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Archive for January, 2012

Buy your meat from GI Joe

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

I had a hankering for some salami the other day, and it reminded me of the time I met GI Joe.

Talk about a random night: My friend and I decided to check out some east side dive bars back in January 2009. At Packer Inn, we noticed most of the patrons were gathered around some guy in a lab coat. We come to find out that he’s giving out samples of his meat, which he’s selling out of his truck outside.

So we get a heaping sample platter, and everything was delicious. I ended up buying a half log of garlic beerwurst. The guy, by the way, is named GI Joe, and he totally looks like it. The company is called Perl’s All American Sausage Co., and you can order by calling 1-800-JOE-PERL (he’ll also give you a Perl’s All American Sausage menu that comes with his “Sausage Emergency Number”). I’ll never forget him towering over me and saying in a deep voice, “Thanks a lot, brotha!”

Apparently, he stops by the Packer Inn 1-2 times a year; most weekends, you’ll find him at various bars in Chicago, where he’s based. Here’s a story that ABC Chicago did on him:

Tags: GI Joe
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Foodie vs. Non-Foodie

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

The Wall Street Journal had recently an interesting article titled “Can a Foodie and Mr. Bland Be Happy?” It provides anecdotes of couples who have opposite tastes in food. One woman says she “eats like a child” in that she usually only eats chicken and pasta, while her husband has enjoyed frog’s legs, escargot, etc. and “eats it in (her) face.”

I grew up being exposed to such a myriad of foods and tastes that I’m stunned by how conservatively some people eat (I seriously have a friend who thinks BBQ is too exotic). I’ve also been to other countries, and it seems like folks outside America have better palates than here stateside.

Of course, the article shows the extremes of being a foodie, describing a woman who bought a $500 truffle from Italy and questions the chef for 20 minutes before ordering (yikes!). I agree, some people in this category can be described as “intimidating, judgmental, even snobby,” as the article points out. Do you know anyone like this?

One way of coming to a happy medium, as the article points out, is to upgrade your ingredients (e.g. try grass-fed beef). Sometimes, I think it may be best if both sides just shut up and eat their own food.

Tags: foodies
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Mexico Lindo

Saturday, January 14th, 2012

I have to applaud Mexico Lindo. It’s been open since September 2010 in the space formerly occupied by Steak ‘n Shake on the east side. The bright green and red paint job on the outside screams tacky, and diners have the more established Laredo’s not too far away. Still, it continues to battle on in the sea of chain restaurants that represents the east side.

On a Saturday lunch my dining partner and I were the only patrons. Our waitress also did prep work to help the chef, so we didn’t see her as often as we’d like (e.g. to get the check). Still, she and the chef (he actually rang me up at the end) were very nice.

The requisite chips and salsa that came before the meal were okay. I prefer freshly cooked tortilla chips to the ones I was served, but at least the delicious salsa made up for it. Despite it being “mild,” there was still a nice kick to it. You also can order cheese nachos, guacamole and chips or chips and salsa sampler, each for $4.99.

Lunch items cost $6.50 each and come with Mexican rice and salad, although it was really just some shredded lettuce and one small slice of tomato. The tamales (with pork) I ordered were moist and tender–they were just a bit small, though. Other lunch items include enchiladas, a burrito, fajitas and mole poblano.

I also tried the steak tacos ($2.50), chicken tacos ($2.50) and the steak tostada ($1.99) from the a la carte menu. I didn’t like that the steak and chicken were shredded into such small pieces; I think chunks would have been better. The tostada was crisp and tasty.

The bakery area had doughnuts, Mexican cookies, tres leches cakes and some other items I couldn’t identify.

Mexico Lindo is open every day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and carryout. It’s also open for late-night Thursday-Saturday, and my waitress said the restaurant also delivers.

Tags: east side, Mexican
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Eating and driving

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

One reason I don’t drive a car with stick shift is because I like to be able to eat and drive at the same time. I’ve consumed items such as subs, chicken wings, tacos, burritos, burgers and pizza while driving.

While I haven’t had any car accidents, thankfully, I’ve had my shares of spills, like the time I tried to drink a two-liter bottle (yes, two-liter) and it exploded on me and my steering wheel. That made for a sticky drive from Green Bay to Madison.

There is actually a list of the 10 worst foods to eat while driving. Some make sense, like chili (are you steering with your knees?), but others are fine to eat in my opinion, like chocolate and coffee. I would have added ice cream, gyros and New York-style pizza.

To make it clear that I’m not condoning eating and driving simultaneously, I’ve made a personal list of foods that are easy to eat and won’t be distracting during the ride. Some keys are to unwrap the item while you’re stopped and put a lot of napkins on your lap.

Sandwiches, subs and burgers. I typically unwrap half the sandwich to keep my hands clean. When I eat to the wrapper, I hold the sandwich with my mouth and pull the wrapper down.
Chicken nuggets, fried shrimp, french fries, onion rings, hush puppies, etc. It’s easy to just grab one from the container and eat it. If I need sauce, I’ll put the sauce container in my driver’s side handle.
Small slices of pizza, calzones, doughnuts, etc. Again, ample napkins help. Don’t act on the urge to wipe up spills until you’ve stopped.

What is the craziest or messiest item you’ve ever eaten while driving?

Tags: driving
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Where’s the beef?

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

723 lbs.

That’s how much prime rib the University of Wisconsin football team ate at the annual Beef Bowl at Lawry’s. Oregon, meanwhile, ate only 612 lbs.

This triumph bodes well for the Badgers, since the winner of the Beef Bowl has gone on to win the Rose Bowl 71 percent of the time. Last year, TCU out-ate UW 670 lbs to 650 lbs, and you know what happened in that game.

Some interesting notes: UW sophomore Travis Frederick ate the most, chomping down eight slabs of prime rib, which at 13 oz. each totaled more than 5 lbs. … Frederick told the Journal Sentinel, “You’ve got to feed the body. I can’t keep a girlish figure like this.” … Oregon lineman Mark Asper performed the Heimlich maneuver on a man who was choking at a nearby table.