Thursday, April 29, 2010

Harry Caray's


Harry Caray's
10233 West Higgins
Rosemont, IL 60018
(847)699-1200
www.harrycarays.com

Holy Cow! That's exactly what I thought when the shuttle bus pulled up to the Holiday Inn & Suites where I was staying and recognized there was a Harry Caray's connected to the hotel. I knew this conference I was going to attend would be a success.

I am going to post on both of the meals I had at Harry Caray's in this one post. My first dining experience at Harry Caray's was a lunch we did the first day of our conference. I really wasn't feeling all that hungry, so I did something that will shock every reader of this blog. I went soup and salad. You have to remember, I had just eaten a big burger and tater tots the night before at Four Shadows. I got the clam chowder and Caesar Salad. The one thing I seriously contemplated was the salmon burger, which was ordered by my friend Zee. She was kind enough to break me off a piece of her salmon and it was definitely something I wish I had ordered. The salmon was very well prepared and had great flavor. At least I have something to look forward to the next time I am in town.

The clam chowder I had was great, although I ordered a bowl and only got a cup. Whenever I order something in a restaurant and get a smaller size or a healthier choice, I always look at it as God's way of telling me I really didn't need what I had originally ordered. For instance, the difference between the bowl and cup in this example or if I order an extra side and it doesn't come out. I don't complain and accept it as God's will, but I always check my bill to make sure I am not charged for my original order. Call me crazy, but that's how I roll. The Caesar Salad I ordered was good, but what do I really know about salads? I mean, it had Romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese and a good dressing, but I really like it when the restaurant isn't scared to serve it with anchovies as it was meant to be. It is rare to find a restaurant to go the distance with the Caesar. Overall, lunch was great!

The next day I had the opportunity to eat breakfast at Harry Caray's. Once again, I went after one of my favorites and ordered the eggs benedict. The eggs were perfectly poached, the Canadian bacon great and the English muffin wonderfully toasted. The only issue I had was the hollandaise sauce was a little bit lemony for my taste. The home fried potatoes were great and overall, it was a great meal. I love eggs benedict and will always go that option if available at a new restaurant in which I have never eaten breakfast.

Overall, Harry Caray's is a great sports bar and wonderful restaurant. While I was not at their original location, this location seemed just as consistent as the other. I would highly recommend having a meal at Harry Caray's no matter which location you find yourself in around Chicago.

For my meals at Harry Caray's, I have to give them four Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Chili Dogs


I had to break up my posts for my Chicago trip as I was a bit hungry tonight watching the Cavaliers/Bulls game. I decided to make a couple of chili dogs to get me through the Lakers/Thunder game.

A while ago, I was in a Sears store and saw they had a hot dog grilling machine on sale for something like $19.99. It looked kind of cheesy, but it turns out to be one of the best culinary purchases I have ever made. You have all seen these hot dog grilling machines in 7/11 or at the ball field, but believe me when I tell you that if you get one at home, it will change your life. You will never eat another brown water hot dog again in your life.

Tonight I went with Sabrett's skinless beef hot dogs, but wish I could have brought back some Vienna Beef hot dogs from Chicago. My buddy Ryan told me he found some one time at Sam's Club and bought like the whole case. I have not been able to find them anywhere down here in Florida. I do have to say that Sabrett's is a pretty good dog.

I put them on the grilling machine and let them turn for about 15 minutes. Then I grabbed my buns and put them on the stove to toast them with butter. This was technique was taught to me by the late Bill France in his suite when I used to work for International Speedway Corporation. He saw me struggling to figure out how to grill my buns and told me, "Let me show you how to do it son." You have to put some butter in the pan, get it melted and then place the buns split side down. This will toast the top of the hot dog bun and give it a great buttery taste.

After heating the chili up in the microwave, I put my dogs together and finished them off with a splash of Crystal Louisiana Style Hot Sauce. This was some good lovin' chili dogs. I couldn't have found better hot dogs anywhere if I would have decided to go out and bring some back.

