Friday, February 14, 2014
Red Robin, St Petersburg, Florida
This particular Red Robin is almost hidden. The large
parking lot of the mall makes for a large set back and there is no attention
getting sign; you sort of have to know where it is because it is not readily
apparent from the street. That didn’t seem to affect the customer base. Even
though we went a bit early for dinner it was quite busy. However, we had almost
immediate seating. We were shown to a lounge area table for two. That area has
elevated tables with stools and bench seats to match. I suppose they were
saving the regular dining area booths for larger parties. The seats are okay
once you climb up and in but I would prefer a regular booth the next time if at
all possible.
Our server, Sarah J was quickly there to take our beverage
order. A very personable young lady, Sarah took good care of us during our
visit and her kind words added immeasurably to the dining experience. Red Robin
features Coca Cola products (soft drinks
$2.79) which I prefer and my wife, Janis, ordered her favorite, a banana
milkshake (Classic Milkshakes and Malts.
Choose from chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, banana, raspberry or peach. Classic
$3.99, Monster, milkshake with a refill tin $4.99). The beverages arrive in short order and we
sipped as we read the menu. It is similar to previous Red Robin menus we have
seen but there are a lot of new additions as well as old favorites. There is a
section for substitutions and sides as well as a variety of sauces to “Customize
Your Order.”
In spite of the new and tantalizing dishes offered, we
ordered much as we have always when dining Red Robin. We are, after all,
creatures of habit. Janis ordered her usual, the Crispy Chicken Burger ($9.99 Anything between two buns is a burger
to us, even if it’s made with a premium whole chicken breast. The only things
that could top this burger are pickles, tomatoes, onion and mayo.) She
chose the bottomless fries as her side dish. It is a large serving of chicken,
the flattened breast overhanging the large bun on all sides. It was cooked a
nice golden brown and with a crispy crust, moist and tender inside. Janis said
it was very tasty and she had no difficulty in finishing her meal; well, a
small scrap of sandwich to take home for a couple of real dogs (who gave the
crispy chicken burger their seal of approval). The fries were, as expected,
very good. Red Robin is noted for their steak fries always served cooked to a
tee and served piping hot.
I have a couple of burgers that I switch between but this
time I chose the Bacon Cheese Burger ($9.99
Bacon. It makes everything better; even our cheeseburger which is tough to
beat. Topped with mayo, tomatoes and your choice of cheese.) The meat is
cooked to order. I chose Swiss cheese for my burger, and of course, I chose the
fries. Read the menu thoroughly. There are no-charge substitutions for the
fries, such as side salad, broccoli and coleslaw, which are bottomless like the
fries. The burger was made from a large, nicely toasted sesame seed bun. The
patty was grilled with a bit of crispy char, cooked to order, not pink, but
not well done, and was very flavorful beef. The Swiss cheese was nicely
melted and there were fresh tomatoes and crispy lettuce. The bacon was two full
strips cooked almost crispy. As I mentioned, the meat had a very good flavor by
itself and the rest of the ingredients made for a delicious hamburger, one that
I really enjoyed. I also love my French fries. I especially like the steak
fries served by Red Robin. I asked Sarah one of her frequent appearances for an
additional order of fries. It seemed that it was taking a long time but she
arrived right on time with the fresh, piping hot order of fries just as I was
down to the two or three from the original serving. I thoroughly enjoyed my
reintroduction to Red Robin. Sorry Dogs, there wasn’t anything left to bring
home.
Red Robin,
St Petersburg, Florida
Tyrone Mall
2468 Tyrone Blvd Suite 435B
St
Petersburg, FL 33710 (727) 345-3581
Our last meal at a Red Robin was during our last trip
together to Alaska some three or four years ago. During our Alaska residence it
was a favorite place to go for that special hamburger and a milkshake (not to
mention the “bottomless fries”). During our tenure in Florida, at first there
were no Red Robins. Not too long ago we learned that there was a Red Robin a
bit to the north of Orlando. As good as the Red Robin sandwiches are, a six to
eight hour driving round trip was just a bit too much. About the middle of last
year we read in the paper that Red Robin was going to build a restaurant in the
Tyrone Mall, just a few blocks from where we live. That was good news indeed.
