TGIFATQT

Thank God Its Friday At The QT!

I love a Friday afternoon happy hour.  It legit drives me the entire week.  Just make it to Friday and enjoy the fruits of the week’s labor, saddle up to the bar with a nice bartender, friends and fellow bar folks.  I have two favorite bars.  One is in downtown Belmont, NC called Sammy’s and the other is in downtown Charlotte in the Courtyard behind Latta Arcade called The Belfast Mill.  I don’t have to order my drink at either one.  It just arrives when I sit down.

A few weeks ago (shut up about being lazy and not writing this sooner, it isn’t like you are paying for this), I was headed to The Belfast Mill.  It was about 4:00 PM and I was heading into Charlotte west bound on Highway 74.  I had not eaten lunch that day.  I was gathering with a few friends to watch the NFL draft.  I knew that dinner would come, but I was a bit hungry at that very moment.  Now you may be thinking, “Rob, why don’t you just eat at The Belfast Mill?”.  That is a very good question.

See the Belfast Mill is an awesome Irish pub.  When I say awesome, I mean like hands down best in Charlotte, best in the state, probably one of the best in the Nation and since the owner hails from Ireland I’ll put it up against pubs actually in Ireland.  So yeah, it’s a cool joint.  One thing they do not have though is food, all though they don’t mind you bringing food in.  Just good beverages.  So how should I answer the need for food? Que I feel the need, the need for food saying.  Just doesn’t sound right, maybe if Goose and Maverick were saying it, it would sound cooler….. nah probably not.

On Highway 74 there is a QT, store #1004, so I swung in there.  After looking around, I decided to go with an item from the kitchen.  After reviewing the pizzas, which I have a reviewed a few times, I decided to go with a sandwich.  I prepared to order at the kiosk and was told they were out.  I asked out of what?  They said “everything”.  Only thing available was the pizza sitting out.  If you read this blog, you know that Steven and I are believers in the kitchen and this was a complete let down.   Out?  Of everything?  What?  I will say the staff was very pleasant and apologized for the kitchen not being prepared.  I still count this as a significant negative.  It is kind of like going to chik fil a and being told they are out of chicken, or going to a politician and hearing them say they are out of bad ideas.  Anyway, on with our tale…..

I just went with a few items off the rollers, hard to ever say no to the rollers.  Here is a photo in the perfect bar environment.

I went with one steak taquito and one cheese taquito.  I am pleased to say the cheese one lived up to it’s typical standard.  The steak one though, tasted like what I imagine an old worn out tire that has been sitting in the sun tastes like.

Notice how I said “what I imagine……..”?  It drives me crazy when some one says “That tastes like crap” as it insinuates they know what crap tastes like, in which case…. ewwwww that is nasty brah.  My favorite line from Happy Gilmore is when Shooter says “I eat shit like you for breakfast” and Happy responds with “You eat shit for breakfast?”.  I started laughing just typing that.

So, anyway, the overall experience at this QT was poor and far below the typical QT levels of service.  While the staff were pleasant, the execution was just bad.  My rating here is not just chomps on food, but total experience chomps.  I am going to have to rate this 1.73 chomps out of 5.  The Belfast Mill comes in with 6.9 chomps out of 5, because even without food they are that damn good.  So that evens the total rating of 4.3 chomps, due to the awesomeness of the bar.

My challenge to you, the millions….er… thousands…. ummmm….. hundreds…. damnit….. tens… of QTGG readers, is to find that perfect combo.  Is it QT and a park?  QT and a bar?  QT and your back porch?  QT and the QT picnic table? Clearly mine is QT and The Belfast Mill…..

SteveeH Dee (the H is silent), you are up next.  That is two in a row from me!