Tag: #TeamNKH

Sick and Tired of Skimpy Subway Sandwiches

When the Subway near my house opened I was ecstatic.

Finally there would be a healthier option than I’ve had in a pinch:  Del Taco, Carl’s Jr & Wendy’s.

I’m sorry to say now, I wish it would close.

I went this evening, giving this location its umpteenth chance to impress me but I was disappointed once again.

subwaymenuIn front of the oblivious crew member who finally saw fit to help me (the only customer in the store at 6:15 PM on a Sunday), I snapped a photo on my phone of the item on their menu I intended to order two of: the foot long tuna sandwich. The photo on the menu shows a sandwich overflowing with fresh vegetables and mounds of tuna.

As you an probably guess, my sandwiches came nowhere near resembling the ones shown on the menu board.

The team member helping me asked me for my bread selection first.  Despite the menu showing quite a few options I only saw a few each of the white, wheat and cheddar jalapeno rolls.  I was under the impression that all of their options were available every day.  Strike 1!

Having settled on the cheddar jalapeno rolls, I then ordered the two tuna sandwiches one with Swiss and the other with Provolone cheese.  Over the years I have seen the amount of tuna go from 6 overflowing scoops to 5 and tonight he put 4 full only to level, scoops of tuna and thinly spread it across most of one side of the roll.  Once he put the 4 1/2 slices of cheese (that looked more like 1/3 cuts) on you couldn’t see any evidence of tuna at all.

tuna2I told him that the first sandwich should only have mayonnaise, pickles, olives and pepperoncinis on it.  He haphazardly threw a few of each item on the bread and, again, I blatantly snapped a photo of the sandwich he had made.  This is what my husband’s looked like just before he folded it closed, cut it in half and wrapped it.

Not only had he forgotten the mayonnaise, but he didn’t even distribute the pittance of the ingredients he did add evenly across the sandwich.  Strike 2!

tuna1aThe second sandwich should have come out looking a little less anemic, considering I was putting many more ingredients on mine.  Once again this guy, and this location proved me wrong!  He asked what I wanted on mine and I indicated (as he was filling the sandwich) that I wanted cucumber, spinach, bell pepper, pickles, pepperoncinis and salt & pepper.  He missed the cucumber completely (despite me reminding him twice). He took a very small grab of spinach leaves TORE THEM IN HALF and scattered them on the bread, put 4 skinny slices of bell pepper, counted out 6 pickle slices and then a few pepperoncini SQUISHED the sandwich closed angrily, wrapped it and sliced it in half.  The minimum wage earning sandwich “artist” took no pride in what he was doing and quite frankly seemed like I was bothering him by asking him to make and sell me two sandwiches.  Excuse me for asking you to do your job!  Strike3!

tuna1The sandwich shown on the left comes nowhere near looking like the sandwich shown on the menu board.  As such, I cannot imagine that anything Subway has factored into their calorie and nutrition counts for the sandwich (other than the slightly stale bread) comes close to what the real nutrition value is for a Tuna sandwich made at this Subway.

Suffice it to say tonight was the last time I will waste my money in this local business.

If you are on Facebook and are interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to, recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water, I have a page on Facebook you can visit too:  https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

Lunch at Brio Tuscan Grille

brio-3-color-logoI love business lunches and today’s was one of the best I’ve had in quite a while!

Because I could make a reservation ahead of time (and earn more points toward free dining) using my OpenTable App, I tried a restaurant that I’ve never been to before, Brio Tuscan Grille in the Irvine Spectrum entertainment, shopping and dining center in Irvine, CA.

The restaurant was a great choice because they are located near the valet, on the outside edge of the center, have a wide variety of  foods to choose from, a daily chef’s choice menu, a gluten free menu, as well as a selection of lighter Italian dishes so we all could enjoy our meals completely.

I started with a glass of Zig Zag Zinfandel to toast the partnership we were celebrating.  The nose was a warm welcoming plum with a touch of vanilla.  The body and flavor were bold but not too overpowering for my lunch selections.

I was a really good girl and stayed away from the bread basket that taunted me with the intoxicating scent of warm sourdough baguettes, breadsticks and cheese crisps.

My first course was the 150 Calorie Chopped Salad.  I only ate half of it, but I loved the lightness of the chopped greens, cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes, Feta cheese and lightly dressed with Italian vinaigrette.  I didn’t want to overeat, having ordered the main course off of the Light Menu that our waiter highly recommended:  Shrimp Mediterranean.

I devoured every last morsel!  Atop a bed of orzo farro pilaf, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, plum tomatoes, and Feta cheese lay 5 perfectly grilled large shrimp that were drizzled with a delicious pesto vinaigrette.  Magnifico!!

At 470 calories with 17 grams of fat, 43 grams of carbs, 7 grams of fiber and a whopping 35 grams of protein, I was satisfied, but not uncomfortably full.

Others I dined with ate from the light menu (Grilled Salmon Fresca) and the gluten free menu (Pasta Brio) and gave very enthusiastic thumbs up reviews to their choices.

A well deserved shout out to the bartender is in order as well.  One of my companions ordered the Raspberry Mojito.  The drink was beautiful and the raspberries that were skewered atop the drink were huge, ripe and delicious (I got to eat the fruit!),

If you have a Brio Tuscan Grille near you, it is definitely worth a visit.   Lunch for 4 with 3 of us having 1 drink plus iced tea all around came to $162.  Not a lunch for those dining on a budget to be sure, and I would expect dinner to be half again as much per person, but certainly worth a splurge when dining for a special occasion or if you are looking to impress someone with great food, great service and a fun atmosphere.  One drawback is that the high ceilings and echo off of the hard surfaces make the restaurant quite loud during it’s busiest hours.

2014_brio_nkh_fb_cover_image_v2Another definite plus for dining at Brio Tuscan Grill is their participation in and support of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America.  Their Founding Chef Phil Yandolino and the entire Bravo-Brio Restaurant Chain participate in this very important charitable organization.  You can follow #TeamNKH on Twitter @nokidhungry.  For a list of restaurants participating in September #dineout month in support of No Kid Hungry visit http://www.nochildhungry.org.

Not only did I enjoy a great meal, but I contributed to the cause! #TeamNKH

If you are on Facebook and are interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to, recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water, I have a page on Facebook you can visit too:  https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood