Waffle Houses...

Good place to find dancers after shift. I recall that the best way to hook up with some of the "local talent" type girls who were up for irregular OTC action, when the old Platinum Plus was still running in Memphis, was simply to head down the road about 300 yards to the nearest all-night diner. I think the brand was indeed a Waffle House.

But they aren't EVERYWHERE. They're more of a Southern phenomenon, and Western, as far as I can tell. Minnesota and Saskatchewan lack them ...

I think of Waffle Houses as sort of a Red State thing, like Cracker Barrels. Even though I live in what is technically a "blue state", since it usually votes Democratic in presidential elections, the reality is that 101 of the 102 counties in Illinois are "red", so we have Waffle Houses (and Cracker Barrels) all over.

Waffle Houses are good places to see strippers in one of their natural environments since, like a lot of strip joints, they are situated close to interstates (Waffle Houses are there to be close to one of their natural constituencies, truckers--strip clubs are by the interstates because they are frequently zoned away from every other area), and because they, along with Denny's, are frequently the only places open when strippers get off work and want to eat.

waffle house -bleech!!!!!

I thought those were only for crappy road trips. And Cracker Barrel is just as gross.

I didnt know the girls went there after shifts though.

Actually they are not as ubiquitous as some of you may think. They are only located in about 25 states and mostly in the south. Never seen one in my neck of the woods but I have stopped in a few when driving to Florida. Not bad. Very similar to IHOP and Bickford's and a big step up from Denny's! There are a few Cracker Barrels around here and they are all pretty good. I mean, it's breakfast, it's supposed to be greasy...

Probably a slice of life most aren't aware of, but in DC, the late night hangout (strippers, hookers, politicians with a habit) was, when I did late nights, Pied de Cochon in Georgetown, which translates loosely to The Pig's Foot. Now as a midwestern boy (technically the midwest starts at Pittsburgh) I didn't see a lot of difference between that and the late night hangouts of my mis-spent youth. And frankly I like the Waffle House, and Perkins, and Eat'n Park, and the Cracker Barrel. You know who I can't stand? Starbucks.

Cant stomach those places. But then Yes Starbucks isn't that good as well.Athough I tend to go there when I travel. What I find hilarous is people complaing about the gas prices but then forking over 5 bucks for a cup of mid grade coffee

Hey!!! I like their specialty drinks, but you're right the regular coffee is so-so.

Not knockin them cause heaven knows I go ther far to often. But as a former barista I tend to be a coffee snob

and yes a culinary snob as well hence my distaste for waffle house and other similar establishments. sorry

Not a problem, I do understand. Prefer to gring my own blends anyway but I can't carry that ability with me.

WG, I am a bit of a coffee snob too, which is why I hate Starbucks. They have one flavor, burnt.

Unreal, all this talk about waffle houses and coffee made me hungry so I just made fresh waffles and coffee. That's ridiculous.
lol

Clubman2-That is funny I bet it tasted better than wafflehouse
AB- ever notice the funny after taste from starbucks??
its either cause they refrigerate their beans (A CRIME)
or an additive to cause us to ignore the fact that we are all slaves to corporate america and slowly being brainwashed into drones one macchiato at a time

Don't know that I ever had Waffle House but this was pretty good. About the only thing I get from Starbucks is the White Mocha. Haven't noticed the aftertaste but that could be that I'm just use to it. LOL

When people talk about enjoying "the simple things", one of those things they mean is the classic diner. "The House" just happens to be the Southern version of that classic place.

When I was at Georgia Tech, friends and I would spend hours just getting refills of coffee and studying in a booth at the Waffle House on Northside. They never did throw us out... so I have a special affection for them.

And yes, the "all night" quality of "The House" makes it stripper-friendly. I suppose the same can be said for any diner.

O.

And what the hell is up with this venni viddi vicci crap! Small, Medium, Large, is that so fuckin' hard? I wanna cup of coffee, not a fuckin' lecture on culture. Coffee, black, large. Is that so goddamn hard?

Every time I go into a Starbucks (very infrequent nowdays) I get involved in a 5 minute discussion to order a large black coffee. I know this is a bit of a rant, but I am a customer, willing to pay $4 for a fuckin' cup of coffee because, well I need my cup of coffee. If there were a Dunkin' doughnuts within a mile I'd have no problem, but no, I end up at Starbucks with some glorified counter attendant who call's himself a "barista" lookin down his nose at the rube who doesn't speak the proper language. It's not my job to learn a new language to order a fuckin' cup of coffee! You know exactly what I mean when I say large coffee, black, so give me a large coffee, black. Is that so hard? Oh, and I've been to little Italy and had a real cappachino, and all the others... They laugh at the crap Starbucks serves, and they don't charge $8 either. And their deserts are out of this world!

