Entries tagged with 'chain restaurants'
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Clueless dudes,* take note: On Glamour's Smitten blog, the women in the comments of the latest Reader's Dilemma ("My Dates Always Choose Chain Restaurants, Which I Secretly Hate") are overwhelmingly in favor of quirky hole-in-the-wall restaurants for first dates. (Except one who says, "I've never even thought of this before, this dilemma sounds pretentious.") Many of the commenters are pretty open-minded, though, saying that choosing a chain wouldn't necessarily be a dealbreaker. I think most folks reading SE would opt for a unique, delicious local place for a date. Before I started dating my current squeeze, I used to keep a list of such surefire date restaurants on hand in case I needed it.** (Which was rarely.) Do you...
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During a recent trip to Washington, D.C. I was sent on a mission of the self-proposed, self-beneficial kind, to revisit one of my favorite fast-food chains in the country: Potbelly Sandwich Works. By subjecting myself to a variety of their sandwiches, I was to determine once and for all whether Potbelly’s was actually good. Having returned from my journey, I’d like to report back with a stellar "yes" to my query and frankly, I’m much relieved. This is a sore point with me—that sometimes I will harbor the childhood notion that something is delicious only to discover years later that I was mistaken, due mostly to an inexperienced palate. I’m sure that I’m not alone in this sentiment. Have...
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To any In-N-Out fan, the "secret menu" is an open secret. But while just about every other cheeseburger comes out Animal Style, it's less well-known that you can get your fries Animal Style, too. What does that mean? Find out ...
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Can Mario Lopez get a prime reservation at Sbarro? Sbarro, as in, the pizza chain in most airports and train stations. Maybe his Saved by the Bell fame will score him some extra cheese. Lopez's "assistant," who also poses as assistants to James Gandolfini, Martha Stewart, and George Clooney, tries to get his supposed "bosses" the star treatment at Sbarro-level chains (like Planet Hollywood and Olive Garden). The social experiment recalls a similar-minded, and brilliant, series in the late magazine Jane. A writer would phone up cheesy chains pretending to be dead celebrities looking for dining perks. RIP Jane. We watch this, and remember your pages, always. The video, after the jump....
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Denny's All Nighter Denny's has been "feeding bands and music fans since 1953," but now they are hosting Warped Tour After Parties, running a music blog, adding "rock edge" and dimly lit ambiance to their restaurants late at night, and rolling out menu items designed by real rock stars. Music blog The Modern Age declares the Denny's All Nighter Menu, featuring dishes created by music groups, possibly "the greatest marketing idea of all time." Does anything sound more delicious, come a drunken and hungry nighttime, than Hearts on a Plate: heart-shaped pancakes covered in strawberry syrup and white chocolate chips, developed by Eagles of Death Metal’s Jesse Hughes? Or Taking Back Bacon Burger Fries: fries topped with all the...
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Ever go to T.G.I. Friday’s and say to yourself, "Hey, this line is really long! I wish there was a way to cut ahead of all these people!"? Now there's at least one way to get some V.I.P. treatment in the local strip mall without slipping the maître d' a twenty. Not sure how we missed this, but T.G.I. Friday’s launched their loyalty program, "Give Me More Stripes" on July 14, and the numbers are astounding: more than 380,000 members signed up, which evens out to more than 600 members per U.S. restaurant. In a way, it's not surprising when given these perks: a free appetizer or dessert upon sign-up, a one-time use jump-the-line-pass, and an $8 certificate for every...
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The last "old" Ruby Tuesday—they are keeping the location secret—will be literally blown up on Tuesday, August 5 at 3 p.m. ET, and the spectacle will be broadcast online.
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Overexcited voice-over, in-your-face shots of steaks and chopped vegetables, smiley customers—at first glance it looks like a commercial for your local Southwest-themed chain restaurant, but after about 25 seconds you realize something is off. Way off. "Seriously, you might want to stay home and have leftovers because this sauce is really f**kin' bad," advises the commercial for Chicho's new Weak Sauce. Maybe I do want steak that tastes like my grandmother's bathwater. For only $29.99, how could I resist? Watch the video after the jump....
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The magazine Health has named its healthiest top ten sit-down chain restaurants, top five fast food joints, and the best all-around indie restaurants in the nation. At No. 1 in sit-down chains? Uno Chicago Grill. Say wha? Yeah, it has a load of good-for-you options if you forgo the deep dish. Top fast foodery? Noodles & Company. Best independent? Blue Hill in New York City, run by Dan Barber....
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I was out with a couple of food writer friends a couple of weeks ago at a fancy-pants Italian restaurant when first one and then the other began to rhapsodize about the Houston's in Washington, D.C.'s tony Georgetown neighborhood. "That restaurant is really good," said one. "You're right," the other, a respected restaurant critic, replied. "Houston's is a really good restaurant." "If it's so good," I asked, "why haven't you ever reviewed or even written about it?" My friend hesitated before stammering, "I would have if a new Houston's would open up." A punt of an answer if I ever heard one. I quickly changed the subject. Let's face it. Chain restaurants in big cities like New York, Chicago,...
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