Paisano's in College Hills Mall

Rating: Avoid lunch like a GOP men's room.

To preface the context of this story, let me start by saying over the weekend, my girlfriend and I went to Chicago. While we were staying downtown, we went to Pizano's (no relation) and had some incredible food. When we heard a "Pizano's" was here in town, we had to check it out. I found out beforehand however that they were two different places.

We showed up around 11am just when they were opening and were seated right away. Angi ordered water with lemon and I had my usual Diet Coke. The waitress brought out our drinks shortly and I was already a bit disappointed. The drink was loaded with ice and only about 12oz (so about 4oz minus the ice). I would proceed to order 4 more before leaving and each time would have to set my glass at the end of the table in hopes of getting the waittress's attention.

Looking over the menu, the place was pricey. Well, I am cheap when it comes to lunch. So I decided to try the Italian Beef with mozarella, hot giardinera, and a side of marinara. Angi went with the Chicken Parmesan which is not on the menu. They only had the chicken parmesan sandwich on the menu so she had to customize the order.

Apparently, all things there are made from scratch including the marinara, so it took about 25 minutes to get our food order. At least the waittress warned us about 15 minutes after we ordered. Angi had ordered a side salad and that came out after about 10 minutes with some bread. The bread was pretty good, crispy crust and spongy center. We dipped some of it in ranch (no olive oil or permesan cheese on the tables).

When the meal came here is the take: The sandwich was small. The hoagie bun it came on harkened me back to hot lunch days at my old gradeschool. There were a handful of fries that were not very remarkable. Angi's came out with a good size serving of pasta and hardly any marinara. However, since I ordered marinara to dip my sandwich in, she used it to offset the small portion. She had leftovers so it really was a good size.

The final bill (with tip) was $24.02 which is about $14.02 more than I'd like to spend on lunch. The chicken parmesan was $8.75 which really isn't bad if you figure it was enough for two meals. The side salad was $2.50 and should just be included with a pasta dish. The sandwich was $8.25 which is ridiculous for what you get. Way, way, way overpriced for very little substance.

Bottom Line: This is definitely not a place where I would eat lunch. They make everything from scratch which is good, except they start when they open and waiting around for your food is not fun when you're a professional and on a schedule. With a plethora of Italian places in town, this one ranks a fair in service and food quality. Factor in the waiting time and the price, and I will not be returning for lunch. I may try the dinner palate but I will wait 6 months to see if they stick around that long.

Quizno's on College Avenue

4 out of 5 for quality; 1 out of 5 for prices (see below for a tip)

I love Quizno's. I recently moved to Morton just so I could be near one. Bread - good. Meat - good. Sauce - good. Pepper bar - GOOOOOOOOOD!

So, I went to Quizno's the other day in Bloomington and took along a $2 off coupon. The lines move fairly fast (it is fast food) and the staff seemed relatively friendly. There was a hot blond behind the counter so that's always a plus. I ordered the regular-sized Cabo Chicken, grabbed some chips, and a small drink. The total at the register, minus the $2 coupon, was $6.25. OK, I love the place but $6 plus for a sammich (even with chips and a drink) is too much for lunch.

The sandwich itself was outstanding. The main complaint I had was that the Diet Pepsi dispenser fizzes up so much you get like half a cup once the foam subsides. I ate a handful of pepperoncinis from the pepper bar and enjoyed the experience.

Bottom Line: Quizno's is only good if you have coupons. The sandwiches - at least the Cabo Chicken - are top shelf but if I hadn't had a coupon I would have paid around $8.50 for a meal. Quizno's is very good; it's just not affordable if you are on a budget.

Tip: Sign up for Quizno's newsletter. Each month they send out an e-mail and you can print coupons directly off of their website (link in the newsletter). My favorite coupon is a buy one get one free which is good after 3pm on weekdays, and all the time on weekends. You can get two subs, two chips, and two drinks for less than $10 when using it. That's a good, cheap lunch or dinner for two people.

Los Potrillos on Landmark Drive

Rating: Taco Bell ... minus the Adequate Food, Descent Service and Low Prices

In the Mexican, cookie-cutter restaurant business, this place is on the very low end in taste and on the high end in price. I had the displeasure of trying this Mexican wannabe the other day when I got a hankering for some heartburn. With Siesta Ranchera on IAA shut down for good, I decided I would try the new place in town.

