Rude!

So Breeanna and I decided to go on a much needed and long overdue date today. I took her out to lunch at praire bay, a place I have been many times before. We settled in for a nice meal, and what do we hear? "HELLO? HELLO? OH HI HOW ARE YOU?" It was the start of a 5 minute phone conversation of the people in the booth next to us. It was horrible. Not only did the lady basically scream into the phone she also put it on speaker phone so her husband could hear. I was irrate. Not only was she on the phone, she was also rude to the waitress and sent her food back to the kitchen. I couldn't believe it. Listening to this customer made me want to make another list.

The Top 5 Most Annoying Restaurant Customers
1. The cell phone talker
2. The complainer
3. The obsessive coupon user
4. The picky eater ( no offense Breeanna ;)
5. The Jerk

Culinary Jackpot.

Last night after work, I hit the culinary jackpot. Yes, It was pizza. Suprise Suprise. It was no ordinary pizza however, It was the mother of all pizzas. Toppings are a matter of personal opinion and my opinion is always right! ( just kidding!)

I had no idea what to make so I looked through the kitchen to see what I could come up with. A customer ordered a pizza with sauerkraut on it earlier in the day and I knew I wanted that. I also found some muenster cheese in the cooler that I had been using to make sandwiches. Sausage is a given with sauerkraut and I threw in some onions just for good measure. I buttered the bottom of the crust for a nice golden brown (that and butter makes everything better). And there I had it, the mother of all pizzas. Each bite was better than the last. Sausage, onion sauerkraut with muester. It was great

Suprise more about beer!

Wow after 3 months I post twice in the same day, and they are both about beer!

For chirstmas Breeanna's mom gave a a beer brewing kit. Needless to say I was stoked. I brewed my first batch a few weeks ago and the wait is killing me. It is nothing fancy, just a light pilsner, but I made it. I don't know maybe there is somethings special about something that is home made, just like how a burger tastes much better when grilled at home rather than some over priced restaurant.

All I can say is I hope it turns out. My parents keep the house to cool for proper fermentation to occur so I am just going to wing it and hope it turns out. We will see. More to come , when the beer is ready to drink.

BEER!

Sorry for the lapse in posting, have been busy with the holidays and the start of school.

Beer is good. I don't care what anyone says. There is nothing better than sitting down to an ice cold glass of refreshment. I am not talking about that mass produced crap, I am talking about beer that is brewed with care. I am talking about beer that people put effort into, beer that is meant to be enjoyed. You see, to me beer is about enjoyment, not just something that can get you drink to get drunk.

I recently had the pleasure of enjoying a great beer given to me by a good friend. It was a cherry stout brewed by Bell's Brewery out of Michigan. Normally I am not a huge fan of stouts. Guiness to me, tastes like a chocolate bar in a glass. If I want chocolate I will just eat it. This stout was different. Yes, it does have the slight hint of chocolate, but the cherry complements it well. It is a rich dark brown and if poured right has a thick creamy head. It is one of the only stouts that I have ever liked. Overall I would rate it as a A-.

Erberts and Gerberts vs. Jimmy Johns

I just recently moved back to Brainerd from California. In California I developed a taste for Italian sandwiches. There was a little deli across the street from the place I worked. They had the best Italian sandwiches. The bread was flaky and freshly baked, and the meat was the highest quality. The kicker though was the light drizzle of olive oil they put on before they finished the sandwich.

Moving back I set of in search of a good Italian sandwich. There are two new sandwich shops that sprung up while I was away, Erberts and Gerberts and Jimmy Johns. I decided to get an Italian sub at each restaurant and compare the two. I judged them in four different categories: service, food quality, atmosphere and price.

Service:
E and B's is the clear winner here. I walked in and was instantly greeted with a warm hello. I arrived in the middle of the lunch rush, and although there were busy, the employees made me feel right at home. While taking my order the server was polite and courteous and repeated my order to make sure it was right. They receive an A in the service department.

Jimmy Johns on the other hand receive a solid D. We were not greeted when we walked in the door. The server never even asked if she could help me. I had to make the first move and tell her what I wanted. Not only did she look like she had been on an all night bender, she was rude. She had a little trouble hearing me when I ordered and instead of asking for me to please repeat the order, she answered in a loud, " what?! I can't here you!" I had to repeat my order 3 times.

Food Quality:
I ordered the house Italian sandwich at both restaurants. They were very comparable, yet each one had there own little twist. E and B's did something I have never seen before, they scooped out the center of the bread so the toppings fit in the inside. Then they took the soft bread and flattened it on the top of the sandwich to hold the two halves together. It was perfect to dip in the cup of soup I had with my sandwich. JJ's had their signature Italian dressing. It was tangy with just a hint of sweetness, the perfect complement to the fresh cut meat. The food portion was a wash with each restaurant scoring a B+. E and B's did have a greater menu selection but I was just judging the one sandwich.

Atmosphere:
Each restaurant had its own vibe. E and B's was wide open and there was a lot of space between tables. It was almost to large. The sandwich pick-up was also very awkward. You had to walk behind a screen to pick up your order. The colors were mellow and relaxing but were the only plus to the restaurant layout.

JJ's was designed in the style of a more traditional fast food restaurant. The colors were brights and the tables were crowded. The pop machine was tucked in the back corner. It was a hassle to get to. There weren't even napkins available without asking.

Price:
E and B's was about a dollar more expensive for the same sandwich.

Based on my review I would have to say that Erberts and Gerberts was the winner. The food was pretty much the same, and the atmosphere wasn't the greatest in both places. It was the service that was the deciding factor. Even if the food is mediocre, good service will keep me coming back time over time.

Inaugural Post

For the first post I am going to keep it simple. Here is a list of the top ten simple food pleasures in no specific order.

1. Root beer foam
2. Meat so tender you can cut it with a fork
3. Gin and tonics
4. Peanut butter and cheese sandwiches
5. Anything cooked by someone other than myself
6. Asian zing and mango habanero
7. Chili
8. The smell of coffee (but not the taste)
9. Cheesy potatoes.
10.Fresh baked bread and butter