And a Juan and a WHOOPS!

Harry Hogg: “Okay, while we’re under caution I want you to go out and hit the pace car.”

Cole Trickle: “Hit the pace car?”

Harry Hogg: “Yeah, hit the pace car.”

Cole Trickle: “What for?”

Harry Hogg: “You hit every other goddamn thing out there I want you to be perfect!”

[Days of Thunder Clip]

That was from Days of Thunder where Robert Duval’s character was chiding Tom Cruise for his poor driving in a NASCAR race. I was reminded of those words after several replays of an initially horrendous appearing crash during the rain delayed Daytona 500 run on Monday night.

During a caution period about 43 laps in to the Daytona 500 Juan Pablo Montoya came on the radio telling his crew chief he felt like he had a vibration. He came around the track and there were sparks flying from under the car like he had a tire going down. The car spun sideways and he slid up the track and hit one of the Jet Dryers being used to clean the track. It caused a huge fireball initially then blew itself out. Montoya’s car was on fire and he was able to get safely out, because of the dryer being hot and there was jet fuel leaking on to the track the jet dryer caught fire again. [See Video] The crash caused a two-hour delay in a race that had already been delayed almost 36 hours for a training rain storm over Daytona Beach. Every driver was excited to get started and get the race going. With Phoenix next week, there couldn’t be too much more of a wait to get the season opener underway.

In it’s 54 year history the 500 has been rain shortened and rain delayed but never canceled. They were confident they would not have to cancel and would move heaven and hell to get the race in. Between the rain delays and Montoya’s Cole Trickle impersonation, the race that began around 7pm on Monday the 27th and ended after 1am on the 28th. It saw,as usual, a great race.

NASCAR reconfigured the cars to try and break up the big group of cars drafting around the track, but everyone found out that even two cars weren’t really that good together. In the end Matt Kenseth edged Dale Earnhardt Jr by .210 seconds. The Daytona 500 holds many different memories for many different people. I remember feeling the elation when Dale Earnhardt Sr won the 500 after 20 years of trying. I saw him lead the race on lap 199.5 and be in second on lap 200. He had cut a tire one year, ran out of fuel in another try and even hit a sea-gull one year taking him out of the lead. Then I remember watching the 2001 Daytona 500 when Dale was killed on the last lap. When Mike Helton. NASCAR President stood before the assembled press, raised his hand and said; “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have lost Dale Earnhardt.” It was a dark day and I have to admit I had lost some interest in watching NASCAR after that. My wife Michelle however got me back in to watching and I do enjoy it again. I like Dale Jr, Tony Stewart, Jeff, Jimmy, Mark Martin and those types of drivers. I hate the Busch Brothers and anyone who uses their cars as a lethal weapon. Of course that is what makes NASCAR what it is.

To conclude, the top 10 in the rain delayed Daytona 500 are as follows

1. Matt Kenseth

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr

3. Greg Biffel

4. Denny Hamlin

5. Jeff Burton

6. Paul Menard

7. Kevin Harvick

8. Carl Edwards

9. Joey Logano

10. Mark Martin

Congratulations to all the drivers and good luck to a great and safe season. I’ll blog more on up coming races and maybe have an on the scene report from one later in the season… Until then.

Cheese Burgers in Paradise – Part I – The Every Day

As I promised in my last blog, I decided to do a cheese burger tour in the area around where I live. Jimmy Buffet sang about a Cheese Burger in Paradise and I thought that was fitting for this piece. [Listen to song]  Much to my wife’s chagrin, she will be accompanying me. I’m sure I will need someone CPR certified as this tour goes on so i told her she had to come. To prepare for this mission, I stocked up on Tums and refilled my Lipitor so hopefully I should be able to hang. There are many good burger spots in our area as well as the typical chains. I will start with the run of the mill every day joints then I will move into the higher end chains then the top of the line in my opinion. I will use a simple grading system. 5 Stars is the best and 1 Star isn’t worth whatever animal they killed to make it.  As we begin keep in mind, I do not advocate cheese burgers every day and I did not have one every day, my poor gall bladder couldn’t take it. So sit down, grab some ketchup and a Dr. Pepper and enjoy.

McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese – 3 Stars

I figured I would start where most of us are familiar, the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese. For years this was the only thing I ever got when I went to McDonald’s. It comes with a quarter pound burger made of ground something but no one is sure what, two slices of American cheese, ketchup, mustard, pickles and onions. It was quite a nice combination but most days it wasn’t really filling. Even with fries and a drink I wasn’t always satisfied. Then McDonald’s came out with the Double Quarter Pounder. It was a little better. The thing about McDonald’s though is that it is a name that everyone knew and grew up with. There is a comfort level there as well. Most people are loyal to McDonald’s and will not go anywhere else. The fries at McDonald’s are good too and are a nice accessory to this burger. I give the Quarter Pounder with Cheese 3 Stars. It is a good burger but I like the ones that leak all over my arm as I eat them. The Quarter Pounder doesn’t have the “Drippy Factor”, and it doesn’t have that “Wow Factor” so it’s 3 stars.

Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic – 3 Stars

Next up is Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic. The “usual” when I eat there is this burger here. I think bacon was made to go with burgers so this one is a no brainer when it comes to this sandwich. It comes with all the usual fixin’s like Ketchup, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion. Two slices of American cheese and two nice sized beef patties. The kaiser roll is the perfect bun for this “sammich” and wash it down with a Dr. Pepper, you have a nice little meal. “Where’s the beef..?” It’s right here. They switched their french fries and I for one am not exactly fond of them but I guess they will do. All in all I give this burger 3 stars. There is a little more “Wow Factor” with the bacon, but still no “Drippy Factor”. The Big Bacon Classic at Wendy’s is not a bad burger.

Burger Kings – Whopper – 3.25 Stars

“Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce special orders don’t upset us…” Burger King was one of the first burger joints to allow you to make your burger your way. The Double Whopper with Cheese is my personal favorite. From the flame broiled beef to the toppings it is one of the better chain burgers. Instead of the typical ketchup and mustard, they use a ketchup/mayo mix that I think is perfect. Now add the fact that the lettuce is nice and crispy, the tomatoes are perfect and there is a nice “Drippy Factor”. Oh my goodness. I always end up with something on my lap or shirt after this one. It is a good burger and is filling. However, there are times when I feel a little too bloated from eating this one. I have to honestly admit though that the Double Whopper is still my favorite chain burger. The fries at Burger King are nice and crispy too. Just the way I, and many others, love them. The “Wow Factor” is still not out of the box but it is a little better for a Chain Burger.  Now add the “Drippy Factor” and oh my.  You got a great chain burger and a good meal. I’ll give it 3.25 stars. Not bad at all.

Well, this will conclude the first stop on our artery cloggin’ adventure. As a matter of fact, just sitting here writing this is making me hungry for a good Burger tonight. Hmmm, should I go grab one out or make one? Coming up next, I’m going to eat a few upscale chain burgers and let you know how those ones rank. When I say upscale I mean like Steak and Shake, 5Guys and Red Robbin. Stay tuned and get the Tums Ready…

I’d like a large pizza and a side of civility…

I love to eat. Anyone who knows me knows I really love pasta. It probably comes from my Italian roots. My mom is 100% Italian and along with her parents shared the love of good cooking with us. My wife Michelle is also a great cook and she taught me a good bit of how to cook better. I also like to check out new restaurants.  The area where I live  is peppered with some really great spots and a lot of great food. We have Pizza, Pasta, Sports Bars/Restaurants then of course the chains like McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Arby’s, Subway, Taco Bell and on and on. Some nights we don’t feel like cooking, like most people, we opt out for fast food. Luckily, there are enough joints to keep us from eating burgers every night.

One evening about 5 or 6 years ago, one of my step-son’s wanted to go eat at one of the restaurants in Latrobe for his birthday. He had eaten there for lunch one day about a month earlier with his grand-parents and he really enjoyed it. Now for his birthday dinner he wanted to go back. He brought a friend and myself, my wife, my two step-sons and a friend all went to Disalvo’s Station. We had heard it was really good and the parking lot was packed every Friday night. It was a Thursday but I decided to make reservations anyhow.  It was located in the old train station building along the rail road tracks in Latrobe. We walked in and it was decorated with pictures and memorabilia from the heyday when the railroad was in full swing through this area. We got to the hostess stand and waited to be taken to our seats. When she arrived she looked us over with a disapproving look. We were dressed in jeans and T-shirts. That was normal eatin’ out clothes for us and our family. Yes, we dress up depending on the occasion but for the most part, red neck casual was our attire.

We were taken to our table and we sat down.  When the waitress came over she instantly went into bitch mode. She looked us over, sighed and handed us our menus and walked away. My wife and I were beginning to realize that the dinner service was a little different than lunch. My step-son had gotten a cheese burger and fries and a Coke when he was here for lunch. Now as we looked at the one page menu we were pretty sure that dinner was more up scale.  I looked around and noticed that the other patrons were dressed in business casual at the minimum but we did see some suits and dresses as well. The menu was in Italian and I could understand things like “polo” which is chicken, but that was as far as it went. When the waitress came over to take our orders, I asked if we could get drinks and she asked us what we wanted. The kids wanted pop but Bitch Face said in a condescending tone that there was no pop at dinner on Thursdays, Fridays or Saturdays. We asked if we could at least get water. She looked at us and said; “Tap or Bottled?” I had finally had enough of the crap from her so I replied to her “Bottled or Tap” question by saying in my best hayseed voice; “It don’t really matter ma’am, we usually just drink what comes out the creek behind our trailer anyhow.”

We explained to her that we couldn’t understand the menu. She reached around to the table behind her that was getting their food and took a plate off of the server’s tray. Shoved it in my wife’s face and said, “This is a pork chop.” That was it. We had enough of the hoitey toitey demeaning us so we decided to leave. I told the kids; “Let’s go young-unz, get yer butt’s in the truck.” We left and went about two blocks away to a really nice family place called Gino’s. We had pizza and bread sticks and salads and on and on. The best thing we got there was the side of civility that came with our meal. Instead of my Step-son’s birthday being ruined it turned out to be a really nice night thanks to the second place we went to. We still drive Past DiSalvo’s but have never been back. I’m not slamming the entire staff of the restaurant or even the food (because we never got any) but we were displeased with the service we got and the shitty attitude of the waitress.

We were talking about that restaurant the other night and my wife gave me a good idea for a blog. Since I have a thing for cheese burgers, really good ones, where the grease and juice runs down your arm, I’m going to do a series on the best burgers in the area so please stay tuned. After that I might just do a review on some of the restaurants that we like to frequent. Enjoy…

Cheese Burgers in Paradise