Poor Form

I am probably the worst blogger ever. Last entry was in August, seriously?? I get really excited to write, and I plan all sorts of things to blog about, but then I go to work, or I read, or I fall asleep on my couch watching The Daily Show...I never make it to the interview! But now that my pesky Master's degree is out of the way, and I'm starting to spend a couple of hours less on my job a day, I think the blogging needs to come back. Writing is good for your brain, and it's no secret I need a hobby. As any athletic experience, needlework, scrap booking, darling crafts, and any other domestic arts are eliminated due to my personal shortcomings, the hobby shall be blogging.

This year, Matt and I are trying to do new things, and I'm keeping track of all of them in a leather bound book. (seriously) We each have a page for books we have read, movies we've seen in the theaters, fun places we've gone, and new restaurants we've tried. What perfect fodder for my blogging pleasure! Today's topic shall be: food you pay for by the pound.

I'm really into this concept. Looking back, I think my love affair began with the weigh-and-eat Hy-Vee salad bar. Easy, yummy, and healthful (?). But now it's all about the frozen yogurt. There are several new places around town that have fro-yo, as we cool kids call it, for sale by the ounce. It's a fantastic concept, especially for picky eaters with a sweet tooth. You just can fill as much of whatever flavor you want. I like to keep it traditional - swirled chocolate and vanilla, or chocolate and peanut butter, or chocolate and raspberry. I do like a little dollop of an experimental flavor too though, like red velvet cake. Then you get to go to the topping bar and pile on whatever chopped candy, cereal, fruit, or sauces you like. Then they weigh it and give you a price. Genius!

When I was in college, a group of friends decided we would go to what we believed was an informal Mexican restaurant called Gaucho's. We realized we were mistaken when we saw the waiters in ties and the white tablecloths. What we had mistaken for a place to go to in shorts and order chicken nachos and possibly a pitcher of margaritas was actually a Brazilian churrasco steak house, where enormous slabs of meat were brought to us speared on swords. It was an expensive mistake, too...chunks of meat on swords do not come cheap. But what do you do if you are in the mood for delicious churrasco but don't have the money or time for the weaponry? Fazenda Brazilian Grill, my friends. Located by the Borders where the Planet Sub was before it burned down, we ended up there last week because we saw it from the highway and were hungry. We imagined a sit-down place, so picture our delight as we realized it was a buffet set-up that charged by the pound. It still had all the cold salad bar, and some hot appetizers, but then you got to go stand in front of a roaring grill and direct the friendly carvers to pile whatever meat you desired on your plate. Especially yummy were the chicken drummettes and some kind of provolone sirloin. And when you were done loading your plate, they weighed it and rang you up. We had two full plates and two drinks for about $20. Definitely recommended, and would definitely go back.

To show that I don't spend all my time eating, next time I'll definitely write about some of the fine fiction or award nominated movies I have been watching.

Burgers

I think it's a good time for my first food review! Don't be alarmed, I am completely qualified to review food. I may have the palate of a nine year old, but I also watch both Top and Iron Chef. Plus, I have also been known to cook something myself now and again. Something besides macaroni and cheese! Ironically, the other night, I did make macaroni and cheese, but it did not come from a box. No sir, I boiled the pasta, and composed a sauce. And it was quite delicious. Unfortunately, I will never make it again, because my cookbook told me it has about 700 calories per serving. Bummer. However, cheesy pasta and calories are not the topics I will discuss today. I want to talk about burgers.

Every now and again, I get a yearning for red meat. And the quickest and cheapest way to satisfy this craving is with a juicy burger. However, I'm not really a fan of fast food burgers. McDonald's are too sweet (weird, I know), and Wendy's has more delicious chicken options. I prefer to limit my Sonic intake to delicious frozen treats. There isn't a Burger King close enough to my house to really consider. If I was going to get a fast food burger within 5 minutes of my home, I would go to the A&W/ Long John Silver's combination. Long John Silver's is disgusting, and the restaurant itself smells vaguely of fish, but you can get a pretty tasty burger, plus a frosty mug of on - tap root beer. And root beer is delicious! I really should drink it more often, I just forget how much I like it.

All things considered, if I'm really in the mood for a burger in town, I would go to Five Guys. Five Guys has mastered the concept of ridiculously simple menu and ridiculously simple food. Seriously, all you can get there is burgers, fries, and hot dogs, but if you get a hot dog, you suck, so don't even consider it. As an added bonus for a picky eater like myself, you order the burger with whatever you want! It's so easy. And the fries...now, this entry is not about fries, but the fries here are so amazing. The eating areas are lined with big boxes of potatoes, and there is always a sign posted telling you where they came from. They are usually from Driggs, Idaho. Driggs has a population of 1,000 people, 900 of them potato farmers. (One of those stats is true). Aside: I was watching Jeopardy, and one of the contestants was from Driggs! I felt like we had a connection! Anyway, the fries are perfect. The come in a wonderfully greasy paper bag, and they're hot and salty and crispy on the outside, and all around fantastic. And the burger is great too. High scores to both the bun and the patty size and flavor.

My burger of choice in Columbia is a Boone Burger from Boone Tavern. There is no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Columbia then eating a monstrous burger and washing it down with a Diet Coke and grenadine. You need to bring lots of friends with you though, because you'll probably be there for an hour before the waitress notices you. The fries are definitely nothing to write home about, but the burger is great. I heard somewhere that Boone Tavern uses local beef for the burger. That sounds like it might be good for me, and environmentally conscious. I don't really care though, I just like the burger. And thanks to the condiment bar, I am not hassled by ordering a burger how I like it, I can just add the items I like.

In a perfect world, I could get a Boone burger and Five Guys fries. With a frosty mug of root beer! And for less than 700 calories! Next summer, when I buy a grill, I'm going to see if I can recreate this burger deliciousness from the comfort of my own home. Good eats!