Five Guys

Haven't blogged for a long while, so here ya go...

I'm going to go out on a limb with this post. And by limb I mean one of the largest, most robust limbs of the food critic forest that exists. When you roll into any Five Guys you're greated with article after article praising this place as one of the greatest places to eat a burger in any metro area that Five Guys has seem fit to grace with its presence. I suggest that if there's a five guys within an hour radius from you it is well worth the drive. They use high quality ingredients to pump out wondrous burgers, hotdogs, and fries. They tell you daily from where in Idaho (or sometimes the Northwest) what town the potatoes are from.

When you throw down on a hamburger they throw back. You can get pretty much any condiment a relatively 'normal' person would ever want to put on their burger: BBQ sauce, fried onions, fried mushrooms, just to name a few of my favorites. All at no extra cost. And just in case that doesn't tempt you, they throw scrumptilicious fries in your face by the bag full (literally, a large is a good brown lunch sack full).

This place is so good my brother called me in utter excitement when he found out they were opening one in the Portland metro. Andy and Ashley argued (very convincely) for a good 5 minutes about whether the fries or the burgers were better (my mouth was too full with both to chime in).

The only thing that is ever lacking at five guys is conversation when the food is at the table.

Adam

Rita's Water Ice (*****)

Whenever I think about Rita's it brings back memories of childhood. The prominent memory being when after you say you love something the resident smart alec chimed in with, "Then why don't you marry it." I can almost positively say that if I were a polygamist Rita's Cream Ice would be my second wife (they say you always love the first one more and it would be true). I find myself sneaking off during odd hours to get it. Rest assured, though, that Choi knows about our relationship.

Rita's offers something for everyone. There heavy hitter being there Italian ice flavors. Ranging from Mango to strawberry to tropical punch. These things are great for when you don't want something heavy but need that refreshing summer treat. Then they through in there Cream Ice flavors. I love these things. You have berry banana, fudge brownie (yummy), Mint Chocolate Chip, and Pumpkin Pie. Talk about yummy.

Now you're thinking I'm done. Any simple dessert based restaurants business plan could probably survivie on this. But Rita's ain't done yet. They throw some yummy custard (chocolate, vanilla, and other flavors. Then to throw the whole thing over the top the let you mix them together and let you indulge in that childhood delight of mixing your food together. SWEETNESS.

Adam's favorite: Fudge Brownie Cream Ice with Chocolate Custard Gelati

Choi's favorite: Mint Chocolate Chip Cream Ice

You want to hit this place up if you ever have a chance.

Website: http://www.ritasice.com/

Adam

The Main Ingredient (*****)

Promised Choi I'd write this post awhile ago...

So thanks to Choi parents we were introduced to a great restaurant... The Main Ingredient in Annapolis.We've had both breakfast and lunch at this place and it was AMAZING.

First, Breakfast: These guys rock the greatest meal of the day! I had the best french toast of my life (don't tell the Hudson's Bar and Grill in Vancouver). They took french toast and turned it into a module based meal. The base is excellent french toast. Cinnamon swirl with the perfect amount of egg bath and cook to perfection. About the time you're ordering something amazing goes through your head... "what if I could something that made syrup seem like a cheap substitute for excellence?" The Main Ingredient delivers... and they do it big... pretty much anything you could want (including something that I should have thought before and will never forget BAVARIAN CREAM!!!). In-case you didn't figure it out that's what I had. They do eggs Benedict with the best of them too (Choi had the margharita benedict with sliced tomato, basil leaves, fresh mozzarella, and a sweet basalmic drizzle)! Pretty much awesome!

Second, Lunch: To quote the great Barney... the do it Legen........... (wait for it) dary. Took us about an hour to settle on what to have. I settled on the Sultan's Salad and Choi rocked the Greek Chicken Caesar. Both salads had unique approaches to the salad that made them memorable and highly suggestible. But what topped this lunch off were two (yes two) orders of sweet potato french fries that had the texture of a fluffy donut. These thing exploded like rock songs in your mouth. Makes you just want to die and go to sweet potato heaven! I have seen it... and its a good place to be.

