Friday, September 28, 2007

Applebee's

Got a case of the Monday's in Marshalltown? Interested in some pizza poppers, shrimp shooters of extreme fajitas? Maybe just coffee? Applebee's on Center Street is your best bet for bar and grill food.

The Looks:

"People can get a burger anywhere. They come to Chotchkie's for the attitude and the atmosphere". The same could be said of Applebee's. Although the servers do not seems to be wearing any pieces of flair, there are posters and nick-nacks all over the walls. Bonus points to Applebee's for including several pieces of local Marshalltown memorabilia.

The Cost:
Expensive. There's little chance you're walking out of here for less then 12 bucks. Most menu items range from 7 to 10 dollars. Toss in a 2 dollar soda and a reasonable tip and you'll be hurting. It might be worth mentioning they have lunch combos, which you can get a soup and salad for $5.99 or a soup and sandwich for $6.99. But you'll leave hungry.

The Grub:
All the usual suspects on the menu. Burgers, chicken sandwiches, wraps, huge salads. Some tasty dinner options include steaks, ribs, grilled fish, shrimp and pastas. I enjoyed the roasted turkey and Bacon Ciabatta with seasoned fries. I wasn't given enough fries, but the sandwich was good. Friends have told me in general that Applebee's doesn't always give enough food for the money. The Marshalltown location seems to be better then most in this regard, I did leave mildly satisfied.

Applebee's Neighborhood Bar and Grill
3101 South Center Street, 641-753-7755

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Sub City

Sub City on main street is a Marshalltown eats at their best. Is it legal to sell this much good food for so little? I think I actually left full and satisfied.

The Looks:

Bawah! Fake wood paneling. I hate fake wood paneling. It's an older establishment with Marilyn Monroe and Sinatra posters attempting to create an atmosphere. The booths and chairs are not comfortable. But there's always a huge line at lunch. Must be the food.

The Cost:
The cost is damn cheap. $3 to $5 for a "half" sandwich, and double that for a whole. What I really like is they don't try to sell you a combo meal you don't want. I don't think they even have combo meals. So if you just want to sandwich, it's cool, that's what you get. Soda is 70 cents for a small, 90 cents for a large.

The Grub:
First let's define what a half sandwich means. This ain't your boyfriend's 6 inch subway. This is 8 to 10 inches packed with meat. They slice the meat and cheese off of blocks with a deli slicer right in front of you. And they don't skimp on it either. You then move down the line and select toppings of your choice. The bread is brought in fresh from Hy-Vee every morning. The end product is marvelous. So much better then a sandwich from Subway or Blimpies. You need to eat here.

Sub City

8 East Main Street, 641-752-1375