Whenever my good friends and I get together to grill, we do it big. For the Fourth of July, it was our obligation as patriotic Americans to do Independence Day justice. Enacting a “Never Say No” policy at Metcalfe’s and Brennan’s Market in Madison, WI, we set a lofty goal for ourselves: to create the best burgers we’ve ever eaten.
Upon crafting bison/lamb Juicy Lucy’s stuffed with buttermilk ranch cheese curds and topped with Wisconsin brick cheese and specialty bacon on a pretzel bun, we passed with flying colors. The flavor symphony was more beautiful than any orchestra; ketchup and mustard were simply unnecessary.
I’m headed up to Wisconsin AKA God’s Country for a week and will not be doing any posting.
If you find yourself struggling to make it throughout the week without my sports and food commentary, here are some of my greatest hits from the past year:
Kevin, the Sports Rapport reader who graciously provided me the tickets to the three matches I went to in Poland last week, sent in his view from today’s Italy vs Germany EuroCup semi-final match in Warsaw:
In case you missed them, here are my EuroCup entries:
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved McDonald’s. I distinctly remember collecting the large stadium cups bearing the Dream Team in 1992–six-year old me must have been a joy to parent during that pursuit–but I’m pretty sure I was hooked even before that.
I’ve never really understood why McDonald’s gets such a bad rap from the “America needs to be less obese” people (who are right in their campaign even as they are wrong in scapegoating McDonald’s); it’s not as if McDonald’s food is any worse for you than its direct fast food competitors KFC, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell, sit-down restaurants like Applebee’s and TGI Friday’s, or anything that’s ever been on Man vs Food or Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Even at Subway, a footlong meatball sub–which in my opinion is the only sandwich on the menu worth ordering–has 960 calories, 420 more than a Big Mac. For its contribution to our obesity epidemic, McDonald’s receives a disproportionate share of the blame.
The standardization that McDonald’s has achieved on a global scale is one of the most impressive feats of the human race. Almost everywhere in the world, a Big Mac, fries, and a Coke will be exactly what you are expecting out of a Big Mac, fries, and a Coke. I have no idea how they have accomplished this but it’s extremely comforting to know that wherever I am, I can order something and know exactly what I’m getting.
When I travel, I always make sure to try McDonald’s menu items that are not available in America.
In Warsaw, I ordered the EuroBurger, an exquisite double cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles on bread that has the form, but not taste, of a pretzel bun:
What a week! I have A LOT to cover. Since I last wrote, I went to Portugal vs Czech Republic in Warsaw, Greece vs Germany in Gdansk, watched two matches in the Warsaw fan zone and an England loss at a huge sports bar in London, and had three nights where I saw the sunrise. I shared drinks, meals, and/or conversations with people from America, Canada, Bulgaria, Poland, Finland, Russia, Norway, Ireland, England, Italy, Germany, India, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Here are some of the highlights:
Czech Republic vs Portugal in Warsaw
Like Ireland vs Italy, this was a match where it was clear after about 10 minutes that the Czech Republic’s best chance to win would come from a 120-minute 0-0 tie followed by a shoot-out victory; it just looked like they could play for 10 hours and not score except via a fluky breakaway or penalty. Portugal’s goal came on a beautiful Cristiano Ronaldo header that bounced up off the ground at about a 45-degree angle and took a short hop over the Czech goalie. The timing, strength, and coordination of this goal were unfathomable:
To make it even better, the goal happened RIGHT in front of us. For this game, I was supposed to sit by myself but was struck by unbelievably good fortune. Kevin, my dad’s friend who invited me on the trip, was having issues connecting with the person he bought his tickets from on Ebay. They were supposed to meet by the stadium but the scalper’s phone was dead for an hour as repeated calls and text messages went unreturned. During this fiasco, we ran into a ticket broker from Toronto who I had met on the train back from Auschwitz the day before. He set us up with someone who had 8th-row seats which would have been between the 20- and 30-yard lines on an NFL field. These three seats ended up being in the same section as those he was supposed to buy and were seven rows closer to the field. Also, the three tickets were 150 euros cheaper in total than the two that he was supposed to buy.
