What is the best fast food chain and what to get?
I live in nyc.
I think its popeyes. Their fried chicken is sublime.
People from california tell me its "in and out".
What are your favorites in your region of the country ?
I would like to travel one day around the country and eat fast food.
thanks.
someone
Apr 04, 2005 05:39PM
Qdoba-
Tortilla soup
Chicken mole burrito
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What part(s) of the country?
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They're spread across the country. Qdoba's a small chain though, so they aren't in as many cities as most chains. Qdoba is similar to Chipotle(another small chain that isn't bad.)
Link: http://www.qdoba.com/
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Chipotle is hardly a "small chain." They're owned by McDonald's.
Qdoba isn't exactly small either - they're owned by Jack In The Box.
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And Baja Fresh is Wendy's.
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It's relative. There are probably 10 times the number of Jack In The Boxes compared to the number of Qdobas, probably 100 times the number of McDonalds' compared to the number of Chipotles.
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Hmmm, I had one of their chicken mole burritos (Boston) and I thought it was bland and uninteresting at best.
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The tenderloin sandwich at the Gnaw Bone, Indiana Marathon Food and Fuel gas station. Sublime. It made it into Gourmet courtesy of Jane and Michael Stern.
In northern New York state there is a chili dog that is different from all other chili dogs you have ever had. They are found in Plattsburgh and that is about it. There was a little place in Montreal that offered them but I never tried one there. The hot dog is called a Michigan, why is open to speculation, if you order one buried that means you want the onions on the bottom of the bun and that helps to keep them from falling off. Yellow mustard gets squiggled on top. To those who have left the area it is one of the first things we want when making a visit back.
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Being originally from that neck of the woods myself, you piqued my curiosity. Here's a little Michigan Dog lore from the P-R:
Link: http://www.pressrepublican.com/michig...
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Yeah,I saw that some time ago. Did you know that Bouyea's has quit making the Michigan roll. Now they have to use the smaller New England roll. Sigh!
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Those sound good, but that doesn't sound like chain food, even regional chains--they seem to be "one-off" places.
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Sonic. I love the burgers, and they have lots of different options, especially for beverages, and nutritionally, they ain't as bad as some others.
Wish we had 'em in New England, but the weather's too harsh here, I suspect.
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Sonic Cherry Lime-aids are my drug of choice. I get a Route 44 every Saturday. They know me so well at my sonic that I have a permanent coupon for $.99. We all have addictions and this one is mine!!
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Oh how I miss Sonic! Everytime I step off a plane near one, it's straight to Sonic - then see the relatives :) I love the cherry limeade and foot long coney :) Miss the jalapeno poppers... pickle-o's... tater tots... freezes... oh!!!
Every so often, one of our cable channels does a Sonic commercial and it makes me crave their drinks and food!
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I have a Sonic a couple of miles from my house and I can take it or leave it. My 7 year old likes it as does my 80 year old Mom. They both have good taste so maybe it's me....
Krystal is my passion. We used to have one next to the Charlotte airport and I would hit it coming and going, and then it closed and became another freakin Mc Donalds, as if we need another one. I have been known to hit a Krystal before out of town weddings so I understand that "the family can wait" attitude.
Ok , to answer the op's question without swerving off course and disscussing REGIONAL fast food, my answer is Wendy's. If you are talking about the best fast food available coast to coast, it's got to be Wendy's. Their spicy chicken sanwich is good and a classic single is acceptable. They are generally clean and reliable. I eat there MAYBE once a month, and then only in a pinch. But I would rather eat my shoe than darken the door at Mc Donalds, Hardees, Burger King ( what's with that new scary commercial??), Taco Bell, KFC, LJS.
After Wendy's I will go to a Bojangles chicken but I do not know if that is available coast to coast.
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I have to agree on the nationwide chain - Wendy's does good fast food (if you can say that without thinking oxymoron). Their selection is great, the salads are fresh, and the chicken is really breast meat (unlike other chains who do processed chicken)!
As for Bojangles... never heard of it...
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Wendy's were my favorite from the first time I ate at one, in Oakland, in 1976. But lately I've found a lot of inconsistency from one location to another, a LOT. The chili, the fries, the slurpee whatever-that-crap is, the greasiness of the burger patties, all vary widely in quality.
