Blue Smoke

116 E. 27th Street, between Park and Lexington

One of the best BBQ restaurants in New York City is called Blue Smoke. I have heard about this place for some time and finally got to go during this visit to the city. It is everything I was hoping it would be.

We went there for lunch and found the place to be really hopping. The place was jumping with a few tables still open. We were seated promptly and I noticed that as we waited for our drinks the restaurant really started to fill up. Speaking of the drinks, the young lady we were with ordered ice tea and I immediately thought, "Lets see what kind of barbeque place this really is." I asked the waitress, "Do you have sweet tea." I am sure you know that answers I got. She told me that they didn't have sweet tea, but I could put sugar in it. I took that as a red flag, but didn't have to worry.

While they didn't have sweet tea, the rest of the meal was truly a real barbeque experience. Nick and our dining companion ordered pulled pork sandwiches and I ordered the rib samper with macaroni and cheese. We also ordered some barbeque potato chips with blue cheese dip as an appetizer. The meals showed up before the appetizer, but we shook it off and got after it.

The rib sampler consisted of two Mempis ribs, two Kansas City ribs and two Texas Ribs. All were extremely good with plenty of meat, but the true winner this day was the side of macaroni and cheese I ordered. If you go, you have to order the macaroni and cheese. Our waitress also suggested the collard greens, but I was getting on a flight later that day and didn't want to be all jammed-up. The macaronit and cheese was creamy, hot and full of great cheese. I will definitely be having that again.

Nick said the pulled pork was great, but a little fatty. I don't know of any pulled pork sandwich that isn't a little fatty, but that is just me. They did have great sauces on the table and even brought out some large wet naps after the meal for everybody to clean up. This was a great experience.

The Blue Smoke also has a jazz club up on the second floor that I bet would be a great experience after an evening meal. Too bad I decided to hit this place for lunch. My guess is this would be a great date spot.

For the first time ever, I am going to give Blue Smoke five Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Original Ray's Pizza

You cannot go to New York and not visit Original Ray's Pizza. This is the real deal. Now when you are in NYC you will see Ray's Pizza, Original Ray's Pizza, Famous Ray's Pizza and even Original Famous Ray's Pizza. I don't know the difference, but know it is all good. This is some of the best pizza I have ever had.

Nick and I went by for a couple of slices and were not disappointed. I had a slice of pepperoni and a slice of cheese. Nick had a chicken roll and a slice of pepperoni. He said the chicken roll was good and I can vouch for the slices of pizza. They were hot, the sauce was great and the cheese was real mozzarella. This is one of the cheapest and best food options for anybody visiting the city. I especially like hitting Ray's late at night after I have gotten after a few Budweisers, but this day we hit them for lunch.

One of the funniest things that happened while we were there is that we took a table right at the front door. There was a small step into the restaurant and just about everybody that came in stubbed their foot and almost tripped into the restaurant. Now I know at 46 years old, I should be over laughing at this kind of stuff, but I am telling you, it was funny as shiggidy! Add this little bit of comedy to the greatness of the pizza and it turned out to be a great meal. Luckily, nobody actually fell and nobody was hurt.

Trust me, go to Ray's the next time you are in the city and you will not be disappointed.

I give Ray's four Stiffy's for my most recent visit.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Eating Utensils

I feel I have to share with you my thoughts on eating utensils and when they should and should not be used. My thoughts are that you will agree with me on this to a certain extent and maybe you won't, but that is OK. We all have our preferences.

For instance, I believe there are some things that just have to be eaten with your hands and then there are others that you do need to eat with a knife and fork. I consider myself somewhat dignified when it comes to my eating habits, but I am also not afraid to roll up my sleeves and get after it if the meal calls for me to do so.

Some of the things that you should always eat with your hands are burgers and fries, hot dogs, pizza (though I've been known to use a knife and fork on a deep dish), ribs, any kind of sandwich with a pass to open faced sandwiches, bacon, and any type of melon. I am sure you may be able to come up with others, but I list these as I have seen all of the above eaten by others with a knife and fork. I actually witnessed something the other night that was unbearable for me to watch and contain my composure. The following is my story.

