The lack of BurgerQuest is disturbing

I am much disappointed in the lack of BurgerQuest activity. It's been way too long, so the BQ must live again!

Flat Iron Steak - Culinard Cafe

This is the Flat Iron Steak sandwich at the Culinard Cafe in the Innovation Depot (Birmingham, AL).

Delicious steak, goat cheese, mustard, red onion, and chili aioli. Served with sweet potato fries. Yum!

Steak and Blue Cheese Quesadilla

I had this tasty quesadilla at La Paz in Mountain Brook, AL.

BurgerQuest - Surf'N'Turf Burger

From Joe's Crab Shack:

Thick beef patty, crispy onion straws, popcorn shrimp, and fixings... Big honking' burger.

No special orders and a side of fries. In accordance with the BurgerQuest manifesto, beer was not an option so I washed it down with water.

Gator N' Grits

Today, the usual Monday lunch crew was treated to a meal at Zea. We found an intriguing item on the special menu: Gator N' Grits. Being in an adventurous mood, I ordered it and a side. In keep with the seemingly Cajun theme, I ordered the Red Beans and Rice. Let me say, I was not disappointed. The Gator was tender and flavorful. The roasted corn grits were amazing (as always). Combined with the etouffe sauce and the red beans and rice, this was a spectacular meal. You owe it to yourself to try this out while it lasts!

Slice - Fig Cheesecake

Went to Slice today. Had the Fig Cheesecake. Was awesome. You should go and try this. Feast your eyes!

BurgerQuest: V.Richards

Short post: The James Beard Burger at VRichards is fantastic. Do yourself a favor and try it soon.

http://www.vrichards.net/

This Just In: Jalapeños Are Spicy!

I was generously offered a kolache (sp?) this morning from Shipley's. It's basically a super delicious hog-in-a-blanket with a whole jalapeño stuffed inside. Very tasty. I can tell you though, you will need three Dr. Pepper's for this particular mid-morning snack. I was breaking a sweat by the time I was done and I ditched the pepper halfway through.

In related news, donuts are sweet and wonderful gifts from the heavens.

Moe and the Cornbread

Moe's BBQ: Free wifi, Blues, and $2 Pabst!

After wrangling the brothers Pate (note: Jose does not want cake) we set out on this blustery day to acquire a turkey sammich, jambalaya, and other spectacular viddles. The meal was great, and we left to return to the office. Then it began...

First a giant green egg came rolling down 29th at ramming speed firing pizza flavored ninja stars! We narrowly escaped using our knowledge of Gibson guitars to avoid the collision. Then a black GMC van came steaming around the corner only to throw glass bottles at us, because plastic would just have been counter intuitive.

Then the evil of all evils...
Walker Texas Ranger and his crotch gusseted action jeans, General Hummel, and John McClain rose to attack. Ten roundhouse kicks, 2 VX gas-armed rockets, and 4 dead terrorists later, beaten and bloody, we circumvented disaster and found refuge in the Brock.

We rendezvoused later for mission debriefing at an undisclosed location. It was stinky.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Archer Farms – Roast Beef on Asiago Tomato Focaccia

I swung by the Target deli case and picked up one of their sandwiches. Turns out, this was a damn good decision.

The sandwich is on an Asiago/Sundried Tomato Focaccia with the following layers:

• Basil Pesto
• Provolone
• Sundried Tomatoes
• Roast Beef
• Provolone
• Spinach
• Tomatoes

I brought it to the office, threw it in the toaster office until it was nice and warm. Delicious!
And yes, that is two layers of provolone…

Yes... you should be jealous.

Feb 7, 2011 - New China Garden Panda Bamboo Moon Buffet

Oh yes, there will be lunch today at the New China Garden Panda Bamboo Moon Buffet (under new management!). The aftermath will gather at 11:30-ish to load the Swagger Wagon to make the trek to the Chinese goodness.

Results to follow...

Zea and the Gigantic Chicken Sandwich

A few days ago, I had a lunch meeting with a vendor. We went to discuss business as usual, but I ended up with something beyond my wildest dreams (okay, that's a bit of an overstatement): a GIGANTIC Chicken sandwich. It was so large that, as proof, I had to take a picture of the mammoth sammich.

The Gigantic Chicken Sammich!

To tame the beast, it had be cut in two!

This was one of the best sammiches I have had in recent memory. The chicken was juicy with a crunchy crust. The honey dijon sauce added just the right amount flavor. Not to mention the side of Roasted Corn Grits. This proved to be a solid competitor to BurgerQuest.

