Fast Food: Do You Want Fries With That?

[Lura]

Five Guys Chick--Fil-A, and Sorrento's Pizza are about the only places that serve good fast food in my area.  Taco Bell is OK in a real pinch.  Mel's diner used to be good in San Francisco, but the Mel's Bistro here in the 'burbs is lacking.  Who wants a burger patty done so well that it's crispy around the edges?

The best fries in the area are my husband's homemade fries.  He read Anthony Bourdain's directions first and followed them to the letter.  They're outstanding!

[Giselle]

I'm lucky. Not only do we have  In-N-Out's all over and Tommy Burgers in the LA basin we've got taco carts and fruit carts, also shopping carts going up and down streets in some neighborhoods  filled with hot corn or tamales. Just look for the line or listen for the horn and rattle of the cart then pull over if need be.  I've never gotten sick from one. The best tamales I've ever had came from a woman on a corner with a shopping cart. She was there for several years before she disappeared. I miss her. One of these days I'll get to Vietnam and eat my way thru the streets. It's a bucket list item for me.

The only thing I go to Taco Bell for is for a Chalupa. They remind me of Fry Bread Tacos. God I love Fry Bread Tacos. I don't like most major chain fast food places. I'd rather go to a mom and pop.

Edited May 8, 2018 by Giselle
clarity

[Trini]

5 hours ago, Giselle said:

The only thing I go to Taco Bell for is for a Chalupa. They remind me of Fry Bread Tacos. God I love Fry Bread Tacos. I don't like most major chain fast food places. I'd rather go to a mom and pop.

My go-to is the 7-layer burrito. It's vegetarian, and is the most like an actual meal for me.

[BooksRule]

I'm trying to stay away from fast food as much as possible, but I do splurge now and then.  I really like Sonic's 'Car Hop Special' for $2.99.  I get a quarter pound junior cheeseburger (which tastes like an old-fashioned drive-inn burger, not like their usual burgers, which don't have a lot of taste to me).  These are really good.  You also get tots (but I've found that they will substitute fries if you ask).  Drink isn't included, but I went today during happy hour, so I got my Coke for half price.  It was $4.15 for the entire meal and it was pretty tasty.

[Giselle]

What I also miss are thin but giant fried pork tenderloin sandwiches...with ketchup. Can't get them out here.

[larapu2000]

On 5/8/2018 at 8:35 PM, Giselle said:

What I also miss are thin but giant fried pork tenderloin sandwiches...with ketchup. Can't get them out here.

 In Indiana,  we serve them with mustard and pickle!

[MargeGunderson]

8 hours ago, larapu2000 said:

 In Indiana,  we serve them with mustard and pickle!

If you're in Iowa, add a little raw white onion. Mmmmmm. I may have to make them soon. Cook's Country has a recipe for a "Crispy Iowa Skinny" that's pretty close to the real thing (except for their addition of lettuce and tomato -heresy). 

[larapu2000]

3 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

If you're in Iowa, add a little raw white onion. Mmmmmm. I may have to make them soon. Cook's Country has a recipe for a "Crispy Iowa Skinny" that's pretty close to the real thing (except for their addition of lettuce and tomato -heresy). 

Uhhhhh, same here!!!  Tomato and lettuce!!  On a pork tenderloin sandwich?  Those pretentious East Coast folk, trying to shove vegetables down our throats!

[Giselle]

12 hours ago, larapu2000 said:

 In Indiana,  we serve them with mustard and pickle!

Indiana...so jealous!  You're right in tenderloin country.

Out here they don't even know what they are and if I did order one they would more than likely cut it off the whole loin and just grill it. Not pound it to death, bread it and fry it like a proper PTS. 

I prefer them plain with steak sauce but ketchup or BBQ will do in a pinch. The shack my grandmother and aunt used to take me to had only ketchup or mustard.

I loved eating the 3 inches of  thin crispy breaded meat sticking out all around the bun first.

Edited May 15, 2018 by Giselle
I talk too much.

[Giselle]

4 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

If you're in Iowa, add a little raw white onion. Mmmmmm. I may have to make them soon. Cook's Country has a recipe for a "Crispy Iowa Skinny" that's pretty close to the real thing (except for their addition of lettuce and tomato -heresy). 

