Monday, July 9, 2012

Applebees? Yes, Applebees!


I was low on fuel and short on time. My neighborhood Applebee's fit the bill.

I spend much too much time emailing and not enough time looking at the women who fill my world. A quick text, an update on Facebook, an e-card for a birthday or a heartfelt but still one-step-removed-from-a-real-hug get well card...they are useful and convenient and keep the flames of a relationship on simmer. But for a real dose, to reinforce all the reasons I love them in the first place, I felt the need for Girls' Night Out.
Applebee's offered us a gift card if we'd have some fun and post about it here in The Burrow. The fact that they were also willing to pay me for writing this post was an extra added bonus. What a treat - right around the corner for Happy Hour at a place whose motto is "Life is Better Shared."

Yes, the menu was in the shape of an apple...Applebee's, remember?...and it was good for a giggle or two while Crayola Mom and I waited for Miss Margo and Chicago Gal to arrive.

Our table was bright and sunny, right by the window, and my feet actually reached the floor with my spine pressed against the back of the booth. I was in heaven and we hadn't even ordered yet.
Elke took our drink order with a smile.

Yes, we wanted margaritas.

No, we didn't want them with olives, a little on the dry side.

Yes, we wanted them fruity and cool and on the rocks with salt.

We were thrilled to know that they were half price. It really was Happy Hour!

The UofA Wildcats were in the process of winning the College World Series as we four hugged and drank and ate. Our booth, up by the windows and above the bar, was quiet enough for us to talk without screaming but close enough to the energy from the bar that we were able to follow the game on the distant televisions without feeling that it was intruding into our face-to-face time.

Of course, that face to face time was leavened by alcohol...

Classic Margarita with Miss Margo's fingers to the left...

Watermelon Margarita with Chicago Gal's fingers on the right...

No one wanted a face shot, which was probably a good thing...as were the straws. Those glasses were huge and filled to the brim; sipping delicately from the edge of the glass was impossible, though it was good for some more giggles.

Starting with the Happy Hour Menu seemed like a wise move; the regular menu was page after page of mouthwatering scrumptiousness, but it required more reading than we were up to after one round of drinks. But, right there on that apple-shaped menu were more tasty treats than we needed...though we ordered most of them, I must admit.
There was spinach and artichoke dip
and there were potato skins (with cheese and bacon bits).
Crayola Mom chose boneless not-so-spicy wings
which still managed to sizzle my tongue.
My favorites were the Crispy Chicken Won Ton Tacos.
Who says America isn't a melting pot?
We have here Asian/Mexican/American fusion.
Chicken stuffed into wonton shells fried into the shape of crispy tacos and topped off with cole slaw.
They could not be cut and retain any semblance of structural integrity.
There was no sharing; each one had to eat one.
Yumminess abounded as we ordered some more spinach dip and another round of drinks and some white queso dip which didn't photograph well but kept Crayola Mom happy as the rest of us pondered whether we should skip the protein and head straight for dessert. Chicago Gal suggested that, following with "I'm kidding...no, I'm not!"

It was that kind of an evening, denizens.
Feeling the need for something that resembled dinner, I opted for the Sizzling Double Whiskey Steaks with mashed potatoes on the side. Two 4oz sirloins on a steamy plate with so many veggies they were falling off onto the charger.... we split them into four equal pieces and transferred our portions onto the clean small plates which kept appearing, out of nowhere, at the edge of our table.
None of us needed a whole main course; this divvied up nicely and felt like food that Mom would approve. No matter how old you get, Mom's still a touchstone. She'd have been proud of us, eating our veggies and cleaning our plates...all of us except Crayola Mom, who took her portion home to her growing son.

She was still working on that White Queso dip.

