bell
Location: Fishers, IN
Address: 7680 E. 96th St. Fishers, IN 46038
Menu: Taco Bell Menu (must click on ‘Our Food’ at the top then ‘Menu’)
Today’s Meal: Fully Loaded Nachos, Taco
Cost: Less than $5
Type: Mexican Fast Food
Loyalty Program: None Known

Today I decided to give the fairly new, Fully Loaded Nachos, a try.  They tasted very similar to the Nacho Supreme that Taco Bell has except for adding some pico-type salsa and guacamole.  Now I must be very spoiled with Qdoba’s salsa because I did not like their version any where close to Qdoba’s mild salsa.  They were truly ‘fully loaded’ though as I had more toppings than I did chips.  This is where the taco shell comes into play.  You are suppose to use that to scoop up the rest of the toppings.  If I were going back to Taco Bell, I would stick to the Nacho Supreme, as I like their nachos better without their salsa.  The taco was a typical Taco Bell taco.