Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Inaugural Restaurant: The Full House



The Full House - 57 Ecorse Rd, Ypsilanti

The Full House was opened at about 9:10 am on June 15, 1973. This is according to the little story in the menu. ( I admit that the little menu stories always add some points for me. I enjoy being able to read something while waiting for my food). Claimed to be the longest running, single operator restaurant in Ypsilanti (though I'm not sure if this is good or why it even matte
rs), they say that they have had the pleasure of serving 10 million burgers to their customers throughout the years. Well, make that 10 million and 4, because Deafula, Alison, Deborah and I decided upon burgers, of course.

My meal: King Burger (1/2 pound, the works, no cheese), Fries, Coleslaw and Drink (diet Pepsi)

My cost: $9.28

Atmosphere: The dining room is pretty clean and really outdated (bonus points for retro/vintage style without even trying to be retro/vintage style). I love the fact that the non-smoking section has ash trays (just in case). The Full House doesn't present itself as anything other than a local burger joint where you could meet friends and have a beer (if you so choose). It felt very Ypsi to me, which is something I just can't explain. You have to feel Ypsi to understand, but for me it is a very good thing. The menu design is cute and the booth is comfortable. The room is not crowded and the addition of video games, keno machines and tv's lends to the feel of a working man's establishment. I definitely could see myself (a few years ago) sitting there after work b.s.ing with fellow Full Housers.

Service: I thought the service was excellent and extremely attentive (a couple of my fellow diners thought it was a bit overboard and I could see that). Our waitress, Claudette, was friendly and knowledgeable about the products. She did seem to get a bit confused when we were ordering but we were a bit confusing. Unfortunately, points were lost for the mistake in Alison's order and the forgetting of which meals
were which (a personal pet peeve and I believe it is poor customer service, especially since you wrote it down!).

Taste: Oh, dear...hmmm. So this brings up an interesting question; perhaps a personal philosophical food dilemma? Am I hypercritical about food because I am in the food industry? My fellow diners thought the food was good (or as Deafula puts it P.A.B = Perfectally Acceptable Burger (I am going to use the P.A. thing from now on, thanks friend!)). I completely differ in my o
pinion. I thought that the coleslaw was pretty tasty (fresh,seasoned well and innovative because of the mustard dressing - not something we see often my friends). But the burger and fries? Not so good, especially not for a place that claims itself as the best/only burger in town. I don't understand that: when a place makes a claim about the quality of product and it isn't true. Do they believe it? First, there are other burgers in Ypsi. Second, it is definitely not the best one. Okay, rant over. I thought that the burger was dry and lacking in any seasoning. I'm often glad for condiments. My fries were inconsistent: a strange combination of soggy and crispy with some not cooked all the way through. I once learned that this happens from oil that is too high or too dirty. I cannot comment on that being as though I didn't look at the oil. I do have to say, however, that Deafula's fried okra was yummy. Not soggy, not oily, great flavor and Claudette gave us Frank's Red Hot (bonus points).

Value: Got what I expected. Not too cheap and not too expensive. I also drank enough diet Pepsi to offset any and all extra costs associated w/ the meal.


Breakdown
Atmosphere 1 2 3 4 5
Service 1 2 3 4 5
Taste 1 2 3 4 5
Value 1 2 3 4 5

OVERALL: 3.5


Elephant Count:

So, realistically, I will never choose to eat at the Full House on my own. I will need someone to hold me at gunpoint, beg (it only works w/ love) or be famished with no other possibility of nourishment. Sorry, Full House, it isn't that you're bad, it's just that I don't want to eat at you again.




1 down....several hundred to go....



Happy Eating!









2 comments:

Alison said...

Great review! After everything I'd heard about the Full House (e.g. "don't blame me if you get food poisoning"), I was actually pleasantly surprised by how decent everything tasted. My salad was actually very fresh and had some items in it other than iceberg lettuce, which is not terribly common at places like this.

Deafula said...

3.5 out of 5 sounds like a great review in my book!