As I sit in the lobby of the OkiDoki hostel in Warsaw, I finally have time to reflect on the whirlwind that has been my past 48 hours. What a journey! Going to do my best to do it justice in running diary format in the next hour before I head out to the big Fan Zone to watch the elimination match between England and Ukraine.
Sunday
6:00 AM – Time to wake up and get on the el for my 9:10 AM flight from Chicago O’Hare to London Heathrow. In what might be a new personal record, I fully packed the night before and am not waking up viciously hungover. Well I guess this is growing up.
8:30 – I didn’t have time to take a picture before voraciously consuming it but the turkey, bacon, cheddar bakery sandwich with chipotle mayo at Dunkin Donuts is exquisite. If you haven’t tried it yet, please do it soon so it doesn’t go away and force me to spend the rest of my life chasing that food dragon.
9:10 – And we’re off! The flight to London is moderately painless – after six flights to and from Asia over the past two years, the seven-hour flight to Heathrow is a breeze. I sleep for half of it.
Monday
12:00 AM London time – I situate myself in the Heathrow arrivals terminal, which is basically a refugee zone for the dozen or so travelers like myself who have overnight layovers; this will be my home for the next nine hours. I discover that I can buy wifi for 10 pounds and that it lasts a month. This entry is serving as my reminder to cancel the monthly Boingo service after next week’s 17-hour layover.
Last week, I wrote about Cantina Bell, the new line of menu items at Taco Bell inspired by Chef Lorena Garcia. The line, which tested very positively in Bakersfield, CA and Louisville, KY, launches nationwide on July 5th. Currently, Garcia and Taco Bell are in the middle of a five-city US tour introducing the line to franchise managers and local media; I was invited to last night’s stop in Chicago.
When I arrived at the address given to me by Taco Bell’s PR firm, I found myself in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Lincoln Park. “Uh-oh,” I thought. “Maybe they messed up a digit or I’m the victim of some elaborate prank.” Luckily, an event worker arrived about 30 seconds after me and reassured me that I was in fact in the correct location and that it would be a cozy, family-style dinner with various Chicago press and Taco Bell advertising executives.
After about 45 minutes of introductions and cocktails (“I, uh, write a small, but rapidly growing, web site about sports and food called Sports Rapport…”), we were joined at the dinner table by Chef Lorena Garcia, who spoke eloquently and passionately for a half hour about her background and the processes which led to the creation and consummation of her upcoming line.
For an appetizer, we were served tortilla chips with three dips: pico de gallo, guacamole, and roasted corn and pepper. These chips and dips will be offered at Taco Bell as a side for $1.49 (you get to choose one dip):
Headed to dinner at John’s Place in Roscoe Village last night and ordered the Cowboy Burger: a burger topped with sharp cheddar pub cheese, caramelized onions, bacon jam, and BBQ sauce:
Sausage Fest took place in Chicago this weekend behind Wrigley Field on Sheffield between Addison and Waveland. While it didn’t have as eclectic a mix of food and art as Do Division Festival, it was a great way to spend an hour or two before it got PACKED.
After careful deliberation, here’s what I ended up eating:
Ouisconsin – Beef sausage with bleu cheese in the center (if you look closely you can see it peeking through). From Gilbert’s Sausages.
Sheboygan Brat – Topped with Chakalaka, a spicy South Aftican mix of onions, tomatoes, and beans. Bun lined with cheddar pub cheese. From Haute Sausage.
I also got Summer Sausage chips from Paulina Meat Market and, while the pictures didn’t turn out well, they were outstanding. In case you’re wondering, at least four people have expressed shock at how thin I look this week since I last saw them.
Sports Rapport 