The brand of the hot dog griller is called Nostalgia Electrics and I found mine at Sears. If you like hot dogs, you have to take it to the next level and get you one of these machines for your house. You'll find every excuse in the book to eat hot dogs a couple of times a week. It also comes in handy on game day when you have the fellas over to watch the game. It holds four of the longer dogs at a time and eight regular size hot dogs if you decide to go the shorter route. Turn the machine on and just let them roll all afternoon as you keep on adding new dogs throughout the game.

I usually don't grade any of my own cooking, but these chili dogs tonight would warrant a rating of five Stiffy's if I did. LOL

Look for my additional Chicago posts on the blog tomorrow.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Durkin's Tavern


Durkin's Tavern
810 W. Diversey Parkway
Chicago, IL 60614
(773)525-2515
www.durkinstavern.com

While I didn't eat at Durkin's Tavern while in Chicago, I thought it worthy of a post for the great tavern it seems to be. On my first night in town, Kraig wanted to go out to watch the NFL Draft and the Penguins game. I was all for that as I wanted to see what my Vikings would be doing draft wise. If you follow the NFL and the draft, you now know that I sat there all night waiting for the Vikings to make their pick only to have the trade it and leave me waiting until day two before we took anybody. It was bad enough that their were picking 30th, but to wait that long and then have them trade the pick, killed me.

Durkin's Tavern, while located in Chicago, is really a Pittsburgh bar. They had a big Pittsburgh Steelers banner hanging outside the tavern when I went in. Kraig was already there when I got there and had saved me a seat at the bar. That had to be an incredible feat given how busy they were that night upon my arrival and I was glad I had a place to set up shop. We had a great time watching hockey and messing with the manager, TJ, who is a Cleveland Browns fan. How he came to manage a bar in Chicago that is a haven for Pittsburgh fans I will never know, but he's a great guy and seems to know how to run a tavern.

At one point, a guy beside me ordered a cheeseburger and that's when I was introduced to the fact that Chicagoans love Tater Tots. I have never seen them served in place of French fries before. That's what made me order them later when we went to Four Shadows to eat. This guy's burger looked really good, but I just wasn't hungry at the time.

Durkin's Tavern is as lively as any sports bar I have ever been to with a great number of flat screens and jumpin' music playing on the sound system. On the second night we went there they were having a "Half Way to Halloween" theme and there were actually people dressed for the occasion. I can only imagine how crazy this place is going to be next week for their Cinco de Mayo night, which was advertised extensively in the bathroom.

If you are looking for a great sports bar with what I believe is pretty good food and a great crowd, you should give Durkin's Tavern a try. It is really a good time.

Oh yeah, shout out to my boy Shane who works there, but was off my last night in town and had beers with me and Kraig at the bar.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Four Shadows Tavern


Four Shadows Tavern
2758 N. Ashland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
(773)248-9160
www.fourshadows.net

I went to Chicago last Thursday to attend a recruiting conference with Career Agents Network and was looking forward to it for the culinary opportunities it represented. While I didn't get to make it to some of the places I had previously targeted in my mind, it turned out to be a wonderful experience in finding some great alternatives to my original plans.

The first surprise of my visit came after meeting my friend Kraig at Durkin's Tavern for drinks. We had some beers and watched the Penguins game and decided we needed some food to end the evening. Our original plan was to hit the Gino's East location down the street, but we got there about 10:45. The problem is they close at 11:00 and it takes 40 minutes to make one of their pies. Gino's East was actually one of my primary destinations for this trip as I resolved at the beginning of this year that I would visit at least three places featured on Man vs Food last year. This one would have to wait until later in my visit.

Kraig and I continued on down the street and found Four Shadows Tavern. I am glad that we did as it was cold and rainy during my visit last week. I was at the point that any place would do for me as long as they served food. Lucky for me, Four Shadows serves good food.

We roll in and take a spot at the bar. We were a little nervous as the kitchen closes at 11:00PM and thought we were pushing it. The bartender brought us our beers and told us we were fine to order some food. I cannot remember what Kraig ordered, but I got the four cheese burger and added bacon. The four cheese burger comes with cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack and Havarti. I noticed something about Chicago that I haven't experienced in Florida yet and that is you get the choice between fries or tater tots. Just to shake things up a bit, I went tater tots. I am glad that I did.

