Beer for Kids

Via CrunchGear

BACON VISION

Ah, the combination of Meat Love and 80' Style!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

via CrunchGear

There's No Such Thing As Too Much Butt!

Our Friend Mike H. sent me this image of a T-shirt from Pappy's Smokehouse in St. Louis. Though the chances are slim, I really hope he bough me one. If not I'll have to try and mail order one, or wait till I find myself down there again. In any case it's a classic. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll write us a guest review of the meal...

Gatling Taters

Growing up in FLorida we made a few potato guns, but never anything quite like this. Jup to the last 20 sec or so of the vid fro the only real action shots...

Muncie Round Up

Thai Smile, one of the best meals there.



Flatbread pizza, possibly the best thing I ate while there, and surprisingly from Fugly Mugglies which produced a mediocre burger and possibly the coldest fries Ive ever been served in a restaurant. They were spiced though.



A brutal callzone from Greek's. This was half. The breadsticks at the table were swimming in about a 1/2 cup of liquid butter at the bottom of the basket. I could feel my veins clogging after eating this meal. Apparently this place will still provide takeout orders if you have no shirt or shoes and is super friendly. Also check out the warning the have on all the tables...



Over all I would call Muncie, IN a non-foodie type town. Lots of super filling, not all that nutritional, heavy meals. Then again I was on a budget and stayed pretty close to the Ball State University campus, so maybe there are some jewels out there...

ATTN: TRAVEL SPECIAL - MUNCIE, IN

So Ive been in Muncie, IN since Thursday evening. To be truthful the food has been pretty damn poor all around, no pics of anything yet. Hopefully it will get better, but I don't see that coming. I will tell you that its a setup from the grub we ate on election night in Chicago. So far its been some mediocre pulled pork from a chain type place where you throw the peanut shells on the floor. It was aight because it was drenched in bbq sauce, I cant imagine it wouldve held up otherwise. Some Chinese buffet, i dont think i need to elaborate here, and a subway 6". So far I'l give props to the staff here for providing some good fresh fruit in the mornin. More later...

That's The Rub

So I finally I found a basic recipe for a rub. After scouring my cookbooks and the web for way too long, and not having that southern upbringing to fall back on, all it took a DVR’d Alton Brown ribs show. The Food network does nothing but erk me most of the time, with overproduced shows and Giada De Laurentiis fucking smiling every two seconds, but Mr. Brown does, usually come through with helpful tidbits. It was, at last, the simple beginning I needed. U used the show’s recipe of 8-3-1+1, 8 parts brown sugar, 3 parts salt, and one part chili powder, plus one part of the rest. It’s the rest part that makes it fun....and all yours. What is great about it, is you can use anything to measure it all. I used my son’s liquid medicine measuring cup, for the antibiotics he is taking. I’ll be sure I clean it out good before the next dose.

I know your not suppose to give out your rub recipe, but I honestly don’t know how the rub, and the ribs I have put it on, will end up. For the rest part I used, sweet paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, ground dry mustard, pulverized dry tarragon, garlic powder and turmeric. How much of each, well you got me. Enough of each to fill up the medicine thingy one more time.

Pizz-Amore

So my family and I went to check out the aforementioned food vendor event at The Yard in Brooklyn. It was kind of a bust, as when we got here there were only 3 vendors, and one of them made fruit drinks. (The fourth, a fancy ice cream truck showed up late.) The buzz was they had invited a lot more, but not many accepted, as they thought the crowd wouldn’t be large enough. Well, they missed it. The lines were huge for the two food vendors. Like 30 minute wait huge. I would have skipped the whole thing and just gone down to the Empanada Lady on Sackett, but the Pizza Moto guy was there. And I’ve been wanting try his pizza. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/dining/05pizza.html?_r=1&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

So I waited the 30 mins to order…and then the 40 mins to actually get the pizza, once they got down the list, written on a piece of paper, in long rows. There had to be 30 people, names and orders, before me on that list. And the women right in front of me ordered like 8 pies. But I, a New Yorker, for some reason, was thoroughly patient. And my son, 10-years of pure genetic and learned environmental impatience, was totally alright with hanging around an ungodly long time to get a nine-inch ring of dough with sauce and stuff on top. It was an amazing day, nice breeze, people were a little too hipster, but nice. So I stood around Pizza Moto mobile wood burning oven, because even thought there was a million people in front of me , my neurosis prevented me from leaving the ring of people who were also waiting. I didn’t want to miss my pie when my names was called. What it did afford me was being able to watch the three person team systematically, artfully and precisely make some of the best pie I’ve ever had. I had ordered a Ramp pie, that came with the spring time fetishized wild leek, incredibility delicious thick cut pieces of bacon, Grana Padano cheese and tomato sauce. I also got a taste if the artichoke and oil pie from a guy eating some in next to me. That I was staring at. Until he offered me a piece. Yeah at eleven buck for a nine-inch pie seems a little much, but all that was on it was just really good and fresh, was cooked in a wood fired oven on wheels and made with great care. Ya know…it’s just f&#$ing pizza. But when it’s done well, with honesty, of all things “integrity”, and no pretence, (which these days in short supply,) well hell, one would probably have to work pretty hard to screw it up. (I put “integrity” in quotes, because when they screwed up and forgot to put cheese on a pie and set it aside, I offered to take it and just have them cross my name off the list. At first the woman said no, them she said “well…how about you just take the pie and when yours is ready, you can have that too.” And after a pause “It’s an integrity thing.” She explained.)

The pie was just good, hands down. I ended up getting the “Last ramp pie on earth.” When they ran out of the topping and she “took” the last one from the 8 pie person in front of me. The boy was happy, my wife was happy and yes, patience still intact, I too was in infected with a glorious pizza happiness.

Eurotrip, and no I don't mean the bad movie with Michelle Trachtenberg...

I'll go ahead and be honest, my review here is going to be a little biased as my friend works here, that being said, Eurotrip on 5th ave and 20th St in South Slope Brooklyn is a solid spot.

The food definitely falls on the heavier side of things, I've had are the Spicy Hungarian Goulash and the Langoš, Hungarian fried bread, Pub style (home-made tomato sauce, Edam cheese, medium-hot German sausage, fresh mushrooms). I also have had a taste of a couple excellent specials including a very good spicy shrimp bisque. I remember the goulash being really good, pretty spicy without being overwhelming (for me) and a perfect meal to have the afternoon after a long night out. Going with the same idea, I ate the Langoš before a night out. I have only had Langoš here, so I don't really have a point of reference, but this was way heavy on the grease, even for fried bread in my opinion. This aside it was quite tasty and once again pretty spicy, I kindof wonder if this applies to their entire menu. Prices are in the $10-$20 range for entrees, but expect to drink a few beers or alot of water to keep the heat under control.

The atmosphere is nice, huge glass front for easy people watching, a solid bar, and a more intimate backroom with a good display of local art work. I like Eurotrip overall, as long as my friend works there I'll continue going. Although a completely different genre, the pizza place across the way, Toby's Public House (review to come) would probably steal my business if I lived closer...

Food Truck Party

The Yard in Brooklyn is hosting a "Food Truck and Vender" extravaganza on Sat. http://bklynyard.com/sat-may-23rd-bklyn-yard-opening-event-parked/ looks good an we get to support local food making folks. While your in the neighborhood, make a trip to Sackett St. and Smith for some the best empanadas in the five boroughs. ""Cookie" sets up her show every Saturday and cooks some the best street food ever!