CAMPBELL'S SOUPS

Perhaps the first and foremost question is Why ?

Why would Campbell's go on this Food Blog, well look at the other company it is keeping and the question is why not ? However it goes much deeper than this.

Personally I have been eating Campbell's Soup since I can remember but this entry was really sparked by a George Carlin joke in which he mentioned "Bean and Bacon" Soup. I am no stranger to "condensed" Soup but his joke ran through my mind several weeks ago while lying in bed, I don't recall exactly which joke it was and the mention of Soup was not the punchline either. 

I Love Campbell's Soups and they deserve a place in the pantheon herein.

10/30/14 - Bean with Bacon - I can smell the Smoke Flavoring within and the packaging label does indeed tout it as a Flavoring. I also added a tad less water so as not to thin this out too much, I did have to use a Spoon to scoop out the Thick Ingredients from the Can. 

A bit Salty and pretty good so far, definitely one of this brands heartier Soups due to the inclusion of the "pea beans" which taste identical to "Pork and Beans" style Beans. Bacon Flavored, yes, Bacon, no. Certainly one of Campbell's more "filling" Soups, quite good.

This is Campbell's "condensed" Soup so not as good pics as the Chunky or Progresso brand, but still.

11/1/14 - Chicken With Rice - Dont buy this Soup Again, pretty much Crap with Rice.

OK, perhaps I am being harsh, the Rice overpowers the Broth, So There.

11/5/14 - Vegetable Soup - Commonly known as Alphabet Soup, to my mom it was ABC Soup and even on Sesame Street this delight has been immortalized as a learning tool in spelling. Campbell's brand has been labeling this Vegetable Soup for as long as I can remember, I don't recall it ever being named differently but without looking into the history this is very possible. Either ways I can place this amongst the Top 5 selling Soups in this company's long standing roster amongst American culture and there it remains. 

As a "smart-ass" test but mainly out of curiosity I decided to delve deeper and investigate the A,B,C's of it all, frankly I was very pleasantly surprised. I also performed this experiment piecemeal as in I examined each noodle in the spoon individually so I truly got a birds eye view. I filled in the letters in alphabetical order in the sentence below in noodle order and real time truly believing there were missing characters and to my great surprise after concentrated completion I beheld the complete ABC song that we (English speaking) all know from childhood.

The Letters I Found So Far (opening statement) - A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

24 letters. Twenty Four !!! 

Truly Alphabet Soup.

11/14/14 - Tomato Soup - What can I say, There are Classics and then there are Classics. To me Tomato Soup is a bona fide Classic and still tastes completely the same as my memory recalls.

Which label is cooler ? I think we all agree on this one.

I have been eyeballing this can for a few weeks now, looks promising.

11/17/14 - Mexican Style Chicken Tortilla - I have been most excited about this one, lets see.

Similar to Progresso's "Chicken Tortilla" Soup yet thinner but did I really expect anything more ?

Tomato based Broth with Rice & Beans, bits of Chicken, Peppers and Corn. Could use plenty of Hot Sauce. Its a good one.

7/23/15 - Vegetable Beef - Quite Simply one of my favorite Campbell's Soups EVER. 

I have adored this for many decades and Beef Broth is in short supply in the canned Soup department as well. Big Thumbs Up.

Smidgens of Beef, Potatoes, Carrots, Green Beans, Peas and Barley.

CAMPBELLS SOUP ONLINE

OREO - REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUP Limited Edition

If it has the Reese's moniker I will pretty much try it, from Flounder to Fish-Fry, from Condiment to Countertop, from Topping to Tortoise.

Well you all get my drift here.

Since the announcement that this variety was hitting the shelves I have been poking around, not feverishly mind you but with one Peanut Butter glazed eye open and to no avail. I was shopping at the local corner store for some Oatmeal and beheld my quest treasure so there was no way I could pass it up. 

One 12.2 ounce package of Reeses Oreo ($ 5.00) stared me in the face and I indeed stared back, No Question as this is a Limited Edition Flavor, Buy It I Did. 

PEANUT BUTTER CUP OREO - Like the Oreos Peanut Butter Cream these are Fantastic, i have not one single complaint, Thank You Oreos.