Lately I'm tending toward Caspers, and Kaspers, two regional hot dog chains operated by duelling family members. Best dish? At Kaspers, the Polish, with spicy mustard, relish, and chopped onions. At Caspers, the chili dog. At both, the "tamale", with chili, cheese, and onions.
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I an obsessed with the shrimp nachos as Baja Fresh.
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2nd Baja Fresh as a top fast food chain, fish tacos, black beans, chips and smoky hot salsa
but the guac is better at Chipotle
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Mmmmm, Chipotle's guacamole is killer stuff. I keep forgetting about their vegetarian burrito, which substitutes meat for a big thwap of guac.
Now if only they could do something about those tortillas. Do you think they'd mind much if I brought my own from one of the local Mexican hole-in-the-wall joints?
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The vegetarian burrito is also good. A lot of places make bland veggie burritos but theirs is better.
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I like Culvers in the midwest, and their butter burger is great. Their fries and frozen custard are also wonderful.
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Pray tell, what's a butter burger?
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Disclaimer: I'm from LA and have lived in Calif. all my life, but my stepdad's from Milwaukee and my step-sibs and nephews grew up there. Hopefully I can answer reasonably correctly - I've eaten at Culver's in Milwaukee suburbs although much prefer Kopp's because their frozen custard is so sublime. I understand a butter burger to be a burger with a pat of butter placed directly on the meat after it's cooked. Only in a dairy state like Wisconsin would they think of this! Although I guess Ruth's Chris does the same thing with that melting butter on the steaks.
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That's an urban myth surrounding the Culver's Butter burger. Here's the paragraph directly from their web site (www.culvers.com):
ButterBurger®
ButterBurger® is a burger made from fresh, ground chuck blend that is 100% U.S. beef. It is seared on a hot 475º F grill to seal in flavor and sandwiched between a lightly buttered, toasted bun (hence the name "ButterBurger®").
I'm not a fan of their burgers. They are very uneven and thin. The tend to have a somewhat greasy and crispy "necklace" around them. More bun than burger most of the time, too.
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Well, the OP might have been wrong as it regards Culver's, but she is *right on* as it regards Solly's, the Milwaukee shop that claims to have invented the "butterburger."
Erik M.
Link: http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overv...
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"They are very uneven and thin. The tend to have a somewhat greasy and crispy "necklace" around them."
OK, this is what's good about them, IMO. Thin, loose patty with a crispy edge. The antithesis of a pefect prefab burger. I don't claim they are in the same class as In n Out, but they stand out amonf fast food burgers.
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The ones I have had have been so thin and somewhat squarish that I have been tempted to fold them into a paper meat plane and send them flying back into the kitchen.
Burger oragami would be my second choice.
I would rather have a thick burger, lots of juice and flavor with a seared, crusty outside. That ain't Culvers. That's the kind of burger you get at a bar.
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Sharky's in Southern California. Organic chicken, beef, rice and beans. I have an obsession with their NuMex Caesar salad - it is no kind of authentic, but I love it - and their Killer salsa and their hottest salsa.
I also have love Rubio's (So Cal) hottest salsa - the red roasted smooth one.
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Yes, Sharky's is *much* better than Baja Fresh all around IMO. Like their burritos and salsas. They must be a fairly small scale chain since I've only seen them in Burbank.
I don't think I'm a fast food chain snob, but I honestly can't think of any place that I'd go out of my way for; I'll eat at them if I want something quick, cheap, and convenient. That's why it's called fast food and not good food.
That said, I'd be happy w/ an In-N-Out cheeseburger w/ grilled onions and Carl's Jr. criss-cut fries (I don't like well-done at In-N-Out) now and then though. Then off to Dairy Queen for a vanilla ice cream cone for dessert...
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There are 18 Sharky's so far, all in Cal
Link: http://www.sharkys.com/locations/inde...
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Personally I think in and out sucks as bad as BK or McD.
Popeyes is over spiced with stale harsh herbs and over cooked/dry most of the time.
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Noooooooooooooooo!!!
Come to the Downtown Bklyn branch (on Court, just off Livingston) and have you some legs. Anything BUT dry.
Also, in my experience, when herbs get stale, they lose the ability to be harsh.
