Durian

When I was a kid, my dad took my brother and I to an Indian restaurant in Georgetown.  We split a platter that had lots of miscellaneous chutneys on it.  My brother was the first to try one of the brownish, greenish looking ones, and a look of "yuck" spread across his face.  After drinking water, saying how gross it tasted, and making his disgust clear, he asked if I wanted to try it.  By all human logic, I should have said, "no."  Why would anyone want to try something so gross and so capable of producing such a look of displeasure?  But, I had to know.  I had to know, what does "that gross" taste like?

So, I did.  And, it was "that gross."

I tell this story because I'm sure this type of morbid food curiosity is not uncommon.  Smart people upon hearing something is gross have the good sense to walk away.  Being a foodie means waving good sense and jumping in with both feet.  About a year ago, I wrote about trying live squid and silkworms in Korea.  Part of the driving force behind that was to know for better or worse, what food experience was I missing.

One high "ick" factor food I've been intrigued and taunted by is Durian.  For a while, I've heard about this smelly fruit that has such a strong stench, it has been banned on some subways in Asia.  There is even a no durian sign for places that don't allow its strong pungency to taint the air.  

Food shows and travel shows love making unsuspecting average Joe's try durian.  Food hosts describe the fruit and offer Joe a smell.  Joe smells and pulls away in revulsion.  Although this should make me not want to try durian, every time a food show host presented the big, yellow and red, spiky fruit to someone and I watched his/her expression of horror, I found that old morbid foodie curiosity piquing.

The chance to try durian never really popped up until recently.  I discovered in Lincoln, NE, that several of the Vietnamese restaurants offer durian bubble tea.  Knowing that access was now available, I knew the moment of facing durian was at hand.

When I went to Virginia in June, I visited my friend Kathy.  She reads my blog regularly and so had read from a post that I was interested in trying durian. She said she tried it and liked it, which helped give me a little more  food courage.  When we went to a Thai restaurant, Kanlaya, in D.C.'s Chinatown, durian bubble tea was on the menu.  With a little bit of Kathy's encouraging, I ordered one.  I figured, coupled with chewy tapioca pearls, cut with sweetness, and blended up, would be a chance to wade in.

It's weird.  The smell gets in your nose.  Then it takes a while to build up the sweeter side of the taste to get the smell out.  I had heard people describe it as sulfur like, rotten egg hints.  Antony Bourdain says, "Its taste can only be described as...indescribable, something you will either love or despise. ...Your breath will smell as if you'd been French-kissing your dead grandmother." He even goes so far as to describe the act of eating durian as "sexy."  To me, it is spring onions, with a hint of eggs, and a sweet not quite fruity finish.  If you drink enough of it, you build up the more tasty side of the fruit.  But, I never really overcame that taste of spring onions.  Once I ate some food and came back, spring onions would battle for flavor dominance.

After a couple of sips, Kathy asked me if I liked it.  I can't say "no," but I can't say "yes" either.  That distinct confusion of something that looks like a fruit and yet doesn't produce fruit like associations makes for some palate confusion.  So, if you want a bright fruit to enjoy, durian isn't it.  If you want a strong tasting savory bite, durian isn't really it either.  For me, it is a no man's land experience.  I know what it isn't, but I don't know what it is either.

Botanical Gardens

 After going to see the new Martin Luther King Monument, my friend Kathy and I talked about where to go next.  I mentioned that I hadn't been to the Botanic Garden in over 15 years.  Since Kathy had never been, we wandered around.  

The outside area is beautiful.  You can sit on a bench and enjoy lunch with views of the Capital or the museums.  From the gardens, the views of the Mall becomes encircled with leafy greens and bright flowery colors.   Inside, you can wander the themed rooms to see desert or jungle plants, the flora and fauna of Hawaiia, or one room filled with delicate orchids.  For the foodies, one of the displays features metal plants, grouped in bunches, and filled with the spices and herbs that comprise things like curry  or African Berbere.   With it, you could smell the individual spices and see how they come together to flavor your favorite dishes. 

I've included my favorite pictures from the gardens.  But, the photos don't even begin to do the beauty of the place justice. 

Next Up is the last of the D.C posts . . . Adventures with Durian

Washington Monuments

When I lived near D.C., I kinda of took the proximity for granted.  Now, with living half a country away, I thought it might be nice to have some pictures to remind of what great city D.C. is.  Though not food related, I thought you might enjoy  my photographic walk through the Mall. 

