BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
Off Topic and Technical Support => Off Topic => Topic started by: Drop Bear on 19 May 2019, 06:41:49
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A lot more American & Canadian Chains are making their way down under, on the South-side of Brisbane (may be outside the city in one of the surrounding shires) we had a Carl JR open a bit over a year ago, more recently we had one open on the northside about 20-30 minuets from where I live, if you don't count traffic, about an hour or so if you do.
I tried it the first time on Friday
And it was Good, I'd give it around a B grade for taste, it kicks MacDonald's But. though we ate most of our food in store what we took away stayed warm and held its flavor till we finished it over 15 minuets after it was served as we traveled. Portion sizes for Chips & Drinks where smaller than expected, but nothing wrong with that given the Burger was more filling than what you get from the big two burger chains, now I know I'll likely go large next time.
Unfortunately it's too far to go just to get a Burger, but you would be mad not to grab one if your in the area.
Supposedly there is a Tim Hortorns opening up around the same area as my nearest Carls Jr. any other chains I should keep an eye out for, We've bean promised an invasion of North American chains for 3-5 years now but they seam to be taking their good sweet time in materializing.
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Just about every burger chain in America is better than McDonald's (A&W burgers are worse due to their crappy buns). Carl's is one of my favorites right after Smashburger and Five Guys (neither of which will be Down Under anytime soon) and I've been known to go to Carl's just for the onion rings.
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I love Hardee’s (the version of Carl Jr’s in my neck of the woods), particularly their Frisco and mushroom and Swiss thickburgers, chicken sandwich and hot dogs. I also love their low carb options for their sandwiches (can’t do that to the Frisco one though...by personal choice). They also have a decent smoked sausage and egg breakfast biscuit.
I’d probably top them in my fast food burger charts (love Five Guys too but are expensive) if I want a good size burger (although I prefer a local chain called Pal’s for a smaller burger). For chicken sandwiches they come in behind Wendy’s (second place for their spicy Asiago each chicken sandwich) and Chick-fil-a (first place). Hot dogs, I rank them behind Sonic’s chili cheese coney. Chicken tenders? They are behind McDonald’s chicken strips (at second) and Chick-fil-a is at first.
Like all fast food though, they can be very high in sodium.
Ruger
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Yeah, McD's is largely trash unless you just want a small cheeseburger now, no arguments. CJ is a step up, but still lower-middle quality. I don't know what to make of it since it merged with Hardees a number of years back. I don't know if its DNA is more CJ or Hardees. I liked the former as a kid, not so much the latter (very very salty).
Hot US chains:
- In 'n Out (big, flat, sloppy, and fun)
- Culver's (Wisconsin chain, so lots of kinds of cheese varieties with a fairly crispy hand-flattened patty)
- Five Guys (cleanest taste, best ingredients stacked super high)
- Shake Shack (halfway between Five Guys and Culver's, but with NYC flair)
- Whataburger (dunno, but the south swears by it)
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As an american i deeply apologize that you were led to think mcdonalds is representative of our burgers.
Carls jr is alright, but honestly lost a lot of their quality after hardees bought 'em. the fries are certainly worse than they were before and the burgers can be hit or miss depending on the location.
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Hot US chains:
- In 'n Out (big, flat, sloppy, and fun)
- Culver's (Wisconsin chain, so lots of kinds of cheese varieties with a fairly crispy hand-flattened patty)
- Five Guys (cleanest taste, best ingredients stacked super high)
- Shake Shack (halfway between Five Guys and Culver's, but with NYC flair)
- Whataburger (dunno, but the south swears by it)
East Tennessee also has Pal’s (most are drive around only, and only a very limited menu, but famous for their quality and employee training, and are even known to let people pay later if they left their wallet at home).
Freddy’s, which has an old malt-shop type atmosphere. Cheap and not too bad food (but not too good either).
Steak and Shake: been a while since I’ve been to one. IIRC, different sandwiches and cups o’ fries.
Cook-out: lots of menu options but food is mediocre.
Arby’s: mostly roast beef and other sliced meat sandwiches (mostly ok, but love their Italian sandwich...but sodium very high...one other thing they have going for them most don’t, marinara dipping sauce).
Burger King: ugh. Very little to recommend them. Infamous for their original cardboard...erm, chicken sandwich (at least to me).
Zaxby’s: decent chicken options, large salads, decent fried mushrooms, marinara dipping sauce.
Ruger
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While I was still in the military I had friends who swore by Steak and Shake, Sonic, or Jack in the Box; all of which seem to have regional rather than national appeal. I had never heard of any of them growing up in the northeast. Our "regional" quirky burgers seems to have been White Castle (see a Harold and Kumar movie about what they're like).
I'd have to agree that if I wanted to show off what a fast food burger can be, I'd take someone to Five Guys. But they straddle the line with sit-down and fast food (it would be a total disaster if you try to eat in your car). For conventional drive-thru friendly burgers, my go-to would be Wendy's.
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Just about every burger chain in America is better than McDonald's (A&W burgers are worse due to their crappy buns). Carl's is one of my favorites right after Smashburger and Five Guys (neither of which will be Down Under anytime soon) and I've been known to go to Carl's just for the onion rings.
You do NOT SLAM A&W!
OK, joking aside, with regards to A&W, I don;t know what their US MENU is like, but on the Canadian Side, they have hands down, the BEST breakfast menu. I can go to A&W and Have Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Toast and Hashbrowns with coffee for under $10. Also, the restaurant is not to blame for buns, as that is contracted locally with bakeries.
How do I know? 34 years I work at ... *ahem* ... Burger King, and often, the bun delivery would give us McDonalds BIG MAC buns by accident. We'd use them for the hamburgers/cheeseburgers but we would need to toss away the middle bun portion.
Wifey is not a burger FAN, but is a FAN of FIVE GUYS.
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cleanup
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I don't know why anyone in Australia would go for fast food burgers rather than something out of a local cafe or Grilld at least. You guys make great burgers, although I note that even the local "Macca's" tastes better because of the quality of the beef used in the patties.
Also, A&W has I think the best budget root beer in existence. Somehow they just got the taste right. The waffles are great too.
