Yeah, I got that. The Braintree one is the one I went to, BTW.
I’d hate to see the one in Saugus go. The cactus is such a major part of what I call the Vegas Strip of MA.
Houston’s got my least favorite restaraunt: Pancho’s Mexican Buffet. Wound up stuck at one when our car broke down on the highway. It was horrid, nasty, bland, greasy Tex-Mex. Worst Mexican I’ve ever had (and that includes in Florida which does have some pretty bad Mexican as well).
I wouldn’t know authentic Chinese food if it jumped up and bit me on the ass. That said, there are two good Chinese places within five minutes of my house. One of them delivers. The other one, I’m sad to say, has been neglected.
As for bad Chinese, the worst was at a buffet(Isn’t it always?) close to where I used to work. The wontons had all been plucked out of the soup tureen, leaving a pale yellow broth behind. I skipped that. The sweet and sour chicken was… edible. Not something I wanted to return for. The rice was dry, and the kid’s section with french fries and chicken nuggets made me giggle.
When I was a kid, I was notorious for my picky eating habits. I like to think I’ve gotten better. I still don’t like Mexican food, fullstop. I’m probably in the cilantro-allergic camp. In any case, when the family heads out for Mexican, as they so often do, I eat chips and cheese dip. Even if I liked Mexican, Taco Bell would be out. That’s some foul stuff.
Subway is just nasty. My brain demands to know why people haven’t died from eating that meat that lies out for so long.
As for the Applebee’s, Friday’s group, Chili’s would be the only one I’d say you’d be likely to get a decent meal out of. Not that I’d be eager to go there.
I’ve only been to Olive Garden twice in my life, both times probably ten years ago. I don’t want to go back.
“Bickfords Pancake House (From Hell tm)”
It possibly may be in their mission statement to not be able to provide a table setting that includes one (1) knife, one (1) fork, and one (1) spoon. I’d have paid extra for cleanliness too, but sadly that just wasn’t an option. The waitstaff are slow/eccentric/ David Lynch-esque and the rest of the people there just seemed to stare uncomfortably at our table without eating their food for the entire time we were there…both times (different locations, different states. Dear Og, they’re Spreading…!).
I honestly kept expecting to hear “People are Strange” play on the jukebox, but I really didn’t want to see just who’d get up to dance. You want trick-or-treat 365 days a year? Go to Bickfords. And no, those aren’t costumes.
Whenever possible I’ll head for the local establishment. They’re not always better but at least you have a chance of finding a real gem.
That said, I will stop at either Chilis or Applebees when there is not a better alternative but I’m very selective on what I order. I’m usually by myself so I sit at the bar and order a Chicken Caesar with a cup of chili if I’m really hungry. It’s very rare that I veer from that and it’s usually pretty good quality and the service at the bar is also quick and personable.
Places I refuse to stop unless there is just no other option: Olive Garden, TGI Fridays, Red Lobster, Taco Bell, McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys, Dennys, Shoneys.
Another thing to keep in mind if you do find yourself stopping at any of these establishment - Stick with what they do well (if anything). Just because they have a rack of baby back ribs listed on the menu doesn’t mean they have the slightest clue. Don’t order it. You’re much better off seeking out Bubba’s BBQ and giving the business to those who know what they are doing.
The site of the Braintree Hilltop will become a Toyota dealership.
I don’t know about you, but I find the ads for Dead Lobster that play in the Boston broadcast market funny—the nearest Dead Lobster is in Manchester, CT., well over 2 hours away.
Oh, yes, lots and lots of them. I’ve been to some wonderful local places in the US. However, people here would know nothing about them unless they were in the same area; thus, the gripes about the chains.
And sometimes it’s just easier to go to a chain for whatever reason. Here’s one I do like: the International House of Pancakes – IHOP. I introduced my Thai wife to it in the U.S., and she loves it. Pancakes are rather hard to find in Thailand, not impossible but you really must make an effort. Plus IHOP where I studied for my bachelor’s degree used to have an all-the-coffee-you-can-drink deal all night long and into the next morning for students studying for final exams, so we had a lot of good cram sessions. So chains are not always bad.
But believe me, there are some wonderful local eateries out there. If you’re ever going to the U.S., just mention where and ask, and I’ll bet you get told about a lot of good places.
I figured it out. the beans left out the lard and garlic and the rice was tomato sauce and sugar, no frito of pepper, onions, and garlic. It’s all shortcut Mexican, and the irony is that mexican food is simple food. Why not put that little extra in?
Another vote for Taco Hell. I don’t understand why they even exist here in Albuquerque, home of some of the best Mexican/Southwest style food in the country.
Like a Red Lobster in Cape Cod.