Washington, Lincoln, and WWII

Martin Luther King, Jr. 

 Jefferson 

Capital Building

 

National Museum of the Native American

Next Up . . . The Botanical Gardens

What I Ate On My Summer Vacation

A couple of weeks ago, I left Nebraska and went back to Virginia to visit friends and family.  Over the time there I conquered a food fear in Washington D.C., tried some new vineyards and revisited a familiar one, and explored Floyd, VA.  It was a lot of fun and made for lots of food blog posts.  

So, over the next couple of weeks, you get to read all about what I ate on my summer vacation.  I'll start this week with some photos from Washington, D.C. and a review of a Thai restaurant in Chinatown.  Then, I have a series on Virginia Tastings, which will cover the vineyards I visited as well as a new experience doing a coffee tasting.  Finally, I'll end with a couple posts on sampling the food in Floyd.  

Coming Up . . . "Washington Monuments."

Viva Las Vegas: Dinner at Fleur

As mentioned in my post on Food Travel Tips, my biggest splurge was to go to Fleur, Hubert Keller's restaurant in the MGM Grand Casino.  As mentioned in other posts, I am a Top Chef: Masters fan and remembered the easy-going and talented Keller.  Normally, his restaurant would have been out of my price range, but a good deal on a gift certificate from Restaurant.com gave me a good excuse to splurge. 

Since the gift certificate specified that we had to spend $100, Kathy and I decided to order as much food as we could.  In hindsight, a better idea would have been to order a drink so as not to overly satiate ourselves as much as we did, but . . . coulda woulda shoulda. 

We ordered six small plates and two desserts.  Here is a photo journey through our food adventure.  Sorry that they aren't the greatest shots, but the low lighting in Fleur wasn't very conducive to food photography.  

Steak Tartar: I’ve never had steak tartar and decided to be brave.  The tartar itself was buttery and smooth; you would never now it was raw meat.   The tartar also had an added velvet quality from the egg yolk on top.  I also liked the flavors profile: bright citrus flavors, spiciness from the paprika used to spell “Fleur,” and a fennel aioli.  Served with a fresh salad and cheesy crisps, and Keller made me a tartar convert. 

Fig Flambe: Though this is a classic combination of thin, crunchy crust, figs, pancetta, and cheese, the effect is hardly ordinary: creamy, rich, slightly smoky, and slightly sweet.  I think there was even something that reminded me of red bean paste dolloped on top. 

P.E.I. Mussels: Another knockout and probably the best mussels I’ve ever had.  The mussels were salty and tender and made light with a bright basil Parmesan emulsion.  My favorite part was dunking the bread in the mussel liquid at the bottom of the bowl. 

Mac’n’cheese: Mac’n’cheese with lobster and a crunchy parsley and cheese topping.  It is rich and decadent and made more so by hints of lobster and sharp shallots.  

Pork Schnitzel: This was probably my least favorite; not because it was bad, it was just a little too down the line.  But, what I will say, is that it was some of tenderest pork schnitzel I’ve had and was highlighted by a very tasty sauce.  The light vinegar based potato salad on the side was also good, but my favorite part of the dish was the creamy dill cucumbers. 

Rock Shrimp: This was my favorite.  The tartar impressed me the most, but this was the one I just couldn’t stop eating.  The more I ate, the more I wanted to eat.  Homemade noodles were covered with a red dragon sauce--a sweet-n-sour sauce that is taken to the next level--and crunchy pickled green onions.   

Creme Brule Trio and "PB&J:" The desserts were a trio of creme brule (pistachio, vanilla, and raspberry) and chocolate macaroons with peanut butter buttercream, strawberry marmalade, and rum iced milk for dunking.  The creme brule was everything you want creme brule to be and the best of the three was the pistachio.  But, for me, the "PB&J" stole the show.  Words won't even do justice to how delicious that combination of sticky strawberry, salty/sweet peanut butter, chewy macaroons, and cool milk was. 

