Conundrum?

If you enjoy reading Malcolm Gladwell's books or articles, his web site is a great resource. And, best of all, from his New Yorker Archive, you can get full access to all of his articles from 1996 to the one most recently printed this past May!

Anyhow, this is an old article, but The Ketchup Conundrum is pretty interesting reading, especially in comparing ketchup to the varieties of mustard (we have at least 7 mustards in our fridge). It is especially interesting to read that ketchup has all five tastes of the human palate, including the hard to describe umami.

I haven't been there for a while, but I think City Cafe downtown used to make their own ketchup....

La Piedad

Remember the bell curve from school? To me this was always the idea that there was a majority of population in a class falling in the range of a low B to maybe a high D in grades.... Then, remember, the notion of grading on a curve? While your raw score was a 64, you hoped for, like, a C when that raw score was graded on a curve....

What is all this talk of curves? Well, the bell curve is generally how I feel most of the local Mexican restaurants fall - a lot of B- to C+ places here in town (tho, I want to try more of the Central and South American places on the near West side). And, when it comes to Broad Ripple restaurants, I feel like because of the location, the energy, the alcohol, the group you are with, etc., that many get rated much higher than the food merits. Or, maybe more accurately, many restaurants there achieve much greater success than the food merits on its own.

Both of these ideas fit how I feel about La Piedad (the website I found does not have an active site). Can you get decent Mexican food there? Yes. Do you have a good time? Yes, especially, when it is nice and you sit on the patio. To me, this is a well-established place that serves consistently decent food, and at a good value (the fajitas are a really big portion for one person).

Typically, I wouldn't even feel like doing a review because it so completely falls into the middle of my food rating bell curve. But, I mention a new item that surprised me on a recent lunchtime visit (this heat currently almost makes one pick to be inside rather than on the patio!). I decided to try the huevos rancheros with chorizo. The eggs came with small bits of chorizo crumbled into the scramble, and it was pretty tasty. It gave me a salsa and tortilla fix, and didn't seem too heavy for a return to work.

The verdict (not on a curve): 2.5 belly rubs (out of 5). Decent, consistent food with good value.

The verdict ("Saturday afternoon, arriving with friends after pleasurable bike ride on Monon trail" curve): 4 belly rubs (out of 5)

If you include alcohol.... I suppose this place could peak up near the epic 5 belly rub level.....

Squealers

Since starting this blog, it has really been obvious to me how my old, yet untested idea of a cheap lunch is really hard to find. Maybe I need to contact Leonard Nimoy and see if he wants to partner on a cooking reality show - In Search of: The $5 lunch.

(by the way, I used to love the In Search Of series.... especially with the synthesizer-based theme song)

Well, from my experience, it is really hard to find. Our work team recently went to Rock Bottom Brewery two times at lunch for group events, and... my goodness, they really don't seem to even have a lunch menu there. I wanted to eat lean before a big bike ride, so to have some salmon, I ended up with a $18 lunch. Not good for the wallet. Luckily, I do bring my lunch to work 2-3x a week, and the PBJ on Brownberry bread is a bargain, friends.....

Anyhow, for some decent barbecue, you can find a nice, cheap lunchtime meal at the either Squealers location.

First off, I like Squealers barbecue. I think the pulled pork and the brisket are both consistent and of above average quality. The sauces (two: sweet or hot) are both good, though I'd be happy with a bit more heat in the hot. Best of all, Monday through Friday, you can find some great deals from their lunch specials. Most days, you can get a sandwich and chips from the specials menu for $4.99. Get water, and you've got a bargain. Sure, as a restaurant with table service, you should leave the server a tip, but it is overall a good value. I usually get the beans with a sandwich, which ends up taking you to about $6, but... I really enjoy the beans, which have some meat scraps thrown in.

I like Pita Pit fine, and I keep hammering on this point, but their combo (pita, chips, and a drink) is over $9, and if you want hummus you'll crest $10. The special at Squealers, even with soda and a tip can keep you at about the same level, and it is a local "chain" (two locations) if that matters to you.

The verdict: 4 belly rubs (out of 5). Good 'cue, better value.

