Applebees A Neighborhood Grill In Tyler

December 14th, 2009

Applebee’s

5502 South Broadway Avenue
Tyler, TX 75703-4355
(903) 509-4848

Applebee’s is known as the “Neighborhood Grill”. I would not ever say that I feel like I am eating with Tyler TX neighbors or feel comfortable. More times than one have I sat in frustration for much to long with no food nor drink and waiting for service.

In Atlanta Georgia the first Applebee’s was opened by Bill and T.J. Palmer in 1980. Now almost 30 years later Applebee’s is one of the largest restaurants chains in the United States. Applebee’s claims to focus on good food and great service, only a couple of the times that I have gone there and the service has been good.

The menu is full of a large selection and great prices. For the most part, you can not go wrong with the food. I have not had anything that I did not like. Pick from the many different appetizers, salads, steaks, pastas, ribs or steaks, chicken, or seafood. Also top off your meal with a delicious dessert. Try one of the three dessert shooter, strawberry cheesecake, chocolate mousse, or hot fudge sundae. Or try one of the delicious baked desserts. Let your kids choose between a kid’s size Oreo cookie sundae, or Oreo cookie shake. Applebee’s has it’s own section of the menu for Weight Watchers. Each item has less-calories.

If you want to have a place to go out with your friends watch a game or hang out and talk, Applebee’s has an large bar with all your favorite beers on tap; Miller, Coors, Bud Light, Budweiser, Corona, Blue Moon, Michelob Ultra, Heineken, and Samuel Adams. Or sit back and enjoy a Margarita, Sangria, Cocktail, Martini, or one of their other “refreshing favorites”. Enjoy a glass of white or red wines.

When you walk into the Applebee’s Tyler restaurant you will enjoy the décor of the antique pictures and fun antique pieces. Many times that I have been to Applebee’s, the servers always got something wrong; over-charged, orders came out wrong, and it took forever for drinks to be filled. It seems like the best service you get is when you call for “carside to go service”. In 2004 Applebee’s started the “Carside To Go”. This is one of the greatest ideas in the causal-dining business world. You simply call in, order, and they bring your food right to your car.

Though I do not enjoy the frustrating service and at times long waits, the food is great and prices make the food even better. If you want to enjoy food at home and not mess with the cooking, or clean the mess, call and pick up a great meal!

Tags: Antique Pieces, Applebee, Applebees Tyler TX, Baked Desserts, Blue Moon, Bud Light, Budweiser, Chocolate Mousse, Coors, Delicious Dessert, Heineken, Margarita Cocktail, Michelob, Neighborhood Grill, Red Wines, Samuel Adams, South Broadway, Steaks Chicken, Strawberry Cheesecake, Tyler TX, Weight Watchers
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Great food is not relative

November 15th, 2009

Well it’s happened. There’s a new restaurant chain in Tyler Texas that I’m excited to have here. I realize that for years I’ve complained that we need more local eateries and less corporate food. As a general rule I remain devoted to this idea, however unlike the Chile’s, Applebee’s, TGI Friday’s genre, the new establishment will fill an otherwise empty niche. The new restaurant is Einstein Bros Bagels.

Einstein took over the ailing Blockbuster video location in the French Quarter, A building that had become something of an eye sore inspite of its prime real estate. While I enjoy bagels, I’ve not had a really good one since moving home from St. Paul, Minnesota. Einstein offers a tremendous menu of breakfast and lunch time sandwiches, as well as plain bagels that are anything but. They also serve great coffee.

Admittedly the prices are a little high, (I’d say a bit higher than what you’d spend on a Whataburger breakfast), but they are not unreasonable. Look for Einstein to quickly become the favorite hangout of Tyler yuppies and Starbucks moms. I must confess I felt a bit like just another member of the local herd heading for the newest culinary curiosity, but at least this one is unique in Tyler.

The surprising thing to me is that it’s taken this long for a good bagel place to open here. Considering the quality of the food and the central location on South Broadway, expect the new establishment to do well. Einstein is more than worth checking out. For more information on Einstein Bros Bagels, see their website at www.einsteinbros.com, or walk into the new location. They can be found at 4500 South Broadway in Tyler.

Tags: Applebee, blockbuster video, Central Location, Corporate Food, Einstein Bagels, Einstein Bros Bagels, French Quarter, Great Coffee, Hangout, Inspite, Lunch Time, Moving Home, Plain Bagels, Prime Real Estate, South Broadway, St Paul Minnesota, Tgi Friday, Tyler Texas, Tyler Texas Breakfast, Tyler TX Bagels, Video Location, Yuppies
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Carmike 14 in Tyler

November 11th, 2009

Ever since Carmike 14 opened several years ago, movie goers have not ceased to rejoice that there was finally an alternative to the infamous “Tyler Rose,” a lousy at a bad location. Over the years, Tyler has continued to expand down South Broadway, with recent additions like Kohls and Ganger Mountain. The Carmike cinemaplex is perfectly located around these shopping centers. This makes it a natural choice for shoppers over the Hollywood Rose theater on West Broadway, which is close to a bank and a chicken store.

Great location aside, Carmike is better than Hollywood Theater in every way imaginable. The staff is friendly and helpful. The box office is inside the door so you don’t have to sweat to death while you’re choosing a movie. The workers do a good job of cleaning up.

This theater also offers digital projection. If you are used to going to movies with black blotches and static lines, digital viewing can be quite a revelation. the colors are so much more vivid, and the picture is always clear. It is important to note that the Hollywood Rose does not offer digital projection. You can also see 3-D movies here at Carmike when applicable.

