Rock Bottom; Beer+Burgers=Mmmmmm (Restaurant Review)

Post by The Grumpy One

Rock Bottom

(Restaurant Chain) 1001 16th St.Unit A-100 Denver, CO

http://www.rockbottom.com/

So with my current job assignment, it seems like I might be traveling a bit.  The good thing is that since no one else writes on this blog, I can still give a variety of reviews from around the states, the bad thing, I can no longer have a simple lunch while traveling, I now want to carefully pick the right place, but is that really a bad thing?

So I flew into Denver on Thursday, and flew back Saturday morning, but I was still able to find a really cool place the last night of the trip.  I didn't know it was a chain, but that actually makes me a little happier because this is definitely a place I don't mind visiting again. I present to you... Rock Bottom.

Now it says it is a restaurant and brewery, and I did see some little kids in there with their family (which I think would be more interesting if the children were in the bar by themselves.) but I think I would feel really weird bringing my kids in there. Its kind of like the last trip I took to "Hooters" where they were hosting a little boys third birthday because the dad thought it would help make him a macho man.

Call me old fashioned I just think its weird walking your toddlers into a restaurant that has the main seating area not just facing a bar, but also a distillery.

So the waitress was really informative and nice which made me feel bad because she was describing all the beers and why each one was special, but I didn't care because they offered this.

Mmmmm, beer sampler...don't worry, those are just little glasses (it took about 4 big sips to empty each glass) but it is a good value since it is only 6 dollars for this sampler. I just would rather have this than have someone recite the ingredients.  I know everyone is going to ask which one was my favorite, the answer is...None.  They were good and all, but after I finished the sampler I ordered a Ale that had banana in it that was DELICIOUS.   Enough about the beer lets talk about the food.  My coworker and I started by splitting a plate of nachos.

 

Yes...this picture is of a regular sized nachos...They were pretty good but as I drank more, they started to taste better :) As good as they were, they were nowhere near the quality of the burger.

 

I ordered the Tillamook Bacon Burger mostly because I am from Washington State and am a huge fan of Tillamook cheese.  I was so excited that when I ordered, I didn't notice a special ingredient in the burger.  So about my second bite (and a lot of drinks) I started noticing a bit of spicy heat.  It turns out that the burger has a "BBQ Jalapeño Ranch sauce." I am usually not good with spicy stuff, but it was so good that I am going to try to create my own version one day.

Now as good as the food was, I did have one issue.  Their fries were not good, actually they were pretty horrible.  They were so bad, that even with a few beers in me, I had enough sense to take a picture of them that describes how over salted they were.  Usually I wouldn't say anything about the over seasoning, but they were so bad, that even after a few drinks, they were too salty for me, yet the nachos were not. But that was the only bad point of the whole experience.

 

So overall, good variety or drinks, good food, awesome burgers, and a very reasonable prices.  If I am on another trip, I will be on the lookout for one of these.



King Street Blues; Less than a week to find a good BBQ place (Restaurant Review)

Post by The Grumpy One

King Street Blues

(Local Restaurant Chain) Kingstowne Shopping Center

http://www.kingstreetblues.com/

So we found this place the day that we signed the papers for our new house we are renting for the next year.  We wanted a quick lunch, I was going to do the boring thing and go to a sandwich shop we have been to before, but Kara (AKA "The Wife") wanted to try this place.  I didn't know what to think, from the outside I really thought this was just a normal outlet mall café-ish place.

Boy was I wrong...

...Cars crashing through the wall, creepy distorted animal and human figures doing everything from playing in a band to rowing in a kyak.  It was like Walt Disney had a bad acid trip in New Orleans...but I liked it.  I also knew this was my kind of restaurant when I noticed that the food choices for the boys were listed as "Little Dudes Menu."

So there were a lot of good sounding choices (even have a gluten-free menu for my few readers that actually care about that) but I decided to get the best overall chance of multiple food choice, I would get the "Triple Play." Your choice of soup or chili, pork or chicken BBQ sandwich, and salad.

