I'll Trade You

When Consumer Reports comes out with a rating on restaurants or certain types of foods, I'm generally not interested. If they're assessing the performance of a type of tire or telling me which operating system works best for a computer, I value the research and opinion. But when it comes to who has the best french fries or milkshake, I'd rather find out for myself. So when Consumer Reports revealed that they thought Trader Joe's Truffle Brownies were the best store bought brownie mix, we decided it was time to put this rating to the test.

Sadly, there is not a Trader Joe's in the Roanoke Valley. It's another topic for another day, but it would be AMAZING if Trader Joe's could come to the Roanoke area in the near future. I'm looking at you abandoned Ukrops building. In the meantime, we take advantage of visiting places that have TJ's locations and usually pick up a few items to bring back home. Seeing as how my family takes a trip to the Naval Academy every few weeks to see my brother, we can count on some loot from the Trader Joe's store in Annapolis on a relatively regular basis.

A couple weeks ago, I finally got around to making these highly acclaimed brownies. The ingredients include one full stick of butter, which hurts the waistline but not the tastebuds. And when I poured the mix into a bowl, I noticed large chunks of chocolate that would be mixed in with the batter - hello truffle friends. Making brownies isn't the most complicated baking in the world, so I followed the recipe, put them in the oven, and then eagerly waited for the result. Once the brownies were finished baking, I pulled them out of the oven and again followed the instructions on the box - which included letting the brownies cool for 30 minutes! Agonizing!

After 30 minutes of drooling, I cut into my first piece and took a bite...BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE! These brownies were rich, they were decadent, they were moist, they were heavenly. The chunks of chocolate really put them over the top and provided a fudge-like element. Eating them warm offered an experience similar to enjoying a hot Krispy Kreme doughnut. I quickly realized that it would be a challenge to not enjoy the entire pan of these brownies on my own. I resisted the temptation to hide them from everyone else and offered my family some. Everyone was a huge fan and I don't think the pan lasted much more than 24 hours.

Now, I find myself daydreaming about Trader Joe's brownies. They were delicious, but they could even be taken to another level. With the possibility of adding peanut butter, or caramel, or butterscotch, or coconut...I feel like Willy Wonka. I guess we'll just have to try them all to figure out which way is actually the best. Pardon me, I can hear myself getting fatter.

Get Her to the Greek

Our Tuesday night schedule did not allow us the opportunity to celebrate Valentine's Day. So, Nicole and I decided to have a belated Valentine's Day celebration by having lunch together on Thursday at The Isaacs Restaurant in Grandin Village. From the people I'd talked to, I wouldn't say The Isaacs has the best reputation, but they have recently changed ownership and we were hoping for a good experience. It's always fun to try a new place, especially one with a little international flair.

Even though The Isaacs focuses on serving Greek/Mediterranean food, we weren't particularly adventurous with our lunch choices. We both ordered the salad bar, which was all-you-can-eat and also came with a selection of three different soups. I tried the potato & feta soup (it was decent but not anything worth bragging about) and loaded up on multiple trips to the salad bar.  At first glance, the salad bar seemed small, but it actually had a good selection of items. Along with a choice of mixed greens or spinach, they had tons of fresh veggies - including red & green peppers, red onions, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, almonds, and cauliflower. There were also some unique additions such as homemade croutons, dill potatoes, greek yogurt, and curried chicken salad. I believe the salad dressings were also homemade. For a simple salad bar, I was rather impressed.

I'd say the salad bar lunch is a very reasonable deal at around $7. My only complaint about our lunch would be that the restaurant seemed under-staffed. For a rather large dining area with a decent amount of people, I only saw one server waiting tables. We had to wait to be seated, it took a while to receive our drinks, and we ended up with a pile of dishes on our table by the end of the meal. I wouldn't blame the server - I'd blame management for not having more people working to provide the waiter some help. They were also pretty slow with keeping the salad bar stocked, which is dangerous when Nicole and I are on the prowl!

Overall, I think the new owners at The Isaacs have things going in the right direction. The food tasted fresh and the prices made for a very good value. I'd assume they are in a transition period and trying to be very careful about labor and costs, but they need to make sure customers are receiving great service. If they can get those issues worked out, I think The Isaacs will do very well.

A Trip to Lew's

Last Friday night, we experienced another culinary adventure thanks to the purchase of a Daily Deal coupon. When I first learned about Groupon, Living Social, and other sorts of daily coupon websites, I thought this was a great idea. Now, I just think these coupons end up being a trap that entices you to spend money to go to a restaurant you have little interest going to - and you end up going right before the expiration date to make sure you even use the coupon. This exact thing happens to us all the time, and it did again this past Friday night when we went to Lew's, a restaurant in north Roanoke on Williamson Road.