  

Overall, this will go down as one of my favorite all-around dining out experiences.  The waitress, Kathleen, seemed to be just as excited about Kathy and I’s food adventures as we were.  Upon noticing that I was taking pictures of all the food, she mentioned that she, too, takes pictures of her meals when she goes out to eat.   All the staff were attentive and helpful and seemed to share in a common joy of the food.  Given that sometimes restaurants of Fleur’s status can feel pretentious and snooty, the even-keeled and at-home vibe was very welcome and appreciated. 

What also made this an especially superb experience was the expertise of the food.  Each dish was completely unified, maintained a harmony of textures, flavors, and craft.  In other words, you could see the “theme” of each dish in every bite.  I also liked that while everyone seems to be going for bigger and better and finding the next best thing, Keller has specialized in reinventing the wheel.  He takes all those great childhood dishes, like macaroni and cheese, pork schnitzel, pb&j, that are filled with nostalgia and simplicity, and he modernizes them into adult classics, keeping the wistfulness while updating for mature palates.    

Viva Las Vegas: Happy Hour at the Stratosphere

I have said it before and I will say it again, I am firm believer in Happy Hour specials.  Considering how expensive eating in Las Vegas can get, the Happy Hour deal becomes a must.  Even high end restaurants in Vegas have a happy hour and many of those offer food as well as drinks at discounted prices.  So, what Kathy and I did for dinner two of the nights in Vegas is have larger brunches and then took advantage of Happy Hour specials at Level 107 Lounge at the Stratosphere and Sea Blue for smaller evening noshes.  

Level 107 Lounge at the Stratosphere

This was a double bang for buck.  The Stratosphere has best view in Las Vegas.  Located well at the end of the Strip, the Stratosphere offers panoramic views and you can see all of Las Vegas for miles.  To go up to the tippy top of the Statosphere, where all the rides are, costs money; but, to get to the lounge and see the same view, is free.  A quick zip up 107 floors in an elevator that goes three floors per second and you are on top of Vegas.  Plus, with your drinks and appetizers, you will get the added entertainment of watching people who are sky jumping off the building zip past the windows.  That is what I call dinner theater.

The Happy Hour special at Level 107 Lounge is pretty fantastic.  They have "2 for 1" martinis (with the proviso of it is two of the same martini and you are technically not allowed to share).  Plus, you also get half-off all appetizers.  For a drink, I got the Mango Madness Martini; for food, Kathy and I split the Duck Sliders “Banh Mi” on French Rolls and the Roasted Tomato Fondue.  If we had been in a splurging mood, Level 107 offers the Tower Trio—Foie Grois, Jumbo Lump Crab, and Seared Scallop.  At $39, even if that was a half off option, that would have been splurge for another post.  

The Mango Madness was a bright and lively martini.  It was a little tart and a little sweet, but had a slighty thicker texture than most martinis, making me feel like I had a little bit of a healthy fruit to my alchohol—the alcohol isn’t as bad for you if there is fruit.  At least, that is how I interpreted nutrition classes. 

The Duck Sliders and Roasted Tomato Fondue where also tasty.  I really liked the freshness that the carrots, cucumber, and cilantro gave the duck,  The duck itself was tender and flavorful.  My only complaint was that they left the duck breast fat on, which is fine, but didn’t really seer it to render out a little flat and give the fat a little better texture.  A crispy skin would have really complimented the crunchy vegetables and would also avoid having a soggy piece of fat to chew.  The Roasted Tomato Fondue was my favorite of the two dishes.  My notes say in big letters, “Yum!”  The three cheese combination made a gooey cheese that was rich and creamy.  Then, the combination of roasted tomatoes and red peppers gave a full and strong flavor that stood up well to the cheese and just soaks into the generously oiled crostini.  I’ve had good tomatoes sauces before, but adding the red pepper just gave the sauce a little more smokiness, sweatness, and unctuous quality that took the sauce to another level (no pun intended .  . . well, a little intended).

When I in Vegas again or giving Vegas recommendations, I would gladly send people to Level 107.  If you want to go full-fund in, I’d recommend the restaurant section that slowly rotates and gives you a chance to take in the whole view.  But, double-handing martinis while eating half-off appetizers, watching sky jumpers, and watching the strip slowly light up, isn’t bad for a cheap alternative.

Viva Las Vegas: Brunch at Mon Ami Gabi

Mon Ami Gabi

After the experience at Hash-house, all other brunches kind of paled by comparison.  But, the brunch at Mon Ami Gabi was worth mentioning.

