FOOD COURT: Yogurt Shop Attack!

Note to self: If the owner of a yogurt shop tries to lure me to a storage room check his hands for duct tape and adult diapers.

FOOD COURT: Even Green Tea Stands Aren't Safe!

Here's a report from Massachusetts about what appears to be a green tea stand being shut down by beach police because they didn't have a permit.

Are Gourmet Hot Dogs the Next Big Thing?

I love a good hot dog. And recent trends in fast-casual dining may spell good news for my taste buds (and bad news for my waistline!).

With better burger concepts like Five Guys grabbing all the attention and current economic woes forcing consumers to look more closely at their dining budget, are savvy restaurant minds turning their attention to the revitalization of the humble dog?

It looks that way, according to an article in QSR Magazine. Research shows that there has been a 5% increase in hot dogs on fast-casual menus in 2011 and we're not just talking about their ubiquitous presence on Kids Menus under names like The Popeye or The Porky Pig.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this trend will bring the recognition my beloved Dip Dogs so richly deserve!

Double Shot of FOOD COURT: Drunk Passengers and Burger Suits

A businessman traveling from Phoenix, Arizona to the UK became enraged after flight attendants refused to serve him more alcohol. At one point, the US citizen allegedly sat in his seat with a broken bottle, claiming that he would "stab the pilots if they want".

Cult burger chain In-N-Out is suing an Aberdeen, MD burger joint, alleging that the logo and menu are too similar. The Associated Press reports that In-N-Out is suing Grab-N-Go Burger and "filed an infringement lawsuit this week in U.S. District Court in Baltimore... and is seeking a permanent injunction and unspecified damages." Guess I better get over there soon!

Countdown to MasterChef Finale

Yep. This is my laptop wallpaper in honor of tonight's two-hour season finale.

Yep. I'm a grown man who will be 45 in November.

Yep. I'm gonna miss my weekly dose of Joe Bastianich.

MasterChef Finale and Season 3 Casting

It has been a busy couple days in the world of reality cooking shows.

First we had Jeff The Sandwich King (not to be confused with Chuck The Evil Sandwich-Making Guy from Word Girl) being named the winner of Food Network Star. I'm not so sure that The Sandwich King has more legs and potential as a marketing vehicle than runner-up Susie's Spice it Up! (or whatever it was called), but Bobby Flay appeared to be the only one on the judge's panel not swooning under Jeff's spell.

I'm not sure it matters, though, as I don't think I've seen more than a handful of promos for Aarti Party or Ten Dollar Dinners over the last couple years. I love a good sandwich but not sure how many times I'll be switching off NFL pre-game coverage in order to watch TSK at 11:30 on a Sunday morning. (Especially if he's going to continue to refer to them as "sammys".)

I still haven't watched the premiere episode of The Great Food Truck Race but I have it on the DVR. Ooops. Guess I shouldn't have pulled up the show's page to get the link.

Last, but certainly not least (at least for me), comes the two-night, three-hour finale of FOX's MasterChef. I'm not 100% positive I'd tune in this show each week if it wasn't for Joe Bastianich and his captivating presence at the judge's table (witness last night's chiding of a quiver-lipped Christian and Suzie). Forget the fact that, as one wag pointed out, Joey Polka Dots looks like a villain for a B-grade 80s action flick, he makes the normally outrageous Gordon Ramsey look like a pussycat.

Who knows who will win tonight's two-hour culinary showdown? Will it be Christian (obnoxiously arrogant stay-at-home dad with a drug addict past who says the show taught him to "be myself" ... yikes!), Jennifer (toothy former beauty queen -- from Delaware -- who talks in visible exclamation points!) or Adrien (a surprisingly strong competitor who might win it all with his ability to deliver powerful flavors)?

Oh, who cares?! With two hours of Joe B on tap we're all winners!

Think you've got the stuff to make a dish that Joe won't throw in the trash? Casting is underway for Season 3!

Taco Bell Opens Entries for 2011 Feed the Beat Program

Got a band? Want some free Taco Bell grub? How about a chance to be featured in a Taco Bell commercial?

Then head on over to the Feed the Beat website before September 9, 2011 and enter for your chance at one of the 100 Taco Bell $500 gift cards being offered to up-and-coming bands.