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I think the quality of Popeye's chicken correlates directly to their volume of sales. The only one I will eat at now is the one on Rockville Pike (Rockville, MD) because the sales are huge (as are the lines) and the chicken is always hot, fresh and juicy.
FWIW, I was brought to tears of joy when I found that Roy Rogers had come back locally and I could again enjoy their Double-R burger. The ham they top their burger with is surprisingly flavorful and I personalize it with some barbecue sauce and pickles. Heaven to me - probably more for the teenage memories than anything.
I also think a Chick Filet chicken biscuit for breakfast beats most of the fast food breafast sandwiches I've had. Not much to it, but fried chicken for breakfast is good stuff in my book.
In the Washington DC area, Five Guys has been a local favorite for burgers and recently expanded a bit. I've yet to jump on the bandwagon, but there are vocal devotees on the DC board.
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Just for the hell of it I tried Popeyes again today. I was in Maryland or Delaware at the time, somewhere right on the border. The location was busy and the chicken just came out of the fryer. It was boring. truly insipid and tasteless. I got two pieces of regular and spicy. Ugh! I don't need to ever try it again, I chucked it out.
I then had a fantastic hot sub from a local place that was a spicy version of a Philly cheesesteak with lightly sauteed onions, and three different types of sweet and hot peppers, a real sharp cheddar cheese sauce (not whiz), and a homemade hot sauce... wow was that good.
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Genki Sushi. A Japanese kaitenzushi (conveyor belt) sushi chain with 5 shops in Hawaii. Try the spicy tuna gunkan.
Link: http://genkisushi.co.jp/index.html
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Jack In the Box, for those deep-fried tacos.
And Steak N Shake, also in the Midwest, for the chicken frisco sandwiches and cheese fries. I get excited every time I'm on Route 70 and see a Steak N Shake sign. :-)
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In-N-Out. Cheeseburger & fries.
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Does Canada count? Nando's, for the Piri-Piri Chicken.
Otherwise, Sorabol (a California Korean food chain) for the garlic noodle soup and a couple of the grilled beef dishes.
Link: http://eatingchinese.org
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Yes, indeed, Sorabol, not bad at all and some of the fastest service going. Spicy ribs, kal bi, barbecued chicken, you can substitute extra brocolli for rice, although a little rice is good to soak up the sauce. Upper-level fast food, you bet.
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Wolfgang Puck Express (Grab and Go)
Chinois Chicken Salad
Link: http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/myrestaur...
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I don't eat much fast-food any more but in my college years I did, and I've lived in several parts of the country. However, I can never decide if the fastfood tasted so good because of my life at the time or because the food was good, know what I mean?
In the midwest my favorite was Rally's - those coated fries made me really happy. Not to mention the shakes and burgers (but again, rolling out of the clubs in Chicago, drunk on tequila, eating at Rally's in Boystown at 2am might have something to do with that memory)
In California it was definitey In-n-Out.
In Boston and New York? Well I pretty much stopped eating fast food except for the occasional naughty chicken chalupa from Taco Bell - yes, I realize it's vile.
NYC has two organic fastfood burger joints that I know of. We visited one (Better Burger, I believe). It was OK. Not great, but nice to have a burger that wasn't loaded with hormones or madcow. The cheese sauce for the fries was AWFUL, however.
I can't think of one favorite fast-food from growing up in Florida. Wendy's but ew...
One interesting thought on fast-food. When I lived in Indiana (about ten years ago) I was madly in love with Long John Silvers. I mean, I absolutely loved that deep fried salty mess. They don't have that in CA or New England so I haven't had it in years. A few years ago my husband and I visited the midwest and I literally hunted down a LJS for lunch (it was no easy task). I was so excited to eat there. ANd it was the most horrible thing I've ever had. How did I handle that thick coating of grease on the roof of my mouth? How did I ever find that enjoyable? Made us laugh. My husband laughed about the fact that you could literally get a side order of crispies - or what he called 'a basket of fried'.
Ah....the joys of low-quality food....
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The "spicy" fries at Rome Pizza on Tremont St. in the South End remind me of Rally's fries I think.
I still have a soft spot for Captain D's, which is very similar to Long John Silver's. it's the batter more than the fish, sweet and crunchy, and excellent fries.
I actually also really like Krystals, but only after midnight.
