Volcano Taco
Volcano Double Beef Burrito
I’m a little behind on my Taco Bell posts and there are a few new items on the menu to review and discuss. Most notably, the Volcano Taco is now back on the menu and is accompanied by the Volcano Double Beef Burrito. I thought the Volcano Taco was interesting when it was first introduced as a special item a few months back, but it’s only slightly better than a regular Taco Bell Taco, which really isn’t all that great. And, the bright red taco shell is a little spooky. Still, the spicy Lava sauce is quite good and brings a flavor that has been absent from the varied Taco Bell lineup. The Volcano Double Beef Burrito really does take advantage of this spicy sauce. It has beef, cheese, rice, and Lava sauce, but also includes bits of the red Volcano Taco shell. I like the flavor and texture of this burrito a lot. It’s much spicier than the normal menu offerings, the Lava Sauce being slightly spicier than the “hot” Fire sauce. The addition of taco shell bits is genius and a little crunch in the burrito goes a long way. I can really get behind this one.
Grilled Chicken Taco
Grilled Chicken Burrito
Taco Bell has also introduced grilled chicken varieties of its tacos and burritos. They were rolled out on the 89cent value menu near me, which is quite a good price. These aren’t too terribly complex, they’re the standard versions of both the value beef taco and beef burrito, but use the better tasting grilled chicken (if you can stand chicken that has been grilled somewhere else and heated up by boiling in a bag at the store). While not overwhelming amazing, these really aren’t that bad, especially considering the price.
Note: Here’s a very interesting post that shows the construction of the Volcano Taco and Volcano Double Beef Burrito.
IJWit
If you’re a recent reader of this blog, you may be wondering why there are links to two Dutch breweries featured. One is for Brouwerij ‘t IJ in Amsterdam. It was founded by squatters who inhabited and gained ownership of the last (I think this is true) windmill in the city. It is the highest wooden windmill in the Netherlands according to their website. I’ve visited Amsterdam a good twenty times (at least) over the course of the last several years for work and to visit great friends and beer. I’ve often been at the Brouwerij ‘t IJ when it opened up at 3pm for visitors. Their beers are quite popular in the city, but remain under many beer aficionados’ radar. It’s definitely quite obscure and also quite difficult to find in the United States. To be honest, the only place that I’ve seen these outside of my own personal stash is at Monk’s in Philadelphia and the venerable State Line Liquors. I’m sure there are more spots, but there aren’t many.
While their Columbus may appeal to the American sense of “big beers” at 9% alcohol, the IJWit is my favorite and, strangely, the more difficult to find. I’m suspecting that’s due to its popularity in Holland, but I have no facts to back that up. Monk’s has not had this particular variety. I recently picked up a pair of these at State Line Liquors and am a little suspicious that they’ve been there a while, but have no confirmation. Perhaps there is quite a bit of a following out there.
Hoegaarden is the gold standard when it comes to Wits in much the same way that Guinness is the gold standard when it comes to stouts. Now, that said, both can be bested, depending on your palate, but to call either crap is a bit ignorant, no matter how universal they have become. I’m a fan of wit beer and do enjoy Hoegaarden, but have some other favorites. IJWit is easily my favorite in this style.
IJWit is just perfectly balanced with just the right amount of citrus, skewing more towards the lemon end of the spectrum. There is a crispness that balances the traditional sweetness and that is its success. It’s unfiltered and a yellow golden in color. It is the perfect beer to accompany summer days. Incidentally, IJWit was the first of Brouwerij ‘t IJ’s beers to be organic and now all of their beer is organic. In Amsterdam, IJWit is priced competitively with other Belgian Wits, often found in the 1.50 to 2 euro range in bars on tap or in bottles, sometimes a little cheaper at various bottle shops. At State Line Liquors, a bottle will run you about $4.50. It’s not extravagantly priced, but does stick out above Hoegaarden, Ommegang Wit, Allagash White, or even Celis White, all very respectable, traditional, full-bodied wits.
