Restaurants

Johnny Rockets special

I purchased all of my Christmas gifts online this year — you wouldn’t catch me dead trying to find a parking space at a mall so I can go in and pick through a table of sweatshirts other shoppers have mauled.

But I will go over there for dinner and my favorite December pastime: guessing which children will cry on Santa’s lap. Luckily, since Greenwood Park Mall expanded a few years ago, I can do both in the same hour from a booth at Johnny Rockets. In the olden days, I was relegated to carrying a pizza slice or pretzel and Coke through the mall until I found a nice spot over by J.C. Penney’s to watch the show.

Last night was my big night.

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Louie's before and after the show

We knew the second the sign went up at Louie’s Grill & Pub that we would add this newest Greenwood restaurant to our dinner circuit. It didn’t matter if we liked the food, really — when you open an eatery that isn’t McDonald’s down the street from the high school, adults will drop in on their way to sporting events and musical performances.

Well, at least that’s what first pulled us in. We had one hour before the curtain went up on the Christmas show, and I simply wasn’t in the mood to hit the Golden Arches and then burp along to Here Comes Santa Claus. So I sat down and ordered a club sandwich and fries in one of Louie’s booths instead. It was definitely a quality improvement move on my end.

But now, thanks to the chips and black bean salsa, we make Louie’s a destination even when we have no obligation at Center Grove High School.

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I can be a bit of a bargain hunter when it comes to eating out at restaurants. I pride myself on finding quality restaurants with reasonable prices. I think I get it from my mom. One of my favorite finds on the Peninsula is Jack’s Prime in San Mateo. You see, Jack’s Prime has something called $10 Tuesdays, in which you can get a cheeseburger, milkshake and fries for — you guessed it — $10. It’s a pretty good deal.

A milkshake, cheeseburger and fries for $10 every Tuesday at Jack's Prime in San Mateo.

And just because it’s bargain night on Tuesdays doesn’t mean they skimp on the portions. My cheeseburger — made with hormone-free Meyer Ranch beef — was still juicy and hefty, and it came with plenty of fries. I almost didn’t have room for my creamy milkshake, featuring Double Rainbow ice cream and Clover organic milk. I got a mango milkshake, because, hey why not? I was feeling exotic. My boyfriend David went off the beaten bargain path slightly, pairing the delicious sweet potato fries for an additional $1.50 with his cheeseburger and chocolate milkshake.

Jack’s Prime is a bit of a regular haunt for David, who occasionally stops by for lunch. He made sure to mention that the homemade Ding Dong tastes pretty much like the regular ol’ Ding Dongs you got in your lunch as a kid. Also, the Jack’s Prime menu boasts deep-fried pickles, which I would never order (blech!), but David says are yummy. It’s certainly an unusual item to have on the menu.

If you are not a meat eater, don’t fret: During a previous visit, I ordered the Black Bean Burger — a house-made black bean and cilantro patty, with Jack cheese, roasted bell pepper mayo and tomatoes — and it was tasty. It wasn’t a meatless burger patty trying to taste like meat. Those are almost always so unsatisfying. Instead, this vegetarian option was flavorful and delicious.

If you can’t make it on a Tuesday, other deals at Jack’s Prime include six sliders for $10 on Thursdays, and Happy Hour Fridays with $12 pitchers and $3 wine from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Jack’s Prime
3723 S El Camino Real
San Mateo, CA 94403
(650) 638-1479
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Big Mac attacks strike everywhere

You can’t deny it any longer: McDonalds® still reported strong sales of $983 million in the last quarter of 2008, and plans to spend $2.1 billion this year opening 1,000 new units and spiffing up the existing ones. All of that business isn’t coming from selling Happy Meals® to the kindergarten and under crowd.

Adults are also eating here, despite our protests that we hate McDonald’s, it’s not good for us, blah, blah, blah. Personally, I have specific times in my routine when only the Golden Arches will do:

• Driving down I-75 by myself from Indiana to Hollywood, Florida: Once upon a time, I tried to break this addiction by pulling into a chicken chain on the north side of Atlanta. The chicken was disgusting, the floor was dirty and when I came out, something had bit the back of my leg so hard, it swelled up and became infected. That’s not fun when your next seven days involve sand. But I was cured of trying to avoid the #1 combo with a Coke.

McGriddles for breakfast!

• At O’Hare International Airport: It’s inevitable: I land in Chicago at 7:15 a.m. with an uninteresting layover ahead of me and a powerful hunger. I walk by Burrito Beach and Corner Bakery. I’m tempted by Dunkin’ Donuts. But I get in line at McDonald’s for that sausage, egg and cheese McGriddle® with hash browns and a Coke. (Yes, I wash down with pancakes with a Coke. We like to keep our dentists in business here in the Midwest.) Call it my comfort food before I have to tuck my knees to my chest for the next three or so hours.

• When my husband surprises me with lunch: Life moves pretty fast most days, and between our Curing Cold Feet travel agency and his Toastmaster responsibilities, my scrapbooking club and his corporate job, we have been reduced to waving hi in the halls of our own house. During those times, my husband swings through McDonald’s drive-thru for the Big Mac® combo and a fish with extra tartar on his lunch break, then strolls through the door at noon bearing these gifts. I don’t know why it’s never Arby’s or Wendy’s or Rally’s or Burger King — but I’m darn grateful it’s not the Pop-Tart I would have eaten otherwise.

A familiar sight in a foreign land

Yes, I had to show you the fries

• In a foreign country. Don’t give me that look. We have a blast popping into a McDonald’s overseas because we already know the menu, so it’s easy to compare differences. Our curiosity for the McCrockett sandwich in Amsterdam damn near killed us, as that was the nastiest slime I’ve ever tasted. On the other hand, we really got a kick out of the fact the tray liners in Buenos Aires touted McDonald’s clean bathrooms. (Is it so bad elsewhere this is a selling point right where we put our food?) And I still have the receipt from our lunch in Toyko, where we were the only Westerners sitting amid a cloud of cigarette smoke, munching on fries that tasted just like home.

But here’s our real motivation: McDonald’s is the one place in a foreign country where the wait staff doesn’t stare at you when you ask for lots of ice in your Coke. They even know that translates to “more than two cubes.”

Another country, another sandwich

So, now that I’ve confessed, it’s your turn. When do you stop at the Golden Arches?

Photographer credits: McDonald’s, Julie Sturgeon