I absolutely love tableside service. It's nice to see that it's making a comeback in recent years, as it seemed to be going extinct for a while.

This is one of those classic things that makes dining out enjoyable. I don't understand why some people think it's kitschy.

I mean, if I'm going to pay $75 for a fine-dining meal and dessert, it sure better come with a SHOW too!

If you are in the Pacific Northwest, a great place for this is El Gaucho, which has restaurants in the Seattle, WA and Portland, OR areas. They do flaming meat swords just like the original El Gaucho in the 1950s. You sure don't see that every day!

No. BIG difference.

Jamba Juice smoothies, as well as smoothies from fast food places, are just pointless fruity dessert sugar bombs. People drink too much juice under the impression that it's OK to have a ton of sugar if it comes from fruits.

Starbucks smoothies have twenty grams of protein, so actually go very well in a fitness lifestyle as a pre-, post-, or mid-workout beverage. In fact, I always have them double the protein powder, and they don't even charge extra (probably because there isn't a button on the register for it).

I am the opposite... On occasion I really enjoy natural licorice candies, and even anise-flavored liquors/liqueurs.

But I can't stand fennel bulb! I think I only like this kind of flavor in something sweet, not in a savory dish.

Just like PharmaChick's comment below, I think that roasting it makes the taste even stronger instead of mellowing it out. When I made a dish of roasted fennel with parmesan, to me it just tasted like a bizarre combination of piping hot good & plenties and salty cheese.

To each his/her own, I guess.

13 Coins is a Seattle-area institution, a supper club from yesteryear. It's like stepping back in time into an old James Bond movie. This is really the only place near the airport where you can eat like the Rat Pack. *Especially* when you need a good, solid meal at 2:30 am and you don't want some slop from Denny's.

So many people these days are dismissive of old-fashioned dining without even giving it a taste, in favor of trendy little bites topped with mango salsa, arugula and goat cheese, that just don't fill you up.

Spencer's Steak & Chops may have excellent food, but they don't have the retro lounge decor, or midcentury-style entrees such as Joe's Special or Steak Sinatra.

And I agree that the comparison to Wendy's is totally ridiculous and uncalled for.

A *little* late to this thread, but... apparently, I am the opposite of some of the others who have posted here.

I enjoy black licorice, ouzo, etc. I only have them on occasion, when I'm in the right mood, but when I do, I quite enjoy them. I also like fennel seed in Italian sausage.

However, I absolutely can't stand fennel bulbs! I made a classic dish of fennel baked with parmesan for almost an hour, and to me, it was not mellow at all. It was like eating hot Good & Plenties together with strong, salty cheese... a bizarre, nauseating combination. About an hour later, I was suffering all evening from intensely sharp stomach pains. Probably just a coincidence, but fennel bulb is forever associated in my mind with that whole terrible experience.

J