"Fine" Dining

The End of Season 2! WingStreet is Pizza Hut's wing brand, and I hit one with my guest this week, actor  Rachel Bryant while we both dressed head-to-toe as horror icon Freddy Krueger What's Going On Over There with the pizza boxes replacing the glass on the broken door? Some kids at the Popeyes next door come out to threaten us (some might say it's Way Too Much) The employee had fun putting our or...

Part 1 of the season 2 finale! It's A Nightmare on WingStreet as I cover the history of when Pizza Hut & YUM brands incorporated wings into their menu, and I'm joined by prolific horror actor Rachel Bryant We spend the entire finale fully cosplayed as horror icon Freddy Krueger Rachel's primary experience with wings is watching other people eat them at Super Bowl parties Hear the history of Buffal...

Maybe the best milkshakes in the game! Cook Out is a staple of North Carolina, and I got to sit with host of the Astonishing Legends podcast, Scott Philbrook  and try the burgers, hush puppies, and milkshakes that make them famous The Secret Menu Category: Spooky Restaurants A liminal space with Cheerwine decor What's Going On Over There with the handwashing station on the customer side of the ord...

Coming to you from Greensboro, North Carolina this week! I'm cross-country again as this week I'm covering the beloved Southern burger chain  Cook Out with host of the Astonishing Legends podcast, Scott Philbrook Scott talks his history with Cook Out from back when he was in college, as most locations are open until 3 in the morning Learn the history of Cook Out and their expansive menu that sells...

Septemburger 2024's final stop! I cap off a jetsetting Septemburger with the spot I barely had to go a mile to get to, Shake Shack . One of my go-tos in this this bracket, and I was graced with the presence of hilarious comedian Jen Kober The origins of the place were unclear at the time of filming, but I ultimately learned that the original Shake Shack was called I

Septemburger 2024's most upsetting stop! I'm in Las Vegas this week to hit the nearest  White Castle to me with Vegas native (and host of the Visit Vegas Places podcast) Coyal Harrison and is  not a good meal Apparently the White Castle slider was literally created in a moment of frustration when the founder couldn't quite figure out how to do meatballs, so he squashed it, put it on a bun, and cal...

Septemburger rolls on! Formerly of Tastemade, producer  Raj Rawal joins me to talk about a restaurant he's very passionate about: In-N-Out Burger The Eat Deets tackle everything from the founder's untimely passing in a plane crash and the struggles with substance abuse of the sons, to In-N-Out's brand loyalty with 7-Up surviving a rift with Pepsi The Secret Menu Mini-Game:  Vehicular Goodies An in...

Your chance at $500 is here! Septemburger is once again upon us, and this time I've scoured the nation for 8 fast food burger chains to compete in the annual contest I'm joined by a slew of guests: my own  Dad , I Think You Should Leave 's  Steve Moulton , and my friends  Kellie Baldwin ,  Herbert Amaya , and  Ashley Robinson Click here for a direct link to the Septemburger 2024 Bracket Google For...

Even the name sounds mediocre! I'm joined once again by Two in the Cooler podcast host Andrew Canada to hit up a chain that was a staple of his childhood: Perkins   Restaurant & Bakery Perkins has a dingy atmosphere that acknowledges you'd rather be elsewhere What's Going on Over There with advertising the arrival of Dr. Pepper to your menu, and then only serving Mr. Pibb? (This one really upset M...

I traveled to New York, New York for this one! From the Two in the Cooler podcast, host  Andrew Canada joins me this week to check out  Perkins   Restaurant & Bakery , a chain that I flew across the country to New York City to try, and he flew down from Buffalo to meet me there Originally "Smithy's Pancake House" before changing their name and expanding across the region, Perkins' backstory is one...

The sushi at Houston's is an unexpected masterpiece! Houston's Restaurant aka Hillstone is one of the higher-end experiences I've had for the podcast, and That Was Wild podcast's Adam Macias joined me on his own birthday to dine there with me The art choices in here were bold (arguably Way Too Much) and their light fixtures straight up looked like a certain Pokémon I straight up misinterpreted the...

A chain with 15 different names! Houston's Restaurant aka Hillstone aka 13 other things is one of the more upscale chains, and  Adam Macias from the  That Was Wild podcast joins me to learn interesting facts about this restaurant Houston's will let you BYOB without charging a corkage fee, and they are  very proud of this The Secret Menu: Bougier Restaurants Houston's is currently embroiled in a la...

We eat the chicken sandwich that caused chaos upon launch! Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen makes it clear that you're not supposed eat it there . But I powered through with my guest, stand-up comedian  Sierra Katow Popeyes goes overboard on the signage in the store, outside the restaurant, and on the door What's Going On Over There with the complete silence inside the establishment? The chicken sandwich...

