By Social Media Editor: Cassie Bondie

At a restaurant infamous for having lots of decent food but nothing that particularly stands out on the menu, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to get a plate of more than mediocre food in modern America.

Such is the case of places like Coney Island, Old Country Buffet, Bennigan’s, Bob Evans, and Golden Corral. These eateries hold no contest in the enormous size of their menus, but you could try every dish and find nothing of five-star quality. Just “good enough”.

When I visited Applebee’s the other night, this is exactly what I expected. “Good enough”. But that isn’t at all what I got when the night was over.

Applebee’s has recently gone through a corporate make-over. Located in small, average towns that aren’t extremely flashy, the restaurant was never meant to be anything fancy. However, with the new decor and menu changes to make the place more sleek and modern, Applebee’s has also managed to accomplish something no amount of menu changes could do to a Coney Island, or anything in a fancy town for that matter.

Applebee’s actually improved the food that it served in one fell swoop.

When I sat down to eat with family last weekend, I found myself debating vigorously over what to get. I remembered the burgers as too salty, the quesadillas as too dry. So I decided to start out with something simple. A side salad, where there were no vegetables to hide bitterness in the lettuce or large amounts of dressing to distract from the basics. Just an iceburg lettuce side-salad with Ranch dressing.

The salad was much larger than I had expected, but it was crisp and perfectly made. Anyone who knows me understands me when I say I’m not much of a “fancy salad eater”. And yet I found myself finishing most of the dish. My mother was taking pictures because she was in so much shock.

Next, though, was the meal itself. I ordered a dish I have never taken a chance on at a restaurant before. Steak and potatoes, with steamed vegetables. This coming from a girl who has never touched a piece of broccoli in an eatery before in her life.

I was thoroughly impressed. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium-rare. The best way to tell that a steak has been grilled correctly is how much seasoning or sauce it requires. If you find yourself having to drench the meat in salts and peppers and Heinz 57, the meat must not be good enough to eat on its own. And, believe me, steak was meant to be the meat of the gods. Gods don’t need seasoning or sauce.

I didn’t even have to touch a bottle. Not for the steak, or the potatoes for that matter.

The mashed potatoes were something of a wonder all on their own. Most restaurants seem to enjoy serving an excuse for mashed potatoes; something made from a box or a bag, and most definitely never more than a crazed whipping of boiled potatoes until they form something resembling white, fluffy goodness. Most restaurants don’t even take the time to add in the necessary ingredients to make mashed potatoes taste the way they are supposed to taste.

Applebee’s took the time. They added a light amount of butter and salt, and there was also a faint hint of sour cream. They also added those nice bits of skin and potato bites that make the dish stand out. They might have been next to the most wonderful looking seven ounce steak anyone has ever seen, but they made a name all for themselves.

Overall, I was more than satisfied with the experience. After all, the place was nearly empty at ten at night, and my family was having a great time basking in the atmosphere. Applebee’s is known for having a modern, interesting bar area. In fact, they’ve even added a buzzer that the bartender is expected to push during big games when the home team scores.

But the night wasn’t over yet. Because then our waiter brought out the $1 brownie bites. Because I figured the brownie bites were just a commercialized-version of desert that made it easier to convince customers to spend more money, I was skeptical at first. However, these bite-sized brownie triangles topped with chocolate sauce and nuts and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream were actually a tasty combination.

When it was all over, and my family was done making fun of me, we headed out the door. But it wasn’t just the food that made me decide to return for another meal one day. It was the atmosphere and the workers, as well. In fact, we ended up tipping our waiter more than a twenty-five percent tip! Maybe every Applebee’s isn’t quite this perfect, but our local Applebee’s sure is.