The Hungover Gourmet

THG #12 Update and a Quick Serious Note

2013-05-23T07:45:00.000-04:00

Looks like things are starting to come together for the new issue, despite our intended print shop closing their doors! (It's okay. Fellow publishers – and Google – came to the rescue and we have a couple potential printers. And yes, in case you missed it, we are re-launching the print version of The Hungover Gourmet this fall. You can read more details and get info on how to contribute at an earlier post.)

Articles have already landed in our hands from past THG contributors like Crites and The Beer Snob and I hope to have an interview lined up with a craft beer luminary who is behind a new launch of sessionable craft beers.

In addition, my wife – an award-winning baker with a long history in family restaurants (which she wrote about in THG #8 which is available in limited quantities from our store) – is going to chronicle her efforts to take home more ribbons at the 2013 Maryland State Fair. This year should be more interesting than ever as our soon-to-be-six-year-old daughter will be old enough to enter baked goods in this year's competition.

We're also making a return to the world of homebrew after a prolonged absence and the issue will include a Homebrew Kit Throwdown between kits from Brooklyn Brew Shop and Mr. Beer. May the best beer win!

Other contributors have expressed interest, but I'll keep mum on anything else until I have firm commitments or actual articles.

As for the font cover photo contest... details are still being worked out and I should have info posted by the beginning of June.

On a more serious note, good pal and THG contributor Louis Fowler (whose epic 'Stupid Size Me' graced THG #11) informed us that the devastating tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma earlier this week were only miles from his home. Though Louis and family are safe, hundreds are injured, many are dead and thousands are dealing with the aftermath of this disaster. You can help by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation or visit the Red Cross website to make a donation in any amount to their disaster relief efforts.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend filled with food, drink and fun and remember, relax ... it's only cooking.

Dishcrawl Baltimore Schedules Locust Point Event

2013-05-23T07:22:00.000-04:00

Like to get out and explore different area restaurants but hate having to do it one place at a time? Check out Dishcrawl Baltimore, which recently debuted in Baltimore after a successful launch on the West Coast.

For the price of a ticket you get to sample four area restaurants, hear from the owners/head chefs and socialize with other area food lovers.

The latest Baltimore-area installment is scheduled for Wednesday, June 19th at 7:00 PM in the Locust point area. Tickets are $45 and still available.

Dishcrawl also offers an event called Neighborfood with eight restaurants each offering up a single dish. I think I might like that one even better than Dishcrawl.

If anybody attends one of these events please post a comment or send an e-mail. They sound interesting and a great way to sample Baltimore's exploding food scene.

Find out more about Dishcrawl Baltimore by checking liking their Facebook page or following them on Twitter.

No Foolies... Hungover Gourmet Returns to Print with Fall 2013 Issue!

2013-04-04T07:14:00.000-04:00

I wanted to post this earlier this week but hesitated for fear that it would be laughed off as an April Fool's joke.

Despite what it said atop issue #11 – published back in 2009 – that will no longer be "The Final Issue" of The Hungover Gourmet: The Journal of Food, Drink, Travel and Fun!

We're currently accepting submissions for issue #12: The Return of The Hungover Gourmet and are looking for...

capsule restaurant reviews for our 'For Those Who Are Fussy About Their Food' section (250-300 words max with 0-5 star rating);
snack, beverage, fast food, frozen food reviews (250-300 words max);
articles in the 1200-2500 word range (anything from cooking techniques and explorations of new gadgets to travel roundups, winery visits, food taste tests, etc.);
recipes;
photo essays;
food/drink/travel-related zine, book, tv, movie reviews.

Deadline for submissions is September 1, 2013 with an anticipated street date of mid-November. That gives you the whole spring and summer to get your thinking caps on, get out and eat fun and interesting food, fire up the grills, grow veggies and share it all with the world. Or, at least, our small but enthusiastic readership.

All contributors receive a complimentary copy of the issue. In addition, we'll be holding a Hungover Gourmet Photo Contest with the winning photo gracing the cover! More details to come...

