Restaurant Name: Quiznos

Location: 2220 Sagamore Pkwy S,  Lafayette, IN  (map it)

Phone: (765) 477-0400

Cuisine: Subs/Sandwiches

Review:  I got an email forwarded to me this morning that said Quiznos has Silly Bandz in their kids’ meals and that also, kids eat free every day. My response was, “There’s a Quiznos in Lafayette?” How could I not know that? So I went to Urbanspoon and looked it up, and it said that this Quiznos was closed. I figured if I was in that area today, I’d drive by and see what was up and there it was and it was open. Turns out the reason it’s listed as “closed” is because it was closed. It just reopened last Thursday.

My only experience with Quiznos has been in airports, I believe, so I’m really unfamiliar with their menu. I figure if kids eat free, I can go ahead and try it out for lunch today. The location is really difficult to get to. It’s on the west side of Sagamore Parkway, just south of Teal Road. You can only get to it if you are going south on Sagamore Parkway or you come in off Concord Road. I actually had  to make a u-turn to get there.

We went in and got in line and I started checking out the menu. I found something that looked decent, the Pesto Turkey. I ordered it and they asked me what kind of bread I wanted. I wasn’t sure, because the menu seemed to indicate it came on a specific kind of bread. So I picked a bread, and a minute later, they corrected themselves that I could only get it on one kind of bread. That’s fine. I picked the smaller option, the “bullet.”

I can honestly say here that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a sandwich line assembly that moved as slowly as this one. I swear, it took three people over 10 minutes to make one tiny sandwich. It was so painfully slow that I wanted to go behind the counter and make it myself. I’m hopeful that this slowness will go away after the store has been open for awhile and the employees learn the ropes.

We took ours to go, but they had a small to medium sized eat in area with tables and chairs. Nothing spectacular, but sufficient.

My sandwich was a small sub. Maybe it was called “The bullet” because it’s a skinny sub. It was cute. I got the Pesto Turkey and it was a decent sandwich. My daughter got the kid’s cheese pizza meal. This is mostly just a round flatbread with pizza sauce and cheese. They send it through their toaster to melt the cheese. Simple, but my daughter really liked it.

We got to the checkout and I learned that the kids eat free promotion is only for larger subs or salads, but before I could say anything he said he was going to go ahead and give me it free. I get the point of the free kids meal is that the adult buys a meal. Had I known when ordering that I needed to get the bigger size, I definitely would have. Nobody mentioned it to me though, and as I was standing there with a child and ordering a kid’s meal, one would think they might encourage me to go large. That’s okay, he did the right thing. I think the employees just need more experience.

Overall, I’d go again if I was in the area. Unfortunately, I feel the location is going to be a hindrance and it’s going to prevent people from going there.

Kid friendly: Yes

Restaurant Name: Panera Bread

Location: 300 E State St., West Lafayette, IN (map it)

Phone: (765) 746-2400

Cuisine:  American, Café

Review:  The west side Panera Bread is located in Wabash Landing on SR 26. Parking is kind of a pain if you don’t want to park in the garage, but you can generally find a spot. The parking garage is free for the first hour, so that makes it easier if the lot is full.

You can find Panera Bread across the country in malls and strip malls, and the fare is the same at all locations. You go in and order at one end of the counter, and pick up your food at the other. The menu is fairly large, including lots of hot soups that can be served in a dish or a bread bowl, sandwiches, both hot and cold, and a large assortment of salads.They also offer a variety of desserts and don’t forget bagels and muffins.

I’ve had a variety of items off the menu, and am very fond of the soups and bread. Most meals come with your choice of chips or an apple, which makes for a nice rounded out meal. Drink selections range from sodas, teas, lemonade, and coffee drinks.

They also have free WIFI – which is definitely a plus!

The food is always good, and their website has all the menu items and nutritional information available, which is nice for those of us looking to try to eat a healthier item.  Don’t let the menu fool you though, even the salads are pretty high in calories!

This is a nice place for a meal, good for kids, and enjoyable atmosphere. Watch out for busy times when the line to order can get pretty long!

Kid friendly: Yes. The menu offers several kids items, including peanut butter and jelly,  yogurt, fruit, and chips.

Methods of payment: Cash or credit.

Price Range: Varies – under $10 per entreé.

Restaurant Name: Toscana Italian Grill & Bar

Location: 515 South St, Lafayette, IN (map it)

Phone: (765) 423-1000

Cuisine: Italian

Review: I am having trouble mustering enough enthusiasm to write this review.  I think I’ll just start by saying how very disappointed I was in my visit to Toscana.  I’d heard that it had replaced Sarge Oaks at the Holiday Inn Select downtown and was really excited to try it out.

When my party arrived, the restaurant was pretty empty and we were seated immediately.  The restaurant was lovely in appearance, and I had high hopes for dinner.  I was excited about the drink special, $5 pomegranate martinis, and I can honestly say that was the highlight of dinner.

