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How far to Dennys?

Benjamin Grimm Jun 24 2014 09:29 AM

Let's play... How far is it from your house to the nearest Denny's! Denny's Locator Me, I'd have to drive 19.94 miles to Langhorne, Pennsylvania.

themetfairy Jun 24 2014 09:36 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

11.2 miles to Bordentown, NJ. 17.59 miles to your Langhorne location. But don't take it personally if I don't meet you there - I can't stand Denny's.

metirish Jun 24 2014 09:39 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

from work 371 OLD COUNTRY ROAD CARLE PLACE, NY 11514 (516) 743-9222 17.95 miles home 371 OLD COUNTRY ROAD CARLE PLACE, NY 11514 (516) 743-9222 14.30 miles I know which one I'll be going to...save on that gas

Ceetar Jun 24 2014 09:40 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

29.17 miles to AVENEL, NJ 07001 themetfairy wrote: But don't take it personally if I don't meet you there - I can't stand Denny's. And agreed, Not really a fan of Denny's.

TransMonk Jun 24 2014 09:42 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

Does anybody really like Denny's? 1.87 miles from me...though, I had to be reminded with the map. I couldn't recall where it was on my own.

Mets – Willets Point Jun 24 2014 09:43 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

You're just going to use this information to track me down and then kill me by choking me with Moons Over My Hammy.

batmagadanleadoff Jun 24 2014 09:48 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

I didn't even know there are Denny's in the NYC metropolitan area. Well, besides Jersey.

d'Kong76 Jun 24 2014 10:02 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

I'd have to go 16.91 miles, pass through four counties including mine, and across the Hudson. Cracker Barrel is closer.

Ceetar Jun 24 2014 10:16 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

d'Kong76 wrote: I'd have to go 16.91 miles, pass through four counties including mine, and across the Hudson. Cracker Barrel is closer. Mount Arlington, NJ 27.84 mi Just barely closer. Find it similarly unappealing though. Ate there recently in Baltimore near the airport. eh.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 24 2014 10:24 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

Denny's is okay when you're traveling (especially with young kids) and you want a nice cheap breakfast. For lunch and dinner food, it's not a great option.

cooby Jun 24 2014 10:46 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

Agreed, unless you happen to like bacon all day long (I don't) I have 3 of them within 30 miles, but the closest is about 8 miles away

Vic Sage Jun 24 2014 10:52 AM Re: How far to Dennys? Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 24 2014 10:57 AM

metirish wrote: from work 371 OLD COUNTRY ROAD CARLE PLACE, NY 11514 (516) 743-9222 17.95 miles home 371 OLD COUNTRY ROAD CARLE PLACE, NY 11514 (516) 743-9222 14.30 miles I know which one I'll be going to...save on that gas My home is a bit over 15 miles from this one. Not that i'm going. I do prefer Cracker Barrel, but there's none of those around here. The closest is over 40 miles north, towards Poughkeepsie. And i don't like it THAT much.

sharpie Jun 24 2014 10:54 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

17.31 miles to Avendell, NJ. In high school my friends and I would waste our evenings in a Denny's lingering over the coffee. Other than that Denny's (in San Mateo, CA) I have no affection for Denny's at all. I took my kids to one once while traveling and they hated the place.

Mets – Willets Point Jun 24 2014 11:17 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

I only went to Denny's in college when returning from a night of clubbing and needing something to eat (and a lot of coffee) before going to work. Those were the days.

smg58 Jun 24 2014 11:32 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

To think I was just in Langhorne. I'd recommend Margarita's if you have a choice. My nearest Denny's. I'm going to go on a limb and guess it's Seawolf's as well. But there are about 10 better breakfast places that are closer. 1. 255 CENTEREACH MALL CENTEREACH, NY 11720 (631) 580-3838 3.83 miles

Frayed Knot Jun 24 2014 12:27 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

Good place for carb-loading and/or just plain gut-stuffing breakfasts while out on the road. I've been to them while out with a gang of hungover dudes on golf outings, and if I ever passed one while on a long-distance bike ride I'd veer out of my way to hit one. Other than that I wouldn't bother.

themetfairy Jun 24 2014 12:29 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

There are so many wonderful diners around here that I can't stand the thought of Denny's or Perkin's or Cracker Barrel.

