Alphabet List #1: Favorite foods that begin the letter A

Haven't had much food that has been worth a review lately so I thought I would take an idea from my sister which she got from a friend.  I will now every once in a while post a list of some of my  favorite foods for every letter of the alphabet.  Tonight we obviously star with the letter A.

1. Asparagus:  One of my favorite vegetables.  Taste best when simply sauteed in a pan with butter, salt, pepper, and a little bit of garlic.  Hate it when it is overcooked and soggy.  Should be cooked to where it has a nice crisp when bitten into

2. Alfredo: Definitely a top five pasta dish for me here.  Whether it be chicken, seafood, or broccoli,  I can't get enough if it when It is part of my dining for that meal.  It is heavy so I prefer to go lighter with amount of sauce I put on the noodles.  From tv dinners, to olive garden, to my father's, to a lobster Alfredo I had in Atlantic City when I was 12, I love this dish no matter how it's prepared.

  3. Applesauce:  Yes I know this is very simple and may even be childish but Applesauce is one of those foods that just makes me feel good when I eat.  I prefer it served warm with a just a dash of cinnamon.  It compliments breaded pork chops very well.  Try even dipping the pork in the applesauce, it is scrumptious.

 4. Alexion's: This is one of my  restaurant's rather than foods.  My best friend Tim's dad Tom Yaksick has owned and operated this bar and grill since 1980.  Everything is great from the pizza to the wings but this is by far  a sandwich place.  From the Kielbasa special on Wednesdays to Fish on Fridays, to your every day favorites like the steak wedgie, breakfast sandwich, Reuben,  buffalo chicken , Italian delight, and the Pittsburgh Steak( from you who aren't from the western pa area that is Grilled Jumbo AKA Bologna).  I have been eating here since I was a freshmen in high school.  It has provided great times with friends and of course delicious food.     

  

    There you have it my favorite food A's.   I'm out for now.


Best Eats to You,
    
            Ian                                                        

Review #6: Chili from the Central Dining Room

        Hello all.  I am sorry for the layoff.  I am probably only going to be able to do one or two of these blogs due to a busy college schedule.  Today's blog will be short, sweet, and will be a about one of my favorite comfort foods, chili.  Today for lunch and dinner at the Central Dining Room (CDR) I indulged in their thick and zesty chili from the soup station.  The soup station, as I mentioned in my first blog, typically has good selections.  Today was no different.  The chili, though basic, was thick as it was described with a lot of ground meat.   The kidney beans were cooked to a nice softness and it contained your usual chunks of tomato, celery, and onion in it.  It was not zesty/spicy enough for my liking.  I tend to like a hotter tasting chili but this was solved by adding a healthy amount of crushed red pepper flakes.  A dash of cheddar cheese and some crackers made this dish perfect for the cold and baron atmosphere that awaited me outside.  Way to hit the spot CDR with bowl of solid B chili. I'm out for now.

Best Eats to You,


      Ian

Blog Five: Pepsi Cola > Coca-Cola

         Hello to all of you once again.  Tonight I am writing my first blog/review that has to do with the world of drink.  I think I can guarantee that this blog post will the most responses to it yet.  Most of you will probably tell me how coke is better and more popular throughout the world.  This may be true, but this blog is just my own opinion and it is your right not to agree with it.  So here we go.  He are the reasons why I think Pepsi is the superior cola.

Overall Taste: Pepsi has an overall better taste that Coke.  It does not taste as sweet and does not leave a sugary like film on your teeth that I have experienced more than once with Coke. You taste too much of the syrup when drinking Coke.  Coke can also leave a weird after taste sometimes.  Pepsi starts clean and crisp and ends the same way, as you drink it. 

Ice Cream Floats: I am a big fan of this popular desert and I have to say that a Pepsi float is better than a Coke float.  In an ice cream float one should want to have equal parts of taste when consuming the desert.  I feel that in a Coke float the ice cream tends to overwhelm the flavor of the Coke and you end up with a sugary mess.  On the other hand , in a Pepsi float both ice cream and cola work hand in hand together.  You still get a nice ice cream taste while still tasting the boldness of the Pepsi flavor.

