Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
Round 7 - Meatless - Spanakopita
Little Rock has a Greek Festival once a year - and we always buy a couple of trays of homemade spanakopita and baklava from the ladies in the food sale tent.
Round 7 - Meatless - Spanakopita
7.ee - It's It (Frozen Dessert)
It's Its are chocolate-dipped ice cream sandwiches made with oatmeal cookies. They were originally produced at the old Playland By The Beach amusement park in San Francisco in 1928. Playland was gone by the time I came here but the It's It survived.
I'm romanticizing It's Its as a culinary link between the SF of my mother's time and the present day but anybody who's spent time in the Bay Area has probably eaten one at some point ( @Drunken knight?). And they are legitimately delicious--the cookies are a big improvement over a typical ice cream sandwich.
Nope. I had to look up her singles on WIkipedia. Not much for her singing.Guys, I posted the name of the Nina Simone song that showed the auto-correct. Don't you know that one?
Round 6 - Dessert - Cake: Decarli's Salted-Caramel Cheesecake
Alright, I live in Beaverton, a suburb west of Portland by about 10 minutes and forever a day best known as the home of Nike Inc. I moved here in 2001 and if you wanted to dine out without going downtown or to the east side (where the best, hottest spots are) your choices were pretty meh. All the generic TGI McScratchy type restaurants anchored the strip malls so the trade-off for better schools, wider streets, ample parking, less crime was bland, boring chain restaurants.
But then a couple (the Decarli's, aptly enough) that owned a downtown Italian restaurant had an idea - what if we opened up a version of our store in dilapidated downtown Beaverton, next to the Hot Box Bong & Paraphernalia store, two tattoo parlors and a sketchy looking "dance" studio?
Well, the answer came quickly - it became a destination for all the Beaverton residents STARVED for a decent restaurant without needing to go downtown and deal with limited parking. The place was packed from the jump. Fortunately, they also have a small bar area and offer an incredible happy hour with extensive options and terrific prices on beer and wine (and boy, do they have great offerings there too). It was happy hour on Sunday after 5pm that lured me and the missus into the bar on a fairly regular basis....regular enough to establish a lasting friendship with our favorite server in the world, Jenifer.
Jenifer knew our routine - a Spanish red for the lady, an IPA for me, couple of pizzas and she knew before we sat down that we'd share their salted-caramel cheesecake for desert. Now, this isn't your run of the mill, ordinary cheesecake. It's almost like a custard and comes in a ramekin looking thing. I don't have much for a sweet tooth and generally prefer scotch or port to a dessert after a fine meal but this? This is just love in a dish.
7.ee - It's It (Frozen Dessert)
It's Its are chocolate-dipped ice cream sandwiches made with oatmeal cookies. They were originally produced at the old Playland By The Beach amusement park in San Francisco in 1928. Playland was gone by the time I came here but the It's It survived.
I'm romanticizing It's Its as a culinary link between the SF of my mother's time and the present day but anybody who's spent time in the Bay Area has probably eaten one at some point ( @Drunken knight?). And they are legitimately delicious--the cookies are a big improvement over a typical ice cream sandwich.
We get these down in Southern California, too. They're quite tasty, and much better than an ice cream sandwich, though they're not as good as some other cookie sandwiches. Even the chain stores like Cold Stone Creamery taste a little better because the cookies taste a little fresher when they make them. I also could deal without the cinnamon flavor in the It's Its, if I'm recalling the flavor profile correctly.7.ee - It's It (Frozen Dessert)
It's Its are chocolate-dipped ice cream sandwiches made with oatmeal cookies. They were originally produced at the old Playland By The Beach amusement park in San Francisco in 1928. Playland was gone by the time I came here but the It's It survived.
I'm romanticizing It's Its as a culinary link between the SF of my mother's time and the present day but anybody who's spent time in the Bay Area has probably eaten one at some point ( @Drunken knight?). And they are legitimately delicious--the cookies are a big improvement over a typical ice cream sandwich.
That looks amazing.this is a tough one ...my frozen dessert category is pretty straight forward between 2 choices ...and one of them has been discontinued ...
My other choice is another meatless entree offering ...
RD 8: DINNER MAIN COURSE/MEATLESS ENTREE - VEGAN MAPO TUFU
we eat something close to this a lot - and the hotter the better ...
we use ground pork sausage along with the tofu typically, but this vegan version uses chopped shiitakes as a substitute for the meat. We usually throw in some baby bellas anyway.
it's easy, warming and filling - and spicy richness
recipe and pics
this is a tough one ...my frozen dessert category is pretty straight forward between 2 choices ...and one of them has been discontinued ...
My other choice is another meatless entree offering ...
