At Paschal’s, I threw down on some fried chicken, mac-n-cheese, collards greens, + cornbread.

After I savored my last bite, I checked my Twitter to see that Taylor from Mac & Cheese shot me a strong recommendation to try One Flew South, the other suggestion on the F&W guide. Then there was Taylor’s follow-up: Do not miss anything “Benton’s” on the menu – bacon or ham – if you do pork. Oh, I do pork and I def have to do pork recommended by someone who’s been a vegetarian for over 20 years. I hopped on the tram and headed to Terminal E – proud in my Phillies shirt on a quest for bacon.

Sweet jesus… a beautiful, fine dining restaurant serving sushi and southern fusion… in an airport. While I waited for my Benton’s selection to arrive, I sipped on a serious, perfectly-made Vesper. Thank you, bartender who’s name I forget who has a dad who lives in Philly!

And then my glorious plate arrived… crisp frisee tossed w. a pink peppercorn vinaigrette flanked by Benton’s bacon + Sweet Grass Dairy goat cheese topped w. basil poached pears. It was so fresh with truly beautiful flavor combinations and damn near the best bacon I’ve ever had.

Did I mention I was in an airport?

And what could make a delicious corn chowder even better… crawfish!
Cornfed agreed.

I did a bit of corn kernel removal, but mostly harassed Sunshine w. my camera.

Some of the tiniest, cutest potatoes I ever did see!

Kelly (wo)manned the grill like a champ.
I can handle a gas grill, but she was definitely a pro when it came to charcoal.

BBQ Chicken + Kielbasa right off the grill – a perfect accompaniment to the chowder.

Crawfish + Summer Corn Chowder topped w. bacon + a whole lotta love!

Bacon on my Breville panini press.
Fat just slides away… for me to save and cook w. later!

iPhone friends | Follow me on Instagram | SincereFoodLove

Filed under: Instafood Tagged: bacon, eggs, Instagram, photography, photos, pics, picture, sriracha ]]> http://nolovemoresincere.com/2011/04/16/instafood-bacon-eggs/feed/ 0 nolovemoresincere Sriracha Eggs Bacon http://nolovemoresincere.com/2010/06/13/to-taste-flavored-finishing-salts/ http://nolovemoresincere.com/2010/06/13/to-taste-flavored-finishing-salts/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 02:32:40 +0000 Erin L. http://nolovemoresincere.com/?p=798 Keep reading →]]> Sunshine turned me on to this awesome how-to video on how easy and rewarding it is to make flavored finishing salts. Eric Gower, the handsome personality behind Breakaway Cook, introduces diverse suggestions for ingredients to flavor moist sel gris. I’m beyond envious of his spice shelf and could watch his videos over and over and over.

Creative Use of Salts from Eric Gower on Vimeo.

Sunshine suggested and I agreed that this was a great inspiration for a crafty foodie collaboration! She had also found some mini jam jars that would be perfect vessels to store our new seasonings. We chose an afternoon during my week of leisure between jobs and got to planning our approach.

In the video, Eric Gower makes 4 different salts with lavender, matcha, smoked paprika, & saffron. We couldn’t get our hands on any of those ingredients, so we thought of great flavorings of our own. Sunshine finally located the sel gris at Trader Joe’s that is suggested as the base for our blends and we prepared our ingredients for blending. We heated the oven to about 275degrees and started drying our lime wheels, herbs, mango, & bacon:

Lime Wheels, Bacon, Herbs, & Mango

While our fresh ingredients dried in the oven, we set up the food processing attachment to the Cuisinart stick blender Dre got me for VDay. Quickest way to my heart is through a kitchen gadget! First up was some crystallized ginger we located on a last minute trip to the Asia mart. We ground it and added in about 2 T of the sel gris. A few more seconds of blending and we had so simply made our premier flavored salt.

Crystallized Ginger Salt

Luckily, we saved some fresh mango slices to sample the salt on. It was a perfect pairing!

