I went back to look at the start of Every Eatery. I don’t like it, so I’m starting over. I’m keeping the same concept, so aptly captured in the title, of eating at every restaurant in Rapid City. Structurally, I’m going to try something very different for a blog: I’m going to create single post per restaurant and update it if/when something changes.
The image above is what Google Maps showed me when I typed in “Rapid City Restaurants”. It seems that there are many restaurants in town that could use an SEO consultant.
I’m also going to post the rating system, such as it is, here at the (second) beginning so I can link it from the other posts. Keep in mind that this is for rating the food – not the ambiance or the price. It’s not unusual for low tier food to be a better value than high tier food.
I’ll use “upper” and “lower” as modifiers, but upper low tier and lower mid tier probably have more to do with what else is served than the dish itself. That is, “upper” and “lower” are more about the restaurant overall than the one order I ate.
Low Tier
This is stereotypical fast food and/or pre-made food from a grocery store. It’s not necessarily “bad”. One could live on it, probably. It is uninspired, if not outright bland. Adding hot sauce to de-bland it does not change the tier. It ranges from “awful” to “fine”, with “OK” in the middle somewhere.
This is food worse than home cooking, but often worthwhile for the time savings.
Examples: McDonald’s hamburger and/or chicken nuggets. Arby’s roast beef. Albertano’s taco. Gas station sushi. Grocery store cheesy potato mixes.
There are exceptions. For example, Culvers is a fast food chain. Their bacon cheeseburgers are solidly mid-tier (and an excellent value). The bacon is sliced thickly enough that you can actually taste it. The cheese is really cheese, not a processed cheese food product. The burgers are cooked well by humans; the outside nicely browned without drying out the burger.
Mid Tier
This is stereotypical family dining. It ranges from “fine” to “surprisingly good”. By definition, nothing “excellent” can fall into this category. It may be inspired, but usually not.
This is what I expect good home cooking to taste like, which is what makes it “mid tier”. It’s something one can do for one’s self, if willing to take the time. Fried food often falls into this category. It’s possible to do it at home, but restaurant-sized fryers work much better than home frying. It is far easier to go out for good onion rings than it is to make them at home.
This is the category most of what I eat (and cook) falls into.
Examples: Millstone’s fish and chips. Colonial House’s sandwiches. Perkins’ breakfasts.
There are exceptions. For example, Applebee’s has become low-tier. They used to be mid-tier, if nothing particularly remarkable. The last time I was there was also the last time I will be there. If I had to guess, I’d say their efforts to rein in price increases have resulted in lower quality. I don’t particularly care why, but when they were not the best to begin with, that quality drop pushed them down a grade.
High Tier
This the stereotypical special night out. The food must be “great” to even get into this category. There’s not a lot of this and its usually expensive. These are usually inspired dishes. The big counter-example is steak; a perfect steak is usually very simple.
This is the sort of food that I wish I could cook – and might even attempt. If I succeed, it is unlikely that would downgrade the rating to mid-tier; I’m just that good 🙂
Exceptions here are usually specialties. For example, Colonial House is generally mid-tier, but some of their desserts! A hamburger at a steak house may go the other way. If it’s just a burger on a bun, there is only so much that can be done with it. The menu may generally be high-tier, but that uninspired burger is merely mid-tier.
Marked Up 