Wayback Burgers

Formerly Jake's Wayback Burgers, but I guess they dropped the "Jake's" when I wasn't paying attention! This is a super local Delaware chain and yet it apparently has expanded to PA and beyond. My mind is blown. Anyway, they have hot dogs and burgers that are made fresh (and like, fries and shakes and other stuff). The intriguing thing is that their allergy menu doesn't even list nuts or peanuts as an option, which makes me THINK that they don't use those ingredients, which is great, but I can't find that explicitly stated on their website anywhere, which is weird. I asked the one in DE once if they used nuts and they said no, but that was a long time ago. They also have the impossible burger though, so I didn't want to risk getting a burger, so I got a hot dog with ketchup and mustard and grilled onions. They didn't put on a super lot of toppings, and the hot dog itself was a little too "beef" flavored for my taste, but ultimately it was pretty good and only 300some calories apparently. They have a lot of toppings and other options, so if I were to consider contacting them to get more allergy info I might try the other fun stuff like chicken sandwich or chips. I also ate a little bit of fries and they weren't as good as like, a fast food fry, but with the BBQ sauce they were nice.

Classic Burger: I tried to reach out about allergy stuff via FB message, but they never answered. Alas. Anyway, this was a fine burger, 2 patties and all the fixins. I like this, but the meat itself wasn't that great to me. It didn't have that nice burger king/red robin flavor, you know? I was also scared it would get mixed up with a veggie burger, but it seemed pretty meat-y, so I took the risk. Also almost 700 calos, so very filling, but didn't knock me totally out. Might mix up the toppings in the future since Q seems to like this place. 6/10

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Q says: "I like it out of 10"

Little Caesars

Pizza pizza! When I was very little, there was a LCs just down the block, and we had it often and I have great associated memories. They had great mushrooms on their pizzas, not raw like most places but cooked and tasty like a chinese food. Also loved their breadsticks. Then I had a many year gap, and had LCs again in grad school but only in the context of their 5$ Hot And Ready Pizzas, which are super cheap but also not great and didn't have mushrooms. So mixed feelings. But I recently had some leftover mushroom pizza from the LCs near my parents' house, and it was decent. The pizza itself was just fine, but the mushrooms were still quite good for a pizza place! And decently plentiful, too.

Lunch Combo: This is a drink and a 4-piece "hot and ready" roni deep dish. Good deal but the 'za isn't my favorite. Very doughy crust, nice buttery sheen on the bottom but the cheese/sauce/roni is a little too "frozen pizza chic" for me. Dad liked it though, and it's a good amount for 2 people. 6/10

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

KFC

Holy heck, I haven't reviewed KFC yet? This is a shocker. KFC is a solid fast food chain in my book because apart from their desserts, they've always been nut free. One tragic point in my past is that the chocolate chip cookie that came with all their box meals used to be safe for me, per the website menu anyway, and I ate it every few months and it was a fresh warm cookie and one of my only joys in dessert-life. And then once I checked the menu and it was no longer safe. RIP cookie. But their chicken is still fine, and I like the biscuit and cole slaw a lot. Today I decided to go partially because I'm super stressed out but also because I was getting gas from the Wawa next door and I wanted a treat for doing the stressful gas-getting. (Long story I guess). Anyway, KFC is cool.

Spicy Famous Bowl: This was off-menu and cost 3.99 instead of 3$, but that's still a solid deal per calorie. This is mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, popcorn chicken, shredded cheese, and hot sauce drizzle. It was super hot and is giving me mad reflux. But it was good enough, warm and filling. I liked the potatoes and gravy a lot; the rest was just OK. I would say it was good but too spicy for my tastes! 7/10

Regular Famous Bowl: OK, this was weird. They made it nicely, lots of gravy and fresh and the cheese was nice and melty on top. But now that I could taste it, that was weird. I mixed it with a frozen bag of brocco and cauliflower lol. It was filling and warm but made me freak out about allergies, which is maybe dumb but IDK, I think my soy thing is actually legit now that I read about other people who can't eat canned soups and frozen chickens. The gravy might be sketch! But anyway, it tasted OK. Lol. The potatoes had that floral taste. I like the gravy but it was spooky. 6/10

Popcorn Chicken Combo: I got this with Mountain Dew and Cole Slaw, and also it comes with a biscuit. The chicken is a little box and I didn't get a dipping sauce because the server didn't have a mask and I was distracted. Anyway, Allergy Genius me didn't realise there's potentially soy protein in the popcorn chicken (per their good allergy menu), but I ate it before and lived so I ate it again even though I've been avoiding all soy protein. I lived, again, though it was scary I didn't really get any itchiness. Apart from that the chicken tastes good but I'd never repeat this, it is too scary. Slaw/'scuit/dew were are tops. 4/10 for fear, 7/10 taste. 

Finger Lickin' Good Sauce: I am aware this is not a meal, but you can get some for free with a meal (as I did with my #3 3 piece combo) so I was excited to try it out. But to be honest, it didn't live up to the hype for me. Allergen free but not especially tangy/spicy/savory, just kinda an oily version of thousand island dressing almost. Maybe it is better with fries than with chicken, but I think I'd rather have BBQ sauce than this! 5/10

 

Crispy Colonel Box: The Crispy Colonel is a chicken sandwich made to compete with Popeyes, I guess, cause it's got a pickle and a tiny bit of mayo-that-tastes-like-tartar-sauce on the bottom. The sandwich itself is pretty good, the chicken is fresh and moist and not too greasy, and they didn't overdo it on the mayo. The bun was a little old (and firm), but it tasted very neutral. The box comes with popcorn chicken, which is fine but soy-containing, and cole slaw which I love, and their new fries, which I don't really like -- they look fun but have basically no seasoning. However I also asked for 2 packs of BBQ sauce with this, so that made the fries (and the chicken) a lot tastier. This is also a ton of food, probably good for 2 meals. I didn't even drink the Pepsi that comes with it! 6/10 sandwich, 5/10 box (box is 10$, not very cheap!)

