There is one part of me that *knows* all the food I make at
Applebees is processed junk food. Then there
is the other part of me that can’t resist giving in to the toxins and enjoying
the taste. I work “midd” at my local ABs,
a simple name for the middle section of the “line” which consists of “fry” and “broil”
as well. My responsibilities include but
are not limited to burgers, pastas, sandwiches, soups, and shrimp. To boil down my co-line cooks, fry would be
fingers, mozz sticks, wings, salads and desserts, and broil is steaks, chicken,
ribs, fish and certain pastas.
Get it, good. Because
this isn’t AB’s BOH 101 this is an honest review of the food *I* cook and serve
every day.
Let me start with saying this is the first time I have ever
worked in a corporate kitchen and the standards are high indeed. Labels on all containers and dates checked
daily, internal company criteria outranks state specifications to a certain
degree and product move fast enough that ingredients don’t have time to rot!
Let me put it this way, in a small place where standards are
lack, if one person chooses not to wear gloves for instance, and another follows
suit, after a while if no one steps in gloves become an afterthought, only to
be used if a health inspection is imminent.
In an environment where corporate standards are expected to
be upheld at all times each member of the team becomes responsible for making
sure those regulations are followed and
in doing so encourages others to follow not with words but just in action.
So that was my first impression of Applebees, I went through
more gloves in a day then I had in a life time at other places where rules were
a bit less strict. Which grosses me out
in hindsight and after having ate at a place called Ed’s recently where I
watched a woman touch raw meat and immediately after a piece of bread with her
bare hands I am more than happy not be doing such things when I cook.
On to the food!
Just to list a few of the menu items off the top of my head…
Roast Beaf & Mushroom Sandwich - Fried Green Tomato Turkey Sandwich - Chicken Fettuccini Carbonara
– Philly Cheese Steak - Quesadilla Burger - Black and Blue Burger - Steak
Towers - Spinach and Artichoke Dip – Classis Grilled Sandwich – Chicken Quesadilla
– Tomato Basil Soup – French Onion
The RB Mushroom tops the list as it comes with Red Wine
Mushrooms and Grilled Onions, Swiss cheese, with a slice of bacon on butter
battered Hawaiian bread. I’m on the
verge of drooling just thinking about it.
Each time I make it for a pick and pair every afternoon it tempts me to
make an extra half for myself. My will
is strong though and I try not to eat the “junk” I cook too often.
Next of course is the Fried Green Tomato and Turkey, the
tomato comes frozen and we deep fry it, the turkey is warmed on the flat top,
it has the same grilled onions as the RB sandwhich and also comes with a green
pesto sauce, cheddar cheese and of course a slice of a bacon! What kind of sandwich would it be without it?! This sandwich isn’t necessarily second when
it comes to tastes, just second in order of review…
I like the sandwich I just can’t say it is as close to
perfect as its RB cousin, something about the green tomatoes is wrong and while
complicated it seems like it’s missing something. It also seems like a childish concept for a
sandwich to me, like an afterthought or a use for extra product. Who knows?
The newest sandwich which we just added last week is the
Philly Cheese Steak made with Shaved Sirloin diced onions and mac sauce on a
hoagie roll toasted with butter. It’s
tasty, and the meat is first class, but I’m from NY and I have travelled to Philly
a few times, I’ve had some authentic Philly Cheese Steaks over the years and
this one just feels like a cheap replica.
Where are the peppers and the melted cheese (mac sauce is cheesy… but it’s
not exactly melted cheddar)
It’s good but you can tell it was approved by a board of
directors and preexisting ingredients were rearranged for this sandwich. It is by far the most delicious sandwich we
make right now, yet somehow it doesn’t reach its potential.
Now here comes the worst of it, the Chicken Fett. Pasta
dish, ugh. The noodle are cooked earlier
in the day or the night before and refrigerated. We, as cooks, then take them and put them in
a plastic container called a “cambro” with an Alfredo sauce and microwave it
for 2 minutes. Some places have a pasta
cooker, which we also have and use occasionally, but when it gets busy no one takes
the time to use the warmer, your $14 pasta was just nuked sucker. I haven’t even tried any yet, no urge, if you
like it keep with it, but just know it’s not like you’re mom used to make spaghetti
back at home.
As far as our burgers go though, the range and diversity are
great and the meat is top notch. Our garden
tops are fresh daily and the selection of sauces from Chipolte Mayo to Southern
BBQ greatly satisfies. The Quesadilla
Burger comes on two toasted wraps with melted cheddar/jack mix bacon and pico
de gallo. The burger also gets a slice
of Monterey Jack and shredded lettuce.
It is cut in half and served with French fries. Which BTW, are really good. They come with a burger fry shake on them
that is really unique setting them apart from fast food fries.
The B&B Burger comes with Whiskey Onions and Mushrooms,
Bleu Cheese and Mont Jack on a bun with Chipolte Mayo and BACON! Everything comes with bacon; the cheese
quesadilla even has bacon in it already.
Applebees is not a place for vegetarian’s that’s for sure. As for the rest of the food on my list I’ll
let you explore the option for yourself.
My final verdict is that while the food isn’t exactly high
class or traditional it is a unique take on modern American dinning. Every few months new creations come in and
old favorites cycle back. I haven’t tried
something I didn’t like yet, just things that weren’t exactly as awesome as I thought
they could be, but isn’t that how most of life ends up, just a little less than
perfect?
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