Here's the article:

 

http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=overrated_sandwiches

 

 

 

Agreed whole-heartedly.

 

Yes, I'm making a whole thread dedicated to one Maddox article. We always have fun conversations critiquing food on here. I guess because it's something everyone's able to chime in on, with an opinion.

 

I mostly read this dude's articles because he's f-ing hilarious and opinionated; I don't really agree with him on a lot of things but I couldn't believe that I basically agree with his entire list of overrated sandwhiches.

 

1.) White Castle burgers HAVE NO TASTE!! So true. You just eat it becuase you're drunk at 2am, nothing else is open, you crave grease and you're so damn drunk that signals to your brain from your tastebuds are probably non-existant so you don't care anyway.

 

2.) Chick-fil-A chicken has no flavor except for its spicyness. I don't consider hot peppers to be a flavor.  It's a common ploy for companies to mask the bad taste or lack of taste in low quality meat with hot peppers. Almost anywhere you go that makes a spicey food, will use a lower grade of meat because they can get away with it.

 

3.) Fries in burgers is ridiculous. I remember when me and a couple UOers went to Primanti Bros. I was excited. This is a place that I saw on the Discovery and History channel because it's so "legendary". People act like the idea of their sloppy coleslaw and fries shoved in their Aldi's/Save-a-Lot Phosphate-Burger is a miracle breakthrough in Culinary Science. I'm convinced they literally use JTM Burgers - (anyone who has been as broke as I have, knows what I'm talking about.)

 

4.) Philly Cheesesteaks are so over-rated it's beyond insane and it serves as a prime example in how dumb-ass Americans who are aware of a dish's origin feed into the notion that you literally have to go to that city and get the "real deal" in order to get the best of the best. Horsesh!t. The "Magic New York Pizza" Maddox speaks of is a spot-on example. There's nothing special about New York City's Pizza. I've had real New York Pizza from several places in NYC and the best NY pizza I've ever had came from Sbarros in a mall food court in Cincinnati, hehe. The best Chicago-style pizza (my favorite variation of pizza btw) I've ever eaten was at Pizza Papolis in Detroit's Greektown. That place was cool! I wish I could go back. Speaking of Cincinnati: You know what I like about Cincinnatians? They don't go around preaching to people that you HAVE to go to Cincinnati to get decent chili or [insert numerous other dishes Cincinnati is known for]. Maybe it's because we're well aware and content with the fact that most people outside of Cincy wouldn't be too impressed with Chili Spaghetti and that some people even find it a little repulsive because it's not supposed to go together even though that makes no sense as chili is but a slight variation of f-ing basic-@ss spaghetti. Ha! While I'm on a tangent, I want to add that a lot of food easily gets perfected outside of it's city and even country of origin. Chinese food for example, evolved like a mother ___er ever since our Chinese slave labourers came to San Francisco. Fortune Cookies and Chop Suey were invented here. They're as American as Apple Pie. Except that Apple Pie was brought over here from England. The best Philly Cheese Steak I've ever had came from Quiznos. Quiznos doesn't get enough credit in my book. Just because your a chain doesn't mean you can't have high standards, fresh food and top notch ingredients. MMmmm.

 

4.) McRib - All I can ever taste in that thing is the sauce which isn't even that great. Kinda like Taco Bell, they just mask the taste of sh!tty quality meat with familiar sauces. I've never liked McDonalds except for it's convenience. I wonder what the hype is behind Micky Ds  :wtf: Their grease has this stale taste to it. Even the high end Selects have this. I don't get it :wtf:

 

5.) Po' Boys - Haha. I think they can be pretty good but I'm not big on ordering food that requires me to go out of my way to sound like a southern hick straight off the bayou when I order my food.

 

6.) Subway - Completely agree with Maddox. Subway is just another place I'll eat at because it's convenient. God, they're everywhere. I just don't understand why Quiznos is the number 2 Sub Restaurant behind Subway. God I love Quiznos Subs! I feel like I could easily make a Subway-grade sub at home with stuff I buy from the grocery store so it's like, "What's the point in eating out there?" Their ingredients are just boring. Subway isn't even as cheap as people make it out to be. Specialty subs (the better subs) run you like 7 bucks just like Quiznos. Subway IS healthy but not by the time I get what I want on my sub  :evil:

Quiznos is just as horrible as Subway.  They've downgraded the quality of three quarters of their product to boost margins/compete. Half the locations I walk into are run at skeleton crew levels with the drink cooler unplugged, running limited lighting, and their ovens ratcheted down so much that they have to run the sandwiches through 2-3 times to actually toast the bread (made worse by the inferior bread they've switched to while economizing).

 

 

Really? When did this happen? I haven't noticed any changes in quality. What subs went down hill? I love the Italian, Prime Rib and Chicken Carbonara. I think their bread is one of the best features. Much better than Subway. Subway's bread seems stale to me, like it's been sitting out forever. I think Quiznos is a lot more soft, even after toasting. Maybe they run it through the over a few times because they set it to a lower temp. so not to burn the bread while leaving the rest of the sub cold. I hate when the bread is hot and burned at the edges but the meat is still cold.