That Red Robin was completed a bit before the Christmas season but we never
managed to make our way there for a meal until today. That’s not to say that
the spouse didn’t visit and get me a gift card from Red Robin to help fill my
Christmas stocking. With gift card in hand, we went to Red Robin for a
Valentine’s Day Red Robin Hamburger.
This particular Red Robin is almost hidden. The large
parking lot of the mall makes for a large set back and there is no attention
getting sign; you sort of have to know where it is because it is not readily
apparent from the street. That didn’t seem to affect the customer base. Even
though we went a bit early for dinner it was quite busy. However, we had almost
immediate seating. We were shown to a lounge area table for two. That area has
elevated tables with stools and bench seats to match. I suppose they were
saving the regular dining area booths for larger parties. The seats are okay
once you climb up and in but I would prefer a regular booth the next time if at
all possible.Our server, Sarah J was quickly there to take our beverage
order. A very personable young lady, Sarah took good care of us during our
visit and her kind words added immeasurably to the dining experience. Red Robin
features Coca Cola products (soft drinks
$2.79) which I prefer and my wife, Janis, ordered her favorite, a banana
milkshake (Classic Milkshakes and Malts.
Choose from chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, banana, raspberry or peach. Classic
$3.99, Monster, milkshake with a refill tin $4.99). The beverages arrive in short order and we
sipped as we read the menu. It is similar to previous Red Robin menus we have
seen but there are a lot of new additions as well as old favorites. There is a
section for substitutions and sides as well as a variety of sauces to “Customize
Your Order.”In spite of the new and tantalizing dishes offered, we
ordered much as we have always when dining Red Robin. We are, after all,
creatures of habit. Janis ordered her usual, the Crispy Chicken Burger ($9.99 Anything between two buns is a burger
to us, even if it’s made with a premium whole chicken breast. The only things
that could top this burger are pickles, tomatoes, onion and mayo.) She
chose the bottomless fries as her side dish. It is a large serving of chicken,
the flattened breast overhanging the large bun on all sides. It was cooked a
nice golden brown and with a crispy crust, moist and tender inside. Janis said
it was very tasty and she had no difficulty in finishing her meal; well, a
small scrap of sandwich to take home for a couple of real dogs (who gave the
crispy chicken burger their seal of approval). The fries were, as expected,
very good. Red Robin is noted for their steak fries always served cooked to a
tee and served piping hot. |
| Bacon cheeseburger on a serving plate |
 |
| Bacon Swiss cheeseburger in a basket (New Mexico) |
There was nothing wrong with our sandwiches and we will be
going back to Red Robin, that is for sure. I do have some observations about
perceptions and presentation that really didn’t affect the quality of the food.
In all previous visits to Red Robins, the service was in a more traditional
burger basket with a sheet of wax paper liner. The burger was also wrapped with
the top half exposed ala the roadside diner hamburger tradition. The back side
of the burger was compressed a bit and that forced some of the filling towards
the unwrapped top. The bun gaped a bit and the effect was a humongous hamburger. As well, the basket
was a bit smaller than the serving plate in use at this Red Robin and that made
the combination of burger and fries look very large indeed.
This meal was served on a flat, rectangular plate with the
burger sitting flat, unwrapped and secured with a wooden skewer. The fries are in a serving ring, much like a
fries to go carton but without a bottom and made of stainless steel. With the
contents of my meal displayed on the larger plate the effect was of a much smaller
meal than I remembered; the perceptions from the presentation. I had to look
closely to be sure it was the same sized burger that I remembered. The burger was delicious, the fries excellent
but even though I am sure the burger is the same size, I am also sure that the
supplier is cutting the fries from a slightly smaller potato that before; they
are good fries just a bit smaller. I don’t believe that is of any real
importance because you can have as many as you can eat.
If you haven’t been to a Red Robin in some time or the
restaurant chain is new to you, try them. I’m sure you will be glad you did and
it will become one of your favorite places to go for that special burger.
Labels: banana, bottomless, chicken, Coke, Florida, French fries, gourmet, hamburger, milkshake, Red Robin, Sandwich, St Petersburg
¶ 4:30 PM
