Octopus Overlords

Daehawk wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2024 9:40 am Cantina you say? Ill have to look into this.

I guess I might have to also. There was a $5 cantina box recently, but it wasn't available in my area. Taco Bell hasn't had anything in years that would float my boat like their 1990s fajita burrito.

Seems like its just some chicken offerings.

They have a Cantina taco, burrito, and quesadilla box. I believe all the boxes come with a side of nachos and some cheese sauce, and some quacamole sauce packets. They are just chicken, but they use the same spicy sauce that comes with the normal quesadilla. The chef's kiss, however, is that they melt/roast cheese on the *outside* of the taco/burrito/quesadilla. I don't know why but that outside cheese melt just made all the difference for me.

I had my annual lobster roll today. I count it as fast food because I got it at a deli counter. The traditional sandwich + fries + slaw pairing was only $24.98 there, vs. over $35 at a sit-down restaurant. You can see why I only treat myself once every summer. Usually I buy the lobster roll by itself for $15 at the farmers market's crab & lobster fest, but we missed that last year because we were house-hunting in the Berkshires, and this year we'll probably move before lobster fest.

Lobster rolls come in two varieties -- Maine style is cold and mixed lightly with mayo, while Connecticut style is served hot and slathered in butter. I've never actually encountered CT style in the wild. Around here ME style is the only way to go.

I've never had a lobster roll. I'd think I'd want the CT version. I don't think I've reach the level of having eaten lobster ten times in my life yet.

I watched a video that showed there was a Greek restaurant in Phnom Penh so I guess I could live in Cambodia. There was also a street vendor with a wood pizza oven trailered to his scooter.

em2nought wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2024 11:14 pm I've never had a lobster roll. I'd think I'd want the CT version. I don't think I've reach the level of having eaten lobster ten times in my life yet.

When my sister's kids were small I used to send their family live lobsters for xmas, so lobster day was a milestone they associated with the holiday. Then I went through a decade of not having enough money to do that anymore, the kids grew up, and the tradition turned into memory.

Now that they're adults with kids of their own, all living within a few miles of one another, I'm sending lobsters again. They love the new lobster holiday feast and I get to fulfill my xmas giving with one easy transaction. Everybody's happy.

The funny part is that they think we eat lobsters all the time. I eat one lobster roll every summer and Wife doesn't like lobster at all, but in their minds I'm the guy who makes it rain lobsters.

Kraken wrote:Lobster rolls come in two varieties -- Maine style is cold and mixed lightly with mayo, while Connecticut style is served hot and slathered in butter. I've never actually encountered CT style in the wild. Around here ME style is the only way to go.

This is a very polarizing issue in New England, but if you haven't had a CT-style hot lobster roll, I think you're seriously missing out. Maine style is better than nothing, but hot lobster on a toasted roll with a drizzle of butter is fantastic...lets the flavor of the lobster come through instead of covering it up with mayo. It's a shame that lobsters rolls have become so expensive though.

disarm wrote: Sat Jun 22, 2024 10:23 am

Kraken wrote:Lobster rolls come in two varieties -- Maine style is cold and mixed lightly with mayo, while Connecticut style is served hot and slathered in butter. I've never actually encountered CT style in the wild. Around here ME style is the only way to go.

This is a very polarizing issue in New England, but if you haven't had a CT-style hot lobster roll, I think you're seriously missing out. Maine style is better than nothing, but hot lobster on a toasted roll with a drizzle of butter is fantastic...lets the flavor of the lobster come through instead of covering it up with mayo. It's a shame that lobsters rolls have become so expensive though.

I'd like to try the CT style but it's rarely found around Boston. A good ME-style roll has just the barest film of mayo to help the herbs (typically parsley and chives) stick and to enhance the sweet meat.

We have a CT style lobster roll place up the street from us. I tried it once, and it was fine but $25+ for a plain roll with a handful of lobster meat on top was just crazy to me. I like lobster, but not enough to justify how expensive it is.

I been buying some Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer bowls from the frozen section. Trying to eat better at a good price is difficult. These taste great and come in around $3.

Did you know you can buy bacon fat from the store now? I didn't. Ive gone without bacon fat for decades because I was always afraid to keep the grease and poison myself with rancid grease. My grandmother always kept a cup of it on the stove and it didn't go bad or she used it too fast and kept replacing it. No idea.

Its about $5. I may buy fresh turnip greens and make my own. Not sure.

I keep a small dish of bacon grease in the fridge. Never had it go bad. I do scoop it into the trash every few months and start over, though, so it never gets REALLY old.

Daehawk wrote: Wed Jun 26, 2024 10:22 am Did you know you can buy bacon fat from the store now?

