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PODCAST

"Fine" Dining

Michael Ornelas

Comedian Michael Ornelas dives deep into the stories behind your favorite chain restaurants like Domino"s, BJ"s Restaurant & Brewhouse, and Long John Silver"s before determining if they are better or worse than Chili"s: the most mediocre restaurant in America.

arts food

All Episodes

01:06:25

Perkins Review feat. Andrew Canada (Two in the Cooler...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/08/28

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 Michael) Our server was emotionally affected by me not loving my burger Andrew eats his pancakes in a real

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40:37

Perkins History feat. Andrew Canada (Two in the...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/08/21

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 of ups and downs The Secret Menu: Sci-Fi Foods Andrew's friends sound 100% made up A Yelper gives Perkins 5

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01:03:17

Houston's Restaurant Review feat. Adam Macias (That...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/08/14

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 meaning of the phrase "I'm Going to Hit the Head" What's Going On Over There with falsely advertising

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40:21

Houston's Restaurant History feat. Adam Macias (That...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/08/07

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 lawsuit over price-gouging during the pandemic My new favorite review of all-time: an unfashionable Yelper

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01:01:44

Popeyes Review feat. Sierra Katow (Stand-Up Comedian,...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/07/31

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: is it really that good? Sierra opens up about a stressful Denny's experience What we ate: Strawberry

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47:59

Popeyes History feat. Sierra Katow (Stand-Up...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/07/24

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" situation going, but she's too embarrassed to use it A chronicling of the abject chaos that erupted upon

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54:15

Shoney's Review feat. Dad [Part Two]

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/07/17

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, despite my wishes to the contrary Fan of the show Travis recounts the story of when Scott Steiner

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29:25

Shoney's History feat. Dad [Part One]

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/07/10

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 landed Shoney's on the receiving end of the largest discrimination settlement ever (at the time) A Yelper

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58:18

American Girl Cafe Review feat. Katie Molinaro (Eat...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/07/03

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 them's name tag didn't match his employee badge which makes us wonder What's Going On Over There? What we

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36:28

American Girl Cafe History feat. Katie Molinaro (Eat...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/06/26

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 brand explode "The first experiential dining experience" The brand forayed into movies while inspiring

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01:09:09

Cracker Barrel Review feat. Jen Liv (Stand-Up...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/06/19

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 earn her fourth star Their biscuits are GOATed What we ate this week: Hand-Rolled Buttermilk Biscuits with

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36:27

Cracker Barrel History feat. Jen Liv (Stand-Up...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/06/12

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" actually is Jen laments her allergy to eggs (or as Cracker Barrel calls them, "aigs") Cracker Barrel has its

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44:23

Shrekfast! The Original Pancake House Review feat....

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/06/05

"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 restaurant Their bacon was incredible The Apple Pancake may be WAY TOO MUCH, but the food offerings here are

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48:18

Shrekfast! The Original Pancake House History feat....

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/05/29

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 Secret Menu minigame category of the week: Breakfast Cinema Chad sells Michael on injera bread from

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51:22

P.F. Chang's Review feat. Andres Simonian (Spanish...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/05/22

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 with the unnamed noodle crisps in the dishes? This week's Secret Menu theme: Tasty Tourist Traps What we

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44:23

P.F. Chang's History feat. Andres Simonian (Spanish...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/05/15

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't order them during their meal What are Michael & Andres' fortunes? Discussion about P.F. Chang's

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52:14

Chipotle Review feat. Zara Mizrahi (Stand-Up,...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/05/08

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 restaurant turning down the music as soon as we start talking? The number of government employees in uniform is

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58:19

Chipotle History feat. Zara Mizrahi (Stand-Up,...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/05/01

The debut of a brand new game: The Secret Menu!! Michael hits a place about as Mexican as he is for Cinco de Mayo, Chipotle Mexican Grill with long-time friend and burrito enthusiast, stand-up comedian Zara Mizrahi Chipotle can't shake the stigma of having been owned by McDonald's Learn about the legendary Chipotle burrito coins in Eat Deets Zara wants to tithe her income to Chipotle Chipotle forayed into soul food, pizza, and burgers in other failed restaurant experiments The debut of The Secret

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53:01

IHOP Review feat. Jasper Lewis (Internet Menace) &...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/04/24

Enter for an all expenses paid trip to your local Applebee's*! Jasper Lewis, biscuit enthusiast, is back to take on IHOP, the International House of Pancakes with Michael A hyper kid listening to metal in the booth next to us is WAY TOO MUCH Michael & Jasper discuss the viral list of places that "women don't want to be taken on a first date" Jasper is all about our server's lack of vocal fry Katie Molinaro (@eatitkatie) joins us to try Lay's exclusive Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity potato chip flavor

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43:14

IHOP History feat. Jasper Lewis (Internet Menace)...

"Fine" Dining ·

2024/04/17

Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity is BACK! Michael is joined by friend and "woman-of-God" Jasper Lewis to talk all things IHOP, the International House of Pancakes and chain restaurant juggernaut Poor signage/menu descriptions leave Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity a mystery What's Going On Over There with the barren Wikipedia page for IHOP? Learn the history of the franchise, from its founder's interest in coffee to its acquisition of Applebee's (which it paid for in cash) That whole "IHOB" thing A Yelper

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169 results

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