Last week we went on a road trip to Oceanside, CA for a wedding on the beach (Congrats again Karter and Becky). Road trips always mean too much fast food and too much time in the car, but other than that the trip was a lot of fun. The weather was great, the beach was beautiful, and it was great to spend some time with all the family. But that is not what this blog is about, so I am going to talk about the one fun place we ate out.
Our first night in Oceanside the whole family wanted to go out to eat somewhere. They decided on Ruby's Diner, right out on the end of Oceanside Pier. I figured a '40s themed diner in a tourist area at the end of the pier would mean two things: overpaying for mediocre food. I was not real excited to go.
Fortunately I was wrong. Prices were a little high, but not egregiously so, especially not considering it was southern California and everything is more expensive there. It was about $10 for a burger and fries, and a little more for other meals. The fries that come with most of the meals are "refillable". That's always fun.
My wife and I ordered the Seafood Combo, Rubyrings and shakes. She got a Turtle shake and I got Strawberry. The onion rings were just okay. Breaded, rather than battered. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. The Seafood Combo was great. It was fried shrimp and battered, fried cod. Too often when you order fish and chips the fish ends up really greasy and not very good. Not the case here. Not too fishy, not too greasy, just crunchy fried goodness. The shrimp were good too. The fries were good, but not so good I had to order a refill.
Then there were the shakes. They were the old fashioned kinds of shakes that are blended up shake in a metal cup and then poured into a glass for you, but they leave the metal cup and there is enough left to completely fill your glass again. And they were good. My strawberry shake had chunks of strawberry, not just strawberry flavoring. I finished my whole glass, refilled it with what was left in the metal cup, finished that, and almost wished I had a little more. My wife loved the Turtle shake (not made with actual turtles, just chocolate, caramel and nuts) as well.
The service was good, the atmosphere was fun and the location was great. When I said it was at the end of the pier, I mean the ocean end, not the shore end. It is about a quarter mile out into the ocean, 20 feet or so above the waves. Great view. Kind of fun too. A lot of people were out there fishing off the pier. One had caught some starfish that he let my daughter hold before throwing it back. That was the highlight of her trip. Overall, it was a pretty good experience. Much better than I had anticipated. Good food at tolerable prices, with a great view of the ocean.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Two hits and a miss
Today I am thinking about ice cream. I love ice cream. Maybe even more than I love meat. I guarantee if there were no such thing as ice cream I would weigh about 30 pounds less than I do. But without ice cream would life really be worth living?
I have had a couple different ice cream experiences over the last month. We grabbed $1 sundaes at McDonalds one day. They were great. I love vanilla soft serve. I got strawberry, which of course is the fake, corn syrupy strawberry sauce that has just enough chunks of real strawberries in it to let you pretend its kind of healthy (like freezer jam). I love it. The sundaes weren't very big, but they were adequate. Probably more than I should eat, but not too much more. My wife had caramel, which was also good. Nothing fancy, but what do you expect for a buck? She loves that they give you a packet of chopped up peanuts to put on top. She especially loves when I give her mine. Verdict: Perfect size portions, cheap, and good. My kind of treat.
Another night we went to Baskin Robbins because we got an email coupon for a free scoop for my daughter's half birthday. Of course, a free scoop at Baskin Robbins is tiny, so while my daughter got her scoop for free, my wife and I had to buy ours at about $3 each. I tried the Mint Cookie slow churned kind that is supposed to be less fat and less calories. It looked good, but it was horrible. The texture was like someone had poured in a handful of sand. It was bad enough I actually took it back and asked for a different kind. They were very gracious about it and got me a scoop of Cookies and Cream instead (not the diet kind). It was good, but not any better than you buy at the grocery store, where you can get an entire container for the $3 I spent on my one little scoop. My daughter wanted "pink" flavored ice cream. They had a couple options for pink, but she ended up with strawberry and loved it. She loved it so much that she ended up with it from her hair down to her knees. She's two, so that's kind of the norm when we eat anything. My wife had Snickers or something along those lines, and again it was good, but not spectacular and definitely not worth what we paid. I have never been impressed when I have gone to Baskin Robbins but I keep forgetting and going back anyway. I will try to remember this time, even if I get a free scoop coupon. Just not that good. I'd rather pick up a carton of Dreyers and eat it at home.