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I'm in Virginia and I like Chipolte and Qdoba but I would eat a human head if it had fresh guacamole on it!I love Sonic but ours closed several years ago. If I am hungover, a Taco Bell bean burrito, while not very good, seems to make me feel better.
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I really do like Chipotle, and their carnitas and black bean burrito is great.
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I second the endorsement for Chipotle Grill, although I prefer the barbacoa to the carnitas. I also enjoy the fajitas at Baja Fresh. There is also an Italian-American chain called Three Brothers that has an excellent calzone-type item called an "Italian boat".
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I'm a sucker for the Santa Fe chicken sandwich at Carl's Jr. Also, in California, the chicken soft tacos at Baja Bud's are very good. And, of course, a double-double animal style with well done fries at In-N-Out can be just the thing sometimes.
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The Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich is a good choice. I try to stay away from Carl's Jr. because of it.
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I love Carl's Jr. Famous Star (got one yesterday for $1.99) without cheese. I seem to get one at least twice a year.
Really cool Carl's Jr. website music link, by the way.
See also, http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-010704a.htmlyear.
The history of my knowledge of Carl's Jr.
The proprietor of Carl's Jr. and his wife were living in Anaheim for quite some time and I was friends with his area neighbor who cut his hair at his home. Gary Bagley was a beautician (@1970), then a dental laboratory worker, then a chauffer, all the while wanting to be a rock star with his guitar and keyboards. Mr. K. had a few really cool antique cars.
Link: http://www.carlsjr.com/locations/inde...
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I eat fast food much more often than I would care to admit. Yeah, I know it's absolutely horrible for me. Get over it. Here's my favorites at various fast-food places, starting with my absolute favorite and working my way down:
Fatburger is top-notch as far as burger chains go, but almost don't count as fast food, there's no drive-through, and since they make everything to order, delays are inevitable. You want to get a Fatburger, on the char, with everything on it, including the fried egg option. Yes, a fried egg. It doesn't make the burger taste like eggs, it just makes it wonderful. I go for cheese and chili on the burger too. This gives your meal enough cholesterol to drop a rhino in its tracks, but it's so good... Add on the side an order of the Fat Fries (thick, steak-cut french fries) and either a lemonade, or if you think you just don't have enough calories sitting on one table yet, a chocolate shake made from hand-scooped ice cream.
In-N-Out runs a very close second to Fatburger, and is a slightly different beast. They offer the small thin patties (as opposed to Fatburger's big patties), and have a very narrow menu, with only 8 items (hamburger, cheeseburger, Double-Double, fries, soda, shakes, coffee, milk). When the menu is so limited, it's a good sign that the kitchen knows what they're doing with each item, and do they ever. Be careful with In-N-Out, once you're hooked on them, you won't be able to move anywhere that they aren't (and they're only in California, Nevada, and Arizona!). For your first visit, get yourself a Double-Double, fries, and a Coke. The Double-Double pairs with Coca-Cola brilliantly well, to the point that I'll say if they served Pepsi the combination wouldn't be as good. Your second time, get the same thing, but with a chocolate shake. While the Double-Double doesn't pair quite as well with the shake, it does change the dynamics of the meal in a favorable way. The third time you go, order from their "secret menu" (available online from a number of sources, just google in-n-out secret menu and you'll find dozens) by getting a 3x3 Animal Style, well done fries, and either a Coke or a chocolate shake (depending on what you feel like). This is their best work right here, and if they get everything just right, it is a state of bliss that meals costing five times as much just don't quite reach. For the highest quality, don't go to In-N-Out during a rush. Their rush time goes from about 10:30 (when they open) until 9:30 PM. If you get in there late at night, the kitchen has some extra time to really make things right, and boy do they ever.
Sonic Drive-In: Certainly not the fastest out there, but pretty darn good. Standouts include their drink selection (I'll take an Ocean Water, a Sprite with blue coconut syrup added), and their breakfast offerings are some of the best in the fast food realm. Worth trying for breakfast is the Breakfast Club toaster, which they offer as a limited-time item but can be had anytime by ordering a ham, egg, and cheese breakfast toaster with bacon and tomato added on. Getting fries at In-N-Out is just not an option when they're the only joint that does Tater Tots.
