Where Do You Want to Go to Lunch?

Posted: Fri, Mar 10, 2006

At least twice a week, my office mates and I stand around with dumb, hungry looks in our eyes and try to figure out where to go for lunch. Our preferences lean toward cheap, close (to our building at 96th and College), and fish-etarian friendly (that's vegetarian+fish).

I keep silently wishing that they will open a Subway in the dump of a strip mall near our office or (even better but more unlikely) a full-service locally-owned smoke-free bar and restaurant in the parking lot of our Duke-owned building. With all the stressed out publishers, accountants, and financial advisors in our building, they'd be sure to make a killing. (But please God don't let it be an Applebee's.)

Until our anemic culinary dreams come true, however, we've created a restaurant list on Backpack so we don't have to use any more brain juice than necessary on this tedious task. Here's our list so far. If we left off any good places to eat, let us know. An asterisk indicates it's on heavy rotation.

96th Street Steakburgers
Amalfi
Applebee’s
Arby’s
Bazbeaux
Bravo
Broad Ripple Brew Pub
Cafe Nora
Capri
Cheesecake Factory
Cheng Du
The Claddagh
Da Blue Lagoon*
Don Pablo’s
Forbidden City*
El Rodeo*
Gumbo-a-go-go*
Hella’s Cafe
Kona Grill
Kona Jack’s*
La Margarita
Macaroni Grill
Mandarin House
Mark Pi’s
Max & Erma’s
McDonalds
Naked Tchopstix
Ocean World*
Nothing But Noodles (I want to open a restaurant next door to this one called "Mostly Meat")
PF Chang’s
Puccini’s Smiling Teeth*
Q-Doba
Rancho Grande
Roly Poly
Scholar’s Inn
Shalimar*
Snooty Fox
Steak ‘n’ Shake*
Subway*
Super 8 Chinese Buffet
Taste
TGI Friday’s
Union Jacks
Wild Oats*
Yats*

Comments

1. Mar 10, 06 03:15 PM | Michelle said:

I plugged lunch suggestions into a javascript randomizer for some people in my office. All they have to do is load the page and the lunch oracle spits out where they should go. They take the suggestion about 50% of the time so it cuts down on the "where you want to go, no where do you want to go, no where do you want to go" conversation. http://michellejones.net/lunch.html

2. Mar 11, 06 12:07 PM | Rob said:

There's a Subway in the shopping center at 86th and Westfield -- it's probably closer than most of the places youse guys go.

3. Mar 11, 06 12:52 PM | Jennifer Bortel said:

Yeah, that's our regular Subway. I just wish there were a closer one. Our only walkable choices are the "cafe" in the building (limited, expensive), JWegs (they always get my order wrong, cold, expensive), and the low-end Chinese place (scary).

4. Mar 11, 06 07:30 PM | Leo said:

What about Chipotle?

5. Mar 13, 06 09:58 AM | Dustin said:

How many times do I have to suggest McAlister's before we actually go there? Not like it's the greatest place ever, but it never hurts to mix things up. There are two of them pretty close to the office.

And yes, I'll add it to our Backpack. If McDonald's and Applebee's made the list, we can throw this place on there.

6. Mar 13, 06 12:20 PM | Rachel Wolfe said:

I like McAlister's. I get turkey & mozzarella on a whole wheat hoagie, with lettuce and honey mustard. (They always look at me like I'm crazy when I order the honey mustard, because technically that's a salad dressing, so I have to insist that yes, it's what I actually want.) And their sweet tea rocks.

7. Mar 13, 06 02:32 PM | Aimee said:

Athens on 86th
Chick Fil-A
Culver's (71st & Georgetown)
Jimmy John's
The Original Pancake House
Penn Station
India Palace (best Indian food)& Udupi Cafe (all veg!)
Sichuan (Carmel)

8. Mar 17, 06 07:42 PM | Tom Ho said:

At 86th & Ditch Rd. how about Sawasdee & Garam Masala

9. Apr 8, 06 07:39 AM | Scott Smith said:

Jen,

Good to see that you're eating well ...

As a physician, my sense of nostalgia is overwhelmed by my dread for your coronary arteries....

Scott

10. Apr 10, 06 10:19 AM | Jennifer Bortel said:

No worries. According to my last doctor's visit, my HDL cholesterol level is freakishly high, so my arteries should be relatively plaque-free.

11. Apr 16, 07 12:58 PM | johnny Applebomb said:

I would highly suggest going to subway. They have really good subs, and their veggie sub has only 260 calories (it says it on the napkin.) Plus, their prices are unbeatable, and you watch them make the food (no order messups!) You can also eat FRESH!(their slogan)

-Eat healthy guys :)
Jhonny

12. Apr 18, 07 10:49 AM | Susan said:

When Eddie Met Salad - its behind the Claddagh on 96th street. Yummy, healthy and lots to choose from.

Where Do You Want to Go to Lunch?

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