Chain items that are addictive as crack

[sheilal]

While I don't dine at chains that frequently, there are some items that I simply can't quit eating once I start. Once I'm done, there's such a feeling of regret (that it's gone) and shame.

Red Lobster - cheddar/garlic biscuits
Red Lobster - Ceasar salad
Macaroni Grill - Rosemary bread
Cheesecake Factory - avocado rolls w/tamarind dipping sauce
Lone Star Steakhouse - fresh, roasted peanuts
Olive Garden - garlic bread
Outback - awesome blossom
Papa Johns - garlic dipping sauce

What are your guilty addictions?

[Davwud]

Taco Bell ~ Cheesy, Chili Burritos (Chilitos) and Cheesy Double Beef Burrito. Both need two packs of Fire sauce in them though.

Sonic ~ Frito Chili Pie. They also had a FCP Wrap that was excellent too.

DT

[Clarkafella]

Wow, that cheesy double beef burrito is one of my favorites too- as are Sonic Frito pies... parallel universe...

[Fibber McGee]

For me, it's the Chilito, Beef Meximelt and Mexican Pizza. Saucing them up is a good idea, they can be dry sometimes.

To me, there's very little better than a simple McDonald's cheeseburger.

[Shadowcran]

What place still calls a chili Cheese Burrito a Chilito? Taco Bell did this as the word sounded "mexican" enough, but means 'Little Penis" in spanish slang. After a lot of laughter, TB just started calling it the chili cheese burrito.

Let's see. Addictive at chains.
1- Big Mac. I hate lettuce and can't really stand Thousand Island Dressing. But on a Big Mac, I get the attack. TI dressing also goes well on the Reuban.

2- Pancakes at Ihop. Plain with butter and syrup.

3- Mushroom Swiss at Backyard Burgers

4- Southwestern Eggrolls at Chili's.

5-goes with post I'm responding to, I've yet to have a bad mexican pizza.

6- 7 layer burrito at Taco Bell.

7- Cheesecake bites at Sonic.

8- That "bit of honey" taste of chicken tenders at Chik-F_Let...don't think I spelled it right.

9-Shrimp Alfredo at Olive Garden

10- Popeye's Red beans & Rice(Popeyes rules in regards to sides)

[Fibber McGee]

They will always be Chilitos to me. :) I do order them as chili cheese burritos, though. To avoid confusion.

[littlew1ng]

yeah dude. the southwestern eggrolls, oh lord. i finally learned how to make them and always havea batch on hand in the freezer, ready to be tossed in the deep fryer...but i still don't know how to make that avocado ranch :(

as for the chik fil a chicken, yes it is soooo good (seriously) but it's not honey you're tasting...it's powdered sugar in the breading. i know it sounds crazy but it's true. look it up!

[alkapal]

have you tried any copycat recipe for the avocado ranch dipping sauce? http://www.grouprecipes.com/50939/chi...

[kkachurak]

Tuscan Chicken Melt from Subway. Not toasted. Hot Chicken. American cheese. Lettuce, tomato, TONS of black olives, spices, and ranch dressing. Damn. Might have to get one right now.

[KayceeK]

Well, the obvious choice is coffee from Tim Horton's. 2 Cream, 1 sugar. Yum. And, after I have the first iced drink of the summer season, I find myself craving them all the time. Iced Capp from Tim's or Mocha Frappuccino from Starbuck's.

There's a Mexican chain here called Mucho Burrito, and I find myself craving their chicken and corn quesadillas. Oh baby!

[roro1831]

Popeye's biscuits, ok, just about anything there I love.

[sheilal]

I've never had Popeye's biscuits. What makes them so good?

[masha bousha]

I'd say it's the crack but I think it's the salt and butter flava. They are good and not too salty for eating with jam on them.

[roro1831]

It's the crack too. lol
Butter, lard just so good, and great the next day heated up with jam on them

[emmaleeb]

Oooh ditto on the rosemary bread.

Also for me are:

Outback - cheese fries
Panera - chocolate duo cookie with walnuts
Noodles & Co. - penne rosa with feta and olives

[LostDiner]

Appetiziers from Outback. Bloomin Shrooms, Tassie Strips, Cheese Fries, and the spicy ranch sauces they give with each. Drool.

Mac and cheese or sweet potato casserole from Boston Market.

I love the zesty onion ring sauce at Burger King. Don't even like their onion rings, but I get the sauce with anything I get there.

Pretty much every breakfast item at Cracker Barrel. Love the apple cider there, too.

