Cajun Jambalaya Pasta from Cheesecake Factory - $14.95

132 Christiana Mall, Newark, DE - 302.454.9444

http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com

Firstable, I sorta guessed the price, so don't get all finicky on me for being wrong.

This was my first ever experience at Cheesecake Factory after numerous previous attempts so there was a bit of hype and.... and it fared pretty well in my mind.

I drove my takeout order about 30 minutes away before chowing down and the chicken was STILL tender and juicy. I really love how they placed a fat layer of shrimp and chicken over the bed of al dente pasta. I almost want to say everything was spot on for this dish, but alas, there is a complaint - the lack of Andouille sausage. That's my favorite part of Jambalaya! How can you make jambalaya without the Andouille sausage!?

That "flaw" alone is reason enough for me to choose something else on the menu the next time I go - but that's also because I have a hidden agenda to explore some of their other tantalizing dishes (e.g. chicken madeira... mmmm).

Grilled Chicken Sandwich from Chick-fil-A - $???

1101 Quintilio Drive, Bear, DE - 302.843.4816

I can't really say that I'm too fond of tomato on chicken sandwiches, but they found a way to make it work with TWO of them. I'm pretty sure the juiciness of the chicken made me forget all about it. Oh, and waffle fries for the side in the meal deal? That's money.

Three Strips from Chick-fil-A - $3.15

1101 Quintilio Drive, Bear, DE - 302.843.4816

It feels like Chick-fil-A has a die hard fan following, very much like White Castle does and after eating there, I can see why.

Obviously, they specialize in chicken, so I ordered the three strips. I believe there's really only three or four things to check for with chicken strips - juiciness of the chicken, breading texture, the dipping sauce, and the price. In this particular case, I ate it sans sauce so that doesn't apply. The chicken was tender and the breading was light and unobtrusive, while the price seems fair. That gives it a 2.5 out of 3 - definitely a winner in my book.

Jerk Chicken from D&H Jamaican Cuisine - $7.99

748 East Chestnut Hill Road, Newark, DE - 302.896.8826

If you recall from my previous post here, all you need to remember is to ask for a lot of ox tail gravy.

This dish is good enough that my two coworkers and myself order it regularly whenever we come here. I'm not crazy about the cabbage, but who is? The plantains are okay, but easily forgettable - in fact, the last time we went there, I didn't realize the plantains were missing until it was pointed out to me. The focus of the dish is the quarter leg of chicken and all that gravy that covers the rice and that alone makes it worthwhile.

Chicken Pomodoro Panini from Go Roma - $6.49

28361 Diehl Road, Warrenville, IL - (630)393-7662

This sandwich is comprised of roasted chicken breast, oven dried tomatoes, spinach, basil, provolone cheese, and pesto mayo on panini bread.

The bread was too hard for my liking and the chicken a bit too dry. In spite of these two criticisms, the sandwich was still okay. The crispy fries that came with the sandwich earned it some bonus points.

On a sidenote, I also ordered their pasta & meatball soup. I didn't take a picture because soup pictures tend to look boring. Anyway, the soup was far too salty so I recommend passing on it.

Chicken Marsala from Seasons Pizza - $10.99

1460 Pulaski Highway, Newark, DE - (302)832-5555

I have to admit, this dish looks pretty sweet. Too bad it didn't taste like anything, and $11 is a lot of money to waste on flavorless food. I'm getting the feeling that Seasons Pizza doesn't know how to make decent pasta. I guess that's why they're named Seasons Pizza and not named Seasons Pasta.

Sampler Platter from Uncle Bub's - $16.99

132 South Cass Avenue, Westmont, IL - (630)493-9000

The sampler platter comes with a combination of 3 BBQ back ribs, pulled pork, BBQ sliced beef brisket, ribtips, and BBQ chicken along with your choice of two side dishes. The side dishes we chose were the fried mac & cheese, and the chili.

Without trying to hype this place up, this is perhaps the best BBQ I've ever had. The sauce has this very unique flavor that I can only describe as "pruney." Prunes in BBQ may sound gross, but man, I was tempted to swig that stuff straight from the bottle.

Everything that came with the sampler platter was fantastic with the exception of the ribtips and the chicken. The ribtips were very tough and difficult to eat around the cartilage, and the chicken dried out quickly (I covered up the chicken problem the best I could by dousing it in more pruney goodness).

I read other reviews saying the service was terrible, but you pay at the counter before you receive your food so I don't think this is the type of place where you're expected to tip.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza from Olive Garden - $10.75

1279 New Churchman's Road, Christiana, DE - (302)731-5430

As you can see, this isn't your traditional pizza. It's topped with grilled chicken, Italian cheeses, alfredo sauce (instead of marinara), and scallions.

I'm disappointed that they skimped out on the chicken purely for looks, but the pizza itself was still okay. Personally, I enjoy a lot of red sauce, so a pizza without marinara already at a disadvantage.

The pizza also comes with your choice of soup or salad. I went with the mediocre pasta e fagioli. The best thing I can say about this soup is that it's hearty.

Southern Style Chicken Sandwich from McDonald's - $2.80

1401 Governor's Place, Bear, DE - (302)836-1308

Who would've guessed that McDonald's would have a higher quality chicken sandwich? Not me. At first, I thought the $2.80 price tag was a bit high for McDonald's standards, but the chicken is actually very meaty (tasted like breast meat to me) and best of all, juicy. And chicken with pickles sounds odd to me, but it works.

McChicken from McDonald's - $1.00

1401 Governor's Place, Bear, DE - (302)836-1308

Here's another great deal from McDonald's. It's just a chicken patty, mayonnaise, and lettuce, but still tastes good, especially if you consider the price. Personally, I prefer the double cheeseburger off the same $1 menu, but I add one of these into my order for variety.

