How My Love Affair with Food Began

I don't usually do reviews on chain restaurants, since they can vary greatly in both service and quality depending on the location and the management, but I feel Friendly's deserves an honorable mention. Their service has been stellar at every location I've been to, and their food quality the same. That, and how could I not mention the restaurant that helped cure my heartache after being denied a trip to France?

We'll start with appetizers. The Munchie Mania offers a little bit of everything- and you can pick what's in it. There are 7 available options, including mini mozzarella sticks, loaded waffle fires with melted cheese, bacon and sour cream, cheeseburger sliders, and either chicken or cheese Quesadillas. Shared among friends or enjoyed alone as a sampler-platter lunch, this wonderful mixture is sure to delight.

Supermelt should be a substitute for entrée at Friendly's. Grilled sourdough bread loaded with cheese and a great selection of stuffings, including honey barbecue chicken, tuna salad, turkey club- sliced turkey, bacon, tomato, and Thousand Island dressing- or the fixings of a Ruben- corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing. These warm, melty, cheesey sandwiches are sure to satisfy just about any taste bud. Served with hot, crisp golden fries. Waffle fries or a side salad may be substituted for an additional cost.

For those who substitute the word "burger" for "sandwich", Friendly's has just what you're looking for too. Their Big Beef Burgers are loaded with just about everything you can imagine, from the standard bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheese combo on the Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger to crispy onion rings,or Fronions, BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato and mayo on the Western BBQ burger. Served with golden fries- waffle fries or salad are also available for substitutions- these burgers are sure to satisfy burger lovers everywhere.

Now for the best- and my personal favorite- part of the meal: dessert. You can't go to Friendly's and not have dessert- ice cream does make the meal here after all. A Friendly's Fribble is a great place to start. Thick soft serve ice cream, blended to perfection in classic flavors chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or coffee.

For those of you who won't be satisfied with liquid dessert, there's the Jim Dandy. A whopping heap of 5 scoops of your choice of ice cream, topped off with either pineapple or strawberry topping, marshmallow sauce, chocolate sauce, walnuts, a fresh split banana, whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry. This awesome twist on the banana split is king at Friendly's, and is most definitely worth a taste.

There is also the Friend-z; a blended mixture of sweet soft serve ice cream and your choice of Reese's, M&M's, Butterfinger, Oreos, Heath bars, Kit Kat, Chips Ahoy!, birthday cake, strawberry shortcake, or strawberry banana. This take-with-you dessert is great for people who are full and want to take their ice cream home to enjoy later, or for on-the-go people with full agendas.

For those creative culinarians, there's the Create Your Own option. Your choice of over 15 different ice cream flavors and over 20 toppings yield a possible 300 combinations. Take your taste buds on an ice cream adventure and Create Your Own masterpiece today.

I hope you Friendly's lovers, and hopefully soon to be lovers, enjoyed this blog. Take someone you love to Friendly's and enjoy some of the best ice cream around. Until next time..

Keep Smilin' :)