Yes, I always remove the stems from spinach, broccoli rabe, and of course, asparagus... oh, and parsley... although celeb chefs say parsley stems have better flavor than the leaves, that is fine for soups/stocks but NOT anything you are going to top a dish with...

I had a crazy busy day, I wanted to cook but it was a hot day, so I too went to the cloverleaftavern.com for a cheeseburger and sweet potato fries... best burger in town... a 75+ year landmark, they are famous for their steaks, but have a lot of great food, its casual dining, but i had it to go because the owner is a client and i havent updated his website in ages so i got my grub and ran lol.