The Deuce: i went in to one last Winter and the menu was dirty

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i went in to one last Winter and the menu was dirty

Posted by illiniranger

on September 23, 2026, 14:48:21, in reply to "it's a shadow of what it used to be. not even close*"

like stained and sticky. dead giveaway in a big drop off. food was decent. i never went to a ton of them and wouldn't be too picky to not go back. but not what it was.

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Especially if I can eat at the bar. I can get a relatively healthy meal (except high sodium) including fresh veg and lean protein, it's quick, and zero problems with expensing out

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I feel like I need to go to Chilis because theyre... OK.

We went to applebees a couple years ago and it was horrendous. Only time I've seen white women complain about pasta being bad.

I do think Texas Roadhouse is pretty good, but I'm not going there for other reasons.

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Message Thread | This response ↓

Which circle of hell is the Olive Garden never ending pasta bowl? - VIV September 20, 2026, 12:02:35

just happened to see an x post from a tennessee guy trying a restaurant in italy for the 1st time - Nobster September 23, 2026, 17:44:18
- my wife says i ruined italian food for her since i insisted on properly made pasta. since then, - torinese Yesterday, 11:56:55
- I heard venture capitalists had bought Italy and the food quality has gone way down.* - DT Yesterday, 11:41:27
- I had a similar experience when I went to Italy - Sounder Yesterday, 11:12:18
- He didn't ask for the fettucine alfredo I hope? - SurfTheBoneyard September 23, 2026, 21:34:11
  - "Can I just get some macaroni and gravy?"* - Sammich September 23, 2026, 21:48:48
    - Man, I know a ton of people who call it "gravy" to this day. All on how ya grow up I guess. - osklister Yesterday, 11:44:27
I've been there once in the last 10 years. Lunch: breadsticks, soup, salad. Not bad at all* - cpsteine September 23, 2026, 14:28:03
I generally hate any sit-down chain with a burning passion... are any of them really that good? - ijustkrushalot September 23, 2026, 12:46:26
- Just tonight saw news that a Texas Roadhouse is being built 10 minutes from me. Huzzah! - OB25 September 23, 2026, 21:47:31
- I will never understand the love for Texas Roadhouse* - PapaDels September 23, 2026, 21:02:02
  - Good food by chain standards, free bread, big portions, good service, BIG BEERS - OB25 Yesterday, 11:56:09
  - I'll forever associate that place with an old coworker of mine - IlliniSax05 Yesterday, 11:40:08
    - Restaurant choice on business trip: up to the guy charging it in. - osklister Yesterday, 11:43:20
- There aren’t really any that are close to where I live and we have decent to great - Waka September 23, 2026, 18:13:50
- I like Chili's menu overall. It's passable* - ibdoc September 23, 2026, 16:20:49
  - i'm a big fan of the honey chipotle chicken crisper * - illiniranger September 23, 2026, 22:12:25
  - Went for lunch in the spring and ordered a Triple Dipper - bjl63 September 23, 2026, 21:15:15
  - They are having a bit of a 90's nostalgia moment right now - Sounder September 23, 2026, 17:37:28
    - I think they also heard the complaints about how shitty their food had gotten and - Waka September 23, 2026, 18:10:58
- superlative: din tai fung* - cpsteine September 23, 2026, 14:53:57
- When traveling, I will look for a PF Chang's - opey8 September 23, 2026, 14:39:21
  - what is the name of PF Chang's fast casual? - Sounder September 23, 2026, 15:04:27
    - Pei Wei* - Gene Parmesan September 23, 2026, 15:30:06
      - That place is quite excellent* - Sounder September 23, 2026, 16:31:11
        
