By nando, on July 8th, 2011%
Hardee’s Promo Picture
First, a little background: I’ve had a special place in my heart (stomach?) for Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s since my days of living in California. There was a time in my early 20′s when dinner consisted of visiting my local CJ at least 5 nights a week, mostly because dinner was after midnight and the choice was them or Jack in the Crack. So, even though I was sick and tired of them for a while, I still have fond memories of their food and romanticize it more than it probably deserves.
That being said, I don’t normally eat at Hardee’s. I don’t know if it’s because I consider them a cheap knock-off of Carl’s Jr. (kind of like Blue Ribbon mayonnaise out West) or because of some other prejudice I might have, but the fact still remains: Hardee’s is never in the top 5 fast food restaurants I think about when I’m hungry. That’s about to change!
I had seen the commercials for this sandwich quite a few times, and having tried their hand-breaded chicken tenders before, I had contemplated giving this a try, too. WOW! My first impression of the sandwich was it’s size; at 313g, it’s huge compared . . . → Read More: Review: Hardee’s Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich
By nando, on June 1st, 2011%
Last weekend was the Carolina Pig Jig at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. Basically, for a $10 donation, you get to stuff your face with all the BBQ you can eat, and then some. The event started around 11am, but we didn’t get there until around 11:30am and found that it wasn’t as packed as it was last year (a good thing, if you ask me). I waited in line for 20 minutes last year just to get in but we were able to just walk right in this year.
The contestants are set up in a horseshoe, with some two or three tents set up in the middle, each packed with tables and chairs (people need a place to sit and eat, I guess). We grabbed our plates, sporks, and napkins and set off to try as much ‘cue as we could. Some of the competitors had ribs, brisket, chicken, or desserts, but I was there for the pig. I tried all but five locations last year, and was so stuffed that I couldn’t walk for a week, so I decided to take it easy this year and pick and choose the ones . . . → Read More: Carolina Pig Jig
By nando, on May 22nd, 2011%
As I stated in the first part, my wife and I took a short trip to NYC over a weekend. While there, we were able to try a few restaurants. We had both heard great things about The Spotted Pig in Greenwich Village and decided to give it a try.
The Spotted Pig
Not only is Mario Batali a partner in the restaurant (though he’s not the chef), but it was also named one of the 25 best hamburgers in America by Food & Wine Magazine. Due to this, we were led to believe that there would be a long wait for a table but I guess we were lucky (or the popularity of the restaurant is overstated), as we arrived around noon on Saturday and only waited about five minutes to be seated. The restaurant is quaint, with a small downstairs and a bit roomier upstairs (where our table was), but it doesn’t really feel as small as it looks. One downside to the limited space is that you have to sit in stools. If you’re like me, and you have a bad back, you might want to keep this in mind. After looking over the menu, we both decided on the . . . → Read More: Weekend in Review – NYC Part II
By nando, on May 18th, 2011%
My wife and I took a short trip to New York City this weekend for reasons other than pleasure, but we were able to sneak in a few good meals while we were there (hey, we’ve got to eat sometime, right?). We arrived on a Friday afternoon for a short three-day visit, anxious to try some of the restaurants we’ve been hearing/reading about lately. Our first stop was Empanada Mamas in Hell’s Kitchen.
Empanada Mamas
The restaurant is located on 9th Avenue, between 51st and 52nd streets in Midtown Manhattan. The first thing you notice (after you claw your way through the crowds standing outside the restaurant at dinnertime) is that it’s very cozy (i.e. small), but the atmosphere is quite electric. Expect to hear good Latin music (Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton) over the speakers while you dine, but it’s not loud enough to interrupt your conversations. Our wait was a bit over an hour, having arrived around 9pm on a Friday, but it was well worth it! One of the best things about Empanada Mamas is that it’s like going to a Tapas restaurant; the empanadas are small (3-4 inches long), which means that you end up ordering 3 or 4 per person . . . → Read More: Weekend in Review – NYC Part I
By nando, on April 21st, 2011%
Two slices from Randy’s Pizza: one Pepperoni and one Meatball
Let us start with a philosophical question: what is New York-Style pizza? Ask 100 people and you will get 1001 answers, but I seek to boil it down to the basics. In my world, the New York style of pizza is represented by three main things: hand-tossed dough, sold by the slice or whole, and the slices are big enough that they need to be folded in half to eat. It’s that simple.
If I have one pet peeve about NY-Style pizza (outside of NY, that is), it’s that everyone seems to have an opinion as to which establishment is more “authentic,” or who makes the best representation of a NY pizza, regardless of where you live. Those that have visited/lived in NYC know that there are probably tens of thousands of pizza joints, and they vary from amazing to downright disgusting. The important thing to remember is that you’re arguing over personal preference and taste.
