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Sonic Drive-in
We went to the new Sonic restaurant that went up on the East side of Appleton today. Generally, we’re excited when new businesses come to the area – having more selection is never a bad thing. However, we weren’t impressed with our inaugural trip to the restaurant. Our experience:
The place was busy when we got there. Upon pulling in (we were on our bikes), we weren’t immediately sure where to order. We pulled our bikes up to one of the drive-in stalls, but then Wanda noticed that they had outdoor seating and a place to order for those eating outside. No problem so far – it was our unfamiliarity with the store.
We were disappointed, however, that there was no indoor seating. We were on our bikes, so eating outside wasn’t a big deal, but generally we would go there in one of our vehicles. I don’t really want to eat my meal in the car in general, but I can’t imagine eating in the car during the winter! Who wants to lick chili dog drippings off of their steering wheel?
There were also no bike racks. Since we were outside, we just parked our bikes near our table. However, since it was busy, our bikes frequently got in the way of others. Oh well.
We were ready to order. They had two order stations outside, though one of them was out of order, which was odd for a new store. Wanda got in the rather short line for the functional unit (I watched the bikes). There were only two couples in front of her, but it seemed like it took a long time to cycle through the orders.
Once Wanda ordered for us, she joined me at the picnic table (which was clean). Our order came relatively quickly, which I suppose is expected of fast food. The order was also accurate, which is good. Sadly, ketchup (or any other condiments/supplies) seemed to be in short supply, requiring the carhops to ration them. We asked for ketchup for our fries, and was initially given 3 packets. We asked for more right away, and was given an additional 3. Would it be so hard to have a condiments bar? I hate the packets. By the way, what do the carhops do in the winter? Rollerboots and snowmobile suits?
We were ready to dig in. Lacking a tray, I emptied the ketchup packets onto the paper bag for the fries. Wanda got a grilled chicken sandwich on a wheat bun, and I got a SuperSONIC Cheeseburger. Wanda’s sandwich was bland and dry, much like the Premium Grilled Chicken sandwiches at McDonalds. My cheeseburger was very decent, however, it tasted very much like a Whopper.
We were finishing up, and I wanted a refill on my soda (I always get a refill). DENIED! They don’t do soda refills. Epic fail! $1.89 for a large, non-refillable fountain soda that I could have gotten at the gas station for $0.99. At least the syrup and seltzer ratio tasted correct.
We left with the feeling that Sonic offers a similar menu to McDonalds and Burger King, but at a higher price, no indoor seating, no soda refills, and no convenient condiment access. Where’s the value compared to other chains??
PS, Wanda’s Java Mocha Chiller was decent, but Wendy’s Frosty-chino is better. 
Vodka Pasta
I made an interesting vodka pasta dish using some of the leftover the remaining leftover ham from Easter. It was delicious, so I thought I would share it with you. You can view the recipe here:
Recipe Exchange
I enjoy cooking, and Wanda has been trying to get us to eat more healthy (goodbye meatloaf, I barely knew ye). I was wondering if any of you folks have some decent recipes you’d like to share with me – perhaps some of your favorites that you make at home. Some easy-but-healthy ideas for chicken, pork, turkey, fish and veggies would be ideal, but we’re open to anything. I’m looking for something different from our usual line-up.
Pasta Concoction
I was in the mood for spaghetti today and Wanda okayed the idea. I had most of the stuff for spaghetti, but I didn’t feel like thawing chicken*. I wanted meat in it, so I decided to go to Festival Foods to pick up some Italian sausage. While there, Wanda called me and asked if we could put peppers and other vegetables in it. She also wanted healthier noodles.
I went to produce and picked up a red pepper, some Anaheim peppers, a small zucchini, a yellow onion, and a handful of spinach. I also picked up some canned mushrooms, Barilla Plus rotini noodles and about a pound of mild Italian sausage.
First I cooked the sausage, chopped up, and set aside. Next, I sautéed the sliced-up veggies in olive oil until they were tender in my Dutch oven (adding the spinach about 5 minutes before the rest were done). I then poured the spaghetti sauce (26oz can of Hunt’s Garlic & Herb) into the pan and combined a suitable amount of meat and the veggie mixture. I also added about 6 cloves of minced garlic, stirred it up, and let it simmer while the noodles were cooking.
We put a layer of noodles on a plate, then added some Mexican shredded cheese (don’t ask why, we like it) and then topped with the sauce. It turned out to be very delicious!