We perused the menu and made our choices.  One appetizer sounded so good our table ordered two of them to share among five people.  It was a tomato and Gorgonzola dip served with bread.  I had really high hopes, but was horribly disappointed.  What appeared at our table were dishes that appeared to be filled with seasoned tomato paste, topped with crumbled Gorgonzola.  I am  not someone who is all that particular about my food – I’ve been known to clean my plate even if I don’t like something, but I really couldn’t eat this. And neither could the rest of my table.

I ordered Ravioli and chose the Caesar salad to go with it.  My salad arrived with the appetizer, and it was almost all completely iceberg lettuce with a few croutons, liberally coated throughout with Caesar dressing. Every piece of lettuce was covered with dressing.  I like dressing on my salad, but it’s not an absolute necessity that every inch of it be covered.

When my dinner arrived, I was sad to see what appeared to be the same thick tomato paste on top.  I pushed off most of that and ate the raviolis, which were nothing special.  However, for the price of $13.00, I could have bought a package of ravioli and a jar of Prego and served the whole table – and it would have tasted better and saved us all a lot of money.

The rest of my dining companions had pizza, and while none were as disappointed as I was with my meal, no one was excited about their meal either.  One friend ordered a pesto pizza, and the crust was so soggy that she couldn’t even pick up her slices.  She had to eat it with a fork, which is a shame because it was actually the best tasting pizza at the table.

As for service, I don’t have any complaints.  Our waiter was friendly and fairly attentive, even if he didn’t get our jokes.  The music being played during our dining was a little retro.  I like retro, but we’re talking early 80′s songs including, but not limited to, “Island’s in the Stream” by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, some early Madonna, and even “Kyrie” by Mr. Mister.  Not exactly what you’d expect at a fine Italian eatery.

My advice: Skip this one; you can get a better meal at the Olive Garden.

Kid friendly: Yes.  They had high chairs and the tables were covered with white paper and there were crayons on the table.

Methods of payment: Cash or credit.

Restaurant Name: Pizza King

Location: 1400 Teal Rd # 1, Lafayette, IN (map it)

Phone: (765) 474-3414

Cuisine: Pizza

Review: Located on Lafayette’s south side, this pizza king is a real treat for kids. I haven’t visited Lafayette’s other Pizza King locations, but this one is quite nice.  It’s new and very clean.  There are two dining areas, one large one with tables and booths, and then another row of booths down a hallway.  These are the fun booths.  Each booth has a solid wall on one side, which has a TV that you can turn on for $0.25 and then a window where you can watch the toy train go by.  It’s not just a toy, though – that train delivers your drinks!   The kids get such a kick out of getting their drinks from the train.

If you sit in the dining room, you place your order at the counter up front and they bring your pizza out to you.  If you are in a train booth, you place your order via speaker and they deliver your drinks by train and your starters to your table.  Then they will call  you when your pizza is ready for pick up. It’s a really fun system.

On to the food – well, it’s pizza.  Thin crust pizza mostly, cut into squares.  I know it’s very popular among a lot of people, but to me, it’s just super greasy.  (I know, that’s why people like it!) The breadsticks and garlic bread are very good, and my grilled chicken salad was quite tasty, even if it consisted mostly of iceburg lettuce.  They could use a few more salad dressing choices as well.  The menu has sandwiches on it as well, though we’ve never tried those.

It’s a fun restaurant to dine at, although I’m not sure it’s one I’d pick if I was dining out with no kids.  Definitely a good time.

Kid friendly: Yes.

Methods of payment: Cash or credit.

Restaurant Name: Chumleys

Location: 122 N 3rd St, Lafayette, IN (map it)

Phone: (765) 420-9372

Cuisine: American

Chumleys is a sports bar style restaurant across from the court house. In my younger days, it would have been a huge draw because of its extensive beer selection and array of television sets. Of course, in my younger days, all I could afford was swill and probably would not have been able to enjoy the fine beers offered by Chumleys. Among many, many other beers, the bar offers some of the products from my favorite brewery, the Three Floyds’ Brewery out of Munster.

Now, Chumley’s huge draw for me is its downtown location and proximity to my work. It offers a solid lunch menu with pretty good burgers, friendly service, and reasonable prices. Yesterday afternoon, I had the chicken tender salad – the chicken was tasty as was the salad generally, though I could do with something other than just iceberg lettuce which I understand to be limited in terms of nutritional value versus other types of lettuce. Another favorite of mine are the nachos.

Bottom line is that this is a great place to grab a burger, beer, and a game or to get lunch while you’re downtown. If you are trying to impress a first date, this might not be your place.

Kid friendly: Not kid unfriendly exactly, but it is a bar; so not geared to kids.

Methods of payment: Cash or credit.