[im_nomad]

I tried that onion ring dip not long ago because "zesty cheese" sounded appealing , and I was having a junkfood day. Wayyy too much vinegar, and aside from the coloring, I didn't get much of a cheesy taste.

[ajs228]

Tater tots at Sonic.
A double-double at In-N-Out. I'll always start eating it and be worried that I'm going to have to order a 2nd burger because the 1st one just won't be enough. Then I finish it, and I'm stuffed, and I'm sad that I don't get to order another one. It's a constant battle of wills that I have yet to win.

[JillyLeigh]

Outback's Wedge Salad
Checker's fries
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich (okay.. .really anything from Chick-Fil-A!)

[ipsedixit]

McDonald's Filet-O-Fish.

It's not even a guilty addiction, just an addiction.

[The Ranger]

Eggszacktickly! Filet-O-Fish.

[Ima Wurdibitsch]

I get a serious craving for one of those about twice a decade.

My main fast food chain addiction is the Wendy's #6 combo: Spicy Chicken, no tomato, fries and an unsweetened tea.

My main non-fast food chain addiction is Smokey Bones ribs. I'm very fortunate that there's no Smokey Bones in my town. They wouldn't make clothes big enough to fit me.

[alkapal]

oh dang, your mention of smokey bones makes me recall the very best smoked chicken i've ever had -- at the mt. pleasant smokey bones.

and there ain't no smokey bones round these here parts. ;-(.

[Ima Wurdibitsch]

It's always a hard call to decide whether I want the chicken or the ribs. Both are damned tasty. Fortunately, I can usually get my dining companion to agree to get one, then I get the other and we share.

[jbsiegel]

Dunkin Donuts Hot Chocolate

[ziggylu]

JITB tacos

[Woof Woof Woof]

The Roll's at Damons. Outback Aussie Cheese Fries.

[susancinsf]

ditto. it's a sickness. but it does give me options when stuck in chain city towns.

[Bill on Capitol Hill]

The hot and sweet pickle chips at Famous Dave's.

[steakman55]

What-a-burger double meat and cheese

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Second on Whataburger, although I usually stick to the single. Always the first stop whenever I fly back home.

[onrushpam]

I get the Whataburger Jr meal with an extra meat patty. Same amount of meat as the single, less bread, small fries. No cheese for me. Half-and-half tea.

[sockii]

Artichoke & Spinach Dip at Applebee's.

Yeah I know, everyone hates Applebee's like it's Satan. But that stuff is pure crack.

[im_nomad]

I have only ever eaten at Applebee's once, and I remember the onion nuggets with the horseradish dip being quite good. I also had a popcorn shrimp caesar salad that would have had the potential to become a guilty pleasure if there was one nearby. I have an unnatural fondness for non-authentic caesar salads.

[sockii]

I usually order one of the salads at Applebees when I end up there (late night afterwork or when on the road). Seriously they're usually pretty damned edible in an addictive/crack kind of way. The one they brought back for the summer with shimp, egg, avocado, black olives on bibb lettuce is my favorite. That and sharing an artichoke dip and I am very, very happy if I have to do a "chain" meal...

[sockii]

Responding to myself, but, I just tried the relatively new BBQ Chicken Salad at an Applebees today for lunch and was really satisfied with it. Fresh, crunchy mixed lettuce, well-cooked chicken, dressing on the side as I asked, and lots of crunchy big freshly-cooked addictive hunks of good bacon. Plus lots of fresh-tasting diced pepper, cheese, etc. It was a great salad, well-prepared and nicely balanced.

I know people hate on Applebees like crazy but at least in my area, it is one of the better "casual dining" chains at the locations I've frequented (Philly and South Jersey). For the price point I'd eat there easily.

[Jenny15X]

The salsa at Chevy's, as well as their seasonal watermelon margarita.

The chocolate chip cookie with coconut in it at Paradise Bakery.

The teryaki chicken burger at Red Robin.

Costco hot dogs with mustard and relish. And their very berry sundae! Mmmm...

[eddie59]

Taco Bell Cinammon Twists Mcdonalds French fries Sonic Onion rings

[im_nomad]

A & W onion rings. And their root beer, diet or otherwise. I can drive by without getting the onion rings, but I often have to have a root beer.

[emmaleeb]

Yes! Best onion rings.

[mr.entertainment]

In-N-Out - Burger
Cheddar's Casual Cafe - Spinach Dip
In-N-Out - Shake
Carrabba's - Chicken Bryan
Cheddar's Casual Cafe - Cookie Monster

[fresnohotspot]

The Double BLT at IHOP... comes with perfect onion rings, and I mean perfect.
The empanada dessert at Taco Bell.
McDonald's fries... and their tater tots.

