The official ATOT Fast Food discussion thread

[poofyhairguy]

yeah, if you prefer your chicken with zero effing seasoning.

 

[vi edit]

I'm a sucker for Steak 'N Shake. Get their coupon for Double steakburger platter & Shake for $5.99. Can't get a better gutbomb for that price.

 

[MongGrel]

the only bad thing about Popeye's is their absolutely terrible biscuit. if only Church's would open up next to Popeye's, I can go to Popeye's for their chicken but get my biscuits from Church's.

The wife has done something like that in the past with the Dodge Store here.

She hits up the KFC near it for their cole slaw, we both love it still, some other sides, then the Dodge store for the chicken.

 

[slayer202]

fatties

i love wendys nuggets and fries though

 

[MongGrel]

I love Steak 'N Shake also, but the closest one here is a bit of a drive.

We used to stop in there after Buccs games on the way home when we had season tickets, was a fan of just going in and getting the Chili and Spaghetti with a Shake myself.

 

[Mayne]

I rarely eat fast food...beer takes up most of my budget.

 

[brianmanahan]

i miss rax

that is all

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I recently read McDonald's is testing real, not frozen beef at some of its TX locations. I think the beef was local too. I wonder why the ability to handle fresh beef was lost like an ancient language?

 

[vi edit]

fatties

i love wendys nuggets and fries though

Bleh. Wendy's fries are good for like the first 20 seconds they are out of the fry pit. After that they just go to crap.

Arby's curly fries >>> all. Heck even the Arby's homestyle fries are pretty good. Oh and Curly Fries + Horsey sauce = win.

And on the topic of Arbys...Corned Beef slider = DELISH.

 

[Mayne]

I recently read McDonald's is testing real, not frozen beef at some of its TX locations. I think the beef was local too. I wonder why the ability to handle fresh beef was lost like an ancient language?

probably same reason it would be impossible to send up a gemini rocket now.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

probably same reason it would be impossible to send up a gemini rocket now.

True but not exactly true. This one is bigger & better.

http://www.space.com/21487-nasa-sls-biggest-rocket.html

I do get your point though.

 

[zinfamous]

yeah, if you prefer your chicken with zero effing seasoning.

are you dead inside, or what?

I had to google what a Bojangle's was, nearest one is in Pennsylvania

Looks pretty good though, biscuits & fried chicken are always a win!

ah, that's good to know...at least they are expanding, though that is somewhat worrisome. It is primarily a southeast thing, and more specifically NC/SC.

The biscuits are unmatched. No question--no one beats their biscuits (aside form Biscuitville maybe, but whatever). Popeyes and Church's don't even make real biscuits. they are disgraceful. Hardee's are pretty good but that has always been their thing: they invented the sausage biscuit in the FF space (yes, well before McDonald's and it always destroyed McDonald's failure of a sausage patty and biscuit)

Anyhoo, aside from the unmatched best FF fried chicken anywhere, Bojangles also has a slamming country breakfast and full lunch spread: All hours of the day. Country ham sandwich (who else does this?), the cinammon rolls...all breakfast biscuits beat everyone else simply because they use real biscuits.

They also don't jerk around with the chicken: you have one option, and that is cajun spicy. I wouldn't call it that spicy, but some weaklings cry because of it. whatever.

The major complaint with Bojangles is timing. Most aren't managed well, it seems, so you have to be fortunate to not hit them at a bad time of day. The fries, for example are either better than anyone or the absolute worst abominations. That's the main caveat.

 

[zinfamous]

I can't decide if over the last years Arby's has been awful enough to love (the hipster thing), or it's truly honest.

...not you guys, because I know it's real because I see it a lot here, but damn I hate missing Arby's because I occasionally get excited about it, eat an Arby's, then feel like shit.

Could be because I rarely eat FF now, but those cravings do remain. B & C, regular Arby RB, and the French Dip. The glory days. (lesser points to Arby-Q--the sauce was always kinda meh)

I do still wish I had the iron gut of my high school days. Many a 5 for $5 were destroyed in those days, my friends.

 

[Mayne]

I can't decide if over the last years Arby's has been awful enough to love (the hipster thing), or it's truly honest.

...not you guys, because I know it's real because I see it a lot here, but damn I hate missing Arby's because I occasionally get excited about it, eat an Arby's, then feel like shit.

Could be because I rarely eat FF now, but those cravings do remain. B & C, regular Arby RB, and the French Dip. The glory days. (lesser points to Arby-Q--the sauce was always kinda meh)

I do still wish I had the iron gut of my high school days. Many a 5 for $5 were destroyed in those days, my friends.

heck I lived off those 5 for 5 days back in my highschool days...I miss the arby's during the 80's in 8th Avenue mall Calgary.

 

[zinfamous]

heck I lived off those 5 for 5 days back in my highschool days...I miss the arby's during the 80's in 8th Avenue mall Calgary.

Yeah but you guys have all the poutine you can tolerate.

....though I'm not sure I envy you.

One of these showed up in Berkeley about 2 years ago (hmm, now looks like there is one in DC...), and I must say that it is pretty terrible.

I like the idea of poutine, but I imagine that one of the things that makes it great: gravy + fries, is also it's downfall. You need super duper fried fries lest they get soggy really fast. Then it's just disgusting.

D: oh damn--that one is opening near work, again! (campuses, go figure). It looks like they are going from 100 stores in Canada...to hoping to upon 1300 stores worldwide in 5 years?

lol, this has Krispy Kreme expansion failure all over it.

