rant: fine dining

[tlombard]

I had Shake Shack for the first time over the weekend. They are a decent burger but I won't be going out of my way to get back there. I just think that $5.29 for a simple cheeseburger that isn't with nothing else is too much for me. It isn't bad but by the time you get fries and a soda (or shake), you're over $10 before tax. I just feel you can get a much better burger that is bigger with fries or another side somewhere else for pretty much the same price, maybe a dollar or two more.

Agreed. The burger is a good fast food burger but whatever. Good fast food burgers are everywhere now and they're all the same.

Along the lines of fast food burgers, I had my first Quarter Pounder from McDonald's yesterday since the switch to non-frozen beef. It is remarkably better than the previous frozen patty.

[lukethedrifter]

I had Shake Shack for the first time over the weekend. They are a decent burger but I won't be going out of my way to get back there. I just think that $5.29 for a simple cheeseburger that isn't with nothing else is too much for me. It isn't bad but by the time you get fries and a soda (or shake), you're over $10 before tax. I just feel you can get a much better burger that is bigger with fries or another side somewhere else for pretty much the same price, maybe a dollar or two more.

Agreed. The burger is a good fast food burger but whatever. Good fast food burgers are everywhere now and they're all the same.

Along the lines of fast food burgers, I had my first Quarter Pounder from McDonald's yesterday since the switch to non-frozen beef. It is remarkably better than the previous frozen patty.

I used to hanker for a dbl QP w cheese. And the occasional Big Mac. Last 20x or so it was dry and bad. Not sure I’m willing to give them another shot.

[lukethedrifter]

Giving recs to a friend of my sister in from out of town for a week. Drop your suggestions here.

[33anda3rd]

I had Shake Shack for the first time over the weekend. They are a decent burger but I won't be going out of my way to get back there. I just think that $5.29 for a simple cheeseburger that isn't with nothing else is too much for me. It isn't bad but by the time you get fries and a soda (or shake), you're over $10 before tax. I just feel you can get a much better burger that is bigger with fries or another side somewhere else for pretty much the same price, maybe a dollar or two more.

Agreed. The burger is a good fast food burger but whatever. Good fast food burgers are everywhere now and they're all the same.

100% all-natural Angus beef, vegetarian fed, humanely raised and source verified. No hormones or antibiotics – EVER. We pride ourselves on sourcing incredible ingredients from like-minded artisanal producers.

Fast food can't do that and maintain a $0.99 McChicken or a $4 QPw/C. McD's can go "fresh-cooked" but it's still factory beef full of stuff that's bad for us. Shake Shack, here in Chicago, is also sourcing baked goods and pastries from Fat Rice (whose chef won the James Beard Award this year for Best Chef/Great Lakes) and Bang Bang Pie Shop. I'll go a few extra bucks for something that's chemical-free and of high quality. McD's is "fast food", Shake Shack is a really great burger chain that only adheres to the "fast" in the "fast food" model. It's in the new realm of "fast casual"--quick service spots offering great food like a lot of the ramen, pizza, sandwich, and other shops opening all over the country with passionate people making good food quickly, many of them burned out from the world of fine dining and offering a product McD's can't come close to on their scale and at their prices.

[Secret Weapon]

I had Shake Shack for the first time over the weekend. They are a decent burger but I won't be going out of my way to get back there. I just think that $5.29 for a simple cheeseburger that isn't with nothing else is too much for me. It isn't bad but by the time you get fries and a soda (or shake), you're over $10 before tax. I just feel you can get a much better burger that is bigger with fries or another side somewhere else for pretty much the same price, maybe a dollar or two more.

Agreed. The burger is a good fast food burger but whatever. Good fast food burgers are everywhere now and they're all the same.

Along the lines of fast food burgers, I had my first Quarter Pounder from McDonald's yesterday since the switch to non-frozen beef. It is remarkably better than the previous frozen patty.

Yeah I decided to try the new one and was surprised how tasty and juicy it actually was. I've probably had 3 in the past month, I hadn't eaten 3 quarter pounders in the previous 10 years.

[33anda3rd]

You guys who love McDonalds should pay a visit to Chicago. The HQ moved into Oprah's old Harpo Studios digs and they put a BALLER McD's in that mothergrabber. There's stuff in this McD's in Chicago that's only available at McD's in other parts of the world. The spicy chicken sandwich that's otherwise only in the McD's in Hong Kong. There's goddamn loaded fries with cheese and bacon bits that is only normally served in the Aussie McD's. Stuff like that. It's other level McD's.

[G. Keenan]

I had Shake Shack for the first time over the weekend. They are a decent burger but I won't be going out of my way to get back there. I just think that $5.29 for a simple cheeseburger that isn't with nothing else is too much for me. It isn't bad but by the time you get fries and a soda (or shake), you're over $10 before tax. I just feel you can get a much better burger that is bigger with fries or another side somewhere else for pretty much the same price, maybe a dollar or two more.

Agreed. The burger is a good fast food burger but whatever. Good fast food burgers are everywhere now and they're all the same.

100% all-natural Angus beef, vegetarian fed, humanely raised and source verified. No hormones or antibiotics – EVER. We pride ourselves on sourcing incredible ingredients from like-minded artisanal producers.

Fast food can't do that and maintain a $0.99 McChicken or a $4 QPw/C. McD's can go "fresh-cooked" but it's still factory beef full of stuff that's bad for us. Shake Shack, here in Chicago, is also sourcing baked goods and pastries from Fat Rice (whose chef won the James Beard Award this year for Best Chef/Great Lakes) and Bang Bang Pie Shop. I'll go a few extra bucks for something that's chemical-free and of high quality. McD's is "fast food", Shake Shack is a really great burger chain that only adheres to the "fast" in the "fast food" model. It's in the new realm of "fast casual"--quick service spots offering great food like a lot of the ramen, pizza, sandwich, and other shops opening all over the country with passionate people making good food quickly, many of them burned out from the world of fine dining and offering a product McD's can't come close to on their scale and at their prices.

You're right. I'm not trying to say that these high quality and ethical fast casual places aren't worth the money. I support the whole idea of it. Personally I just don't go to them much. I'd rather pay a few extra bucks and get table service somewhere, or pay less and get some great asian food.

I feel the same about Chicago's food trucks. They are way too expensive. I'm not paying $3 or $4 for a mediocre taco from a truck, or $12 for a po boy or a kebab or a bip bim bop or whatever. If it's coming off a truck it should be cheap. The quality of what Chicago's food trucks are serving is not all that great vis a vis the prices they ask.

[Michael]

Generally Chicago's food trucks are overpriced, but the quality has gotten a lot better now that they're allowed to cook on their trucks. In my opinion they aren't as bad of a value as they used to be.

[G. Keenan]

Generally Chicago's food trucks are overpriced, but the quality has gotten a lot better now that they're allowed to cook on their trucks. In my opinion they aren't as bad of a value as they used to be.

May it continue. Chicago needs to up its street food game.

[lukethedrifter]

Generally Chicago's food trucks are overpriced, but the quality has gotten a lot better now that they're allowed to cook on their trucks. In my opinion they aren't as bad of a value as they used to be.

Was previously steamtable basically? Maybe weren’t allowed to use propane stoves?


There have been multiple food truck fires across the country with injuries and fatalities. Propane is nothing to play around with.