Food Blog Entry #285

Clyde's has some pretty far-fetched ideas when it comes to their dessert menu. For example...I ordered a blackberry and blueberry shortcake on my first visit. So this time I was surprised to find that they had pie's on the menu. At first I thought it was unique, until I read all the other dessert items. It turns out that blackberries are much more abundant here in Virginia than in Florida. Same reason its harder to find oranges here than over in the Orange State.

Blackberry Pie: A warm slice of pie baked with blackberries inside and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

My slice snapped right in the middle, but its OK...the waitress gave it her best shot to hide the fact by dumping more ice cream in the middle!

Food Blog Entry #284

August 29th, move-in day. Yes, the day finally arrived...my move-in day. I visited my dorm room three days earlier but it was time to do the real deal. For two hours my mom and I loaded up the car and were finally on our way to the school. I don't like to think about this but getting the internet to function was HORRIBLE!

But enough about the bad things...lets hear about the happy things! Today I got play frisbee with my fellow Colonials. We had a basement meeting where every introduced themselves and heard the proctor, Ryan, give us basic information. I thought it was a good experience, since most of us were freshmen...still lost.

Anyway, the day was long and eventful leaving me hungry. So my mom and I had our last dinner out at Clyde's. We were seated in the open area this time, which was across from the bar area...at least this time there were less drunks around us!

"Popper" Burger: Bacon, jalepeno peppers and cream cheese cake. Served with a side for french fries.

It's THEIR original creation. Go and get one if your ever in town!

Food Blog Entry #283

9/10

My cousin Nick and I both love chocolate, so what's stopping us from ordering dessert? Once the waitress came back to pick up the plates my cousin and I chose our after-dinner chocolate delights. I ordered a cookie-looking triangle with chunks of chocolate chips while Nick ordered a nice tall hunk of chocolate cake...with chocolate mousse inside. Seems like he selected a tastier dessert, but in the end he was generous enough to let me take a couple stabs at it.

Blondie For Two: A warm blonde brownie with chunks of chocolate and crunchy nuts. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and accented with caramel sauce.

Thank you Patty, uncle George, and Nick for inviting me. I hope we have more of these get-togethers now that my living quarters are nearby. See you soon!

Food Blog Entry #282

8/10

I was lounging around...studying, when all of a sudden my phone rang. Good thing to, because it felt like my head was about to explode from all the information being sucked up by my brain. Anyway...it was Patty, my uncle George's wife, calling me to ask if I'd like to join her, my uncle and my cousin Nick for dinner and a movie. This invitation was ecstatic, to be honest, they are the most down-to-earth family I have; plus I love my cousin...we've known each other his whole life (I'm older).

I gladly accepted! Only...I wouldn't be able to tag along for the movie, my mom was flying in and needed to be picked up. So a couple minutes later I arrived with a rumbling appetite. Since they wanted a to go to a place with a salad bar I suggested Ruby Tuesday, last time I was there their salad bar looked fantastic. All three agreed and we were on our way, where we enjoyed a pleasant evening out. Check out my catch of the day.

Chesapeake Catch: Spicy, broiled tilapia crowned with a jumbo lump crab cake and topped with Parmesan cream sauce. With fresh, steamed broccoli and brown-rice pilaf.

Might not have been Tuesday, but it sure was the catch of the day.

Food Blog Entry #281

9/10

The waitress at the Atlantis Pizzeria came up to me while a piece of gyro was dangling out of my mouth...yes, very embarrassing. Suprisingly though, she didn't seem to mind it at all...I guess other customers have similar eating habits. Anyway...she asked me if I needed anything else. If only she knew me.

Of course I needed something else! Upon walking in I spotted one of the rarest specimen on the dry-erase board. This "creature" is only served during a certain time of the year, but it had crept up one month early to give me a heads up!

Pumpkin Pie: A slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream.

Nothing is better than pumpkin. Its the best. No I'm not going to listen to YOUR opinions of pumpkin. Go and get the pumpkin stuff while its available! For example...the Pumpkin Cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory.

