Decisions Grill & Bar
09/02/2004 - By By Trent Rowe Trent Rowe
Sampler #2, Decision Burger, garlic wings, gyro, spaghetti, livers and gizzards, Buffalo shrimp.
You would never guess from the outside what goes on in the kitchen of Decisions Grill & Bar on East Edgewood Drive in Lakeland.
You would never guess from the outside what goes on in the kitchen of Decisions Grill & Bar on East Edgewood Drive in Lakeland.
Signs block the windows; you can't see the pool tables, claw machine and video games on the inside. Neither can you see the fine food that comes from the kitchen.
You might lose a game of pool, but you aren't likely to lose when betting on a burger.
Three of us had no trouble getting a table just before noon on a weekday in the restaurant-bar that Vince and Sheila Uzzardo opened in 1994.
A smiling young server was Jill on the spot for drink orders, including the non-alcoholic kind. Hooray, iced tea tasted like tea.
Then the fun began, divvying up the ordering to cover all the bases on the menu and the five specials on a board. The restaurant might have been named after the menu.
Our appetizers, the Sampler #2, a platter for $7.25 and 10 garlic wings for $5.25, let us know the food isn't fast, but it's fine. Three people might have trouble sharing the platter equally because everything comes in two.
Quesadilla rolls looked a bit like spring rolls but with cheese and lots of spicy spring inside.
One of two Shrimp on the Half shell had about half a shell still attached under the breading but with a cheese stuffing this good the shell didn't matter much.
Cheddar poppers (cheddar in red pepper shells) sopped up a good deal of oil on the way from freezer to basket to table.
Blow on the mozzarella sticks. Ours were stretchy and hot.
Ranch and bleu cheese dressing made four zucchini sticks even better and cut the oil left in the coating.
Ask for extra napkins. Appetizers are finger food.
Garlic wings, flappers and drumettes had been thoroughly cooked but not to the point of being dry.
Of 10 sandwiches, we agreed on a gyro ($4.75) that started with a base of a thick, fried pita topped with a few slices of grilled meat that looked overdone but were not, cucumber sauce, onion and tomato. There was lots to eat wrapped in foil.
You can't get a burger without making a decision -- two really. Two toppings can be bacon, green olives, mushrooms, Swiss, American, Cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. A guest tried for olives and mushrooms, but settled for mushrooms and Swiss when the kitchen ran out of olives.
A huge, half-pound patty costs $5.25 and though asked for medium, the meat was cooked a little more thoroughly -- still good though. Thanks to onion, tomato and plenty of cheese, figure on using both hands for this burger.
After we ordered the gyro and burger, we asked our server to tell us the specials. She didn't believe it when we asked for all of them.
Sauce on a nice-sized portion of spaghetti ($5.95) had plenty of sweetness, and plenty of meat, too, over short, al dente pasta that was a little short and a little difficult to roll. Two pieces of garlic roll got the last of the sauce off the plate.
Two smallish fillets of fried whitefish ($5.45) will not stand out in my memory for long. I have had better. But, I have had worse, too. I have also had fish less salty.
Very tender green beans should have been hotter, so should good mashed potatoes and brown gravy.
Livers and gizzards ($4.55) came in a basket with fries. The fries were from two batches, which made some better than others. All the livers had been dry coated and fried, some a little more than I like them, but still delicious. A few more gizzards would have been welcome. A dunk in bleu cheese dressing took care of the dryness.
A touch of crunch and a touch of spice made a small basket of Buffalo shrimp ($5.25) into winners. You can almost ignore the pool of hot sauce and oil in the bottom of the basket. Save some of the bleu cheese dressing for the shrimp, too.
If you want to nibble your way through a meal, you can't go wrong with Nachos Supreme. Our server brought a wooden platter with three colors of corn chips almost hidden under chili, cheese sauce, tomatoes, and jalapenos with a good dollop of sour cream.
"Look under the top layer for a surprise," a guest said from the other side of the table.
A nice layer of chili, making the chips soft and easy to eat with knife and fork.
Desserts are not a big deal at Decisions. The choice was cheesecake ($2.75).
Our slim slice had been in the freezer until recently but ended the meal nicely as it thawed completely.
According to the latest health inspection by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, on Oct. 3, no infractions were found. Not as much as a french fry on the floor. That's quite an accomplishment.
A few things the restaurant could do to improve are:
Supply knives and fork with everything.
Watch the doneness in the burgers.
Taste for salt.
The restaurant is a fun place for a meal. I expect it gets busy in the evenings.
Decisions Grill & Bar earns 3 stars.
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Trent Rowe can be reached at trent.rowe@theledger.com or 863-802-7512.
