Whats the LAST restaurant you went to?

[Dude111]

Today I went to a different chinese buffet than the one I usually goto.....

What a piece of garbage!!

No mac and cheese....... PLASTIC CUPS,PLATES AND UTENSILS!!!!

Small glasses...........

Bill came to 30 something dollars....... I hadnt been to that one in many years!!!

Wont go again ill tell you that!!!!!!

[Electronic M]

Portillos hotdogs in Brookfield...last year. It's been waaaaay too long since I had some fast food. I wish our states chief dunderhead Evers would stop limiting the vaccine so we could just get vaccinated, wait 4 weeks for the immunity to build up to safe levels, then go back to our pre-pandemic lives.
They are either stopping the public from getting vaccinated to screw with us or they're vaccinating the essentials and elderly so inefficiently other states should be laughing at us.

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

Portillos hotdogs in Brookfield...last year. It's been waaaaay too long since I had some fast food. I wish our states chief dunderhead Evers would stop limiting the vaccine so we could just get vaccinated, wait 4 weeks for the immunity to build up to safe levels, then go back to our pre-pandemic lives.
They are either stopping the public from getting vaccinated to screw with us or they're vaccinating the essentials and elderly so inefficiently other states should be laughing at us.

Oooh - Portillo's! I think there's one near Phoenix, but not down here.

[rld-tv01]

Before the lock down I used to rotate between several Mexican restaurants, Italian/Pizza, Chinese and American buffets. Since the sit-in closures I have still been getting takeout Pizza, Subs and Chinese and eating in the car. The weather here in Huntington Beach and Long Beach facilitates sitting in the car and eating. I went to Perry's Pizza Huntington Beach two weeks ago which has been in business for 20 years and half the building was torn down. Perry's had sold out to a Rib restaurant chain and were closing down. They were going to build an outside eating area in the area torn down. A soup and Salad buffet which I use to frequent closed a year ago; two weeks into the pandemic.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Dude111

Today I went to a different chinese buffet than the one I usually goto.....

What a piece of garbage!!

No mac and cheese....... PLASTIC CUPS,PLATES AND UTENSILS!!!!

Small glasses...........

Bill came to 30 something dollars....... I hadnt been to that one in many years!!!

Wont go again ill tell you that!!!!!!

I didn't know mac and cheese was a Chinese delicacy, even though Marco Polo brought the idea from China to Italy.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

Portillos hotdogs in Brookfield...last year. It's been waaaaay too long since I had some fast food. I wish our states chief dunderhead Evers would stop limiting the vaccine so we could just get vaccinated, wait 4 weeks for the immunity to build up to safe levels, then go back to our pre-pandemic lives.
They are either stopping the public from getting vaccinated to screw with us or they're vaccinating the essentials and elderly so inefficiently other states should be laughing at us.

I wasn't too impressed with the dunderhead that was in office before the present dunderhead.

[zeno]

Lets see. Mac & cheese, not exactly Schezwan food. Why not pick
up that boxed crap & save a ton of $$$ ?

Plastic tools ? Blame the greenies ! Its law now in many places.
Remember that as you loose VERY important rights. Vote accordingly.

BTW last time I went to the buffet it was $12. But thats NH,
not so many libs & you can get a CCW in less than ten days for $10

LFOD !

[dtvmcdonald]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

Portillos hotdogs in Brookfield.

We have a Portillos down here. When it started up the lines were a half mile long
(of cars). It wa highly touted by my friends. Is a 2 minute drive from my house.

I went two or three times. Absolutely nothing special at all. Hamburgers are
not very good, hot dogs are good but nothing worth a special trip.

************************************************** *********
The last restaurant I visited, arriving an hour ago, was the Champaign Black Dog Smoke and Ale (original is in Urbana, temporarily closed by the unmentionable topic).

Now THAT's special .... worth a special trip from anywhere (e.g. Kansas City or Fort Worth or Charlotte). Once rated by Maxim magazine as #2 BBQ joint in the USA. And it really was, and may still be. "May" because their premier product "Burnt Ends" (the fatty part of beef brisket) went downhill last summer when they reopened, from being cooked 24 hours to only 12. Their pork ribs and especially rib tips remain the best. They also have exceptional "baked beans" which are not actually baked, but have "cuttings" from the brisket in them. Ditto cornbread ... the absolute best. Finally, a creation called Texas Caviar, which is Black-eyed peas, hominy, and mild, just spicy enough, peppers (cold). Some people swear by their catfish, but not me.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by dtvmcdonald

We have a Portillos down here. When it started up the lines were a half mile long
(of cars). It wa highly touted by my friends. Is a 2 minute drive from my house.

