Reuniting with a long lost, buttery friend

“There’s always that one location, one store location that’s constantly changing hands. Everybody has this in their neighborhood, it’s a leather store, it’s a yogurt shop, it’s a pet supply. It’s constantly changing and nobody can do business there. It’s like some sort of Bermuda Triangle of retail, you know? Stores open up and then they just disappear without a trace. Nobody knows what happened to ‘em.” –Jerry Seinfeld, opening monologue of “The Cafe”

In Highland Springs, Va. this “Bermuda Triangle of retail” is the stand-alone restaurant at 1109 East Nine Mile Road. It’s a decent location, right beside the most traffic-heavy intersection in the town. But for whatever perplexing reason, it seems no business can ever survive there.

Easily the location’s most successful occupant in my lifetime was Bojangles’, which inhabited this cursed address for much of my early life. It’s been a number of other drive-thru restaurants since, but none have seemed to attract customers. At present it’s Hawk’s “Famous” BBQ and Chicken according to a sign on the outside. I’ve never seen more than one car in the parking lot, so I have my doubts on how famous his BBQ and chicken is (and how long he’ll will be inhabiting that building).

Anyway, back to Bojangles’.  I fell in love with the chain sometime in college.  I frequently went on road trips to North Carolina, and Bojangles’ were frequent and cheap meal destinations.  And why not?  It’s a delicious fast food restaurant focused on three things: fried chicken, biscuits and sweet tea. How can you do any wrong with that?

Well, I saw “The Cafe” episode of Seinfeld this week and it instantly reminded me of the old Bojangles’ in Highland Springs, just like the many other times I had seen it.  It struck me, where is the closest one?  I had seen one recently in the Hampton Roads area (over an hour away) and another near Emporia (~1.5 hours away) when I was driving back from Austin.  After a little research I found out that there was a new location in Hopewell, a little under a half hour away.  Cha-ching!  I made it my mission to go the next day.

The next day I woke up, mouth watering in anticipation.  After a quick jaunt down 295 I cozied up to an old flame: the Cajun Fillet Biscuit combo.

I cracked open a book and nestled in my booth. Impeccable southern cuisine spilled over my table: a spicy chicken fillet enveloped in a buttery biscuit and French fries dusted with Cajun seasonings and side of kicking pepper sauce.  In case that wasn’t enough, it was paired with the world’s most divine elixir, a frosty cup of sweet tea.  I sunk into the booth in complete satisfaction.  And then I got a refill on my tea.  And another.

Worth the drive?  Yeah, I’d say.  I’d say worth the drive weekly.

Though there’s that glimmer of hope that Bojangles’ will trickle back to the old Highland Springs location, at least I know I can find comfort (and comfort food) within a reasonable driving distance.

Easily distracted F, ISO way out of a reading rut

Elaine: These are good people, Jerry. They read!
Jerry: I read, I read!
Elaine: Books, Jerry.
Jerry: Oh.

I was watching this Seinfeld episode earlier tonight and caught myself laughing uncontrollably. Who doesn’t read books? Oh right, I don’t.

I do read, of course, and more or less constantly. I’m just reading blogs on my RSS feed, scouring the news online and reading interesting articles my friends share with me via Google Reader and Twitter.

Anyway, my problem, like Jerry’s, lies in books. It’s not that I don’t enjoy them. I have become quite the collector over the years, accumulating a pretty impressive library. Disliking books isn’t the problem… it’s that I start too many simultaneously and can never finish them.

It strikes me that the last book I read from start to finish might actually be Hey Whipple, Squeeze This! by Luke Sullivan two, make that three semesters ago. Ouch. I’ve probably written a book’s worth since then!

I’ll end up starting a new book I’m excited about, read a few chapters, and then next thing I know I’ve picked up another book and started reading it too, before finishing the first one. Then another. And another. Next thing I know I’m knee deep in five or ten books and never finish any of them. Case in point, here’s a photo of what I’m reading now:

What?! That’s 10 books! Yeah, it’s a problem. But they’re all worth reading, so I can’t quit! I need help! Heaping amounts of help — and sanity.

