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Casual Dining Restaurants - Page 5

post #201 of 248
9/13/07 at 5:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Belethedheliel
You know what's even more lame?

Anything with an injured leg.
I swear, I'm slow - I just got that.
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post #202 of 248
9/13/07 at 5:25pm
I was on a trip during which the other pilot opined, "What is it with you and these mom-n-pop ethnic restaurants? People go to the big chains because they're good."

I responded, "People go to the big chains because they're reliably mediocre. Do not confuse this with good."
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post #203 of 248
9/13/07 at 6:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dynamotv
You know what's more lame? Food snobs.
Well, when you dine on fabulously exotic and expensive foods like boxed macaroni and cheese and fresh vegetables like I do, I guess you lose sight of those less fortunate - those near-penniless paupers who must make do on Applebee's and Chili's.
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post #204 of 248
9/13/07 at 6:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankCobretti
I was on a trip during which the other pilot opined, "What is it with you and these mom-n-pop ethnic restaurants? People go to the big chains because they're good."

I responded, "People go to the big chains because they're reliably mediocre. Do not confuse this with good."
Reliable mediocrity is a good way to describe why people go to chains. You know what you're getting and you know it's likely to be neither bad nor great. A lot of people put a premium on predictability, especially with their food.
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post #205 of 248
9/13/07 at 6:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankCobretti
I was on a trip during which the other pilot opined, "What is it with you and these mom-n-pop ethnic restaurants? People go to the big chains because they're good."
Did you have to curb the urge to fly the plane into a mountainside?

The only person I know who will all but insist on chain places when given a vote is my mom. She grew up poor, with few food options, and now lives in a part of the metro area with next to no local restaurants. I don't think she ever really learned about food. When I suggest a local place for dinner, she makes a face that suggests she thinks I'm trying to have her poisoned. When I actually get her to go, she goes on for days afterward about how great it was. Then she never goes back. Awesome.
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post #206 of 248
9/13/07 at 7:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB
Well, when you dine on fabulously exotic and expensive foods like boxed macaroni and cheese and fresh vegetables like I do, I guess you lose sight of those less fortunate - those near-penniless paupers who must make do on Applebee's and Chili's.
Health nuts are the worst food snobs. Didn't you know that? Seriously, good for you and Zooey for eating a diet that makes you feel good and supports the local economy at the same time. But you know when it all comes down to it, food is just food. You eat it, digest it, and shit it out.

BTW, these threads need your righteous indignation STAT.....

http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88732

http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89019

http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103878

Wrote this post with a smile on my face. Let's chill out and smoke a peace pipe. Riblets are on me.
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post #207 of 248
9/13/07 at 7:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissZooey
Did you have to curb the urge to fly the plane into a mountainside?
Heh. This brings to mind another little story. I'm in Italy and the consensus among the gang is the Applebee's on base. I shout, "There are two restaurants within an hour's drive that are so good you'll weep with joy at being alive! There is no fucking way we're going to Applebees! Tell you what - I'll buy the wine."

I think the wine closed the deal. It was money well spent.
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post #208 of 248
9/13/07 at 7:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dynamotv
Seriously, good for you and Zooey for eating a diet that makes you feel good and supports the local economy at the same time.
Guy. C'mon guy. Really. Look, the point is that the food that makes you feel good and "supports the local economy" is also often better tasting than whatever you're getting at a chain. That's all. That's it.

The thread isn't about what Dave and Zooey eat at home. You asked for that info, and it was interesting and made me feel like a bit of a pig, but it's not really relevant.

EDIT: I just really hate to see you go down like this, man. You seem nice enough, and you gave me a positive grey-box for my apple picture which I appreciate. Just let it go.
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post #209 of 248
9/13/07 at 8:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankCobretti
Heh. This brings to mind another little story. I'm in Italy and the consensus among the gang is the Applebee's on base. I shout, "There are two restaurants within an hour's drive that are so good you'll weep with joy at being alive! There is no fucking way we're going to Applebees! Tell you what - I'll buy the wine."

I think the wine closed the deal. It was money well spent.
In Italy, no less! Was this an active-duty situation or a detail? I know some folks who work for the G who are notoriously cheap while on per diem. Gotta make a little extra scratch, man!
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post #210 of 248
9/13/07 at 9:42pm
Detail. That per diem is meant to be spent, my brother!
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post #211 of 248
9/14/07 at 12:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cogs of Fate
Guy. C'mon guy. Really. Look, the point is that the food that makes you feel good and "supports the local economy" is also often better tasting than whatever you're getting at a chain. That's all. That's it.

The thread isn't about what Dave and Zooey eat at home. You asked for that info, and it was interesting and made me feel like a bit of a pig, but it's not really relevant.

