Fast Food
|
|
Fast Food |
|
Arby's |
Charlie's |
Hardee's |
Kentucky Fried Chicken |
Lee's |
| Fast Food has certainly come a long way in the early years of the 21st Century. Long gone are the tiny stands with burgers, fries and shakes. The cholesterol heavy, deep fried foods and liberal use of sugar and salt are relics of the past. Even the soups, salads, vegetable wraps and baked or broiled items have been surpassed by creative menus modelled after high cuisine. Heart healthy is the standard. Even the architecture has come upscale. As the photos of Calistoga, top left and right and here at right, show, fast food has taken on a certain elegance. The food is not quite as instantaneous as it used to be, and the sophisticated menus require a few minutes of study before ordering. There are wines and Margaritas available at many outlets. Fireplaces, large tv screens, plush easy chairs, Texas style patios and quiet nooks beckon customers inside, discouraging drive throughs and carry outs. Even if you still want a burger and fries, the kinds of burgers and fries available were unimaginable just a decade ago. If you still insist on gorging on cholesterol, you can still get the classic burger and fries, but they now make up a small part of the menus. |  |
 |
There are a lot of root beer conneisseurs out there who have always believed A & W makes the finest root beer in the world. Since 1919, A & W made a living selling them large, frosted mugs of its pure root beer with the foam on top. They superchilled the root beer so it was right on the verge of freezing, actually containing tiny slivers of ice when served. The bright orange stands offered very few options, the main one being its famous Root Beer Float (seen here at left). More recently, A & W has expanded to offer an actual fast food menu. It has the traditional Burger, a Coney Dog, Chicken Strips, Soft Cone, Sundae and Shake. It also features authentic Wisconsin Cheese Curds, a unique treat you won't find anywhere else. Then there are Fries and Onion Rings. That's it. Remember, you come here for the beverage. Everything else is just a side. |
| McDonalds is the all time fast food giant, and you can still feast on a Double Quarterpounder With Cheese, Large Fries and Triple Shake so thick you eat it with a spoon. However, even McDonalds has moved on. Their Wraps are very good in Ranch Grilled, or Chipotle Grilled Barbeque. The Grilled Chicken Sandwich is listed by the American Heart Association as the heart healthiest item on the McDonalds menu. The Grilled Premium Chicken Breast Strips are also great, as are six kinds of salads, especially the Premium Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad or the Asian Salad. McDonalds offers Paul Newman's Own Dressings in six flavors. These are nationally noted for their low fat, low cholesterol content. McD's still offers the sugary desserts, but the Fruit Yogurt Parfaits and Baked Apple Pie Slices avoid that problem. There's also Low Fat Milk, Apple Juice, Dasani Water, Orange Juice, and Iced Tea. For a caffeine fix, there are five flavors of iced coffee. McDonalds has 16 locations in Lexington. |  |
 |
Charlie's is a classic harborfront fish counter transplanted to Lexington as the ultimate fast fish operation : you step inside, place your order, step down to the cash register, pay, then step further down for your food. Charlie's offers Crab Cakes, Shrimp, Oysters, and Scallops, but the reason for its loyal following is The White Fish Sandwich, either $4 or $5 depending on whether you want one filet or two. For $7 you get hush puppies, fries and cole slaw. They claim this is the best fish sandwich in Lexington. Whether you agree with this or not depends on your taste, but it's very good. Charlie's is pure carryout, with no tables. They're open 9-5 six days a week. Bring cash. Expect a line. |
| Arby's carved out its reputation with roast beef sandwiches and they still fix the best in town. They slice it thin, oven roast it and put it between toasted sesame seed buns. There are three sizes. They offer it in cheddar cheese and pepper bacon versions. The basic sandwich is one of the most heart healthy fast foods out there. But there's a corned beef /swiss cheese/ sauerkraut on rye, two roast turkey sandwiches, and three chicken sandwiches. Arby's has added four kinds of subs and three salads. The only concessions to the cholesterol culture are the curly fries, mozzarella sticks and potato bites. Arby's has 15 Lexington outlets. |  |
 |
Wendy's was the first national chain to openly challenge McDonald's in the burgers and fries wars, and the Ohio based company still makes fine burgers, in that unique square shape Dave Thomas created. You can get hamburgers or cheeseburgers in single, double or triple stacks with bacon and other additions. There are grilled chicken and fish sandwiches and wraps, and a line of stuffed and baked potatoes with sour cream, chives, broccoli and cheese and bacon. Wendy's has really focused on its salads. They offer Mandarin Grilled Chicken, BLT, Grilled Chicken Caesar, and Southwest Taco Salads. As sides you can have dishes of Mandarin Oranges, bowls of Chile and a Strawberry Yogurt Squeeze. Wendy's has always taken great pride in its milkshakes and still offers Vanilla, Chocolate, Fudge, Strawberry, and Nestles Toll House Cookie Dough. In Lexington, Wendy's has eight Lexington locations. |
| Long John Silver's was the first fast food seafood restaurant chain, although it borrowed its tradition from century old boardwalk beach shacks on Cape Cod, Long Island and The Jersey Shore. The menu is still heavy with various kinds of breaded fried entrees, including flounder, clams, shrimp, crab cakes, and the newer Lobster Bites. Fortunately, they have also introduced The Freshside Grille menu, which is the heart healthy alternative. There's Grilled Tilapia, Shrimp Scampi and Pacific Salmon, all served with long grain wild rice and steamed vegetables. Sides include Cole Slaw, Corn, Baked Potato, Clam Chowder, and Mixed Vegetables. The Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie is one of the more obscene desserts in town. One of Long John Silver's most famous items has always been its vinegar fish sauce, which can be bought bottled and taken home. There are four Lexington locations. |  |
 |
White Castle is still the home of the little square onionburger, which loyal customers refer to as "Sliders." This is primarily a carryout restaurant (somehow those squareburgers just seem more appropriate when you're driving around on a Friday night) but you can sit inside if you want. All White Castle outlets still use the 1932 Steel & Porcelain building and fry the burgers with the onions and bun so the onion flavor seeps through the meat and the juices drain down through the bun. White Castle was the very first ever fast food chain, and since no one had ever done it before, they had to create their own supply network for meat, bread, onions, and even uniforms and buildings. Refusal to go into debt or allow independently owned outlets limited growth, but in many cities they are popular enough that in 2010 they were still second only to McDonalds in total sales. |
 |
Sonic is a retro drive in restaurant where for half an hour or so you can pretend you're back in the 1950s. They even have girls on roller skates coming out to take your order and carrying your food out on trays which hook onto your car window. The menu is the classic burger, fries, shake and ice cream, although they've updated it a little with Nachos, Onion Rings and Chicken Nuggets. They play Golden Oldie music over the speakers. On Fridays and Saturdays it's a frequent stop for guys cruising Lexington in their restored 50s and 60s cars, so you might want to bring your camera. If you walk over from one of the dorms or nearby student apartment complexes, there are a few picnic tables set up under the canopy so you can sit outside and enjoy the ambience. Sonic has several outlets in town. The Richmond Road version is the newest and features a more modern design, which will impress some and disappoint others. |
Contact us at GustouCuisine@aol.com. |
Follow us on Facebook at Lexeat.com |