Fuller's Burger Shack (Portland, OR)

10131 NE Cascades Pkwy, Portland, OR 97220

 

Fuller's Burger Shack is a pretty large, upscale burger joint in the Cascades Mall on the outskirts of Portland. It serves a four different burgers, including one beyond meat, as well as tator tots, crinkle cut fries, and shakes. They also have a monthly special burger. I get the October Special Burger ($10,50), the Spicy Maple & Cheddar Bacon Burger, which oddly they still sold in December. It looks a bit like a whopper, in size and in massive amount of lettuce on it. It is their classic burger with a spicy maple & Apple compote atop a spicy, honey and Cayenne aioli (I hold off on the cheddar). The organic patty is tasty but the burger is overall much more sweet than spicy and overpowered by lettuce etc.

VERDICT: 83/100

Good and big burger but expensive.

Baba’s Mediterranean Grill (Portland, OR)

10215 NE Cascades Pkwy, Portland, OR 97220

 

Baba's Mediterranean Grill is a kind of Chipotle for Mediterranean food, where you choose your protein (humus, falafel, meat) and then whether you want it in a pita, bowl or with rice. It has two locations in Portland.

I mix it up and get a bowl of humus and add chicken and a pita ($7.50). The chicken is tasty but too salty, the pita nice and fluffy, but the humus too watery.

 

VERDICT: 81/100

Pretty decent for fast food Mediterranean.

Andy's Frozen Custard (Athens, GA)

 2180 W Broad St, Athens, GA 30606

 

Andy's Frozen Custard is a chain of frozen custard places with currently almost 100 locations in 14 states, mostly in the Southeasr and Southwest -- although it originated in Missouri. It offers various "Blizzards", i.e. frozen custard blended with various toppings, in various sizes.

 

I got the Bulldawg Concrete, undoubtedly a local name for a more common option, which is frozen custard blended with melted chocolate chips and cherries. The "Small" ($4.99) is actually quite big (and expensive). I eat only a bit of it, as it is mostly just bland and sweet.

 

 

VERDICT: 77/100

Basic frozen custard "blizzards".

Party Fowl (Nashville, TN)

Inside Nissan Stadium, 1 Titans Way, Nashville, TN

Party Fowl is a Tennessee chain of fried chicken places, which also has a location inside the Tenessee Titans' Nissan stadium. The regular locations have a very extensive menu, with Nashville Hot chicken at the center (but also in tacos and empanadas), but they have different types of heat of chicken, and various other things, including gumbos and salads.

I get the Chicken Tenders & Beignets ($18) -- I think they gave me the fries by mistake. It takes 15 minutes or so to get my food, as they are out of everything. The three chicken tenders are huge and I get them Nashville Hot and that brings some serious heat. They are not all that tender but some pieces are really good (and hot!). The beignets are kind of hollow but tasty. The fries were at best lukewarm, but I only tried two, as I was too full. ;-)

 

VERDICT: 88/100

This is excellent hot chicken for inside a stadium (obviously overpriced, although the pieces are big). Would definitely like to try a regular location too.

Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint (Nashville, TN)

 Inside Nissan Stadium, 1 Titans Way, Nashville, TN

Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint is chain of bbq restaurants out of Nashville, Tennessee, with isolated locations in Alabama, Kentucky, and South Carolina. Most locations have a pretty elaborate menu of bbq classics (plus burgers), but this location, inside the football stadium, has a more limited menu and much higher prices.

 

I get a Pulled Pork Sandwich ($11.50) and Homemade BBQ Chips ($6). The pulled pork is chunky but tender, the sauce and slaw complement it well, but the bun is too big, dense, and dry. The Homemade BBQ Chips are not bad, but not really that fresh, which makes them fairly similar to those in a regular bag (except thicker).

 

VERDICT: 85/100

Pretty good (if expensive) stadium food. I would imagine it to be better in a regular location. 

Bela Lisbao (Chattanooga, TN)

 417 Frazer Ave, Chattanooga, TN

Bela Lisbao is a fairly fancy restaurant on the hip side of the river, which serves a wide range of traditional and less traditional Portuguese and Mediterranean dishes. It also has a restaurant in Port Orange, Florida. Their specialty is Piri Piri dishes, including chicken and shrimp.

 

I get the Piri Piri Chichen sandwich, which comes with fries. The pieces of chicken seem pulled from a rotisserie chicken and are tender but with some cartilage parts. The pieces are also lukewarm but very spicy. The toasted baguette, lettuce, jalapeños, red onion and Mayo compliment it well. he fries are thin, fried in olive oil, and a bit undercooked.

 

VERDICT: 86/100

Good but not as good as I had expected. For people who like real heat, definitely try this.

Chili Dog (Ellijah, GA)

 962 Industrial Blvd, Ellijay GA 30540

 

On my way to Chattanooga, I saw this shack just off the road, so I endangered traffic (which wasn't really around anyway) and jumped on my breaks and turned into their parking lot. Chili Dog is a reasonably big shack with a few tables inside, but mainly does take-out. They have a standard menu of burgers and hot dogs.

 

I get the Chili Dog ($3.16) all the way, i.e. ketchup, mustard, onion, and chili. The dog is quite thin and a bit crispy from the skillet, the bun big and soft, but what makes it special is the chile, which is a bit smoky chili.

 

VERDICT: 87/100

Excellent simple chili dog! I'll definitely be back to try more.