A Summer Resolution: Wings Night

After several months of constant takeout (and a respite from this blog), Travis & I decided it was time to buckle down and start cooking our own food for a change. FreshDirect, a Manhattan/Hamptons/NYC area grocery delivery service, was offering unlimited summer deliveries (minimum $30) for $10 (instead of $6 per delivery), so I decided to sign up in hopes that we'd take advantage and start saving money and spending more time in the kitchen.

While some takeout I clearly am unable to reproduce in my lovely apartment kitchen (sushi) I was hoping most of what we normally order I could make myself.

Enter, wings. Now I love wings as does Travis and we typically order them a couple of times a month, at least. However, adding up the cost of wings (insanely hot for him, medium for me), fries/onion rings, salad and soda, the total each delivery ended up somewhere around $30 - $35. Trying to both stick to my summer cooking resolution AND potentially save a free dollars in the process, I decided to make my own.

Remembering that Ariel & Malia's mom, Ms. Brady, makes her own wings from scratch and how awesome A&M made them sound, I thought, "hey, I may not subscribe to Gourmet magazine, but I can certainly try and make my own!". I also decided to go ahead and make my own blue cheese dressing.

I selected this wings recipe with minor alterations from Gourmet magazine's site, Epicurious, as it was based on Anchor Bar's (the originator of the Buffalo Wing) recipe AND I thought it had a higher chance of being similar to Ms. Brady's recipe.



Yum! The wings were delicious and we both agreed they were a definite new addition to our regular rotation of home cooking. Especially nice was being able to put piping hot sauce over crisp wings instead of them waiting around under a hot lamp or in a delivery bag. The blue cheese dressing was a little too salty and too much Worcestershire, but overall I enjoyed it.
Texture-wise, definitely more of a dressing than a dip, but it could be thickened with more mayo if you desired.

Recipes are as follows:

Buffalo Chicken Wings:
Makes 2 dinner or 4 appetizer servings

Ingredients:
3 lbs chicken wings (12 to 14)
6 cups vegetable oil (for frying, or approximately one inch deep)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup Frank's hot sauce (can use less if desire less heat)
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

To prep the chicken (can do while oil heats):
Cut off chicken wing tips, reserving for another use, and halve chicken wings at joint

To deep fry:
Pour oil into deep, heavy pot/kettle. Heat until a thermometer reads 375 degrees F. Right before the oil hits 380 degrees F, pat dry 6 or 7 wings. Carefully lower wings into oil and fry, stirring/flipping occasionally until cooked through, golden and crisp, 6 to 8 mins. With a slotted spoon/tongs, transfer wings to paper towels to drain. Return oil to 380 degrees F. Pat dry remaining wings and fry in same manner.

To make the hot sauce:
In a small pot melt butter over moderately low heat and stir in hot suace, vinegar, and salt to taste (if needed). Once combined, remove from heat.

To coat the wings:
Place slightly cooled wings into bowl. Pour warm hot sauce over wings and toss to coat. Serve wings warm or at room temperature. Serve with celery & carrot sticks and blue cheese dressing.

Blue Cheese Dressing (recipe from Joy of Cooking):
Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:
1 cup mayo
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 to 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper to taste
4 oz blue cheese

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients except cheese and process until smooth. Once smooth, add cheese and process to desired consistency. Taste and adjust if needed, use immediately or cover and refrigerate.

First Dinner in Mountain View, CA

Mango Chicken.

When AJ asked Jenny what kind of cuisine she wanted to eat for dinner, she made the right decision when she said "Asian". Mountain View has a ton of options when it comes to Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, and Korean. We decided to stroll down Castro St and just pick a restaurant that looked good. This sort of method inevitably leads to either a great meal or a mediocre one.

While we passed many Thai restaurants, some looked quite barren. We finally stumbled upon one that looked quite crowded, usually a good sign. We were seated quite quickly, but then left with our menus for awhile.

Amarin Thai has some neat seating options, with cushion seating available on the floor or the traditional dining table with chairs. We were seated at a table that was smacked up against the large table next to us. Jenny and Malia could barely move their seats.

