Lodge are fine but they need to be sandblasted to knock the roughness down. Vintage cast iron, to the extent it is usually much smoother, is better.

I skip all the fuss and just use French black steel from Bourgeat. It's the perfect weight/gauge/price point. Other black steel pans come in too heavy and don't offer as supple an exchange of heat as the Bourgeat. Thicker and heavier are not always better!

Cast iron ghosts flavors, aromatics for sure, and will impart a house flavor to everything you cook. The rougher the cast iron, the more pronounced the bacon-n-garlic problem.