Red Rooster...oops I mean Robin = Good Burgers
Written: Aug 13 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good food and service. Reasonable prices.
Cons: Hmm...well the location closest to me is still a bit of a drive.
The Bottom Line: Red Robin's good.
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| age6racer's Full Review: Red Robin |
When my mother suggested coming up for a visit I decided the new Red Robin on Route 9 in Clifton Park would be a good place for lunch, having read good reviews on this site. We were very pleased.
When we walked in we were nicely welcomed by the hostess and then led to our seats, right next to the giant Red Robin, who, to me, looked more like a rooster, but anyway....
The décor was not overly kitschy like so many chains are, but was definitely bright. Aside from the huge fowl to my left the restaurant actually seemed quite tastefully done. Especially attractive was the large bar towards the front. There was a shaded patio on one side of the building for that rare Capital District occurrence known as a nice day.
We were handed our menus and given a minute to look at the drinks. Both my mom and I ordered a Mocha Smoothie, which was described as vanilla ice cream, chocolate, and cappuccino. It was ok, but a little lackluster. Next time I'd go with a regular shake or malt.
After we'd ordered our waiter asked us if we'd like some fries to "nibble on" while we were awaiting our food. He brought us a basket of hot steak fries which were lightly seasoned with Red Robin's signature seasoning, which seems to be mostly salt and pepper with maybe some paprika and celery seed. The fries were pretty good, but I prefer a thinner fry myself. My mom loves the big thick steak fries. She does not, however, like things salty, and she proclaimed these to be very good.
I'm not a big burger eater but I admittedly had a difficult time choosing from Red Robin's list of gourmet burgers. Red Robin is, primarily, a fancy-schmancy burger joint.
I debated between the Banzai Burger which is topped with grilled pineapple, Cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato, and the perhaps less adventurous Bacon Avocado Burger. I went with the latter and was glad I did. It was a BIG burger topped with fresh, spicy guacamole, crisp bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, and tomato. Really good. My mom opted for the Mushroom Swiss Burger, which was a bit of a disappointment. The mushrooms had been sautéed in a nice garlicky bland of herbs, but unfortunately that was about all the burger tasted like. Red Robin will cook your burger well or medium-well. I like mine a little pink, and was rewarded with a nice, juicy burger; my mom's well-done was just a touch dry. Red Robin offers a bottomless basket of their steak fries with every meal.
Beef not your thing? Red Robin also offers turkey and veggie burgers which can be substituted for beef in any menu item.
They offer the standard appetizers, cheese sticks, onion rings, Buffalo wings, etc. They also have some entrées such as chicken fingers and fish and chips, but the real draw is burgers.
There were also some less traditional types of burgers on the menu that I'm anxious to try, such as a Pot Roast Burger (mmm pot roast! I'll take it in any form I can get it!) and a Carnitas Burger with garlic and citrus seasoned slow-roasted pork and a chipotle sauce. They have a fish burger and a salmon burger as well.
Red Robin offers some soups and salads, as well as some desserts. Neither my mom nor I was too impressed by the dessert selections and decided to go to a local Italian bakery after lunch instead. They have, as I mentioned before, a full bar and offer a wide variety of specialty drinks, both potent and virgin.
I don't recall the exact prices, but the burgers seemed to run about $5 to $8 each, which is a reasonable lunch. Two burgers and two smoothies cost about $25.
Service throughout our lunch was very good; friendly, efficient, and helpful without being hokey or irritating. Too many chains go overboard with their service. This was perfect.
The restaurant was very clean, as was the restroom, which interestingly enough had a TV in it. I guess that's a good thing if you plan on spending some time in there.
All in all Red Robin was a surprisingly excellent choice for lunch.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
age6racer
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Member: Becky
Location: Albany, NY
Reviews written: 53
Trusted by: 29 members
About Me:
Life's no story book.
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