EDIT: I just really hate to see you go down like this, man. You seem nice enough, and you gave me a positive grey-box for my apple picture which I appreciate. Just let it go.
Seriously. It's not like you don't see me haunting the fast food places once in a while, but Dave and Zooey's food sounds alot better to me. And no, it's really not "just food, you shit it out", etc. There's a huge difference between a diet of crap food and healthier, more natural fare involving lots of fruits and vegetables. And things that aren't fried. I have backed off from fast food by about 90% in the past few years, and believe me, I feel better for it.
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post #212 of 248
9/14/07 at 1:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB
Well, when you dine on fabulously exotic and expensive foods like boxed macaroni and cheese and fresh vegetables like I do, I guess you lose sight of those less fortunate - those near-penniless paupers who must make do on Applebee's and Chili's.
I don't know if you've eaten at either of those lately, but being near-penniless isn't going to get you very far.
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post #213 of 248
9/14/07 at 1:11pm
Flip your sarcasm detector back on, Dickson.
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post #214 of 248
9/14/07 at 1:16pm
I was trying to make some kind of joke and failed miserably. Only some Chili's baby back ribs can help.
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post #215 of 248
9/14/07 at 1:32pm
There's going to be some kind of irony explosion on the boards. This "health nut"'s first two entries on that favorite food thread are giant pastrami sandwiches and New York-style pizza.
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post #216 of 248
9/14/07 at 1:38pm
But he eats one of each and then doesn't eat the rest of the month.
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post #217 of 248
9/14/07 at 1:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB
There's going to be some kind of irony explosion on the boards. This "health nut"'s first two entries on that favorite food thread are giant pastrami sandwiches and New York-style pizza.
Well, compared to whatever Applebees serves you, it's way more healthier. I'd rather die from cholesterol than with the arsenic-laden food at Applebees.
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post #218 of 248
9/14/07 at 2:18pm
One of my college roommates way back when worked in the kitchen at a Chili's. He described how the eponymous foodstuff would arrive in dozens of 5-gallon sealed plastic buckets, to be stacked and stored in the back room (not the fridge). When it was time to roll one out to dump onto the heating elements, they always scraped the top 3-4 inches of congealed chili-scum-plus before The Scoop and Pour.

"If you ever, ever have to eat at a Chili's, do NOT order the chili."

He was a dick of a roommate, but I'll always be grateful for opening my young eyes to the truth of Crappy Themed Restaurant Chains.
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post #219 of 248
9/14/07 at 2:23pm
Well, now Chili's sounds like a perfect gastronomical match for our friend dynamotv.
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post #220 of 248
9/14/07 at 2:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trav McGee
He was a dick of a roommate, but I'll always be grateful for opening my young eyes to the truth of Crappy Themed Restaurant Chains.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Savage
Well, now Chili's sounds like a perfect gastronomical match for our friend dynamotv.
Food snobs! You're both food snobs! And health nuts! Shameful! Just eat the spoiled, poorly made chili - it's just food!

edit - Sorry, I couldn't resist.
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post #221 of 248
9/14/07 at 2:44pm
My favorite fast food right now is Pollo Loco.
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post #222 of 248
9/14/07 at 3:24pm
Thread Starter 
Dude, even I won't eat chili from a chain restaurant. I worked at Wendy's and I know how that gets made. Sounds like Chilis is about the same. I do have some standards.
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post #223 of 248
9/14/07 at 3:27pm
I've eaten the Chili at Chili's. It tasted fine, however, I will never, ever again eat the Chili at Chili's. Ugh. At least at Ruby's all the soups came in a presealed and frozen bag that only contained one days serving.
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post #224 of 248
9/14/07 at 3:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissZooey
Food snobs! You're both food snobs! And health nuts! Shameful! Just eat the spoiled, poorly made chili - it's just food!

edit - Sorry, I couldn't resist.
It's okay Zooey. You eat what you like, I eat what I like. Peace.

Edited to add: What you eat has nothing to do with food snobbery. That only comes into play when you patronize another for their eating habits. And on CHUD, that doesn't make any sense.
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post #225 of 248
9/14/07 at 4:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dynamotv
Dude, even I won't eat chili from a chain restaurant. I worked at Wendy's and I know how that gets made. Sounds like Chilis is about the same. I do have some standards.
About the same? The only items stored at room temperature in the Wendy's chili are the beans and chili powder and it's made at the store, not shipped in from Warehouse X. I wouldn't eat either chili but if there was a gun to my head, I'd certainly take the Wendy's offering. Trav's story is just gross.
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post #226 of 248
9/14/07 at 4:49pm
Just decided to hop into THIS food thread to point out that when I read "What are you picking up this week?" on the new posts page, my brain transposed it as "What are you eating this week?". I then realized that in the last week, CHUD has probably discussed food more than anything else. I'm just as guilty (and fat).
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post #227 of 248
9/14/07 at 4:59pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gravedigger
About the same? The only items stored at room temperature in the Wendy's chili are the beans and chili powder and it's made at the store, not shipped in from Warehouse X. I wouldn't eat either chili but if there was a gun to my head, I'd certainly take the Wendy's offering. Trav's story is just gross.
Let's see here. Take meat that's been on the grill too long and drop it in a plastic bucket. Take said bucket to the fridge where the grease has a really good chance to congeal. Now boil that meat for an hour and chop it up. Now make the chili. Sorry, but I'll take even Wolf Brand Chili over that.

