Chips And Guac At Chipotle: A Delicious Snack

Some of you probably think I have a huge appetite and that my stomach is a bottomless pit capable of eating an entire cow, a whole chicken and one of the three little piggy's...that couldn't be farther from the truth. I am a perfect example of someone whose eyes are clearly bigger than their stomach, in fact I obsess more about eating food in my mind than I do in actually eating it...if that makes any sense. So sometimes I may be thinking large Roast Beef sandwich with all the fixings, when in actuality I might be feeling a Salad with Grilled Chicken. It's boring, I know, but it's reality. The other day sitting at work, my stomach grumbled loud and hard(nobody else heard it but me) right at 12:00 prompting me to scour the web for someplace interesting to eat. Burger joints, sandwich shops, you name it, I checked them all out, but I couldn't hone in on any one in particular and continued to sit at my desk for...jeez, probably another hour. Thoroughly confused and hungry I decided that the problem was that I might not be all that hungry afterall and had to alter my direction. Simple yet tasty. Fast and filling but not crappy. After a quick wander around the block I ended up walking into a place I have frequented numerous times, but usually with alterior motives. Chips and Guacamole from Chipotle and a Large Lemonade/Iced Tea(or Arnold Palmer) to wash it all down. It was the first time, in fact, that I ever walked out of a Chipotle without a Burrito or a Burrito Bowl and I wasn't unhappy about it either! Fresh and always tasty, the Guacamole never disappoints and surprisingly filled me up enough to last me until I got home for dinner...who-hoo. In all honesty I could have eaten two servings of the Chips and Guac but like I said, matter over mind...less is more? I dunno. It was good so I ate it.

NY Times Article: Recalling The Junk Food Creators In America, Pretty Interesting

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/weekinreview/08manny.html

Please click on the link above to read a very interesting article from yesterday's Sunday Times regarding the origins of some of America's most well known junk foods and the people who discovered them. Yes junk food is our dirty little secret in this country, especially these days with the movement towards healthier foods, but it's awfully interesting how significant some of the creations actually were and still are.

7 Year Old's Lemonade Stand Shut Down By Health Inspector

Ok this didn't happen in NYC but I just had to mention it because it was too funny...or is it tragic? Apparently a health inspector in Oregon was a little overzealous in doing his job when he shut down a little girls lemonade stand threatening a $500 fine. Come on, is he serious? In fact he was completely serious. In Oregon you must have a permit to have a lemonade stand....what?!? A permit that costs a whopping $120 bucks! Wow, talk about overblown government. The county's top elected official, Chairman Jeff Cogen, was quick to apologize directly to the little girl and her family. He said..."A lemonade stand is a classic American kid thing to do and I don't want to be in the business of shutting that down." He also said that he felt that the inspectors are supposed to use their best professional judgement and that they needed to use their limited resources for other areas. You think? Stupid.

Some Food News For 8/6/10: Yup Another Shake Shack Opened

Yet another Shake Shack has opened up in the city this week, this time it's the Upper East Side at 154 E 86th Street. Now the love can be spread all over town, enjoy!

People's Pops are now selling their delicious pops at The Highline walkway through August 20th, so you will be able to see the sights all while sucking on a pop! Enjoy!

Truck it on Sunday 8/8 to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market as they play host to the Gourmet Food Truck Bazaar from 11am to 4pm. The market is located at West 39th Street at 10th Ave and I suggest getting there early because there are gonna be a lot of truck fans out there sampling the goods.

Also in Truck news: (the trucks are taking over)

Mexicue is a new truck that has opened up in the city with it's combination of Mexican and Barbeque. Check out Twitter for it's locations.

Kelvin Natural Sluch Co. has also opened a new truck for, what else, natural slushes! Please check out their website, http://www.kelvinslush.com/, to find out exactly where they will be.

Hot Bird is also a new truck that has just opened up from Brooklyn chef Alan Harding, but you are gonna have to go to 825 Atlantic Ave to give it a try.

