On Local Cubans

Marc (@Sorryless) loves Cuban sandwiches so much, he’s on infinite quest to find his favorite Cuban. As part of his mission, he is willing to travel miles and miles – and even posts about his ventures.

Whether I suggested or it, he was interested in my thoughts about his beloved sandwich in my area, I decided to jump into the fray. Locating nearby establishments was easy – so was trying them – but getting around to writing a post about them was difficult.  With all due respect to Marc, I had to do something!

I present the candidates.

Sharonville Depot Deli

Grilled Cuban – Ham & smoked grilled pork with bread and butter pickles, Muenster cheese, and Dijon mustard on Ciabatta

Lyle’s Trailside

Lyle’s BBQ Cuban – Pulled pork topped with shaved ham, melted provolone, mustard and pickles

Oasis Golf & Conference Center

Cuban Panini – Shaved ham and sliced pork loin with  brown mustard, pickles & pepper jack  cheese. Served in a grilled panini

 

Final Word

Each of the Cubans have positives and negatives, so it comes down to personal preferences

• The most-fresh tasting – Depot Deli
• The most hearty – Oasis
• Most BBQ tasting – Lyle’s Trailside
• Best presentation – Depot Deli
• Best accompanying side – Lyle’s Trailside
• Most surprising – Oasis
• If I had to pick just one – Depot Deli

For me, given the range of flavors in a Cuban, it’s about balance. One has to be able to taste all the flavors without one particular flavor being too dominant.

On a Burger Trail

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It was about 2003 as I was working on a long-term project for an upstart company. A retired friend and I would talk about him coming down to my work area for lunch. Our target was a nearby establishment having a local reputation for good hamburgers.

He came, we went, had a good time, and even discussed the burger. He returned a month later, but we went to a different place for a burger – discussed and compared. Another time, a third place, a third burger, and then ranking the three. Little did we know about the road ahead.

My project ended, but we continued trying different places – especially ones with a positive reputation or recommendations. I’m not sure of the timeline, but a third friend joined us after he unexpectedly lost his job; thus more comparisons, rankings, and notes.

In July 2005 I decided to start a blog to post reviews of our ventures. I hustled to get local readers by commenting at various local blogs and bulletin boards … then a major (and unexpected) break … a high-profile writer at the Cincinnati Enquirer contact me, and he wanted to have lunch with us. With a photographer and his notepad, we met at the place of our choosing.

I was in Abilene, Texas the day the Enquirer published. Emails were flying into our mailbox, but I didn’t respond because the link to the article was malfunctioning. I did my morning presentation in Abilene, and I was anxious during my flight to Cincinnati. I returned home to discover a call from a local radio station whose powerful signal reaches most of the country, let alone a feature article in the paper’s Life section that extended to an inside page, and many comments on the blog. Yep – the next night we were on the radio for about an hour.

Receiving burger recommendations was one of the benefits from the publicity … thus the reviews chronicling of the adventures of Bucky, Freddie, and Wolfie continued. Eventually, we were also featured in the Enquirer’s weekly entertainment paper – CinWeekly. A local food personality also invited us to her radio show. An upstart podcast company also did a 30-minute interview.

Our journey continued for a few more years. Jobs, projects, or health issues caused us to fade away. Nonetheless, a touch of pride still remains for being one of the Cincinnati Burger Guys … so, Happy Hamburger Week.

From the top down: Freddie, Bucky, and Wolfie

 

On an AFA Deluxe

Because November is Peanut Butter Lovers Month, trivia buffs will want these factoids about peanuts. Others want a culinary delight, thus that is the purpose of this post.

1) Get two slices of bread.

Wheat bread is my preferred choice

2) On one slice, spread peanut butter (amounts may vary).

Smooth peanut butter is here, but I prefer chunky

3) On the other slice, spread marshmallow creme (fluff).

Eating a spoonful of marshmallow creme is acceptable behavior

4) On top of the marshmallow creme, sprinkle mini chocolate chips.

The chips serve as deluxe feature number 1

5) Slice a banana (either lengthwise or cross section cuts acceptable), and then place the slices on the peanut butter bread.

Bananas are deluxe feature number 2

6) Bring the two slices together as a sandwich.

Nirvana awaits

7) Bite the sandwich to your personal specifications.

It won’t last long at that riate

8) Continuing biting the sandwich until the sandwich is gone.

Ready for preparing a second one

9) Rave about the experience by telling your friends about A Frank Angle’s Deluxe Fluffernutter.

Flashbacks: On Food and Recipes

Whether eating in a restaurant, a special dinner at home, getting that special treat, or time in the kitchen, we enjoy many aspects of a meal. Here are some selections for my archival vault that may capture your interest. Enjoy, visit as many as you wish, and hopefully you will comment on the post you visited. Are you going to make any of these?

• Recipe: Limoncello
• Recipe: Argentine Chili
• Recipe: My spaghetti sauce
• Recipe: Cranberry-Sausage Spaghetti
• Recipe: Farro Salad
• Cincinnati Ice Cream 
• Cincinnati Chili
• Chopped: Dinner-Group Style

On Hot Sauces

Original Source Unknown

A local grocery offers many oddities for shoppers. It’s a large store with many imports and hard-to-find items. I’m not one who enjoys serious heat with my food, but a trip to the hot sauce display is a source of cheap entertainment and a test for my content organizing skills.

Some name sauces after people as Crazy Jerry, Mountain Man, Captain Redbeard, Papa Jack, Melinda, Susie, and Dave.

Some sauces seek emotions for their names as Fear, Envy, Measure & Pain, Tropical Tears, Pain is Good, and Squeal Like a Pig.

Some sauces seek names from the dark side as Beyond Death, Sweet Death, The Ghost, Ghost Deadly, Red Ghost, After Life, Tortured Soul, Devil’s Lightning, The Reaper, Reaper Sling Blade, Liquid Lucifer, Pure Passion, Hot Sauce from Hell, Hell’s Passion, and Hell Sauce.

Some sauces seek fiery names as Fatal Fire, Ring of Fire, Jamaican Hell Fire, Hell’s Inferno, Mad Dog Inferno, Pyromania, See Jane on Fire, and Hot as Shit Hot Sauce.

Some sauces seek backside names as Ass Kickin’, Megasoreass, Asbirin, Ass in Space, Ass in Hell, Ass in Tub, Ass in Antarctica, JackAss, LazyAss, Hog’s Ass, Buttpucker, Butt Twister, and Brand New Asshole.

Some sauces seek names with results as Fiery Fart, Flamin’ Flatulence, Sir Fartalot, Queen of Farts, Old Fart, Red Rectum, Rectal Rocket Fuel, Rectal Ripper, Colon Blow, Holy Shit, and Screaming Sphincter.

Some sauces seek other sources for their names as Liquid Stooped, Hot Buns on the Beach, Pecker Power, Angry Cock, Peppers Hurt So Good, Sergeant Peppers, Bite Me, Crazy Mother Pucker’s, Sauce Bitch, and my favorite – Smack My Sweet Ass and Call Me Sally.

Which of these is your favorite? Viveka, did you find any potential remedies?