When you think about it, theme park food is part of the whole experience. We want a day of fun and out of the ordinary experiences which include burgers, ice cream, cotton candy, fudge, french fries and corn dogs.  Stereotypically similar to really bad for you fast food or even closer to carnival food. So when I stumbled upon the new food options on their website I did a double take and smiled with delight at the new additions. Besides the new salad were other options such as black bean chipotle veggie burger, pasta salad, baked pasta, five new soups and a no sugar added butter pecan ice cream. An added benefit is the ability to purchase many of these healthier foods in multiple restaurants within Holiday World and also in Splashin' Safari.

Oh there are also other new items to the menu for those believing that calories don't count while on vacation. Funnel cake fries, fried brownie bites, apple stuffed bosco breadsticks and churros have been added to the menu to tempt us all. Don't get me wrong. I am pumped for more variety and will probably by the end of the summer have tried them all (just typing fried brownie bites makes my mouth water). For me, a frequent (weekly) Holiday World visitor, the addition of healthy food options helps me balance out the fun food intake without wrecking my diet.

First of all Hollywood Bar and Grill food was fantastic, my burger was cooked to order and fries were seasoned perfectly.  Also, my wife's ham and pineapple pizza was great and portions for both were adequate for the price.  That being said, don't head off to this grill looking for a lot of choices.  They have plenty of apetizers, but lack in the main course arena of variety.  Lastly, we showed up about 6:00 and were 1 of about 6 people, not couples, but individuals.

The bar tender and waitress were both very friendly and these were the only ones we ran into.  I'm assuming there was a cook in the back, but never did he poke his head out to see if anyone was still there.  And unlike another Evansville Hollywood Bar and Grill restaurant review, I did not see any signs for employee eyes only.

Had our Harry Potter movie not been starting at 7:00 my wife and I would have chilled out with some more beers and listened to the live band.  Every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Eastside Hollywood Bar and Grill they have live music and last nights was Common Ground.

For more information on Hollywood Bar and Grill visit their website, which is part of Showplace Cinemas.

Red Robin of Evansville

My brother and I decided to check out the new Red Robin in Evansville last night.  Overrall it was a good decision, but there are a few things that just didn't set right with my experience.  Allow me to share with you my experience, so that hopefully yours will be more fulfilling.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere in Red Robin was just great, complete with friendly hostess.  It's a wide open building with plenty of booths and tables, depending on your preference.  Also, there appeared to be a full service bar, but unfortunately no drink specials.

Looking back I don't remember any music playing, just the sound of a bustling restaurant.  Plenty of people chatting and generally having a good time.  Not necessarily a place I would recommend going out with a loved one for a quiet intimate dinner.

Service

I think that every restuarant experience comes down to the waitor or waitress you luck out with.  My waitor last night was very friendly, prompt when I needed something, but didn't come around as often as I would like.  This became an issue with me, considering how Red Robin sells their meals.  More on this under the food section.

It seemed to take a little longer than it should have to receive a simple burger and fry meal.  My brother and I waited probably about 20-25 minutes for our meals to show up.  Considering that it was a Thursday night, early, and really not that busy it seemed unacceptable.  No worries though, we weren't in a hurry.

Food

I purchased the Red Robin special A1 Peppercorn Burger on an onion bun.  It was perfect and cooked with a little pink, just as I had requested.  When ordering you have two choices for how you want your burger cooked, 'A Little Pink' or 'No Pink'.  I thought it was funny when our waitor insisted on correcting me when I ordered mine Medium.  "You mean a little pink", he said.  Kind of like a Venti coffee instead of just a large. pfft.

Overall the burger and fries were great and Red Robin has a seductive way of getting you to fall for their $10+ burger meal combos.  Red Robin offers bottomless fries, meaning you can eat as many fries with your meal as you want and they will keep bringing them out.  This sounds great, but when your waitor doesn't visit the table often enough to replenish your fries, what's the point?

Total time spent in Red Robin was probably just over an hour before I was finally asked if I wanted extra fries.  Of course I didn't take any, hell I was tired of just setting in the same place and had plans afterward.  Therefore, in future visits (and I will visit again) I fully intend on asking the server to go ahead and bring out extra fries when he brings the first meal.  That way, when I'm ready for my fries, they'll be there.

Conclusion

I'll eat there again.  The food was good, but nothing to get excited about.  The service was good, but nothing to get excited about.  The way in which you are served, by a place that promises bottomless fries, is aggrevating.  Make sure you get your money's worth and ask for extra fries up front, because the amount brought out with your burger is not enough to justify the cost.