Wandering Fork

Mister loves baseball.  Always has. 

Me? Not so much. 

Since Portland does not have major league baseball team, I have been saved from life as a baseball widow. I am more than willing to go to the occasional game as long as I get a hot dog and I can bring a book to read.

Looking around Kauffman Stadium, it had not changed much from the last game I saw there…I believe it was 1979 or 1980, Royals v. Blue Jays.  Built in the early 1970s, however there have been some significant changes: from Astroturf to grass, movement of the outfield fences, and a wall of fountains in the outfield.

Somewhere around the third or fourth inning, Royals v. Orioles, Mister bought me a hot dog (ketchup and mustard). It was exactly as expected and I managed not to spill any of the condiments on my pants. 

I still hadn’t pulled out my book by the sixth inning. Instead, I watched male Meadowlarks, the Kansas state bird, hunt moths and other insects in the stadium lights.  Nothing like a nature show to keep the game interesting.

Kauffman Stadium, home to the Kansas City Royals

Mister and Mascot “Slugger”

Hotdog

Meadowlark on a wire

Kauffman Stadium

1 Royal Way

Kansas City, MO 64219

816.921.8000

kansascity.royals.mlb.com/kc/ballpark

May 14, 2009

1 Hot dog

No Comments | In: Dinner, Kansas, Lunch, Missouri, Snacks | tags: Baseball, hot dog, Kansas, Kansas City, Missouri, Royals. | #

How cool is it when the PTA meets for happy hour at a rocking venue?  During our Kansas City trip, Mister and I caught up with a friend of his from high school years (okay, it was his prom date).  She suggested The Drop since she was attending a PTA meeting there and they had a great happy hour (Monday – Friday, 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.).  Meeting her reinforced what great taste Mister has in women: she was bright, funny, and someone I’d hang out with into the wee hours of the morning. 

The Drop Signage

The décor was simple, predominently black, with light fixtures made out of wine glasses and 80s videos playing on several flat-screen televisions.  While Mister ordered an El Presidente, I opted for an Asian Pear Martini: pear puree with Japanese rice vodka.  Sweet, lovely, with a sprig of mint, and just the kind of drink I wanted.  Even better, The Drop has both drink AND food specials during happy hour, so we ordered the Meat and Cheese Board with several cheeses (some better than others), several slices of charcuterie, grapes, dried apricots, and figs. 

I would recommend this happy hour venue whether or not you bring the rest of the office, or your local PTA.

Light Fixture of Wine Glasses

Asian Pear Martini

The Drop

409 E 31^st Street

Kansas City, MO 64108

816.756.3767‎

www.thedropbar.com

May 14, 2009

1 El Presidente                          $ 7.50

1 Asian Pear Martini                   $ 5.00 (usually $8.75)

1 Meat & Cheese Board             $ 6.00 (usually $12.00)

Total                                        $18.50

No Comments | In: Happy Hour, Kansas, Missouri, Snacks | tags: Cocktails, Happy Hour, Kansas, Kansas City, Missouri, The Drop. | #

My parents had a very strict policy regarding pop (a.k.a. “soda” for those of you on the East Coast, or “coke” for those of you in the South).  I could indulge in one can a week, I got to pick the flavor.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, I gravitated towards Shasta because they had a lot of different flavors and the local Safeway would sell single cans.  Usually I got grape or orange, but sometimes cola or root beer.  (Plus they had catchy commercials.)

As an adult, I prefer glass bottles over cans because, let’s face it, bottles feel more substantial and seem to make the experience special.  I was intrigued by vending machines with glass bottles.  I always tried to pull a bottle out and frequently failed since I rarely had the requisite change in my pocket.  (This behavior also developed an irrational fear that someday when I would put my quarters in the machine, it machine wouldn’t release the bottle.)

While in Kansas City, Mister drove me around the Country Club Plaza and we stopped briefly at The Better Cheddar, a specialty food store focused on cheese (obviously), jams, sauces, chocolates, crackers, teas, etc.  I tasted some samples, looked longingly at a pink grapefruit marmalade, and then spied some classic pops in glass bottles in the back refrigerated case. 