Have ideas? Want to contribute? Email me or touch base with me via our Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Foodie Bracket-tonomy

2013-03-21T11:39:00.000-04:00

It has come to my attention that some people don't enjoy March Madness, college basketball, brackets, bracket-tology and all things associated with it.

If you are one of these ~~Commies~~ people there are other options for you to be a bracket-head.

For instance, Thrillist is running their Cereal Mascots Bracket featuring such tough first-round matchups as Lucky the Leprechaun vs Captain Crunch (which is a regional final if ever I heard one!) or Count Chocula vs The Trix Rabbit. Seriously? That's like making Duke and Louisville play each other in the first round this year!

Care as little about cereal mascots as you do college hoops? Prefer to wax nostalgic about long-forgotten foodstuffs? Well, you're in luck food nerd. SoGood blog is doing their annual food bracket and this year features a Discontinued Food & Beverages tourney.

While I'm happy to see Zima make the list (as any mention of Zima makes me chuckle and recall the note a friend left in our kitchen one year after too much of the crisp, hurl-inducing malt beverage) I found myself lamenting the absence of Pepsi Light (a 70s blend of Pepsi with lemon whose disappearance from the shelves turned me toward Mt. Dew) and Pepsi Holiday Spice.

Sorry, no, that's not a tear... I think I have something in my eye.

Don't like debating cereal mascots or discontinued food? How about TV Moms?

No Wonder Mrs. Norris Needs Malt: Vintage Beer Ads for the Ladies

2013-03-15T11:05:00.003-04:00

I loves me some vintage advertising.

Whether it's star athletes promoting the latest developments in smokes or some deadly-looking chrome baby seat that your toddler can stand up in it makes you wonder why we even bother with all the helmets, knee pads, gluten-free foods, baby monitors and outlet covers we take part in these days.

"Hey, I turned out fine, how come YOU get a car seat?! If a laundry basket was good enough for your mother..."

Sorry. Got a little off-track there.

Beer ads are great, too, and just in time for St. Patrick's Day comes this collection of vintage beer ads featuring the ladies. And, trust me, as a work-at-home Dad with a five-year old I know exactly why Mrs. Norris needs malt.

The Cooking Freak Show Returns

2013-03-13T07:18:00.000-04:00

Ah yes, TOP CHEF is over and MASTER CHEF has yet to begin so that loud bleeping sound can only mean one thing... HELL'S KITCHEN is back in town!

I usually skip the premiere of this annual culinary freak show but without any substantial college hoops to view and a forgotten Redbox rental languishing outside Royal Farms I decided to DVR last night's two-hour premiere.

As my wife – who spent more than a few years in and around a variety of kitchens – always says, the cheftestants on HK are far more representative of the people you'll actually find working in kitchens than the mannered, measured folks that pepper shows like TOP CHEF and CHOPPED.

Yes, America, these are the people that are really cooking your food.

Personally, I was glad to see my old stomping grounds of the Delaware Valley representing during the premiere, with Chef Zach standing out as the only member of the Blue Team who could keep his shit together.

Even if he did have to have a Stress Hurl in the hallway.

Will you watch HELL'S KITCHEN? Or have Gordo's rages over poorly-cooked scallops and burn risotto grown stale? Leave your answer in the comments section...

Fishy, Fishay!

2013-02-27T06:55:00.001-05:00

I know you've all been breathlessly awaiting my take on the new, limited time only Fish McBites from McDonald's.

Big Game Recipe Roundup Part 1

2013-01-30T07:09:00.003-05:00

I'd call this post "Super Bowl Recipe Roundup Part 1" but after a brief part of my marketing career spent dealing with professional sports teams and their governing league offices I think I'll steer clear and stick with nebulous things like "Big Game" and "American Professional Football Playoff Championship"! (Unlike the guy who tried to trademark Harbowl.)

Few American holidays bring out crazy, simple, dopey and (occasionally) delicious recipes like our American Professional Football Playoff Championship. And don't kid yourself. This weekend's Big Game Between Competing Teams is a holiday.