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For McDonald's, go for the Egg McMuffin. Buy them when you get a BOGO coupon for them. You then get a receipt, and on the receipt is a survey. Fill out the survey within a couple days, and you get a code you write on the survey receipt.
With the survey receipt and code, you go to McD's again (within a month because the code expires then) ordering BOGO Egg McMuffins again. You get another receipt, with the same survey site listed. Repeat as desired. Even better, Egg McMuffins use a real egg.
But for quality burgers, the Red Robin Royale is great
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You do NOT SLAM A&W!
OK, joking aside, with regards to A&W, I don;t know what their US MENU is like, but on the Canadian Side, they have hands down, the BEST breakfast menu. I can go to A&W and Have Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Toast and Hashbrowns with coffee for under $10. Also, the restaurant is not to blame for buns, as that is contracted locally with bakeries.
my experience on the west coast- A&W has some seriously loose franchise rules, which leads to there being a "good" and "bad" A&W nearby. the good one is probably the best of the cheapo burger places near here, the bad one......the bad one is frequented only by the truckers while their hauls are waiting to be unloaded. close to inedible.
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As an american i deeply apologize that you were led to think mcdonalds is representative of our burgers.
Carls jr is alright, but honestly lost a lot of their quality after hardees bought 'em. the fries are certainly worse than they were before and the burgers can be hit or miss depending on the location.
Agreed. I used to love their western bacon burgers, but after Hardees bought them out, they started losing some of their flavor.
While I was still in the military I had friends who swore by Steak and Shake, Sonic, or Jack in the Box; all of which seem to have regional rather than national appeal. I had never heard of any of them growing up in the northeast. Our "regional" quirky burgers seems to have been White Castle (see a Harold and Kumar movie about what they're like).
I love Jack in the Box's fahita pita, and their sour dough ultimate burger..
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I don't know why anyone in Australia would go for fast food burgers rather than something out of a local cafe or Grilld at least. You guys make great burgers, although I note that even the local "Macca's" tastes better because of the quality of the beef used in the patties.
mostly because in most places we don't have local cafe's or grills anymore. the big chains tend to run them out of business (especially mcdonalds, which because the food is low quality, is also super cheap)
generally if a local business survives it is because it sells something the major chain's don't, like chinese, or because they offer a better experience for the type of food involved (like chinese, mexican, pizza)
here in america too, most of the chains allow private ownership of the places.. so while it might be a carl's Jr, it isn't owned by the hardees/CJ corporate, but rather the owner is paying to get access to the name and supply network. this is one reason why i've avoided Carl's Jr's.. i've had a lot of really bad experiences with CJ's that were just utterly filthy, run down, or made inedible food. i think this was mostly before the hardee's buyout, and i've not had too many issues with hardee's (though they are uninspiring in general), but i'm not in any hurry to learn if things have actually changed.
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my experience on the west coast- A&W has some seriously loose franchise rules, which leads to there being a "good" and "bad" A&W nearby. the good one is probably the best of the cheapo burger places near here, the bad one......the bad one is frequented only by the truckers while their hauls are waiting to be unloaded. close to inedible.
True, but I'm also starting to think there is a huge difference between the US and Canada versions of A&W. I'm West Coast Canada, and the A&W's here have THE Best breakfast of any fast food outlet, hands down:
https://web.aw.ca/en/our-menu/breakfast/all-canadian-special
Looking at the US website - nuttin' for breakfast.
https://www.awrestaurants.com/menu
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Give me Smashburger any day. last year they had a promo 100 days of Smash for $100. I almost bought in but figured I would be 80 pounds overweight and dying of heart disease 60 days in and I would really tick me off to not be able to use the full value of the promotion.
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True, but I'm also starting to think there is a huge difference between the US and Canada versions of A&W. I'm West Coast Canada, and the A&W's here have THE Best breakfast of any fast food outlet, hands down:
https://web.aw.ca/en/our-menu/breakfast/all-canadian-special
Looking at the US website - nuttin' for breakfast.
https://www.awrestaurants.com/menu
I’ve only been to them in Canada, but from what I’m told by those who have been to both, the Canada ones are far superior, especially for breakfast.
I wasn’t that fond of the burger I had at one, but the breakfast was very good.
Ruger
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A&W burgers aren't that great in my experience, but the root bear floats are to die for... :smitten:
Never had their breakfast... I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter... ;D
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Not many left, but there's a few A&Ws that still sell the root beer in frosted mugs.
They also used to have a decent cream soda.
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They still sell it in stores, when you can find it. I usually pick up 4-5 2 liters when it's on the shelves. Heck, I'm drinking some of it right now... :)
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We have a Wahlburgers in downtown Detroit. It's pretty good, but Five Guys is better.
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Central Texas here.
Whataburger is a local chain, fairly solid and well run. The burgers are decent, back in the day they use to grill the meat fresh, good stuff. Now you get good value for what you pay, always filling, menu is standard fare, but they do offer seasonal burgers which are really good. A good breakfast menu as well. Local secret, their burgers and fries can be microwaved, and will strangely taste better... no idea why... can't do that with other chains.
Sonic is also a solid choice, large menu, known for their cheap slushies and footlongs.
Culver's an out-of-state import, has a small footprint, well run, large menu, made fresh, very good. Known for their custard.
Usual national chains, quality dependent on local ownership. Hit and miss. Nothing to add.
Not a burger...
If you get a chance grab some Bill Miller's BBQ if pass through, best fast food bbq you'll ever taste. Also, good menu choices for a fast food joint.
Chick-fil-A... they will rule the World one day. Best to get on board now.
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Quite frankly I want more options than Burgers so give me all you got.
We've had "Burger King" down hear just as long as Maccas, but we call it Hungry Jacks, since we had a number of local fast food shops in different states already using the name Burger King. Hungry's actually came to the Suburbs and Regional areas before Maccas. HJ's for many years was my Burger place of choice, now days I have trouble choking it down, and when I can it gives me the runs.
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KFC in Australia is the pits.
Pizza... what pizza chains dyou have?
Even better, Egg McMuffins use a real egg.
