Cook Out (West End)
1809 West End AvenueCompetition means the return of Dad Dash!
I’m cheap, alright? A lot of skaters and their families just DoorDash food to the rink but our kids have a hard time agreeing on anything and I don’t want to pay for three DoorDash meals every day.
I ran out to get L Chipotle for lunch on Friday. B had Dunkin’ for breakfast so he wasn’t super hungry. I told him mom had ordered him a quesadilla and he was going to eat because he needed something.
Sure, I could just make my life easier and order from wherever they order from but I’m not going to do that. If we’re in a new city, I’m going to look around just a little bit more.
It’s really hard to find enough time to go eat a sit down meal at a local favorite. We try to get at least one of those in at each competition but the truth of the matter is, we usually only have time for fast food or fast casual.
Even with that caveat, I’m going to try my darndest to find something we don’t have in Kalamazoo or, if we’re traveling outside of Michigan, something I can’t find anywhere in the state.
We passed signs for a lot of places on our drives that grabbed my attention but as I was looking at a map of what was around the Centennial Sportsplex where the competition was being held, there was a place that has been on my list for a very long time.
After I dropped off the kids’ Chipotle, I headed towards Cook Out on West End Avenue and near 18th Street near Vanderbilt University. The North Carolina based chain opened this location tucked in between skyskrapers in Nashville in 2011. Traditionally, the chain restaurants only did drive thru and walk up but newer style buildings have a dining room and indoor ordering. This is one of those newer ones that looks like a more traditional fast food restaurant.
I had no idea what was going to order when I walked in the door. The website menu is kind of confusing so I was just planning on winging it.
The restaurant is set up like a traditional fast food restaurant but there is something a little odd when you walk in. There’s a huge queue line with red and black painted steel barricades. It’s weird because it’s not a permanent part of the design. The place was also pretty empty when I was there in the middle of the afternoon and I still had to navigate my way through the twists and turns of the line to get to the counter.
The order counter had the same somewhat confusing menu. I figured I was just going to get a burger so I looked at that section. They also have “BBQ Sandwich” on the menu which I really thought about trying. Seeing how this is a North Carolina based restaurant, I assume it’s chopped pig but I didn’t go that route. I got the Big Double, added cheese and bacon to it and made it a tray. I didn’t really know what that meant but I assumed it was like a combo. The guy taking my order asked what two sides I wanted. I couldn’t find sides on the menu so I just said fries. He asked if I wanted double fries and I just said yes. Even looking at the website menu now, it took me quite a while to find the sides. I probably would have gotten the cheese bites. Anyway, the cost for the Tray was just a little over $10. Really can’t complain about anything at that price.
There’s not a ton of room left for a dining room once they put up those barricades for the queue. There a few really uncomfortable booths and a couple outdoor picnic tables but that’s about it. Again, it was pretty empty so I just took a seat in the booth and waited for my food to come up.
They use the restaurant buzzer to keep track of orders instead of calling names or numbers. It took less than five minutes for my to start vibrating.
I didn’t need to be back to the rink for a little bit so I decided to just sit and eat in the restaurant. I was pretty stressed out and the anxiety is killing me this year at competitions so I thought I could use a little more time away.
I opened up the box the food came in and started in on the fries. They’re really crispy crinkle cut fries that have a Cajun seasoning dusting on them. They’re simple fast food style fries but I appreciated how crispy they were and the extra added touch of seasoning that gave them a little bit of flavor.
The Big Double is kind of misleading. The sandwich is two beef patties but it’s two thin patties. I was expecting something like two 1/4 lb patties. The sandwich comes with mayo, mustard, pickles, lettuce, and onion but I left all of that off. Instead, I added bacon and cheese. I think there might have been more bacon than beef on the sandwich. It was a fine fast food burger. The meat is char-grilled so it did have a good flavor. I was just expecting the “Big Double” to be a little big…you know….bigger.
I learned some things at my first Cook Out experience. I have a better understanding of how the menu works now so I’ll be a little more prepared next time I spot one of these. They’re all in states I don’t visit very often but it seems a lot of Southern chains are starting to make their way north to Michigan. I’m always open to a little more diversity in fast food options so I’m looking forward to a return trip the next time one crosses my path.
SW Michigan Dining 