Red Robin

Where: Red Robin, 1200 Towne Center Blvd, Provo (in the Provo Towne Center Mall)

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Tim & Megan

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Mozzarella Sticks, Original Cheeseburger, Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich, Bacon Cheeseburger with Pepper Jack and Fried Jalapeños, and Bleu Ribbon Burger

What It Cost: $25.00 for 2 people (including tip)

What We Thought:

I've never really understood the whole Red Robin thing - I think people go there because it is a reliable place with usually friendly service and a menu where they know what they're going to get. I've never really been to Red Robin for anything other than a milkshake before, so I never realized before that they are actually not very cheap! $10 for a burger is more expensive than you'll pay at most places, including delicious choices like Cubby's, Legend's Grille, and JCW's, so I wanted to see if the meal was really worth the surprisingly high bill.

We started out with mozzarella sticks because hey, we were feeling pretty gluttonous, and you really can't go wrong with fried cheese. We only were able to eat a few since they were so intense, but they tasted like fried happiness and a future heart attack :) The marinara sauce it was served with was tasty, and it probably would have been a good appetizer to share with more people.

Tim and Megan enjoyed their regular cheeseburger and chicken sandwich - not much commentary from them, but both seemed quite satisfied and Tim mentioned that the combination of honey mustard and guacamole (which I've never had before) was surprisingly good, and the wheat bun looked like a nice touch.

Owen is obsessed with bacon jalapeño burgers with pepper jack, so he asked if they could add jalapeños to his bacon cheeseburger. It turns out that they cost an extra 90 cents to add an additional topping, which would have been nice to know before ordering, and they only had fried jalapeños (as opposed to regular), which was a little unhealthier than we anticipated but of course tasty and Owen liked how they kept in the heat. I don't really have any great pictures of the steak fries that were served with each of our burgers, but we really didn't want any of the "bottomless fries" offer after being so full from the burger! The fries weren't amazing, needed extra salt, but weren't awful either - just your average fried potato slices.

I ordered the Bleu Ribbon burger, which came with blue cheese and fried onions. The blue cheese flavor was really mild, which is probably good for most people, but I was hoping for a stronger presence. I liked the crunch of the fried onions and the onion & poppyseed bun, which was a nice deviation from a regular bun. I was a little disappointed with how charred the exterior of my burger was, and found that it was a bit overcooked and not juicy. We were going to see a movie right after dinner so I wanted to finish my whole meal and not take home any leftovers, which was a big mistake because I had a huge stomachache the whole rest of the evening.

What You Should Do: The meals at Red Robin are very large and heavy, so I'd recommend either coming on a very empty stomach or planning to take part of your meal home. I think if I was to visit Red Robin again, I would order a grilled chicken sandwich because it seems like it would be a little lighter, and they have a couple of options. I felt like Red Robin was overpriced for a chain restaurant that serves typical burgers and fries, and even though in theory you could get all the steak fries you want included in that $10, I doubt many people go back for more than one refill because the rest of the food is so heavy. If you're a die-hard Red Robin fan, I'd recommend branching out and testing one of the other restaurants I mentioned - who knows, you may find something else you like!

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