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Friday, January 29, 2010

Dennis' Steak House Tour - Peter Luger's

When you go to a steakhouse with Dennis, this is what you can expect...a table full of chaos!  From sizzling butcher cut bacon strips to strawberries and cream, Dennis covers the entire menu with this meal.  Here is peek into Dennis' most recent double date to Peter Luger's with his fiance Lauren, his buddy Booch, and Booch's girlfriend. 

As stated in his previous steakhous post, Bobby Van's, Dennis rates Peter Luger's as his #2 steak spot.

Enjoy!

SIZZLING BACON STRIPS!!!!

The porterhouse for 3 that Booch and Dennis ate by themselves....cleaned up the whole plate and then went chewing on the bone!

Photo of the table with some sides that included the onion rings, french fries, creamed spinach and hash browns.
 

Their dessert called Slosh, homeade whipped cream that their waiter, Spiro, said he made himself. topped it off with strawberries.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Diamond in the Rough - The Clark White Diamond

Another great post from Snee's hometown of Clark, NJ.  This burger looks awesome, and I will take his word for it that it is the best.  I am thinking I will need to take a trip down there soon for a day-night double header of Galloping Hill Inn and the Clark White Diamond.

"Seeing that I was born and raised in Clark, NJ...I've been exposed to a greasy burger joint known as The Clark White Diamond my whole life. While people now label "Sliders" as those small burgers you can eat in one bite, these are REAL sliders. Sliders, by the definition that I was taught, are greasy burgers that enter your mouth, and "slide" right into the toilet. Going by THAT description, these burgers are the best that I've ever had in that category.

They have small or large burgers, which is silly because who in their right mind would order a small, but I ordered a large double cheese, fries, and a Pepsi. The burger itself is delicious, freshly made to order, and if you had the munchies you could probably eat a thousand of them. My only complaint was that I should have ordered extra cheese because there wasn't enough. Regardless...it's topped with grilled onions and pickles, which is what I believe puts it over the top. They serve crinkle cut fried which, as previously discussed, are a huge plus. They also have awesome Taylor ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches too, among a few other things but if I'm going there, I don't bother ordering anything else.
During the day, it's a quiet place on a very busy intersection...on a Friday or Saturday night, forget it. It's a madhouse. A combination of old drunks, people coming back from clubs or bars, and high school kids on their first ever bender. More fights happen here than at a Manchester United soccer match, which is entertaining in itself...but the burgers are always the highlight."

- Snee

Eat that Sanchise


The Clark White Diamond.  Open infinity hours since 1947.


Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Parm Combo

GRPD is starting to step up his sandwich creativity....

"Engagement team management has boycotted the corporate cafeteria since I have been out here. Word has it that this has been going on for quite some time now due to a ‘slimy chicken’ incident which occurred several years ago. And I wasn’t complaining because the food in the surrounding area has been just fine. Unfortunately, we have had turn-over on our team. This has led to continued use of the Corporate Cafeteria.

Today, for the very first time, we got to go down to the cafeteria for a team lunch. It was set-up like your usual corporate caf with a salad bar, deli counter, hot meal station, etc… But something caught our eye. Nestled in the far corner of the caf was a Grinder station. They had meatball parm, chicken parm and eggplant parm. It looked pretty good and it was priced right. Each grinder came with fries, salad and an optional drink for a small nominal fee. So I asked the sangwich guys how often they served this and they said only about once every 5 weeks. I was torn on what to go with, so I ordered a meatball parm combo and chicken parm grinder (just the sangwich). While waiting, I noticed the burgers were only $2.99, which is a steal compared to those Fraiche Burgers which cost a whopping $5.75 each. I’ll have to try them out one day. I also noticed this caf utilizes a toaster very similar to Quizknows. This caused my expectations to grow slightly. Until something tragic happened… I was served only ONE grinder with meatball parm and chicken parm. I thought I was losing it. I started asking about my other wedge until Hank pointed out what happened. Good thing for his Hank Vision. Apparently they made it a one grinder combo with meatballs AND chicken. I have never had such a thing shared on one piece of bread. My first thought…obviously this isn’t going to be enough food. So acted fast and added a nice jumbo size brownie to my order. The whole meal came to $8.10.

