Where’d you eat?

[Tabonga | 2,317]

I went to Amicis (my fave Italian place) for a late lunch using their 25% old fook's discount and got a Potenza salad with blue cheese dressing.

This salad is huge and piled high with tomatoes, a hardboiled egg, black olives, mozzarella cheese, salami, pepperoni and ham.  I was able to eat about 3/5 and the rest will make a tasty breakfast tomorrow.

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[JamesRobot | 5,800]

Be jealous. 

[Tabonga | 2,317]

 One of my brothers and I went to Cinzettis this morning - an Italian buffet that offers a marvelous brunch on weekends.

https://www.cinzzettis.com/gallery

A bit pricey but we did get the old fooks discount.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Delicious food, I'll eat at this place two or three days a week. Cheap, and the food quality is better than many places.

[Richardhead | 2,813]

47 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

Delicious food, I'll eat at this place two or three days a week. Cheap, and the food quality is better than many places.

Don’t know what that is. But it looks like it could be good.

[Tabonga | 2,317]

I dined in!

In case anyone is curious here are a few examples of tv dinners way back when.  Some of them (like the first one) had soup that was covered with a sealed aluminum lid that you took off after baking.

Edited March 24 by Tabonga

[Tabonga | 2,317]

I had a late breakfast at one of my favorite restaurants  (The Westwood) this morning. I ordered a new menu item - the "Jeffrey Dahmer Special".  Quite tasty.

Spoiler

Actually it was a ground chuck and eggs breakfast special.

 

Edited March 30 by Tabonga

[fcgamer | 4,723]

On 3/18/2024 at 12:44 PM, Richardhead said:

Don’t know what that is. But it looks like it could be good.

It's a braised pork rice bowl with an egg, cabbage, and other things thrown in.

[RH | 4,903]

On 3/23/2024 at 8:54 PM, Tabonga said:

I dined in!

In case anyone is curious here are a few examples of tv dinners way back when.  Some of them (like the first one) had soup that was covered with a sealed aluminum lid that you took off after baking.

I feel like in the 80s and 90d when we felt like nuking stuff was a good idea, the quality of these must have went way down hill.  Rarely, I’d get something like this at my grand parents house. I always enjoyed the novelty (and I’d even ask to have these for dinner some time) but they weren’t good back then.

Now, the science behind it has gotten a lot better, I think, and so has the quality.  It’s been a long time since I had anything like this but maybe 10 years ago, there were some Cafe Steamers (I think that’s what they were called) that were actually quite nice.  I think my favorite was a chicken plate on a bed or orzo?

Anyway, I have never had a bake-in-the-oven ready-made meal like this.  I’m kind of intrigued.

[Tabonga | 2,317]

55 minutes ago, RH said:

I feel like in the 80s and 90d when we felt like nuking stuff was a good idea, the quality of these must have went way down hill.  Rarely, I’d get something like this at my grand parents house. I always enjoyed the novelty (and I’d even ask to have these for dinner some time) but they weren’t good back then.

Now, the science behind it has gotten a lot better, I think, and so has the quality.  It’s been a long time since I had anything like this but maybe 10 years ago, there were some Cafe Steamers (I think that’s what they were called) that were actually quite nice.  I think my favorite was a chicken plate on a bed or orzo?

Anyway, I have never had a bake-in-the-oven ready-made meal like this.  I’m kind of intrigued.

The TV dinners back in the mid-fifties thru mid-seventies were very  much a reflection of the influence of television on US society.   (There were people who argued that tv dinners were a negative influence since families no longer  had dinner at the dinner table where they could discuss things and actually communicate- now they met in the living room where whatever was on the screen was the central focus,)  They fit an economic niche where companies such as Swanson could produce fairly elaborate meals at a relatively cheap price.  The nascent fast food industry was not in a state where they could provide much competition in variety and while a bit cheaper not nearly as satisfying (for a long time McDonald's, White Castle etc offered only hamburgers, cheeseburgers, sodas and fries).  The advent of microwaves and the shift away from the dominance of traditional television (with the introduction of recorded mediums the TV networks no longer dictated (in a sense) when a family would dine to watch popular only broadcast series at times not of the families choosing).  For better or worse it was the end of an often  unrecognized era.