I knew very little about Lew's, other than hearing my grandparents constantly rave about it. However, my grandparents tend to have strange tastes in food and restaurants, so this did not give me a great deal of confidence. I was very skeptical when I would hear my grandmother say, "it's so good because they make everything fresh." When we pulled into the parking lot, Lew's did not strike me as the type of place that would place a high priority on fresh ingredients. The decor is...interesting. It reminds me of a basement that someone is trying to decorate with whatever they find at garage/yard sales and thrift stores. The booth didn't really fit against the wall and they had a nice TV but it was kind of tucked away awkwardly in the corner. It wasn't terrible, but seemed to be "under construction."

Deluxe Pizza

As for the menu, it looked to be typical American/Sports Bar food. They offered burgers, sandwiches, salads, pizzas, and a few entrees. We ordered a plate of Beer Fries for the table and I ordered a Deluxe Pizza as my meal. The Beer Fries arrived before the rest of the food and I thought these were the highlight. A bit on the greasy side, but crispy and had good flavor. My pizza was more on the underwhelming side. As a Deluxe Pizza, it was topped with pepperoni, sausage, ham, mushrooms, peppers, & onions. I would have liked it more had they put the veggies on while the pizza was in the oven, but those were thrown on after the pizza had already cooked. The sauce wasn't particularly good and the crust was nothing memorable. It wasn't disastrous, but not worth getting again. Actually, that reflects my thoughts on the entire experience.

I'm not sure I understand the appeal of Lew's. The service was okay, but we had to wait a while before anyone noticed our table. I wouldn't consider returning based on the flavor of the food. And the atmosphere certainly leaves a lot to be desired. Suffice to say, next time Lew's puts up a Daily Deal coupon, we'll show better judgement and hold off on making that purchase.

Snapping the Turtles

Down by Coach K Court

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I had a chance to attend the Maryland/Duke game this past Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. My dad and I were fortunate to attend the game with a couple who are huge Duke fans and have one of the most ideal set-ups I have ever seen for attending a sporting event. We met them a few miles away from the university and rode in with them because they had a parking pass - not just any parking pass, I think we had a parking spot closer to the gym than Coach K. And because we arrived early, they were able to take us courtside as the teams were warming up, making sure we got a few pictures and a chance to see the players up-close. It was my second time attending a game at Duke, but it had been over 8 years since my first visit and it was cool to see a few of the new things that have been added to the arena. It was awesome to see a new national championship banner hanging in the rafters along with some additional retired jerseys and some other banners celebrating specific accomplishments.

From our seats

One of the best parts about attending the game was the aspect of this being Duke's first game since their improbable comeback victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In a sense, this was the opportunity for the Cameron Crazies and the Duke crowd to celebrate the victory and congratulate the team on their win. The pregame introduction of the team included a highlight video from the UNC game and concluded with Austin Rivers' game winning shot - which brought the crowd to a deafening level and was the loudest it got in Cameron Indoor Stadium the entire day. However, even amidst all the post-UNC euphoria, Duke still had a game to play against a physical Maryland team. The Blue Devils got off to a slow start and struggled offensively in the first half, but played with a defensive intensity that had been missing for much of the season and really disrupted the Maryland offense. The offense picked up in the second half and Miles Plumlee did his best Dwight Howard impersonation as Duke put the Terps away in a decisive victory.

Here were 3 things I noticed during the game:

1. The Cameron Crazies don't realize how important they are. This student section has the ability and reputation of being the most intimidating crowd in the country, but this group isn't living up to it. They don't have as much energy and they seem to lose interest unless Duke is playing very well. As Coach K was walking off the court going into halftime, he gave the Cameron Crazies a piece of his mind and appeared to be yelling at them in an attempt to get the more involved in the game. With only three home games remaining, I hope they make the most of their opportunity.

2. 

   Cameron Crazies

   Andre Dawkins is a head case. It's one thing to be a streaky shooter - it's another to be a player who completely checks out of the game when his shot isn't falling. Unfortunately, Dawkins seems to be the latter. Andre has the athletic ability to be much more than a catch-and-shoot perimeter player, but he is content to stand outside the 3-point line and jack up threes. I've also noticed an increasingly disturbing trend of him trying to instigate issues with the other team. It's time for Andre to just shut up and let his play do the talking.
3. Miles Plumlee played BIG. Everyone talked about the number of rebounds Plumlee had, which was phenomenal - but that wasn't the only thing that stuck out about his game. Plumlee was the most assertive I've ever seen him. He was setting good screens on the perimeter and then rolling hard to the basket and calling for the ball. He also did a great job of establishing low post position and making himself a big target for receiving an entry pass from the perimeter. If Miles continues to play with this type of confidence and aggressiveness, Duke becomes a completely different team.

