Apartment #1034 Weekly Din-Din Thread

[THEINCREDIBLEdork]

Originally posted by f3lix:

Being Italian, I was happy to see Italian Sausage. Being Irish, I was happy to see twice baked potatoes. Being a human with taste buds, I hated both. Cooking the sausage in wine was impressive and added a nice flavor, but one that did not reflect Italian Sausage in any manner.

Threelix I gotta say, I enjoyed reading your review.

[Carnivorous Flavor]

italian sausage shouldnt be cooked in wine.

lots of twice baked potatoes are hard on the bottom...i'm assuming these were pre made/boxed/store bought.

pumpkin pie does not go with sausage and peppers.....you should have had cannolis.....

i'm still pressing for a "cyber catered" weekly din din......

myself, Merciless1, and i believe Ironic have offered our services....but only a fool would choose ironic cuz' he'll have you serving cold Hot Pockets, Pabst Blue Ribbon in a can, and Now and Laters for dessert.

[Ironic Mustache]

Nonsense, Ironic is a culinary artist of the highest regard. I make damned good hotpockets. Golden brown on the outside, succulent goodness within.

[Ugly Bastard]

Originally posted by Carnivorous Flavor:
italian sausage shouldnt be cooked in wine.

I got the recipie off of a very popular recipie site (first on google), and the recipie I used was ranked very highly by users. I followed it to a T.

Originally posted by Carnivorous Flavor:
lots of twice baked potatoes are hard on the bottom...i'm assuming these were pre made/boxed/store bought.

You assume incorrectly.

Originally posted by Carnivorous Flavor:
i'm still pressing for a "cyber catered" weekly din din......

I still want to play.

-UB

[Carnivorous Flavor]

so you're telling me you took the time bake the potato.....scoop out the guts....season and add ingredients....then re stuff and bake the potatoes???

kudos....hats off to you sir. thats alot of work.

lets make the internet chef din din challenge happen...lets set a date...and rather than have one meal a week...lets have 4 meals in one week...one right after the other...is that doable??? it all rests on your schedules.....i bet its possible..somehow.

[Ugly Bastard]

Tonight Orgazmo prepared a delicious meal for us. I will now break down the contents of his meal and my feelings on the contents.

Beverage: Raspberry Flavored Italian Cream-Soda

Pretty good. Little problem at the beginning with the lack of flavor - but this problem was quickly fixed.

Appetizer: Provelone and proscuito wrap served on Rosemary triscuts

Nice. Very original. Very classy. Very non-college student food. I appreciated it. In and of itself I wasn't wildly crazy about it, but I enjoyed it enough.

Main Course: Baked ziti with a side of seasoned pan-friend asparagus and rosemary italian batard with dipping oil

The Ziti was wonderful. I mean, more or less it was pretty much lasagna with a different type of noodle. The velvetta lasagna you made earlier this year sucked pretty big time. This Ziti redeemed that meal as it was quite delicious. Perhaps the best main course I have tasted thus far. If the Ziti loses any points, it is in the fact that you already served a dish very similar earlier in the year.

The bread I did not like. The bread itself was okay, but the dipping sauce sucked. It was way too oily tasting, and the spices never came off onto the bread when I dipped. I'm not sure what to fault for this problem, but regardless, I didn't like it.

The asparagus was a nice change of pace. It was prepared well, and tasted about as well as asparagus can taste. That in mind, I'm not like head-over-heels for asparagus, so I was far from obsessed with this part of the meal.

Dessert: Spumani ice-cream

Didn't like it. Not your fault. It fit the meal. I just didn't like it. There you have it.

Intangibles:

You did a wonderful job, as always, of serving us the meal. It is evident in your actions that our happiness and enjoyment is top priority in your meals. You put up with all the bullshit requests like a champ by maintaining the "customer is always right" mentality.

Not that this is any surprise, but I am docking half a point for employing the help of your girlfriend. She seemed to play a rather large role in preparing this meal - which bothers me a little bit, only in the fact that I just wish no one would ever allow their girlfriends to help. But whatever...