Crystallized Ginger Salt on Mango

We still had some time to kill while our items dried in the oven. Sunshine found some really fun Victorian-inspired banner designs that we printed out as labels for our jars. We cut and arranged them on the lids with pencil-written names. One already filled and four more to go!

Labeled Salt Jars

The fresh herbs were first to be fully dried so we ground up the basil, thyme, oregano, & parsley. The result looked like a bowl of emerald-speckled diamonds and tasted amazing on fresh tomato slices.

Herb Salt

We whirled up our lime batch next, but I somehow missed getting a decent pic of it. Once the mango was crispy, we added it to two separate batches: one with just mango and another with the addition of bacon for a sweet & smokey approach. Both looked and tasted beautiful.

Mango Salt

Bacon Mango Salt

By this point in the afternoon, we’d downed quite a few Absolut Boston (elderflower & black tea vodka) and Arizona Lemonade cocktails. We moved the party to the patio to snack and focus on sampling all of our salts. I pan-fried chicken breast and sliced some more tomato as simple hosts for the variety of salty tastes.

Flavored Salt Sampling

They were all amazing but our stand-out favorite was definitely the crystallized ginger. We finished up our meal with sliced fresh strawberries… with salts, of course! I’m sure our cholesterol levels were staggering by the end of the day.

Strawberry w. Mango Salt

Even the Baby Kitty joined us for a great afternoon on the patio. She loves to stalk flies from the edge of the garden.

Baby kitty stalking flies

I’m so glad Sunshine stumbled upon this project as it is one of my favorites to date. We have alot of fun ideas on using our salts, so keep an eye out for exciting updates.

Flavored Finishing Salts

Check out Sunshine’s blog post on our crafty flavored finishing salts project on Blog Full of Jelly!

Filed under: To Taste ~ Recipe Tagged: bacon, basil, Blog Full of Jelly, breakaway, breakaway cook, chef, chicken, chicken breast, cook, cooking, craft, crystallized, eric gower, finishing salt, flavored, flavored salts, ginger, grey salt, healthy, herbs, jar, label, lime, mango, oregano, parsley, recipes, salt, salts, sel gris, strawberries, strawberry, Sunshine, thyme, tomato, tomatoes, Vimeo ]]> http://nolovemoresincere.com/2010/06/13/to-taste-flavored-finishing-salts/feed/ 3 nolovemoresincere Lime Wheels, Bacon, Herbs, & Mango Crystallized Ginger Salt Crystallized Ginger Salt on Mango Labeled Salt Jars Herb Salt Mango Salt Bacon Mango Salt Salt Sampling Strawberry & Mango Salt Baby kitty stalking flies Side view of Salts http://nolovemoresincere.com/2010/05/25/spring-patio-brunch/ http://nolovemoresincere.com/2010/05/25/spring-patio-brunch/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 02:28:58 +0000 Erin L. http://nolovemoresincere.com/?p=754 Keep reading →]]> The last few weeks were a whirlwind as I finished up my last few weeks at my job. I was faced with Sunday as my only day off and was gonna make the best of my 50% of a weekend. Sunday morn, Tom popped over for brunch with champagne in hand. I was stoked to host him & Dre on my cleaned up patio. It was a perfect sunny day over orange raspberry-lemonade mimosas, buttery blueberry pancakes, bacon, & sriracha scrambled eggs with my favorite guys!

Buttery Blueberry Pancakes

L'eggo Tom's pancake!

