YumSugar

Candy-Off: Fruit & Nut Chocolate Bars

YumSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:30:04 -0700

It was to my fortune - and misfortune - that a box of Lindt Raisin & Nuts chocolate bars arrived in the office today. Never one for self-restraint, I went for the chocolate as soon as the afternoon snack craving hit. As I was enjoying it, I couldn't help but wonder how it stood up to its Cadbury counterpart, the classic Fruit & Nut bar, in a side-by-side comparison. Find out how both fared after the jump

Taste Test: Domino's Submarine Sandwiches

partysugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:15:57 -0700

Last week YumSugar and I got our hands on Domino's recently released hot submarine sandwiches. The sandwiches, which come in four flavors - chicken bacon ranch, Philly cheese steak, Italian, and chicken parm - filled our office with a delicious smell of fresh-baked bread. Each sandwich comes in a neat box that effectively retains the heat. To find out how the sandwiches tasted, read more.

The sandwiches tasted strangely like Domino's pizza. With its chewy, soft texture, the "artisan Italian bread" tastes like their pizza dough.

Philly Cheese Steak: This was my least favorite of the sandwiches. The meat was bland and the veggies soggy. The sandwich lacked flavor.

Chicken Parm: The tomato-basil marinara sauce tasted like Domino's regular pizza sauce, making this sandwich, with its chicken and two types of cheese, seem like a pizza roll.

Italian: Loaded with pepperoni, salami, ham, and peppers, this was my favorite. It tasted like a slice of Italian pizza.

Chicken bacon ranch: The combination of bacon and chicken paired perfectly, making this sandwich my second favorite. However, I couldn't taste the ranch and wondered if the person who made the sandwich forgot to include it.

Overall, I don't think I would go out of my way to eat these sandwiches. They were greasy, with too much dough and not enough filling, and afterward I felt a little gross. However, if you like Domino's pizza, you'll like the sandwiches. They're also great if you're in the mood for pizza but don't want to order an entire pie to yourself. The individual portions can easily be consumed at a desk or workplace.

Have you tried Domino's sandwiches? What did you think?

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Good Morning Manuel - A Chat with the Eliminated Chef

YumSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:27:11 -0700

On the last episode of Top Chef, Manuel Trevino had to pack his knives and go. I had a chance to chat with Manuel yesterday and I asked him about his time on the show, and what it was like to say goodbye. To learn more about Manuel and find out what he had to say, read more.

YumSugar: How'd you end up on Top Chef?
Manuel Trevino: I applied. [laughs] Actually, I don't know how we got connected but I was approached when season one was being pitched. But at the time they didn't want only experienced cooks. However the show has really developed into sous chefs and chefs. As the third season was airing, my office assistant and one of my hostesses said I should do it. I said I did, and it wasn't right then. They convinced me to give it another shot.

YS: So was the experience what you expected?
MT: I don't think any of us could have expected the way the show works. We knew it was a competition, but how the magic happens, so to speak, you can never expect something like that. You never know what's going to happen. You wake up and you never know.

YS: Alright, so let's talk about last night's episode. Did you expect your dish to be in the bottom?
MT: I had a feeling that something was awry, because i would see the plates coming back into the kitchen. If the plates are clean, you're doing a good job. But I had a mixed feeling because the portions were big and we were the second course. I didn't know if they were saving room, or if they didn't like it, but as the other teams dishes came back, I saw that some were wiped clean and got a bit worried. Actually the two dishes that really didn't get cleaned were the two teams up for elimination.

YS: Do you regret not pushing your own ideas and going with Spike's movie choice instead?
MT: In the end I did. But I think his main concept was right on with what I wanted to do. The idea was to make a salad without making a salad. Something clean and refreshing.

YS: Do you think you achieved that?
MT: Yeah, but one of the comments the judges said was that it didn't need the fish, and they were correct. If we had just taken that money and bought something else and gone in a different direction without the fish, it may have been better.

YS: So are you going to be eating any summerolls anytime soon?
MT: [Laughs] Maybe not after last night. . . Actually I love them, I think they're great. I definitely order them at a restaurant, but probably wouldn't make them at home.

YS: What will you make at home then?
MT: I love fish. I love making every kind of fish, whatever's in season. I want to work with whatever the seafood purveyor is bringing to me.

YS: Back to the show, how was it to hear Daniel Boulud call your techniques "Level One"?
MT: That challenge was a bit strange. It was supposed to be a knife skill challenge, but sort of changed halfway through. I don't know if you saw Andrew's dish, but he didn't compose or cook anything. We thought it was a demonstration of skills. I must have misunderstood or the judges did. I mean people were using mandolines to slice their vegetables, how is that a demonstration of knife skills?