Scallops with stir fried veggies, and mango chicken.

After perusing the menu, our orders were taken. The food came out fairly quickly after that. Amarin Thai offers both brown rice and steamed white rice with dinner entrees, something I love. Sometimes I am just in the mood for some nutty brown rice. AJ and I split the green with tofu and the ka-ree pumpkin. Malia ordered the grilled scallops and Jenny got the mango chicken.

While the service may have been lacking a little, the food more than made up for it. I was in love with my ka-ree pumpkin, a thick curry with peppers, pan-fried tofu, celery, onion, pumpkin, carrots, and lots of cumin. AJ's green curry was very well done, with some nice heat, with a light coconut broth.

Green curry with tofu, eggplant, peas, peppers, and thai basil.

Jenny and Malia's dishes were beautifully presented and were extremely fresh. Sometimes, thai food can be oily and heavy. The food here is prepared with a light hand, with emphasis on the quality and flavor of the ingredients. I will definitely be back.

Amarin Thai Cuisine

174-176 Castro St

Mountain View, CA

2.5 out of 3 JAMs

Road Trip Recap

I recently traveled across 15 states on a cross-country road trip to California, where I will now be living with my boyfriend. Jenny and Malia agreed to accompany me on what was a once in a lifetime experience! JAM traveled north, west, and south in search of good eats along the way. I will proceed to recap some of our tasty travels.

Day 1 - Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana

Our first day was a little chaotic, as we moved our departure date up a day due to heavy storms. We headed north through Pittsburgh, stopping to say hello to my aunt Lisa, uncle Gary, and our cousins, Jenna and Brett. While we weren't fortunate enough to eat at the Matson's pizza place, My Brick Oven, we had lunch at a nice Italian restaurant. We finally spent the night in Indianapolis, sleeping in a hotel with a live train station set below it! Luckily the rumbling trains didn't keep us awake too long.

This was right outside of our hotel room!

Day 2 - Indiana, Illinois, Missouri

Blue Springs Cafe - Highlands, IL

Our second day feature much more promising eats. Right before lunch we spotted a sign for "mile high pies". Dessert before lunch, sure! These pies were piled high with merangue and came in chocolate, lemon, coconut, and banana flavors. Jenny chose chocolate, Malia banana, and myself coconut.

Scrumptious coconut cream pie. Baked daily!

The famous "Arch" in St Louis.

The Broadway Oyster Bar - St Louis, MO

We attempted to find Top of the Riverfront, a restaurant in the Millenium Hotel with amazing views of the city. Alas, they were closed at lunchtime. We wandered over toward the stadium, ending up in a small block with a couple restaurants. While the neighborhood wasn't the nicest, we did find a place with some good Louisiana style cooking. The crawfish bisque is a must, with large chunks of crawfish in a spicy, rich bisque. We split a mufaletta, but were somewhat disappointed with the use of american cheese. The restaurant was decorated for mardi gras, and old album covers adorned the ceilings. If you're looking for live music, hit up this place in the evenings.

Jack Stacks Barbecue - Kansas City, MO

Ribs with fries, toast, and barbecued baked beans.

Our main goal for day 2 was to find some awesome bbq. Upon arrival in Kansas City, we asked the concierge for tips on some local places to eat. Jack Stacks came highly recommended, with emphasis on the tastiness of their bbq baked beans.

Excited for some delicious meat!

Jenny and Malia ordered the pork ribs dinner for two with sides of french fries and bbq baked beans. I ordered up some "burnt ends" - which are the delicious charred ends of a meat brisket. I got the pork and the beef ends with a side of baked beans. We ordered salads to start - as if that could offset the fat content of our meal! The meat was moist on the inside, with wonderful caramelization on the outside. The sauce was to die for. We all agreed we could have lived off of their baked beans which are swimming in their tangy, sweet sauce and meat.

Day 3 - Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas

The Big Texan - Amarillo, TX

While there wasn't much to see in Kansas and Oklahoma, besides grass and general dull sky, we knew we had more meat to consume in Texas. Jenny had done some research and found a charming steakhouse that offers a 72 oz challenge. If you can finish a steak that large you get your meal for free. Somehow I don't think the steakhouse loses that challenge very often.

