Best Fast Food

[ReaperKK]

One thing I want to recommend to you guys if you like Chick-Fil-A is the spicy strips. We are a test market for them here in Charlotte and they are crazy delicious.

[tofee35]

I had to go with my heart and not my head. If I think about it too much, I'll pick something that will keep me up at night.

Best Burger place: McDonalds - If my feet are held to the fire, the McDouble is the best cheeseburger in creation
Best Chicken place: Chik-fil-a - Original Chicken with pickles all the way. I'm dying to try Popeye's though

I love Five Guys and In-N-Out, but I don't consider Five Guys "fast food" and In-n-Out burgers are ordinary without the animal style addition. If I'm on death row, give me 25 McDoubles and an extra large diet Dr. Pepper.

-Tof

[bosk1]

Yes, that's the one!  Thanks.  Does it still exist?  And is it still basically two completely different things (the pretty nice Asian bistro, and then the separate fast food chain)?

yes they do still do exist. I used to go there often, but that was more often with my parents and not my wife per my wife doesn't care for Leeann Chin

They don't have the Shrimp Toast which used to be my favorite thing they had. I normally get the Peking Chicken and the Cream Cheese Wontons.

https://www.leeannchin.com/

And they also make chocolate covered Fortune Cookies.

But if I am having Chinese food, my wife and i go to a Mom and Pop's place that my wife and her mom have gone to for decades.

Cool story though, the actual Leeann Chin does/did reside in the Twin Cities, and did Catering for events, and on more than 1 occasion growing up, my Grandmother had her cater for an event at her home in St.Louis Park. I used to think as a kid, that was all they did (not totally knowing the restaurant well at the time).

But is the nice Bistro still in existence, or is it just basically the fast food chain now?

[Stadler]

I had to go with my heart and not my head. If I think about it too much, I'll pick something that will keep me up at night.

Best Burger place: McDonalds - If my feet are held to the fire, the McDouble is the best cheeseburger in creation
Best Chicken place: Chik-fil-a - Original Chicken with pickles all the way. I'm dying to try Popeye's though

I love Five Guys and In-N-Out, but I don't consider Five Guys "fast food" and In-n-Out burgers are ordinary without the animal style addition. If I'm on death row, give me 25 McDoubles and an extra large diet Dr. Pepper.

-Tof

HAHA, you spoke the truth of the ages up till that last bolded word.       (I'm kidding; I despise diet soda in all forms; that aftertaste makes my testicles rise.)

[tofee35]

I had to go with my heart and not my head. If I think about it too much, I'll pick something that will keep me up at night.

Best Burger place: McDonalds - If my feet are held to the fire, the McDouble is the best cheeseburger in creation
Best Chicken place: Chik-fil-a - Original Chicken with pickles all the way. I'm dying to try Popeye's though

I love Five Guys and In-N-Out, but I don't consider Five Guys "fast food" and In-n-Out burgers are ordinary without the animal style addition. If I'm on death row, give me 25 McDoubles and an extra large diet Dr. Pepper.

-Tof

HAHA, you spoke the truth of the ages up till that last bolded word.       (I'm kidding; I despise diet soda in all forms; that aftertaste makes my testicles rise.)

You know after I started drinking diet over 15 years ago, i grew a taste for it. Whenever I have non-diet, I get a weird aftertaste now. It's very strange!

-Tof

[cramx3]

Yup, the diet taste because the norm once you drink it enough.  It is a weird thing.

[Phoenix87x]

Just did 5 Guys

Bacon double cheeseburger and a side of fries. Hot damn, that was good

[pg1067]

I had to go with my heart and not my head. If I think about it too much, I'll pick something that will keep me up at night.

Best Burger place: McDonalds - If my feet are held to the fire, the McDouble is the best cheeseburger in creation
Best Chicken place: Chik-fil-a - Original Chicken with pickles all the way. I'm dying to try Popeye's though

I love Five Guys and In-N-Out, but I don't consider Five Guys "fast food" and In-n-Out burgers are ordinary without the animal style addition. If I'm on death row, give me 25 McDoubles and an extra large diet Dr. Pepper.

-Tof

HAHA, you spoke the truth of the ages up till that last bolded word.       (I'm kidding; I despise diet soda in all forms; that aftertaste makes my testicles rise.)

You know after I started drinking diet over 15 years ago, i grew a taste for it. Whenever I have non-diet, I get a weird aftertaste now. It's very strange!

