Instead of ordering a “signature” predetermined sandwich, I opted to choose the ingredients myself.  The menu gives many options on what you want on your sandwich, from various organic toppings to an array of sweet and salty sauces.  No mystery sauce here!

I ordered:  1/3lb Grilled Chicken (very moist and tender) on rustic ciabatta bread w/ sliced cucumbers, hard boiled egg, grilled onions, organic greens, and topped with a lovely flavorful pesto sauce.  Yeah, kind of a weird combination…  but it was delicious!  The pesto sauce is really awesome…

The sweet potato fries are crunchy and soft at the same time.  It came with a yogurt/sour cream like sauce.

I look forward to concocting another myriad of ingredients on a bun the next time I visit!

Since we are on the subject of apologies, I would also like to take this time to apologize for the food photos…  Definitely not as nice as the photos that I took of the places I went last month.  :(

Anyway, on to the England Rose Garden.  I will admit that I’ve been to this restaurant a number of times before, but I thought that I would go ahead and post photos anyway.  Despite the fact that the name states “England”, this restaurant offers a variety food with a slight Asian flair in a ‘tea house’ type setting.  The dishes served ranges from steaks to baked rice dishes to cold plates.  The nice thing is that you can order a set meal that is usually served with soup (usually a corn soup), salad, garlic bread, main entree, ice cream, and a tea/juice.  The lights are kept dim to preserve a sort of quiet/private ambiance, and the patrons usually keep to themselves and talk quietly.  Quite a difference from a normal Chinese restaurant for sure!

I find myself ordering the German Pork Knuckle each time I come because it is so very delicious.  The outside crusty skin is nicely seasoned, and the meat inside is tender.  The only complaint I have about the dish is that the fatty layer can feel a bit “sticky”.  Make sure to remove it before eating the meat!!  The pork knuckle is served on top of sauerkraut and has some boiled baby carrots/broccoli on the side.  Not a whole lot accompanying the meat, but the side dishes aren’t why I order this.

The other dish that was ordered that particular day was the steak special.  I can’t exactly remember what it was called, but it wasn’t really worth it.  I would say, get the pork knuckle instead!  XD  The sauce in which the steak is sitting is a black pepper sauce.  For some reason, Chinese people really like black pepper sauces.

We ordered a Chicken Tenders appetizer, which came in a “cup” that was stuffed full of fries.  Sort of a different plating style than I’m normally accustomed to seeing.  While I like it, it does make it a little difficult to get to the fries without disturbing the stack of chicken tenders.

Main entrees ordered that night was the Chicken Pot Pie (my Grandpa’s favorite) and the Baked Cavatappi Pasta and Caesar salad combo.  I quite enjoy the chicken pot pie as well, especially the nice flaky crust on top.  The only thing I wish they would change about this dish is to include a pie crust for the bottom portion of the pie as well (instead of just having flaky crust on top).

I was a little surprised by the Cavatappi as it was pretty good good (for $5.99).  I believe it didn’t have any meat as well, but the cheese was nice and melted.  Caesar salad was pretty fresh, they went a little heavy with the dressing (I suspect maybe it wasn’t tossed well enough).

Even though I ordered the “Steak Sandwich” that supposedly is only “just steak”, they still asked me if I wanted cheese and onions (I said yes ofc).  I didn’t get charged extra either.  The beef had just the right amount of ‘chew’, and the bread was soft (not crusty).  The cheese was nicely melted and creamy.  I also ordered french fries that I shared with a friend.  The french fries are fried to a nomelicious goldeny crispy texture, and they are HOT.  Fresh out of the fryer no doubt.  I absoultely HATE soggy/soft french fries, and Amato’s fries are DEFINITELY NOT soggy or soft, they are super crispy.  My friend ordered the “Chicken Sandwich” which is basically the same as the Steak Sandwich.  The chicken was also unbelievably good (though I do prefer the flavor and texture of beef).  The creamy cheese and chicken reminded us of  a creamy chicken alfredo.  :D

Definitely will be going back to this place, but am always on the look out for more cheesesteak shops in the area.  Saw an ad in the Wave magazine of one that is also relatively closeby.  Will give that one a try soon and do a sort of comparison.

