The first time i visited Damons Restaurant was when i turned 19 and i was taken there for my birthday. Like many restaurants if you go on your birthday the main meal is free. This is on any day although if your birthday falls on a Saturday or Sunday you can go 3 days either side as they dont take bookings on a weekend.

Damons first opened in the UK in 1988 and they have a restaurant in Lincoln, Sheffield and Livepool. Damon's itself specialises in cuisine from the American Continent, with dishes ranging from their barbecue ribs (award winning) and their speciality onion loaf to fine steaks, quality seafood, quality burgers, sourdough sandwiches and much more.

They pride themselves on being one of the few restaurants that cook to order, using fresh products wherever they can and they combine this with generous portions and a relaxed atmosphere and Damons really is the place to eat.

Each restaurant can seat over 150 guests at any one time. They have a spacious and comfortable lounge where guests can enjoy drinks both before and after their meal. Also during the week they tend to have a piano player playing nice calming music.

The menus are packed full of tasty meals. There is a breakfast menu, a lunch menu, a dinner menu, dessert and cocktail menu, Kids menu and menus for coeliacs.

The first time I went to Damons I had to try the ribs which they are famous for so I got them as a starter and had pork loin and chips for the main. I havent got much of a sweet tooth so I didnt have a dessert. We were greeted by a friendly waiter who took our order and returned very quickly with our drinks, some warm bread and two small bowls of coleslaw. Now I wasn't much of a coleslaw fan but theirs was absolutely gorgeous. It was creamy and really tasty. Needless to say it didnt last long at all. Then came the starter. I could see straight away why these are award winning ribs. They were to die for. There was plenty of meat on them that came away from the bone easily and the barbecue sauce they were cooked in was lovely. I found myself wishing I had got the ribs as a main meal instead. Anyway I digress, the main meal followed shortly,and the pork was really nice. The service was excellent, it was reasonable priced and I definitely wanted to go back as soon as possible. At the end of the meal they sing Happy Birthday to you and present you with a chocolate cake with lit sparklers. This can be a little embarrassing but the wine helped me through it.

So about 18 months ago my best friend had her first taste of Damons and found herself coming up with (what she called it) a cunning plan. The plan was that we could both take an afternoon off work, got to Damons for 3pm book into the hotel then go over to the restaurant for a meal. Ok this sounds like a mediocre plan but I was well up for it. So I booked a twin room which was £65 for both of us and if we ate in the restaurant we could get 20% off our meal. The plan was slowly coming together.

We arrived at the hotel at about half 2 so we was a little early as booking in time wasnt until 3pm. We popped into the restaurant which is on the other side of the carpark which is not far at all. We had a glass of something refreshing then went over to the hotel to book in. The hotel reception area was really big and welcoming. The staff were really friendly and got us all sorted and pointing us in the direction of the room rather swiftly, which was good because time was of the essence. The rooms were surprisingly spacious, there was wireless broadband, tea and coffee facilities, a 20inch flat screen with over 60 channels. So we got ourselves ready and headed for the most important section of the evening.

In between 4pm and 7pm its cocktail hour (or 3) theres free hors d'oeuvres,
half price cocktails, soft drinks, LA lager and house wines. So we found a table in the lounge area and started to enjoy the range of different cocktails they had. And I have to say there is a very wide range and it took some doing trying them all in the 3 hours that we had. And just before 7pm we stocked up. Unfortunately we didnt get to taste every single one they had but we gave it a good go. At half past 8 we were called to our table where I made sure this time i had ribs for my dinner. Once again they were absolutely gorgeous and never fail to disappoint.

We stumbled back to our room at about half 10 as we were merrily on our way. The room was great, the beds were really comfortable and we both slept well. In the morning we got up and tried out the shower (not together). It was surprisingly modern and very powerful. Once we were refreshed we headed back over to the restaurant for breakfast which is served in up to 11am, we had paid an extra £6.95 for breakfast and it was well worth it.

My mate had corn beef hash and I had a fry up that came with 4 sausages, seasoned potatoes, beans, scrambled egg and tomatoes. We were also brought a pile of toast, orange and tea and coffee. The staff were once again great and were there regularly to top us up.

We both enjoyed the experience that much that we did it again a couple of months ago and was just as impressed. I think between us we spent about £170. That did include the room, a great deal of cocktails, our meal and breakfast which i think is a bargain. We also have photgraphic evidence from the night which is fun to look back on and laugh.

Anyone who is near a Damons and has never been really should give it a go. If nothing else check out the website which has everything on there including there full menus, cocktail and wine lists. The website is www.damons.co.uk and any queries can be sent through the website.

Well I think i've gone on long enough, but it is one of my favourite places to eat, the foods great, the staff are great and the atmosphere is well you've guessed it, its great.