3 piece chicken combo: This is #3, and it comes with 2 wings and a drumstick. I like the wings, they are like smaller thighs. The drummie is OK. The biscuit I got was super hard, but I think the Lebanon KFC is just bad (sorry, dad). Cole slaw is bangin' as always. Pepsi was a lil watery. It is what it is. 6/10

Sweet Lightning Mountain Dew: This is a limited edition flavor of Dew! It's supposedly peach and honey. The peach is very real. It tastes like peach rings candy, which it turns out, I don't really like. Massively inferior to regular mountain dew. It is a fun color and tastes more juice than soda, which is neat, but it's just not for me. Glad I collected this rare bird anyway, though (on a road trip to see my favorite band! but with weird medical problems that prevent me from fully enjoying any thing :( ) 5/10

Overall
Cost: 7/10 (Usually very cheap for a meal - 5$!)
Taste: 7/10

Q says "It's pretty bad. 3/10"

Mick's All American Pub

Ah, Mick's pub. This is a weird central-PA chain of casual bars (I wouldn't really call it a pub, myself). I played trivia at one once. This one was next to a movie theater so we went there pre-movie, which is probably where they get the bulk of their business. It is certainly a convenient location, and they have Coronas, so I can't hate it. The downside is that they have a ton of peanut butter options on their kids menu, which disgusts me, and the waiter seemed totally unable to answer allergy questions so I just didn't mention it, which is potentially risky. Oh well.

I got Nachos, without beans (for me) and sour cream (for the boyf), and it was still decent. It also came in a massive bowl which was funny. The salsa was in a little cup on the side, which was kind of nice actually, and it was more like wet pico which I liked the taste of. Cheese is cheddar, and there were jalepenos and potentially lettuce and also ground beef. It was fine but not amazing. A lot of food though. 6/10

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Frío Gelato

This was probably the pinnacle of my Chicago trip, which if you are a nut allergy trago you might understand. Nut free gelato!!! In a regular store, in a cone, at the pier!!! What!!! And it tastes great, just like regular ice cream/gelato must taste. I wish with all my heart I could go to a place like this whenever I wanted, but I guess it's good for my weight or whatever. (I don't even believe that, I just eat frozen meals sadly instead).

So: gelato! They have vanilla and chocolate cones, both are good and don't really taste that different. I got trifondo which was like, caramel and chocolate and vanilla, and it was tasty and sweet and lovely. Then I got raspberry and marscapone, which is probably my favorite flavor. I also tried the cafe con leche, which was "fine" but not my favorite. Sadly then I had to leave the time zone so I could only try three flavors, woe. All were so fun and creamy and melty and great. I love you, frio gelato.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (IDK, maybe 7 dollars each? Who cares)
Taste: 9/10

Starbucks

I've never reviewed Starbucks? I guess I really am a Dunkin' girl for life. Starbucks makes lots of weird nut food, so I can only get basic dinks there. Although I think the first time I went was with my allergy bud Rach and we got Java Chip Frappuchinos (spelling??), which was amazing (9/10) and didn't kill me. But also so expensive and bad for you, and also I keep reading blogs about how ordering fraps at Starbucks is selfish and makes the workers hate you, and then I get lost in thought and jealousy for a while. Anyway, there are also Starbuckses at lots of rest stops, so I stopped off on my recent Chicago road trip.

Sweet cream cold brew: This is tasty, better than Dunkie cold brew but also like 4+$. It also gives me heartburn without fail, which is unlike cold brew, but I usually get Starbucks when travelling so that may be why. 6/10

Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 6/10

Olive Garden

Unfortunately, I think I like the idea of Olive Garden a lot more than the reality. Also their new (or once-new) logo is so childish looking. But anyway. I like Italian food and chains, and they even have an allergy menu, and once David took me on my birthday after we went to the DMV (lol). But the actual pasta is mostly not good, a lot of things have surprise nuts, and it's bad for you and your heartburn too. My most recent trip was also not great, it was with my dad's family but "for my birthday" but I didn't pick it, my mom did, but she said I liked it but I wasn't hungry and I just wanted to go home. So I was in a mood. But anyway, the salad and breadsticks are always good. Or rather the salad is good, the breadsticks are way too salty but I like bread so I like that there ARE breadsticks, and that they'll bring more if asked. I also really like the andes mints at the end of the meal! Dad got salmon and hated it with the passion of 100 suns, but dad also hates Italian restos (inexplicably).

Cheese ravioli: This I don't like. I got because it was lower calorie than other noodles, but for ravioli it's bad.

Watermelon Sangria: Good but not very much alc in it, and also pricy.

The lesson I learned is that next time, I should just get a soup. Or maybe ziti and just eat a lil bit. 

Takeout Covid-era Olive Garden was better. They put the salad in a little plastic container, which contains a lot of salad (probably 3 bowls worth). And the croutons ("may contains") were packaged separate, along with the dressing. They also give you 2 breadsticks per meal, which is decent, and I like the breadsticks a lot right now. The meal itself was eh though. 

Chicken Parmesan: I got this with ziti, which was just "eh", and the chicken itself was also "eh" for me -- it had kind of a weird mushroom taste? I've definitely had better chicken parms. Luckily I didn't get too itchy from it, and it's a lot of food (2 breasts). But I'd maybe try eggplant parm next? Or something else?? (Is there anything else?!) Overall takeout experience 7/10, but this meal, maybe 6/10.

