Have tasty American food in a jovial atmosphere at T.G.I. Friday’s.
When my friend and I stepped inside T.G.I. Friday’s one sunny afternoon (a Friday, no less) we had more than one purpose. First of all, we just wanted to eat. Secondly, I wanted to find out what the place was really like. I had passed it so many times walking along Besarabka, but never ventured inside. And thirdly, my friend felt nostalgia calling her back to the place where she held her first job, which happened to be T.G.I. Friday’s.
We took a seat at a window-side booth with a view of the restaurant’s whole first floor. And there was indeed something to see. While the interior itself was quite simple, with a combination of wood, red chairs and couches, and red-and-white-striped window curtains – the trademarks of the T.G.I. Friday’s chain – it was supplied with various designer elements, creating an original eclectic scene. The walls were adorned with old American advertisements, signboards, photos and paintings, and all kinds of other things, like a vintage typewriter, a badminton racket, a trumpet, a guitar, cowboy boots and an American flag by the entrance. Tiffany-style chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, attached with long metal chains. The waitstaff, boys and girls dressed in the bright striped hats and T-shirts decorated with various colorful badges, also added to the lively atmosphere.
My friend worked at T.G.I. Friday’s when it just opened in 2000. Among the restaurant’s first staff, she was seriously trained and recalled nostalgically some of the things she was taught. For instance, there was a rule that she had to approach the table within seconds after the diners took their seats, introduce herself and ask for their orders.
Just as my friend had described, the girl who served us came up to our table right after we arrived, but there were very few customers at the eatery. She didn’t introduce herself, but smiled nicely, greeted us and handed out the menus. The menus were bright and colorful, just like everything else at the place. Photographs accompanied most of the dish descriptions, and they made my mouth water just by looking at them. Many popular American dishes were right here – fajitas, chicken wings, French fries, steak and others. And in an accordingly American fashion, the portions were really big. Most of the servings were from 600 grams to a kilo. Although some of them were meant for more than one person, like the chicken wing basket, even those meant for one were bigger than average.
My friend was really excited about ordering chicken fajitas (Hr 61), which she had liked since the old days and wanted me to try as well. I picked “Jack Daniels” chicken (Hr 59), a traditional dish of mashed potatoes, chicken breast fried in a “Jack Daniels” glaze and vegetables “Almondine.”
Neither of us felt like drinking alcohol, and my friend strongly recommended the Smoothies icy fruit cocktails. I opted for “Hawaiian Surfer,” which the waiter assured me tasted like my favorite, Pina Colada, and my friend chose “Golden Medalist” (Hr 31) of strawberry, grenadine and banana. The cocktails, chilly and incredibly tasty, arrived in a minute and my Hawaiian Surfer was very similar to Pina Colada, as the waitress said. However, when I tasted my friend’s drink, I realized I liked it much more, and gladly accepted her offer to switch.
We were halfway through our drinks, and I was already half-full, when our dishes arrived. My friend received her fajitas sizzling on a hot pan, as well as a plate of tortillas, vegetables and sauce. A moment later I received my “Jack Daniels,” and without further hesitation we dug in. My friend, knowing all about eating fajitas, took a tortilla, put veggies in it, added guacamole and ate them with a mix of chicken and rice, visibly enjoying every piece. I equally enjoyed my own dish. The mashed potatoes felt as creamy and tender as could be, and the fried bits of glazed chicken were just what I thought they would be and went perfectly well with the vegetables.
My friend and I finished half of our dishes and then switched plates. It was the first time I had tried fajitas, so I copied my friend and filled a tortilla with veggies and guacamole. Just like she said, the mild taste of the sauce in my tortilla went perfectly well with the spicy rice and chicken, but I had to admit, fajitas weren’t exactly my thing. When we were done I suggested a dessert, but as I had expected, my friend declined, saying she was full.
As we sat, relaxing after the meal and finishing our drinks, my friend looked around eagerly, trying to spot a familiar face, a staff member who might still be working there since she left, but didn’t recognize anybody. Before we left, she lead me to the second floor of the restaurant to show me the special mirrors installed there – allowing diners to see all the other customers, so they don’t feel lonely. “As we were told, T.G.I. Friday’s is not a place where you go to relax quietly in a corner all by yourself. In the evenings it’s one big party, and we made sure everyone was a part of it,” she concluded.
T.G.I. Friday’s (5A Besarabska Ploshcha, 235-4264). Open daily from 11 a.m. till 10 p.m.
English menu: Yes
English-speaking staff: Yes
Average meal: Hr 100
