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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

By request - Tastee Inn

Jesse and Elizabeth are still in Europe, probably somewhere near Avignon by now, but they've apparently grown tired of horse meat, forcemeat and Ortolan. Jesse emailed this morning requesting a Tastee Inn review and since I was going to be in the north 48th area anyway, I was happy to oblige.

The only rule of Tastee eating, and this must be observed, is you have to get your loosemeat sandwiches to go. Either use the backwards drive-thru or go in and get them. Do not eat them in the restaurant. This cannot be stressed enough. Tastees need a good ten minutes in the bag before they're ready to eat. Go ahead and eat your onion chips while you're waiting. That's what they're there for.

While waiting for 10 minutes is good, the best way to judge when your Tastees are ready is to hold the bag about a foot above a table top or counter. If your sandwiches fall through the bottom of the bag, they're perfect. Don't remove all your sandwiches from their wrappers at once. Spending more time in the wrapper only enhances the taste so your last one will be, at minimum, at least 40% tastier than the first assuming you eat at least three.

I haven't had a Tastee in about three years and I really didn't realize how much I missed them. They're so simple - ground beef cooked until it breaks into little granules, a thin layer of mustard on the bun, and a dill pickle chip - and so delicious. They're not as greasy as you'd expect since most of the grease is either cooked out or at the bottom of the bag, but the buns get nice and soft from what they've soaked up.

Most of the recipes on-line call for extra seasonings and mustard and ketchup mixed in with the beef but I prefer the Tastee way, beef, salt and pepper. Anything else crosses the line into sloppy joe-hood, which is a different, but still delicious sandwich in its own right.

My only complaint about Tastee Inn is the price. At $1.45 each, those little sandwiches are a tad pricey. Of course, much more labor goes into preparing Tastee meat than in making a regular old hamburger. As a firm believer in rewarding good labor, I'm willing to accept the increased cost.

12 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

12:52 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Now you did it. I will have to swing by there to pick up a few of those darlings with some onion chips today.

12:03 PM  
Blogger gravy said...

I think they use special pickles. The vinegar with the mustard is like the zest of life... of loosemeat sammiches.

1:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, how I love the loose meat at the Tastee Inn! I was there a little over a month ago...too long ago, actually!

Here's a set of photos I made last time I was there.

I may have to go there tomorrow for lunch.

12:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you're ever up in Norfolk, NE ... the Tastee Treat up the puts Tastee Inn to shame. I especially recommend the Tastee Cheez.

9:23 PM  
Blogger Errandbug Lincoln Restaurant Delivery said...

I have Tastee Inn at least once a week...I have it delivered by http://www.errandbug.com/ (pretty easy since I just have to email my employee and say bring me this and that) But the Onion Chips are the best! And those burgers are so good by the six pack and be all smiles for the rest of the day...

3:54 AM  
Anonymous MetroDiningDelivery said...

Metro Dining Delivery has Tastee's menu posted on their website and can deliver all the Tastee sandwiches you want just go to http://metrodiningdelivery.com/menus/tastee_inn_menuframe.html
Or visit Metro Dining Delivery's website at: http://www.metrodiningdelivery.com Now Open 24 Hours!

9:48 PM  
Blogger Errandbug Lincoln Restaurant Delivery said...

And of course...Tastee Inn now delivers...they are not open 24 hours...but until around 9PM. It is good unique food. The burgers are great...you can even get a bucket of the meat to take with you to make them at home. I think they could really be something if they renovated that location. Sometimes I think people don't give them a chance due to the place looking rather run down.

12:40 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I remember when the McDonald's on 53rd and O used to have a limited menu, 8 cash registers open, and no drive-thru. You could actually walk in and get served. Tastee Inn is the last place in Lincoln not to have an overly extravagant menu and ripoff prices.
I used to eat McDonald's on occasion. Until I had to wait 25 minutes once for a fish sando.

11:22 AM  
Blogger Jeanie said...

Hello. I found your blog by searching for answers to Jeff Korbelik's "Dining with Jeff" contest. I'm Lincoln-born and -bred but I didn't know what a "Tastee" was! So thank you!
Do you know the answers to these?: Where was the Rio Grande restaurant located?
and
Which Lincoln Mexican restaurant remodeled after a fire in 2003?
Thanks. By the way, I'm gonna be on Jeopardy! March 28th. :-)

10:29 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Rio Grande used to be located at 48th & Highway 2, on the southeast corner of the intersection. There was a little strip mall across the street that had an Earl May. And I think there might have been a Bonanza restaurant across the street, too.

Don't know about the fire in 2003....I was living in Omaha, then.

8:50 AM  
Blogger Jeanie said...

Thank you. I didn't win the contest! And I lost on Jeopardy!, too. :-(

8:53 AM  

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