Well, I also think some people don't care about food enough to search out the best food in the area or the best rendition of the type of food they're eating. So a popular restaurant in the neigborhood or of a particular cuisine is a proxy for good enough--and it often IS a good proxy: the most popular restaurants usually put out decent food in a friendly, accessible atmosphere. And if food isn't a priority for you, you aren't missing anything. In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with this. People could make disparaging comments about my dress, implying that my penchant for casual and not very trendy clothes is evidence of my failed attempt to understand fashion. Maybe, but I also don't put any time into trying to understand fashion or shopping or anything related that would result in me understanding the nuances or being *better* dressed because it's not something I care enough about.

But food--I care a lot about food. And I second Potbelly's: yuck, I'd prefer Subway, which at least doesn't use stale bread (or Gonnella, same thing in my opinion).

My turn to do some dead horse whipping----

The Mecca for sheeple restaurants is a several mile stretch of Rt. 59 starting at I-88 and continuing south from there. Firmly entrenched in that strip is "The Key Wester", a gaudy gigantic seafood restaurant brought to us by the Portillo's folks. The bride and I were connived, cajoled and coerced to meet our close friends for dinner there one summer Saturday night--- It was nearly a two hour wait for a table, and that was the high point of the evening. Subsequent service was atrocious and the food had an institutional quality that I will not soon forget.

But boy, those portions were big!!!







http://www.portillos.com/keywester/look/

johnny wrote:My two cents:

Wiener Circle

Notice a theme here? Any time a gimmick becomes a draw over your food, I think you're in trouble.

Not so sure of this being a "sheeple" place because the food at Wiener Circle is GOOD. Just because the majority of the people waiting in a long line for the food are young lincoln parkers with popped collars, doesn't mean they can't be onto something. Heck, I'd bet if Wiener Circle was located just off the expressway, we'd have numerous threads expounding on it's greatness.
Jamie

On the other hand.....

When you find yourself in another city and need to do some quick scoping to find a good place to eat, it's generally true (but not always) that a line or a full parking lot or some other "tell" of popularity is a good indicator.

So when we all talk about very popular places in Chicago that we "just don't get," perhaps it's partly a case of familiarity breeding contempt.

I would be the first to admit that if I were coming to our town with only passing familiarity with the charms of, say, Chicago pizza and ribs, I would very likely make a beeline to Gino's and Twin Anchors--and be enormed with both places.

Said another way, I think it's quite possible that suggestions in the "Beyond Chicagoland" section of LTH might strike a local food lover in a particular place as a Barleycorn or Bar Louie of their city.

dfawley wrote:

MariaTheresa wrote:That's the real question, isn't it? Given the choice, why do people choose the crowded place over places of equal (or better) quality?

I appreciate MariaTheresa getting to the point. I'll point out the obvious ones:

1. Ignorance. .

2. People simply LIKE gimmicks.

3. As has been discussed, accessibility.

I'll add one more. . .people like to go where other people go (hard-wired safety in numbers from millions of years of evolution????). My partner is big on this. He loves crowds, loves to go to the busy places. He'd have a hard time choosing between mediocre food with lots of action and great food with no one else there. He goes out not just to eat, but to have some sort of experience. It's not at all fun for him to go to a place where there are no other customers (and I mean a full house).

cito wrote:The Mecca for sheeple restaurants is a several mile stretch of Rt. 59 starting at I-88 and continuing south from there. Firmly entrenched in that strip is "The Key Wester", a gaudy gigantic seafood restaurant brought to us by the Portillo's folks. The bride and I were connived, cajoled and coerced to meet our close friends for dinner there one summer Saturday night--- It was nearly a two hour wait for a table, and that was the high point of the evening. Subsequent service was atrocious and the food had an institutional quality that I will not soon forget.

You know, the only place missing on that stretch of rt59 is my nomination for the Sheeple's Choice Awards: Cheeseburger in Paradise. If there is a place in the Chicago area that has crowds as large waiting for truly abysmal food, please let me know so I can avoid it!

