That Food Guy
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Sam's Club Cafe - I Learned To Read The (Other) Menu
Sam’s Club Café – I Learned to Read the (Other) Menu
Last shopping trip I sampled the Crispy Chicken Sandwich
($1.99). It was a breaded medium-sized chicken breast (not too much breading to
fool you into thinking it was a much larger piece of chicken), deep fried and
served in a round steamed bun. In keeping with the major sales being the hot dog
and a soda combo, self-service dispensers of mustard, relish and ketchup are
self-serve. Onions are available on request. That was not exactly what I had in
mind for the sandwich and found that mayonnaise is also available in those
single-serve packets on request. The edges of the chicken are indeed a bit
crispy and just a bit dry. The rest of the chicken piece was not exactly crispy
but the breaded coating firm, the chicken tender and moist; it did have a good
flavor. It is a basic sandwich, just a piece of deep fried breaded chicken
breast between two pieces of bread. If it fact it had some lettuce and a slice
of tomato it would have been a very good sandwich. However, lacking those
condiments, it was just an ordinary run-of-the-mill sandwich. Not bad but not
exceptional either. At $1.99, it is not as good a deal as the large hot dog and
soda combo for $1.50. On some future shopping foray into Sam’s Club I may want
a change from the dog and soda and will opt for the Crispy Chicken Sandwich
again but not soon.
To digress for a moment; the hot dogs used at the Café are larger than the average hot dogs you find in the deli case at your supermarket. They are much larger, more like a Polish sausage in size. They are made by Nathans and the flavor is not hot dog nor is it sausage but somewhere in between and very tasty. Apparently they are not generally available to the public and are not featured inside the Sam’s Club main store. However, you can buy them by the case from the Café. Likewise, the buns are much larger than the usual hot dog buns to accommodate the larger sausages.
Now, back to the Italian Sausage Sandwich with Onions and
Poppers ($2.69); that was my choice for lunch today. The Italian sausage is a
little bit smaller and firmer in texture than its hot dog counterpart but does
a good job of filling the bun. There was a sufficient serving of grilled onions
and peppers though I personally would have liked a bit more. There was no need
for any dressing. The sausage was moist and with the additional moisture from
the onions and peppers there was no need to smear anything else on the
sandwich. The sausage had excellent flavor it was mildly seasoned, not spicy hot.
The bun had been in the steam cabinet
and was soft and folded around the sausage and filling. I was able to eat the
whole sandwich without the bun splitting on the bottom and spilling the
contents. I was able to really enjoy the sandwich.
See my first blog of Sam’s club Café August 30th, 2011 at http://thatfoodguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/sams-club-st-petersburg-fl.html .
Sam’s Club Café – I Learned to Read the (Other) Menu
The wife and I made several trips to Sam’s Club this holiday
season. As usual, we planned the shopping trip round the noon hour so we could
have a very affordable lunch at Sam’s Club Café. This time it was a bit different than the
usual. During the last few visits I started reading the little menu, the one on
the wall behind the servers, nor the big, garish one over their heads; there is
more available that hot dogs, pizza and pretzels. I learned to read the
entirety of the menu and I found that there are two additional sandwiches available.
One is the Crispy Chicken Sandwich and the other is Italian Sausage with
grilled peppers and onions. It should be noted that these sandwiches are not
part of a combo deal and a soda is extra.
Last shopping trip I sampled the Crispy Chicken Sandwich
($1.99). It was a breaded medium-sized chicken breast (not too much breading to
fool you into thinking it was a much larger piece of chicken), deep fried and
served in a round steamed bun. In keeping with the major sales being the hot dog
and a soda combo, self-service dispensers of mustard, relish and ketchup are
self-serve. Onions are available on request. That was not exactly what I had in
mind for the sandwich and found that mayonnaise is also available in those
single-serve packets on request. The edges of the chicken are indeed a bit
crispy and just a bit dry. The rest of the chicken piece was not exactly crispy
but the breaded coating firm, the chicken tender and moist; it did have a good
flavor. It is a basic sandwich, just a piece of deep fried breaded chicken
breast between two pieces of bread. If it fact it had some lettuce and a slice
of tomato it would have been a very good sandwich. However, lacking those
condiments, it was just an ordinary run-of-the-mill sandwich. Not bad but not
exceptional either. At $1.99, it is not as good a deal as the large hot dog and
soda combo for $1.50. On some future shopping foray into Sam’s Club I may want
a change from the dog and soda and will opt for the Crispy Chicken Sandwich
again but not soon.To digress for a moment; the hot dogs used at the Café are larger than the average hot dogs you find in the deli case at your supermarket. They are much larger, more like a Polish sausage in size. They are made by Nathans and the flavor is not hot dog nor is it sausage but somewhere in between and very tasty. Apparently they are not generally available to the public and are not featured inside the Sam’s Club main store. However, you can buy them by the case from the Café. Likewise, the buns are much larger than the usual hot dog buns to accommodate the larger sausages.
Now, back to the Italian Sausage Sandwich with Onions and
Poppers ($2.69); that was my choice for lunch today. The Italian sausage is a
little bit smaller and firmer in texture than its hot dog counterpart but does
a good job of filling the bun. There was a sufficient serving of grilled onions
and peppers though I personally would have liked a bit more. There was no need
for any dressing. The sausage was moist and with the additional moisture from
the onions and peppers there was no need to smear anything else on the
sandwich. The sausage had excellent flavor it was mildly seasoned, not spicy hot.
The bun had been in the steam cabinet
and was soft and folded around the sausage and filling. I was able to eat the
whole sandwich without the bun splitting on the bottom and spilling the
contents. I was able to really enjoy the sandwich.See my first blog of Sam’s club Café August 30th, 2011 at http://thatfoodguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/sams-club-st-petersburg-fl.html .
