Dinner of Champions

I've been through the Culver's drive-thru about 8 million times. But I had never gone inside the place. A few weeks ago, Jackie and I decided to try the sit-down version of our favorite frozen custard joint. It was also the frist time we ever tried anything other than the frozen custard, actually.

We both got signature Culver's 'butterburgers' and they were excellent. Then we hiked back up to the counter for a single scoop of the flavor of the day, or "FOD". You can never go wrong with the FOD. I usually don't even ask what it is, I just order it, because there's no way it's gonna be something I don't like, I mean come on. On that particular day the FOD happened to be bananas foster. We asked the acne-factory teenager waiting on us what exactly was in it, and his response was: "Bananas...and...um...foster sauce?". OK. Foster sauce? It was CARAMEL! Anyway it may have been my favorite FOD to date, even better than the caramel/fudge/cookie dough of a few weeks ago. Now our only complaint with Culver's is the lame church music they play in the store. I'm much more partial to listening to 80's, 90's and Today while dining on fast food.

After we finished our food, a funny thing happened. We were actually inspired to turn a kick-ass package on a completely worthless story. Really. It was about a 'campus alert' where a student was grabbed by the backpack and flung against the side of a car. The end. No injuries. So since we were all hopped up on butterburgers and creamy delights, we were like what the hell, lets blow this story out of the water. It turned out great, we got lots of sound with 'panicked' students, I irised down a bit so it looked darker than it was (and therefore scary), and I got some pretty creative shots I think. Jackie and I were shocked at the power of Culver's to transform us into newsgathering masterminds! You see Kasey...THIS is why we must ALWAYS get a dinner break, not because of stupid overtime worries.

Ice Cream in the Live Truck

On Friday we had an ice cream party at work.  I don't know if it was intended to motivate us for the May book, or to congratulate us for the results of the March book.  We got an email Thursday telling us of the creamy treats we could expect on Friday at 3pm.  When I read this email, I immediately knew what would happen.  

I would arrive to work at 2:30.  At 2:59 I would be sent to miscellaneous 'breaking news', moments before the ice cream would get brought out for all but me to enjoy.  OF COURSE, this exact scenario became reality.  I was about to launch a massive temper tantrum (I really love ice cream), but Adam, that quick thinker, volunteered to grab a couple bowls 'to go' as I loaded the live truck.  Brilliant! 

 1 bowl.  2 spoons.  4 scoops.  

I managed to hit all the red lights on New Circle Rd. and successfully wolfed down about twice as much as Adam who wasn't driving.  Later that night after dinner, it occurred to us to check the freezer for leftovers, and we were not disappointed!  Pictured is bowl #2 on the day.  It is fudge stripe with caramel sauce.  The station got us all kinds of flavors and toppings.  It was an awesome treat on a lovely Friday.  I remain realistic though, and realize that this was only a fluke.  Next time there is food at the station, I will probably miss all of it as usual.  That's the night-sider's plight, folks.

Little Burgers, BIG Hit

Almost every restaurant in town now serves some form of mini burgers. They taste the same as regular burgers, but for some reason we go crazy over the teeny tiny verzion. I think you end up eating more bread with the little ones. Was White Castle the creator of the original little burger? I'm not sure, but I have tried almost all the tiny burgers Lexington has to offer, and here is where they rank:

Buddy's: They call them 'sliders' and they are great!

Harry's: a little more expensive, but they taste like it. very good.

Chili's: Not so hot. very high ratio of bun to meat and the 'patties' were triangle shaped. wtf?

Steak 'n Shake (pictured): well, you will have to ask Adam. I didn't try them. He seemed pleased though, especially with the fact that they came in tiny little sleeves. Plus they come in 5 flavors such as chipotle, frisco, and A1.

Burger King: they are marketing something called a 'burger shot'. Thai and I tried to get some one night after the bar, and they were OUT. WHY does this keep HAPPENING to me?!?!

Ruby Tuesday's: Quite good, very tasty. And you can get salad bar instead of fries...yay!

Krystal: Super, as far as fast food goes. The little boxes they come in keep them steamy!

Those are all the ones I can think of right now. Anyone else have any great mini-burger finds?

