From all the fast food chains mentioned here, I like Pizzeria Uno the most. I missed it the most also, they have no restaurant in Gainesville (although Olive Garden, Applebee, Chili, TGI Friday’s, Outback, Denny’s, etc. all have restaurants here). I also like Sizzler’s (another one that’s not here), and Cici’s (cheap buffet, decent place).
Considering I’m not very good judging food (if it’s edible, I’ll eat it), I cannot say there is a “worst” restaurant. Although I’m picking up the suggestions here to see which place do I visit next (when money magically appears from the sky).
Chipotle Barbacoa, with their corn salsa and green chili… lots of green tabasco… ARRGGHHHH!!!
I used to live 3 miles from a Chipotle and have since moved to the Great White North, which, despite it’s other assets, does not have any decent Mexican food. No hole in the wall with a great #4 plate. No taquerias. No nothin’, besides the occasional bar and grill that decides to hold “Mexican” night and produces some inedible mess stuck in a tortilla.
I do miss Chipotle. I knew I’d miss it. I knew I’d miss it so much that in the month before we left Colorado, I ate there at least once a week.
Best:
*Fridays (I love the Jack Daniels Grill and the Meatloaf stack thingy)
*Outback Steakhouse
*Perkins (because you can get muffins with anything)
*Ruby Tuesday
Worst:
*Applebee’s–Why, oh, why do their riblets have BONES in them? Icky.
*Denny’s (service is slow slow slow slow and they are always out of one of the things that I order)
*Red Lobster–the stuff that they serve hot is better cold, and the stuff that is cold is better hot
*Olive Garden–exception is the one in Frederick MD. At every other Olive Garden I have been to, I have gotten sick from the food. Frederick Olive Garden is the only one I’ve been to that serves decent food
There is a ‘mini-chain’ here in Texas called Freebird’s which is a lot like Chipotle, although it’s been around a lot longer and IMO is a LOT better than Chipotle. They make the same kind of big-ass burritos (they call them ‘Monsters’) but they offer a lot more options in the way of different types of tortillas, beans, rice, meats, and other toppings. Chipotle isn’t bad, but Freebirds is AWESOME! Sadly there are only three that I know of–two in College Station (Whoop!) and one in Austin. And I don’t live in either of those places anymore.
Oooh yeah, Pizzeria Uno. Bonus: there’s one in Manhattan right across the street from the American Museum of Natural History, one of my favorite places on the planet. Nothing like a day at the museum followed by Uno’s four cheese pie, or one of the mushroom heavy varieties.
I also like Chilli’s, though I haven’t been there frequently-- the draw there is, they’ll do any of their burgers with a veggie patty (I’m a vegetarian) and the results are REALLY good.
As for worst, it’s hard to say… thanks to my veggieness and some considerate friends, I rarely get dragged anywhere with a limited menu. I have a vague memory of going to a Ponderosa many years ago, and not being very thrilled with it-- do they still have those?
Pittsburghers are blessed with the best of chain restaurants – King’s. Good food and desserts which define decadence. Eat’N’Park’s not bad either, and I’ll throw out a Columbus-based chain, Max ‘N’ Erma’s just to get outside of the box.
I won’t eat at Cracker Barrel because, as was discussed here some months ago, they’re apparently homophobic as well as racist, and there are always other choices.
Rosebud, I ate at a Ponderosa in Moundsville, WV this evening. For less than $10, I got a steak from a cow which died happy, and a pretty good buffet, including fried chicken, as well. Hmmm better add that to my list of favorites too. Then again, I ate with wonderful company, too.
Well, Athena, you must be jonesing bad for Mexican.
Just for that, I’ll tell you that I ate a breakfast burrito (eggs, chorizo, potatoes, smothered in green chili) from Santiago’s in Lafayette. They have them in Brighton and Fort Lupton, too, but not in Boulder - too pedestrian for there. And any day now the street vendors will be roasting the chilies from Hatch, NM in the big wire cages over an open fire. Enjoy the winter!
I agree with CJ, I love King’s and Eat’n’park. I also like Wendy’s for fast food.
I’m going to say Chi Chi’s is the worst because of a BAD memory from back when I was 11 and my sister got sick in the parking lot and in the car. I can’t even pass the place without cringing.