The sangwich was really good, and came at an unbeatable price. They were definitely generous with the amount of meat they put on this thing and the bread was nice and toasted. Jared (J-Rod, not the Subway guy) even commented on the favorable meat to bread ratio.

Lesson learned: don’t always judge it till you try it."

-GRPD

Chicken Cutlet and Meatballs doing the horizontal mambo, parm style.


Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Ode to Carpaccio - Il Buco, NYC

During the holidays, Seegs and I went to see Jersey Boys followed by dinner at one of her favorite places, Il Buco down on the lower east side.  The food was delicious and the 11:15 pm dinner reservation was pretty cool.  I never thought I would accept a reservation that late, it was there first available time for that Saturday.  There menu is based on the season so I will definately be back in the Spring to eat again.

Here is what Seegs has to say about her favorite dish from one of her favorite restaurants...

"Oh how those raw ribbons of meat melt in your mouth and linger on your tastebuds. Yes, raw. This baby is beef in it's most primal form. "Carpaccio di Manzo" is what the menu reads, and it tastes even more glorious than it sounds. Bison strip loin carpaccio, fried chickpeas, black cumin, arugala, shaved parmesan cheese- with a drizzle of the purest extra virgin olive oil to top off this delicious masterpiece. Ever since I first laid eyes (and teeth) on this delicately thin sliced beef 2 years ago, I dreamed of the moment that we would reunite. And so, I'd like to thank Lunchpail for bringing carpaccio and I together again, if only for a moment, that I could once again enjoy a few savory slices of heaven. Until next time carpaccio... unfreakin'believeable."

- Seegs

Carpaccio di Manzo


My dinner - Garganelli al Ragu

Seegs' dinner - Risotto di Something (I forget the actual name, but it was really good)

Monday, January 25, 2010

Monday Morning Dumpling

People usually hate Monday mornings and I can understand why, especially today with the horrible weather teamed up with a Jets loss in the AFC Championship.  Sometimes though life will give us a suprise and a smile on a Monday morning.  Today, my suprise was dumplings.  I went into the kitchenette at work to get some water this morning when I noticed some foil out on the counter.  I looked them over and thought they were dumplings, but second guessed myself about why there would be homemade dumplings out at 9:30 am.  There was only one way to figure out what they were.  I took one and ripped in half and revealed what seemed to be some ground up chicken and garlic...CHOWTIME!!  I ate it and it was actually pretty good.  Then I realized they were probably out on the counter since saturday afternoon when the tax team was here working this weekend.  It has been an hour and I feel ok, so I think I should be good for the day.

Keep your heads up Jets fans and miserable Monday morning commuters, you never know when you will find some unexpected dumplings.

Monday Morning Dumplings


Garden Catering - Stamford, CT

Billy Kriewald breaks down a Stamford favorite, Garden Catering.  Personally I think GC is a great place and prefer the High Ridge location even though they don't have seating.  The breakfast sandwiches are real good, especially the "Hotsy", which will be posted in the future.  For lunch though, when I am not in the mood for a High School Special I go with the Nugget Wrap which is awesome.  Also, when I get the Special I get it with a mix of cones and fries.  Billy pulled a rookie mistake and just had fries.   Cones are these cone shaped mashed potatoes deep fried.  They have a nice outer crust with hot mashed potatoes on the inside.

If you are looking for a healthy meal, Garden Catering isn't really the place.  They do offer salad and grilled chicken, but who would want that over some of the more greasy and delicious menu options.  If you are looking for a rather inexpensive lunch that will fill you up and make you feel good about your eating habbits, then Garden Catering is the place.  If you have never been to one, I highly recommend you try is as soon as possible.  Start with the HS Special with a mix of fries and cones, then work your way around the rest of the menu as you continue to go back.

