Don’t keep dried chilies in the fridge, just the condiment paste I make from the canned chipotles. As far as the restaurant I rarely ever eat at fast food chains
I wouldn’t claim Texas Roadhouse is a great steakhouse, but for someone like me (not a steak connoisseur by any means,), it satisfies my desire for a 6-ounce sirloin at a reasonable price. Some chains are fine for what they are. (I would never recommend Texas Roadhouse to a serious steak gourmet.) But Moe’s, for example, serves skimpy portions of bland, lukewarm food. Does that really appeal to anyone? Does anyone think Burger King serves a first class burger, or just a convenient, cheap one?
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Granted I haven’t been to a BK in over twenty years, but when we did have one up here, I thought a Whopper with cheese was pretty good… excellent produce, a flavorful flame broiled patty (albeit thin - which didn’t bother me), and liberal condiments.
I love a whopper. Maybe goes back to my youth but yeah I do think a BK whopper is pretty good especially when it cost 1/4 of what I have to pay for a fancy burger that’s only 1/ 3 better.
Whopper is $5-6 these days. Fancy burger at any no name place these days is $20+. A value to taste comparison I think whopper wins most of the times.
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I’m coming in late on this but here’s my take: Chipotle isn’t Mexican food but it is decent fast-casual Tex-Mex if you need something to eat in a pinch. There is one around the corner from work and that’s my go-to on the days that I need lunch for whatever reason.
My standard order is the barbacoa bowl with brown cilantro rice, black beans, fajita veggies, pico de gallo, corn salsa, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. Yes the huge upcharge for guac pisses me off. It costs about $15 and I can get 3 meals out of it.
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Can vouch for this. An aunt has been friends with them for decades.
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As I’ve mentioned, I’ve never been in one, but today on NextDoor there were a lot of posts complaining about going to a Chipotle during posted business hours and finding it closed. Or requests to order only through their app. Evidently they’re experiencing staffing problems. Also reports of a lot of items not being available.
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Jimmy John’s started in central IL, and I was going to school there when it opened. It was fabulous, in that it was cheap, good food that wasn’t pizza and would deliver, quickly.
The owner was/is an asshole, big-game hunter, and, for a while, JJ’s was trying to make all their employees sign non-compete clauses that said they couldn’t work for another JJ franchise or competing sandwich shop for a year, or something.
The founder sold to big corporate interests (as is the custom), remained CEO for a while, and is now in an ‘advisory role’. He claims to no longer do big game hunting, and they quit the whole non-compete thing in pretty short order.
In short, if you had a legit objection to JJ’s, it’s probably gone, now. But Jersey Mike’s exists, so it hardly matters.
I used to love JJ’s, and I’d try them again given the chance, but the pandemic killed the only ones in town and we have a surfeit of sandwich shops, both national, regional, and independent, so I can’t say as I miss them much.
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No, just a convenient one.
They’re really not.
As someone whose mom used to be one of their regional general managers, Panda Express makes food that is quintessentially Chinese-American food that reflects current trends and times, and in many instances creates those trends (see Orange Chicken). And now they have things like Kobe beef egg rolls or Sichuan hot chicken and their new innovation kitchen to test out dishes and products that are in line with what is vogue.
It is nothing like the gloppy, sauce ridden chop suey of our forefathers or the bright colored sweet and sour pork that dominated Chinese restaurants when Nixon was proclaiming to the world he did nothing wrong.
Like them or despise them, they are nothing like the typical Chinese American food of years past.
And for the record, Panda Express does not make Chinese food. They make Chinese American food.
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If that’s so, why do you think so many people think Panda Express food is garbage?
Ipsedixit wrote a lot of things. If what is so? I’ve never eaten there, but I’m curious about how one determines how many think something is garbage.
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I think that Panda does a decent job at what it does, but the items they serve are essentially on the menu at many American Chinese restaurants around here and those places seem to make them better. Luckily I live close to one of the major areas for regional Chinese cuisines here in SoCal. Until maybe 10 years ago (?) many restaurants in that mostly Asian community had Panda-like items on their menus. Some still may. Just my 2¢ though.
I think that is an accurate statement. He never said it was the most fabulous Chinese American food ever. It is certainly not, yet I think their quality control standards are high, and it’s an acceptable choice for a quick lunch or for takeout. It does fill a niche. To me, it’s similar to food court Chinese American, and some of their selections are really good as well. I’m ok with it once in awhile, but I have better choices nearby.
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All I can say is I’m still confused, but since this is sort of a Chipotle thread, i guess I shouldn’t expect to find answers about “Chinese-American food” here!
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Really?
Define “so many” and define “garbage” please.
I would imagine that shopping center landlords throughout the Western US consider Panda Express a gold standard tenant, right up there with Chik-F-A, In N Out, etc. don’t fall into that “so many” category who think Panda is “garbage”.
Also hate to bring up the whole supply demand thing… there must be a ton of demand for “garbage” given the proliferation of Panda Express… (possibly my favorite airport food, not that there was a lot of competition).
It’s so crowded, no one eats there anymore.
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Its so crowded. No one eats there anymore .
Now thats confusing.
