Pages, Pucks and Pantry

National Donut Day - This Friday June 1st

National Doughnut Day started in 1938 as a fund raiser for The Salvation Army to honor the women who served doughnuts to soldiers during World War I. These days National Donut Day (or Doughnut should you be so inclined) is usually the day that donut shops hand out free donuts to entice folks into their establishments.

And while many chain donut places are giving away free donuts, many of the Mom & Pop donut shops could probably use a boost in sales. So if you aren't near a place giving out free donuts and don't feel like grabbing a donut from the local coffee shop or your local grocery store (around here they all seem to have Krispy Kreme boxed donuts for sale), how about stopping at your local corner donut shop this Friday and ordering a donut to help out locally owned businesses?  My favorite donut shop happens to be Stans in Santa Clara...seriously the best warm glazed donuts you'll ever find. I might have to pick up one...or four...

 

Free Ice Cream

Free Ice Cream

It's Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day. Around the world, Scoop Shops are opening their doors from noon to 8:00 pm, to serve up a free scoop of your favorite flavor. Please check with your local Ben & Jerry's for more info!

Get em while they're hot...er, cold!

Taco Bells Doritos Locos Tacos

Yes, we went there. Amid the Fresco Crunchy Tacos that were only 150 calories each and 13 grams of carbs...we bought the new Taco Bell Doritos Locos Tacos. You know the ones, where they replace the standard crunchy corn tortilla with a Doritos Nacho Chip tortilla.

This new taco, to celebrate Taco Bells 50th Anniversary (which was yesterday) is actually a "Taco Supreme® made with premium seasoned beef, crisp lettuce, diced juicy red ripe tomatoes, real cheddar cheese, topped with cool reduced-fat sour cream, in a shell made from Nacho Cheese Doritos® Chips". The regular Locos Taco is 170 calories, 13 grams of carbs. The Supreme version is 200 calories, 15 grams of carbs.

The surprising part to me, was the fact that there wasn't that big of a difference between the regular Locos Taco and the "healthy" Fresco Crunchy Taco.  They were close on calories and carbs and there was only 30 more mgs of sodium.

I kinda liked this. It really is just a regular taco in a Dorito potato chip coat. The flavor isn't as strong as eating a Doritos chip right out of the bag (and the actual shell is much thinner than a regular Doritos chip). I thought that it was saltier than a regular shell which worked for me (because lets be honest, it's a frigging potato chip and they have to be salty!). The bottom line is if you like Nacho Doritos, you'll like this taco. But if you like the regular Taco Bell taco shells, I think you might still like the Doritos Loco Taco, it's not that much of a huge taste difference to me.

Would I order them again? Probably. I go so rarely to Taco Bell these days, but if I get stuck and have to order something, I can see me ordering the Loco Taco. Mr. L? Not so much. But I do think, in general terms, the Taco Bell Doritos Locos Taco is a success.

Food Truck - Fairycakes

There is a new cupcake truck in town and it's called Fairycakes. And it made a somewhat splashy appearance at the Willow Glen Moveable Feast this past Friday.

I've been waiting for the debut of the Fairycakes truck for several weeks. They employ local culinary students which a good friend of mine happens to be (you can check out her blog here). Knowing that they were supposed to be up and ready for business at 5PM, I planned on heading down after work with my camera to take photos of my friend and the new truck (not to mention to try a cupcake or two).

Alas, sometime before five came word that the truck had broken down on it's way to the event! I was so bummed thinking that they would miss Moveable Feast. My mouth had been watering for a cupcake all day. But the debut of the Fairycakes truck was not to be denied and for those lucky enough to be waiting saw their cupcakes being delivered attached to a large tow truck! Once they untethered from the tow truck, they set out their sign of what cupcakes were available, set up a container of milk (smart smart smart) for folks to grab a free drink and opened up to a very long line of folks patiently waiting for cupcakes at 6PM.

The Fairycakes truck offered six different cupcakes that night...at $3 each you were able to buy Carrot Cake, Pink  Velvet, Peanut Butter Cup, Chocolate Chocolate, Tuxedo and Lemon Drop. I ended up buying one of each which meant a quick call to my neighbors when I got home requesting an urgent "cupcake tasting" (I knew that if there were six cupcakes in my house, six cupcakes would get eaten). Everyone seemed to have a different favorite flavor. My two favorites were the Pink Velvet and the Lemon Drop with the Lemon Drop winning for me hands down. Filled with lemon curd, the Lemon Drop was just the right amount of sweetness after some pork belly dishes from some of the other trucks at Moveable Feast that night.

Though the Fairycakes truck won't be there this Friday, I hear they will be in regular rotation at Moveable Feast Willow Glen. You can check out their website here, or follow them on Twitter and Facebook. If you are having a party, they even deliver! I know I will be on the lookout for two cupcakes they list on their website...Chocolate Bacon Goodness (dark chocolate espresso cake with bacon topped with chocolate buttercream, and chocolate coated bacon) and Kaboom (guinness cake filled with chocolate ganache, topped with baileys buttercream).