But for me, the most memorable part of Carmike 14 in Tyler is the snack bar. Because this theater is the only one in town that has the massive popcorn shoot. The popcorn is made upstairs, just over the snack bar, and it flows down to the snack bar like manna from heaven. This type of setup is perfect for those who are easily entertained like me.

The only downside to Carmike 14 is the crowds. Because of its central location, I can rarely drive in to the parking lot without hunting hard for a parking spot. This is especially true on the weekends, naturally. Tylerites love their restaurants and their movies, so expect to have to wade through traffic and lines at the box office and at the snack bar. And expect to pay a little more for a ticket to Carmike 14: $8.25 is the going rate for a regular adult at an evening show. If you don’t like the crowds, consider going to Times Square Cinema, just a couple miles north of Carmike. The screens are smaller there, but the crowds are, too. Just be sure that you don’t go to The Tyler Rose.

Overall, the Carmike 14 Theater in Tyler is a well run establishment, offering a pleasant viewing experience from the opening credits to the last kernel of buttery goodness.

Tags: Blotches, carmike 14 in tyler, carmike theater tyler, Central Location, Chicken Store, Cinemaplex, Crowds, Digital Projection, Downside, Evening Show, Ganger Mountain, Good Job, Hollywood Theater, Kohls, Manna From Heaven, Movie Goers, movies in tyler, Natural Choice, Recent Additions, Snack Bar, South Broadway, Static Lines, West Broadway
Posted in Movie Theaters, Tyler Businesses | No Comments »

On Target in Tyler

November 11th, 2009

As a traditional male, I hate shopping. While they do have the advantage of offering a huge variety, department stores can be a source of frustration. Service is often bad, the stores become disorganized quickly, and I often find it necessary to sift through a lot of low quality merchandise before finding what I want. Of all the major department store chains however, I do have my favorite.

Target is not only a great department store, but as huge corporations go, it’s a good Tyler neighbor. Between the distribution center, located just south of Lindale, and the area stores, the company employs thousands of East Texans. It is also very involved in community affairs and local charities. The store itself is always neat and clean which for me can make or break the department store experience. I find there is almost nothing worse than wandering the aisles of a dirty disorganized store looking for the one thing I came to buy. Target usually does a great job keeping the store attractive and easy to navigate.

Another of the store’s strengths is its staff. The employees of Target’s biggest competitor in Tyler are often disheveled and unhelpful. Those of Target are always attractive, neat and knowledgeable.

I will concede that the store’s prices can be slightly higher, but I remind the reader that you tend to get what you pay for. And with the Christmas season just around the corner, I trust there will be a lot of sales to bring in even the thriftiest customers. The quality of products like clothing is definitely higher than the competition’s, and I should mention the selection is better, particularly for business casual attire.

So if you’re looking for a better shopping experience and better quality goods overall, I suggest giving Target a try. While it’s admittedly not a local business a good portion of the dollars spent there do stay home in Tyler Texas. Target is located at 7003 on South Broadway, next to Wal-Mart. For more on Tyler area department stores, see the Tyler blog section of this site and look for the title “Wal-Marts in Tyler.”

Tags: Aisles, Business Casual Attire, Christmas Season, Community Affairs, Competitor, Department Store Chains, Department Stores, Department stores Tyler TX, Distribution Center, East Texans, Low Quality, Quality Goods, Quality Merchandise, Shopping Experience, Source Of Frustration, South Broadway, Store Experience, target, Target in Tyler Texas, Target Tyler Texas, Tyler Area, Tyler Shopping Center, Tyler Texas, wal-mart
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Jersey Mike’s Wins in the End

October 15th, 2009

For those looking for a great place to stop for lunch, Jersey Mike’s makes a delicious sandwich for a reasonable price. Now, I like an occasional Subway sandwich as much as anyone but I find that on completing one, I can hardly remember having eaten it. Not so with Jersey Mikes. At JM they build their sandwiches using only the freshest ingredients. And trust me when I say that this sandwich shop can satisfy even the biggest appetite.

My personal favorite is the cheese steak sub. Now as someone who has eaten a genuine Philly Cheese steak sandwich on the actual streets of Philadelphia, allow me to testify to the fact that they are pretty hard to beat. Well Jersey Mikes can’t beat them, but they come closer to matching them than anything I’ve tasted in Tyler or East Texas. The meatball sub is also one of their delicious signature sandwiches.

Jersey Mike’s is no big secret in Tyler. Lunch time brings out quite a mixed crowd. This store is a great place for a bite on the go, or an informal business lunch. In comparison to other area sandwich chains, I would place Mike’s near the top of the heap. In my opinion it beats out both Subway and Quizno’s. McAlister’s serves delicious fare, but due to personal reasons makes for awkward social situations. Newk’s is good, but priced too high for what you get. Schlotzsky’s is also serves some excellent food, so I find it a close call between them with JM winning by a nudge.

So the next time you find yourself craving a sub sandwich, try something other than the usual stops. Try Jersey Mike’s, it is located at 4754 South Broadway next to Eye Mart Express. I think I can guarantee you will remember eating there.

Tags: Appetite, Business Lunch, Chains, Cheese Steak Sandwich, Delicious Fare, East Texas, Informal Business, Jersey Mikes, Jm, Lunch Time, Mcalister, Personal Reasons, Sandwich Shop, Sandwiches, Schlotzsky, Social Situations, South Broadway, Streets Of Philadelphia, Subway Sandwich, Top Of The Heap
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