Like all "multiple food item posts" I do, I will list my food from least favorite to favorite...

Surprise surprise, I start with the salad.  It wasn't bad, just a typical salad.  They didn't have plain ranch so I got the "Tomato Ranch." It was o.k. but not spectacular.

Next actually is a surprise, it was the sandwich.  I got the BBQ pulled pork.  It was really good and like these type of sandwiches should be...really sloppy.  My only complaint I think is, it was too small...I wanted more.

My favorite though, hands down...Corn Chili.  I have never had corn chili before, but if they all taste like this, I am a very sad person that I didn't have it until I was in my 30's...what a shame.  Very good, not spicy (which is good for me since I am a bit of a wuss sometimes when it comes to spicy food.)

But my favorite part overall...

...All of the kids dishes came with a planted American flag no matter if it was a sandwich or Mac and Cheese.  I respect a restaurant that comes out and says "I might have pigs playing guitars on the walls, but all of our food is claimed on behalf of 'MERICA."

So overall, loved the atmosphere, great staff, good choice of food, tasty food, good prices, love the "swagger" of this place.  Any friends or family that are planning on visiting us this year, we might take you here if we want a nice casual meal.  My only negative thing to say about this place, it is a local chain, there are only 3 of them in the world and all of those are in this area, so once we move again, that's it...sad face.

Johnny Rockets; How were they all not fat back then (Restaurant Post)

Post by The Grumpy One

Johnny Rockets

(Restaurant Chain) 7000 Arundel Mills Circle
Hanover, MD

http://www.johnnyrockets.com

So I have passed by this place every time I am at the Arundel Mills Mall, but I have never eaten there.  I think mostly because I usually was by myself in the past, and I didn't want to be that sad picture of the lone person at the booth.  So now with kids in tow, and time to kill, I decided its time to try Johnny Rockets.

 The outside paints the picture of a classic burger place, but as soon as you are inside, you are fully transported to the past.

Everything from the decor, to the uniforms, to the old music, this place was great. Even though it was in a mall, the relax vibe some how kept the loud mall noise out and kept this place really calm.

The little details like the old straw holders (which Kara had to show me how to use) and the Juke box on the table made this place just that much better.  It was wired up, but didn't work, but that was O.K. because both boys had fun flipping through the music. 

Enough about décor, time for food.  The menu was what I pictured the menu like in the 50's, very simple. Burgers, fries, grilled cheese, and that's about it.  Their milkshake menu was literally bigger than their food menu.  I ended up getting the smokehouse single, a burger with bacon, cheese, onion rings, and barbeque sauce.

While I was ordering, I was reminded of a line from "The Brady Bunch Movie," which takes place in the 90's but Alice went to the butcher and passes everyone ordering ground chicken for their health and she makes a comment about...we are raising boys, we need red meat and bacon.  That was this burger.  I don't know how fresh everything really was, but it tasted like they killed the animals right there and took the buns straight from the oven.  Oh and a nice little touch, that Ketchup smiley face was made by the awesome server. 

Which talking about the server, she was incredibly nice.  Not your usual fake waitress nice, but really genuine.  I don't know if all the servers are like that, but it really sells the theme. Her attitude was a great change for us the last few days.  We moved from a very relaxed, kind peopled Hawaii and now are in a very fast pace busy place where people cut you off in traffic then honk at you for being alive. 

So the burger was outstanding, the fries were decent, but the best part...the milkshake.  I ended up getting the Orange Dreamsicle even though there were about 20 flavors, dreamsicle has always been a childhood favorite.  It was perfect, not too thick, not too thin, delicious.