Kraig and I placed our orders and began to take in the scenery of Four Shadows. It is a true tavern with a great comfortable feel. It's a Marquette University focused tavern and many of the patrons seemed to be of the college student age even though Marquette is located in Wisconsin. My guess is our orders were the last orders placed that evening and came out very quickly. I was surprised to see that my burger was on a ciabatta roll instead of a regular hamburger bun. However, it actually worked well for me this time. The burger was perfectly cooked to the medium rare stage in which it was ordered and the tater tots were hot and crispy. The meat used in the burger was of high quality and had a great flavor. I was astounded that we had stumbled across Four Shadows after being shut down elsewhere. It has to be one of the greatest accidental finds I have ever made.

The Four Shadows menu has all of the staples you would expect to see in a tavern type menu. If everything is even close to the burger I had, you can't miss on whatever you decide to order. If you find yourself in Chicago and near the Four Shadows Tavern, I personally suggest you give them a try. This was really good food.

For my first and unexpected visit to Four Shadows Tavern, I give them four Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

KFC's Double Down Sandwich


My buddy Gary hit me up over the weekend and told me he and his wife Nada had just done the KFC Double Down up in NYC. He told me it was the bomb and that I needed to try it. You have to have heard about this sandwich by now, unless you have been in Europe and got stuck by the volcano ash, but this has to be the most decadent and dangerous sandwich ever made. The Double Down consists of two slices of cheese, one Monterey Jack and one pepper jack, two strips of bacon, the Colonel's special sauce and two boneless chicken breasts serving as the bun of the sandwich. Yes, you read that right.

I was sitting here working today and wanted to get something to eat. I hit up my boy Spice to see if he would be down as he is usually my KFC running mate, but he hit me back that he was in Detroit. I don't know who had the worst day, me or him. Anyway, when I thought more about what I was going to do, I decided this is probably a sandwich I should tackle on my own. This sandwich is so bad for you that I thought about putting on a wig and sunglasses before going in. As I arrived at our nearest KFC location, I scanned the parking lot for my primary care physician's car as I know what he would say if he saw me eating this thing. I also didn't see any cars I knew, so I thought all would be safe.

As I am standing in line, there is an older couple in front of me ordering a grilled chicken combo and then another guy that ordered the buffet. When it was my turn to order I stepped up to the counter and mumbled, "Double Down combo please." The girl behind the counter had to ask me to speak up, but I was having a tough time even looking her in the eye as I ordered. She heard me the second time only to tell me, "I'm sorry Sir, we are out of the cheese that comes on that sandwich." (I love how she called it a sandwich instead of just saying, the Double Down.) They actually act like there isn't anything wrong with selling this thing. Part of me was relieved, but another part of me was pissed. I had gotten myself psyched up to get after this thing only to be foiled by a poorly managed store. As I was about to walk away, another girl appears from the back and says, "I have the cheese." When I pulled in I had noticed the tractor trailer dropping off supplies, but had no idea it would have anything directly to do with me.

I head to the soda machine to get my drink and notice, what I think is a college student, behind me also order the Double Down. He comes over to get his drink while I am at the machine, but we don't say anything to each other. We cannot even look at each other. It's like two guys standing at the urinals. You want to say, "Hey, what's up?", but it's not the time nor the place. That is the way the Double Down makes you feel. As my counter worker begins to put our Double Downs together, I notice it is taking a little bit of time. She starts to make mine to-go, but realizes I told her I'd be eating in. I guess she thought she would do me a solid for my extra wait and slipped a biscuit on my plate along with my Double Down and my potato wedges. I'm thinking, "Are you kidding me?" That biscuit is the last thing I need.

I get me food and then have my next big decision and that is where to eat this monstrosity without having to look at other people or have them look at me. I choose a seat at a table facing out to International Speedway Boulevard with my back to the rest of the people, but my Double Down partner comes over and sits at the table right next to me. I think this guy is thinking there's safety in numbers. He's probably right. You really should take somebody with you if you decide to eat this thing. Oh yeah, as I was leaving the counter with my order three nice looking ladies come in and I hear the first lady say, "Double Down with no sauce." This makes me feel a little bit better about myself, but not much.

