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Food: Batter Blaster

Posted on February 17th, 2009 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Food.

[For the lazy and the incompetent: Batter Blaster.]

Quote Mike: “Even you can’t F this up.”

Oh yes, we can.

Hungry and drowsy on a Sunday morning and, more importantly, without Mike there to cook for us, Lee dug the previous day’s discovery, Batter Blaster, out of the frig.

The Batter Blaster is a pressurized, canned pancake batter.  Disturbed, we had checked the ingredients in the store, to discover that there was nothing scary in it.  In fact, it’s all organic.  It might be good, we thought.

[Lee, spraying pancakes into the frying pan.] 

Lee taught me to preheat the pan before cooking (who knew?) and to cover it with some butter-like substance (where do people learn these things?)  We shook the can’s contents up quite well.  We sprayed it on to the pan.

Flipping the frothy pancakes was somewhat of a challenge.  And they didn’t taste quite right.  So I smothered on in butter and poured on the maple syrup.  And they still didn’t taste quite right.

And after that, we put the Batter Blaster away and indulged in the bagels, lamenting the Batter Blaster’s epic fail.

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Food: Grapples

Posted on February 17th, 2009 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Food.

[I admit that they pick apples that do look vaguely like an over-grown grape.]

Last time I was in NEPA, we bought grapples, but I never got to eat one (likely due to the constant food consumption during my stay.)  Lee bought me another pack on the condition that I actually eat them this time.  (In my defense, last time there were four of us and we were each supposaed to eat one.)

This time, I ate two grapples.  And what a strange experience…  Looks like an apple, tastes like a grape, they say.  I’m not so sure if I buy into that.  Looks mostly like an apple, although vaguely grape-like.  Smells like artificial grape flavoring.  Tastes like…somehing very confusing (though not unappealing, but certainly they won’t replace Granny Smith apples for me.)

Wondering if they were genetically engineered or merely injected with flavor, and at what stage in their development was the alteration done, I did a bit of research.  On the Grapple website, they have a neat video (go to this page and watch the video on the right-hand side) from the Food Network that explains the whole Grapple process (they’re actually just soaked in flavor briefly after they’re picked.)

[The first clue to the grapples origins I found on the package.  It listed “Ingredients: apples, natural and artificial grape flavors.”] 

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Trooping: New York Comic Con 2009

Posted on February 17th, 2009 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Costumes, Food, NYC, Star Wars.

[Me, breaking out of my germ infested apartment, wearing stormtrooper handcuffs and sporting a stolen E-11.]

As I had spent the week with a triple digit fever, spending time in Midtown Manhattan with 60,000 of my closest friends was not high on my priority list, but I did, in the end, manage a few hours, plus a brief appearance at the Legion dinner.

[Snowtrooper making a withdrawl at the ATM.]

Too exhausted to suit up myself, I walked the floor with Kris, spotting him and helping him take some fun pictures…

[Myself with an R2 unit - wee!!!]

…and I served my time at the Legion table, which had such a hideous location this year that I proposed that next year, if we don’t get a floor on the main table, we don’t bother with the table at all.

[Myself with a Republic backpack, and a baby Rotta the Hutt - I want an ABS version of this backpack.]

I walked the floor briefly and looked at some of the toys and such.  The above $35 Republic backpack was very tempting, but I want a hard, ABS backpack, and this one, while supposed with cardboard, is still soft…and not right…  When someone makes these, send me a note and I’ll send a payment through PayPal.  Seriously.  I want one.

[Best costume of the con: the Incredible Hulk.]

I also saw some neat costumes, but this towering hulk, who easily cleared 7 feet, was quite impressive.  (I love seeing people’s creativity come out at cons.)

[Stout’s burger, with swiss and guac, and a side of sweet potato fries.]

After the con, the 501st and Rebel Legions headed over to Stout, on 33rd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, where Danny and I indulged in burgers.  Burgers and fries run you $10, but you have to pay an additional dollar for each topping.  I wasn’t well, so it’s hard to judge, but it was made to order and was quite satisfying, even though I was dying, so if you’re in the area, give it a try.

[Steve Sansweet, head of Lucasfilm fan relations, I believe.  He looks like he could be my uncle in this pic.]

Steve Sansweet stole my chair when I stood briefly for some reason I can’t recall.  Now the temptation was there to forcefully reclaim my chair, but as I was still on the mend, and as it seems like a bad idea, I instead stole Steve I.’s chair when he stood for a moment (and Steve I. was nice and did not steal it back.)  Sansweet was a really nice guy, spent the whole evening with the Legions, and sat at out table signing trading cards for us to snatch up.  Good times.

Randomly:

{OM NOM NOM NOM!]

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USA: NYC: Ted’s Montana Grill 2: The Search for the Bison Burger

Posted on December 7th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Food, NYC.