The Cookie Truck

Who hasn't seen the Insomnia Cookies truck around town? Apparently these people will deliver cookies to you at obscene hours. You can't get much more 'pothead business owner' than this. Paul took this pic on Winchester Rd., but I have usually seen the truck parked outside the campus bookstore on Limestome. You can walk up to the window and buy cookies or have them delievered to you. I realize that this makes me a food-blogger failure, but I have yet to sample their treats. But I hear they are really good!

Zaxby's Redemption

I know it seems like I rip on Zaxby's a lot. But I actually really like the place. Seeing Smitty eat his zandwich tonight made me realize how much I do like eating there, so I thought I'd say something nice. One of the best things about Zaxby's is that they have cherry Fanta on tap. That is major, as it is Pam West's favorite. Keep up the unique soda selection, Zaxby's, and maybe I'll let the next boneless wing disaster slide.

"Part pizza place, part hippie commune"

The only good part about covering tragic news in the gorge is the possibility of hitting up Miguel's Pizza afterwards. You can get pizza by the slice, and the toppings are really unique (and of the hippie persuation). Zach says he likes it because you can get pasta on your pizza!

The food is great, but it's really about the atmophere. The restaraunt doubles as a climbing gear store. It is a main stop-off for climbers who come from all over the country (and Canada too) to climb the cliffs of the Red River Gorge. There is a little clearing behind the store where you can camp if you like. Inside, a sign made out of a paper plate advertises showers for a dollar. It's kind of stuffy inside, but it's not a big deal because you can take your pizza outside. The pizza crust is whole grain, and the sauce if very sweet. Very delicious.

This is my only complaint: I can't freaking stand white people with dreads. To me, it's just wrong. These are usually the same people who bring their dirty, half-clothed children with them as they follow Phish around the country and leave their dogs tied to their car bumper during the shows. Miguel's attracts this kind of people.

It was spring break week when Jackie and I first tried Miguel's. There were tons of people inside and out, and table space was limited. This led a group of 4 or 5 climbers to ask if they could sit with us. Of course you can, we said! Somehow we got to talking about news, they were very fascinated by our jobs. We gave them business cards and they promised to call if they knew of anyone getting tragically maimed by the gorge. SCORE!

Miguel's is only open from March-November or something like that, it's closed for the off-season.

Bone-LESS

Zaxby's, you fail us again.

A couple weekends ago, Adam and I climbed into the truck after about 15 minutes at work, and immediately started talking about what we wanted for dinner. Adam tells me that he's really craving some boneless wings from Zaxby's cause they've been showing the commercial non-stop and he just can't take it anymore.

We shot a couple stories, and then aimed for the New Circle Rd. Zaxby's. Then we heard the bad news. They were out of boneless wings. OUT. How can this be? Adam begins to pout, so I appologize to the guy taking our order and head for the door, promising Adam we'll try the Leestown road branch. We walk through the door of Zaxby's #2 in a good mood, ready to enjoy our hour-long uninterrupted dinner break, when we are dealt the second devastating blow of the day. This Zaxby's is out of boneless wings too. WTF?? We explain to the guy how we just came from the other store and they were out too, but he really doesn't care, and why should he? He's not the IDIOT who didn't get enough boneless wings shipped in! But in case you want to go to Zaxby's soon, pick the New Circle one over the Leestown one, they were much more understanding of our pain.

Gas Station Pretzel FAIL

Whenever we go to the Red River Gorge to cover something tragic, we always stop at the Shell station off the Slade exit on the Mountain Parkway to get provisions. Last week, Jackie decided on this pretzel. Bad idea. The moment it was removed from the warmth of its incubator, it turned into wood. Clearly it had been in there a while. Usually this store has really good snacks. I have only gotten stuff from the shelves, but Jackie says they have OK sandwiches. They have a large variety of Little Debbies, which in my mind, validates any convenience store. But steer clear of the pretzels!! The only good news to come out of this experience: Jackie used the mustard packets intended for the pretzel on her wrap that she brought from home. So not all was lost!!

Alfalfa's Changed My Life

yeah yeah yeah...I haven't blogged in forever, gimme a break.

So to make up for it here are pics of the delicious food Adam and I got at Alfalfa's a couple of weekends ago. This was Adam's first trip there but now he's a big fan like me! If you've never been to Alfalfa's because you thought it was a feed store or something, trust me you have got to check it out. It's like 'health' food that's not overly pretentious, and honestly not all that healthy. There are a lot of vegetarian options.