You are probably wondering how you are supposed to eat this "sandwich" since the bun, so to speak, consists of two chicken breasts. Actually, KFC has done a pretty good job of solving that problem by wrapping the chicken in a paper wrapper. It has a warning that the chicken is hot, but the paper is thick enough for you to pick it up without burning your hands. The best way for me to describe this "sandwich" is it is a chickeny, bacony, cheesy, gooey sack of sin. It tastes pretty good, but there are too many flavors working against each other. I got the original recipe version and those 11 herbs and spices are kicking. There is a strong taste of pepper, the pepper jack cheese provides some heat, the sauce didn't add anything that I could determine and it wasn't until my fourth bite that I actually tasted the bacon. There is just too much going on here. I wish the lady that came in after I got my order would have been there earlier and maybe I would have also dropped the sauce, but for the first time, I doubt I would have went that route. I do have to admit the chicken was really hot, which served to melt the cheese in a great way.

My synopsis on the Double Down is this, now keep in mind that I have never worked in a management position in a restaurant, but if I was the CEO of KFC, this is what I would do. I would treat the Double Down just like McDonald's treats the McRib. Develop a cult following and bring it back from time-to-time. I would love to be in the board room at KFC when profits are slipping and a guy speaks up and says, "Time to Double Down dawg!" If you build that following and use it sparingly, I think this "sandwich" may have a chance. Otherwise, I don't see it making it on the menu as a regular offering, but that is just me. I am hearing they are thinking about allowing you to Super Size your Double Down and that is where for $.50 more you can get a cigarette to smoke after your meal.

If you want to still try to the Double Down, and I think that you should to make your own opinion, I would suggest getting the grilled version. You will probably save yourself about five calories and get a better taste sensation. However, for my first and last Double Down experience, I have to give it three Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Ground Chuck's - Udderly Good Burgers


Ground Chuck's - Udderly Good Burgers
900 N. Woodland Boulevard
DeLand, FL 32724
(386)734-8665

Julynn and I decided to venture out today and went to DeLand for lunch. We really didn't know where or what we wanted to eat, but finally decided to try a burger joint we hadn't been to, but had heard a lot of good things about. The restaurant is called Ground Chuck's - Udderly Good Burgers. I love their tag line.

We got there after the normal lunch rush at 2:00 and found it to be perfect. We were greeted with a welcome by the young lady at the register and began perusing the menu board for what we wanted. That was not hard to do as Ground Chuck's serves burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers and salads. I list the salads as a category, but in my mind that is a non-event for me at a burger joint. At Ground Chuck's, you order your food at the register and then they call you to pick it up. Julynn orders a burger and a side of onion strings and I order a cheeseburger with bacon and a side of fries. I ask the lady at the register what comes on the burgers and she tells me, "Whatever you want to put on it at our fixin's bar.", which she points out to me. Many of you know I am not a fan of fixin's bars as I feel they are havens for bacteria, but this one looks really good. Everything on it looked incredibly fresh. They had two kinds of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, peppers and they even have the blue/green relish you are used to seeing on a Chicago hot dog. Of course there was plenty of ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard available as well. I should also note that when you order your burger, they ask you if you want to add grilled onions or mushrooms, which are free of charge. I thought that was a nice touch.

I do have a funny story about the ketchup though. As part of the decor, they have a lot of product signs like Mountain Dew, Pepsi and Heinz Ketchup. These are all nostalgic signs to give the place an old-fashioned feel. These are all great, but I found it funny that they were not serving Heinz Ketchup. The inside of the restaurant is designed to look like an old cow barn and they have pulled it off well. There is a lot of tin walls around the counter and kitchen area giving the place a nice homey feel. They also have a combination of seating from booths, tables and high top tables. We chose to sit at a high top.

We were not seated for very long when they called our number to let us know our order was up. I went to the fixin's bar and got some lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and mustard. When I first touched my bun, I was a bit turned off as it felt cold, but once I had my burger dressed and took my first bite, I was fine as the buns are baked fresh making them nice and soft. The burger was served hot and juicy, but mine was a little too charred for my liking. Overall though, it was a good burger. The fries are of the fresh cut variety, but were just warm instead of hot. By the time I got to the last of my fries, they were cold. Julynn let me try some of her onion straws and they were tasty. I still would always opt for the fries personally.