RealityChuck Jun 24 2014 12:48 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

3.17 miles in Schenectady.

Edgy MD Jun 24 2014 01:21 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

"How Far to Denny's?" would make a good Steve Earle song.

Zvon Jun 24 2014 04:03 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

3.47 miles. I'm a few miles inland of A.C. in south Jersey. I went to a Denny's once after a concert many moons ago. And that's it. Once.

Ashie62 Jun 24 2014 04:31 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

Zvon wrote: 3.47 miles. I'm a few miles inland of A.C. in south Jersey. I went to a Denny's once after a concert many moons ago. And that's it. Once. I was at this one a couple of months ago... I'd give it a B+ for what it tries to do...

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jun 24 2014 05:26 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

14.29 miles to that Carle Place, LI one for me. I thought I kindasorta liked Denny's, if only for the baked goods, but then BetterHalfer reminds me that was Perkin's. Alas.

seawolf17 Jun 24 2014 06:25 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

We used to go to the Perkins in Geneseo ALL. THE. TIME. We had a standing order, practically. Then one day, it became a Denny's. We went once and never went back.

Frayed Knot Jun 24 2014 06:39 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

I never heard of Perkins until it suddenly became a running joke after it turned out that one of Tiger's hook-ups was a waitress from there. In general, I prefer not to got out for breakfast unless I have no other choice.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 24 2014 07:32 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

I'm gonna meet some of you in Carle Place, 18 miles away. Denny's sucks. Good pace to encounter a late night fight. Perkins is... I don't even care. Bob's Big Boy on the other hand...

batmagadanleadoff Jun 24 2014 07:35 PM Re: How far to Dennys? Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 24 2014 07:39 PM

This thread reminds me of my student days. I remember a crazy-for-Perkins friend in my crowd. And vaguely, Denny's. I can't remember eating at Denny's since those days, and even then, not more than two or three times. Oh, those off-campus college days food chains on the main commercial strip -- an eight lane industrial shithole that looked like a Jersey Highway. IHOP, Bennigan's, Perkins, Ground Round, Chi Chi's.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 24 2014 07:39 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

Ground Round. Wow. Used to be millions of them, now they look like the Applebees of the Dakotas.

Frayed Knot Jun 24 2014 07:41 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

I spent a summer as a cook at a Ground Round in upstate NY

batmagadanleadoff Jun 24 2014 07:43 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

Is Red Lobster still around? When a friend (of a friend) of mine found out that there was a Red Lobster off campus, he was at my apartment with like five other friends the next weekend. All he could talk about was anticipating the all you can eat shrimp deal at Red Lobster. I'm gonna stop this story right here 'cause I don't have anything else to say but mean things.

Fman99 Jun 24 2014 07:49 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

themetfairy wrote: There are so many wonderful diners around here that I can't stand the thought of Denny's or Perkin's or Cracker Barrel. Yep. I'll take a diner every time. The nearest Denny's is about four miles from the house but very close by to the workplace, about a half mile.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 24 2014 08:04 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Is Red Lobster still around? When a friend (of a friend) of mine found out that there was a Red Lobster off campus, he was at my apartment with like five other friends the next weekend. All he could talk about was anticipating the all you can eat shrimp deal at Red Lobster. I'm gonna stop this story right here 'cause I don't have anything else to say but mean things. Red Lobster still very much around. It was just in the news as it was spun off from its longtime operator/franchiser, which (I think) also owns Applebees and maybe Olive Garden. You could have bought it too, if you had ... 2 billion dollars.

Ashie62 Jun 24 2014 08:12 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

There were the Sizzler and Ponderosa Steakhouses....