Even my five-year-old has caught a case of Ravens Fever, though I believe we can cure the ailment with Deer Antler Spray and hologram patches if necessary. (Kidding! Kidding! I kid because I love!)

She was even quite concerned about my ability to make nachos "like Mommy makes". I assured her that I was very capable of placing a pie plate of chips and cheese under a broiler and insisted this was "not my first rodeo", to put it mildly.

Some of my favorite of these easy appetizer recipes come from the test kitchens at various snack conglomerates that are probably owned by some multi-national arms manufacturer.

Take Gridiron Party Pizzas, for instance. Who wouldn't be stoked if their buddy called up and said, "Hey friend! Come on over for The Championship Battle Between The Teams Coached By Those Two Brothers! I'm whipping up some Gridiron Party Pizzas!"

Gridiron Party Pizzas sound awesome. And filling. I'm picturing a giant, rectangular dough gridiron with sausage end zones spelling out "Ravens" and "Niners", mozzarella yardage markers and a pepperoni mid-field.

If my friend told me they were making Gridiron Party Pizzas I would skip breakfast and lunch.

And then I'd get to their house, find a tray of crackers topped with a dab of tomato sauce, a smattering of cheese and a wee pepperoni slice. Then I'd kick them in the nuts and go to Taco Bell where I'd wait patiently for the launch of Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos.

Okay, so maybe the Gridiron Party Pizzas aren't going to fill you up but I bet some delicious pulled pork sliders would. (And when did "sliders" become the all-encompassing term for "mini-sandwich"? It's like anything that has melted cheese, onions and peppers being labeled a "Philly". Stop it.)

I'm pretty comfortable with my homemade pulled pork recipe, which I usually bust out every summer for a gathering with pals. But there's a lot of time, effort and TLC involved in the process, not to mention the cost of 20-some pounds of boneless pork shoulder, vats of pig dip and bowls of rub. In other words, I'm not making it for the ~~Super Bowl~~ Televised Commercial Showacse to Decide Playoff Winner.

But that doesn't mean I'm above scouring the web for new twists and easier preparations than the all-day process I'm used to. Which was why Southern Living's Easy Barbecue Sliders caught my eye when it popped up in my mailbox.

Easy? Great. Barbecue? Awesome. Sliders? Sigh.

After checking out the recipe I hope nobody actually got paid to develop it for the magazine. The aforementioned Gridiron Party Pizzas are more difficult to whip up and in terms of effort these sliders rank just above opening a pre-fab tub of French Onion Dip. There are no reviews at the site because I think most people would be embarrassed to admit they had dumped some packed BBQ on a bun.

More recipes tomorrow!

There'd Be No THG Without Her

2013-01-23T13:24:00.001-05:00

I posted early today at my other blog about how my Mom, who passed away last night at age 87, unwittingly started me on the path to becoming a full-blown trashy movie lover who would go on to publish zines, contribute articles and reviews to far-flung publications (some she thankfully never knew about!), and even appear in a trailer compilation introducing something called SNUFF.

But in the tradition of equal time I must admit that there would probably be no Hungover Gourmet without my Mom's culinary guidance.

I'm sure I've told the story here before, but it was my Dad who is really responsible for me learning to cook. His half-baked attempts at feeding the two of us during an illness to my Mom resulted in me begging her to let me learn the ropes in the kitchen until she acquiesced. Sorta.

Mom never used cookbooks and owned only one that I ever saw – Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cookbook: 1000 time-saving, taste-tempting recipes and hints for busy homemakers – and it was used strictly for storing recipes clipped from the newspaper. None of which she ever referenced.

Measuring cups and spoons were also a rare site, relying instead on years of practice to know just how much milk, butter, salt or pepper to add. But, miraculously, a pot of chili made in November 1976 tasted exactly like a pot of chili made in March 1987.

I've never been able to replicate her free-form ways with a dish but I'm far fonder of spices than she ever was. And while I still need a recipe to kickstart 90% of my dishes, any time I get lucky and make something that takes me back to family gatherings or just a weeknight dinner brings a smile to my face.