Gotta try that.

My grandy used to make them occasionally but she never got them thin enough. I still liked the platter sized ones from the shack better.

[BW Manilowe]

18 hours ago, larapu2000 said:

 In Indiana,  we serve them with mustard and pickle!

I'm from Indiana too, but I'm more like a "plain, with ketchup" girl when it comes to my pork tenderloin sandwiches. Maybe because I was actually born in Alabama (shrugs). I can't even remember if they have pork tenderloin sandwiches in Alabama, but they definitely have BBQ pork there.

[ikmccall]

The Prime Rib at Boston Market is surprisingly not bad.  As in, I would have it again.

[UYI]

So IHOP is now IHOb now...

...As in, International House of Burgers.

Because, apparently, their pancakes aren't as big as they used to be.

I am sad now. Sad and confused.

Edited June 11, 2018 by UYI

[BW Manilowe]

On 6/11/2018 at 1:47 PM, forumfish said:

It's just temporary, to promote their new menu:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/ihop-reveals-the-mystery-of-ihob/ar-AAyur83?OCID=ansmsnnews11

I heard on our local news, the other day, that it's also just supposed to be, like, a limited number of locations--or maybe just 1 (which may be the original IHOP location).

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 5/28/2018 at 4:34 PM, ikmccall said:

The Prime Rib at Boston Market is surprisingly not bad.  As in, I would have it again.

Oh my.  I'd be all over surprisingly not bad prime rib, especially if the price reflected it.  There's one not terribly far from me that has it.  For comparison purposes, I like mine quite rare--how do you take yours?

 

On 6/11/2018 at 9:00 AM, UYI said:

So IHOP is now IHOb now...

I am sad now. Sad and confused.

I've always called it IHOF - International House of Flapjacks.  So at least I won't be any  more confused than usual.

[UYI]

On 6/11/2018 at 1:47 PM, forumfish said:

It's just temporary, to promote their new menu:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/ihop-reveals-the-mystery-of-ihob/ar-AAyur83?OCID=ansmsnnews11

Oh, I know that now. At the time I posted about it, I wasn't sure if they were actually stupid enough to dump their pancakes for burgers. THEY GOT ME! Bastards. 

[ikmccall]

On 6/15/2018 at 2:30 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

Oh my.  I'd be all over surprisingly not bad prime rib, especially if the price reflected it.  There's one not terribly far from me that has it.  For comparison purposes, I like mine quite rare--how do you take yours?

 

I've always called it IHOF - International House of Flapjacks.  So at least I won't be any  more confused than usual.

I like mine rare too. And they do ask if  you want pink or brown. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, ikmccall said:

I like mine rare too. And they do ask if  you want pink or brown. 

Well well.  I'm going to have to give them a shot.  I'll say "red" and see what happens.  Thanks for the tip!

[theredhead77]

On 5/8/2018 at 1:33 PM, Giselle said:

I'm lucky. Not only do we have  In-N-Out's all over and Tommy Burgers in the LA basin we've got taco carts and fruit carts, also shopping carts going up and down streets in some neighborhoods  filled with hot corn or tamales. Just look for the line or listen for the horn and rattle of the cart then pull over if need be.  I've never gotten sick from one. The best tamales I've ever had came from a woman on a corner with a shopping cart. She was there for several years before she disappeared. I miss her. One of these days I'll get to Vietnam and eat my way thru the streets. It's a bucket list item for me.

Street meat is the best! I miss coming out of a concert in LA to corners filled with carts of street meat. It always seemed the sketchier the set-up the better it tasted

[PRgal]

Okay, Canadians, has anyone tried poutine at Tim Horton's?  Somehow I just....can't.  It's not a poutine kind of place (I really only get coffee there.  I'm not that much of a doughnut gal.  Maybe I'll get half a dozen Timbits to share with someone)...

[MargeGunderson]

20 hours ago, PRgal said:

Okay, Canadians, has anyone tried poutine at Tim Horton's?  Somehow I just....can't.  It's not a poutine kind of place (I really only get coffee there.  I'm not that much of a doughnut gal.  Maybe I'll get half a dozen Timbits to share with someone)...

