Original Tops

History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme. I was at my parents' house on the penultimate day of the year. It was drizzling and cold and I suddenly craved some Tops chili cheese fries. "If you're going there," my dad said, "I'll take three carne asada soft tacos." So I went down the hill, grabbed the food, and came back. I was sitting in my parents' office in front of my mom's computer; my dad was sitting in front of his. Suddenly, something about the whole situation seemed very familiar. 

I went back and looked at my pictures. 364 days earlier I had done the exact same thing. I had ordered the same food, so had my dad. We had eaten them in the exact same spots we were currently sitting in. I wrote a blog post about it, although this time I took better pictures. Last year I had commented on the fact that I couldn't see any carne on my dad's tacos. I asked him again this year how they were, though, and he said great. 

I don't really care for Tops fries, but I love their chili cheese fries. No matter what size order you get, they are served in a cardboard box the size of a shoe box, under a lake of almost-melted cheese. The chili is outstanding. I ate about a quarter of the fries and was full. (For dinner that night I ate another quarter or so.)

The Kobe bistro burger is great. The meat is cooked a little too much, but the char on the outside was tasty. The burger is one of the messiest you will ever eat, dripping onions and herb mayonnaise. Carl's Jr. likes to pretend that their burgers "get all over the place." These actually do. Not that I'm complaining. 

I don't eat at Tops much anymore. This was probably my first trip there since last year. And it's possible that another year will go by before I eat there again. But I will probably order the same thing.