NoonEats: Conga Line Chicken at TGI Fridays

"In here, it's always Friday," or so say the marketing people for T.G.I. Friday's. Heading to the franchise's Route 22 location, I put that slogan to a test on a dreary Tuesday afternoon.

Inside, the restaurant was dark, customers were sparse and news of George Steinbrenner's death was on the flat-screen televisions above the bar. But upbeat music and a menu promising to transport me to a Caribbean beach attempted to make up for that.

The chain is known for its Jack Daniels branded sauces, and the Jack Daniels burger on the lunch menu was tempting me, but with Weezer's "Island in the Sun" playing and that Caribbean specials menu staring me in the face, the best way to forget the rain outside seemed to be a Captain Morgan Caribbean conga line chicken sandwich.

A seasoned chicken breast, grilled and basted with Captain Morgan spiced rum sauce is served on a seasoned bun with sour cream, pineapple pico, cilantro and avocado, with sweet potato fries on the side. The Jack Daniels burger may have sounded more appetizing, but it will always be on the menu. I ordered the conga line chicken sandwich and hoped for the best.

The sweet potato fries were among the best I've ever had, due to a good dose of some secret blend of seasoning, or perhaps just a good amount of salt and pepper.

The chicken sandwich held together well, with a diverse combination of flavors. The sweet pineapple was a good addition to the sandwich, as was the creamy avocado. I had a difficult time figuring out what was in the spiced rum sauce. A side of it is served for the sweet potato fries, and I ate as much of it as I could, trying to place the flavors. It was a little sweet, with some hints of citrus – not smoky like a barbecue sauce.

Lastly, the chocolate peanut butter pie on the dessert menu called to me, but I turned it down. Like most professionals, my lunch break is an hour long, so I asked for my check and was on my way. Besides, the raspberry iced tea that I had with my dinner gave me more sugar than I needed in an afternoon.

As I stepped outside into the midday drizzle, with Route 22 traffic whizzing by on my left and my right, I had almost forgetten where I was. Pehaps in that dimly lit bar decorated with old-fashioned advertisements for bourbon and beer, it was Friday inside.