HOSPITALIANO!

[spatch]

Ain't it kooky when life imitates the Onion?

Also enjoyable: The Cheese Chicken Game

Comments

[ivorjawa.livejournal.com]

...

You were expecting to find taste among the citizens of Las Vegas?

[glowkitty]

Well, I can't say anyone endorses Las Vegas as a hotbed for Italian cuisine, either - but then again, I'm no Italian nor Las Vegas traveler.

slow on the uptake, as usual.

[glowkitty]

Also, I'm surprised the winner wasn't some 24-hour spaghetti buffet.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

And in other news, Johnny's All-American Chop Suey House was voted best Chinese restaurant in Branson, Missouri. ;-)

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

Cheese Chicken! (It took me a second reading to realize that the only chicken involved was the metaphorical kind. I am far too primed for chicken & cheese burritos.)

[spatch]

Yeah, I was confused on that part too at first. "But there's no chicken in that salad..."

[dskasak.livejournal.com]

Hardee's was voted the best burger in Saint Louis last year, based on a Citysearch poll. I wish this were a joke.

[lexinatrix.livejournal.com]

You had me scared for a moment that the Twin Cities Citysearch came to the same conclusion. Thank god they chose Matt's Bar (Home of the Jucy Lucy).

[dskasak.livejournal.com]

What I didn't know, until I looked up this poll, is that Hardee's is headquartered here. I wonder if this means I can hunt down the person responsible for using Norm MacDonald as the voice of the Hardee's star a few years ago, as...I'd like to shake his or her hand.

Juicy Lucys

[ladivinafemme.livejournal.com]

OMG They are to die for!

[lexinatrix.livejournal.com]

The local free (read: crappy) rag, City Pages votes Olive Garden the best Italian in the Twin Cities. Every. Year. They also vote Perkins the best breakfast. Christ.

[mr-bad-example.livejournal.com]

A couple of years ago, the Readers' Choice in the "Best Fries" category was McDonald's. What the hell.

Actually, no.

[zhym.livejournal.com]

Four of the past five years, the City Pages readers voted Buca as best Italian. The judgement is suspect, but understandable.

The City Pages staff (i.e., Dara Moskowitz) has far more sense, and this year named Broder's the best cheap Italian; they picked Ristorante Luci as best not-cheap three times since 2001. I have to agree on the latter -- dang fine food, that. I've never eaten at Broder's, which brings up my real point:

Really, what do you expect from reader polls? The winner is going to be the one that the most people have been to without barfing. Buca seats a gazillion times more people than Luci (which holds, I think, about 30 people at a time), so Buca's going to win a poll through sheer numbers. The only reason Olive Garden didn't win probably has to do with reader demographics. Ask me for a good expensive Italian place, and I'll rave about Luci. Ask me for a good cheap Italian spot, and I'll stammer for a moment and eventually offer that Fazoli's isn't a bad option I guess.

Of course, in 2004 Olive Garden won "cheap" and Buca won "not cheap" in the readers' poll. Oh, that expensive Buca.

Then again, most magazines that include reader polls manage to refrain from gushing about the pedantic people's picks. I perfer more sarcasm in my magazine write-ups of the choices of the masses.

Re: Actually, no.

[lexinatrix.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the important information, Mr. Anal. Sheesh. I was exaggerating, but not by much.

I don't expect reader polls to exhibit refined tastes, but I am always disappointed/surprised at the depths to which the local retards will stoop.

Re: Actually, no.

[zhym.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. I'm always happy to supply facts when they're sorely needed.

What do you expect, though? Name an Italian restaurant in the Twin Cities that 80% of [City Pages readers | the general population] has actually been to other than the Olive Garden and Buca. It doesn't make them "retards" -- it just means that each of the dozens of options people voted for over Buca were overwhelmed by the sheer number of #2 Buca votes.

[mcsnee.livejournal.com]

HOSPITALIANO!!

Effin' hilarious.

[roody.livejournal.com]

Funny. As a Milwaukee resident, I thought there was a sort of "double joke" thing going on there with the Onion article. Besides the obvious Olive Garden thing (which I happen to be going to tomorrow night since it's my sister-in-law's favorite restaurant, doh), I thought it was also just making fun of Milwaukee Magazine, since the Shepherd Express is the only local "best of" that I pay attention to.

[seanbseanb.livejournal.com]

We took an informal survey, and of 20 metro-Milwaukee residents surveyed, 11 named OG their favorite Italian restaurant, 5 couldn't name any Italian restaurant in MKE. On average, there may be more restaurants that are favorites -than- OG, but OG's the only "common" one.

[pecosy.livejournal.com]

The local free rag here once had Taco Bell top it's reader poll for Best Mexican. To their credit, they changed the poll in subsequent years to not include chains.

[chukb.livejournal.com]

In last year's survey, readers awarded the 'best tacos' award to Taco Bell.
No, I'm not making this up.

[redtheblue.livejournal.com]

And it's Fazoli's again for Best Foreigny Cuisine That Ain't French!

[muffyjo]

They say life is stranger than fiction. Reality strikes again!