# Foods that Don't Live Up to the Hype **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [September 26, 2025, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414 "2025-09-26T13:19:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/81 "2025-09-29T02:12:58Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > t will change your mind. I promise. Come in the morning and we’ll make you some. I’ve never had it in a restaurant that was in any way good. I give you that. Can you meet us at the diamond mine? My wife wants to go there and get rich. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/82 "2025-09-29T02:19:28Z")
Calamari. Always disappointing so I don’t order it anymore. Now usually someone else will order it, not want to finish it, offer it up to the rest of the table and i’ll give it a try again. Nope, still disappointing. Fried cactus. Not sure what the point i. Hard to bite through, not a pleasant flavor. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/83 "2025-09-29T02:30:18Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > No offense to New Englanders, but Florida stone crab wipes the ocean floor with lobster Yep. We went to Alan Hales Lobster Barrel, but the kitchen wasnt fully opened yet, so the bar offered us “all you can eat” stone crab. REALLY good. The Skipper even came over to say hello, and tried some of ours. We squeezed lemon and a little drawn butter. yum > [@carrps](#): > > And chicken and waffles have been around since the20s, so like 100 years. Not a fad except for people who hadn’t heard of it. Roscoe’s (who are considered the creators) have the best waffles I’ve ever tasted. Roscoes in Hollywood opened in 1975. I preferred the chicken smother in gravy. > [@Hampshire](#): > > Calamari. Always disappointing so I don’t order it anymore. Little taste and the texture of inner tube. Okay in cioppino. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/84 "2025-09-29T02:44:49Z")
Are In-N-Out burgers actually good, or is the hype due to the toppings? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/85 "2025-09-29T02:46:57Z")
Fillet Mignon Yes it is very tender, so what? I am not living in Tudor times where your teeth fell out in your thirties and tenderness was critical(also long before meat grinders were invented and the best “tenderized” beef was gravely ass minced beef). Tenderness is a ‘nice to have’ but flavor is 100 times better and filet has no fat, and no collagen and no flavor. I have eaten many a t-bone or porterhouse and thought, “ Yes the fillet side is noticeably more tender, but so much worse as thing to eat because there is no real flavor”, and as mentioned I have functioning teeth. I cannot understand all the people so caught up with the pretense and the bullshit of people spending 100$ to try to recreate Gordon Ramsey’s wellington or someone elses chateaubriand, only to be disappointed. You will be disappointed, it is a based on a food that is 100% elite pretense, and 0 % value of time and money. They have to add all kinds of mushrooms and larding because it is a dry tasteless cut. Seriously, if you have been to a dentist, just buy ground chuck at a small fraction of the price, put some binder knowledge behind it, and you will have a much better tasting “Wellington” for comparative pennies, that is even more tender. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/86 "2025-09-29T03:40:09Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > Are In-N-Out burgers actually good, or is the hype due to the toppings? There is nothing unique about the toppings - lettuce, tomato, onions (raw or grilled), French dressing and American cheese if you want it. If you get them “animal style” the patties are fried in mustard and loads of pickles are added. But they’re very standard-issue, thin-patty, even smallish burgers. What sets them apart is higher-quality meat (nothing frozen, 100% company-ground chuck), cooked to order and high quality control. Because In-N-Out pays better than most fast food joints, they tend to skim the cream of the crop for employees and I have found them to be pretty efficient and highly consistent. But they’re just fairly basic burgers that are simply tastier than most of their competitors. If you want fancy or thicker patties, they are not the place for you. Probably if you hate French dressing, ditto (unless you like your burgers plain, which they’ll accommodate). If you want a varied menu, ditto. It’s just variations on the basic burger, fries, sodas and milkshakes. And many people, including me, don’t like their style of fries. The classic [three-minute Anthony Bourdain video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4J1seTHAMU). ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/87 "2025-09-29T03:40:58Z")
FWIW, typically the same people I mentioned who think a steak is the pinnacle of culinary excellence are usually also buying filets. I don’t get either one. If I have to have a steak, give me a good thick NY or KC strip. But about 90 times out of 100, I’ll order the seafood. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/88 "2025-09-29T04:23:10Z")
I’ve had a Double Double with grilled onions, so I know how good they are. I just wonder if there are fans who get just a plain burger with maybe nothing more than ketchup or mustard. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/89 "2025-09-29T04:26:09Z")
