Kat's 9 Lives

With all the better choices of food in Orange County, Ms. Lin had to pick Red Lobster of all places. I have been trying to avoid these huge American chains that are seriously lacking in taste, but somehow I was dragged out to Garden Grove for another lesson on why I don't frequent these joints. The main reason I agreed to go with Ms. Lin was that she had a $10 coupon and it was asking to be used. Also I do love the cheesy biscuits that they give there and I thought why not. See the love for Ms. Lin and what I must go through for her. =9 **another warning: I have drastically increased my editing and photography skills of late so do not be fooled by the pictures! Never judge a book by its cover. I enhance the photos to make everything look better and appetizing.**
The best thing is their Cheesy Biscuits that are freshly baked and brought to the table. They are globs buttery salty goodness. Can't get enough of them! Of course you can make these at home, but it's just easier to enjoy them here where they make it best!
We decided to start off with a Lobster, Artichoke, and Seafood Dip as an appetizer. I was very torn because I really wanted the clam strips but this sounded good too so why not. The dip claims to be a creamy 3-Cheese blend with Artichokes, Spinach, Maine, & Langostino Lobster, and Seafood. It's served with Tortilla Chips and Pico de Gallo. I will give them credit that they do put a generous amount of seafood in there or objects that looks like seafood! lol The taste was so-so but nothing special.
Ms. Lin's lunch came with a Caesar Salad and I ate a lot of it because I actually like their Caesar dressing. Yes, I know it is a shocker for a carnivore like me to eat vegetables. The sauce is super heavy and flavorful. You can see globs on ones side because it is not usually tossed well so be sure to mix the sauce more evenly or else some pieces will be super salty but still good. It is simple and good once in a while.
For our main course Ms. Lin chose the Chef's Signature Lobster and Shrimp Pasta. It's Maine Lobster, Tender Shrimp, Fresh Asparagus, and Tomatoes in a White Wine & Lobster Butter Sauce over Linguini. The flavor was decent and definitely very buttery... in other words, I can feel my heart clogging. O=9 They do give a decent amount of shrimp with bits of lobster throughout. I will give them some credit not overcooking the shrimp.
I chose the Cajun Chicken Linguini Alfredo because it was cheap. There really isn't a point to picking an expensive dish here since it won't be that impressive. My dish was spicy Chicken Breast tossed in a Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce on a bed of Linguini. The portion size was decent. I didn't like it at first bite, but got use to it after a while. It didn't taste like Cajun and I just sat there bemused. What was I really eating and why do I always end up choosing a bad dish when I am with Ms. Lin? I just picked at the 2 pasta dishes and took the rest home. Not really worth my time or effort to eat. I substituted my salad for a Lobster Mashed Potato at an extra fee of $3.99 or so the menu said. When I asked the server he couldn't give me an answer of how much extra it would be. He confused me by saying that it might be more. This took the longest to arrive and by that time I wasn't too interested in eating it anymore. The mashed potato is slobbed full of butter gravy and a bunch of langostinos. I don't think they were real lobster meat but more like fake meat again. lol What can you expect for a $3.99 extra charge. =P
All in all the food was just plain and nothing special. The best part of the meal is the free biscuits! Free is good but at what cost! That coupon trick was what reeled us in and it's not like we saved much. With the excuse of a coupon we ordered more than what we might have without it. Heck, without a coupon we'd save all the money because we wouldn't come. The coupon basically saved us the appetizer. Is it really that great of a deal? Oh well... C'est la vie! Hopefully Ms. Lin has got this craving out of her system for a few more years now! lol

Red Lobster