Of course. I'm wearing some now.

I cant eat bacon any long due to dental. I love it. I guess its been 6 years with no bacon. I tried some last year but didn't work out.

Any recommendations on 3 food items I can get at Walmart next week? Stuff I usually cant get due to costs or something tasty and healthy for me? Im sick of all the cheap stuff I been getting. I dont have a mortgage right now so can afford something better. Not a lot..hence 3 items. But SOMETHING argh lol.

Daehawk wrote:I been buying some Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer bowls from the frozen section. Trying to eat better at a good price is difficult. These taste great and come in around $3.

Those are my go-to as well. For frozen meals, they're pretty decent. I also really like the Healthy Choice Power Bowls line. I tend to eat those almost daily for lunch.

Daehawk wrote: Wed Jun 26, 2024 12:45 pm Any recommendations on 3 food items I can get at Walmart next week? Stuff I usually cant get due to costs or something tasty and healthy for me? Im sick of all the cheap stuff I been getting. I dont have a mortgage right now so can afford something better. Not a lot..hence 3 items. But SOMETHING argh lol.

I saw that they carry Great Value brand frozen Kale. I'm going to try some of that instead of Spinach next time. $1.07 or so for the Spinach vs $1.57 for the Kale.
Healthy, not so sure about tasty. I've seen bags of appetizing frozen fruit in the freezer section too. Those might make nice smoothies as it seems that might be the best way for you to consume food if your teeth are shot.

My blender wont blend ice cream lol. Just grinds.

I hate kale but LOVE spinach. Trouble with it is it bad for kidney stones..not sure how but I try to moderate my intake.

Maybe a blender would be a good purchase with your new found riches.

its on my to get list.

Know any good yet cheap blender brands?

Also I wish FF places would offer more limited time new items. They are all so bland and same now. They dont seem to run specials or have new items to try for a while. Not like the old days.

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Jun 20, 2024 2:13 pm

I had the Crunchwrap version of this last night. Really enjoyed it!

I'd hate to be unlucky bastard tasked with cutting everything that small so it fits on a Cheeze-it.

My knife skills end and cutting things small enough to fit on a French bread crostini for some nice bruschetta.

Jeff V wrote: Thu Jun 27, 2024 11:21 pm I'd hate to be unlucky bastard tasked with cutting everything that small so it fits on a Cheeze-it.

My knife skills end and cutting things small enough to fit on a French bread crostini for some nice bruschetta.

I get you are trying to be funny. But you literally posted right below the image of what is clearly a very over-sized cheeze-it....

I shall eat no Cheez-It before its time -Orson Welles's

TheMix wrote: Fri Jun 28, 2024 12:05 pm

Jeff V wrote: Thu Jun 27, 2024 11:21 pm I'd hate to be unlucky bastard tasked with cutting everything that small so it fits on a Cheeze-it.

My knife skills end and cutting things small enough to fit on a French bread crostini for some nice bruschetta.

I get you are trying to be funny. But you literally posted right below the image of what is clearly a very over-sized cheeze-it....

Is it oversized or is it a typical advertising ploy by showing you a zoomed in picture and making you think it's oversized? Hmmm..

Kraken wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2024 9:36 pm I had my annual lobster roll today. I count it as fast food because I got it at a deli counter. The traditional sandwich + fries + slaw pairing was only $24.98 there, vs. over $35 at a sit-down restaurant. You can see why I only treat myself once every summer. Usually I buy the lobster roll by itself for $15 at the farmers market's crab & lobster fest, but we missed that last year because we were house-hunting in the Berkshires, and this year we'll probably move before lobster fest.

Lobster rolls come in two varieties -- Maine style is cold and mixed lightly with mayo, while Connecticut style is served hot and slathered in butter. I've never actually encountered CT style in the wild. Around here ME style is the only way to go.

My wifecand I love lobster rolls!
She prefers the hot ones as do I but we also like the cold ones. We used to have a truck make these near us right before Covid. They were12 each or 2 for 20. We usually did 2 and hot 1 hot and 1 cold.
After Covid they started raising prices. Last year they made it to 20 each. Haven't seen them around this year yet.

I went to a food truck rodeo today that had 3 (!) lobster trucks. One of them had Connecticut style rolls. But I wasn't going to pay $28 for a food truck roll. Instead I got my annual Italian sausage sub from a different truck. Usually I buy from The Sausage Guy who sells them at Fenway Park, but he wasn't there this year. Sausage subs are real street food.

There were 30 trucks altogether and it was tough to choose between three or four of them.

