Marie Calendars in Burbank

If you want to waste time and eat bad food, this is the place. Marie Calendar's in Burbank/Toluca Lake has to be one of the worst restaurants in town. My cousin Ron and I ate there this Friday and we waited ten minutes to be seated despite the dozens of empty tables and booths. Then once we ordered, it was another thirty minutes before we got our food. C'mon, it doesn't take that long to dish up 2 turkey dinners.

Both of our dinners arrived lukewarm. The mashed potatoes could have been used for brick mortar they were so thick. Obviously, they had been sitting a pan for at least an hour. The turkey was so dry I could have used a piece of it to sand the table. The stuffing was mushy. The vegetables were raw and so hard I would have broken my teeth trying to eat them. And no cranberries despite the menu description and photo.

And what happened to the days when the waiter brought your cornbread immediately? We didn't receive our cornbread until our meal finally arrived. And even their Marie Calendar's signature cornbread was only so-so. It was too dry and way too sweet. I guess they figure if they add enough sugar to it, then no one will notice how painfully tasteless and dry it is.

And with all of those pies they make, they only have 1 sugar-free selection? I made the mistake of trying it once. Never again. Actually, I think I'll say the same for eating at Marie Calendar's, never again.