I spent $93 on dinner for 2 people at Applebee's and was impressed by the large portions and tasty entrées

Applebee's was founded as T.J. Applebee's Rx for Edibles & Elixirs in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1980.

The concept was then sold on to W.R. Grace and Company, after which the name was officially changed to Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, according to the company's website.

Abe Gustin and John Hamra of Kansas City opened the first franchised restaurant opened in 1986 and purchased the rights to the Applebee's concept from W.R. Grace and Company three years later.

The chain specializes in American food, with offerings like burgers, ribs, and pasta dishes. Applebee's now has over 1,650 locations in 14 countries and territories, according to the company's website.

The parking lot and restaurant were both packed, but we were seated right away in a booth by a window. While my brother is a frequent diner at Applebee's, I haven't been in years, so I took a moment to survey my surroundings.

The dining room was clean and cozy, with murals dedicated to the town on the walls. The decor was simple, perhaps dated, but welcoming and comfortable.

While the restaurant area we were dining in initially had a few tables open, they quickly filled up, making for a lively atmosphere.

There were no free appetizers or bread offered, unlike other chain restaurants like Outback Steakhouse and The Cheesecake Factory, so we decided to choose two appetizers and two signature cocktails to kick off our meal.

While they all looked delicious, we decided to stick with something a little more classic.

The "perfect margarita" is made with 1800 Reposado, Cointreau, Grand Marnier and lime juice, and comes with a salt-rimmed glass and a stainless-steel shaker that pours about three drinks.

The drink was smooth and tart and certainly went down easy.

I also liked how we each got an entire shaker filled with margarita for easy refills. For just $11, it certainly felt like an amazing deal.

The classic combo comes with mozzarella sticks, chicken quesadillas, boneless wings, chips, and a bowl of spinach and artichoke dip.

The platter, which also came with sides of ranch, marinara sauce, and salsa, cost $15.59.

Unlike other chains like Chili's, there aren't many ways to customize our appetizer platter. The only customization we were asked about was what sauce we'd like on our boneless wings. I would have preferred a wider selection of appetizers to choose from.

While there was definitely enough food for the two of us, I didn't think any of the appetizers were particularly mind-blowing or filling.

While I appreciated the crunchy exterior of these mozzarella sticks, I wish the cheese was more melted.

The quesadilla was made with chipotle lime chicken, pico de gallo, and a blend of melted cheddar cheeses. I thought these quesadillas had a lot of flavor and paired well with both the salsa and, surprisingly, the ranch.

The red onion tasted especially fresh, and the chicken had a lot of spice and flavor without being overwhelming.

The outside of the Buffalo wings had a delicious, tempura-like coating and the right level of heat. The inside of the chicken was moist and juicy, and the flavors were perfectly complemented by the ranch dipping sauce.

I could have eaten an entire basket of just these wings.

It was a touch watery and bland. It could have used a dash of salt to kick up the flavor — we could barely detect the artichoke and it ended up tasting extremely similar to the queso we also tried.

It was a generous serving and cost only $6.29, but we weren't blown away.

Similar to the spinach and artichoke dip, it was a little watery. However, the flavor profile was OK — I'm just not sure if I'd order this again.

The half-rack of ribs usually comes with fries for $19.79. It cost $1.99 to upgrade my side, bringing the total cost of my entrée to $21.78.

I was given the choice between honey BBQ sauce, which I ended up choosing, or the chain's sweet Asian chile sauce for the ribs.

The ribs had a nice char on the outside. However, they were a little difficult to pull apart with my fingers, as I usually do when eating ribs.

Instead, I ended up slicing them apart with a knife.

Overall, I really enjoyed these ribs, which had a delicious honey flavor thanks to the BBQ sauce. However, I wish there had been more meat on each rib.

The ribs also weren't fall-off-the-bone tender. When it comes to ribs, I don't even want to touch my knife and fork, but I had to in order to separate these bad boys.

I was given what I thought was an extremely generous portion for just $1.99.

The sauce was creamy, cheesy, and just the right amount of savory. I also liked the addition of the crispy bacon bits on top, which added a touch of saltiness to the dish.

The neighborhood burger typically comes as a double cheeseburger with American cheese, garlic mayo, shredded lettuce, and pickles between a brioche bun, and cost $12.99.

My brother, however, elected to order the burger plain, with just cheese and mayo, discarding the lettuce and pickles.

He noted that while our server didn't ask how he liked his burger cooked, he was happy that it was a "delicious, juicy medium rare." He said the mayo added a lot of flavor to the burger (although he wished there had been more of it) and the cheese was perfectly melted.

The fries were similarly enjoyable. They were crispy and seasoned well.

The rich chocolate dessert cost $7.99.

The cake was extremely moist, while the chocolate sauce was rich and coated every bite. The lava center was decadent and perfectly offset by the scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

While I've had many chocolate lava cakes with vanilla ice cream in my time, I loved this one. It was also the perfect size for two people to share. Despite filling up throughout the meal, we both cleaned the plate.

Overall, it was probably my favorite thing we ate during the entire meal.

The margaritas, ribs, burger, boneless wings, and chocolate lava cake were all stand-outs, and dishes I would definitely order again on my next trip to Applebee's.

However, some of the dishes we ordered, namely the appetizers, simply fell flat for both of us. While they were tasty enough, the dips and mozzarella sticks didn't blow us out of the water.

At $93 for our party of two, it ended up being around $46 per person, although the baby-back ribs entrée was almost double the price of the burger.

Our meal could have been made more affordable if we had chosen only one appetizer and skipped dessert, which is what I typically do when going out to eat. However, for my first ever time back at Applebee's in years, I wanted to try as many menu items as possible.

While I have fond memories of dining at Applebee's as a kid, I'm ready to make even more memories as an adult — ribs and margarita in hand.