Here is what Billy thinks of Garden Catering...

"This is a lower fairfield county hotspot, and definitely an excellent choice for a lunchtime visit. Probably one of my top 5 places for a quick inexpensive meal overall, garden catering boasts 3 locations in stamford (high ridge, main street, and one in the glenbrook section). The special (formally the high school special) is a great option for $7, including 1/2lbs of amazing golden brown chicken nuggets, a generous portion of fries, and soda. While the nuggets are my favorite option in the boss configuration (1lbs of nuggets instead of 1/2lbs for $10) as seen in the picture below, the fried chicken is another excellent option, the nuggets wrap, and the other deli options are very good as well. Not much more to this lunch spot other than make sure you get extra seasoning and the honey mustard sauce."

- Billy Kriewald

The Boss - 1 lb. of nuggets and fries.


Nugget Wrap - Chicken Nuggets, Cones, Fries, Chili, and Cheese.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Bistek A Lo Pobre - Fiesta Restaurant - Stamford, CT

Here is a lunch recently taken down by Peter from Fiesta Restaurant on Atlantic St. in Stamford.  I drive past this place everyday and never had the urge to even try it.  Based on this meal Peter had I might have to stop for a taste one of these days.  After eating this lunch, Peter's cholesterol pumped up a few points.

"My buddy from San Diego was in town for the Holidays and he wanted to hit up this Peruvian restaurant he used to frequent when he worked in Stamford. I get a text at 11 asking if I wanted to meet him for lunch at 12:30, to which I immediately replied yes. Sure enough, as it was getting closer to lunch time, I received more texts that he was running late. When everything was said and done, it was 1:30 before we sat down to order our lunch. I was obviously starving by that time so I was ready to destroy anything that would be put in front of me. In the past, I would settle for an above average portion of chicken or beef with veggies, which goes for around $8, but this day I went for the Holy Grail...The Bisteck A Lo Pobre($15)! This monster of a lunch was delicious as well as visually satisfying. As soon as the waitress plops it in front of you, there is a moment of fear, followed by a sudden sense of determination! To no surprise, I housed this meal, along with
2 glasses of water and 3 small pieces of bread. This is a meal fitting for GRPD, who is known for combining different types of food into a meal most people won't even attempt to eat!"

- Peter

Bisteck A Lo Pobre - Salad, Rice, French Fries, Fried Plantains, topped by a Grilled Pepper Steak, and finished off with 2 fried eggs


Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Fraiche Burger - Bridgeport, CT

Another classic lunch that GRPD and his team enjoyed about a month ago while working in Bridgeport.  Like most of his lunches shared on this blog, GRPD had trouble eating one thing.  This lunch included breakfast, lunch, and 16 ouncer.  Nothing like a Colt 45 to wash down greasy, mediocre, bar food.

"Hank spotted a burger joint near Subway on one of his lunch runs. So we decided to investigate. It's called Fraiche Burger. It looked deceptively good from the outside, apparently they make their burgers from 100% Black Angus Beef from the farms of Kansas. When they told me they serve egg sandwiches all day I was sold and happy as a pig in sh!t.  I should have heeded the warning of Colt 45 before ordering this meal.  The kosher hot dog I ordered came out looking and just about tasted like one of those 'Mobile on the Run' dogs that have been sitting around for a few weeks. Also, I ordered it with raw onions and didn't get any.  The egg sandwich was actually pretty good and it came with a free coffee. 

The burger was way over done for my liking and didn't come with a pickle. Hank ordered two of these w/o pickles. Maybe I would have a different opinion about this place had he not pulled the switch on me.  He seemed to enjoy them. Hank also had fries, an apple (not from Fraiche) and some chocolate chip cookies from Subway that he picked up while getting Jared's subs (figures, J-Rod went with Subway). To Hank's credit he did share the cookies.

Lesson learned: don't order hot dogs from places that don't primarily do hot dogs."

- GRPD

Gotta love the Greek style coffe cup.