Ceetar Jun 24 2014 08:31 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

You know, I still find myself 'noting' 24/7 type places even though the actual chance I need that information is at least 10-15 years old. Denny's was a choice in college but my crowd usually tended towards the late night dining hall (the one that was good) and letting it go at that. There was a really good Pizza place (For Buffalo) near the other campus where the frats were, so that was that. and then Dominos delivered at all hours so we almost never went to Denny's. in High School clearly no Denny's on LI so we usually went to the 24/7 Waffle House in ..I guess that was Oceanside? place has been gone for years but was excellent. I've been in Jersey almost 6 years now and couldn't tell you the late night hang outs. I guess gimme 15 years and I'll get to know them.

themetfairy Jun 24 2014 08:33 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

We have a local Red Lobster.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jun 25 2014 07:09 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

An IHoP opened near us about two years ago, and since neither BetterHalfer nor I had been to one in a decade, we tried it, with the kid in tow. Maybe it was mostly a matter of adjusted-for-New-York pricing, but it was shocking how expensive the IHoP menu is, relative to the quality of the food.

MFS62 Jun 25 2014 07:19 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

DANBURY, CT 06810 6.72 miles I ate at one a few times while traveling on business, but wifey and I tried the local one - once. And she says she'll never go back. I agree. There are many better, and cleaner looking, places to eat in the area. Later

Ceetar Jun 25 2014 07:27 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: An IHoP opened near us about two years ago, and since neither BetterHalfer nor I had been to one in a decade, we tried it, with the kid in tow. Maybe it was mostly a matter of adjusted-for-New-York pricing, but it was shocking how expensive the IHoP menu is, relative to the quality of the food. I still have a gift card to use from my wedding. 3.5 years ago now. yeah, I think that's mostly New York pricing since it seems like everything is like that. I've always found IHOP decent, slightly better than the run of the mill diner breakfast, but there's a great pancake place by us in Ridgewood, NJ so we haven't found a reason.

Vic Sage Jun 25 2014 07:45 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

An IHOP gift card for a wedding present? Why, were they out of DENNY'S cards?

seawolf17 Jun 25 2014 07:46 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

I've been trying to actively fight going to bad chains as much as I can. When I was traveling regularly around CT the last couple of years, I never ate at a chain; always a local place. You're going to get better food for less money at any diner than you will at an IHOP.

Frayed Knot Jun 25 2014 07:46 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

Then there was that scandal a bunch of years back where certain Denny's weren't serving (or were barely serving) black folks. And gee doesn't THAT do wonders for your corporate image!

seawolf17 Jun 25 2014 07:49 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

Vic Sage wrote: An IHOP gift card for a wedding present? Why, were they out of DENNY'S cards? A colleague just got a $75 Olive Garden gift card for his wedding.

Ceetar Jun 25 2014 07:52 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

seawolf17 wrote: Vic Sage wrote: An IHOP gift card for a wedding present? Why, were they out of DENNY'S cards? A colleague just got a $75 Olive Garden gift card for his wedding. Technically it was probably a shower present. it's hard to keep straight. It was from the Maid of Honor too.

Ceetar Jun 25 2014 07:55 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

seawolf17 wrote: I've been trying to actively fight going to bad chains as much as I can. When I was traveling regularly around CT the last couple of years, I never ate at a chain; always a local place. You're going to get better food for less money at any diner than you will at an IHOP. I actually trend towards regional chains, depending where I am traveling. (There's something called..Tap and Mallet? .. a bar and grill type place in CT that I ate at once)

metirish Jun 25 2014 07:57 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

Never been to Cracker Barrel , it is often advertised on TV yet just checked the the nearest one from my zip is 41 miles, waste of advertizing $$$. Have not been to a Denny's in a long while but it is better than iHop, which is kind of like saying Tejada is better than Quintanilla.

metsmarathon Jun 25 2014 08:35 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

i'm reasonably well-isolated from denny's. 29 miles away from work, 30 miles away from home. cracker barrel is much, much closer, at 3 and 10 miles, respectively. not that i'm going there again.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jun 25 2014 08:53 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

I have never set foot inside a Cracker Barrel, but the weird little "ironic"-tee-loving 15-year-old in me has always been fascinated by the idea of it. I take it my wife was right to steer me away from all those highway exits?

