Meatball battle!

I know I know...it's been a while but I'm not going to apologise. Most of the time I prefer to eat food rather than write about it. However you're fortunate that on this occasion I felt this particular event warranted a post.

This all came about when two girls had a very mature debate about which meatballs they preferred, Costco or Ikea. Now there's no better way to settle this than to prepare a taste test. There's no way the JFC would miss this, not even for a Felix Baumgartner skydive.

Venue decided, meatballs purchased, it was time to cook. The sauce and pasta selected for this test was largely irrelevant. Spaghetti is your obvious choice of pasta and despite my initial disappointment with an off the shelf pasta sauce, I was impressed with the selection.

Now on to the competitors! In the frozen corner we had Ikea's famous offering named Kottbullar that simply translates to Swedish meatballs.

In the chilled corner we have the Costco offering....quite simply put "Delicious hot or cold". Already a point to Costco on packaging and a dual temperature offering!

On to the most important aspect of the test, the taste. Initially we debated on whether there was a possibility both offerings originated from the same source but I was soon to find out this wasn't so. My generous chefs for the evening placed one of each meatball on my plate and based simply on appearance I couldn't tell them apart. To be frank though I don't think I gave myself enough time to admire them aesthetically before delving in.

The first meatball I bit into tasted very meaty and in some ways a little artificial. It reminded me a little of school dinners (which isn't always a bad thing). The second meatball was very similar in texture but with a more subtle and authentic taste about it. It was clear within one bite of each which one was my winner (I didn't eat them whole...honest!)

There were 4 of us voting and the overall result was....unanimous! Everyone preferred the Costco offering even the little petty one that originally sparked off the debate and favoured Ikea (and myself).

The JFC couldn't help but get his hands involved and also prepared some homemade alternatives that were pretty well received. If you're interested in the recipe then I'm happy to share that.

So the evening produced a unanimous victor in Costco. Do you have any suggestions to rival this wholesale meatball? I'd be more than happy to taste test them!

Reminiscing...

It is exactly a month to the day since I last posted on here, when I was still in the States. An epic journey driving across the country via Route 66 consisting of 2800 miles and 50 hours in the car. More importantly a lot of (junk) food was consumed in this period! I'm going focus things back on the East coast though for this post. The previous two posts have already detailed establishments that were visited on the East coast but I want to mention another, this time in New York.

On an early evening in NYC, having just made a trip to Staten Island we made the journey up to Chinatown.
Hungry and impatient, I made an executive decision not to wait 45 minutes for dim sum but instead to hail a cab to take us to New York's Lower East Side. What brought us there you might wonder? Well... a deli with over 100 years of history, Katz's Delicatessen.

Having featured on Man v Food, this alone was enough justification for making a stop, it would simply be rude not to right? Adam Richman came here and ordered a Reuben sandwich so you can figure out what I ordered from the menu. The Reuben sandwich consists of corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese and homemade Russian dressing in between untoasted rye bread. However, just to make things more interesting I added pastrami to mine and I must say it's the best pastrami I've ever tasted! It simply melts in your mouth like a good steak.

As you can see in the above photo, I foolishly ordered a side of coleslaw with mine. I managed to devour the sandwich without any problems but I'm ashamed to admit I left about half the coleslaw. Despite this I popped next door for two scoops of gelato at il laboratoria del gelato.

The ice cream parlour is built upon a open kitchen that they call "The Lab". Chefs and caterers are actually encouraged to work with them to develop new flavours. That's certainly given me some food for thought... no pun intended there...honest!

I opted for passion fruit sorbet and tarragon ice cream just to be different for a change. The texture was spot on with just the right amount of creaminess. The tarragon flavour was surprisingly tasty and not too overpowering, the perfect accompaniment to the passion fruit sorbet.

So there we go ladies and gents...that's enough reminiscing for one night, it's getting late and I'm getting hungry again! 

As Seen On TV

Howdy y'all! Don't worry I've not turned into a American, not yet anyway. Although the way I've been eating the past week I'll soon feel right at home over here. So you must be wondering where my travels have taken me to now right?

Well..... Washington is full of landmarks like Capitol Hill, The White House and the Lincoln Memorial but before exploring these sites I visited a hidden landmark. Unfortunately for me it didn't involve a mysterious adventure like something out of National Treasure. A short journey on the yellow line took us to The Original Ben's Chili Bowl as seen on Man v. Food.

As you can see from the image, it clearly states that it's a landmark and even the likes of President Obama have eaten there so it can't be bad! There's a wall of fame displaying photos of celebrities that have visited the joint, something I've noticed that is quite common over here in eateries.

