Applebee's -- your quintessential neighborhood chain restaurant, and possibly the swankest restaurant in Yucca Valley. The bar serves up some creative, monster drinks with a smile, and the menu includes all the crowd-pleasing classics: steaks, pasta, burgers and Tex-Mex specialties like nachos, etc. Our waitress was a Santa Monica refugee who was friendly, with the kind of humorous cynicism that can only come from someone who left L.A. to live in the desert. The steaks were tasty and cooked perfectly -- but the potatoes and vegetables were tasty in a way that just seemed... well... artificial -- like it had been enhanced with MSG or something. Still, it was clearly a favorite restaurant for the many families who came from the nearby Marine base in 29 Palms, and after sampling several other local eateries in Yucca Valley, I have to agree with them. It probably is *the* place to eat on a Saturday night.
Pros: Good food at a good price, clean & friendly atmosphere, down-home service
Cons: Some food tasted processed
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