So what am I reading? And why? Here’s a rundown of the 10:

• The Appeal, by John Grisham. I love everything this guy writes. And this guy can write one helluva suspenseful legal thriller. I’m on about page 138 in this one, which is easily the furthest along I am in any of them.

• The New Rules of Marketing and PR, by David Meerman Scott. It’s about the PR and marketing in the digital era and delves into issues like social media. Couldn’t say a lot more about it since I’m only on page 15 or so.

• Dixieland Delight, by Clay Travis. This book’s about a guy who goes to a home football game at every SEC school in one season and reports about the tradition, tailgating, food and cultural spectacle of each event. Each chapter covers a different program and it’s a little heavy on the frat guy-ish “hot ladies” talk. Otherwise it’s an interesting read and I love the idea. Wouldn’t mind going on the same adventure myself. I’m on page 98, thanks in a large part to riding the Metro in DC a lot this past weekend.
  

• Cutting Edge Advertising II, by Jim Aitchison. As you might guess this is about creating cutting edge advertising that breaks through clutter. It’s probably a pretty good read, but didn’t make much for beach or pool reading this summer. I still chug along on it occasionally though. I think I’m on about page 60, but I’m starting to forget things I read about in it earlier.

• Adobe Flash CS4 Classroom in a Book. This is a how-to book intended to teach me how to use Flash. An admirable personal goal, but I’m only on about page 15. Must keep trucking on that one!

• The Non Designer’s Design Book, by Robin Williams. The book is probably great if you’re clueless about design, but I’m using it to make sure I have my bases covered before tackling anything much more advanced. It’s OK, but nothing spectacular. I just want to learn from the beginning, so this should be a breeze. Too bad I’m on page 22.

• Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover’s Guide to the South, by John T. Edge. This book’s a little disappointing, but I love food, especially fried delicious southern food… don’t even get me started. I keep it around for obvious reasons, because not only do I like tasting food, but I love talking food. And we all know I have a soft spot for geography and the south so, why quit? It goes state by state, and I’m on the first one.

• The Choice, by Nicholas Sparks. Disclaimer: yes, I’m quite cheesy and I love Sparks books. Yeah, this is a romance story, just like they all are, and I know he’s going to break my heart again. But I love the ride, and Sparks is an incredibly gifted writer. I can’t resist… until another book snags my attention. I’m on page 113.

• Graphic Design School, Third Edition, by David Dabner. This book is excellent! Sometimes I wish I went to design grad school instead of advertising grad school (I stress sometimes), and this book does an excellent job of walking you through the basics of good design, element by element. I’m largely self taught when it comes to things artistic, so I appreciate it immensely. I have it on loan now from the library but really should cough up the $45 to buy it (and by $45 I mean probably $15 if I look hard enough). In the meantime, I’m on page 38.

• And last but not least, Hockey for Dummies, by John Davidson and John Steinbreder. I’m interested in one day working in sports and there’s the possibility that that opportunity could be in hockey. It wouldn’t hurt to know more about it. Also, for some reason I follow and am followed by tons of people working in NHL on Twitter. I’ll admit, that’s what really made me interested in learning more and picking this up at the library. I’m on page 15 though, but that’s because I’m such a hockey dummy (OK, novice) that I’m reading all the prologue business too.

Well there you have it. Anyone have any suggestions for an easily amused/easily distracted person in the midst of 10 books? Where should I go from here? Has anyone read any of these and think any are must reads? Any I should dump or throw off a bridge? How do you stop yourself from picking up new books and follow through and finish what you start? Can I ask any more questions?

In the meantime, I’m going to stew on this quote from one of my favorite authors.

“The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” –Mark Twain

In honor of Mr. Twain, I’m going to read the Grisham book until I fall asleep tonight. And maybe when I’m done I’ll finally start The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Or The Prince and the Pauper. Sweet dreams, world.