This Little Piggy Ate Roast Beef: That's Actually The Name Of The Place

...And yes it describes me as well because I am a little piggy who ate roast beef. A thank you has to go out to New York Magazine for mentioning this place in their best sandwiches in the city article otherwise I may  never have known it even existed. So earlier today when I was sitting here bored trying to think of what to eat I was thankful that I had saved the article for reference (actually this place was only mentioned on the website where they had the expanded list), and off I went to 149 1st Ave between 9th and 10th to give it a try. I had read the menu before leaving and decided to order a That Way (yes it's a sandwich name), with it's Roast Beef, Mozzarella and Au Jus on a hero...I couldn't wait. Probably a longer walk than I should have taken on a hotter than expected day, I made it all the way over there in just under 15 minutes and could have easily missed the place because it is so damn small. But that's what makes places like this so cool. I walked in and could immediately smell the Roast Beef cooking in the back, at least I thought it was cooking. Taped all over the walls were dollar bills (and a couple of five dollar bills as well) with different peoples names written on them, I didn't bother to ask but it looked really cool, added to the ambience. There was total of about five people in the place and that seemed to be about all it could handle. "That Way to go please." I said acting like I was a regular or something. The guy at the counter barked out the order and turned to ask if I wanted a pickle, he said they make them themselves. A pickle with a sandwich...how strange! Of course I took the pickle. In a matter of moments he handed over my bag and off I went back to work to taste, I mean devour the extra heavy sandwich that I had ordered. When it comes to a sandwich heavy is always a good thing because that usually means there is a lot of meat. By the time I had gotten back to work, other than me being completely drenched with sweat (well worth it btw), the bottom of my bag had almost ripped open due to the Au Jus seeping a bit...a good sign I thought (lucky Au Jus) and quickly made my way to the employee eating area. Thankfully alone I peeled back the aluminum foil to find my dripping wet (ok that sounds a little funky) sandwich with the Mozzarella melted out the sides yelling Eat Me! So I did. Much like someone saying they had an out-of-body experience of the supernatural, I had an equally amazing in-the-body experience while eating this sandwich. It was so good with just the right amount of Meat (a ton), Cheese and Au Jus, especially the Au Jus because it didn't over-saturate the roll, very important to me. I'll admit that I only got three quarters of the way thru before I had to skip the rest of the bread so I could finish off the remaining Roast Beef, I just couldn't leave it. The roll was excellent as well and held up rather exceptionally throughout. I highly recommend you all to visit this wonderful little whole in the wall if you ever find yourself in the area, your tummy will be very happy.

Shrimp, Chicken And Vegetable Tempura At Haru

Look, I don't eat sushi and I probably never will, so when I go to a Japanese place there are only so many choices for me to eat, Tempura being one of them. With that in mind I usually expect that it will be very good especially at the prices Haru is charging. This chain establishment has numerous locations (7 in NYC, 1 Boston, 1 Philadelphia) and offers up a stylish experience. I started my meal off with an order of Edamame, essential when dining Japanese and I just plain love it. After that came my House Salad with it's extra delicious dressing which I polished off rather quickly in a stunning display of my chopstick prowess. The Tempura arrived on an oversized plate and was set in front of me with a small dish of sauce for dipping. At first glance it appeared that it would not be enough to fill me up (it ended up being plenty) because there is only so much Tempura that one can consume. There was also a small bowl of white rice that I had to contend with, but that was a welcome addition. The Tempura was crunchy and delicious, especially the pieces of Sweet Potato, and the Tempura sauce wasn't too salty which can happen sometimes. Overall I was satisfied with the meal and it did actually fill me up. I have a tendency to over eat at a Japanese/Sushi Restaurant becuase like I said there are only so many things that I like, but at Haru, I am happy to say, nothing extra was ordered. Thank goodness because I don't think I could have afforded it!

Parisi Bakery: Three Meat Bread To Die For

It might not look like much in the picture but this wonderful loaf of bread just might be the best bread I have ever eaten. That is really saying a lot since I am a bread enthusiast and generally believe the secret to a great sandwich is the bread. But what if all the sandwich needs IS the bread? Quite and oxymoron if you ask me. At Parisi Bakery at 198 Mott Street they have created a loaf of bread that needs no accompaniment, no lettuce and tomato, no oil and vinegar, no mayo. Everything you need is already baked right in: Prosciutto, Pepperoni and Salami. Prior to my first experience with this unbelievable bread I had always lived by the thought that the greatest bread came from only one bakery in the Bronx, Terranova's on E187th in the heart of Arthur Avenue. However over the last few years I have discovered numerous places that make a fine piece of bread but Parisi's Three Meat Bread is far and away the best...yes that is saying a lot but I like doing that. Honestly this isn't a loaf for a sandwich, it is meant to be eaten solo perhaps with some fresh cut slices of Pecorino and a glass of Red Wine...oooh and some Olives! Ok I just made myself really hungry and will have to head over to Parisi's soon for a snack. One thing to remember if heading over to the bakery for a sample...get there early in the day because by 2pm they are usually sold out of the Three Meat. They also make some tasty sandwiches and have Homemade Fresh Mozzarella too.