Diet Drink Taste:  Although I do not consume either brand's diet cola's often I am going to have break the hearts of every sorority girl in America and go with Diet Pepsi here.  Diet coke is just too bland to me and taste nothing like regular Coca-Cola.  Diet Pepsi doesn't taste completely like Pepsi but it has more brisk Pepsi taste that Diet Coke has a Coke taste.


She got the way to move me, Cherry: My sister is not going to like me for this one.  Wild Cherry Pepsi reigns supreme in the category of cherry flavored colas over Cherry Coke.  The deciding factor for me here is similar to why Diet Pepsi is better.  Cherry Coke is good don't get me wrong but once again there is just not enough original Coke taste in the drink for me.  Cherry Coke is its own drink and to me has nothing to do with Coke because it does not taste like it.Wild Cherry Pepsi on the other hand taste likes Pepsi with splash of cherry flavor working in the background.

Fizz/Carbonation:  Both Colas have a considerable amount of fizz/carbonation but when it comes to the bubbles Pepsi takes the cake.  It simply has more and I feel it holds it s carbonation longer.  Coke will get flat quicker so If you are considering two liters, definitely shoot for Pepsi Colas.

I could go on about this topic for much longer but I think I have ranted enough.  I do leave you with this ad from the 1990s. Remember Coke had to give the OK to Pepsi to use its Cola in this commercial.  People will say this is just Coke not caring because they know their product is better.  To me Coke is clearly admitting defeat by letting Pepsi use their product in their ad.
Pepsi vs. Coke

I'm out for now.

Best Eats and Drinks to You All,

      Ian

Review 4: CDR Chicken and dumplings.

              Hello followers!  Sorry for the three day layoff but I won't be doing much blogging over weekends.  Lets get to today's dish.  Today for dinner at Wittenberg's CDR was chicken and dumplings served with York golden mashed potatoes and balsamic brussel sprouts.  The first mistake that was made was the fact that dumplings were paired mashed potatoes.  It is common culinary knowledge that you never have more than one starch with a dish.  To top it off the potatoes were not mashed nearly enough.  I hate lumpy mashed potatoes!  The flavor was decent but it just couldn't make up for poor texture and mouth feel of the side.  The main entre of chicken and dumplings was nothing more than instant gravy mixed with some carrots, onions, peas and what appeared to be and tasted like the scraps of chicken previously used.  That mixed with  dumplings that were way to bland and chewy made for just very bland dish flavor wise.  The worst part of this dish was clearly the balsamic brussel sprouts.  They were raw!  They were not cooked one bit. My fork would hardly go into them.  They were bitter and hard, the balsamic vinegar, which is typically a flavorful vinegar could even be tasted.  The only highlight of the my meal tonight was that the CDR had frosted flakes for the first time in months.  Besides that I give you folks at the Central Dining Room tonight a C- and that is being nice considered you served me the worst brussel sprouts I have ever dined upon.  I'm out for now.

Best Eats To You,
 
       Ian

Review Numero Tres: The Wittenburger

 Hello All,

          In my first blog I talked about the CDR (Central Dining Room) here at Wittenberg and it usually does not have the best choices and flavor.  Tonight I took my appetite to Post 95.  Post 95 is a small cafe style place right below the Central Dining Room that offers all sorts of coffees, snacks, and smoothies.  They also have three stations where you can buy meals. They are the wrap station, grill, and some kind of panini/salad station Problem here is you have to pay for them, your meal plan swipes do not apply at Post.  The good thing for me though is since I own a meal plan the University automatically gives me 100 points of "Witt Gold" to use each semester.  This is supposed to last the whole semester but between eating at the grill and snacks it lasts me about two months.  Now lets get to the cuisine.  The Wittenburger is by far the best Wittenberg has to offer in the food department.  It is 1/4 pound ground beef  burger patty served with lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese, bacon, Post's homemade onion straws, and barbecue sauce.  It is an explosion of flavor in your mouth.  The burger is plump and juicy and the bacon is cooked to where its not all crunch, but rather is crispy on the edges.  The cheddar cheese is melted on top of the burger to a gooey perfection.  When you bite into strands of cheese try to hang on to the burger as you pull away.  This is always a good sign.  The lettuce is typical, crisp and clean, the way it should be.  The only two parts of tonight's burger that could be improved are just based on my personal preference.  I like spicier bbq sauce, the sauce Post uses is just a little too sweet but it still tastes good.  The last improvement/complaint is the tomato.  I love tomato on my burger but I should not have gotten it tonight.  January is obviously not the best of times to eat tomatoes but I gave it a shot it anyway.  Tomatoes in the winter time just have a more bitter taste to me and I learned tonight that tomatoes are best eaten in the summer months.  Besides that I will always give the Wittenberger an A.  It never gets worse every time I get it, sometimes it is even better.  I'm out until next time.