@PRgal, can you tell me what a Tim Horton’s Double Double is? In one of my favorite mystery series the police are always drinking double doubles. I gots to know!

[biakbiak]

Not Prgal but it’s a coffee with two creams and two sugars.

[PRgal]

19 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Not Prgal but it’s a coffee with two creams and two sugars.

Or two milks.  And a Great One is, well, nine milks/creams, nine sugars.  I'm unsure if anyone has EVER ordered that. 

Edited July 5, 2018 by PRgal

[BW Manilowe]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

Or two milks.  And a Great One is, well, nine milks/creams, nine sugars.  I'm unsure if anyone has EVER ordered that. 

For those who didn't know, the significance of the 9 milks/creams & 9 sugars in The Great One, & the name of the drink is, "The Great One" is NHL hockey legend Wayne Gretzky's nickname, & the 2 9's stand for his jersey number, 99.

[MargeGunderson]

Thank you! I love a mystery solved, no matter how small. It was really bugging me!

Edited July 6, 2018 by MargeGunderson

[Giselle]

21 hours ago, PRgal said:

Or two milks.  And a Great One is, well, nine milks/creams, nine sugars.  I'm unsure if anyone has EVER ordered that. 

 

A pilot friend orders his coffee that way with tons of sugar and creamer. I'll have to let him know there is a proper name for that amount if sugar and creamer in his coffee.

I was getting coffee for everybody one time and taking orders and did a double take when he told me his. He said he wants it to taste like "warm coffee ice cream." 

[PRgal]

45 minutes ago, Giselle said:

 

A pilot friend orders his coffee that way with tons of sugar and creamer. I'll have to let him know there is a proper name for that amount if sugar and creamer in his coffee.

I was getting coffee for everybody one time and taking orders and did a double take when he told me his. He said he wants it to taste like "warm coffee ice cream." 

If he wants coffee and ice cream, maybe he should get an affogato - (vanilla) gelato with a shot of espresso.  

[MargeGunderson]

20 minutes ago, PRgal said:

If he wants coffee and ice cream, maybe he should get an affogato - (vanilla) gelato with a shot of espresso.  

Oh, I love affogato! And I now have an espresso machine - how have I not already been doing this all summer?

[JTMacc99]

21 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

For those who didn't know, the significance of the 9 milks/creams & 9 sugars in The Great One, & the name of the drink is, "The Great One" is NHL hockey legend Wayne Gretzky's nickname, & the 2 9's stand for his jersey number, 99.

It’s also the source of the numbers in my handle. Can’t go wrong with tacking on a 99 to anything really. 

[Giselle]

8 hours ago, PRgal said:

If he wants coffee and ice cream, maybe he should get an affogato - (vanilla) gelato with a shot of espresso.  

I have told him about that.

[BooksRule]

I'm not sure if this place qualifies as fast food or not, but have any of you ever eaten at a Chicken Salad Chick?  (I think it's in the southeast, originating in Alabama).  I ate at the original location once and liked it, but I just found out that they are opening one in my area.  They have lots of varieties of chicken salad, as well as various sandwiches and other salads.  I remember getting the trio, which was three scoops of chicken salad--I got a savory one, one that had some fruit it to make it a little sweeter and one that was a little hot/spicy (and I think it came with a drink and cookie).  The only nitpick I have about their salads is that the texture is very fine.  I tend to like my chicken (and tuna) salads on the chunky side.  But, that won't stop me from eating there! 

[BW Manilowe]

From the Honolulu Star Advertiser: Chick-Fil-A Coming to Hawaii--First Location Set for the Island of Oʻahu

And from

USA Today: Tainted McDonald's Salads Have Sickened People in At Least 10 States--6 Where the Illness Was Originally Reported, Plus 4 New States in the Linked Article

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 7/13/2018 at 3:49 PM, BooksRule said:

I'm not sure if this place qualifies as fast food or not, but have any of you ever eaten at a Chicken Salad Chick?  (I think it's in the southeast, originating in Alabama). 

I looked at their menu.  It sounds great, although I'm a little surprised that there's not a curry chicken salad.