-Tof

When I was in college, I worked at a Baskin Robbins in a local mall.  Before working there, I had never had a diet soda, but I started drinking Diet Coke because I always had a drink cup out and figured why not.  I did get used to it, but after I stopped working there, I said, "nope."  If I'm drinking a soda, it's going to be the "real thing" (so to speak).

[SoundscapeMN]

Diet Soda contains Nutrasweet (or Aspertame?) which will always give me a headache. Extra bubblegum does the same thing to me.

Granted, I'm diabetic, so I have almost gone cold turkey on All Soft Drinks anyway.

The 1 Diet Soft Drink I used to like, was Mountain Dew for some reason.

[Stadler]

Just me, no judgment, but I refer to diet soda as "the devil's semen".   

[pg1067]

Just me, no judgment, but I refer to diet soda as "the devil's semen".   

And mustard is Satan's smegma!

[XJDenton]

Being a fat child, I grew up on diet soda. To me, normal soda has a mouth feel that is way too viscous to me. Normal coke feels like I am drinking watered down syrup (which is what coke is I guess).

Just did 5 Guys

Bacon double cheeseburger and a side of fries. Hot damn, that was good

Five-guys is one of the American premium chains that made it over to the UK, and they are damn decent at what they do.

[hunnus2000]

I cannot go back to regular soda - way too sweet for me but I may have a soft drink once a week - if that.....

[Cool Chris]

How does 5 Guys qualify as an "American premium chain?"

If I didn't care about my teeth, my belly, or my intestines, I would drink nothing but soda, all day, every day.

[jingle.boy]

How does 5 Guys qualify as an "American premium chain?"

Cuz it's a chain that originated in America, and you can't get a meal there for under $12.  Seems obvious to me.  Perhaps the clarity is to say "premium QSR"?

[XJDenton]

How does 5 Guys qualify as an "American premium chain?"

They are a chain restaurant whose product is both higher quality and more expensive than places like Macky D's and Burger King (at least in the UK).

[cramx3]

How does 5 Guys qualify as an "American premium chain?"

They are a chain restaurant whose product is both higher quality and more expensive than places like Macky D's and Burger King (at least in the UK).

This goes back to why I don't consider it fast food.  Although calling it "premium" seems a bit much, but then again what would be considered a premium american chain?  Certainly not Applebees 

[Stadler]

How does 5 Guys qualify as an "American premium chain?"

They are a chain restaurant whose product is both higher quality and more expensive than places like Macky D's and Burger King (at least in the UK).

This goes back to why I don't consider it fast food.  Although calling it "premium" seems a bit much, but then again what would be considered a premium american chain?  Certainly not Applebees 

That's the thing; depends on "chain".   I guess Morton's and The Chart House are "chains", in that they have multiple locations in most of the big cities.  Morton's is premium, no question about it; Morton's makes Applebees look like dumpster diving.

[XJDenton]

This goes back to why I don't consider it fast food.  Although calling it "premium" seems a bit much, but then again what would be considered a premium american chain?  Certainly not Applebees 

Premium is relative. Compared to Macca's, it's good quality.

[El Barto]

How does 5 Guys qualify as an "American premium chain?"

They are a chain restaurant whose product is both higher quality and more expensive than places like Macky D's and Burger King (at least in the UK).

This goes back to why I don't consider it fast food.  Although calling it "premium" seems a bit much, but then again what would be considered a premium american chain?  Certainly not Applebees 

That's the thing; depends on "chain".   I guess Morton's and The Chart House are "chains", in that they have multiple locations in most of the big cities.  Morton's is premium, no question about it; Morton's makes Applebees look like dumpster diving.

I was leaning towards Ruth's Chris, or maybe even Outback, but Morton's is a good call. In any case, I think "American premium chain" is a very good label for 5G. It's certainly not Morton's, but insofar as hamburger chains go it's definitely premium.

[Stadler]

How does 5 Guys qualify as an "American premium chain?"

They are a chain restaurant whose product is both higher quality and more expensive than places like Macky D's and Burger King (at least in the UK).

This goes back to why I don't consider it fast food.  Although calling it "premium" seems a bit much, but then again what would be considered a premium american chain?  Certainly not Applebees 

That's the thing; depends on "chain".   I guess Morton's and The Chart House are "chains", in that they have multiple locations in most of the big cities.  Morton's is premium, no question about it; Morton's makes Applebees look like dumpster diving.