Dre - picture of confidence in his Sunday whites

My Moufullobacon

Spring Patio Brunch

Filed under: Weekend Update Tagged: bacon, blueberry, breakfast, brunch, butter, buttermilk, champagne, eggs, maple syrup, mimosa, orange juice, pancake, pancakes, patio, Philadelphia, raspberry lemonade, scrambled eggs, Spring, sriracha, syrup ]]> http://nolovemoresincere.com/2010/05/25/spring-patio-brunch/feed/ 1 nolovemoresincere Buttery Blueberry Pancakes Tom & Pancakes Dre in Whites Erin & Bacon Sunday Patio Brunch http://nolovemoresincere.com/2010/04/25/michael-schulson-sampan-restaurant/ http://nolovemoresincere.com/2010/04/25/michael-schulson-sampan-restaurant/#comments Mon, 26 Apr 2010 02:10:16 +0000 Erin L. http://nolovemoresincere.com/?p=678 Keep reading →]]> I love date night! On a Friday in early March (bear with me, I’m a bit behind), Dre & I made plans for dinner at Sampan, the new hot spot I’ve been dying to try.  We walked into the bustling restaurant early for our 930pm reservation and sat at the bar for some cocktails. First on the drink list, and my choice, was the Blood Orange Martini w. Gin, Lillet, & Blood Orange. It a great balance of sweet & tart, but I was really jealous once I sampled Dre’s crisp Yuzu Sake Martini w. Gin, Elder Flower, & Lemon Grass. So far, so good!

Dre noticed that there was counter seating overlooking the energetic open kitchen. The hostess confirmed that a twosome was about to pay their bill and seats would be opening up. SCORE! What more could a foodie ask for than to watch the magic happen (under great lighting,too!). We got to know the cold line chefs, Matt & Onna, along the way and oggled the food porn they effortlessly executed. I’m always refreshed by a culinary team so dedicated to their craft.

Tuna w. Avocado, Puffed Rice, Flat Bread, & Spicy Sauce

Earlier in the week, I met Michael Schulson, the man behind Sampan, at a Philadelphia Weekly sponsored panel discussion on “Chefs, Bloggers, & the Blogosphere.” After the event, Chef Schulson graciously indulged my request for some personal menu recommendations. I definitely took his suggestions seriously! While we waited for each of our 7 carefully selected dishes to arrive, we sipped Sampan’s monster cocktail, the Scorpion Bowl – 64 ounces of rum, gin, white win, & fruit juice. It was really tasty, impressively strong, & lasted through the whole dinner. Our first dish, the Edamame Ravioli was light, tender, & perfectly enhanced with white truffle oil.

Sampan's Edamame Ravioli w. Truffle, Shoot, & Sake Broth

I always like to try different interpretations of the famous Philly Cheesesteak and we really enjoyed Chef Schulson’s version. The braised beef was rich & savory, accented with crispy shallots & Sriracha’s perfect heat.

Philly Cheese Steak w. Bao Bun, Shallot, & Sriracha

Next, a contrasting plate of cool freshness arrived. Chilled poached lobster nuggets laid under a simple pico of flavor-packed chopped tomatoes & garlic speckled with tender black beans for a perfect intermezzo between savory dishes.

Lobster w. Black Bean, Tomato, Garlic

I love bulgogi, so the Korean BBQ Beef Satay was a no brainer. Double-enforced skewers pierced tender ribbons of marinated medium-rare short rib topped with traditional kim che. They were a bit too pink for Dre’s liking, but that just meant more for me to savor.

Korean BBQ Beef Satay w. Short Rib, Bulgogi, Kim Che

The following dish may have be my favorite & the most interesting. I was excited to see the flavor combination & presentation of hiramasa, a sustainable substitution for yellowtail, bacon, arugula, & a pear kim che. The menu may tell you what you’re getting, but in most instances not how you’d expect to get it. From the deconstructed spicy tuna (see the photo above of Ona preparing this dish) to the current plate in front of us, Sampan’s surprises always seem to please. I really loved this dish. Beyond the interesting plating, the flavor blend was spectacular. I took the time to include a morsel of each element on my fork for each bite. The clean hiramasa fillets, painted with a peppery arugula puree, were a flawless palate for smokey bacon and sweet & spicy pear kim che. The portion was impressive and I still could have eaten another plate!

Hiramasa w. Bacon, Arugula, Pear Kim Chi

Another interesting take on a traditional dish was Sampan’s Peking Duck. The tender duck meat was pulled & served with foam in a small glass jar. The accompaniments included julienne cucumber, shaved scallion, & tamarind pancakes to build your own Peking Duck soft taco.

