Mom's Spareribs

So far I have only blogged about restaurants that I have enjoyed, I feel I need to tell about all my experiences with wonderful food. What better way to start a new category than with my favorite dish ever? This has and most likely will always be my favorite dinner. It is my mom's recipe for spareribs.
I will lay out the recipe word-for-word, but keep in mind that I think part of what makes this dish magical is my mom's eye for picking out the raw ribs. I can't speak for how her experience helps her choose the right ribs, and trust me I have asked her. She doesn't think she has any special gift, but I do. Another key to this dish is the quantity of sauce. I believe the recipe for the sauce must be at least doubled, if not tripled. It is so good, you will want to smother your steamed rice with it! As for the steamed rice, that is key too. As my mom says, "Don't use minute rice. Take the time to do it right."
Here is the recipe verbatim:

3 lbs. country-style ribs
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 cup vinegar (apple)
1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chopped onion (or equivalent in dehydrated onion flakes)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

"Brown ribs in large pan in oven, 425 degrees F for 45 minutes. Drain fat. Meanwhile, make the sauce, cooking until thick and glossy. Salt and pepper the ribs to taste and pour half over the ribs. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn ribs, cover with remaining sauce and bake another 30 minutes. If ribs are thick or very meaty, cover with foil and continue to bake another 30 to 45 minutes for added tenderness. Double the sauce recipe for more than one cake-pan full of ribs. Best served with steamed rice and your favorite vegetable."

Below is a picture of the goodness from my mom's own hand, this last Fathers' Day!

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse

I don't find myself at high-end steakhouses often, but I was introduced to Del Frisco's lunch menu one day for a business meeting. I was told to not even bother looking at the menu, just to "get the burger". On their lunch menu only is the Prime Cheeseburger, which is a 10 oz. Prime Beef Burger with cheddar cheese (you can substitute Swiss or blue cheese), lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and pickles, served with french fries or skillet potato chips. The price is $13. Everything else on the menu is what I would call expensive, and is probably very tasty as well, but I'm here to tell you that this burger is the best tasting burger I have ever eaten! The prime beef itself explodes with juiciness, and has a salty-like taste to it as well, which is right up my alley. For $13 you can't excuse yourself from trying this burger if you find yourself near a Del Frisco's. Although this burger is only on the lunch menu, I have been told that you can get it any time, if you sit at the bar.

It looks like they have 9 locations, all in larger cities: Fort Worth, Houston, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Dallas, and Boston. So far I can only speak for the location in Denver. The atmosphere is nice, although higher-end, business / business casual attire., but I don't think they have set rules. I went in today in a polo and jeans and didn't get thrown out.

For the price and the taste of this burger, I give it five solid stars. I don't think it is possible to beat this burger!
Web Site: http://delfriscos.com

Skyline Chili

One of my favorite foods when traveling to the Dayton, Ohio area is Skyline Chili. It isn't the usual chili that you would think of, it is "Cincinnati-style" chili, which doesn't usually have beans in it, but is beef and a mixture of special spices (I think there is a hint of cinnamon in there). They serve the chili as "Ways", a 3-Way being chili on top of spaghetti noodles, and a huge heap of shredded cheddar cheese on top. A 4-Way adds either diced onions or red beans. A 5-Way adds both onions and beans. They also serve the chili on top of "coneys" (small hot dogs). They add seasonal "extreme" cheese, which is habienero cheese, with quite a "kick", that I love. I usually get a regular 3-Way and a chili-cheese coney, both with "extreme" cheese if available. It is very tasty. I would recommend taking them up on the offer for a bib, as the sauce tends to get on your shirt as you eat, even if you're careful.

Skyline is based out of Cincinnati, and can be found in maybe a 100-mile radius out from there. I have heard that you can purchase Skyline chili in a can at King Soopers/ Krogers, but haven't really looked. I'm sure it isn't quite the same as the restaurant, but it's worth a try. Don't judge until you've had it at the restaurant though. I give this taste a full 5 stars!
Web Site: http://skylinechili.com/