RD 8: DINNER MAIN COURSE/MEATLESS ENTREE - VEGAN MAPO TUFU
we eat something close to this a lot - and the hotter the better ...
we use ground pork sausage along with the tofu typically, but this vegan version uses chopped shiitakes as a substitute for the meat. We usually throw in some baby bellas anyway.
it's easy, warming and filling - and spicy richness
recipe and pics
We get these down in Southern California, too. They're quite tasty, and much better than an ice cream sandwich, though they're not as good as some other cookie sandwiches. Even the chain stores like Cold Stone Creamery taste a little better because the cookies taste a little fresher when they make them. I also could deal without the cinnamon flavor in the It's Its, if I'm recalling the flavor profile correctly.
Gonna wash it down with some Paul Masson.
I'm sorry, I just saw a B&W of Rita Hayworth with her hair cropped and dyed blonde and I had to pick my jaw up from the floor. I couldn't even eat my It's It.
The inspiration for the most self-indulgent episode of Pinky and the Brain.and of course some frozen peas
Oh my. That's prickly.and of course some frozen peas
I don't think I'm fancy enough for this draft.
I'm sure you're kidding, but I absolutely love your non-fancy picks (and I've take some non-fancy, too, unless pepperoni pizza or chile con queso are haute cuisine). Bratwurst in particular was inspired. Somehow I hated bratwurst for most of my life, and then finally saw the light around 10 years ago when I started eating meat again. One of my favorite guilty pleasures now.
Round 5, Appetizer: Honey Coriander Chicken Wings
I see no glory in how hot you can make your Buffalo sauce. I’ll take depth over heat, and will die on this hill. I refuse to watch Hot Ones because of this stance.
Anyway… there was a time when one of the best restaurants in central Florida was Ohana, the flagship restaurant at the Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World. In its glorious heyday, Ohana was a joyous setting for family dining, the bottomless table service of a churrascaria with the flavors of Polynesia. The staff even had restaurant-wide games break out a few times an hour to get the kids away from the table for a moment and give the dads a chance to build up some meat sweats.
First out of the box, before the skewers came to your table… Honey Coriander Chicken Wings.
I’ve reproduced some of the Ohana menu at home, helped test the wing recipe published in the Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook. The seasoning is a blend of salt, sugar, paprika, black pepper, turmeric, garlic powder, cinnamon, and just a little bit of cayenne. The sauce is made from honey, coriander, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, chili powder, plus a little cornstarch for thickening, heated up.
Grill the wings with the seasoning and a little oil, then toss the wings in that sauce bath after grilling. I like a little extra lime with it, so I serve it with lime wedges for a little extra squeeze of flavor.
Not as hot as Buffalo, not as sweet or sticky as a teriyaki glaze, but to me a lot more depth than either of those.
I might have eaten these as an appetizer, entree, and dessert, perhaps in the same evening. But my first thought of them is as the Ohana opener before the parade of protein skewers commences, so I’ll slot them as appetizer.
I'm sticking with my non-fancy strategy life Frosty.
7.xx Frozen dessert - Baskin Robbins Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
I'm sure everyone has had a variety of chocolate and peanut butter desserts and ice cream dishes, but this is hands down the best. Where I grew up, we had a BR about a mile away, an easy bike ride. For some reason whenever I was home alone for the evening, I'd go and get a hand-packed pint of this. Not sure why, not like I was hiding it or anything, it was just something I liked to enjoy when I was on my own. Probably one of the 1000 reasons I'm fat.
This could easily have been a pick for the comfort food category, as I always requested as I was just getting over being sick. I don't even know where any Baskin Robbins are anymore.
this was a monster big deal when I was a kid. There weren't many more than chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and neapolitan at the grocery store. BR was amazing - and I think this came out when I was 10 or so - such giant chunks of the peanut butter - and it's sweet, but not too sweet. This and a scoop of Pralines N' Cream was my go to order for years.
Daiquiri Ice - best sherbet flavor ever there.
this was a monster big deal when I was a kid. There weren't many more than chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and neapolitan at the grocery store. BR was amazing - and I think this came out when I was 10 or so - such giant chunks of the peanut butter - and it's sweet, but not too sweet. This and a scoop of Pralines N' Cream was my go to order for years.
Daiquiri Ice - best sherbet flavor ever there.
Daiquiri iceMy go to is Baseball Nut*
*if available
7.ee - It's It (Frozen Dessert)
It's Its are chocolate-dipped ice cream sandwiches made with oatmeal cookies. They were originally produced at the old Playland By The Beach amusement park in San Francisco in 1928. Playland was gone by the time I came here but the It's It survived.
I'm romanticizing It's Its as a culinary link between the SF of my mother's time and the present day but anybody who's spent time in the Bay Area has probably eaten one at some point ( @Drunken knight?). And they are legitimately delicious--the cookies are a big improvement over a typical ice cream sandwich.
