Anyone Else Soured on Dining Out?

[Koolau]

Growing up we never ate out until my mom went to work when I was 12. How do you know it’s Friday in Wisconsin? You are eating a fish fry at the local bar and probably can see some old fat guy’s butt crack sitting at the bar. Fine dining).

Ah, yes. Our family was one of the few protestant families in a neighborhood that had grown up around a huge Roman Catholic church. Every day, there were streams of the faithful walking to morning mass. I woke up to the bells and knew it was time for lunch when the bell music began at noon. Good memories. It was sad when I had friends in Kindergarten who went to parochial school the next year.

All the school cafeterias in town had fish on Friday. I took a dislike to fish - of course, until I moved to the Islands and realized fish weren't all fishy and breaded and soaked in grease. What a revelation.

Thanks for the memories - mostly good.

 

[aja8888]

Yummy Walleye and Perch. That’s Wisconsin. I used to go to catfish fries in Missouri. Not quite the same.

To really get off track, there is a part of Wisconsin, Door County, where fish boils are popular.
https://www.doorcounty.com/experience/fish-boils

Door County is one of my favorite places. We have spend a couple of summer vacations there.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Perch is my favorite fish. I had forgotten about the supper clubs. There was a really good one between Kenosha and Madison that my mom loved to go to. Every time I go to Kenosha I have perch. Kenosha also has many good family owned Italian restaurants.

 

[COcheesehead]

Door County is one of my favorite places. We have spend a couple of summer vacations there.

My family vacationed there for years. As a kid the only vacation I ever knew was Door County.

 

[pacergal]

When we go midwest to visit relatives, the thing I love the most is finding a Friday night Fish Fry at a local church and an Amish restaurant with fried Pork Tenderloin sandwiches and homemade moon pies!

 

[explanade]

Do the Amish use meats or fish that they themselves didn't grow and harvest?

Especially food commodities which were certainly produced and transported with machines?

 

[Pellice]

Do the Amish use meats or fish that they themselves didn't grow and harvest?

Especially food commodities which were certainly produced and transported with machines?

Yes. For example, the Amish are very fond of sugar, for jams, and pies, and even for coating strawberries. Human communities have traded for food commodities since earliest times, and certainly before the Amish emerged in the 18th century. While sugar is not meat or fish, it is a foodstuff produced and transported with machines.

NO religious community - NOT ONE - is perfectly consistent. Perfect consistency leads to sainthood - or madness.

 

[explanade]

Yes. For example, the Amish are very fond of sugar, for jams, and pies, and even for coating strawberries. Human communities have traded for food commodities since earliest times, and certainly before the Amish emerged in the 18th century. While sugar is not meat or fish, it is a foodstuff produced and transported with machines.

NO religious community - NOT ONE - is perfectly consistent. Perfect consistency leads to sainthood - or madness.

Good to know. My only exposure to Amish was a high school trip to PA. We were in Gettysburgh and also Hershey.

 

[CarbonaNotGlue]

I took my son and his girlfriend out to a local pub style place to watch the World Cup game today. The first thing they told us was that the usual 8.99 lunch specials were off the menu due to the World Cup. That should’ve been a sign to leave. Six pints of Guinness, 16 chicken wings and 3 chicken Caesar salads later, and the bill comes to $204 (inclusive of tip). Are you kidding me? The food was mediocre at best and they’re charging like we’re getting filet minion dinners. It certainly feels like price gouging and I’ll never head back to this place again, but it’s sadly what I’ve been seeing at many of the local places in my area. I guess they need to exhorbitantly jack up prices to retain scarce labor, but they will certainly lose me as a customer. It’s just too blatantly offensive at these prices for what you get when dining out. Ironically, the place was surprisingly sparse on a big game day like this, which should have also been a warning sign for me. Oh well.