 

[vi edit]

Yeah but you guys have all the poutine you can tolerate.

....though I'm not sure I envy you.

One of these showed up in Berkeley about 2 years ago (hmm, now looks like there is one in DC...), and I must say that it is pretty terrible.

I like the idea of poutine, but I imagine that one of the things that makes it great: gravy + fries, is also it's downfall. You need super duper fried fries lest they get soggy really fast. Then it's just disgusting.

D: oh damn--that one is opening near work, again! (campuses, go figure). It looks like they are going from 100 stores in Canada...to hoping to upon 1300 stores worldwide in 5 years?

lol, this has Krispy Kreme expansion failure all over it.

There's a place here Lexington that does a really good Poutine.


http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/county-club-lexington?select=lnl9e9WSKsktB-bu5w8eQg

 

[Kaido]

Fortunately for me, there's only 1 chain fast food place within 25 minutes of me. Also, fortunately for me, there are several locations I can go to and be in and out the door in 5 minutes or less with a delicious hot meal. Steak sandwiches made with real steak at the local butcher, with a piece of homemade cheesecake. YUM. Or, today, since it's friday, I had 8 butterflied fried shrimp with cocktail sauce. YUM.

Oh that reminds me, got the burners on my DIY outdoor pizza oven working! Official test with the giant Fibrament board is tonight! I am hoping to hit 900F air & 700F floor temps. I did a quick test run the other day & got the board up to 550F reasonably quickly, although it did take about double the time of my Baking Steel - but my steel oxidized outside, so that's a no-go for a patio oven

 

[Kaido]

Chick-Fil-A - their chicken sandwich might be the best fast food sandwich of all of them. Moist and tasty and big. Why do I get two?

The one near me (there's only 2 in the whole state iirc) is constantly packed

And man oh man do I LOVE their frozen (frosted?) lemonade, that thing is amazing on a hot day! I need to dig up a copycat recipe for it...

 

[Kaido]

my current fast food winner: McDonald's deluxe premium fried chicken on potato bun (test market)

better than chick fil a IMO, not as good as chicken shack from shake shack

Wow, that sounds pretty awesome.

About ten years ago, McDonald's crispy chicken sammich was the cat's meow. I've tried it twice in the last few months, along with their buttermilk version, and it has been absolutely terrible. Oh how the mighty have fallen

I picked up some tempura to try out this recipe:

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/2586/McDonalds-Chicken-Sandwich141549.shtml

Going to compare it to the Serious Eats version at some point:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/08/five-ingredient-fried-chicken-sandwich-recipe.html

My only problem is finding good buns, I don't have any good bakeries nearby. I picked up a bun pan that I've been experimenting with, but good buns take a surprisingly long time to prep & make. I haven't nailed down a bun that I like yet either...something similar to a brioche (nice & soft without being too bready), but with a good flavor like a potato bun.

 

[MongGrel]

I can't decide if over the last years Arby's has been awful enough to love (the hipster thing), or it's truly honest.

...not you guys, because I know it's real because I see it a lot here, but damn I hate missing Arby's because I occasionally get excited about it, eat an Arby's, then feel like shit.

Could be because I rarely eat FF now, but those cravings do remain. B & C, regular Arby RB, and the French Dip. The glory days. (lesser points to Arby-Q--the sauce was always kinda meh)

I do still wish I had the iron gut of my high school days. Many a 5 for $5 were destroyed in those days, my friends.

Have done 5 for $5 many times in the past myself, would buy them even when they had a 5 for $6 a few years ago if you asked and ate 3 for lunch and stored 2 for the next day were I used to work, with an Arbys across the street.

I'll lay off the Arbys rant myself now, been on that one too much.

I dunno, I was never a big Chik-Fil-A fan myself, as far as that goes.

 

[Ns1]

Wow, that sounds pretty awesome.

About ten years ago, McDonald's crispy chicken sammich was the cat's meow. I've tried it twice in the last few months, along with their buttermilk version, and it has been absolutely terrible. Oh how the mighty have fallen

I picked up some tempura to try out this recipe:

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/2586/McDonalds-Chicken-Sandwich141549.shtml

Going to compare it to the Serious Eats version at some point:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/08/five-ingredient-fried-chicken-sandwich-recipe.html

My only problem is finding good buns, I don't have any good bakeries nearby. I picked up a bun pan that I've been experimenting with, but good buns take a surprisingly long time to prep & make. I haven't nailed down a bun that I like yet either...something similar to a brioche (nice & soft without being too bready), but with a good flavor like a potato bun.

the problem with making burgers and whatnot at home is definitely the buns - we have some "artisan" bakers around here, but they want $1-$2 per bun. WTF?

 

[quackagator]

Backyard Burgers. Great hamburgers.

 

[zerocool84]

the only bad thing about Popeye's is their absolutely terrible biscuit. if only Church's would open up next to Popeye's, I can go to Popeye's for their chicken but get my biscuits from Church's.

When I work every couple weeks in North Long Beach, they are both down the street from each other. I'll alternate between them.

 

[ponyo]

Chick-fil-A is here everywhere so that's usually my go to place. It's also cheaper than McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Arby's, and all other fast food places except for Taco Bell.

For fried chicken, I like Popeye's but lately I've been going to KFC for their $8.49 buffet which includes a drink. That might be the best deal anywhere.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Chick-fil-A is here everywhere so that's usually my go to place. It's also cheaper than McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Arby's, and all other fast food places except for Taco Bell.

Except the portion sizes are small.