Fajitas at Monterrey

There are a few Monterrey Mexican joints around Gwinnett. Pretty standard Mexican food. That's one of the things about Americanized Mexican...the more typical it is, the better. I don't know about anyone else, but when I want Mexican food I don't really want actual authentic food from Mexico (Bone Garden Cantina is my place for that.) When I want 'Mexican' I want some crispy chips -preferably folded on one another, but that's just preference- good salsa, not too hot and not sweet, tacos with too much cheese, refried beans, forgettable enchiladas and rice I don't eat.

Tonight we split fajitas for two. Beefsteak. Or biftek. That's what we called it in french class. Had a song about it and everything.

The Sicilian Sandwich from Baldinos

Baldinos knows how to make pressed meat work! They might not have the best sandwich on the block, but they do have the best bread and that can make all the difference in the world. You are not getting the finest cuts of meat here, but you are getting the best of pressed meats put with all the fixings inside 2 deliciously fresh pieces of bread. The half order is more than enough for most people as ordering a whole is just overkill.

Chicken Fingers from Shane's Rib Shack

I am not a fan of Shane's Rib Shack...heck I can't stand the place. Today at lunchtime I went to go pick up the dogs from the kennel and just needed to grab something quick to eat on the way back to the house. I didn't feel like stopping someplace where I had to get out of the car, so my options were limited to either either Shane's or McD's. I gave the chicken fingers a chance and they weren't half bad. They weren't half good either. They weren't as salty as Zaxby's(a huge plus), but they were pretty tough as well (a huge negative). Anyway...I bought them, so I ate them.

Spaghetti. Old Faithful.

Basic suburban America spaghetti dinner. Basic noodle, basic bread Sauce was home made with local beef though. My wife doesn't really follow recipes and wings it for the most part, but as far as classic spaghetti goes, this was on top. Pic was from a few nights ago and I just had some more for lunch. Top notch stuff.

Japanese Food

I love me some Japanese food! I especially love me some quick "fast food style" Japanese food. The first 3 pictures are from Hiranos on Habersham here in Savannah. It is a great little place owned and operated by the Hirano family. He works the grill and she is working the front end. Everything is made fresh to order and is always excellent.

The last 2 pictures are from Sakura on Broughton in downtown Savannah. It is a good place to pop in for lunch every now and then, especially with their lunch specials. The 2 rolls for $5.75 is always a good deal in my opinion. The quality might not be the best, but you get what you pay for and with the quick Japanese lunch that is the risk always worth taking.

Hiranos:


Sakura:

Ted's Montana Grill

Stopped off for lunch on the drive back from New Orleans at Ted's Montana Grill in Tallahassee (no bank robber with a bomb to stop us today). We started off with the Salt-n-Pepper Onion Rings. These were a perfect way to start the meal, but it would have been great to have a few more than what they dish out for this table serving. For my Bison Burger...I got the Vermejo. This burger is named after Ted's 591,000 acre (yes that number is correct) ranch. It is topped with the usual suspects and some great friends in the form of Monterey Jack Cheese, Grilled Onions, and Grilled Mushrooms. We might have been a few days late in getting to Ted's, but it was worth the wait.

Abita Brew Pub

New Orleans is known for its food, its party, and its music. However, it is also known for this excellent brewery in Abita Springs that puts out great beer for all tastes. Some might not know the brewery, but they might recognize the name "Turbodog". That is just one of the beers that they produce.

The restaurant is located in what used to be the old brewery (the new brewery is located down the road) and has some pretty good grub to go with the beer. On this trip I tried the heavily bitter Jockamo. It is about the most bitter IPA I have ever had and I must say that I quite enjoyed it.

As for the food...Shrimp Po'Boy with Sweet Potato Fries, Cup of Gumbo, and Crawfish Cornbread. I could have eaten any of these 100 times over. Excellent food all around and I look forward to the next trip there when I can try all the different beers and do the brewery tour.

Wendy's "NEW" French Fries

These new french fries have some skin on, are cooked in a "healthier" oil and are seasoned with Sea Salt. I use that term seasoned in jest. Those things were swimming in Sea Salt. The old fries we much better, but that isn't saying much.

Road Trip Breakfasts

A simple collection of th breakfasts eaten on this Thanksgiving road trip. The majority of this food was eaten at the Hampton Inn's mini breakfast bar.

my first experience with banana pancakes and getting songs stuck in your head

As I mentioned yesterday, pancakes are a hot item in my house. This morning some bananas caught my eye while I was in the kitchen so I decided to give banana pancakes a shot. I used 3 bananas total and made 3 big pancakes. Probably about1/2 of a banana got smashed up in the batter (pioneer baking mix) along with some vanilla. I put them on the griddle and then put bananas on the raw side.

The trick I figured out while I was doing this is that you have to find a sweet spot while cooking the first side where it is almost too done. That way it cooks through to the other side some. When you flip them over the banana side will require minimal cooking so there won't be burnt banana all over your house.

The downside of all this is that I had the jack johnson banana pancake song I don't like stuck in my head while cooking them (and still sorta do).

I'm hoping that if I listen to the whole thing it will go away. wish me luck.

mini pancakes my be more labor intensive, but they are definitely more fun

Pancakes have been really popular in my house lately. I made some for brinner a couple nights ago (made my first mickey mouse pancake) and whipped a batch up this morning. I use a mix but add a little bit of vanilla extract. Nothing fancy but it's a crowd pleaser.

5 Great Things about Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds

1. Almonds are the best nuts.
2. They taste sorta like cocoa puffs.
3. No added sugar somehow. This blows my mind.
4. Almonds are good for you.
5. Cocoa is good for you according to the internet
(BONUS) They frequently go on sale at publix.

Amazon.com also has some awesome deals on these - less than $5/each before shipping. 

Thanksgiving leftovers

I didn't get a pic of my actual plate. I'll be straight up and say it wasn't that remarkable...pretty standard fare: Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, bread, broccoli casserole that turned into a few giant starch and turkey sandwiches.

 I did snag a pic of my leftover plate after it had been picked over pretty well. There's a nice turkey leg left that will probably become lunch.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Ate lots...drank more.

The Crepevine in Tallahassee, FL

How did we end up @thecrepevine? What was supposed to be lunch at Ted's Montana Grill turned out to be lunch in downtown Tallahassee thanks to a bank robber and a bomb hoax. On our way to New Orleans from Savannah we stopped for lunch in Tallahassee. During this trek we got roped into a section of the city that was locked down and traffic at a standstill thanks to a guy who was holding up a bank and said he had a few bombs strapped to his body. Well 90 min later we were able to get rerouted out of this traffic and stumbled onto this great place before we got out of town.

The Crepevine (nice play on words)makes crepes fresh to order and then fills them with all kinds of goodness for all meals of the day (including desserts). Think wraps but so much better. The Wobbler was a great one to have for lunch. Fresh chicken, spinach, mushrooms, onions....just all kinds of awesome places inside the crepe. However, the one we had for dessert was one of the best things I have ever eaten.

This dessert crepe was filled with fresh whipped cream and strawberries. It was then topped with chocolate syrup and nutella. OMFG...this thing was off the charts ridonkulous!

If you are ever stranded in Tallahassee, or just passing through, you must eat at The Crepevine.