For a college basketball fan, seeing a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium should be on your bucket list. For a Duke fan, seeing a game at Cameron is something you will never forget. Having a chance to experience the history and excellence of this great program is something truly special. And it's always good to Duke dominate Maryland. 

Down to Durham

Yesterday was a great day. I took a trip down to Durham with my dad to watch Duke play Maryland at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was my second time seeing a game at Duke and it was a great game to attend - I plan to post more about the game later this week. And before we made the trip, I did some research on Urbanspoon about potential places to eat in the Durham/Chapel Hill area before the game. There were a few places that looked appealing, but there is something special about ACC Basketball and BBQ so we decided to try Allen & Son.

When we pulled up to the restaurant, we felt like we were about to enjoy a local landmark that focused on serving great food and didn't worry about presentation or being fancy. The atmosphere was quaint and had tacky decorations, but that's not uncommon for many local restaurants in the South. Once we sat down and received menus, we were a bit surprised at the prices of the food. $10 for a BBQ Plate with slaw and hush puppies, $4.25 for a bowl of Brunswick stew, or $6.00 for a BBQ sandwich seemed a bit steep, but we thought it might have something to do with the portions. My dad is somewhat of a Brunswick stew connoisseur, so he ordered a bowl of stew (which came with hush puppies) along with a BBQ sandwich and a side of onion rings. Then, I tried to order.

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not a difficult customer when it comes to dining out. I'm more the type that would rather just let something go than point out a mistake to the server or send food back because I'm unhappy with it - I don't like the confrontation. I'll eat something I don't even like because I don't wait to be a pain. So, I decided to order the BBQ sandwich with a side of hush puppies. So far, no problem. However, I noticed that the BBQ sandwich came with slaw on top of it and I tend to be rather picky when it comes to coleslaw. I asked the waitress if I could get the slaw on the side instead of on the sandwich because I wanted to try it to make sure I liked it before putting it on my sandwich. I do this all the time and it's NEVER been an issue - until now. 

She told me I couldn't have the slaw on the side. I figured there was a misunderstanding and she must have thought I was asking for an extra side of slaw - I tried to explain, "No, I would like the slaw that is going on the sandwich to be left on the side." She understood but it didn't matter. She informed me that we would be charged extra for having the slaw on the side. Stunned, I said, "Wait a second - you're going to charge me extra for the slaw you were already going to serve me if I want it put on the plate instead of on the sandwich?" She wasn't willing to budge and asked me if I wanted the slaw or not. I responded that I'd take the sandwich with the slaw and I would just scoop it off if I didn't like it. I tried to express how ridiculous this was but it didn't seem to phase her. Looking back, I was more accommodating than I should have been - we should have just walked out on principle.

At this point, I was thinking this place better serve the best freaking BBQ in the country to put up with this nonsense. Once our food came, our mistake in choosing Allen & Son had been fully realized. For $7.50, my BBQ sandwich and hush puppies were little more than disappointing. AND THERE COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE THAN A TABLESPOON OF THE INFAMOUS COLESLAW ON MY SANDWICH! The meat was a little dry and the hush puppies were good, but I wish there had been more than four of them. And as for my dad's Brunswick stew, I've been served bigger samples of soup at Costco than what he received in his $4 "bowl." Lacking in size and flavor but heavy on the price tag ($25.00) is a terrible description for any meal and that's how I would describe what we had.

Unfortunately, our pregame meal was the low point of an otherwise great day. The basketball was great and the crowd at Cameron Indoor Stadium was energetic, creative, and memorable. I wish I could say the same about the food and the experience at Allen & Son. Two thumbs way down!

When in Athens...

There are certain things that make everyone's college experience unique - certain traditions or memories we create that we look fondly on for the rest of our lives. For some, it might involve being part of a club or organization. For others, it could be a sporting event - in the SEC, it's called "football season." It may be a coffee shop or quiet spot on campus that becomes your own personal space. Or, it might be a greasy spoon/dive/loud and obnoxious/hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Little Italy became one of those traditions for me.

Located in downtown Athens and right across the street from the University of Georgia campus, Little Italy is a popular spot for UGA students. With cheap food, ridiculous hours of operation, and quick service, you could always find a steady flow of people waiting for this greasy Italian fare. On a Saturday evening after a football game or during any other crowded night downtown, you could expect to find a line out the door and no one seemed to mind - I know I never did.