In what can only be thought of as an ironic food karma moment I spent yesterday roasting a chicken for dinner. I'm always amazed by the people in commercials who seem intimidated by the concept of making such a dish as it was one of the first things Mom ever taught me how to cook. A couple hours later I got the call that she had finally lost her battle and had slipped peacefully away.

Somewhere she was smiling, but I was definitely getting a raised eyebrow or two for that bed of onions I placed under the chicken.

2013 Means Getting Out of My Recipe Comfort Zone

2013-01-04T17:06:00.001-05:00

I tend to not make a lot of resolutions and empty promises when the new year rolls around.

I don't smoke or use drugs so I can't quit them. And since I don't live somewhere that sports gambling is legal all my activity in that area is limited to on-line games and friendly wagers.

I eat fairly healthy and though I do have the occasional indulgence in fast food or something crappy I also work out and run regularly.

But as I sat and thought about what I wanted to do for or improve about myself in 2013 it all came back to cooking. And eating.

I'll be the first to admit that I get into ruts. Big ones with both eating and cooking. In 2012, I probably ate ~~five~~ three different things for breakfast on 99% of the days:

Light English Muffin with peanut butter and fruit
Greek Yogurt with granola
An egg dish (scrambled, fried or poached) and even that was usually relegated to weekends

And while I can sit back and joke about how my Mom only made five or six dishes when I was growing up, I fear I'm in danger of becoming a six-trick pony when it comes to the kitchen:

Roast Chicken
Balsamic Chicken Breasts
Pork Chops with Country Gravy
Tilapia (either with capers and lemon or with pineapple basil sauce)
Shrimp & Grits
Roast Pork

The change in the calendar presented the perfect opportunity for me to break out of my culinary comfort zone and make some new recipes, try some new restaurants, sample a food I'd normally pass on.

In other words, don't be afraid to fail.

My first foray into a new recipe wasn't anything too exciting but it certainly got the effort off to a good start.

These Turkey, Brie and Apple Sandwiches were a great way to use some leftover turkey from our New Year's Day dinner and the only real modification I made was subbing in arugula for the watercress that was called for in the original recipe.

So stay tuned. Hopefully, I'll be posting about more recipe successes than failures!

What are your culinary resolutions for 2013? Tell us in the comments section...

Cheesy Bites? Philly Chicken? Avocado & Swiss Burger? Must Be a New Burger King Menu.

2013-01-02T17:15:00.002-05:00

Burger King could probably learn a thing or two from their (Golden) arch rivals. While I'm not necessarily a big McDonald's fan there's a comfortable sameness to their menu that, well, works. Sure they go outside the box every now and then with a McRib or the upcoming Fish McBites (Can. Not. Wait.) but you rarely see something from McDonald's that makes you recoil with horror at the same time that you're strangely curious.

Not so with Burger King.

The corpse of the 55th Anniversary (?!) menu had barely cooled – hell, they might still be hawking the Angry Whopper as far as I know – when a new book of coupons showed up in my mailbox. Actually, that's a lie. It wasn't even in my mail. It was stuffed inside the local newspaper I usually throw away after I pull out the grocery store fliers.

Anyway, I'd heard rumblings about the new chicken sandwiches that were on the way – for a limited time, of course – and had even seen a camera phone pic of an in-store poster hawking the "Philly" Chicken Sandwich. Here's further evidence from the coupon book...

Apparently, "Philly" is now restaurant/recipe code for "smothered in cheese, onions and peppers", though I don't know a self-respecting native of the DelVal who would put either onions or peppers on their cheesesteak. Even the usually-reliable Cooking Light takes it a step further by advising readers to put horseradish (WTF?!) on their Turkey Philly.

They've also unveiled "New" Chicken Nuggets ("Crispier with White Meat"), which I believe makes this the fourth straight year they've revamped their nugget offerings. And while I'll definitely admit they're superior to whatever that is in McDonald's nuggets, my daughter would not agree. Maybe I can sway here with Cheesy Tots.