I like most of these places… Red Lobster, the Olive Garden (though I never eat Italian any more, I liked it when I did)… Fuddruckers was good when I used to eat burgers… Denny’s isn’t bad for breakfast, but I won’t eat there for anything else. I like Friday’s, Bennigan’s and Chili’s. I like Don Pablo’s and I like Gringos and Little Gringos. Carraba’s was good Italian the couple of times I ate there.
I do hate Applebee’s, because the one time we were going to eat at one I walked in the door and waited almost five minutes with no sign of a host anywhere. I took a look at their menu and walked out just as someone was finally walking up to seat us.
The problem I’ve had with mom and pop type places is that some of them are really good, but most of them I’ve been to suck. At least with the chains you know the food is going to be pretty consistent.
Pappadeaux’s was good but pricey, I haven’t been to Pappa’s (too expensive for me and no one else has taken me), and I didn’t really like Pappasita’s the time I ate there.
I’ve never eaten at a Cracker Barrel because it looks like an Old People restaurant to me, so I never went in. Outback Steakhouse is good, but I don’t go there because I don’t eat steak and don’t really like being surrounded by it. My family loves it though. Luther’s down here has pretty good barbeque and ribs.
Perkins does suck big time, I ate their once while I was in NY and even when the place was empty the service was painfully slow.
My favorites vary according to food type, but include Don Pablo’s, Red Robin, Golden Corral, and TGI Fridays. One I just went to yesterday was Champps, and I think it may become my new favorite place, except that I have to have fasted for about 3 days beforehand.
On the all-time worst list is Denny’s. As my friends and I say: “They’ll get you sometime” meaning that you will be there for at least an hour, most of it waiting for something. You’ll either wait to be seated, wait to place an order, wait an interminably long time for your mediocre to bad food, or you’ll wait forever for your check. I think Drew Carey summed it up when he said "The only thing that makes it acceptable is that you know everyone in any Denny’s anywhere is just as miserable as you.
I’m not particularly fond of Olive Garden, but I often wind up there when family is visiting. My dad and uncles can get sausage-y, meatball-y dishes, the dieting cousins can fill up on salad, and the resaturant has more than one vegetarian entree. It’s a crowd-pleaser because of its variety, not its quality.
I have a soft spot for Red Lobster, too. My granddad always took the family there when he wanted to treat us to something nice. (His restaurant of choice was usually K&W Cafeteria, so Red Lobster really was a step up.)
I enjoy Olive Garden too. Though Pasta Pomadero has even better food at about 60% of the price. Best yummy-to-cost ratio I’ve seen at a restaurant so far. Unfortunately, the place is perpetually packed and noisy, so the atmosphere isn’t too great.
Last summer my friends and I used to eat at one that was across the street from an indie theater. We’d go see an independent film, then eat there about an hour before they closed, when it wasn’t crowded. A very fond memory
As for places I don’t like, Carrow’s has blatant false advertising with the pictures of the food on the menu. What you get is usually about 75% of the shown portion, and semi-burnt.
Okay, maybe it’s just me, but I find that the Olive Gardens in this area (as well as the Red Lobster, Smokey Bones and Bahama Breeze restaurants) are pretty good, as far as service and food quality. Of course it helps when the national headquarters (Darden Restaurants) is located just down the street!
Hands down, my favorite chain is Shells - great seafood, and always have had great service at any of the ones I’ve been to. I know they tried to open some restaurnats in the Midwest, but that experiment failed. Too bad - you folks up there are missing some great langostino pasta.
Worst chains (IMHO) would be
[ul]
[li]Pickadilly Cafe (formerly Morrison’s)[/li][li]Friendly’s (trust me, they are NOT!)[/li][li]Waffle House (aka ‘Awful House’)[/li][li]Kobe Steakhouse despite the Kobe beef, I will never return to one of these: I have always had bad service, and they put onions in everything, even when I request them NOT to)[/li][li]Steak n’ Ale (bad decor, worse food)[/li][/ul]
Mixed feelings on Steak & Shake - great commercials, good foos, but a couple of bad servers may have put me off them entirely.