Chicken and Dumpling Soup: Yes!! This is it! I found something tasty and soy free at olive garden, and it isn't even super heavy (although it is, unlimited,,,). Very pleasant soup. 7/10

Berry Sangria: Also good, 7/10

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Sbarro

I went to the one in the Charlotte airport (CLT), which is more like a weird cafeteria line than the Sbarros I'm used to in malls. Still, it has its own charm. I love love love their mushroom, they use so many and they are all great. But this airport Sbarro had no mushroom pizza, woe. I got a slice of roni/pepper pizza and a side of veg (zucchini and broccoli). I thought it was very cool that they had veg, and the slice of pizza was very big, and crispy, though nothing to write home about especially. I also had a terrible stomachache afterwards, but I chalk this up to being in a stressful airport rush and not necessarily Sbarro's bad. I still like them very much.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

In-N-Out Burger

What the heck!? An In-N-Out in Texas? I was shocked to see this, because when I was in college in LA I thought In-N-Out was a strictly California thing. I guess they randomly expanded to Texas (I wish Yoshinoya could too)! Anyway, I like this place not just because of the hype but because it's a solid burger, really tasty, and the menu is so so limited that I'll never have allergy concerns. Only burger, burger with cheese, and fries/milkshakes (Vanilla Chocolate and Strawberry) are available, which is just perfect for me. I enjoyed Cheeseburger, which had a nice crispy bun and was juicy  but not too comically huge like some burgers. A great product. The fries were fine, but I'm not much of a fry girl myself.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10

Taco Cabana

There's one of these in the student center at UT Austin, so I went there for lunch while I was in town for a conference. Better this than Chick-Fil-A right? They had tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, the standard fare. No nuts, but plenty of beans. I wanted to order the Chicken Fajita Quesadilla but I think they just gave me a plain chicken Quesadilla. It was still fine though. Not amazing, basically just cheese and chicken in a tortilla with some sour cream and weird guac on top, but they have a fun salsa bar and it was quite filling, plus no beans in the 'Dilla. Also pretty cheap for Austin.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Romano's Macaroni Grill

I probably didn't have a conventional Macaroni Grill experience, because I went to the one in the Chicago airport (ORD) and I was also alone, so I felt a bit awkward and like I was taking up a seat. My only previous experience with the MG was a long, long time ago when I went with my family, and I remember you could draw on the placemat with crayons but I didn't like the food. Child me might be too hasty, though. They have an allergen menu on line, plus it's Italian, so I felt pretty good about going here during my long layover. This place definitely had a smaller menu than the online one, but they still had Corona (8$) and I got the chicken marsala, which I knew was safe. They also put bread on the table but it looked potentially seedy. Anyway, the marsala was good. It was filling for sure, but not a crazy Olive Garden massive portion either. 2 medium size chicken pieces, some angel hair pasta, and mushrooms and garlic wedges(2) in a lightish marsala sauce. Overall tasty. I think if I weren't rushed/weren't alone I would have been pretty into it. Would go back to a real one someday! But even at the airport alone I would go back, I just need to relax more about taking up space. Life lessons.

Overall
Cost: 4/10 [About 40$ for airport me but in general probably average]
Taste: 7/10

Red Robin

When I was in high school (so, like, 20 years ago!?), Red Robin had an AMAZING quesadilla, with mushrooms and cilantro-y pico and bacon and 3 colors of chips. It was so good. But they got rid of it and I really soured on Red Robin, since they mostly just have burgers and fries which I wasn't a HUGE fan of. But now that Burger King has a nut allergy warning, there aren't many places with burgers I actually enjoy. And Red Robin is a decent pick, and they also have a really good allergy menu too (which they will give you on a tablet if you want to see it, which is hilarious). The waitress randomly asked if I wanted a gluten free bun, but I don't think I got one. Anyway, I ended up here recently with my dad because Iron Hill was too full. Honestly I think it was for the best, because we had a decent experience. I got a "tavern burger", which is a skinner patty and tasted like the burger-king-y patty I like, it was great. Tavern Burgers are apparently the way to go. Specifically, here's what I got:

Ghost Pepper Tavern Burger: IDK about the spicy sauce on here, I didn't love it, but the meat itself was enough to overcome that weirdness. 7.

Chips with guac & salsa (app): The chips were decent, but the salsa and guac were a little weird tasting (but OK). Not that many chips either, which I guess is probably good. 6.

Sangria: This was good and only 5.50$, with lots of fruit in it and a decent amount of alcohol too it seems! 7

Smoky Jack Tavern Double: I got this with no mayo, so it's otherwise a burger with BBQ sauce and LTO and pepper jack. It was good but I didn't like the onion/pickle on it. Still the meat itself was great. Got with sweet potato fries, which were good and plentiful, but not really seasoned, just wet oily potato. But good overall. 6

Red's Tavern Double: Very good, just a very classic burger. 7

Haystack Tavern Double: I was worried about the mayo sauce here, but it wasn't bad. The worst part was actually the onion straws, which had a weird rancid oil taste to me. Overall it was good, but to be honest I think I just want a plain burger. The best part is the meat. 6

California Chicken Sandwich: A non-burger! Turns out the brioche (aka non-sesame) buns contain PEA so I can't have either bun, so I got this wrapped in lettuce. It was not as delicious, but less calos and less dying. The chicken inside had bacon and swiss and avo paste, and it was a fine filling burger alternative. I got no mayo (due to mustard fear) but it was still plenty wet. No complaints! 6

 
Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Jersey Mike's

Sub time! Subs are pretty solid meals, usually not too greasy and solidly filling. Sadly, Subway isn't super tasty, Capriotti's is far away, and Primo's may contain nuts. Jersey Mikes seems pretty sweet just based on their website, because they have a comprehensive allergy menu (and that menu says that basically all the sandies are nut-free, too). Plus they have an enigmatic numbering system, which makes me want to be a completionist and try them all. We'll just have to get the boyf on board because there isn't one by me (yet?)!