Refreshments





Tuesday, January 19, 2010

2nd Look at Fratelli's Market

Same deli, different customer, same result.  H.I.T.B and Peter Koutroubis took a trip to Fratelli's Market in Stamford a few weeks back after reading Phil #14's post about Isabella's italian Combo at Fratelli's.  Harry even changed it up a little bit and went with an interesting sandwich coupled with a rice ball.  I heard of slicing up the stuffed peppers to top your sandwich, but never eating a whole sandwich of them (based on the picture, there is a minimum of a half dozen peppers on the sandwich).  In his post Harry boasts how he ate a sandwich that would not "leave you sleeping at your desk", but he forget to mention, rather than sleeping, you will have plenty time to catch up on some reading material on the throne.  At least he was smart enough to get some rice in his system to help minimize the after shock.

Here is what Harry had to say about Fratelli's....

"I went here with (Peter) Koutroubis and Neil Korotkin and he got the Isabella's special. It was exactly that...special. I decided on a more unconventional sandwich (Stuffed Pepers w/ Imported Provolone). The peppers were stuffed with provolone cheese and prosciutto di parma. This sandwich is phenomenal and doesn't leave you sleeping at your desk. For this very reason, I also mange'd a meat riceball. Fratelli Market does good riceballs, thick and cheesy with just enough meat and sauce to go around. I shared my prize with Peter and Neil and after a taste, these guys were about to go up for one if we didnt have to get back to work."

- H.I.T.B

Like I said earlier, minimum of 6 peppers.  Nice touch of splitting the rice ball and covering it in sauce and grated cheese.  I don't know what has more meat, Harry's giant hand or the Isabella's below.


Nice to see the Peter can part ways with the traditional Greek meals from time to time and enjoy the good stuff, like an Isabella's Special.


Friday, January 15, 2010

Showdown - Drunken Noodles

I tried holding out, but I was not able to wait any longer, curiousty got to me.  I needed to try Little Buddha's Drunken Noodles to see how good they were and if they were better than Kit's Thai.  This past Sunday after the afternoon showing of It's Complicated, I decided to put an end to the nonsense and ordered Beef Drunken Noodles from Little Buddha. 

Just by the look of it, I could tell the Kits' was better.  Little Buddha's did not look as saucy and the potion was much smaller than what you get at Kits.  Kits' noodles are smothered in this brown chili and garlic sauce, where as Little Buddha was a little bland.  After a while, I felt like I was eating hamburger helper with some vegatables.  There was no Thai flavor.  Little Buddha also had tomatoes in their dish which I did not enjoy at all.  The combination of peppers, onions, and carrots in Kits is a much better combo than peppers, onions, and tomatoes that Little Buddha provides.  Overall, Kits Thai Drunken Noodles dominates Little Buddha's, and remains the best Thai restaurant in Stamford.  Sorry for doubting Kits earlier, but you have to try other places in order to know which is the best.

- Lunch Pail

Beef Drunken Noodles from Little Buddha


The Winner of the Drunken Noodle Showdown - Kits Thai.  Notice that this is about half of the actual portion they give you.  It is almost as much as a ful order from Little Buddha for the same price.


Thursday, January 14, 2010

Triple Decker Buffalo Pizza

All Wes wanted for Christmas was a Triple Decker Buffalo Pizza...

"After a 20 hour car drive back to PA, all I wanted was this pizza. I called my brothers fiance, Fania, and she got to work on it as I was about an hour outside of town. She utilized my favorite pizza shop in Hershey, Jo-Jo's for the monumental pizza. This epic pizza consisted of a ham pizza topped with boneless buffalo wings, then topped with a sausage pizza layered with more boneless buffalo wings, covered with a pepperoni pizza and drizzled in ranch. It was a meat lovers delight, too bad for the ham or the Jewish community could not partake in this feast as well. It was delicious, my brother and I could only manage one and a half slices each during the Eagles game. This will become a holiday tradition that I think everyone should have."