OREO COOKIES ONLINE

BEEF PATTY - QUEEN OF THE STREETS

P-A-TT-Y, P-A-TT-Y, Beef Patty, Beef Patty !!!

There are Foods made to eat in the gutter and the Beef Empanada ($ 1.50) is amongst them as far as New York City Street Food goes, the Dirty Water Hot Dog and Pizza Slice is amongst this nomenclature but so is the Beef Pattie & Bagel and Amen to that.

A Bite to go in a fast paced world.

The Beef Empanada (Pattie) seems to be from a Jamaican descent but I have yet to look up its history of which I shall report in the next paragraph. What is it though ?, well its a kind of a finely Ground Meat encased in a thinly multi layered Dough (like Filo or Croissant) which appears to be doused in the drippings of the Meat encased. Might not sound so great but they are Delicious.

OK, Now I will do some sleuthing A La The Real Story.

The Empanada has a Rich history dating back to Spain in the 1500s (see link below) but when I was in a Deli I had to ask for it literally three times by its proper name (well maybe he wasn't Spanish), finally the guy figured me out and said "Beef Patty" I nodded in approval, PHEW.

WIKIPEDIA EMPANADA

CURMUDGEON REPORT - MEATBALL HERO - PIZZA DEN/DOUBLE DELIGHT - Brooklyn, New York

I order my Sandwich from my cellphone, its the weekend so the minutes are free otherwise its like 25 Dollars a Week. I proudly don my Steve Hackett t-shirt except nobody in my neighborhood even knows who Steve Hackett is, Christ they probably don't even know who Jimi Hendrix is, Eff Them. I pass 3 Asianfolk outside on the sidewalk pontificating, I head the 2 Long avenues to 18th avenue for my Meatball Hero, the Pizza guy on the phone said "No Cheese ?" I said NO (I know what Parmigiana means and would order thusly if I wanted Cheese). They were an Italian Pizzeria for decades but now Russian, Eff Them.

I pass my local Liquor bodega first and debit card a bottle of Vodka, there is now a lock on the door and I have to be buzzed in, I say "you put a lock on the door ?" which is a Stupid question, the shopkeeper replies "yes" which is an even stupider yet straightforward answer, If I wanted to be more of a jerk I could have asked "why ?", my debit goes through "thank you", Eff Them.

I step into the Pizzeria I had previously called and look at the Slices, Rolls and Knots on offer waiting for a "can I help You ?" I am promptly asked and reply "I called for a Meatball Hero" and its ready, Six Dollars it cost which is the going rate and has remained steady for quite some time, I hand over my red lobster and get my fourteen back. I step back onto 18th avenue and its proliferation of Idiots and quite a ton of lovely ladies and just some who are merely waiting for the bus lovely as they are as well and step back under the L (elevated train platform) to get my parcels back home. I stop for an Arizona Kiwi Strawberry Drink at the corner store, Eff Them All.

Approaching home and in the same spot the 3 Asianfolk are still pontificating about God Knows What, No One makes a mention of my Steve Hackett t-shirt (Eff Them) and I still have to venture out yet again for the French Fries to compliment my Sandwich !!!.

Now of course I am listening to Genesis with Steve Hackett (Trick of the Tail LP), this ends Part One.

Meatball Hero In The Bag, There is a way to fold the bag shut and they do it right, once this ends then so does Humankind, the bag folding I mean.

Hours later and this was my plan I ordered my French Fries from my cellphone, its the weekend so the minutes are free otherwise its like 25 Dollars a week. I walked over to Double Delight (Chinese Restaurant take out) by my apartment and picked up my side order, All Asians Everywhere of which mind you I am as well but not one vocal Steve Hackett fan found me or me them. I did pass an American car playing Indian Music on the way back home though, Eff Them.

The man in Double Delight is very charming and dare I say handsome, I bet he gets lots of Nookie.

I stopped into my local DD (Dunkin Donuts) for a Donut/Cake treat, Nothing to offer !!!

I mean not even a Chocolate Donut, they had Strawberry Frosted which I Love but I wanted a Halloween Donut, the cute Pumpkin faced one, the sign outside portrays them, inside Nothing, Maybe I can work there, certainly seems to be a lack of work happening, I walked out, one less customer. Eff Them.