For those of you not familiar with the newest food truck hot-spot, Moveable Feast is every Friday night from 5 to 9PM at the VTA parking lot at the corner of Curtner and Canoas Garden Avenue.

Food Truck - Chairman Bao

A few years ago when the food truck obsession hit in this area in full force, there were only a handful of trucks you could find here in the South Bay. Most of the trucks that were getting notoriety, were those that were found up in San Francisco. One of the more popular ones I constantly heard about was the Chairman Bao truck.  Supposedly inspired by the street food of Asia, the Chaiman Bao food truck was reported to serve food that was "bold, spicy, unique, fast and delicious".

Controversy aside*, and a big fan of pork buns, the Chairman Bao truck quickly went to the top of my list of trucks to try. Alas, it doesn't come down to the San Jose area often. The last time the truck was down this way at I time I could get to it, I waited in line almost an hour before bailing and getting something else to eat (you can read about that here). But the Chairman Bao truck has stayed on my radar with me hoping to eventually give it a try.

A month or so ago, while returning from a morning event in Mt. View, Mr. L and I started discussing the subject of lunch. I remembered that there was going to be a food truck gathering somewhere in San Jose that day (Moveable Feast), and after a quick check on Twitter, I found out that Movable Feast was going to be near Garden City which was on our way home (well, not directly, but not so far out of our way).

Imagine my surprise and delight when we parked and found that one of the trucks there that day was the Chairman Bao truck! Imagine my horror when I realized that though the other four trucks were open and serving customers, the Chairman Bao truck was still not open for business! Yikes, visions of another long wait flashed through my mind. So Mr. L and I went and got some food from a few of the other trucks before heading to the Bao truck to wait in line.

And yes good things come to those who wait.

The Bao truck serves two types of "buns:

The "Baked Bun" is a "light and fluffy hamburger-sized bun with a lightly sweet golden-brown crust and soft center, overflowing with unique fillings - perfect for a meal".

The "Steamed Bun" is a "smaller taco-sized fluffy, white, clamshell-shaped bun with a slightly sweet flavor and doughy texture - perfect for a snack or get 3-4 for a meal"

Since we'd just had food from several different trucks (all not bad by the way), we decided we needed to stick to the snack buns so we ordered our buns steamed.

The fillings offered that day were: 

Muscovy Duck Confit with green papaya, pickled red onion and mint for $4.50 (steamed only)... (I understand Duck isn't always on the menu).

Tender Pork Belly with Pickled Daikon (steamed $3.25, Baked $6.00)

Braised Pork with Savoy Cabbage and Preserved Mustard Seeds (steamed $3.25, Baked $6.00)

They also had some chicken and tofu options but HELLO it's me, you think I'd get past ordering anything but the pork? So we ordered one duck (since duck is a favorite of Mr. L's), one braised pork and two pork belly.

Now mind you, I'd been waiting to try these for a while. And I'd basically already eaten lunch,which made these buns more, er, after lunch? I shouldn't have worried. The pork buns were actually quite tasty. The meat was tender and flavorful though a bit much on an already full stomach. We preferred the pork belly over the braised pork...more a taste and texture thing I think. The veggies (pickled daikon and cabbage) went nicely with their respective porks. I probably won't order the braised pork again though as other pork offerings from other trucks seemed better. I'd definitely order the pork belly again because, well, it's pork belly!

But the true star of Chairman Bao? The Muscovy Duck Confit Buns. Moist, tender, tasty. You know when Mr. L and I wish we had chosen the duck over anything made of pork that it has to be good. It just all seemed to work together, the favor, the texture, the toppings. We would definitely order the duck buns again though I'm not sure they offer them on a regular basis.

Will I go out of my way to eat at The Chairman Bao truck again? Probably not. But if I happen to stop by one of the food truck get togethers that I frequent every now and then, and the Chairman Bao truck happens to be there, I'll definitely get in line for that truck first and get me some duck and pork belly steamed buns!

*There seems to be some discussion on the legality of this truck using the "Chairman Bao" name. I believe since our visit, the truck is now just named "The Chairman".

Note: It looks like prices have gone up at least 25 cents per item.

 

 

Free Slurpee Day!

Today is 7-11's birthday and they are giving out free Slurpee's at participating stores between 7 AM and 11 PM.

Should you require a bit more Slurpee than the free stuff they are giving out be sure to check out the new "Cowboys and Aliens" cups they have.

Alas there are no 7-11's near me (the closest one burned down over a year ago and though they just started rebuilding, it will be a while before it's up and running) otherwise I'd get my staple...a cola slurpee. I've tried some of their new flavors over the years, but nothing stacks up to just a plain old cola version to me.

Small Plates - November 18, 2010

FREE STARBUCKS - Okay technically, it's 'buy one, get one free' but at least someone is getting a free drink. From today through Sunday, buy one of Starbucks signature holiday drinks and get one of an equal or lesser value free. It's only good from 2-5 PM which means I bet the stores will be pretty busy during that time frame.  The drinks in this promotion are the Caramel Brulée Latte, Peppermint Mocha, Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha, Peppermint Hot Chocolate, Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte, Caramel Brulée Frappuccino, or Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino. For more info go here. I love the design of this years Starbucks holiday cups by the way.