Well it's officially 2/16 now so I might as well pick. I almost picked this last round and I'm a little surprised it's still here. You can have all your rad naa so and your tofu polk back and your chinzy alaka proke. Give me some:
Round 8 - Fast Food - McDonalds Fries right out of the fryer when you have to wait in a numbered spot.
Yes! One of the rare examples of changing a recipe and having it be just as good, since they took the lard out (or did they??). Since I don't have kids I don't have these often, but a few times a year I drive through and get [redacted other McDonald's item] and the fries, and they're glorious.
Was it lard? I remembering that they had to swtich from beef fat to veggie oil. but I make stuff up alot.
It was 93% beef tallow + 7% cottonseed oil. I was considering picking this, but they haven't been as good since that change.Was it lard? I remembering that they had to swtich from beef fat to veggie oil. but I make stuff up alot.
Chocolate Peanut Butter is my wife’s favorite ice cream flavor. A couple grocery stores near us recently started carrying Tillamook ice creams, their take chocolate peanut butter is terrific.I'm sticking with my non-fancy strategy life Frosty.
7.xx Frozen dessert - Baskin Robbins Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
I'm sure everyone has had a variety of chocolate and peanut butter desserts and ice cream dishes, but this is hands down the best. Where I grew up, we had a BR about a mile away, an easy bike ride. For some reason whenever I was home alone for the evening, I'd go and get a hand-packed pint of this. Not sure why, not like I was hiding it or anything, it was just something I liked to enjoy when I was on my own. Probably one of the 1000 reasons I'm fat.
This could easily have been a pick for the comfort food category, as I always requested as I was just getting over being sick. I don't even know where any Baskin Robbins are anymore.
Nando’s was on my short list for fast food. Ate there a couple times in London (in addition to the tasty casual food, Nando’s was also a rare reliable source of self-serve ice for beverages during our stay in England), and have hit up locations in DC and Chicago.Time for a fast food pick.
I'm not entirely sure this qualifies. It's slower than McDonalds or Burger King, but still faster than most fast casual sit down restaurants. Maybe it's just because I'm a Hoover, but I can get in and out with a full meal eaten in 15 minutes.
8.x - Nando's Peri Peri (specifically, 1/2 Chicken extra hot with Macho Peas)
In the United States, Nando's is pretty limited geographically. They're all over here in the DC metro area and they're around Chicago, but nowhere else. Internationally, they're pretty ubiquitous, particularly in England, where they are wildly popular. In the Premiere League, if a player has a weight problem, you can bet a commentator will get a comment in about too many cheeky Nando's runs.
Nando's is a South African chain that specializes in Peri Peri chicken, a regional dish that was popularized in Mozambique. It's just very spicy, very flavorful marinated and grilled chicken with spicy, flavorful "peri peri sauce." I find the "extra hot" level of spice at Nando's to be pretty much the upper limits of what I find enjoyable in spice. I can still feel it on my lips 20 minutes after, but it isn't super painful. Real spice heads probably scoff. But the sauce IS addictive. Not just spicy, but super fruity and flavorful as the best hot sauces are. Just some really satisfying chicken. But what makes the meal, for me, is the Macho Peas (which are probably the least healthy side). They're just peas that have been roughly mashed with lots of butter and olive oil, mint, pasley, and a good amount of red pepper flakes. Again, a bit spicy, but delicious.
Today's video is some dude eating some Nando's. "Oy, allo Shuke, old chap!"
YesI owe rounds seven and eight. I'm not doing meatless anything, so what are the other two choices?
Fast food and frozen dessert?
Chik-Fil-A is better, that's why.8.xx Popeye's Fried Chicken Sammich, fast food.
Amazed it lasted 36 hrs. nufced
oh. never done business with themChik-Fil-A is better, that's why.
Still on the menu in Minnesota.8.13 - Fast Food -Taco Bell's Chilito, AKA the Chili Cheese Burrito.
It amazes me that Taco Bell discontinued Chili across most of the country. The Chilito was originally brought down by the cancel culture back in the late 90's. I guess Chilito means something bad in some language. So Taco Bell breifly changed the name to Chili Cheese Burrito, before finally just canceling it.
I won't even try to explain how good the Chilito tastes. Chili, melted cheese, and some secret sauce that seems to harden it up perfectly. Wow. If you don't already know that flavor, you can't imagine.
Last I checked there were still some rogue Taco Bell's around the country still serving them. One of my bells randomly had chili for a week (another different name) about five years ago. They said the chilli's were back for good, before they just dissappeared again. That was a huge letdown. Believe!
I don't think I'm fancy enough for this draft.