Labels: bun, Café, chicken, crispy, fried, hot dog, Italia, Italian sausage, onions, peppers, Sam's Club, sausage, soda
¶ 1:30 PM 0 Comments
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sam's Club, St. Petersburg, FL
Some restaurants are posh, decorated and have an ambience of luxury. The food courts at Sam’s Clubs are a bit different. Almost as if an afterthought and in space available, they are usually placed next to the exit door and adjacent to the cash registers. The open warehouse architecture makes for high ambient noise levels, the nearby exit makes for perceptible drafts, and the high traffic density from the checkout counters makes for crowding and congestion.
On the other hand, if you have favorites on the rather limited menu, it is a convenient place to get an inexpensive bite to eat after filling your basket with all the house-goods staples. As soon as you have the receipt in hand you shove the basket to an empty table to claim it as your own. If there are two of you it certainly is easier. One gets to guard the basket and table while the other goes and stands in line to order the food.
One of the wife’s favorite foods is pizza, pepperoni pizza to be specific. A slice of pepperoni pizza is $1.88. It is well covered in pepperoni slices. It is a crispy thin crust pizza. With all the pepperoni sausage on top, it is just a little greasy but all to the liking of a pizza lover. There is adequate cheese and the sauce has a nice flavor. It appears to be a 14- or 16-inch pizza and cut, I believe, into sixths, a generous portion. It was one of those overbearingly hot Florida summer days so to go along with her pizza, the wife ordered a 32-ounce ICEE, $1.08.
I chose the combination, a large hot dog and bun with a 32-ounce soft drink, $1.70. This Sam’s Club serves Nathans hot dogs which is a good thing. It is a large hot dog and a large bun to match. I have never seen the large Nathan’s hot dogs like that in the supermarkets. Also, in this store, adjacent to St. Petersburg, diced onions are available on request at the pick-up counter; they give you a nice little Solo cupful. Mustard is a pump dispenser on the condiment table and the relish is in those little tear open bags that I hate so much. If you are from New York, there are larger tear-open packages of sauerkraut if you desire. Soft drinks are Coca Cola products and the two machines feature most of the popular brands.
The kitchen and food service area always appears clean and well cared for. The dining area is basically clean but the majority of the table bussing is the patron’s responsibility and I am afraid some of my fellow diners are not really up to the task.
Although we didn’t partake on this day, one other menu item worth mentioning is their Four-Berry Sundae, $1.50. It is a large cup of soft-serve ice cream swirled with a chunky four-berry sauce. On really hot days it is really a life saver on the long trip over the hot asphalt paving to the car. More than once I have been on the verge of brain freeze.
All in all, it was a quick and simple meal that we both enjoyed. And after all, where can you take the wife for lunch and treat her to one of her favorite foods and have the bill come to less than five dollars? A pretty good deal after all.
Some restaurants are posh, decorated and have an ambience of luxury. The food courts at Sam’s Clubs are a bit different. Almost as if an afterthought and in space available, they are usually placed next to the exit door and adjacent to the cash registers. The open warehouse architecture makes for high ambient noise levels, the nearby exit makes for perceptible drafts, and the high traffic density from the checkout counters makes for crowding and congestion.
On the other hand, if you have favorites on the rather limited menu, it is a convenient place to get an inexpensive bite to eat after filling your basket with all the house-goods staples. As soon as you have the receipt in hand you shove the basket to an empty table to claim it as your own. If there are two of you it certainly is easier. One gets to guard the basket and table while the other goes and stands in line to order the food.
One of the wife’s favorite foods is pizza, pepperoni pizza to be specific. A slice of pepperoni pizza is $1.88. It is well covered in pepperoni slices. It is a crispy thin crust pizza. With all the pepperoni sausage on top, it is just a little greasy but all to the liking of a pizza lover. There is adequate cheese and the sauce has a nice flavor. It appears to be a 14- or 16-inch pizza and cut, I believe, into sixths, a generous portion. It was one of those overbearingly hot Florida summer days so to go along with her pizza, the wife ordered a 32-ounce ICEE, $1.08.
I chose the combination, a large hot dog and bun with a 32-ounce soft drink, $1.70. This Sam’s Club serves Nathans hot dogs which is a good thing. It is a large hot dog and a large bun to match. I have never seen the large Nathan’s hot dogs like that in the supermarkets. Also, in this store, adjacent to St. Petersburg, diced onions are available on request at the pick-up counter; they give you a nice little Solo cupful. Mustard is a pump dispenser on the condiment table and the relish is in those little tear open bags that I hate so much. If you are from New York, there are larger tear-open packages of sauerkraut if you desire. Soft drinks are Coca Cola products and the two machines feature most of the popular brands.
The kitchen and food service area always appears clean and well cared for. The dining area is basically clean but the majority of the table bussing is the patron’s responsibility and I am afraid some of my fellow diners are not really up to the task.
Although we didn’t partake on this day, one other menu item worth mentioning is their Four-Berry Sundae, $1.50. It is a large cup of soft-serve ice cream swirled with a chunky four-berry sauce. On really hot days it is really a life saver on the long trip over the hot asphalt paving to the car. More than once I have been on the verge of brain freeze.
All in all, it was a quick and simple meal that we both enjoyed. And after all, where can you take the wife for lunch and treat her to one of her favorite foods and have the bill come to less than five dollars? A pretty good deal after all.
Labels: bun, Coca Cola mustard, Coke, hot dog, ICEE, Nathans, onions, pepperoni, pizza, relish, Sam's Club
¶ 11:44 AM 2 Comments