According to an article in QSR Magazine:

• Taco Bell has fed 365 artists with $500 in Taco Bell gift cards, the equivalent of over 180,000 Taco Bell Bean Burritos (2007-2011)
• Chiddy Bang became the first Feed the Beat artist to be featured in a national Taco Bell commercial (2011)
• The Taco Bell Truck (@TacoBellTruck) starred in Feed the Beat artist New Found Glory’s music video, “Truck Stop Blues” (2010)
• Taco Bell and Feed the Beat booked showcases at Austin’s biggest music festival, featuring multiple program artists at a “Feed the Beat” showcase and giving out free food to festival attendees (2010, 2011)
• Taco Bell produced singles for “Best of the Beat” winners Hit the Lights, Thousand Foot Krutch, and Fireflight, giving them valuable exposure to even more audiences (2009)
  

THG's Six Pack – Premiere Edition

Entertainment Weekly has their Must List. Golf Magazine wants to hip you to items on The Front 9. Even sister publication Exploitation Retrospect has their own junk culture and fringe media cheat sheet known as The Dirty Dozen.

So what's a poor food, drink, travel and fun blog/zine/website to do?

Why, start our own checklist of the things we love, of course!

Welcome to the first installment of THG's Six Pack, a weekly roundup of a half-dozen things we love from the worlds of food, drink, travel and fun. Reality cooking shows, snacks, recipes, new items, restaurants and more are all fair game. Who knows? We might even throw in – as we did below – a Dishonorable Mention or two. Got something you want us to check out? E-mail me or see the sidebar for our PO Box address.

Let's get started...

1. The Dapper Don of Reality Cooking Shows – I may have started watching FOX's Master Chef (a home cook version of Top Chef) because of Gordon Ramsey... but after a season and a half I'll gladly admit that it's restaurateur/judge Joe Bastianich (aka Joey Polka Dots) who brings me back week after week. Whether he's arriving at a challenge on a European scooter, questioning a contestant's ingredient choices or fixing a cook with his steely, withering glare, Bastianich has emerged as a household fave who – like Ramsey – should have three or four shows on the network. All Joe! All the time!
2. Boxed Wine is OK! – I was drinking boxed wine back in the 80s, though more out of convenience than any desire to blaze trails. Frankly, it cut down on trips to the liquor store and meant that a White Trash Cooler (half Mountain Dew, half boxed white wine) was just a refrigerator away. But now it appears that oenophiles are learning what I already knew – it's okay to drink boxed wine! Sure, you might have to put a paper bag over your head or pay some college kid to grab a box of some table plonk you don't want your wine snob friends seeing you hoist into the car, but isn't fresh wine without the hassle of a corkscrew totally worth it? And if you don't have a corkscrew you don't have to worry about this happening.
   
3. Halloween Candy Makes an Early Appearance – It won't be long before Facebook and Twitter will be filled with people complaining about cold weather and the fact that Christmas decorations are in stores. Sensing this ever-shorter window of opportunity, Halloween candy makers have already started stocking convenience stores and supermarkets I frequent. Though I doubt anything will beat last year's "Candy Blood Bag" I did get a kick out of the Gummy Werewolves being sold at Wawa. As old pal and fellow Joey Polka Dots fan Joe McNulty quipped, "Full supply of daily vitamins and gypsy curse".
4. Fast Food Wine Pairings – I'm not sure what I enjoy most about Snooth's series of articles in which they pair wine with takeout from the likes of McDonald's and Burger King. Maybe it's the tongue-in-cheek, yet serious, approach they take to the subject. Maybe it's the useful information I can use during my next Filet-O-Fish craving. Or maybe I just like the horrified comments from humorless wine snobs. Eh, it's probably a little bit of each. Keep it up Snooth, but please tell me what I should serve with the hammy, cheesy, burger-tastic Double R Bar Burger!
5. Tostitos Hint of Pepper Jack Tortilla Chips – I'm usually pretty change averse, so when I find something I like I tend to beat it into the ground. Like tortilla chips. Lately (and when I say "lately" I mean since they were introduced) I've been buying the Tostitos Hint of Lime Tortilla Chips, which have a slightly over-the-top blend of lime and salt that goes great with sitting on the patio drinking beer and shooting the breeze with friends. But when I discovered that our latest bag had gone stale I found myself digging in to a bag of Hint of Pepper Jack flavored chips that my wife bought while I was out of town. Oh, Pepper Jack Tortilla Chips... where have you been all my life?! These are a crunchy, creamy, cheesy, spicy taste sensation.
6. Five Ingredient Fish Tacos – Fish tacos have been a somewhat recent addition to my culinary maturation. I was introduced to them when my wife and I were first dating and I accompanied her on a trip to Cabo for a friend's wedding. That trip was one great food find after another, but I really fell in love with fish tacos. And why not? I love fish, I love tacos. Marrying the two – whether the fish is grilled, seared or battered, the toppings spicy or cool and creamy – has been an ongoing adventure. Our newest fave is – like many of our go-to recipes – torn screaming from the pages of Cooking Light. Though I felt they could have used something cool and creamy like a little sour cream or guacamole on top, this was an easy weeknight dinner that gave us a chance to use some fresh jalapenos from our summer garden.