Ceetar Jun 25 2014 09:09 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: I have never set foot inside a Cracker Barrel, but the weird little "ironic"-tee-loving 15-year-old in me has always been fascinated by the idea of it. I take it my wife was right to steer me away from all those highway exits? I imagine they serve their purpose of 'better than fast food during a road trip' type places. I think the only two options for food on the road of hotels in Linthicum Heights was Cracker Barrel or Bob Evans. Or like a Starbucks muffin or something.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 25 2014 09:12 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

Cracker Barrell sucks. I mean the food sucks, and so does the dumb store it;'s attached to

Ceetar Jun 25 2014 09:18 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Cracker Barrell sucks. I mean the food sucks, and so does the dumb store it;'s attached to On the other hand, the cheese you buy in grocery stores is fine.

themetfairy Jun 25 2014 09:30 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

D-Dad loves iHop. I tolerate it, but less so since PJ's Pancake House opened a location five minutes from my house (it's not a chain - this is only its second location, and it's been Princeton staple for decades). I can't stand Cracker Barrel. I can smell the sodium just thinking about the place. Olive Garden is horrible. With so many great Italian restaurants in this part of the country I don't know if they survive (I noticed the one in Times Square and told MK that I would disown him if he ever took a date there. Not that he would - the kid was raised better than that).

Ceetar Jun 25 2014 09:40 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

themetfairy wrote: D-Dad loves iHop. I tolerate it, but less so since PJ's Pancake House opened a location five minutes from my house (it's not a chain - this is only its second location, and it's been Princeton staple for decades). I can't stand Cracker Barrel. I can smell the sodium just thinking about the place. Olive Garden is horrible. With so many great Italian restaurants in this part of the country I don't know if they survive (I noticed the one in Times Square and told MK that I would disown him if he ever took a date there. Not that he would - the kid was raised better than that). Dominos and Pizza Hut survive too. A lot of people just don't put that much effort into food or caring about it, so the basic familiar comfort of chains is fine for them. Plus it's unlikely you'll truly stumble into a truly crappy/inedible meal at a chain.

Mets – Willets Point Jun 25 2014 09:55 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

metirish wrote: Never been to Cracker Barrel , it is often advertised on TV yet just checked the the nearest one from my zip is 41 miles, waste of advertizing $$$. Have not been to a Denny's in a long while but it is better than iHop, which is kind of like saying Tejada is better than Quintanilla. Cracker Barrel is good if you're 80 and unable to eat any food with flavor in it. They also have a history of Chick-fil-a-like discrimination against gay employees and customers. I remember the College Republicans staging an eat-in at Cracker Barrel when I lived in Virginia.

Centerfield Jun 25 2014 09:59 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

Frayed Knot wrote: Then there was that scandal a bunch of years back where certain Denny's weren't serving (or were barely serving) black folks. And gee doesn't THAT do wonders for your corporate image! Who was objecting to this? White people?

batmagadanleadoff Jun 25 2014 10:15 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

themetfairy wrote: Olive Garden is horrible. With so many great Italian restaurants in this part of the country I don't know if they survive You'd be surprised. My whole life, I've been asking myself that exact same question, only not about Olive Garden (never been there) and NYC italian food, but instead, about Domino's and Pizza Hut and NYC pizza. Those chains ain't going away.

batmagadanleadoff Jun 25 2014 10:27 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

Ceetar wrote: themetfairy wrote: D-Dad loves iHop. I tolerate it, but less so since PJ's Pancake House opened a location five minutes from my house (it's not a chain - this is only its second location, and it's been Princeton staple for decades). I can't stand Cracker Barrel. I can smell the sodium just thinking about the place. Olive Garden is horrible. With so many great Italian restaurants in this part of the country I don't know if they survive (I noticed the one in Times Square and told MK that I would disown him if he ever took a date there. Not that he would - the kid was raised better than that). Dominos and Pizza Hut survive too. A lot of people just don't put that much effort into food or caring about it, so the basic familiar comfort of chains is fine for them. Plus it's unlikely you'll truly stumble into a truly crappy/inedible meal at a chain. I see that you beat me to it, with the Domino's and Pizza Hut. They can exist, even in NYC, because they're consistent and reliable. I haven't had Domino's in more than two years, but in the past, I'd order it two or three times a year, even knowing that it's mediocre. They deliver at odd, late hours ... it's convenient ... it's cheap ... and the secret to food is that so long as it isn't putrid or rancid, it can sell. Even mediocre food is enjoyable. The quality threshold, or bar, for being able to sell food is extremely low.

