For me, it's a toss up between Friendly's and Applebee's. Friendly's is incredibly slow, tastes like shit, and is expensive for what you get. The service is a joke, which is kind of ironic given its name. Applebee's is just plain bad. The food is utterly gross, and the portions are tiny...not that you'd want to eat a lot of that crap.

Denny's has that late night emo thing going against it, however.

I wish that I could post more options, such as Olive Garden (not that bad), Outback Steak House (decent), Rainforest Cafe (shit), Macaroni Grille, or Shoney's.

Also, sorry if any of these are regional places. I'm not sure about the Ground Round.

Hooters - tits and ass for the whole family.

applebee's is a guilty pleasure of mine

hot boneless buffalo wings and an order of fries.

nice.

You pared down the list.

There was a limit of 12

:blush:

Applebee's = disgusting.

Of that list, Friendly's, but that's only a Northeast thing.

I would say Olive Garden is worse than all of these.

applebees is some real nasty shit

but some of restaurants are great...ie, red lobster

j/k
































except for the fucking cheese biscuits...god's gift to man

applebees chicken alfredo bowl is my fav. :)

And I also genuinely like 99, Chili's, and Crackerbarrel.

Of that list, Friendly's, but that's only a Northeast thing.

I would say Olive Garden is worse than all of these.

"Uncle Vinny came to visit from Sicily and we took him to the Olive Garden. The next day, the family car exploded."


And I'm not ashamed that I am willing to go to Red Lobster once a year or so just for those fucking biscuits.

i really can't participate in this thread because i pretty much eat and enjoy anything

except, you know, vegetables, and shit like that. i don't get steaks at places like this because they're bad. but if i get some chicken or a burger with cheese and some type of sauce smothered all over it with some salty fries....i mean, you can't really fuck shit like that up.

i pretty much eat and enjoy anything

you're pretty much lobbing them up there tonight

i like the appetizers at applebees, but thats it....their steak is so nasty, last time we got it there was a huge purple tendon thing in the middle that was like, half of the nasty little steak and it jiggled and wouldnt cut out, i almost hurled watching the struggle to yoink it out...ughh.....but the boneless wings and um...chips and salsa are good. and yeah. thats really it.

sizzler is the worst ugh..

wtf is the Ground Round.

I should add, for impartiality's sake, I love Ruby Tuesday.

I should add, for impartiality's sake, I love Ruby Tuesday.

I like going for the salad bar at lunch but it's my experience as soon as the waitress knows you're just getting the salad bar she'd just assume shit on your plate than get your some drink refills without you begging first.

the ground round is filthy.

applebees chicken alfredo bowl is my fav. :)

how could you vote against dennys? i love that place

I voted Hooters, but that's only because of their prices and their schlock. Their food ain't half-bad. I probably should have voted for Applebee's.

i haven't been there in probably 10 years, if not more. they had a projector that showed cartoons with now sound and served popcorn while you waited for your food. also, a clown would wonder around occasionally. I hated the ground round.

This was my childhood.

That fucking clown scared the shit out of me. It made balloons that I did not find amusing.

The saving grace was the little baseball cap that the ice cream came in. I still have a bunch of those in my kitchen that I use to put Cheez-Its in.

dennys. a lot of them, especially the ones that are the only 24 hour game in town, have two sets of menus. they bring out the late night menus at like 10pm and charge people a couple dollars more for pretty much everything.

chili's "southwest flavor" must be a hilarious joke I don't get

bennigans should be on that list, the food is horrible.

Olive Garden is the worst if only because they act like they're serving authentic, Old World Italian fare when in fact it's more like Chef Boyardee bullshit. At least there is no such pretense when you go to slop houses like Applebees or Friendly.

how could you vote against dennys? i love that place

im sorry, i never go there. :(

Olive Garden is the worst if only because they act like they're serving authentic, Old World Italian fare when in fact it's more like Chef Boyardee bullshit. At least there is no such pretense when you go to slop houses like Applebees or Friendly.

good point

why is denny's there but ihop's not

Fridays and Outback are the best

chili's "southwest flavor" must be a hilarious joke I don't get

Burgers and beer, burgers and beer.