During my freshman year, Little Italy became a weekend tradition. It was a five minute walk from my dorm and a great option for some cheap food. Sometimes we'd go on a Friday night, other weekends it would be a Saturday night, and some weekends we'd go two nights in a row - Little Italy was almost always incorporated into the weekend festivities. My friend, Jonathan, was a big part of this tradition. Occasionally, a few others or a group of people would join us, but Jonathan and I were faithful to our Little Italy commitment no matter what. Eating there on the weekend was part of our experience of being students at UGA.

Photo courtesy of Little Italy

The food made it an easy tradition to keep. The slices of pizza were enormous - and only cost around $2.50 per slice! It was the classic New York-style thin crust and one slice was bigger than most textbooks. They actually couldn't even fit a slice on one plate, so two plates were used for support. Of course, we'd each order two slices. Full of toppings sprinkled over the top and served at the counter by an angry staff who would cuss you out if you didn't come pick up for your food...this is a truly unique Athens experience. However, we didn't stick to pizza alone. The calzones were excellent and I think I might have liked the meatball sandwich more than anything else on the menu. It was a piping hot sandwich stuffed with meatballs and covered with melted mozzarella cheese - and again, it needed two plates because it was so enormous. This should be incorporated into any recruiting trip for a high schooler who is considering attending UGA. And as a poor college freshman, I don't think I ever spent more than $6 for a meal.

I loved my time at UGA. I love my wife, who I met at UGA. I loved getting to experience SEC football in Sanford Stadium. I loved being able to receive a great education from a highly regarded university. And I loved that I was able to create so many unique memories during my time in Athens. I will always look back on eating at Little Italy as one of those unique memories.

The Duke Way

My God, a Freshman!

I can still remember when I became a fan of Duke basketball. It was 1998 and Duke was playing Florida in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Gators were a young and improving team while Duke was a dominant powerhouse - I still argue that is the most talented team in Duke history (Brand, Avery, Maggette, Langdon, Battier, Carrawell, OH MY!). The key moment for me was in the second half when Corey Maggette took the ball in transition for a dunk for the Blue Devils. Maggette dunked the ball and then used the rim to pull himself up above the basket to slap the backboard! Here's the video. It was one of the most intimidating plays I have ever seen and the crowd nearly blew the roof off Cameron Indoor. Maggette received a technical foul for hanging on the rim but it didn't matter - the message was sent and Duke ended up blowing Florida out in that game. That incredible moment was when I became a die-hard Duke fan.

Since then, I have enjoyed following one of the most successful programs in the history of college sports. From 1998 until now, Duke has played in 4 Final Fours, won 2 National Championships, and 10 ACC Championships. Actually, there is only one season in that time period that could qualify as being "disappointing," which was the 2006-07 season when the Blue Devils struggled to a 22-11 record and were bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Other than one tough year, it has been a great ride as a Duke fan and it's great to be a fan of a team who receives so much hatred because of their standard of success. And that standard exists because Mike Krzyzewski refuses to settle for anything less.

McRoberts owes him an apology.

At one point during last night's game against North Carolina, I wrote on Facebook that this year's team is the most frustrating Duke team I can remember. The 2006-07 squad was frustrating, but I think it was more of a case of one player being incredibly frustrating - I still can't stand you, Josh McRoberts. But this year's team can be maddening at because it feels like they have so much potential. Tyler Thornton can't play tough defense without fouling. Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee back down from any sort of physical play in the paint. Andre Dawkins has more ability than anyone on the court but can't keep his head in the game. And Seth Curry is hesitant to be the incredible scorer everyone knows he can be. This team doesn't lack ability - but they seem to struggle in areas related to effort, confidence, and chemistry. Thank goodness they are coached by the game's best.

Austin Rivers takes what he wants!

Coach K knows how to bring the best out of his players. That's why Duke was able to come back last night against UNC when it seemed like all odds were against them. Coach K is able to instill a belief in his players that they are never out of a game, and one or two key plays could shift the momentum. A belief that leads to Tyler Thornton hitting a clutch 3 to start the comeback after he'd missed his previous 5 attempts. A belief that leads to Mason Plumlee coming up with a huge steal after he'd been destroyed by Tyler Zeller in the post for most of the game. And a belief that gave Austin Rivers (Can he please now be basketball's version of The Honey Badger?!) the confidence to stick the dagger in UNC's heart with an improbable buzzer beater. This is why Duke players believe they can win any game - even if they don't always pull off the comeback. And this is a big part of why it's so great to be a Duke fan. Because with Coach K at the helm, no matter who they play...I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!

