Green Apple; Waterford, Michigan

Every family has a restaurant they can call their "regular spot", the one place they go to more then any other eatery.  For the Hendin family that place is the Green Apple restaurant located at 4780 Dixie Highway (just south of Walton Blvd/Williams Lake Rd) in Waterford, Michigan.  We have always loved the Green Apple, for their fantastic breakfast specials, for their great kids specials (kids eat free Mondays - Wednesday evenings with adults), and with their great food.

So it was just the other day that my good friend Cliff took me to lunch to try to get some food in me as I am still recovering from my recent bout of pancreatitis.  I was not sure what or how much I would be able to eat, but I did know that if I could eat anywhere it would be at the Green Apple.

As always, arriving at the Green Apple was arriving at a comfortable diner.  My family is known at this restaurant and Kolleen is actually on a first name basis with the owner.  Since Kolleen had her stomach surgery years ago she tends to eat little at meals so she has an agreement with the owner that she may order off of the kids menu.  To me that speaks of a friendliness to customer service.

Cliff and I arrived and sat down to order.  As we are both familiar wit the menu we knew what we were going to order.   For Cliff it was a Taco Salad and for myself it was going to be a Chicken Gyro with Fries and a side salad with ranch.

Though neither of us ordered it I do want to mention that the Green Apple does offer a wonderful lunch special.  They offer a daily choice of soups (all homemade) to be served in a bowl with a choice of sandwiches.  My favorite soups are the German Tomato, the White Chicken Chili and the Split Pea.  The sandwiches are also wonderful.  My favorite is their Egg Salad.

Cliff's Taco Salad arrived and it did look very impressive.  Cliff told me that everything on the plate tasted very fresh and nothing was frozen.  The taco meat had a wonderful seasoning to it.  There was an incredible blend of vegetables to the salad that did not end at lettuce, but included green peppers tomatoes and black olives.  There was also was an ample amount of a dual blend of Mexican cheeses.  The salsa was spiced nicely.  The tortilla bowl was fresh from the deep fryer and was not too greasy but crunchy and delicious.

My side salad that went with my Chicken Gyro platter does deserve some comment.  Unlike many side salads at various diner-like restaurants this salad had no wilted or brown lettuce.  I also appreciate the fresh tomato and cucumber slice that was added to the plate.  The ranch dressing was good, yet a bit watery, it could have been a bit thicker.

The Chicken Gyro was good.  The cooked chicken was fresh and that is what made the sandwich.  The pita was also fresh.  I personally would have preferred red onions to the white onions that were on the sandwich.  The tzatziki sauce for the sandwich was awesome and is what really made the meal special.  The French fries were also top notch, though there were not many on the plate.

Overall, I was satisfied with my meal at the Green Apple.  I have honestly been rarely disappointed from this establishment.

The cleanliness and decor are both good.

Overall:

Service:           ****

Food:              ****

Affordability:  ****

Clenliness:       ****

Decor:             ****

Overall:           **** (4)