The Swamp

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 7:51 pm

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 2:51 pm And Imma be pedantic, but it kind of bugs me when they don't just say "Tex-Mex" was is an American invention that is only tangential to actual "Mexican" food.

So, unless they are actually talking about traditional Mexican food/cuisine, saying that the best Tex-Mex is in Arizona is, like... Sure.

Mexican food is different than Tex—Mex. They only refer to Mexican food in the article.

There was a place in downtown Bethesda that served authentic Mexican food and it blew my mind. Incredible food. Lot's of mole sauces and seafood dishes with amazing flavor.

I wonder if that place is still around. I can understand why Tex-Mex dominates, as Mexican food has a lot more going on in terms of spices and deep flavors that just aren't mainstream for the American palate.

Ah, cool... Tia Queta's... Still alive and kicking. I should get down there again. It's been over a decade.

WRONG.

It's the best.

This place just opened in town this week.

They did a free sandwich giveaway last night that had people lined up for blocks. Just the youngest and I for dinner tonight, might go check it out.

Shake Shack remains a top notch fast-casual option. Love the crinkle fries. Got the Smoke Shack with bacon and peppers.

They are rolling with some Korean-style sandwiches and I'm tempted to head back there soon to try it out. Looks delicious.

Cosign aside from the fries. I feel like the family always picks it up on weekends and I try not to eat a ton of red meat so I end up getting the mushroom burger more often than not and its actually good.

shake shack fries are miserable

unrelated: I was very surprised there was a Whataburger on the strip in Vegas. didn't eat there -- we got In-N-Out as soon as we landed and, well, there are like 20 Whataburgers here now -- but made sure to go in to just laugh at the idea of a Whataburger paired with a bar on the strip

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 3:08 pm unrelated: I was very surprised there was a Whataburger on the strip in Vegas. didn't eat there -- we got In-N-Out as soon as we landed and, well, there are like 20 Whataburgers here now -- but made sure to go in to just laugh at the idea of a Whataburger paired with a bar on the strip

It only opened a month ago.

a) i didn't know Whataburger was/is an actual real restaurant until sometime in the last year, maybe due to the Swamp. Thought it only existed in the mind of David Foster Wallace (Infinite Jest's "Whataburger tournament" or something)

b) I accompanied a friend and his son to Shake Shack in Boston last year and stole one of their fries. Seemed indistinguishable from a c1979 elementary school fry.

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 3:08 pm unrelated: I was very surprised there was a Whataburger on the strip in Vegas. didn't eat there -- we got In-N-Out as soon as we landed and, well, there are like 20 Whataburgers here now -- but made sure to go in to just laugh at the idea of a Whataburger paired with a bar on the strip

MaxWebster wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:23 pm a) i didn't know Whataburger was/is an actual real restaurant until sometime in the last year, maybe due to the Swamp. Thought it only existed in the mind of David Foster Wallace (Infinite Jest's "Whataburger tournament" or something)

b) I accompanied a friend and his son to Shake Shack in Boston last year and stole one of their fries. Seemed indistinguishable from a c1979 elementary school fry.

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 3:08 pm unrelated: I was very surprised there was a Whataburger on the strip in Vegas. didn't eat there -- we got In-N-Out as soon as we landed and, well, there are like 20 Whataburgers here now -- but made sure to go in to just laugh at the idea of a Whataburger paired with a bar on the strip

School fries from my youth were a thousand times better than the fast food, breaded/starched french fry of today.

Hell, my favorite fries of any of the fast food restaurants of my life were the Burger King fries of the 1970s. Perfect for stacking on your burger.

Whataburger was a good fast food option in NM because they did green chile cheeseburgers quite well. (They fell just behind Blake's for me.)

Whataburger was very, very good in Texas and kinda blah elsewhere though. I've had it in several states at this point.

The Whataburger app is amazing. My customizable double Whataburger Jr is always delicious and the rewards rack up quickly. Feel like I have a free meal every four visits or so.

