Tuesday, May 09, 2006

 

13 Foods I Like Too Much at Restaurants


In recognition of the fact that I'm not going to be eating them for a while because I'm re-improving my diet, here are some restaurant foods that I love and that have a tendency to spoil my diet for a given week. Some of them are chains, some are specific to here in town. Honorable mentions that didn't quite make it: The Thai place down south whose name I forget, the Korean restaurant a few blocks away that as far as I can tell is called Tasty Korean BBQ, Sonterra Grill, The Olive Branch, Il Vicino, the little pizza place attached to Poor Richard's Bookstore (but not Rico's, which featured the most mysteriously dickish waiter I've ever encountered), Swan Palace, The Sunbird, Gertrude's, The Wayfarer pub, Southside Johnny's, La Baguette, La Casita, Cold Stone, and McDonald's fries-and-a-shake (my only remaining fast-food vice).

13. Pasta Milano, Macaroni Grill. There's a sad dearth of good Italian food in town (at least in my price range). Luigi's is actually very good, but it's way the hell down south, so I don't go too often; Antonio's is overrated; I've never been to Fratelli. Instead, we get this near-default addition--bowtie pasta in garlic cream sauce with sundried tomatoes. While I'm recommending Italian, let me give a shout-out to Amerigo in Nashville, which I loved. Also North Beach restaurant in San Francisco, home to the best manicotti I ever had.
12. Chicken Quesadillas, Wooglin's Deli. This is a favorite stop after Poetry West meetings, as it's right across the street. It's very much a hole-in-the-wall, but I like the food plenty. Good cookies too--peanut butter especially.
11. Baby Back Ribs, Bennett's Barbecue. I'm sure Jake York can lecture me on what's wrong with them, but I'm a sucker for these.
10. Chicken Teriyaki, Elephant Bar. I think it has some stupid adjective in front of it like "spicy" or "zesty," but it's a huge helping of teriyaki chicken on a huge pile of rice, and it's all good.
9. Personal Deep Dish Pizza, Panino's. They're best known for their panini (go figure), but I prefer the small (not really small) pizza.
8. Chicken Strips & Hefeweizen, Phantom Canyon. Phantom Canyon has great house microbrews. A lot of their food is fancified and pricy, but the chicken strips walk the line well.
7. Caramel Apple Crisp, On the Border. Most of the items on this list are actual dinners, but I don't give a rat's ass about anything but the dessert here--some sort of spiced apple and caramel mixture heated and topped with ice cream.
6. Meatball Sandwich, Mollica's. It has some pseudo-Italian name like "The Dominic," but it's basically a meatball sub with cheese and marinara sauce.
5. Chicken Lo Mein, Silver Pond. My favorite type of Chinese food at my favorite Chinese restaurant in town. The sesame chicken rocks too.
4. Garlic Cheese Bread, Old Chicago. I have a lot of favorite entrees at Old Chicago, but this appetizer and horrible date food is a constant.
3. Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, Wazee Supper Club. Technically, this place is in Denver. However, the sandwich was so so good the first time I had it that I asked them for it the second time even though it wasn't on the menu. They came through.
2. Milkshake & Cheese Fries, Conway's Red Top. Red Top was the restaurant touted as a good alternative in Fast Food Nation. Also, my high school principal was mocked in the same book. When I say "cheese fries," I mean French fries covered in melted cheese, not fried mozarella sticks.
1. Nachos Supreme, Senor Manuel's. This, along with a 46-ounce margarita on the rocks, is my favorite decadent dish and the one on the list I had most recently (Saturday). There are a lot of good Mexican restaurants in town--Senor Manuel's, Pueblo Viejo, Jose Muldoon's, etc.

So what are your favorite restaurant foods?

Comments:
I shouldn't have read that list. I'm going to be hungry all day.

For me: Curry chicken with onion from Cheng's Gourmet. Onion tanglers from Papa Boo's. Grilled chicken sandwich with the world's best horseradish and french fries from the Pink Cricket. Fettucine al forno from Anthony's with a side salad with their house dressing that could peel the skin from your bones.

No one else in the world has ever heard of these restaurants!
 
this is a funny post!

my cheat foods are typically:

BBQ from what of the little pits here in town.

chocolate in any form, including liquid.

chicken mcnuggets

buffalo wings from just about anyplace

Long John Silvers chicken planks and hushpuppies

ick. when i eat bad, i eat real bad.
 
Pizza. From anywhere. I don't care. I have yet to come across a pizza that I've hated (as long as it didn't have fruit or olives on it. Who puts fruit on pizza?)
 
All local joints:

Vegetable vindaloo, The Bengal Tiger

Green Curry with coconut milk, Uthaithani Thai

Tiramisu, Bizarro Italian Restaurant

Goat cheese & artichoke heart pizza, Pagliacci Pizza

Deep fried artichoke hearts and cosmos at The Bothell Ale House
 
Oh, tiramisu. I wish there were a local place for tiramisu.

Oh dear, I think I just drooled on the nice clean floor.
 
Chili at the 600 Cafe (Miles City, Montana).

Codfish at Ivar's Fish Bar (Seattle).

Curry chicken at Kimson (Minneapolis).

Chorizo burritos at Pasqual's (Minneapolis).

Burritos from the small burrito place (can't remember the name of the place now) in Port Townsend, Washington.

Italian sausage hoagies at Davanni's.

Pecan pancakes at Al's Breakfast (Minneapolis).

Pizza from any number of places, prefer thicker crust, favorite toppings are pepperoni and green olives.

A patty melt I had years ago at Cognac McCarthy's in St. Paul.

Haven't settled on a favorite barbecue place yet, but still looking.
 
smallburgers with cheese at Stratton's in Ashland City, TN

pulled pork BBQ at Carl's Perfect Pig on Hwy 70 in White Bluff, TN

falafel at La Shish in Dearborn, MI

keilbasa and borscht at some Polish restaurant I can't remember on Grand River Ave in Detroit

coneys (chili dogs) at any coney place in Detroit

my dad's burgers and fries at our defunct drive-in, Dearborn MI

fish and chips & stout at Sherlock Holmes Pub in Nashville, I think they closed :(

bacon and eggs at Waffle House

BBQ at Mary's on Jefferson St in Nashville

skordalia and retsina in Greektown in Detroit
 
Before I even looked at the list I could have told you the Red Top and Senor Manuel's would be at the top. Nice job referencing "The Coke Dude."
 
Post a Comment



<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?