Super China Garden Moon Buffet - Thwarted again!

For the second day in a row, the journey to Super Garden Panda China Twilight Bamboo Cafe in Irondale has been thwarted! The stars have aligned themselves against this from happening this week.
I guess my sushi/ice cream plate will have to wait for another day.

Bogue's prayer

I ate too much chicken and dumplings

and especially potatoes

see I asked for one serving of potatoes

and the guy behind the counter said "well you get two sides with the special"

and I said "but I only want the one"

and he said "it's the same price... you want double potatoes?"

and I, being not so bright, said yes

and then ate most of them

amen

A question of pork and lamb...

The age old question: Braised Pork Belly or Chopped Lamb?

This was the debate I had yesterday when I was treated to lunch at Bettola today. Located in the Martin Biscuit Building in downtown Birmingham, Bettola is a "casual, upscale restaurant." I have had the pleasure of dining at this establishment many times, and have found a favorite: the Agnello. This sandwich includes goat cheese and succulent lamb with a baked flat beard.

But, they had the Braised Pork Belly on the menu today! Dare I try something new? In the end, yes... but had the best of both worlds. Sharing a plate with a colleague, I had both the lamb and braised pork belly. And you know what I found, the Pork Belly tasted of BACON. And bacon is never a bad thing.

To find out more about the fantastic restaurant, please visit their website: Bettola Restaurant.

Cafetorium Microwave Adventures

What is it with the Corporate Cafeteria and the inordinate amount of microwaves with no discernible programming mechanisms? I bring my food, ready to nuke it to a warm edible temperature, and find myself confronted with a bank of machines that just have 12 buttons: 10 pre-programmed buttons, Start, and Cancel. Pressing each button generates a seemingly random amount of cooking time, which is completely inconsistent across all the machines. So, I just choose a machine and start guessing, eventually heating my food to somewhere passed room temperature. Clearly, I am not the only person with this issue, as many of the machines are left with random amounts of time remaining on the cooking clock.

Dénouement

Once upon a time there was a rooster named Raymond.

Raymond was a happy rooster.

The farmer and his family liked Raymond, because he helped them wake up in the morning.

When the sun came up each morning, Raymond would crow and crow.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo," Raymond would crow happily.

One morning, the farmer was visited by a man from the bank.

The farmer did not look happy to see the bank man.

Raymond did not understand English, so words like "liquidate assets" did not mean anything to him.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo," Raymond crowed.

And that's how Raymond ended up on my sandwich.

A Mexican Excursion

Yep... fast, cheap, and filling... the story of my life.

I did learn one important lesson: muffins are definitely not doughnuts.

Eastern flavor

With my cohorts relegated to the aforementioned penalty box (the details of which I have been agreed, under duress, not to discuss here) , I set out in search of midday sustenance.

My car's engine hummed with vigor, as if it shared my urgency to complete today's quest. I rolled a few blocks toward downtown, noticing a curious black smoke cloud that was rising into the sky, peeking through alleys into my line of vision.

With the city's customary parking gridlock in full effect, I parked three blocks from my destination and emerged from the vehicle into the first biting chill of a new winter. Something darted across my peripheral vision -- up high, the barest hint of a shadow, gone before my hunger-addled mind could process the information. I set out toward my goal, a row of stoplights impeding my progress for seemingly eternal moments.

One foot, then the other. Repeat. Almost there.

The hairs on the back of my neck tingled, and I knew that this was not a result of the frigid air.

"You might as well show yourself," I intoned, more to myself than to the faceless buildings that surrounded me.

A slight rustle, a whisper of a whisper, and I knew. I turned around to face my assailants.

Damn it. Ninjas. Why does it always have to be ninjas?

The stoplight changed again, transforming the forbidding scarlet hand into a cordial invitation to proceed. Reaching my destination, I shouldered open the wooden door and was greeted with the welcoming embrace of central heating.

"Chicken Masaman, Thai hot?" a familiar voice asked.

"Why yes," I answered, wiping the last of the blood from my katana. "That would be lovely."

Leftovers at the Vendorama

Honestly, I'm not very excited about this plan; however, in efforts to keep costs in mind today has been deemed leftover day at the vendorama.

As Christian has noted, there is a penalty flag on the play and I will be subjected to 5-minutes in the penalty box. Please be kind with your mocking as you point and laugh at my shame.