Sweet Sweet Summer

Couldn't of asked for a better summer, It's been wonderful. Thanks to all of you who helped contribute especially those dockin buddies. Now onto business:

Part One: Arizona Leftovers

I don't know why I never included this in the Arizona update, but here goes. There is a local bar called TJ's and they make a pretty mean burger. Really meaty burger, they do the standard burger justice and take it to that perfect level. Not too much on it, cooked right, just overall a good burger. The fries I could take or leave, if fries aren't perfect I don't really care one way or the other.

Just a quick note; all ketchup should be in these bottles. It just tastes better and is a hell of a lot more fun to put on your food.

"Cheese sticks" I think it best that these aren't called "Mozzarella sticks". Why do I say that? Well because look at what it is being served with...... ranch........ dressing......yeah..... what???????? WHAT?????? Needless to say this was much like the Italian Taco I still have nightmares about. However when I finally abandoned my inner italiano and tried it, it wasn't as horrible as I would imagine. It was weird at first but strikingly tasty. Never again though.....
We did manage to make it to Reb's, but you probably know how that went.....

Part Deux: July!

My birthday breakfast will allways be the MIGHTY MONTE CRISTO. Truly the king of breakfast. At the same diner every year, right by Eisenhower Park. It's a Solid Cristo, nice crispy outside on the french toast yet nice and moist on the inside, no syrup really needed. Turkey and ham wee slightly warm and the swiss freshly melted. The Monte much like my beloved katsudon gives me my true strenth! After consumption I can lift buildings and stop speeding trains, truly a sight to see.

Haruka was returning to Japan so my friend Red and her Husband decided to meet up with her at the museum of natural history. Red had other plans however, before venturing over to the museum we stopped at Murray's Bagels located on Avenue of the Americas if I remember correctly. It was a nice little place, booming busy. I opted to get a breakfast sandwich, they had an interesting one. Sausage egg and onion, I liked the sound of that so I took my first tremendous bite.

It was an interesting combination, though the bagel really made it. There isn't much more to say, It was a really good bagel.

This is some of the most clean tasting apple juice I've ever had. Always I have thought that Martinelli's was the best "Apple products", and no,were not talking about computers.

It had been a long time since I had gotten sushi. To be honest I have been to this place a few times, but I forgot my camera every time. Not this time! Nagahama of Long Beach is one of the places I like to go to for just straight up sushi. No fancy rolls or crazy appetizers, just straight fish and rice!

I usually start with some tentacles, this time being octopus instead of squid. Oh do I love my octopus. It was served with just a touch of lemon juice. It wasn't too tough or lacking in the suction cups. Perfection, the lemon wasn't overpowering, nor did it take a backseat to the flavor of the octopus. Served with a little bit of wakame, daikon and cucumber.A nice way to start my meal.

Chirashi sushi is something I order when I feel like a feast. Basically its sashimi over a bowl of rice and it's my favorite way to eat sushi. Here you can see what I've fallen in love with. The chef here has done a spectacular job with the presentation. He or she knew that chirashi is something to be presented in a tasteful way. I looked at this for about 5 minutes before I even moved anything. Its a special occasion when chirashi is being served, Its a shame it mostly goes unnoticed on most menus. I can't say enough about the quality of fish I was served, this was their reserve stash. I can't explain in words how this healed my hurt at the time. It was also the first time I had tried surf clam, Interesting texture and unique flavor. I think it will grow on me. Nagahama is fantastic, it's a shame I wont be able to get back there for quite some time... Ah well.

This is my favorite burger joint. Not to be confused with "All American Burgers" that I wrote about already, this is "American Burger" in Rockville Centre. Without a doubt the greatest burger money can buy. "Now what makes this place so special" you ask? Take a look:

licence plates from every imaginable location in the world.Pictures of starlets of times long past and of today. A jukebox for Christ's sake! all encompassed in a narrow little place. The atmosphere of this place is second to none. If you ever go there you'll get that feeling. That feeling of nostalgia and comfort. We haven't even gotten to the food yet!