So overall, atmosphere that actually comes close to transporting you back in time, great food, incredible shakes, waitress with real manners and the price wasn't too high.  I have a feeling I might want to bring my family when they come to visit.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop; Not what I thought it was (Restaurant Review)

Post by The Grumpy One

Potbelly Sandwich Shop

 

(Restaurant Chain) 7049 Arundel Mills Blvd #103

 

Hanover, MD     

 

http://www.potbelly.com/

 

 

So I decided to start blogging again, mostly because 1. I have a lot of time on my hands because I am moving/on vacation. 2. Because I am moving I have a lot of new places that I am trying out.  Now even though I am moving from Hawaii, not a foreign third world country, there are still a lot of new chain restaurants that started in the last three years that we didn't have there (they don't even have a Olive Garden in Hawaii.)

 

So I start off with a new one to me... Potbelly Sandwich Shop.

 

 

 

                                

So from the sign, and something I thought I heard from someone, I thought this was a BBQ Restaurant. That's why we were going to skip it and go to Chipotle (which we have also never been too) but it was so loud in there that the second we walked in, the boys started covering their ears, so we walked out and were happily surprised to find out that Potbelly was a sandwich place, since we just needed a quick light lunch before we hit the Aquarium.

 As I walked in, I knew it was one of those "Classy Joints" from this picture on the wall.  You know it is one of those ice breaking questions that make you think, would you vote for Curly, would it be better or worse with him in office, would his campaign slogan be "NYUCK NYUCK NYUCK, WOOOOHOOOOHOOOHOOO" and what does that really mean?

Anyway, so we get to the menu, and usually each sandwich chain has their own cute little names to go with the theme, you know like Firehouse subs has the red engine.  This place has exotic names like...The Hammie, Meatball, and Pizza Sandwich...O.K., so they have to work on the names, but they still get cool points because next to the register is a big jar of pickles.

So I decided to get the only one that was named after something besides the ingredients that make it, and I ordered "A Wreck" its salami, roast beef, turkey, ham, and swiss cheese.

One thing that I will give to the staff...boy were they efficient, and they weren't rude, they were just such a well-oiled machine, I was a little scared of what was happing, they were like creepy twins that didn't even have to talk, they just telepathically told them stuff as they passed the sandwich to the next station.

We paid at the front like any sandwich shop and then found a seat to enjoy my Wreck.

All I can say is...WOW!!! Obviously they took the time to make creative names for the sandwiches, and used that time instead on learning "Dark Magic" that makes a normal sandwich taste like a magical food prom in which you are both the homecoming king...and queen.

My wife enjoyed her sandwich, the boys liked my wife's sandwich, all was going well...until I realized... No one was eating the sandwich we got for the boys...the Pizza Sandwich.

There is no way that everything could be so awesome except for their sandwich...I mean even the sour cream and creole onion chips were good...so I decided to take one for the team and try the sandwich my toddlers rejected....WOW!!! but not the good kind.  It was horrible, like really horrible, like the Dark Magic was made to make you the homecoming king and queen...but in the bad way (and if you think long enough, that does make sense.)

Now this is the weird part and why I know that magic is involved...I have no idea why I hated it. My wife even asked me as I ate it what was bad about it, no idea...just that gut feeling that something was wrong.

So overall, great food (except the pizza sub)...I would tell you how the "Dream Bar" cookie was, except the wife wouldn't share so that is probably a good sign.  Great service at the one I went to. Good prices. And 1 dollar pickles from a jar.  Definitely somewhere I will try again.

 

 

 

Puddin Cookies; because Puddin sounds cooler than Pudding (Recipe Post)

Post by The Grumpy One

So this was another recipe that excited me, not to make, but to totally play with the recipe.

Originally this was supposed to be a  neat little peppermint pudding cookie with peppermint kisses for Christmas time, but lets be honest, 1. I am in the military and get stationed  in different places so the chance of finding certain special ingredients like limited edition peppermint kisses and pudding is impossible, and 2. If you make the recipe like that, they are only valid as a Christmas cookie which limits the making to a 30 day period.

So feel free to play around like I did, but here are the ingredients I used

1 Cup of Butter, 1 Cup of Sugar, 2 Cups of Flour, 2 Eggs, 1 Cup of Butterscotch Chips, 1 teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 package of Jello Pudding, and Kisses.

