The husband placed the order and told me he’d ordered a cheese pizza that he thought sounded good. In a house full of kids, a cheese pizza is a pretty safe choice and I like cheese pizza as well, so I didn’t really think too much until it arrived.

The new Tuscan pizza really is a blend of six tasty Italian cheeses – mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, provolone and fontina. The smooth and savory taste is a nice reminder that a cheese pizza can be a good choice and not just a default to satisfy the masses (usually the children who don’t like all the toppings).

The entire family really enjoyed this pizza so we give it a big prop from this family!

Written by Gidge, who is a mother of a 5 year old boy and 3 year old twin boys. A transplanted Hoosier, die-hard Colts fan and professional call center manager, she likes long walks on the beach, penguins and playing ping-pong. Her turn-ons include sleep and silence. Read all about her life here.

We were both craving steak, so it wasn’t hard to decide upon Outback when we scanned the choices in front of us. We’ve always found quality food and service at Outback and enjoyed their appetizers. I’m fairly certain the first place I ever had a fried onion was at Outback when we had the Bloomin’ Onion one Valentine’s Day back in college. I’ve had many at other restaurants, but none come close to comparing to Outback’s.

I choose the Herb Rubbed Slow-Roasted Sirloin, while my husband dined on the Prime Rib and Crab Cake Mixed Grill. My dinner was accompanied by a side salad and side item, while my husband’s featured a side salad and crispy green beans plus cheesy au gratin potatoes. These new items are only available for a limited time so hurry in to try them out.

Both were excellent dishes and since I tasted his entre, I can honestly recommend both. I personally get tired of the same old baked potato, mashed potato or french fries offered as side items. I was able to get steamed vegetables for my side item. Our server was cheerful and knowledgeable regarding the new menu items they were offering. My husband actually measures a waiters tip on whether or not they refill his drink before it gets empty.

With Father’s Day tomorrow, what better gift can you hand dad than a card that says we’re treating you to Outback? Give him a steak and some great company to dine with.

Written by Emily, who is a married working mother of a very energetic 5 year old son. They reside in Southern Indiana (a little too close to the Kentucky border). Someday she’d like to visit Intercourse, PA and have her picture taken with the welcome sign. She writes at her personal blog, Fenicle and loves free samples and trying new things!

Which made no sense to me, because in the world of pizza you almost always get what you pay for, and Pizza Mia was a delightful surprise. Now they are advertising it all over, so here is my opinion. It is specifically a one topping Pizza that bills itself as being made from more wholesome ingredients like vine ripened California tomatoes, whole milk mozzarella with a hint of cheddar, etc…

It is very delicious. The sauce is a slightly sweet tomato sauce and the cheese isn’t too salty, while maintaining a rich flavor. The toppings are good. I wouldn’t go out of my way to call them wholesome, but they are tasty. But the best part is, that in house of 5 people, I can get three pizzas for only $15 and they don’t taste like yuck.

Pizza Mia, I’m glad Pizza Hut is finally declaring you part of the family!

Written by Gidge, who is a mother of a 5 year old boy and 3 year old twin boys. A transplanted Hoosier, die-hard Colts fan and professional call center manager, she likes long walks on the beach, penguins and playing ping-pong. Her turn-ons include sleep and silence. Read all about her life here.

As with most households, we will occasionally partake in quick drive-thru meals. In the past we’ve tried to cut back on these trips in the financial category and the calorie area. Subway has always offered the low fat sandwich option, but the issue is that our 5 year old son does not eat sandwiches.

Some genius sitting up in marketing must have had this same issue with his kid, because now Subway offers pizza. We recently tried these new personal pan deep dish master pieces and they taste surprisingly good.

I was shocked that the crust is not made daily like their sandwich bread. Isn’t their slogan, “Eat Fresh?” Pre-made pizza dough is not fresh.

The pizza’s appear to be precooked (wrapped in plastic) and prepared with sauce and cheese. You choose from toppings such as pepperoni and sausage to anything they offer along the prep line. My hope was that their would be several options in crust – like whole wheat, Italian Parmesan, etc…

They are cooked inside toaster ovens in 90 seconds. If you’ve ever cooked anything microwave style you know bread can come out rubbery, but the crust was truly toasted and crisp on the edges. Overall it tasted pretty flavorful.

Subway rolled out these new pizza’s at 13,000 of its 21,000 locations in the United States this summer, so you may not have one near you yet. If you like pizza then I recommend giving it a try.

A little over a year ago, McAlister’s opened a restaurant near my home in North Carolina. Needless to say, I was extremely excited. My husband and I went for our first visit, and were totally disappointed in the service. The food was good though, so we continued to go back in hopes that the service would improve.

Honestly, it is hit or miss. Some days you can go in and be served by a friendly, intelligent teenager and receive your food in a reasonable amount of time. Those days have kept me returning. Those days, and a muffaletta, which you can’t get just anywhere up here in the northern South.

Unfortunately, those days are getting fewer and further between. I want to love McAlister’s. Really I do. But I just can’t anymore.

Last night, my stepdaughter and I went to pick up dinner for ourselves, my husband, and my father-in-law. The girl taking our order was polite, which is an improvement, but not one of the shiniest apples on the tree. Amidst her glowing approval of everything we ordered (she hearts Sunchips and a Rueben), I had to repeat everything we ordered twice, and then she forgot our tea.