Drinking IJWit reminds me of sitting on the sunny patio outside the brewery in Amersterdam, so I’m sure I’m tasting nostalgia as much as a good beer, but IJWit is definitely among my favorite beers and easily my favorite summer beer. If only I could get it by the keg…
Tags: beer, dutch beer
Heart Attack on a Plate
When I saw the Food Network post on the top burgers in each of the 50 states, I saw that Mother’s Federal Hill Grille in Baltimore was Maryland’s choice. Baltimore is so close, I knew that the burger had to be mine. It’s called the Heart Attack on a Plate and is an 8 oz. burger that has been stuffed with cheese, battered, and deep fried.
My dad and I rolled down to Baltimore and met up with my aunt and uncle. We were both excited (I think this infatuation is genetic) to try the burger and convinced the relatives to come along.
According to the more elder members of our party, Mother’s is quite loud. In all fairness, Mother’s is a bar in a fairly hoppin’ section of Baltimore and it was Friday night around 8pm. I didn’t think it was anything too out of the ordinary, but definitely a lot louder than a normal restaurant. The beer menu was a little lacking and a little more along the sport’s bar tip (Guinness, Stella, Blue Moon, American macros), but they did have Brewer’s Art Resurrection Ale, a pretty decent Abbey-style Baltimore brewed ale.
In the Middle of a Heart Attack
My dad and I both got the Heart Attack on a Plate. The thing was massive when it came to the table, difficult to get a full bite that contained burger, bun, and condiments all in one bite. The burger was very lightly breaded and expertly done, just the right amount of crispness for the breading and my burger was right at medium, a little pink, and still pretty juicy. Small creeks of cheddar would occasionally ooze out of the very juicy beef. If anything, this burger could use more cheese because the sharp cheddar taste was a little lost among the strong beefy taste and spicy chipotle mayo. The beer batter breading was a little salty and quite crispy. It held on to the burger and didn’t come off in a whole section like sub par breaded foods often do.
Hand-Cut Fries
Sweet Potato Fries
Guinness Battered Onion Rings
The sides were a secret hit of this place. The hand-cut fries were exploding with potato flavor, a little limp, a little crisp, a nice texture. My dad ordered these and I found myself nibbling off his plate. I had ordered mine with onion rings, but it arrived with sweet potato fries. The waitress very kindly apologized and brought the onion rings, but let us keep the sweet potato fries, so we could try all three of the fried side offerings. I’m a fan of sweet potato fries and these were pretty standard, no special seasoning. Normally I like a little spice with my sweet potato fries, but these weren’t bad. The onion rings were breaded in a sweet Guinness based beer batter. They were sweet and a little salty and came with a side of spicy chipotle mayonnaise. The breading was expertly applied, very evenly, and stuck to the rings in just the right way. These were just the right amount of crisp, seriously some of the best I’d ever had. Mother’s really knows how to fry, that’s very clear.
Pop Pop's Butter Almond Ice Cream
Bananas Foster Ice Cream
My aunt behaved herself and stuck to crab cakes for her supper. She had room left over and was interested in their homemade “Pop Pop’s” ice cream based on their grandfather’s recipe. My uncle had some room left (he always does for ice cream) and they got a dish of Butter Almond and a dish of Bananas Foster. I’m pretty sure that Grandpa didn’t come up with Bananas Foster as a flavor, but this isn’t the place to argue. The ice cream was really amazing–perfectly creamy and very rich. The Butter Almond had a thick butter taste, almost butterscotch, and there were a lot of almonds that tasted like they were caramelized. The mix of sweet, creamy, and buttery was excellent. The Bananas Foster had sweet, caramelized bananas in rum sauce mixed in and had a great flavor.