#7 Turkey and Provolone: I got this on white bread because I panicked and didn't know if the wheat bread was safe. I also got it "Mike's way" which is LTO and oil and vinegar. The only perhaps odd thing is that usually I get turkey with mayo and not oil, but to be honest it's probably healthier and it ended up tasting pretty good. The turkey was nice and fresh, and the cheese was cut really thin which I liked. Tomato was juicy, the lettuce and onion was whatever (maybe too much lettuce). I got a regular size and it was plenty of food, and cut in half too. I think I'd get "mini" next time! 6/10

#16 Chicken Philly Cheese Steak: This was good! They didn't even offer a wheat roll or any customization (the guy who took my order kinda rubbed me the wrong way TBH) but it was tasty as it came, with pepper, onion, and white American cheese only. I had to cut it in half myself, but it was still a great size (regular size) for a filling meal and didn't make me sick. The cheese was great and the rest tasted good too. Noice. 8/10

Grilled Veggie Wrap: This was OK - I got it with a wheat wrap, which itself was good, very fresh/thick. The inside had ranch, which was OK for me taste-wise but my boyf hates the smell so it wasn't really worth it. There's only cheese, peppers, tomato, lettuce, and possibly onion inside. It was definitely good for a veggie wrap, but not really full of much veggie, and not very healthy or better tasting than the other things, so this wasn't my favorite random pick. Would try it without ranch if I get it again. 5/10

#31 California Chicken Cheese Steak: This was a chicken cheese steak with mayo, yet it was not bad! I liked the chicken a lot and the mayo didn't really stand out to me. The cheese was good and the flavor overall was good, although maybe not as good as #16. Not bad though. 7/10

#11 Stickball Special: This was fine; it was basically the same as an italian sub. Maybe a bit too much dressing on this though. 6/10

#55 Big Kahuna Chicken Cheese Steak: I got this at the airport, and I was so grateful to have normal food! Even if it was 10 dollars. I got the only size they had, regular, on wheat bread, and it was only 720 cals which is totally manageable for a cheesesteak! I think it was really good, cheesy and warm, and spicy because of the jalepenos. The mushroomy cheesey chicken bits that fell out were great. 8/10

#2 Jersey Shore's Favorite: Jersey Shore's Favorite is...Italian. Ham, cheese, and circle meat. I got mine without oil, which turned out to be a great choice -- it was fresh and filling and made me feel happy. It even made two meals. Good stuff. 7/10

#42 Chipotle Chicken Cheese Steak: Got this delivered in the quarantine times. They also did not do contactless delivery even though it said they would online. Maybe in a few weeks people will be better at this! Anyway, the sub was delicious as ever. I love Jersey Mike's and the peppers and the cheese and the bread (wheat!) and whatever else they got going on. Actually, this is a chicken cheesesteak much like 55 and 31 and 16, but I don't really like the Chipotle sauce they put on. It's not terrible, but it doesn't add anything and feels too oily or strong or something. Still a delicious sub but I prefer the other chicken sub options that don't have the sauce. 7/10

#13 The Original Italian: Got this delivered in the quarantine times. They AGAIN did not do contactless delivery even though it said they would online and it's been about 3 weeks! I think I probably shouldn't get Jersey Mike's anymore. :( But this was great as always, I got wheat bread and no oil, which is the best and makes it a little healthier too. I think they cut the cold ones in half, which is great. I only ate half and it was nice and filling, lots of classic italian meats and peppery lettuce. Just a few onions and a tiny bit of tasty, thin cheese. 7/10 

#3 The All-American: This is actually "The Ham and Cheese", but whatever you call it, it's a solid not-too-exciting sub. Just overall decent (with no oil), tastes fresh, filling, good ratio of meat+bread, not too unhealthy. And they actually succeeded in the no-contact delivery this time! 7/10

#43 Chipotle Cheese Steak: This is great, just like all the other cheese-steak varieties (chicken and steak). The chipotle sauce really adds nothing for me though; it's still tasty but I think it'd be equally (or even more!) tasty without the chipotle sauce. 7/10

#17 Jersey Mike's Famous Philly Cheese Steak: Feels like I've had this before, but I guess I've only had variations on the theme! Anyway, this is great. I guess the Kahunas are better because they have mushrooms, but I still like the "plain" cheese steaks a lot, and they taste pretty darn similar to each other anyway! Good with wheat bread too. 7/10

#9 Club Supreme: Roast beef and bacon (and turkey) at Jersey Mike's?! This is different! Unfortunately, I was a fool and got this without the mayo (and oil), so it was way too dry. They give you a lot of turkey and RB! It was still good though -- I like the taste of the bacon a lot, and the cheese and beef. But it needs mayo. Added mustard but that wasn't quite right. 6/10 for now.

