Garfield's Restaurant and Pub at the Susquehanna Valley Mall in Selinsgrove, PA

I had lunch at Garfield's today and was pleasantly surprised. The overall quality of the restaurant atmosphere, menu and service were better than many of the chain restaurants I've experienced. It was a quiet lunch on a Friday afternoon. The service was so fast- I barely had time to read the book I brought along.

Upon arrival, a large chalkboard greets you with at least a dozen specialty dishes. I was seated in a booth and noticed the unconventional table cloth: a very large piece of paper. I thought, "this is strange, why are they covering the table with a large piece of paper?" I would soon see a young child demonstrate the use of this paper. A boy about three years old was quite content coloring (crayons already on the table) this massive piece of paper while his mother was free to do as she pleased. This is definitely an enjoyable and practical idea for children.

The menu has a wide range of choices which would be expected from any successful chain restaurant, however, Garfield's seems to have exceptional variation. I chose to start with the "Chicken Tortilla Soup." With southwest style stock, grilled chicken, green onions, tomatoes, melted cheese and a crispy tortilla chip this soup was a mouth pleaser!

I chose a "Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad," for my main dish which comes with (fat-free) raspberry vinaigrette and mandarin oranges. It looked beautiful and tasted delightful! I almost passed on dessert, but when the waitress said "Chocolate Mountain," I had to ask- what's that? Warm chocolate cake with chocolate fudge in the middle, vanilla ice cream on top and drizzled with chocolate fudge to perfection! I tend to be a harsh critic, but I am impressed with Garfield's.

My waitress was very polite and the manager was glad to help when I asked her about the restaurant promotional specials. This spring and all summer long you can get half priced burgers on Wednesday's from five until close. On Sundays kids eat free (ages 12 and under and up to two children) with the purchase of one adult entree per child. Therefore each child that eats free must be accompanied by an adult who orders an entree. This bargain goes on indefinitely. You can find Garfield's at the Susquehanna Valley Mall in Selinsgrove, Pa. The website: www.garfields.net.