The Three Midwest Chains I Am Obsessed With

Hello!

A quick professional update from me: At the start of the year I became a monthly contributor to KCRW's Good Food! (You should follow their substack.) This month I wrote about/yapped about my favorite pasta al limone in Los Angeles. I wish it was a standard pasta on most italian restaurant menus across the country. If you cannot find a solid version near you, here is a recipe for a great homemade one. Also, my essay asking if we should get rid of fine dining has stirred up quite a bit of conversation. Some people are big mad, but the comment section on my instagram post is a pretty entertaining read.

Also if you are in LA, I did a collaboration pita with the team over at Kismet Rotisserie called the Chaat Pocket! Sales help raise money for CHIRLA. The sandwich is totally vegetarian and features cubes of fried paneer, lettuce, herbs, two chutneys from my book, yogurt sauce, and it’s topped off with tons of crunchy sev. I’ve gotten a lot of really nice texts and dms from people who have tried it.

While I am about to get on a plane back to the west coast today, I have spent the past week in my hometown in Michigan hanging out with my parents, getting dental work done (thanks to my dentist mom lol), eating lots of homecooked Indian food (also thanks to my mom), rediscovering my love of Samantha Mumba/Stacey Orrico/Pink, and just generally leaning into the slower pace of suburban life. Something I do enjoy doing when I am in Michigan is sneaking in a visit to some of my favorite cult chain restaurants that I cannot get in LA.

CULVER’S
No visit home feels complete without one trip to Culver’s. The Wisconsin-based chain is one of the few fast food chains that actually does a proper veggie burger that is made with real vegetables and grains and is not just clumps Impossible burger formed into a patty. Culver’s also makes the best cheese sauce i’ve ever had — super silky, no fake coloring — and it’s the best dip for their actually crispy crinkle cut fries. Culver’s is known for their butter burgers, but the sides menu is actually the more interesting thing. Not only do they have fries, but they also have stellar onion rings, and most importantly, you can get fried cheese curds.

The menu feels thoughtful for a burger chain. There’s an emphasis on freshness that isn’t the case at most chains these days. While other chains are chasing speed and trying to shave even 10 seconds off of an order time, Culver’s leans in to being on the slower side. Go through the drive-thru and after you pay, they will place a post-it with a number on your side mirror. There’s also no weak desserts here: unlike McDonald’s where the ice cream machines are always down, the custard machines at Culver’s will never fail you.

JET’S
Michigan is home to a lot of very good pizza, but few are better or more consistent than Jet’s, which does Detroit-style square pies (with the best crispy cheese edges). They are smart to offer pizzas that are also only corner slices for people who love the extra crunchy edges. And they don’t skimp on toppings — my family recently ordered a veggie pie and every inch of the pizza was covered with vegetables. They also secretly make the best ranch dressing in the game (that they sell in squeezy bottles!) The Michigan-based chain is available in parts of the Midwest and even recently expanded to NYC, but I am patiently waiting for them to make a move to the west coast.

POTBELLY
Potbelly is the cooler, hotter cousin of Quiznos and Subway’s more interesting enemy. The subs are stacked and thick and the vegetarian options are genuinely good (lots of mushrooms! melty cheese!) The hot peppers you can top your sub with are elite. And the sugar cookie is a mastery of crispy edge, gooey center. Of all the chains, Potbelly, which was founded in Illinois, has the most national presence than the other chains on this list, but Potbelly will forever taste better in the Midwest.

What’s your favorite regional chain?

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