Best of Eats To You All,


    Ian

Second Review: Dominos Pizza

Hello there all,

        Today I'm reviewing Dominos Pizza. I had a a medium sausage pizza for lunch. I can say I can't remember having Domino's until I arrived here at Wittenberg University.  I'm sure you have all seen those commercials that has domino's bragging about their new taste and techniques.  Let me tell  you the change they have made is of great proportions.  They put these changes in effect starting January 2010.  I ate domino's a lot before this time because there is one literally a block from campus and they have good student discounts.  Dominos prior to their change of 2010 was very way below par.  The sauce was too sweet, the crust like cardboard, and the cheese and toppings were overcooked many times I indulged in eating it.  Today the changes are very apparent.  The sauce is stiller of sweeter taste but not so much where it overwhelms everything else on the pizza.  The crust is by far the best part of the new Dominos.  It has nice crunch  on the outside by very soft and flaky on the inside.  To top it off the crust is brushed with garlic butter and seasonings, setting it aside from other chain pizza franchises.  The cheese is melted just right to where its not too gooey but not undercooked.  The sausage on today's pizza was your typical sausage you get on a chain pizza but still added a nice kick of flavor. I wish they put a little more on, but no need to be picky.  Obviously Dominos doesn't compare to your neighborhood/city family run pizza joints but for being a large chain they make a quality product, definitely better than most chains especially that cardboard with topping papa johns.  
I'm out till next time.

Best Eats to You,

Ian

First Blog Ever: Dinner from Wittenberg's CDR (Central Dining Room).

I am new at this so forgive me if it is now up to par with typical blog standards.

        Wittenberg University is a small campus consisting of roughly 2,000 students therefore only has one main cafeteria where a student's meal plan works.  It is all you can eat, so for a football player that is a plus.  I just wish the food here had more variety and well, more flavor.  It has your basic cafeteria essentials.  Burgers at the grill, pizza, soup of the day, a sub par sandwich station, vegetarian specials (for the weirdos of the food society), and hot specials that change everyday, typically these are bad.  Tonight though, the CDR caught off guard with something that was unusual to see but ended up be quite delectable.  After having a usual cold and crappy chicken paddy with mayonaise, lettuce, and pickle I was in search of something else to fulfill my appetite.  Lines were long and none of the food looked worth waiting.  I sucked it up and tried my shot at the soup tonight. Two choices were given to me.  Vegetarian Minestrone ,that looked something like throw up from a Saturday night here on campus, or Seafood Gumbo with brown rice.  I thought "what the hell" and gave the gumbo a chance.  It had a strong fishy smell to it but nothing that so overpowering I would pass on the dish. I have only ate gumbo maybe two or three times before this so I'm not experienced in world of Creole cuisine but let me tell you the CDR didn't do a bad job on this one.  The dish had a nice taste to it.  A little bland but that was fixed with some salt and paper.  Spicy but not too much.  Sometimes spices can overpower a dish and you don't get the full flavor of the main ingredients, in this case the shrimp and the sausage.  The shrimp was small, as expected from a school cafeteria with a budget, but still had a bold flavor.  The sausage was cooked just enough to where the skin snapped when you bit into it. One complaint about this dish: the okra was way too soggy, this may be do the fact that it was on a hot plate and still cooking, but I think okra should be little crisper than what it was tonight.  Tonight CDR you earned a B.  Good grade but why don't you shoot for the A next time (doubt that will happen). Well I'm out for now.

Best Eats To You All,
   Ian McNeill