By contrast a Waffle house, Perkins, or Cracker Barrel is absolutely unpretentious. They serve tasty food in large quantities for a cheap price, and if you ask for a large coffee, black, to go, they give it to you without seeking to educate you.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, in Little Italy you can order a large coffee, black, and they'll give it to you.

The little town I live in used to have no Waffle Houses. Suddenly we seem to have them all over the place. I've counted at least 3. Can the strip clubs be far behind? We don't have them either. That would be a good way to increase business at Waffle House apparently. Then I could become a true rock just paying cover and sitting in the club not tipping hardly anyone.

A REAL barista wouldnt be caught dead in starbucks.
Its like when I worked in a REAL pizza place. It had a wood burning oven that was amazing. And after a year of training I finally got the title pizziola (SP ?) But the other day I noticed then using the term at papa johns. WTF???? I had to work my ass off for that title.

The wood burning oven! God damn. So good for pizza and baking certain breads. This is making me hungry.

Speaking of Little Italy, check out Lombardi's on Spring Street in Manhattan - THAT is pizza. Damn, I'm hungry now.

O.

Waffle Houses are a southern thing. I don't think they have one farther north than the KC suburbs. I wouldn't know if you could pick up strippers there.

BTW, Starbucks sucks!!!! I only go under two circumstances 1) out of town, and then if I found something else, I'd go there instead and 2) I'm going out of town south (since the coffeeshop I visit, a small local place, is north from my home). And then I only get the white mocha as well.

"And after a year of training I finally got the title pizziola (SP ?) But the other day I noticed then using the term at papa johns. WTF???? I had to work my ass off for that title."

Can a pizziola who has earned the title by working their ass after a year of training cook a better pizza than the 8 hour trainee?

I prepared a long winded motion in a guardianship case for a lawyer----upfront I explained that my knowledge of the revelvant law was zero. The motion---poorly written, imo, and of dubious merit?---was filed AS IS; just amazing, imo, that the lawyer didn't clean it up a little after my warnings the quality of my motion was subpar---to be kind. Lawyer easily won. :) I doubt the judge even read the motion that I prepared for the lawyer--the lawyer told me it wouldn't matter either way---it was just for billable hours. :) The point being the training or quality may have NO relevance: The best mouth watering pizza that I *ever* had was in a little pizza place in Gainsville. It wouldn't have surprised me if they "officially" knew nothing about making pizzas---they sure as hell were down to earth "rednecks." :) They had some homemade regular southern cooking for me to try and it was BAD, imo---but, they thought that cooking (not for sale, btw) was much better than their pizzas.

WH's are a southern fixture, but also have a presence in some midwestern & southwestern desert states. I can't say I have seen confirmed cases of strippers eating there before/after their shifts, though I've seen some that could be. A few yrs. ago, the long time 24hr WH on Dale Mabry a block or so from the Monz became a 16 hr. Subway. We'll see if similar changes take place elsewhere.

Thank you lady(s) and gentlemen! I knew there was a reason why I continue to read this board. Between the all-too-frequent, drunken, shit flinging tantrums that occur here, there are moments of sincerity and honesty like this topic has generated.

I'd like those hash browns scattered, please.

How long until they start accepting plastic? That's what keeps me from going...haven't been in maybe a year. I never carry much cash on me (except at the strip club), and if I went to WH afterwards I wouldn't have any of that cash left anyway :)

jablake -HUGE diffrence as in frozen dough cooked in a microwave VS fresh hand tossed dough in a woodburning oven. I dont think you understand what the title means in italy. And true Italian pizza is very diffrent from its American counter part. Im not slaming the American style Im saying microwaving doesnt not make a pizziola.

But then its a matter of taste

wondergirl you are correct. In Italy pizza is a left over meal. It has the dough and the sauce but the toppings are what ever is left over in the refrigerator.

I don't know of any Waffle Houses in southeastern PA. There are some nearby in Maryland though. And I agree with everything AN has said about Starbucks. You used to be able to go most anywhere, walk up to the counter and get a good cup of coffee for 50 cents or so without standing in line. Now almost everywhere you go you have to stand in line for 10-15 minutes while they make all these weird time-consuming overpriced special drinks and when you finally get to the head of the line you get to pay 2 bucks or so for a bad cup of coffee. And then there's no place to sit because the jerks who bought those overpriced fancy drinks think that gives them the right to sit there all day long with their computers. I'll be glad when all the Starbucks pack up and go back to the West Coast, then everywhere else can go back to serving real coffee at reasonable prices. I can never undeerstand why anyone anywhere ever sets foot in a Starbucks. Give me Dunkin Donuts any day - they're faster, better, cheaper and less crowded.