Going back to when we were deciding what to drink, I was tempted to get a milkshake. They advertise that they serve Blue Bell ice cream in their shakes. The only thing that stopped me is that I noticed the shake would be served in a Styrofoam cup. I am a bit old-fashioned in that I think if you are going to serve milkshakes in-house, they should be served in a glass. It just makes for a better milkshake experience. I know that glasses cost the establishment more money, but this is just my preference. I decided to have a Budweiser with my burger, served in a glass bottle, thank you. Ground Chuck's serves a number of different beers in bottles and they have Bud Light on tap.

I was glad we decided to stop at Ground Chuck's and would definitely go there again if I was in DeLand and wanted a burger. Given that I live nearer to the Brickyard and Five Guys, I am not so sure I'd make a specific trip to Ground Chuck's. One thing that might pull me back out there is they have a burger called the 20-Buck Chuck. This is a three patty burger with three slices of cheese, lettuce and tomato and if you eat it you also get a Ground Chuck's t-shirt. I just might have to head back out there for the challenge.

If you are in DeLand or just feeling adventurous to go find a new burger, Ground Chuck's should be on your list. For my visit today to Ground Chuck's, I am going to give them three Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Friday, April 9, 2010

High Tides at Snack Jack


If you haven't been reading this blog for very long, I would like to share with you how it got started. It would be an understatement to say that I am high maintenance when it comes to eating out. Not high maintenance in that I need someone to fawn over me while I am in a restaurant, but I do have very high expectations when spending money on food out of the house. It is my belief that if you own a restaurant and want to be successful, you need to serve a good product and provide a nice atmosphere for me to enjoy that product. For far too long, my com padres from work would just laugh and watch me squirm and get upset when my soup was delivered too cold, ketchup was served in squeeze packs in a nice restaurant and panini sandwiches delivered without the cheese even being melted. They all said, "You need to start a food blog."

I resisted for the longest time until my coworker, Nick Begley, designed and set the blog up and told me I had no excuse. It has been a great experience and I am glad that he pushed me into it. This post is not so much about the food at High Tides at Snack Jack as it is about the experience I had that evening. I think you will find it entertaining.

My buddy Gary was in town with his son Vuk from NYC, so it was expected that we would all get together. The group included Gary, Vuk, Gary's parents, Kelly, Julynn, Kennedy and myself. Bratch and Kato Potato were supposed to show up, but never made it. I am sure we'll get up with them soon.

We get to High Tides and it is packed. Gary forgot that it is spring break and if you know anything about High Tides and Snack Jack, it is not the kind of place locals want to visit during high tourist time. People visit this restaurant while on vacation and then make it one of their stops every time they come back to town. We actually got lucky in that Gary told them we would take the first available table and got seated quickly. However, it was outside. If you know me, I am not big on al fresco dining. Mainly due to temperature cooling down my meal, flies buzzing around my food, or as is the case in Florida most of the time, me trying to eat while sweating bullets. This night the problem was the cool wind blowing off the ocean. I was sitting right at the point where the wind hit me first and was wearing me out. Given that it was 87 degrees the other day, I thought I would be find in my short sleeved shirt. While I was cool, my biggest concern was what was going to happen to the wings I had ordered? Surely, they were going to get too cold for me to eat and enjoy.

Our food shows up and amazingly the wind calmed down after the sun went down. Gary and I had ordered the hottest wings they serve and dug right in. They were very tasty, but Gary and I both commented that the heat from the sauce didn't affect us this time the way it has in the past. That is what happens when you eat a lot of hot and spicy foods. You build up a tolerance and need to go to the next level (Keep this statement in mind as you read further). Still, the wings were great!

We all finish our meals and beers and head our separate ways. I get home and get ready for bed by washing my hands thoroughly to take out my contacts. This is part of my contact ritual daily and I am not even thinking about the hot sauce that was all over my fingers a half hour earlier. Did I mention the hot sauce was made from habaneros? Anyway, I reach into my eye to grab the first lens and my head starts to explode. There is still traces of hot sauce on my fingers. After standing there for about five minutes with my head on the sink and complaining about the heat in my eyes, I wash my hands good again. Going into my second eye is not any better. Once again, my head is blowing up. I cannot believe I have been so stupid, but I really thought my hands were clean this time. A couple of more beers and I take it to bed.