Product Review: Swedish Sweets

When we were over at the Ikea in Cinci two weekends ago, I had to pick up some new chocolate bars (note, as a Canadian, the Better Half calls them "chocolate bars", but I grew up calling them "candy bars"... these are some of the very small differences I find interesting aboot speaking "American" v. "Canadian").

I've been lucky enough to travel quite a bit internationally, and this is one of my favorite things to do - sample and see what they do in various parts with local chocolate bars. Once my path intersected with the Better-Half-to-be, she mentioned how she felt the Canadian Kit Kat tasted better/different than the American one. And, later, I believe at a time that coincided with the Irish Fest in Indy (coming in September), I read about differences between US and UK chocolate bars... so, I picked up some UK chocolates at the Irish Fest, such as the Curly Wurly! Anyhow, this has dovetailed nicely with my interest in new food products, so I am often picking up new chocolate bars.

So, upon checking out of Ikea, I picked up the two new bars. The Daim bar is a lot like a Heath or Skor bar. But, instead of the toffee, it is more of a caramel flavor. Or, as the Wiki page puts it - a butter almond bar. I liked it, but... I prefer a Heath. The Mint Choko was basically mint flavored Rolo, and I really enjoyed it.

If you find any of this interesting, check out the Kit Kat wiki page - check out the huge list! It really is amazing how much variation they have with this bar across the world. Or, check out this article from Ad Age about the Kit Kat varieties in Japan. And, if you have any interest in chocolate bars from the UK, this review site looks like a very comprehensive and devoted site.

More on some Canadian products later this week. But, look at what I picked up for my shelf at work.... aren't these McFarlane products cool? This is an essential item for a Purdue fan!

Incredibly cool

Check out these cool covers for your iPhone.....

[hat tip: Serious Eats]

Taco Bell Cantina Tacos

Taco Bell has jumped on the wave of offering street tacos. Seems like a pretty early adopter rate for a big chain to get in on a food trend. So, on a quick grab from the office, I tried two of them today.

The new Cantina Tacos look right.

As you can see, Taco Bell's marketing staff has allowed the Cantina Tacos to be served in a simple square of aluminum foil. And, really, that's kind of an amazing thing, that they don't have the logo on the foil. The tacos are served on two corn tortillas, and each one comes with its own small wedge of lime. Looking right doesn't necessarily mean it tastes great, though. I am a fan of Taco Bell, and I applaud them in being one of the few places I can easily go and get a lunch for less than $5 (hey, I like the bean burrito). The Cantina Tacos are .... okay. The steak and carnitas were both okay, in line with the food at the Bell. I didn't put on any sauce, which would have helped. Something crunchy would also have been really nice. One taco is $1.75, and you can get 3 for less than $5. So, really, they're very much in line with the price you pay at West Coast Tacos, but.... not nearly as tasty.

I'd be really surprised if the Cantina Tacos are really popular. For one thing, I think that most folks aren't used to street tacos and would prefer flour over the corn tortillas. Anyhow, not a bad effort....

The verdict: 1.5 belly rubs (out of 5). Looks right.....

More Food Truck Madness

From American Public Media, last Friday's episode of Marketplace (6:30 p.m. weekdays on local NPR station 90.1) featured a story about food trucks in L.A., with a great photo gallery accompanying the story. They include a photo of a food truck from Indy - the Crazy Cactus Canteen. Does anyone know anything about this local food truck? The page lists a website, but there is no active page.

It's back: Devour Downtown

This has been going on twice a year for several years.... it is this 2 week push to promote downtown restaurants - Devour Downtown. You can go here to check out the participating restaurants for the Summer of 2010.

This is a good chance to get a fairly big, usually 3-course meal from some of the nicer local and premium chains downtown. For a view of the city, the Skyline Club just cannot be beat. And, it is typically only open to the general public for Devour Downtown. When we went to Palomino during one of the Winter Devour Downtown's, I was amazed at the portion sizes, they didn't seem reduced at all. I will say, though, that the time we tried Dunaways, the appetizers seemed especially small. If you don't want to spend $46.50 per person to try Fogo de Chao, it looks like you can get try their roasted meat extravaganza for just $30 during Devour Downtown. One of my all-time favorites downtown is Santorini's Greek Kitchen in Fountain Square - the best fried eggplant by a kilometer!