We love Texas!

The Lady's Fillet - 6 oz filet served with fried okra, jalapeno, and bread.

We all agreed the steaks were moist and tender. Jenny chose the prime rib, ordering it up "mooing", I mean medium rare. Malia and I went for the filet. The fried okra tasted frozen, however the rolls were warm and soft.

Strawberry shortcake was big enough to feed four!

Desserts are Texas-sized, feeding up to four people. We decided on the strawberry shortcake, but this left a terrible chemical taste in our mouths. Better to go for something chocolate or just skip dessert altogether.

Day 4 - Texas, New Mexico, Arizona

There were some beautiful red mesas in New Mexico.

Los Cuates - Albuquerque, NM

Chicken taco.

Los Cuates was recommended by Jenny's dad, a big fan of mexican and spicy food. We were pretty hungry, and were greeted with some chips and their housemade salsa. This was more like a chili paste! It was spicy, and sweet and rather addictive despite the burning sensation it left on our tongues. Jenny compared it to a mexican sriracha.

Blue corn tostaditas with avocado and salsa.

Jenny and I ordered the tostaditas and chicken tacos. When you're on the road that long together you start to think alike. These were simple yet delicious. The beans were super flavorful and the blue corn provided a nice crunch. The salsa again was very spicy and super fresh with bits of tomato, onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Jenny wanted to take this home with her!

Oregano's - Flagstaff, AZ

Oregano's - a charming pizza bistro an hour outside of the grand canyon national park.

We were so close to the grand canyon, yet in need of some grub before we checked into our hotel that night. Oregano's has been featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives". The ambience was charming and family-friendly with large wooden booths and 50s and 60s memorabilia adorning the walls. Malia and I split the oregano's favorite salad. A nice combination of romaine, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, onion, raisins, and feta cheese. A junior size easily feeds two people. We split a thin crust pizza (it takes the shortest amount of time to cook) with spinach, garlic, onions, and sundried tomatoes. It was crispy, cheesy, and robust. The perfect end to a long drive.

Spinach, onion, garlic, and sundried tomatoes on thin crust pizza!

Day 5 - Arizona, Nevada

The Grand Canyon in all its glory!

We hiked around the Grand Canyon that morning and headed into Las Vegas for the night. We ate a wondeful meal at Wolfgang Puck's Postrio in the Venetian. We shared some wondeful oysters that tasted like the ocean. I love them with just a splash of lemon. I ordered the barbecue salmon with fried onion rings. The salmon was tender and buttery. The barbecue added a nice acidity and sweetness. The fried onion rings were exactly what an onion ring should be, crisp and light. Malia's halibut was tender and flaky and Jenny's fruti di mare was fresh with wonderful handmade fettucine.

Day 6 - Nevada, California

Cobras y Matadores - Los Angeles, CA

Albondigas!

We arrived in LA on Day 6 to visit Katy! She and Jenny had never had spanish tapas before. Katy made a reservation for us at Cobras y Matadores upon rave reviews from friends. This restaurant is incredibly popular, so make sure to reserve a table a week in advance. We got stuck with a 1030pm reservation. We had to wait an extra 40 minutes to be seated! Despite the crappy service the food was excellent. The goat cheese with almond pesto and cherries is a must have! The perfect pairing of sweet and savory. The albondigas and strip steak were favorites with everyone. The staff tried to make up for the service with dessert. The churros were overly sugary. The french toast was incredible. Crispy and fluffy, with wonderful caramelization. Served with whipped cream and caramel sauce. I would certainly order this again. Would I travel here again? Only if I had an early reservation and was prepared to wait.

Goat cheese with almond pesto and cherries.

Day 7 - Up the coast of California

The Sea Shanty

Our views from the car were spectacular on our last day, as we chose to drive up the PCH/US-1 highway. We stopped in Cayucos right on the coast. We ate lunch at the Sea Shanty, a charming beach restaurant serving up fish, burgers, and incredible desserts.

