Restaurants in Orange - Applebee's

Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar,  located at 526 Boston Post Road has been in Orange since 2004.  This is a national chain founded in 1980.

This week, I was accompanied by Joe Oleschuk,  20 year veteran of the Orange Volunteer Fire Association.

We started out with the Cheese Quesadilla Grande.  It was a hearty appetizer, not overstuffed with cheese but the flavor and texture were good.  Rating 8.

Joe had the Sizzling Skillet Fajitas, which consisted of slices of choice steak, shrimp, vegetables and rice.  There were 4 tortillas which was perfect for the amount of food.  It came on a very hot skillet and had fresh lettuce and sour cream on the side.  His assessment was very fresh.  He liked that the steak and shrimp stayed hot throughout and the lettuce and sour cream remained cold.  The shrimp were nicely prepared and not soft and the steak was not overdone or chewy, as has been his experience at other restaurants.  It had been marinated in a sauce that added flavor with a very mild kick.  The serving was 4 well stuffed fajitas.  Rating 9.

I got the Shrimp 'N Parmesan Sirloin.  I don't normally like anything but salt and pepper on my steak, but the server suggested it and I decided to give it a try.  The shrimp were cooked well with a nice texture and good flavor.  The steak was tender and juicy and picked up some flavor from the parmesan which was very appealing to me.  The vegetables were fresh and not overdone and the garlic mashed potatoes included the skin, which added flavor.  Rating 9.5

The service was great, the server was very attentive to all of his tables and had everything under control.  There was a good crowd for a Wednesday and although the tables are close and there is music playing, you could hold a normal conversation and be heard.  The General Manager was helping out to ensure all of the guests were happy.  Rating 9.75

Applebee's in Orange may be a chain restaurant, but it is run like a family owned one with attention to details.  Overall rating 9.25