Hi wondergrl5,

I didn't see microwaving; not sure if the ovens were wood burning, but probably not. The one pizzeria that does use wood burning ovens that I'm familar with locally is on Biscayne Blvd. The pizza didn't taste so hot---perhaps too much salt and too much smoke flavor. To my knowledge I haven't tasted a good microwaved pizza or even any good microwaved cooking.

But, as you say it is a matter of taste. A friend loves those Hungry Man (?) microwave dinners and imo they're unedible unless you are really hungry.

Didn't care for Papa Johns or Pizza Hut or Franco's----the food that I love in general is over in Gainsville where, as it should be imo, the kids rule. Yes, old farts aren't treated the best . . . but, even as an old fart I prefer it that way. A female relative makes the best baked goods, especially chocolate chip cookies, including pizzas and has BLUBBER on BLUBBER to prove it. :(

Shadowcat I KNOW im correct.
Pizzas main base is the bread and even the sauce is optional. And im sure youll agree the flavor is MUCH better than a microwaved pizza

Jablake - then you agree that processed papa johns and such isnt the same as something made by hand.
FONDL- I heard Starbucks is actually closing down stores so the trend is wearing off. Ill never forget how upset my mother was when we went to Grennich Village and all the amazing cafes and coffeehouses of her youth had been turned into Starbucks and Dress Barns

Wondergrl
All true about the pizza and Starbucks, but I loved their IPO

Runner up for the wood oven are a brick oil fired oven or using a baking stone in a ral hot covered charcoal grill with wood chips.

HELL YEAH!

Roscoe's House of Chicken' n Waffles!!

nuff said.

As a lifelong resident of the South I have seen my share of Waffle Houses and don't particularly care for them. The one exception is that they do serve a decent late night breakfast at a reasonable price. I have several older friends who practically live there and won't settle for anything else. I will say they always have a good, fresh cup of coffee for about a buck. As a long time coffee drinker I would rate their coffee at least 4 times better than Starbucks. Why so many people are so ready to pay for overpriced, inferior coffee at Starbucks is a mystery to me. I think it is more of a status symbol than anything.

You guys made me hungry talking about pizza. I haven't been to a Waffle house in many years but now I'm getting hungrier thinking about some waffles as well.

Waffle House's are not out west, and I do miss them. (a centerpiece in the movie Tin Cup) Denny's and IHOP really suck. Cracker Barrel was okay but only a southern phenomenon usually scattered along I-75.

Starbucks sucks and their coffee is too strong. I have to water it down and it does have a nasty aftertaste. Maybe thats why so many are closing.

lof: I've seen WH's in AZ, NM, & CO.

An AMEN to lopaw.

Oh, and an AMEN to FONDL on Dunkin' Doughnuts. I'll also add Tim Horton's (having some experience in my travels up north).

Maybe I need to try DD again. For a while their coffee had that burnt taste to me. And Tim Hortons, the food was pretty decent but for some reason the coffee never excited me, not bad by any means but not great. I guess coffee is really a matter of personal taste though.

Ok the ULTIMATE - White Castle!!!!!

Nothing like a bag or ratburgers!

Anyone who has been to Pittsburgh wanna give a shout out to the O? No? Well me neither really, you have to be pretty drunk.

Other notable dives in western PA.

Bob's Subs, Slippery Rock and Clarion
Burger Hut, Butler
Hot Dog Shop, Butler (closed now)
The Iron Bridge, Grove City
Rachel's Roadhouse, Grove City
Quaker Steak and Lube, originally in Sharon PA, now everywhere in east Ohio and western PA.
Primanti Bros., Pittsburgh

Slightly further afield,

BJ's, Fredonia, NY

The BEST diner food Ive had is at the Silk City Diner in Philly.
Chef owned and operated the wildest people go there and the food is awsome

^^^
Actually I found it cause it was featured on "Diners,Drive ins,and Dives"

Wow, is that still in existence. If so it's a friggin' landmark

Ate there last weekend

Has to be 30 years since I was there and it was pretty much a wreck but the food was good and not expensive. Great pot roast and lots of it.

its been redone clean and efficent and the added a bar next door.

Have to check it out when I'm in the area.

Waffle house has approx 500 locations. over 200 are in the Metro ATL area. On some interstate exits there are 2-3 Waffle Houses in a one mile radius.

In my first OTC experience, we were driving back to my hotel and the dancer asked if we could stop at the Waffle House. It's also a great place to eat if you have a killer hangover..it's the grease!

all i have to say is chocolate covered bacon