View of the ocean in Cayucos.

Fish and salad.

Malia and I both ordered the snapper, mine grilled with a salad and fresh fruit, hers on a sandwich with a side salad. My fish was moist and flaky, could have used a little more seasoning. Jenny agreed her fried fish could have used more seasoning in the batter. We noticed some newspaper clippings on the wall touting the sea shanty's desserts. After our last strawberry shortcake in Texas, we were looking for redemption. The sea shanty's shortcake was wonderful! This was no sara lee pound cake, but a real butter flaky shortcake with fresh strawberries, vanilla bean ice cream and real whipped cream. Delicious!

Strawberry shortcake done right!

That concludes the road trip. While not everything we ate was to die for, it was such a great experience. I got to see places I never would have traveled too and felt a great appreciation for the people and cultures in this great country of ours!

Payard Patisserie and Bistro - Restaurant Week NYC Style!

Spanish Mackeral with ginger, garlic, baby bok choy, and shitake mushrooms.

A couple weekends ago Malia and I headed up on the Bolt Bus to visit Jenny for a JAM reunion! We were super excited. Jenny, being the planning queen that she is, made us a reservation at Payard Patisserie and Bistro during New York's restaurant week. Malia and I had gone to La Rue 123 during the Inaguration Week in DC, and had passed up their special menu. We were not going to make the same mistake this time! For $35 you can get an appetizer, entree, and dessert! We double checked the regular menu, and were pleasantly surprised to see that most of the items on the special menu were also on the regular menu. This is a good sign, in that the restaurant isn't just putting some cheap cut of meat on the special menu to pass if off on those in search of a cheaper meal.

Salmon tartare

To start, Malia and I ordered the lentil soup, while Jenny and Travis ordered the salmon tartare. Travis loves french onion soup, so he got that as well. Our server came by with a basket of bread, from which we all chose their wheat roll. Being after 9pm, we were all famished and glad to have something to nibble on. The roll was rather interesting - it was super crunchy, almost like a really large cracker. The dough was slightly sweet and hardy, but I generally prefer my rolls on the softer side.

Our appetizers came out shortly thereafter. Surprisingly, this was the first time I had eaten a pureed lentil soup, I am used to the texture of the individual beans. The soup was creamy, a little on the salty side, served with croutons. The dish was nice, but nothing extraordinary. Jenny and Travis were pleased with the flavor of the salmon. Travis' french onion soup had great carmelized, salty flavors. He felt it was a little on the sweet side, but I like that component about this particular soup. The sharp, salty gruyere was the perfect compliment.

French Onion Soup.

The entree options were a lot slimmer - roast chicken or spanish mackeral. I have cooked a lot of chicken in my days, and thus I tend to steer away from chicken when I go out to eat. The spanish mackeral looked like a good option, served with baby bok choy and mushrooms. I once had a very bad incident with spanish mackeral and a certain salt mound method of cooking (Jenny and Malia can attest to the awful nature of this dish), but I decided to give this fish a second chance. The rest of the group opted for the fish as well.

The fish was presented in four small sections, complimented with steamed baby bok choy, a ginger sauce, and wild mushrooms. Jenny picked around the mushrooms. The fresh minced ginger was such a refreshing addition, and enhanced the flavors of the flaky white fish. The skin could have been crisped up a little more in my opinion, but still it was a solid meal.

Chocolate creme brulee with candied orange - divine!

Don't worry I have saved the best for last! Payard is probably best known for its wonderful pastries, tarts, cakes, and candies. The menu indicated that we could have any of the pastries in the patisserie case. Well, by 11pm that case is quite sad looking, with a couple eclairs and small pastries looking very unappetizing. Fortunately our waiter told us that the creme brulee was also being offered. Malia is not usually a fan of creme brulee, but after looking over at our neighbors devouring the dish, she decided to try it along with the rest of us.

