The Fast Food Thread

pharmakos said:

i get a bit of soapiness from cilantro, but i still like it. guess i'm just 20% supertaster.

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I'm still trying to peg down why Chipotle rice sucks/is so bland. It may be due to lack of cilantro. That stuff is like ready flavor, the seasoning salt of greenery.

Harshaw said:

A couple of times a year I get a craving for Red Lobster. Last time I went I fiended on two orders of their mussels. Shit was delicious.

Mind you. Red Lobster is like the only real seafood restaurant within 30 miles of me.

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You live far from the coasts, I'm guessing? Seems that Red Lobster is thought of highly by those nowhere near the coasts - but less so by those that have fresh fish from nearby.

That said we did Shrimpfest with el-woman and I before we headed to our weekend with the nieces and were quite happy with it, we couldn't do too much damage (we're not big eaters as I think I've mentioned before) - but she had popcorn bites x2 + Mediterranean and I went with Nashville x2 + Cape Cod Crusted or whatever.

All were superb would've been happy with any as the only thing all the way through, but definitely would rate them as for one's we had as:
1) Nashville - great flavor, little bit of heat, little bit of sweetness - nothing overpowered, but just a nice balance of everything. Not even terribly sticky they did a great job of saucing above the tail.
2) Crusted - great flavor and crunch, reminiscent of a full-size coconut shrimp but replacing the sweetness of the coconut with some saltiness.
3) Mediterranean - exactly as expected for a grilled shrimp with med flavors, but a little surprise of a teeny bit of heat - I didn't have too many, but actually seemed hotter than the Nashville for the partial skewer I stole from my other half.
4) Popcorn Bites - great, but super sweet - I could probably eat them indefinitely with some pauses - but after around three in a row the sweetness was a bit much for me, like sitting there chowing on a bag of candy. Good, but needs a pause sometimes. (Not cloyingly sweet where my pallet is blown out for a while though, recoverable level)

Conefed said:

I'm still trying to peg down why Chipotle rice sucks/is so bland. It may be due to lack of cilantro. That stuff is like ready flavor, the seasoning salt of greenery.

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Compared to where? I've not really bumped into anyplace that seasons their rice much different, but the base types that Chipotle has had last time I've been (it's been ages though, pre-Ebola Chipotle era - we're not close by any these days and love our FL chain of Tijuana Flats) were bland styles that I'd never buy in the store. Other places I've seen using more fragrant variants of rice as their basis - I believe Tijuana Flats for example even though it's not authentic Mexican go with a Jasmine for their base if memory serves. [I asked them at some point, I'm not a rice ID expert]

And I would guess some others start with a Spanish Rice from the color, like our local proper sit-down Mexican called El Tucan nearby. (Never asked or anything, it's a guess based on appearance)

If you're getting rice you're doing it wrong. Rice is filler. It's a waste of space. Fill it up with more beans and veggies. Rice is never the answer.

McCheese said:

If you're getting rice you're doing it wrong. Rice is filler. It's a waste of space. Fill it up with more beans and veggies. Rice is never the answer.

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White rice absolutely is (unless with chinese food with a sauce on it, pour the rest of the meal over the rice - get more of that delicious sauce with the rice as a vessel), but some varieties of rice are tasty even unseasoned.

Rice may be filler but it adds a nice texture to some burritos.

I don't really want rice in my Carne Asada, Carnitas or Al Pastor but I do want it in a bean or chicken burrito.

Ya know living in New England Arby's are few and far between and usually in the ghetto. You guys talk about it every now and then but it's the only fast food place that is available to me (if I try hard enough) that I have never had. Not even once.

Should I go out of my way or should I continue the trend?

Abry's has upped their game considerably in the last several years. Definitely give it a try, although it might be worth waiting for a truly great special item, such as the brown sugar bacon sandwiches, if you risk getting stabbed/raped/mugged.

CT is a hot bed for ginger rapings

I think the biggest problem with Arby's is they're trying to sell me shit like a French Dip which I am absolutely never going to a fast food place for because there are so many better restaurants to go to for "high end" shit like that.

They had the best fast food version of the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. Their Loaded Italian was also really good. And their gyros. Basically most of their temporary items are pretty good and worth trying at least once.

Xevy said:

They had the best fast food version of the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. Their Loaded Italian was also really good. And their gyros. Basically most of their temporary items are pretty good and worth trying at least once.

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This is what I mean. I am never going to Arby's for a deli sandwich or a gyro. Ever.

zzeris said:

Spam is one of the guilty pleasures I rarely get to enjoy. I know it's some kind of trash amalgam of meat that's not the least bit healthy. It was also a standard meal at my parents house growing up and there are lots of things you can do with it. Some of my favorite meals are based on 'the new white meat'.

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I like to cut spam thin and fry it crispy. SLT sandwich.

Vaclav said:

Compared to where? I've not really bumped into anyplace that seasons their rice much different, but the base types that Chipotle has had last time I've been (it's been ages though, pre-Ebola Chipotle era - we're not close by any these days and love our FL chain of Tijuana Flats) were bland styles that I'd never buy in the store. Other places I've seen using more fragrant variants of rice as their basis - I believe Tijuana Flats for example even though it's not authentic Mexican go with a Jasmine for their base if memory serves. [I asked them at some point, I'm not a rice ID expert]

And I would guess some others start with a Spanish Rice from the color, like our local proper sit-down Mexican called El Tucan nearby. (Never asked or anything, it's a guess based on appearance)

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To be fair, most may be bad. Offhand only rice I can think of that I eat at fooderies is Asian rice. I do know that the three or so times I've been to Chipotle it was horribly bland (another reason for my saltines against them not having unlimited salsa / acceptable queso). In all cases, Chipotle was heavy on its rice.