Cracker Barrel & Arby's

On the 27th of July, a Friday, I took the day off. I hit up Cracker Barrel for brunch:

I went with Grandpa's Country Fried Breakfast. I chose chicken fried chicken (big surprise), went with scrambled eggs, regular hash browns, biscuits and gravy and added a pancake (as I was still having a pancake craving).

The chicken was really good. It was cooked just right, still very juicy and hot. The eggs were nice and fully cooked, no runniness to them at all. The hashbrowns were just ok, they're never as good as Waffle House's. The pancake was good (for Cracker Barrel's, they're one of my least favorites). The gravy and biscuits were about as perfect as they can get.

For dinner, I had another Arby's craving, so I went with the usual #2 combo:

The potato cakes were good, and the roast beef was outstanding. Hot, juicy and flavorful, it was everything you'd want in a roast beef sandwich.

Friday Feast

For lunch on Friday, I ate at the movie theater before watching Prometheus. I went with my usual of a corn dog and a frozen coke. The corn dog was about as cooked as you could get before hitting over cooked. It wasn't bad, but it was a hair past really good. The breading was well done and the dog was just past pleasantly tough. I don't want it to sound like it was bad, but I think I've been a bit lax on my descriptions in the last few posts. This was a good corn dog, just not as good as they have been in the past. The frozen coke was very good, however. A nice mix, not too icy and not too syrupy.

For dinner, my sister wanted to go to Cracker Barrel, so that's where we went. I went with my usual, CFC. But, as you'll see in the picture, I hit up the corn instead of the dumplings.

I'd love to say I was trying to be healthier, but that'd be a lie. They were out of dumplings.

I KNOW, Tab. Travesty of the highest order.

My okra was very good, not the best I've had there, but better than usual. Meaning it was fairly crunchy, and not too ... gooey inside. I personally love my okra very crunchy, so this was a plus. The corn was nice and buttery, very plump kernels. Juicy and pleasantly salty. The mashed potatoes were really good for the old Crack House. I prefer mine more creamed than mashed, and they usually go more mashed than creamed. The gravy was good. The chicken itself was very flavorful and juicy, the breading not too thick or overcooked. The biscuits were good. A nice thickness and held the butter well.

The day after

For breakfast, we hit up the local Cracker Barrel. I went with the "Country Fried Breakfast" which in my case was the chicken fried chicken (big surprise), scrambled eggs, and biscuits and gravy. And I forgot to take a picture of it.

After that, the gang broke up and most headed back home. I hung out with Tab, Furey and their kids as I was heading back on Monday (12 hr drive wasn't happening after the day had started). So, we hung out in the pool for most of the afternoon.

For dinner, we had some hamburgers, corn, and finished off the crab that had been leftover from the party:

Yep, look at that, I tried to healthy up my usual fare. Went with corn for the side dish and tossed a couple of leaves of spinach on there. It was pretty tasty, and the spinach added a nice texture without being too bitter (last few times I've tried spinach on salads or such it had been really bitter).

And there were 3 blue crabs left over (yes, they really had a blue hue pre cooking) and a couple of clumps of snow crab legs, so we dealt with them. And they were tasty.

And for dessert? Key Lime Pie:

Very tasty, sweet with a little bite of tart.

The Old Switcheroo

For lunch, I hit up the old Crack House (Cracker Barrel), and went with my usual, the Chicken Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy (white on both), fried okra and dumplings.

The food was very good, I ate almost every bit of it. I only hate half of one of the biscuits though.

For dinner, I had the other half of that flat iron steak to get rid of, so I fried it up, and added some scrambled eggs, for the old breakfast of Steak and Eggs. First time I've ever actually gone with that meal:

It was outstanding. I put most of that praise on the steak. It had the same seasoning as the other half, only they'd been sitting in a ziplock bag for a few days. It was stupidly tender,so much so that I made steak and egg biscuits out of those and had no problem eating them. Flavor was top notch as was the tenderness.

Saturday at the Crack House

Saturday was a pretty decent lazy day. I hung out with Mom, we went to Cracker Barrel, then watched Captain America and Mission Impossible 3.

At the Crack House (as we affectionately call Cracker Barrel), I had my usual, which is to say: Chicken Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes (both of those doused in their country gravy), fried okra, and dumplings. You've gotta love a place that has chicken broth drenched biscuits as not only a side, but a veggie.

This was an outstanding lunch. It was better than it's been prepared by them in a long time. The weakest part of the lunch was the dumplings (which have already been eaten in that photo so the okra could take their place), and since you don't see the dumplings, that should tell you they weren't bad. The okra was the best I've ever had at a Cracker Barrel. Not the best I've had period, but pretty high up there. The chicken filet was cooked well and seasoned well, as was the gravy.