This is going to be a restaurant review. Many of you probably don't remember, or never knew, that I used to write restaurant reviews for a singles magazine in Knoxville when I lived there. Of course, back then the magazine paid for my meal and now I have to since no one is paying me to write this blog. And since this blog is about taxes and saving money, you can bet this won't be an expensive place.
Are you tired of paying $20.00 or more to eat fast food? You go into a burger place, you know the ones -- they've been around for decades, pull out a $10 bill and your jaw drops when the counter man asks for a $20? I have and I'm only paying for two people. It could be argued we eat to much and it could be rebutted that the dollar menu seems a bit boring. Not to mention the fact we'd rather have something else than fried food.
Normally we hit all the specials, such as the half price appetizers at Applebees. Share one half price app, add a plate of fries, drink water, and you have a pretty good meal for around $10. But these specials only happen at certain times and we were hitting town before half price hour. But there's a new burger joint across the street.
Cook Out is the name and if you want to review the menu on line, don't be fooled by two impostors whose pages show up before the official site. The only way I found the official site was to go to Wikipedia and click on the official page, but again don't be fooled. Even on Wikipedia the impostors are listed first.
Enough preamble. From the outside the building looks open and full of windows to lend to the whole outdoors for a cook out feeling. There are a lot of doors. You never feel trapped and even though there didn't seem to be many people coming inside to eat, I could see a brisk drive through business going on outside. In fact the line never let up. It was too cold and windy to eat outside but an ample patio with tables and chairs looked inviting when weather permits. Interior decor was that of a cabin or an outdoor picnic shelter with actual picnic tables, complete with backless benches, or regular fast food tables with back supports. We opted for a table for two with back supported seats.
Mesmerized by the choices we stood for a good ten minutes reading and discussing the burger boxes, by far the best value. I have to admit the price made me think the burgers would be about the size of a half dollar coin. We each ordered a burger, cheese extra, so no cheese, with our choice of two sides and a drink for $4.99 each. I chose coleslaw, made with mayo and not vinegar, onion rings and a water. My dependent also opted for a burger with fries and a bacon wrap with a large drink. Including tax I paid about $10.50. But were we going to get a filling meal or something fried and greasy that would leave us hungry in an hour?
At first glance the burgers were smaller than the bun but not by much and thick in the middle. The taste was that of a charcoal backyard grill and proved to be very filling. The sides were small but more than ample since there were two and you can double up; if you like fries you can get a double portion. My coleslaw came in a small container which at first I thought would leave me wanting more but proved satisfying. I only received 5 onion rings but they were large and tasty. Between the coleslaw, the onion rings and the burger I was completely full.
My dependent's bacon wrap was salty and left a strange after taste but the fries were firm and better than average thickness and not damp or limp with grease. She had to get a refill on her drink but my water was enough for me. And she commented that the ice was good. She is very particular about her ice. If you want a list of all the sides, which include hot dogs and wraps, go to the web site. All three sites have the menu but only the official site is updated with the current sides and prices.
My only negative comment is that everything was served in Styrofoam which doesn't recycle or decay. This is a rather large chain with many stores in five or six states. Management could look into more environmentally friendly containers but everything did fit nicely into the Styrofoam burger box. I can see the drive through window crowd would really like the convenience of the hard sided box, especially when buying multiple orders.
If you want a quick, tasty meal with some interesting sides that doesn't strip your wallet or bore your taste buds with the usual fast food fare, check out Cook Out. You won't be disappointed and you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. It's a good meal for a good price.
