Cinnabon-- Tasty treat or sign of the apocalypse?

Believe it or not, I've never had a Cinnabon.  I don't like sweets and I hate airport food.  But these  rants by my favorite comics have me intrigued.  I'll be at an airport today and will give it a shot. 

My favorite Oakland restaurant

Oakland, to outsiders near and far, has a lackluster reputation.  Sure, it's got problems, but some of the food there is stellar.

I went back to Hawker Fare for the second time this week for lunch, and was blown away, again.  The theme is Southeast Asian with a strong Chinese influence.  I'm not a "presentation" person but the entrees are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious.

Issan Sausage: Grilled spicy pork with braised skin, coriander, garlic and lemongrass, chili glaze.

Kao Mun Gai: Poached chicken with salted mung bean sauce, fresh cucumber, and cilantro.

Some of my other Oakland favorites include Geta (cheap Japanese), Adesso (pates), and Gum Kuo (rice porridge).

Photos source.

David Hasselhoff Hot Pockets ad

WTF?

And here's comic Jim Gaffigan's Hot Pocket routine:

What I like about new restaurants

You know when a new restaurant opens and the owner is still cheery, generous, and idealistic?  The ingredients are high quality and not cut-rate?  This 10-day old Israeli joint just opened up.  The lamb kabob was superb.  The meal was light, healthy, and full of flavor.

Iowa's Maid Rite sandwiches

Are there any Iowans out there?

I'll be in northwest Iowa for a wedding.  Along the way, I want to stop for a Maid Rite sandwich.  I've been fascinated by it ever since I saw it on the mouth watering PBS documentary Sandwiches That You Will Like (skip to 15:22):

If you know of any worthwhile sites between Omaha airport and Sioux Center (not Sioux City), Iowa, please let me know.  Thanks.

My first attempt at making bobotie

My wife has a cookbook compiled by her large, Midwestern, Dutch-American extended family.  Between reliable American fare like pot roasts and casseroles, there are more exotic recipes for dishes from South Africa (Dutch Boers) and Indonesia (Dutch East Indies).  Bobotie is a fusion of different colonial influences.  (Perhaps our South African and Indonesian readers can fill us in on this dish).

The main ingredients are ground lamb, onions, tomato, and garlic.  It also has bananas, an apple, and dried apricots.  Seasonings include curry powder, salt, and pepper.

The dish turned out kind of bland.  I expected it to be more spicy since it supposedly has an Indonesian/Malay influence.  Perhaps the spiciness index was dialed back for Midwestern taste buds.

If I had to do it again, I would try cubed lamb or fresh ground lamb instead of pre-packaged ground lamb.  And instead of just "curry powder" out of a bottle, I would make and use my own blend.  

9 year old blogs about her school lunches

This blog is interesting and fun on so many levels.  I'm hooked.

Freshly squeezed apple and orange juices

I've lived virtually next door to this restaurant (Chow) for seven years and just found out yesterday that they had served breakfast the entire time.  So we skipped the usual greasy spoon and gave this place a shot (it's a reliable lunch spot).  It was well worth the deviation from our regular Saturday morning routine.

Chow Lafayette's brunch menu.

Simpsons all-you-can-eat episode comes to life

Here is Homer:

Here is a guy in Wisconsin:

Zingerman's Deli pastrami sandwich hold the sauerkraut

H/t to steve v-h.

Dispatches from Ann Arbor, Michigan

That is a goat milk shake with a shot of dark rum. Saw a convoy with an SLS AMG and a CLK AMG driven probably by Automobile magazine's interns. The town has every obscure GM and Ford vehicle made in the last 15 years. Azteks, Montegos, and the only 14 Lincolns sold in the last three years. Also saw a Fisker Karma and a VW Jetta TDI taxi cab.

Lunch at Pismo Beach

The steamed clams and sourdough were perfect. The cheap Chardonnay...barely drinkable. Can't win them all.

Cars & Coffee (and chowder) this weekend

Cannot wait!

Also, I've decided to take scenic Highway 101 (think Pacific Coast Highway lite) back home after the show.  Why?  1) More time in the Popemobile.  2) Clam chowder at Pismo Beach.  

Taco Bell Doritos taco review

One word: Underwhelming.  The "flavors" of the seasoned "beef" and "sour cream" are so overwhelming, the Doritos shell tastes bland, like a normal "corn" shell.  And to make it worse, your fingers are stained with orange "nacho cheese" dust after finishing the "taco".

High density cattle feedlot

Had a recent conversation about American feedlots.  There's one nearby that has thousands of closely packed, miserable cattle.  Here's a shaky video of it, taken from nearby Interstate 5:

Here is the ranch's PR video:

And this is what it reminds me of:

Valentine's dinner at Waffle House

Foie gras loco moco at Animal (LA)

Foie gras, SPAM, Niman Ranch hamburger patty, quail egg, Sriracha infused gravy.  Menu here.

East Coast Chinese takeout requirement: duck sauce

Dollar Tree Frosted Flakes

Meet Tony the Tiger's deeply discounted, generic cousin, Albert the Albino.

Ketchup squirting robot

The internet is awesome.