I can't believe no one has mentioned Rainforest Cafe where you wait in a holding pen surrounded by a vast array of cheap souvenirs for sale. The last time I was forced to go to this vile circus was a 10 yr olds birthday party. What stunned me the most was the amount of adults eating there that didn't have kids with them.

jonjonjon wrote:Southport Grocery - food is good, but not worth cramming into their little doorway to wait for an hour!

Are you talking about the hour wait for a table, or the hour wait for a waitress after you have a table?

Artie wrote:What stunned me the most was the amount of adults eating there that didn't have kids with them.

For a similar reason, I would add Hooter's to the list. I can't believe how many families I've heard of dining there.

Artie wrote:I can't believe no one has mentioned Rainforest Cafe where you wait in a holding pen surrounded by a vast array of cheap souvenirs for sale. The last time I was forced to go to this vile circus was a 10 yr olds birthday party. What stunned me the most was the amount of adults eating there that didn't have kids with them.

Great observation. I made the same one regarding Medieval Times. [Aside: I was there for a kid's party recently, and I was actually somewhat impressed by the show itself. (I had really low expectations going in.) The food was nothing special, but easily better than it needed to be. I was bummed to get a half a roast chicken rather than a turkey leg or spring lamb shank to waive around.]

Most of the crowd was drunk suburbanites in their 20's and 30's out for a Vegas-like night out. Never would have guessed it.

riddlemay wrote:

jonjonjon wrote:Southport Grocery - food is good, but not worth cramming into their little doorway to wait for an hour!

Are you talking about the hour wait for a table, or the hour wait for a waitress after you have a table?

cito wrote:The Mecca for sheeple restaurants is a several mile stretch of Rt. 59 starting at I-88 and continuing south from there. Firmly entrenched in that strip is "The Key Wester", a gaudy gigantic seafood restaurant brought to us by the Portillo's folks.

I totally agree with you on this one. I was also conned into eating there by a Naperville resident who raved about the place. I found it to be mediocre and expensive for the sub-Red Lobster quality. When I think about it, I should have expected as much. The food was like it had been prepared by a Portillo's fast-food cook. Moreover, the server upsold us on sides. She asked "would you like soup or salad?", as if they were included with the meal. . When we got the bill, we found out that each meager cup of soup was like an $8.50 add-on. Talk about kicking you when you are down. Nevertheless, the joint was packed.

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Bob Chinn's.

People march in there four-wide like the drones going into the factory in Metropolis, and factory is appropriate: The ambience is non-existent, the service is good although served in plastic baskets, and the food while of high quality is far, far from what I'd call destination dining.

It ends up being sort of a Red Lobster on steroids (although not even RL uses plastic baskets).

I've never had a bad time there, but I don't go there unless dragged.

I'll also add Maza on Lincoln. That place is always packed with people waiting and the food is so-so at best.

Hmm, let's see . . . (my thoughts on this have already started an argument here at my office )

Walker Brothers - any location
Food here is definitely not worth the wait. It astounds me to see folks lined up out the door, waiting for this food. Reading over the thread, I guess this is generally believed to be true of many 'breakfast' spots.

Hackney's - any location
average food at best, long lines

Gibson's
Great place to be "in the scene" (I suppose), but the food here does not -- in any way --warrant the crowds they draw.

Carson's Ribs
I'm sorry but if these ribs were free -- and served by the Sirens themselves -- I'd still avoid them without hesitation. I scratch my head when I see folks waiting upwards of 30 minutes or more for them. Steaks, prime rib, salads and slaw are decidedly better but I'm still not sure they're worth a wait.

41 North Grille
constantly packed, eternally bland

Max & Benny's
Flavorless chicken soup, gummy latkes, skimpy sandwiches, high prices and folks wait in line for "the pleasure." Baffling.

Taste of Chicago
the ultimate epitome of this particular dynamic.

I was going to also list Bob Chinn's (as suggested above) but even though I'm not really a fan of the place, the freshness factor makes it a bit easier to understand the place's popularity.

