How to drive your waiter crazy

Finally, a credible source (CNN.com) has explained to the masses just what it can be like for those of us in the foodservice industry. Everyone who eats out at a restaurant should read this article!!!

Do you want fries with that?

Spending my summers in Northern Michigan as a child, I came to the realization that one of the reasons for "summering" was to get away from it all. Bellaire, MI, the town closest to Torch Lake, always had a grocery store, two gas stations, a few ice cream shops, half a dozen restaurants, and that's about it. I remember quite clearly the summer that McDonald's opened up on the main street through Bellaire; everyone was immediately against it. "We will never eat there! It's destroying the culture of this little town!" people said. On the other hand, it brought much-needed jobs and some economic stability to the financially uneasy Antrim county. Personally, I've stopped at that McDonald's maybe twice in my life; I try to stay away from fast food in general, and when I'm Up North, it makes more sense to me to try and support the locally-owned businesses.

Anyhow, here's a really cool map of the United States that shows the location of every McDonald's in the country. It's pretty interesting. If you look closely, you can even see the singular dot of the McDonald's in Bellaire!

Will someone get her a cheeseburger?

Just a funny little video of some girl explaining how she was trying to get what she wanted...  I think that she might have been eating in a Hillstone restaurant, based on the fact that the server featured the fresh fish quite similarly to the way I do.  Ha.  I hope I'm not that annoying, though.

I have eaten at Hardee's one time.  It was at the beginning of a road trip from Bloomington to Chicago in 2006 (I think).  It was delicious, but obviously not as delicious as Padma Lakshmi (of Top Chef fame) thinks it is...  Talk about a racy ad!

Mmmm... Cheeseburgers...

If I were to ever go vegetarian, which is highly unlikely, the thing I'd miss most, even more than a Rutherford Ribeye, would be a cheeseburger.  Mmm.  

There's a blog (well, there are probably a few, but I like this one quite a bit) dedicated to cheeseburgers.  Check it out!  It's mostly reviews of burger joints in the Toronto area, but there are some super delicious looking burgers.  

With that in mind, I thought I'd share one of my favorite burger recipes.  It's been a favorite at TLYCC for years, and, well, it's DUL.

ground beef (I prefer chuck or round)

Lawry's seasoned salt

Worchestershire sauce

black pepper

Combine the above ingredients and form them into patties.  Basically, season to taste.

Then, the fun begins.  Grill the burger to medium-rare and melt cheddar cheese on top.  On a toasted bun, put a light layer of mayo to keep the bun from getting soggy.  Add the burger, top with bacon, maybe more cheese, and two thick-cut onion rings.  Drizzle BBQ sauce and ranch dressing on top.

YUM-O, right?

Do you want pot with that?

A McDonald's employee in Maryland was recently arrested after undercover cops bought pot from him at the drive-thru window. How amazing is that?  There had been reports that the man had been selling drugs at work for quite some time, so police finally went in for the kill.

I don't know about you, but I'm lovin' it.

Perhaps you're one of the McDonald's Dealer's recent clients and you've gotten home only to realize that, since Michael Phelps isn't actually your friend, you don't have a bong.  Never fear, for there's a pictorial list of ideas for homemade smoking devices.  Example below.

Mmmm.. A Big Mac...

Virtual

Reality

Actually, I've never had a Big Mac, and I honestly don't think I ever will.

However, I found a great website today that takes a look at the differences between glossy fast food ads and the realities of the food they serve.

No, it's not going to make me stop going to Subway before work, picking up some Arby's on a drive to The Lake, or having Wendy's dine-in on a hungover Sunday in Bloomington.

Bandera Holiday Party!

Last night was the 2nd Annual Bandera Holiday Party, at least in its current state.  During the actual holiday season, none of us servers can find a time to get together, so we wait 'till February

Eight of us had dinner together at what I think is one of the best restaurants in Chicago, and by far the best for a large group, Cafe Iberico.  Totally relaxed atmosphere, good service, great drinks, and delicious tapas, all at a very reasonable price.  Mmm.  The 

best thing about tapas is getting to taste so many dishes; I had shrimp, goat cheese with tomato sauce, beef, paella, chicken croquettes, potato salad, roasted potatoes, "ham & cheese" bruschetta, grilled sausage, etc.  The second best part is the price: after drinking and eating for an hour or so, we each threw in $20-$25 for everything.

After dinner, we headed to SpyBar for a $30 all-you-can-drink cover.  It was worth it.  It's a cool bar and the DJ was spinning some HITS, so everyone spent a lot of time on the dance floor.