Well folks, I did the chain thing. I confess. Rickie and I had spent and exhausting day (and a quick $200) at Target and were thinking steaks. The budget didn't include Morton's or Ruth's Chris. I had brain freeze and forgot the local spots I love so much that grill a mean meat (i.e. Phoenix City Grill), so the first restaurant past Target that fit the bill was our local Applebee's on Camelback and Central. Mind you, I don't expect a decor marvel or a hostess so hip it hurts. I know what i'm getting myself into. For the most part. But I had recently seen a TV commercial from Applebee's and of course the food was airbrushed so perfectly like Celine Dion's face on the current issue of HELLO magazine. I mean, really, Celine, you have no wrinkles even after living in Las Vegas these past couple of years? Anyhoo, we were greeted and seeted promptly by a teenager who definitley just had a smoke and could use a visit to the tanning booth. Once seated, our server, Mo, took our drink and appetizer order and quickly disappeared. For quite awhile. Cue the Jeoporady theme music. Once our iced teas and the new appetizer (tuscan cheese bread extravangza) arrived we sipped and dipped. Not bad.Raspberry tea with an univited yet delighted visit by vanilla and the cheese spread was rich and yummy served with a spot of diced tomato, basi and garlic...aka bruscetta. NICE. We ordered onion chips, like an onion loaf or the blooming onion at Outback....they were good. Two sauces for our dipping pleasure...one your typical ranch, the other a sort of spiced up thousand island with horseradish. Then the entrees arrived. Cue the creepy dum, dum, dum, music...Both NY strip steaks over cooked to such an extreme. The asparagus was limp like, well, let's just say it reminded me of a Vietmanese gymnast I once dated who didn't take the little blue pill. Sides included mashed potatoes (loaded) which means bacon, cheese and sour cream. Ok, Ok, Ok, too much of the extras. What ladle in the kitchen did they pick to put these extras on my mashed potatoes? All in all, I had low expectations at this venue, and they were met. Shout out to Mo the server, a good gal! The clientele was like a scene out of Dawn of the Dead. Sorry. Lesson learned...Applebee's ok some of the time. Get an app and a drink. Skip the entrees. Be nice to a nice server. And for God's sake don't expect a steak worthy of the big chain peeps.