=R=

Ronnie should get a prize for nailing it down with Taste of Chicago-
As far as Gibson's, I guess I've always had food as least as good as any other major steak house, with the added attractions of the zany scene, and the fact that it's local.

JoelF. Right on! Chinn's. I'm with you on that one. Don't know how I didn't think of that. I have to admit, when I saw the Check, please! with Chinn's, I felt kind of a reaffirmative smugness when the one person raved about it, and the other two gave it a "meh." That's another place I wanted to love, but after three times, I just won't ever go again unless I am absolutely dragged.

I've been avoiding contributing to this thread, as I'm pretty much of a de gustibus non disputandum kind of guy, but I feel like this is one where I need to specifically disagree.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Walker Brothers - any location
Food here is definitely not worth the wait. It astounds me to see folks lined up out the door, waiting for this food. Reading over the thread, I guess this is generally believed to be true of many 'breakfast' spots.

Sure, if you don't believe that waiting for breakfast is ever worthwhile, fine... but I've been going to Walker Brothers in Wilmette for years, and as someone who doesn't object to eating breakfast out, I think Walker Brothers executes extremely well in their class, and I'd say that takes them out of consideration for an SCA.

Ronnie, would you actually characterize their food as mediocre? Or just not something you feel is worth the wait? I think those are two different things.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Walker Brothers - any location
Food here is definitely not worth the wait. It astounds me to see folks lined up out the door, waiting for this food. Reading over the thread, I guess this is generally believed to be true of many 'breakfast' spots.

For brunch, you gotta be nuts to wait... but for a moderately-priced family breakfast-for-dinner, it works pretty well. I'm not much for maple syrup at suppertime, but their crepese are tasty.

On some of your others, I keep going back to Hackneys and Carsons just for the childhood nostalgia. Hackneys: "Loose and Crisp" is the key to onion loaf heaven.

I would like to offer a suggestion to those that have mentioned Bob Chinn's. If you like the food but are discouraged by the crowds, give them a try for lunch on a Sunday. Much more of a relaxed pace, and the noise level is very tolerable. This strategy is a good compromise for me because I've always enjoyed the quality of their offerings.

I could never classify Chinn's as a "sheeple" restaurant since the food has always been very good or excellent IMHO.

germuska wrote:I've been avoiding contributing to this thread, as I'm pretty much of a de gustibus non disputandum kind of guy, but I feel like this is one where I need to specifically disagree.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Walker Brothers - any location
Food here is definitely not worth the wait. It astounds me to see folks lined up out the door, waiting for this food. Reading over the thread, I guess this is generally believed to be true of many 'breakfast' spots.

Sure, if you don't believe that waiting for breakfast is ever worthwhile, fine... but I've been going to Walker Brothers in Wilmette for years, and as someone who doesn't object to eating breakfast out, I think Walker Brothers executes extremely well in their class, and I'd say that takes them out of consideration for an SCA.

Ronnie, would you actually characterize their food as mediocre? Or just not something you feel is worth the wait? I think those are two different things.

I'm also going to fight you on the Wilmette Walker Bros. No, I don't particularly care to wait an hour in line, but to me, anyway, qualifying for a SCA has to combine overpopularity with mediocre food... and the WB in Wilmette (I've not tried any others) is assuredly NOT mediocre. Good stuff, there. Point me to few other holes in the wall, especially on the North Shore, where I can get that Dutch Baby and I might concede.

Dmnkly wrote:No, I don't particularly care to wait an hour in line, but to me, anyway, qualifying for a SCA has to combine overpopularity with mediocre food... and the WB in Wilmette, anyway, is assuredly NOT mediocre. Good stuff, there. Point me to few other holes in the wall, especially on the North Shore, where I can get that Dutch Baby and I might concede.

BTW, even lines out the door at Walker Brothers don't take an hour at all. They really move people through at a good clip. If you get there and you're ten people out the door, you'll still probably be seated in 30 minutes. Too much for some people, I'm sure.