The thing I don’t like about Subway is that you can’t just go in and say, “Give me a number three”. You have to stand there and call out your preferences for each individual ingredient over this barrier that is about at eye level. If I’m stopping at a fast food place, it’s because I’m tired and I just don’t care all that much. Don’t make me build a friggin’ sandwich, just give me a number three!
I hate pretty much all Indian food. Anything that looks like it came out of the back end of a baby is not something I want to eat.
I’ve had some of the best Chinese food in Hong Kong and some of the worst. There are some places out on Lamma Island that are excellent (if somewhat touristy), while there is a place on Cheung Chau that I wouldn’t go to again if paid. I’d avoid the Peak restaurant because of the food, but the view is amazing.
Go down to the night market and get some Char Sui (BBQ Pork). Unbelievable!
The Keg is pretty good. You get the steak you want done the way you want it. Nothing to complain about there.
The Outback in Nassau was okay, but it could be because we couldn’t find any other restaurant that we could afford that wasn’t crap.
Avoid Tony Roma’s in the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai! I’ve never liked restaurant ribs pretty much anywhere I’ve been, but the beef ribs there were truly horrendous. Greasy, full of fat, little meat, and no flavour.
I’m forced to conclude that the south not only can’t do ethnic food, but can’t do southern food either.
I base this on one specific restaurant. A BBQ place in Jacksonville FL. I don’t recall the name.
In my inexperienced and naive Yankee way, I assumed that BBQ meant food on the bone, dry rubbed and slow cooked either by smoke or braising, until it had a deep penetration of rich tangy flavor. But no, I guess I was wrong. “Real southern” BBQ consists of lukewarm, bland, thickly sliced deli meats served with little plastic containers of a cold liquid resembling sweetened ketchup. And not many of them.
Not in medium-large cities, at least. I’m sure if you lived in some podunk town somewhere west of Topeka Kansas, you’d be hard pressed to find much to eat that was interesting, but then again, you probably wouldn’t even have chain restaurants beyond McDonald’s and Subway.
The big cities I’ve spent large amounts of time in (Houston, Austin, Dallas) have all the big chains, but they also have huge numbers of local joints and local chains.
At least in Dallas, there’s just not much point in going to On The Border, when you can go to Gloria’s, Herrerra’s, or Uncle Julio’s for Mexican/Tex-Mex. Or… if you’re looking for Italian, you can go to Momo’s or several other good Italian places that aren’t chains. We have great local steakhouses here… world class even. Hell, even if you want a cheap steak, the Houston/Austin/Dallas Saltgrass chain is much better than Outback or anywhere like that.
And… the Chinese/Vietnamese food in Southwest Houston will stand up to Chinese/Viethamese food anywhere else. In my experience, it was better in Houston than San Francisco!
We have Subway in Bangkok, open 24 hours, and as much as I like Thai food, there’s nothing like a big Subway footlong after a hard night out in the bars. Mmmmm.
The absolute WORST Chinese food I ever had was in Vancouver, BC-absolute trash. Which is weird, because that city has a large Chinese community. It was really bad. some of the best I’ve had was from those little stoefront places in strip mall-one time, i had sweet and pungent spare ribs-devine! I complemented the owner, but he wouln’t give me the recipe! Mexican is NOT hard to do-however, you must use mexican cheese-kraft american rubberized “cheese” ™
won’t do! Other than that 9and use real poblano chili peppers, it is pretty hard to screw up. As for “Dead” Lobster-everything they sell has been in a freezer for 6 months, so no flavor at all.
And Outback: I’ve oftern wondered if they have chimpanzees working in the kitchen-grilling steaks is not rocket science
Several Mexican joints here, but none is good, to say the least. But I still have to have my fix from time to time, so you get used to it.
I haven’t run into a kind of BBQ I like outside of Texas. If those ribs aren’t from a cow they ain’t ribs, dammit! “Real” BBQ isn’t one way of cooking, it’s about a million of them, depending on where you are. Shredded pork swimming in sauce (where I was in Georgia)…ick. I’m told there’s some truly horrible-sounding mustard-based stuff in South Carolina. BLECH.
There used to be a Red Lobster in Dartmouth, about 10 miles from Cape Cod, and right between New Bedford & Fall River, which have some damn good seafood places of their own. For some unknown reason, my nephew demanded that his family go to that Red Lobster for his 13th birthday, then had to apologize to all of them when he realized how awful it was.
The thing is, at least in my part of New England, some of the pudunkiest of poor excuses for non-towns have wonderful restaurants. As a cite, I give you the Eagle Inn in Rowley, MA. (Where?) And of course the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, right next to the one-room schoolhouse where Mary brought her Little Lamb.
I love that mustard based goodness found in South Carolina. Pork on the grill and mustard BBQ sauce - mmmmm
Currently reside in Texas and have grown very fond of beef brisket but I’ll always retain my love for grilled or BBQ pork. Bring on the country style or baby back ribs 