This was no ordinary creme brulee! The chef created a chocolate version with candied orange peel. I love the crunching sound you hear as you dig your spoon into the crisp sugar. The textural play on crisp and creamy is wondeful. The chocolate custard was simply amazingly silky, rich, with deep chocolate flavors. The candied orange peel delivered a slightly chewy, sweet burst of citrus. The ramekin of custard could have easily fed two people, and yet I easily could have eaten the entire thing. Somehow I managed to restrain myself.

The creme brulee easily elevated the entire meal. I would certainly come back to Payard, but perhaps next time just for dessert.

Bon Appetite.

2 out of 3 JAMs

Payard Patisserie & Bistro

1032 Lexington Ave

New York, NY 10021

Burger Wars, Week 2: Elevation Burger & BLT Burger

BLT Burger, NYC, Jenn:
Since my NYU friends had found out about my burger wars, I decided to enlist them to help me find the city's best burger. With high hopes after reading about Spotted Pig's burger with blue cheese, we headed out to meet up for a post-work burgerfest.

Sad to say, the wait of approximately 3 hrs was more than our hungry stomachs could handle so Steve saved the day by recommending BLT Burger, calling ahead while we walked to place our names on the list. Known for their "gourmet" yet casual burgers, BLT Burger would hopefully not disappoint.

We arrived to the crowded restaurant and our party of 6 had to wait by the doorway, crammed between the hostess stand and the bar. Despite Steve calling ahead and our 15 min walk to the restaurant we still waited about 30 min for a table on a Thursday night. Needless to say, by the time we were seated, having stared at the menu for the past 30 mins, I was starving!

I ordered the place's namesake, the BLT Burger, which is a 7oz certified angus beef (CAB) burger with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and BLT Burger sauce, medium rare, with blue cheese ($11 + $1 for cheese). Other BLT Burgers were ordered, as well as the Tex-Mex Burger, Salmon Burger, and Veggie Burger. We added some sides of skinny fries, waffle fries, and onion rings.

While listening to a soothing mix of oldies and 90s hits, we all enjoyed the atmosphere - a mirrored wall with the menu hand-written, today's specials on a board along the side, cozy booths and tables (well for some of my dining companions the set-up was a little overly crowded) and the sophisticated yet kitschy touches of decor like a steer's head and other western items on the walls.

Our burgers arrived quickly and we all immediately noted the small portion of bacon on the signature BLT Burgers - two sad little pieces rather than slices. Despite this, the burgers from a taste perspective were solid - juicy, the tomato and lettuce fresh, and for me the blue cheese added a nice bite to my patty. Also, BLT cooked mine to a light pink color, a little more cooked than I like my burgers but not bad considering there were six of us and each ordered different items and degree of rareness.

Darren, who ate the salmon burger, was happy although perhaps it didn't justify its $11 price tag. Pit enjoyed his veggie burger due to its falafel-patty, instead of a typical bean or soy based patty and its onion roll ($7). Travis' Tex-Mex burger was more flavorful than the BLT Burger, although the heat from the jalapenos and jack cheese was not very prominent due to the slathering of avocado, mild salsa, and sour cream.

The onion rings were disappointing - mostly batter and on the sweeter side, though probably due to the combination of a sweet batter and the vidalia onions used ($5). The skinny fries, thinly cut french fries, were crunchy and salty, and the waffle fries, while a bit soggy and greasy, were very satisfying with their overall flavor (both fries, $4).

Post burgers I was tempted enough to order one of BLT's milkshakes - the Mocha Mudslide ($7), made of coffee ice cream, crushed and whole oreo cookies with a whipped cream top. Delicious. Easily my favorite part of the meal - it was thick, the cookies were nicely blended into the ice cream, and the combination of the bitter coffee with the sweet cookies and whipped cream made for a perfect balance of sweetness. The cookies also lent a bit of texture in the back end of every sip. I would warrant even better than Shake Shack's custard shakes (blasphemy I know!)

Overall, BLT is a solid burger joint if you're ok with spending about $25 with tip and tax and you're looking for a standard burger, fries, and an outstanding milkshake. Best burger in the city? No, but the atmosphere and menu options make it a little more appealing - the idea of a kobe burger and another Mocha Mudslide might just bring me back a second time around.