We had been to Ted’s Montana Grill before to try the buffalo meat, but the burgers on the menu looked mighty tempting, too.  We agreed to come back another time for them.  (And then our lives got horribly busy and burgers left my life for a month and a half.)

The bison burger was delicious, although I would have to have a beef burger accessible to do a taste test and figure out how they’re different.  Miserable, exhausted, overworked and underpaid (as the rest of America) we had inhaled half our burgers (made to order, mine a perfect medium-rare, pink and juicy) before I realized we had forgotten to photo-document the experience.  Oh well - we’ll have to go back again.

With huge, juicy burgers that include your choice a side order (or get two half-sides, like me) for $10 to $15, Ted’s Montana Grill makes an excellent choice for a burger spot when you’re in Times Square.  It’s on 51st Street between Broadway and 7th Ave.  Mmmm…I get hungry just thinking about it.

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USA: NYC: Cup Diner & Bar

Posted on November 22nd, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Food, NYC.

I’m starting to get accused of being a food snob, but I really don’t think I am.  I just really enjoy eating…almost as much as I enjoy complaining when I’m dissatisfied.  But that doesn’t make me a food snob, does it?  (And this is all relevant because I’m about to start complaining.)

I went to Cup (in Astoria, Queens) with some friends, who are big fans of the place.  Three of us ordered Hot Chocolate, which they would do well to advertise as Lukewarm Chocolate soas not to mislead customers (and no, it was not busy.)

It was late night, and I ordered a dessert: the hot chocolate fudge brownie, topped with ice cream, nuts, and a few other things, the marshmallows and whipped cream I asked them to hold.  It took a long time, much longer than my friends’ burgers, even though I asked it to be served at the same time…this was perhaps because they had to run to the corner store and buy the brownies.  I got four of the thin, pre-packaged brownies, which I recognized as the ones that come in boxes of 12 for $1.49…I recognized them because I’ve purchased them for my first graders before.

Talk about disappointment.

The fries were OK - pity they gave us a bottle of spoiled ketchup to go with them.  I didn’t have the burgers, but my friends weren’t asked how they wanted them done, and they came out well-done, so I’m not sure how enjoyable they could have been.

To Cup’s credit, the lentil soup was most delicious, and the decor was quite neat.  But soup and decor are not enough to win my affection.

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Baking: Black Velvet Cake

Posted on November 22nd, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Food.

“What could go wrong?” was the foolish thought I had when I originally decided to ever-so-slightly modify the Red Velvet Cake recipe.  All I wanted was a purple velvet cake instead of a red one…reduce the red, add the blue…really, what could go wrong?

Well, here’s what could go wrong.  Red + Blue may equal purple, but Red Food Coloring + Blue Food Coloring equals something in the realm of Brown or Black.

[Black Velvet Cake batter]

The result is that I was running all over central Brooklyn at 8:00 on aFriday night desparately searching for red food coloring so I could have another go at the birthday cake I had promised to bake for the following day’s dinner party, fearing that no one would be inclined to eat a cake that looked like it’d been either poisoned or burnt to a crisp.

 
[3 Black Velvet layers, fresh out of the oven]

Of course, Skutch’s first reaction to the story of the Black Velvet Disaster was: “Black Velvet Cake?  That would have been AWESOME!  You should’ve brought that one instead”

…sigh.

Why do I bother?

[Myself, with the Black Velvet Disaster, which still tasted quite good.]

But I called up my dear friends, Terry and Rebekah, who I knew worked in Brooklyn on Sundays: “Would you guys be willing to eat a Black Velvet Cake?  Cause if you want it, I’ll frost it and you guys can pick up it tomorrow on your way home from work,” I offered.

“Let me ask the dessert vaccuum cleaner,” Rebekah said.  “Hey Terry, you want a black velvet cake?  …yeah, Anna made a mistake with a Red Velvet Cake…yeah, isn’t it awesome?” then, to me: “Yeah, we’ll come over after we’re done tomorrow.  Is it OK if we bring Maurice?”

And so it was that the Black Velvet Cake, which I frosted in blue, would be enjoyed by my friends after all.

[Rebekah, in awe of my mad baking skillz, no doubt.] 

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USA: NYC: West Bank Cafe

Posted on November 9th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Food, NYC.

Ray: Believe it or not, Danny went out for burgers with me, unchaperoned.  (Though, had we known it would be good, we would have kept it for a group night.)

[Image from the West Bank Cafe website.]

Danny and I went to the West Bank Cafe - based off a recommendation he overheard on the bus, so we weren’t sure what to expect, but it was, overall, a pleasant surprise.  They did mix up our cheeseburgers, giving me the rare patty and Danny the medium-rare.  I sucked it up and ate the rare ground beef - yes, it was purple in the center, and that seems a bit wrong for a burger to me, but it was still delicious.  They eventually got Danny’s burger right, though it took them forever.

[Ah, juicy cheeseburger goodness.]