A good 75% of the menu looks like a disaster but if you stick with relatively non-southwest-y sounding stuff you'll be good.

In other words, burgers and beer, burgers and beer.

i'll have to agree on ravenguy's chili's assessment

though i still don't really like it


also, trots, if anyone voted for ihop they'd have to be insane...the pancakes there rule

Red Lobster hands down. Seafood coverd in melted cheese fucking gross,

Hooters franchise in the northeast went under I heard... my local Hooters is closed now and I'm just beside myself.

I'm all about Ruby Tuesday's as far as chains go. My favorite is 2 Ruby Mini burgers and the salad bar. I miss Ground Round though, I thought that place was amazing as a kid. but I'm sure if I went to one now I'd be sketched out.

I just came into this thread and I cant believe so many other people pickled Applebees too. God they have nothing good on their menu. Well, I did like their quesadilla burger for about 5 minutes but now I'm back to hating them.

I wish that I could post more options, such as Olive Garden (not that bad), Outback Steak House (decent), Rainforest Cafe (shit), Macaroni Grille, or Shoney's.

Also, sorry if any of these are regional places. I'm not sure about the Ground Round.


dude outback has amazing steak for a chain restuaraunt. I've never had a bad steak there. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm and their cheese fries are delicious. and the bread!

and do not bring up macaroni grille in this thread.

i hate applebees

and i second whoever gave props to red lobsters biscuits - they are worth going there by themselves

hey guys you can buy cheddar garlic biscuit mix in the grocery store and make your own biscuits that taste exactly the same.

I just came into this thread and I cant believe so many other people pickled Applebees too. God they have nothing good on their menu. Well, I did like their quesadilla burger for about 5 minutes but now I'm back to hating them.
pickles cute. acne not so much

STOP FOLLOWING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what is he referencing?

I dont know he has another catch phrase

I dont know he has another catch phrase

oh awesome.

LiLo. cough. splutter

chomp

friendly's is not a northeast thing.

however, ground round and the 99 must be regional, because i have never seen or heard of either.

also, i like friday's, because they have appitizers that will make your heart explode.

fried mac and cheese? yes please!

hey guys you can buy cheddar garlic biscuit mix in the grocery store and make your own biscuits that taste exactly the same.

yea, but that would involve too much effort for my tastes

friendly's is not a northeast thing.
.

My mistake, according to their website they have them in

Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Vermont
Virginia

with 2 in NC, 3 in SC, and 12 in Virginia. For comparison, Connecticut has 39, a state of 5,500 square miles and 3.5 million people.

Applebee's is fucking disgusting. It's a like a shittier, wannabe Chili's but at the same prices... I actually don't mind Chili's. If you've had their Monterey Chicken you know why. :) Anyhow, I also am a huge fan of Red Lobster's biscuits...best fucking thing EVER.

Fridays and Outback are the best

outback is high class quality

most amazing steak ive ever had in my life and you will ever have in yours: ruth's steakhouse. expensive as fuck but its SO good

oh gosh where to begin

I mean I'm sure Ruth Chris's is fine and all about you guys talking about Outback and Ruth Chris like they are truly remarkable places for beef just means you haven't eaten at enough places.

That sounds familiar, where is that place?

If you're talking about Ruth Chris it's a national chain.

outback is high class quality

most amazing steak ive ever had in my life and you will ever have in yours: ruth's steakhouse. expensive as fuck but its SO good

i don't believe you

http://www.mortons.com/website/index.html

oh gosh where to begin

I mean I'm sure Ruth Chris's is fine and all about you guys talking about Outback and Ruth Chris like they are truly remarkable places for beef just means you haven't eaten at enough places.