Although a chain, its positioning in Vegas at Paris Casino, settled at the base of the Vegas Eifel Tower, gives Mon Ami charm.  It also has Parisian style outdoor seating with red umbrellas and with great people watching views. 

The food was also reasonable and a good way to start the day.  There is quite a range of options: eggs benedict with crab, baguettes with Nutella, smoked salmon, quiche Lorraine, French toast, etc.  Kathy had the crepe du jour, a crepe served flat with a slight brulee, a side of whipped cream, and strawberries, peaches, and brown lemon butter.  It was a satisfying combination of bright, caramelization, and crunchy texture. 

I got the Croissant Sandwich composed of egg, tomato, avocado, turkey, and mayonnaise.  I was a little surprised that the mayonnaise was just mayonnaise.  Considering aioli is so trendy and flavoring mayo is all the rage, then plain mayonnaise did seem kind of boring when it could so have had rosemary, lemon, wasabi, anything.  As is, though, it was still pretty satisfying.  A little too much turkey and egg, but the avocado covers so many sins, making the sandwich seem cool and fresh, despite all the obvious evidence to the contrary.  I also really appreciated the side of bitter greens to give texture and freshness. 

Although the food didn’t blow me away, it was a great price and an enjoyable setting.  Were it not for the food, that is clearly an American interpretation of Paris, and the noises, zipping of cars on the strip, you might for one moment imagine yourself in Paris.  

Well, if you set your mind to it.  

Viva Las Vegas: Brunch at Hash House a go-go

With the Vegas posts, I decided to go through the course of a food day: brunch, brunch buffet, happy hour, desserts, and dinner Hubert Keller’s Fleur.

When traveling, I liked the idea of saving money by combining breakfast and lunch: two meals for the price of one.  Luckily in Vegas where the average person is sleeping off the previous night's bender and is not even contemplating existence until at least 11:00 am, brunch is readily available.  Two places Kathy and I tried where Hash House a go-go in The Imperial Palace, the casino we were staying at, and Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris Casino.  

Hash House a go-go

I didn't know what I was getting into.  I should have been worried about a place with "twisted farm food,"  but I wasn't.  Even though there were posters featuring the foods they were known for, it still didn’t register.  

So, when the food arrived, I sat incredulous, shocked, and more than a little intimidated. 

Big.  Colossal.  Enormous.   Epic.  All those words came to my head as Kathy’s “Mango-Coconunt” pancake, which was the size of a steering wheel, and my dish, “Andy’s Sage Fried Chicken,” came thudding our way.  Maybe I was dreaming, but I could have sworn I heard the restaurant shaking. 

There is a good reason that "Andy's Sage Fried Chicken" is a Man vs. Food favorite.  It has a breast of fried chicken, taken from a bird with “D” cups.  A biscuit that, even when cut in half, was the size of two large biscuits.  A serving of scrambled eggs that must have taken several chickens to lay.  Mozzarella tucked in their somewhere.  Then, a cup of hollandaise sauce made spicy with chipotle cream and dressed with thick cut maple bacon, just in case the dish needed more fat.  And, as if the carb factor was not proportionate enough to the size of the chicken, a generous portion of mashed potatoes.   

Why mashed potatoes on eggs benedict?  Why not?  You're in Vegas

Oh yeah and some wilted spinach--a nice semblance of healthiness. 

How did it taste?  Good.  Creamy, spicy, crunchy, salty, meaty, eggie, fluffy, heavy.  If you have noticed that I can only write in incomplete sentences, that is because in remembering how good and ambitious that brunch was, I am so full and satisfied even the memory is affecting my ability to write clearly.     

It was all so good, I'd recommend Hash House to anyone.  My only advice when you go is to split whatever you order with a friend so that you can get the s’more cappuccino concoction I saw being bruleed with a torch and drizzled with chocolate.   Or, if you can’t take a friend, just make sure the room has a frig for the leftovers.  There will be leftovers.  

For Thursday . . . Brunch at Mon Ami Gabi

Viva Las Vegas

This week, I'm starting a series of posts about a recent trip to Las Vegas with my best friend, Kathy.  She needed a vacation and since I am moving from Virginia (where she and I both live) to Lincoln, NE, in January, a fun trip seemed necessary and justifiable.