But I noticed that they're not open on Sundays.  Or, well, not in Nashville or Dallas/Fort Worth or Atlanta Buckhead--the ones I checked.  I can see not being open on weekends, if you're in a downtown area, but only Sunday?  Bleh.

[BW Manilowe]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I looked at their menu.  It sounds great, although I'm a little surprised that there's not a curry chicken salad.

But I noticed that they're not open on Sundays.  Or, well, not in Nashville or Dallas/Fort Worth or Atlanta Buckhead--the ones I checked.  I can see not being open on weekends, if you're in a downtown area, but only Sunday?  Bleh.

If they aren’t owned by Chick-Fil-A, which closes its stores on Sundays, to give their workers time to go to church or to otherwise spend time with their families (maybe unless there’s some sort of local emergency/severe weather situation where food might need to be provided to the emergency workers involved), I’d say they’re apparently at least trying to emulate that part of Chick-Fil-A’s business model.

[StatisticalOutlier]

10 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

I’d say they’re apparently at least trying to emulate that part of Chick-Fil-A’s business model.

Yeah, that's my beef.

[mansonlamps]

Cafe Zupas is also closed Sundays.  I think it's great that people can work a fast food job and get a guaranteed weekend day off to spend time with their families, not sure what the problem with that would be.

[Mindthinkr]

32 minutes ago, mansonlamps said:

Cafe Zupas is also closed Sundays.  I think it's great that people can work a fast food job and get a guaranteed weekend day off to spend time with their families, not sure what the problem with that would be.

A lot of people like to go out to eat after church and this limits their choices. 

[mansonlamps]

Really?  Not sure where you live but there are gazillions of choices here without requiring all restaurants to be open 7 days a week.  Plus don't you think it should be the choice of the business, in this case, not the consumer?  After all, they are willing to miss the days' revenue.

Edited August 10, 2018 by mansonlamps

[Mountainair]

For me my only purely selfish problem with Chick-fil-a being closed on Sundays is that I despise most fast food and only eat it when I am on the road traveling which is maybe 10 weekends out of the year and it's almost always on a Sunday. Therefore I have to settle with shitty McDonalds or something else just as awful. With three young children Chick-fil-a can always please the whole family. 

[Mindthinkr]

6 minutes ago, mansonlamps said:

Really?  Not sure where you live but there are gazillions of choices here without requiring all restaurants to be open 7 days a week.  Plus don't you think it should be the choice of the business, in this case, not the consumer?  After all, they are willing to miss the days' revenue.

I’m ok with places deciding not to be open. I agree that there are usually other options. I’m just stating why some people I know have problems with places being closed on a Sunday. I’m also all about being closed on certain holidays like Thanksgiving. That’s a day for families and I hate that they make people go in for retail work just to get sales going for Black Friday. When I get gas or happen to be in a place (grocery store open on the Fourth) on one of those days I always thank the person who is working so I could pick up the last minute such and such. 

[chessiegal]

I refuse to patronize Chick-fil-A. I won't give my money to a homophobic company/management.

[BW Manilowe]

1 hour ago, Mountainair said:

For me my only purely selfish problem with Chick-fil-a being closed on Sundays is that I despise most fast food and only eat it when I am on the road traveling which is maybe 10 weekends out of the year and it's almost always on a Sunday. Therefore I have to settle with shitty McDonalds or something else just as awful. With three young children Chick-fil-a can always please the whole family. 

There’s actually a Chick-Fil-A in the new Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where the Falcons started playing their NFL games last season; it doesn’t open on Sundays, which are most game days. There are also Chick-Fil-A’s in airports which aren’t open on Sundays either.

[Bastet]

10 hours ago, mansonlamps said:

I think it's great that people can work a fast food job and get a guaranteed weekend day off to spend time with their families, not sure what the problem with that would be.

Well, if that is the reason behind this Chicken Salad place being closed on Sundays, that would be short-sighted (just adjust your "weekend" like a lot of independent businesses do, so that everyone can get two days in a row off but the place is open on the days most people patronizing such a business would be there, which for a restaurant means open your damn doors on Sundays), but rooted in a commendable motivation.  But given its location, I suspect it's a Chick-Fil-A type thing, and screw that.

