"Fine" Dining

My 69th Restaurant! Nice!

Note: One of the mics wasn't working properly. It should sound fine, but Dana is a little quieter than I would've liked. Apologies in advance.

• Sam's Hofbrau is a strip club in Los Angeles that serves food, and I went with adult film star Ryan Keely and Dana Scarborough of the I Seduce the Dragon podcast to celebrate the 69th restaurant review on the main feed of the podcast!
• The history of serving food at strip clubs
• How to run your strip club kitchen
• Tales from the road as Ryan has been a featured dancer all over the country
• The pole dancer's high heeled pump is considered an athletic shoe?
• Dana & I passionately disagree with Ryan on the merits of fruit as "dessert"
• A Yelper gets chased out of the club!
• "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 (My October Patreon exclusive episode about Mr. Chow came out on Halloween! Go check out the episode about a place that is expensive for expensive's sake), 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 strip club food stories at [email protected].

Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast

Follow I Seduce the Dragon on Instagram @istdpod

Follow Ryan Keely @ryankeelytm

Follow Dana Scarborough @xoxodanajean

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!

Next week on "Fine" Dining: Strip Club Food Review [Part Two]! Ryan Keely & Dana Scarborough are back to break down what it's like to eat at a place where the food is secondary. Ever work at a strip club? Send your stories to [email protected].

10 months on the waitlist, and well worth it!

• Casa Bonita is the definition of a dining "experience" with its hodgepodge collection of oddball acts and entertainment, but is it worth flying out of state to grab dinner? I break down this kitschy paradise with my guest, the hilarious Ify Nwadiwe (Dropout TV, Um Actually, Maximum Film) in this week's review episode!
• The Good: Cliff divers are tremendous fun, the puppet show is expertly entertaining, the magician is a pro, the merch is unrivaled, the food is way better than its reputation would have you believe, a Love Tester machine tells me I'm "burning" with passion, and much more!
• The Not Good: Manbearpigrilla's handler snubbed us out of a photo op, there's too much to do in one visit, the service pace is overwhelmingly fast, a food assembly line, and there's a lack of clarity on the best way to experience the show
• The Just There: Rice & beans were whatever
• What We Ate: Horchata, the Wooly Bully, Chips & Salsa, Mole, Carnitas, Rice, Beans, Enchiladas, & Sopaipillas
• Ify details his worst & best restaurant experiences in The Calibration Station
• The second highest score in the history of the podcast!
• "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 (My October Patreon exclusive episode about Mr. Chow came out on Halloween! Go check out the episode about a place that is expensive for expensive's sake), 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 Casa Bonita stories at [email protected].

Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast

Follow Ify on Instagram @ifynwadiwe

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!

Next week on "Fine" Dining: The History of Dining at Strip Clubs! Adult film star Ryan Keely and her I Seduce The Dragon podcast costar Dana Scarborough join me to learn about the development of strip clubs as restaurants, and dive into a few Yelp reviews that are all over the place. Ever work at a strip club buffet? Send your stories to [email protected].

As seen on South Park!

• Casa Bonita, an institution near Denver, Colorado blends the kitsch of a sprawling indoor theme park with Mexican food, and Ify Nwadiwe (Dropout TV, Um Actually, Maximum Film) is here to learn all about it with me
• The location that everyone knows and loves isn't the original Casa Bonita, which used to have locations in four different states
• The Secret Menu: Edible TV Shows
• I name the winner of the Septemburger $500 giveaway
• The South Park creators buy Casa Bonita and find themselves hemorrhaging money to the tune of $42 million to restore it
• A Yelper desperately tries to convince us that post-renovation Casa Bonita is clean now, and we don't know how good we have it
• "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 (My October Patreon exclusive episode about Mr. Chow came out on Halloween! Go check out the episode about a place that is expensive for expensive's sake), 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 Casa Bonita stories at [email protected].

Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast

Follow Ify on Instagram @ifynwadiwe

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!

Next week on "Fine" Dining: Casa Bonita Review [Part Two]! Ify Nwadiwe is back to break down the Good, the Not Good, and everything that was Just There at this experience that is way more about the atmosphere than the food. Ever work at Casa Bonita? Send your stories to [email protected].

Season 3 is coming next week!

Follow along for season 3 as I'm headed to a lot of fun restaurants!

11/6-11/13 Casa Bonita with Ify Nwadiwe

11/20-11/27 Strip Club Food with Ryan Keely & Dana Scarborough

12/4-12/11 California Pizza Kitchen with Holly Brown

12/18-12/25 Arctic Circle with Santa Claus

On top of that, I've got some new music to freshen things up, including a brand new opening theme song!

"Fine" Dining is now on video! Head on over to my YouTube to watch this episode!