Ceetar Jun 25 2014 10:37 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

batmagadanleadoff wrote: They deliver at odd, late hours ... it's convenient ... it's cheap ... yes, certainly can't dismiss the drunk college/high school student contingent.

sharpie Jun 25 2014 11:25 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

I get eating at chain restaurants if you're on the highway or live somewhere where that is all there is or your kids insist on it. Living in the city, however, or visiting another city or visiting anywhere with decent options: no. I've never been to an Olive Garden, a Domino's, a Chick-fil-A, a Cracker Barrel, an Applebee's. I've been to a Red Lobster once, likewise a Pizza Hut, a Chili's, an Outback Steakhouse, a Perkins. Sure, I've been to plenty of crappy diners and lousy non-chain local restaurants but I feel that at least there is a possibility of a surprise at a non-corporate chain.

Vic Sage Jun 25 2014 11:45 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

While at college, i used to eat on Tuesday nites at the nearby Howard Johnson's, which had an all-you-can-eat fried clam special. Beefsteak Charlies had a salad bar buffet with "all-you-can-eat shrimp". But it was just-thawed shrimp indistinguishable in taste from the ice it sat upon. They did have bottomless pitchers of Sangria, though. Also, i recall eating at a Ground Round. The waitress dropped an entire mug of root beer onto my lap. she offered me another one and i just said "no thanks, i'll just wear this one." My friend thought that was funny, so he blew the coke he was drinking out his nose, onto my burger. That was a special day. We went to Friendly's on Sunday mornings, to see who was having breakfast together... essentially witnessing a "walk of shame", to see who fucked who on Saturday night. There was a Domino's that delivered on campus, and i'd order it when i had a coupon, and then hope they showed up late so the pizza was free. Sometimes it was. I know that whenever a Dominoes delivery guy asked me where a certain dorm room was, i sent him the wrong way, as did many of my dorm mates. We were poor and needed to save whatever $ we could (I recently tried a slice of it from a pie my daughter ordered with her friends and it is fucking inedible. even worse than Pizza Hut. I don't know if they got worse or my palate just can't tolerate crap like it used to). When money was really tight, we'd go to the A&P, and "shop" (ie, eat food in the aisles as we put food into a cart, then left the cart behind and split). Hey man, it was a matter of survival. don't judge. The things we do when we're young... Now i avoid chains if at all possible, but when traveling with the kids, its sometimes the only option everyone will accept. There is NO excuse in NYC, however. There is so much reasonably priced food of all styles and ethnicities here that choosing to eat shit instead is just perverse.

Ashie62 Jun 25 2014 12:38 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

I still like Applebees car service...

smg58 Jun 25 2014 01:07 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

batmagadanleadoff wrote: themetfairy wrote: Olive Garden is horrible. With so many great Italian restaurants in this part of the country I don't know if they survive You'd be surprised. My whole life, I've been asking myself that exact same question, only not about Olive Garden (never been there) and NYC italian food, but instead, about Domino's and Pizza Hut and NYC pizza. Those chains ain't going away. Olive Garden is Italian food for people who know nothing about Italian food. Pizza Hut pizza isn't bad, but even in central Suffolk you can find better pizza if you know where to look.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jun 25 2014 01:23 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

sharpie wrote: I've never been to an Olive Garden, a Domino's, a Chick-fil-A, a Cracker Barrel, an Applebee's. I've been to a Red Lobster once, likewise a Pizza Hut, a Chili's, an Outback Steakhouse, a Perkins. Sure, I've been to plenty of crappy diners and lousy non-chain local restaurants but I feel that at least there is a possibility of a surprise at a non-corporate chain. My extended family cooks, on average, really, really well. The elders' taste in restaurants, though, tends in the extreme toward high-floor/low-ceiling predictability. My favorite aunt has eaten at her local diner no more than five times in 30 years or so... but has had something like five iterations of the TGI Friday's frequent customer card. So, yeah... I've had some experience here. But, yeah, on balance, unless I'm in an airport and I'm starving/in need of a big-screen televised-sports fix... I'm never going back again. That said... Chick-Fil-A's politics and chain-iness aside... they do make some tasty, relatively-high-quality fast food.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 25 2014 01:40 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