It's been a really long time since I've been to Iaria's, an Indianapolis icon. And, two eating for $30, featuring samplers of their entrees? That's basically Olive Garden prices....

Get out and support our downtown restaurants!

All Hail the Batali!

You know what this is? Well, besides a weak photographic effort, it is one the best sandwiches you can find in Indianapolis. It is the Batali sandwich from Goose the Market.

It is just a great coalescing of flavors in this sandwich. And, I can personally testify it is NOT something you should try to eat while driving. But, since it comes toasted, it was sitting there, taunting me with its lusciousness, so.... I gave in.... and, I returned to the office with a stain on my shirt - guilty of gluttony.

I can't say anything new about Goose that you shouldn't already know. But, it is a neat shop. We don't have the funds to shop from here all the time, but there are some especially fantastic items in the cured meats case. And that bacon.... boys oh boys.... The Better Half signed us up for 3 months of Goose's Bacon of the Month club, and I so looked forward to each month's selection. We also got a special gift upon joining of some bacon brittle, and that is something that should sell all the time! Butter and Bacon! Yum! The only downside to the club was that the t-shirt wasn't humorous or ironic. Oh well, a minor complaint.

SweeTies

When we stopped in at Greek's Pizzeria the other day, we also decided to look in at this new-ish shop in Broad Ripple, SweeTies. The SweeTies location has a lot of space. I'd say it is even cavernous for the amount of goods they have offered for sale. They sell (surprise) cupcakes, ice cream (not of their own making), truffles, etc. They have a few private rooms, so I guess if the fellas want to do some fondue before the big game, now they know where to go.

Interestingly enough, when getting ready to write this review, it coincided with an interesting posting on Serious Eats asking feedback (a poll) on whether or not people care about cupcakes.

Now, sure, I think most have caught on that this is a trend that took off from the Sex and the City show. It did seem to take a while to hit Indy, as I remember almost 6 years ago going by the first cupcake shop I'd seen in Toronto with the Better Half. In fact, when she first move here, the Better Half (who makes wedding cakes for friends) toyed with the idea of trying to start a cupcake shop, but both of us are fairly risk averse.

Anyhow, you have to register to vote, see the results, or post a comment to the Serious Eats poll. I can easily get annoyed by some food trends (number one enemy of mine - those who label themselves "foodies"), but when it comes to cupcakes, I have to say... I like 'em. The comments on that poll are insightful, but ultimately, I like cake, I like frosting (especially cream cheese frosting) so.... I like cupcakes. I don't usually want to invest in a whole cake if we're out, so spending $3 or so for an indulgence makes a lot of sense to me. Also, kids always love cupcakes.

We picked up three different flavors of cupcakes from SweeTies - chocolate-peanut butter, sweet potato and strawberry-lemonade. They were all pretty good. The sweet potato had a bit too "perfumey" of a taste for me, but... the real revelation was the strawberry-lemonade. I wasn't expecting much, but it was a nice mix of tartness and a fruity punch. I don't think I'd want to eat this often.... and, the cupcake reminded me of kool-aid... it also reminded me of this from Voodoo Doughnut... but it was a tasty, pleasant surprise.

How does it stack up to other local cupcakes? Well, I'm still partial to the goods sold at The Flying Cupcake (Red Velvet Elvis). Not only do I prefer the taste, but you get a definite jump in size at The Flying Cupcake. I've tried Holy Cow Cupcakes in Carmel, too, but other than the novelty of their maple bacon cupcake, I think they're inferior to Flying Cupcake. And, while I find it quaint that Maxine's Chicken and Waffles is attached to a gas station, I somehow don't feel the same way about a cupcake shop.

The verdict on SweeTies cupcakes: 3 belly rubs (out of 5) - tasty, trendy, doubt the trend can last.

Post Script: I don't know much about the Sex and the City show, so I looked up some info about the cupcake tie to the show. Apparently, they featured the Magnolia Bakery one time, and this little clip apparently started this trend (I could well be wrong, my research has been severely brief and limited).