Great food on the Strip

[BillVol]

Right now on the Strip (what is left of it) I think the best food is at the Sunspot. But what other places in times past, or current, have served good eats? I miss Charlie Peppers' blackened chicken.

[GhenghisVol]

I dont think there is any anymore. The Varsity Inn (the VI) used to be my favorte place next to Sam n Andy's and the deli. Course Ollie's Trolley was the best place ever to eat on the strip but thats only been gone for a century or two. There's no place on the strip I want to eat anymore.

[VolFrannie]

Gus's Deli, Vik and Bill's is pretty good in a pinch, Copper Cellar.

[volchef]

I dont think there is any anymore. The Varsity Inn (the VI) used to be my favorte place next to Sam n Andy's and the deli. Course Ollie's Trolley was the best place ever to eat on the strip but thats only been gone for a century or two. There's no place on the strip I want to eat anymore.

Ditto that :(

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Gus's sucked, IMO. It was a distant 3rd in sandwiches behind Sam n' Andys and the old Vic and Bills.

There is no good food on the strip.

[BillVol]

What about the OCI? I've only eaten there once but do not remember it. Is the food noteworthy?

tux, the Sunspot is pretty good. I believe it's now owned by the Aubrey's people, which is also pretty good but maybe not as good as Sunspot was.

http://aubreysrestaurants.com/

BTW delis definitely count as great food!!!

[tebowisgay]

The sweetrolls at the Torch restaurant. I'm still carrying around 5lbs from those puppies.

[GhenghisVol]

The Torch, goddamnit I knew there was another one I had forgotten. The Torch and the VI were basically interchangeable.

[VaVol]

Torch was the shnizz. Very sad to see it go. My future wife-to-be and I would often amble over from Clement and enjoy a bowl of hot soup and grilled cheese.

[real turf fan]

I guess it had a name. Hole in the wall that was said to be passed down in a family from one group of Chinese students to the next.
Only had one bad meal there out of hundreds.
As I remember it, it had dishes that weren't the 'average' even back then. I think it's the only place I've ever seen that had a gingko nuts and chicken on it's menu printed in English.

[SoftballVol]

Gus's Deli, Vik and Bill's is pretty good in a pinch, Copper Cellar.
Gus's Deli is very good IMO. I've only eaten there twice and both in the past several months so maybe I lucked up or maybe they've improved since Tux last sampled them. I admit that both times I was there they weren't crowded and one of the secrets to a good deli is that it has to be given time to steam properly. In a rush the preparers sometimes slice the meat too thick and they don't steam the sandwich long enough. That makes for a less than ideal deli sandwich. I also now make it a point to tell the preparer that I drove all the way from Atlanta to eat a Gus's Deli (and I'm not lying when I say that). I think they go out of their way to make sure I don't go home disappointed.

[tebowisgay]

The one on the strip. We are talking late 70's early 80's. As good of a steamer deli that could be aquired during that era and a bitchin polish sausage. When that tall dude with the red afro made that paper bag snap like a bullwhip you knew you were in Rooster fricking heaven.

[VaVol]

The one on the strip. We are talking late 70's early 80's. As good of a steamer deli that could be aquired during that era and a bitchin polish sausage. When that tall dude with the red afro made that paper bag snap like a bullwhip you knew you were in Rooster fricking heaven.
Many a late-nite Rooster was eaten by this inebriated soul.

[tebowisgay]

he looked like the PBS oil painting dude without the beard. Here the guy was working a crap job but had big style.

[VaVol]

he looked like the PBS oil painting dude without the beard. Here the guy was working a crap job but had big style.
Yeah, I remember that guy ... at least I think I remember that guy. Seeing as how most of my visits to RTM were in a 'compromised' state. But I clearly remember the snap of the bag that jolted you from your stupor as you waited for the breaded delicacy that would somehow complete your night of revelry with just the right bit of fried goodness. Mmmm ... Rooster.

[volchef]

TIG, I did not attend UT until the early 90s, but I've been attending UT games with my parents since the 70s when I was born. My mom and dad who both graduated in 69 took my sister and I to the Smoky Mtn. Market every year until it closed. We always seemed to go for the cheeseburgers which I'm sure weren't nearly as good as they started to close, but daddy in particular remembered the place so fondly that my heart sinks when I think about it. I think a moment of silence is very appropriate.