25 things you probably didn’t know about me

I’ve been suffering a bit of writer’s block lately. Well not really, I’ve been really good at starting blog posts (I have about seven drafts in waiting for eventual completion) and I’ve been writing TONS of cover letters for jobs, but I’m not sure that qualifies as real writing. Anyway, it’s been awhile since the last post, so here goes…

I’ve seen this “25 random things about me” posted all over the blogosphere, and I figured I’d take a crack at it myself. I loved my friend Katie’s version… here’s mine:

1. I have a very bizarre obsession with everything North Carolina. I have no idea how it started, since I’m Virginian, but I know I loved the southern neighbor since I was in elementary school. The beaches, the food (mmmm Carolina BBQ), the landscape, the weather. What’s not to like?
   
   I may or may not have invented this “piece of flair” in the past year.
2. I’m the oldest of three; I have two younger brothers.
3. I was a lifeguard for seven years. Seven! Granted, I’m mostly counting summers, but that’s over 1/4 of my life that I was certified for aquatic rescue.
4. I earned 12 varsity letters in high school. Can you guess what sports?
5. According to my elementary school diary (which I found the other day), I wanted to go to Duke and run cross country.
6. When I was in high school I was bound and determined to go to college out-of-state. I wanted to apply to Florida, UNC, Duke, NC State, Michigan State, Pepperdine, and Tulane. My parents said I could pay the difference if I went out-of-state, so I applied early decision to one school, UVA. Luckily I got in, so no more applications after that! (By the way I’m relieved it’s where I went to school, even if I picked it for all the wrong reasons.) Probably needless to say, my preferences were shamefully based on sports. (Though obviously Pepperdine was for its Malibu-ness.)
7. Speaking of Tulane, I’ve always wanted to go spend a week in New Orleans. I’ve been collecting travel brochures for the city since high school. I’ve been ready for beignets, Cafe du Monde, jazz, the French Quarter, and of course Cajun food, for years. No clue why I haven’t been yet.
8. I’m gaga for vinaigrettes on salads. I love going to restaurants and trying different variations of this simple dressing — pomegranate, cilantro lime, balsamic, citrus, blue cheese, whatever. Most of the time the trials are a resounding success.
9. Every year I seeeriously consider taking off the opening day of March Madness. And I’m not counting that day with the #65 versus #64 play-in game.
10. Ain’t nothin’ like some sweet tea. ‘Cept maybe skim milk. I crush around two gallons of moo juice a week.
11. My dad named the street I grew up on.
12. When I was about 7 or 8 my brother and I got in a shouting match. He threw a Matchbox car at my face and I chipped a tooth. Oddly enough, I chipped the same tooth as my boyfriend who also chipped his when he was around that age.
13. I LOVE driving. Most people don’t know that because I always call “not driving” when there’s uninteresting driving like driving across town or running errands. But few things top being behind the wheel on a road trip or on backroads, where you really get to see the country.
14. In elementary school I had a gigantic crush on Christian Laettner (I imagine this is what sparked the desire to run XC at Duke). In middle school it was Danny Wuerffel and Chipper Jones.
Hotness, as determined by a fourth grader. And a seventh grader. Methinks my tastes were better as a younger youngster.
15. Some people dream of one day going to a Super Bowl. Others Wimbledon, The Masters. I’ve always wanted to go to the ACC Tournament. And the Summer Olympics to watch the swimming.
16. I’m super into U.S. geography. Don’t know why but for some reason I had the states and capitals memorized for fun by about age 6. I find this country unbelievably interesting, with its vast differences in landscape and climate. I love knowing which interstates go where, how far X is from Y, what time zone a city is in. I love that it’s rare when someone names a place in Virginia that I haven’t heard of or vaguely know where that is. No clue where these interests stem from.
17. The summer before grad school I drove around Oregon for a week and a half. I drove around 2000 miles and saw Crater Lake National Park, Mt. Hood, the Wilhammette Valley, the coast, Multnomah Falls and the Columbia River Gorge, beautiful forests, rose-laden Portland, Bend, and funky Eugene. Loved it.
18. Speaking of, the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to is a tossup between Crater Lake N.P. and Big Sur, on the gorgeous California coast.
    Left: Crater Lake, Right: Big Sur Which do you prefer?
19. I never left the eastern time zone until 2005, when on a trip to Chicago with some college buddies.
20. Never left the country til last summer, when I went to Cabo, Mexico.
21. I love getting souvenirs. Silly things I like getting: maps, state flags, postcards, license plates, silly t-shirts and shotglasses. But what could be better than going to a Stuckey’s (redneck central!) and buying state magnets?
    Geography geekiness meets souvenir silliness. The two most recent additions to my collection, both in the past month. Bonus: got the NC one at a Stuckey’s that was half in VA, half in NC. I believe that’s what we’d call heaven on earth. It did have both Carolina BBQ + a Dairy Queen after all!
    