Yes we developed a tolerance for the chain sit-down joints when traveling with the Pail, as it's sort of a step up atmosphere wise if not quality wise from the fast feeders and you can get beer. Sometimes you have no choice but to eat at them when traveling for work in one-horse towns. Red Robin -- OK. Applebee's -- eh. Bonefish Grill -- OK TGI Friday's -- Not the same since Tom Cruise stopped making drinks there Chuy's -- This is a fun-looking Tex-Mex chain out of Austin. Super nice bartender/server, talked up the menu like Jesus himself was in there refrying the beans but it was an incredible letdown, not even bad enough to send back, just that below average. Never been to Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill

Vic Sage Jun 25 2014 03:14 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

HOOTERS! I went on a business trip to Fargo (of all places), and i figured the hot wings would warm me up. No need to go again, but once was fun.

Ceetar Jun 26 2014 08:44 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

I don't really object to most of these places though, the food is generally fine and tastes fine-good. It's just generally a more generic place to go when it's more about the people you're with than the food you're getting. Which happens plenty. So how about Miller's Ale House? Mostly seems like an affront to the name 'Ale House' but apparently I'm checking this one out for lunch today.

metirish Jun 26 2014 08:53 AM Re: How far to Dennys? Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 26 2014 09:18 AM

Mets – Willets Point wrote: metirish wrote: Never been to Cracker Barrel , it is often advertised on TV yet just checked the the nearest one from my zip is 41 miles, waste of advertizing $$$. Have not been to a Denny's in a long while but it is better than iHop, which is kind of like saying Tejada is better than Quintanilla. Cracker Barrel is good if you're 80 and unable to eat any food with flavor in it. They also have a history of Chick-fil-a-like discrimination against gay employees and customers. I remember the College Republicans staging an eat-in at Cracker Barrel when I lived in Virginia. lol....won't be driving the 40 odd miles then....not that I was going to anyway....hard to beat a good Greek diner.....or when in the mood I will pop over to Woodlawn and get a full Irish breakfast

G-Fafif Jun 26 2014 09:18 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

And only 262.8 miles to the nearest Shoney's!

G-Fafif Jun 26 2014 09:37 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

[youtube:1jby9j1z]Pu5td4gFRuI[/youtube:1jby9j1z] Tony Gwynn endorsed Denny's and went on to win three more batting titles.

Edgy MD Jun 26 2014 10:00 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

I have a soft spot for stupid-fake-antiquey-shit-on-the-walls diner chains. The food is all fakeyfakey high calorie insanity, with menus that try to convince you that you are an adventurous sort living on the edge, but the stupid shit on the walls feeds my ADD nicely, and I like to try and guess what the names of the service-delivered music mixes are. They are also a good place to enjoy professional copywriter-produced menus featuring one of Strongbad's favorite cultural touchpoints: DESSERTS THAT SOUND LIKE THEY COULD KILL YOU!

themetfairy Jun 26 2014 10:51 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

I have a soft spot for Applebee's because when I was losing my weight they were the only chain around that specifically offered Weight Watchers friendly meals, with WW points and calorie information readily available. At that time in my life it was the one place I could go with the family where we could all dine out and I didn't have an issue with the diet. These days a lot more places offer similar options, which I find helpful.

Vic Sage Jun 26 2014 11:05 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

applebee's also used to have an excellent steak salad... sliced london broil over greens, with gorgonzola. it was my favorite lunch for a while, then it disappeared from their menu and i disappeared from their establishment.

MFS62 Jun 26 2014 11:34 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

When I traveled on business, I would be away from home for weeks at a time. I would ask the locals for recommendations. In some places, Olive Garden really was the best Italian food in town (shudder). But I also checked my blood sugar levels. So over time I learned what foods I could order at which chains because the ingredients were consistent city-to-city. TGI Friday's, while pedestrian, apparently did not add too much sugar to their dishes (even their BBQ sauces, but I ordered the rub with sauce on the side anyhow). Applebee's was ok, but couldn't find it all over the country. There was a chain steak place called Lone Star which I liked because the food was pretty good, but the staff would line dance every hour and you could throw your peanut shells on the floor. There was one small chain I found in Ohio called Bravo. Italian food from a wood fired grill. The first time I went in, there was a framed letter of commendation from Julia Child She called it an unexpected pleasure. I agree. But they since moved from a standalone place into a mall. Not sure how the food survived. BTW- Houston has more restaurants per capita than any other major US city. And they are diverse. And good. But folks above are correct, even the chains we used to like are changing their menus. So we prefer local places that we know we like, and even have favorite dishes in each place. Later