Outback is a fine chain steakhouse. that's all us niggaz be saying man, didn't say it's best restaurant of all time.

gosh

and i've only eaten at the original morton's downtown chicago. and only once. but good lord was it good.

i cannot vouch for the other locations.

well he actually said "outback is high class quality" which maybe I should have taken as sarcasm here

but c'mon guys, let's see this ruth chris vs. morton's battle out

well he actually said "outback is high class quality" which maybe I should have taken as sarcasm here

but c'mon guys, let's see this ruth chris vs. morton's battle out

have you ever been there?

I'm about to drive up to Connecticut and go a few rounds with you guy

yeah i dont think outback is the best restaurant ever but its very good, i love that place.

if you guys want to tell me you know steak better than ruth's mail me a t-bone in a fucking envelope with some a-1 steak sauce I WILL EAT IT

i will not mail you a steak from morton's if you're going to put A1 on it.

wtf

A1 is too low for you?

get off your fucking high horse

wtf

A1 is too low for you?

get off your fucking high horse

yeah i don't know if anyone ever told you this, but generally, good pieces of meat should not be tainted by any kind of steak sauce.

i use A1 when someone overcooks my shit.

theres nothing wrong with enjoying your steak with A1

get off your fucking high horse

theres nothing wrong with enjoying your steak with A1

get off your fucking high horse

i'm not on a high horse. jesus christ.

My mistake, according to their website they have them in

Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Vermont
Virginia

with 2 in NC, 3 in SC, and 12 in Virginia. For comparison, Connecticut has 39, a state of 5,500 square miles and 3.5 million people.

quality research, man

have you ever been there?

No, and more than likely I never will. I'm in social circles with people who are really serious about this sort of thing and have worked in the industry and have been going to serious steakhouses for longer than I've been alive. And not one of them has ever said "Let's go to Mortons" or "You should try Ruth Chris."

This makes me a snob, and I'm totally fine with that. Actually it just makes me poor as shit, I can't afford to drop $100 on Morton's when I can just as easily drop $100 somewhere a bit more...serious. I mean maybe it's a luxury of the area I live in but I have the option to go to somewhere like Ruth Chris or I can go somewhere with some stars from the NYT or whatever and pay the same amount.

In all fairness I'm being a bit harsh here, I'm sure for a lot of cities Ruth Chris and Mortons are indeed the best steak you can find.

No, and more than likely I never will. I'm in social circles with people who are really serious about this sort of thing and have worked in the industry and have been going to serious steakhouses for longer than I've been alive. And not one of them has ever said "Let's go to Mortons" or "You should try Ruth Chris."

This makes me a snob, and I'm totally fine with that. Actually it just makes me poor as shit, I can't afford to drop $100 on Morton's when I can just as easily drop $100 somewhere a bit more...serious. I mean maybe it's a luxury of the area I live in but I have the option to go to somewhere like Ruth Chris or I can go somewhere with some stars from the NYT stars or whatever and pay the same amount.

In all fairness I'm being a bit harsh here, I'm sure for a lot of cities Ruth Chris and Mortons are indeed the best steak you can find.

i've eaten at plenty of fine dining establishments. i live only 40 miles from chicago. i've eaten a lot of steaks. that's the best one i have had.

Well, then great. I have no idea where to get a steak in Chicago so if you found a good one, awesome.

anyway, back on topic, i got a steak at lone star once and it was absolutely awful. when i go to outback i usually get a burger or sometimes pasta, which is surprisingly pretty decent.

that's it, i'm retiring

also, trots, if anyone voted for ihop they'd have to be insane...the pancakes there rule

it's like chili's with burgers and beer; stick to breakfast and you'll be ok. Anything else is like the bottom of the barrel.

IHOP also does not have the Moons Over My Hammy or the Super Bird so Denny's 4 Leif

it's like chili's stick to breakfast and you'll be ok.

