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.