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Epic Portions — …I see food and I eat it. — Page 88

Ultra Low Calorie Beer – Stop.

Beer/Drinks, Rants

As someone who genuinely enjoys beer, it pains me when I hear about these ultra low calorie beers. It seems like every week Budweiser comes out with a new low calorie beer then the following week Miller or some other company comes out with a beer that has two fewer calories.  They always have some slick tag line like “Tastes Great, Never Filling” and make it out to be a huge deal that they are now producing the beer with the fewest amount of calories, even though the only way 10 calories is going to make a different is if you’re taking out 20 beers a night.  I can pretty much guarantee the people drinking 20 beers a night are drinking straight up Budweiser and these drinking sessions only occur on nights where the SPEED channel is re-playing NASCAR’s “Greatest Hits” or “Dale Sr. – A Tribute to the Greatest Human Being the Lord Ever Created”.

I refuse to call any beer with under 100 calories beer.  They may call it low calorie beer, but I consider it to simply be high calorie water.  Seriously, is Bud Select 55 actually beer?  Do you think you could get pulled over while drinking one and explain to the officer that you are drinking a low calorie beer and it shouldn’t warrant an open intoxicant ticket?  Better yet, isn’t it a little stupid that people are paying full price for a beer that has half the ingredients and in return, half the alcohol?  Look at it this way, MGD 64 clocks in at a shameful 3.2% while ZIMA contains 4.8%.  Yes, you can get drunker on ZIMA than you can MGD 64.  After a long stressful day, does it make you feel better or worse to know that your “after work beer” is only working half as hard to help you relax?  If you could cut off a beer’s balls, MGD 64 and Bud Select 55 would be the result.

The real question here, is why are companies producing beer for people who don’t like the taste of beer?  I would assume that if someone doesn’t like the taste of beer or wants to drink while keeping the calories low, they would stick to Diet Coke with Bacardi or a good ol’ gin and tonic.  If someone is simply drinking these because they like the taste of beer and not the belly that goes with it, I have to warn you that drinking 15 Bud Selects does NOT make you health conscious, just an alcoholic.  Oh, so you stick to light beer so you can suck down 300 percent more than if you were drinking regular beer at a fraction of the calories?  Congratulations, you’re now going to die of alcoholism or cirrhosis instead of heart failure.  But at least you’ll look like JWOW in the process.

The people who are regular light beer and ultra low calorie beer customers are probably the same folks who order steak well done, send dishes back because they’re not cooked to their liking, watch the WNBA, and think that NFL quarterbacks need more protection.

I would also like you to know that a pint of Guinness, one of the darkest and best beers in the world, contains 127 calories.

Cafe Marie – Ann Arbor, MI

Ann Arbor, Food Reviews

When it comes to breakfast, I’m a diner or family restaurant kind of guy.  My parents, however, are fancy pants breakfast kind of people.  My Dad has one criteria for a breakfast establishment and it’s that they serve fresh squeezed orange juice.  They could serve him burnt pancakes and a bowl of raw eggs, but if they came with a juice of fresh squeezed, pulpy orange juice he’s there.  Cafe Marie is my parents’ favorite breakfast spot, mostly because of that fresh squeezed orange juice.

Cafe Marie in Ann Arbor doesn’t exactly qualify as a breakfast “joint”, so I’ve never been much of a fan.  The food is pretty solid, but it just seems like a little too much for me.  Specialty coffees?  Salmon scramble?  Pecan pancakes?  Come on.  This is the kind of place where when you order a juice, they bring it to you in a “2 drink” sized glass.  Apparently, Cafe Marie supports dehydration.


Like I said before, the food is definitely solid.  Don’t get me wrong, I can’t hate on the Huevos Hermosos, which is chorizo sausage, jalapenos, and tomatoes, scrambled with eggs and covered in cheese.  It’s actually pretty delicious.  The chorizo may be a little bland, but the actual dish has a ton of flavor.  Problem is it costs $7.85 and comes with exactly what you see below.  Well, minus the “Potato and Cheese Avalanche” in the bowl over top.  That’s an extra $3.25.

Bottom line is Cafe Marie serve up some very good food, but it’s just a little too much when it comes to breakfast.  If you’re looking for some morning eats in a spot that is both a little fancy, but still casual, then it’s perfect for you.

Cafe Marie on Urbanspoon

Won’t Somebody Pleeease Think of the Children!!!!!!

Randoms, Rants

Today I made a trip to one of my favorite Ann Arbor locations, Ahmo’s. I first laid eyes on Ahmo’s about eight years ago, and aside from the obnoxious guy behind the counter hitting on my wife it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Ahmo’s proudly states that they are “Home of the Chicken Gyro.” The truth is, they had me at chicken. Turn it into a gyro and you have a magical combination. Now, there may be better locations in the Ann Arbor area for Middle East fare (Jerusalem Garden and Ali Baba to name two), but Ahmo’s stands well on its own, and besides, they offer hoagies and subs so a direct comparison with the likes of Jerusalem Garden would be unfair. I was set to launch into a full blown review, but something at Ahmo’s caught my eye today, something I’ve been meaning to rant about for a while.

The kids’ menu. Any parent who actually gives a damn what their kids eat must share my frustration. Never has more pedantic culinary puke been offered than what most restaurants provide for children. Ahmo’s, which serves the hallowed Chicken Gyro, along with traditional gyros, as well as falafel, delicious lentil soup and hummus, offers for kids the following: hot dog, chicken strips, and cheese sticks and fries. As difficult as it is to fathom, I have to assume there are parents who step up to order at Ahmo’s and say: “We’d like a Chicken Gyro, Falafel Pita, side of Tabouli salad, and Junior will have a hot dog and fries.” This is why I don’t wholly blame Ahmo’s for their kids’ menu. Sure, they need to try harder and offer a child size gyro or falafel, but I will not absolve American parents and their grotesque eating habits along with the inability to stimulate an interest in real food to their children. Ahmo’s is only doing what every other restaurant that offers chicken strips and corn dogs on their kids menu does. Clearly there is a market for this crap.

In my previous life as a slave for the man, I had to deal with many oblivious parents. And I am well aquainted with the argument they would give: “But little Tyler and Madison don’t like that kind of food.” Well tough shit for Tyler and Madison. First of all, if you tried cooking a diverse selection of food at home for them, they probably would want to try a falafel. Second of all, did I miss the revolution where children took decision making power away from parents? Too many parents, whether it is about food or another issue, just don’t want to have the argument. I get it, I stay home with the kids and you definitely have to pick your battles. But food is about as important as it gets. Children shouldn’t become obese until they go off to college and gain 30 pounds by drinking a 12 pack of Natural Light and ordering Pizza House at 3am every night.

I am well aware of the solution for the pathetic kids’ menu: Share your gyro or falafel with your kid. But I didn’t become a parent to have my children pilfering food off my plate. They are already sucking away all my time and energy, the least they can do is leave my gyro alone. So please, if you run a restaurant make an effort to diversify your kids menu. Don’t sell yourself short, if the Chicken Gyro is your specialty, than offer one for kids.


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