And when it's cold outside what better way to warm your insides than with ... an Avocado & Swiss Burger?

Oh Burger King. Why are you so capable of simultaneously disappointing and tempting me?

Farewell Freezer Burns... You Set the Bar Pretty High!

2012-12-27T19:19:00.001-05:00

All good things must end.

So while I was bummed to read that after a whopping 550+ installments Freezer Burns would cease producing new episodes, I could definitely sympathize.

I'm not sure if that many episodes corresponds to 11 print editions of a zine (and vice versa), but when the time came for me to end the print version of THG I knew it in my gut.

And then I put out one more issue.

For those of us – like yours truly – who have just started dabbling in video reviews and dipping our toes into the digital waters, Freezer Burns' Greg Ng truly was the Frozen Food Master.

I'm looking forward to seeing what he does next as well as checking out those who will seek to conquer the best and worst of the frozen food aisle, one box at a time.

Who knows? Maybe this will be the push THG needs to start up Freezer Aisle Fridays.

Happy Holidays from THG and Hardee's

2012-12-24T15:08:00.003-05:00

Interested in checking out a copy of our final print edition? Interested in trying the new Jalapeno Turkey Burger from Hardee's?

Well, the first four people who email us at editor@hungovergourmet.com receive a copy of THG #11 and a coupon for a free Jalapeno Turkey Burger courtesy of the folks at Hardee's.

And with that, let us wish all of our readers, friends, followers and fans a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2013!

Hoagie Porn: Phil & Jim's (Brookhaven, PA)

2012-12-24T11:31:00.000-05:00

Takeout hoagie (Special with Prosciutto on Top, no onions, no pickles) from Phil & Jim's in Brookhaven, PA. Picked these up on our way to see family in New Jersey. Definitely up there with Pastore's as one of the best hoagies I've ever had. They also know their clientele... if you ask they will wrap the wet ingredients separately and place them in the middle of the sandwich. When you arrive at your destination just open the packet and flip into the waiting hoagie!

Take that Sandy! Holiday Tradition Survives!

2012-12-20T12:16:00.002-05:00

Our Christmas plans have been a little up in the air of late. We normally spend some time with my in-laws and other extended family, but as they live in an area hit heavily by Hurricane Sandy we weren't sure what was going to happen.

Eventually we got word that our traditional dinner was still on but I wasn't sure if we were doing the full-blown, traditional dinner or not. When my wife and I offered to cook for Christmas Day my father-in-law shot the idea down because he would "need my help" on Christmas Eve.

I knew what that meant. It meant the Herb-Crusted Stuffed Fillet of Beef was on the menu.

I'm not exactly sure when this became the "go to" Christmas Eve dinner, but it's sometime within the last 5 or 6 years. For awhile we would reference the original recipe that my father-in-law clipped from the newspaper, but, um, we kinda set that on fire one year after a liberal round of Manhattans (him) and beers (me).

Luckily, I was able to find the recipe on-line and despite always printing a copy for safe-keeping, etc., the "finding of the recipe on-line" has become as much a tradition as the actual making and serving of the fillet.

By the way, if you decide to give the recipe a try sometime, totally disregard their cooking time. It takes way longer than they suggest.

So take THAT Hurricane Sandy! You may have done damage and dislodged people and their belongings, but some traditions live on regardless!

Best wishes to all our readers, friends, fans and fellow bloggers for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Tell us what's on your traditional table for the holidays in the comments section below...

Finally! Hasbro Making Boy-Friendly Easy Bake Oven

2012-12-19T08:59:00.001-05:00

I grew up in a home with two older brothers, six and eight years my senior. This meant for a lot of awesome hand-me-down comics, games and toys, including GI Joe, Johnny West and a crapload of 60s James Bond gizmos that I wish I'd taken better care of. (We had not one, but two, complete 007 Spy Attache Cases. The only things that survived the three of us were a couple decoders and a booby-trapped notebook.)

I also have two older sisters, though they're 12 and 20 years older than me, so a) being girls and b) the fact that they're that much older meant not much in the way of hand-me-downs. And thank god, as my frugal mother probably would not have had a problem with handing me a box of Barbies.

