Eating (Not So) Good in the Neighborhood
Sometimes you must pay the piper for your shits and giggles, and Applebee’s recently got the better of me. I swear, eating at this particular chain twice in two weeks is not typical behavior. The NJ meal was just happenstance, no harm done. Last Wednesday, though, in a serious lapse of judgment I agreed to meet a former coworker at the Times Square location (I think the LeVar Burton-loving manager is finally on the outs. I like to believe that this turn of events coming a month after my departure is directly related to their inability to function without my presence) .
I know, I know, you get what’s coming to you by not only dining in the epicenter of Manhattan evil (no feeling eating good in this neighborhood) but choosing to do so at a tourist-gouging venue. I thought I was woman enough to handle it. And I did emotionally, but I paid a price, literally. (You thought I was cheap with my $5/day lunch budget before, but now I’m trying to cap it at three pathetic bucks. Lately, I’ve been subsisting Kashi TLC bars, green apples and baby carrots brought from home sometimes supplemented by $3.19 medium Au Bon Pain soup.)
What would you imagine one might pay for a cheeseburger and two margaritas at Applebee’s? If you guessed $47, then you’re a Rain Man and I'd like to punch you in your calculator craw. And the cruel part is that you can view their menus by location on the website so it’s no secret that most Manhattan items are $6 more than their NJ versions. I would like to somehow hold Tyler Florence and his Huge Flavors responsible for this travesty.
I have a friend who was very disappointed that we never got to take advantage of Olive Garden’s $7.95 Never Ending Pasta Bowl promotion, which ended two Sundays ago and only lasted for about two weeks. Clearly, I was fool for passing up such well-priced carbs.
Photo of the other Times Square Applebee's (yes, there are two) from someone named Dawn Westlake.
Well, I want to at least try the never-ending pasta bowl at some point. I doubt I would be able to eat 20 bowls or whatever, but I want to experience it plus it’s $7.95…even in Manhattan!