BEST OF BOTH WORLDS - TACO BELL YESTERDAY, BURGER KING TODAY, Brooklyn, New York.

This is not so much a photo of FOOD as it is a journal of places and Menu's but whatever !

A lot lighter on the pocket than the bill I was presented with at the Manhattan Taco Bell location.

This is more Like It.

The extensive
Taco Bell Menu board.

I will have one of everything please.

This is why they RULE.

Inexpensive Menu and as you will notice just one penny below the next numerical dollar denomination in some cases.

Kings Highway TB facade.

A 'nother Taco Bell photo.

 Taken "on the clock" somewhere on a One Hour PC job.

And this leads us to BK or Burger King which I adore and have but once a year (on the average).

Unfortunately on this day I was not in the best of moods and to aggravate me further was the caterwauling screech and din of what seemed thousands of high school students amongst me so this will just be a photoplay, BK ever the awesomeness it is. Eff Mickey Dee's

Hot Dogs ?!!!

Well this is new for them and I am yet to try one but boy do I want to.

Cristina and my serving tray.

These were not so great as the "Cheetos" moniker implies. Much like the Dunkin' Donuts Reeses Donut, please stop using tried and true names ya' Bastards !!!

The Cheetos Chicken Fries were just that. A Chicken Tender "Fry" shaped powdered in Cheetos Flavored Bread Crumbs.

Boy was I NOT impressed.

The French Fry. Essential with a Burger.

courtesy of the Prisma app.

OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE - Brooklyn, New York

The Gorgeous 

 "Blooming Onion" ($ 8.99)

Practically a staple of the Outback Steakhouse Menu and where else are you going to get one of these fella's. I will surmise that they did not invent it but maybe they did.

My friend Roy gifted me fifty bucks of gift cards quite a few years back and I am thankful so my bill was minimal but the Food was Wonderful as was my companion.

I attended on my fiftieth birthday week and had a BLAST.

Service was Good.

Food was Great.

Companion was Awesome.

Firecracker Salmon - Topped with Fresh Mango Salsa & in this case a Baked Sweet Potato ($19.99).

I only had a teeny Bite as this was Christina's plate but my Mouth Watered. a good sign.

Signature Chop Steak - Ground Steak atop Sauteed Mushrooms & Grilled Onions, served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Veggies ($11.99)

They did not ask me to which Temperage I would like the Burger (which is basically what I ordered) should be prepared but heck this is OUTBACK STEAK HOUSE and they know how to do it and they did it well. 

I could not discern Garlic in the Mashed Potatoes.

Christina and I soloed the Potatoes and there was indeed Garlic.

The Gratuitous Bread & Butter Appetizer.

Very Good.

YES, I Stole A Ramiken but maybe not on purpose, Maybe.

Some Guy.

As I pontificated, It Is A Staple. 

As a Leftover, Always prepare in the Oven & NOT the Microwave. Good rule of thumb with Everything.

OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE ONLINE

CLYDE FRAZIER 5/17/15 NEW YORK CITY

Truly a Burger of the highest order but amongst the best without surpassing them. Jackson Hole and Five Guys is just as good. Couple of bucks overpriced ($16) and as this 

Restaurant is on 10th avenue in Manhattan I was mildly shocked but this is also not to be shunned or surprised at.

Certainly a hand made Burger made from scratch as you can feel the crumbliness and texture of the Meat and prepared perfectly Medium Well as I ordered it. The Bacon was also done to perfection, not underdone nor overdone, just right, Crispy and Scrumptious. White Cheddar was used but that is the higher end on the Cheddar scale.

Pre-Dinner or more like as soon as we sat down the Bread Bowl was presented. Not enough Butter for us Cholesterol hounds but the Bread was warm to the touch and the Taste buds. 

A Very Cold Glass of Magic Hat number 9 complimented the pre-Dinner festivities.

Trendy Interior, not my kind of place but the wait staff and Food was exemplary.

Clyde Frazier Exterior.

Partial Menu Selection.

The purpose and reason for Celebrating was my great friend Charlie completing his first ever Violin recital. I am very proud of my Musician friend.

Thank You to Elana and Jamie for the meal.