I've got general thoughts on Vegas and its culinary offerings on both Technorati and Honest Cooking.  And, starting Wednesday (8/31), I'll have more specific posts on the restaurants, happy hours, and snacks I experienced while in Vegas.  So, check out Technorati and Honest Cooking and then come back on Wednesday to hear more about my adventures. 

Viva Las Vegas!

Road Trip 2011: Cleveland

Melt Bar and Grill
This is the last entry of my "Road Trip 2011" series and it makes me so happy to end on this food note.  I visited Melt Bar and Grill on my last trip to Cleveland and have been in love with this restaurant ever since.  Melt is simply the holy land of grilled cheese and all grilled cheese disciples must at some point make a pilgrimage.  Melt is so important to me that the hotel was chosen according to proximity to Melt (well. . .and the hotel was really cheap). 

Here are the reasons why I love Melt . . .

Grilled Cheese Challenge from Melt's Website

1. They do things with grilled cheese that I have only dreamed about.   
2. There are amazing beers on tap and in the bottle to accompany the grilled cheese. 
3. Melt was featured on two of my favorite food shows: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and Man vs. Food.
4. They put pierogies in their grilled cheese.
5. They have a grilled cheese challenge that involves 13 different cheeses and over 5 lbs. of food
6. It is a great warm and comforting food escape from the cold Ohio winter weather. 
7. They put pierogies in their grilled cheese.
8. They make their sandwiches with deliciously fluffy and buttery Texas toast.
9. The restaurant is decorated with “found art:” i.e. record albums for menus, silverware and broken bottles for stain glass and discarded glowing holiday lawn decorations. 
10. And, the main reason, they put pierogies on their grilled cheese. 

Sorry, I have a one track mind; but, it is only because two of my "couldn’t live without" (why even bother living without) foods are pierogies and grilled cheese.  The Parmageddon, as Melt lovingly named it, is two potato pierogies, vodka sauerkraut, onions, and cheese.  If you are not drooling uncontrollably, then we just can’t be blog friends anymore.    

I, alas, have only had the Parmageddon once because last visit to Melt I got the second reason you have to go to Melt, The Godfather.  This grilled cheese concoctions features three cheese lasagna, fennel-oregano pasta, red sauce, provolone, and “garlic spiked” bread.  Think of all those times you had lasagna with a side of garlic bread and fantasized about what it would be like to eat it at the same time.  Fantasize no more, just go to Melt.  The Godfather is tender, full of Italian flavors, and well-balanced because of the fresh fennel pasta that keeps it from being a heavy starch overload. 

On last year's visit, Dennis ordered the Northcoast Shore, which is a crabcake, garlic spinach, roasted red peppers, and herbed cream cheese.  The crabcake was delicious, the spinach rich and warm, and the whole thing well courtered by tart peppers and cool cream cheese. He claimed to like it more than the Parmageddon, but I don't fathom that as being possible. This year, he ordered the Municipal Stadium Magic—bratwurst, vodka kraut, grilled peppers, and cheese.  This was good, but probably not as strong as the other three; it needed more balance of ingredients.  Plus, it isn’t lasagna in grilled cheese.  

One day, if I’m lucky, there will be a Melt near me.  Sure, I could make my own pierogi grilled cheese.  Sure, it would be good.  But, it wouldn’t be Melt’s Parmageddon. 

   

Road Trip 2011: Lake Erie Wine Tasting

John Christ Winery 

Along with going to grocery stores, checking out wineries is one of my favorite ways of getting to know a new place.  You get to meet local people, find out things about the area, and drink wine.   Since my July trip to Ohio was my third, I thought it would be fun to check one out, and the Sandusky, Huron, Avon Lake, and Lakewood area have quite a few.  After some scouting on Catch Wine, I found a place, John Christ Winery, which would be on the Route 6 drive from Sandusky to Lakewood, Ohio.

The winery is a pleasant space with a large tasting room and both an indoor and outdoor seating area.  The reviews on Catch Wine had talked about the great atmosphere and it would be a good place to come, have a snack, and hang out with a glass of wine.

The tasting is $.50 per taste for all the wines except the ice wine, which is $1.00.  This could be a great set-up for people who like to only get whites or reds, but I prefer doing the guided flight for one lump sum.  This is mainly because there have been times that I have liked the wines I would never have thought to choose and hated the wine that I thought I would like. 

