Local Flavor: MSM Deli, Tacoma Washington

noreply@blogger.com (Q) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:13:00 +0000

Above: Mike's Deluxe Sandwich

I felt adventurous recently. After watching episodes of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, I had this urge to go out in the world and try new places. So, I simply typed "Best Tacoma Washington Restaurants" to see what I can find in my own town.

The usual suspects popped up. From fancy extravagant ethnic fusion cuisine to sports bar and pizza joints. Then I began to notice one place that kept on popping up on each of my searches. A simple deli called "MSM Deli" or "Magical Sandwich Makers Deli". It was getting rave reviews from locals who frequented there and was pretty close to where I live. So, I decided wtf, let's do this.

At first glance, MSM deli appears to look like any ordinary minute mart. A minute mart with a really long line of people waiting outside the doorway. To the untrained or non local traveler, you'd think people over there really needed to get their fix in cigarettes or scratch tickets. No, they're standing in line to enjoy the "magic" that waits within.

After waiting outside for what felt like 15 minutes, I finally entered the inner sanctum of MSM Deli. (I overheard the 15 minute wait wasn't even busy for the deli) Immediately I was greeted by the subtle delicious aroma of fresh baked bread and deli meat.

I must admit, MSM Deli won't win any awards for it's ambiance and environment. It's a deli. You go in, order, take out and enjoy. It's a good sign when you're greeted by a long line of people waiting outside for the food and the guy sitting in the rusty VW rabbit parked next to you is munching in loud fulfilling silence.

While standing in line I asked a regular what they'd recommend a greenhorn like me. I was told to get the classic staple: Mike's Deluxe: Roast beef, turkey, ham stacked high with swiss, cheddar, lettuce, sprouts, onions, tomatoes, pickles, mustard and mayo, within a fresh baked 9" french roll. All importantly, it sounded great and I went for it.

MSM deli also offers a variety of sandwiches: everything from Philly Steak Sandwiches, to a delicious pita sandwich called "Pocket of Miracles". I already plan to try the "Catch of the day" sandwich on my next outing over there. (A toasted bay shrimp sandwich, topped with mushrooms, melted cheddar, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, mayo on whole wheat.)

The prices are decent and the portions are LARGE. My "Mike's Deluxe" could easily feed two. they even offer up to a "family size" sub for parties.

I'll be honest, I've had so-called "good sandwiches" before. But sandwiches were never a food I got excited about. It was always a "fall to" alternative to me, when my first option for a place to eat is thrown out, or there's nothing else to make from the kitchen. I'm not denying they aren't good, but I'm never usually satisfied entirely after eating a sandwich meal compared to... having a sushi meal or steak dinner.

After taking my first bite, my preconceptions and beliefs on sandwiches melted away. Now THIS was a sandwich I can consider as a contender when my stomach beckons for food.

I'm not saying the sandwich I got from MSM gave me a "When Harry Met Sally" moment, but it did give me a sense of "man... this is pretty good." It was filling, light, the flavors perfectly balanced and tasted good enough I saved the other half of my sandy for a snack later.

So, if you're aching for a good sandwich and find yourself within the Tacoma area, DEFINITELY hit up MSM Deli. You won't regret it.

Curious Cravings: Strawberried Peanutbutter M&M's & Mountain Dew WoW Gamer Fuel Alliance Blue

noreply@blogger.com (Q) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:41:00 +0000

Summer's in full swing, and we all know what that means: It's movie season! So, naturally the marketing machine is at full throttle pumping out any kind of movie related merchandise possible including our favorite candy covered chocolaty morsels, M&Ms!

For the past couple years, M&M's been on a trend of creating "special edition" M&M's tied to popular summer blockbusters. (ex: Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones Mint Crispy M&Ms)
With the onset of the new Transformers sequel, they've created a special "Strawberried Peanut butter" limited edition flavor.

I don't how it is for you guys, but it's been kind of a bitch to find these things. I don't know whether it is due to their popularity or limited pre-film run. It took a little digging and luck to find a bag of these at my local Albertsons. (there was only one bag left buried underneath the normal peanut butter M&Ms) But once I did, I felt like a little kid finding a treasured Pokémon card out of booster pack.