After my shower the next morning, I go to put my contacts back in my eyes and guess what? I had forgotten about the episode the night before, so there was no rinsing off the lenses before they went back in my eyes. Everything was all right at first, but as I started to shave my eyes started burning, tearing up and my nose started running uncontrollably. Tears and mucus(I refuse to call it snot), are now running down into the shaving cream on my face. Julynn is laughing at me and cannot understand why I don't pull the lenses back out.

If you are not a person that enjoys hot peppers and spicy food, you can never understand what I am about to tell you. The burning in my eyes is actually starting to deliver the endorphin rush that Gary and I were complaining we didn't get from eating the wings the night before. I decide to try to ride out the storm and finish my shave. I get that done and still my nose is running and tears are streaming down my cheeks, but I cannot bring myself to remove the lenses. A couple of eye drops seems to bring a little relief and around 10:30, which is about two hours after this adventure began, I am back to normal. While I do not recommend this method of getting a hot pepper fix, it was quite an experience for me.

Eat, drink, be merry and always wash your hands after eating hot wings!

Harry

Sloppy Joe's


Sloppy Joe's
Daytona Beach Ocean Walk
250 N. Atlantic Ave.
Daytona Beach, FL 32118
(386)239-0014
www.sloppyjoes.com

When I was working for International Speedway Corporation my contact at Pepsi was Cindy, who also worked closely with Julynn at Daytona International Speedway. Over the years the work relationship became a friendship which continues to this day. While we have not seen Cindy and her husband, Mark in quite a while, they called us to let us know they would be spring breaking with their kids in Daytona Beach and wanted to get together for dinner. They wanted us to meet at Sloppy Joe's.

Now this is when you know you are getting old and how much you may have damaged your brain in your younger years. As God as my witness, I never knew Sloppy Joe's served food. My previous experiences have all been at the Sloppy Joe's location in Key West and I vaguely remember sharing numerous fishbowl sized rum drinks. If I would have known I could have had a sandwich to go along with those drinks back then, it would have been pure heaven. I have to say Sloppy Joe's turned out to be a good choice.

We got the to restaurant and Cindy, Mark and their twin daughters were already seated. Their daughters are about the same age as Kennedy, so it was good to get them together. They all sat at the table playing their Nintendo DS games while the adults caught up with each other. The crowd was a bit brisk with tables turning rather quickly all evening. Because we were trying to catch up with each other, we weren't in a real rush. You could tell our waiter was a little perturbed at us, but what are you going to do? I am not big on spending an extraordinary long time at a table when I know the wait staff makes their money based upon how many tables they turn. That's why if I do take longer than usual, I try to leave a larger tip, but we were clearly being rushed this night.

Because we had the kids, we ordered their meals first along with appetizers for all of us. We got the calamari and some chips and salsa. The chips and salsa were good, but I found the calamari to be a bit chewy. I will say that the marinara dipping sauce for the calamari was outstanding with just the right amount of spice and heat. Cindy and Mark had the fish tacos, Julynn had the pulled pork and I ordered the blackened grouper sandwich. We were all pleased with our meals, but the grouper sandwich I had was simply incredible. The bun was perfectly toasted and the blackened seasoning was great. This was an outstanding sandwich. Mark and Cindy said the fish tacos were good and Julynn also liked her pulled pork sandwich. I noticed that her sandwich was a bit over sized. That was a great sized sandwich and may be worthy of me giving it a try sometime. However, the grouper was so good, it will be hard to deviate from that menu option. If you like grouper I strongly suggest you give it a try at Sloppy Joe's.

For my first dinner and food related visit to a Sloppy Joe's, I have to give them four Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Brian's Bar-B-Q


Brian's Bar-B-Q
795 N. Spring Garden Ave.
DeLand, FL 32720
(386)736-6851
www.briansbbq.com

I planned on catching up with my buddy Chad just to chat about some recent job openings we had seen and to reconnect. Since Chad lives in Lake Mary and I am in Daytona Beach, he made the suggestion to meet in DeLand since it is in the middle. His suggestion was great since I feel DeLand has a lot of interesting restaurants.