Last week I saw a report on the news about Boston being the next city to ban trans fats in all of their restaurants. If you know me, I think you know where I stand on this kind of govermental inteference. Lets get one thing straight. None of us are going to get out of this thing we call life, alive. I would much rather die of a heart attack after eating cheeseburgers all my life than eating salads and get hit by a truck, but that's just me. I don't have anything against people that decide to eat a healthy diet, but I don't need my government or Mayor Bloomberg telling me I can't eat trans fats in his fine city.

Anyway, they are showing this story about no more trans fats in Boston and while they are reporting they show some folks eating breakfast in a diner. As God as my witness, they show a guy actually eating a slice of bacon with a knife and fork. Are you f&*king kidding me? Pick that bacon up and eat it the way it is supposed to be eaten. I told Nick about this and we both had a laugh. I am sure he thinks I am crazy about some of my dining proclivities, but I just want to educate people about enjoying their lives a little bit more.

So Nick being a big Mets fans tells me we should go to ESPN Zone to watch the game and that sounds like a great idea. I figure there will be plenty of sports and beer involved, so it can't be all that bad. I wasn't feeling all that hungry myself, but was still looking forward to it. We sit down and start with a couple of drinks and the game. A couple of guys are seated next to us and I notice they place their orders. I don't hear what they order, but when the waitress arrives some minutes later with their plates, see they are having cheeseburgers. I am not paying much attention as I am getting into the game as well. In between innings I happen to look to my left and I am sure you can guess what I see.

Yes, both of these guys are eating their cheeseburgers with a knife and fork. I am so enthralled by this display that I am squirming in my seat. Nick is laughing as he knows what this is doing to me. I figure maybe they are just eating the patty, but after turning completely around to view this train wreck, I see that they are going at it bun and all. I liken eating a cheeseburger with a knife and fork to sucking on some big old fat titties with your hands tied behind your back. Sure it is probably good, but it is not as good as it can be. Why deprive yourself? There has to be some connection between your hands and your tastebuds, so pick up those foods that are made to be eaten with your hands and enjoy yourself a little.

By the way, Nick had a buffalo chicken sandwich and he did eat it with his hands. More importantly, Nick said the sandwich was so hot he was on fire. I love a place that doesn't warn you about how hot and spicy their food is. You order hot, you have to suck it up and get after it without any complaints. He put it all down and only had to ask for one glass of water. A true champion in my book.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

A Change is Gonna Come!

Well my friends, it didn't take long. The Danish firm InBev has only had possession of my fine beer company for four to six weeks and already there are changes to my favorite brew. No, not to the recipe itself, but still a change I feel I must share with you. First though, I have to let you know how I have gotten to this point in my drinking life.

My father was in the military and I grew up for much of my life in Germany. Thankfully, one of those tours was when I was the age of 15-17 years old. Well guess what? I have never had legal drinking age problems since they just don't exist in Germany. Yes, I was not able to drink at that age on the base, nor would my parents have been that happy with me drinking at the age of 15 or 16, but it did happen and quite a bit to be sure. You see, I view beer as an elixir sent to us from the Gods. It should be enjoyed in a responsible manner and in the company of hot, attractive women whenever possible. I love it when a woman enjoys an ice cold beer. My wife does not like beer, but she gets a pass as she willingly serves as my designated driver whenever needed. Can you beat that?

Back to my story. When my family returned from Germany for the last time, I took my first real job working at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. The great part about working for an Anheuser-Busch company is that you get free beer as a monthly benefit. I remember when I was told this and I thought, "Who needs a 401K?" Back in the day, every full-time employee got four free cases per monthl, which was eventually cut back to two free cases. However, given my ability to chat-up the ladies in my earlier days, I could get many of them to give me their beer if I needed extra for parties and such. It was a glorius time to say the least. My beer of choice then and now is Budweiser. The conversation as far as I am concerned ends there. If I am out somewhere and they don't have Budweiser then I drink Scotch. There is no barley substitute.

