CIRCLES CAFE 7/26/14 Brooklyn, New York

This is the Original Circles Cafe in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn my birthplace. I have Loved Circles Cafe since the 80s, we used to get Pitchers of Margaritas there and Mexican Food Galore, at least at this location it seems no more. They had a Grilled Genoa Salami Sandwich with Mozzarella on the Menu and me and Joe became almost flustered about this. OK Sure Grill it to Melt the Mozzarella but Heated Genoa Salami, No Need, anyways I digress.

My stronghold Pancho's Restaurant two blocks earlier appears to have been sold to a lesser family not withholding the traditions and Recipes of their forebears, you see it only takes One Sub Standard (by Pancho's standards) Burrito to spoil the broth so we passed it without a thought, this was sad, However I digress.

My bandmates (The Good Yeggs) and I arrived about 150 minutes too early for soundcheck or even setting up our gear so we had plenty of time to settle in for a snack and as it goes in a pleasurable and lackadaisical mood we pounced forth for some much needed Grub and Nourishment (and I was starving so this should have been Delicious). Aah, Circles, Yes We All know this place.

After pondering the Menu we decided on Burgers, this was quite the menu but I relate it to a Jackson Pollock work, I mean Lo Mein was on offer and some "cutesie" dishes with cutesie names, Circles has certainly changed, the only Mexican dish I saw was Nachos fer chrissake, OK Calm The Eff Down !!! this is not a negative experience.

The negativity continues.

While Joe, Tom and I waited an eternity for our Food we discussed old times and future plans and then the Burger Platters arrived. I did ask as we ordered not to include the "roughage" on Toms plate as he does consider this an insult and many starving countries may enjoy this Tomfoolery of wastage in ejecting such but it wound up in the back bin. 

OK Food Blog, on with the Food. 

Circles Cafe has a Unique take on things (yeah right) as they serve their Burgers on an English Muffin, its even touted as an English Burger (about $7.00) on the Menu and of this no Yegg complained and we dug in. 

After my second or probably first bite I turned to my Food Guru and confidante Joe and said "I think these are meat market Burgers" (the pre-made kind) but Joe consoled me that they were not shaped conformly and not to worry. I must say in a mysterious sentence of Qabbalistic nature that the taste reminded me of something from my youth, when my mom would serve me a Burger with Mashed Potatoes instead of French Fries it did change the taste on the Bud, maybe no one will understand but there was a different taste, not better, not worse just different.

All in All my bandmates enjoyed this Meal more than I did. The Fries were thin and I prefer Steak Fries where you can actually Taste Potato, The Burger was maybe Average by Diner standards MAYBE, the Salad was quite good (I should have let Thomas get his and taken it over to my plate) and the Beer was bottled which has nothing to do with Circles Cafe.

Next time Im getting the Lo Mein.

CIRCLES CAFE ONLINE

BACON ON A STICK - MCU Park - Coney Island, New York

It Really is Pig On A Stick or more Like, Succulent Suckling Pig as Homer Simpson So quaintly put it. Salty but just right. Porktaculous Indeed.

For those in the know this is EXACTLY Pig On A Spit but just a small slice.

The Fat which none of us do really like to speak of was Totally Phat.

Its served on a Stick.

Worth the price of the ride ($7.00).

Now I just have to try their Pulled Pork Sandwich.

7/22/15

Pulled Pork Sandwich - Umm Delicious.

PIG GUY NYC ONLINE.

CLAUDIA'S CHOCOLATE ORANGE CAKE & CHEF'S OREO CUPCAKE - MCU Park - Coney Island, New York

Claudia brought a Cake into work for Us All Today. There is something Heartwarming and Homecoming about Home Made Food in the workplace especially when the workplace comprises the Food Service Industry, This is no Common, Run of the Mill Food we see day in and day out, this is Homeade Goodies.

Streit's Kosher Cake Mix, Some Orange Zest and maybe some Hennesy this was a Rich Cake Thick with Chocolate Goodness, Quite Sweet but the Orange Slices which Claudia also provided cut through the density of the Flavor.

Even Mark had a Slice.

Freshly Unwrapped and the Icing remained unharmed.

In the preparation stages.

The Henessy was on the Cupboard out of photo and opened I am sure.

8/1/14 - Chef made OREO Cupcakes and as Claudia was looking out for me she procured me one. I was working a different stand on that day (140) hundreds of feet down the concourse not realizing what I was missing.

Oh My. 

Ok The Oreo Cookie is at the bottom forming a base, Cuppycake mix poured over the top and then topped with Proper Oreo Frosting and sprinkled with OREO Garnish Sprinkles for a classy look.

Give Me A Dozen.

SPAGHETTI WITH BEEF SAUCE ? - MEI MEI BAKERY - Brooklyn, New York

Looks Great Doesn't it ? umm,... No

There is a slight back story here but I did finally saunter in and ordered this after being perplexed for several months. The Pasta was fine as expected, The Beef Sauce Was Not.

What I found is what can be expected of a cheap jar Sauce as the Gravy, fair enough. The Beef was negligible, for anyone who has had Chef Boyardee Beefaroni this was the size of the Beef Chunks or shall I say Beef specks. OK for three bucks I can live with this but someone ruined the Broth. 

The Sauce was Sweet, not just a tad but very Sweet above taste bud limits, there appears to have been Sweet and Sour Sauce added in to tantalize. 

This Tantalized me to Never get this again.

Here is the sign that set my ship a sailing.

