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In-N-Out Burger (vs. Whataburger for Septemburger) feat. Raj Rawal (Tastemade)

Release Date: 09/11/2024

Casa Bonita Is My New Favorite Restaurant feat. Ify Nwadiwe [Part Two]

"Fine" Dining

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...

The Story of Casa Bonita feat. Ify Nwadiwe

"Fine" Dining

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...

Season 3 Trailer!

"Fine" Dining

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 to watch this episode! Music by: James McEnelly (@Ramshackle_Music) Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose "Fine" Dining is on !...

Season Finale: A Nightmare on WingStreet Review feat. Rachel Bryant (Actor) [Part Two]

"Fine" Dining

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...

A Nightmare on WingStreet: History feat. Rachel Bryant (Actor, "A Hard Place") [Part One]

"Fine" Dining

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...

Cook Out Review feat. Scott Philbrook (Astonishing Legends Podcast) [Part Two]

"Fine" Dining

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...

Cook Out History feat. Scott Philbrook (Astonishing Legends Podcast) [Part One]

"Fine" Dining

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...

Shake Shack feat. Jen Kober (Stand-Up Comedian)

"Fine" Dining

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...

White Castle feat. Coyal Harrison (Visit Vegas Places Podcast)

"Fine" Dining

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...

In-N-Out Burger (vs. Whataburger for Septemburger) feat. Raj Rawal (Tastemade)

"Fine" Dining

Septemburger rolls on! Formerly of Tastemade, producer Raj Rawal joins me to talk about a restaurant he's very passionate about: In-N-Out Burger The Eat Deets tackle everything from the founder's untimely passing in a plane crash and the struggles with substance abuse of the sons, to In-N-Out's brand loyalty with 7-Up surviving a rift with Pepsi The Secret Menu Mini-Game: Vehicular Goodies An injured employee is helped out of the restaurant by a manager mid-lunch rush in a noteworthy show of human decency What's Going On Over There with the overly competitive drivers in the parking...

More Episodes

Septemburger rolls on!

Formerly of Tastemade, producer Raj Rawal joins me to talk about a restaurant he's very passionate about: In-N-Out Burger
The Eat Deets tackle everything from the founder's untimely passing in a plane crash and the struggles with substance abuse of the sons, to In-N-Out's brand loyalty with 7-Up surviving a rift with Pepsi
The Secret Menu Mini-Game: Vehicular Goodies
An injured employee is helped out of the restaurant by a manager mid-lunch rush in a noteworthy show of human decency
What's Going On Over There with the overly competitive drivers in the parking lot?
They gave us paper hats!
Septemburger: In-N-Out faces off with Whataburger in the first round of the tournament
What we ate:
- French Fries (Well Done)
- In-N-Out Hamburger
- Mustard Fried Hamburger with Toasted Bun
- Animal Style Hamburger with Grilled Onions
- Black & White Shake
Raj 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)

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 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 In-N-Out Burger stories at [email protected].

Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast

Follow Raj on Instagram & TikTok @asaprajy

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: White Castle. I drove all the way to Las Vegas to eat at this notorious stoner destination with host of the Visit Vegas Places podcast, Coyal Harrison. I give a full review to the no. 8 seed in the Septemburger bracket one week before their showdown with the top-rated Shake Shack. Ever work at White Castle? Send in your stories to [email protected]

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