I don’t know that I’ve had enough burgers in the state of Maryland to echo the Food Network’s designation that the Heart Attack on a Plate is the state’s best burger. It’s definitely a novelty burger, but very well executed. The fried sides and excellent ice cream dessert are a supporting cast that demonstrates food excellence at Mother’s Federal Hill Grille. I’m not sure I’ll be back, but it was a great meal.
Tags: baltimore, beer, french fries, hamburgers, ice cream, onion rings, sweet potato fries
Weegeats visits a newly opened bar in Philadelphia: Smokin’ Betty’s.
Phoodie continues the Tastykake battles and the Coconut Junior takes on a Banana Moon Pie.
On Second Scoop has some great things to say about the real vanilla in Haagen-Dazs’ Five Vanilla Bean ice cream.
Jonny from Sip.By.Sip reviews Atlantis: The Lost Bar and revisits our hatred of PBC. We still hate their beer, but are sympathetic to his review.
In honor of our dear friends Nathan and Norma and their move up north to Canada, here is a rundown of a Brooklyn spot serving several types of poutine from Always Hungry.
A happy ending and some good vibes from the Bacon of the Month club on Consumerist. That Col. Newsom’s Bacon is some mighty tasty stuff and we’ll have more on that later.
I’m in the midwest, so some Indiana food reviews are forthcoming, including a very enjoyable visit to the Three Floyd’s Brewery in Munster, IN.
Tags: bacon, beer, ice cream, philadelphia, tastykake
Geakers
Such a Sad Taco
Brit, The Commish, and I were working on some food adventures one Saturday night and decided that we would heed Brit’s suggestion and go to Geaker’s to try their Deep Fried Tacos.
I don’t know about you, but when I hear that there are going to be deep-fried tacos, I’m expecting the whole taco thrown into the fryer in some manner, whether in a breading or some sort of containment device, but the whole taco is getting dunked. Well, Geaker’s is apparently taking soft taco shells and putting them in the deep fryer, then assembling the most boring taco that you could probably make just as good, if not better, from your own ingredients at home. So, we have white flour hard shell tacos, basically, filled with seasoned meat, shredded cheese from a bag, shredded lettuce, and cut tomatoes. I guess the shell is crunchy, that’s really the strong point. Geaker’s definitely needs some instruction from some brothers and sisters down South of the border. No way around it. When you can get better tasting stuff in the Taco Bell drive thru, you shouldn’t be advertising yourselves as a taco stand and should take them off the menu.
Now, that taco harshness aside, Geaker’s is basically an ice cream stand masquerading as a faux taco hut. They have some solidly delicious soft serve and the ability to crank out some good flavor combinations for shakes and sundaes. Brit got a Peanut Butter and Jelly shake on earlier visit and went with Chocolate Peanut Butter on this visit. We all had a little taste and it had great flavor, lots of chocolate, lots of peanut butter. It was thick, but thin enough to be drunk through a straw. Definitely high marks are deserved for the milkshake.
So, if you find yourself in the Bethlehem area and are craving tacos, Geaker’s isn’t your spot. But, if you’re looking for some ice cream goodness, Geaker’s is a great choice.
Tags: ice cream, milkshakes, tacos
Zac's Hamburgers
After a quick introduction to Charlie’s Hamburgers, my Dad decided that he could eat a little more. I’ve been meaning to try Zac’s Hamburgers which is fairly close. I’d driven past it and it looks like an interesting spot and Holly seemed to like it in his review. Dad, Commish, and I cruised over for a quick taste.
Zac's Cheeseburger
Top Down
Burger Cross Section
We each ordered a single cheeseburger. Mine came with ketchup, mustard, and relish, keeping a little with the Charlie’s tradition since we’d just eaten there. It’s hard not to compare this place to Charlie’s since it’s so close and since we had Charlie’s moments before. The fresh beef patties are cooked to order on the griddle. The cheese was sliced American cheese, a little thinner than what Charlie’s would use. The burger was good, a very decent thin patty, but wasn’t nearly as juicy as Charlie’s and was missing that magical grill char.