I may qualify for an intervention.

[cavandre]

For those of you that live in or will visit SE FL, give Flanigan's Tumbleweed Onions a try. They're very thinly sliced onion, battered & fried, but as greaseless as a dish of this type can be.
http://www.flanigans.net/

[ChrisOC]

Popeye's -- red beans and rice

Jack in the Box -- Jumbo Jack

[BellaDonna]

Jack in the Box tacos...there's no problem that these tacos can't solve
Popeye's red beans and rice (more beans than rice) and their fried chicken
Cheesecake Factory Thai Chicken Pasta
Texas de Brazil's mini cheese biscuits
Chick Fil-a's waffle fries

[chrisonli]

Outback - chopped sala, creamy onion soup, tassies w/blue cheese sauce
In-N-Out - double double with extra+ fried onion [thank god I can only get these when I fly across the country to West Coast]
Checkers - chili bowl [here on LI, it's bean-free and tasty. I have to add my own chopped onion & hot sauce, but it's cheap and delish]

[monkeyrotica]

Sliders from White Castle/Krystal.

Taco Bell Chili Cheese Burritos.

Popeye's Red Beans & Rice.

[jim1126]

There is nothing so addictive as an Original Recipe KFC thigh.

[Lindseyup67]

McDonalds steak,egg and cheese bagel with extra sauce and onions!!!! Yumm!!!!

[Jelly71]

JIB tacos - i know that no meat is naturally orange, but i just don't care.

Sonic anything - i don't have one anywhere near me, so it's always my first stop when i travel. i think it's a bit of the "can't have it whenever i want" mystique. and their tots rock.

KFC strips - i don't like to eat meat on the bone, so this way i can get the yummy Original Recipe goodness without having to gnaw on a carcass.

[MandalayVA]

McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese
Anything Popeye's or Chick-Fil-A

[RCTRIPLEFRESH5]

kfc snackers with extra pepper mayo USED TO be the best thing ever. id drive 35 mninutes to the local kfc and get 7 of them at a time. then kfc changed their chicken to shitty cheap chicken lol. i dont have many fast food addictions, but theres this place called stuf yer face in new jersey that is jsut out of this world. for 12 dollars you can get an 18 inch stromboli stuffed with anything.. its great. its just far. and the only way to get in is to parralel park lools.

[Jelly71]

i have to add what i had for lunch yesterday. Yoshinoya's Combo Bowl w/ no skin on the chicken. this meal never fails. i love every ingredient in it.

although, they have made the bowl smaller. but it's still totally filling, so i would feel like a glutton for complaining too much about that.

[al b. darned]

McD's - Egg McMuffin & Hash Browns
Taco Bell - Double Decker Taco Supreme
KFC - Strips and Popcorn Chicken, Potato Wedges
Quaker Steak & Lube - O(nion) Rings
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from DD or Panera

[latindancer]

El Pollo Loco - chicken burrito
In & Out - double double with fries animal style
McDonald's - fish fillet with vanilla shake

[invinotheresverde]

Definitely animal-style fries. I get them every time we're in CA or Vegas. My whole family drools over them.

[ajs228]

I didn't know you could order the fries animal style, too. Do the have the same seasoning?

[LA Buckeye Fan]

Yes ajs228. They're delicious.

[lobsterravioli]

cheese coneys at Skyline
crack on a warm little bun
I have moved to the PNW, no Skyline
the withdrawal was fierce

jamocha shakes at Arby's
Orange Julius [the original, tastes like a Creamsicle]
Double Cheeseburgers at Burger King
Patty Melts at Denny's [on rye, and yes I am ashamed]

[majordanby]

Red Lobster - cheddar/garlic biscuits

Amen to that. I remember eating those boys like nothing when i was a kid.

[EWSflash]

Main Gott- nobody mentioned the BK Whopper?? Unreal. Charbroiled crack at its most tasty.

Also-
Arby's roast beef sandwich- plain, no cheese lava, just some Arby's sauce and a little Horsey sauce
BK cheeseburgers
Arby's Jamocha shake
Jack has really amped up the JITB menu- hope they never change the tacos.

[KaimukiMan]

I find the whopper jr. to be more addictive. its just a few mouthfulls, surely one more wont hurt....

had 5 one time...omg i felt like a pig
shame shame shame

(and yes, the last two were with bacon...of course it has to be washed down with 'the real thing', ice cold coke.)