- Wes

Some nice layering.


View from the blimp.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Making Less of Mark

Everyone loves to do "Biggest Loser" Competitions as part of ringing in the New Year, but I think reading about weight loss challenges are even better, especially when you know the people and lifestyles of the people in the challenge. 

I would like to present the opportunity for everyone to follow one of the greatest challeneges ever.  Francis Mark Buckley has to lose 20 lbs by March 11, 2010.  It will be an emotional rollercoaster of peaks and valleys, and laughs and tears.  Hope everyone will enjoy it as much as I will.  Follow it here: Making Less of Mark

F.M. Buckley

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

The Mondo Burger by Jason "Meat Patties" Silver

Jason "Meat Patties" Silver, a proud Monmouth University alumi, loses his Lunch O'Clock virginity with his story about his battle with the Mondo Burger.  10 patties, 10 pieces of cheese, and 2 buns.  I think I will use this as a bed time story to read to my kids....

"There it sat in its beauty, the Mount Everest of burger nation. A 2.5 lb monstrosity: Cluttered with 10 beef patties, 10 slices of American cheese, pickles, and just the right amount of ketchup. As Goliath stared me in the eyes, I tried to devise a way to effectively attack the beast. After pondering momentarily, I figured the only way to take down the monster was to start from the top and work my way down. I pushed the 10 patties down, and dug right in. Within one minute I had taken a good chunk out of the monster. Within three minutes it appeared as half the burger had vanished, and I sensed its vulnerability. At this point I took a deep breath and continued my full fledged attack. Two minutes later I was on my final bites. The onlookers, Joey “Serious Meat “Scalo included, watched in both amazement and bewilderment. As I took that final bite down and the clock stopped in less than six minutes a series of emotions started to rush through my system.. The first one being of utter disgust. I just annihilated a 10 patty burger in mere minutes. But after thinking for a second, that disgust was replaced with jubilation. I thought, 10 patties 2 buns, “That’s pretty manly”. The second emotion being of accomplishment. I was challenged to tame a beast of monstrous proportions and did so both willingly and successfully. The third and final emotion was of satisfaction of my entrance into the lunchoclock blog. I thought to myself what better way to introduce Jason “Meat Patties” Silver into the forum than man-handling a mondo burger. It is an honor and privilege to be posted on such a prolific blog. Until next time ladies and gentlemen. -  Meat Patties, out."

The Mondo Burger


Monday, January 11, 2010

Sushi 101

Seegs and I decided to make our own sushi rolls for dinner on New Year's Eve and it turned out to be quite the experience.  It was definately much harder than it seemed and I do not think I will be hired as a sushi chef any time soon. 

We used sushi grade tuna, salmon, and red snapper, king crab legs, avacado, and cucumber to make a spicy tuna and spicy salmon, tuna and avacado, salmon and avacado, california rolls, and snapper and cucumber rolls.  In total it we used about 2.5 lbs of fish including the crab leg shells and 4 cups of uncooked sushi rice made about 10 rolls.

The rolls tasted fine, the presentation and look of the rolls was the problem.  The first roll that we each made was a disaster.  Sarah was able to improve with each roll andby the end hers actually looked like something that you would order from a restaurant.  Mine on the other hand continued to look like Lindsey Lohan after a rough night.  I blame it on my sausage fingers.

After the cost and effort for making this dinner I think it is almost easier to just go out and buy it already prepared.

- Lunch Pail

Here are the rolls that were made first.  Some look good, some look awful.


Round 2, the bottom left look professional and most of mine have too much rice.

Friday, January 8, 2010

The Meat Platter...

Here is a post that I had submitted to the Sandwich Mansion a during the summer and figured I would share it on my own blog...

"I bring to you a party staple and a must, the meat platter. In some ways I prefer the meat platter over the 3-6 footer. Nothing chaps my ass more than walking up to the footer and see it mangled. The tops of the bread are left behind, people peeling off the meat they dont like, and the lactose intolerant leaving behind the cheese. With the meat platter, the sandwich is at the discretion of the craftsman.