And then it was time for dessert. Back to that apple shaped menu we went, my guests ordering with me smiling and encouraging. I knew there would be bites for me of whatever they chose. And so I had some whipped cream from the chocolate mousse
and the chocolate sundae shooters.
The chocolate sundae shooter had crushed Oreos in the bottom, which I would have photographed but Miss Margo finished them before I could reach the camera.
Chicago Gal and I enjoyed the blondie and the ice cream.
When it was time for the bill, the girls reached for their wallets.
We had $150 to spend, and they were certain we were over our limit.
Not to worry ladies.
Not only is Applebee's a comfortable place to catch up with the girls, it's a bargain, too.
Visiting on-line has its purposes, but I could get used to this Girls' Night Out thing pretty easily. Applebee's can be found hanging out on-line, too, so find them on YouTube, Twitter, and Tumblr!
And Applebee's is a welcoming venue, a comfortable spot for hanging out with the gang.
I have a feeling we'll be back in our booth before very long.
This could become a habit.
*****
As with all good promotions, this one comes with a sweepstakes. "When's the last time you had a girl's night out?" is what we want to know. Type your answer in the comments below and you'll be entered for a chance to win a $150 Applebee's gift card. There are other ways to enter, too. They are listed in RULES below. Good Luck!!
Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 7/9/12 – 8/3/12.
Be sure to visit the Applebee's Life Is Better Shared page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

102 comments:

  1. It's probably been 10 years since I had a girls' night out. Sad, I know.

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  2. Let me tell you how good Applebees really is: During our first worst storm that took out electricity to 694,000 homes in West Virginia, Applebees, instead of throwing away their food, brought in a HUGE bar-b-q and cooked all their food and made salads and what ever they had FREE to those who had no power or water until they completely ran out of food. It was a god send to many of the people in our area. They are a great family resteraunt!!

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  3. Ah, Mami..... it's a sad thing indeed.... mayhap you might look into a night at Applebees's?

    Happy Days has made me smile as I contemplate a giant bbq making food out of waste :)
    a/b

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  4. There are 3 of us with August birthdays that get together, and always at Applebee's since our friend with the Feb. birthday moved away and can't host us at her house any more. But August of 2010 was the last celebration since my recovery from knee surgery in 2011 prevented me from going to the night out. Looking forward to a night out next month though!

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  5. Hope that Apple Shaped Menu is still there... and that your girlfriends appreciate your health and recovery ... perhaps toasting with a cocktail or two? Those margaritas were quite tasty!
    a/b

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  6. The last girls get-together was in May. We try to get together as often as we can, but sometimes it's hard to get schedules to mesh.

    One thing that some don't realize is that Applebees has a Weight Watchers menu. LOVE THAT! :)

    Happy Monday!


    Megan xxx

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  7. the only girl's night i have anymore is with my sister and our babies, i dont remember the last time before

    thismomwins@gmail.com

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  8. i tweeted: https://twitter.com/thismomwins/status/222470781446262785

    thismomwins@gmail.com

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  9. It was a long time ago, probably 9 years ago

    elena150980@yahoo.com

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  10. https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/222484064035278848


    elena150980@yahoo.com

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  11. It is hard to remember the last girl's night out. It has been some time before some of the girls had children.

    msgb245 at gmail dot com

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  12. last saturday night but i need more!
    freebiel0ve@yahoo.com

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  13. tweet: https://twitter.com/akronugurl/status/222695027023945731

    freebiel0ve@yahoo.com

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  14. Oh, Suburban and Megan... you must ditch the babies and have a whole night with no conversation regarding parenting ... SOON! Akrongurl has the right idea!
    a/b

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  15. Tiffany and Elena.... refresh yourselves with the girls... I'm still glowing and it's been almost a month since we went.
    a/b

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  16. It would be great to have a girls night out especially since I've been squandering of late because I'm my lack of income at the moment. This is exactly what a girl needs good times, foods and drinks!

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  17. my friends and i have girl's night at least once a month

    karinaroselee at gmail dot com

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  18. https://twitter.com/karinaroselee/status/222817811918110721

    karinaroselee at gmail dot com

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  19. I haven't had a girls night out in 5+ years, since having children. I am hoping to have one next week though!
    KellywcuATyahooDOTcom

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  20. tweeted
    https://twitter.com/Kellydinpa/status/222885543577518081

    kellywcuATyahooDOTcom

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  21. It was about 10 mo ago that I had a girls night out.