 

[COcheesehead]

I took my son and his girlfriend out to a local pub style place to watch the World Cup game today. The first thing they told us was that the usual 8.99 lunch specials were off the menu due to the World Cup. That should’ve been a sign to leave. Six pints of Guinness, 16 chicken wings and 3 chicken Caesar salads later, and the bill comes to $204 (inclusive of tip). Are you kidding me? The food was mediocre at best and they’re charging like we’re getting filet minion dinners. It certainly feels like price gouging and I’ll never head back to this place again, but it’s sadly what I’ve been seeing at many of the local places in my area. I guess they need to exhorbitantly jack up prices to retain scarce labor, but they will certainly lose me as a customer. It’s just too blatantly offensive at these prices for what you get when dining out. Ironically, the place was surprisingly sparse on a big game day like this, which should have also been a warning sign for me. Oh well.

Leave them a review on Google or Yelp.

 

[explanade]

I took my son and his girlfriend out to a local pub style place to watch the World Cup game today. The first thing they told us was that the usual 8.99 lunch specials were off the menu due to the World Cup. That should’ve been a sign to leave. Six pints of Guinness, 16 chicken wings and 3 chicken Caesar salads later, and the bill comes to $204 (inclusive of tip). Are you kidding me? The food was mediocre at best and they’re charging like we’re getting filet minion dinners. It certainly feels like price gouging and I’ll never head back to this place again, but it’s sadly what I’ve been seeing at many of the local places in my area. I guess they need to exhorbitantly jack up prices to retain scarce labor, but they will certainly lose me as a customer. It’s just too blatantly offensive at these prices for what you get when dining out. Ironically, the place was surprisingly sparse on a big game day like this, which should have also been a warning sign for me. Oh well.

$204 for 3 people for lunch?

Wings and Ceasar salads? Well the beer, they must have been charging over $5.

 

[CarbonaNotGlue]

$204 for 3 people for lunch?

Wings and Ceasar salads? Well the beer, they must have been charging over $5.

$10 per pint. Outrageously overpriced and they were improperly poured Guinness, leaving way too much head instead of a full glass of beer.

 

[steady saver]

We did try "our" Cane's and it wasn't bad at all. I did think it was kinda overpriced for what you got there. It seemed liked they used actual chicken instead of "parts" which is a real plus in my book. YMMV

I used to like Chick-Fil-A until I tried Cane's. I like Canes so much better. I don't eat it often but when I do, I order individual chicken strips (usually 3) and take it home and put it on a salad. So good. I have a gluten intolerance so I have to be choosy about how I "spend" my gluten.

 

[mpeirce]

Yummy Walleye and Perch. That’s Wisconsin.

Oh yes, Great Lakes perch and walleye.

Around here we basically worship them. Fashioning idols and such...

 

[EarlyandLate]

I can mark another restaurant off my list. On my recent trip to see relatives for Thanksgiving, I stopped at a place just off hte interstate that I had not been to since COVID began. When I travel, I like to find restaurants that are as fast as fast food, but better quality. The place in question was a country cookin' buffet. Before the pandemic, it was a great choice. There was a wide selection of dishes from salads all the way to desserts and ice cream for $12 including tax and tip. Now, there was no more buffet and a very limited lunch menu. I had a meat entree with two sides and water to drink. No salad, no dessert and the flavor was mostly just salt. The bill was $14 including tax and tip. Forget it!!

 

[karen1972]

Oh yes, Great Lakes perch and walleye.

Around here we basically worship them. Fashioning idols and such...

Man what I'd give for a decent walleye fish plate. They only seem to serve Flounder here at Fish Fries...so not the same. I miss everything about Wisconsin supper clubs... and its one of the big reasons I don't eat out as much in NC.

 

[W2R]

I utterly adore fish. When I lived in Hawaii long ago, I used to spearfish when diving and thus had all the free fish I could ever want.

But surprisingly (to me), here in New Orleans it seems like the non-elegant seafood restaurants we patronize mostly focus on shrimp, oysters, and crawfish these days. No longer do I frequently see trout meuniere, blackened redfish, or other fresh fish dishes on a menu at one of these cheap-o places.

