!!! WE ARE MOVING TO INSTAGRAM !!!
I have decided to (temporarily) stop this blog and move to Instagram (@mypigoutspots). Posting these reports often took too much time for, to be perfectly honest, too few views. I assume most readers are more interested in the pictures than the text and that makes Instagram perfect. I can upload and post as I eat (well, after I clean my hands, of course). I hope you will follow me there too.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/mypigoutspots/
In many ways, The National is the antithesis of a pig out spot. It is one of the few fancier restaurants in the Southern college town of Athens, which is known and loved for its high-quality food. But it recently put some pig out foods on its lunch menu, including a burger and falafel, so I checked it out.
I get the Smash Burger ($15), which are two smashed patties (prepared on the griddle) with bacon jam, dill pickles, red onion, lettuce, and tomato on a soft bun (I eat it without cheddar cheese). The burger is juicy and has good flavor, but is a bit sweeter than I prefer – I am more a spicy than sweet kind of guy. The “home fries” are thick cubes of fried potato, which they also use for their delicious Patatas Bravas (dinner menu), which are perfectly prepared, although the potato is a bit light. My wife and I also get two scoops of the homemade Gelato ($4 a scoop). This week’s flavors include Peach, which is ok, and Chocolate-Hazelnut, which is creamy and tasty and covered with crushed hazelnuts (scrumptious).
VERDICT: 88/100
From a pig out spot point of view, this is a very nice, if somewhat gourmet, smash burger and fries.
1035 20th Street S, Birmingham, AL
Black Market & Grill is a kind of mix between a metal/biker bar and a sports bar, which has two locations in Birmingham. The one I visit, in the popular Five Points district, attracts an alternative but fairly mixed crowd on a Wednesday night. The bar serves burgers and other types of bar food. It has a very cool vibe.
I get the Hulk Burger ($12.99), which comes with avocado, bacon, and Chipotle sauce. The patty is thick and juicy and has an excellent taste. The bacon and avocado are good and the Chipotle sauce gives the burger a great kick. The fries are thick, a bit soft, but very tasty.
VERDICT: 98/100
This was an excellent burger, one of the better ones I ever had, and the setting is great too. What an awesome place. Go there!
Greek Street is a small and pretty cute gyros place in a newer strip mall on the outskirts of Birmingham, which serves pita gyros, lamb burgers, souvlaki, but also bowls and salads. Remarkably, it has a drive thru and you can order on an app.
I get a Pita Gyros ($8.14), Greek style, which means a mix of beef and lamb meat. The meat is not freshly cut/shaved from a skewer, but rather several thick pieces of ground meat that have been cut off earlier and is then reheated on the griddle, which makes it a bit crusty. The pita is thick and soft but there are too few vegetables and sauce on it, which makes the pita mostly taste like salty meat.
VERDICT: 82/100
While it is a decent salty meat sandwich, it doesn’t come close to an authentic pita gyros.
Buc-ee’s is a chain of insanely big gas stations annex all-American food and crap stores that originated in Texas and now has more than 40 locations in the South, primarily in Texas though. It seems to cater primarily to the Average Joe, but of all racial backgrounds.
I get a Pulled Pork sandwich ($7.48), which is a fairly large soft bun filled with extremely tender and juicy pulled pork doused in a sweet sauce and with caramelized onions. It is very tasty but could have had more meat (particularly for that price).
VERDICT: 87/100
Tasty pulled pork sandwich in a carnivalesque setting.
Lee’s Bakery is situated in a run-down strip mall with mostly Asian and Hispanic restaurants. It is remarkably big and combines a Vietnamese restaurant, with the usual staples. The bakery seems to mainly consist of the small baguettes they use for the Bahn Mi sandwiches. It comes very highly recommended.
I get Vegetarian Eggs Rolls ($4.50) and a Bahn Mi Grilled Pork ($5.95). The egg rolls are remarkably big but also refried at too low heat, making them a big saggy and very fatty. The Bahn Mi is tasty but mainly because of the freshness of the vegetables — the bbq pork is tasty but not remarkable.
VERDICT: 88/100
Good Bahn Mi but not remarkable.
Slutty Vegan is a new chain out of Atlanta that serves vegan burgers and sandwiches (fried chicken, hot dogs) and fries as well as some desserts. It is Black-owned and the story of founder and CEO Pinky Cole is inspirational! Slutty Vegan currently has five locations in and around Atlanta, with Athens being the furthest, but is opening new locations outside of Georgia soon. Inside, the music is extremely loud — to the extent that you can’t understand the people behind the register, and they can’t understand each other — and the personnel (has to) do an annoying loud routine when you come in and leave. All burgers have sex-themed names, are made with Beyond Meat, and come only in (pricey) combos. Weirdly, you cannot eat inside or outside, while there is no drive-thru.
I get the Sloppy Toppy ($15), which comes with lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, fresh jalapeños, and “slut sauce” on a vegan Hawaiian bun. It looks messy and tastes mostly like a whopper, but one with a good kick because of the jalapeños and sauce. The fries are thick wrinkle-cut, but they lack a bit of flavor, despite the light seasoning.
VERDICT: 80/100
While I love everything about the story of Slutty Vegan, it is not for me. Then again, I am not the target audience. To be honest, there is no reason to go here if you are not vegan. It is crazy loud, you cannot eat inside or outside, and the food is expensive and not remarkable. However, if you are vegan, this place comes as close to the “real” experience as anything I have ever seen.