The last ice cream adventure was actually a shopping trip to Sam's Club where we stopped at the cafe in the back and got a 4-Berry Sundae. Similar to the McDonalds experience, it was a pleasant surprise. Good vanilla soft-serve with frozen mixed berries and berry sauce. Very simple, but it definitely hit the spot. I love that they put a scoop of berries and sauce at the bottom of the cup before they even put the ice cream in so that you don't run out before you finish. I don't know if it was a 12 oz or a 16 oz cup, but it was more sundae than I should have eaten, but I finished it anyway. And I think it cost $1.59. Worth every penny!
I guess the moral of the story is that sometimes the cheap stuff is actually better than the expensive stuff. Sometimes you pay more for a name rather than for something bigger, more satisfying or with a better flavor. And if you are going to go out for more expensive ice cream, go to Coldstone or Leatherby's or somewhere that is actually worth it.
I have had a couple different ice cream experiences over the last month. We grabbed $1 sundaes at McDonalds one day. They were great. I love vanilla soft serve. I got strawberry, which of course is the fake, corn syrupy strawberry sauce that has just enough chunks of real strawberries in it to let you pretend its kind of healthy (like freezer jam). I love it. The sundaes weren't very big, but they were adequate. Probably more than I should eat, but not too much more. My wife had caramel, which was also good. Nothing fancy, but what do you expect for a buck? She loves that they give you a packet of chopped up peanuts to put on top. She especially loves when I give her mine. Verdict: Perfect size portions, cheap, and good. My kind of treat.
Another night we went to Baskin Robbins because we got an email coupon for a free scoop for my daughter's half birthday. Of course, a free scoop at Baskin Robbins is tiny, so while my daughter got her scoop for free, my wife and I had to buy ours at about $3 each. I tried the Mint Cookie slow churned kind that is supposed to be less fat and less calories. It looked good, but it was horrible. The texture was like someone had poured in a handful of sand. It was bad enough I actually took it back and asked for a different kind. They were very gracious about it and got me a scoop of Cookies and Cream instead (not the diet kind). It was good, but not any better than you buy at the grocery store, where you can get an entire container for the $3 I spent on my one little scoop. My daughter wanted "pink" flavored ice cream. They had a couple options for pink, but she ended up with strawberry and loved it. She loved it so much that she ended up with it from her hair down to her knees. She's two, so that's kind of the norm when we eat anything. My wife had Snickers or something along those lines, and again it was good, but not spectacular and definitely not worth what we paid. I have never been impressed when I have gone to Baskin Robbins but I keep forgetting and going back anyway. I will try to remember this time, even if I get a free scoop coupon. Just not that good. I'd rather pick up a carton of Dreyers and eat it at home.
The last ice cream adventure was actually a shopping trip to Sam's Club where we stopped at the cafe in the back and got a 4-Berry Sundae. Similar to the McDonalds experience, it was a pleasant surprise. Good vanilla soft-serve with frozen mixed berries and berry sauce. Very simple, but it definitely hit the spot. I love that they put a scoop of berries and sauce at the bottom of the cup before they even put the ice cream in so that you don't run out before you finish. I don't know if it was a 12 oz or a 16 oz cup, but it was more sundae than I should have eaten, but I finished it anyway. And I think it cost $1.59. Worth every penny!
I guess the moral of the story is that sometimes the cheap stuff is actually better than the expensive stuff. Sometimes you pay more for a name rather than for something bigger, more satisfying or with a better flavor. And if you are going to go out for more expensive ice cream, go to Coldstone or Leatherby's or somewhere that is actually worth it.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Pat's Barbeque
Last night my wife and I went to Pat's Barbeque for the first time. I had heard about Pat's from friends and co-workers who raved about it as the best bbq in Utah, and I knew it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. A month or so ago they had a Groupon, so we decided we had to try it out.
Before I get into my review, let me just say that I love good barbeque. I enjoy grilling ribs at home. I love pulled pork and good brisket. I love to go out for barbeque, but I am often apprehensive, because as good as good barbeque is, bad barbeque can be really bad. Pat's is located just off West Temple, about half a block south of 2100 South. Its kind of an industrial looking area, with warehouses and that sort of thing, and Pat's is no exception. It appears to be an old warehouse or industrial building. Cinderblock walls and low ceilings with a layout that doesn't feel like a restaurant. When we got to the dining room it was filled with wooden picnic tables, the kind with the benches attached. The tables each had a tin bucket full of plastic silverware, three bottles of sauce and a roll of paper towels. It was great. They had a big flat screen TV at one end of the room. While we were there it was on a live Foo Fighters concert. I enjoyed it, but I'm sure not everyone would. I loved the feel of the place. It was definitely a "dive". They have another room with a stage in it where they often have live music while you eat.