22. Other than my year and a half in Austin, I’ve only lived in Virginia.
23. In college I was part of a group of 10 students that camped out 17 days for tickets to a home UVA basketball game against, you guessed it, Duke. We scored front row seats and some of us met Dick Vitale. He autographed a poster at the game that looked exactly like this (though for other people). Oh yeah, and UVA won the game!
24. My dad taught me how to back dive by bribing me with a Strawberry Scooter Bar. Apparently everyone else in the world calls them Strawberry Shortcake Bars.
25. When I was younger I was embarrassed of my southern accent whenever I visited my grandparents and extended family in Pittsburgh. As a result, I phased out the word “y’all” for several years. Then one day I finally decided it was stupid and ever since used the word y’all as much as possible around them.

I-10 Tastiness

Well, I’m back in Virginia, but not without a three-day gastrointestinal journey through the South. My route, TX-71 to I-10 to I-95, was an exhausting 1600-mile ride, but it was the tasty gems along the way that made it memorable.

Sidebar: thanks to three people for their great suggestions for the route: MJ, SO, KG. Fantastic picks!

We got to see several cities I had never been to before on the route: Houston, Baton Rouge, Mobile and Jacksonville. Also went through some more familiar places, including a hilarious interlude at South of the Border, the biggest tourist trap in the world (just ‘cuz), and any east coast must — a stop for vinegar-based NC BBQ. Oh how I’ve missed this delicacy in my time in Texas.

I got to sample three of the suggested eateries along the way: The Chimes, an off-campus LSU haunt where I tried the crawfish etouffe, and across Baton Rouge, Coffee Call, a great 24-hour coffeeshop with stellar beignets, hidden in a strip mall. Finally, in Jacksonville, I dove into a fried chicken dinner with all-you-can-eat sides for $8.46 at Beach Road Chicken Dinners. It was quite the culinary marathon.

The Chimes was a good place to relax and enjoy some Louisiana fare in a laidback college town environment. While I slaughtered the pronunciation of etouffe and roumelade and other French words, I made up for it with my prowess in taking down Coffee Call’s beignet fingers 15 minutes later. My “small” order of beignets (about $3) was a large enough serving to feed me breakfast for three days. I ate the majority in one sitting though: I’m just that gross (or awesome, depending on the judge).

Night two brought me to the granddaddy of all southern feasts: Beach Road Chicken Dinners. I chowed down on perfectly crispy fried chicken and an endless supply of buttery biscuits, hush puppies, fries, mashed potatoes, gravy, cole slaw and cream peas. All was sloshed down with an endless stream of sweet tea. All this for under $10. Unreal. The meal was quite the spectacle. We ordered drinks, my dad excused himself to wash his hands, and upon his return our entire table was filled with family style side dishes and a massive centerpiece of fried chicken. Doesn’t get much better than that!

A preview of what Southern Living called the Best Fried Chicken in the South in 1997 and #1 in Jacksonville Magazine:

Here is where I found what may be the tastiest equation discovered in 2008:

French fries + mashed potatoes + gravy = Insanely awesome (translated: fries dipped in mashed potatoes with gravy could be the world’s best kept food secret)

Since every great meal should end with dessert, I leave you with a taste (sorry this isn’t Taste-o-vision) of Coffee Call’s beignet fingers…

Beach Road Chicken Dinners pictures courtesy of the Travelin Man’s Photostream on Flickr
Coffee Call picture also from Flickr

Uggh, Bobby Flay

I’ve seen The Food Network show Throwdown with Bobby Flay a pretty embarrassing number of times. And I swear, the skeezeball wins just about every time I watch. Grrrrr.