 

It seems like food everywhere is becoming lower quality and coming in smaller portions because of rising food costs. Have you seen how small the new Frosty's at Wendy's are? Good lord.

Primanti Brothers

Sliders are proof that God exists and loves us.

I just heard a piece on how Quiznos is trapped in a viscous cycle of losing money and then cutting costs (including advertising), which then causes them to lose more money. I believe they just had an infusion of cash from an investor. They had something like 40% of the stores close in the last 2 years.

 

I think the price point at Quizno's was a bit to high.  Fast/faster food has a critical point on where it has to be to remain competitive, despite the quality of the food.  Sad, yes, true, yes. 

Maddox rules.

I can't click on the link at work, but is he saying Subway is overrated?  Doesn't something have to be highly rated to be considered overrated? I eat it from time to time because its cheap, convenient, and relatively healthy, but I don't know anyone who raves about how good Subway is. 

I'm with you on Philly cheesesteaks. I've had them in Philly and was underwhelmed every time.

 

I think the idea with NY style pizza is it's more about the style of pizza, with the thinner crust and wide slices, versus any one particular shop or flavor. Pizza is like Chinese food, everyone has their own favorite, and it's usually based on what you grew up eating. I'm from NY, so I prefer that style.

 

I can't click on the link either, but I'm with Smith in that I don't know anyone that thinks Subway is fantastic. It's a better fast food alternative than McDonalds...but that's not setting the bar very high, now is it?

For me, In-N-Out Burger.  Horribly overrated.

^ Yeah, I just had my first 2 weeks ago. I know there's the whole 'secret menu' thing, but even so... It was alright, but I wasn't going to do a backflip over it.

 

[full disclosure: I'm not capable of doing a backflip, no matter what the circumstances]

im always looking for good sandwiches and COSI really disappointed me the most. when the first shops opened they used this great thick flavorful nj turkish bakery bread. then they chained out around the usa and switched the bread to this awful industrial cardboard foccacia crap. really bummed be out. they seem to have closed up most of'm so i guess i wasnt the only one who gave up. similar thing happened to london's pret a porter sandwich chain which has cut more and more corners with their product too. just greedy people who people sell out their former good name. bigger usually isnt better either.

 

^I guess the technology and science center people should focus on their core competency rather than the restaurant business.

it drives me crazy every time I see/hear the name Quizno's. I know I've mentioned this before here, but the best sub place ever (in history) was an independent hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Quisno's (with an "s"!) in Columbus on either Chittenden or 11th St (can't remember which) just off High St. in the 70's (don't know when it folded). Ask anyone who lived in Col's in that era (if you can still find anyone alive!) and they'll tell you the same thing. I'm still trying to determine if Quizno's the chain ripped off the name...

similar thing happened to london's pret a porter sandwich chain

  Hehe, I think you meant Pret A Manger  :wink:.  I like them but the sandwiches are getting tiny....that's coming from someone that hates giant oversized sandwiches. 

 

Speaking of which, Chicago style hotdogs with all that crap on them....they are impossible to eat and gross.  Any other sandwich that has too much crap piled on it, that it all falls off when you pick it up.  Sandwiches that have too much goopy sauce all over them that squirts out the side.  I hate the trend that a good sandwich means piled high with too much crap. 

similar thing happened to london's pret a porter sandwich chain

  Hehe, I think you meant Pret A Manger   :wink:.  I like them but the sandwiches are getting tiny....that's coming from someone that hates giant oversized sandwiches. 

 

 

 

and really overpriced!! But the coffee there is good.

it drives me crazy every time I see/hear the name Quizno's. I know I've mentioned this before here, but the best sub place ever (in history) was an independent hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Quisno's (with an "s"!) in Columbus on either Chittenden or 11th St (can't remember which) just off High St. in the 70's (don't know when it folded). Ask anyone who lived in Col's in that era (if you can still find anyone alive!) and they'll tell you the same thing. I'm still trying to determine if Quizno's the chain ripped off the name...

 

 

"Quisno's Sub House". It was on Chittenden by OSU. The guy who owned it was Charles Quisno. One of his former employees was the one who started "Quizno's Subs" so yeah, they did rip off the name.

 

 

I knew Charles' grandson (went to OSU with me; was from Oak Harbor).  He told me that story about Quizno's and I was like "well damn, you should at least get a free sub for us!"

Yet another Columbus fast-food innovation.

it drives me crazy every time I see/hear the name Quizno's. I know I've mentioned this before here, but the best sub place ever (in history) was an independent hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Quisno's (with an "s"!) in Columbus on either Chittenden or 11th St (can't remember which) just off High St. in the 70's (don't know when it folded). Ask anyone who lived in Col's in that era (if you can still find anyone alive!) and they'll tell you the same thing. I'm still trying to determine if Quizno's the chain ripped off the name...

 

 

"Quisno's Sub House". It was on Chittenden by OSU. The guy who owned it was Charles Quisno. One of his former employees was the one who started "Quizno's Subs" so yeah, they did rip off the name.

 

 

thanks, now I know. Though it now it seems even more tragic that the quality of Quizno's doesn't begin to compare with that of the original  :x