5/30/08-On The Border, Rocky Hill, CT

Wait...can you guess? Yep. More mexican. Went out with Jill to dinner, started with the ultimate loaded queso (no refried beans, they creep me out). Then, we both had fajitas--mine was chicken and carnitas, she had the chicken chipotle. OTB has excellent salsa, and the margarita I had was great--Don Julio Blanco tequila with Patron liquer--I so deserved that margarita after this week! Margaritas still holds the top spot for drinks and Mexican food, but this is a decent alternative.

www.ontheborder.com

5/26/08-Cracker Barrel, Holyoke, MA

Ok, now it's MY turn to feel out of place. I've never been to a Cracker Barrel (Tom has) so this is where we stopped for lunch on our way back from Yankee Candle in South Deerfield. This restaurant is COUNTRY. Not that I have a problem with country, but wow. An average family restaurant, average meal selections, very inexpensive. Tom had the grilled meatloaf sandwich and I had the pork bbq sandwich, both with steak fries. That's it--really, nothing exciting. In a pinch, I guess we'd come back here, but nothing to go out of the way for.

www.crackerbarrel.com

5/25/08-Plan B, West Hartford, CT

We were in the mood for burgers, so off to this place in West Hartford that I've been wanting to try. It was worth it. Comfortable restaurant with a modern feel (Tom said he felt a bit out of place, it felt a little bit too high-class for him, but I thought it was perfect!). The menu touts freshly ground meat, never frozen and you could tell. We started with the Kentucky Bourbon BBQ wings, which were sweet and tasty. I had "the squeeler" which is half-pork, half-beef burger with bacon, american cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard and mayo with fries on the side--very juicy and full of flavor. Tom had "the italian job" which was a chicken burger with mozzarella, pesto, roasted tomatoes and a roasted red pepper spread with fries--he felt that it was good, but said that he wasn't experiencing the flavors like he thought he would--tasted everything seperately, not an "explosion of flavor" together.

In all, definitely would come back again, just to try another burger creation :)

www.planbtavern.com -In West Hartford and Simsbury

5/1/08-The Cheesecake Factory, West Hartford, CT

My mom hadn't been to this restaurant, so after some shopping, I took her over to Blue Back Square for dinner. If you haven't been here, you really should go. The menu is amazing--if you can't find something here that you like, I'd be very surprised. And the cheesecake? To die for. I had the chicken costoletta with a lemon cream sauce, red mashed potatoes and asparagus. My mom had the crab cake sandwich with french fries. The portions were huge, so there was no room to eat dessert there, but we did get 5 slices of cheesecake to go! White chocolate macadamia nut for mom, Oreo for Lauren, Snickers for Dad, white chocolate raspberry swirl for me and fresh strawberry for Tom. The decor is very chic, the service is fantastic but the wait is something to be desired--go early if at all possible to avoid the rush.

You'll wanna check this one out-- www.cheesecakefactory.com