        I'm actually surprised to see that there isn't a single location in the greater Chicagoland area - Gene Parmesan Yesterday, 11:56:18
  - i like PF Chang's but think it's another one that overexpanded and the quality fell off* - illiniranger September 23, 2026, 14:42:03
    - it's a shadow of what it used to be. not even close* - cpsteine September 23, 2026, 14:46:14
      - i went in to one last Winter and the menu was dirty - illiniranger September 23, 2026, 14:48:21
- it depends, there are different categories - illiniranger September 23, 2026, 14:39:13
- Ted's Montana Grill: not bad* - cpsteine September 23, 2026, 14:35:43
- It’s kind of strange—I mostly like fast casual and mostly dislike sit down places - DT September 23, 2026, 14:24:24
- I don’t understand why Lone Star Steskhouse was a massive chain that went bankrupt - DT September 23, 2026, 14:19:50
  - I had no idea Lone Star went bankrupt - Sammich September 23, 2026, 14:24:32
    - Who knows? God willing, we'll all meet again in Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money.* - Sounder Yesterday, 11:16:05
    - Longhorn was always positioned toward the higher end of casual streakhouses - illiniranger September 23, 2026, 14:41:21
      - I was thinking of Texas Roadhouse. - Sammich September 23, 2026, 14:54:26
        
        Texas Roadhouse has pretty good quality control, and it's reasonably priced for the category* - illiniranger September 23, 2026, 15:02:34
        
        the one here built a bigger store right next door - ijustkrushalot September 23, 2026, 15:26:50
- Texas Roadhouse is the best - Stu September 23, 2026, 14:19:26
  - Could not agree more. Always good stuff* - illinilosch September 23, 2026, 17:15:17
- VCs want to maximize profits. Restaurants owned by VCs will provide the worst experience - complainant September 23, 2026, 12:52:27
  - I assume you mean PE. But yes.* - cpsteine September 23, 2026, 14:36:24
    - I was tempted to call them LPs. - complainant September 23, 2026, 15:22:59
  - If they run, they're VC - Sammich September 23, 2026, 12:54:13
- None of them are as good as a smaller local chain or mom and pop - Sammich September 23, 2026, 12:50:11
  - My issue with these places is the likely corners they cut in food prep - Sounder September 23, 2026, 12:52:41
- I've always enjoyed Macaroni Grill* - ATL September 23, 2026, 12:49:07
  - penne rustica was my go-to when the kids were little. loved it, but they closed here.* - Nobster September 23, 2026, 17:40:25
  - And Bucca di Beppo* - ATL September 23, 2026, 12:49:19
    - I also have a soft spot for Maggiano's* - Sounder September 23, 2026, 12:51:40
      - we had our wedding reception at the one at Clark and Grand - Gene Parmesan Yesterday, 11:54:37
        
        I also wonder how much is our own personal tastes changing. Probably a combination of both. (nm) - Waka Yesterday, 12:23:11
        