I went two or three times. Absolutely nothing special at all. Hamburgers are
not very good, hot dogs are good but nothing worth a special trip.

************************************************** *********
The last restaurant I visited, arriving an hour ago, was the Champaign Black Dog Smoke and Ale (original is in Urbana, temporarily closed by the unmentionable topic).

Now THAT's special .... worth a special trip from anywhere (e.g. Kansas City or Fort Worth or Charlotte). Once rated by Maxim magazine as #2 BBQ joint in the USA. And it really was, and may still be. "May" because their premier product "Burnt Ends" (the fatty part of beef brisket) went downhill last summer when they reopened, from being cooked 24 hours to only 12. Their pork ribs and especially rib tips remain the best. They also have exceptional "baked beans" which are not actually baked, but have "cuttings" from the brisket in them. Ditto cornbread ... the absolute best. Finally, a creation called Texas Caviar, which is Black-eyed peas, hominy, and mild, just spicy enough, peppers (cold). Some people swear by their catfish, but not me.

Their hot dogs are average (I almost never order them). Their Burgers I consider to be the best of any chain restaurant I've ever eaten at, but I don't order them standard...I get mine with mozzarella cheese, NO Ketchup (sweet catchup on a burger is about as unappealing to me as ice cream on a burger is to most people), and extra plant matter (every kind). That combined with the char broil is my standard for what a truly good hamburger is. They usually botch my order and I usually ask for a package of whatever they forgot...The Brookfield crew started calling it the "infamous burger" as I often got lunch there 3 times a week and often dinner(s) too.

Where Portillos really shines is with their Itialian beef...As a suburban Chicagoan kid theirs is my standard for it. Always sweet Peppper, maybe with mozzerella, maybe dipped, maybe as a beef and Italian Sausage combo. Often when I'm with my family we'll order one and a Tamalie (and other stuff) and cut them into thirds so everyone gets some of each.

Their broiled Chicken sandwich tastes a lot like a small closed restaurant from my home town and is nostalgic for me.

Their ribs are good but I limit intake.

Their Chocolate cake and Eclair cake is legendary.

Now one thing to keep in mind is the restaurants made after they went corporate (essentially everything outside of Chicagoland except Merillville In) didn't have the same love or attention to quality as the older family-run establishments....
Case in point Brookfield about %95 of the time sucks at making fries when compared to the original establishments. And Brookfield variably sucks at other things other locations do well too.
Corporate killed the old good lent season fish sandwich and replaced it with something cheap and nasty...

I virtually never eat BBQ. No matter the source it almost always gives me raging stomach acids and or reflux. I rather eat a more neutral/alkaline diet to prevent the issue from starting than aggravate it and medicate it...I'm not much for spicy-hot foods either. The banana Peppers Olive Garden gives you with their salads are about my heat tolerance limit...Much more and I tend to look like I've just been poisoned and or am about to breathe fire...Or so I'm told.

[Dude111]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

I didn't know mac and cheese was a Chinese delicacy, even though Marco Polo brought the idea from China to Italy.

Yup and most chinese places have it also!!

[Tube TV]

I can't even remember the last time I was in a eat in restaurant. I think it was 2016.
Drive through burgers was about 6 months ago. Time flys...

[init4fun]

Originally Posted by Dude111

Yup and most chinese places have it also!!

Dude, my Friend, I live 30 miles from Boston Ma. and I can assure you that there is not ONE single Chinese food restaurant selling Mac & Cheese here. This must be a regional thing, where do you live that they have Mac & Cheese listed on the menu alongside of the Beef Teriyaki and Egg Rolls ?

PS, my last outing was to my favorite Chinese food place, Quan's Kitchen, and thank gawd I wasn't served any Mac & Cheese with my pork fried rice and chicken chow mein

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Tube TV

I can't even remember the last time I was in a eat in restaurant. I think it was 2016.
Drive through burgers was about 6 months ago. Time flys...

I go to fast food joints a few times a month!
Last two times, it was Arby's. I don't see any coupons lately!
I guess I'll have to pay full price for the fish sandwiches this Good Friday.
McD's increased the price on their dollar items. By the time you get them, there cold!

[Countryford]

Originally Posted by old_tv_nut

Oooh - Portillo's! I think there's one near Phoenix, but not down here.

There is one here in the Phoenix Area, Avondale to be exact. I know of a second one that is being built, but can't remember the exact location.

I've been there a few times and it was just ok. Nothing to brag about. Last time I went there, I got a chicken sandwich that wasn't fully cooked.

[Titan1a]

Valentinos in Nebraska City. Salad bar to die for.