Epic Portions

Tag: review

  • The Double Dagwood

    A few months ago my buddy Steve brought me the news that his family had purchased a sandwich shop and they would feature a sandwich challenge known as The Double Dagwood.  This sounded like a fantastic idea to me because I was fresh off my destruction of the Bomber Breakfast and I was ready to take out another local eating challenge.  February 1st was their grand opening and I was there.  My production crew(production crew, HAHA) bailed on me so I was forced to travel all the way to Monroe to take the Double Dagwood Challenge at Doby’s Dagwoods all by my lonesome.  Could a one man force complete this task?  Was it a suicide mission?  Well, I guess you have to keep reading to find out.

    Upon arrival, I was shown the frame on the wall which displayed the current record holder, a man weighing over one hundred pounds more than myself who finished the sandwich in 21 minutes and 45 seconds.  I had seen pictures of the sandwich before on Steve’s cell phone but it did the sandwich no justice.  This thing was a monster.  The Double Dagwood is basically two of their already large Dagwood Sandwiches.  It’s a double decker version with pretty much every meat in the place, a couple different kinds of cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions and their special dagwood sauce, which is a honey mustard sauce.

    I took a seat and they began constructing the sandwich.  After a few minutes went by I needed to witness what I was about to eat.  Upon entering the kitchen, the familiar sandwich from the display was laid out on their prep area.  This thing was going to be rough.  I’ve eaten a lot of food before but nothing like this.  I think I’ve eaten around three pounds of food before, but it’s never been in the form of a sandwich and it was never timed.


    Finally, after adding more meat then they had thought was necessary, the sandwich went onto the scale.  I had expected a four pound sandwich but apparently the sandwich only weighs in at three, which chips and a pickle on the side.  Regardless of the one pound weight difference, this was still going to be tough.  They put the sandwich in front of me on the table and the thing was really starting to scare me.  I had acted pretty confident up until this point but I was really beginning to have doubts.  Could I actually do this?  Could my stomach hold this entire thing in?  I was about to find out.

    Unfortunately my production crew(production crew, HAHA) was absent during the challenge, so you’re going to have to take my word on my technique.

    I took the sandwich apart and spit it in halves.  The bottom half contained most of the meat so I decided it would be smart to begin with that.  Upon my first bite, it really hit me how much meat was on this thing.  Even after squeezing it down as much as possible, there was still four or five inches of meat to bite through.  My technique was simply to take as big of bites as possible and chew frantically.  I definitely tested the size of my esophagus and swallowed some chunks of meat that weren’t even partially chewed yet.  I ate the middle piece of bread in between bites and the first half the sandwich went down in only about six minutes.  This was going well so far.

    Upon my first bite of the top half of the sandwich, I realized that the onions on this sandwich were among the most potent onions I have ever had.  One hit the back of my throat and my gag reflex was immediately triggered.  I went through and pulled off as many onions as I could.  This is where things started going bad.  I kept eating and shoving the chips into my mouth but my jaw was growing very tired.  Bites were taking twice as long to chew and time was going by fast.  At the 21 minute and 45 second mark, I had only about a bite or two left or bread and the scraps that were on my plate.

    I took a small break and finished the sandwich in about 24 minutes.  I was full, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t the fullness that prevented me from setting a new record.  My jaw was overworked and those onions punches me in the back of the throat.

    I will return shortly to complete this record after doing some jaw gymnastics or something.  This shouldn’t be too tough next time.  Thanks to Steve and Doby’s Dagwoods for making me this gigantic sandwich on their opening day.

    Update: I was informed by Steve that the previous record holder actually completed the challenge with a pound less meat than I did so apparently the word is that I am the new record holder.  Excellence is my middle name.

    If you want to try the Double Dagwood for yourself, the address is..

    Doby’s Dagwoods
    111 South Monroe Street
    Monroe, MI 48161
    http://www.dobysdagwood.com/

  • Cafe Marie – Ann Arbor, MI

    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

  • Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery – Ann Arbor, MI

    Blue Tractor | Photo by Ann Arbor Chronicle

    If I had one complaint about the food in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area it would be that there are no legit BBQ joints.  I really can’t think of one place in the area that specializes in BBQ, aside from Smoke House Blues which is pretty so so.  Zingerman’s Roadhouse comes close, but it features a lot more than BBQ and costs a pretty penny.  When I found out that the Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery was opening up in Ann Arbor, I couldn’t wait to visit and see if my wishes were answered.  How do you survive without good BBQ within driving distance?  How has this area, which has pretty much any kind of food you could ever want, existed without BBQ?  The guys who brought you Grizzly Peak and Cafe Habana have come to our rescue.

    This is a definite Southern style place. From Carolina BBQ to fried green tomatoes, it screams down home deliciousness.  The atmosphere of this place is pretty nice. It’s a cozy, trendy, dark little pub with that Southern flair (unfinished wood paneling, random tractor paraphernalia on the wall). There are giant casks of beer above the bar that help add to the rustic feel.  I’d say there are probably only about 20 tables in the entire restaurant.  I’ve been to some of the better BBQ joints down South, and the Blue Tractor is obviously trying to emulate that atmosphere while adding a modern feel.  It works to a point, but doesn’t exactly trick you into thinking you’re not eating in downtown Ann Arbor.

    My meal began with the soup of the day, which was a Chicken Corn Chowder.  This wasn’t anything incredible but it was a pretty tasty soup.  I wouldn’t rush to order it again, but it definitely wasn’t the worst soup I’ve ever had.

    Chicken Corn Chowder

    There are a lot of good looking appetizers to choose from, but we went with the Artichoke Dip, which is made with Swiss cheese and served with fry bread.  This dip looks exactly the way it tasted.  Delicious.  It was a lot heartier than your average artichoke dip and will fill you up before you get your dinner if you’re not careful.  A lot of the appetizers look like they have potential, but I have to recommend this one.

    Artichoke Dip

    For dinner one of the obvious choices is the Beer Can Chicken.  If you’ve never had beer can chicken, you need to stop reading this right now and figure out a way to get yourself some.  Basically you stick a chicken on top of a half filled can of beer with some added seasonings, throw it in the oven, and the steam from the beer moistens and adds flavor to the chicken.  Blue Tractor slow cooks a free range chicken over the beer can, chargrills it, and bastes it with Bock barbecue sauce.  It’s served with a side Bourbon baked beans and buttermilk mashers.  This is some serious food porn.  The chicken comes perfectly cooked, and the barbecue sauce is plentiful.

    Beer Can Chicken

    While I was looking around the menu a lot of items caught my eye, but none more than the Buffalo-Style Mac and Cheese.  I know I’m at a BBQ restaurant and everything, but I couldn’t turn this down.  It’s made with a blue cheese sauce, chicken cooked in red hot, and topped with chives.  What I got blew my mind.  I seriously couldn’t start eating for a few minutes because I didn’t want to disturb such a beautiful sight.  Thankfully I bring a camera with me to restaurants and I can now savor this image forever.  This isn’t your everyday mac and cheese.  If you can finish this entire bowl in one sitting, then you get some major respect from me.  The blue cheese sauce is incredibly rich, and the chicken is spicy and delicious.  I couldn’t help but mix the chicken and the hot sauce in with the macaroni and create a big sloppy mess.  Good god this was delicious.

    Buffalo Style Mac and Cheese
    Buffalo Style Mac and Cheese

    They also brew all of their own beers in house, but it was lunch time and my drinking problem hasn’t reached that level yet.  I will for sure be making another visit and will give them a try then.  As far as the food goes, I have to recommend the Blue Tractor to anyone who likes BBQ or just good food in general.

    Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery on Urbanspoon