Thursday, June 25, 2009
Restaurants Sometimes a Banana is Just a Banana...
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 10:30 AM
...and sometimes food is just a meal. Not every meal has to be a transcendent dining experience. Occasionally you just need to get something in your gullet. But darn it, there are just some places that I go to because they're quick and easy.
As a follow up to my list of top 5 restaurants I've never eaten at here is:
- Subway -- In my defense, I try to ride the bus to work at least once per week. Is it cheaper to ride the bus? No. I drive a hybrid. Is it faster to ride the bus? No. It takes about three times as long. The way I figure it, I live a block from a bus stop and I work a block from a bus stop. If I can't make it work, nobody can. So on days that I am carless, I look for a meal within walking distance of my office. Subway fits that bill. It also has the distinction that no matter what type of sandwich you order or what toppings you request, your burps an hour later will taste exactly the same every time. Ugh.
- Hardee's -- The other fine dining establishment within perambulation range of my office. Nothing can undo a week's worth of good work at the YMCA like a Thickburger combo. I definitely need to work on my won't power.
- Las Palmas -- It's fast, dependable and predictable, and the servers wear those really cool oven mitts that go all the way up to their armpits. I envision that there are five vats in the kitchen marked chicken, beef, beans, cheese and rice. The rest is permutations and combinations. Also, their house margarita tastes like Gatorade mixed with tequila. It reminds me of college.
- The Sportsman's Grille -- What can I say? I used to be at the Grille in Hillsboro Village so often that I considered forwarding my mail there for convenience. Everybody needs a place where everybody knows their name, even if those names are nicknames like "Aggro Jay" and "One-eyed Richard" and "S-getti Dave" and "Crazy Gold Hat Guy." Trust me, I didn't go for the deep-fried German food and BBQ menu.
- Arby's -- I can't help myself. A Beef and Cheddar with curly fries is my go-to comfort food meal. Who cares if Arby's roast beef is to meat as particle board is to mahogany? Sometimes you just gotta have one. When I have finally shed my mortal coil, there's a good chance that my autopsy will indicate an abnormally high cheddar content in my arteries.
Trust me, revelation is liberating. What are your guilty pleasures?
Comments (25)
Showing 1-25 of 25
I don't really feel guilt about pleasure. (That's what a misspent youth with drive-in movies will do for you.) I guess I should feel guilty about Arby's, but I don't. The siren song of the Regular Roast Beef Sandwich is a wild call and a clear call which cannot be denied.
Wait, I thought of one—Golden Corral. I might go once every year, and the thought of all that food going to waste makes me cringe. But...but...they've got flame-grilled pork! And lasagna! And all-you-can-eat pudding! Yeah, the guilt's coming on big-time.
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it happened just last night - a quarter pounder with cheese combo meal from mc d's. must include dr pepper. it's not so much guilt i feel, but regret. still hurting!
I absolutely love McDonald's Southern Fried Chicken sandwich with mayo and extra pickles. And a fruit/yogurt parfait. The parfait is lowfat and has fruit, so that cancels out the sandwich, right? :) And, although I miss the old-style decor at the McDonald's of my childhood, I like their swanky new style too.
Seconding the Fruit 'N Yogurt Parfait at McDonald's. Nothing takes away the sting of realizing there's 1000mg of sodium in a 10 piece McNugget box than something that appears to have REAL fruit in it.
HungryHippo,
What is it about eating at a fast food joint that makes me want to share my dinner with the good Dr. Pepper? And that's the only time I drink the stuff. Is the fountain version that much better.
I baffle me sometimes...
Dipped cones from Dairy Queen, a few Krystals hot off the griddle. fries from McDonalds, anything at Rotier's
Most anything involving beef and cheese from Taco Bell.
A couple of breasts from KFC. Take them home and cover liberally with hot sauce and cayenne. Viola! a fair approximation of hot chicken.
Frozen Corn Dogs from Kroger, slathered in ketchup & mustard.
hot dog. any. hot dog. stadiums or street vendors...less guilt for Chicago-style...
CeeElCee - I know! I only drink what the good Dr orders when I'm indulging in fast food naughtiness. And it must be a fountain beverage. More carbonation, I believe, is why it's superior.
I must add Hot Pockets and Bagel Bites to the list as well. Not only that, but I tend to eat TWO trays of Bagel Bites in one sitting. Seriously?
sometimes you just have to stop and get about 8 cheese Krystals. I refuse to eat white castle though. it's the southern pride in me that can't stray over to the dark side.
I can't believe I'm admitting this, but a bean burrito NO ONIONS from Taco Hell. I don't do it often, but I enjoy it when I do.
Oh, and the occasionaly drunken White Castle burger & chocolate shake.
I hear you on Arby's Beef and Cheddar and curly fries. If I'm upset, that is the first thing I want to eat. I'm also really bad about eating Subway a lot. I discovered today that I eat at Maggie's in the Arcade way too often when the woman at the register told me my order word for word.
Every now and then a drunken night sending the cab thru the Krystal's drive thru for Krystal Chiks, and many hungover days eating a McD's hamburger, large order of fries and chocolate shake.
At Krystal it's got to be the Chili Cheese Pups...
Chicago Style Gyros on Charlotte. I know I go there too much because they have my order ready at the drive-thru before I get to the window.
Stroud's BBQ: "Two, no-mayo, mild, on"
Publix Deli: mojo chicken
Popeye's: spicy fried chicken
Chick-fil-A: breakfast minis
A Big Mo and spicy fries at Fat Mo's. Add lettuce and tomator in a delusional attempt to create a balanced meal. (I do have willpower, though - I refrain from asking for "extra transfat" on the spicy fries.)
Of course I meant a "Fat Mo" not a "Big Mo." The hydrogenation interfered with cognition.
Ulika: Krystals are something that I crave every couple of years, and when I get them I remember why I waited so long. Loved 'em when I was a kid, but now that ash-gray patty just creeps me out. You're right, though: I'd swim through a cement mixer of Krystals before I'd eat a White Castle.
bb: There is no shame whatsoever in eating Fat Mo's. It's a badge of honor, in fact.
White Castle robs you of half a burger...the 5 holes thing is a gimmick to save more meat. Church's chicken disgusts me to no end.
Like others above, I'm a big thickburger fan as well. McD's $1 chocolate sundae is another weakness...and the Pizza Hut lunch buffet on Lebanon Rd. (Donelson)
I've eaten at Krystal & White Castle once each. Never again. The smell alone makes me want to vomit.
I'm in L.A. and visit Nashville at least once a year...and I must admit my guilty pleasures are centered more around what I can't get in L.A., like decent barbecue. (I had to laugh when I was invited to someone's house - "we're having barbecue!" - only to snicker and say "you're not having barbecue; you're grilling meat.")
To that end, I find Whit's in Nashville to be reliable.
In L.A., it's Popeye's chicken, since the KFC near me loads their chicken with so much salt it's barely edible. I also find myself jonesing every other month for the world's most fabulous tamales at a little Salvadoran place I know. Just find a vein and hook me up. Guilty pleasure, indeed.
