Favorite restaurants you can't get at home

[Caiata]

Yep, as a former St Louis resident now living in Australia I have a pretty big list:

• Ted Drewes
• Imo’s Pizza (my life for an actual thin crust pizza! There is a website that will ship an Imo’s Pizza or Imo’s Pizza components to your house but you have to live in the US sigh)
• Jack in the Box
• Einstein Bros Bagels (Aussies don’t understand bagels, particularly cinnamon raisin bagels and why you would smear them with an inch of cream cheese)
• Chik-Fil-A (I know, I know, they’re evil, but they sucked me in with their delicious chicken before I knew that. I went to WashU and there was one on campus, gaining the Freshman 15 was so easy!)
• Spaghetti Factory (There’s so much great Italian food in St Louis but for some reason I crave this mediocre fare. I think it’s 'cause I’m hooked on their Mint Italian Soda.)
• Lion’s Choice I miss it so much it deserves to be bolded
• Arby’s
• Wendy’s
• Steak n Shake

I could keep going but I won’t. I’ve been really, really nostalgic for this kind of stuff lately and it’ll just put me in a bad mood

[antonio107]

@omni-not

@antonio107

I like Arby’s. There are none in Ottawa. People who are Arby’s adjacent tell me I’m dumb for caring. Other american franchises I’d like to see here:

-Chipotle (LOVE)
-Papa John’s Pizza
-White Castle

Unless you are referring to an Ottawa in the U.S. …

http://web.sa.mapquest.com/arbys/advantage.adp?transaction=locmap&mapstyle=european&recordId=2371&name=Unit%20#2371&address=474%20HAZELDEAN%20RD.&city=KANATA&stateProvince=ON&country=CA&latitude=45.297777&longitude=-75.888975&iconid=32433001&user1=UNIT%20#14

WTFFFFFFF. When did that get there?

It’s still a good 30 minute drive from my place (Ottawa’s a small city, but it loves to sprawl), but it beats going to Toronto or Upstate NY. I may have to descend on there!

[HeyHomie]

@antonio107

(Ottawa’s a small city

You consider 800,000 a small city? :eek:

[Alpha_Twit]

@tdn

@Shagnasty

I would like to have a White Castle around. They don’t exist anywhere near Boston but I have had them in the Midwest. They make these tiny little burgers called sliders with little patties thinner than a pancake. An average person can eat 4 or 5 of them in one sitting. The burgers are simple but flavorful and heavy on the onion flavor. Some people love them and they have contests to see who will drive the longest for a bag of sliders.

That was my understanding. There’s a place in Salina, KS called Cozy Inn. Apparently it’s very much the same, and was opened the year after White Castle opened. I’d bet that it’s better, because it’s always been a mom & pop place. I love that place.

I’m going to build a Cozy Inn right next to my new Popeye’s. And next that, a Zweigel’s hot dog stand. And next to that, a McAngioplasty.

I grew up about an hour away for Salina and I’ve eaten many a Cozy in my life. I had always heard about White Castle and wanted to compare them with my beloved Cozys. I can definitively state that Cozys are vastly superior. The problem with White Castle is that the burgers are practically boiled on the grills with watery onion juice. Cozys are still very onion heavy but they actually have some good searing on them.

Damn, hungry now. ROAD TRIP! I’ll see you there.