Aren't they all real eggs?
Not many left, but there's a few A&Ws that still sell the root beer in frosted mugs.
They also used to have a decent cream soda.
Yeah they still do here in SE Asia. I'm thinking of picking up a souvenir mug.
They don't sell the cream soda instore here though, only find them in cans, but I find the taste rather strange.
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Not a burger...
If you get a chance grab some Bill Miller's BBQ if pass through, best fast food bbq you'll ever taste. Also, good menu choices for a fast food joint.
Billy Sims BBQ in Detroit is the equivalent of that. Best brisket sandwiches around here.
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Now all this chatter, makes me wanna look to see where the nearest Jack in the Box is, to me, here in Columbus...
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Aren't they all real eggs?
a lot of the chains use egg-products, heavily processed stuff that was once real eggs, before it was removed from the shell, blended together with hundreds of other eggs, had preservatives added, and then repackaged.
for all McDonalds issues, they do use actual fresh eggs
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US Pizza chains we have are Pizza Hut and Dominoes.
Dominoes used to use American recipes and was losing money hand over fist, they bought out a local chain that dueled Pizza Hut for top sales slot and went over to the local recopies for decades, a few years back they started to use American Recipes again and razed their prices this hurt sales, they started to introduce lots of new menu options since over the last decade when they had a downturn in sales zinging up the menu helped get them over rough patches, though it helped sales figures a bit the underlying costs have bean killing their bottom line, around six months back they switched from Coke to Pepsi and sales have tanked on Drinks lines and overall sales have had a down turn. inversely around Christmas time Pizza Hut went from Pepsi to Coke and this has helped bolster softening sales.
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Jack in the box used to be awesome because you could get breakfast all day...until McDonald’s started doing the same thing.
Still maintain that the best thing at jack is breakfast at all hours.
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Got Americans that come over hear and you can't keep them out of Maccas, they say it tastes sooo much better, they go on about how "Clean" and "Fresh" it tastes compared to the American version and the stores don't reek of grease. Take them to a fairly average Pub for a Counter Meal and they lose their mind having a Flavor Overload.
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Got Americans that come over hear and you can't keep them out of Maccas, they say it tastes sooo much better, they go on about how "Clean" and "Fresh" it tastes compared to the American version and the stores don't reek of grease. Take them to a fairly average Pub for a Counter Meal and they lose their mind having a Flavor Overload.
I think it comes down to food safety laws - the US tends to work on the assumption that something is safe until proven otherwise, while a lot of other countries (including the entire EU) work on something is unsafe until proven safe. So even though, say McDonalds franchises in Europe buy in most or all of their supplies from the McDonalds Europe corporate entity, they have to prepare their food to meet EU food safety standards, which are more stringent than in the US. I'd assume Oz works under similar principles.
On US food chains, McDonalds and Burger Monarch are pretty much the only ones to make major inroads into Ireland. Five Guys showed up a couple of years ago, they have two branches that I know of in Dublin, and one of them got hammered in the food pages of the papers here when it opened. There's a decent number of home-grown gourmet burger and faux diner type chains, so there might not be much of a market for more to worm their way into.
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Got Americans that come over hear and you can't keep them out of Maccas, they say it tastes sooo much better, they go on about how "Clean" and "Fresh" it tastes compared to the American version and the stores don't reek of grease. Take them to a fairly average Pub for a Counter Meal and they lose their mind having a Flavor Overload.
Yes, it really matters when you use fresh Australian beef, even in the form of a mass produced patty. As a result your Macca's tastes nearly as good as an average pub burger, nearly... Call it 80%.
Over here our Mcds are fairly decent, we have a good country manager who keeps the outlets on their toes, so Mcd is actually the cleanest fast food we have. Which is great cause I like to hang out at the McCafe, and I despise a dirty, greasy outlet.
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In the US an order of McDonald's "Fries" has like 19 Ingredients and I think 6 more things the FDA doesn't count as Ingredients. hear in OZ it's 3, Spuds, Vegetable Oil & Salt.
also we have less GM foods in our supply chain, so our Food tastes like Food not a bland mass market commodity.
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Billy Sims BBQ in Detroit is the equivalent of that. Best brisket sandwiches around here.
You misspelled Slow's!
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You misspelled Slow's!
Further out west I'm forced to rely on Famous Dave's. It's... like the Burger King of BBQ. Acceptable when there isn't anything better. The Brisket has declined precipitously though; I only go for their pork and chicken dishes. We had a local Dickey's which a few people I know from the middle states and south said was good. It must have been the franchise because while a few meals were good, most of it was heinous. (And I really didn't like the heated sauce at all.)
I do hope the south still doesn't accept this state of affairs, right? The only true barbecue is the hole-in-the-wall. Northerners still have to live in cities or rely on the chains afaik.
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McD's in the US, especially for the smaller fare like the generic cheesburger? After a few chews, you can't tell the meat from the bun.
That should tell you all you need to know about the dollar menu.
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Regarding BBQ in the US, regional taste plays a big part in preparation and taste. There are a lot of chains and restaurants that claim 'Texas BBQ,' but honestly have nothing in common other than the name. It is not Texas BBQ unless a flavored wood is used in preparation, normally mesquite, and uses an actual pit/closed grill. In fact there are a number of of so called chains that use 'Texas' in the name yet are completely unaffiliated with the state. Some locals even fall for the ruse, but I know my BBQ, and only eat at local eateries. Though in their defense many adopt local preparation techniques once they get here or they don't last.
As for Australian beef, it's good meat, I have done a fair bit of traveling and its worth the money. The best steak I ever ate, and I have eaten my share and paid good money as well, was at an Outback in Dubai... of all places; an Australian strip preprared by an African chef... it was amazing. Granted in the UAE a immigrant can be deported for bad service, so food was always good. But, this was an amazing steak and I have had Kobe steak while in Japan, prepared by a master chef. I couldn't stop eating or laughing at the table, everyone thought I was nuts, but they all got burgers; which they said were really good. I was straight-up manical lord... fools.