It's actually great for breakfast-for-dinner; something I've only done once or twice, but it really feels like a treat, both for the novelty and for the fact that you definitely don't wait in line at all.

re: Walker Brothers, I would never argue the quality of their fare -- or the ingredients which comprise it -- only that waiting for it is not worth it, especially in light of how many other nearby places one can have breakfast out. I have friends who would wait in line unconditionally at Walker Brothers and that really does amaze me.

Also, I'm not a sweet breakfast fan to begin with, so that's one major personal strike against it. But even beyond that, I think their egg dishes are somewhat soulless, their hash browns are weak and their corned beef hash is not very good either.

I wish I liked the place. Their Highland Park location is the closest restaurant there is to my office (1 flight down), so nothing could be easier. Yet, I rarely hit it. It just doesn't do it for me.

No disrespect meant to anyone who loves the place. I made my comments with the snarky tone of the thread's title in mind. If friends wanted to hit Walker Brothers, I'd definitely go with them, although I might ask them to arrive early and hold the table

=R=

My three cents?

1. Cafe Selmarie (I really don't get this place: totally tasteless, and over-buttered food and unforgivably dry, lifeless desserts.)
2. Carson's
3. The Venetian Inn

1. Joe's Crab Shack. Someone would have to pay me to go again. Concrete floors, plastic containers of sauce, tiny shrimp and you get to watch the unenthusiastic wait staff line-dance in 70s attire while your food gets cold.
2. The Patio. Uncomfortable seating, fast-food atmosphere for much higher prices, wine on tap.

Good thread, better late to the party than never.

Allow me to add the Coldstone Creamery to the sheeple list, and yes, I am topic-correct, I have seen crowds and lines down the block for it's tasteless, mildly slimy, overpriced ice cream on multiple occasions. I dare you to approach a scoop of its butter pecan - no mix ins - without gagging, dare you.

On a lighter note, thanks to whoever listed Taste of Chicago, sheeple par excellence, King of Grand Master sheeples, unprecedented, unsurpassed and undaunted is sheepledom year after tedious year.

I will defend Walker Bros. in Wilmette, my college sweetheart, to the death, even if they don't give you a heaping bowl of near-flawless whole sweet ruby red strawberries (with cointreau-flavored fresh cream, brown and icing sugar on the side) as they did in the 80's any more.

alouette wrote:if they don't give you a heaping bowl of near-flawless whole sweet ruby red strawberries (with cointreau-flavored fresh cream, brown and icing sugar on the side) as they did in the 80's any more.

If it is no longer on the menu, then it may still be available by request like the Palestine. If it is simply not the same, then how is it different?

Regards,

The following list will have a decidedly north suburban bent to it:

Cheesecake Factory
Claim Jumper
Kona Grill
Wildfire
Jacky's Bistro
P.F. Chang's
Philly G's (formerly Gilardi's)
Mambo Italiano
Metropolitan Cafe
Las Palmas
Akai Hana

Funny, each of the above would be considered 'almost' fine & dandy in a pinch on a business trip in, say, Murfreesboro, TN or Rolla, MO, but in Chicagoland...it's either people don't want to drive any farther, value waiting and being seen over quality, or just don't know any better.

Unfortunately my first post here will be a negative one...

I have to say Uncommon Ground on Clark and Grace in Lakeview. Everyone flocks to this place and waits for eons on weekend mornings. The two times I've had breakfast/brunch here, I was sorely disappointed. The service is terrible (I've had a waitress adamantly tell me to not order something even though I really wanted to try it), the portions are miniscule, the fries are soggy and of worse quality than just about any fast food joint.

On the other hand, the dinner is worlds better. I've heard from my roommate, who is a cook there, that the morning crew simply doesn't care and makes no effort to put out a quality product.

The service is terrible (I've had a waitress adamantly tell me to not order something even though I really wanted to try it),

Some people would consider this great service. I always appreciate it when someone will tell me if a dish isn't up to snuff that day.

I wonder: did you order it anyways, and then agree with her? Or did you take her advice?