#56 Big Kahuna Cheese Steak: Much like the chicken version, this was very good. A little unhealthy, maybe, but the taste can't be beat. I also currently have a stomachache for Gordon/Pat's related reasons, so I'm blinded by that, but JM's is always solid. 8/10

 

#5 The Super Sub: I got this because I guess the number 4 isn't on their menu by me. This seems similar to the 4 that I wanted though -- basically it tasted like slightly spicy ham, a little provolone, tasty and fresh. I got it with white bread and no oil, and I enjoyed it! 7/10

 

#12 Cancro Special: It occurs to me now that I probably should have ranked these by number and not by recency. Oh well! This was really solid, especially with vinegar only. Very nice. 8/10

 

#66 Portabella Cheese Steak: Surely this is the devil's sub, as it took me two tries at ordering it and I'm still not convinced I've had it properly. The first time it had no mushrooms at all, and the second time, I think there were maybe 2-3 tiny mushroom pieces. I can't imagine what the meatless version is like if this is actually right. It was still tasty because the cheesesteak is tasty, especially the cheese, but I don't think it's worth the extra price/stress of trying to add mushrooms! 7/10

#26 Bacon Ranch Chicken Cheese Steak: I'm not really a fan of ranch dressing or ranch sauces, but this was not bad. Better than the chipotle mayo that JM has, I think. The sub I got has wrapped kinda messily, but it tasted decent, and was more refreshing than the other hot subs just because of the lettuce and tomato. I think it'd taste way better with mayo (or no sauce even) but I'd still eat it again. 6/10

#4 The Number Four: This was off-menu, but they made it with no trouble! For once I didn't tip though because it took a long time for someone to help me and it made me feel like a loser. Anyway the sub was fine, basically ham and cheese and maybe 1-2 Italian meat. Like a peppery ham and cheese. Solid. 7/10

#1 BLT: Hard to mess up a BLT, right? Although the bacon was your premade cold hard stuff, not the fresh chewy warm baco of my youth. And the mayo was mayo and not miracle whip. But that's to be expected, and they didn't skimp on the cold baco, at least! I thought it was decently tasty and BLT-ish, even if not perfect. 7/10

 

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (20$ for two people)
Taste: 7/10

Q says: It was pretty good. I was also hungry though. Slow. 6/10

P.F. Chang's

Chinese restaurant? On THIS blog? It's more likely than you think! I love Chinese food, and I've tried pretty much every frozen option I can, most of which are gross. Sadly that includes the PF Chang frozen meals. But I've heard from various allergy blogs and websites that P.F. Changs the resto is actually good about nut allergies, keeps the nuts segregated and only puts on at the end, and will use separate pans and stuff. So I found my lil courage and went to check it out (Epi-Pen in hand of course). It was true: I led with my allergies, and the waiter gave me a print out of everything without tree nuts & peanuts in it (which was a decently big selection). I'm not sure how much he told the chef or if that info is automatically transferred to the order, but I felt pretty safe. Also they have a big drink menu and I got a drink to calm me down, hehe. So, we ordered a few things:

Sangria: This was the drink, it was small and quite alcoholic, but with a cherry and strawberry and orange slice and it was good. 8/10

Sweet and Sour Chicken: This was OK, I don't LOVE breaded chicken but I wanted to mix it up. The sauce was good, the chicken itself was good, the pineapple and peppers were OK. 7/10

White rice: a normal side of white rice. Good to have. 6/10

Beef and Broccoli: I'd rather have chicken and broc, but this was better than I thought it would be. The beef tasted almost like BBQ spare ribs, it was a little sweet/spicy and the texture was nice and tender. Broc was fine. 8/10

Pork fried rice: Really nice, although not quite like my platonic ideal of fried rice. There was egg in it, which was cool, and the pork bits were big but good. Also a strong ginger taste, some carrot and some bean sprouts. Overall nice. 7/10

I will definitely go back if I find a willing partner! I love Chinese food and I know this isn't "authentic" (and it definitely isn't as good as my little girlhood chinese takeout past) but it was really great to have those flavors in a restaurant setting. I hope I can get some carrot/mushroom/bamboo/baby corn/sauce type entree and maybe lo mein with no peas in the future. :)

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (Pricy but not CRAZY)
Taste: 8/10
Fear factor: 6/10

Q says: It was pretty good, 7/10

Burger King

I think Burger King is my favorite traditional national fast food chain, don't tell anyone. It's very unhealthy though, so I only get it when someone else brings it up. But their burgers are so good! And so cheap! Yum! I went to one today on the way back from a car wash; nice, nice. Just for a snack though. And I love that long chicken sandwich. Mmm.

Iced Coffee: Super sweet and creamy obviously, but tasted good and fresh and not too watery like McDo's. Plus they have it. So that's good. 6/10

Onion Rings: Everyone loves a good onion ring. The perfect side. 7/10

Cheeseburger: This was only one dollar and very good. I love burger, yum yum. 8/10

Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 8/10
Shame: 10/10

Wendy's

Wendy's is a classic! It's no Burger King but it's not bad. Their burgers are square and don't taste that good, but honestly Burger King are the only burgers I think taste good, so I might be broken. Their chicken is decent, their salad/potato selection is on point, and they have a cute redheaded mascot. Plus it's cheap and everywhere! Road trip!