This meat platter was hand rolled by myself and my girlfriend at a party up in Johnson City, NY. Serious Meat was in attendance, but he was performing keg stands and challenging people to arm wrestling matches while this roast beef, turkey, ham, salami, provolone, and american cheese orgy was being constructed. In addition to the platter, there were various types of rolls, rye bread, and this amazing cheese bread from Wegmans.  Big Ups to Bill Opper."



For an added bonus I included an addition platter that was not part of the Sandwich Mansion Post above.

Phil #14 sent in this photo of a meat platter that his family enjoyed during Christmas.  It looks like a really good italian meats spread for a which includes: ham, mortadella, salami, gabagool, provolone cheeses, and some mutz wrapped with prosciutto along side an olive platter with some roasted peppers.  The kicker is that Phil #14 is Cuban, which he claims are the Cadillacs of Hispanics.  Shout out to the Corona Light  in the top left corner.

Mr. Espinosa going in for the kill.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Little Buddha - Stamford, CT

I hate to say it, but it looks like Kits Thai Kitchen has some competion in Stamford.  A couple of weeks ago Sarah and I tried Little Buddha on Summer St. across from the Ridegeway Plaza.  It is much smaller than Kits. but the kitchen is surrounded by glass so you can see them cooking your food which I thought was pretty cool.

We shared an order of the Cauliflower Manchurian as an appetizer and each had Chicken Curry for dinner.  I went with the Red and Sarah had Green.  The cauliflower was awesome.  It was stir fried in this spicy sauce and coated the cauliflower nicely.  It remined me of a general tsos sauce, but this had chunks of garlic and green onion.  I highly recommend it.  As for the curry, I thought it was better than Kits.  The chicken was tender and tasted better, the sauce was creamier, and the spice and portion size were relatively the same.  The downer is that it was more expensive than Kits.  A curry dinner at Little Buddha was $15 versus $12.75 at Kits Thai.  Also, they sat us in the back corner of the restaurant because I was wearing my red and black lumberjack pants.  I felt that was an unneccessary move considering there were plenty of seats in the front of the restaurant.  Sorry if I want to be comfortable.

The ultimate test to determine which Thai place is better will be the drunken noodles.  I will try them within the next few weeks and let you know how they are compared to Kits.

- Lunch Pail

Cauliflower Manchurian


Red Curry w/ Chicken


Franco's Pizza - Harrisonburg, VA

On his drive back home for holiday break from Oklahoma State Univ. my old college roomate Wes decided to make a pit stop in Harrisonburg, VA, the home of The University of James Madison, to see some old friends and get some pizza at Franco's.
Franco's would be considered good pizza in the Tri-State area, but it is considered excellent pizza for VA standards.  Franco was a friendly guy and was originally from one of the buroughs, I can't remember which one, so the pizza was New York Style.  I would go there about once a week for pizza and my go to was a slice of buffalo chicken and a slice of plain.  When I was not in the mood for pizza, I would usually get a chicken parm roll.
I would like to thank Wes for stopping at Franco's and providing us with an old JMU favorite.

Chicken Ranch Slices with the addition of some red pepper flakes.  Nice touch.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

In-N-Out Burger - San Diego, CA

"Q: Whats the best way to end a day full of sightseeing, playing basketball, and hiking? Ok Fine! I didnt really go hiking.
A: Pulling up to the bright red lights of an In-N-Out Burger

For those of you not familar with In-N-Out Burger, its a family owned burger chain with over 130 locations in the states of Arizona, California, and Nevada. Everthing is made to order from fresh ingredients. To me, its the only fast food chain that doesnt make you feel sick after stuffing your face. Please visit In-N-Out for a complete history and even a look at their "secret menu". I enjoyed a "Double Double Animal Style" which translated to lay men terms is a "two mustard cooked 100% pure beef patties, hand-leafed lettuce, tomato, pickle, extra spread, with grilled onions." This place is no joke and if you're on the west coast, its a must stop!"