Please ignore the spam you guys, I’ll handle it

rass wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 7:59 pm Please ignore the spam you guys, I’ll handle it

Jeez, that’s a bit harsh. I thought Giff’s post was fine.

Giff wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 7:45 pm The Whataburger app is amazing. My customizable double Whataburger Jr is always delicious and the rewards rack up quickly. Feel like I have a free meal every four visits or so.

yeah, it's remarkable how often I get free stuff -- and I eat there way less than it seems I would given my obsession level

I agree about the Whataburger radius, though it's been Texas-level at the 4 stores I've been to here in KC over the past couple years. maybe the QB put that in his franchising agreement.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 9:21 am

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 7:51 pm

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 2:51 pm And Imma be pedantic, but it kind of bugs me when they don't just say "Tex-Mex" was is an American invention that is only tangential to actual "Mexican" food.

So, unless they are actually talking about traditional Mexican food/cuisine, saying that the best Tex-Mex is in Arizona is, like... Sure.

Mexican food is different than Tex—Mex. They only refer to Mexican food in the article.

There was a place in downtown Bethesda that served authentic Mexican food and it blew my mind. Incredible food. Lot's of mole sauces and seafood dishes with amazing flavor.

I wonder if that place is still around. I can understand why Tex-Mex dominates, as Mexican food has a lot more going on in terms of spices and deep flavors that just aren't mainstream for the American palate.

Ah, cool... Tia Queta's... Still alive and kicking. I should get down there again. It's been over a decade.

Have you taken part if the Taco Bar at the Gas Station near Rio? Have not gone since covid, but was a frequent go to for lunch. Yes it is in a gas station, but mmmm.
https://tacobarelguero.com/

Just had Bojangles for I think the first time ever. Another chicken sandwich superior to Chik-Fil-A

brian wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:12 pm Just had Bojangles for I think the first time ever. Another chicken sandwich superior to Chik-Fil-A

Used to love Bojangles as a kid when we'd travel South.

Spending a lot of time in NC, I do like Bojangles but its not better than Chik Fil A and the allure with Chick Fil A is not only the food. More than solid but they just treat you decent is the biggest thing. And the line moves fast. But mostly they treat you decent. Not sure that rings true outside the southeast so elsewhere maybe its just the food but here its the my pleasure and the smile and giving a damn about your quick, hot, consistent food. Especially in comparison to the dregs that thrown the wrong food at you without so much as a glance. Cant ask for more than that from a fast food place.

wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:08 pm

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 9:21 am

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 7:51 pm

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 2:51 pm And Imma be pedantic, but it kind of bugs me when they don't just say "Tex-Mex" was is an American invention that is only tangential to actual "Mexican" food.

So, unless they are actually talking about traditional Mexican food/cuisine, saying that the best Tex-Mex is in Arizona is, like... Sure.

Mexican food is different than Tex—Mex. They only refer to Mexican food in the article.

There was a place in downtown Bethesda that served authentic Mexican food and it blew my mind. Incredible food. Lot's of mole sauces and seafood dishes with amazing flavor.

I wonder if that place is still around. I can understand why Tex-Mex dominates, as Mexican food has a lot more going on in terms of spices and deep flavors that just aren't mainstream for the American palate.

Ah, cool... Tia Queta's... Still alive and kicking. I should get down there again. It's been over a decade.

Have you taken part if the Taco Bar at the Gas Station near Rio? Have not gone since covid, but was a frequent go to for lunch. Yes it is in a gas station, but mmmm.
https://tacobarelguero.com/

Oh yeah, definitely. Haven't been in awhile, but I've hit that spot about a dozen times.

Bojangles butter biscuits, by themselves, are a roughly a billion times better than anything ChikFilA has.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:23 pm Bojangles butter biscuits, by themselves, are a roughly a billion times better than anything ChikFilA has.