Spicy Chicken Sandwich: Pretty good! Just chicken, bun, a little mayo but not too much, tomato, and lettuce. A solid and filling sandwich, and a little spicy but not too bad. 6/10

Junior Cheeseburger 4 for 4$ meal: What a deal!!! The cheeseburger gave me heartburn but was pleasant otherwise. The fries were good and soft, good in BBQ sauce. I got coffee for the drink(!) which was very tepid but otherwise fine, they even included creamers. The nugs were the worst part, they tasted a little rancid but that's probably because I ran out of BBQ sauce to cover them up. I should buy BBQ sauce for home! 7/10

Junior Bacon Cheeseburger: This is a classic, although maybe a little too much mayo and could use more ketchup. But a nice compact burger, solid and reheatable in the microwave if you take off the top bun! 7/10

Caesar Side Salad: I keep getting this instead of the garden side salad by accident. Hmph. Anyway, it's decently big for a side salad, and the croutons and dressing are separate and have ingredients right on them for peace of mind. The salad just has lettuce, cheese, and cheese on it (parm of two types) which is kind of a lot, but it tasty enough. Fine but nothing special. 5/10

Junior Cheeseburger Deluxe: This is like the JBC but with no B. It's not bad, but I wish there were no mayo or pickles too. Also the burger is no Burger king burger. But it's filling. 6/10

Garden Side Salad: I finally got one, but it was labelled as "taco salad". IDK if that's a mistake or not, but this was pretty basic -- it's just lettuce, cheese, tomato, crouton. It was fine, not tasty or really healthy, but took a while to eat which is good. 5/10

Southwest Avocado Chicken Salad (half size): I got this because they got our order wrong and charged 20$ for just this and a fry. Oh well. The salad is good. The chicken and fact that it's a salad made me nervous, but it was fine. I didn't use the dressing, but it was still moist enough. The cheese was not cheddar which was surprisingly good. And the salad was then like 220 cal total, which is great. 7/10

Fries: I mean, fries are fries. But I like Wendy's fries way more than McDonalds, since they are softer and thicker. Fries are good if you have a ton of ketchup, otherwise they're pretty boring. Solid but I'm not sure the calorie information, might be spooky. 7/10

 

Cold Brew: Yikes. I was so excited about the addition of cold brew and breakfast over all, but the Wendys in Lanc is hot garbage. They don't wear masks and they gave me a frosty instead of a cold brew and we had to drive back around to get this. And then it tasted very bad. Did they pee in it? Honestly I hope so, because it tasted like trash. Chemically and very weird and bad. I still drank it but only out of desperation. 3/10

Maple Bacon Chicken Croissant: I'm not into mixing sweet and savory, but the internet likes this so I tried it. It was "meh". I didn't even realise I got the right thing because the croissant was like a regular bun almost -- I think it was just really stale? The bread still tasted good, with a syrupy sauce, but overall this package was not great. The chicken patty was fine, no soy, but it didn't seem to go with the sauce. The bacon also tasted really stale. The potato wedges side seemed like they could be decent but felt a little spongy/old. I should try a different non-shit Wendys someday when Covid is Cov-done. 5/10

Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger: Yo, this was good. It could maybe use ketchup, because the patty flavor on its own isn't great, but the bread is nice like french toast, the pub sauce and onions are great, the bacon was more like bacon fat than pieces of bacon but was still good. Overall it was very tasty and honestly not TOO much food. 7/10

Dr. Pepper: Amazing soda even though I don't like soda. 7/10

Vanilla Frosty: This was OK, but not as good as the vanilla dessert options you can get at McDos or Arbys as a nut free human. Too icy or fake or somethin'. 6/10

Crispy Chicken BLT: You can't get this in a combo! But it's a solid chicken sandwich with bacon and cheese on there. Tasty. 7/10

Chicken Nugget Kids Meal: Honestly this is such a good deal. Less than 4$ for fries and nugs and a drink AND a toy! The nuggets were better than the spicy ones usually are, which is interesting. McDos has pea nuggets and Wendys has pea bread, so I have to check the ingredients 5000 times, but this was safe, anyway. And I got a bottle of water and a little crayon toy! What a life. 7/10

Iced Tea [Sweetened]: If you order Iced Tea, they give you sweetened Iced Tea. This is bad. It is way too sweet and not even lemony or complex. Also, I spilled it and it is sticky. 4/10

Iced Tea [Unsweetened]: After many failures, I finally converged on the unsweetened iced tea! (After reading the recipt, I learned it's just Diet Fuze). It tasted like plain iced tea. Much better than the sweetened one, although sadly, still sticky (and I didn't even spill it, but yet)! 6/10

Cobb Salad: This is the only safe salad left! It's fine, but there's no veg. Just chicken, cheese, egg, baco, tomato, and ranch dressing. It's supposed to come with onion crisps, but they only gave us one open bag for two salads, so neither me or my dad risked trying those. The salad was frozen, but it tasted OK. I wasn't allergic. 7/10

Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 6/10

P.J. Whelihan's

This place is basically Buffalo Wild Wings - a sports bar with lots of TVs, wings, burgers, etc. However, I am optimistic that the food is better at PJs (even though they don't have an online allergy menu...yet?). They have more than just chicken and burgers, they have salads, steaks, even pasta too. Granted, I didn't try any of those things - we only split some nachos, which were good and had nice white cheese sauce on them (as well as chili etc). I also got 2 blue moons (they were 4$, which is about standard). The waiter was nice, maybe a bit too attentive, but the atmosphere was pleasant and it was easy to see the TV from the table. Yay, world cup season! Anyway, the nachos were good, the menu looks promising, they have daily drink specials, and the place was clean. What more could you really want from a sports bar?