Jack In The Box: Those damn tacos. They aren't the best tacos I've had by a very very long margin, so why do I keep getting them? And why do they taste better after 10 pm?
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All right, I will confess: I am absolutely in agreement about the tacos at Jack in the Box....why *do* I eat them? I am not much for eating after ten p.m., but I do particularly like them from the drive through on long-distance drives. Unfortunately,(or fortunately as the case may be) I only get to indulge when I am alone (mostly because I can't bring myself to confess to hubby that I eat them :=)), and they are pretty tough to eat while behind the wheel....
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I like Jack in the Box 2for$1 (original) tacos sometimes. It's about the only thing I order there, though. I order them with extra lettuce. They charge 10 cents for that in some places. I don't eat hot spicy very often.
Susaninsf, you wrote: ". . . .tacos at Jack in the Box....why *do* I eat them?"
I think I like them because of the flavor that I enjoyed when I was a child.
Jack in the Box Inc., was founded in 1951, and pioneered a number of firsts in the quick-serve industry. It was the first major fast-food chain that **started** as a drive-thru.
Their regular taco has more of a meat schmear inside than ground burger that might fall out. If you don't put lettuce on them, they might even be sealed shut after frying them.
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(Shocked) There's MEAT in those things? I always thought it was, like, textured soy protein. Good, though, as Utah Philips would say.
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You know, Shep, I have no idea what's in that schmear. But, the JitB website says it's meat.
And, according to their description, it is supposed to have half a slice of American cheese in it. It's just a schmeer by the time I get it with extra lettuce.
Link: http://www.jackinthebox.com/pressroom...
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But what a way to start the day!
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I seem to just get them about 3 PM. But, you're right. Many many start the day (end the night?) with them. LOL
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I want my moose turd pie and I want it now!!
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I love scarfing down a few chicken biscuits from Chick-fil-A's breakfast menu.
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Popeye's for chicken (although if you have a Harold's Chicken Shack near you, rejoice! There were two in Milwaukee but they have both closed.); Culver's for burgers, Noodles @ Co for noodles (duh!); Chipotle or Qdoba for Mexican. I havent found a decent sub (hero/grinder/torpedo/whatever) from a chain in many years. Subway is absolutely tasteless as far as I am concerned, which makes that Jared guy the perfect corporate spokesman for them.
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We have a new sub chain in town that I'm really liking, Jersery Mikes. They really pile the meat and cheese on. They slice it right in front of you.
That actually sounds pretty good right about now!!
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We just got the first Jersey Mikes in Minnesota a couple months ago. They make great subs. Get the orignal and ask for it "Mike's Way" - which is with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, oil, vinegar and seasonings. Good stuff.
They also have hot subs, ala The Great Steak and Fry Co. The hot subs are also really good!
Link: http://www.jerseymikes.com
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I agree with you on Subway. Quizno's has a honey chicken club sandwich of some sort (I don't exactly remember, haven't had it in a long time) that's miles beyond anything available at Subway--as is Quizno's in general, IMO.
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I've tried Quizno's a couple of times and they were pretty good (WORLDS better than Subway). I'm lucky that there are a couple of small chains (3 or 4 shops) that make subs the way I like them, plus some individual shops.
Other guilty pleasures: the hot wings at BW3, I guess now known as Buffalo Wild Wings.
And the Big King sometimes served by the dreaded Burger King is the closest I have found to the Big Boy. But I havent figured out if I really like it, or if it is just food nostalgia for a youthful favourite.
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THE thing to get on Quizno's menu is the Chicken Carbonara. I remember it being better when it was a limited-time offering (kind of like how Who Wants To Be A Millionaire was more fun when it was just during sweeps instead of four times a week in prime time), but it's still dang tasty.
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Harold's is still going strong in Chicago (and where else can you get gizzards fried to order?)
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After spending a few months in Cincinnati for work, I'm going to have to say Skyline Chili. There is no fast food better than a 3-way and a cheese coney. At first I was disgusted by the thought of spaghetti covered in chili anda mound of shredded cheese, but by the time I went there for the second time, I was hooked. My to the dismay of my health, I even went to Skyline one day, Gold Star the next and back to Skyline the third day before I finally decided Skyline was the best.
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Ahh, would that Skyline was nationwide!
Did you try Empress at all? There was one near UC when I lived there that was quite good.