However - - one sportsbar a couple of blocks away, offers a Friday special consisting of a big plateful of fried catfish smothered in the most fabulous shrimp étouffée you can imagine. I always get it! The étouffée is heavenly, of course, but unlike many people I also love catfish. This dish is not cheap, $14 plus tax and tip, so it's the most expensive thing I ever order but I don't care!! I love it.

FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH

 

[Badger]

I utterly adore fish. When I lived in Hawaii long ago, I used to spearfish when diving and thus had all the free fish I could ever want.

But surprisingly (to me), here in New Orleans it seems like the non-elegant seafood restaurants we patronize mostly focus on shrimp, oysters, and crawfish these days. No longer do I frequently see trout meuniere, blackened redfish, or other fresh fish dishes on a menu at one of these cheap-o places.

However - - one sportsbar a couple of blocks away, offers a Friday special consisting of a big plateful of fried catfish smothered in the most fabulous shrimp étouffée you can imagine. I always get it! The étouffée is heavenly, of course, but unlike many people I also love catfish. This dish is not cheap, $14 plus tax and tip, so it's the most expensive thing I ever order but I don't care!! I love it.

FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH

The first time I tried catfish (fried) was in a small local place in Texas, the kind with peanuts on the table and you were required to throw the shells on the floor. I was hesitant at first until I took the first bite. Tender, sweet and mild. What a treat! What you described sounds like heaven.

Cheers!

 

[W2R]

The first time I tried catfish (fried) was in a small local place in Texas, the kind with peanuts on the table and you were required to throw the shells on the floor. I was hesitant at first until I took the first bite. Tender, sweet and mild. What a treat! What you described sounds like heaven.

Cheers!

It is!! Frank makes a big effort to get there early on Fridays, so he can bring this dish to me before they run out. Speaking of which, Friday is tomorrow.... YUM!!! A lot of people seem to think that catfish is a garbage fish and not suitable for humans to eat, but I love it.

 

[audreyh1]

The first time I tried catfish (fried) was in a small local place in Texas, the kind with peanuts on the table and you were required to throw the shells on the floor. I was hesitant at first until I took the first bite. Tender, sweet and mild. What a treat! What you described sounds like heaven.

Cheers!

Used to fried catfish fillets as is typical in TX, I was finally introduced to Georgia “Redneck Catfish” where the fish is breaded and fried whole (sans head). So you’re eating the meat off the bones. It’s quite delicious that way.

 

[Eagle43]

Since I'm living in Texas, Mexican (texmex) food is always on. I seldom go a week without it and usually buy takeout and eat at home. When we lived in Louisiana we ate a lot of Cajun food (shrimp, crabs gumbo, etc.). We get takeout as opposed to eating in the restaurant.

Being retired we have more time to cook but seem to cook less. With the kids gone, we have to freeze if we cook too much.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Growing up in Wisconsin I ate many different kinds of fish because during the summer my folks had a summer resort to run so fished daily. When I moved to Texas and my parents came my dad ordered a catfish meal for everyone to try besides everyone’s own dinner. None of us liked it.

 

[SJhawkins]

I still like to have a nice cold tap or two when out with family and freinds, we mostly go to all local places and avoid most chain restarunts if at all possible.

Tap beer prices are all over the map these days, for run of the mil swill it ranges from $4 - $9 per 12oz tap, add a buck or two for a tall.

Few weeks ago was charged $9 for a 12oz lite, last time out paid $4 for a very tasty IPA, food prices about the same a both places, go fiqure. The place with the $4 tap had a fabulous burger to boot.

Pre covid I never really looked at prices, just ordered what I wanted having faith my locals are treating me as best they can, most still do. Sadly I have crossed one place of my goto list.

 

[John Galt III]

Yeah, I would think 99 % of people would find $9 for a 12 ounce tap beer to be outrageous. Who on earth would pay that price?

 

[COcheesehead]

Yeah, I would think 99 % of people would find $9 for a 12 ounce tap beer to be outrageous. Who on earth would pay that price?

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