The meal was served sorta late. I mean, you said 10:00, it came to the table at like 10:35, but I'm not too bend out of shape about it. Just putting it in here for record's sake.

I dunno. Reflecting on this meal, I don't see why I shouldn't give it something insanely high like a 9.4 or something, but I just don't feel it inside me to give quite so high of a rating. Maybe my thoughts will be more clear in the morning, but my instincts tell me this meal could have been a little better on some fronts.

All that in mind, it was still very good, and I commend you for a job well done, and thank you for a pallet well pleasured.

8.9

-UB

[tonguegina]

Beverage: Good. Could have been sweeter maybe.

Apetizer: Good. Maybe a higher meat to cheese ratio, but like UB said, very nice for a college student.

Main Course: I love ziti, and in fact planned on making it myself sometime.

Bread was alright, didn't like the dipping sauce.

Asparagus was good. I like asparagus a lot, but it was cold.

Dessert: It was good. Not great, but good.

I did not know that the girlfriend helped (and don't like that) and the meal was more like 45 minutes late.

8.7

[f3lix]

Beverage: After first attempt, it was great.

Apetizer: Genius and wonderful.

Main Course: All was excellent, though not at a very warm temperature. I know that you wanted to have the main course ready as soon as we were done, but due to this, the temperature lacked. A note to you and the others; it wouldn't kill a man to wait a few minutes between courses. I don't know why you guys feel you have to consume the food like an etheopian.

Bread was ok. I did not like that I was given a crust to start, which was kinda hard. The dipping sauce was excellent for taste, but it being served on a flat plate instead of a bowl could have enabled better dipping.

Asparagus was good.

Dessert: Great.

Overall theming was fantastic and by far the best we've had yet.

On a side not, I was told by Orgazmo's girlfriend that she had no part in making the meal. So unless I missed something, UB and tonguegina inappropriatly took some points off.

9.6

[Ugly Bastard]

I saw with my own eyes that she did do quite a bit of help. Orgazmo admits the same. She is simply being modest. Do you honestly think I would go as far as to dock points and give a small speech about her helping if she didn't help at all? Use your head.

-UB

[Ugly Bastard]

f3lix's cumulative rating totals after 4 meals: 95.6

tonguegina's cumulative rating totals after 4 meals: 99.1

Ugly Bastard's cumulative rating totals after 4 meals: 97.1

Orgazmo's cumulative rating totals after 4 meals: 105.5

-UB

[Orgazmo]

You're both right.

She did, indeed, say that she helped none. She was being modest, though. In reality, she did help...though to say that she had a major role in the meal would be a bit of an exaggeration. Her helping included separating cloves of garlic from the whole, chopping up 3 or 4 of said cloves, and, most majorly, tending to the asparagus as it cooked. So...you're both right.

[Ugly Bastard]

Tonight f3lix prepared a meal for us. It took some prodding to get him to cook this week, but in the end, he exercised better judgement and came through in style.

Beverage: Labbatt Blue Light or Stewart's Black Cherry Drink

I didn't dabble with the non-alcoholic drink. The Labbatt's was nice. It would have been a little nicer had it been the non-Light version. Perhaps cast a more strutinous eye towards the packaging next time. Nonetheless, I appreciate you serving beer, since it wasn't even your original intent.

Appetizer: Fritos Scoops with cream cheese topped with raspberry salsa

This was very good. I don't have much more to say. It was great. I liked it. Thank you.

Main Course: Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches topped with veggies and served with steak fries

Evident by my consumation of 3 sandwiches, I did not mind the Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. That said, they certainly could have been a little better. Preparing them in a way that resulted in melted cheese would have gone a long way. The sandwiches were pretty cold and pretty bland. Thankfully with some suggestions and donations from Orgazmo, we were able to come up with enough stuff to make this thing delicious.