The stories from the sandwich launch are wild! I went to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen with stand-up comedian Sierra Katow , but before reviewing the place we have to go over the franchise history The Eat Deets unveil founder Al Copeland's master plan to charge the company a "spice royalty" after he was ousted from leadership The Secret Menu: Villainous Treats Beyoncé has a "free Popeyes for life" sit...

A new Worst Restaurant in America is crowned! A restaurant so bad, I don't think my Dad (my guest this week) will ever let me live it down:  Shoney's Buffet soups shouldn't have such a thick skin over them that the ladle rests on top...right?? What's Going On Over There with Shoney's thinking they deserve their own food truck? The service team surprises me with a little extra cook time on my steak...

Traveled across the country for this! Coming to you from the mountains of North Carolina, I bring you the Eat Deets for Shoney's with my very own Dad Shoney's has undergone a few name changes, including being a part of the Big Boy franchise A brand that once grew to over 1,800 restaurants is dwindling in the post-pandemic restaurant landscape, now down to 81 (as of 2024) Racist hiring practices la...

Edible straws? Actress, foodie, and comedian Katie Molinaro joined me for maybe the weirdest meal yet, as we were total fish out of water at the  American Girl Cafe I made an impulse buy and got a doll chihuahua named Barker Posey The stalls in the bathrooms have hooks so you can take your doll with you, and that's Way Too Much... The service team had a noteworthy amount of men on it, and one of t...

Lunch at a restaurant for dolls!! Comedian and food influencer Katie Molinaro doesn't hesitate to join for a silly dining experience, so we hit up the American Girl Doll Store Boutique & Bistro Katie grew up with a doll she didn't vibe with This week's Secret Menu mini-game: Unfun Children's Toys American Girl was founded by a cancer-surviving textbook writer who used her royalties to make this br...

I debut a music video about the new frontrunner in Mediocrity! Coming closer to mediocrity than Applebee's (who scored 5.02/10),  Cracker Barrel is the life-blood of this week's guest, stand-up comedian Jen Liv The rocking chairs aren't the  only thing that swings in this Cracker Barrel Country Store... This week's Secret Menu mini-game:  Kinky Restaurants The hostess was desperately trying to ear...

I went to Cracker Barrel with a CB Superfan! Stand-up comedian Jen Liv LOVES Cracker Barrel so much (she's been to over 40 different ones!) that she hopped my car and road tripped with me to go there In this Eat Deets episode, the history of Cracker Barrel includes the franchise's humble beginnings as a gas station restaurant before growing into what it is today Learn what a "cracker barrel" actua...

"I've got the celebrity!" Comedian and world-class cuddler  Chad Opitz  is here once again to talk about dining with Shrek (me, having lost a bet) at The Original Pancake House Michael gets a looooot of attention as Shrek and makes some kids' day What's Going On Over There with OPH cooking a baby? The service staff embraced me with open arms Chad orders an entree that  isn't in the name of the res...

Get in mah swamp! Stand-up comedian Chad Opitz (recurring guest on Doug Benson's podcast "Doug Loves Movies") not only tolerates, but embraces me this week (literally) as I go to The Original Pancake House in full Shrek make-up with him to make good on the bet I lost last week We cover the history of not just this week's restaurant, but the concept of pancakes in general, going wayyyy back The Sec...

Scale the Great Wall of Chocolate! Andres Simonian (not from Home Economics or Mythic Quest) is back to plunge into our review of P.F. Chang's Michael thinks the atmosphere in a P.F. Chang's is "sexy" Michael tells the tale of the Cumbre Tunnel Massacre shootout that almost claimed his great-grandfather's life Andres makes a high-stakes Shrek-themed wager with Michael What's Going On Over There wi...

It took 55 episodes to do Chinese food! Actor  Andres Simonian (one of the Wendy's guys in the Spanish-speaking markets) joins me this week, covering the history and the Yelp reviews for  P.F. Chang's The whitewashing of "P.F. Chang's" is uncovered in this week's Eat Deets Andres is called on his lie about getting stuck in "unexpected" traffic Michael & Andres try the Lettuce Wraps since they didn...

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, let's review a restaurant as Mexican as our host is: Chipotle!! It's time to chat the Chipotle Mexican Grill  dining experience, joined once again by stand-up comedian and Chipotle-lover, Zara Mizrahi What's the actual best restaurant Zara's ever experienced? The "art" on the wall is not art, no matter how badly it wants to be What's Going On Over There with the restaura...