I just wanna smack that smug look right off his face when critics sample his food, and most especially, when he wins.

Bleh.

Portrait of a smug jerk.

Credits: The Ghetto Gourmet Chronicles

By the way, I gotta say, I’m not that impressed with his throwdown skills since he always has a training staff dispensing ingredient secrets before he makes his concoction. How talented are you if you have a team helping you make your recipes? And know your challenge beforehand?

I’d love to see ol’ Bobby compete without his entourage preparing him. Granted he’d probably still win all the time, meh, but at least it would be more fair. It’s not like the competing chefs know in advance what’s coming.

Don’t worry Bobby, I’ll still watch your show. I’ll just never root for you.

(Does anyone ever root for the guy by the way? Just curious.)

Lazy Wednesday

So instead of doing the piles of work I have to do today, I’ve decided it’s time to map my route back to the V-A for my December move.

I know “Google maps is the best” but I prefer MapQuest, and from what I hear, it’s a good one too.

Did you know MapQuest had a new feature, the draggable route? I sure didn’t. So if you don’t like the route it selected, now you can grab and drag the recommended route on the map to incorporate cities, towns, or other sites without having to re-enter all your data. Don’t want to drive the interstate and prefer to drive along the coast? Now you can change your route in seconds. Awesome! I’ve wanted this feature for so long and now it’s finally here.

Anyway, I’m probably asking the wrong audience, but does anyone have any routes to the East Coast that are tried, true, and loved? All the routes will end up in the 1400-1700 miles range it seems like, and I’m planning to take 3 days for the drive.

Last time, from Richmond to Austin, we took I-95 South from Richmond to I-85 around Petersburg, cut down to Atlanta, where we saw a Braves game and spent the night. Day 2 we took I-20 west to Vicksburg, Mississippi and looked around at Civil War stuff, put my feet in the Mississippi River (nerdy right?), and we spent the night somewhere in Louisiana. Day 3 we continued westward to Austin via I-20 for a bit and then took mostly back roads through east Texas until we got to I-35.

Anyway, the stops were decent on I-85 (plenty of good BBQ haunts in NC to choose from), but I-20 seemed like the dullest, most uneventful stretch of highway I’ve ever driven. Alabama’s section of the interstate was laden with construction zones and speed limits in the 30s and 40s. So frustrating.

So for the ride back I’m loosely debating one of two routes (though I’m open to other suggestions and variations of those below):

• Texas – Arkansas – Tennessee – Virginia. This route is the fastest, but how much does that matter to save two hours on a three-day trip? I’m unsure. This route takes I-35 to Dallas, then winds through a long stretches of Arkansas and Tennessee before reaching the Old Dominion. It’s a 23 hour, 15 minute ride covering 1500 miles. (Compared to my Richmond to Austin trip in 2007, which was 23 1/2 hours, but about 15 miles shorter — wowww.)

• Texas – Louisiana – Mississippi – Alabama – Florida – Georgia – South Carolina – North Carolina – Virginia. This 25-hour route crosses through nine states and would essentially use I-10 East from Houston to Jacksonville and then 95 North, back to Virginia. It would cover 1640 miles.

Any thoughts? Are Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville better for stops or Baton Rouge, Biloxi, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, (and a bunch of NC/SC/GA places I’ve been to before)? Anyone?

I am also taking any “must stop” suggestions for food for anywhere in the southeastern quadrant of the continental U.S. Particularly anything you’d see on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Yumtastic.

PS, if you don’t watch that delicious show on The Food Network, I recommend you get on that. Now.

News flash: MPhelps alleged diet is hogwash?

Today my sports journalism class got to interview Olympic swimming gold medalist Garrett Weber-Gale. Here is his most famous moment, after the USA’s upset win over the French in the 4 x 100 free relay, a celebration he doesn’t really have recollection of:

He said he remembered checking the scoreboard and seeing a 1 next to the USA names, and wanting to check again to make sure. After that, he doesn’t really remember the yelling or hugging euphoria.

He also recalled the Olympics as being “magical” on more than one occasion.

Weber-Gale is a former Longhorn swimmer who still trains in Austin with the likes of Brendan Hansen and Aaron Peirsol, both Texas Exes and Olympians in their own right.

