The Waffle House Chronicles...

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Shelley hated Pita's in Paradise! Did I?


Mmmm Food!!!

Hey Mark, what did you eat in 2005? Funny you should ask, here are Mark’s food awards for 2005!

First the stats:
# of places ate: 96
# of visits: 275 (.75 per day)
Top 5 most frequent:
1t. JT Whitneys 19
1t. Chilis 19
3. Taco Bell 12
4t. Red Robin 11
4t. Papa Johns 11
This includes any food ate anywhere but at a home that was home cooked. Includes pizza delivery, ice cream treats, donuts, food for free at work or bike races, food on vacation (84 meals were on vacation) etc.

Mark’s awards:
Best Burger: Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage, Cambridge, Mass
Best Burger Local: Dotty’s Dumpling Dowry
Best Mexican: Teocali Tamale
Best Mexican Local: Taco Bell (Steak Chipotle Grilled Stuffed Burrito)
Best Pasta: Olive Garden (Never-ending Pasta Bowl)
Best Pasta Local: Same
Best Breakfast: Dunkin Donuts, Bangor, Maine
Best Breakfast Local: Green Lantern
Best Cheesesteak: Chilis
Best Cheesesteak Local: Same
Best Pizza: Drags, Rice Lake, Wisconsin
Best Pizza Local: (Tie) Papa Johns Deep, Pizza Oven Buffet
Best Happy Hour Local: Damon’s
Best Appetizer: Spudmania, Jungle Jims, Lake Buena Vista, FL
Best Appetizer Local: (tie) Cheese Curds, Dottys, The Sampler Platter @ Damon’s and Best of the Southwest at Tumbleweed
Best Fast Food: Sonic
Best Fast Food Local: Taco Bell
Biggest Surprise (good): China One
Biggest Surprise (bad): Ten Pin Alley (and their toxic tasty ketchup.)
Best Atmosphere: Spaghetti Factory, Toronto, ON (intimate setting, awesome!)

Notes:
-Although available only on vacation, Dunkin Donuts was eaten 6 times (in 2 vacations)
-Favorites White Castle, Waffle House, Long John Silvers and Sonic were each eaten twice, Checkers and Taco Time once. Jungle Jims took the cake with 3 visits in a 7 day span.
-McDonalds was #1 for breakfast, occurring 7 times.
-We ate at Olive Garden 10 times, 7 of which were during the 5 week never-ending pasta bowl span.
-Disappointments include A&W (crappy chicken sandwich), Friendlys (lots of hype, average meal), Checkers (worlds largest checkers= worlds worst service and average food), Pitas in Paradise (expectations were low, expectations weren’t even close to being met), Taco Time (world’s worst location, now gone).
-Two unique food experiences were the Varsity Club box seats at Camp Randall and Taste of Madison. I highly recommend both!
-Food quotes: “4 Hours of P.O.P.” at McDonalds in Iowa (no city needed as Iowa sucks as a whole.)

Cement Creek Tavern, above average food and Ms. Pac Man...sweet! If only some random dog hadn't walked through the front door and spewed all over the floor.

So here you go, Mark's year in review in food! Stay tuned for my year in review of cycling, training, musi, movies and whatever else I might think up! Oh yeah, I expect good opinions on this one!

posted by Burrito Eater at 10:03 AM

10 Comments:

  • Here are Jess' favorites!

    Best Margarita: Tumbleweed's $2.99 classic margarita on the rocks - strong and tasty!!

    Best Pasta: Noodles' Penne Rosa with Feta (Olive Garden's Creamy Mushroom sauce during never ending pasta bowl would have taken 1st, but since it's not always available, I have to go with Noodles)

    Best Sandwich: Atlanta Bread Company's Veggie Sandwich - It's the super fantastic dill sauce and loads of veggies that make this a winner

    Best Ice Cream: Cold Stone - Mint ice cream with brownies, oreos and fudge

    Best Fries: Tie between JT Whitney's beer battered fries and Red Robin's steak fries

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/05/2006 10:35 AM  

  • Good call on the Sonic's, if only they'd get a little closer. Some of the pictured burgers/sandwiches look delicious, and I shouldn't have gone to your page until after lunch. Todays lunch just isn't going to stack up.

    I'm a little disappointed Little Cesar's didn't get a mention, they're resurgence with the crazy bread should have been noteworthy.

    Kari took me to some kitch restaurant on Willy Street. Small place with board games and good food. Had the Bad Breathe Burger, from the description, it didn't sound like I would like it, but I was delightfully surprised. Highly recommend it, if I could remember the name.

    Personal 2005 food record for the Riz:

    ~10 1/2 lb soft tacos consumed in a hospital.

    Biggest 2005 food disappointment: Didn't get to eat at a Jack-in-the-Box

    By Blogger el_riz, at 1/05/2006 11:05 AM  

  • Riz at at the Weary Traveler. I think everyone but me would like it there. They don't have anything plain. :O)

    By Blogger Hez, at 1/05/2006 11:27 AM  

  • Wait - you can't just say Doty's has the best burger without specifying which one!

    By Blogger Unknown, at 1/05/2006 11:29 AM  

  • Sorry Brozek...I couldn't remember the burger name...fortunately I have the internet and the burger is called the Melting Pot. With extra sauce of course...that's how I get everything! That and an order of cheesecurds and I am comatose...outstanding!

    As someone who spent alot of east side time, I was eating Little Caesars in 2004. The last two pizzas I've gotten there have been vastly undercooked. It is awesome if you are eating solo. Jess and I can get two Papa John's pizzas delivered for marginally more with a Bucky Book coupon, a much better option.

    Weary Traveler huh? That is now on my list to try! From the bad breath burger description your provided I'd guess you'd love it!

    By Blogger Burrito Eater, at 1/05/2006 12:30 PM  

  • i second the bad breath burger. it's my favorite burger in town. i also like the irish monte cristo at the claddagh irish pub. nothing like french toast for sandwich bread.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/05/2006 2:02 PM  

  • "i second the bad breath burger. it's my favorite burger in town. i also like the irish monte cristo at the claddagh irish pub. nothing like french toast for sandwich bread" I was just about to believe you about the bad breath burger...and then you have to go and talk about french toast and stuff and totally discredit yourself. Now I know not what to think...

    By Blogger Burrito Eater, at 1/05/2006 3:39 PM  

  • Oh, I also wanted to call you out on your choice for Best Breakfast - no Dunkin Donuts, even one in Bangor Maine, can compete with Monty's Blue Plate Diner on Williamson.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 1/05/2006 6:36 PM  

  • Dude, you can call out all you want to on my best breakfast but I back mine 100%. I've had Monty's (I like Monty's ok) but Dunkin Donuts has the best blend of taste, satisfaction, price and nostalga. Eating them on a downtown corner on a cobblestoned street overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and maritime industry with light snow flurries instead of being at work put the experience over the top (of other Dunkin Donuts.) Try the Green Lantern on Lake Waubesa. Cool atmosphere and the best greasy breakfast around and reasonably cheap too! But I respect your opinion and agree that you really can't go wrong with the Monty's (Riz prefers the full monty though...)

    By Blogger Burrito Eater, at 1/06/2006 9:21 AM  

  • Brozek - Monty's is on Atwood, not Williamson! But yes, their breakfast is pretty darn good!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/06/2006 2:43 PM  

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