Sesame Chicken from Taste Of China - $6.75

1228 Capitol Trail, Newark, DE - (302)368-2100

This ranks as one of my favorite Americanized Chinese dishes, right up there along with General Tso's chicken and Mongolian beef. From what I can gather, it's just fried chicken smothered with some sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds and then mixed in with some broccoli. The aforementioned sauce is saturated with sweetness so make sure to have a drink handy.

Although I don't mind eating most food as leftovers, this is a dish that's much better fresh. If you wait too long, the crispy breading will get mushy and the chicken will begin clumping with each other. Still, you get a large amount of food for a reasonable price, so don't fret if you can't finish it in a single sitting.

Chicken Nuggets from Wendy's - $1.00

90 University Plaza, Newark, DE - (302)366-8225

Since I posted the chicken nuggets from McDonald's a couple days ago, I decided to get the Wendy's version for comparison.

The Wendy's version has more peppery zest in their breading but the McDonald's has the crispier texture. All things considered, I prefer the McDonald's version - and that doesn't even take into account that they also have a greater/better selection of sauces.

Oh, also, the four piece is the one that sells for $1.

Chicken McNuggets from McDonald's - $5.30

1401 Governor's Place, Bear, DE - (302)836-1308

These are simply all white chicken meat deep-fried for crispy goodness. MmmMmm. My dog goes CRAZY when I bring these things home. For $5.30, you get 20 pieces.

Fiery Chicken Popper Sandwich from Friday's - $8.39

650 South College Avenue, Newark, DE - (302)737-3700

Unlike most foods that are deemed spicy, this sandwich actually had enough zing on it to make my tongue tingle. Here's the description from tgifridays.com:

"A crispy chicken breast, smothered with cream cheese & jalapeño habanero jelly then topped with jalapeños and mayo. Served on toasted ciabatta bread with fries and a Jalapeño Popper™."

The sandwich was a bit messy because the cream cheese and jelly ooze out when you take a bite. If you're okay with spicy food and having sticky hands, then this one deserves a try. I even think this good enough for a repeat order.

Spicy Sauceless Wings from KFC - $9.95

220 Fox Hunt Drive, Bear, DE - (302)836-0714

KFC's commercial brainwashed me into getting these and thinking it was a great deal. But if you think about it, it's about 50 cents per wing which isn't very good. I'll try to get pictures of the wings from Buffalo Wild Wings to show you what I can get for that price instead.

Anyway, the flavoring of the wings are pretty good, but they aren't spicy in the least and there isn't very much meat to them. Still, there's a special feeling about finishing off a bucket of KFC by yourself which makes it worthwhile on occasion. But be warned, there's ANOTHER special feeling waiting for you in your stomach the next day.

Roasted Red Pepper Sausage & Chicken Penne from TGIFriday's - $6.99

650 South College Avenue, Newark, DE - (302)737-3700

I'm feeling a bit lazy today since I'll be fairly busy for about the next month. Therefore, I'm stealing the description of the dish from tgifridays.com:

"Hot Italian sausage and chicken served over penne pasta and tossed with creamy roasted red pepper sauce and sautéed red onions. Finished with shavings of Parmesan cheese."

The best thing about this dish is the price. I can't remember it exactly, but I think it was $6.99, whereas all the other pastas were about $12. Of course, cheap food doesn't mean anything if it tastes like garbage, but this was actually a tasty dish. I'm considering making it a standard add-on to another entrée whenever I go.

Parmesan-Crusted Sicilian Quesadillas from TGI Friday's - $8.99

650 South College Avenue, Newark, DE - (302)737-3700

These quesadillas are filled with sautéed chicken, sausage, bruschetta marinara, bacon and Monterey Jack, then pan–fried for crispiness.

Even though this is listed as an appetizer, it tastes so good that my sister often substitutes this as her entrée order. But now that I know about them too, I make her order a different entrée so I can split these with her as an appetizer. Good stuff.

I'll try to take note of the price next time I go and then update this post.

Grilled Chicken Stromboli from Seasons Pizza - $9.99

203 E Main St, Newark, DE - (302)368-1515

Seasons Pizza is a local chain with fairly good food at reasonable prices. It's also one of the few places around here where I get good service - meaning that if they screw up my order, they try to do something special to compensate, such as making my order free or giving me store credit.

Anyway, the grilled chicken stromboli has grilled chicken, pizza sauce, and mozzarella baked inside of a large fold of bread. Essentially, it's a pizza that's been folded in half before being baked. Personally, I think the grilled chicken stromboli is one of the more bland strombolis I've had, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I was disappointed by it.

Half Chicken Meal from Boston Market - $7.49

1 University Plaza, Ogletown, DE 19702 - (302)738-9509

Boston Market is basically a Thanksgiving-meal-any-day-of-the-week kind of place. The half chicken meal includes two small side dishes along with half of a Rotisserie style chicken. You get to choose among sides such as red potatoes, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, green beans, sweet potatos, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, and so on.

I'm a huge fan of their side dishes, even moreso than their chicken, so typically, I order the three side meal in addition to the the half chicken meal, but on this occasion, I had dinner plans in a couple hours so I had to limit myself. Anyway, this time, I decided to go with the sweet potatoes and the cream of spinach.

The sweet potatoes may look like nasty goop, but when Boston Market caters for our Thanksgiving dinner at work, it's the first thing to disappear so don't let the appearance fool you. The same goes for the cream of spinach - I pick that as one of my sides about 90% of the time.