[alkapal]

<raises hand to second the junior whopper -- with extra pickles. and yes, i can pack away two, easily. i love that they only cost a buck each.>

red slobster cheddar bay biscuits -- crack indeed!
sonic's lemon-berry slush. intense fresh strawberry goodness with a real lemon kick.
ihop's harvest grain and nut pancakes with the amazing, incredible butter pecan syrup!

[givemecarbs]

Mmmm haven't had the harvest grain and nut pancakes for awhile. And that syrup sounds excellent.

[EWSflash]

LOL! Yeah, I generally beg a bite from my son's Whopper, which is enough (almost). I can see eating five of them and regretting it but not really.

Don't need no damn bacon with a Whopper, though, that's gilding the lily a bit too much, but if it floats your boat, go for it!

[spellweaver16]

Taco Bell quesadillas. I don't know what's in that sauce, I just know that I want to bathe in it.

[iluvcookies]

Cherry Limeade at Sonic. OMG... just discovered this place 2 weeks ago and have made 2 road trips just to have lunch there. DH is hooked on the bacon cheeseburger toasters.

[Sandwich_Sister]

BJ's Brewhouse Potato skins appetizer.

[RetiredChef]

TGIF String bean fries
Chili’s French Fries (the only FF that I actually like)
Chipotle Barbacoa TACOS
Baskin Robins Chocolate N Peanut Butter Ice cream
Taco Johns super potato ole’s (Lord have mercy on me for admitting this)
Max and Erma’s Tortilla soup

Every once in a while I get a craving for

McD’s Fish Filet
Der Wienerschnitzel chili dogs.

[Davwud]

The Torilla soup is excellent.

DT

[aynrandgirl]

I'm with you on the rosemary bread at Macaroni Grill. See also:

Morton's - onion bread
McDonald's - buttery-good biscuits
Gordon Biersch - garlic fries
Baskin Robbins - Chocolate Mousse Royale

[jeanmarieok]

I love those Gordon Biersch garlic fries - I've tried to make them 100 times, and can't quite get it.

[vencogirl]

Double Double from In N Out. There is one across the street from McDonald's and we can never figure out WHY anyone is going there when there is In N Out RIGHT THERE!!!

[Davwud]

There's a place off I - 65 just south of Nashville called Stan's. It's almost right across the street from Cracker Barrel. Why people would drive past this and go there is truly a mystery.

http://davwudsfoodcourt.blogspot.com/...

DT

[Missy2U]

Mine would be Arby's beef and cheddars. And White Castle sliders.

[calabasas_trafalgar]

Cheesecake Factory-Chicken Enchiladas
Outback-No Rules Pasta w/Scallops

[ChrisOC]

Shrimp Pad Thai from Pei Wei

[juliewong]

McDonald's hash brown used to be addictive but since they changed their oil - it no longer is.

[heckonwheels]

Sausage McMuffin with egg...my secret shame.

[EWSflash]

Mine too. Sometimes I go for almost a year without one, somehow, but then I'll have one and it's so fantastic I'll crave it again and again until thank God I get tired of themk and go several months without one. A true addiction.

[woodleyparkhound]

The first item which jumped to mind as soon as I saw the title of this turned out to be Item #1 on the OP's list: cheddar biscuits at the Dead Lobster. LOVE THEM!! I also love Egg McMuffins. Lucky for me I am hungry and near a McDonald's during the limited hours these are served about once a year. I will almost always get some kind of Egg McMuffin anytime I'm anywhere for breakfast where some version of it is served.

[eatsbread]

Other than the Red Lobster cheddar-garlic biscuits, I have an unhealthy love for the Butterfinger Blizzard at Dairy Queen, extra Butterfinger.

[coney with everything]

When I was in the hospital the evening after my son was born, my DH brought me a Butterfinger Blizzard...oh my GOD was that amazing. I don't think anything has ever tasted that good since.

[mlipps]

Ham, Egg, and Cheese on a plain bagel from Dunkin
Chicken Noodles from Bob Evans. mmmmm

[EWSflash]

I'm in Arizona and Dixie Crossroads is in Florida, not sure if it counts as a chain, but there's more than one. Not only are the broiled rock shrimp crack on the half shell, but the little cornbread puffs with powdered sugar as an appetizer is beyond heavenly, and oddly enough doesn't detract from the fabulousness of the shrimp. I don't know how they do it but it was the highlight of my trip to Florida (but that's another story- low expectations and a surprise highlight).

[lilmomma]

No one has said McD's french fries?!?!? I could eat 2 large orders of these i 5 minutes. Everytime I drive by, I have to talk myself out of going throught he drive thru for some.