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If you have a Kroger near you, you can find canned and frozen Skyline chili. Warm it up, pour it over some cooked spaghetti, add some shredded cheese and onions, and top with oyster crackers and you've got yourself a pretty close facsimile of the Queen City classic. Pour yourself a root beer (not sure where you can find red cream soda) and you are set.
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Would Big Red be a reasonable facsimile of red cream soda?
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Big Red is bubble-gum flavored. Red cream (creme, if you want to be technically correct) soda (made by Barq's) is more like a "regular" cream soda with a not-from-nature red tinge to it.
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How about Faygo Redpop in the glass bottles? I've seen it at the more upscale grocery stores, and at Pop Soda Shop.
Link: http://www.popsoda.com
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Faygo upscale? That's a funny one. We used to buy on sale. By the time you had recycled the bottles, you made money off of it.
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True! Faygo was always the house brand in the big box supermarkets on the East Coast.
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I'm out west. The only way you'd know about Faygo out here is if you're either a transplant from back east, or (as some acquaintances have demonstrated) are a rabid fan (and I don't think there's any other type) of a rap group called Insane Clown Posse. You can find it in the plastic bottles at some comic shops around town in the usual flavors. I think the ones is the glass bottles are Redpop, Rock & Rye, Orange, and maybe one or two others I don't remember.
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I'm from NY and had never seen Faygo until I went to school in Michigan. But out there it seemed like the cheap supermarket variety that they sell in 3 liter bottles.
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I meant midwest, really I did... when it gets late everything's a blur. That's what it is, a cheapo supermarket soda (unless you get it in glass, in which case it's expensive as hell retro soda). A cult favorite in every sense of the word.
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Being from Cincinnati, I have to agree. Everytime I go home to visit (now live in Maine) I eat as much of it as I can so that I won't miss it while I am gone. Of course, I try and have a couple of cans to make skyline dip for friends so that they can understand what they are missing. Granted, it helps if you were raised on the stuff.
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In the bay area and some of the central valley of CA there is a great burger joint called Nations. Giant, thick, yummy, wonderful burgers, good fries, good shakes, great pie.
not to be missed.
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Good-enough greasy breakfasts, and many locations open 24 hours. The toper's pal, Nations.
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I went to Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers the other day (Angela's request, there isn't one in my neighborhood.) I could not for the life of me find something I wanted to order. Finally, I was very pleased with their grilled chicken sandwich (though it was, like, so burning hot I had to disassemble it and wait a few minutes to eat it!).
It took me about as long to find something to order as it did Angela to order for herself. She kept telling me I was the adult, so I had to order for her. What's up with that? She's 7 and has eaten there alot more times than I have! I even gave her Dad's $10 to her. Then, Angela actually THREW (frown) - okay tossed from her side of the table - french fries for me (not at my request, thank you!) onto my tray to eat while I was waiting for my order to be cooked. Cool thought, interesting execution.
Their toy that day was so incredible I want to go back and get one for me because Angela won't let me play with the one she got with her Kids' Meal at Wendy's. I was just trying to figure out how the dang thing worked so she could use it. BTW, I could make a great wall border if I had a fabric pen.
It is a tablet with removable paper and a spyrogyro pencil gear or pen thingy that you draw (picture) in by putting your pencil or pen point in a template shape and then trace around in it while the template rotates inside another template with teeth gears in a full circle. I don't even know what it's called. It's not on their website right now. See, http://www.wendys.com/kids_meal/yesflash.shtml
Anyway, I wouldn't call it the best place, but it was fun on March 9, 2005.
We plan to do a square sponge wall painting (like a chess board) design for a mock / faux "Wainscoting" *A-1* in her room, so maybe we will have to eat at Wendy's again Friday.
A-1 = Wainscoting
( http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Wainscoting&spell=1 ) (http://www.hgtv.com/)
Link: http://www.wendys.com/food/Product.js...
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"It is a tablet with removable paper and a spyrogyro pencil gear or pen thingy that you draw (picture) in by putting your pencil or pen point in a template shape and then trace around in it while the template rotates inside another template with teeth gears in a full circle. I don't even know what it's called."
Sounds like a Spirograph. I used to have this when I was young. Grandma had TONS of Spirograph pictures from the three of us. :-)
Unfortunately, what's out there now is an extreme pale version of the original.