The first thing I noticed was the walk-in to the restaurant had a feel more Strip Club-esque than restaurant. Inside, I found the tables and "blah" setup more to the liking of the aforementioned Taco Bell. Once seated, the traditional basket of chips came out with two salsas. The waiter didn't seem to know which was "hot" and which was "mild", so I had to come to my own conclusion both were "mild" and not very good.

From the menu, I did notice the prices were slightly higher than most places I have ate. I ordered a Chicken Chimichanga ($5.50) with a side of rice and Guacamole salad. I added a diet coke ($1.45) to wash it down.

Despite getting seated next to the kitchen, I would only see my waiter when he brought my drink\took my order and when he delivered the check. My Diet Coke glass sat empty for the last 15 minutes of my visit. He did however manage to stand not more than 10 feet from my table prattling on to another waiter in Mexican to give that authentic feel.

The food was more bland than the salsa and the guacamole (I am an expert) was worse than Taco Bell. The Chimi was over-cooked, the rice non-spectacular, and - of course - the service was piss poor.

Once I had the check, I made my way to the front to pay. I inquired about daily specials and found that they are non-existent.

Bottom-Line: In 6 months, this place will probably be non-existent as well given their location, shitty service, high price, lack of specials, and the fact that there are already 2 established cookie-cutter Mexican restaurants in town. I spent $7.59 on food I could have gotten at Taco John's for half the price.

Schlotzsky's Deli on IAA Drive

Rating: A Taint above Shitty

The good news is Schlotzsky's has an online coupon for the Turkey Sandwich, other sandwiches, and pizza. The bad news is that their prices have gone up and their food is just not that good. I took in a $0.75 coupon and ordered a Regular Smoked Turkey on Rye and a drink (the coupon specifies a drink). I then had to explain to them that "light" sandwiches does not mean "lite mayo". So I stripped the mayo and French's mustard in lieu of actual Deli mustard.

The restaurant is nice enough for fast food and the soup - after I got there and ordered - smelled and looked a lot better. The sandwich came out fast but was a disappointment. The lettuce is iceberg and limp, the deli meat ho-hum, and the bread was much too spongy for my taste. At least their mustard had a nice horseradish kick to it.

All-in-all, I spent $5.73 on a mediocre sandwich that didn't fill me up and a fountain soda. Keep in mind this included a coupon and you'll see where this is going. The bottom line: Way too high priced for too little sandwich and too little taste. It's a full level above Blimpie's but all Schlotzsky's sandwiches should be avoided.

Blimpies on Veterans Parkway

Rating: Suck Fest

I have been to just a few Blimpies in my time and they seem like they are not even on par with even Jimmy John's or Subway. Throw in Quizno's and forget about it. However, in my quest to find cheap eats and good deals, I wandered into Blimpie's today.

First off, the place was run by - my guess - a family of foreigners. No problem with immigrants living the American dream, but god damn at least speak the language. It took about 3 minutes for me to order because apparently they can't even understand the names of things on the menu.

I ordered a 6" Turkey sub and then had to choose my condiments much like Subway. Unlike Subway, however, these ingredients looked about as fresh as day old vomit. So after getting my toppings - which was like pulling teeth - I finally get to the cash register. Guess what? They don't take credit card and I don't have cash. However, I am in luck, they have a credit card looking machine there that you can withdrawl money from a credit or debit card .. for a $1.50 fee of course. So now, instead of $5.68 for a tiny 6" Turkey Sub, a bag of chips, and a drink; I get to pay an extra $1.50 as a bonus!

Just to be clear, the sandwich was nothing I couldn't make at home. Here is some stock advice, if you can buy stock in Blimpie's - SELL SHORT. This place - and every one I have been in to date - are foreign owned, poor food quality, and their competition (Panera, Subway, Jimmy John's, Quizno's, etc.) is head-and-shoulders above this poor imitation of a deli shop.

Bottom line: Blimpie's on Veteran's Parkway should be avoided like Tamiflu. I spent $7.18 on a small, sub par sandwich, bag of chips, and soda and received horrendous service as the final reach-around after getting ass-raped.