I was told that if you go to Pat's you should go for lunch on a Friday when they have "burnt ends". Sometimes they sell out at lunch, but sometimes, if you go early and are lucky, you may get some at dinnertime. We got there about 5:30 and were told they still had some. I heard about two tables after me order it, but after that everyone was told they were out. Meals come with corn bread and one side. We ordered burnt ends with a salad and ribs with mashed potatoes. They have two choices of gravy for the potatoes and we picked the meaty gravy with chunks of pulled pork. Service was quick, I don't think it even took ten minutes from when we ordered for our meals to arrive. The waitress explained that the three sauces on the table were the sweet, the spicy and honey mustard.
When they brought out the food I finally learned what burnt ends are. They are really cubes of brisket, about an inch square, that are cooked twice and must be cut from the thin end of the brisket because every one had the black crust you get on good brisket on at least one side, and some had it on two. They were awesome! The most tender, juicy brisket I have ever had, with an incredible smoky flavor. They were good enough to eat without sauce, but I am a sauce guy, so I used some anyway. I only tried the sweet and the spicy, because I hate mustard. The sweet was less sweet than I was expecting, given the name, but had a great flavor. A good mixture of spices and the right amount of sweet. It was a thin sauce, not thick like your KC Masterpiece or whatever that you buy at the store. It kind of soaked into the burnt ends and was the perfect complement to their smoky goodness. The spicy sauce wasn't what I was expecting from the name either. The first flavor you get from it is actually super sweet, way sweeter than the sweet sauce. Then the heat comes. Its not really too much heat, maybe comparable to a medium salsa that you would buy at the grocery store, and its not the kind of heat that lingers and leaves you burning. It was actually really nice, though I thought it was a better fit for the ribs than the burnt ends.
Which brings me to the ribs. These are not your tiny baby backs that you get at a lot of restaurants. These are big meaty spare ribs. A half rack would probably have been enough to feed me and my wife, without the burnt ends, if we weren't too hungry. They were smoked beautifully, with the pink smoke ring going almost all the way through the meat. They were tender enough to eat easily, but not "fall-off-the-bone" tender. They were exactly what ribs should be. I have had just as good at other places, but I can't say that I have had better.
The sides were just fine. I don't really go to barbeque places for the sides, for me its more about the meat. The mashed potatoes had a nice garlicky flavor and the gravy with chunks of pulled pork was good, but definitely not your typical gravy. The salad was a lot bigger than most side salads and had cucumbers, tomatoes and olives, in addition to the lettuce. The dressing was just a single serve packet of Newman's Own ranch dressing. If I was feeling more adventurous I would have tried something like the red beans and rice, the jambalaya or maybe even the mustard greens. They have quite a few sides to choose from, but don't expect to get french fries. They don't even have a deep fryer in the building. I think the cornbread would have been even better served warm and with butter, but even cold and plain it was really good.
Prices were reasonable. Pretty average for a barbeque place. $15 for a half rack of ribs or for a combo plate, $11-12 for your other plates. Soft drinks were $2.
We didn't stay long enough for the live music that was scheduled to start at 7:00, but I'm sure it would have made the dive atmosphere even better. Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to Pat's. It was great barbeque. I would go back for the burnt ends anytime. I think the only complaints we had was that the seats were benches, and my pregnant wife could really have used a chair with a back and that they served Pepsi instead of Coke. Overall I would rate it 4 out 5 stars.
Before I get into my review, let me just say that I love good barbeque. I enjoy grilling ribs at home. I love pulled pork and good brisket. I love to go out for barbeque, but I am often apprehensive, because as good as good barbeque is, bad barbeque can be really bad. Pat's is located just off West Temple, about half a block south of 2100 South. Its kind of an industrial looking area, with warehouses and that sort of thing, and Pat's is no exception. It appears to be an old warehouse or industrial building. Cinderblock walls and low ceilings with a layout that doesn't feel like a restaurant. When we got to the dining room it was filled with wooden picnic tables, the kind with the benches attached. The tables each had a tin bucket full of plastic silverware, three bottles of sauce and a roll of paper towels. It was great. They had a big flat screen TV at one end of the room. While we were there it was on a live Foo Fighters concert. I enjoyed it, but I'm sure not everyone would. I loved the feel of the place. It was definitely a "dive". They have another room with a stage in it where they often have live music while you eat.