More Asians.

Back Home Now.

French Fries in Styrofoam, these are served in a plastic bag and no wrapping method needed.

WIKIMEATBALL

CURMUDGEON REPORT - MEATBALL HERO - PIZZA DEN/DOUBLE DELIGHT - Brooklyn, New York

I order my Sandwich from my cellphone, its the weekend so the minutes are free otherwise its like 25 Dollars a Week. I proudly don my Steve Hackett t-shirt except nobody in my neighborhood even knows who Steve Hackett is, Christ they probably don't even know who Jimi Hendrix is, Eff Them. I pass 3 Asianfolk outside on the sidewalk pontificating, I head the 2 Long avenues to 18th avenue for my Meatball Hero, the Pizza guy on the phone said "No Cheese ?" I said NO (I know what Parmigiana means and would order thusly if I wanted Cheese). They were an Italian Pizzeria for decades but now Russian, Eff Them.

I pass my local Liquor bodega first and debit card a bottle of Vodka, there is now a lock on the door and I have to be buzzed in, I say "you put a lock on the door ?" which is a Stupid question, the shopkeeper replies "yes" which is an even stupider yet straightforward answer, If I wanted to be more of a jerk I could have asked "why ?", my debit goes through "thank you", Eff Them.

I step into the Pizzeria I had previously called and look at the Slices, Rolls and Knots on offer waiting for a "can I help You ?" I am promptly asked and reply "I called for a Meatball Hero" and its ready, Six Dollars it cost which is the going rate and has remained steady for quite some time, I hand over my red lobster and get my fourteen back. I step back onto 18th avenue and its proliferation of Idiots and quite a ton of lovely ladies and just some who are merely waiting for the bus lovely as they are as well and step back under the L (elevated train platform) to get my parcels back home. I stop for an Arizona Kiwi Strawberry Drink at the corner store, Eff Them All.

Approaching home and in the same spot the 3 Asianfolk are still pontificating about God Knows What, No One makes a mention of my Steve Hackett t-shirt (Eff Them) and I still have to venture out yet again for the French Fries to compliment my Sandwich !!!.

Now of course I am listening to Genesis with Steve Hackett (Trick of the Tail LP), this ends Part One.

Meatball Hero In The Bag, There is a way to fold the bag shut and they do it right, once this ends then so does Humankind, the bag folding I mean.

Hours later and this was my plan I ordered my French Fries from my cellphone, its the weekend so the minutes are free otherwise its like 25 Dollars a week. I walked over to Double Delight (Chinese Restaurant take out) by my apartment and picked up my side order, All Asians Everywhere of which mind you I am as well but not one vocal Steve Hackett fan found me or me them. I did pass an American car playing Indian Music on the way back home though, Eff Them.

The man in Double Delight is very charming and dare I say handsome, I bet he gets lots of Nookie.

I stopped into my local DD (Dunkin Donuts) for a Donut/Cake treat, Nothing to offer !!!

I mean not even a Chocolate Donut, they had Strawberry Frosted which I Love but I wanted a Halloween Donut, the cute Pumpkin faced one, the sign outside portrays them, inside Nothing, Maybe I can work there, certainly seems to be a lack of work happening, I walked out, one less customer. Eff Them.

More Asians.

Back Home Now.

French Fries in Styrofoam, these are served in a plastic bag and no wrapping method needed.

WIKIMEATBALL

CURMUDGEON REPORT - MEATBALL HERO - PIZZA DEN/DOUBLE DELIGHT - Brooklyn, New York

I order my Sandwich from my cellphone, its the weekend so the minutes are free otherwise its like 25 Dollars a Week. I proudly don my Steve Hackett t-shirt except nobody in my neighborhood even knows who Steve Hackett is, Christ they probably don't even know who Jimi Hendrix is, Eff Them. I pass 3 Asianfolk outside on the sidewalk pontificating, I head the 2 Long avenues to 18th avenue for my Meatball Hero, the Pizza guy on the phone said "No Cheese ?" I said NO (I know what Parmigiana means and would order thusly if I wanted Cheese). They were an Italian Pizzeria for decades but now Russian, Eff Them.