The steak fries did very little for me. They were quite soggy and tasteless. A little seasoning, maybe some cheese, maybe a little more time in the oven - all of these things would have worked wonders for the fries.

Also, it should be noted that this is the 3rd of your 5 meals that has circled around a variation on steak and potatoes. We've had Salsbury Steak and Mashed Potatoes, Hamburgers and Fries, and now Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches and Fries. I note this only to make you aware of a somewhat tiresome trend in your selection of meals. I'd love to see some more stuff out of you in the future ala Seafood Alfredo dish.

Dessert: Lemon Meringue Pie

The pie was pretty okay. Not out of this world, but certainly better than Orgazmo's meal #8 meringue. 'Nuff said here.

Intangibles:

You did a pretty nice job of serving everything for us. I could make some small complaints in this department, but I'll try to avoid being too anal, and just say "decent job".

The meal tasted very nice. It had plenty of room for improvement, but I've certainly had worse meals this year. To send the message home that the steak and potatoes variations are wearing on me, I am going to give this meal a somewhat medicore rating of 7.7.

Thank you for the meal, old chap. All criticisms aside, it was very appreciated.

-UB

[Orgazmo]

Beverage: Labbatt Blue Light or Stewart's Black Cherry Drink

Both the beer and the cherry drink were top notch. Good work.

Appetizer: Fritos Scoops with cream cheese topped with raspberry salsa

Unique and delicious. It wasn't absolutely mind blowing or anything...and a little went a long way in my book, but it was definitely good.

Main Course: Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches topped with veggies and served with steak fries

On the whole, I found your sandwiches to be quite bland, as Bastard has stated. With a little help, though, they were pretty damned good. Simple...but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Also, as bastard stated, the potato of this meal wasn't necessarily the best that I've had...but, again, like the rest of your meal, it wasn't bad.

Dessert: Lemon Meringue Pie

Wasn't a big fan of the pie. I agree, it was better than my meringue...but that doens't make it good.

Rating: 8.4

Good meal. Simple. Theme getting repetitive. Thanks.

[tonguegina]

The cherry drink was actually pretty good. I'm not big on cherries, but they're growing on me and I did enjoy the drink.

The appetizer was alright. I wasn't a fan of the salsa, but the rest of it was good. (Yes I realize that's just cream cheese on Fritos, but I liked it.)

The sandwiches were kind of bland. I put salt, pepper, A-1, and some of that Grillers stuff that 'gaz had. It would have been nice if it were hotter and if the buns weren't so think. When I ate it as a sandwich, it was much too bread heavy. The steak fries were ok. Once again I put a bunch of seasoning on them.

The pie was alright. Nothing special, but alright.

Over all, not bad. 8.2

[Ironic Mustache]

I find that most philly cheese steaks aren't up to par. From what I hear, they're good in phillidelphia and not very many other places.

[Ugly Bastard]

Mr. tonguegina prepared a meal for us last week that I have repeatedly been forgetting to rate/review. For this, I apologize. I will try to be quicker on the draw in the future.

Beverage: Yellow Tail Merlot

Standard. I picked it out, so of course I like it. Went well with the meal.

Appetizer: Prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks

These things were amazing. One of the best appetizers we've had all year. Although you served more than an ample amount of them, I found myself wishing there were more in the end. I do not fault you (nor deduct any points) for there not being more. I just loved it so much I could have ate it, and nothing but it for the entire meal.

Main Course: Chicken Piccata and Polenta

This was the finest main course you have served us yet, tonguegina. That doesn't (necessarily) mean I found it to be the best tasteing meal you've served us. In general, I'm not that big of a fan of chicken breasts. Same goes for the corn-meal (polenta). You did a wonderful job of preparing it. It was a very unique meal that was complimented very nicely with some garnish just for appearance. This is something you broke the precident on (appearance-only garnishes), and I like it a lot. You've come a long way since your first meal. This main course was outstanding, even though, admittedly, I wasn't head over heels about the way it tasted (not your fault, just my preferences).

