caribbean food joint cha cha cha seems an unlikely place for brunch, but the outdoor patio and bright colors and cheery service make it a perfect spot to spend your waking hours. kiehl and i ordered the same thing: banana french toast and a side of bacon. mmm. the french toast was beautiful, a thick slice topped with slices of bananas and strawberries.
the bacon, on the other hand, was a bit of a beast. it wasn't just a side of bacon. it was a whole damn mountain of it -- at least 10 slices. i wish you could see it. (next time we'll take photos.) the crunchy curls were thin, but crispy and lean. yummy, but i still think i like thick slices better. needless to say, we could not finish our sides of bacon and decided next time we'd have to split one.
(there will always be a next time.)
9:31 AM | 0 comments
the bacon, on the other hand, was a bit of a beast. it wasn't just a side of bacon. it was a whole damn mountain of it -- at least 10 slices. i wish you could see it. (next time we'll take photos.) the crunchy curls were thin, but crispy and lean. yummy, but i still think i like thick slices better. needless to say, we could not finish our sides of bacon and decided next time we'd have to split one.
(there will always be a next time.)
9:31 AM | 0 comments
May 25, 2001
thank you, everyone who pointed me to the wonders of veggie-bacon. i think i just might have to try some, myself, although it was brought to my attention that i've already tried one form of it -- bacon bits! mmm. i'd almost forgotten about those. i remember pulling the bottle of baco™s from the fridge and dumping them onto my salad. i just could never get enough of the salty, crunchy bits. what is that stuff made of, anyway? i'll be doing some serious research and sharing my findings.
9:40 AM | 0 comments
9:40 AM | 0 comments
May 22, 2001
after a failed attempt at brunch this weekend (claudine was late and, when we got to marmalade, they'd stopped serving brunch), i was going through major bacon withdrawals, so yesterday i had a turkey club with bacon. there were only two strips in there, and the flavor got lost beneath a pile of turkey and tomatoes. i can't take it anymore. this weekend, we're going to cha cha cha. apple-smoked, here we come.
also: if anybody out there has had veggie-bacon (i am told it's made with tempeh, sometimes), please let me know if it's any good. i'm curious.
10:56 AM | 0 comments
also: if anybody out there has had veggie-bacon (i am told it's made with tempeh, sometimes), please let me know if it's any good. i'm curious.
10:56 AM | 0 comments
May 16, 2001
while on my way to lunch today, it occurred to me that i haven't bacon in a while. here i am, talking about its greasy goodness but i myself haven't actually had a slice in more than two weeks (a couple slices sandwiched between avocado, cheese, egg and sourdough bread at blueberry, which was only so-so).
oh, but the week before that, i went to marmalade and had bacon that was pretty darned close to texas bacon -- thick and crispy and mm-mmm good. i just might have to go back. (repeatedly.)
also in the works: a trip to cha cha cha, where they serve apple-smoked bacon and banana pancakes. yum.
12:06 PM | 0 comments
oh, but the week before that, i went to marmalade and had bacon that was pretty darned close to texas bacon -- thick and crispy and mm-mmm good. i just might have to go back. (repeatedly.)
also in the works: a trip to cha cha cha, where they serve apple-smoked bacon and banana pancakes. yum.
12:06 PM | 0 comments
May 14, 2001
saturday, i walked by the denny's patio and overheard two girls ordering breakfast:
"so, like, instead of having bacon or sausage or whatever, can i, like, have something else?"
something else? i asked myself, aghast. like what else? hashed browns? a plate of fruit? a piece of wheat toast?!
i walked away, horrified. i wanted to turn around, march over to their table, and preach the gospel of bacon, but i was late for brunch.
5:45 PM | 0 comments
"so, like, instead of having bacon or sausage or whatever, can i, like, have something else?"
something else? i asked myself, aghast. like what else? hashed browns? a plate of fruit? a piece of wheat toast?!
i walked away, horrified. i wanted to turn around, march over to their table, and preach the gospel of bacon, but i was late for brunch.
5:45 PM | 0 comments
May 10, 2001
i don't remember the first time i ever had bacon, nor can i recall the moment i first fell in love with its greasy goodness, but i do know when my admiration turned into obsession. it was this march in austin, texas. somehow i got invited to waffles at jim & margaret's house. we walked up onto the porch and immediately the smell of bacon wafted into my nostrils and down to my stomach. i was hungry.
i listened to the sizzling from the next room, where i drank my mimosa and fiddled with bryan's titanium powerbook. i almost collapsed from sensory overload. almost. i remember circling the house, living room to kitchen to bedroom and back again, each time taking a huge whiff, each time wiping the drool off my chin, each time passing more new faces who showed up for brunch.
the spread was beautiful: fresh waffles, sliced fruit and a mountain of bacon. when it was time to eat, everyone hovered around the table and i fell to the end of the line. i'm not sure how that happened, but i was not pleased. by the time i got to the table, there were only two pieces left. i wanted to snatch them both up -- my fingers were less than an inch from that second piece -- but someone was still in line behind me and i felt a pang of guilt that stopped me.
the bacon was thick but crisp, lean but hearty, crunchy but not overdone. while eating my brunch, i had a revelation: i never knew bacon until then. i knew farmer john's and sizzlean, i knew turkey substitutes, i knew strips of fat and meat dripping with oil. but i'd never known bacon like this. i tell you: i only got one slice, but that was best damn bacon i've ever had.
i don't know if i will ever find bacon that can top that, but you can bet i'm going to try.
3:37 PM | 0 comments
i listened to the sizzling from the next room, where i drank my mimosa and fiddled with bryan's titanium powerbook. i almost collapsed from sensory overload. almost. i remember circling the house, living room to kitchen to bedroom and back again, each time taking a huge whiff, each time wiping the drool off my chin, each time passing more new faces who showed up for brunch.
the spread was beautiful: fresh waffles, sliced fruit and a mountain of bacon. when it was time to eat, everyone hovered around the table and i fell to the end of the line. i'm not sure how that happened, but i was not pleased. by the time i got to the table, there were only two pieces left. i wanted to snatch them both up -- my fingers were less than an inch from that second piece -- but someone was still in line behind me and i felt a pang of guilt that stopped me.
the bacon was thick but crisp, lean but hearty, crunchy but not overdone. while eating my brunch, i had a revelation: i never knew bacon until then. i knew farmer john's and sizzlean, i knew turkey substitutes, i knew strips of fat and meat dripping with oil. but i'd never known bacon like this. i tell you: i only got one slice, but that was best damn bacon i've ever had.
i don't know if i will ever find bacon that can top that, but you can bet i'm going to try.
3:37 PM | 0 comments