Elevation Burger, NoVa, Ariel & Malia's parents:

On Friday night, Dave and I checked out Elevation Burger in Falls Church. Ariel and Malia had asked us to assist them in reviewing places that serve hamburgers. We arrived to the restaurant around 7:00 p.m. to find the place fairly packed, mostly with families who seemed to be enjoying themselves. We decided to try an assortment of dishes: a cheeseburger, an Elevation burger, a side of fries, three small cookies, a chocolate shake, a side salad, and a bottle of water. The tab came to $24 for everything, which is pretty pricey for a hamburger dinner. After paying for our food, we found ourselves a table near the front of the restaurant.

Shortly after we sat down, one of the employees called out “Dave” and presented my husband with his shake, a rather thick concoction served with a large straw and spoon. Dave thought the shake was very tasty.

A few minutes later, Dave’s name was called once more and he was presented with a large rectangular baking dish filled with our hamburgers and the fries. We didn’t realize that the salads were in the self-serve refrigerator with the bottled water and other beverages, so Dave had to go back and pick up the side salad, a minor inconvenience.

Alright, now for our evaluation of Elevation burgers: the burgers were juicy even though they were cooked well-done and the cheese, real cheddar, was better than what is served at a fast food restaurant. My cheeseburger consisted of one patty topped with cheese, while Dave’s Elevation burger was made up of two patties topped with cheese. I dressed my cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, raw sweet onions, and hot pepper relish. Dave topped his Elevation cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, caramelized onions and ketchup. The toppings are similar to what you can select at Five Guys, except at Five Guys you can request raw jalapeno peppers, my favorite. Dave felt that the burgers were superior to those served at Five Guys, as they were juicy. Our one criticism of the hamburgers is the insubstantial buns on which they are served. Mine sort of disintegrated while I was trying to eat my burger. The buns aren’t hardy enough to contain the burgers and assorted toppings.

Frankly, the hamburgers were filling enough for me, but we wanted to try out some of the other food that we ordered. The fries were great, not too greasy and had a very authentic potato taste. My one criticism of them was that they weren’t super crispy. Dave definitely liked the fries better than those served at Five Guys because they weren’t greasy. At Five Guys, the potatoes are prepared in peanut oil; while at Elevation Burger, they are prepared in olive oil. The side salad came in a small plastic container and consisted of chopped Romaine lettuce and a tomato wedge. The lettuce was very green and crisp and the tomato wedge was fresh. I tried the roasted balsamic dressing which was quite good. The small chocolate chip cookies were a disappointment. Dave thought they had a decent flavor, but a grainy consistency. I was not a fan.

Elevation Burger is a convenient place to stop for an above-average hamburger. The burgers are made with 100% organic free range beef, so that might explain the steeper cost of the meal. Elevation Burger also serves vegetable burgers as an option for vegetarians. If they served raw jalapenos as a topping, I might be tempted to go there more often. But right now, I am thinking of the teriyaki hamburgers my mother used to make and thinking that one of those topped with some raw jalapeno slices and some chopped pineapple would really be worth the cardiovascular risk that such a meal would entail.

Burger Wars, Week 1: Big Buns & Lucky Strike

Big Buns, NoVa:

As we walked into the restaurant, we were reminded of five guys - but a slightly more upscale version of the similar burger joint. The walls are decorated in bright greens and the wood tables are complimented by casual booths. The menu posted above the counter explains how to order.

Step 1 cautions: "Choose Wisely". Choose wisely indeed. We ordered up the burger and the mahi mahi. You are also given the choice of portabello mushroom or chicken. The surprise of the evening turned out to be the grilled mahi mahi. It was moist and flaky on the inside, and nicely charred on the outside. The burger was cooked all the way through, no pink to be seen, and a tad greasy. It was tasty, but mostly because of the delicious toppings. Not my ideal burger.


Step 2 asks that you choose to have your protein "on a bun or in a bowl" (of romaine that is). We opted to go with the bun, the burger on their brioche roll and the mahi mahi on the wheatie oat. The wheatie oat was a little dry in my opinion. The brioche wins out - it was soft and held up rather well to the grease and condiments. However the mahi mahi or the portabello might do nicely on a bed of lettuce (for those feeling the need for something lighter).