Fourleaf Chopped Salads

I have been meaning to review this place for a while, but didn't have any photos until today. I guess you can know that a place is good when I eat my food before taking pictures!
I don't consider myself a big salad buff, but a friend turned me on to Fourleaf about a year ago, and it has become one of my favorite lunch spots when I am home at the office. It is a salad restaurant, where the salad chefs make your salad to order for you. There is a base menu with many different pre-determined recipes for great salads, such as Buffalo Chicken, BBQ Chicken, South Western, Steakhouse, and many others. You can always get creative and build your own creation, though. The one shown in the first photo below is a romaine and spinach mix with avocado, bacon, double steak, cheddar, tomatoes, croutons, and Italian dressing. What I like best about the salads here is that they gather all the ingredients in your bowl, then dump it all out at the end on a cutting board, and chop it all up into bite size pieces, then scoop it all into a mixing bowl and add your dressing. They mix it all up so that when they put it in the serving bowl, every bite you take has dressing on it and is full of flavor. They have a great variety of ingredients and dressings, all of which that I have tried so far are delicious. They have two sizes of bowls, small and large. A small is plenty of food for just about anyone. You always get a free freshly baked bread stick with every salad.
The location itself is a bit hard to find, and not right out in the open for all to see. Word of mouth about their delicious salads and great service has caused this to be a very busy place, though. It is always busy for lunch every day, but you get your salads quickly none the less. Finding a seat is the only hard part. If you're in the Greenwood Village area of South East Denver, you must stop by and check this place out!
Location:  6840 South Dallas Way (near Arapahoe & Clinton) Greenwood Village, CO 80112
Web site: http://fourleafchoppedsalads.blogspot.com/

 

Chuy's

Another gem of a place I found in my travels in Texas is a Tex-Mex restaurant called Chuy's. This is definitely one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, although not exactly the "authentic" Mexican style.
They start you out with chips and salsa, and upon request, their Creamy Jalapeno sauce, which is awesome! It's almost like a ranch dip, but with a kick of jalapeno. I love this dip! If they were to bottle it, I would buy it. If you sit in the seat-yourself area of the restaurant by the bar, there is a chips and salsa "bar" where you can just go up as often as you like and get your own chips and choice of salsas and dips. The ones I have seen are in what looks like the trunk of a '57 Chevy.
Their entrees are all very good from what I have had. Below you will see one of my favorites, their Baja Tacos. You can get them with fried or grilled fish or shrimp, or a combination of two. I got the combination, and although both were good, their fish was a little better than their shrimp. All the sides are very tasty as well: the rice, re-fried beans, and even their fresh tortillas. I haven't had a bad meal here.
A couple of other things I like about this place is that it has a really friendly and light atmosphere, with palm trees and a Caribbean feel to it. Also I am always pleasantly surprised by the bill. Their prices are very good, most entrees under $10. The place is always very busy because it is so popular, but they have plenty of staff when I go, so as long as you can get seated, you get good service.
I highly recommend Chuy's if you're ever near one. It looks like most of their restaurants are in Texas, but some in Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee.
Web site: http://www.chuys.com/ 

 

Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt

Some of us who remember the late 1980's may remember a wave of frozen yogurt franchises that started up, most of which fizzled out, with maybe the exception of TCBY. It seems that this fad may be making a comeback. So far, none of my friends who live East of Colorado have heard of this yet, but in the Denver metro area, these franchises seem to be popping up as fast as smoothie shops were five years ago. From what I can tell, this started in California a couple of years ago. Many of these frozen yogurt shops now, however, are self-serve to add a new twist on the fun. There are several yogurt dispensers, each a different flavor. They are in pairs, so the paired flavors can be "twisted" together. They all usually have little sample cups you can use to try out the flavors. Once you have decided, you grab a paper bowl and fill it up. You can add toppings on top of the yogurt as well, some including fresh fruit. Some of the yogurts are non-fat, others are premium. Once you are finished making your dream dessert, you take the bowl to the cashier and set it on a scale. You are charged by the ounce usually. Some places are more expensive than others, some offer more flavors.
I haven't found that there is one single franchise. All the yogurt places I have been to are single franchises, but all with the same general idea. Nearby the office and home in Denver, I have been to COYO (Colorado Yogurt, Co.) on Arapahoe and Havana, which charges $0.44 an ounce; Yo Craze on Hampton and Tower in Aurora, which charges $0.39 an ounce; and Crave It on Arapahoe and Peoria, which charges $0.37 an ounce. I'm sure as these franchises continue to open up, competition will increase and we will see a more steady price. My personal favorite is Crave It but like to take the family to Yo Craze too, both of which I love because I like gummy bears with just a sprinkle of Nerds on top, as seen in the picture. Adding the cherries to this dish was a mistake, a little overkill. I recommend checking one of these places out. Just Google "yogurt" for your area and see what comes up.