For a few years there have been commercials on television for Brian's Bar-B-Q, yet I still had not been there. I know a couple that live out that way and asked them about Brian's one day and they just kind of shook their heads. They didn't really like it, but I know sometimes you have to find out for yourself. Since I really love BBQ and hadn't had any in a while, I decided to chance it. It is a good thing that I did.

Chad and I both were running a little bit late and I thought our planned arrival time of noon was going to put some real pressure on us. However, when I turned into the parking lot, I was surprised to see it sprinkled with cars. I thought it would have been much more crowded. I go in to wait for Chad and immediately get a feeling that I am in a Sonny's, with lots of wood tables, booths and dividers. The staff was very attentive as different people came to ask me if I was ready to be seated. I told them all I was waiting on somebody and they all told me to just let them know when we were ready.

Chad shows up and we get seated immediately. We are sitting there just chatting when the waitress comes to the table. She is very nice and extremely attentive to our every need. She takes our drink orders as we start to look through the menu. I was quite surprised at the extent of the menu. For a BBQ place, they serve a lot of different sandwiches, seafood, steaks and a range of soups and salads. When the waitress returns with our drinks I ask her if they have any specials for the day. They had a burger special, a rib special, a wing special and an all-you-can-eat chicken special. The chicken special was only $7.99 and included two sides. I decided I would keep it simple and get the sliced pork sandwich with fries and beans. Chad followed closely, but he went with the pulled pork sandwich.

We sat there catching up for about 10 minutes and it wasn't very long before she was back with our orders. Everything looked really good portion wise and I could tell it was going to taste good too. Our waitress asked if we needed sauces and we told her we did. This is where it got real interesting. She brought back about three bottles of sauce in the plastic squirt bottles we are all familiar with. I go to put the hot sauce on my sliced pork and was surprised to find they keep their sauces in a warmer. I find that to be a nice touch as one of my pet peeves is putting cold sauce or ketchup on hot food. What kind of sense does that make?

I put a good amount of sauce on my pork and take my first bite. The bun was nice and soft and the pork was tender and juicy. The sauce had a nice flavor to it, but I didn't find it to have much kick. The fries and beans were both served very hot, which is always to my liking. The only other thing I noticed was the meat could have been a little smokier. Overall though, it was a great sandwich and to me, this was a great find. I know I will go back there again sometime. After we ate our waitress was really trying to get us to take a to-go tea with us, but we both declined. It was funny how she kept going after us talking about how hot it was outside and how we are going to be thirsty later. I like it when your server feels comfortable enough to play with you a little bit. She was great!

For my first visit to Brian's Bar-B-Q I am going to give them four Stiffy's. If you are in DeLand and want some BBQ, I suggest you can't go wrong by stopping by Brian's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Monday, April 5, 2010

Five Guys Burgers and Fries


Five Guys Burgers and Fries
The Pavilion at Port Orange
5543 South Williamson Blvd.
Port Orange, FL 32128
(386)675-6594
www.fiveguys.com

It has been a long anticipated wait for the Five Guys to open in the Pavilion at Port Orange. There are a number of Five Guys locations over in the Orando area, but I really don't get over there that much anymore and it is a little far to go just for a burger. I'll go that far specifically for barbecue because we don't have many great places in Daytona Beach, but you can find good burgers over this way. However, Five Guys has always been one of my favorites and I was happy when they finally opened.

I decided to give them a couple of weeks to run through all of the curiousity seekers around here and avoid the crowds a bit. They had been open for about three weeks when I finally had the opportunity and desire to head down there with my friend Kelly for a burger. The surprising thing I first noticed when upon arrival was the Red Robin right across the street from Five Guys, the Mom & Pop pizza parlor right across from the Red Brick Oven pizza shoppe and the frozen yogurt location right across the street from the Cold Stone Creamery. Has anybody ever heard about category exclusivity at the Pavilion?

Kelly and I decided to meet a little early to beat the regular lunch crowd we expected to start around noon, so we met at 11:30. Well, Kelly got there at 11:30, but I was running a little bit late. When we entered, we could see they were already getting a little crowded, but not so much that we could not get a table. We placed our orders and went to find a table. The cool thing about Five Guys is they also have free peanuts for you to snack on while you are waiting for your order.