I went for the Chili half smoke as it's Ben's signature dish. This consists of a half pork, half beef sausage on a hot dog bun topped with mustard, onions and their home made chili. Surprisingly the chili isn't very spicy but did taste divine, I could easily have eaten another one but the long queues deterred me from doing so.

I must add that, I've been in the States for over a week now and it's still one of the best things I've eaten so far, especially if you take value for money into account too. Forget the other landmarks, you need to start your tour of the city with a stop at Ben's Chili Bowl.

Pound For Pound

It's been a good few days now in the United States for the Junk Food Connoisseur and his friends. We've been eating things such as bagels, Papa John's pizza to the more luxurious item of oysters in Boston. It's been a pleasant stay in Boston, walking the Freedom Trail and completing the 294 steps up Bunker Hill (to help stir up an appetite).

Yesterday we ventured on to Washington DC, the next stop on our tour of America. Having been in the country a couple of days it was probably considered a crime that we still hadn't consumed a burger yet. Well....clearly this needed addressing! Prior to watching the NHL game between the Washington Capitals vs Florida Panthers we stumbled into Fuddruckers. It was more a case of indecisiveness and there were hungry mouths to feed.

The first thing that comes to mind when scanning the menu is that the smallest sized burger is a 1/3 pounder with the largest weighing in at an entire pound. Had any doubts I was in America beforehand? No questions now surely! I've opted to start slow and chose a 1/3 pound Inferno burger consisting of jalapenos, caramelised onions and Pepper Jack cheese. You're even asked how you want the burger cooked! 

There's quite a considerable wait because the burger is cooked the way you want it and this time is also proportional to the size of the burger. The estimated cooking time of a pound burger is 15 minutes meaning a hungry man has to be a very patient one too.

There is a salad and sauce section upon receiving your burger that is entirely self-serve. I love my burgers fully loaded and put on plenty of lettuce, tomatoes and onions....oh and yet more jalapenos too! I do wonder how I would have managed to fit a whole pounder in my mouth with the salad.

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My burger was consumed within minutes and my only regret now is not opting for a larger burger. Next time I'll know better but as any good fighter knows, you start at a weight you're comfortable in and work your way up to heavyweight champion of the world!

Stateside

For those that don't know, the Junk Food Connoisseur is going Stateside on a mini adventure for a few weeks. The home of hamburgers, hotdogs and everything extra large super sized.

In preparation for my visit I've been watching a lot of Man vs Food episodes and researching on the web. As cliché as it may sound, the below McDonalds in Chicago is a must visit and there's no other way to satisfy your hunger out there than with a Super Size meal!

Just a few of the other places on the list include Gino's pizzeria in Chicago, The Cheesecake factory, Bellagio buffet and the challenge I'm planning on attempting at Orochon Ramen in Los Angeles.


Stay tuned, I'll be trying to post updates during my travels when I'm not busy scoffing my face! 

Sumo Sunday

Fear not readers, despite the fact I've probably gained a few pounds recently I have not taken up a new sport in Sumo wrestling. In fact the Sumo Sunday refers to the sushi buffet available at Yo Sushi on Sunday's. This was first made available around September last year (only on Sunday) but it wasn't until last month that I made a visit (or two) to sample the buffet.

Yo Sushi isn't new to me but I tend to only visit when there's an offer on. For someone that often eats plates into double digits this can become rather expensive! Oh how much more I must have cost my parents to raise compared to the average child?

The terms of the buffet state that it only includes plates on the belt. However, on my second visit I arrived with it approaching closing time. As a result of this I was able to order several items that I wasn't charged extra for so this is certainly worth bearing in mind.

Below are a few of my favourite items.

Gyozas

Chicken Katsu Curry

Beef Nigri

Let's be honest now, Yo Sushi isn't the most authentic Japanese restaurant around but I live in Manchester and there's a distinct lack of choice. At £18.50 for the buffet too, there are better options available if you're flexible with the type of food. Despite my harsh comments, I still made two visits last month!

The Cookie Monster

Today marks the 100 year anniversary of the Oreo cookie. It's still quite a popular cookie in this country but it doesn't seem to have the same popularity as it does back in America where it is the country's top selling cookie. The general consensus in this country is that they are over-rated despite their success. It seems that over the recent years, they've become more popular for their use in recipes such as milkshakes, cheesecakes and cupcakes rather than for the cookie itself.

You must all be wondering how I celebrated such a momentous day in history? Well, this afternoon whilst reading an article about the Oreo's legacy I came across several Oreo recipes. The one that caught my eye the most and appeared to be the simplest was one for Oreo truffles. For those interested, the recipe can be found here

As you can see, the presentation doesn't quite match that of the recipe. It's certainly tasty but they are probably too rich for most folk. I may attempt this recipe again but it depends how well received they are at work.