(brioche)

(wheatie)

Step 3 tells you to "top it off". A wide variety of toppings are offered: from caramelized onions, mango salsa, and grilled pineapple to the more traditional tomato and pickles. We topped the burger with cheddar, pickles, tomato, lettuce, and caramelized onions. We loved the sweet caramelized onions, which worked well with the tangy honey mustard. The mahi mahi was topped with sweet pineapple and crunchy bermuda red onions - a refreshing way to eat this fish.

Step 4 they lose a little creativity, simply titling it: "Big Buns special sauces and dressings". I understand it can be hard to be creative! The burger got their signature honey mustard and the mahi mahi got the sweet chilli vinagrette on the side. We were glad we waited to pour that on our fish. This sauce was cloyingly sweet. The fish was sweet on its own, especially with the pineapple. The honey mustard had a lil tang and just the right amount of sweetness. I would definitely go with this again. Our fries came with a side of the chipotle pesto aioli. This sauce is deliciously creamy, with just a slight kick. It went beautifully with our crisp fries, and would compliment any burger nicely.

(sweet potato fries!)

Step 5 "Sides, Drinks, Shakes & Malts" - simple enough right? We were torn between the shake and the fries, but ended up going for the sweet and regular potato fries. We had heard great things about there thin sweet potato fries. These were the winner of the evening. If you love sweet potato fries, these are some of the best I've ever had. They are cooked to perfection, thin and crisp. The regular potato fries were good, cut thicker but nothing to write home about.

Overall, we could tell that this was not going to be the winner of the burger contest. The fish, however, was excellent and not something you would expect from this kind of place. The sweet potato fries were awesome and the service was great. "I like big buns, and I cannot lie..." but there are better burgers in our future.

Lucky Strike, NYC:

My boyfriend's entire office generally orders "amazing" burgers from Lucky Strike during lunches, so I knew I had to make a stop at this French/American casual bistro to check out what all the fuss was about. Popping by for dinner after running errands, we were seated immediately at a cozy table for two in the main dining area. The room was small, with mirrored walls, the menu hand-written on a couple of the walls, lending to the place's charm. After reading through an extensive menu, I found what I was looking for - a cheeseburger deluxe (meaning it came with fries, though honestly there's not just a cheeseburger on the menu). No topping options or alternate flavors here - just a choice of meat patty (beef, turkey, veggie), cheese or no cheese, and bacon or no bacon. Condiments are strictly mustard and ketchup that are sitting at your table - the burger comes undressed aside from standard lettuce, tomato, and red onion.

I ordered a medium rare cheeseburger deluxe, with cheddar cheese. Travis ordered a bacon cheeseburger deluxe, rare. A short while later......


the burgers arrived! To my surprise, they are served on a lightly toasted English muffin, a bun substitute that seemed odd at first but then deliciously different upon eating. The burger patties are huge and the cheese is real cheese. The thick tomato slice almost eliminates the need for ketchup although a few bites in I snuck a dip or two of my fries' ketchup onto my burger.

The burger itself is large - almost difficult to fit your mouth around, again the English muffin assisting as its obviously far less puffy than a normal bun. The meat was extremely flavorful, very juicy, and cooked to a perfect medium rare, nice and pink. Travis' was almost a little too rare as his burger kept falling apart into chunks after every bite. I could actually taste a little sharpness from the cheddar cheese and the English muffin's nooks and crannies soaked up the burger juices without becoming overly soggy (at least until about 3/4 of the way through).

The fries are very crispy and thin, a cross between shoestring and normal fast food fries. I personally had to add a bit of salt (which for me is abnormal as I generally find fries to be salty enough and rarely touch the salt shaker) and lots of ketchup (normal for me), but the crispy texture makes them addictive, sort of like classic potato chips. Nothing amazing, but good.

While there isn't a ton of variety available at Lucky Strike, the taste of the patty itself is worth a trip. If you're looking for an above average, classic burger, Lucky Strike more than hits the spot.