I had an appetizer of tomato bisque that was perfect. Then I had chicken and broccoli crepes with spicy cheese sauce. It was amazing. Think a gourmet version of a chicken broccoli hot pocket. The filling was made out of large chunks of chicken, finely chopped broccoli, onion, and some other spices. The same spicy cheese sauce that topped the crepes has made appearances in other dishes at Alfalfa's, such as the chicken penne. It is excellent.

For his meal, Adam had salad with house dressing, and the vegetarian lasagna. I have had this dish before and I love it. You cant get it in a half serving which is perfect. Most of the conventional dishes, such as lasagna, that I have tried a 'vegetarian' form of stray too far from the original for my preference. But this dish does not. The tomato sauce is just right, and the whole thing just feels slightly lighter somehow. While Adam liked his food, he was envious of mine. :) Truly mine was the winner, but both were very good.

For dessert we got raspberry chocolate mousse cheesecake. Yeah. Raspberry flavored cheesecake on the bottom and chocolate mousse on the top. Upon taking his first bite, Adam proclaimed, "It's so good I just went cross-eyed." I concur. Alfalfa's is downtown across from the government building. Sometimes the staff is squirrely, but overall I love this place!

We could use a Bizcuit

Yesterday I had to work dayside, so naturally I didn't have time for breakfast. I came into the newsroom, starving, and the following exchange took place:

Me: "Does Zaxby's do breakfast?"
Pam: "If they do, I need to know about it!"

With nothing better to do, I went across to the street to find out. The Zaxby's across from our station has only been open a couple of months, so the appeal has not yet worn of, and we haven't quite memorized the menu. A quick spin past the drive through confirmed it:

Zaxby's does not do breakfast.

Don't fret, Lexington. According to Pam, we just need to "keep hope alive".

Roastburger, parts 1 and 2

Last weekend Adam climbed into the live truck and announced that he had printed off a coupon for a free roastburger from Arby's. I guess this is their new thing they are pushing, but according to Adam they are always giving out coupons for free stuff online. We resolved to stop at the first Arby's we came to which happened to be in Harrodsburg. Adam buys his drink and receives his free sandwich. But the cashier never took the coupon from him. Thanks Harrodsburg Arby's. So the following day, yes the very next day, we went back to Arby's, this time on New Circle Rd, for another free roastburger. This time, however, the guy did take the coupon. Adam says the new menu item is very delicious, so much so that he was enthusiastic about eating one 2 days in a row. We'll have to try this con again.

"Besides the baby, homeless man, and flies, it's my favorite place in Frankfort!"

In that order.  For my first (ever!) blog post, I'm going to share our lunch experience at the Frankfort Coffeetree Cafe.  I've been here a couple of times, so when Jackie and I got to take a break from watching crews search for a man's body in the river behind the library downtown, I drove us over, promising Jackie some super 'snacks'.  We both caved and got actual meals.  She got a grilled cheese and baked potato soup.  I got turkey and swiss on a bagel with mustard and lettuce.  Mine didn't exist on the menu, I just asked for that though and they had no problem making it.  I also got a strawberry/pineapple smoothie, which was perfect!  I went back for dessert (you know you do it...feels less bad than ordering it with the meal...almost like an afterthought...but you've been planning it all along.)  They had a little chocolate mousse for $1.50 so that was my choice.  I brought it back to the table, lifted the tiny sampling-spoon to Jackie and my eye level, and told her that such a dessert was just a slap in the face.  It was in a container the size of a shot glass.  When I tried to think instead of how I truthfully don't ˆneedˆa bigger dessert, I remembered that it was the little girl who rang me up who suggested that i get the tiny mousse.  Judgement?

I gave Jackie shit in the form of notes scribbled on her notebook for seating us RIGHT between the fussy baby and the chatty homeless man.  Then while we ate some sort of gnat harrassed us.  But those are my only complaints.  Oh yeah, and their game selection.  Aside from games that would take way longer to play than for you to eat your sandwich (cranium, scrabble, yatzhee) they only had a deck of cards and Uno.  So we played one 35 second game of Uno.  Fun.  Then we took a picture of a book called something like 'New Jersey: Unexpected Pleasures.'  This cafe's walls are covered in books like a library.  They also seems to have a computer on a tall desk on one wall, Jackie asked if she could use it, but they told her she didn't have a log-in ID.  Ok?

Well the next time you're in downtown Frankfort, try this place out.  It's on Broadway in downtown.  Weird stuff happens there, but the food is really good!