A new Guys' Night record for farthest fall in quality between where we intended to go and where we ended up.
Shaw: Believe it or not, your Lunch Bloggers don't stick exclusively to dives, and for Guys' Night we decided to check out the specials on the bar menu at Sullivan's. Little did we know how hopping Sullivan's would be around 7:00 p.m. on a Thursday evening.
I walked into Fuddruckers expecting a T.G.I. McGillicutty's-type operation, but was completely thrown by the butcher shop and walk-up order counter. I ended up getting a Fudds Meal Deal with a 1/2 lb. original burger, adding on cheddar cheese ($9.54).
Robert: For a second, I thought about getting the sliders version of the Fudds Meal Deal, but it felt disrespectful to the memory of the White Castle that used to be nearby. Besides, tiny burgers aren't what Fuddruckers is all about. I got a Fudds Meal Deal with a 1/2 lb. burger fixed up with "The Works." That's code for smokehouse bacon, grilled onions and American cheese ($10.79).
Shaw: Believe it or not, your Lunch Bloggers don't stick exclusively to dives, and for Guys' Night we decided to check out the specials on the bar menu at Sullivan's. Little did we know how hopping Sullivan's would be around 7:00 p.m. on a Thursday evening. Robert: I swear the last time I was at Sullivan's it was pretty quiet. Now that I think about it, though, that was in the dead of winter. Tonight it was nice out and the windows to the patio were open and everything. When we arrived, there was a bachelorette party piling into a limo, after getting a head start on the night.
Bamf! Next thing I know, we're at Fuddruckers. I have no idea how that happened.
Shaw: We were somewhat dazed after finding Sullivan's packed to the gills. Facing such disappointment, we just halfheartedly threw out suggestions. Nothing sounded as good as the bleu cheese chips we were missing out on. Fuddruckers popped into my head -- I can't believe you and Dorsett went for it.
I walked into Fuddruckers expecting a T.G.I. McGillicutty's-type operation, but was completely thrown by the butcher shop and walk-up order counter. I ended up getting a Fudds Meal Deal with a 1/2 lb. original burger, adding on cheddar cheese ($9.54).
Robert: For a second, I thought about getting the sliders version of the Fudds Meal Deal, but it felt disrespectful to the memory of the White Castle that used to be nearby. Besides, tiny burgers aren't what Fuddruckers is all about. I got a Fudds Meal Deal with a 1/2 lb. burger fixed up with "The Works." That's code for smokehouse bacon, grilled onions and American cheese ($10.79).Fudds Meal Deals come with a beer, too. I am 100 percent in favor of meal deals that come with a beer. You also get Fudd fries, which made me think of Duff Beer's chief competitor Fudd Beer, which made me wonder how similar Fuddruckers and Krusty Burger might be.
Shaw: The tomatoes, onions, pickles and everything else on the topping bar looked fresh enough. However, I started to feel like a sucker for coughing up the extra 99¢ for cheese when I saw there was cheese sauce on the topping bar for free. Then I tried the cheese sauce on one of my Fudd fries. Turns out it doesn't taste like cheese so much as it tastes like viscous.
Robert: They also have jalapeno cheese sauce, which tastes like viscous, but with a kick.
Shaw: There's a weird atmosphere going on at Fuddruckers. Odd assortment of video and prize games? Check. Bathrooms that look like they were lifted from an old AMC theater? Check. Old photos of rock icons including The Beatles, Elvis and Jim Morrison -- not all intermingled, but in separate, carefully organized sections? Check, with a side of OCD.
Robert: Fuddruckers is like a run-down amusement park -- a place that should be fun but is now permeated with sadness. Before you even get to take a bite, the remorse sets in while you wait for your food.
Shaw: It's as if Fuddruckers is a weird combination of other places. Maybe a TGI-Kingy-Cheese or a Chili-Donalds. With the outdated video games, excessive use of mirrors and extremely organized CCOTW, I'd expect to find Fuddruckers all over Canada.
Robert: Canada?
Shaw: Canada. I wonder if the burgers are part moose meat.
Robert: I'm fairly certain it's just ground beef. I don't think they actually eat moose in Canada.
Shaw: Have you ever been to Canada?
Robert: No. Whatever. Here's the goofy thing -- Fuddruckers is crazy depressing, but my burger wasn't half bad.
Shaw: Not goofy at all. I'd agree -- these guys know what they're doing in the burger department. The Fudd fries are pretty good, too, even if they are heavily seasoned. Plus, the staff and manager seemed really nice, and genuinely interested in making sure you enjoy your Fuddruckers experience.
Again, I suspect Canadian influence.
For the record, according to Wikipedia, Fuddruckers is based in Austin, Tex. I don't know what Shaw's deal with Canada is. --Robert
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8725 Metcalf | Overland Park, KS 66212
Man, that is a name I've not heard in a long time. Back in the day, when weekend trips to the "big city" of KC were my family's idea of a getaway, we could hardly wait to get to Fuddruckers on Metcalf for our Saturday night meal. Why the fascination with Fuddruckers? No idea. But I do recall many "F*ckrudders" joke in the back of the van with my cousins. That just never got old.
ReplyDeleteNo such thing as an "outdated video game".
ReplyDeleteHaven't eaten at Fuds in a loooooong time, may have to take the kids. I remember the sadness, good to see the food is still decent.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing, Jeff. I can't still remember the look of disbelief in my mothers eyes when I referred to it as "F*ckrukers". It was like she'd seen a ghost.
ReplyDeleteCan't for the life of me recall how the food was. I was a dumb little kid though, so I'm sure I thought it was fantastic.
I get an occasional craving for Fuddrucker's, and part of that craving involves the pump cheese. I am a sucker for cheese from a pump, whether it has flavor or not! The buttery buns make the sandwich too. And the pico. Mmm...
ReplyDelete