Bahn-Mi- a taste of Vietnam

For a couple of weeks, Travis has been raving about this small Vietnamese place, Viet-Nam Banh Mi So 1, by his office that had these great pork sandwiches I "had to try". So this past weekend, we trudged out in the snow and cold to try them - needless to say I had high expectations.

We arrived at the tiny storefront with a simple menu of numbered sandwiches with a variety of meat options (beef, chicken, pork). Toppings are the same on most of them, the only customizable options being to omit something or make a sandwich "spicy" or "extra spicy". Travis recommended a #3, so we ordered three #3s (Travis was hungry), two extra spicy and one regular. We also picked up Stewart's sodas (yum), cream soda and root beer.

After a short wait and a walk later, I unwrapped my sandwich to see a crusty, good-sized baguette stuffed with marinated diced pork, lots of cilantro, cucumber slices, and carrots.

I took a loud, crunchy, crumb-flinging bite. Initially the bread overpowered my bite, but after a bit of chewing the pork flavor began to take over. It was salty and sweet, a bit like asian barbeque or chau siu (roasted pork), not overly saucy, and nicely accented by the cool crispness of the cucumber, the marinated carrot, and the cilantro. After a couple more bites I began to taste a softer part of the bread where the pork had soaked in a bit, so the bread itself tasted a little like garlic butter and pork. The only downsides to eating were that the bread was incredibly crumbly and Travis' office floor had a small pile of bread crumbs by the time I was done and the cilantro wasn't chopped but was in large pieces, meaning I had to at times tear it by hand.

Travis' extra spicy was indeed spicy, as they added both chili garlic sauce (the same chili sauce served at dim sum and similiar to Siracha) and chopped up chilies, but the sweetness of the pork still came through.

From a flavor profile alone, a very happy 2 1/2 JAMs. While the restaurant has no seating and isn't the brightest or most modern environment, the food is worth a trip, even in the snow.

As a side note, the Stewart's sodas only get 1 JAM. The cream soda was too sweet and lacked any sort of creamy foam that I like on cream sodas (like A&W cream soda) and the root beer didn't have the depth of flavor and bite that I like in a root beer. The sweet sodas did help to cleanse our palates of the pork sandwiches.

Chili Cheese Dog Goodness

For those of you who know me well, you know that (a) my teenage years were spent eating out at lots of fast food restaurants and (b) I love chili cheese dogs. Upon returning back to NoVa for a lovely vacation, I knew I needed to drag any of my lucky friends for a ritual trip to Vienna Inn, home of the what I'm convinced is the best chili cheese dog ever.

While, for the most part, my palate has matured and beyond my high school diet of Taco Bell, McDonald's, Panera, and Starbucks, something about heading down memory lane and stuffing myself with greasy food makes me smile.

Luckily, Katy, Phil, and Dan were willing to accommodate my cravings and we set off on a wet afternoon for loaded chili cheese dogs.

Ordering 2 each, the beauties quickly appeared at our table on their requisite plastic trays (reminiscent of a cafeteria or a Roy Rodgers), steaming hot, oozing melted cheese, meaty chili, and mustard onto their white paper wrappers below. Heaven.

Forcing ourselves to wait for them to cool, we finally all chowed down, and in the end, the only thing left on the trays were wrappers and piles of used napkins. The dogs were delicious - a slight snap upon biting into the dogs, with a mouthful of meaty chili (not spicy), spicy mustard (perhaps Goulden's mustard?), chopped fresh onions, melty cheese, and the white bread bun to mop it all up. Yes, I did use my fingers to pick up stray chili and onions. But, they were amazingly good and filling (2 is more than sufficient) and left us all in a happy state, knowing that not only were they culinary delights but also super cheap, with a total meal of 8 loaded dogs, onion rings, and 4 cokes, plus tip, equaling less than $30.

3 out of 3 JAMs.

(Note - Vienna Inn is not a fancy joint, and has minimal wait staff and serve-yourself drinks, but hopefully you're looking for an atmosphere to match a menu highlight of chili cheese dogs!)