Link: http://www.hasbro.com/pl/page.viewpro...
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And the originals by Kenner are available on eBay. Shoulda figured. :-)
Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...
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And, someone has already bid on it. So now, I probably go to Wendy's on Friday for their original because of the inner template with the cool shapes and the tape-to-the-wall capability ease. Then, the real thing with the pinholes for the paint pens.
Thanks for the link. I will probably check it on Saturday.
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kc, that was one of MANY vintage Spirographs on eBay. Just put "Spirograph" into their search, and you'll come up with lots - look for ones by Kenner, not Hasbro.
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Thanks. I think Hasbro is the company making the toys for them as late.
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Thanks! good link.
Except, it was a template of shapes, not just a point hole, that was within the other guiding template. It was very cool but just did circle, not that ovalescent clown mouth shape shown on the packaging.
Plus, the tablet had a plastic backing that I could tape to the wall on a guide and do the circle designs all along the board or something.
Gee, I wonder if Toys-R-Us has Spyrographs today?
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"Wait: did you know there is a direct correlation between the decline of Spirograph and the rise in gang activity? Think about it."
-Dr. Spirograph, The Simpsons
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That is the most intoxicated reply I have read so far on this site.
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For breakfast, you can't do any better than Waffle House in a chain. Get their hashbrowns, and order them "scattered, covered, smothered, and chunked".
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I'll have to try that. Us touring bands like to call it Aweful House...
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Gee, can I vote twice? El Pollo Loco is a chain of Mexican style grilled chicken places. A grilled 1/4 bird, couple of hot tortillas, sides of pintos and fluffy yellow rice, choice from their salsa bar, you're golden.
But then again, there's Pho Hoa. Not the world's best pho, but pretty consistent in quality from Atlanta to Fremont to Minneapolis (and, I imagine, to Singapore). Bringing safe pho to the world.
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Taco Cabana: born in 1978 in San Antonio, Texas, now there are 123 of them. Their fajitas are great, their salsa bar rocks, their tortillas are excellent! I used take a cooler with me every time I flew to Texas. I'd host an Texas Ex-Pats Dinner when I got back.
Sonic: their wacky drinks, tator tots, frito pie - its all good. Although, I noticed last year when I was back in Texas that they has a "Frito Pie Wrap" What the?!?
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Sonic has gone to new levels of "uh, ick" with their new "Ranchero Salad" which is (I'm not making this up) crispy greens, cheese, CHILI and Fritos!
In my heart I know it's just kind of like the ridiculous nachos I get at the Ballpark... but... I think maybe I'm a Frito Pie purist. ;-)
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My husband and I love Harvey's in Canada- burger chain. They have the poutines too (not sure if I spelled that right). Whenever we visit Canada, Harvey's is our first stop from the airport.
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I like Arbys, large roast beef sandwich. It's the closest thing I can get to those yummy sandwiches found on the north shore of Massachusetts, the best of which is Kelly's. The meat pales in comparison, but the taste is a little reminiscent.
On a less healthy note, Popeyes spicy chicken with dirty rice always rocks.
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a couple good ones from utah (husband grew up in park city)
iceberg drive-inn: extra thick shakes w/a ridiculous number of flavor options, served in a cup w/in a larger cup, for overflow. for breakfast (!) last week on the drive back to los angeles, we had their cheeseburger (juicy, kinda in-n-out burgeresque with special sauce, made to order), the biggest dang onion rings i've ever seen (crumbly coating), cherry shakes (whipped with tons of chopped cherries), and of course, fry sauce for the rings (skip the fries, they have that weird flavor/crisp coating).
hires big h: excellent fry sauce ("fry super sauce"), fresh cut fries, good burgers w/soft homemade buns & super sauce, rootbeer floats.
note: fry sauce is a mixture of mayo, ketchup, & possibly pickle juice (but not pickle relish, this is not thousand island dressing!).
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What, no mention of Rubio's on this thread?
I love them. By far the best Mexican fast food and perhaps the best fast food overall. The ingredients are always good and they have a lot of items you can't find elsewhere (lobster burrito, anyone?) Although you can't go wrong with their staple, the fish taco.
They're only in the western U.S., mostly CA, but they're good enough, I'm sure that'll change.
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