Add me to the lobster folk. Ridiculous. It’s virtually tasteless. Crab kicks it around the block and then some. Most of the things I think of have come from the sea, which reflects my personal bias but I still think I’m right. For instance, caviar. Incredibly salty fish goo. And perhaps it would be better if it wasn’t so freaking salty… They have a choice about how salty they make it, why do they make it so salty? Overall it’s been my very limited experience that extremely high-end expensive foods that are considered the ultimate are either boring or nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/90 "2025-09-29T04:28:08Z")
Amen. With you 100%. I actually hate filet… to the extent it has flavor the flavor reminds me of offal. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/91 "2025-09-29T09:57:23Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > I just wonder if there are fans who get just a plain burger with maybe nothing more than ketchup or mustard. Oh, no idea. Though apparently you can order like that, I’ve never known anyone who has. But I should correct myself for those not already in the know - I meant a variant on thousand islands dressing, not French. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/92 "2025-09-29T11:42:31Z")
Wow! Yummy, yummy, yum, yum! I agree with your position, but I’m very upset because I REALLY want to eat that meal but I’ve never seen “stone crab” on any menu in any restaurant in this region, and I’ve been to a lot of good ones! I can reach only one sad conclusion: You guys are hogging it all down there and sending none up here to me! Bad Tibby, bad BAD Tibby! LOL ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/93 "2025-09-29T13:16:11Z")
I am indeed a bad cat! But, don’t hate me for wandering down to the dock and grabbing fresh stone crab claws like it’s my personal seafood vending machine—Piña Colada sweating in one hand, mallet in the other, seagulls squabbling while scantily-clad bathing beauties look on. Tough gig, but somebody’s gotta keep Florida honest. Because I’m a benevolent crustacean overlord, I found you a lifeline: [Key Largo Fisheries—Stone Crab Claws.](https://www.keylargofisheries.com/collections/stone-crab-claws) They’ll ship those sweet, briny beauties straight to your door so you can stop shaking your fist at the Gulf Stream. Enjoy it for me, because next month I’m trading palm trees for rowhouses and cheesesteaks, heading back to Philly after forty years. Soon it’s snow boots instead of flip-flops, and the only claws I’ll see will be on the Eagles’ mascot. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/94 "2025-09-29T13:38:33Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Because I’m a benevolent crustacean overlord, I found you a lifeline: [Key Largo Fisheries—Stone Crab Claws.](https://www.keylargofisheries.com/collections/stone-crab-claws) They’ll ship those sweet, briny beauties straight to your door so you can stop shaking your fist at the Gulf Stream. Oh 'm God! You are worthy of worship! Thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/95 "2025-09-29T13:50:49Z")
Just pre-ordered 3 lbs! It’s due the 3rd week of October! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/96 "2025-09-29T14:05:12Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Florida stone crab wipes the ocean floor with lobster Nice pic! I get stone crab claws whenever I visit my sister in Florida. They are very delicious, though I’d put them on par with lobster, not above, myself. And it is pretty cool that they’re live-harvested and grow back. That has to be the only meat where that’s the case, right? I’m not crazy about the mustard sauce typically served with them, though. To me it’s too overpowering of a flavor. I like just a little melted butter and some lemon wedges. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/97 "2025-09-29T15:09:01Z")
Stone crab fisheries are a rare model of sustainability: fishers twist off one (sometimes both) claws, toss the crab back, and it regenerates—like a self-reloading seafood buffet. Outside of a few controversial practices, like divers taking a slice of live abalone for sashimi and letting it heal, you won’t find many edible animals with a built-in “refill” feature. Well, except for the three-legged pig in my yard—because you never eat a good pig all at once. Given the choice between being boiled alive or losing a limb that grows back, I know which box I’m checking. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/98 "2025-09-29T15:51:41Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Just pre-ordered 3 lbs! It’s due the 3rd week of October! 🙂 Good job! I recommend buying or [making](https://www.garlicandzest.com/florida-stone-crab-claws-mustard-sauce/) mustard sauce to dip the claw meat in. Let us know how you like them. And, if you’re ever in Miami, go to [Joe’s Stone Crab](https://joesmemories.com/index.php/memories/). ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/99 "2025-09-29T15:53:54Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Calamari. Always disappointing so I don’t order it anymore. I usually don’t like foods with that texture, but when I was in grad school, there was this one restaurant that had an amazing version of this, made with a spicy but not too hot coating. That was fantastic, and I’ve never had the equal anywhere else since. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/100 "2025-09-29T15:54:21Z")
Just book marked the page. Looking forward to this. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414.md?page=6)