I was leaning towards Ruth's Chris, or maybe even Outback, but Morton's is a good call. In any case, I think "American premium chain" is a very good label for 5G. It's certainly not Morton's, but insofar as hamburger chains go it's definitely premium.

I'm with you on all that.   

Being Texas, and "beef", are Morton's and Ruth's Chris (and Capital Grill) as big or prevalent down there?   I've eaten at what would otherwise be mediocre restaurants down there that had top notch cuts of meat.

[cramx3]

For the examples given (Morton's, Ruth Chris) are those chains even in Europe? 

This goes back to why I don't consider it fast food.  Although calling it "premium" seems a bit much, but then again what would be considered a premium american chain?  Certainly not Applebees 

Premium is relative. Compared to Macca's, it's good quality.

Yeah.  If your only American chains are McDonalds/KFC/Subway type of spots, then I would also see 5G as a premium chain.

[El Barto]

How does 5 Guys qualify as an "American premium chain?"

They are a chain restaurant whose product is both higher quality and more expensive than places like Macky D's and Burger King (at least in the UK).

This goes back to why I don't consider it fast food.  Although calling it "premium" seems a bit much, but then again what would be considered a premium american chain?  Certainly not Applebees 

That's the thing; depends on "chain".   I guess Morton's and The Chart House are "chains", in that they have multiple locations in most of the big cities.  Morton's is premium, no question about it; Morton's makes Applebees look like dumpster diving.

I was leaning towards Ruth's Chris, or maybe even Outback, but Morton's is a good call. In any case, I think "American premium chain" is a very good label for 5G. It's certainly not Morton's, but insofar as hamburger chains go it's definitely premium.

I'm with you on all that.   

Being Texas, and "beef", are Morton's and Ruth's Chris (and Capital Grill) as big or prevalent down there?   I've eaten at what would otherwise be mediocre restaurants down there that had top notch cuts of meat.

We've got one Morton's and the one RC closed up a few years ago. Capitol Grille is pretty successful, due in large part to its prime location (and its price tag).

It's a funny thing. We've got plenty of prime steakhouses down here. The truth is that they're all going to serve you up a wonderful steak. I figured out long ago that unless they really, truly suck, you don't judge them by the quality of their steaks. At this level it's like figure skating. You're trying to compare 9.4 to 9.6. The same goes for service. All of these sorts of places will take great care of you. You have to judge them on everything else. How are the sides? Good drinks? Does the atmosphere work for you? Does the menu have precisely what you want? Desserts?

I've been to a few of the high end steakhouses down here, and aside from personal preference I'd have a hard time recommending one over another. At this level I certainly couldn't advise against one.  Ruth's Chris was fine when I was there. Nothing to write home about, but I recall a typically excellent steak. Capitol Grille is fine. It's not my favorite based on some of the "others," but it's a guaranteed excellent steak with excellent service. I'm partial to Perry's down here, but that's based largely on atmosphere and an appetizer that I recall fondly.

[Cool Chris]

XJ and others, didn't mean to question... just never would have thought of 5 Guys as "Premium."

[pg1067]

Resurrecting this thread....

Interesting that the winner of the poll is "other," but with McDonald's and Five Guys being the two names that got the most votes.

Anyway...I have a new candidate:  Dave's Hot Chicken.

There used to be a Macaroni Grill in a shopping center near my house, but it closed a few years ago, and they gutted the building to house three different fast food places that opened within the last month:  Blaze Pizza, Habit Burger and Dave's Hot Chicken.  I was familiar with Blaze and Habit, but I'd never heard of Dave's.  Looks like it's a fairly new franchise, but it has about 3-4 dozen locations.  About half to 2/3 seem to be in California and Texas, with the rest being strewn randomly throughout the country (and one in Toronto).

Very simple menu:  two slider combo; two tenders combo; or a one slider/one tender combo.  The combos come with fries, mac & cheese or kale slaw.  Chicken comes with no spice or one of six spice levels (the hottest of which is "Reaper," and you have to sign a waiver to get it  ).

It is SO FUCKING GOOD!  And I'm not just saying that because my kid works at the new location.  If there's one near you, do yourself a favor and give it a try.

[faizoff]

That sounds amazing, pity no where close to me.

