BERNIE WHITMORE

First, let me explain: A small group of neighbors have an enduring tradition of dining out on Friday nights. This goes back decades, so when the pandemic sent everyone scurrying into their homes, we made a pact to occasionally see each other, and if anyone of us got sick, the group would quarantine. At the time, it seemed like a bold move we needed to keep secret.

But soon, the lockdown shut down all the restaurants; the Friday night tradition would have to rely upon takeout. Early on, our options were severely limited. So on the first week of the shutdown, a couple of us were sent out into the deserted city, tasked with finding food.

We drove down Park Avenue, intersection after intersection, for an eternity until we finally reached Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen. It had been all over the food news for its fabulous chicken sandwich, so I said, “We gotta check them out!”

There were just a few cars in the drive-thru queue, but we wanted to consult a menu to see if there were family meals. Note: This was the first time in decades I’d been to a fast-food drive-thru. First discovery: The menus at these places are posted right next to the intercoms where you place your order. So I walked over to it, studied it and went back to the car. “Yeah, we can order here.”

By then, the line of cars had tripled. But we re-entered the queue and did our waiting, placing an order we hoped they actually understood through the microphone, forked over a credit card, and went home with steaming fried chicken dinners.

I’m a fan of YouTube star Daym Drops and have watched his Popeye’s food reviews. They’re insane! Daym’s an exuberant food poet, hands-down the best. Not surprisingly, my Popeye’s experience was more subdued than his. Spicy chicken, decent biscuit, tasty sides. But would I idle in line for more than a half-hour to get more? In some dystopian future, perhaps. 

But we managed to have an enjoyable socially distanced meal together. Starting with that first meal, we were re-acquainted with plastic in a very big way: to-go bags, sporks, lidded cups and foam containers of multiple dimensions. Immediately, the trash tripled in volume.

Weeks later, we heard that El Basha on Belmont Street had family meals for takeout. This was before masks became universally mandated, but you still had to wear one to pick up your order. The chefs had devised a dinner menu that traveled well! It included a large order of hummus and a bag of fresh Syrian bread. Two large to-go containers had enough salad for multiple families and were accompanied by cups of dressing.

A large foil roasting pan was packed with Chicken Kebobs, another was filled with rice pilaf. El Basha was extraordinarily generous with portions, and there were plenty of leftovers. 

We also turned to Quinn’s Irish Pub for one of our favorites, Fish & Chips. Fried food is best straight out of the deep fryer, but Quinn’s did its best to make this meal takeout-worthy by lining the standard-issue foam container with aluminum foil before cramming it with fries and a huge filet of flaky white fish. Separate containers of coleslaw and packets of ketchup were tossed into the takeout bags. 

Crispy fries? Not quite, but Quinn’s were several notches up from Foley & Son Fish and Chips – an old favorite on Plantation Street that used to pack their meals in grease-stained brown paper bags that imparted a unique flavor into the fries. I still look back fondly on Foley’s Lenten fish and paper-flavored chips.

That quintessential takeout fare, pizza, proved to be a foolproof pandemic-buster of a meal. We picked ours up at Pepe’s Italian Restaurant on Franklin Street near the firehouse. This is a family-run operation that’s our principle source for real Italian pizza. No gimmicks, big flavors and Italian soul.

Once the lockdown lifted a crack, outdoor dining became an exciting option. But should the pandemic revisit in another wave, or once the cooler weather shuts down outdoor dining, many of us will turn to takeout again. At least this time, we’ll have some idea of where to turn. But Popeye’s? I don’t think so… unless fast food’s the last remaining option.