"Peking" Duck w. Tamarind Pancake, Scallion, Cucumber

Our final dish was a last minute decision and a menu item I’d been eyeing since before we made reservations – the Wonton Taco. The wonton wrapper, crisped in the deep fryer into a perfect hard taco shell, was stuffed with spicy succulent rock shrimp balanced with blood orange & avocado. We were one of a few tables left & we scarfed them before I could snap a pic.

Sampan’s energy and delicious cuisine were a perfect setting for another amazing date night with Dre. I couldn’t imagine anyone else I’d want to “mmm & ahh” over an impressive dinner with!

Next trip to Sampan – bahn mi & homemade ice cream!

Vanilla Yogurt & Granola w. Blackberries

A classic BLT with Sriracha mayo was a perfect match to complete my brunch couple. And so the rainy day laundry & cleaning & bloggin begins…

BLT w. Sriracha Mayo

Sunny Fried Chicken Breakfast Wrap

Filed under: Leftover Lightning! Tagged: bacon, bell peppers, blog, breakfast, brunch, buritto, cheese, chicken, egg, eggs, food, fried chicken, Gruyere, leftover, onion, peppers, red peppers, scrambled eggs, wrap ]]> http://nolovemoresincere.com/2010/02/28/sunnyfried-chicken-breakfast-wrap/feed/ 0 nolovemoresincere Sunny Fried Chicken Breakfast Wrap http://nolovemoresincere.com/2010/02/22/bacon-egg-gruyere-cheese-toast-cups/ http://nolovemoresincere.com/2010/02/22/bacon-egg-gruyere-cheese-toast-cups/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:34:02 +0000 Erin L. http://nolovemoresincere.com/?p=597 Keep reading →]]> I’m the one who does a vast majority of the cooking, so I was excited to hear that Dre planned to make me breakfast AND dinner on Valentine’s Day. Sunday is the only day that we both have off (may it be school or work eating up our time), so my only Vday wish was to spend the day together. In the morn, I stayed in bed watching whatever crappy TV I wanted while Dre got to cooking. About an hour into his kitchen session, love was in the air! I smelled something delicious!

Trio of Breakfast Toast Cups

That delicious something was breakfast delivered in a perfect package of love. Dre presented me with a charming trio of whole wheat bread cups baked full of eggs, turkey bacon, & gruyere and perfectly seasoned with S&P. All that was leftover was a bed full of crumbs, but I loved every bite.

Breakfast Toast Cups w/ Creamy Yolk, Turkey Bacon, & Gruyère

I have an odd obsession with the process of butterflying a whole chicken, or spatchcocking it. I had my first adventure with it last summer for my grilled Chicken Under A Brick. It’s easier to slice & serve and makes sense if you aren’t planning to stuff it. Kayotic Kitchen’s marinade for the chicken was a beautiful crimson (in real life) and super tasty.

Marinating Chicken nestled in Raw Vegetables

I improvised the veggies and such with I had available including baby carrots, shallots, onions, Idaho spuds, green onion, smashed garlic cloves, fresh thyme, & turkey bacon to keep it straight poultry.

Fresh Thyme w/ Vegetables

The 7lb bird took about 2-2.5hrs to cook and had the house smelling delicious when Dre got home from work.

Rustic Roasted Chicken & Vegetables

I whipped up what were supposed to be fluffy cheddar biscuits to serve with the chicken. Instead, I got cheddar pancakes. What more could I expect from mix I picked up from Acme for $1. They were still tasty with some melted butter and reheated perfectly for a quick Leftover Lightning! (in the form of a yummy chicken sammie the next day!)

Cheddar Biscuits turned Pancakes

P.S. I highly suggest you click through to the Kayotic Kitchen blog. Kayleigh’s photos are beautiful and recipes are really amazing & easy to follow. I could only aspire to take ones that great. Her love for food is certainly sincere <3

Sarcone's Roll

I had some Roasted Tomato, Mushroom, & Smoked Mozzarella Chicken Breasts left over along with some cooked Bacon and extra Smoked Mozz. I sliced the roll, whipped up some Sriracha Mayo, and piled on the goods. And, oh, was it GOOD!

