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Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

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Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#81

Post by notbob »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #34
cowmoo728 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cheesecake Factory? They're famous for having terrible decor, service, and food, yet somehow being an essential part of the American high school prom experience. https://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/dude-goes-viral-for...

I get so peeved by the treatment of chain restaurants like this as "poor" or "terrible". Because you know what, Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Outback Steakhouse? These are some of the nicest restaurants the average citizen can hope to afford to go to more than once in their lifetime. It isn't going to impress folks who have a personal chef at home, but the food is pretty darn good , and you don't hav…

> the average citizen can hope to afford to go to

None of the places you listed are cheap. The price of a steak at CF or Outback is about the same as the price of a steak at any "$$" restaurant. Olive garden is particularly expensive for what they offer (except lunch, which is a legitimately good deal as long as you're okay with eating 3 days worth of calories in breadsticks and can afford to be in a food coma all afternoon). And red lobster is just legit expensive and low-quality... you're better off on both price and quality with pretty much any other restaurant that has a fish menu...

Applebees, Chilis, and TGI Fridays, on the other hand, do have truly "economy" menu items. However, you still get what you pay for -- the key insight is that those places compete with bars, not restaurants, on price point. You can get sauce-covered chicken strips with frys for $10 at any mom and pop corner bar...

Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#82

Post by philwelch »

culturestate wrote: post #60
United857 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same can probably be said of any country's cuisine in America. E.g. many staples of Chinese restaurants in America (General Tso's chicken, chop suey, sweet and sour whatever) are not found in China except at super touristy places.

There are lots of...I guess I would call them "mashup cuisines" around the world, especially in post-colonial and post-WW2 Asia. Local chefs tried to recreate western dishes with their own ingredients and techniques and it made for some interesting results. Since it's early morning as I write this, I'll use Hong Kong-style macaroni soup[1] as an example: it's literally macaroni in broth with a slice of processed ham…

Some “Indian” dishes, like chicken tikka masala, originated in Britain in similar circumstances to American “ethnic” dishes. And lots of Vietnamese food has French influences.

Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#83

Post by dagw »

tsunamifury wrote: post #53
dwighttk wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

everything in your description of a dive from "smell the ammonia", to "cigarette smoke and stale beer" to "spill your beer...so what" makes me feel uncomfortable.

Some people feel comfortable in Dive bars and others in the King Cole Bar.

Where I grew up there where two bars basically next door to each other. One was a dive who's primary selling point was that the drinks where always cheaper than next door and the other was a nicer place who's primary selling point was that it didn't attract the sort of people who's primary concern was how cheap the beer was. Both did very well.

Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#84

Post by dagw »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #52
dsr_ wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Olive Garden's appeal in Times Square is the same as McDonald's: you're in a strange place, but you know what you can expect to find inside, and you know your kids will eat it while you have a glass of mediocre wine.

FWIW, if you go to McDonald's in some foreign countries you will be in for a shock as they serve many region-specific items. (Though in Paris, it's a pleasant shock, it's mostly the same but all of the food is better/healthier.) Source: Yes, I traveled to the capital of a country known explicitly for it's exquisite food and did patronize a McDonald's.

FWIW, if you go to McDonald's in some foreign countries you will be in for a shock as they serve many region-specific items.

I still remember getting a surprisingly nice pepperoni pizza at a McDonald's in the US many years ago. Undoubtedly the nicest thing I've eaten at a McDonald's anywhere in the world.

Yes, I traveled to the capital of a country known explicitly for it's exquisite food and did patronize a McDonald's.

Some of the, by far, worst restaurants I've ever eaten at have been in France so there's a chance that McDonald's wasn't the worst choice you could have made.

Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#85

Post by dagw »

United857 wrote: post #50
Konryan wrote: post #40

As someone who lives in Italy, a lot of what seems to be considered "Italian" in the US sometimes feels like little more than a caricature. It does trouble me slightly, because it feels like an impersonation of Italian culture. On the other hand, it's probably just culture diverging and developing in different ways after migration, which is to be expected. So the problem is mostly one of identity: the same label - it…

Same can probably be said of any country's cuisine in America. E.g. many staples of Chinese restaurants in America (General Tso's chicken, chop suey, sweet and sour whatever) are not found in China except at super touristy places.

Same can probably be said of any country's cuisine in America.

Or any country's cuisine any other country. 'Thai' food tastes different in different parts of Europe for example.

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