Dessert: New York Cheesecake

This was pretty standard. Just a freezer-section cheesecake. It was cool though 'cause the pieces we got were bigger than I had expected they would be. Maybe some cherries or other assorted toppings next time (not to mention thawing the thing out) would make a better cheesecake desert.

Conclusion:

I had to go through all of the ratings that I have given you for your meals in the past. I did this because I wanted to be sure this meal got the highest score I have given you on the year. From a taste standpoint, I enjoyed your Jumbalaya meal much more, but this meal was something great like you would see in a restaurant.

tonguegina, it should be noted that every single meal you've prepared this year has gotten a higher score out of me than the meal that proceeded it (and I haven't been doing that on purpose - I noticed it just now). This pattern doesn't change. Well done. 8.9

[Ironic Mustache]

I retract that last statement, they're friggin' great at Hooters.

[f3lix]

I loved everything you served us, tongue. I agree w/ UB on the appetizer; I was dying for more, despite the abundancy served. Very unique flavoring on the chicken and I really enjoyed it. I liked it all. I thought the cheesecake was eatible, despite other's requests for the microwave. Just a phenominal job!

9.9

[Orgazmo]

Beverage: Yellow Tail Merlot

Solid drink. Definitely complimented the meal well.

Appetizer: Prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks

Unlike the Bastard who precedes me, I was not fond of these. I found the breadsticks to be very chewy and difficult to eat. They also lacked a nice flavor. the Prosciutto was good, of course, but not good enough to save it. A nice idea, it just didn't deliver to me though.

Main Course: Chicken Piccata and Polenta

The meal had class. It resembled something that you would expect to be presented at the end of a cooking show. You did a damn fine job with that. That said, I wasn't fond of the taste. The polenta didn't have much to offer at all; it was bland and shitty. That's not a reflection on your cooking of it so much as it's properties as a food, though. The chicken, on the other hand, had a very distinct taste, one that I'm sure many people would appreciate. I simply was not one of those people. You did do a damn fine job with it, though.

Dessert: New York Cheesecake

As said already, pretty standard. It was good and there was quite a bit of it...two good things. It was frozen though, which isn't a good thing. Solid though.

Conclusion:

You definitely served us your finest meal this week. That said, it wasn't the meal that I think was your best. I normally go into the meals with taste as the #1 criteria. With that in mind, it's hard to take this meal over your barbecued chicken or jumbalaya (even though it's getting a better score than the latter due to other circumstances surrounding that meal). It definitely deserves a high score, though...and, because of that, I'm giving you a 8.7. Thanks for the solid effort.

[f3lix]

Beverage: Corona Extra and Jones Berry Lemonade; Shots of Jose Cuervo
throughout the meal.

This was my favorite part of the meal. It was my first (and first several) tequila shots and I enjoyed it greatly. The load of alcohol dumped in my system in an hour made me rather relaxed the rest of the night. Good verbal preparation of how to take the shots and drink the limed corona.


Appetizer: Various Tortilla Chips with Homemade Salsa

My god you had a lot of salsa. Very nice on the variety of chips, all were good.

Main Course: Chicken Chili with Spanish Rice

Chili was great, Rice was perfect.

Dessert: Dean's Moose-Tracks Ice-Cream

At this point, I didn't care what the dessert was, due to inebriation, but it was great, too. Not sure how it fit in the with theming of the meal (something I always question with your dessert choice) but fine selection for taste.

This was a great effort and for that I serve you a 9.2

[Orgazmo]

The meal of Ugly Bastard.

Beverage: Corona Extra and Jones Berry Lemonade; Shots of Jose Cuervo throughout the meal

My first introduction to Corona, a decent bear...especially when spliced with the provided lime. Also my first introduction of tequilla. It made me happy. Nice thought with providing tongue w/the Jones. Way to be considerate.

Appetizer: Various Tortilla Chips with Homemade Salsa

Quite a bit of effort went into this salsa...and it really showed. Sure, it didn't necessarily knock my socks off with taste (though it was pretty damn good), but it was so unique and flavorful that it definitely made up for it. Damn fine work, soldier.