I’ve had some BAD hot dogs in my time, but the Costco one isn’t bad.  :)

The waffle, though kind of thin, was delicious.  It was really crispy and crunchy.  They put a large amount of butter on the waffle, I didn’t even use a 1/4 of it.  One very nice touch at this particular establishment is that they serve hot maple syrup with the waffles.  I’m so used to the chain restaurants just leaving the maple syrup out on the table for everyone’s convenience that the hot maple syrup really made me appreciate the more personal service of smaller restaurants.  The scrambled eggs were very good, much better than the half cooked eggs I got with the chicken fried steak (previous post).

I included a small photo of what this restaurant looks like on the inside to give everyone an idea of the setting.  I liked it very much.  :)

The burger itself was not too bad, there were a few things that I didn’t really like.  The meat was a bit tough, even though it was only cooked to medium.  It is a little difficult to describe what I mean by tough.  The name of the burger is a little misleading, as in most cases I would think that a steak burger would be a burger with a piece of steak in the middle instead of a ground beef patty.  The Brewtus had a ground beef patty, not an actual piece of steak.  The ground beef seemed to be roughly ground, and as I said, a bit on the tough side.  Other than the meat, I also felt that the bread was too small in proportion to the meat.  Holding the burger was a little difficult without touching the meat despite the fact that I cut the burger in half before attempting to eat it.  Although I usually enjoy my burgers without vegetable toppings, I felt that this burger would have benefited with a little more lettuce.  Overall, it tasted pretty good.  Bacon was nice and crispy.  XD

My sister ordered a Grilled Shrimp Pesto Alfredo Fettuccine with the shrimp on the side.  Although the sauce was extremely thick and oily, it still tasted pretty good.  The pasta bowl came with a strip of focaccia bread on the side.

Once seated, the server brings over a freshly baked sourdough bread round.  I have to say, this bread is AWESOME.  Its always piping hot, as if it came straight from the oven.  The outside is crusty and crunchy, while the inside is soft and fluffy.  Smear a little bit of butter and it is super delicious.  If you manage to eat the whole round, you can always ask for another one.  I adore artisan breads, and prefer it to regular loaf breads (sandwich bread).  I believe this sourdough bread round is the best bread I’ve ever had in a restaurant.

My favorite item on the menu has to be the crab alfredo, I order this every time.  It is absolutely delicious!  There’s real Alaskan crab meat, and a lot of it, they don’t skimp out on this ingredient.  Since it is an alfredo pasta, they use fettucini pasta, which I’m actually not too fond of.  I find that the crab alfredo sauce is just right, its creamy and smooth, and just the right amount of saltiness.  The crab is fresh, none of that “fishy” smell/taste that is often associated with seafood.  When it comes to the noodles, it is cooked al dente, but at the same time it does taste a little on the bland side when eaten without the crab.  The potion size is big, most of the time I end up with a to go box because I simply can not finish.  The crab alfredo comes with a garlic parmesan bread on the side that I never eat.  I find that this piece of garlic bread is overly oily (an absurd amount of butter), and it just doesn’t taste very good.  I’d much rather eat the yummy sourdough bread instead.

They have a small dessert menu, and we always end up sharing the same dessert because its just that good.  The Mud Pie, with its coffee ice cream and cookie crumb crust…  So good.  Will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!!  :D  My favorite part is, and always will be, the cookie crumb crust.  :)

Despite the negative service, this sandwich was actually quite NOM.  The bread is a tad on the dry side, but the chicken was moist and flavorful.  The provolone cheese was absolutely awesome!  :D  One thing I have to say though, the Caesar salad that came with it was kind of wilty looking…  a definite no-no in my book.  If you’re going to provide a salad, you better make damn sure that your salad is fresh.

My sister also ordered a-excuse me, several Midori Sours, also pictured below.  I believe she said that they were extra sour that day…  >.>