Anthony Bourdain at El Bulli

No more dips, pinches, smidgens, or smears will be garnishing monochromatic china as the best restaurant in the world closes in 5 days. Anthony Bourdain will be one of the last people to eat at the famed El Bulli on the Spanish Coast, and the Huffington Post has a wonderful teaser of the episode of "No Reservations" that was filmed there in its final throes of restauranteur glory, before re-opening in 2014 as a gastronomic think tank and creative center headed by current world-renowned chef Ferran Adrià.



If you're unfamiliar with El Bulli, it's really too late to explain. It will just bring to light the misery of missing out on a limited-time lifetime experience, leave your eyes wet with longing, and your mouth hungry for phantom flavors that a favored few in the eyes of God have ululated in orgasmic pleasure over.



While the first video was informative, I found the second video to be kind of adorable, portraying this titan of the kitchen as quite cuddly looking and inspiring. I look forward to the full episode!

Twix Cheesecakes

I really, really, REALLY need to try this recipe. I rarely crave sweets, but when I do you better pray there's some within arm's reach if you don't want to suffer my hunger wrath. This insane looking recipe for Twix Cheesecakes on the baking blog Gingerbread Bagels looks easy to make and unbelievably decadent.

You can snobbily turn your nose up to candy as an unsuitable dessert item, but I figure candy is good and if it ain't broke then don't fix it! I'm not the hugest fan of Twix, but cheesecake + Oreos + Twix = no way that it can be anything but over-the-top mouthwatering and wickedly hedonistic. Visit the full post here: you can bet when I return from Atlanta this weekend that this is on my agenda to tackle!

San Diego Fair 2011

While last year's food-themed county fair raised the bar for all things artery clogging yet tantalizingly irresistible, this year's San Diego County Fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds continued the American tradition of crowds, grease, and obesity with some classics like the deep fried Klondike bar, deep fried pickles, deep fried twinkies, and the much-anticipated deep fried Kool Aid! Personally, I don't find even the liquid version very appetizing, so despite heavy hype I passed in favor of some alternate fried goods:

My first instinct proved to be a fulfilling one: deep fried cheese curds! These squeaky delights are delightful fresh AND fried, and for $6 I was rewarded with a generous portion leaving me literally choking for more.


We indulged in a few standbys like fried pickles with ranch dipping sauce, funnel cake, but the one that took that cake was the Baby Ruth stuffed fried jalapeno served over a bed of sugared churros. Holy crap. Honestly, I really thought it had a fighting shot of being sinfully delicious based on the fact that I like jalapenos, sugar, churros, fried, and Baby Ruth bars, but although my jaw chewed and chewed, my brain just flat out refused to let that sloshy mass pass through my rapidly shrinking throat, and as you can see after one bite, my hand was shaking so much from the sugar I couldn't take a clear picture.

All in all the fair was a success as usual, and I'm anticipating another binge next year. Hail America!

Sun Tea

It's the perfect day for making sun tea!

6 black tea bags
2 gallons fresh water
2-5 hours in the sun
Voila!

Eleven

Image from San Diego Beer Blog

If you're searching for a bar that really takes that extra push over the cliff, Eleven at 3519 El Cajon Blvd is the place you'll find it. The location has been home to more than a few bars in its day, but it seems that happy patrons have found a permanent home with Eleven's gritty feel and pleasantly surprising beer list, many nights with live music as well.

In my ripe old age of 26, I consider my self a bit beyond the dive-bar-excursion-for-dive-bars-sake, but Eleven is a bright anomaly in the dive bar beer business. I'm a huge fan of their 25 oz. Eleven Lager Big Beer Mug for $4 during Happy Hour ($5 regularly)- it's a standard lager brewed nearby and for the amount of suds you get it's by far the best deal in the place. Not to say that their beer list is anything but appropriately priced- for the selection it's well within range of really-cheap-to-still-pretty-cheap for anything available.

The thing that really gets my blood boiling (merrily) is their food truck parked outside. It's not so much of a food truck as just a mobile kitchen that I've never actually seen anywhere but outside the bar (I could be wrong, just my observation), but for the late-nite patron who craves something more than just the regular fried bar fare, in this foodie's humble opinion, the Eleven Food Truck boasts a small but solid menu. You can choose from two cheesesteaks or three burgers, and either regular or sweet potato fries (that's it), but once you've had the Fuego you'll realize you don't need anything else.

The Fuego is a stomach churning conglomeration of jalapenos, serranos, and Anaheim chiles on a slimy mess of steak (or chicken if you fly that way) topped with a heaping amount of pepperjack cheese and chipotle aioli crowned with toasted jalapeno bread and served with a side of their surprisingly tasty shoestring fries. I understand that the mere minion might not be able to handle this gut-wrenching, brain-puckering sandwich of ballsy greatness, but if you fancy yourself a crazed spice addict then this is most certainly the sandwich for you. Wash it down with one of the Eleven lagers and I fail to see how you are headed for anything but bliss (and maybe the shitter).

For $9.50, this sandwich easily feeds two late-nite munchers or one hungry daredevil, but my advice to you is don't forget the beer for a tsunami of relief. Eleven has a cheap and abundant selection, so when your eyes start to tear and your nose drips with sweat from the fiery goodness that is Fuego, point to the nearest tap and enjoy the ride.