I enjoy going out to eat. A nice restaurant with a special someone or with a group of friends allows us to eat well and relax. Or so one would think.

The problem with a really good restaurant is that they usually have something on the menu that stands out above everything else. This doesn’t necessarily mean that everything else is bad or not as tasty. The other food choices may even be better, but one may never know. That one delicious retreat ruins you for the rest of the menu…and for the rest of your dining experience at that particular restaurant. You become a prisoner to one dish.

I Can’t Take That Chance

The best way for me to explain this great taste side effect is to explain it through some of my favorite restaurants.

Christy’s

Christy’s is an upscale romantic Italian ristorante located in Long Beach, California. Christy’s boasts a large wine selection, coupled with award winning food in an atmosphere that whispers, “You shouldn’t be here, it’s too good for you. But since you are, we are gonna serve the hell out of you and make you come back for more.” Besides the creepy servers whispering long lines in your ear, it’s amazing.

Christy’s Rigatoni Con Carne is the most satisfying pasta dish I have ever eaten. It tastes great and fills me up-right. The problem I have with it is that it is so good I can’t get away from it. Everything sounds great on their menu, and may very well be, but if I choose something else…that is a wasted opportunity I could have had my favorite meal of choice. I can’t risk the chance of another meal not living up to the Rigatoni.

My Advise

1. Go to Christy’s.
2. Don’t order the Rigatoni Con Carne.
3. Trust me.

Claim Jumper

Claim Jumper is one of those places that has a variety of foods: from steak to halibut and club sandwiches to salads. Oh and did I mention…everything comes in huge portions.

My meal of relentless grip is the blackened chicken Cesar salad (light on the Cesar). The fact is, CJ slices up about 17 chickens, give or take 16.5 chickens, providing the salad with ample protein to make even a man feel like…well, a man! And the croutons… They are large and forgiving enough to allow forking without the ol’ crouton crumble. The portion feeds a family of giraffes and if laid out on the floor of a forest, the salad provides excellent foliage to shelter the nutrient rich soil.

Garlic bread too.

BOOM!

Now that your mind is blown I think you can understand why after a salad at Jumper, I can never again take the leap into another meal selection.

My Advise

1. Go to Claim Jumper.
2. Don’t order the Blackened Chicken Cesar Salad.
3. Trust me.