Ham Sandwich Indicted!

The results are out on Zagat's yearly fast-food/full-service chain survey. Top finishers included Five Guys (best burger, fast food), Red Robin (best burger, full service), Panera (best salad, fast food), McDonald's (best fries, fast food) Outback Steakhouse (best steak, full service), and Olive Garden (best value, full service). Obviously, there's a lot of room for debate--but having not tried Five Guys yet, I can't really state an opinion... I have, however, had In-and-Out Burger a few times in my life and loved it. Also, if we're looking a little more locally, Graffiti Burger is pretty damn delicious. Check out the complete results here and let me know what you think--where do you go for a quick, cheap burger? Do you secretly crave the Olive Garden house salad every now and then?

Have you been looking for a store where you can buy canned Hungarian goulash, stock up on alligator jerky, browse thousands of types of hot sauce, take home a couple durian fruits, and pick up a 50 lb bag of peanuts? Looking for an obscure cheese or microbrew (or maybe, you're keeping it real with some Genesee)? Would you also like to be entertained by assorted animatronic figures including Lucky the Leprechaun, a talking ear of corn, and a Campbell's soup can on a swing? Then you probably should give up on your plans to get stuff done around the house, jump in the car and head to Fairfield, Ohio to check out the mega-grocery store that is Jungle Jims . The Jungle Jim's empire started as a produce stand, and is now a nationally-known grocery store, events center, and mall complex. Apparently, there's a monorail, too. It's 6 1/2 acres of random food fun--along with a giant produce, meat, and cheese section, there's condiments from every country. (Need a g...

Tacos! They're the darlings of the food world (at least here in Columbus), and Taco Bell has jumped on to the taco bandwagon to serve "high-quality, freshly-prepared Mexican tacos...that combine the traits of authentic street tacos with the familiarity of Taco Bell value." (That's from the website.) Thus, ladies and gentlemen, Taco Bell presents the Cantina Taco. In the spirit of experimentation and not being a bitchy food snob (I try, really, but damn, it's hard to not be one), I made a run for the border after a Clippers game Saturday night, to try these Cantina tacos. The commercials make them appealing enough: two attractive young people enjoying their Cantina tacos on a sunny patio, as a lime wedge with a generic Hispanic accent--yes, a slice of citrus--gives the voice-over, extolling the virtues of an "authentic" taco experience. And god knows I'm a sucker for a sexy-talking lime wedge. For $2.79, I picked up two Cantina Tacos--chicken and...

"I have long believed that it is only right and appropriate that before one sleeps with someone, one should be able--if called upon to do so--to make them a proper omelet in the morning." ...Thus begins Anthony Bourdain's list of Things Everyone Should Know How to Make. I'm just about wrapping up his latest book, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook , and you know, I think he's dead on with this one. Chances are, you know Anthony Bourdain. You've most likely watched No Reservations on the Travel Channel, and you possibly also read his first memoir, Kitchen Confidential . Maybe you even saw his lecture when he came through on tour last year. You may or may not agree with a lot of what Bourdain says...he's crass, strongly opinionated, and did manage to annoy at least few Columbus foodies during his recent stop in Columbus for a short No Reservations piece. I, frankly, love the man. I enjoy his self-deprecating humo...

A few nights ago, the family and I enjoyed a fantastic meal at the newly re-opened Whole World Natural Bakery Restaurant in Clintonville. Unfortunately, I'm a terrible blogger (sorry friends), and forgot to take pictures of any of the actual dishes--just two cookies that I saved and ate the next day for lunch. (Which, for the record, were delicious!) Did you know that Whole World is Columbus' oldest vegetarian restaurant (founded in 1978)? Their lengthy menu includes appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, and pizza, all made with fresh veggies in small batches. The daily soup options for the evening I was there included African Peanut, Gazpacho, Unstuffed Green Pepper (a rice-stuffed green pepper, deconstructed into soup form), and Verde (chunks of tender potatoes in a puree of five green veggies.) Among their daily entree items were Truffled Penne & Cheese, a Potato & Brie Quesadilla, and a Red Lentil Burger. I went with the Verde soup--dark green (MUST be healthy...