1024 William Hilton Pkwy, Hilton Head Island, SC
Slapfish is a national chain of upscale fast food fish restaurants with currently some 20 locations across the US. It has an eclectic menu, which reflects more a fish restaurant than a fast food chain, including Chowder Fries, Lobster Roll, Fish & Chips, and various salads.
I get the Fish & Chips, choosing two pieces rather than one ($14), which comes with home-made Tartar sauce. The two pieces of fish are lightly breaded and well fried: very good! The fries are thick and crispy, with light seasoning. The Tartar sauce is yellowish and has a bit of a citrusy taste.
VERDICT: 90/100
Very good fish & chips and the other, healthier options, were good too (although the salad had a lot of fries in them).
Palmetto Dunes General Store is a grocery annex tourist store in the big tourist community of Palmetto Dunes on Hilton Head Island, they have a small buffet that serves mostly Southern (fried) food -- I took the picture when they were closed already. Their fried chicken, in particular, is famous in town — they make it at 11 AM and run out fast.
I get one big piece of fried chicken and two chicken thighs in hot sauce ($4.99). The fried chicken was a bit dry but the taste of both the chicken and the coating were great (bet it tastes awesome when it is freshly fried). The thighs were really meaty.
VERDICT: 88/100
Seems like the hype is deserved. Next summer I’ll be back, at 11 AM!
B & D Burgers, which stands for Blake & Duncan, is a local chain of burger restaurants with currently four locations in and around Savannah. I visit the large new restaurant in a strip mall in Pooler, just outside Savannah. It serves mainly burgers, with a variety of options (beef, bison, chicken). In addition to about 10 options you can also create your own.
I get a Bison Burger, which comes with lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles, and I add fresh jalapeños, bacon, and B&D sauce ($23.27). I order it “pink”. The patty is well-done, not medium, but juicy. Overall, the burger is big and salty. The fresh jalapeños add the kick, the B&D sauce has little taste. The fries are softer than I like but tasty (if, also, too salty).
VERDICT: 85/100
Good but expensive burgers. A bit too salty too.
Royal Donuts is a chain of donut shops with some 170 locations in Germany. This particular one is rather big and situated in downtown Saarbrücken. It serves only fancy (and expensive) donuts. The donuts themselves are regular size but they have big toppings.
I get a Chocolate-Raspberry and a Pistachio donut (both are €3.50). As they have been made a long time ago, they are a bit cold and hard. The chocolate has not much flavor but the raspberries do, including the filling in the dough. The pistachio donut has a good taste.
VERDICT: 82/100
Original but they look better than they taste.
This Imbiss does not seem to have a name and is not indicated on Google maps, but it is in the center of Saarbrücken and is one of the few places that serves food after 2 PM on a Sunday (don’t get me started). It serves various sausages, some other meats, and rolls or fries.
I get a Currywurst (€3.40), where you choose your type of sausage (red or white). The sauce is liquidy and warm but very original and tasty. The sausage is a bit overcooked.
VERDICT: 88/100
Very good Currywurst
Café Planken is a large ice cream place in the shopping center of Mannheim, which is very busy on this very hot summer day. They serve some 25 flavors of Italian gelato, mostly classic ones, some vegan options too.
I get Hazelnut and Lemon. The flavors are really good, not too creamy, not too sweet. The hazelnut is smooth and the lemon has mint in it, making it fresh with a distinct flavor.
VERDICT: 92/100
Excellent gelato!
Rue Roger de Quinps 29, 1400 Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland
WestFood & Coffee is a new and hip US- and TexMex-type restaurant just outside of the shopping part of Yverdon-les-Bains, which does burgers and sandwiches but also nachos and chili as well as coffee.
I get the Large West Curry Chicken Sandwich (CHF 15.90 or ~$16.35), a long baguette with slices of spiced chicken, tomato, rucolah, and curry sauce. It tastes really fresh and tasty.
I also get 5 Chicken Tenders (CHF 12 or ~$12.30), which comes with a choice of sauce. The tenders are big but thin, coated more tempura style, and a bit too dry.
VERDICT: 90/100
Great sandwiches in nice setting. Snacks are not all top.
Báhn Mì Vietnamien is a hole-in-wall that is kind of hidden on the outside of a larger restaurant at the lakefront in Lausanne. It is a small Vietnamese restaurant with a decent sized terrace with view of the harbor and lake. It serves a limited selection of the usual staples, sandwiches (Bahn Mi), soups (Pho), etc.
I get Nem (CHF 12 or ~$12.30) and a Bahn Mi Chicken (CHF 13 or ~$13.30) as well as a drink (CHF 5 or ~$5.15). The Nem (crunchy small spring rolls) are pretty good. The Bahn Mi comes on a long, thin regular baguette. It has pulled chicken on it but very little vegetables, which means that it lacks the fresh flavor.
VERDICT: 84/100
Quite steep price, although it is at a prime location in Lausanne, this is an acceptable but not remarkable Bahn Mi.
Zum Frischen Max is a relaxed cafe that looks like a beach club next to train station Oerlikon, in Zürich. It has a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (high hipster content) and a small selections of bar food done with a hipster twist (pulled pork burger, hot dogs, salads).
VERDICT: 87/100
Remarkably good burger, mostly because of the excellent patty.
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