Cobb Salad (no bleu cheese): this was really good! Tasted refreshing and healthy and well-mixed, and just the right size. Dressing was fine but not overpowering, chicken and avo and egg were all good, very happy! 8/10

Pretzel nuggets: Not that many or very filling, but only 5$. Cheese was real cheese which was good. Boyf didn't like the cheese but the nuggets were OK for both of us. 6/10

Frozen Summer drink: This was tequila, bacardi strawberry, lemonade and sugar and whipped cream. It was great even though it made me nervous as usual. Only 5$! 8/10

PJ's ultimate combo: This is an app sampler, with wings (hardly sauced at all so I didn't love, but not terrible); tots (great and moist, I was impressed); mozz sticks (cold and average); and chicken fingers (better than Deer Park but really need dip of some sort). Overall it was more than enough food, very filling! I liked the tots. 6/10

Quesadilla: This was so dry!!! It was just dry chicken, a tiny bit of cheese, peppers and onions. I guess it was fine and didn't make me too ill but just it was so so dry. And it came with only sour cream to dip, no pico or guac? Amateur hour over here! 6/10

Basket of Tater Tots: This was the true neutral of food. Fine and a lot but very boring. 5/10

Loaded nachos (with chili, no sour cream): I ate way too much. I regret it all. Good though. 7/10

Cheese steak nachos: This was way better than I'd thought; the white american cheese is so good and I wish there were more. The lil steak was good too, and the green onions. Chips are fine and salty. but not enough cheese, and too much chips! Also very awkward to eat by yourself in a group. 7/10

Smokin' Pork BBQ sandwich: This was actually pretty good, very filling. It was odd looking and had a soft texture but tastes good, a lil spicy. There was a nice BBQ flavor. The fries were good. The cold slaw was not amazing, too creamy and no zip, but it was passable as a sandwich spread. 7/10

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

McDonald's

Eww, right? Who eats McDo's?! As a kiddo, it was by far my least favorite fast food place, mainly because they put chopped up onions on all their burgers and I thought that was gross. I also think the 3-bun Big Mac concept is terrible. But now I'm a little chilled out, PLUS they have breakfast all day, PLUS they have a vanilla ice cream cone with no nuts. Mmm, soft serve, so rare for nut allergy sufferers! So I've come around, and on a road trip or a lazy day, I'm A-OK with a little allergy-menu-having McDos.

I like their apple pie, vanilla cone, egg mcmuff, and way too creamy iced coffee. Hot coffee is standard/fine too.

I tried recently the Pico Guacamole Buttermilk Crispy Chicken, because it had guac and I wanted some veg. It gave me mad heartburn, but otherwise it was filling and fine. I think it'd be better with no cheese and no ranch sauce. So maybe a plain chicken sandwich would have been better. 5/10

I also tried the Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken, and even though it had little black beans I had to pick out, the dressing/chicken/strips/corn was good and refreshing (and healthy-ish!). The only downside was that it made me make eating noises and also smell bad and my boyf was perturbed and now I'm neurotic about eating this salad. But it's good though. :D? 6/10

Cheeseburger: McDonald's is gross and this burger was gross too. It was only a dollar though. But it has onions which make me vom and are so small they're impossible to remove, the burger is gross, and the bun is pretty good. 4/10

Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich: This was a crispy chicken sandwich and it didn't make me gag, so I guess it was fine. About 650 calos for a weird fake-looking shiny bun, vaguely buttery crispy chicken, small tomato, tiny lettuce, and massive gorp of mayo. But it was OK. 6/10

Quarter Pounder with Cheese: When will I learn that I hate McDo's burgers? I got this without onions because I thought I just hated little onions, but the burger still tasted the same gross way! It's like the onions are inside the patty! Or whatever bad thing is in there, maybe it's not even onion at all.  But it's truly terrible. The burger patty is the McDo's downfall. 3/10

Grilled Chicken Sandwich: This was devoid of any flavor and it was over 5 bucks. Yet it was only 380 calories, and fairly filling. It didn't have any mayo (or sauce at all), yet somehow it wasn't too dry. A weird product, but could have been worse. 6/10

Hash Brown: Don't understand the love for hash brown. Plain Mcmuff is better choice, this is oily and not great. 5/10

Bacon Smokehouse Artisan Grilled Chicken: Mistakes were made; I got this because it's chicken and not beef, and I like onions and BBQ and bacon, but the mustard made this weird, it could have used lettuce/tomato, way more BBQ and overall just wasn't a good mix for me, even though none of the parts were truly heinous. 4/10

Iced French Vanilla Coffee: This was difficult, because ordering it got us a "Sugar Free Vanilla Coffee" instead, which was freakin' gross. Second try, we learned just "Vanilla Coffee" (don't say french) is the way to go. Anyway, this is a solid way-too-creamy/sugary coffee, but it tastes good and not artificial or metallic or anything. A little like what I imagine milk is like for people who drink milk. Got a medium and it was more than enough, 'cause they don't put that much ice in. 6/10

Iced Latte: G-dang, McDonalds coffee is so difficult. I ordered plain iced latte (medium), no modifications or swirls or sugars. But it was SO PAINFULLY SWEET. Wtf. Full disclosure though, I got this via delivery (no issues there), and it was in a little cup inside of a bag lol. Very weird and cozy. No straw! I mean, it tasted like a sweet treat, but that's not what I wanted. Sigh. 5/10

McChicken: McChicken is a cute name for a sandwich. This was actually not bad; it was only 1 dollar and yet was filling and satisfying. It's just chicken/mayo/lettuce, and it could use more lettuce and less mayo, and maybe the addition of tomato or cheese or something would improve it, but it's still decent. 6/10

Pumpkin and Cream Pie: This isn't even on their online menu, but you can find the ingredients if you Google for it. And it's safe! And so good, this was awesome. It doesn't look like much but the inside is basically pumpkin pie filling and cream cheese. This is great. Spicy (in the pie way) and sweet. 8/10

McRib: Ah, the cultural zeitgeist! Top of the morning to you, Mr. McRib. I think I basically agree with the general sentiment on this sandwich: it's not bad, but not amazing. The first bite impressed me a lot; I thought it really did taste like rib insides. But then it became more bread/pickle/onion/general food-like substance. Not bad though, and the ingredients don't have any weird fillers (or legumes!). Good but not really great either. 7/10

