"I don't have a lot of respect for a meatball!"

• IKEA Swedish Bistro has a tough battle if it wants to be taken seriously on its culinary merits. Does it stake its claim as a contender in the pantheon of viable restaurants? Dropout's Chris Grace joins me to evaluate!
• The Good: The cafeteria set up (for Chris), the garlic bread, many of the desserts, the scenic vista of Griffith Park, and the place is clean
• The Not Good: The grimy hallway of tray return, the fries, the "fake" feeling made me dissociate, lack of variety, and the cinnamon roll
• The Just There: Chicken Fingers, the service, the vibes, and sadly: the meatballs
• What We Ate: Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Peas, Lingonberry Jam, Garlic Bread, Lemon Cod, Chicken Fingers, French Fries, Cinnamon Roll, Santa Fe Chicken Eggroll, Caramel Almond Cake, Chocolate Cake, Strawberry Shortcake, Swedish Apple Cake, Chocolate Coconut Bites, New York Cheesecake
• Chris talks about a tense interaction with a server in Edinburgh while detailing the worst meal he's ever had
• "Fine" Dining is now on video! Head on over to my YouTube to watch this episode!

Music by: James McEnelly (@Ramshackle_Music)

Theme Song by: Gabe Alvarez (@spooky.gabe)

Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose

"Fine" Dining is on Patreon! Get an extra episode every month (I closed the year with my Patreon exclusive episode covering rude-service-on-purpose restaurant chain Dick's Last Resort after driving to Las Vegas with friend and season 1 cheese correspondent Steven Zurita), extended Yelp from Strangers segments every other week, merch discounts, download access to our music including the 7 singles from our Olive Garden musical, and more!

Patreon Producers: Joyce Van, & Sue Ornelas

Get the 5 Survival Tips for Casual Dining at www.finediningpodcast.com!

Send in your IKEA stories at [email protected].

Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast

Follow Chris Grace on Instagram @chrisgracecomedy

Let me know where I should go next by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, PodcastAddict, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. I read every one!

We're off next week, but in 2 weeks on "Fine" Dining: McDonald's Breakfast + Ronald McDonald History [Part One]! I've got the alpha clown from the Los Angeles comedy scene, the clown boww Chad Damiani to join me at McDonald's for breakfast, and I gave him the full Ronald McDonald treatment. Ever work at McDonald's? Send your stories to [email protected].