I was told that if you go to Pat's you should go for lunch on a Friday when they have "burnt ends". Sometimes they sell out at lunch, but sometimes, if you go early and are lucky, you may get some at dinnertime. We got there about 5:30 and were told they still had some. I heard about two tables after me order it, but after that everyone was told they were out. Meals come with corn bread and one side. We ordered burnt ends with a salad and ribs with mashed potatoes. They have two choices of gravy for the potatoes and we picked the meaty gravy with chunks of pulled pork. Service was quick, I don't think it even took ten minutes from when we ordered for our meals to arrive. The waitress explained that the three sauces on the table were the sweet, the spicy and honey mustard.
When they brought out the food I finally learned what burnt ends are. They are really cubes of brisket, about an inch square, that are cooked twice and must be cut from the thin end of the brisket because every one had the black crust you get on good brisket on at least one side, and some had it on two. They were awesome! The most tender, juicy brisket I have ever had, with an incredible smoky flavor. They were good enough to eat without sauce, but I am a sauce guy, so I used some anyway. I only tried the sweet and the spicy, because I hate mustard. The sweet was less sweet than I was expecting, given the name, but had a great flavor. A good mixture of spices and the right amount of sweet. It was a thin sauce, not thick like your KC Masterpiece or whatever that you buy at the store. It kind of soaked into the burnt ends and was the perfect complement to their smoky goodness. The spicy sauce wasn't what I was expecting from the name either. The first flavor you get from it is actually super sweet, way sweeter than the sweet sauce. Then the heat comes. Its not really too much heat, maybe comparable to a medium salsa that you would buy at the grocery store, and its not the kind of heat that lingers and leaves you burning. It was actually really nice, though I thought it was a better fit for the ribs than the burnt ends.
Which brings me to the ribs. These are not your tiny baby backs that you get at a lot of restaurants. These are big meaty spare ribs. A half rack would probably have been enough to feed me and my wife, without the burnt ends, if we weren't too hungry. They were smoked beautifully, with the pink smoke ring going almost all the way through the meat. They were tender enough to eat easily, but not "fall-off-the-bone" tender. They were exactly what ribs should be. I have had just as good at other places, but I can't say that I have had better.
The sides were just fine. I don't really go to barbeque places for the sides, for me its more about the meat. The mashed potatoes had a nice garlicky flavor and the gravy with chunks of pulled pork was good, but definitely not your typical gravy. The salad was a lot bigger than most side salads and had cucumbers, tomatoes and olives, in addition to the lettuce. The dressing was just a single serve packet of Newman's Own ranch dressing. If I was feeling more adventurous I would have tried something like the red beans and rice, the jambalaya or maybe even the mustard greens. They have quite a few sides to choose from, but don't expect to get french fries. They don't even have a deep fryer in the building. I think the cornbread would have been even better served warm and with butter, but even cold and plain it was really good.
Prices were reasonable. Pretty average for a barbeque place. $15 for a half rack of ribs or for a combo plate, $11-12 for your other plates. Soft drinks were $2.
We didn't stay long enough for the live music that was scheduled to start at 7:00, but I'm sure it would have made the dive atmosphere even better. Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to Pat's. It was great barbeque. I would go back for the burnt ends anytime. I think the only complaints we had was that the seats were benches, and my pregnant wife could really have used a chair with a back and that they served Pepsi instead of Coke. Overall I would rate it 4 out 5 stars.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Introduction
I have been thinking for quite a while about starting a food blog. I love food. I love to go out to eat. I love to cook when I can take the time to do it right. I especially love meat. Grilled, baked, sauteed, fried, smoked, however you like it. I plan to blog about things I cook, both the things that go well and the things that fail. I may share recipes or ask for help with something I want to make. I will also reviews places I eat. If I ever do a solicited review, where I have received discounted or free food in exchange for my review, I will disclose the potential conflict of interest, but I will also give my totally honest opinion. While there may be occasional discussions about desserts or some fantastic vegetable or something, I think what makes the meal is the meat, so much of my focus will be there. I may occasionally go totally off topic and cover things like movies, current events, or random musings, but for the most part this blog will be dedicated to my love for food.
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