Euro Bake for Me

Last Saturday, Nicole and I had the chance to spend the entire day together, which is the first time we've been able to in a long time due to our crazy schedules. We had the chance to sleep in and be lazy Saturday morning - something that can be much needed every once in a while. Then, we decided to spend the day exploring various parts of Roanoke and checking out new things. Between shopping downtown and exploring the various treasures (and nightmares - see: Happy's Flea Market) that exist along Williamson Road, we stopped in the City Market Building and made our way over to Euro Bakery.

Euro Bakery had caught our eye before and we were very intrigued. I'm always on the lookout for new restaurants, especially downtown, and Nicole is always interested in anything that includes the word "Bakery." They serve a variety of pastries and other baked goods, but the thing that stuck out the most to us was something we weren't sure how to pronounce. The bureks (puff pastry filled with different ingredients) were rotating in a glass case, a la pizza from 7-Eleven style, and I was curious as to whether or not they would be delicious or disgusting. The Euro Bakery offers a few different types of bureks: ham & mozzarella, roast beef & mozzarella, spinach & mozzarella, and one other I can't remember - we ordered one filled with ham & mozzarella. 

I was pleasantly surprised when the server removed the burek from the glass case and placed it in the oven to make sure it was warm and toasty. Next, she slid it into a plate, cut it into multiple bite-sized squares and served it with a side of marinara sauce and we were ready to dig in. I still don't know how to say it - but I do know I like it. The ham was thinly sliced, the pastry was light and airy, and the melted cheese helped hold everything together. Add a bit of marinara sauce and you have a lighter version of a stromboli. Nicole also had the idea of adding mustard instead of marinara and that also worked very well. We polished off our entire burek and I am quite certain the one filled with spinach and mozzarella will be calling my name soon. And the cost (~$6) makes this a good alternative to the typical sandwich. So our Saturday was a day of adventure - adventurous shopping, adventurous flea marketing, and adventurous eating. All were great fun and Euro Bakery was quite tasty.

A Different Duke Team

Pregame - when Tech fans were excited.

On Thursday afternoon, I received a great surprise. I found out my boss had tickets to the Duke/Virginia Tech game and she happened to have an extra ticket that wasn't going to be used. She offered me the ticket - and even better, she offered it for FREE! So I spent Thursday evening headed to Blacksburg with my boss, her son, and her boyfriend and we made it to Cassell Coliseum just before the game. It was a great time and I really enjoyed watching Duke shut up the Virginia Tech crowd in a convincing victory. Here were a few things that stuck out to me from this game:

1. Seth Curry is an enigma. Aside from Austin Rivers, Curry might have more potential than any other player on the team. Yet, he seems to be playing with the confidence of someone who is hoping for a chance to get in the game during a blowout. I really think Curry has struggled to figure out his role this season - switching back and forth between the primary ballhandler who runs the offense or the second guard who plays off the ball and looks to score. The environment at Cassell Coliseum couldn't have been easy either. At one point I told the guy beside me, "It must be weird playing a tough road game and looking up in the rafters and seeing your dad's picture and jersey hanging for the other team." I was happy to see Curry make some nice plays down the stretch and get to the free throw line - I just hope he can consistently produce throughout the entire game.

2. Jeff Capel has taken a very active role as an assistant coach. I wasn't sure how Capel would transition into his new position as an assistant coach under Mike Krzyzewski. Coming from a major college program (Oklahoma) where he had a decent amount of success, I thought Capel might be more of an observer or a quiet presence on the bench so as not to take the attention away from Coach K or the other assistants who have more of a relationship with the players - I was way off. Capel was very assertive with the team and took charge of many of the timeouts, getting in the faces of many of the players. He was especially energetic with the young players and seemed to take advantage of any opportunity to offer some coaching to Quinn Cook and Austin Rivers. I don't know how long Duke will have him on the sidelines, but Capel appears to have fully embraced his role as an assistant. Good for him!

3. Duke needs a physical post presence. Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly are match-up problems for many teams - Plumlee's speed in transition and Kelly's perimeter game make them tough to guard. Unfortunately, both of them seem to present defensive liabilities for Duke, particularly Kelly. Both of them have the ability to block shots and Mason has become an excellent rebounder, but there are too many possessions where they get beat by other physical players in the paint. I think Duke is the best team in the country at drawing charges from players driving in out of control from the perimeter - the problem happens when Plumlee or Kelly decides to flop into the front row instead of banging and not giving up position. This point is very supportive of the constant statement, "DUKE NEEDS TO RECRUIT MORE BIG BLACK POST PLAYERS!". I'm looking at you, Tony Parker!