Anytime I have out-of-towners, I always give them a list of good burger joints and steakhouses to eat at, because the best part of traveling is the food. Texas, steak, burgers and beer; what else is there in life? I get upset with people who travel halfway across the globe and then eat at a McD's... why? Eat at a local place, I always ask a local where's a good steakhouse and a good lunch joint.
That aside best ramen I ever ate was a place called Nama Ramen, local eatery, definition of a whole-in-the-wall/greasy spoon, started by a Japanese immigrant. I spent three years in japan, and the best ramen I have ever eaten is in Texas. Go figure.
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I will agree that one needs to at least try out the local cuisine when traveling, even if you’re going to a fast food place, try out something there that they don’t have at home, as they will often have special dishes you can’t get otherwise.
I’ve done that at Canadian KFC’s and Pizza Huts, although I usually took in more regional eating places when I visited, especially if eating with a local. Loved one hole in the wall’s maple-flavored chicken wings.
Ruger
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Hardee's/Carl's JR a few years ago had one of the best commercials I have seen in a while-
https://youtu.be/eAYWM0iBIC0 (https://youtu.be/eAYWM0iBIC0)
Its a hilarious response to what their marketing campaign has been for the past 10 years. I am still undecided if the guy's beard/hair is real or make up artist.
Surprised I did not see any Checkers, but then again not too many folks from the SE. Stopped their on the way back from E Tenn last year, first time I went that way with my wife and she was pretty happy with the experience.
Whataburger is swore by in the South b/c even if it is a bit slower than some others, the burger is made at the time you order- so no sitting in a microwave tray like others- and you can get it made a LOT of different ways, even without the seasons stuff. Different cheeses, jalapenos, regular buns, wheat, Texas toast, tell them how much bacon you want (order it by the slice!), grilled onions, avocado, and a lot more options that I never use.
Lorcan- we were quite happy with the food we found in Ireland and never were tempted to eat at a 'US' chain so I really cannot compare, she was interested in the advertising differences. Fast food sort of fills a niche for the spread out nature of a lot of our cities. I think one of the big flavor differences in a lot of things was the lack of corn syrup- its pretty pervasive here b/c of the corn & sugar lobbies.
dropbear, McD's fries have a LOT of preservatives . . . I am sure most US posters have a story about cleaning out the car as a teenager and finding a McD fry under the seat that had been there for years . . . without changing colors or growing anything. Cockroaches are going to be eating left over McD's fries after WWIII.
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I will agree that one needs to at least try out the local cuisine when traveling
When we went to Paris it seemed like half the places were Italian joints....
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When we went to Paris it seemed like half the places were Italian joints....
Lol Kit, when we visited Dublin I was hoping to get a European cooking class- nope. We went to a cooking class in a castle's kitchen and learned some Thai dishes- half the class were locals and half visitors. So we sat in a Norman era castle kitchen eating Thai food with rustic lighting on a trestle table.
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Jack in the box used to be awesome because you could get breakfast all day...until McDonald’s started doing the same thing.
Still maintain that the best thing at jack is breakfast at all hours.
If i am going for breakfast all day, i go denny's or waffle house.
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Surprised I did not see any Checkers, but then again not too many folks from the SE. Stopped their on the way back from E Tenn last year, first time I went that way with my wife and she was pretty happy with the experience.
We had a Checkers move in locally several years ago (this is in Eastern PA, Lehigh Valley area if you are familiar...). I went there & was...not impressed. It was ok. Step up from mcDonalds, but there are a lot of places like that around here.
There's also a Dickeys that moved in locally a couple years ago. Been there a couple times & liked it well enough, but the place always looks deserted so I'm not sure how they make money. Also last time I was there (sometime this winter with my GF) I wasn't impressed with the guy behind the counter...
Damon.
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Checkers burgers are middle of the road, but they have the seasoned fries and b/c they are from the SE serve the only real beverage- coca cola.
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When we went to Paris it seemed like half the places were Italian joints....
When I visited Latvia, I think I counted more sushi restaurants than anything else... ;D
In their defense, one of the natives I spoke to said, "Local food? It's mostly sausage and potato..."
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Re: A&W. Most of the ones that have opened here (Toronto, Ontario) recently have the frosted mugs. The signage on the coolers says -15 degrees (that`s Celsius of course, so 2 or 3 degrees Fahrenheit). The mugs are cold enough that diet sodas will form a bit of slushy ice. Also agree on the flavor of the Root Beer. Even the Diet Root Beer is good (something I cannot say about any other diet drink other than Coke).
The burgers are good for fast food, not the best but good enough (personal favorite is the Mozzaburger).
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Carl's, Jr. Famous Star Meals were a pretty good value, if not quite so healthy to eat all the time. There's been a combo that included a small double cheesburger, spicey chicken sandwich, fries, medium drink and a cookie for five bucks.
Agreed.
Its not great tasting but for $5 the GF and I can split the meal when we are snackish & not too hungry.
I also get coupons for 2 of their thick burgers for $7 and that is a serious burger IMO.
Take them home & add something to them so I don't overpay for crap fries & overpriced soda.
And yes, its sad that people around the world thing McD's is what we consider good burgers, yuck.
Every couple of months when I swing into one I have to ask for extra pickles & mustard to cover up the fact that a McD burger tastes like cardboard w/ lard spread on it.
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I don't actually know if anyone really thinks that McDonald's burgers are good, just that they're fast and convenient when you want something to eat and you don't care if it's a charred hockey puck.
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Not many left, but there's a few A&Ws that still sell the root beer in frosted mugs.
They also used to have a decent cream soda.
I used to work on one that did so. They also served the full breakfast and it was dine-in, it was in Mason, Michigan.
Course, I disliked working there, but the food was good.
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You misspelled Slow's!
Slows isn't fast food bbq, though.
There's a place on Mack ave called Little Z's. The owners are from Arkansas and they really know their bbq. And their brisket plate is off the charts good.
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Every couple of months when I swing into one I have to ask for extra pickles & mustard to cover up the fact that a McD burger tastes like cardboard w/ lard spread on it.
The only time i go into Miccy d's, is for their breakfast burrito..
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Mcd sausage egg McMuffin is one of the most value for money deals I've seen.
