Chain Restaurants: A Trifecta

  One week----a trifecta of good chain restaurants:   Red Robin, Cracker Barrel and Maggianos!  Ok, this happened back in February and I started the post then but almost stopped my blogging forever because I couldn't find my Red Robin photos that I thought I had downloaded to my computer.   I can't find the photos on any of my 10 memory cards and can't find them on my two computers either.  So I will re-post a couple of photos that I found on- line.  The Red Robin that I went to in Hamilton, New Jersey had a statue on their iconic robin but I could not find any postings of it. Red Robin is known for good hamburgers, Cracker Barrel for inexpensive southern comfort food including breakfast all day long, and Maggiano's for traditional Italian favorites.  I would have to say it would be hard to pick my favorite of the bunch but Maggiano's had a special going. Two could share an appetizer or pick two ceasar salads as we did, your pasta entre, your shared desert (tiramisu--excellent) and then  a take home additional pasta entre!  Not bad for twenty bucks each! I went there for my son's birthday.  Previously we had been to the one in Philadelphia and it was wonderful.  Always a special excitement to eat in a large city.  Especially fun in Philadelphia where I always imagine that I am tracing streets that were once walked on by none other than Benjamin Franklin, one of my favorites from history.

  My friend Peggy took me to Cracker Barrel's. We had to drive through historic Mount Holly, New Jersey to get to there.  I am always fond of that because of the history there and my father's roots as he went to Mount Holly High School.  I am sure that George Washington stayed at a hotel or two in that area.  People can make fun of us here in New Jersey all they want but we have it all:  history including that of our founding fathers, culture, great restaurants, great cities nearby, ocean, mountains, farm lands and the diversity of people that makes life interesting.  Because I wasn't driving it freed me up to click away right through the window of the car and I got some great shots.  They look like I must have taken a walking tour but I didn't.

At Maggiano's:

Mount Holly is the county seat of Burlington County and is about 20 miles south of the state capital of Trenton. Mount Holly played an important part in the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776. Colonel Samuel Griffin marched into Mount Holly on December 24, 1776.  The Hessian forces battled with the Continental Army until they left at night.

Driving Through Historic Mount Holly:

Old Firehouse  1752-1892

Oldest Firehouse in USA

 

Sitting on the Porch at Cracker Barrel Restaurant

Another Historic Place 1807

Loved this town but--the wires??  What is this?
 Reminds me of a picture I once saw of the wiring in India.

Yummy Sweet Potato Pancakes!

                                               Ok, my mom had a wringer washer

when I was little but it had a white enameled tub.