I justified that I needed a pop, just one.  After all the weather was warm and muggy, we were driving around, and….well, let’s just say I was an easy sell.  I got a bottle of Grape Crush, the shopkeeper popped the bottle cap for me, and I headed back to the car.  It tasted like summer to a seven year old who was hanging out with her friends in the back yard after going swimming at the public pool. Super sweet and Kool-aid grape-y, which insures no actual grapes were harmed in the making of this carbonated beverage. 

Grape Crush in a Bottle

May 15, 2009

Grape Crush                              $ 1.99

Total                                        $ 1.99

No Comments | In: Kansas, Missouri, Snacks | tags: Country Club Plaza, Crush, Kansas, Kansas City, Missouri, Pop, Shasta, Soda, The Better Cheddar. | #

Driving down State Line Road (between Kansas and Missouri), Mister spotted Culver’s, home of Butter Burgers and Frozen Custard.  I recall my first frozen custard in the early 1980s at a place on Niemen Road in Shawnee, KS in what used to be a fried chicken joint. Keeping with my walk (or drive) down memory lane, Mister pulled in so I could get a taste. 

The first Culver’s opened in July 1984 in an old A&W Root Beer location in Sauk Prairie, WI.  As bagels have spread from New York to the rest of the country, frozen custard seems to have originated in the Great Lakes Area and spread down the Mississippi River as franchises in most major cities.  This franchise location was clean with the traditional fast-food set up of counter and indoor and outdoor seating.  The service was a little unorganized.  There appeared to be lots of staff, but only one register was being used which left patrons waiting.

Looking over the menu, you can order basic frozen custard in vanilla, chocolate, or flavor of the day, add mix-ins, build your own sundae, or create a malt, shake, or root beer float.  Prices ranged from $1.99 to $4.59 and there is a neat widget on their website where you can find out the flavor of the day. In an attempt not to ruin my pending lunch, I ordered one scoop, vanilla. It was a generous portion which rapidly began to melt as soon as I sat down at an outside table.  Smooth, creamy, and with the full mouth egg-custard flavor I remembered, Mister and I finished it off while discussing the thunderstorms expected later that afternoon. 

Although we didn’t sample the Butter Burger, Mister inquired what made a burger a Butter Burger.  The gentleman behind the counter explained that the buns are grilled and they proudly serve a Wisconsin Swiss Melt, a nod to their roots.

I don’t know if I would seek Culver’s out if I was looking for a sweet frozen treat. More likely, I would stop by during a road trip for a quick sugar fix and clean bathrooms. 

One Scoop, Vanilla

Culver’s

7953 State Line Rd.

Kansas City, MO 64114

816.444.4700

www.culvers.com

May 15, 2009

One Scoop Frozen Custard        $ 1.99

Total                                        $ 1.99

No Comments | In: Dessert, Kansas, Missouri, Snacks | tags: Culver's, Custard, Ice Cream, Kansas, Kansas City, Missouri. | #

Standing by the bakery case at Zupans, I spy the largest cinnamon roll I’ve ever seen outside Camp 18.  Created by Sara’s Bakery, it sits there in dough-y, gooey splendor, and temps me into an impulse purchase.  As the sales associate tries to ring me up, she looks for the correct bar code.  It wasn’t under “C” for cinnamon roll.  It wasn’t under “P” for pastry. It wasn’t under “R” for roll.  It wasn’t under “S” for Sarah’s Bakery.  When asking a co-worker where it could be found, her co-worker replied “L” for large. (Seriously?)

I admit it lived up to it’s category.  It is enough for two, possibly up to four people to split.  Cinnamon dough-y goodness topped with cream-cheese icing.  Kept me going on a sugar high throughout the afternoon.