To make a long story even longer, the other dayI purchased an 18-piece of my favorite golden brew and started to load it into the refrigerator. Lo and behold, I notice that three of the bottle caps are silver instead of the usual gold worthy of the King of Beers. Part of me is excited as I think it is a mistake and the caps are actually Bud Light caps placed inadvertently on Budweiser bottles. But no, they have the Budweiser logo on the top of the cap which leads me to believe I really have a souvenir. Then I purchase another 18-piece a few days later, (I told you I like beer) and find that all of the caps are silver. Now I am pissed!

How in the hell can a company place a silver cap on the King of Beers? Ladies and gentleman, surely you agree with me that the King of Beers deserves a gold cap. Are you kidding me? What is this? Some kind of cost saving measure? No king worthy of his title wears a silver crown.

I voice my displeasure to my wife who asks me, "Are you going to stop drinkng Budweiser now in protest?" C'mon now, we're talking Budweiser not Wendy's. I can give up Wendy's, but not the nectar of the Gods I have come to love and worship. However, I am pissed that this has taken place in such a short time after the InBev purchase of Anheuser-Busch, especially when they said there would be no changes. I know you are thinking, "What a little thing for him to be worried about." But remember, the devil is in the details. That's how this shit starts. They think they slip something small like this by you and then they try some other shit later when you are not looking. Next thing you know, they start trying to sell you beer with fruit flavors. I can see this shit coming. Don't let them fool you. They know what they are doing and I hope you don't fall for it.

Well, tomorrow is another day. The sun will still rise in the east, the Minnesota Vikings will continue to break my heart and Budweisers now come with silver caps. I guess some things do change. In the immortal words of Sam Cooke, "A Change is Gonna Come."

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

When Grillmasters Go Bad!

I just had to share with everyone this story I found yesterday in The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Because it has a food element in it, I thought readers would get a kick out of this article. The following is the story as it was published yesterday.

SPICE RUB ROBBERY

2nd victim hit with sausage

Fresne, Calif. - Authorities say they arrested a man who broke into the home of two California farmworkers, stole money, rubbed one with spices and whacked the other with a sausage before fleeing.

Fresno County sheriff's Lt. Ian Burrinmond said 22-year-old Antonio Vasquez was found hiding in a field wearing only a T-shirt, boxers and socks after the Saturday morning attack.

Burrimond said deputies arrested Vasquez after finding a wallet containing his ID in the ransacked house. The money allegedly stolen was recovered.

The farmworkers told deputies the suspect woke them Saturday morning by rubbing spices on one of them and smacking the other with an 8-inch sausage. - Associated Press

The fact that this guy felt compelled to rub the guy down with a nice spice rub during the commission of a crime just cracks me up. There are some crazy people out there. I just hope you are not one of them.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Taco Bell's - Volcano Taco

After seeing so many of the commercials for the new Volcano Taco at Taco Bell, I felt like I just had to try one. Now I am not a big fan of the hard shell taco, but I am a huge fan of hot and spicy food, so this was a no-brainer. My buddy Gary was coming over to watch last night's Vikings/Packers debacle with me and said he was going to pick-up some of the tacos for our taste test.

I don't eat at Taco Bell very much, in fact I probably haven't been there in 5-10 years. There just isn't anything on their menu that excites me and there is not a restaurant close enough for me to hit when I get the late night munchies. Gary shows up and we get right after the tacos figuring if these things are going to be any good, you have to eat them at their warmest temperature. The shell on these tacos are red and look a little strange at first, but they are filled with meat, sauce, lettuce and cheese. I take my first couple of bites and can feel a little bit of the heat. After a couple of more bites the heat starts to build a bit, but really isn't anything that I would call volcanic. It is clear that the heat from these tacos is in the cheese sauce, which I imagine is supposed to be the lava in this taco. If this cheese sauce was lava there would still be a city called Pompeii. Yes, it is spicy, but you would never throw a Pepsi in your face the way the guy does on the commercial.

This is another example of marketign overselling a product with a snappy name and good creative. For those that don't eat a lot of hot and spicy foods this taco will probably suffice, but true heat aficionados will think this falls way short. It is spicy for a fast food restaurant that has to cater to the taste buds of the majority. I know that I will not be eating another one.

I give the volcano taco two Stiffys and would urge people to try it only if they have had a few beers and there is nothing else open at the time.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry