"Fine" Dining

🍟🤖🍔 Wendy's: Savage Roasts, French Fry Glow-Up, and Are the Nuggets Perfect? 🍔🤖🍟

This week, Ali Gordon joins me to put Wendy’s through the Chili’s Test. Between Frostys, spicy nuggets, and a fireplace straight out of HGTV, things get interesting. We try three Wendy's burgers for Septemburger, but will they all get a c...

🌮🤡 Jack in the Box: See-Through Tacos, Clown Mascot, and Legendary Curly Fries 🤡🌮

This week, we went to Jack in the Box to try some burgers, and got so much more than we bargained for. I'm joined by Honey Butter Popcorn from the Ragmop & Goose Puppet Adoption Agency and we went deep on the Jack in the Box menu. From a wild history including a name change and blowing up their old mascot, t...

🍒 Sonic Drive-In: Full History and Honest Review 🛻

This week, SONIC Drive-In gets the full treatment: history and review, all in one. From the retrofuturistic drive-in vibes and “Two Guys” commercials to a dashboard covered in onion rings, we dive deep into everything SONIC does right, wrong, and in-between. Special guest Marc Pope (Geek Off the Street podcast) joins me for cherry limeades, corndogs, and a Septemburger showdown t...

🍔 Septemburger 2025: The Burger Tournament Begins! 🏆

GET HYPED!! It’s that time of year again: Septemburger! The annual hamburger tournament is back, and eight chains are entering this greasy gauntlet. In this episode, I reveal all the contenders, break down how the tournament works, and review the first five burgers of roun...

🚒 Firehouse Subs: Premature Halloween & Sticky Bottles 🎃

This week, Jon Glover (from On Brand with Jon & Marisa) joins me again as we finally taste Firehouse Subs for ourselves. From cops hooking up in the bathroom* to pickle buckets better left unopened, this visit had more than its share of noteworthy moments. The subs didn...

🚒 Firehouse Subs 🥒

This week, we head into Firehouse Subs to see what the fuss is about. Emmy Award-winning guest and cohost of On Brand with Jon & Marisa Jon Glover joins me to talk steaming meats, charity pickle buckets, Titanic lore, and why being put on hold too long might just drive you insane. Along the way, Jon invents his dream restaurant “Capades” (an ice-themed wonderland), brushes shoulders with James Cameron (not to b...

🍕 Deep Dish in LA? Reviewing Gino’s East of Chicago 🏀

This week, Jacquis Neal (Host of Dropout's upcoming show Crowd Control) returns as we give our full review of Gino’s East of Chicago in...not Chicago, but Sherman Oaks, California. From the deep dish pizza to the dessert (and the GIARDINIERA RANCH), we talk hits, misses, and whether this spot truly feels lik...

🍕 Gino’s East of Chicago: Graffiti, Deep Dish, & Biscuit Crust 🧱

This week, we take a bite out of the legacy of Gino’s East of Chicago — a deep dish pizza joint started by cabbies and made famous by its buttery biscuit crust and graffiti-covered walls. With a flavor profile heavy on cornmeal and sausage (sometimes too much sausage), it’s one of Chicago’s big four pizza spots — but is it the GOAT?

Joining me is actor and comedian ...

🍽️ This Place Sure Had a Lot of Food Items Score a 1-out-of-10 🫠

This week, we return to Golden Corral - this time, to eat. Joined by comedian and podcast host Ben Cassil (@bencassil), I finally test the buffet itself, from rock-hard bread to surprisingly okay tacos. We found joy in the strawberry shortcake Fanta ICEE and the sheer chaos of none of the food being accurately labeled.

Also, someone talked to their mom on speakerpho...

🥩 Golden Corral’s 100-Year Plan & Dumpster Drama 🗑️

This week, we dive into the sprawling buffet empire that is Golden Corral. From hygiene scandals to military youth camps, this chain has been through it all and somehow, it’s still opening new locations.

Joining me is Ben Cassil, host of Li...

🍑 Better Than Chili’s? We Finally Taste Jollibee 🍗

This week, we're putting Jollibee through the Chili’s Test. From sweet pies that taste like vacation to spaghetti that... didn’t, we finally try the food and decide whether this beloved Filipino chain lives up to its reputation. With special guest Jason Patrick Galit (JPG) guiding the way, we get the full experience, even if we have to be Sweaty Little Boys in the process.

It’s j...

🍗 Jollibee Is a Filipino Treasure 🍗

This week, we dive into the sweet, crunchy, culturally iconic legacy of Jollibee, the Filipino fast food chain with a bee mascot, a cult following, and a spaghetti recipe that would confuse most Americans. But to millions of Filipinos, it’s more than just a restaurant—it’s home.

Joining me is Jason Patrick Galit (JPG) from InterMyth, who grew up with Jollibee and has the love to prove it. From ...

🌭 Nathan’s Famous: One Glorious Glizzy Soars Above the Rest of the Menu 🌭

We went to the original Nathan’s Famous in Coney Island to find out: is this historic wiener mecca actually good, or are we just chasing a bump from a bygone era? Comedian Marty Cunnie returns as my hot dog soulmate to break down every last bite — from...

🌭 Nathan’s Famous: The Hot Dog Empire with a Big Secret 🌭

This week, we dive mouth-first into the greasy, glorious history of Nathan’s Famous, the iconic hot dog brand that gave us Al Capone’s favorite beach snack, a gluttonous holiday tradition, and the most American sporting event of all time: the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.

From shady police bribes to feeding royalty to Joey Chestnut’s triumphant retu...

🍗 Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken: Nothing Was Bad?! 🍗

We went to Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken—and literally nothing made it into the “Not Good” category. Nothing!

Comedian and improviser Dave Theune (St. Denis Medical, NBC/Peacock) joins me to talk about his first foray into eating dark meat, crispy fried okra, spicy batter, and the kind of service that borders on too attentive (but we loved it). The waiter even coaxed out ...

🐔 Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken (Part 1): Gus's Parents, the Superfan, and Chicken Championships 🐔

Before Gus’s was world famous, it was just spicy chicken sold out the back of a bar in the segregated South. But that secret recipe grew into a Southern staple, complete with 40+ locations, a chicken-loving superfan turned CEO, and even a rogue rooster who hangs ...

🎲 Dunkin’ & Donuts: The D&D Crossover You Never Knew You Needed 🎲

This week on the "Fine Dining Podcast," we trade the drive-thru for dungeons. After covering a long, bizarre history — from handled donuts and Fred the Baker to the rise of Munchkins and Dunkaccinos — it’s time for part two: an original Dungeons & Dragons one-shot adventure, played in a world whe...

☕ Dunkin’ Donuts: Handled Donuts, Munchkin Origins & Al Pacino’s Dunkaccino ☕

Dunkin’ may be a coffee giant now, but its journey started with donuts — one in particular with a literal handle. In this week’s episode, I break down the entire rise of the chain formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts, from its humble beginnings in Quincy, Massachusetts, to becoming the fast-casual coffee behemoth we know today. Plus, I'm joined by writer and ...

🍕 Papa Johns: The Pizza Review That Gave Us Indigestion 🍕

We reviewed Papa Johns… in the lobby. One item at a time. On plastic chairs they dug out from the back.

Make no mistake, this branch of Papa Johns rules, but at the end of the day: it's still Papa Johns. After learning the ingredients now arrive in prepackaged plastic bags from an employee literally covered in something the company calls “dust,” w...