        I feel this way about Murohy’s burger. In 1991 it was like the best burger ever - bjl63 Yesterday, 12:42:40
- Nando's* - Sounder September 23, 2026, 12:47:01
You know what restaurant I truly don't understand? Panera Bread - Sounder September 23, 2026, 12:04:34
- Yet, it’s a go to for my wife - TarheelIllini September 23, 2026, 14:40:30
  - Panera soup begets happy Mrs. Tarheel.* - Tortillini September 23, 2026, 14:46:20
    - That might be his best misspelling of all time - Sounder September 23, 2026, 17:33:39
      - More eggcorn than mondegreen. - complainant September 23, 2026, 18:11:54
- The broccoli cheese soup is great IMO. The sandwiches are all very meh* - bjl63 September 23, 2026, 14:24:19
  - +1 for the broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl. (nm) - Waka September 23, 2026, 15:12:38
- It’s a least common denominator group lunch choice - DT September 23, 2026, 14:18:01
- I wonder if there are people who are IT'LL ALWAYS BE ST LOUIS BREAD COMPANY TO ME - ATL September 23, 2026, 12:49:47
  - it'll always be boudin's to me (i see they still exist in the bay area, but our local one got turned - torinese September 23, 2026, 15:25:11
  - Raises hand, but I thought it was Atlanta* - TarheelIllini September 23, 2026, 14:41:32
- I'm ok with Panera, it's in the rotation, - ijustkrushalot September 23, 2026, 12:47:36
- But takes twice as long to get your food* - CoronaTheirAss September 23, 2026, 12:47:20
- Fittingly, there is a Panera in the hospital near my house.* - Tortillini September 23, 2026, 12:37:02
We probably end up there two or three times a year. I still enjoy it - the cream based soups - bulldogmba September 20, 2026, 19:38:59
- Yeah I never had a problem with the Garden - IlliniSax05 September 20, 2026, 19:42:53
  - guys, it was a throwaway joke about the pasta being “never ending”* - VIV September 20, 2026, 20:34:03
    - Your face is a throwaway joke about the pasta being “never ending”* - IlliniSax05 September 20, 2026, 21:19:41
    - OOO - Stu September 20, 2026, 20:52:41
      - No idea* - VIV September 20, 2026, 22:06:28
      - you shouldn't Douthat without warning us* - Sammich September 20, 2026, 21:16:23
      - A Meme is Born.* - complainant September 20, 2026, 21:13:37
I don't get it. James Coco went mad in fifteen minutes* - PapaDels September 20, 2026, 19:01:02
"Celebrated" my MIL's 80th there last year - Tortillini September 20, 2026, 17:56:22
- They’re basically serving Lean Cuisines, except for the lean part* - Herman Blume September 20, 2026, 21:11:46
- In the late 2000s, they seem to have made a conscious decision to lower food quality - Stu September 20, 2026, 18:10:00
  - Hedge Fund took over the parent company's board in 2014. Could it have been then? * - doubledown September 20, 2026, 18:40:49
    - That was on the heels of all the complaints when Darden had already ruined it, iirc* - Stu September 20, 2026, 18:43:50
      - I've noticed that the most discussed food item from Red Lobster is the bread. - complainant September 20, 2026, 19:27:10
Wait. Has "never ending" always been a threat? * - doubledown September 20, 2026, 14:39:05
- One serving of their alfredo garbage contains five times the daily saturated fat limit* - Stu September 20, 2026, 17:02:20
- At least one person got it* - VIV September 20, 2026, 16:43:47
- Olive Garden food is always a threat* - Stu September 20, 2026, 15:13:15
  - As I've always said ... - complainant September 20, 2026, 16:34:38
"mediocre food is akin to hell" - Sammich September 20, 2026, 14:12:17
- No. It’s a joke. Like a Sisyphusian task. - VIV September 20, 2026, 16:40:56
  - One must imagine Sisyphus hungry* - Sammich September 20, 2026, 17:02:01
- I think their Alfredo is pretty decent - illiniranger September 20, 2026, 14:19:57
  - It's pretty hard to screw up alfredo. - Illiniphil September 20, 2026, 18:26:43
  - I celebrate the entire catalog of cream based sauces* - Sounder September 20, 2026, 14:34:29
  - I crush the entire menu. Place rules* - opossum jenkins September 20, 2026, 14:26:00
  - IIRC they had a big dip in quality for awhile due to ownership changes - illiniranger September 20, 2026, 14:25:24
    - You're thinking of Red Lobster* - Sounder September 20, 2026, 14:34:58
      - No, it was them too. There was some PowerPoint that got leaked about all the shortcuts they were - illiniranger September 20, 2026, 14:43:20
- Uh, I just defended the Olive Garden Crowd lin the post below this one - Sounder September 20, 2026, 14:14:54
  - "they're too dumb to know the difference" isn't really a defense - Sammich September 20, 2026, 14:19:52
    - VIV and I are very similar in a lot of ways - Sounder September 20, 2026, 14:34:11
      - lol. Fuck you. * - VIV September 20, 2026, 16:42:24
      - Me too!* - complainant September 20, 2026, 16:35:43
Here's the thing, there is a signficant portion of the population - Sounder September 20, 2026, 12:33:07
- When we go (and it’s rarely), it’s for the salad and breadsticks * - TarheelIllini September 21, 2026, 07:21:58
It’s been a while since I’ve eaten at the OG, but I wouldn’t mind that eternal punishment. - Waka September 20, 2026, 12:32:07

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