These days people are more aware of other US chains like In-n-out, Shake Shack etc. I personally would like to try a Culver's butterburger.
But IMO fast food chains should never be considered epitome of anything. Give me a mom and pop any time.
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Slows isn't fast food bbq, though.
Ohhh, gotcha.
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The A&W near where I work is one that shares a building with LJS . . . they USED to have the root beer tap, but it sucks now since they took it out and just routed through the generic fountain machine. It DOES not taste the same.
We also have a chain here called Braum's, ice cream, fast food, and a small market . . . my wife used to work for them, and its a interesting set up. They will not build a store further than 300 miles or so from the farm where as much as possible is made. They used to be different and offered 1/3 pound burgers- so the double was 2/3s- but changed it to the standard quarter-pounders b/c of some regulation in the last five years going into effect- heard all about it, wife worked corporate office like I said. They are still big burgers, so I do wonder just how much of the weight cooks off compared to other places. Driving through the town on cinnamon roll days is just CRAZY because you can smell them being made in the factory. Cookie day is nice, but cinnamon roll day just makes your mouth water. You can drive through the surrounding area and find cornfields with the company signs, or other crops . . . the processing plant is probably responsible for keeping that little town going.
I have a local burger chain here, not fast food per se but they are fast, that you can order your burger set up (like 15 named burgers) but you can get it upgraded with a quarter pound patty that has bacon mixed in with the beef. They are all hand made, so its not like it takes longer, but you can go full bore bacon.
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I will say I like McDonalds sausage mcmuffin just because it's decent sausage and has a nice chunk of cheese on top, for a dollar. The english muffin's meh, but it gets the job done when it's cold.
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I will say I like McDonalds sausage mcmuffin just because it's decent sausage and has a nice chunk of cheese on top, for a dollar. The english muffin's meh, but it gets the job done when it's cold.
Call me crazy, but what I really miss in McDonalds is their pizza. Wasn’t very good, I guess, but I just got a craving for it every so often back when they sold it.
And I love having a McRib every so often.
Ruger
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Did McDonalds ever offer pizza in the US? The only time I ever remember seeing it for sale was when my family took a vacation to Canada.
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I don't actually know if anyone really thinks that McDonald's burgers are good, just that they're fast and convenient when you want something to eat and you don't care if it's a charred hockey puck.
In my ongoing quest for the perfect burger I've come to regard the McDonalds Quarter pounder as the baseline. On a scale of 1 - 10 it's a 3.5. Anything worse you never order again.
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That's what I call setting a low bar. ;)
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Scarily, I have had burgers that were worse. I'll also say that back in the early seventies when I was first able to go to a McDonalds the burgers tasted a bit better (or so my memories of 45 years ago say).
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It's probably not just your memory. Food quality in fast food places has been given a back seat in favor of speed of cooking. In the 70s, McDonalds was probably still cooking the patties on a fry top. These days I'm pretty sure that they're just microwaved, then maybe given a few seconds on the fry top for looks.
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quality in fast food has always taken a back seat to speed of cooking though. we've just made great strides in the field of quickly preparing things just barely able to be called food fast enough for people to eat them before they know what it is. ah, Mr. C.M.O.T Dribbler would be proud.....
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quality in fast food has always taken a back seat to speed of cooking though. we've just made great strides in the field of quickly preparing things just barely able to be called food fast enough for people to eat them before they know what it is. ah, Mr. C.M.O.T Dribbler would be proud.....
That's why i much prefer the oven system carls Jr used..
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I like a little more cheese so for me the double cheeseburger is the standard to beat. It could do with a slice of tomato, onion and lettuce though.
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Did McDonalds ever offer pizza in the US? The only time I ever remember seeing it for sale was when my family took a vacation to Canada.
Very much, yes. Back in the late 80’s/early 90’s (can’t remember which), I had them for quite a while in South Carolina.
As to McDonalds hamburgers, at least the meat to bread ratio is better than White Castle or Crystal burgers. I can’t even taste the meat in those unless I take the bread off.
Ruger
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As to McDonalds hamburgers, at least the meat to bread ratio is better than White Castle or Crystal burgers. I can’t even taste the meat in those unless I take the bread off.
White Castle burger patties have holes in them like swiss cheese. You're getting more grease than meat with them.
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Did McDonalds ever offer pizza in the US? The only time I ever remember seeing it for sale was when my family took a vacation to Canada.
https://mcdonalds.fandom.com/wiki/McPizza
Apparently, still available.
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I like a little more cheese so for me the double cheeseburger is the standard to beat. It could do with a slice of tomato, onion and lettuce though.
As an aside, I never really understood the use of lettuce on a burger. What exactly does it add? Usually when I order things I tell them to leave off the lettuce & tomato...
Damon.
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As an aside, I never really understood the use of lettuce on a burger. What exactly does it add? Usually when I order things I tell them to leave off the lettuce & tomato...
Damon.
It does add a nice taste I find (I prefer the crispness of a full leaf of Iceberg as opposed to shredded or Romaine).
But a for a true WTF moment, I need to think back to 1997-98 when I was traveling on Cheju Island in the south of Korea, and while at the Airport waiting for our flight received a burger with... wait for it...a leaf of CABBAGE instead of lettuce. Even my Wife (girlfriend at the time) who is FROM Korea was like "What the Heck?!?"
This was the same trip we took where she was craving for French Fries and was looking for somewhere to get some. At the time Cheju was not the huge Foreigner Tourist location it is slowly becoming, and so no McD's or Burger Kings or other Western Fast Food Chains, but all over Korea there is Lotteria's
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotteria
So, we were walking down the street, and she asked an elderly gentleman if there was a Lotteria close by, and he lit into me about why would I come to a foreign company and NOT try the local cuisine. Had to tell him, it was HER who wanted to get some fries, not me.
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As an aside, I never really understood the use of lettuce on a burger. What exactly does it add? Usually when I order things I tell them to leave off the lettuce & tomato...
Damon.
Relatively neutral flavor, it's more about texture. It also mechanically separates the greasy burger from the bun so it doesn't deteriorate to quickly. The tomato provides acid, which aside from flavor also helps beak down the fat and reduces the greasy taste.
