Cookout (Denver)

In late July, I finally visited the Cookout in Huntersville. It was a new experience for me. I was unfamiliar with this regional chain, and wasn't prepared for the sizable menu. I made my choices quickly, and didn't know what to get.

But yesterday when I walked into the NEW Cookout in Denver, I was ready to order. Thanks to Laurie's comments, I realized that I wanted to order a Chocolate Banana milkshake. And fortunately, VermillionRes alerted me to a VERY important detail -- Side items include meats! Like a hot dog, corn dog, or chicken nuggets! FREAKIN' AWESOME!

So, yesterday I walked right to the registers knowing what I was going to order. Chicken strips with a side of onion rings and a side of CORN DOG, and the chocolate banana shake. Don't get me wrong, I was excited about the chocolate banana shake, I haven't had one for a LONG time! First one was in Mels Drive-In in San Francisco, and every time I take a sip of a good chocolate banana shake, it takes me back to Mels. But I was even more excited about my side of corn dog!

Let's face it, where else can you get a corn dog as a side? ZOMG!! That's just the coolest!! :)

Ok, ok. Sorry for losing my composure there. I'm back.

After I placed my order, I took my seat and waited for my number to be called. My shake was ready first, and I took a sip. This milk shake actually had a REAL banana. I was a little surprised -- I was expecting banana flavoring not the real thing. The shake was nice and thick, better suited for a spoon than a straw. Just the way I like it!

Next came the food. Three chicken strips (two large, one small), some onion rings, and an average sized corn dog. The chicken strips were OK. The breading was crunchy and thick. But unfortunately, the chicken was slightly over cooked, and was quite dry inside. The onion rings were nothing special. I suspect they were pre-made and frozen. So, they were about average.

Then I had the corn dog. I wish I could say it was earth-shattering. But again, only average. Personally, I like the corn dogs at Wienerschnitzel or A&W better. However, since none of those are in the area, I suspect these will do. The Cookout corn dog had a good amount of breading on it, and the mustard was fine. But the actual dog lacked some flavor -- an all beef dog in the middle would have been better.

The atmosphere at this Cookout was about average for a Cookout, and I like the interior more than the standard McDonalds or Taco Bell. It has more character. But I do find it slightly amusing that the Huntersville Cookout has a more prominent lake theme, while the Denver Cookout is MUCH closer to the lake, but the lake theme is downplayed.

Score:
Atmosphere: 3.5
Food: 3.5 (The shake saved this score from being a 3)
Service: 4/5 (REALLY friendly and helpful staff)
Total: 11/15

Price: $ (shake, onion rings, chicken strips, and corn dog were UNDER $6)
Kid Friendly: Yes. High chairs and booster seats available.

Conclusion: Though most of the food was only average, for less than $6 I consider this to be one of the better values in the area. So far I've found the shakes and burgers to be the best items here. I'll need to return again to try the BBQ.

Restaurant Info:
Cookout
Hwy 73, just east of 16. Next to the vet hospital
Denver, NC
http://www.cookoutnc.com/

Denver Cookout Open

I drove past the Cookout in Denver Saturday. And guess what?! It's open!

That's right, I'm due for a good milkshake and some chicken tenders and/or cheeseburger. I'll visit it soon and post the review here.

Stay tuned for more info!

New Cookout in Denver!

As I was driving through Denver the other day, I ran across a new Cookout in the final stages of construction. It's just east of the interchange at Hwys. 16 and 73.

I've already reviewed a Cookout, and I look forward to reviewing another! YUM!

-LNF

Cookout (Huntersville)

Since I arrived in NC, I've driven by the Cook Out restaurants without venturing in. What is a Cook-Out? What do they serve? I was a little hesitant about this unknown quantity. But yesterday I finally took the plunge, and I'm glad I did.

I don't know what the other Cook Out restaurants look like inside, but this kinda had a feel of a rustic Southern lake house. The walls had wood paneling, there were fans hanging from the ceiling, and small NASCAR car hoods adorned the walls, as did maps of Lake Norman.

I approached the cashier, and locked onto the first thing I saw on the menu. A hamburger. I chose the Regular size (1/4 lb), with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, and ketchup. I also got an order of fries and a Coke.

As you can tell, the menu there has a LOT of items. From burgers and BBQ, to chicken tenders and milkshakes, this place has a LOT to offer.

In just over the about the time that it took me to walk over to the fountain, and fill my cup, my food was ready! It came in a bag, so I could take it "To-Go" if I wanted to. However, I really wanted to eat immediately, so I grabbed a seat, and took at look at what was in the bag.

Inside I found a small bag or fries, and a burger wrapped in aluminum foil. As you can see, the burger looked pretty good! It was topped with a thick slice of tomato, fresh lettuce, and a thin slice of white onion. The burger was a very good size, and not pressed too thin. In addition, the burger bun was not squished. I was a little surprised it looked so good!

I took a bite of the burger and was pleased. It wasn't over-cooked or greasy. In addition, the fresh produce really added a nice bit of added flavor. In particular, that tomato was amazing. Really red, really fresh, and really good! The produce was such a high quality that it made me reminisce about In-N-Out Burger. (Which almost always has GREAT quality produce.)

I polished off the burger pretty quickly. So I went over to the fries. At first I was hopeful -- the fries were cooked with their skins still on. That is almost always a sign of a high quality fry. But I was disappointed when I took a bite. The fries weren't crispy -- they were just there. Not soggy, not crispy. They sorta looked they were apologizing for their sad state when picked up; with it drooping from my fingers.

That said, I really want to try their hush puppies. They've gotta be better than the fries. Any fast-food joint that serves hush puppies is a favorite of mine!

Score:
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
TOTAL: 11/15

Price: $ (Well under $10)
Kid friendly: Yes. High chairs and booster seats available.

Conclusion: Cheap prices, fast service, and good burgers are in abundance here. I'm not a fan of the fries. But since the burger was sooo good. I'll be back to try some other things -- including the hush-puppies.

Restaurant Info:
Cook Out
425 Huntersville Gateway Blvd
Huntersville, NC 28078
p) 704-875-0077
http://www.cookoutnc.com/