 

Edited March 30 by Tabonga

[Gloves | 11,778]

25 minutes ago, Tabonga said:

The TV dinners back in the mid-fifties thru mid-seventies were very  much a reflection of the influence of television on US society.   (There were people who argued that tv dinners were a negative influence since families no longer  had dinner at the dinner table where they could discuss things and actually communicate- now they met in the living room where whatever was on the screen was the central focus,)  They fit an economic niche where companies such as Swanson could produce fairly elaborate meals at a relatively cheap price.  The nascent fast food industry was not in a state where they could provide much competition in variety and while a bit cheaper not nearly as satisfying (for a long time McDonald's, White Castle etc offered only hamburgers, cheeseburgers, sodas and fries).  The advent of microwaves and the shift away from the dominance of traditional television (with the introduction of recorded mediums the TV networks no longer dictated (in a sense) when a family would dine to watch popular only broadcast series at times not of the families choosing).  For better or worse it was the end of an often  unrecognized era.

 

Hey I had one of those! It had hunting dogs on it, if I recall. 

[Hammerfestus | 3,846]

15 hours ago, Tabonga said:

I had a late breakfast at one of my favorite restaurants  (The Westwood) this morning. I ordered a new menu item - the "Jeffrey Dahmer Special".  Quite tasty.

  Hide contents

Actually it was a ground chuck and eggs breakfast special.

 

I’ve always thought someone should start a cannibal themed restaurant.  Not me, but someone. 
 

Also, I forgot all about this but last fall we spent a long weekend in downtown Chicago and went to breakfast around the corner from the hotel at Venteux Brasserie one morning (lured in by the bottomless Mimosas).  We pretty quickly realized that we were having breakfast next to Mark Harmon

[Tabonga | 2,317]

Just now, Gloves said:

Hey I had one of those! It had hunting dogs on it, if I recall. 

There was a wide variety of those available - from cheap utilitarian models to more elaborate ones with pictures on them.  If you had the rack that would hold the trays (generally 4 trays) they could be tucked away in various places close to (or in) the TV room (often the living room) until needed.   They were generally pretty small and not particularly stable so they really only easily  fit one need.

[Tabonga | 2,317]

Just now, Hammerfestus said:

I’ve always thought someone should start a cannibal themed restaurant.  Not me, but someone. 

They could call it "The Long Pig" - with the tagline "serving all races and ethnicities".

[Gloves | 11,778]

4 minutes ago, Tabonga said:

There was a wide variety of those available - from cheap utilitarian models to more elaborate ones with pictures on them.  If you had the rack that would hold the trays (generally 4 trays) they could be tucked away in various places close to (or in) the TV room (often the living room) until needed.   They were generally pretty small and not particularly stable so they really only easily  fit one need.

You know what there may well have been 4 and placed exactly as you describe. Interestingly it wasn't even the pictures that triggered the nostalgia, it was the four little screws at the top of each which connect the "table" to the legs - I recall those being there. And then of course the picture quickly followed. I think it may be the case that I just considered the one with the dogs as "mine", and if I recall (I don't) they were likely at my grandparents' house.

[Tabonga | 2,317]

6 minutes ago, Gloves said:

You know what there may well have been 4 and placed exactly as you describe. Interestingly it wasn't even the pictures that triggered the nostalgia, it was the four little screws at the top of each which connect the "table" to the legs - I recall those being there. And then of course the picture quickly followed. I think it may be the case that I just considered the one with the dogs as "mine", and if I recall (I don't) they were likely at my grandparents' house.

A lot of times nostalgia finds you rather than the reverse.

[RH | 4,903]

12 minutes ago, Tabonga said:

They could call it "The Long Pig" - with the tagline "serving all races and ethnicities".

“The Long Pig” …well not Jewish and Muslims, even if they are welcome.

[Tabonga | 2,317]

10 minutes ago, RH said:

“The Long Pig” …well not Jewish and Muslims, even if they are welcome.

I was thinking of being on the menu rather than clientele.  ^______^

 

[Hammerfestus | 3,846]

34 minutes ago, Tabonga said:

I was thinking of being on the menu rather than clientele.  ^______^

 

This Matzah Ball soup is delicious!  What’s your secret?  ….

[Tabonga | 2,317]

43 minutes ago, Hammerfestus said:

This Matzah Ball soup is delicious!  What’s your secret?  ….

You really need to try the shipwreck stew,,,,,,with free coconut pie for dessert.

Edited March 30 by Tabonga

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Turkey rice bento....so delicious!

This is likely the best turkey rice shop I've found in my area. The turkey rice in Chiayi is so much better though, as that's where turkey rice originated. The guy who invented instant noodles was also born and raised in that same area.

This lunch cost about $2.65.

Edited April 2 by fcgamer

[Tabonga | 2,317]

I had one of these with fries.

 

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Went to a local shop and got a nice lunchbox. The chicken is really good, though the shop also has pork chops. I think the shop is recommended by the tourist bureau as their logo is on the shop.