As we sat and waited for our to go order, we watched at least two other tables of people who ordered after us, but were eating in, receive their meals. And then we waited some more.

We finally get our food, 30 minutes from the time we arrived, return home, and find that my stepdaughter’s Greek chicken wrap contained not one single piece of chicken, and my nachos had no cheese. I ask you; who forgets to put cheese on nachos? Isn’t that the primary ingredient?

My choices are to call and attempt to talk to a manager to try and get her to credit my card back for their mistakes. I’ve seen the manager at work there. I know this will be futile. I could also pack the food back up, drive back to the restaurant, park, go inside, and demand that they fix it. We are looking at another 45 minutes until a hungry pregnant woman gets to eat. I’m not doing this either.

So I email them as I’m munching on tortilla chips topped with olives, tomatoes, and peppers. And no cheese. I email their corporate headquarters. I complain. Loudly. I offer them a chance to respond before I post a review of their restaurant. I really wanted to post a prop for customer service and how they fixed a serious problem, because I loved them so at one point.

Unfortunately, I received my response today. It was from the “General Manager.” I’m assuming she works at the location I visited last night, but she doesn’t say. Here is what she does say:

Ms. Canape,

I would just like to begin by apologizing for ruining your dinner last night. I know it can be extremely frustrating to get home and your order be incorrect. I know you have said that you will not be returning, however, I would like to offer a complimentary invitation for you and a guest if you change your mind. We would like the chance to make it up to you. Please stop by anytime at your convenience and we would be more than happy to take care of it. I would like the chance to speak with you myself and try to figure out what has exactly been happening on your visits-since it sounds as if this may have happened before. Please don’t hesitate to call if you have a free moment. We do appreciate your candid feedback. Hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,
******** *******

General Manager

Polite. Apologetic. Unimpressive.

What I don’t like about this is how I have to be the one to call when I have a free moment. I have to be the one to stop by at my convenience. And, even though she knows I won’t be returning, she wants to fix things by issuing a complimentary invitation to me and a guest. Well that won’t cost them much if she knows I’m not returning, will it?

They have my contact information, obviously. I wanted them to be proactive and take care of something. Send me a voucher. Credit my card back. Send me a coupon. Something.

Did you notice that she doesn’t even include a phone number where I can call her? I am supposed to look it up. Did you notice she doesn’t tell me the hours she works? I’m supposed to just drop by and hope for the best. Am I supposed to just print out this email and take it into the restaurant and wave it around until I get a free sandwich?

I am so disappointed. Because I can’t bear to pan the whole chain, I’m just panning the one in Raleigh. But visit a McAlister’s near you with fair warning. Their expansion has obviously diluted the good ole’ sandwich shop I knew back home.

Go check out Kids Eat Free. You can click on your state and see what restaurants are listed. They also offer tips for saving money on the items you order. I was a little disappointed that my state, Indiana, only had two restaurants listed and both were not near me. I know for a fact there are several national chains that offer free meals for kids on certain nights.

For example, at Denny’s kids eat free on Tuesday nights from 4 – 10 pm. (Not that a child should be out on a school night eating dinner at 10 pm!) And some locations run the same special on Saturday nights.

Other good deals include: Boston Market has .99 cent kids meals, most Chick-Fil-A restaurants have a family fun night on Tuesday’s with reduced kids meals and fun activities, and O’Charley’s lets children under 12 eat free EVERY NIGHT!

However, over the weekend I was in New York with my mother- famous for her line “Why don’t we try that place over there, it looks like it might be good.” – so I had no problem persuading her to try an eatery I eyed from across the street as we walked down 9th Avenue.

On a whim we tried Whym. And what a wonderful Whym it is! New York is a haven for ethnic and eclectic places to eat, but often the establishments with some of the most creative chefs also have menu prices that would necessitate creative financing in order to be affordable to the masses. No Whym! This place has decent prices and a menu I can only describe as comfort food turned up a few notches.

You can order everything from the simple “Baked Chicken Pot Pie” and the exotic sounding “Wasabi Pea Encrusted Tuna”. There is something for everyone at this place. The dining room is small, relaxed and sleek.

The noise level is quiet, yet neither funereal nor formal. Would I bring kids to this place? Maybe. I would call first and ask if they have highchairs. If they do not have highchairs, then I would draw the conclusion it is not a baby/toddler place. Older kids might do just fine there. I would consider bringing my 7 and 11 year olds there if I was eating early.

But what about the service? Bad service can turn a good restaurant into a bad dining experience in seconds. However, I have good news to report, the service at Whym is fantastic.

We arrived at 5:15 PM on a Saturday. While it was early, we were still prepared to be turned away as we did not have reservations. In New York, particularly on a Saturday night, reservations are protocol. Before we could be told “no, sorry.” I pled our case that we could in and out within an hour if the kitchen could pull it off.

The maitre’ d told us with a smile “No problem. Follow me.” He led our party of three to a table in the back and even made sure we had a corner to put our luggageso we need not struggle with suitcases under the table, etc.

Our waiter came by immediately, had quick wit and quick service. Told us the specials, got our drink order. We explained our time was limited and he quipped “I understand. But when I bring out your food, you can’t speak to each other. Only eating allowed!”

The food? SHUT UP! It was amazing. Fresh, hot. Flavorful. Even my snobby father would have been impressed. We were in and out in an hour, and no compromises were made to our experience.

This is a Whym you can follow again and again!