Disappointing Dinner

Sunday night I prepared for the week with a big crock pot full of chili and a bunch of hamburgers grilled and frozen for quick and easy use. We were set! Well, until the beef recall hit. After i checked packages and dates it was discovered that the beef we used was indeed on the e coli recall list. SHIT! Everything had to go because I just don't like kidney damage and death. I'm kind of funny that way. As it happens we were out and about tonight and decided to give a new restaurant. Danny's Whole Hog proved to be a disappointment.
Tonight we went out for dinner as a family to a locally owned, newly opened restaurant and left severely disappointed. I hate it when that happens. The Boy was happy with his burger but my beef dip and Hubby's corned beef left so much to be desired. I even pointed out the problems with the meal and was given what seemed to be rehearsed excuse about being newly opened, still working on the menu, and looking for comments blah, blah, blah...... No apologies or attempts to fix the problem here.
The beef dip was said to be a house made brisket. This brisket had no flavor, a stringy texture, and probably more chewy fatty pieces than anyone should serve. Ever. In all honesty, the garlic toasted bun was the best part of the sandwich.
The corned beef was touted as house made and seemed to not only be the same shitty cut as the brisket but seriously lacked flavor as well. The fries were really the only things that seemed to be a winner here, but that's no reason to go back now is it?
The service we received was good and the food arrived quickly but this happens in a mostly empty restaurant. While we chatted about our disappointing dinner experience we realized that there were warning signs even before we ordered. For instance, when I walk into a BBQ joint, I should be smacked in the face with the aromas associated with BBQ! That should have been our first hint that things were amiss! The lack of customers should have been our second hint. I think our true disappointment came from the fact that we have eaten the food from this company at catered events before and it was quite good. If you are going to work so hard to build a reputation on a BBQ business then don't rush into a hastily put together restaurant venture. Take the to make the space yours. The previous restaurant's decor is still prevalent and just doesn't speak BBQ. As it were, I have no desire to return.

FYI: we are toying with grinding our own ground beef and have learned our lesson about going to the big chain store for such a product. Stupid thing is, Hubby even suggesting grinding our own but were low on time (and energy)so weren't with the store shit. Stupid stupid stupid!!!!!!!

Sorry about this disappointing review but I felt you should know.


To cheer us up, here's a picture of the fabulous tomatoes we got from put CSA this week!
Until next time, stay warm and eat well.

Not So Chilly Chili Cheese Fries

Well my friends, this will most likely be my last post....for a couple of weeks anyway.  Today I spent most of my day at a local theatre to start rehearsals for our school's production of Back to the 80s!!! We will be practicing all week long for our show's run so I am pretty darn sure I won't be having much time (or energy) for blogging.

So sad I know.  I figured I should get a post in today before I get too tired.  Last night using my new spices from Penzey's Spices I brewed up a large pot o' spicy chili!  Yum!!  Why not bake up a batch of seasoned french fries so I can have some chili cheese fries!!!

For Chili Cheese Fries you will need:

• 3 russet potatoes, scrubbed
• seasoning salt (I used Hy's Seasoning salt)
• olive oil
• your favourite chili, already made...spicy is nice! (Or try this one)
• shredded cheese of our choice (today I had sharp cheddar and mozzarella so I used that)
• green onions, chopped
• sour cream

Pre heat the oven to 400 F and scrub the potatoes and cut into fairly even fries.  Drizzle with a couple tbsp olive oil and stir to coat.  Shake on some seasoning salt.

Bake for 25 minutes, flip with your favourite flipper.

Vader loves chili cheese fries!!

Heat up your chili and shred your cheese!

 
Bake for another 20 minutes or until desired about of crispiness is achieved.  You can also use the broil element at the end to crisp up our fries.
 
Plate up you cheese chili fries....fries, chili, cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of green onions....that's it....yum!!

Let me tell you, these hit the spot after a long day of rehearsals!! Spicy, cheesy, baked potato goodnes all on one plate!!

Until next time, stay warm and eat well!