Overall, the cheeseburger at Zac’s is very good. If Charlie’s Hamburgers didn’t exist just down the street, this would probably draw more acclaim and rank higher in my book.
Tags: hamburgers, philadelphia
Joe Fencz, the excellent and very entertaining host at Charlie’s Pool Room, made a passing mention to the hot dogs at Charlie’s Hamburgers when it came up in conversation. Apparently, their hot dogs come out on hamburger buns. It planted a seed in my brain. After a heartbreaking Phils’ loss to the Blue Jays, I decided to take my dad to Charlie’s for his inaugural visit. We met up with The Commish for an early dinner.
Charlie's Burgers and Dogs
I decided that I needed to try the hot dog, so ordered one with cheese, fried onions, mustard, and relish. There is a single griddle at Charlie’s, so everything is cooked in the same spot, meaning that your fried onions and hot dog with both be cooked up in a bit of the fat from the cooking juicy hamburgers. That can’t be all bad, can it? Of course not. The hot dog came out on a nicely toasted hamburger bun. It had been butterflied and cooked pressed on the griddle. A thick slice of Charlie’s signature American cheese was placed over the dog with the rest of the condiments. While not the best hot dog I’ve ever had, it was good. The creamy, gooey cheese mixing with the salty, slightly smokey taste of the dog and the sweetness from the relish and fried onions was a nice blend of flavors and coupled nicely with the crispy, toasted bun. It was a little strange to be on a hamburger bun, but that’s Charlie’s main attraction.
Since we were there with the camera, I’m posting a new photo of a Charlie’s double cheeseburgers along with the hot dog. The burgers were with cheese, fried onions, mustard, ketchup, relish, and tomato and as consistent as any of Charlie’s burgers.
Dad got a chocolate shake. Charlie’s mixes it old school with an actual milkshake blender and metal cup, using scoops of Potts Ice Cream, milk, and chocolate syrup. It’s a little on the thin side, but flows through the straw easily and has a great chocolate flavor, nice and creamy without being too strong.
Dad was impressed by the visit, especially the excellent, very juicy, fresh beef burgers. I can’t complain at all and just love coming here. It is definitely my favorite burger in the Philadelphia area, no contest. The hot dog isn’t bad, but just can’t stack up against the excellent burger. But, if you’re feeling contrary, it will work.
Tags: hall of fame, hamburger america, hamburgers, hot dog, hot dogs, milkshakes
Doughnut Plant
Inside the 'Plant
Brit, Van, Jessica, and I ventured into the wilds of Manhattan on a recent Saturday to experience the city’s magic. We started with a stop at the Doughnut Plant on the Lower East Side. I’ve previously written about doughnuts from the ‘Plant, but haven’t posted on an actual visit.
Creme Brulee Doughnut
Raspberry Doughnut
The Doughnut Plant seems to rotate some of their flavors, though I’m not sure if this is on a daily or weekly basis or some other schedule. In any case, featured flavors on our visit included fresh raspberry, toasted almond, and carrot cake. The familiar cast of characters included their famous Tres Leches and Blackout cake doughnuts. In that previous write-up, I summarily dismissed the Doughnut Plant’s yeast doughnuts. While better than standard doughnut fare, yeast doughnuts play second fiddle to the cake doughnuts which are the prime reason for a visit. That said, we did sample the Creme Brulee yeast doughnut. This was oddly shaped, more like an oversized doughnut hole. The burnt sugar glaze was hardened, like an actual creme brulee might be. The hole itself was filled with a custard creme to complete the creme brulee flavor profile. This was an interesting combination and did fulfill the promise of creme brulee flavor. Probably not my favorite, though.