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  22. blog http://sodahoney.blogspot.com/2012/07/bloggers-agree-life-is-better-shared.html

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  23. I honestly do not remember the last time I had a girl's night out. Could it be 13 or so years ago with my cousin? Usually, there are husbands involved. :)

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  24. here's my tweet:
    https://twitter.com/tammigirl/status/223082220968091648

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  25. It's odd, I'm currently living in a world of couples. Sadly, the women I really used to love are no longer in my life. Too much time, distance and inattention. So, no girls' night out for me.

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  26. I have not had a girls night out since my bachelorette party 2 yrs ago.

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  27. I tweeted
    https://twitter.com/bdiane35/status/223274397862072320

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  28. Last June (2011) with my sister! Thanks for a chance to win and have a great day!
    kmassmanATgmailDOTcom

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  29. Your post has me craving a good happy hour session with my girls! I'll definitely have to set one up soon because, as I'm trying to recall, I think it's been about a year since we've done a girls night out. Shame!

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  30. I really appreciate that Applebee's does care for our (women's) well being and balance in life. Come to think of it, my last girls night out was more than 3 months ago!!! I can't believe it's been that long already. But taking care of the family, household chores, work, etc all take up times and I hardly noticed it's been that long until now. I think I really need some personal time with my girlfriends to catch up. I often feel rejuvenated and ready to be better in all my areas in my life afterwards. I hope I'll win so I can take my girlfriends out for some fun! :)

    amy [at] utry [dot] it

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  31. tweeted about this giveaway: https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/224407178302332928

    Amy [at] utry [dot] it

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  32. my sister's Birthday, last month
    merleandtina@Yahoo.com

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  33. https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/224566955640758272
    merleandtina@Yahoo.com

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  34. had a girls night out about a month ago!

    debbiebellows (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  35. i tweeted here:

    https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/224705946037927936

    debbiebellows (at) gmail (dot) com

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  36. Last time I had a girl's night out was last summer.
    tcarolinep at gmail dot com

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  37. https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/224723620205830144

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  38. I last had a girls night 3 months ago!
    family74014 at gmail dot com

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  39. Sadly, it's been a few years.
    nuthouse(at)centurytel(dot)net

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  40. tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/225408832736727041
    nuthouse(at)centurytel(dot)net

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  41. It's been a while since a true girl's night out. I did meet up with some friends for an event but as we were networking it didn't feel like a true girls night out.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I tweeted:
    https://twitter.com/sayitrahshay/status/225673588664070145
    -r

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  43. Way too long! barbarashallue@yahoo.com

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  44. It's been over a year since I've had a decent girl's night out. Would love to win this for me and my gals!!

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  45. Tweeted it:
    https://twitter.com/wizkey/status/225683184560513024

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  46. The last time I had a girls' night out was about six months ago. I run a working moms group and try to get the girls together to decompress ... which is quite a challenge!

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  47. I went to a winery with a friend 3 months ago and that was the first time since I can't remember when! It was the best! There's no Applebee's near me, but that friend and I will find one to spend that gift card at if we win it!

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  48. Can you believe it's been FOUR years? True. And sad. *sigh*

    wowknk at gmail dot com

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  49. Tweet:
    https://twitter.com/kristinnw/status/225805894372450304

    wowknk at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  50. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  51. I cannot remember my last night out with friends...maybe 3 or 4 years ago? It's been far too long!

    chambanachik@gmail.com

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  52. We got together this past friday, it's nice to talk with friends after a long day at work. We like to go to applebee's too. Thanks for the review and giveaway.
    songyueyu at gmail

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  53. tweet: https://twitter.com/syytta/status/226961583937556480
    songyueyu at gmail

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  54. The last time we had a just girls night was over a year ago when 5 of my crazy friends and I had dinner, wine and saw the Indigo Girls in concert! We had an awesome time ...wish it was a weekly or even monthly thing instead of yearly!
    amethyst2272 at gmail.com

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  55. tweeted about this too: https://twitter.com/happyenchilada2/status/227654335243382784

    amethyst2272 at gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  56. Last time I went to a girl's night out, it was about a year ago and we went to P.F. Changs. It has definitely been a while!