[El Barto]

I really don't get the whole hot chicken craze. Since it's new and shiny they became ubiquitous overnight down here. Every week there are reviews for the newest place that has just raised the bar. When I've had it I found it quite underwhelming. Although, in truth I'm mystified by America's hard-on for fried chicken sandwiches altogether, so what do I know. I keep thinking I should try Popeye's chicken sandwich, but I can't shake the feeling that thirty minutes later I'd be lamenting that I didn't drop $10 on something better.

[cramx3]

Tastes I guess, fried chicken sandwiches are really good IMO and I was surprised when I finally checked out the Popeyes version that it actually met the expectations.

A chick fil a just opened near work and is now the closest restaurant to my building so I've been eating there so much more than I ever have in my life.  Really just can't beat the grilled chicken sandwich and waffle fries for cost/health/quickness as a lunch option.

[Stadler]

I really don't get the whole hot chicken craze. Since it's new and shiny they became ubiquitous overnight down here. Every week there are reviews for the newest place that has just raised the bar. When I've had it I found it quite underwhelming. Although, in truth I'm mystified by America's hard-on for fried chicken sandwiches altogether, so what do I know. I keep thinking I should try Popeye's chicken sandwich, but I can't shake the feeling that thirty minutes later I'd be lamenting that I didn't drop $10 on something better.

It's funny; I'm partial to the fried chicken sandwich, too.  I like Chik-fil-A, and I LOVE Popeye's (they are so different, it's not worth comparing).  I like the KFC one as well.  One thing I don't care for:  hot chicken.  I don't even like the spicy versions of the regular chicken sandwiches.  I also don't get the craze of "hot, hotter, hottest".   My wife and I got an order of wings at a local restaurant (Bobby Valentine's, the former Mets manager) that was habanero mango, and they were too hot to eat.  It wasn't fun or satisfying.  So I'm totally out when it comes to "signing waivers" to eat sandwiches. I guess it's my palate. 

[El Barto]

I really don't get the whole hot chicken craze. Since it's new and shiny they became ubiquitous overnight down here. Every week there are reviews for the newest place that has just raised the bar. When I've had it I found it quite underwhelming. Although, in truth I'm mystified by America's hard-on for fried chicken sandwiches altogether, so what do I know. I keep thinking I should try Popeye's chicken sandwich, but I can't shake the feeling that thirty minutes later I'd be lamenting that I didn't drop $10 on something better.

It's funny; I'm partial to the fried chicken sandwich, too.  I like Chik-fil-A, and I LOVE Popeye's (they are so different, it's not worth comparing).  I like the KFC one as well.  One thing I don't care for:  hot chicken.  I don't even like the spicy versions of the regular chicken sandwiches.  I also don't get the craze of "hot, hotter, hottest".   My wife and I got an order of wings at a local restaurant (Bobby Valentine's, the former Mets Rangers manager) that was habanero mango, and they were too hot to eat.  It wasn't fun or satisfying.  So I'm totally out when it comes to "signing waivers" to eat sandwiches. I guess it's my palate.

Yeah, I think we've had this discussion before, but I'm not a wings guy, either.    That said, I do recall particularly enjoying an Arby's fried chicken sandwich. It's just the cult of CFA that really sours me on the whole thing, I guess.

Habaneros piss me off. They taste wonderful. Best flavor of any pepper. They're just a tad beyond what I can comfortably eat, though.

[King Postwhore]

I'll test that this weekend with the Nashville hot chicken.

[El Barto]

I'll test that this weekend with the Nashville hot chicken.

Do yourself a favor and just do BBQ, instead. I'm partial to Papa Turney's, out on the lakefront.

[King Postwhore]

I'll definitely check it out. Thanks El Barto!

[cramx3]

I'll test that this weekend with the Nashville hot chicken.

Do yourself a favor and just do BBQ, instead. I'm partial to Papa Turney's, out on the lakefront.

Why not both? 

[pg1067]

Well...I'm not a chicken sandwich guy, and I think slaw of any kind is nasty, and I sure as heck wouldn't eat anything that requires me to sign a waiver.  But the Dave's tender with the right spice level (for me, it's mild) is just really good.  Enough heat that you feel it, but not so much that it kills the actual flavor or becomes a struggle to eat.

I'll test that this weekend with the Nashville hot chicken.

Are you going to Nashville?  If so, I heartily recommend Jack's Bar-B-Que - https://jacksbarbque.com/.  I went to the Broadway location.