G-Fafif Jun 26 2014 11:38 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

We have a joke in our house that we tell every time we see our favorite restaurant commercial. It's the one where the guy says his Uncle Giorgio came over from Italy, so he immediately took him to the Olive Garden. We always cut him off and say, "Then he beat me within an inch of my life." No Italian American would take a genuine Italian there. When I shared our little routine with Michael Imperioli, who plays the eager young made man Christopher Moltisanti on HBO's "The Sopranos", he laughed and shook his head. That commercial, he said, "makes me sick." It may seem ironic that a featured actor on a TV series about suburban New Jersey mobsters -- a show that since its 1999 debut has been called demeaning by a small but vocal group of Italian Americans -- should get ticked off about a 30-second ad. But for Imperioli, the image of Italian Americans raving about the food at the Red Lobster of red sauce just doesn't ring true. They may call it "hospitaliano" at the Olive Garden, but Italian Americans know the experience is a lot closer to "hospi-Tallahassee. --Frank DeCaro, 2002

batmagadanleadoff Jun 26 2014 10:07 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

So now that we've strayed from Denny's to corporate food chains in general, I remember an old thread here about fast food burgers, where I dissed Shake Shack for what I considered to be crummy frozen food kinda french fries. That's no longer true. I think they changed their fries because I've been to the Shack a coupl'a times this calendar year (never at Citi ... and no food poisoning either) and their fries are now long and skinny -- and much better tasting, instead of the old round, crinkly sucky frozen food kinda fries. So Shake Shack is off my shit list. But their mustard (bright yellow variety) still sucks. I guess I have to remember to bring my own Gulden's packets if I'm in the mood for a Shake Shack dog. Though the mustard's not a deal breaker. Now the crazy mayo-mustard blend that they used to serve at Shea for a few years during the mid-90's -- now that mustard was a deal breaker, especially since back then, hot dogs were about the only thing you could eat at Shea. And at Shea, you definitely needed to smother your dogs in about three or four mustard packets 'cause the Shea dogs from back then -- the ones that the vendors used to hawk in the aisles -- were about the worst stadium dogs I ever ate -- water logged under-boiled and with a gelatinous gefilte fish broth like texture, served on a three day old reheated bun. Yuck. I could barely eat more than three a game.

d'Kong76 Jun 27 2014 04:25 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

I don't go out of my way to eat at any of the breakfast joints, one goes to these places when traveling for the most part ... not out for Sunday breakfast. Cracker Barrell has taken way too big a hit here. It's not too salty to the point of smelling it, you don't have to be 80 with no taste buds, and certainly not an anti-gay racist Repulican. As for the crappy store, I like that in my hung- over state I can buy a Mr. Ed dvd there if I'm so inclined. Grilled catfish, three eggs, cheesey hash brown, grit and gravy, spiced apples for like $7.95 -- and their coffee doesn't suck either. Wilburrrrrr!

seawolf17 Jun 27 2014 05:29 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

When my son was maybe two-ish, we were driving through Jersey on Route 80 and decided to grab lunch before heading through the NYC traffic. We decided to stop at Applebee's, and my son was angry when we got in there because he thought "applebees" were a kind of meal, made out of apples, and that was what he thought we were having.

G-Fafif Jun 27 2014 06:43 AM Re: How far to Dennys?

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Now the crazy mayo-mustard blend that they used to serve at Shea for a few years during the mid-90's Ah, Dijonnaise...what the hell was that about?

G-Fafif Jul 01 2014 09:29 PM Re: How far to Dennys?

metirish wrote: from work 371 OLD COUNTRY ROAD CARLE PLACE, NY 11514 (516) 743-9222 17.95 miles Found myself wondering whether there's a Carl's Jr. in Denny's Place, NY.