Lean Pockets
I usually keep Lean Pockets in our freezer for a quick and cheap snack. Probably not the most healthy thing to snack on, but I’m not into the whole fruit thing. I’ve tried most of their flavors, some good and some not so much. A couple of my favorites are ham & cheddar, whole grain supreme pizza, and meatballs and mozerella. I didn’t like the chicken fajita, cheeseburger, or philly steak flavors. I can’t do the breakfast ones either. I don’t like the texture of the faux cheese.
I found a new favorite flavor recently – Spinach Artichoke Chicken. Festival Foods, as usual, was out of nearly every other flavor, so I decided to give it a try even though it sounded gross. It was actually delicious!
Johnathan’s Italian Bistro
We went to Johnathan’s Italian Bistro tonight. It was our second time there. The prices are a little high, but the food and atmosphere are very good. I don’t know a whole lot of people in the Fox Cities anymore, but if you’re in the Appleton area and are looking for something more romantic, I’d recommend it. For those familiar with the area, it’s off of Casaloma near the Timber Rattlers’ stadium.
Best of all, they don’t play Italian music while you eat.
Of course, if you’re looking for Italian for a bargain, you can’t beat Victoria’s on College Ave.
Frozen Pizza
I love to eat pizza. For delivery/dine-in, I enjoy Pizza Hut most for its flavor (however, I’ve discovered not all Pizza Hut franchises are created equal). I also enjoy Papa Johns (although I find it a bit expensive), and Dominos for the value. Papa Murphey’s is also very good for take-and-bake, though Sam’s Club makes the best take-and-bake for only around 8 bucks. Little Caesar’s is on the bottom of my list.
Now on to frozen pizza, which is the point of this post. For frozen pizza, I generally look for value – Jack’s is okay, but I had previously bought Tombstone when they were on sale. Orv’s and Bernoulli’s, though inexpensive, just don’t do it for me (too bland). DiGiorno’s has volume, but for the price, I expect more flavor.
I have discovered an amazing frozen pizza – “Connie’s”. I’m not sure where they sell it, since I couldn’t find any information online. They may be regional. They sell it at the local Piggly Wiggly and Festival Foods in the Fox Valley area. It costs about the same as DiGiorno’s, and has perhaps slightly less volume, but the taste is amazing. Besides a moderately reasonable amount of toppings, they have this amazing seasoning on top. It’s very good, even as leftovers (cold or reheated).
That is all – I just wanted to share my enjoyment of Connie’s frozen pizza.
Fast Food Nastiness
Why does it seem like the major fast food chains are trying their hardest to get us to stop eating their food?
- McDonald’s eyes Vietnamese catfish for sandwich
- KentuckyFriedCruelty.com – Be sure to watch the video links under the “Resources” menu. Very nasty.
Yes, I’ve been aware of the KFC site for awhile, which is the reason I don’t eat at KFC anymore even though I like their food very much, but I thought it was worth posting again.
Brats & Sausage
It’s no secret to those close to me that I love brats, although I am very finicky about which brands I’ll eat. I don’t like a brat to be chewy and look like a tube of flesh. I generally stay away from non-name brand brats because it’s too risky. I’ve found Johnsonville brats to be mediocre at best. My favorite brat brand is Klements, which is the winner by a long shot. Great taste and good consistency. When I was in Eau Claire, before Klements had really gained a market place there, I used to also enjoy Abbyland brats. They’re also quite good, but don’t have quite as much flavor as Klements. I also enjoy Klements breakfast sausages. Much more flavor than Johnsonville, and a lot less greasy than Jimmy Dean.
The Melting Pot
Wanda and I went to the The Melting Pot for Valentines day. It was extremely expensive, but I knew that getting into it. I though it would be nice to make up for Valentines days that I wasn’t so thoughtful for 
We had a good time – it was nice spending time together over a nice meal. A very nice place, indeed, but I don’t think it was our cup of tea.
For those who have never heard of it, The Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant. We got “The Big Night Out,” which consisted of about four courses – veggies and bread to dip in a tastey cheese fondue, salad, a main course of shrimp, fillet mignon, lobster, and stuffed ravioli, and desert of fruits and chocolates dipped in a white chocolate fondue. It was tastey for the most part, but not quite worth the price tag in our opinion. The lobster was terrible, although the rest of the main course was pretty good, though meager. The desert had too much bourbon in it and tasted like booze. A neat experience and a very nice place, but we’ll probably stick to our other local favorite, Good Company, in the future.
February 15th, 2005 
Food, Reviews 
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