Rudy's BBQ

I discovered Rudy's BBQ over a year ago when I started having to travel to Waco, Texas a lot for work. Rudy's started around San Antonio in 1989 and the chain is a gas station, store, restaurant combo. This barbecue has fast become one of my favorites.
This is Texas-style barbecue, not Kansas City-style or Carolina-style, so it's on the spicy side, not sweet. They sell their meats by weight or in sandwiches. They have ribs, brisket (both moist and lean), pulled pork, pork loin, turkey, chop, pit ham (only at some places),  and sausage. I have had every kind of meat, all of which are excellent. My favorites are their pulled pork, their turkey which is really moist, and their brisket (lean). Their sides are excellent as well, my favorites being their new potatoes (extra butter) and Rudy's beans. Their sauce is famous, and awesome. They have regular and "sissy" sauce, but I don't think their regular is very hot at all, and I love it. The ordering system is like a cafeteria, where you order your food at the register and they get it all for you, put it in a tray along with slices of bread, white or wheat, and then you take your tray to the drink station. They also have a condiment station where you can get pickles, onions, pepperoncinis, or jalapenos.
Did I mention this place has a breakfast menu? Oh man the brisket breakfast burritos with Rudy's sauce is outstanding! I posted a breakfast menu below. The other pictures are a pulled pork sandwich with a half sausage and new potatoes, 1/2 pound of turkey with a pint of Rudy's beans, and 1/2 pound of pulled pork with a half jalapeno sausage and new potatoes. 
As I said before, I discovered Rudy's in Waco, Texas, but they are all over in Texas. I have since been to others, including one near Fort Worth in Arlington (which is the only one I have found "pit ham" at), and... a new one in Colorado Springs! I love that there is one so close to home now! If I had make one negative comment about Rudy's, it's that they don't offer a "sampler" platter so you can try all their meats at once, which are all amazing! I make it a point to go to Rudy's whenever I am near one. Five solid stars for this place!
Web site: http://www.rudys.com/

  

 

Buffalo Wild Wings (B-Dubs)

Buffalo Wild Wings, or "B-dubs" is my all time favorite FRANCHISE place for wings, hands down. They have about fourteen regular sauce selections and four different dry rubs or seasonings. I'm not a huge fan of the dry rubs but they are pretty good. I usually go for the sauces, my favorite being the Parmesan Garlic, followed closely by Jammin' Jalapeno. After that I love the Mango Habanero (that's about as hot as I can take!) and the Caribbean Jerk. I always go Traditional wings. For some reason they taste so much better than the Boneless. Their potato wedges are awesome too, and I prefer ranch on the side (not a big fan of Bleu Cheese). I tried their ribs once and was not impressed at all. Most BWW have lunch specials where you can get ten Traditional wings plus fries or wedges for about $8. The location nearest where I work (on Chester Street by Park Meadows in Centennial, CO), however, does an "Unlimited Wings" M-F 11 AM to 2 PM, $9.99 for Traditional, $10.99 for Boneless. You get unlimited fries or wedges too. That usually makes for about a two-hour lunch, though, because I usually do either 18 or 24 wings (you order 6 at a time after the initial 12) plus wedges. Some places don't offer this special, and even this location stops it from time to time. When they have it, though, I put a serious dent in their profit margin for that day! The atmosphere is great too, if you like sports. They usually have numerous TVs with multiple games on. If you join their "Buffalo Circle" on their web site, each year on your anniversary of joining they send you a certificate for six free wings! I love this place!
Web site: www.buffalowildwings.com

 

Buzzard Billy's

One of my favorite places to eat when I go to Waco, Texas for work is Buzzard Billy's. It is a Cajun restaurant right off I-35 with a few crawfish choices I love. I usually start with their Cajun Popcorn, which is fried battered crawfish tails. I ask for a side of New Orleans style Remoulade sauce in addition to the regular cocktail sauce. It is awesome! My favorite entree is their Crawfish Fettuccine Alfredeaux. My second favorite when I am just craving Andouille sausage, chicken, and ham is their Mardi Gras Pasta. These dishes are to die for, and the prices here are very reasonable (everything is under $15). It looks like they have three other locations also, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska, none of which I have been to. This one in Waco is a must though!
Web site: http://www.buzzardbillys.com/