I pass my local Liquor bodega first and debit card a bottle of Vodka, there is now a lock on the door and I have to be buzzed in, I say "you put a lock on the door ?" which is a Stupid question, the shopkeeper replies "yes" which is an even stupider yet straightforward answer, If I wanted to be more of a jerk I could have asked "why ?", my debit goes through "thank you", Eff Them.

I step into the Pizzeria I had previously called and look at the Slices, Rolls and Knots on offer waiting for a "can I help You ?" I am promptly asked and reply "I called for a Meatball Hero" and its ready, Six Dollars it cost which is the going rate and has remained steady for quite some time, I hand over my red lobster and get my fourteen back. I step back onto 18th avenue and its proliferation of Idiots and quite a ton of lovely ladies and just some who are merely waiting for the bus lovely as they are as well and step back under the L (elevated train platform) to get my parcels back home. I stop for an Arizona Kiwi Strawberry Drink at the corner store, Eff Them All.

Approaching home and in the same spot the 3 Asianfolk are still pontificating about God Knows What, No One makes a mention of my Steve Hackett t-shirt (Eff Them) and I still have to venture out yet again for the French Fries to compliment my Sandwich !!!.

Now of course I am listening to Genesis with Steve Hackett (Trick of the Tail LP), this ends Part One.

Meatball Hero In The Bag, There is a way to fold the bag shut and they do it right, once this ends then so does Humankind, the bag folding I mean.

Hours later and this was my plan I ordered my French Fries from my cellphone, its the weekend so the minutes are free otherwise its like 25 Dollars a week. I walked over to Double Delight (Chinese Restaurant take out) by my apartment and picked up my side order, All Asians Everywhere of which mind you I am as well but not one vocal Steve Hackett fan found me or me them. I did pass an American car playing Indian Music on the way back home though, Eff Them.

The man in Double Delight is very charming and dare I say handsome, I bet he gets lots of Nookie.

I stopped into my local DD (Dunkin Donuts) for a Donut/Cake treat, Nothing to offer !!!

I mean not even a Chocolate Donut, they had Strawberry Frosted which I Love but I wanted a Halloween Donut, the cute Pumpkin faced one, the sign outside portrays them, inside Nothing, Maybe I can work there, certainly seems to be a lack of work happening, I walked out, one less customer. Eff Them.

More Asians.

Back Home Now.

French Fries in Styrofoam, these are served in a plastic bag and no wrapping method needed.

WIKIMEATBALL

NOT ONLY BAGELS - Mexican Food - Brooklyn, New York

BURRITO ($6.00) - Really Good, Maybe Too Much Chicken which is never a complaint and there is Tomato which I somehow missed (see details below). A very simple Burrito made in an authentic place, the Avocado is really kicking it up in a great way. Rice is Perfect. No Hot Sauce and a very Mild Burrito but this can be easily remedied, Salsa should have been offered on the side but was not, barely a complaint, I am sure I could have asked. I might ask for more Beans but the Avocado makes up for it, good Flour Tortilla as well and wrapped perfectly, served in wax paper style where they cut it in half in the paper but done just right.

It was only several weeks ago that I saw my local Bagel store were expanding to make Burritos and other prepared foods now, up until then it was Taco's and Torta's. The sight lines to the Grill are nigh impossible but I found a spot (feeling a bit of an untrusting jerk) and watched as she did everything right, Chicken Grilling, Tortilla heating, then a slathering of something, was it Guacamole ? (it was Refried Beans), Lettuce on top, Spanish Rice on top, Avocado on top, Chicken on top and expertly wrapped as a Burrito but where was the Tomato ?, well that got by me because there is Tomato, I was also asked if I wanted Sour Cream and of course I gave a resounding YES.

ENCHILADA & TACOS - These were Joe's so I can't say first hand but they got no complaints from him and he is more a Gourmand than I am, they certainly look fantastic.

STEAK QUESADILLA - Nothing wrong with this at all but I got confused with a Chimichanga which I will assume they don't make since I believe there is no Deep Fryer on premises. Not my favorite of Mexican dishes but these were completely Delicious.

11/9/14 - CHICKEN TOSTADA ($2.75) - And Packed with White Meat Pollo, Diced Tomatoes & Lettuce also garnished with Sour Cream and the Smoky Hot Sauce.