“L” for Large…Sarah’s Bakery Cream Cheese Iced Cinnamon Roll

Zupan’s Market

2340 W Burnside St
Portland, OR 97210
503.497.1088

www.zupans.com

May 2, 2009

Cinnamon Roll                           $  3.00

Total                                        $  3.00

No Comments | In: Dessert, Oregon, Snacks | tags: Camp 18, Cinnamon Roll, Oregon, Pastry, Portland, Sarah's Bakery, Zupan's. | #

At the end of a really tough week at work, I was sure chocolate could cure my mood.  Stopping by Coffeehouse Northwest on West Burnside, I ordered a hot chocolate.  The gent behind the counter looked at me and asked if I wanted their “special” hot chocolate, clasped his hands together in prayer, and quickly bowed his head.  I replied “Yes,” and his eyes lit up. 

Made with a single-origin chocolate (Michel Cluizel’s Conception – Venezuela, 66% cacao), a little Portuguese salt, milk, and cream, this iteration of a childhood favorite is transcendent.  It is not cloyingly sweet and has that full mouth taste.  Do you remember blowing up balloons as a child and blowing so hard that the back part of your cheeks popped out?  You can taste the chocolate all the way back there.  And as you lovingly drain the cup, melted chocolate can be found in the bottom.  (Spoon anyone?)

The only drawback to regularly indulging in this type of emotional drinking is parking.  (I made Mister pull into a red zone while I ran in.) 

Toasting Coffeehouse Northwest

Coffeehouse Northwest

1951 W. Burnside

Portland, OR 97209

503 . 248 . 2133

www.coffeehousenorthwest.com

May 1, 2009

Hot Chocolate                           $  5.00

Total                                        $  5.00

No Comments | In: Dessert, Oregon, Snacks | tags: Cacao, Coffeehouse Northwest, Hot Chocolate, Michel Cluizel, Oregon, Portland. | #

In 1979, Ben & Jerry’s held it first Free Cone Day to celebrate the one year anniversary of their ice cream store’s opening. Since then, they have continued the tradition with each of their shops handing out scoops.

On April 21, 2009, Mister and I headed to the Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop located in the Uptown Shopping Center.  (We had considered going to the Pearl location. Although the lines were shorter, the parking was more problematic.)  This year, they had “monitors” to limit the number of customers in the shop at a time and to insure no one was exceeding the one-per-customer limit.  Whether it was timing, or a decrease in promotion, the line was shorter than in 2008 and only snaked down the stairs and partially up the sidewalk. 

I chose the new Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road, a riff on Elton John’s song, which was chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, butter brickle, and white chocolate chunks.  I’m a big supporter of all things dark chocolate, and found peanut butter cookie dough a much softer and better balanced taste than Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl (milk chocolate ice cream with peanut butter swirl). I could probably do without the brickle and chocolate chunks.

Mister chose Chocolate Therapy, an old favorite with chocolate and chocolate pudding ice creams and chocolate cookies.  It melted quicker than Yellow Brickle Road requiring three, four, possibly five napkins.

Beginning of Line for Free Cone Day 2009…it snaked down the stairs and around the corner.

Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road

Chocolate Therapy

As we sat outside on park benches, I spied a card for Ben & Jerry’s latest promotion: Do the World a Flavor.  The premise is that you go to the website, choose from pre-selected ingredients for ice cream, chunks, and swirls, and submit a flavor creation. Of course, I couldn’t resist and submitted Sha-MOO-gie Swirl: dark chocolate ice cream, chocolate coffee chunks, and salted caramel and marshmallow swirls.  I don’t expect to be a winner in the contest…but if I did, I would get a trip to the Dominican Republic to visit a Fair Trade cocoa farm.  (This in my world, would be the equivalent of experiencing the Chocolatier game in person….the only online computer game I’ve ever paid for.)  

Sha-MOO-gie Swirl, The Prototype

Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop

39 NW 23^rd Place

Portland, OR 97210

503 . 295 . 3033

www.benjerry.com

April 21, 2009

Chocolate Therapy                    $  0.00

Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road    $  0.00

Total                                        $  0.00

No Comments | In: Dessert, Oregon, Snacks | tags: Ben & Jerry, Dessert, icecream, Oregon, Portland. | #

A soulful photo of Mardi Gras King Cake at Screen Door courtesy of E. Dziedzic.  It looks gorgeous…and tasted even better.