Edit: Just read Trav's post in more detail. Wendy's sounds much better.
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post #228 of 248
9/14/07 at 5:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Miller
Just decided to hop into THIS food thread to point out that when I read "What are you picking up this week?" on the new posts page, my brain transposed it as "What are you eating this week?". I then realized that in the last week, CHUD has probably discussed food more than anything else. I'm just as guilty (and fat).
Not to mention way more heated than any food discussion should be . I know just the thing. Quesadilla burgers for everyone. My treat.
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post #229 of 248
9/14/07 at 5:03pm
Man, what a fucking snob this guy is.
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post #230 of 248
9/14/07 at 5:53pm
I will say that casual dining can be good.

If you like your steak well done, you want to eat at Longhorn.. not at a 5 star restaurant.

Why? because 5-star restaurants don't do well-done.
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post #231 of 248
9/14/07 at 5:56pm
That's because Steak isn't meant to be burnt.
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post #232 of 248
9/14/07 at 5:59pm
If you like your steak well done, get some fucking taste, you cretin.
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post #233 of 248
9/14/07 at 6:05pm
I'm a medium-rare man myself, but if you want a well-done steak, it's my job as a chef to give you the best well-done steak I can.
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post #234 of 248
9/14/07 at 6:07pm
There's a point where catering to some yokel's palate starts to compromise the food itself though.
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post #235 of 248
9/14/07 at 6:08pm
Thread Starter 
Medium Rare is just about perfect although I've been morbidly curious about steak tartar. Does a condiment meant for fish even work with steak? Must be a French thing.
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post #236 of 248
9/14/07 at 6:11pm
Please say you're joking.
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post #237 of 248
9/14/07 at 6:19pm
Thread Starter 
Ground steak, raw eggs, spices, capers. Yeah I'm kidding. I know what it is....



Was serious about wanting to try it though. Now grilled Tilapia with A1? That's a mouth party right there.
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post #238 of 248
9/14/07 at 6:21pm
Sorry, it was hard to tell with some of the mouth-breathers in here. I do remember going to a place in Tuscany and watching with delight as my friend, at my behest, ordered Steak Tartare and then looked on in horror as he realised it was still kinda raw.
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post #239 of 248
9/14/07 at 6:22pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, I've found that out. I guess that's why we have smilies. I just thought CHUD evolved beyond needing the smiley.
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post #240 of 248
9/14/07 at 6:27pm
Thread Starter 
The funny thing is that I like my steak medium rare but I can't eat a burger unless it's well done (and yes there's places you can order at least a medium burger).
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post #241 of 248
9/14/07 at 6:30pm
Wow, we Brits only have two cooking settings for Burgers.

Cooked - from a restaurant.

Botchalism - from a BBQ
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post #242 of 248
9/14/07 at 10:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dynamotv
The funny thing is that I like my steak medium rare but I can't eat a burger unless it's well done (and yes there's places you can order at least a medium burger).
If you grind your own meat or go to a place that does it pretty much to order, you are fine going as rare as you would with a good steak. It's the meat that's ground hours or days ahead of time you should cook through. All that surface area being exposed to bacteria for too long is a bad thing.
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post #243 of 248
9/18/07 at 7:49pm
Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood!
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post #244 of 248
9/18/07 at 7:57pm
Thread Starter 
And this thread was doing such a good job of dying in peace.....

Disgusting pic but to be fair, no food looks like what's in the ads. But yeah...ewwww.
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post #245 of 248
9/18/07 at 7:58pm
Noooo!!!
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post #246 of 248
9/19/07 at 1:33pm
Elizabeth and I have a love obsession with Applebees and Chili's.
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post #247 of 248
9/19/07 at 1:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike Marshall
Sorry, it was hard to tell with some of the mouth-breathers in here. I do remember going to a place in Tuscany and watching with delight as my friend, at my behest, ordered Steak Tartare and then looked on in horror as he realised it was still kinda raw.
I have a friend who took a girl to a fancy restaurant to impress her and ordered the steak tartare. When the waiter brought it out, he took one look at it and said, "Looks good, now go ahead and cook it."

The irony is he later became a chef.

And I have had some really tasty medium rare burgers. That's about the only way I order any kind of beef these days.
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post #248 of 248
10/10/07 at 4:11pm
This kid REALLY wanted his shitty casual dining....
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