Smoked Mozz, Bacon, & Roasted Chicken Hoagie w/ Sriracha Mayo, Roasted Tomatoes, & Sauteed Mushrooms on a Sarcone's Roll

A tiny cabbage bloom on top of my Brussels sprout stalk.

I was pretty stoked when I came across full stalks of Brussels Sprouts! They were about 2.5 feet long with about 40 fresh tiny little cabbage heads. I appreciated their natural state and minimal packaging, plus, they’re in season! I think Brussels Sprouts  are delicious and am on a quest to erase the stigma they have.  If you’ve had them (or haven’t) and claim you don’t like them, it’s probably because they weren’t made with enough love. Many a friend can attest to me forcing my yummy Brussels Sprouts on them, and just as many will admit that they enjoyed them. I make sure to enhance my Brussels Sprouts with Worcestershire, Sauce Garlic, Shallots, Bacon, Sriracha, Fresh Ground Pepper, Chicken Stock & Love and sauté them to a tender caramelized finish.

Brussels Sprouts, sautéed & simmered

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

• Fresh Brussels Sprouts – about 20 or so
• Minced Garlic – (2) T
• Shallot – (1) bulb – peeled & minced
• Bacon – (2-3) pieces, cooked & crumbled
• Worcestershire Sauce – (1) tsp
• Sriracha – (1) tsp or a quick swirl
• Chicken Stock – (1) cup
• Olive Oil
• Fresh Ground Pepper – to taste

1. Rinse Brussels Sprouts, remove any browned out leaves, & cut in half lengthwise.
2. Heat pan on Med-Hi and coat with Olive Oil.
3. Add Garlic & Onion and cook about 4-5 min, until tender & aromatic
4. Add Brussels Sprouts to pan and sauté 10-15min, tossing regularly until caramelized
5. Add Bacon, Worcestershire, Sriracha, Pepper, & Chicken Stock. Sitr & bring to a boil.
6. Reduce to Med-Low. Simmer until liquid reduces to a minimal amount and sprouts are tender.
7. Tell me you don’t think they’re delicious!

Shredded Mozz, Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, & Velveeta

I put Dre in charge of finishing up the Mac & Cheese. He crumbled bacon and tossed it into the macaroni & melty cheese mixture. The jumbo macaroni were perfectly filled up with the bacon & gooey cheesiness. He gets half the credit on this cooking venture for that move!

Smokey Bacon Mac & Cheese

No Baked Mac & Cheese is complete without a crunchy crust and why not have it add to the cheesiness! Dre crushed up some Cheez-Its, tossed with melted butter, and sprinkled on top. It added a crunchy texture to the creamiest, yummiest Mac & Cheese I’ve ever tasted, if I do say so myself! And how cute is that casserole dish?!

Smokey Bacon Mac & Cheese w/ a Cheez-It crust

Smokey Bacon Mac & Cheese

adapted from Alton Brown’s Macaroni & Cheese Recipe

• Macaroni – (1) lb, cooked al dente
  • Farfalle, Orchiette, Spirals & Shells all work well, too
• Butter – (3) T + (2) T
• Flour – (3) T
• Milk – (3) cups
• Whole Grain Mustard – (1) T
• Paprika – (2) tsp
• Bay Leaf - (1)
• White Onion – (1/2) med onion, chopped
• Shredded Cheeses – (4) cups or more
  • I used (2) cups Mild Cheddar, (2) cups Mozzarella, & (1) cup of Smoked Gouda
• Velveeta - (8) oz, cubed
• Smoked Bacon – (4-5) slices, cooked & chopped (optional, I guess…)
• Cheez-Its – (1.5) cups, crushed
  • Next time, Goldfish!