Food Blog Entry #280

9/10

I walk by this place every morning before and after my gym workout. The Atlantis Pizzeria and Family Restaurant looks good and always seems to have a good flow of customers coming in...even before lunch! Can you believe that this restaurant opens at 7:00 AM? Its true, they have a special breakfast menu that, for some reason, everyone in the area is addicted to.

My initial plan was to wait for someone to join me...to have lunch or dinner there. Unfortunately I was super hungry and was tired of eating sandwiches and ice cream. I eventually maned up and walked in to find that coming by myself wasn't such an odd situation...other people had done the same.

Athenian Gyro Platter: Gyro served with pita bread, rice pilaf, special sauce, tzatziki sauce, and Greek salad.

Best gyro I've ever had in my life! If anyone is ever in Alexandria go directly to the Bradlee shopping center...have breakfast, lunch and dinner here!

Food Blog Entry #279

8.5/10

I've gone an entire week on my "special" diet...more like "especially dreadful" diet. So I finally gave in and went to Border's, a bookstore, that has a café. I only knew about the café because back in Miami the Border's inside Dolphin Mall had one. So I mozzied on in and found out their menu had changed...a lot. Turns out that Border's was now sponsoring Seattle's Best Coffee.

Not only did they add JavaKula's (blended coffee), but they also had FruitKula's (smoothies)! The last time I had a smoothie was when I said my farewell to Smoothie King...I just had to order one.

Peach FruitKula: Peaches and ice blended together and topped with whipped cream.

Apple Tart: A tart with real apples baked on top with cinnamon powdered on as well. The plate was drizzled with caramel sauce and powdered with cinnamon also. And finally topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Since I didn't get coffee I HAVE to come back...after all Seattle claims that they have the "best coffee".

Food Blog Entry #278

8.5/10

I went to my dorm room today! I'm not sure if I mentioned this in an earlier post but...I GOT A SINGLE! Hearing that made me jump in joy, and even better was the room once I stepped in. My room included a decent sized desk, a twin sized bed, a five drawer cabinet, bathroom (with lots of toilet paper), a closet, and best of all...a fireplace! Trust me, I was just as surprised when I first saw the pile of logs sitting in the middle of the room.

Eventually I got back home in a pool of sweat...lets just say I was carrying 30 pounds of junk (school supplies) on my back while riding my bike back to the apartment. Immediately after walking in the door I was zipping out to go to La Madeleine. Their French recipes are to die for!

Chicken Parisien: Marinated chicken breast, bacon, melted cheddar, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato on a sourdough roll. Served with a side of pasta.

Blackberry Cream Cheese Croissant: A croissant filled with blackberries and topped with cream cheese and a sugary powder.

Lemonade: Squeezed lemons!

It's got to be the cheese...it just has to be!

Food Blog Entry #277

8/10

Well...when patients have their tonsils removed their allowed to eat as much ice cream as they want. Technically I was a "patient" for about five minutes today...and my arm really hurts from all those giant and scary needles. This led me to form a hypothesis: When someone consumes ice cream the individual heals quicker. Since I formed a hypothesis, it was time to test my prediction at the ice cream shop called Mixer's.

Here Comes The Sun: Banana ice cream with bananas, walnuts, and caramel sauce mixed inside.

Conclusion: Ice cream doesn't speed up one's recovery. I need to revise my hypothesis: Ice cream helps soothe people's esophagus' after they have had their tonsils stolen.

P.S. This Mixer's used to be a Maggy Moo's, similar to Cold Stone Creamery, but not as generous or as good.

Food Blog Entry #276

7/10

College is hard. I received my first syllabus and decided to get a head start. So for about four hours throughout my day I read, outlined, took notes, and answered questions pertaining to chapter one for my biology and nutrition health class. I must say that it was more of a review than actual learning but the book used a question and answer technique in order to inform the reader.

In addition I HAD to go visit my grandma's office to be immunized. Not one...not two...but three shots! She didn't even give me an opportunity to cry! So to calm myself down and reward myself for being such a productive and brave boy I went to Chicken Out for dinner, which is in the shopping center right next to my grandma's office.

Tex Mex Rice Bowl: Red beans, tortilla chips, sour cream, salsa, and cheddar cheese on top of brown rice.

Definitely spicy...but not good enough for what I put up with today.