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    gina.m.maddox (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  57. tweet-https://twitter.com/CrazyItalian0/status/227759141849026560

    gina.m.maddox (at) gmail (dot) com

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  58. My last girl's night out was about 4 months ago for a friend's bachelorette party.

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  59. Oh wow - it;s been over 5 years since I had a girls night out! That's just sad :(
    adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

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  60. https://twitter.com/LAMusing/status/228202654944358400
    adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  61. I had a girls afternoon out about a year ago.
    bingomamanorma at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  62. tweet
    https://twitter.com/BBirdie2/status/228343531083800577

    ReplyDelete
  63. We finally just went out this past weekend to dinner. It had been a really long time before that!

    pokergrl8 at gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  64. https://twitter.com/aes529/status/228675082522861568

    pokergrl8 at gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  65. I couldn't even tell you the last time I had a Girls Night Out, but next weekend at BlogHer, that's what I'll be doing all weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  66. i have not been out in 6 years! Thanks for a super giveaway!
    My email: anashct1 [at] yahoo [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  67. Tweeted:
    https://twitter.com/anashct3/status/229403689201303552
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    email: anashct1 [at] yahoo [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  68. https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/230045929829437441
    merleandtina@yahoo.com

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  69. It's been ten long years.
    MCantu1019 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  70. It's been about 10 months since I had a GNO.
    huntandride@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  71. https://twitter.com/jen_r_horn/status/230356164817350656
    huntandride@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  72. I can't remember!
    ohsmiledarling(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  73. https://twitter.com/ohsmiledarling/status/230390736485490688

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  74. The last time I had a girls’ night out was at least 6 months ago that I couldn't remember the date. I love this giveaway, if I won I can plan to have my next girl's night out soon and enjoy great food at the Applebee's.

    ctong2[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  75. I tweeted about this promotion: https://twitter.com/ctong2/status/230498404101406720

    ReplyDelete
  76. It's been so long I can't remember. Of course, it's been a long time since I had a night out with my husband alone too. We're currently living on one income, so nights out have few and far between. I would love to have a night out with the girls at Applebee's - and I know just what I'd order :)

    ReplyDelete
  77. I had a girls night out two weeks ago, we went out for dinner and drinks.
    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  78. https://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/230815255163453442

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  79. We had a girls night out last week. It was great to get together and laugh about our kids because they've been driving us all crazy!

    labfpto@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  80. It's been over several years ago
    tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  81. tweet
    https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/230871994646802433
    tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  82. It is a good post by this site thanks to give

    the good information about this thanks

    ReplyDelete
  83. My last girl's night out to a restaurant was months ago, back in the Spring. Another one is way overdue.
    chrisdeglen(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  84. @chrisdeglen Tweeted -

    twitter.com/chrisdeglen/status/230933750912000000

    chrisdeglen(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  85. years and years ago...talking last century! LOL I just don't do this...not my thing!
    Angie
    14earth at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  86. I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/231133901890928640
    Angie
    14earth at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  87. It's been a few years ago since I actually did a girls' night out. A few weeks ago, some of my girlfriends and I took the kids camping and had a blast after the kids went to be hanging out around the campfire. I guess that would count!
    chipdip2010(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  88. Tweeted http://twitter.com/chipdip2010/status/231207089752653825
    chipdip2010(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  89. I haven't had a girls night out in over 10 years. I could really use one about now!
    april dot vrugtman at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  90. The last time was WELL over a year ago!

    pittsy82@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  91. tweeted https://twitter.com/pittsy82/status/231225172370284544

    pittsy82@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  92. I also tweeted
    https://twitter.com/Ilovemybeagle2/status/231244359218122753
    landfjacobson @ charter.net

    ReplyDelete
  93. My last girl's night out was so long ago I can't remember. Maybe about 5 years.

    willitara [at] gmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  94. Tweet - https://twitter.com/willitara/status/231412122251325440

    willitara [at] gmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  95. I had one about 2 months ago
    purple_lover_04 at msn dot com

    ReplyDelete
  96. https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/231439049339047936

    ReplyDelete
  97. tweeted
    https://twitter.com/fairydancer35/status/231454092189388800

    ReplyDelete

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