So start out by preheating the oven to 350 Degrees.

Now the original recipe says to mix butter in electric mixer blah blah blah, so I am a busy person that didn't start this recipe until late so I... Put the butter in the microwave to melt it, then added everything but the flour and kisses.

If you do it the lazy way like I did, you can mix it by hand in a matter of seconds.

Once it is mixed together, mix the flour in slowly.

This is the only step I will tell you to do properly like this because from experience, if you add it all at the same time, it will take forever to mix it all properly.

So no matter how long you think it will take, mix the flour in at about half a cup at a time.

It has been a while since I have mentioned this but, use parchment paper on the cookie sheet.

The reason for this is easy clean up, easy prepping for multiple batches, and you do not have to use butter or anything else to make sure the cookies wont stick.

Put tablespoon sized balls about 2 inches apart since they will spread.  Put them in for 10-12 minutes or until the edges brown. As soon as they come out, put the kisses on top to melt.

This recipe makes about three dozen cookies.  Like usual, I didn't keep them far enough apart so just use a knife to seperate the second they come out.

Overall these are an interesting little cookie.  They almost taste like a regular sugar cookie but a little extra flavor.  If you try these, please post on here and let me know what kind of pudding you used and if it did or didn't work well.

Really Easy Cookies (Recipe Post)

Post by The Grumpy One

So one of the best things about these recipe posts is not just trying out recipes, but also to give people ways to start cooking, or make really tasty things with little or no skill.

So today's recipe comes to us courtesy of a thrown out back.  I wanted something easy to make and these so far our my easiest (Yes easier than my Jello Recipe.)

Now this isn't really a recipe as much as a really simple way to make homemade tasting cookies without all that work and clean up.

So just grab an already mixed refrigerated cookie pack, and candy... I went fancy and tried two different chocolate filled candies.  Also I am doing a little extra work since the Rolos are wrapped...man...is it really worth unwrapping all those candies?

So start by preheating your oven to whatever the package says. I can't tell you a certain anything because everyone's mixes are different.

While the oven is preheating, you can do the hardest part...unwrapping the candy.

Now since that only takes a few seconds and your oven is still preheating, you can play with your candy.  I am not sure if this was when I was mapping out football plays, or reenacting the fight scene between the Jets and Sharks in West Side Story?

So now just flatten the dough, put your candy in the middle, and roll them into little balls.

Put them on a cookie sheet.

Remember to give a little space in between the cookies since they will flatten.

Now if you have multiple kinds of candy, you might want to organize them in a way so you know what is in each one... not me... I purposly mixed them up so nobody will know MUUUAHAHAHAHA (that's my evil laugh.)

Put them in for however long the package says.

Take them out and that is it.  You now have candy filled cookies that people think you spent hours on when the truth is...you just know how to unwrap stuff and smoosh them together... good for you.

4 Layers of Awesomeness (Recipe Post)

Post by The Grumpy One

So I will start by saying 4 layers is an inaccurate term for this recipe, especially since there is nothing that is repeated four times, it just sounds right.

This recipe comes from the fact that my sister made me go on Pintrest.

I liked this recipe as soon as I saw this, but you know me...I had to add a little to it. But, I am now safe to say that just like I said last week, this is now my #2 favorite recipe.

So lets start with the ingredients, for such a sweet cookie (if you call it a cookie) there are some things that don't seem like they would fit.

1/3 Cup of Sugar, 1 Cup of Brown Sugar, 1 Cup Butter, 1 Bag Chocolate Chips, 1 Cup Milk, 1 Cup Toffee Bits, 1 Cup Peanut Butter, 2 Cups ground Graham Crackers, 1 Box Club Crackers.

Start off by lining a casserole dish with the Club Crackers.

In a pan, melt the butter, then mix in the Sugar, Brown Sugar, Graham Crackers, and Milk.