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cleanup
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As an aside, I never really understood the use of lettuce on a burger. What exactly does it add? Usually when I order things I tell them to leave off the lettuce & tomato...
Damon.
You get a kind of fresh crisp taste in one bite that cuts through the heavy meat taste. It works well with a leaf of lettuce, a slice of tomato and a few rings of raw onions.
(It's like having a bite of salad between bites of steak, but with less steps...)
There's a triple cheeseburger in our McD's, 3 patties and 3 slices of cheeze. It's cool for when one is hungry, but the meat can be overpowering after a while, because it lacks the veggies of a quarter pounder or big mac.
About 15 years ago our Mcd used to have a strict 2 pickle pieces per cheeseburger policy, but now they've upped it to about 4-6 pieces per burger. As a kid I used to dread pickles and pick em out before eating, but now I love em, so I'm a pretty happy bunny.
The pickle does the same. Cuts the savoury meat and grease taste down a bit. Sauerkraut and kimchi works on the same principle.
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The salt in the pickles also balances the acid from the tomato and onion. Gastronomic science for the win! :thumbsup:
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And it adds more fiber to help get all that greasy meat through you.
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White Castle burger patties have holes in them like swiss cheese. You're getting more grease than meat with them.
Which is why i can't understand why people love white castle so much.
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Which is why i can't understand why people love white castle so much.
Not to mention that the meat is so thin, especially in comparison to the bun, and so bland, you really can’t taste it.
At least in my experience.
Ruger
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Just gonna leave this here from Tripadvisor.
(https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/10/1f/f4/ff/menu.jpg)
"On arrival, you get this hospital dress, and you nurse waitress will take you to your table. Wine will be serve in IV bags, and be careful if you don't finish your plate... The nurse will spank you in public... and it hurts. The Burger was really good, but don't expect any lettuce, as it may hurt your health. All is cooked in lard fat."
I left Vegas before they set up in the Fremont Street Experience but I might just need to go back.
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In my ongoing quest for the perfect burger I've come to regard the McDonalds Quarter pounder as the baseline. On a scale of 1 - 10 it's a 3.5. Anything worse you never order again.
So its like the Vedette of tanks. :)
Its a baseline measuring stick.
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It's probably not just your memory. Food quality in fast food places has been given a back seat in favor of speed of cooking. In the 70s, McDonalds was probably still cooking the patties on a fry top. These days I'm pretty sure that they're just microwaved, then maybe given a few seconds on the fry top for looks.
quality in fast food has always taken a back seat to speed of cooking though. we've just made great strides in the field of quickly preparing things just barely able to be called food fast enough for people to eat them before they know what it is. ah, Mr. C.M.O.T Dribbler would be proud.....
If only that were the case.
The food tastes worse than ever for sure, but its not for "speed".
I swear, these days I sit in line waiting for the food for-ever.
I remember when you would just see the lines of pre-made burgers sitting on shelves w/ #s next to them saying how long they were "good" for, so a 9 was good till 1/4 till the hour. A 5 till 25 after.
Now days they make everyone of them fresh & you wait 5-10 minutes instead of 30-60 seconds.
Honestly, if I wanted a fresh made meal, I'd go to a sit down restaurant or to decent fast food like Chipotle. I go to McD's because I want the chicken nuggets that were made 5 minutes ago & can be handed to me in 30 seconds.
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I know there must be something on the menu at mcdonalds, that's actually decent, but IMO the line from Smokey and the Bandit sums them up... Choke and Puke
on the other hand around here Oregon/sw Washington all the A&W's I see are co located with KFC and any more that's just foul, I would rather get the fried chicken from safeway or winco its not swimming in grease like the KFC is.
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I would rather get the fried chicken from safeway or winco its not swimming in grease like the KFC is.
Almost every other chain or grocery store is going to have better fried chicken than KFC. The only reasons I ever go to KFC are for the following:
1) chicken littles- tenders on a roll with pickle and mayo
2) biscuits
3) all you can eat buffet. Which, lets face it, you are filling up on sides, so why not get as much as you what of them!
In addition to multiple grocery stores that make their own fried chicken we have Popeyes, Bojangles, Royal Farms (which I'm not fond of) and an assortment of gas station fried chicken. I think my last trip into KFC was 2 years ago. It was about 15 minutes for the last sit down restaurants were going to close and I found a KFC. Got my cheap chicken and then went back to my hotel. I sucked down that grease pile while watching an episode of Penn and Teller's BS, that by coincident, was reviewing how good or bad fast is for you and included details about both Carl's Jr's and KFC ;D
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I found Safeway fried chicken to be fairly bland and tasteless, myself.
In Oregon and Washington, the actual best place to get fried chicken that I'm aware of is Abby's Pizza (though I recommend against getting their pizza).
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I know there must be something on the menu at mcdonalds, that's actually decent, but IMO the line from Smokey and the Bandit sums them up... Choke and Puke
Their current chicken tenders (I forget the official name).
Edit: they also had an excellent signature grilled chicken sandwich back when they had that one with brown mustard and some other toppings, but that was apparently discontinued.
Ruger
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Almost every other chain or grocery store is going to have better fried chicken than KFC.
I used to work in the deli at a local grocery store in one of my many, many college jobs. We used to make the fried chicken. That job turned me off on grocery store fried chicken for years. Also Hatfield domestic ham. Gross.
Damon.
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I used to work in the deli at a local grocery store in one of my many, many college jobs. We used to make the fried chicken. That job turned me off on grocery store fried chicken for years. Also Hatfield domestic ham. Gross.
Damon.
Truth. During my last year of high school, I worked for a soft pretzel shop in a now-demolished Denver-area mall. I still can't eat soft pretzels over two decades later. Ditto for Slurpees after working at a 7-11 through my first two years of college. Just the sight of them makes me start sweating in fear.
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Lol, I figured it out due to KP before becoming a waiter . . . never work somewhere you like to eat.
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Had an audit engagement at a pig slaughterhouse once. Upside: the cafeteria served fresh roast and barbecue pork every day. Downside: the smell of offal permeated the entire site, even through to the admin building offices.