No Comments | In: Breakfast, Dessert, Oregon, Snacks | tags: King Cake, Oregon, Pastry, Portland, Screen Door. | #

While in Philadelphia, PA last week for a multi-day meeting, I was presented the bounty from a Philadelphia food-themed care package. Inside were Peanut Chews, a candy I had never heard of or tasted.

The small individually-wrapped candies are filled with roasted peanuts and topped with dark chocolate.  The taste is not unlike the confections from another Pennsylvania-based candy maker, but with a little twist. It has a savory, almost coffee like flavor, which I later identified as molasses.  

Peanut Chews were created more than 85 years ago and were used as a ration bar by the U.S. Military during World War I.  Four generations of the Goldenberg Candy Company kept these popular nibbles on the shelves and in the hands of Philadelphia fans as well as throughout the eastern seaboard including New England and Florida.  They also have a large following in Korea and Hong Kong.  

There have been a few changes over the years, but not to the product. The Goldenberg Candy Company had a fire at the factory on July 6, 1988.  Fortunately no one was hurt and they had been shut down for the July 4^th holiday, but it did quite a bit of damage to the manufacturing plant.  Fortunately, the owners saw the opportunity to rebuild and create a more modern and automated production line. Fifteen years later in 2003, Just Born acquired Goldenberg Candy Company and continues the Peanut Chews tradition today.

www.justborn.com/peanut-chews 

No Comments | In: Dessert, Pennsylvania, Snacks | tags: Candy, Peanut Chews, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. | #

Sometimes when I’m traveling for work, I just want to stay in at the end of a long day and dinner usually consists of a nod to Tyler Brule and a club sandwich and milk from room service. However during my recent stay at Le Pavillon Hotel ($93.16 per night including tax on Hotwire), I wandered down to the lobby to partake in their PB&J tradition.

As the story is told, on September 10, 1988 a guest visited the lounge for a nightcap and ordered only a glass of milk.  In a city which is famous for its daiquiris and hurricanes, the request perplexed the bartender who asked about the guest’s choice of beverage. The guest explained that since being away from his family so often, they have begun rituals they would do the same time every evening. His daughter was rather partial to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and would have one as a late night snack with a glass of milk. Since most hotels could not provide him the PB&J sandwich, he would still order a glass of milk at night to share with his daughter sitting at the kitchen table, miles away.  The bartender, who was actually the hotel’s General Manager, asked the kitchen staff to create a PB&J sandwich which was presented to the guest in order to complete the ritual. Since that night, the hotel has continued the tradition at 10:00 p.m. each and every night by offering PB&J sandwiches, cold milk, and hot chocolate to overnight guests.

The lobby is gorgeous with soaring ceilings, chandeliers dripping with crystals, and plenty of chairs and couches with fringed pillows. The hotel staff sets up a beautiful spread of both pre-made sandwiches as well as DIY materials: peanut butter (both smooth and crunchy), three types of jelly (strawberry, grape, and orange marmalade), and three types of bread (white, wheat, and raisin). They have also included bagels and cream cheese, for those who may prefer something else.  In addition, they provide milk (whole, skim, chocolate) and hot chocolate with the option of mini marshmallows or fresh whipped cream.  I enjoyed two sandwiches (smooth peanut butter and strawberry jam on white bread), drank two small cartons of milk, and took a large hot chocolate with whipped cream up to my room.  While it may not have been the most exotic or fancy meal I’ve ever had, it definitely provided comfort while over 2,500 miles from home.

PB&J Sandwiches

PB&J Sandwich Fixings

Milk and Hot Chocolate Service

Le Pavillon Hotel

833 Poydras Street
New Orleans, LA 70112

 (504) 581-3111 

www.lepavillon.com

January 13, 2009

Two Peanut Butter & Jam Sandwiches    $ 0.00

Milk                                                      $ 0.00

Hot Chocolate                                       $ 0.00

Total                                                    $ 0.00

No Comments | In: Dinner, Louisiana, Snacks | tags: Hot Chocolate, La Pavillion Hotel, Louisiana, Milk, New Orleans, Peanut Butter, Snack. | #