Loehmann’s Plaza (Fair Oaks & Fulton Ave.)
2535 Fair Oaks Blvd. 916 481-5225
I have been here once before and the food was pretty good from what I remember. I originally wanted to eat at the Grand Central Station Grill on Sunrise, but it was closed.
If you have not been here, it is like Pluto's; build your own meal with separate sandwich, side and drink stations. I wanted something a little substantial so I decided to order the BBQ Chicken Sandwich. It is described as, "Chargrilled chicken breast, chipotle-mango Barbecue sauce, crisp onion, ring, smoked cheddar cheese, leaf lettuce, tomato and mayo on a ciabatta roll."
Warning: A small rant ahead: To something is barbecued or it is grilled, not both. The description and name are not consistent.
What is Grilling?
Grilling is the most common form of outdoor cooking. It employs generally high temperatures (350? plus F), usually using charcoal (either briquettes or natural lump charcoal) or a gas grill powered by propane. Grilling is done using direct or indirect heat. Often wood chips or chunks are soaked in water and added directly to the coals to give off smoke and enhance the flavor of the meat, fish or poultry being cooked. In the case of gas grills, containers are used to hold the wood chips as they are ignited by the gas jets inside.
What is Barbecuing or Smoking?
These two terms are often used interchangeably. Both involve generally low temperature (220?-250? F) outdoor cooking using natural lump charcoal or wood. This type of cooking requires the use of some sort of receptacle for water or other mixtures of liquid that is heated by the wood or charcoal to just boiling or simmering. This keeps what is being cooked moist throughout the sometimes-lengthy cooking process. Several types of specialty appliances are available or can be adapted for this type of cooking.
Anywho, so how was my sandwich? It was rather, eh not good. The chicken was not seasoned, there was no crisp onion ring and the cheddar cheese was not smoked. I ended up eating only half of it and throwing the rest away.
I'll say the garlic fries were good; plenty of garlic, nice, hot and crispy and seasoned well. I ate all of those, they were yummy.
Score: 10 = Average. I would eat here again, if this was a good value.