CLYDE FRAZIER WEBSITE

PIZZERIA UNO 12/6/14 Brooklyn, New York

I have been wanting to try Pizzeria Uno for years specifically because they make the Chicago style Deep Dish Pizza but after viewing Jon Stewart's "Rant" on New York Versus Chicago Style Pizza It only escalated my interest. 

Well, Jon was completely right in my opinion insofar as a "Deep Dish" does not conquer a "Slice" but now I know for myself. 

The Deep Dish was Great, actually kind of like a Sicilian square but in a Pie form, no complaints at all and I only conquered one Slice as it was preceded by the Sliders pictured below but I do have four slices in my Fridge A La Leftovers. This was the first time in my life that I actually had to Eat Pizza with a fork and a knife.

Nuovo Deep Dish Italiano (pictured above) - Italian Sausage, Roasted Vegetables and Chunky Tomato Sauce topped with Mozzarella, Ricotta and Fresh Basil just like the menu says, Did I like this ? Yes I did.

Guac, Chips & Dip - Well as the Menu says this is exactly what this appetizer is, Basically it is Guacamole, Chips and Dip consisting of Creamy Guacamole, multi-colored Tortilla Chips and Spicy Salsa Dip, exactly the type of thing you cannot stop picking at even realizing that the real Food is coming to your table shortly.

Burger Sliders - Cheddar Cheese topped mini Burgers served with "Ultimate Burger Sauce" but where was the Sauce ? it certainly passed me by but on the other hand I was too busy chowing down to notice even though I was in anticipation on trying said sauce as touted on the menu. 

Served with a Pickle.

OK, Who buys a Burger for the Sauce,... these were quite good.

Chicago Classic - Crumbled Sausage, Chunky Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella & Romano.

UNO ONLINE

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

HAVE IT YOUR WAY - THE BIG KING AT BURGER KING

Only having Burger King once every year or two makes it a wonderful choice and reminder of my youth as well. My friend Charlie and myself were just texting back and forth the other night as well about the virtues of the Big Mac vs. The Whopper, to me the Big Mac (Little Mac) is anything but big and I think lots of us will agree, McDonalds may be the far more popular Fast Food chain (at least in New York) but Burger King is the more fulfilling product, My friend Paul had something wise to say to end this argument, while the Big Mac is hand held "You Need Two Hands To Eat A Whopper" Argument Over.

Size does Matter but I am not talking about eating a Large sub standard Bologna Sandwich vs a smaller Boars Head Bologna Sandwich. If anything the McDonalds Beef Patty vs. the Burger King Beef Patty are almost identical except Burger King's is Flame Broiled (like a Barbecue) whereas McDonalds is NOT. BK has the BETTER BURGER between the two. 

This has been my preamble.

Venturing forth I stepped into my neighborhood BK ready to order a Big King and a Whopper jr. with small Fries, however being a doubting thomas I asked the counterperson "what is it ?, is it a BK ?" she said "yes, two for five dollars", well forget about the Whopper jr. 

(During our texting Charlie kept referring to it as a BK as abbreviation is the way of texting, just wanted to make sure I was not getting the wrong thing).

The Big King (BK) was Fast Food wise Glorious as expected which I purchased with a small order of Fries and the Burger was as expected bigger than the Bun or slightly overlapped the Bun whereas the Big Mac Burger is obscured or hidden by the Bun. A Big Mac leaves me Hungry, I took my second BK and some Fries home as I was Satisfied (pic below). 

The Midnight Snack BK, Delicious.

Most Importantly for all You foodies - The Big King is supposedly only available for a limited time and consists of Two Beef Patties, Lettuce, Onions, Pickles, Cheese and Special Sauce (might be Mayo but I do not think so) and does indeed contain that much beloved third piece of bread between the Burgers which I have heard that McDonalds has done away with (they may have alleviated that by this time). 

My Favorite is still the Whopper or Whopper Jr. as I really need that Tomato slice. 

Out On The Tiles.

Entrance to Burger King on 86th street and 21st avenue, Brooklyn, New York.

No Lies Here in the Fast Food realm. KUDOS To BK.

JAMIANS, Red Bank, New Jersey

Table for 4 Please.