BEST EGGNOG LATTE EVER - If you happen to live in the San Jose area and really like Eggnog Latte's, may I suggest you making a trip to Roy's Station in Japantown (corner of 5th and Jackson). They don't use flavored syrups in their eggnog latte's...whatever stuff they use really makes that latte shine. Actually, I happen to just like their coffee's in general. For more information on Roy's go here.

FREE SLURPEES - I realize it's a bit cold out there for some folks, but on Black Friday (November 26th) while you're out shopping, I bet you get a bit warm. Whether it's from traipsing from store to store trying to find that flat screen 52" plasma 3-D TV that someones selling for $400 or you're warm under the collar from fighting some idiot who jumped in front of you in line after you waited seven hours in the rain and he got the last tv at the reduced price...well, maybe a free slurpee will help cool you off. If you become a Facebook fan of Slurpees, you'll be able to download a coupon to receive a free slurpee on the 26th. Just don't use it to throw in the face of that jerk that got the last on sale tv! For more information go here.

Small Plates - November 16, 2010

FREE TACOS - Gotta love when Jack in the Box gives away free tacos. They happen to be my favorite, greasy, not good for you, fast food item. And today, from 2pm to midnight you can get two of Jacks tacos free, no purchase necessary.

The problem with all this is that they might have changed my beloved tacos. I've read "the event is designed to showcase improvements made to the long-time menu product". Which pretty much means they've messed with my tacos! Damn them. Yes, Mr. L and I will be partaking in this free venture this evening. If Jack truly did change his tacos he might have more than some laughing gas to worry about.

FREE COLDSTONE - Today from 5 to 8 PM, Coldstone Creamery is giving away free 3 ounce samples of their new Eight Layer Cakes. The cakes have three layers of ice cream, three layers of cake and two layers of frosting and toppings. At participating restaurants of course.

LESS TIMBITS: Seems Dunkin Donuts is too big of a competitor in the New England area, and Tim Hortons is closing 34 restaurants and 18 self-service kiosks there. Supposedly they are going to "reinvest a portion of the expected earnings...to increase our brand profile in our U.S. core growth markets". Hello Tim Hortons, how about coming West? We got no Dunkin Donuts in our area to compete with you !!

 

 

 

Sonic Drive In

I got lost on the way to Davis recently. Okay maybe not exactly lost. I missed my normal Starbucks/clean bathroom turn off, so I started taking every exit trying to locate a coffee stop. But then I came across a sign. 'Sonic Drive In" next exit. I took a chance.

We get Sonic commercials on TV here all the time but the closest Sonic's are, I believe, in Hayward and Gilroy. Neither of which I pass by on a regular basis. I have friends who swear by their hot dogs, their drinks, their burgers. But more importantly...Sonic sells Tater Tots.

So I went through the drive through. And got some tater tots. And, well. I'm hooked. I know, they are fried, they are fast food, they are probably not even made out of real potatoes (yes, they are, but you know what I mean). I don't care. They are manna from heaven. And when I sorely needed some comfort food to get me through that drive, Sonic and their Tater Tots were there. I was a happy woman. (As far as the tots, think McDonalds Hash Brown patty. Except in Tots form. Meaning more crunchies. And you can get Cheese Tots and Chili Cheese Tots).

Having had those little heavenly nuggets on my first encounter I forced coerced Mr. L to stop by there a few days later when we had to drive back to Davis. Except this time instead of going through the drive through, we went inside. Only to stop dead in our tracks. There is no counter. How come no one told me they had no counter? Never been to Sonic? Seriously, you walk in to a wall, that has an electronic panel that you peruse. Once you have decided on your order, you push a button, give your order and then a bit later, somehow, mysteriously, a carhop walks out and hands you your goodies. But not knowing this, we walked towards the wall and kinda stopped and stared. This probably happens a lot because out from the mystery door came this nice woman who said in a very cheery lilting voice "First time at Sonic?". Were we that obvious? She then explained the procedure (yes folks, we have arrived at the Jetsons) and then suggested to be more comfortable, we could actually go back into our car, place our order through the outside drive in menu (yes folks, a real drive in fast food joint) and the nice carhops would bring us our order.

So we went back to the car to order and eat. I was thinking that being in my car with the radio going would be more comfortable. I'm thinking Mr. L was envisioning the cute little carhop on roller skates in a short skirt delivering our meal. Luckily our carhop came wearing pants.

We ordered burgers and tater tots. Now mind you, after trying them, I'm not really fond of Sonics burgers. (They sell burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, etc). They had at least ten different sodas available but I was most surprised to find they sold Coke Zero (a first for any fast food place I've ever frequented). They also have a ton of desserts and dessert type drinks (maybe you've heard of the Sonic Blasts). But since we weren't really hungry we just ordered burgers and tots. Frankly, nothing compared to the tater tots.

Will we go back to Sonic Drive in? Yes. I refuse to drive by without getting some Tater Tots. Maybe next time we'll try some of their special drinks and their world famous hot dogs. But the Tots? Favorites. Right up there with Jack in the Box tacos and KFC hot wings.