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Monthly Archives: June 2018

TGI Fridays Enfield

First Timer

So, I travel a bit, a weekend trip once a month for the past five years. This is the first time that a TGI Fridays was close to where I was staying. Needless to say, this was my first time eating at a Fridays. It was a very pleasant experience.

I had almost no wait time, just needed to wait for the couple who entered just ahead of me, before I was seated. My server, Susane, was cheery with a pleasing smile.

I started off with a Strawberry Passionfruit Iced Tea, I will say that although I did enjoy the first one, the second one was a bit tart, making me think that each one is flavored to order.

For an appetizer I went for the White Cheddar Broccoli Cheese Soup. The soup came quickly and was steamy hot. Creamy and full of broccoli and plenty of cheesy flavor. Main course for this evening was the Center Cut Sirloin and Shrimp with mashed potatoes and lemon butter broccoli. I am sensing a theme. My order came in a timely fashion, all the food was nice and hot and cooked to my preferences. The steak was nice and tender, the spices complimented the meat perfectly. The potatoes had a nice smooth texture to them with plenty of butter. The lemon butter broccoli was, well, lemony. I found the lemon to be a bit overpowering and actually covered the flavor of the broccoli. The broccoli itself was cooked to a nice tender feel.

I finished my meal with a Red Velvet Sparkler Cake. An interesting dessert idea, I thought. Red Velvet cake, layered with a nice, smooth cream cheese frosting, a dollop of whipped cream on top with some sprinkles, candy bits sprinkled around the cake. Some pocky sticks stuck in to give the impression of sparklers and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. This was a large dessert and I found myself only able to eat about a third of the cake. Susane was kind enough to bring me a to go box so that I could take the rest with me and enjoy the remainder at my convenience.

The restaurant is very sports oriented, with big screen tv’s about the dinning area playing sporting events. The volume on the tv’s was not loud and did not interfere with my dinning experience, but they are there if this is your interest.

I found the restaurant to be clean and comfortable, my table had no evidence of a previous dinner guest and the condiments were all filled.

My first experience with a Fridays was one that makes me look forward to my next meal at a Fridays restaurant.

 
 

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Dave and Buster’s Manchester Connecticut

Rainy Day Fun

On a recent visit to Hartford, my plans for the day got rained out. I came up with the ideahttps://www.daveandbusters.com/locations/manchester of playing some billiards. With that thought in mind I did a Google search for a local place. Dave and Busters came up on the top of the search so entered it into the my GPS and pointed my car in that direction.

Parking was plentiful as it is located in mall parking lot although separate from the mall itself. Upon entering you are inundated with the sounds of arcade machines. Two clerk stations are right inside the door. I went to one and asked about the cost of a billiard table and was informed that this Dave and Buster has no billiard tables.

I decided to check out the place and see what there is to do. There is a bar for anyone who is interested in imbibing. It was early in the day so I had no interest in eating.

I did on the other hand choose to check out the arcade. I am a video game player, have been for a long time, and I had hoped to see some games to play. Saddly I was disappointed here as well. Lots of coin drop games and other games of chance that earn you tickets to save towards tiered prizes.

Dave and Busters uses a card system for paying for games, you load a card with money, money is converted into credits on the card. Put the card into a game and have credits removed from the card. I find that this method gets you playing and can get you spending a lot more than you want or expect to.

The arcade area is more focused towards younger children, the bar is for the adults to hang at while their kids play.

Some day I may find a Dave and Busters that does have billiards, but if you are headed here for some then find another location.

 
 

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Relaxing Weekend

Planned a weekend trip to visit the Dinosaur State Park, Hilton Gardens Inn Hartford North was my choice for lodging for the weekend. Less than a 20-minute drive from the park. Conveniently located right off Route 91, Hilton Garden Inn is close to a selection of restaurants and shopping.

Arrival and check-in was quick and easy as I had done an online check-in the day before. Check-in desk had my key cards ready for me, I got the little amenities speech and I was off to my room. My room was the 1 King Bed with Walkout Balcony with Skyline View. The view was nice, a large panoramic view of the city and the airport was in the distance. I enjoyed sitting out on the balcony and watching planes land and takeoff for a bit.

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The room was clean, and the bathroom had nice fresh towels and a collection of toiletries for use. I noticed a lack of drawers for me to store my stuff in, but I made use of what was available. Entering the room was a small counter with a Kiering coffee maker, a minifridge and a microwave. A large counter made up most of the room. A television with a selection of local programming in the center of the counter for entertainment. On one side of the television was open area for what ever usage you could come up with, the other side of the television was a desk area with LAN ports, a desk lamp and a desk chair that was comfortable. balkin

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The bed and sofa/with pullout bed covered the other wall. Night stands on either side of the bed with lamps, a phone on one side and an alarm clock on the other finishes up the room amenities.

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I use WIFI to connect with my friends through Skype, the inn offers a complimentary level as well as a premium level for an additional 4.95 per night. I always get the premium level because of my WIFI usage. I had not issues with the internet access, listening to Pandora, watching streaming videos and such where seamless.

Sleeping was refreshing, the room was quiet overnight getting no outside sound or any from within the inn. The room darkening blinds did their job wonderfully, keeping out any light from the parking lot, as well as the morning sun.

With morning comes breakfast, and Hilton Gardens offers a breakfast buffet with a good selection of self serve items and cooked to order eggs, pancakes and French toast. I had a ham and cheese omelet with a couple of pancakes with some sugar free syrup.

Second night was as good as the first. Slept well, had a nice breakfast and got ready for my drive home. Checkout was a quick and easy, a quick visit to the front desk, turn in my key cards and off for my drive home.

Hilton Garden Inn was a great place to spend a weekend, if my plans bring me to the area in the future this will be where I will stay.

 
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Posted by on June 15, 2018 in Hotel Review, Travel, Weekend Trips

 

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