Ruby Tuesday vs Applebee's vs TGI Friday's

[Darius871]

I prefer Chotchky's personally. They surpass all competitors in the flair department.

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Alexander I


Fixed.

Hmm, I don't see PF Changs in the same category as the above... maybe I just am not so familiar with them though. I think of them as somewhat more fancy.

[Alexander I]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Hmm, I don't see PF Changs in the same category as the above... maybe I just am not so familiar with them though. I think of them as somewhat more fancy.

Yes, you are correct. However, a lot of people my age seem to think of Olive Garden as "fancy" also, which IMHO is not the case. It's just substandard-quality Italian food.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Easy, Chili's. Olive Garden sucks dick.

Olive Garden is horrible.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by snoopy369


Hmm, I don't see PF Changs in the same category as the above... maybe I just am not so familiar with them though. I think of them as somewhat more fancy.

P.F. Chang's is just crappy Americanized Chinese food. There are a million authentic Chinese places specializing in each of the regions of China so why eat the fake stuff? If you open up the menu and see "General Tso's Chicken" then you know it's Americanized and not authentic.

[Zevico]

I prefer Chotchky's personally. They surpass all competitors in the flair department.

Rest assured that this obscure reference to Office Space has been noted and filed in our archives.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Olive Garden > Chili's > Ruby Tuesday > Applebee's > Bennigan's > TGIF

TGIF used to be much better, but they went way downhill in the last decade or so.

What the heck's wrong with you people?

Olive Garden is horrible excuse for Italian. Even if you are comparing the crap that is big chain Italian, it falls short to Macaroni Grill and Carrabas.

Maggianos, of course, destroys all of them.

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Alexander I


Yes, you are correct. However, a lot of people my age seem to think of Olive Garden as "fancy" also, which IMHO is not the case. It's just substandard-quality Italian food.

When I was a kid, we went to a sub shop, taco bell, and Olive Garden.

For us, Olive Garden was fancy.

And I still think that that Olive Garden was/is better than most... as the one in the midwest sucked and the ones I have been to on the east coast aren't great either.

Lots and lots of better places though.

JM

[Elok]

Originally posted by Oerdin
P.F. Chang's is just crappy Americanized Chinese food. There are a million authentic Chinese places specializing in each of the regions of China so why eat the fake stuff? If you open up the menu and see "General Tso's Chicken" then you know it's Americanized and not authentic.

While I've never heard of PF Chang's, I think the general attitude you just espoused is silly. AFAIK, what makes "authentic" Chinese food authentic is that it was meant for actual Chinese people, who

1. Have no compunction about eating parts (blood, guts, testicles, tentacles) that most Westerners throw away, and
2. Due to living in an impoverished and overpopulated country, are used to eating inferior-grade food.

The one time I made the mistake of going to an "authentic" Chinese restaurant, we ordered crispy beef. Instead of spicy, tangy shreds of fried beef with shredded celery and carrots, we got these...medallions of leather, beef so overcooked that it was difficult to bite a piece off, with a sauce almost but not quite identical to ketchup to dip it in.

Lesson learned? Authentic is for rubes and snobs. The question you ask shouldn't be "is it authentic?" but "does it taste good?" Strictly speaking, if you want an authentic Chinese experience you really should ask your host to dump a gallon of industrial waste over your food before serving it. Unless, of course, you want an authentic traditional Chinese meal, in which case you should have real meat only once every ten meals, substitute insects for much of the rest, and mix traces of dirt with the beans and rice that comprise the rest of the menu.

[Alexander I]

This is one of those rare times when I would have to agree with Elok on all counts. Having had "authentic" Chinese food on several occasions, I much prefer cuisine that, while it may be rather Americanized, actually tastes like food.

That being said, there are still plenty of Americanized Chinese restaurants that serve poorly prepared crap. Thus, my suggestion of P.F. Chang's -- decent, fairly well-prepared, somewhat Americanized food, and no General Tso's on the menu.

Elok

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by Oerdin


P.F. Chang's is just crappy Americanized Chinese food. There are a million authentic Chinese places specializing in each of the regions of China so why eat the fake stuff? If you open up the menu and see "General Tso's Chicken" then you know it's Americanized and not authentic.

PF Chang's doesn't have General Tso's on the menu.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Alexander I
And TGI Friday's is just awful all around. Blech.
I had a college roommate who took every one of his dates there, which explains why he's still single.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Elok

Lesson learned? Authentic is for rubes and snobs. The question you ask shouldn't be "is it authentic?" but "does it taste good?" Strictly speaking, if you want an authentic Chinese experience you really should ask your host to dump a gallon of industrial waste over your food before serving it. Unless, of course, you want an authentic traditional Chinese meal, in which case you should have real meat only once every ten meals, substitute insects for much of the rest, and mix traces of dirt with the beans and rice that comprise the rest of the menu.

I have been to both Americanized and authentic Chinese restaurants, and what matters in both is the quality of the cooks. If the food is fresh, then "authentic" restaurants certainly have a wider palate and more exciting flavors. Americans as a whole have bland tastes for food, which is why the three chaines mentioned do good business.

[Lord Avalon]

Damon's Grill is the chain restaurant I go to the most.

[Darius871]

Originally posted by Zevico

Rest assured that this obscure reference to Office Space has been noted and filed in our archives.

Thanks, now I can sleep again.