Despite his success in the pool, GWG’s looking to make waves in other parts of his life. He has dreams of starting a specialty food business and is contact with a New York literary agent about the possibility of making a cookbook.

For more info on GWG and his love for food, see his website.

But speaking of food, the big news was that GWG dispelled the Michael Phelps 12,000-calories-a-day myth.

“That’s so embellished it’s absurd,” he said.

He’s eaten enough meals with him to know it’s untrue, he pointed out.

Too bad. Guess that means I’m going to have to cut out my 18-pancake and 12-omelet breakfasts if I have any hope of competing in the 2012 London Olympics. Crickey mate.

I saw the sign

I gotta admit, Austin has among the coolest signs and logos for its shops, eateries, and events. It’s amazing how powerful something as simple as a sign or logo can communicate about an entity. Everywhere I go interesting fonts, color combinations, and other unique design choices tantalize my eyes. Here are a few of my Austin favorites…

Signs:

P. Terry’s. This is my favorite sign in Austin. The red and white on robin’s egg blue (green) are a memorable color combination. I love the space age-y feel to it also.

EZ’s. The glitz and faux glamour of this diner’s sign introduces me to a place that knows better than to take itself too seriously.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. An Austin favorite, with a classic, vintage cinema sign.

Spider House. This place never misses an opportunity to showcase its lovely quirkiness. This sign is no different. It’s even laden with Christmas lights, just like the coffee shop’s patio.

Sandy’s. This sign choice communicates good old fashioned burger joint to me, which is exactly what the place is.

Allen’s Boots. I don’t care how corny people think it is, I like when people make letters into artwork, or other art into letters (as long as it works). The boot L’s work here.

Austin Java. Clearly these guys take their coffee seriously. But otherwise the sign communicates a fun, earthy, laid-back vibe.

Shady Grove. I just love the use of rope to spell “Shady” here. Always have (since the first time I saw this place).

(Did you also notice I’m a fan of neon lights? Especially ones that are also aesthetically pleasing by day.)

UT street sign. I love when colleges make everyday things their own, like this University of Texas street sign. Not only does the burnt orange hue greet the eye, but uses a starkly different font than all other street signs in the city.

Asti. This Italian dinner destination brings modernity to the forefront. Literally.

El Chilito. Just because the fare is overrated doesn’t mean you won’t be duped by the bright colors and intriguing packaging.

Vivo. I’ve never eaten here, but the sign hypnotizes me every time I drive by it.

Third Rail Creative. This downtown ad agency makes you forget for a few seconds that you’re not only not in New York, but worlds away.

Tesoros. Not sure if I like the font for “Tesoros” or the heart in the logo better. I definitely recognize the Lithos Black in “Trading Company” though!

Logos:

Whataburger. When I read the word, I hear the voice of the commercials in my head, “Whatta-BURger.” The logo has a stark resemblance to the Weezer logo of old, but I really like the repetition of the W’s in the logo. It makes it memorable. As does the bright orange coloring and “packaging” of its franchises, with their white-and-orange striped roofs.

Torchy’s Tacos. Did you really think I’d complete this post without a Torchy’s reference? This logo insinuates that Torchy’s is both completely badass and has a little bit of a playful side to it. Bingo.

Austin City Limits logo. The font calls to an earlier disco era. I really like the double outlines and smooth curves of the letters.

Taco Shack. Every location of this taco chain has this wooden plank lettering. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen and really emphasizes the “shack” part of its name.

SXSW 2007 logo. Not sure what font SXSW is on this, but I sure do love it. I really like the simplicity of using thin lines to define what are otherwise bulky and lifeless letters.

Note: 90% of these graphics were found on Flickr (www.flickr.com).

Tasty Trailer Treats

So one of my favorite things about Austin is the numerous delicious food-supplying trailers and carts.

This week I finally tried Flip Happy Crepes and Hey Cupcake!

Picture from http://stevieandkate.blogspot.com/2007/11/blog-post.html

While I enjoyed both of them, my favorite trailer foods still remain Torchy’s (though I usually cheat and go to the Guadalupe location in the strip mall) and the snowcone stands Sno Beach and Molly’s Sno Cups.