Let it boil for about 5 min but keep stirring a lot.

Pour and spread half of the mixture over the crackers.

Lay down another layer of crackers on top of it.

Spread the rest of the mix over.

Lay another layer of Crackers.

On top of that layer, put down the toffee chips.

Now mix together the Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chips, and Butterscotch Chips.

Make sure you have them on a very low heat and keep stirring.

Once it is melted, pour over the toffee on the last layer of crackers.

Put in the refrigerator for about an hour, or until it sits.

Now all you have to do is cut, and serve.

Now I was very happy to find out that someone not only tried my recipe post last week, but liked it, so I am so glad these turned out so well.

Remember if you want me to try a certain kind of dessert for you, leave me a post on the blog.

Caramel Apple Cookies; Perfect Cookie For The Fall (Recipe Post)

Post by The Grumpy One

So I know that my faithful 3 or so readers have started to notice that my recipe posts are not-so-weekly posts even though I said I would do them weekly.  Well the truth is sometimes I will try a recipe and it is not the best.

Yes, these aren't my recipes, they are ideas that I like, tweak them, try them, and if they are good...I will post.  If they are not good (like last week's "Popcorn Fudge") I will either just chalk it up as a loss, or think of ways to make it better and try again another day (and yes..I think after brainstorming with people from work especially "The Tattooed One" I think we came up for a way to make it work.)

So luckily for the readers, today was not just a winner, but I will say is my now #2 favorite recipe I have tried (I really don't think I will beat my Crownies anytime soon.)

Now the funny thing was I decided to do a more complicated recipe since the boys haven't tried to help in a while...yeah Brandis (one of my 3 year old boys) wanted to help today, so if you think it's too complicated, just remember a 3 year old helped make them.

So the ingredients are; 1 TSP Cinnamon, 10 envelopes of instant apple cider, 1 Cup butter, Chewy Caramels, 2 Eggs, 1/2 TSP Salt, 1 TSP Vanilla, 1 TSP Baking Soda, 1/2 TSP Baking Powder, 1 Cup Sugar, 3 Cups Flour.

So start by pre-heating the oven to 350.

In one bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, salt, apple cider mix, eggs, and vanilla.

Once it's a nice brown mix, start folding the flour mix until it is well blended.

If you are paying attention...yes that is a 3-year old's hand mixing.  I am not joking, he pretty much did everything but the measuring and putting them in and out of the oven.

Once the mix is done, put it in the fridge for a couple of minutes to form a little bit (you might not have to do this, but if you live in Hawaii like I do right now, it is important since it is so hot here at all time.)

So as it's chilling you can start unwrapping the caramels.

If you are making it with a kid like I was, the three hardest steps have to do with unwrapping caramels.

1. Teaching a toddler how to unwrap a caramel in the heat (as you can tell from this picture, he wanted to dig in without un-twisting first.)

2. Making sure that your child is putting them in the pile and not in his mouth once they are unwrapped.

3. Trying to sneak a caramel YOURSELF without your kid catching you (I almost got caught twice.)

Now with the caramel unwrapped, take the mix out of the fridge, lay down some parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Put about a tablespoon of the mix down.

Put a caramel in, and cover it up.  (Now that I have made them, I really wish I would have covered them up better.)

Remember that they will spread when you bake, so leave some room when you place them.

Put them in for 12-14 minutes or until the edges brown.

Once they start to cool, move them a little from their spot to make sure they don't stick to the paper.

This will make about 3 dozen cookies.

Like I said, I wish I would have covered the caramel a little better.

Now these cookies are O.K. cold, but when they are warm, they are INCREDIBLE, so if you get  any of them at work tomorrow...grab a plate from me, and throw them in the microwave.

I know I said I was going to try to post real recipes eventually, but I really wanted to try these (still haven't got over my caramel apple kick.) Maybe next week.