Dishonorable Mentions: I love the bright, cheery and tasty (usually) sodas from Jarritos, but their "Jamaica" variety was a complete bust. The hibiscus flavoring made it taste like red prune juice and gave the drink an aroma that can only be described as "musty" or maybe "old person's garage" ... Our local SuperFresh recently closed its doors and re-opened as a ShopRite. Let's just say that my first trip was not overly positive. The layout is familiar but the store seems claustrophobic and exceedingly bright, checkout clerks were overly aggressive in trying to rush me out the door, and the produce section was both poorly stocked (no strawberries on a Friday afternoon in August?!) and off-putting (I picked up at least three containers of "fresh" fruit that were significantly moldy). I'll have more about the area Supermarket Wars in the weeks to come.

Where Ya Gonna Go for Crab Soup?

Though I've been living here in the Baltimore area for about ten years now, Maryland Crab Soup is one area delicacy I haven't fully embraced. I've always been more of a cream soup/chowder kinda guy so I've been slow to get on board with the Maryland version's tomatoey broth, veggie chunks and hunks of crab.

But if I do have a hankering for it I know where to go, thanks to a recent guide to the MD/DC area's best bowls. Even better, two of my favorite area restaurants – Gertude's at the BMA (where my lovely wife and I got hitched) and Mama's on the Half Shell in Canton (my go-to spot for out of town guests, birthday/Father's Day lunches) were selected as being among the top spots.

Towson Cuban Joint Lands in Best of Baltimore

Though I miss living in a city and being able to walk to restaurants and shops, I've always thought that nearby Towson afforded me a lot of the benefits of Baltimore while still being able to enjoy the comforts of the 'burbs.

Though the downtown area could use a little redevelopment after the long slow death of Towson Commons, the area still boasts a handful of great sushi places, indie burger and hot dog joints, a rock venue and cool shops.

One place I've been anxious to try is Havana Road Cuban Cafe which sits a door or two away from my favorite sushi joint (San Sushi Too/Thai One On). Reviews have all been glowing and I'm happy to see the place succeeding in a spot where others had failed.

And here's more good news... Baltimore Magazine's annual "Best Of" issue recently singled out a number of Towson establishments, including the Cubano ("Chunks of slow-roasted pork, ham, Swiss, mustard, and pickles ... on crunchy bread") at Havana Road.

University of Washington Study Discovers What We Already Know

Eating healthy is expensive.

It doesn't take a genius to realize that fresh costs more than frozen (or canned), organic adds dollars to your food bill and homemade costs more than processed. Just walk the aisles of your local grocery store or look at the next sale flier that lands in your mailbox.

Or you could read the reports of the latest study from the University of Washington.

Surprise! Eating healthy is more expensive than eating junk food and the people who spend the least on their groceries are furthest from meeting or even just coming close to the nutritional guidelines.

Hey, University of Washington. Next time you've got some research money to throw away on the painfully obvious just give me a shout. I have ideas for studies like Drinking Coffee at 5 PM Might Keep You Up Later Than Usual.

101 Urban BBQ Joints

There are two topics that I simply won't discuss with most people, let alone argue about: religion and politics.

Barbecue/BBQ might soon join the list.

Seems like anybody who goes out on a limb to suggest that they like BBQ Joint A more than BBQ Joint B opens themselves up to a lot of potential insults, suggestions about their manhood, and maybe even questions about their lineage.

Frankly, I even find myself doing like, like when NY Magazine's Grub Street sent me a link to their new list of 101 Urban BBQ Joints. Compiled with input from chefs, food writers and other journalists the list features a wide-ranging selection of urban 'cue joints as well as some tried-and-true classics.

Of course, the first thing I did was scroll through the slideshow (hey guys, how about an easier to navigate list?) to find Baltimore's representatives, sure that I'd find my beloved Andy Nelson's in there.

Nope, the list features Big Bad Wolf (which seems to be the yin to Andy Nelson's yang) and ... Chaps? Granted, I'm not from Baltimore so I don't get the whole "pit beef" thing. Sure, it's okay and I enjoyed my one visit to Chap's back in 2005, but I'd venture that The Canopy is better and if you're going to talk urban 'cue in Baltimore I just don't know how you leave Andy Nelson's off that list.

See, there I go. I better stop before I insult somebody!