Eaten anything especially tasty lately? Memorable? Weird? Bodacious? Let us know by e-mailing tscheffler@cityweekly.net
From our readers:
Chef Billy Z. has a hot tip for Philly TastyKake fans: Butterscotch Krimpets family packs for $2.50, across from the seafood section at the Walmart on 1300 South.
John Purvis writes: Please do a review of Mariscos Ensenada at 4855 S. Redwood Rd. I went there on a recommendation from a friend who heard from some Mexican friends it was great. My impressions: Very clean, nice ambience, lousy location, but food to die for. As near as I could tell, they’ve been open for four months and could use the business. Knowledge of Spanish helps but is not essential.
You can’t get a beer, but the tea is great. At first glance, we thought the items were a little pricey (we’re cheap, and just about to leave, but, oh, well), so we both just ordered the taco dish. Oh wow! Fantastic! I’m not sure what to say. Loaded with shrimp and spiced wonderfully. And huge. And they come with refried beans and rice. I don’t think anyone has ever written about how good refried beans can be, but these were very special. I’ve always thought refried beans were refried beans, but you’ve got to try these. I could eat a bowl for lunch and leave it at that.
Bob McNary has been doing extensive research into perfecting the art of reheating frozen White Castle cheeseburgers, which are available in local supermarkets. Here is Bob’s blow-by-blow technique: First, critical: Get a jar of dill pickle chips. I wrote to White Castle about not including pickles with their packaged burgers and they sent me a couple of coupons for White Castle hamburgers, but no luck in getting them to package pickles.
Next, very critical: Put the box of WCs in the fridge overnight. They have to be thawed for this to work. Don’t try the defrost function of a microwave as it just makes the buns hard. After thawing, take out one “two-pack” at a time. Once again, don’t do four sandwiches at once or it won’t work. Carefully open the end of the cellophane pack, being careful not to tear it. Take out the two WCs and carefully put the bun tops back into the cellophane wrapper. Heat the bottoms with the burger and cheese for 34 seconds on most modern microwaves. Watch for the cheese to start bubbling. Don’t overcook! Next, take out the sandwiches and place the tops in the microwave, wrapped in the cellophane and closed up by folding the ends down and tucking under. Heat for exactly 11 seconds. This is critical, as you don’t want them to get hard, yet the cellophane insures that the tops will be moist when you remove them. While all this is going on, place the pickles and add mustard. (Authentic WC’s don’t have catsup, although I did run across a blasphemous restaurant in Minneapolis which put on German Brown mustard and added catsup. Where the hell did that come from? ) Since you followed my directions exactly, enjoy the two cheeseburgers you just made and savor the box for the remaining ones. Don’t forget to look for store coupons in the box, although they’re not always included.
From our staff:
Paula Saltas: For those who can’t wait for the Greek Festival to come around in September, try the Cheese Triangles (tyropita) at Olympus Burger! (6100 S. 900 East)