Kiss My Grits; Favorite Place to Eat on Island (Restaurant Review)

Post by The Grumpy One

Kiss My Grits

Pucks Alley behind the Varsity Bar. 1035 University Avenue 

Honolulu, HI

http://www.kissmygritsyall.com/

So you can tell by the title, I love this place.  There are a couple things that would usually cause me to go on long rants, but the food and overall experience was worth it.  I am warning you right now, this is going to be a longer post than usual, just because this place is so good.  I ate here weeks ago, but I can still remember everything about it...it was that good.

WARNING!!! the four of us that ate here are critical on "Southern Food" one of us was born and raised in the south, and two of us were stationed in Georgia before we moved here.

Now this is one of my rants...It is hard to find, we parked, and were walking for a while before we found it.  We actually passed it and didn't even notice it.

Second and last rant... like 4 tables outside, and like 8 tables inside and that is all.  It is really neat looking inside, but I would hate to be here during lunch rush, you will never get a table.

That is it for the bad stuff.  So all of the frustration of finding the place automatically went away when you sit down.  There is nice old country music playing, and then we met our server.

A good server can make or break a place, and this guy was THE BEST!!!

His name is Hector, but he goes by Jethro. He was everything you think of when you think about southern hospitality.  Nice, funny, helpful with menu choices, and the kind of person you want to just tell to sit down and have lunch with you. Also "The Girl" thought he reminded her of Cam from "Modern Family" which I kinda see it.

So as soon as we sat down, all four immediately knew what we wanted to drink...Sweet Tea.

I thought it was really good, not just that, it came in a mason jar which is a nice touch, and "Jethro" was ever so vigilant to make sure the jars were never empty.

I also want to use this space to post my favorite thing that was printed on the menu... "BLESS YOUR HEART, is kind of like the word Aloha. It can mean so many things like,"You're so kind," or "You just made me mad, but I can't say that right now." So, if you hear this common phrase...think about it!"

That little comment on the menu sums up the attitude here...and I LOVE IT!

Now on to the food, the only thing bad about a place like this...you want everything.  It took me so much time playing mental rock-paper-scissors to find out what I was going to order. I ended up with...

Fried Chicken... if that wasn't good enough, it came with cole slaw, hush puppies, and a deviled egg.  Just like my last review, I will rate my plate from worst item to best.  There is one problem though, nothing can be classified as bad or worst.

Coleslaw...the only reason its on the bottom of the list is it is the closest thing to "healthy" on the plate, and you know how much I don't like healthy stuff...That being said, I would eat it again.

Deviled Egg... This was so good, but all that you get from eating it, is the craving for more, and the amount of food there is, you DON'T HAVE ROOM!!!

Fried Chicken...I know what you are thinking...the main dish isn't your top item...No...It wasn't...I was good,  really good, but my favorite was.

HUSH PUPPIES... SOOO GOOD!!!! I want a magical dish with me at all times of the day that will just re-spawn these constantly. Not too greasy, perfect.

Now here is a little tricky thing though...that wasn't my favorite thing there... all four of us ordered a special order of the best thing in the world...

Their "Smoky Mac and Cheese." Yes that picture is of Mac and Cheese.  Underneath all of that bacon and fried onion, lays the best macaroni and cheese I have tasted in my life.  By the time I started eating it, I already finished all of my food and I was so full, but it was so good I powered through and ate it all.

The only real draw back of this wonderful heavenly eatery is...THE ITIS!!!

THE ITIS is that feeling you get when the food is so good, and you eat so much you don't want to ANYTHING.

That is the after math of "The Girl."  This place is so good, you can't stop eating.  You just keep eating until you fall over or waddle out.

FINAL REVIEW...FORCE YOURSELF TO FIND A REASON TO EAT HERE.  Awesome staff (not just Jethro, the cook came out to check on us too.) Great food. Really reasonable prices. So worth it, this is the only place I can think of that I have to eat here one more time before I leave next year.  In fact even though it would be really crowded, I am really thinking about having my farewell party there.