Tasty pub grub inside this mall restaurant.
The menu at Garfield's is big for a bar, but average for a restaurant. The food certainly leans more towards "pub grub" with several types of sandwiches, wings and assorted deep fried goodies for snacking. Of course, there are also steaks and baby back ribs for the bigger appetites. The menu offers some interesting combinations, like sirloin steak with a chicken enchilada and a chicken quesadilla.

On this, my first ever jaunt to this restaurant, my dining friend and I opted to go light... Sort of. We started off with an appetizer (labeled as "Snacketizers" on the menu) called the "Triple Dipper"--Potato skins, cheese sticks and a chicken & cheese quesadilla. The platter comes with three dips: a light salsa, a tangy marinara and sour cream. There were four pieces of each selection and it could have made a filling meal by itself. The cheese sticks and marinara earned high marks, as did the quesadilla. I personally enjoyed the potato skins while my dining friend didn't much care for them. The outer skin was slightly crunchy yet the insides weren't very soft. The bacon bits were chewy, but not overpoweringly strong.

My friend ordered the Chicken Tender Club Wrap ($7.49). It comes with any salad dressing on the side; her choice was ranch. Inside, the wrap was very much like a salad beyond the crispy fried chicken strips. There was lettuce, carrots, bacon and tomato filled inside. The serving, which was larger than anyone expected, was served with regular fries. I think we both could have split that one wrap and been satisfied! It was well received, despite us both being stuffed by the appetizer. The choice of any salad dressing is a nice touch.

My selection was the Cuban Sandwich ($7.49). It was listed on the posted menu at the restaurant's entrace, but not the menu inside. Luckily, they still offer this item. Their version of this Cuban staple is ham, pulled pork, Swiss cheese, pickle and spicy mustard on a hoagie roll. While it was enjoyable, the pulled pork was slightly dry. I'm sure it is perfectly suitable if drowned in barbeque sauce, but on this sandwich the dryness was an issue.

Instead of standard fries, I opted for the cheese and bacon covered waffle fries for $1.49 more. It was well worth the upcharge. The melted cheddar cheese and bacon bits (again, chewy) added some zing to an otherwise bland side-dish. My dining friend's ranch dressing also helped perk up the fries.

While Garfield's offers a full bar, we opted for good ol' sweet tea. It was inconsistent in quality but certainly not bad, despite our server saying she thought the fresh-made batch wasn't very good. Our server was friendly throughout the meal and kept the drinks refilled. Although she seemed a little slow at first, once the food started arriving the pace picked up nicely.

All in all, a decent meal for some out of towners who were just passing through. One last thing: the TVs in the bar area show actual high definition programming, at it looked awesome. I wish more restaurants would ante up for the HD programming.    [11 Sep 2007 01:43:10]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Quesadilla appetizer, Chicken Tender Club Wrap

     ­Tom Servo, ChefMoz - MS editor