- Peter
 
The bright lights of In-N-Out.


Peter's Double-Double Animal Style.


Tray of Double Animals.  This may become my desktop background.


Tuesday, January 5, 2010

The Gasm - Se Port Deli - East Setauket, NY

Phil #14 is ringing the new year with The Gasm from Se Port Deli in East Setauket, NY.  Looks awesome, but be sure to stay away from black lights after eating it.

Here is what Phil had to say....
"Since I had a solid two weeks off for the holidays, I carefully mapped out a few places that I had to eat while I was home in long island. Unfortunately, I did not snag photos of all my meals, but I did promise a write up on this particular deli.

Me, my cousin Pete, and his fiancĂ©e Laura met up last week to grab some lunch at the Se-Port Deli in East Setauket, NY. This place is a good 30-35 minutes east of my house, but the trip is well worth it. The place doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the smell once you walk in the doors just makes you feel like you made the right decision. A lot of times, you can get a good feeling about how your deli experience will pan out just from the smell when you walk in. If it smells like a florist, you should probably walk out the door, and if it smells like spoiled egg drop soup, you should also probably walk out. Upon walking into this sandwich haven, the smell of crisp bacon, garlic bread, and quality meats filled the air. Now it was decision time. The place is known for having a bunch of great pre-selected sandwich specials on the menu, and we all went with one of their staples, the “Gasm”. Pretty much everyone with an IQ over 28 can understand what the name is short for. The “Gasm” consists of the following: Breaded chicken cutlet, melted mozzarella, crisp bacon, coleslaw, and russian dressing, all on a nicely toasted garlic hero. The sandwich comes with the side of mac/potato salad/coleslaw and a pickle. Also, we made sure to wash it down with their signature homemade iced tea. In a nutshell, the sandwich lives up to its name, which I found out the hard way. From now on I will get this sandwich to go, as the contrary result can be quite embarrassing. Even if you belong in a mental institution and don’t enjoy coleslaw on a sandwich (Joe Keary aka H.I.T.B.), there are so many great combinations on the menu at this establishment. To top it off, the guy taking orders labeled me a murderer when I asked for a knife, so bring the kids, 10/10 for safety.

To finish, I’ll make a bold statement, this is one the best, if not THE BEST deli I’ve eaten at. All the sandwiches are neatly packed and their combinations are amazing, I would highly recommend it if you are in the area. It is close to the Bridgeport/Port Jeff ferry from CT so it makes for a nice pit stop if you are ever making that trip."
 
- Sire Phil #14
The Gasm


Store Front


Monday, January 4, 2010

Lady Gorilla's Korean Smorgasbord - Korea

Bad Gorilla's sister, Lady Gorilla, is currently working in Korea and decided to share one of her recent dining experiences with us.  It seems the meal she discusses below is like what all the Wine-O's experience at The Melting Pot, but much more authentic.  Hopefully we will get some more posts from Lady Gorilla and the rest of her friends in Korea before their time is up.

"Korean barbeque is very traditional. It pretty much just consists of a ton of side dishes and meat that you cook yourself on a grill. Everyone gets their own plate of greens to put the galbi (beef) or samgyeopsal (pork) on as it cools, and then you can put the greens in your lettuce wrap. Korean Mickey Mouse's ears are just a spicy sauce that you can put on the meat and in your wrap. So first you throw on the meat to the grill, and then whatever else you want heated up. Kimchi is really yummy warm, and grilled garlic adds an extra bite to your lettuce wrap...or Korean taco. You take a lettuce leaf, put some rice or greens in it, add some spicy sauce, put in some grilled garlic, onions, kimchi and then galbi or samgyeopsal. Then you stuff your face, as my Korean co-teacher, Jonathon, is about to do! Some side dishes that come is a seaweed soup, a very spicy tofu soup, and a sort of korean crepe thing. Its all delish...except for the seaweed soup, I'll never like it.



