I'm a Punish for Gluttonment

For those unaware of my family roots. We're grocery store and restaurant owners. Every Sunday our restaurant would have the "Sunday smorgasbord" where I would dine as a child and work as an older child. Fried chicken was always there. Depending on Marc or grandpa's mood, other assorted meats would join the chicken. Mashed potatoes and green beans as far as the eye could see. A pretty great salad bar section was at the front, to trick people into getting their fill before reaching the good stuff.

The point being, I was raised on all you can eat. My friends and roommate in college know that my search for a great buffet was all encompassing at times. For a short while, the KFC on Merle Hay had the legendary chicken buffet. But it soon became an empty store front (probably for basically giving away chicken!). There were many a day when we'd go to Pizza Hut for their lunch buffet. I'm getting off on a tangent again. Sorry.

Anyways. In my Chicago life, that has meant the fall season. That has meant Red Lobster's All You Can Eat Shrimp and Olive Garden's Never Ending Pasta Bowl. Lucky for me, Lincolnwood has them both and they share a parking lot.

Now, depending on your waitstaff, you can win or lose at this game. Our first trip to Olive Garden a few years ago, meant our waiter would bring us our food and then apparently moved out of the country, never to be seen again. On one trip, the guy was so nice that he threw in free meatballs and sausage til our eyes bled. Red Lobster, the staff has always been super and the lady will come by and ask if we want her to put in the order for the next round because it takes a while to get to us. Fantastic.

We had a Labor Day trip to Olive Garden on Saturday. Under sauced noodles (look at me, I'm a critic for Top Chef now) and low will power made that trip a bust.

But tonight...

Oh tonight....

We eat all the shrimps. USA! USA! USA!