Music by: James McEnelly (@Ramshackle_Music)

Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose

"Fine" Dining is on Patreon! Get an extra episode every month (Tomorrow, I'm dropping the October Patreon episode covering the iconic Mr. Chow restaurant in Beverly Hills), 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!

Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast

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!

Next time on "Fine" Dining: Casa Bonita [Part One]! I'm off to Denver for the season 3 premiere, dropping November 6th, and I brought Dropout's Ify Nwadiwe with me! Ever work at Casa Bonita? Send your stories to [email protected].

The End of Season 2!

• WingStreet is Pizza Hut's wing brand, and I hit one with my guest this week, actor Rachel Bryant while we both dressed head-to-toe as horror icon Freddy Krueger
• What's Going On Over There with the pizza boxes replacing the glass on the broken door?
• Some kids at the Popeyes next door come out to threaten us (some might say it's Way Too Much)
• The employee had fun putting our order in for "Freddies"
• The Secret Menu Category: Delicious Hassles
• What we ate: Wings (4 flavors), Chocolate Donut Bites
• Rachel talks about dining on top of the Eiffel Tower
• Two segments get murdered ahead of the new season
• "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: Kyle Schieffer (@JazzyJellyfish)

Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose

"Fine" Dining is on Patreon! Get an extra episode every month (Next week, I'm dropping the October Patreon episode covering the iconic Mr. Chow restaurant in Beverly Hills), 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 WingStreet stories at [email protected].

Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast

Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachelamandabryant

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!

Next time on "Fine" Dining: Casa Bonita [Part One]! I'm off to Denver for the season 3 premiere, dropping November 6th, and I brought Dropout's Ify Nwadiwe with me! Ever work at Casa Bonita? Send your stories to [email protected].

Part 1 of the season 2 finale!

• It's A Nightmare on WingStreet as I cover the history of when Pizza Hut & YUM brands incorporated wings into their menu, and I'm joined by prolific horror actor Rachel Bryant
• We spend the entire finale fully cosplayed as horror icon Freddy Krueger
• Rachel's primary experience with wings is watching other people eat them at Super Bowl parties
• Hear the history of Buffalo Wings as a dish in general
• A Yelper needs relationship counseling, but regardless, likes his wife's suggestion of WingStreet despite his opposition to Pizza Hut as a whole
• "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: Kyle Schieffer (@JazzyJellyfish)

Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose

"Fine" Dining is on Patreon! Get an extra episode every month (I just put out the Septemburger 2024 Semi-Finals & Finals episode and it's available for FREE! Go hear who won this year's tournament), 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 Cook Out stories at [email protected].

Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast

Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachelamandabryant

Freddy Krueger Make-Up Artists: Brady Allio & Alexa Althen 

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!

Next week on "Fine" Dining: WingStreet Review [Part Two]! A Nightmare on WingStreet continues as the Season 2 finale concludes! Rachel Bryant and I eat 4 different types of wings and try to make sense of dining in a restaurant with no tables and were never meant to host diners. Ever work at Pizza Hut? Send your stories to [email protected].

Maybe the best milkshakes in the game!

• Cook Out is a staple of North Carolina, and I got to sit with host of the Astonishing Legends podcast, Scott Philbrook and try the burgers, hush puppies, and milkshakes that make them famous
• The Secret Menu Category: Spooky Restaurants
• A liminal space with Cheerwine decor
• What's Going On Over There with the handwashing station on the customer side of the ordering station?
• There's back of house and front of house, and never the two shall meet
• What we ate: Onion Rings, Hush Puppies, Cajun Fries, Cook Out Style Burger, Out West Style Burger, Steak Style Burger
• Scott details a restaurant experience so bad, his whole party left with dire stomach issues in this week's Calibration Station
• "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: Kyle Schieffer (@JazzyJellyfish)

Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose

"Fine" Dining is on Patreon! Get an extra episode every month (I just put out the Septemburger 2024 Semi-Finals & Finals episode and it's available for FREE! Go hear who won this year's tournament), 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 Cook Out stories at [email protected].

Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast

Follow Astonishing Legends on Instagram @astonishinglegends

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!

Next week on "Fine" Dining: WingStreet History [Part One]! Independent Horror superstar Rachel Bryant goes full Freddy Krueger with me for A Nightmare on WingStreet, part 1 of the "Fine" Dining Halloween and Season 2 Finale Special! Ever work at WingStreet/Pizza Hut? Send your stories to [email protected].

Coming to you from Greensboro, North Carolina this week!