Adam

Link: http://www.themainingredient.com/

Cook's Lobster House, Bailey Island, Maine (****)

Okay, this one is a bit overdue, considering it was a place Adam and I went to on our honeymoon back in March, but we feel it warrants a post anyway... Cook's Lobster House, home of lots and lots... and lots of lobster! I admit, the week we spent in Maine, we felt obligated to scour the state for the best of their bragging rights, and we weren't disappointed. Although the Breakwater Cafe at the Samoset Resort in Rockport had the best lobster corn chowder (so good, we still wish we'd had it for every meal until they suspiciously "ran out"... that was a sad day), Cook's just felt like a lobster house and their menu simply reinforced the feeling. I ordered what I considered something traditional (boiled lobster tails, shown below), while Adam opted for something a little more contemporary (stuffed lobster tails). Both were quite yummy and came with sides of crispy french fries and tasty coleslaw. One should not worry about leaving this place hungry. Prices were variable, as typical with most seafood, but not terrible. If there were one thing we wish we'd done differently, it would have been to order the 4lb steamed lobster... because frankly, that would just be fun to see ;)

Blueberry Cobbler!!! (***)

Hello, Everyone! Adam and I have been experimenting again... this time with fresh blueberries (the commissary had pints on sale for $1.33! Amazing, I know). Here's what you need for blueberry cobbler for two... this is by no means an exact science (in fact, we have yet to determine whether it will even turn out a second time... but it sure was yummy the first go-around!):

2 soup-sized ramekins (oven-safe bowls)

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 lemon

~4T sugar

1.5 cups bisquick

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/4 cup milk

Pre-heat over to 375*F. Split blueberries between the two bowls... sprinkle ~1T sugar into each. Squeeze 1/4 of a lemon and a tiny bit of water into each and mix around. Mix Bisquick, milk, remaining sugar and all but only a little bit of the butter together and dollop on top of the blueberry mixture (a few small dollops vice one big dollop seemed to work well... covered more area, anyway). Sprinkle sugar and a teeny bit of salt over the Bisquick and add a little pat of butter on top. Place bowls directly on middle rack... cook until berry juice begins to appear around a browned crust (I think this took about 30 mins... honestly, I completely forgot about them, but remembered to pull them out right about the time they were done).

Happy Eatings!

-Choi

Monte Cristos, French Toast, Pineapple Strawberry Compote

While Choi was "busy" this weekend I had a craving french toast. This turned into a craving for a Monte Cristo.

A short soliloquy on Monte Cristos: Even though I had my first one about a year ago, Monte Cristos are amazing for a very important food mathematics equation:

French Toast + Grill Ham and Cheese Sandwich <>

The sum of the parts is great than the parts themselves.

Pineapple Strawberry Compote:

1 Cup Fresh Pineapple

1 Tbl Strawberry Jam

1 Tbl Simple Syrup

Put the ingrediants in a food processor and blend. Spread over anything and enjoy!

Braised Ribs (***)

Food Network Recipe

Tried this recipe today. Nothing particularly amazing about it. Good diet buster though. Would recommend more sweet potatos but that's just me and my sweet potato obsession.

Enjoy!

Worst Buffet Ever (0)

On the way home from Virginia Beach, we swung by a local joint thinking we'd get some great seafood. They had a father's day buffet.

We regret not just going to Wendy's.

The food was unflavorful with a twist of dry and over cooked. It reminded me of Mitch's, which is bad because Mitch's is free.

Moral: if you're ever just driving around the Eastern Shore, stay away from the Island House.

Adam

A find in Austin TX... (*****)

http://www.fliphappycrepes.com/

So on the advice of my brother, Choi and I stopped by Flip Happy Crepes just south of Downtown Austin. One word... Legendary. More than just your run of the mill crepes with fruit! I had a shredded pork, carmalized onions, and greyere crepe and Choi had the spinach, feta, and aioli one. Its as easy to eat as a hot dog but flavor like a fancy french restuarant.

They were so good I actually heard these words come out of my mouth in between bites: "I feel like I've been lost in food sin and I've been found"

We've added this to our must stop by list whenever we're in Austin... you should too!!

The Journey begins...

Choi and I love to cook. Choi and I love to eat. Cooking, baking, mixing, and everything else that goes into making wonderful edible concoctions is what we do during our free time. Since most of the amazing output goes into our stomachs (sometimes we share), we want to share some of the recipes and lessons that we found that turn out well. This will be a lot like my Tips for single people facebook note that spoke about "Pantry Soup." We don't necessarily guarantee that this stuff will turn out, but that's part of the fun.

So bring the computer and let's start cooking...