The Hungover Gourmet 13 — Order Your Copy Today!

Get ready to feast your eyes on Issue #13 of The Hungover Gourmet! 

The offbeat journal of food, drink, travel, and fun returns with a potluck of supermarket nostalgia, culinary chaos, and pop culture deep dives. Whether you're a coupon-clipping cost-cutter, a roast beef romantic, or a congealed salad connoisseur, this issue has something for every flavor of foodie and retro renegade. 

• Supermarket Report Card: THG calls it like he sees it with an honest grading of grocery giants like ALDI, Lidl, Wegmans, and more. 
• Origins of THG: How childhood grocery runs turned one man into a cost-conscious gorehound with a love for fig bars and film tie-in novels. 
• Sci-Fi Potluck: Kevin M. Flanagan serves up a genre-bending buffet of interstellar eats. 
• Roy Rogers Returns: A nostalgic pilgrimage to the home of the Double R Bar Burger. 
• Can I Get an Amen?: Louis Fowler contemplates the healing powers of frybread. 
• The Grocery Store of My Youth: Douglas Waltz waxes poetic about Skedgell’s IGA, comic spinner racks, and wild cherry cough drops. 
• Aspic "Appreciation": Leigh Anne Moriarty celebrates her dear mother-in-law, and ponders her devotion to congealed salads and food suspended in aspic. 

Plus: 

• An interview with the man behind PANMAN 
• Pouring one out for our dearly departed beer fridge 
• Retro ads, comics, and meat department memories 

Whether you're hungover, hungry, or just hunting for a good read, THG #13 is your ticket to a world where food meets fandom and nostalgia never expires. Grab your thimble of tomato juice and dig in! 

40 pages, 5.5" x 8.5" digest size, black and white. 

Pre-order now from the Page and Screen Shop!

NOTE: This issue is currently being printed. Anticipated ship date for pre-orders is 1/16/26.

Chick-Fil-A Chicken and Waffle Sandwich Review

You know me, I loves me some limited edition fast food. And when you're one of two (!) regions in the country offering said sandwich, well, wild horses couldn't keep me away.

So, on a COLD December afternoon, I ventured out to the local Chick-Fil-A to try the Chicken & Waffle Sandwich. Also available in a slightly smaller breakfast version, this twist on the classic Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich features a traditional Chick-Fil-A fried chicken breast between two fragrant, sweet waffles (which immediately began to fall apart as soon as I picked up the "sandwich"). 

Crisp, actual bacon—not that fast food stuff that looks, tastes, and smells like dog treats—subs in for the pickle, and the whole thing is served with a syrup packet and a Wet-Nap. 

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to pour the syrup over or on the sandwich, but had I done so it would have been impossible to eat with my hands. (Maybe that's why the nice, freezing young woman at the drive-thru gave me a packaged knife and fork.)

Politics aside, I do love a Chick-Fil-A sandwich every now and then, and the chicken was the definite highlight. The limp waffles fell apart, though I did like the bacon, but even the usually-dependable waffle fries were lukewarm and limp. Considering how the drive-thru was humming you would expect a volume mover like fries to be hot and crispy. Alas...

At $12 for the sandwich and waffle fries—no drink—this is no value meal. The sandwich needs a BBQ mayo or something, but I fear that any kind of sauce/condiment would have just rendered the whole thing a sloppier mess.

Back to the drawing board, Chick-Fil-A. If you expect to keep pace with Raising Cane's, Popeyes, Slim Chicken's, Dave's Hot Chicken, etc., you're going to need to step up your game. Or stick with the one that brung ya. — Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of The Hungover Gourmet and issue #13 will be heading to the printer after Christmas. Stay tuned to this blog as well as HungoverGourmet.com for ordering details.

REVIEW: ALDI Bremer's Frozen Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Okay, I was skeptical. Frozen grilled cheese sandwiches? How lazy am I? So it turns out that on a dreary football Sunday with nothing in the fridge that appeals to me I can be pretty lazy. 