Kraken wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 11:49 pm I went to a food truck rodeo today that had 3 (!) lobster trucks. One of them had Connecticut style rolls. But I wasn't going to pay $28 for a food truck roll. Instead I got my annual Italian sausage sub from a different truck. Usually I buy from The Sausage Guy who sells them at Fenway Park, but he wasn't there this year. Sausage subs are real street food.

There were 30 trucks altogether and it was tough to choose between three or four of them.

We love going to food truck festivals but pricing has gone through the roof. I remember when $30 was enough to fill you for the day even if you spent hours there. Now we have to carefully pick and choose. Plus one of the larger ones near me has started charging 5 or 15, just to get in so that you can pay more to actually eat. You can't even look around for free to see if there's anything you want and that only allows entrance and doesn't come with a voucher for food.
We stopped going to that one after the first time. I'm not gonna pay the restaurant just for the privilege of reading their menu.

I only spent $26 to feed both of us. We had the foresight to bring water from home.

I've pretty much quit eating out at all. Discount fast food joints charge restaurant prices these days, and greasy spoon restaurants charge full restaurant prices (while giving fast food service.) Going out to eat with the kids costs $40-50 - just for standard fast food. I have a hot dog at Sam's every couple of weeks when we go shopping, but that's it.

Blackhawk wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2024 12:04 am I've pretty much quit eating out at all.

I'm down to fast food(the cheapest options) about once a week, slightly fancy restaurant not even once a month. I wish I had a warehouse club nearby, as it is if I go to the big city a slice or a dog at Sam's is often what I get.

It's not really fast food, but I recently discovered the wonders of Balkan food after moving to the Lincoln Square area in Chicago.

Specifically, cevapi with lupina bread.



Imagine the best sausage you've ever had, wrapped in a piece of pillowy bread and then slathered with a paprika based sauce that's only slightly spicy. Then add in a choir of angels singing every time you take a bite and you're still not even halfway to how good this delicacy is.

Punisher wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 11:36 pm Is it oversized or is it a typical advertising ploy by showing you a zoomed in picture and making you think it's oversized? Hmmm..

That was my take.

hepcat wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2024 10:59 am It's not really fast food, but I recently discovered the wonders of Balkan food after moving to the Lincoln Square area in Chicago.

Specifically, cevapi with lupina bread.



Imagine the best sausage you've ever had, wrapped in a piece of pillowy bread and then slathered with a paprika based sauce that's only slightly spicy. Then add in a choir of angels singing every time you take a bite and you're still not even halfway to how good this delicacy is.

There is a Serbian restaurant in Lyons. I gave a ride to a truck driver there once, who swears its the real deal...he could not praise it enough and although the ride was short he showed me pictures of the food.

Jeff V wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2024 9:33 pm

Punisher wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 11:36 pm Is it oversized or is it a typical advertising ploy by showing you a zoomed in picture and making you think it's oversized? Hmmm..

That was my take.

From Mr. The Internet:

Wow, they really shrunk her hand!

hepcat wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2024 10:59 am It's not really fast food, but I recently discovered the wonders of Balkan food after moving to the Lincoln Square area in Chicago.

Specifically, cevapi with lupina bread.



Imagine the best sausage you've ever had, wrapped in a piece of pillowy bread and then slathered with a paprika based sauce that's only slightly spicy. Then add in a choir of angels singing every time you take a bite and you're still not even halfway to how good this delicacy is.

My goodness that looks awesome.

Do you live near Balkan House?

But a quick search of Michigan and Balkan restaurants shows there's quite a few. So get your ass into your car and head over. Order the cevapi (either the sandwich or the meal) and then thank me later.

The other thing to get while there is a burek.



It's filo bread, usually wrapped into a circle, and filled with any number of stuffings. I think it's more widely known than cevapi though, as everyone from the Greeks to the Russians have their version.

The one thing I wasn't fond of at the Balkan place near me was the hamburger patty stuffed with cheese. I guess that's a national comfort food, but the cheese filling just didn't work for me. You may enjoy it though. It's quite popular apparently. It's called PLJESKAVICA (copied and pasted from website as there is NO WAY IN HELL I'm remembering how that's spelled).

Not even remotely but if I ever leave my house again, I might find myself in one or both of those areas a couple of times a year.

Google manages to suggest a bunch of Polish restaurants near me that are generally pretty good when I ask for Balkan. But the ones closest to me that aren't really Polish or Greek (and we have Greek restaurants and diners everywhere) are the ones you linked to.

there is a market not too far I might try to make it to. Firefox sends the warning bells flashing, so I'm skipping their website as I don't have a sandbox set up at home.

Oh, and I mispelled the bread. It's called lepinja. It's the icing on the very delicious cake that is Balkan sandwiches.