Blackout
The Blackout was the first Doughnut Plant doughnut that I ever ate. It appears to be a chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate icing and chocolate cookie pieces on top. When you bite in, you realize that the ring is filled with chocolate creme. This blew my mind. It still holds up. While it seems like it would be overwhelmingly chocolate, it is actually quite mild and smooth.
Blackout Detail
Tres Leches
The Tres Leches is the doughnut that ‘Plant master Sam Isreal used to beat Bobby Flay in a Throwdown. Traditionally, Tres Leches is a vanilla flavored sponge cake soaked with three types of milk (condensed, evaporated, and heavy cream) frosted with whipped cream or meringue. The doughnut version is a very moist vanilla cake doughnut (not sure if it’s been soaked with three types of milk or not) with vanilla icing and vanilla creme filling in the ring. As you bite the doughnut, you realize how amazingly moist it is. Pure doughnut perfection.
Tres Leches Detail
Carrot Cake Doughnut
Carrot Cake Detail
We were waiting for a couple of friends who were stranded on a delayed subway train and Brit seemed disappointed that we didn’t get any of the carrot cake doughnuts. There was some confusion because these doughnuts were on the sign, but weren’t in the display case. Undeterred, I convinced Brit to get back into the rapidly growing line to try again. After a ten or fifteen minute wait, we got the front and found out that a fresh set of carrot cake doughnuts was available. Good for us because this was the best doughnut I’ve ever eaten. The carrot cake doughnut appeared to be standard carrot cake topped with toasted nuts and carrot shavings. Like most Doughnut Plant cake doughnuts, we were in for a surprise–the carrot cake doughnut was filled with sour cream icing. The carrot cake itself was a superb example, just enough spice, not too sweet, and very moist. Some in our party thought the sour cream icing made everything way too sweet. Brit and I were not satisfied until we had eaten our way through a pair of these.
Tres Leches Day Old
Day Old Blackout
We ended up overbuying, intending to save doughnuts until the next day. At the end of our marathon trip, Brit and I split our doughnut bounty and went our separate ways. On the next morning, Jessica and I discovered that both the Tres Leches and Blackout were still very moist. However, the creme filling in the cake doughnut ring had been absorbed by the cake. Not exactly the same doughnut that we had the previous day, but still very good.
Clearly I’m as enamored by the Doughnut Plant as I was during my first review. It’s one of the main reasons I would consider a trip to New York City and the Doughnut Plant is still hall of fame worthy. Their doughnuts are easily the best I’ve ever eaten and the carrot cake, for now, remains the best of the best.
Triple Chocolate
Cinnamon Roll
Tags: breakfast, chocolate, doughnuts, hall of fame, new york city
Phoodie continues the Tastykake battle and scores a battle with Entemann’s over cupcakes. Interesting, for sure, but how about throwing some Hostess products into the mix?
Burger Business takes a look at some exotic snack wrap options unveiled at McDonald’s around the world.
Wegeeats takes on The Abbaye in Philadelphia. Certainly some amazing food available there.
Jonny makes some recommendations regarding Kensington/Fishtown at Sip.by.Sip.
Always Hungry shows off some so-called Indian “sliders” from Aamchi Pao in New York City. Seeing the Chicken Tikka Kathi roll got Brit all excited about having murthaba, a favorite Singaporean Indian burrito-like treat. Though, since the “sliders” have no burger inside, I don’t think that really counts. They also give an overview of an older trip to El Bulli in Spain for some very strange and interesting molecular gastronomy.
Japanese Snack Reviews took on a Ramune flavored KitKat. I’m fascinated by the endless variations of Japanese KitKats.
Hoosier Burger Boy went to Nobby’s in Chico, CA for some burgers with crispy overhanging cheese.
I’ve started to read In-N-Out: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chains That Breaks All the Rules by Stacy Perman, so a review should be forthcoming.