The reason this place is called American Burger is because they have a burger for every state. Each being their own unique burger. Everyone that works there knows them all from memory, it's amazing. I mean look at this titanic list of meat! And that's just one page! They have another page of worldwide national burgers too! Oh this place just makes me smile.

First and foremost a burger must always be enjoyed with a tasty beverage. Now on this day I was accompanied by Zak, you remember him right? good! Anyway he opted for a chocolate milkshake, truly a tasty beverage however I'm A vanilla man. Sadly to say they were out of my flavor of choice, however they did have Orange Crush in a glass bottle and that's just as tasty! Both a perfect pair for a burger such as this......

I always get the Arkansas being: Bacon, cheddar and grilled onions. I show you this without the "lid" just to see how massive this burger is. Cooked to perfection as always and nice and juicy. Napkins are a must for a burger of this caliber spills its blood gladly. Heaven.... simply heaven. The flavor this burger delivers could tranquilize a grizzly. Rightfully so as we were much akin to said grizzly. Oh yeah the fries! Steak fries are always a good choice with a meaty meal. They can soak up some of the burger juices as well as copious ketchup. I don't know why but I've always preferred steak fries with a nice big burger. A must visit!

I go to chain restaurants occasionally. Usually I leave saying meh, it was good but it wasn't fantastic. This case it was horrible.

French dip sliders..... sounds like a novel idea right? No, these were horrible. Gluey buns that were just garbage. They stuck to my teeth and couldn't hold anything in them. The meat was overcooked and greasy. The au jous was salty and greasy. Absolutely horrid. Nasty.

The only saving grace was this little shot glass desert. Little baby hot fudge Sunday. For the most part it was good but then I found the ice shards within the ice cream. Bah, a horrible meal. Then again I've had some pretty good stuff, who knows?

A quick snack, the New Dynasty Chinese place in Lynbrook Offered me a meat bun. It was nice and sort of toasted on the outside. That's a little different then usual but otherwise amazing. A nice meaty mouthful with every bite. The perfect late night snack.

I was going to visit Molly in Bellport one day, when she spoke of a place called Spicy's. Known apparently for the wings, I was curious to try them. My word.....

This is right.... This is just right. The way wings should be all the time, always. Crispy, Crunchy, Juicy and plump. Still hot and served dry, which is the way I love wings. Sure, buffalo wings may be chocked full of sauce can be good, but really good wings to me are about the wings themselves not the sauce. Now that is not to say that the sauce isn't important, but the wing should be the main focus. That being said the sauce was amazing. It was almost as if you mixed honey mustard and Tabasco sauce. Spicy and sweet at the same time, so painfully addicting. Best of all it was on Tuesday and Tuesday its buy 10 wings get 10 half price. Extra tasty! Oh did I mention there is a piece of white bread at the bottom of the basket to soak up the grease? What an interesting touch! I love wacky stuff like that! All and all the best wings I've ever eaten.

Last of the entries! Sadly its about a closing, I wrote about a place called Domo Sushi in the past. It is no more, Replaced with Aikou House. They have tried to simulate the old place, and have fallen on their face. The menu is now predominantly Chinese but they do have some Japanese fair. The lunch special I loved so dearly, has changed for the worse. The entree salad and soup are still there but the dumplings and sushi roll are now missing. It feels like less of a meal now and I wish they could return. That's not to say the new food is lacking, no that isn't the case. The salad is virtually identical to the old one. The soup however, is a lot weaker in flavor. It seemed a little watered down which was a disappointment. However the main event was spectacular. The eel was great, nice and tender without an excess of sauce. Very good eel, but the whole meal was a bit of a letdown. I shall mourn my poor Domo... DOOOOOOO MOOOOOOOOOOOOO

And that was the summer folks! Stay tuned!