In a previous life I worked as a securities analyst and one of the sectors I covered was food and beverage. One day during some downtime I got into a discussion with a visiting food and bev analyst about where the fast food industry was headed.
"It's funny," he said, "how hard it is to make it in the fast food industry when you deviate from burgers and chicken. If you showed me five new franchises at the beginning of the year and three were burgers or chicken and the other two were something truly new, I'd be willing to bet a year of mortgage payments that of the five, the only two that would survive would be the new burger/chicken concepts. That's especially disturbing considering that when it comes to burger and chicken restaurant concepts, the market has been oversaturated for decades."
But what about Mexican?
He laughed. "Mexican has been struggling to get a foothold for years and it's finally happening. For a long time it was just Taco Bell, but there are other chains going now."
Was there hope for other kinds of fast food?
He rolled his eyes. "I get twenty of these new-wave fast food type companies pitching to me every quarter saying that they're going to be the next big thing. They love to brag about how how many locations they have and how much money they're making. Then I ask how many of those locations are outside California or the West Coast. Not many of them have a good answer to that question. Sure, you can sell to hippies, but can you convince the rest of the country that DOESN'T have the munchies to eat your food? Haha!"
That conversation happened in the late 90s. The landscape of the American palate has changed since then. Actual says it's due to the Food Network, and I agree with her. People all over the country are out of their food ruts, and when even my hometown has a healthy selection of chain restaurants obviously America has changed for the better.
Underlining this, Noodles & Company is one of those chains that the analyst was referring to as "stoner munchies food". Now, consider the fact that many midwestern states got a local copy of this restaurant before the chain made it from their home state of Colorado to my neck of the woods in Northern California. A noodle place hitting Ohio before NorCal? Say it isn't so!
So we decided to head out to the newly opened local location and have some noodles. The ordering system is pretty simple. You pick a pasta style which consists of pasta/veg/sauce. There are 12 types under Asian, Mediterranean, and American subcategories. Next you can choose to add a protein for extra money (options include braised beef and sauteed chicken). You can order their Trio, which is a small pasta with protein add and soup or salad for eight dollars. It's a great deal if the food is good. So is it good?
Even though the menu is pretty simple, Actual had to think about what she wanted. It wasn't because she didn't understand the menu, but because there are just too many good things to pick from. Barbie decided she was tired of waiting for Actual and put her in jail.
As a side note, Barbie is by FAR the most clicked subject on this blog according to my site logs. Of the pictures that are clicked to enlarge, the top 5 most clicked subject categories are:
- Barbie Girlfriend (and let me remind everyone AGAIN... she's MARRIED)
- Naruto Girl (and let me remind everyone AGAIN... she's 15)
- Sakuran Sushi dishes
- Hamburgers
- Sliced Meat
Congratulations, Barbie! You're number one!
Warning: if you're craving good pasta right now and you're hungry, you might want to stop here.
First up was a Pasta Fresca with braised beef. It has pasta with spinach, tomatoes, and a lot of parmesan. The sauce is made from balsamic vinegar, red onions, roasted garlic, and white wine. Their braised beef, by the way, is as perfect as you will ever get outside of a French restaurant.
This is a Penne Rosa with parmesan encrusted chicken. Similar to the Pasta Fresca, except instead of the white wine sauce they use a tomato cream sauce. Equally delicious.
Japanese Pan Noodles with braised beef. This dish is pan seared udon noodles with a sweet soy concoction. I didn't try this one but I was assured that this was very delicious.
Pesto Cavatappi. I think this will be my choice on my next visit.
Their version of potstickers are pan-fried and flat. Despite the odd shape they are quite delicious.
Actual's Bangkok Curry with braised beef. Although it's not specified on their menu, this is a knockoff of a Thai green curry. Great flavor on the sauce and the rice noodles were perfectly done.
If you're in the mood for pasta, I'm not sure you can beat their Trio combo for eight bucks. And despite what that analyst said, no, you don't have to be a hippie with the munchies to appreciate this food.
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