My household of 4 went to Applebee’s. Our $65 meal did not really feel value the price — and the kids want we might gone to Chili’s.

• We tried the chain’s “2 for $25” menu, however weren’t impressed with what we acquired for the worth.

• Next time, my teenagers stated they’d reasonably go to Chili’s. I in all probability would, too.

My husband and I’ve by no means been large on chain eating places, however our youngsters love visiting them, so we have tried fairly a number of in recent times.

Luckily, loads have pleasantly shocked us, from upscale steakhouses like Ruth’s Chris to surprisingly inexpensive spots like Waffle House.

Now, we generally even look ahead to testing completely different chains — particularly on double dates with our son and his girlfriend.

The 4 of us frequently go to see a film and get dinner at a restaurant close to the theater. Their favourite spot is often Chili’s, however I just lately urged we attempt Applebee’s as an alternative since it is also shut by.

Luckily, we did not have to attend for a desk.

We visited our native Applebee’s round 6:30 p.m. on a Friday night time, and it wasn’t very crowded.

We have been seated instantly and, start-to-finish, the meal took lower than 45 minutes to finish.

The restaurant had a sports-bar really feel, from its loud music to the a number of mounted tv units all through the house. It wasn’t our favourite vibe, however that does not imply it is not somebody’s cup of tea.

The chain’s menu was full of selection — and we opted to attempt its “2 for $25” deal.

The menu at Applebee’s has many alternative sorts of meals, from pasta dishes to quesadillas to salads. The selection makes it a good selection for teams the place everybody’s craving one thing completely different.

On this go to, all of us took benefit of Applebee’s “2 for $25” deal.

It appeared like a stable promotion: For $25, you will get a full-size appetizer and two entrées from a set record.

However, many gadgets on this deal had improve costs starting from $1 to $5. Both my grilled rooster and my son’s girlfriend’s rooster tenders had a $1 upcharge, making every meal $26 as an alternative.

That stated, I might see the “2 for $25” rapidly costing greater than anticipated in the event you’re not studying the advantageous print.

My husband and I did not love our appetizer.

We shared the spinach-and-artichoke dip appetizer, which got here with tortilla chips and a facet of salsa.

A bit watery and in no way creamy, the dip was simply OK and nothing to jot down house about. To me, it tasted like store-bought spinach-artichoke dips I’ve bought within the frozen part on the grocery store.

The mozzarella sticks weren’t a house run, both.

My son and his girlfriend shared the mozzarella sticks as their appetizer. Though their cheese-pulls have been on level, the sticks they have been served appeared just a little on the small facet.

Just a few weeks prior, we might gone to Chili’s for its plank-style mozzarella sticks, and each teenagers felt like these have been a a lot better worth given their giant measurement.

My son wasn’t actually impressed by the burger he ordered …

My husband and son each selected the Big Bangin’ Burger as their entrée — a beef patty topped with American cheese and served with jalapeño-bacon sauce.

A choosy eater, my son ordered his burger with simply cheese. He’s a little bit of a burger aficionado — he even orders them at steakhouses like Morton’s. He thought-about Applebee’s burger to be simply so-so.

The burger did not wow my husband, both.

My husband, who ordered his burger with all of the fixings (lettuce, tomato, onion), agreed. He loved the jalapeño-bacon sauce, however stated the burger was “forgettable” and would not actually rank excessive on his record.

Both discovered the burger a bit dry and overcooked, and stated the bun felt barely stale.

The rooster tenders have been respectable, however not so good as those at Chili’s.

My son’s girlfriend and I are large followers of the rooster tenders at Chili’s, so I wasn’t shocked when she ordered them as her meal at Applebee’s (for a $1 upcharge).

A $2 improve was additionally obtainable to make the entrée a platter that included coleslaw, however she declined.

Applebee’s rooster tenders are good, she stated, however they’re not so good as those at Chili’s. She felt the rooster tenders at Applebee’s weren’t as crispy and breaded as they’re at Chili’s, and located these to be a bit dry.

My grilled chicken-breast entrée was good, however not nice.

I ordered the grilled chicken-breast entrée (additionally a $1 upcharge) as a result of I wasn’t within the temper for fried meals.

My meal got here with a rooster breast, redskin mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli. The rooster was well-cooked and tender, and I preferred the smoky taste the grill marks appeared so as to add.

Still, it wasn’t pretty much as good because the grilled rooster I’ve had at different eating places … or that I’ve ready myself at house.

The actual star of my meal was the mashed potatoes, which have been flavorful and completely seasoned with salt and pepper.

Sadly, the broccoli was simply your primary facet of not-super-seasoned steamed greens, rounding out a reasonably common dish that I wasn’t sad with, however wasn’t overly impressed with both.

Our $65 dinner wasn’t horrible, however the teenagers stated they’d go to Chili’s subsequent time.

Based on our expertise at Applebee’s, I’m undecided we might return.

Though our $65 meal — which additionally included my $3 soda and my husband’s $6 beer (the kids ordered water) — was OK, it wasn’t overly spectacular.

Our appetizers have been fairly middle-of-the-road, identical to the burgers. Given the general high quality of the grilled rooster and tenders, the $1 upcharges we paid for them appeared a bit pointless, too.

There are plenty of different spots the place I’d want to spend my cash on dinner, together with close by chains like Chili’s or Longhorn Steakhouse.

My teenagers commented that they wished we might simply gone to Chili’s, and I am unable to blame them. It’s not my favourite, however our final meal felt like a very good worth and was pretty tasty. (They ended up happening a date there to get their Triple Dipper repair every week later.)

We promised them that, on our subsequent dinner and film date, we’ll begin the night at their favorite chain restaurant as an alternative.

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