15 March 2009

#57: Ledo Pizza

Date Visited: 8 March 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, Andy, & Alicia

Experience: Ledo's has been a fixture in Leesburg since we moved here. We only visited once so before, around 1990 or so! On that visit, the thing we all remember is that we ordered a pepperoni and bacon pizza with extra bacon, and that we nearly died from bacon overdose. It was literally piled on. So we figured that it had been long enough, and we would give Ledo's another try. Ledo's is a nationwide pizza franchise.

I was impressed by the clean, bright decor, and Italian countryside themes painted on the walls. It looked a lot nicer than it did almost twenty years ago. The place was fairly busy on the Sunday afternoon we visited.

For this visit, I ordered the featured Calamari appetizer ("enjoy our new, tender, breaded Calamari served with seasoned waffle fries and your choice of LEDO sauce or spicy LEDO tartar sauce for dipping"). It was pretty good, the calamari was indeed tender, and the spicy tartar sauce was a nice touch. No one else in our family would try it, due to the assumed "ick" factor. For my entree, I got the Buffalo Chicken Salad ("crisp, white meat, chicken served on a cool mix of lettuces with grape tomatoes, Blue cheese crumbles, bacon and red onions. LEDO buffalo sauce and Blue cheese dressing served on the side"). It was also pretty good - the chicken had a nice crunch, and the mix of Buffalo and Blue cheese flavors was a good combination.

Wendy got the Traditional Cheese Tortellini ("jumbo cheese tortellini tossed in your choice of LEDO marinara or creamy Alfredo sauce. $7.99 add mushroom or green peppers $0.60 each, add Italian sausage $1.00, Grilled chicken"). She selected the Alfredo sauce option, and added the grilled chicken, which she said was good, but the tortellini itself was a little overdone.

Andy got the Turkey Bacon Ranch sub ("sliced turkey, bacon, tomato, provolone cheese, oven toasted, served with ranch dressing and lettuce"). He ate it all (a good sign), but said it was a bit sub-par.

Alicia got the Chicken Calzone ("LEDO sauce grilled chicken with onions & mushrooms"). She ate about a quarter of it (generally a good sign), but wasn't overly impressed either. I think she didn't realize how many mushrooms were involved. I ended up with the leftovers for lunch the next day.

I also ordered a small Meatlover's Pizza ("pepperoni, sausage and meatballs"). It was unanimously judged not very good. I got the leftover slices for lunch the next day, in addition to the leftover calzone, but I'm not picky about lunch at work.

We tried to order a variety of menu items to sample what Ledo's had to offer so we could make a fair evaluation. Unfortunately, our overall impression is that we were not very impressed with the food. The service was good. We'll give 'em another try some time in the future.

Location: 1037 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, 20175

Web site: http://ledopizza.com/

Total bill: $55.07 + $10.00 tip = $65.07

#56: Wendy's

Date Visited: 25 February 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, Andy, & Alicia

Experience: We needed a quick dinner after church on Wednesday night, and Wendy's was on the list. Wendy's is a nationwide hamburger chain that distinguishes itself by having some menu choices not available in most other fast food restaurants.

Wanting to sample some of the more unique offerings, I had a double cheeseburger, small cup of chili and a baked potato with sour cream and chives. Wendy got a Chicken Club combo with a side salad, Alicia got a Spicy Chicken combo with a large Frosty. Andy mistakenly ordered a Homestyle Chicken Fillet combo instead of a hamburger; he tried one bite and determined that he would not be able to eat it, so he went back and got a Baconator (double cheeseburger with loads of bacon). I ended up with his chicken sandwich for lunch the next day!

The food was OK, about average for a fast food restaurant, except for their french fries, which are below average. To me, their unique items (like chili and baked potatoes) are about the only reason to go there.

Location: 404 E. Market St., Leesburg, 20176

Web site: http://wendys.com/

Total bill: $31.36