BÖCKELS Beste (Erkelenz, Germany)

Aachener Strasse 115, 41812 Erkelenz, Germany

 

BÖCKELS Beste is a regional chain of over 30 currywurst places in Germany, mostly in North Rhine-Westphalia. This particular one is in an OBI, a big German home improvement retailer, situated just next to the entrance. It serves only currywurst and fries but this location also has a cafe with coffee and two types of cakes. 

 

What makes them particularly interesting is that they have a choice of six levels of spicy (all powders).

 

I get a Currywurst (€ 2.79 or ~$3.15) with level 6 (Es Drauf Ankomen Lassen). The sausage is good, the sauce too (not too sweet and good temperature), and the heat is quite brutal. It is really HOT but does not fully kill all taste. Shame it doesn’t come with a roll. T had a Medium Fries (€ 2.59 or ~$3) with curry sauce, also level 6, which was also brutally hot, but the fries were very good for Germany.

 

VERDICT: 89/100

Very good currywurst. Und Mega-Scharf!

Fly Chicken Torggata (Oslo, Norway)

Torggata 9A, 0181 Oslo, Norway

 

Fly Chicken is a national chain of fried chicken places, with 6 locations (in cities) in Norway, which serves fried chicken sandwiches, fried legs and wings, and a few sides (mostly fries). This particular location is in the food court of a shopping mall close to the central station of Oslo.

 

I get the Superfly sandwich (145 NOK or ~$16) and a portion of 5 Fried Wings (60 NOK or $6.75) with a side of the hot sauce. The sandwich has a big piece of well-prepared fried chicken, which is juicy and crispy, on comes on a brioche bun with lettuce, onion rings, and some BBQ sauce and sour cream. It is tasty but heavy. The wings are heavily coated, a bit like KFC, and taste mostly fat. The hot sauce is indeed spicy but has an odd flavor.

 

VERDICT: 82/100

Decent fried chicken but with a too high fat-to-flavor ratio.

King Falafel (Oslo, Norway)

Brugata 3, 0186 Oslo, Noway

 

King Falafel is a small place behind the Central Station, which serves almost only falafel sandwiches with a few sides. There are five different sandwich options, all falafel with something added (e.g. baba ganoush, frieds, humus). The owner does not speak English, you can only pay by card, and all the other clients are Arab.

 

I get the Falafel med Humus (NOK 79 or ~$9), which is 4-5 quite big falafels wrapped with humus, parsley, pickle, tomato, red onion, mint and tahini. It doesn’t look too fresh, but it is both big and tasty. The falafel are crispy and the flavors are authentic Middle Eastern.

 

VERDICT: 87/100

This is both a very good falafel and a pretty cheap meal by Oslo standards.

Punta Cana Latin Grill (Athens, GA)

367 Prince Ave Ste 1, Athens, GA, United States, Georgia

 

Punta Cana Latin Grill is a Dominican restaurant just outside of downtown Athens, which serves a variety of more or less well-known Dominican street foods, including tacos, sandwiches, and empanadas, with a broad variety of different proteins, including chicharón and longaniza. Tostones and maduros also feature prominently on the menu.

I've eaten here several times. My favorite is the Punta Cana Sandwich ($8.99) with grilled tilapia, which is light and tasty, and comes with a side over lunch - the maduros are pretty good. The Riki Taki ($9.99) is classic streetfood, a big sandwich filled with ground beef, some vegetables, and massive loads of ketchup and mayo... tasty but very bingy. The Bandeja Punta Cana ($15,75) is a combination of 2 meats and 3 sides.

VERDICT: 82/100

Punta Cana offers Dominican streetfood, which is quite tasty but not subtle, as most dishes are decent but too geasy.

The Collegiate Grill (Gainesville, GA)

 220 Main St SW, Gainesville, GA 30501

 

The Collegiate Grill is an institution in Gainesville, Georgia. It is an old-school diner that serve American classics the same way they were made half a century ago. The menu is mostly hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, sandwiches, and shakes. The inside is also classic, although well-maintained.

 

I get a Small Hamburger ($3.59) and a Chili Dog ($3.19) and share a side of Fresh Cut Fries ($4.79). The place is packed and the wait is substantial, but it is worth it. The burger is old-school, i.e. lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, and mayonnaise (I hold te mustard), but very tasty. Similarly, the Chili Dog is old-school but tasty, mostly because of the a bit smokey chili on top. The fries are not overly crispy, but real potato and well-prepared.

 

VERDICT: 90/100

Great quality classic American staples in a beautiful old-school setting. 

 

 

Danny's Donuts (Gainesville, GA)

  417 Main St SW #4415, Gainesville, GA 30501

 

Danny's Donuts has three locations in and around Gainesville, Georgia,  It mainly sells donuts, some breakfast sandwiches, and (warm) drinks. The selection is pretty large and fairly classic - think Dunkin' Donuts - but also quite cheap ($1.35 for most).

 

 I order two donuts and get a third one for free. The dough is not too dense but looks and tastes too much deep-fried. The toppings are fine but not remarkable.

 

VERDICT: 78/100

Pretty run-of-the-mill donut place, but affordable and with nice people, which makes it preferable over places like Dunkin' Donuts.

 

 

 

 

Park Stone (Portland, OR)

9921 NE Cascades Pkwy, Portland, OR 97220

 

 

Park Stone Wood Kitchen & Taps is a “new American cuisine” type restaurant. It serves pretty much the usuals, burgers, sandwiches, steaks, etcetera.

 

I get the Parkstone BBQ Burger ($17) with a side of Sea Salt Steak Fries ($4). The burger is perfectly prepared, medium and juicy, but is not very spicy. The steak fries are big and well prepared. Tasty.

 

VERDICT: 88/100

Not exceptional, and a bit pricey, but overall good and in a nice atmosphere.