Text 19605, 156 rader
Skriven 2009-01-13 00:00:04 av Dale Shipp (1:261/1466.0)
     Kommentar till en text av Dave Sacerdote
Ärende: Re: Chain Restaurants
=============================
 -=> On 01-12-09  15:08,  Dave Sacerdote <=-
 -=> spoke to Dale Shipp about Chain Restaurants <=-

 DSh> Add to a list for comment (good or bad -- we've been to some, 
 DSh> but not to all):  
 
 DSh> Denny's

 DSac> Quite a while ago, when Maryanne and I were both taking night courses
 DSac> at a local Community College, we used to stop at Denny's on our way
 DSac> home to get supper because it was the only place open that late.

That is one of their big (perhaps only) draws.

 DSac> I enjoyed richly satisfying schadenfreude when the Denny's chain
 DSac> came under fire for denying service to African-American customers.

IIRC, there was one case involving secret service agents.  Also, it was
not in the 50's or 60's but much more recent.

 DSh> Cracker Barrel

 DSac> Maryanne and I tried Cracker Barrel a few times when the chain
 DSac> first showed up around here.  I found them to be kind of mediocre

Agreed.  My mother and sister liked them in Bradenton, Florida.  I went
there with them and one time had a chicken and dumplings that was pretty
tasty.  With that memory, I went to one more recently with Gail and the
chicken and dumplings were akin to cream of chicken soup tossed over raw
flour and warmed up roast chicken.  Very Yuck!  I'm not eager to go back
again.

 DSac> But the real reason we stopped going there was because of their
 DSac> discriminatory treatment of employees and customers.  It took them
 DSac> 10 years to change an anti-gay employment policy that was so
 DSac> blatantly discriminatory it disgusted me.  They've had to settle

I remember that, and reacted the same way.

 DSh> Bob Evans

 DSac> Never been, but I always buy Bob Evans sausage whenever I can
 DSac> find it because I love it.

We sometimes go there for breakfast when traveling.  They have a sausage
gravy over biscuits that is quite good.  Eggs, with meat choice, are
standard and reasonably priced -- but beaten by many a diner.
 
 DSh> Applebee's

 DSac> Was unimpressed when I was there a few years ago.  They're
 DSac> owned by IHOP now, I wonder if they're any better.  But since
 DSac> I hate the "talking apple" ads they're running now, I probably
 DSac> won't be going there in a hurry.
 
We've been there, but it does not stick in my mind -- so I guess I was
unimpressed.

 DSh> Hard Rock Cafe

 DSac> I bet the original was great.  Now that it's a huge corporation
 DSac> that operates casinos and hotels and is as much about selling
 DSac> logo-stamped merchandise as it is about peddling second-rate
 DSac> overpriced food to worshippers of "Dad Rock" I'm not interested.

We went to the one in New Orleans -- but only to get a T-shirt for our
daughter.  With all the good Cajun and Creole restaurants around -- why
would we have even considered eating there:-}}

 
 DSh> Ground Round

 DSac> They were great back in the day.  A few years ago, though, the

Another place that I (or we) have been to in years gone by.  I don't
remember too much about them, and would not trust what ever memories I
had to still be accurate.  It is rare for any restaurant to remain
consistent over more than a few year span.

 DSh> TGI Friday's

 DSac> Their ads repel me so thoroughly that I wouldn't eat there if I
 DSac> were being held hostage by one of their hash slingers.

We once went there with our daughter for some occasion.  Had some sort
of "Jack Daniels' smothered dishes.  I wished that they had supplied the
JD on the side:-}}   Another place not on our radar.


MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Chayote and Potato Au Gratin
 Categories: Casserole, Cheese/eggs, Harned 1996, Side dish, Vegetable
      Yield: 4 Servings
 
      2 md Chayotes
      2 md Red potatoes; chopped
           -- (about 2 cups)
      2 tb Margarine or butter
      4 ts All-purpose flour
    1/4 ts Salt
    1/8 ts Ground nutmeg
      1 c  Milk
      1 tb Chopped pimiento
           Salt and pepper; to taste
    3/4 c  Soft bread crumbs (1 slice)
    1/4 c  Finely shredded or grated
           -Parmesan cheese
      1 tb Margarine or butter; melted
 
  In a large saucepan, cook whole chayotes, covered, in enough boiling
  salted water to cover, about 40 minutes or until tender.  Drain.  When
  cool enough to handle, halve chayotes lengthwise.  Use a spoon to
  remove seeds.  Scoop out pulp to within 1/2" of skin; discard pulp.
  Set aside halves.
  
  Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, cook potatoes, uncovered, in boiling
  salted water for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.  Drain and set aside.
  
  In the same medium saucepan, melt margarine or butter; stir in flour,
  salt and nutmeg.  Add milk all at once.  Cook and stir until
  thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir 1 minute more.  Stir in potatoes
  and pimiento.
  
  Season the insides of chayote halves lightly with salt and pepper.
  Place halves, cut side up, in a 2 quart square baking dish.  Spoon
  potato mixture into halves.
  
  In a small bowl, toss together the bread crumbs, Parmesan and the 1
  tb. melted margarine.  Sprinkle atop the chayote halves (can be
  refrigerated at this point).  Bake at 350 F., uncovered, for 25
  minutes or until light brown and heated through.
  
  Nutrition facts per serving: 268 calories; 12 gm total fat (2 gm
  saturated fat); 9 mg cholesterol; 396 mg sodium, 34 gm carbohydrates,
  3 gm fiber and 8 gm protein.  Daily Values: 65% vitamin A; 39%
  vitamin C; 15% calcium and 14% iron.
  
  "To fix ahead, prepare the filling and spoon it into chayote halves;
  cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.  Simply add a few extra
  minutes to the baking time to heat through."
  
  From Joy Taylor's "Winter Fresh: Best-of-the Season Recipes" article
  in "Better Homes and Gardens," Vol. 74, No. 3.  Pg. 212.  Electronic
  format by Cathy Harned.
  From: Cathy Harned                    Date: 03-13-96
  Cooking
 
MMMMM


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