YS: So do you think you should have gone home?
MT: No. I thought Spike should have gone home. It was his idea, it was his thing. They found a flaw in it, he should have been held responsible for it. I don't understand why I ended up losing. I think I got faulted for believing in my team mate.

YS: Your departure was very graceful and humble. What were you thinking inside?
MT: As a chef you're in the spotlight a lot, in New York you're criticized a lot, by diners, servers, critics. If you can't take something positive away from criticism, it's difficult to learn and progress as a chef. You take from it and turn it into something else and you move on.

YS: Speaking of moving on, I heard you left Dos Caminos suddenly, what happened there?
MT: It was a mutual departure. I was ready to move on. I've been there for four years and I'm looking for bigger and better things.

YS: Do you have anything in the works?
MT: Right now I'm enjoying a bit of time off. It's been nonstop and I'm really enjoying time with my family. I'm looking to start something different, looking to getting back into fine dining and the corporate structure. I'm ready to go back and try new things.

Photos courtesy of Bravo

Are You A Regular Anywhere?

YumSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 01:28:31 -0700

It's recently come to my attention that I've been to very few restaurants more than three times. Personally I love trying new things and have yet to find that place that is like a second home. However some folks don't like exploring and really enjoy going to the same place over and over again.

Recently, British newspaper The Guardian ran an article about folks who are "regulars." Included in it was the story of Mary and Lee Humphrey, an elderly couple that's been eating at their McDonald's every weekday for the last 17 years.

We call it "the office" now and our relatives will ask us how the office is and have a little joke about it. We almost have our own table and if someone else is sitting there then, oh boy, I have to sit somewhere else and I feel like I'm lost. We never go to any other restaurants, you'll never see us anywhere else.

On one hand I'd love to find a place that I could visit everyday and have my own seat. Yet on the other hand I love trying new places that I'm not sure I would ever allow myself to find that perfect place! How about you guys, are you a regular anywhere?

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Add Some Flavor to Bland Office Coffee

YumSugar — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 11:13:46 -0800

Office coffee is usually more of a necessity than a luxury. It's often bitter, burnt or bland and you suffer through each cup in order to make it through the day. Well the folks at Bada Beans feel your pain and have come up with a small new coffee confection to help you out. These cutely titled "beans" currently come in three different flavors (Vanilla Bean, Caramel Fudge and Hazelnut) and are meant to jazz up that bland cup of coffee. Created as an alternative to flavored syrups (which are not easily portable or storable), Bada Beans are tiny mint-sized beans that you put into coffee to enhance the flavor.

Since I don't usually enjoy my coffee black, I decided to see if these beans lived up to their potential and gave them all a try. To check out my full review, read more

First of all, Bada Beans are packaged in a small tin. The tin is about half the size of an Altoids mint tin and in fact, the actual "beans" also reminded me of mints as well. Although, word of warning, don't eat them like mints. Pure curiosity led me to put one in my mouth and it tasted like artificial gritty creamer in a pill. It lasted about three seconds before I decided it was a bad idea and had to spit it out.

Secondly, they smell weird. Not bad, but not great, just oddly artificial. They're fat free, sugar free and beneath the almost elegant aromas lurks a heavy smell of artificial sweetener (the number one ingredient is sorbitol). The hazelnut was especially strong and the synthetic odor actually caused me to take the beans out of my desk and into the breakroom. However, I must say, they don't smell any more artificial than any other coffee creamer/syrup I've tried in the past.

To begin my taste test, I poured three identical cups of coffee and put one bean in each cup. The beans dissolved with a bit of stirring and did not dilute the actual taste of the coffee. First I tried the Caramel Fudge flavor and one bean actually had very little effect. So I put a second bean in and it came out slightly richer with a hint of chocolate. The Vanilla Bean was palatable, but ended up being my least favorite. Surprisingly the Hazelnut was relatively smooth and ended up being the winner of my taste test (which was shocking since the smell made me believe it would be the worst).

Overall, I would say if you like flavored coffees, and especially hate dealing with the mess of syrups, powders or fatty creamers, then Bada Bean is definitely worth seeking out. However, if you're a coffee purist and don't like artificially sweetened coffee, then steer away. Although, at $2.99 for approximately 42 servings, it might be worth the try.

Happy Hour: Project 3000 Syrah

partysugar — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:28:37 -0700

A few weeks ago, a wonderful chap named Ben stopped by the office to drop off a few bottles of wine for me to sample. It was hot and I was disappointed with his offerings of all red wines. However, when I tasted the Project 3000 Syrah on a cold, San Francisco night, I was instantly delighted. With its deep purple hues and fresh pepper aromas, this wine was both bold and subtle at the same time. The second glass was better than the first, as the bottle had time to breathe. I paired it with a delicious dinner salad filled with grilled chicken and fragrant lemon basil, but this would work wonderfully with grilled meats and gourmet sausages.