For whites, I tried the Pinot Grigio, Vignoles, and Vidal Blanc Ice Wine.  The whites were a one-note flop and just a little sweet, overall.  The Pinot Grigio, in particular, had an unpleasant aftertaste of grass instead of the pleasant “lingering spicy finish” as the description boasted.  I knew the Ice Wine would be sweet, but found it more syrupy and honey-like.  In short, the sweet was too overpowering.  The Vignoles, marked as medium sweet, was again too saccharine: the bright nose and citrus notes simply couldn’t balance it out.  I did appreciate the tasting notes’ suggestion that the Vignoles is a great breakfast wine: I’m guessing it pairs well with Trix. 

The reds were only a little better.  The Special Blend, a gold medal winner and the #1 seller, is a blend of concord and Niagara grapes and is marked as a sweet wine.  It is a beautiful red; but, it reminded me of wine coolers.   The Claret had potential, except that it has a lot of smoke and not enough fruit.  The Merlot, which also had a smoky nose, was a little sour.  The best of the bunch was the Cabernet Sauvignon.  Dennis and I each had a glass to enjoy the outdoor seating area.  The Cabernet starts sweet but gets spicy with each sip.  Unfortunately, I found drinking a whole glass weakened my initial judgment.  The main reason is the more I drank of it, the more I realized that it was one note and that one note was clove.

With only doing one winery tasting in Ohio and having only sampled bottles from two other vineyards, I can’t speak with any conviction or authority about Ohio wines.  However, I am going to make the statement that at this point, Ohio wine is not for me.  Most of my encounters have been flat and too sweet.  Nevertheless, I am sure there are other Ohio trips in my future, and I am more than ready to keep testing my impressions.  

Road Trip 2011: Sandusky/Huron, Ohio

For some reason, I have pretty great food karma.  I like to think it is because I ask so little of food . . . only that it be tasty and fantastic.  And, in return, I spend a lot of time talking about food and singing its praises and only occasionally making sacrifices.   You don’t want to piss off food karma. 

Food karma reminded me that it is looking out for me by placing LEMmy’s Eatery in my path.  While driving away from Sandusky and en route to Cleveland, we had stopped at a gas station in Huron.  Across the way was a little restaurant with wear and tear and a full parking lot.  While Dennis got gas, I ran across the intersection to investigate.  LEMmy's had everything I look for in a roadside diner: a restaurant full of happy people, a menu of intriguing breakfast fare, and a large sign with a lake monster.  How could I not eat there?

LEMmy’s Eatery

LEMmy’s Eatery is named after the “Lake Erie Monster” that supposedly was captured by two fishermen in 1931 and has since taken up residence in the basement of the eatery.  The legend goes that there had been several sightings of a serpent-like creature at Lake Erie.   Then, one night, the twenty foot long serpent came along the fishermen’s boat.  The two men clubbed the beast, threw him into a six foot long box, and nailed it shut.  But, since it was too dangerous to open the box and onlookers were too scared, no one ever got to see LEMmy. 

LEMmy’s Eatery features some pretty exciting menu options.  There is something called LEMmy’s Monster Mash: fried of eggs, potatoes, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese.  They also have Sauerkraut Balls, Walleye fish, and lots of Lake Perch options. 

Given that I was in a local eatery that serves a local specialty, it seemed that it was a must to honor LEmmy by getting a dish of one of his favorite foods.  So, Dennis got the Green Dragon omelet and I had the Lake Erie Perch and Cheese omelet.

The Green Dragon was a delightful omelet of spinach, artichoke hearts, swiss cheese, and garlic.  It was green goodness that was creamy and flavorsome.  

 The Lake Erie Perch Omelet was also delicious.  I had expected flakes of fish scattered throughout the omelet, but instead it is more of an omelet/fish sandwich.  Two pieces of fried crunchy fish, which is slightly flavored with a little lemon, cradle the omelet.  Then the whole thing is topped with a slice of cheese—Kraft by my guess.  I piled mine on slices of buttered rye and chowed down like a ravenous lake monster.

My only complaint was the home fries were a little dry.  But, it seems like that home fries are a lot harder to pull off then one might think; I rarely find them to suit me. 

So thank you, food karma, for sending LEMmy’s Eatery my way.  I offer this post up in your honor.