I enjoyed Flip Happy despite not being a bona fide “crepe fan.” The lines are long, and I will definitely keep in mind to arrive there no later than 11 a.m. in the future. I tried an entree crepe filled with roasted chicken and goat cheese, and it was fabulous. I tried a dessert one draped with berry dressing as well, but I found the entree one to be the star of the show.

I thought Hey Cupcake! was a really cute place, but based on my limited sampling (Red Velvet and “The Standard,” a vanilla cupcake with chocolate icing), I’d have to say it was a bit overrated. Plus $2.50 and $2 for cupcakes (respectively) was a bit much. But having had a rough week, I decided to treat myself. This will probably the most asinine food observation of all time, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a cake (or cupcake) I’ve enjoyed more than one made from a Duncan Hines cake mix. I’m really not kidding. I’m all for making icings from scratch to add to these cakes, but the cakes themselves are so perfectly moist and tasty. This is probably why I have no future as a food critic.

Going back to Hey Cupcake!, what I found most disappointing about the cupcake was that the tops were especially hard and a little overcooked. Maybe I’m a picky cupcake-eater, but I like the cake portion to be reasonably consistent throughout, as in soft, but not falling apart.

I love all types of cupcakes… red velvet, chocolate, yellow, carrot cake, Funfetti, you name it. (By the way, I lump Pillsbury’s Funfetti in that category of Duncan Hines-caliber amazing boxed cake mixes.) I have tried many far and wide, but I have yet to find one I thought tasted better than my Mom’s Duncan Hines yellow cake with her own fudge icing. It’s truly dynamite. If I’m feeling more charitable, I’ll share the recipe at some point. Though I think she originally got the recipe from the cooking bible.

I’m looking to try some more tasty trailer and cart treats in the coming weeks as well. Right now I have my eye on Kebabalicious, Best Wurst (we’ll save that one for a drunken night out though), and Rosita’s al Pastor, should you feel compelled to join for sampling.

PS Thanks to my awesome friends. You’ve been fantastic, this week especially, but always!

Disgustingly Good Eats

What do you do when the gastronomic world of chicken fried steak with gravy, chili cheese fries, and Oreo brownie sundaes aren’t unhealthy enough?

You throw a bacon cheeseburger on a Krispy Kreme glazed donut instead of a bun! Check out the insanity!

When on a friend’s recently Dugg’d pages list, I found this incredible delicacy. Apparently it was served in Google’s New York office in celebration of the cafeteria’s chef’s birthday. On my next birthday I’ll have to remember to serve up artery-clogging goodness to my family, friends, and peers.

Now seems a good as time as ever to pronounce my love for adventures to find outstanding(ly bad for me) food. A few months ago, one of my friends came up with the brilliant idea to go on a Texas BBQ-themed road trip. We drove down 183 for about 30 miles or so and did a spur of the moment tour of the towns of Lockhart and Luling, Texas. In Lockhart we sampled the ‘cue of Smitty’s (my favorite of the trip) and Kreutz, and made a quick walk-through at Black’s Barbecue in order to briefly relax our stomachs. In Luling we saw a ton of campaigning for the town’s Watermelon Thump Queen, the pinnacle award at the town’s annual watermelon festival. But we also took a whack at that town’s best BBQ joint — The City Market. In filling our bellies to our content, we took a stab 3 of what Texas Monthly named the top 5 BBQ joints in Texas for 2008.

Yes, I have a hankering for more trips like this in the future. It’s been a dream for the past few years to sometime make it to the North Carolina State Fair where I’ve heard legends about the deliciously bad-for-you delicacies: fried Twinkies, fried Snickers bars, and fried who knows what else. All of them will one day be mine! Stay tuned to my post in 2015 when I finally get to fulfill my dream! In the meantime I’ll lick my lips and gaze at the holy grail:

Special thanks to Channel M for her tantalizing write-up of the NC State Fair last year (and source of above picture). I can’t wait to have my heavenly deep-fried experience as well as the chance to see pig racin’ for myself!