1. Cook macaroni until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Melt (3) T of butter in a heavy pot on Med and add flour. Stir for about 5 min until it turns a light caramel brown, watching closely.
4. Add Milk, Mustard, Paprika, Bay Leaf, Onion, & S&P and stir. Bring to a simmer on Med for about 5 min. Remove Bay Leaf.
5. Immediately add the cheese mixture to the pasta in a large bowl or your stock pot and coat. The bacon crumbles can go in now, too.
6. Pour mixture into a large, greased baking dish or casserole.
7. Crush (1.5) cups of Cheez-Its in a sealed plastic baggie and then toss with (2) T melted Butter in a bowl. Sprinkle over Mac & Cheese.
8. Bake for about 30-40 min until bubbling. Remove and let it sit for (5) min before eating.

It was about time for Dre to meet the parents, so we planned a sunny Sunday afternoon to watch the Eagles game in Philly. We met at the Piazza at Schmidt’s, knowing Dad was interested in seeing the new hip spot in the city. Food and drink is an important part of family time so we snagged an outdoor table  at Swift Half with a perfect view of the Piazza’s jumbotron tv . After a round of beers and conversation, my sister Kerry joined us just in time to place our lunch order. Dre matched Kerry’s request of a B.E.L.T, stacked accordingly with an over-medium fried egg. I went with their Traditional Burger, served medium-rare with Applewood Smoked Bacon & Colston Bassett Stilton. Their fresh, shoestring cut Idaho fries paired with the sandwiches may now be in my top ranking in the city, just under Misconduct’s.

B.E.L.T. - Swift Half

Traditional Burger with Applewood Smoked Bacon & Colston Bassett Stilton

Dad doesn’t front when it comes to his love of Scrapple, retelling stories of making homemade batches at Penn State. Swift Half managed to serve it in a most appetizing way for a non-fan like me – battered, fried triangles paired with a Maple Ketchup & Potato Hash. Mary Ann, the biggest Eagles’ fan I know, went with an epitomous game day snack of Potato Skins with Applewood Bacon crumbles, Melted Cheddar, & an Herb-Mayo dipping sauce. We all shared the Fudge Board for dessert highlighting Bacon Fudge, Vanilla Fudge, & Pistachio Fudge.

Despite an embarrassing loss by the Eagles, it ended up being a fantastic Sunday afternoon relaxing, laughing, & eating with the most important people in my life.  We even enjoyed seconds with Swift Half’s tender and tasty Buffalo Shrimp, which were eaten too fast for me to snap a pic! And no lie, now less than 2 minutes to halftime and there goes DeSean Jackson with another touchdown. All these great memories of food, family, & football – I think I’m officially back in the game.

Scrapple, Potato Hash, & Maple Ketchup - Swift Half

Bacon & Cheese Potato Skins - Swift Half

Bacon Fudge, Vanilla Fudge, & Pistachio Fudge - Swift Half

Check out Swift Half’s Website and Twitter. Yum!

Labor Day BBQ

Labor Day BBQ:

Grilled Beef & Turkey Burgers – Topped w/ American, Triple Smoked Bacon, Ripe Plum Tomatoes, Romaine, Ketchup, Gulden’s, & Mayo

Balsamic Pasta Salad – 1lb of Mini Shells, Farm Fresh (non-waxed) Cucumbers, Yellow Peppers, Violet Hybrid Peppers, Ripe Plum Tomatoes, & Shredded Asiago – Dressing: 3T Balsamic (or any vinegar), 1T Olive Oil, S&P, Fresh & Dried Herbs, 1 tsp Hot Chili Garlic Sauce, 1 tsp Dijon Mustard

Grilled Sweet Corn on the Cob – Finished with Butter & Salt

Labor Day BBQ Feast

One item I’m sure to pick up on every visit is Triple Smoked Bacon. There’s really nothing that compares to the taste & freshness. I could smell the smokey essence the whole car ride back to Philly! Seeing that I stock up between visits, I usually cook a pound to eat fresh and freeze the rest. I wish I could find where I learned this trick, but when I search “bacon” in my history, far too many websites come up!