Put me off tripe and chitterlings for a full year after.
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Mixed bag here. I've made more donuts than a person could eat in a lifetime and don't much care for them. But I still make pretzels on a regular basis (make it the size of a bagel and slice it as such, put in some ham, cheese, mustard... oh yeah :thumbsup: ).
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Stop making me hungry! ;D
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We used to make the fried chicken. That job turned me off on grocery store fried chicken for years. Also Hatfield domestic ham.
I believe that anyone that has worked grocery or in a restaurant will get naturally turned off by something you had to make, smell, or deal with for an extended period of time. I've never had any hatfield meats that I can recall. I think the only reason I even know the name is because they used to advertise Hatfield sausages at Nat's Park.
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I believe that anyone that has worked grocery or in a restaurant will get naturally turned off by something you had to make, smell, or deal with for an extended period of time.
Absolutely, but there are some cases where you find out just how lax quality control is with food and you just can't bring yourself to eat it again.
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Yeah, McD's is largely trash unless you just want a small cheeseburger now, no arguments.
McDonald's is the benchmark for fast food burgers. The prices have gotten out of hand on anything above their classic burger. It has probably been over 10 years since I have had a bigmac, but those have always been good. The fries are a strange thing, both repulsive and good at the same time. ;D
CJ is a step up, but still lower-middle quality. I don't know what to make of it since it merged with Hardees a number of years back. I don't know if its DNA is more CJ or Hardees. I liked the former as a kid, not so much the latter (very very salty).
I don't know where you are, but I was in NY back in 2000 and first saw Carl's Jr. as Hardees. It was interesting to see various brands with different names. I didn't notice much of a difference from CJs here in Cali. How long ago was the merger?
Hot US chains:
- In 'n Out (big, flat, sloppy, and fun) Big? No, their burgers are thin and small. Most of them are very clean as they do not put much spread on them. If someone does go there you should ask for a side of thousand island dressing, which will help move it towards sloppy. Also, get the "animal style" fries, which an order of fries with cheese, thousand island dressing, and chopped grilled onion. I personally think they are very over-rated and if they cooked their meat all the way most people would lose interest and their "but its really really fresh!" nonsense. Yes, its fresh because the damn thing is still to be fully cooked! ;D Their regular fries are flavorless and typically soft. Ask them to be crispy. What they do have going for them is that their prices are not absurd. Their shakes are also good.
- Five Guys (cleanest taste, best ingredients stacked super high) Five Guys is rather good. Being able to pick from an assortment of toppings really separates them from most places. Their hotdogs are really good as well. They are very generous with their fries, which is otherwise unheard of from a burger chain. The prices are higher then average. Some people try to classify them as fast food, which I don't believe that they are. They take some time to make and I have yet to see a location with a drive-thru.
- Shake Shack - I have yet to get a chance to try them. :-\
- Whataburger (dunno, but the south swears by it) Whataburger is to me what InNOut is to people outside of california. I don't really care about InNOut, but I have one around the corner. My Dad was from Texas and we used to go out there on vacation most years. Whataburger was different from what we could get in Cali. If it wasn't for going to Arizona a few times to catch some Cactus League games it would have been a very long time since I had one. Their burgers are on the saltier side. I last had some burger with jalepenos on it, which was good. Then again any burger that they have and a ton of mustard is going to make me happy.
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All of the Five Guys around me aren't last liberal at throwing extra fries in the bag anymore. While I don't feel their quality has decreased the cost of a meal has and I don't go there all that often anymore because of it. I miss the day when there were only Three Five Guys and the additional cost was driving the distance to get there. The coat of tla Five Guys meal now meets or exceeds what I would pay at most sit down restaurants :(
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The extra fries at 5 Guys is great... They're already fairly expensive, & my kids love 5 Guys for some reason. So when I go I order only 1 regular fry & we all share it. If I had to start ordering 2 or 3 regular fries, the economics would dictate I never ate there again...
Damon.
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Wahlburgers is as expensive as Five Guys, and without the bonus bag fries. I only eat at either of them once in a blue moon, and Wahlburgers only when I have a hot date and we're in downtown Detroit, so that limits my experience. But both are tasty. Better than McD's.
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There isnt a Carls Jr or a Hardees anywhere near me. I don't really know where to get a good fast food burger anymore. All the places in my area seem like the quality dropped.
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McDonald's is the benchmark for fast food burgers. The prices have gotten out of hand on anything above their classic burger. It has probably been over 10 years since I have had a bigmac, but those have always been good. The fries are a strange thing, both repulsive and good at the same time. ;D
Eh. If I go it's because the McRib and McNuggets have that weird snappy mouthfeel and taste I just want one more of. The burgers I can leave unless it's a simple cheeseburger and I would like one at 1am.
I don't know where you are, but I was in NY back in 2000 and first saw Carl's Jr. as Hardees. It was interesting to see various brands with different names. I didn't notice much of a difference from CJs here in Cali. How long ago was the merger?
I grew up between CA Carl's Jr. and OK Hardees. I liked the former but the family found the latter so salty we only went a couple of times before abandoning it (even their cinnamon bun and biscuits and gravy breakfast).
- In 'n Out (big, flat, sloppy, and fun) Big? No, their burgers are thin and small. Most of them are very clean as they do not put much spread on them. If someone does go there you should ask for a side of thousand island dressing, which will help move it towards sloppy. Also, get the "animal style" fries, which an order of fries with cheese, thousand island dressing, and chopped grilled onion. I personally think they are very over-rated and if they cooked their meat all the way most people would lose interest and their "but its really really fresh!" nonsense. Yes, its fresh because the damn thing is still to be fully cooked! ;D Their regular fries are flavorless and typically soft. Ask them to be crispy. What they do have going for them is that their prices are not absurd. Their shakes are also good.
I was misremembering a local chain with them. In 'n out has more of a vertical stack with some nice crispy edging. I love it. The floppy fries are something I kind of roll with as "local quirk".
