‘National Chains’


Sonic Good is Just Pretty Good

October 3rd, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

So this is what all those commercials were about...

About 10 or so years ago, the world began to see commercials for a fast food burger place called Sonic.  These commercials were often both funny and hunger-inducing.  Unfortunately, though, Sonics were only in select locations throughout the country.  Yes it was annoying, but it was also genius, because it whet the appetite for Sonic with people who had never even seen the place.  The idea was that when they would finally see one, whether in travel or with a new one being built, they would want nothing more than to devour their burgers.  And it worked, at least on me.  When I saw my first Sonic years ago while driving through Independence, Missouri, I just had to try it.  I remember it being good, but this was pre-meat blog and in the middle of a cross-country road trip, so the memory is mostly blur filled with the knowledge that the meal kept my internal fuel running just as long as I needed it to. Continue Reading»


Apparently, I was Thinking Arby’s

July 13th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Is this what I was thinking?

Arby’s has always been kind of a fringe fast food chain.  You can find it all over the country, but it isn’t exactly on every corner.  Perhaps this is the reason it has taken me so long to review them.  Or perhaps the reason is because I once heard their meat begins its life as a liquid.  Whatever the case, a golden opportunity to chow down on some potentially formerly liquid meat presented itself at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. Continue Reading»


A Little Cajun at The Cheesecake Factory

March 14th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

13 pieces. 13!

Everyone knows The Cheesecake Factory for their namesake.  And those people are also probably aware that The Cheesecake Factory is a full-on restaurant with a restaurant about as massive its portions.  Sadly, when I went to Cheesecake in Beverly Hills, my stomach wasn’t treating me as well as it usually does.  So naturally, as an unvegan, I turned to fried chicken.  Yeah, that’s right. Continue Reading»


Dying a Little Inside at Chili’s

December 29th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Translucent chips!

Translucent chips!

Chili’s isn’t exactly known for being healthy, making it a perfect place to do some unvegan food reviewing, or so one would think.  I went to the Manhattan Beach location with a group of six for lunch and we all decided to take advantage of their 2 for $20.  In this nutso deal, two people get to share an appetizer, get their own entrees and get to share a dessert.  Since we had six people, we all ordered that special and made sure to get different appetizers.  Then the real fun began! Continue Reading»


Taco Bell’s New Black Jack Taco

October 19th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Black is in?

Black is in?

I started seeing ads for Taco Bell’s new Black Jack taco last week and I knew I had to test it out.  There is just something so intriguing about taco shells in different colors, like when they did the red Volcano Taco.  As long as they don’t release some sort of awful green-shelled taco with organic vegetables, I will continue checking out these taco color varieties. Continue Reading»


Attack of the Baconator

May 28th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
The burger that eats you...

The burger that eats you...

The Baconator.

It sounds like something from a movie.  A robot powered by bacon?  A statue of Arnold Schwartzenegger composed entirely of bacon?  Or, perhaps, it is just the name of Wendy’s greatest hamburger creation.

Despite the beauty of Wendy’s Value Menu, the Baconator is always the unvegan choice.  This heart attack between buns is made of two 1/4 pound burger patties, two slices of cheese and six strips of bacon.  The best part?  Not a vegetable in sight. Continue Reading»


Darius Dugger: Unvegan Hero

May 12th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Would you accept pickles from this man?

Would you accept pickles from this man?

Whenever I go to Burger King, I make sure to order without any vegetables.  Today a friend of mine told me that I am not alone.  A man named Darius Dugger has a lawsuit claiming that he ordered a meal without pickles, onions and tomatoes and Burger King failed to give it to him his way.

According to Hamptonroads.com, Dugger had a “severe allergic reaction” to the vegetables.  Now I’m not in favor of suing a corporation over an incident like this, especially when he should have looked between the patties before biting in, however, I am proud of him for bringing the incident to national attention. Continue Reading»


Following Padma Lakshmi to Carl’s Jr.

March 30th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Not nearly as sexy as it could be...

Not nearly as sexy as it could be...

When I first learned of Padma Lakshmi doing a commercial for Hardee’s, I knew I would have to eat whatever she did.  Luckily, her burger of choice was the Western Bacon Thickburger.

Now here is where things get a little confusing.  In California, there is no Hardee’s.  Instead, there is Carl’s Jr., which is almost exactly the same as Hardee’s.  A quick look at their websites reveals only a change in the name.  The logo and layouts remain the exact same.  There is, however, another twist.  At Carl’s Jr., there is no such thing as a Thickburger, rather, it is called the Six-Dollar Burger. Continue Reading»


Breakfasting at McDonald’s

March 25th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
The mysterious breakfast of McDonald's

The mysterious breakfast of McDonald's

As I developed through my adolescence, McDonald’s made a descent to the bottom of my fast food choices.  I can offer no clear reasoning for this except that their food just rubs my tastebuds the wrong way.  In fact, I am sometimes proud to say that the only time I eat McDonald’s is outside the country.  This statement, however, has a minor disclaimer.  And that disclaimer is the McDonald’s breakfast.

McDonald’s breakfast has always been something of a mystery.  Few people, if any, know when they stop serving it.  Sometimes I wonder if even the employees of McDonald’s have a set time that they know when to cut breakfast off.  The breakfast is so rare that when you do see one, you almost feel forced to partake in it, whether  you’re hungry or not. Continue Reading»


Subway

March 4th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Is there any meat in there?

Is there any meat in that mess?

A few years ago, Subway changed the name of the “Meatball” sub to the “Meatball Marinara.”  I’m not sure why this particular change occurred.  Maybe it was to placate healthy people who would be more attracted to the word “marinara.”  I never felt this was a particularly bad thing, after all, rebranding to increase sales is a huge component of our capitalistic system.

That all changed when I went to the Subway at Pico and La Cienega.  I ordered a Meatball Marinara sub on Italian herbs and cheese bread, with provolone and parmesan cheese.  It seemed like such a great idea, until I started watching the man behind the counter make my subContinue Reading»


Beer Me Some Breckenridge Agave Wheat

The taste of skiing?

Colorado is definitely a beer state, and not just because Coors comes from the Rocky Mountain State.  No, it is also home to New Belgium (of Fat Tire fame) and seemingly countless other micro and craft breweries.  While in Breckenridge for a ski weekend, I decided I had to at least try one of these, and because it turned out to be the only one available at dinner, my choice happened to come from the creatively named Breckenridge Brewery.  The brewery, by the way, is actually no longer in Breckenridge, having expanded and moved to Denver in 1992.

Continue Reading»