Epic Portions

Author: admin

  • S’more Toast

    Ironically, I don’t even like eating breakfast. I just love food. My day usually starts with cups and cups of coffee. Occasionally, I’ll start whipping something up, have a bite, then either throw it away or feed if to my nephews if they’re staying over. I do, however, love cooking treats, and my recent obsession has been variations of s’mores and twists to traditional french toast. It was only a matter of time till the two collided into what I call S’more Toast. I started off with chopped chocolate chips and chopped up marshmallows. If I had mini chocolate chips or mini marshmallows I would have been saved from using the cutting board, but it was well worth it. Unlike the sausage french toast, this thing was too thick to pinch down on the sides so if you try this at home, don’t even bother, just carefully place it in the french toast goop. Use the biggest spatula you have to help you flip it over. The best about this, and the part I considered to be the most genius, was crushing graham crackers to coat the french toast before frying. I tried to use as little butter as possible when frying it because I didn’t want the crust to get soggy. The chocolate melted perfectly and the marshmallows were nice and gooey. No syrup needed. I actually ate it like a sandwich. Still qualifies as french toast, right?

    Chopped chocolate
    Chopped chocolate
    Sprinkle with love
    Sprinkle with love
    Covered in yum
    Covered in yum
    Very carefull placed in french toast goop
    Very carefull placed in french toast goop
    What are those, you ask? GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS!
    What are those, you ask? GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS!
    This reminds me of Cap'n Crunch French Toast, if yoy don't know what I'm talking about, holy bananas, you need to try Cap'n Crunch French Toast.
    This reminds me of Cap'n Crunch French Toast, if yoy don't know what I'm talking about, holy bananas, you need to try Cap'n Crunch French Toast.
    Finished product
    Finished product

  • La Sandia – Tysons Corner, Virginia

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    As an avid Epic Portions reader for a while now I take the advice of the site to heart, which is why on a recent trip to La Sandia in Tysons Corner, Virginia, I took along with me the Criteria for a Great Mexican Joint checklist. In my head, but still, it was with me. Also with me was one of my best friends, Chris, the number one food snob in my life. It’s a pretty big deal for him to approve of a restaurant.

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    1. The chips. Awesome, and as Chris pointed out, they were corn, not flour, which made them even more awesome. That, and they had a bit of oil on them, which is always a plus for me. When I eat out I like to go all out, calorie counting out the window. The salsa was also really good, I was hoping it would be hotter since I enjoy a good burn when it comes to food, but I understand the need to appeal to everyone. Thumbs up so far on the chips and salsa.
    2. Location. La Sandia is situated right next to the Barnes and Noble at the end of the “new part” of Tysons Corner Center. So, satisfies the requirement that it’s not freestanding. It’s far from rundown though, being that it’s situated in the nicest and largest mall in the Washington/Baltimore area, so I guess this criterion was half-met.
    3. The chips and salsa person. While he was not the guy who brought us our food, he was the guy who brought us our drinks. I had heard that La Sandia’s sangria was good and I love a good sangria so I was eager to try it and it did not disappoint. It had a lot of different fruit and wasn’t watery at all (I don’t know about you but I’ve had that happen a lot at places that serve sangria)
    4. The menu. Mine was a little sticky, but  Chris’s was totally clean. Being as that La Sandia is in Tysons, I don’t think they could get away with not cleaning their menus. The previous restaurant in its place was owned by Iron Chef Masahiro Morimoto and the service and everything wasn’t that great and it failed.
    5. The cheese. I ordered the chicken mole and Chris ordered the carnitas and the first thing that came out of my mouth when the server brought our food was “Look! Not yellow cheese!” Passed that test with flying colors. Or lack thereof, since the cheese was white. The food was really good. I had been there before but ordered salad (I know, roll your eyes), and this was my first time ordering actual food, and I delighted. Referring back to the whole salsa thing, the sauce for Chris’s carnitas had more zing than the salsa.
    6. The walls. Again, this place is still fairly new and dingy walls would cause its demise. So free pass for being pretty and clean.
    7. Décor. No sombrero or piñata, the place may be too upscale for the cliché decorations. They do, however, have random quotes on some of the walls. Gave me something to read while I pretended to listen. HA! Overall, It’s a nice place.
    8. Food Names. No gimmicky names here either, just the actual name of the food.
    9. God help me but I don’t even know what menudo is to figure out if they served it or if it was only served on Sundays. You know what I think of when hear Menudo? Ricky Martin, that’s right, Livin’ La Vida Loca. Good times.

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  • Atwater Brewery – Dirty Blonde

    From the desks of Simon-in-five-TV…

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    While “batching it” this past weekend I had a chance to pop into the Atwater Brewery in Detroit at 237 Jos Campau…almost to the river off Jefferson just a couple of blocks north of downtown proper and across from the Ratlesnake club. Besides being in the gritty warehouse district, this hometown gem of a micro-brewery is in a very cool old building and is quite an experience…very cool. They have many seasonal choices as well as their normal offerings but I elected to go with my fave, Dirty Blonde…imagine that!!

    This beer is one of the seasonals and is made with unmalted wheat, coriander and orange peel…not having the pallet of a micro-brew-geek I cannot say I would be able to identify these ingredients by drinking it, but this beer is fantastic. It kind of makes Oberon sit back and wish it was born in the City of Detroit!…oooooh, no I didn’t!!

    I think beer is meant to be tasted not only by the mouth but also by the location and the company you are in…in this case I was enjoying a bit of peace by myself, talking some smack with the bartender and just taking in the history of the area. That said, that one pint of summertime in a glass was worth the stop…you won’t be disappointed.