- Five Guys (cleanest taste, best ingredients stacked super high) Five Guys is rather good. Being able to pick from an assortment of toppings really separates them from most places. Their hotdogs are really good as well. They are very generous with their fries, which is otherwise unheard of from a burger chain. The prices are higher then average. Some people try to classify them as fast food, which I don't believe that they are. They take some time to make and I have yet to see a location with a drive-thru.
Well explained. There's also something about their meat that just tastes like meat the same way that sometimes buffalo meat just somehow tastes cleaner than your average ground bovine.
- Whataburger (dunno, but the south swears by it) Whataburger is to me what InNOut is to people outside of california. I don't really care about InNOut, but I have one around the corner. My Dad was from Texas and we used to go out there on vacation most years. Whataburger was different from what we could get in Cali. If it wasn't for going to Arizona a few times to catch some Cactus League games it would have been a very long time since I had one. Their burgers are on the saltier side. I last had some burger with jalepenos on it, which was good. Then again any burger that they have and a ton of mustard is going to make me happy.
Yeah, I agree. Good in its own quirky-ness.
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You do NOT SLAM A&W!
OK, joking aside, with regards to A&W, I don;t know what their US MENU is like, but on the Canadian Side, they have hands down, the BEST breakfast menu. I can go to A&W and Have Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Toast and Hashbrowns with coffee for under $10. Also, the restaurant is not to blame for buns, as that is contracted locally with bakeries.
How do I know? 34 years I work at ... *ahem* ... Burger King, and often, the bun delivery would give us McDonalds BIG MAC buns by accident. We'd use them for the hamburgers/cheeseburgers but we would need to toss away the middle bun portion.
Wifey is not a burger FAN, but is a FAN of FIVE GUYS.
Canadian A&W is a separate corporation than the US one, and yes, it is better
A&W Food Services of Canada, Inc. is a Canadian fast food restaurant chain.[4] The chain was originally part of the U.S.-based A&W Restaurants chain, but was sold to Unilever in 1972, and then bought by its management in 1995.[5] It no longer has any corporate connection to A&W operations outside of Canada
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Wifey is not a burger FAN, but is a FAN of FIVE GUYS.
Have you tried Harveys?
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So has anyone had an Impossible Burger?
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Have you tried Harveys?
None close by.
Closest was at the Home Depot at Strawberry Hill (Surrey), but they closed that and made it a Subways.
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We have one now in Poco near Home Depot. :thumbsup:
Our Alberta & Ontario friends should be familiar with Harvey's. 8)
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I've had several, the first was at an solo burger place which I still frequent, but still felt and tasted like a usual veggie patty. The second was at a Carl's Jr, and that felt and tasted like a well done burger. I was impressed. I would order it again.
So has anyone had an Impossible Burger?
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So has anyone had an Impossible Burger?
yea i had one at carl's jr., tasted like a stale bun soaked in some barbrque grease to me. it ain't great, but for fast food options it's fine. i think it's one of those things that's gonna be REALLY dependent on how the cook prepares it though because i ate them with some of my family and our descriptions varied wildly.
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So I just had an A&W Beyond Meat burger and I gotta say as a certified meataterien...it tasted pretty darn good!!! As someone who suffers from gout...I know something I can now eat. Only downside...the price :(
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A bad cook can ruin real meat as well. I'm no food purist; if it can approximate the taste, I could do with a veggie burger half the time. Especially if it eventually turns out better for the wallet, and the environment.
Another thing it could work for, is accommodating dietary limitations. Now this is not really faux meat, but in Singapore there's a company trying to commercialise lab-grown shrimp meat (we're living the sci-fi, gents) and I'm eager to see it take off large scale; perhaps being grown in a clean environment would make it viable for people like me with shellfish allergies.
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Yeah with the Beyond meat, i could tell it wasn't real meat because i knew and so I was looking for differences. But if i was served blind...I'd never guess.
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I've tried the Beyond Burger area Costco and thought it nailed not just the taste but also the texture of a real hamburger.
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A few Carl's Jr's have opened up in Shanghai but I'd still kill for an In-n-Out burger here, perhaps a Popeye's chicken, or a Cici's Pizza.
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A Wombat sighting! [rant] CiCi's is not pizza. It's cardboard covered with ketchup and pizza-like ingredients. CiCi's is to pizza what Taco Bell is to Mexican food.
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A Wombat sighting! [rant] CiCi's is not pizza. It's cardboard covered with ketchup and pizza-like ingredients. CiCi's is to pizza what Taco Bell is to Mexican food.
Yea.. I ate once, at a Cici's buffet. Never again.
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I am aware that Cici's (barely) qualifies as food, and yet when you find yourself living in Shanghai; you begin to lust after strange and unusual things.
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Like air that you can't see?
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Like air that you can't see?
It can be funky but it's still better than Beijing.
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It can be funky but it's still better than Beijing.
So is most every place that isn't on the surface of Venus.
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(https://www.bing.com/th?id=OGC.e4c9b6f03c64a35c2d72db31f9b46529&pid=1.7&rurl=https%3a%2f%2flegalinsurrection.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2016%2f02%2fits-funny-because-its-true.gif&ehk=RZwX6lUnHUPyG4iF%2bpl%2bkg)
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Walking through Costco this week, I see that they have $100 worth of smashburger for $75. Bargained well and DONE!
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Walking through Costco this week, I see that they have $100 worth of smashburger for $75. Bargained well and DONE!
Indeed
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I am aware that Cici's (barely) qualifies as food, and yet when you find yourself living in Shanghai; you begin to lust after strange and unusual things.
No Pizza Hut behind the great firewall?
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5 second google reveals that they have pizza hunt in Shanghai. It can't be worse than what they serve stateside right?
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=pizza+hut+in+shanghai (https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=pizza+hut+in+shanghai)
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Erm.
Franchises in different countries have different standards, product types and quality. Sometimes this is a business decision, sometimes this is physical constraints - you can't get a reasonable supply of good local beef in my country for example, but we use cane sugar not corn syrup, so there will be some taste differences.
I've had Mcdonald's in China. It was not pleasant. Australian Maccas however wouldn't have been much out of place in any neighbourhood cafe.
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Not unless it tries to attack you.