• I'm cross-country again as this week I'm covering the beloved Southern burger chain Cook Out with host of the Astonishing Legends podcast, Scott Philbrook
• Scott talks his history with Cook Out from back when he was in college, as most locations are open until 3 in the morning
• Learn the history of Cook Out and their expansive menu that sells at a fraction of the cost of most fast food brands' offerings
• A couple incidents at Cook Out got managers and employees fired for either refusing or giving poor service to the police
• A Yelper complains of a "chemically" hot dog that's unfit for dogs
• "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: Kyle Schieffer (@JazzyJellyfish)

Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose

"Fine" Dining is on Patreon! Get an extra episode every month (I just put out the Septemburger 2024 Semi-Finals & Finals episode and it's available for FREE! Go hear who won this year's tournament), 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 Cook Out stories at [email protected].

Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast

Follow Astonishing Legends on Instagram @astonishinglegends

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!

Next week on "Fine" Dining: Cook Out Review [Part Two]! Scott Philbrook joins me to drink cheerwine, devour a top tier milkshake, and chow down on some burgers! Ever work at Cook Out? Send your stories to [email protected].

Septemburger 2024's final stop!

• I cap off a jetsetting Septemburger with the spot I barely had to go a mile to get to, Shake Shack. One of my go-tos in this this bracket, and I was graced with the presence of hilarious comedian Jen Kober
• The origins of the place were unclear at the time of filming, but I ultimately learned that the original Shake Shack was called I <3 Taxi, and it was a hot dog stand in Madison Square Park
• The Secret Menu Mini-Game: Disastrous Restaurants
• A very sterile atmosphere corrals customers towards a row of iPads
• What's Going On Over There with a peculiar conversion overheard between an employee and a customer?
• Septemburger: It's time to give the White Castle slider the mercy flush it deserves as it goes head to head with the Shackburger
• What we ate:
  • Crinkle Fries
  • The Shackburger
  • Cookies 'n Cream Shake
  • Chocolate Shake
  • Chicken Bites
  • Hot Dog
  • Smoke Shack Burger (not reviewed until the Septemburger Finals episode on 9/30 on Patreon)
  • Carolina BBQ Burger w/Fried Pickles (will be reviewed if Shake Shack advances to the finals of the tournament)
• Jen talks about eating a pig's face as she details the worst and best restaurant experiences she's ever had at the Calibration Station
• "Fine" Dining is now on video! Head on over to my YouTube to watch this episode!

Music by: James McEnelly (@Ramshackle_Music)

Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose

"Fine" Dining is on Patreon! Get an extra episode every month (August's release covers the other New York restaurant I reviewed: Ess-a-Bagel with my girlfriend Joyce as she reeeeally wanted to try NYC bagels, and the Septemburger Semi-Finals & Finals episode drops 9/30 FOR FREE), 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 Shake Shack stories at [email protected].

Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast

Follow Jen on Instagram @jenkober

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!

Next week on "Fine" Dining: Cook Out History. Next year's Septemburger is already in swing, as I travel to North Carolina to cover a fabled burger chain alongside Astonishing Legends podcast host Scott Philbrook. And we're back to 2-part episodes, so you'll hear the review in a couple weeks. Ever work at Cook Out? Send in your stories to [email protected]

Septemburger 2024's most upsetting stop!

• I'm in Las Vegas this week to hit the nearest White Castle to me with Vegas native (and host of the Visit Vegas Places podcast) Coyal Harrison and is not a good meal
• Apparently the White Castle slider was literally created in a moment of frustration when the founder couldn't quite figure out how to do meatballs, so he squashed it, put it on a bun, and called it edible
• The Secret Menu Mini-Game: Comedy Restaurants
• This White Castle is attached to a casino, so the vibes are nightmarish and should never be experienced sober or in the daylight
• What's Going On Over There with the signage that insists people refuse to live without White Castle?
• Septemburger: The White Castle slider gets scored ahead of its match next week with the no. 1 seed Shake Shack
• What we ate:
  • French Fries
  • Onion Chips
  • Chicken Rings
  • Mozzarella Sticks
  • Chicken Slider
  • Beef Slider
  • Chocolate Shake
• Coyal details his worst and best restaurant experiences ever at the Calibration Station
• "Fine" Dining is now on video! Head on over to my YouTube to watch this episode!

Music by: James McEnelly (@Ramshackle_Music)

Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose

"Fine" Dining is on Patreon! Get an extra episode every month (I recently released the episode for the other New York restaurant I reviewed: Ess-a-Bagel with my girlfriend Joyce as she reeeeally wanted to try NYC bagels), 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 White Castle stories at [email protected].

Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast

Follow Coyal on Instagram & TikTok @visitvegasplaces

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!

Next week on "Fine" Dining: Shake Shack. The final stop for Septemburger is the top dog, the number 1 seed, and I brought award-winning storyteller and comedian Jen Kober with me. Will they overcome White Castle, a burger so bad that the bar is on the floor? Yes. The answer is yes. Ever work at Shake Shack? Send in your stories to [email protected]