Triple Smoked Bacon - photo via Dre

To freeze bacon for easy access, I roll up each slice & place into an airtight storage container.  I prefer this approach as it’s more green versus separating slices with wax paper & using storage baggies. With this “roll & freeze”  method, you can easily pull out as many pieces as you’d like & they’re not stuck together.

Enjoy bacon & enjoy it often! It’s good for your soul.

Triple Smoked Bacon - Rolled for Freezing & Easy Access

Heart-shaped Banana Kona Chocolate Chip Pancakes (breath), Fresh Banana & Strawberries, Bacon, & OJ

Bacon Sunday wasn’t complete without another round of fried piggy greatness! The next best way to serve bacon besides straight-up at breakfast is the trusty BLT. I stuck to a pretty traditional setup of Bacon, Ripe Tomatoes, & Romaine on Country White Bread.

My man requested some Garlic-Herb Mayo to finish it off & I couldn’t let him down! The result was perfection on a new level!

Shallot-Garlic-Herb Mayo – Classic Hellman’s w/ minced Garlic & Shallots, sauteed in bacon fat (of course!), & chopped Parsley, Lemon-Thyme, & Thai Basil

BLT w/ Sauteed Garlic-Shallot & Fresh Herb Mayo on Country White Bread

Visit my Flickr Photostream for more pics of my Heart-Shaped Brunch & Garlic-Herb BLT!

PYT Cheeseburger - med-well w/ lettuce, tomato, onion, fried egg, bacon, & mayo on a potato roll

An unnamed dinner date didn’t believe in magic until he tried the $10 Chocolate, Vanilla, & Strawberry Shake (custom request) spiked with Maker’s Mark! I kept it simple with a $5 Chocolate Shake, classic from the rich taste to the cherry on top. The burgers arrived smaller than expected, but paired with kettle chips & a pickle spear ,the $6 price tag met the portion & quality. The flavorful patties were hugged by Martin’s Potato Rolls & topped with the standard melted cheddar, shredded romaine, tomato, & white onion. I upgraded my medium-rare with avocado & some amazing bacon while Dre opted for a med-well with fried egg & the same amazing bacon (worthy of the dbl mention) at $2 per topping. We finished each with a slather of mayo & dug in for enough delicious bites to leave you satisfied, but contemplating #2.

‘You want fries & onion rings with that shake?’ Well indeed, we do! Hand-cut fries & homemade onion rings to be exact, served in wax paper bags with a stainless steel ramekin of ketchup. The onion rings were perfect in taste & texture with a crisp, well-seasoned batter & a soft sweet onion finish. Not complaining, but rather extending my inner food snob, I’d love to see these paired with a spicy remoulade. Might as well request homemade pickles while I’m at it. Just sayin’…

Flavorwise, the hand-cut fries seasoned with cracked salt & fresh herbs were on point. I’d buy a jar of that season mix to shake on every future potato I encounter if I could. However, the texture & size (of the fries, not the portion) were a bit disappointing. I thought I may have gotten the bottom of the batch with the many mini fry-bits tucked in my wax paper bag, but I heard a comment from our neighboring diner with the same complaint. The smallest fries were to0 crisp & the few thick ones I would have preferred were too raw. I’m a condiment junkie, so I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t dip them in my ketchup. I do at least promise to give them another chance!

PYT, I shall return with enthusiasm – may it be a random night or a perfect Sundae afternoon!

His: Neopolitan spiked w/ Maker's Mark ~ Hers: Classic Chocolate

PYT Battered Onion Rings w/ ketchup

PYT Hand Cut Fries w/ ketchup

PYT Cheeseburger - med-rare w/ cheddar, lettuce, tomato, avocado, bacon, & mayo on a potato roll

P.S. @tommyup – The SquareBurger I had today was pretty much an uber-salty, glorified MickeyD’s burger! Though, can’t hate on that Cake Shake, oh man….