We snacked on a few peanuts and chatted for about five minutes before they called our numbers. As always, the burgers and fries were hot and made just as we ordered them. The only issue I have with Five Guys is all their burgers are cooked well. I can understand it as they are trying to serve food quickly and my guess is if people are ordering all over the place, it would slow down there operation. I have found that even cooked well, their burgers are still juicy. The meat has a great flavor and all of their toppings seem to be very fresh.

We ate our burgers and fries while checking out the arriving crowd and enjoyed our meal. Five Guys continues to be one of the most consistent burger joints around. Although, I will interject here that my buddy Nick started out as a fan of their fries when I took him to his first Five Guys, but then turned against them. However, he recently shot me a note and told me a recent visit to Five Guys in NYC has him back on the fries again.

If you have never been to a Five Guys location and live in the Daytona Beach/Ormond Beach/Port Orange area, I suggest you get there soon for one of the best burgers in the areas. Oh yeah, their fries are not to shabby either.

For my first visit to our now local Five Guys, I have to give them four Stiffy's.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Harry

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Wendy's



If you have been reading this blog for a while or have just been a person that has dined with me, you know the issues I have with Wendy's. About two years ago, it came to a head and I declared I was done with them. I took the time to write to Wendy's corporate about my issues and told them I would never eat there again. They promptly sent me a certificate for a meal, which I never used and allowed to expire. If you are wondering what has risen my ire towards Wendy's, it is because they have screwed me more than a Tiger Woods' mistress.

Julynn was out the other night and called me as she was coming home. She asked me if I wanted anything to eat and told me that she could stop at Wendy's. Now I had not eaten at Wendy's since I had decided to boycott them, but what made me make this tragic decision was the new Bacon Blue Burger they are now selling. You see, bacon is the culprit here that caused me to make this terrible decision. Bacon is the pork lovers crack cocaine. If you like pork, there is nothing you probably won't do for a slab of bacon. I would even venture to guess that when you read about some of these celebrities that are getting divorced for irreconcilable differences, bacon is probably at the root of the problem. The power of that smokey meat is that strong.

Anyway, I ordered a Bacon Blue Burger and because I hadn't eaten all day, I spicy chicken sandwich with cheese. Julynn gets home and gives me my sandwiches and I immediately go to look at the spicy chicken sandwich. Why you might ask? Because Wendy's always forgets to put the cheese on the chicken sandwich. Because I am a gambling man, I pulled open the wrapping thinking surely after two years I would strike gold and get what I had ordered. Well I was wrong. Wendy's bent me over again.

I threw my tantrum and told Julynn how disgusted I was with Wendy's and how they cannot get their orders right at all. She sort of laughed and could not believe it had happened to me again. I decided to eat the Bacon Blue Burger first and started to dig in. On my first bite, I had this kind of funny taste that I could not put my finger on. It tasted sort of metallic tasting and I could not tell if it was the bleu cheese or if it was the sauce on the burger. After the second or third bite, the funny taste went away and the smokiness of the bacon began to take over. It really is a great burger. Too bad I won't be going back for another one anytime soon. I finished the burger and thought Wendy's was onto something with this new creation. The spicy chicken sandwich I ate next was also great, but not as good as it could have been if I had the cheese on it as requested.

The only thing that saved this night was bacon. If you don't believe in the power of bacon, consider this. It is 9:30 on a Saturday night, I am watching Duke vs West Virginia and cooking bacon to make BLT sandwiches. My wife just walked through the kitchen and turned the fan on over the stove to remove the smell from the house. This is the same woman that once told me, "I hate to break this to you, but I really don't like ribs." It would have been better if she had told me she were having an affair. How can you not like ribs????

Anyway, I have gotten a little off track and my sandwiches are about ready to be put together. I loved the new Bacon Blue Burger from Wendy's, but will probably never have another. If you are a person that can go to Wendy's and have good luck, I urge you to try this new burger. I am sure you will like it.

For my most recent Wendy's exploration, I given them two Stiffy's.

Eat drink and be merry!

BTW - the BLT sandwiches I had tonight were excellent, with cheese!

Harry