IHOP also does not have the Moons Over My Hammy or the Super Bird so Denny's 4 Leif

one time when severely intoxicated at 3:00am an ex-coworker ordered the Moons Over my Hammy and I couldn't stop laughing for hours. I never heard of that before and I thought was was being a wise ass.

true story

a1 sucks figures shapan would like it. he probably orders his steak well done.

whats with the A1 hate?

because it's used by people who order their steak well done to make up for the fact that they burnt all the flavor out of the meat.

if i were a dead animal on a plate i too would object to being doused in bold sauce

hm, i never related A1 to how someone cooked their meat

i just like the taste. ive used A1 with a whole bunch of stuff on the dennys menu because i just enjoy it

I agree with the A-1 hatred

eat your steak like a man and use the blood as sauce

i dont understand all the hate for applebee's.
its the same thing as chili's...just much better.

lol kanan road do you live in a cave

its a big cave, man

i just want to say fridays is fucking revolting

OH SHIT 14 BUCKS FOR PASTA WITH A BRICK OF 3 MONTH OLD SALMON ON IT WHERE DO I SIGN UP

i want to go to chilis on my american trip this summer. because of the office :(

you want to tour mediocrity?

a1 sucks figures shapan would like it. he probably orders his steak well done.

Heinz steak sauce on phillys.

But that's it. No steak sauce on steaks.

let me just say this:

i ain't talkin about no heinz 57 bullshit, i'm talking traditional heinz steak sauce...absolutely delicious

oh and eulogy there are much better steaks than ruth's or morton's but those are both DAMN good

if you're ever in the ATL, check out Hal's Old Ivy or Bone's for deliciousness

worcestershire sauce is a good marinade but it has to be cooked with the steak, not added later.

let me just say this:

i ain't talkin about no heinz 57 bullshit, i'm talking traditional heinz steak sauce...absolutely delicious

oh and eulogy there are much better steaks than ruth's or morton's but those are both DAMN good

if you're ever in the ATL, check out Hal's Old Ivy or Bone's for deliciousness

got any recommendations for chicago? i've never been to a pure, unadulterated steakhouse except for morton's. i mean a bunch of places call themselves like...italian cuisine and steakhouse or whatever (like spiaggia, the grotto, bistro 110, whatever), but those don't really count.

worcestershire sauce is a good marinade but it has to be cooked with the steak, not added later.

And then you're going to end up with a steak soaked with what is 99% water.

The best steak places cook anywhere from 700 to 900 degrees, I can get my grill up to 600. If you're marinading in something water-based you're never going to get the surface of the steak much higher than the boiling point of water, and I guess you'll end up with some juicy but without much sear and char and crust on the outside.

The perfect steak -

Bring meat up to room temperature. Pat it bone dry of any water, coat it with fat (olive oil, veggie oil, bacon fat, butter, etc) and season it aggressively with salt and pepper and cook the absolute living shit out of it at the highest temperature possible for the least amount of time you can stand.

Let rest for 6 or 7 minutes, then eat it.

meat should not have crispiness

maybe i don't like my steak crusty and charred

maybe this is just a lost cause

meat should not have crispiness
yes, it should have a little if the chef knows what he's doing

I like Bennigan's...probably my favorite big-chain restaurant in the area. Although I will say this about the place...I blacklisted them for awhile after they carded my 50-year-old MOTHER for a margarita when she wasn't carrying her I.D., and then got all anal and wouldn't give it to her. I know the law is you have to card people that appear to be under 27...she may look young, but not THAT young.

worcestershire sauce is a good marinade but it has to be cooked with the steak, not added later.

Damn straight...though I'll have to disagree with your hate for A1. I like it on my burgers.

As far as steaks go? Ruth's Chris and Mortons are both good steakhouses, but if I want to splurge, I'm going to <a href=http://www.delfriscos.com/locations.asp">Del Frisco's</a> or <a href="http://www.chamberlainsrestaurant.com/main.html">Chamberlain's</a>. Dan McKlusky's in Austin is good too.