The fries were excellent.  Fresh, in-house, with delicious seasoning.  No onion rings available, unfortunately (though I wouldn’t have minded testing the fried calamari.)  Definately the classiest burger place we’ve been to, and it was a yummy burger, but at $13.50, I’m left thinking that for one more dollar, I could go back to Rare.  Still, if your burger joint needs a wine list and a dessert menu, West Bank Cafe just might be the place for you.

LOCATION: 407 W 42nd Street (between 9th and 10th Aves)

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USA: NYC: Blue 9 Burger

Posted on October 22nd, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Food.

This week, we tried Blue 9 Burger at Rebekah’s recommendation.  No options to order our burgers medium, medium-rare, or rare…this is a one-burger-fits-all joint.  And the burgers, I admit, are skinny little things…yet there was something very tasty about them: it made you want to eat another.

I had the Mango Infusion burger…not sure if I actually got the advertised mango chili, or if they just slathered on some Thousand Island dressing, but it was darned tasty.  Maybe not as filling as you might long for, but where else can you get a decent burger in the East Village for less than $5?  Gray’s Papaya hotdogs aren’t filling either…that’s why you buy four hotdogs when you go there.

The fries were also good - though the cheese fries were just plain fries with nasty, melty, American cheese squirted on them.  For those of you who know me too well, you know I won’t touch Kraft singles with my bare hands.  Once I saw what cheese fries really were, I ran back to the kitchen and told them to hold the cheese on my order.  (I should have known by the confusion that ensued when I asked: “What kind of cheese do you use on you cheeseburger?”

All in all, not a bad deal…but not something I would go out of my way for, either.

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USA: NYC: Trailer Park Lounge & Grill

Posted on October 19th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Food, NYC.

[Decor at Trailer Park Lounge & Grill]

So, I went to a Birthday at Trailer Park Louge & Grill, which I looked up on the ‘net before the event.  While fame often means the owners feel little need to make decent food, it boasted having been featured on Food Network, so I figured it was probably decent.  Having run about the city sampling different burger joints, I was curious how a famous place would compare.

[Myself with Ruby, the birthday boy.]

Trailer Park boasted an 8 oz. burger…no fancy burgers…no toppings choices…but a plain burger can be might good, so I ordered one, medium-rare.  What I got was a thin, weak, slightly burnt medium-well burger, a flat slab of ground beef no more than four ounces in weight, a single leaf of lettuce, a single slice of tomato less than half the size of the burger, and three slices of pickle.

 
[Skutch, wearing my glasses.  One nerd to rule them all, right?]

The burger had no juice, had no flavor.  It tasted like one of those frozen hockey puck-like patties.  Now, maybe that was the goal, to explicitly serve crappy, white trash food…but if that’s the goal, really, I could just stay home, save some cash, and have a Hot Pocket.

 
[Myself, with the champagne in a can…not woth the $7.75 I paid.]

The disappointments weren’t limited to the burgers.  The service blew.  We had a reservation for 8pm, and we arrived at 8pm, but we had to wait until 9pm for our table, which rather pissed us off.  The tater tots, which I’d heard were delicious, paled in comparison to the frozen ones my mom bakes.  And my champagne in a can was not only tiny, but came served already opened, which made me wonder if it actually came in a can, or if they just fill cans with bottled champagne.

 
[Part of the group at Trailer Park…going ’round the table, vaguely left to right, it’s Eric, Jenn, Ruby, Kris, myself, Julie, Danny, and Ralph]

About the only redeeming quality of the place was the sweet potato fries, which were crispy, not soggy, and quite sweet.  The decor was neat, but it didn’t make up for all the other short-comings of the place.  The next time my friends and I drop $500 on a meal, some decent service and tasty food are called for.

[Somebody needs to photoshop in the Elvis Trooper here…]

2 comments.

USA: NYC: Red Mango

Posted on October 11th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Food, NYC.

[Me, at Red Mango.  Context, after complaining about men, below:
Rebekah: (snacking on health food) ”Anna, do you want a date?”
Anna: “No!  I’ve got my date [with frozen yogurt]!”]

Speaking of women and their magical dessert stomachs, here’s another delight that I’ve discovered in New York City: frozen yogurt.

But not the frozen yogurt you know!  This frozen yogurt taste like…yogurt…that’s semi-frozen…like…no…I mean, really!  It has this slightly sour flavor that I find absolutely fascinating.

You can get the plain flavored frozen yogurt, or try the green tea (delicious) or cappucino (if you’re a coffee lover, which I’m not.)  Then it’s on to the toppings!  Their fresh fruit toppings are absolutely delicious!  But then a little bit of dark chocolate never hurt anyone, and the mochi is SO YUMMY!

There’s a few locations, and multiple store fronts that may or may not be the same company.  Both Red Mango and Pink Berry appear to be identical - there might be others.  Google Map your most convenient location.

[Random: The Empire State Building was looking pretty against a clear blue sky as we walked up Broadway.]

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