These are an ALDI Find so once they show up at your local store there's no telling how long they'll last. And once they're gone, well, better luck next time. (If there is a "next time.") 

Prep is simple. Remove plastic (duh), microwave, and pop in the toaster. The result is a tasty, perfectly acceptable grilled cheese sandwich in a quarter of the time it'd take you to make one and with no muss, no fuss. 

I'm not gonna lie. I might pick up another box. (B+) — Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of The Hungover Gourmet. He is a proponent of mayo on the outside of his homemade grilled cheese sandwiches.

Happy National Nachos Day!

It’s crunchy, it’s cheesy, it’s National Nachos Day! 

As legend tells it, nachos were invented in 1943 by Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya when a group of hungry military wives showed up at the Victory Club after hours. Spying some freshly fried corn tortillas, Anaya cut them into triangles, heaped on some cheese and jalapeños, and heated the simple dish. The original recipe for the snack was published in a 1954 cookbook, but it wasn’t until Frank Liberto introduced “ballpark nachos” at Arlington Stadium in the 1970s that the dish caught on as a national phenomenon. 

In 2024, the nacho market in the United States clocked in at $1.7 billion, with a projected market size by 2034 of $3.09 billion, driven by innovative product offerings and changing consumer preferences. 

What are your favorite nacho toppings? — Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of The Hungover Gourmet and he prefers cheese, pico, avocado, sour cream, and ground beef on his nachos.

Happy Birthday, Chef Tell!

Before Guy Fieri had frosted tips. Before Gordon Ramsay threw his first Beef Wellington. There was Chef Tell. 

Today we raise our whisks to Friedman Paul Erhardt, better known as Chef Tell. Born on this day in 1943, Tell—nicknamed as such due to playing William Tell in a school production—made his television debut on the Philadelphia-based game show “Dialing for Dollars” (I know my Philly peeps remember that one). Working as chef at the Marriott Hotel on City Line Avenue at the time, Tell parlayed the appearance into a cooking segment on the syndicated “PM Magazine” and “In the Kitchen with Chef Tell” on PBS, among others. 

Famous for his thick accent, catchphrases and “very quick” recipes, Tell is rumored to be the inspiration for the Swedish Chef of Muppet fame, though the creators deny it. Erhardt passed away on October 26, 2007, days short of his 64th birthday. Happy birthday, Chef Tell! Your legacy lives on in every flamboyant flourish, celebrity chef, and dramatic garnish.

Check out Chef Tell at work in this video. — Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of The Hungover Gourmet. He grew up watching Chef Tell on local and syndicated shows, and frequently drove by his restaurant in Upper Black Eddy, PA.

Happy 152nd Anniversary to the Meat Slicer!

Today we salute the unsung hero of sandwich perfection—the meat slicer! 

 

On this date in 1873, Anthony Iske of Lancaster, PA (aka "The Edison of Lancaster") received patent number 144,206 for improvements in machines for slicing dried beef. The hand-operated design featured a mounted mandolin-like slicer with a platform for holding the meat in place. The device could be adjusted to create thick or thin slices. 

So next time you're biting into that perfectly layered turkey sandwich or savoring a salami-stacked Italian hoagie, give a little nod to the Pennsylvania inventor who made it all possible.

Happy Birthday to Sandwich Creator John Montague, 4th Earl of Sandwich

Sandy says "Happy Birthday" to John Montague, 4th Earl of Sandwich. Born on this day in 1718 (or maybe November 13), Montague is credited with inventing the sandwich because he needed a quick meal that would not interfere with his gambling. In addition, the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii) were named for Montague by Captain Cook. 

What's your favorite sandwich? — Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of The Hungover Gourmet. His favorite sandwiches include Roast Beef & Swiss, Turkey & American,  Grilled Cheese, Tuna, Egg Salad, and Liverwurst.