Bad Condiments

Last week after a horrid Thanksgiving Day meal at Krista's, I felt I needed a lunch to cheer me up. After careful consideration, I decided to break down and head to one of my favorite spots, Grumpy's.

If you haven't had the pleasure....Grumpy's has the best authentic BBQ in the Valley by far. We're talking about pig being slow cooked in a smoker for about 14 hours. Now...I'm a bit of a BBQ afficianado, and I've had the real thing. I've been to world renowned places in Kansas City, Memphis, Atlanta, Austin....and Grumpy's is pretty close.

So...I grab the family and head over to Grumpy's Roadhouse and order my favorite meal; big bowl of steak gumbo and a pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw and fries. My gumbo comes and it's amazing....I'm told a glazed look of complete satisfaction washed over my face while I ate it. Then the pulled pork came, mmmmm. I put a combination of hot and mild BBQ sauce on it, then I grabbed the ketchup for the fries.

This is where my story takes an odd but necessary turn. Now as you can tell, I'm pretty passionate about good food. And I'm impressed when a restaurant takes the time to offer authentic, quality items at reasonable prices. So imagine my dismay when I grab the ketchup, and it's some generic restaurant supply brand. Ugh!. I dabbed a little on my finger and sadly discovered it tastes like feet. So...my fries had to be eaten naked, dealable but I missed dipping them in a quality ketchup.

You see....98% of the world including me eats Heinz ketchup. It's just better than any other ketchup.....hands down, no arguements. Hunts is the next most popular brand, and it sucks. We could discuss the same thing with virtually every other condiment...French's Mustard, Kraft Mayonnaise, etc.

Now....I'll still go to Grumpy's even after discovering this terrible faux pas.....but now I have to watch what I order. You'd be surprised how many other wonderful local establishments have the same issue. Ringer's Roost serves this nasty nosebleed ketchup with a gold label. I cannot order a burger or fries there.....it must be chicken cheesesteak and chips...items that need no additional condiments. The Starters Restaurants do Hunts......just sad. Do you know the last time I went to Starters Riverport with friends I actually brought ketchup packets from McDonalds? Do I really have to do that......

Just stop.....all of you restaurant owners repeat after me. Condiments matter to my customers. I will not try to save a few pennies by serving ass condiments, and instead buy named brand products. Keep repeating it as you take all of the crap from your table....and replace it with Heinz ketchup and the like.

Thank you....