Red Lobster

Everyone loves Red Lobster right? I love Red Lobster, especially when they offer their Endless Shrimp special (which... they just happen to be offering right now!) for $15.99. I haven't had a bad meal here, ever. I would say it is my favorite nationwide-chain seafood restaurant. The prices can hurt a bit, though. That's why I love the Endless Shrimp special. It is what it sounds like, all you can eat. The last time I went, they had five different shrimp entree choices, my favorites in order being 1) Garlic Shrimp Scampi 2) Parmesan Shrimp 3) Hand Breaded Shrimp 4) Shrimp Linguini Alfredo 5) Sweet and Spicy Grilled Shrimp. You start out with two, then order one refill at a time. You can order your first refill when they bring you your initial two. The pictures below (that last picture got distorted somehow) show all five entrees, the scampi making two appearances that night! I also love Red Lobster's garlic cheddar biscuits they serve you while you wait!
Web site: http://www.redlobster.com/

French Quarter Grill

Whenever I have to go to Fort Walton Beach, Florida for work, I always make it a point at least once to head North a few miles to Niceville, where tucked away and somewhat hard to find is a Cajun place called French Quarter Grill. The prices are a bit high, dinner plates start at around $15 and up, but it is worth every penny! These dishes are loaded with flavor! My favorite is the Seafood Nantua for $18 which is "sauteed shrimp and crawfish in a creamy corn and red pepper reduction over grilled catch and a bed of rice". The flavor combinations in this dish are just right. I also like the Crawfish Etouffee a lot. You must stop here if you're in the area!
Location: 714 Howell Rd. Niceville, FL 32578  (850) 678-2604

Helen Back

I spend a lot of time in the North-Western pan-handle of Florida for work, around Fort Walton Beach. One of my favorite places to go when I am craving pizza is a bar/restaurant called Helen Back. There are a few locations in Florida, but I have only been to the one in Fort Walton Beach. It is located right on the coast of Okaloosa Island and has a huge patio/deck dining area that overlooks the bay, as well as a bar area inside. The pizza at this place is really, really good. The sauce and toppings come almost out to the edge of the crust, and whatever seasoning they put on the crust is awesome. It is nice and salty with a hint of garlic, which I like. I usually get "everything on the top line" minus jalapenos. I have experimented with other toppings but it isn't the same experience. Try this pizza out of you're in the area!
Web site: http://www.helenbackcafe.com/

Joe's Pizzeria

Joe's Pizzaria is a one-location mom-and-pop local pizza restaurant in Dayton, Ohio. There are many great pizza restaurants in that area, but this one was my overall favorite. They are consistently voted "best pizza in Dayton". Their pizza has a secret and distinct spice recipe that no-one has been able to duplicate. We used to make the trip from work and would call ahead, as they are usually really busy, understandably. We would order a deluxe pizza, light sauce, extra crispy. Some people feel the regular process leaves the pizza a bit soggy, but if you go light sauce extra crispy, it is really good. The picture below is of my old co-worker friend Jeff, about to devour a pie himself! The other pictures are better close-ups of a deluxe, and an extra cheese, pepperoni, sausage pizza. Absolutely incredible stuff!
Location: 4313 Airway Road Dayton, OH 45431 (937) 253-8154 (Call ahead!)

 

Penn Station East Coast Subs

Penn Station East Coast Subs is just what it sounds like, and is only found as far West as Kansas. This was my favorite hot sub sandwich restaurant when I was in Dayton, Ohio. Their Philly cheese-steak was probably the best "near-authentic" Philly I have ever had. They have the best Reuben I have ever had as well. They have fresh-cut fries (they had them before the recent craze that many restaurants have jumped on), and fresh squeezed lemonade which is really good. If you are in the Eastern part of the country, go to their website and see if there is a location nearby. I highly recommend!
Web site: http://www.penn-station.com/

Maggie Moo's

I love a good milkshake. Maggie Moo's is one of the frozen-stone-type ice cream places where you can pick your ice cream and have them mix in various toppings. Between Maggie Moo's and Cold Stone, I like Maggie Moo's ice cream better. Unfortunately it's a bit pricey. A large (32 oz) milkshake under normal conditions will set you back almost $8.00. Fortunately, the location near East Arapahoe and Parker Road offers 1/2 price shakes M-F from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. This is the only location I have found that does this (so far). It makes the price reasonable. I love just a straight up root beer or peanut butter shake, but you can mix in toppings if you like with shakes as well. I visit this Aurora location so often that the girl knows my "usual".
Web site: http://www.maggiemoos.com/