[larapu2000]

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

Well, if that is the reason behind this Chicken Salad place being closed on Sundays, that would be short-sighted (just adjust your "weekend" like a lot of independent businesses do, so that everyone can get two days in a row off but the place is open on the days most people patronizing such a business would be there, which for a restaurant means open your damn doors on Sundays), but rooted in a commendable motivation.  But given its location, I suspect it's a Chick-Fil-A type thing, and screw that.

People that have a family may have a spouse that does get the weekend off, so this guarantees them that they might get to actually see their spouse who works traditional office hours. Let's also consider that children go to school during the week, so this also guarantees employees a full day with their children, versus a few short hours when the kids get home from school.

It's not simply about the time off for the singular employee, it's about a day for the employee and their family.  

While I absolutely disagree with the anti-gay stance of the Chick-Fil-A owners, I 100% support their business practices in this regard.  Those people, looking for a meal after church?  Go home and cook it yourself.  That's what people used to do when EVERYTHING was closed on Sunday.  Not everything exists at your pleasure.

I don't get what's so great about Chick-Fil-A anyway.  The chicken is meh.  Why don't they put the sauce IN the wraps?  Why do they not cook their waffle fries longer so they're crisper?  I've never been anything but disappointed by their food.

[chessiegal]

I went to a McDonalds yesterday for the first time in several years for a soda. All fountain drinks no matter what size were $1. Is this nation wide? I rarely order a non-alcoholic drink when eating out because the prices are such a rip-off.

[Nysha]

McDonalds' large fountain drinks have been $1 for several years. I've been known to get Burger King's breakfast croissants when they're on sale or I have a coupon and then swing through McD's for a pop. Grease, salt, and soda...all the makings of a healthy breakfast. 

[Mittengirl]

I have tried three of Wendy’s fruit flavored lemonades this summer and all were quite tasty.  I had the strawberry, blackberry and raspberry.  All three were pleasantly tart and you could definitely taste the “extra” fruit.  I liked the blackberry the best and the strawberry the least (but it was still good).  For a while you could get any size for $2, but when I was there on Tuesday that was no longer the case.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 5/28/2018 at 4:34 PM, ikmccall said:

The Prime Rib at Boston Market is surprisingly not bad.  As in, I would have it again.

I finally got to try the prime rib at Boston Market.  They didn't ask if I wanted it pink or brown--the guy just pulled one out and put it on the plate.  It was pink-ish in the middle and brown around the outside.  Much more cooked than I like it, but not bad if I apportioned out the fat with the overcooked parts.  It definitely tasted like prime rib.  If I were to try it again, I'd do like I do at Jersey Mike's and ask to see it before getting it; Jersey Mikes' roast beef can sometimes be deliciously rare, and if it's not, I don't get it because those sandwiches aren't cheap.

It took me forever to get to Boston Market because there's not a location where I usually hang out, and prime rib was offered only on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and only after 5:00.  But apparently that's changed (at this location, anyway), and it's Wednesday through Saturday after 5:00, and Sunday after 12:00 noon.  For $15.99, it's a good way to get some prime rib without busting the bank, and if you like it actually cooked instead of rare, it's as tasty as what you'll get in restaurants that charge a LOT more.

[BooksRule]

I really like the pepperoni pizza with the soft pretzel crust from Little Caesar's.  I usually leave the pizza crusts alone when I have pizza, because they tend to be bland.  But this one has those nice pretzel pieces with kosher salt, so they're pretty tasty. I wasn't sure about the cheddar cheese as one of their cheese toppings (along with other cheeses), but it's not bad.  And you can't beat it for $6.  Tonight's my 'cheat meal' for the week, so I'll probably run by and pick up one later.

[Mindthinkr]

On 3/17/2019 at 7:14 PM, icemiser69 said:

I am a huge fan of Pizza Hut french fries.  They are thicker than shoestring french fries and very crispy.

I dip all pizza crust in ranch dressing or garlic butter, because it can be so bland.

I dip my pizza crust into red wine. It softens it a bit and adds oodles of flavor. I also squeeze lemon all over my pizza. It gets rid of too much sweet or saltiness. It also helps to remove excess oils or fats. Yum. Even my granddaughter does this now. The lemon not the wine lol.