I don't eat a ton of national chain food - I live in NYC where I could (if I was so inclined to spend a fortune) literally eat at a different restaurant for every meal of my life and never repeat - but every now and then I have a craving for Dominoes (shh...). There are some amazing local chains - Meatball Shop, Shake Shack, The Smith, among others.
And I particularly avoid chain restaurants (or really anything) near Times Square. Overpriced and underflavored...
Ssssh. I plan to copy one of everyone's favorites plus all the BBQ staples, and open up the world's greatest eatery. So far I got Little Caesar's Detroit deep dish, KFC's coleslaw, Shake Shack's everything (should be easy), Ruby Tuesday's salad bar, Chuy's burritos, and Waffle House-meets Bob Evans breakfasts. Taking notes, forming plans....
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan - near Clare (dead center of lower peninsula).
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
If I go out for dinner, it’s almost never a chain restaurant. I’ll get lunch from chain places occasionally. Firehouse subs is one of my new favorites. Definitely love Popeyes for chicken, five guys for burgers.
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Grilla Grills Pellet Pizza Oven
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
> Thermoworks Thermopop
> Thermoworks Square DOT
> Thermoworks IR-GUN-S
> Joule Turbo Sous Vide Circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
EDIT: I should add that my wife insists that we seek out McDonalds when we’re traveling ... mainly due to the fact that their franchise rules require that the restrooms be kept clean.
Last edited by MBMorgan; February 27, 2019, 09:35 PM.
I really like The Cheesecake Factory - never had anything there that wasn't great, and the service is always top notch. Their crispy spicy chicken sandwich with their homemade garlic ranch is the best chicken sandwich I've had anywhere.
Rubio's - every time I go back to San Diego I stop at a Rubio's on the way from the airport, and pretty much every other day while I'm there. Love their fish tacos.
Sous Vide Joule® Turbo Sous Vide
Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker, Bluetooth, 800W
Accessories
SNS
Steelmade Flat Top for Outdoor Grill (Griddle Insert)
BBQ Guru DigiQ (for PBC and 22" Weber Kettle)
BBQ Dragon
Grill Grates for Blaze grill
Hovergrill
About me
Name: Jim
Nick name: Bear
Location: Spokane Valley, Wa.
Born at a very young age at Egland AFB, Ft. Walton Beach, FL.
USAF vet, ECM (F4 & B52)/B52 Crew Chief, Computer Systems NCO, disabled
Former Computer Tech/Admin
Campus Manager/Lead Tech/Tech (IT) for The Kemtah Group contracted to Intel, Rio Rancho, NM.
Short Term Missionary to the Marshall Islands with MAPS of DFM of AOG
DeLeon's for Mexican
Five Guys for burgers (or make Meathead's and BallisticBBQ's burger recipes)
Caruso's for a mix of sandwiches and wood fired oven pizza (mostly do our own pizza's)
Schlotzsky's for Albuquerque Turkey sandwich
Hong Kong Buffet for Americanized Chinese (Mostly do Martin Yan's recipes and Seonkyoung Longest's and Maangchi's for Korean)
KFC - wife likes their potpies
In my neighborhood, there are so many restaurants that are owned by private proprietors rather than big corporations. There is one nearby, Coopers Hawk Winery....They are fantastic. As a matter of fact I didn't know they were a chain until I looked them up.
Re-reading this, my wife has since discovered that she loves Cooper's Hawk. She raves. Her all time favorite champagne (ahem...sparkling wine...) is their Almond Prosecco.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
Cracker Barrel can vary too much from place to place. I've had great ones and horrible ones. I stopped going to the two near me years ago when the quality of their biscuits when down the tubes.
Cooking gadgets
Weber Summit Charcoal Grill Center
Weber Summit Platinum D6
Blue Rhino Razor
Dyna-Glo XL Premium Dual Chamber
Camp Chef Somerset IV along with their Artisan Pizza Oven 90
Anova WiFi
Thermometers
Thermapen Mk4 - ThermaQ High Temp Kit - ThermaQ Meathead Kit - ThermaQ WiFi - ThermoWorks IR-GUN-S - ThermoWorks Signals & Billows - ThermoPop -ThermoWorks ProNeedle - ThermoWorks TimeStick Trio x2 - and a Christopher Kimball timer - NO, I do not work for ThermoWorks...I just like their products.
Other useful bits...
KitchenAid 7-qt Pro Line stand mixer
A Black & Decker food processor that I can't seem to murder
A couple of immersion blenders, one a "consumer" model & the other a "high end" Italian thing. Yes, the Italian one is a bit better, but only marginally
Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 8-qt + accessories like egg-bite & egg holders
All-Clad pots & pans, along with some cast iron...everything from 7" Skookie pans to 8.5qt Dutch ovens
Weber GBS griddle, pizza stone, and wok
Knives range from Mercer to F. Dick to "You spent how much for one knife? One knife?!" LOL
Gotta love the salad bar at RT. The closest locations to me are in Las Vegas or AZ...so not exactly around the corner. LOL
I’ve stopped by the Moss Point, MS location several times though.
All that said...can’t say that I have a fave chain. I only eat fast food if I have to and being in SoCal I’m spoiled for choices with just about any cuisine imaginable.
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