My dad and I met up with my aunt and uncle for Heart Attacks on a Plate in Baltimore at Mother’s Federal Hill Grill, details as soon as we’re out of intensive care. In the meantime, you can watch a YouTube video of someone eating a pair of them in one sitting:
Tags: baltimore, beer, books, cupcake, hamburgers, indian, kit kat, KitKat, mcdonald's, tastykake
Outside
I’ve been meaning to visit Sketch on Girard Avenue in the Port Kensington/Fishtown area of Philadelphia for a while now. My interest was heightened when my friend DJ texted about Sketch’s awesomeness and I also read an older post on Weeg Eats. After dropping off a big box of vinyl for a band set to go on tour, Jessica and I decided to stop by Sketch and see what was what.
First off, Sketch is this crazy, gawdy bright green color. It’s a little unsettling and bold, but kind of has that almost Carribean or even Thrift Store fashion chic. Inside, the layout is a bit on the awkward side. There are a few booths and several stools to sit and eat in the restaurant, but we were committed for takeaway. There are chalkboards for you to draw on and an encouragement to make a sketch while you wait for your order.
The menu is written on a chalkboard that is positioned in the middle of ramp that leads up to the cash register. The cash register is on the edge of the kitchen in an area that seems to be off limits on first glance. Shake flavors are strangely placed way behind the cash register and written on another chalkboard. So, if you are smart enough to remember all of your choices from the first chalkboard (that is hard to see from the cash register), you may gaze off into the distance and remember that you wanted a shake. It was all a little disconcerting, but I managed to place my order. Jessica and I split the regular beef burger, medium rare, with bacon, grilled onions, cheddar cheese, and chipotle mayo. We also got a side of fries and a chocolate peanut butter shake. When I was told that my order came to $19, I was shocked out of my stupor. This is no fast food, kids.
We waited while everything was made to order. In strange defiance of current ecological trends, everything was bundled up in a plastic bag to go. And when I say everything, I also mean our chocolate peanut butter shake. The shake that fell over on its side in the sack and started to leak out of the lid. Yeah, yeah, so I’m a jerk for saying mean things about the nice girls trying to serve up some well-made burgers from their independently owned business. I do admire that, but still, can someone just hand me the shake?
Massive, Sloppy Burger
When Jessica pulled the burger out of the bag, it was one of the largest I’d ever seen. The wrapped burger was nearly human head sized. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but not by much. Inside the wrapper was a gigantic sloppy burger, lots of toppings.
Another Sloppy View
Under the Hood
I wanted to like this burger, was really excited about the experience, but it took me three bits to get to the meat. The patty itself wasn’t bad, but cooked past medium rather than the medium rare I’d ordered. The beef is also served griddled without any seasoning. Jessica remarked that a little salt would go a long way and I second that opinion. I’d say that the grilled onions were a mistake because there were just so many that it made the burger very sloppy. The bun was good, a bit different and seemed to be an onion roll. It was soft, but not too squishy and was toasted.
Hand-Cut Fries
The fries were thick, hand-cut, and crisp. They were seasoned with salt and pepper and at least one other spice, paprika, I’d guess. They had a lot of flavor on their own, so much that the chipotle mayo was either overkill or doubly amazing, depending on how you look at it. I’d say the closest comparison would be Five Guys fries, actually, except that Sketch fries are cooked crispier and are cut thicker. These are very good fries, for sure. And you get a lot of them.
Shakin' It Up
The shake was good, not too thin, not so thick as to render a straw useless. The chocolate peanut butter was a great combo. Definitely no complains on the shake front.
In the end, I see a lot of potential. Sketch seem to be doing their own thing, they’re not imitating the standard pub burger that is very popular in Philadelphia. They’ve definitely thought through their menu and toppings. But, at the end of the day, this was a massive, sloppy burger and the bun was just too big for me to give it too much of a rave review. I will actually make an effort to go back and try things again, definitely no grilled onions next time, and possibly an upgrade to the Kobe beef.
In Progress
Halfway
Tags: french fries, hamburgers, milkshakes, philadelphia