But I have to admit that I always harbored a secret desire for an Easy Bake Oven. I suppose it was the future Hungover Gourmet bubbling to the surface but there was probably some jealousy that those damn girls didn't have to wait for their moms to fix them a snack. They could just MAKE THEIR OWN!

Having my own daughter – who loves to be in the kitchen and help both her mom and me cook/bake – has meant that I've already started eyeing up the age requirements and debating how much clean-up I'm willing to deal with in order for me her to have one.

But wait! It seem that Hasbro has finally come around and/or succumbed to a pr blitz spearheaded by a teenage girl who was spurred to action by watching her little brother try and cook a tortilla on a lightbulb. (That kid is gonna have a blog – or the mid-twenty-first century equivalent!) Turned off by the pink and purple ovens available from Hasbro, McKenna Pope started a petition to have the toy manufacturer make a more boy-friendly version of the Easy Bake Oven.

Throw in a couple of celebrity chefs, a viral video and voila! February's Toy Fair in NYC will feature the unveiling of a black, silver and blue version. In other words, one that probably looks a lot like the stainless and black oven in my actual kitchen.

I still think I want one. (Thanks to John of The Baltimore Snacker for the tip!)

All the Heart. Twice the Tripe. THG Meets the McRib 2012.

2012-12-18T18:46:00.001-05:00

Sure. It's got heart, tripe and some sort of yoga mat stabilizer. But THG isn't above admitting that the 2012 McRib is kinda, sorta tasty...

McRib Returns Just in Time for Holidays!

2012-12-18T07:39:00.002-05:00

Have you noticed it? That certain something in the air? It's unmistakable at this time of year as millions begin hoping, wishing and planning.

No, I'm not talking about Christmas... it's time for the annual re-appearance of the McDonald's McRib Sandwich. And like annual airings of A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS or RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, CAN THE McRIB SAVE CHRISTMAS? also has been met with childlike enthusiasm ... and just a hint of bah-humbuggery.

There seemed to be some consternation earlier this year that the McRib wasn't making a fall appearance, but I know that either last year or the year before it was a winter offering at our local Golden Arches, and one that I recall enjoying well into the holidays.

McDonald's delayed the availability in an effort to boost fourth quarter sales, and the late shift in the sandwich's release seemed to surprise some. But with disappointing third quarter earnings it made sense to capitalize on the sandwich's fan base and online buzz.

Despite all the talk of yoga mats, tripe and heart will you be enjoying the ludicrous but secretly enjoyable sandwich this year?

Burger Business Names Top Burgers of the Year

2012-12-16T11:58:00.000-05:00

While I agree that the idea of topping a burger with pulled pork represents a major step forward in the "meat as condiment" movement, I can't say I'm on board with Burger Business' top picks for Burger of the Year (Chain).

I thought the Burger King Summer Menu Burgers were pretty amateurish with the "Memphis" Burger being wrong on just about every level and the "Carolina" Burger fairing only slightly better.

But maybe this speaks to a larger problem with the whole chain burger category.

What was your favorite burger of the year? Chain or otherwise. Sound off in the comments section.

Mission BBQ Grand Opening and Charity Night

2012-11-16T12:06:00.000-05:00

I haven't made it to their Glen Burnie location yet but I'm happy to hear that Mission BBQ is opening a second location in Perry Hall. Grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony is Monday, November 19 at noon but you can try them out tonight, Friday, November 16, from 5-9 PM with all proceeds going to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.

You can RSVP for tonight's charity night at their website or by emailing mission21236@mission-bbq.com.

New Pepsi Sold in Japan Claims to "Block" Fat

2012-11-14T06:49:00.000-05:00

Pepsi Special, a new soda being sold by PepsiCo in Japan, claims you can eat a hamburger and a pizza without any of the fat being absorbed. As long as you drink some Pepsi Special along with it, that is. (Forget the fact that nobody needs to be eating pizza and a hamburger or a pizza and anything. Show some restraint, people.)