This is a decent Pork Bun shoppe with many Cakes and Buns to offer and one of the older ones in the neighborhood, when I saw this sign I was intrigued, Asian cooking does not use Tomato Sauce, Was it Beef Gravy ? 

I bookmarked it. 

A look at the Beef specks and Sweet Sauce, meaning Sweet not Sweet.

As an added Bonus this three dollar dish did come with 3 napkins and a plastic fork.

Mei Mei Bakery is Great for Everything just not the Beef Sauce.

MEI MEI BAKERY ON YELP DOT COM

JACKSON HOLE RESTAURANT (35th street) 7/11/14 - New York City

And So I had decided that this was a Great opportunity to visit Jackson Hole once again, I have been here a few times in over a dozen intervening years and knew this was a Quality Burger and it is. Procol Harum and the Carl Palmer Band were performing just 5 avenues and 1 block away, I checked Jackson Hole's website and they were open until 1 a.m. perfect.

My two lifelong friends and cohorts in everything Progressive Rock and Food also attended the concert so we made our sojourn after the show for some Good Eats. I do hold some complaints about what I remembered to be the Perfect Burger though, The Burger itself was Excellent and of the slightly Crumbly, made fresh from Ground Beef consistency, French Fries were also of the "Steak Fry" assortment which is my preference. 

The Perfect "Caramelized" Onions were only just glassy and while cooked well enough were far from perfect, I do recall staring at the Onions on the Grill at a different location years ago and thinking "Those Are Perfect", maybe it was the time of day we were there but nonetheless, my other complaint was the Bun, Sourdough looking and maybe it was a Sourdough Bun, I prefer a Sesame Seed Bun or your standard fare Hamburger Bun.

Still A Great Burger and very good service from the staff

Before we become inundated with Food Pics Jamie and myself had a Stella Artois (served in the proper Stella Artois glass) ($6.00ish) and Charlie had a Scotch.

My Bacon Cheeseburger with Caramelized Onions. 

As you can see the Onions are not the proper and perfectly Caramelized Brown hue but pretty good, Decent Cole Slaw too ($10.25ish).

Jamie's Bleu Cheeseburger Platter ($8.75). 

I do know that Jamie had Cole Slaw on his Platter as well because we discussed it, Maybe it's shields were up as I took this photo.

Charlie became adventurous and attempted Mashed Potatoes on the side but alas Jackson Hole does not do Mash, Charlie wisely ordered Extra Sour Cream for his Baked Potato though. 

Charlie also had a Bleu Cheeseburger ($8.75ish).

And for starters of course Mozzarella Sticks, These were pretty good, possibly Double Breaded.

We shared a plate of 6 (2 apiece).

Resident's through the looking glass.

The Jackson Hole exterior (35th street location)

JACKSON HOLE BURGERS WEBSITE

PIZZA DEN - Brooklyn, New York

This was a tough call as it is questionable wether or not Pizza Den even deserves an entry on this page. I did look back and Pizza Den was one of the very first entries on this page (see link below) and I have been Eating here for years, if it was that bad I would never even return.

So close to getting a "Veggie" Slice but I opted for a Buffalo Chicken Slice, Lets blame the carnivore in me. 

Decent Slice, Just Decent, 6/10. The Cooked Chicken was marinated in Hot Sauce and there were 3 or 4 Dollops of Bleu Cheese atop your standard Pizza Slice. The Crust was still somewhat tasteless which is extremely common these days. Rather Spicy but I added Red Pepper Flakes so hard to tell, my Palate told me it was Hot Sauce indeed though.

8/26/14 - The Vegetable Slice - This was quite good but I have yet to have a bad one from any Pizza place. Topped with Broccoli, Spinach, Diced Tomatoes and I am sure a few other things.

Of course I added a Sprinkle of Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes and an insurmountable amount of Grated Cheese.

PIZZA DEN JULY 2012 ENTRY

PIZZA DEN ON MENUPAGES

REESES PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM CUP

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups are Glorious and Ice Cream is a Treat. Or is it Ice Cream is Glorious and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are a Treat,... How About Both are True.

How About We Combine Them.

This has been going on for sometime and really the first recollection I have of "Brands" meshing successfully was Oreo's Cookies & Cream Ice Cream and then it went from there. Combining Ice Cream and treats such as Nilla Wafers and Pound Cake A La Mode (a favorite of mine) may not even be traceable in time but then the Snickers Brand Ice Cream Bar came out sometime in the 1990s and turned all of our heads. 

Snickers and Reese's Ice Cream Bars were also shaped accordingly giving a concentric familiarity that further heightened the senses but it was all about the Flavor as well, take for instance the inferior (my opinion) Milky Way and 3 Musketeers Ice Cream Bars, on paper yes but on palate perhaps not, they tasted pretty much like a mildly flavored Vanilla Ice Cream.

Haagen-Daz championed the Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream in the 1980s and I Loved that, I am sure Ben & Jerry's also had their equivalent but the Reese's Ice Cream bar manufactured by the older yet dare I say inferior Good Humor company got the Flavor down pat and also offered that strangely comfortable yet familiar Halloween orange Reese's box and brand. The first time I had a pint of it I went GaGa.

Truly one of the better "Candy" Flavored Ice Creams on the market folks.

For further reading here is the Ingredients panel on the back of the box. 

These are so good that I don't even care if there is a dose of Strontium-90 therein. 

I will take my chances.

REESES ICE CREAM GOOD HUMOR ONLINE