As far as I’m concerned, Randy’s Pizza, a local chain, makes great NY-Style pizza. The slices are huge (as you can tell from the picture), and the crust is thin without being cracker-thin. The edges can have . . . → Read More: NY-Style Pizza in Durham: Randy’s Pizza
By nando, on March 1st, 2011%
The in-laws were in town for a few days so we decided to have lunch at The Pit in Raleigh. The Pit is owned/operated by Pitmaster Ed Mitchell, who is well-known around these parts and even beat Bobby Flay in a rib throwdown. If you’re lucky, you will even see Ed roaming around the restaurant, stopping to talk to people eating at his restaurant (he even gave me the “secret” to his ribs on one of my visits there). The restaurant is exactly what you wouldn’t expect from a place called “The Pit,” as the restaurant is clean, modern, well decorated, and appropriately lit. If you ask people in The Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) for a recommendation on which Eastern North Carolina BBQ restaurant to visit, you will probably get quite a few of them that will suggest Allen and Sons, and quite a bit more that will tell you to avoid The Pit. Personally, I think The Pit gets a “bad” reputation because it’s “fancy.” Ask a person who complains about the Pit to tell you what they don’t like and you’re likely to hear the same thing: it’s too expensive or it’s . . . → Read More: Review: The Pit, Raleigh NC
By nando, on February 3rd, 2011%
If you’re in Durham, NC, and you’re in the mood for a good Po Boy, make sure you stop by Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse on Route 55. Their fried shrimp Po Boy is the best one I’ve had, and that includes the ones I had all over New Orleans. The shrimp is barely breaded and it’s fried just long enough to crisp the breading and perfectly cook the shrimp (if I had to guess, I’d say the breading is a mixture of corn meal and flour). Adding a bit of Crystal hot sauce makes it that much more authentic and gives just enough cayenne flavor and heat to complement the ingredients.
I’ve also had their blackened shrimp, “yard bird” (chicken), and hanger steak Po Boys, all of which were very good to excellent, though I did find the potato salad to be a bit overdressed for my taste. The fries were crisp, thin, and wonderfully tasty, and the red beans and rice was flavorful, though I thought it lacked a bit of salt. I’m yet to try the cochon (pig) Po Boy because the fried shrimp is so good that I can’t bring myself to order . . . → Read More: Review: Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse
By nando, on January 14th, 2011%
Jake’s Wayback Burgers is a chain that just opened a location close to where I work; they are known for fresh (i.e. never frozen), hand-formed patties and their hand-spun milkshakes. I’d heard quite a bit of buzz concerning the new burger joint in town so I decided to give it a try.
The location is quite small, with maybe a dozen two-person tables and four stools at a counter. A coworker and I went at lunchtime on a Friday and every seat in the house was occupied and there was a line of 8-9 people waiting to order. After waiting in line about 10 minutes, we finally reached the registers and placed our orders. I ordered the Jake Cheeseburger (two patties and American cheese) with onion rings and my coworker ordered the Jake Burger with fries, plus a couple of drinks. All burgers are served with lettuce, tomato, pickles, raw onions, ketchup, and mustard, plus you can add mayonnaise, grilled onions, mushrooms, and a few other toppings (I went with the included toppings but substituted grilled onions for the raw ones). We found a seat and waited for our food to be brought out to us.
The . . . → Read More: Review: Jake’s Wayback Burgers
By nando, on December 22nd, 2010%
There is a new addition to the Dembellyfull kitchen: a toaster oven. We’ve been thinking about getting a new one to replace our almost three year old toaster oven for a while. The old one was good, and served us well, but it was time to upgrade to a bigger unit. We settled on the Breville BOV800XL 1800-Watt oven based on several online review sites and we couldn’t be happier with our choice.
We’ve only had the oven for a little over a week, but we’ve already used it for a few things and, I must say, it’s very impressive. It toasts bread evenly (unlike our old toaster oven that toasted the top nicely and the bottom unevenly), almost as good as using a regular slot toaster. I also tried baking some bread in it and the loaf was perfectly crisp all the way around instead of our usual burnt bottom and undercooked top. We also baked a pizza in it that ended up as good, if not better, than when baked in our regular oven (and without heating up the kitchen!).
The heat distribution is even throughout so you end up with great food fast. It also has . . . → Read More: New Addition: Toaster Oven
By nando, on December 20th, 2010%
(Sorry for the quality, but I used my iPhone to take the picture)
My wife and I recently dined at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill (website) so I thought I’d write up a quick review. It was our second time dining there in the past year (since we moved to Durham) and this experience was better than the first one. I ordered their smoked chicken wings the first time and found them to be undercooked so I stayed away from them on this visit.
The restaurant is made to feel like you’re at a mountain lodge. It’s dimly lit, but not dark, with stone walls and a working fireplace. It was quite packed, even for a Friday evening, but we were seated quickly because we called ahead to put our names on the list.
The server was quick and professional. He greeted us nicely and offered assistance with any questions we might have. The bread came out quickly, too, and was still warm from the oven. We placed our orders and the food came out promptly. I ordered a chili-rubbed rib eye with Southwest au gratin potatoes, my wife had the 7 ounce bacon-wrapped filet with a . . . → Read More: Review: Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
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