Blueberry Muffin: So disappointing! I was so hype for the purported nut-free bakery additions since the Dunkin muffins are now may-contains. But while the top was good and moist/sweet, the rest was not sugary or wet or good, and the whole thing had kind of a chemical flavor. I like that the berries are real blueberries, but they didn't taste like it -- they tasted just like the artificial ones from my 99 cent muffin mix. Ultimately a letdown. 5/10

Hamburger (+Happy Meal): This Happy Meal came with apples, a toy, a little milk, a little fries, and a hamburger. Not bad, McDos. I was expecting to hate Hamburger as I have hated all Burger from McDos, but honestly it wasn't bad. Maybe I was just really hungry, maybe they're different now? maybe I got a good one? But the bun was nice and buttery, the meat was meat, and the onions and pickle were edible since they were focused in just one spot in the middle. Not very filling, but pretty tasty/fine. 6/10

Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich: So McDo's added 3 new chicken sandwiches to compete with the Popeye's / Chik-Fil-Trash hype. Sadly, I tried this one first, and I thought it was kind of a dud. The bun was nice and buttery, but the chicken itself had a weirdly fishy/old oil taste. It really threw me. The lettuce/mayo/tomato really did not add anything, either. Maybe I just got a bad patty. 5/10

Honest Kids® Appley Ever After® Organic Juice Drink: I got this with a Cheeseburger Happy Meal, which again, is way more lit than I used to find it. This Apple Juice itself was also fun! It was not sweet at all, which is really different from any apple juice I've ever experienced, but I thought it was pretty tasty and also healthy. Very cute stuff. 7/10

Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich: The second of the three new chicken sandwiches, and sadly I won't be trying the third since these buns apparently have pea protein in 'em now (wtf). It was alright while it lasted, though -- really spicy to me, but much better than the deluxe sandwich. The chicken and bun were good (but really spicy), the sauce was just OK. 7/10

Double Cheeseburger: Again, honestly this was pretty satisfying. I still don't love the onion bits, but the pickle/ketchup/cheese is good, the meat is fine, the bun is fine. It's filling and it's fine. 7/10

 

Sprite: On the one hand, Sprite is Sprite, and it's not very good. On the other hand, I didn't like this version much. I've had better fast food sodas. Partly Sprite is to blame, but dare I say, McDos is not the best iteration of Sprite I've had this year. 5/10
 

McDouble: The name is good, good branding. But the burger was kind of dry, I still don't like the little onions on here, and even though this was edible and safe, it was honestly not very enjoyable. 5/10

Overall
Cost: 8/10, fast food is great for this (just avoid combos)
Taste: 5/10

Q says: It seems like the renovation has been bad for it. Later: This was a different McDonalds.

Sonic Drive-In

I guess the official name of this place is "Sonic Drive In" because sonic itself is such a common word! Too bad. I've only ever heard it called Sonic, so I didn't fully conceptualize that it was JUST a drive-in place because I didn't grow up near one. But we went today, and it's true, you pull up to your own little ordering window and wait for them to bring you the food. Apart from hating to drive and hating drive-through windows, I like that you get your own little menu to look at with no rush, and you can order when you're ready by pushing a button.

Food-wise, it seems like just burgers, chicken, hot dogs, and drinks, which is general fast-foody-food. They don't seem to have nuts in their non drink/dessert stuff, which is nice. I got a regular (all-america) hot dog and some mozz sticks, and both were totally acceptable but not incredible. I didn't get violently ill, which is always a plus! I would go back with no hesitation, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (seemed decent for non-combos, maybe 2-3$ per item)
Taste: 6/10

Firehouse Subs

You can never have enough fast-casual chains with online allergy menus, in my opinion. This place has a fairly small menu, about 15 subs or so, which reminds me of Primos except that all of these subs are hot and firehouse themed. They also generally come with LTO and mustard and mayo, which is a little weird and maybe not what I'd always want, but that's life. And of course you can request variations on that. The smell of this place is not at all your bready subway smell, but more of a hot-oil Jake's Wayback burger smell, which is intriguing but also nice. They take your orders to your table if you want to eat in. Also, they have a 5.55 medium sub of the day, which is great because that's right around what I think is an appropriate sub price, and it also makes my ordering decision much easier. I tried the "Hook and Ladder" which was ham and turkey and those other things mentioned, on wheat bread. It was definitely tasty and filling, but I think next time I would get no mayo and maybe no onion. The mustard is a subtle brown mustard and not your yellow mustard, which I like. They also cut it in half, which I like. They box it in foam, which I don't like, but that's common, I suppose! Anyway, I would definitely go back, although the service is slower than a Subway or Chipotle (I guess because everything is baked).

Cherry Limeade: Don't get this, it's way too sweet and not complex. 2/10

Firehouse Steak and Cheese: I got this on wheat with no mayo/mustard and with mushrooms, and it was really nice and didn't make me feel gross at all. Shockingly one of the least greasy cheese steaks I've ever had (surprising given their general calorie info)! 7/10

Smokehouse BBQ Brisket and Cheddar: I got this on wheat with no mayo and it was OK. The BBQ sauce is good and the cheese sauce is obviously good. The brisket was tasty and fatty, but it made me feel a little like trash (even though I only ate half at a time!) Would eat, but wouldn't be my first choice. 5/10

Engineer: I got this on wheat and it was OK, but hardly had any mushrooms! And the few mushrooms that were there were a little weird, almost chipotle flavored. I probably should have gotten no mayo too. I got a medium but still felt gross! I like the pickle and the meat though. 5/10

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Q says: My sub was pretty good after I took the mayo I accidentally ordered off. Slow though.