Joe with his entry for Chicarrone of the year for the Guinness Book of World Records.

NOT ONLY BAGELS ENTRY ONE

POP TARTS - America's Toaster Cake

Frosted Chocolate Peanut Butter - It is true that with this Flavor offering you only get 6 Pastries in a box as opposed to the usual 8 but the density does seem a bit heavier herein, maybe I am just imagining things.

Nice Chocolate Frosting and Chocolatey Cake crust, Sweet but not overbearing and here comes the Peanut Butter, Very Good, not a dry PB but an almost candy PB but still discernible, very much so.

These win, I still hold The Classic Blueberry Frosted at the top of my list.

POP TARTS OFFICIAL WEBSITE

JIN JIN HONG KONG CAFE - 9/31/14 Brooklyn, New York

My friend Joe invited me out to Lunch so we met up ready to go to Silver Star but right across the street is Jin Jin Restaurant which I have heard good things about so we decided to try it out. 

Jin Jin is quite an acceptable Dining experience but we did have a little reservation here and there. The wait staff made sure to get our orders right but we were asked twice and the main Dishes arrived a few minutes too early as we were finishing the appetizer section, no big deal so lets get onto the Food.

Pictured above is the Condiments corner and of this I was most impressed, most places have Soy Sauce and maybe Salt & Pepper (I have never used Salt or Pepper on Chinese Food, I suppose someone does) but Jin Jin offered the currently Hugely popular Sriracha Sauce (I first saw this in Chinatown back in the 80s so it is nothing new) along with the mandatory Soy Sauce but also enough Chili Oil to paralyze a moose and to my wonderment a large squeeze bottle of Oyster Sauce which turned out to be Hoisin Sauce, no complaints there.

There was no Lunch Special on offer so we made sure to order two "small" Soups, a Wonton for Joe and a Hot & Sour for me ($ 1.75). It was the proper Wonton wrapped in thin Noodle with Bok Choy and the Hot & Sour to me defeated Silver Star in some ways yet was improper, it did have the correct Peppery taste but lacked in Egg Drop or Tofu which are the two ingredients I just deal with yet they do belong insofar as I know, also at Silver Star you will get a piece or two of Shredded Pork and a Black Mushroom amongst the ingredients, still this was Really Tasty.

The Crispy Soup Noodles were of the pedestrian kind and you will find no "unusually long and contorted"* shaped ones here, the House Mustard and Duck Sauce were Excellent.

Exhibit A - The Egg Roll.

I cannot pass judgement on these as I was pacing myself and did not have a taste until sixteen hours later but my bandmate was neither impressed nor disappointed so I guess they were just OK, Silver Star wins this round.

Joe did have Roast Duck and Roast Pork over Rice (no existing photo) ($ 5.50) which consisted of Roast Duck and Roast Pork Over Rice except nothing was Over Rice. Served in a largish bowl this was served round robin fashion or everything next to each other, my experience is and oval dish with the Meats, etc. served OVER THE RICE, hence the name of the dish, OK no biggie. The Duck was heated to Joe's minor dismay as it should be served pretty much room temperature but the bowl did also have a nice portion of Bok Choy included.

When In Doubt,.... Pan Fried Noodles !!! One of my Favorite Dishes ($ 8.25)

The Menu choices were Chicken, Vegetables, Ribs or Beef over Pan Fried Noodles so I special ordered Roast Pork and after some slight confusion from the waitress she got my order right, the Roast Pork was not fatty at all which is how authentic Chinese Roast Pork is often prepared and of this I was grateful. Maybe a little more Gravy/Sauce could have been administered as we never got all of the Noodles to completely de-crisp but all in all Very Good. 

However 86 Noodles and Mee Noodle Shop do a Superior version, on a positive note this did not come with Baby Corn of which I am not a fan of. Topped with American Broccoli, a Snow Pea Pod, Squash, Carrots, Water Chestnuts and Straw Mushrooms (the penis Mushroom of world cuisine) as well as the Roast Pork of course.

Chinese Food remains to be quite inexpensive to this day and what with all the competition on 18th shall probably remain so.

Jin Jin Exterior.

* - Thanks Frank, Only Silver Star has those.

JIN JIN CAFE ONLINE