This is my recollection, but it's been 30+ years. As to Citgo's point, I've found service in the South, particularly metro-Atlanta to be shockingly abysmal, so that could make Chik-fil-a stand out. In NJ, I think C-f-a was so ridiculously popular when they started opening around here was the novelty. Never heard anyone mention the service.

Well, I'll say that I've been to dozens of Chicken Filets up and down the eastern coast and out to the Rockies and I've never had anything other than a pleasant, highly efficient experience.

And I've never looked at a long line at that joint and said "nope" because they know how to move things along. By contrast, any other joint has a line and I'm finding another location because you just don't know if they're understaffed or just not good at FAST food. Or both.

My father is the least patient person I’ve ever met (and it’s not even close). He flat out refuses my suggestion to ever go to Blake’s for a green chile cheeseburger, because he especially hates the wait, there. I try to explain it’s because the food is made to order, but it’s like talking to a wall.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:47 pm My father is the least patient person I’ve ever met (and it’s not even close). He flat out refuses my suggestion to ever go to Blake’s for a green chile cheeseburger, because he especially hates the wait, there. I try to explain it’s because the food is made to order, but it’s like talking to a wall.

Man, he's missing out! I could go for one of those with a chocolate shake right now.

Giff wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 3:10 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:47 pm My father is the least patient person I’ve ever met (and it’s not even close). He flat out refuses my suggestion to ever go to Blake’s for a green chile cheeseburger, because he especially hates the wait, there. I try to explain it’s because the food is made to order, but it’s like talking to a wall.

Man, he's missing out! I could go for one of those with a chocolate shake right now.

My next run was supposed to be to ABQ but they pulled it, grrrrr. Sent to Arkansas instead though I did get the aforementioned Bojangles out of it at least.

On the plus side for Bojangles. Country ham biscuit. All day breakfast. Red patio soda. All plus plus. Pricing is bad. Fried chicken is only good.

I don't remember the last time I ate at a Wendy's, so what stuck out to me in this story wasn't the stupid idea of "surge pricing" for food but the stat that Wendy's food prices went up 35% in 2022-23.

eta: I tried to hyperlink just a few words of that sentence but the formatting was all weird

Just came to post a link about that.




I never duck into fast food places when we’re in NYC and was shocked that a GD Baconator is over $12.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:40 pm Well, I'll say that I've been to dozens of Chicken Filets up and down the eastern coast and out to the Rockies and I've never had anything other than a pleasant, highly efficient experience.

And I've never looked at a long line at that joint and said "nope" because they know how to move things along. By contrast, any other joint has a line and I'm finding another location because you just don't know if they're understaffed or just not good at FAST food. Or both.

They are the Disney of fast food chains.

I’ll grant the service is exceptional especially by fast food standards but the chicken is pedestrian compared to what other chains are doing these days.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:40 pmWell, I'll say that I've been to dozens of Chicken Filets up and down the eastern coast and out to the Rockies and I've never had anything other than a pleasant, highly efficient experience.

I'd invite you to go to the one on the southbound NJ Turnpike. I tried it again for the first time in like 10 years last fall and waited like 20 minutes for pretty meh sandwich.

MY. PLEASURE.

Oh snap. But this makes total sense.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:40 pm Well, I'll say that I've been to dozens of Chicken Filets up and down the eastern coast

How do you know NLFC isn't southern?

Shirley wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 11:42 am

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:40 pm Well, I'll say that I've been to dozens of Chicken Filets up and down the eastern coast

How do you know NLFC isn't southern?

My MIL constantly calls it "Chick-a-fil-a

I'm convinced it used to be spelled "Chik" and not just on the cow billboards.

That ad campaign annoys me so much. If these fucking cows somehow figured out how to communicate to us by writing words, they'd know how to spell them correctly!

My Dad once responded to that argument with "how do you know we're not the ones spelling them incorrectly?" and that was the first time I ever thought my Dad was high.

Shirley wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 11:42 am

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:40 pm Well, I'll say that I've been to dozens of Chicken Filets up and down the eastern coast

How do you know NLFC isn't southern?

I hate hyphens.