The inner fat kid in me told me I needed a drink to go with my M&Ms. So, while heading towards the check stand, I managed to snag one of the World of Warcraft edition Mountain Dew Gamer Fuels. It was a hard choice between selecting the "Horde Red" or "Alliance Blue" variants of the pop. But, me being a sucker for the color blue, in this case "iradiated glowing neon blue" I went with the Alliance Wild Fruit flavor. (for now)

The Nibble:
I've always loved M&Ms since I was a kid. I remember when M&M's only came in peanut and milk chocolate in shades of autumn leaf colors. Now we have a whole smorgasbord of flavors, colors and variants to pick and choose from. So, of course I had high hopes for these new M&Ms.

As I tore through the bag, I could smell the hint of strawberry mixed with chocolate seep through. It reminded me of those Japanese strawberry chocolates you get at the Asian markets. (which I will review later along the road) The M&Ms themselves only came in three colors: Red, Blood splattered Yellow, and Brown.

After popping the first one in my mouth and crunching down into it, I was greeted by a subtle hint of strawberry scent and chocolate before the peanut butter center kicked in. The flavor reminded me of neopolitan ice cream when you dig into the strawberry and chocolate at one go. But when the peanut butter kicked in, the familiarness of the flavors shift to, "Whoa! what's going on?" I wouldn't say the flavor isn't bad, but I will be honest and say it's not good. I tried three more to make sure my first reaction was accurate.

Verdict:
Would I buy these again? No. They are more of a novelty than a staple compared to the classics. Which I'm assuming is why they're only a limited run.

I heard people comparing them to PB and J sandwiches. And I have no clue where they could possibly get that notion. Maybe my taste buds are wrong or maybe those people don't know how to make a proper PB J sandie. Who knows. But I will say, the Strawberried Peanut butter M&Ms AREN'T more than meets the eye. (yeah, I went there, it's fucking Transformers, so what?)

Now for the "Gamer Fuel" Mountain Dew...

M. Dew have also been playing to the media with special "gamer fuel" editions of their classic glowing green caffeinated soda paired up to popular video games. In this case, "World of Warcraft". I'm not familiar with the franchise nor have I played any of the games. I am very aware of the popularity and potential marketing of the franchise though. So, it makes sense why Mountain Dew would sell their product to the millions of "WoW" fans who probably drink the normal dew flavor to fuel their daily "raiding" and help keep them focused to their game addiction.

The "Gamer Fuel" came in two flavors: Horde Red and Alliance Blue. Horde Red, being a citrus cherry cocktail and Alliance blue, a almost fruit snack like candy flavor labeled as "wild fruit".

The Nibble:
The first thing that caught my attention to the drink was the almost mesmerizing blue hue that made my inner child get excited.

As I took my first sip I was greeted by a candy berry scented sweet medley. To be honest, it tasted like the blue "DEWmocracy" edition from last summer. So, I'm assuming Mountain Dew just renamed the drink to go with World of Warcraft. (which I will agree is a smart move on their part.)

I myself don't usually drink soda, so combined with the M&Ms, I was seriously getting wired from all the sugar.

Verdict:
Would I buy Mountain Dew Alliance Blue Gamer Fuel again? Like I said, if I drank a lot of soda, (which I don't) Yes, I see myself getting this stuff again. I wouldn't say it's a replacement of the classic Mountain Dew, but I will say it's a flavor that sits in the lines of occasional treat and novelty. I'd put it on par with "Baja Blast" Mountain Dew from Taco Bell. I always have to hit that stuff up whenever it's offered.

Anyway, I'll have to try the Horde Red Citrus Cherry flavor in the future. (I'm assuming it'll taste like the Halo 3 Edition gamer fuel, but that's just assuming, don't take my word for it)

Fat Kid Review

Local Flavor: MSM Deli, Tacoma Washington

Curious Cravings: Strawberried Peanutbutter M&M's & Mountain Dew WoW Gamer Fuel Alliance Blue