The miracle ingredient in the soda is Dextrin, a fat-blocking fiber that allegedly prevents the body from absorbing fat, though the US Food and Drug Administration has yet to buy these claims.

For those hoping that Pepsi Special will allow them to indulge with wild abandon, let me remind you of a little thing called Olestra, a food additive that offered consumers guilt-free, fat-free snack indulgence through items like the WOW! line of chips and snacks.

Named by Time magazine as one of the 50 Worst Inventions of all-time, Olestra may have given consumers fat-free chips but it also gave them cramps, gas and the dreaded "anal leakage".

Is This How You Roll in Flavor Town?

2012-11-14T06:21:00.004-05:00

Brutal review in NY Times of Guy Fieri's own Guy's American Kitchen & Bar in Times Square.

Two Months Since My Last Post? What the H?!

2012-11-09T12:12:00.002-05:00

Wow. Couldn't believe it when I pulled the blog up this morning and noticed it had been two months (and change) since my last post. So much for my pledge to write more!

Actually, I have some pretty good excuses, just none of them food and drink related. My daughter's move to a five-day-a-week, full-day kindergarten hasn't been the time windfall I was hoping for and, well, I do spend a lot of October watching horror movies. (Something like 36 of them.)

September also marked the return to print of my old trash cinema and junk culture zine Exploitation Retrospect. Mothballed since 2000, I got some of the old gang back together, sprinkled in some of the new gang and pounded out a 56-page paean to Gothic Eurohorrors, Klaus Kinski, wrestling, porn, horror movies and more. The first printing sold out in no time and just as we were getting ready for our second printing our printer was hit by Hurricane Sandy. They're back in business now, I'm just not sure when the next printing will be available for purchase, though you can reserve a copy by pre-ordering now.

Don't forget to check out and 'Like' the Hungover Gourmet page over at Facebook and be sure to follow our Twitter feed for all the foodie snark we can fit in 140 characters.

Forget the AM Crunchwrap, Taco Bell Adds Mt. Dew AM to Breakfast Menu

2012-09-05T10:59:00.001-04:00

Taco Bell continues to broaden their menu offerings while re-inventing the fast food breakfast.

Not only have they added the AM Crunchwrap – featuring eggs, bacon (or sausage), cheese and a hash brown wrapped in a soft, warm flour tortilla – but they are also offering Mountain Dew AM, a mix of Dew and Tropicana Orange Juice "mixed in-store" according to the article in QSR.

I'm not exactly sure how something that's wrapped in a soft, warm flour tortilla is called a Crunchwrap, but I'm always glad to have choices beyond the usual Egg McMuffin whenever the fast food mood hits me at breakfast time. The QSR story mentions that the menu items will be available at more than 815 restaurants in 10 western states, but I hope that's just a prelude to their eastward migration.

As for Mountain Dew AM, I'm thrilled to see this kind of innovation at the corporate level. Plus, it's just one step away from The Bell offering my Hillbilly Spritzer, a delightful and refreshing blend of Mountain Dew and boxed white wine.

In other Bell news, those of us who were disappointed that the Doritos Locos Tacos never expanded into offerings of other shell flavors, the Fast Food Maven reports that a Bell in Santa Ana, CA is testing Flamas-flavored shells and there are reports that Cool Ranch was available in some isolated locations, too.

Hampdenfest to Feature Eating, Serving, Mac & Cheese Contests

2012-09-05T08:54:00.001-04:00

Saturday, September 8 marks the return of Hampdenfest, the eclectic late-summer festival celebrating the best that Baltimore and the Hampden neighborhood have to offer. You'll find good food and drink, plus three small, local brewers including a recent arrival on the Baltimore brew scene, Union Craft Brewing in Woodberry.

And what festival is complete without some show of gastronomic gusto? Cafe Hon is sponsoring a bread pudding eating contest while amateur chefs and pros can compete in the Great Baltimore Mac-Off. As for restaurant staff, well, they get their own race, complete with obstacle course, blind taste test and more.