God damnit now I want a steak and it's midnight and I ain't cooking.


Also, Applebees is pure shit. I go there from time to time because it's open til midnight (and I get out of work at 11, usually) and it's on my way home. Their mashed potatoes are okay, but the menu is :erm: and the prices for what you get are ridiculous.

Damn straight...though I'll have to disagree with your hate for A1. I like it on my burgers.

yeah well that's different altogether

one of the best limited burgers they have at Whataburger is the A1 Thick and Hearty Burger.

If a steak is done right, it doesn't need steak sauce. But sometimes a steak isn't seasoned right or whatever and A1 is necessary. I won't lie.

I used to put it on my baked potatoes too. Not a lot, just a little drizzle and it's gooood. Turns the potato a funky color though.

write-in vote: Mandarin (not sure if USA has this but it's a chinese - edit: cantonese - buffet restaurant chain that's pretty popular here in Canada).

Denny's is a guilty pleasure of mine esp. since it sometimes ends up being the only 24 hour restaurant in the area. It's disgustingly greasy & they got rid of the corn beef hash at my location but at 3am you can't be too picky...

I still want to try Cheesecake Factory (I am told one is in Buffalo). I hear the portions are 'American size big' and the food is pretty lousy but I don't care as long as the cheesecakes are good.

I still want to try Cheesecake Factory (I am told one is in Buffalo). I hear the portions are 'American size big' and the food is pretty lousy but I don't care as long as the cheesecakes are good.

the menu is massive. it's intimidating. i think the food is just fine for what it is, and yes, the portions are HUGE. i've never had cheesecake there because i'm always too full.

CHEESECAKE FACTORY ROCKSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the menu is massive. it's intimidating. i think the food is just fine for what it is, and yes, the portions are HUGE. i've never had cheesecake there because i'm always too full.
and it has an air of fanciness

cracker barrell

the most lifeless fucking food ever. "country food". people eat this shit up over here.

first time i went to cracker b i didn't realize it was a restaurant cus of that gay ass store they have attached to it.

im sure there is some good stuff to choose from at any of these restaurants. you guys need to stop being whiny little babies. and i thought i was a complainer! yow.

first time i went to cracker b i didn't realize it was a restaurant cus of that gay ass store they have attached to it.


oh man dont get me started on the store. :mad:

no. you know what. get me started.

you want to tour mediocrity?

She already said she was coming to America.

cracker barrell

the most lifeless fucking food ever. "country food". people eat this shit up over here.

man we just don't agree on anything

boooooo

man we just don't agree on anything

boooooo
i like their chicken n dumplings, i'l give em that, but man, anything else...thumbs down.

how could you vote against dennys? i love that place
It was a toss-up between Denny's and Applebee's for me. I haven't heard of or been to most of the places on that list, though.

FOOD

i like their chicken n dumplings, i'l give em that, but man, anything else...thumbs down.

chicken fried steak
cornbread
fried okra
there's some kind of broccoli casserole but I might be thinking of Threadgill's

death to midwesterners

everything corporate sucks. anarchy now.

trots, you're still going on about this?

about what

about chain restaurants

I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that

chicken fried steak
cornbread
fried okra
:uzi:


death to midwesterners
word, son.

why do you guys bitch about food so much. I like gourmet as much as anybody but I'm sure all these places have a least a couple of tasty things to offer.

you don't seem to be much concerned with the agressive spread of banality

kfc with their transfat less chicken, and their pot pies made from the previous days left over chicken...

I said it before on here....No restaurant is worse than the Olive Garden. Fake Italian food sucks balls...

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscanna soup is pretty good though. I'm not much for their entree's. KFC sucks hardcore. Everything you get looks shriveled and it's way overpriced, once you get a meal's worth of food.