Saturday, July 16, 2005

Chicken Caesar Review: Village Inn

I have yet to do one of the breakfast chains for a CCR, so let's start with Village Inn. It's Chicken Caesar Salad, which costs $7.49, contains Romaine lettuce tossed in Caesar dressing, with tomatoes, black olives, red onions, croutons, Parmesan cheese and is topped with grilled chicken strips.

The chicken is a freshly cooked breast that is warm and juicy. It's cut into very long strips that demand being cut up before hand, so consider that a demerit. The atypical ingredients of tomato wedges and red onions are a nice touch. The lettuce is cut up into small enough pieces and is sufficiently fresh. The croutons are average. The dressing and cheese, while tasty, is only found on top of the salad. Underneath, there is tons of dry lettuce. In other words, the salad was not tossed. When will restaurants learn the simple lesson that the key to a good salad is a good tossing? Do we need to send a Panera representative over there? Incidentally, not long after I discovered this, the waitress offered to bring some extra dressing. She brought out a generous cup of ranch dressing, which means she's not totally familiar with Chicken Caesar's, but at least her intentions were good.

Despite the friendly waitress, I can't really recommend this salad for the price. Salad's are obviously not their specialty and it shows. You're better off with a stack of pancakes and a side of bacon at this place.

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