Main Course: Chicken Chili with Spanish Rice

The chili was pretty solid in my opinion. It wasn't quite spicy enough, but spices were provided to fix this. Another small gripe is that I'm not necessarily a big fan of chili that's more chunk than anything else (unless that chunk is meat). This chili was like that, unfortunately. Even still, it was my first experience with chicken chili...and I found it to be pretty good. Nice main dish. The side was also pretty solid. Not normally a big rice fan...but this definitely hit the spot.

Dessert: Dean's Moose-Tracks Ice-Cream

Standard, nice.

Conclusion

The meal was pretty good. It wasn't out of this world...but it was definitely finely themed and it ended up delivering. You get an 8.9.

[tonguegina]

8.8

The meal was good, and the Jones Sodas in place of the beer was nice. The salsa was the best part of the meal...which was odd because I don't generally like chunky salsa. The chili was good, and I would have eaten more of it if I'd felt better...the same goes for Jose.

[Ugly Bastard]

Orgazmo was kind enough to prepare his weekly meal tonight (Sunday) since I will be out of town for a week, effective tomorrow. I'd like to thank him for doing this. (Note that I am not improving his score because of this, as that wouldn't be fair to the other two - I just wanted to say thank you).

Beverage: McWilliams' 2001 Merlot

Solid drink. One of the better Merlots I've had (which isn't saying much). It worked with the meal very well.

Appetizer: Mozzarella Bites with Marinara Sauce

This was good. It's shining feature was the marinara sauce, which was homemade. The bites themselves were a bit "room temperature", and lacked in quantity a little bit. I definetly could have gone for a few more, but it's not a huge deal.

Main Course: Sausage and Pepperoni Calzones with Italian Pasta Salad

The calzones were cool in that you basically made them from scratch, which didn't appear easy to do. Tastewise, they weren't anything special. Maybe some more spices or warmth would have helped. They tasted like they had been sitting out on the counter for a half hour, which they sorta had. I was hoping for steam coming out of them, melted cheese, the whole works. Instead they were a little boring and mild, but I appreciate the effort that went into making them.

The Italian Salad I did not like. It was going along okay for the first few bites, then it started to taste weird for me and I stopped eating it. I appreciate the effort of adding some peppers and pepperonis to this, which will help salvage your score some on this part of the meal.

Dessert: Brownie topped with Vanilla Ice Cream

You served me a heaping pile of this (see attachment), so I was pretty pleased about that. This was the best part of the meal. Brownies are about the only chocolate-based product that I love, and, aside from tonguegina's shitty meal #2 store-bought brownies, no one had served any before tonight. The ice cream complimented it well. (I ate that whole plate, btw, and felt a little sick afterwards, but that's my fault).

Conclusion

This was certainly not your best meal, but it'd be crazy of any of us to expect you not to have a somewhat off week from time to time. You put a lot of effort into this meal, and once again paved the way with creative menu items. I can't bring myself to score this meal too high, but don't take that personally. I appreciate the effort you gave, the taste just didn't quite get there for me. 8.2.

[tonguegina]

The best part of your meal was the desert. Very nice. I liked the food alright, but it was nothing special. That being said, the amount of effort that was put into it was quite impressive. From what I understand most everything was homemade, and I have to give you props for that.

8.7

[f3lix]

Cheesesticks were room temp, but good. Sauce was well made.

Not sure how wine tied in with anything but the main course, but it tasted like all the other dark wines we've had.

I really liked the breading of the calzone. The rest was well done for being homemade, but it still had that home-made taste to it.

The hated the pasta salad. I don't really care for any of the (insert noun here) salads, and this joined them.

The warm brownie with the cold ice cream was great, and the highlight of the meal.

Gaz, your meal had a lot of great effort, and with your score I will not forget that. I felt you missed the mark a bit with this meal on a variety of levels, but effort doesn't go unnoticed...

7.7