Jamie and I visited her cousin Alexander and his wife Courtenay in Red Bank, New Jersey to see Alice Cooper in concert at the Gorgeous Count Basie Theater in town. Beforehand we took Alex' lead (as we do) to some of the finer, cozy, comfy eateries in town. no time for a Steakhouse but simple fare and tasty Drinks. Jamians was the perfect spot, the Bar Maid was a bit busy so it was not immediate pouncing customers via the staff which was welcome as we were given time to converse. They were out of Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat which I did plan on getting (with a Twist of Lime) but I got a nice imported Stout instead. the 3 of us (Alex, Courtenay and myself) ordered Booze drinks yet Jamie ordered a Peach Snapple which I found Odd in this Bar climate, So Be It, I watched as the barmaid concocted a Drink in the shaker and brought it to our table and it was the Peach Snapple. turns out "their" Peach Snapple was Peach Vodka with Iced Tea, So much for the Bar Climate Oddness.

There were other Burger's but I think this was called the "Burger Special", It was a Very Difficult menu choice since Alex had also mentioned the Chicken Burrito as being Huge and Delicious, Jamie and I made a compromise and she ordered the Burrito while I went the Burger route promising a taste to each other, Medium Well Please.

This Burger Patty was Delicious, Maybe a little "underdone" but I did order it "Medium", from here on in I will be ordering "Medium Well' which is fine by me. Did not matter so much as these Toppings were Fierce and Tasty covering any differences. Bacon to perfection, Nice cut of Lettuce, Bermuda Onion Sliced thin, Tomato, White Onion slivers, Shredded Carrot, American Cheese and In-House Homemade Pickle Slices with Thin Fries on the side. there was also the Condiment Caddy containing Ketchup, Mustard, A1 Steak Sauce and Tabasco Sauce for the tastebud satisfaction.

"Now that IS One Tasty Burger". 

This is one of those Burgers that upon initial inspection you are ready to call for a knife and fork, not to worry it all works out sans Utensiles.

And For Dessert We Saw Alice Cooper In Concert.

Feed My Frankenstein Indeed.

NEW DYKER RESTAURANT 9/13 Brooklyn, New York

While making Meatloaf at home is a gratifying process it is also time consuming, add to that the Mashed Potato preparation is also a bit of a project so every now and then you just want your Goddamn Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes served to you and this is what I did. New Dyker Restaurant has always been right there on the busy block of 85th street and 18th avenue sandwiched between a convenience store/smoke shop, Sushi place, Tarot card reader along with a Dunkin Donuts, West End Bakery, Pizza Den and another convenience store on the opposite corner. I have eaten there maybe twice and it is an average diner at best but there is always the "chatter" from the old timers having their Coffee and Danish to make me feel right at home in Brooklyn proper.

I ordered a "take-out" of Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Corn (and Don't Forget The Gravy) ($12.50) and it did the job and was pretty much what I expected. At first there was a somewhat indiscernible sweet taste to the Meatloaf slices of which three thick slabs came in my order, I was thinking Rosemary ?, Nutmeg ? after a bit I decided it was the Ketchup the Meatloaf was basted in before baking but that was just fine in my book. This was served with Corn (upon my request) and Mashed Potatoes (Real and not powdered) which were just slightly watery but almost perfect.

Waiting on my food I was glancing at the Menu and the man on duty (probably shop owner) said "go ahead you can take one". I told him I had taken one (which I had) and mentioned to him "I was just looking to see if you made a Lime Rickey" to which he replied "of course, all you need is Cherry Syrup and Lime Syrup" to which I replied "But it's not on the menu", he said "aah, there are millions of things, we missed it when making the menu" I said "I will be back for the Lime Rickey" and I will, I Do Love me a Lime Rickey.

Along with my Dinner was offered Soup or Salad, I opted for the Soup. Chicken Noodle and Chicken Rice came up first but then was mentioned the Beef Barley and I chose that one. This was from the tin most obviously and was composed of the Vegetable/ ABC soup Beef stock, fine by me.

My order also came with Bread sliced old school of which I saved for sandwiches later on in the house.

My Take-Out order was also well stocked and came with 2 packets of Sunshine Krispy Saltines (for the Soup), 1 Butter Patty (I suppose for the Bread but I used it on the Corn), 2 packets each of "Chef's Quality" Salt and Pepper, Napkins and 1 Fork, 1 Spoon and 1 Butter Knife (Plastic).

9/21/13 - Cheeseburger Deluxe

The Lime Rickey

New Dyker Restaurant store front.