Shabu-shabu is another fabulous Korean dish. Its a spicy broth that is heated to boiling. Then tons of veggies are added; lettuce, mushrooms, carrots, tofu, cabbage, onions, and many others. Then a huge plate of beef is brought out, which another fellow teacher, Ashley, is very eager to eat. Sometimes its in little individual rolls that you can stick in the boiling soup yourself with chop sticks, or a plate of beef that you just throw into the soup. The broth is so hot that the beef cooks in about 30 seconds or less. Then you dip it into various sauces and eat. The soup with all the veggies you just put into your own bowl and eat. You can also add the beef to the soup and eat it that way. You can also add kimchi to the soup to heat it up. Additionally, you can add noodles to make the soup even better. Once almost all of the soup has been eaten by very hungry teachers, a nice ajumma (middle aged/old korean woman, very nice and small and adorable) comes, and depending on which restaurant you are at in my neighborhood, they make rice porridge or fried rice with the left over veggies. Both the porridge and the fried rice are equally delish.  Both the galbi, samgyeopsal, and shabu-shabu are best washed down with a few bottles of soju.



These are just typical side dishes that you'll get at any gimbap place. Gimbap is a Korean seaweed roll, not sushi as it has pickled cabbage, ham, some type of fish substance, usually crab, carrots, spinach, cucumbers, and sometimes tuna. You can order many different varieties of gimbap, the list is never ending. At these tiny hole in the wall restaurants, you can get many different things from home made ramen, bibimbap, fried port cutlets, tons of spicey soups, bulgogi, and dumplings. As for the side dishes, the yellow stuff is pickled radish, which is actually kind of yummy, you get used to it. Kimchi is also always on the plate, and then the third item is different every time you go. Sometimes its fried cucumbers, others is a type of fish thing, which is yummy as well.



Thats all I have so far from Korea. The weirdest thing that I've eaten is chicken feet. It was too spicy for me, and it was kind of too crunchy as well. I don't think I'll be eating it again.

Anyong Haseyo!

Lady Gorilla

Friday, January 1, 2010

"The Benchmark" - What Jared Didn't Eat at Subway

After receiving some sub par sandwich creations from Subway, Quiznos, and Pot Belly in 2009, I figured I would establish a benchmark for 2010 as to what qualifies as a legit fast food deli sandwich.  The $5 footlong is a great idea for Subway.  It is pretty large meal, at a cheap price, that will fill you up for lunch, but it is not satisfying.  There is little meat in the sandwich, so the resort to filling it with lettuce and other topping creating more of a handheld salad than a sandwich. 

A couple of months ago, Serious Meat and I decided to create real Subway sandwiches, which Jared only wishes he could have eaten.  I named mine "The Benchmark".  I warned the gentlemen behind the counter that this was going to be a big sandwich, and started my order.  12 inch wheat, buffalo chicken, steak, those imitation bbq rib patties (they are good, but do not compare to the McRib), and american cheese.  This sandwich clucked, oinked, and moo'd.  Moving down the line I went with tomatoes, pickles, and southwest chipotle sauce, toasted.  As the man was finishing the final touches of the "The Benchmark" he turned to his co-worker and said. "Muy Grande, eh"  and laughed.  When it came out of the toaster he asked if I was staying or going.  After telling him I will be eating there, he thanked me because he said he would not know how to wrap this thing.  The final price of The Benchmark was $12.56, but it was a delicious $12.56. 

Ironically, GRPD sent me a picture of his $13 subway family meal that he ordered a few weeks ago.  He asked not to post it, but I said that I could use it for a Subway post that I was drafting at the time.  I thought it was interesting how much better a $13 sandwich looks than a $13 meal.

The benchmark has been set for future fast food sandwich posts (Subway, Quiznos, Blimpie, etc.).  Feel free to submit any of your creations that match or exceed the benchmark.

-Lunch Pail

The Benchmark. 13...$13...$13 Footlong.


-VS-

$13 family meal, 2 foot longs, 2 cookies, XL drink.