Champp's Americana, Arlington, Va.

Independence Day afternoon, Robert decided he wanted to go to the mall at Pentagon City. Stupidly, I acquiesced. Why we went (especially in view of the crowds!) is a mystery. When I got there, I found Robert in the food court with a steak quesadilla from Taco Bell. He wanted a beer, so we went out to Pentagon Row to Champp's Americana, a popular nationally franchised sports bar. They were packed and we had to wait for a table.

In addition to a beer in one of those great big tall, thin, beer mugs, Robert got an order of chicken wings.


I decided to try something new, selecting the barbecued beef-stuffed onion rings. They weren't bad, but they were truly just an appetizer, not big enough for a substitute light meal. By the time I got to eat them, though, they were getting cold and a little bit soggy. This is because our food came before our waiter brought silverware and napkins, and it was at least fifteen minutes before he came by to check on us and we reminded him of our need. He was a perky little guy, but very airhead; once he took away my iced tea glass to get me a refill, then forgot to come back with it.


After the onion rings, I ordered the BBQ chicken chopped salad (had to keep an Independence Day barbecue theme going), but he put in the wrong order, and I got the Americana chopped salad instead, with chicken breast slices, apple slices, and dried cranberries, instead of the more substantial barbecued pulled chicken, bacon, and cheddar cheese I'd anticipated. Everything was so busy there, it was easier to just eat the wrong salad than to try to get it replaced.


So, the food was okay, but this wasn't a day when the service at Champp's shined.

Interestingly enough, it was about 8:00 or 8:30 when we left, and walking back through the mall, we noticed practically everything was already closed!