Unless you haven't been paying attention, I have a love-hate, passive-aggressive relationship with the area's largest retail grocery store. To give credit where credit is due, I like and appreciate the convenience of the local Hy Vee stores. Within my regular routes of travel, I have several options to dash in and get some things. I also appreciate the financial investment into the local stores. If nothing else, they are all quite nice and clean.
All of this gets derailed, of course, when I actually have to go inside and make purchases.
Meat pricing has driven me absolutely bonkers for years. It's an absolute scam. Case in point. Just last evening, I had to stop and get a couple items to fulfill a dinner request at home. While strolling by the meat counter to get some chicken breasts (the ones on meat trays for $3.49 a pound as opposed to the exact same ones in the full-service counter for $3.99 a pound), I noticed some nice big T-Bone steaks offered for $15 a piece. The little sign says they are like 1.5 pounds. Right next to them were the exact same steaks, cut a little thinner, for something like $8.99 a pound. Do the math. I did and confirmed that bigger steak was over-priced. If you buy steaks, or pork chops, or whatever, by the piece out of the Hy Vee meat counter, there is about a 98 to 1 chance you are screwing yourself. Check it out.
Last week I needed a pound of bulk Italian sausage for a breakfast recipe. I didn't have time to make sausage. Fortunately, Hy Vee had some bulk sausage in the meat case. Unfortunately, it was pre-packaged. I hate that because you can NEVER get a pound. The stuff is ALWAYS portioned in the range of 1.2 to 1.4 pounds. (Unlike the green beans mentioned below, you really can't re-package this yourself.)
Of course, this sort of chicanery occurs all throughout the store. Over in the dairy aisle, you will find the blocks of ubiquitous Hy Vee brand cheese- sharp cheddar, mild cheddar, Monterrey Jack, mozzarella, etc. The blocks generally come in three sizes- 8 oz, 16 oz and 24 oz. The pricing, however, can go all over the board. If ONE of the sizes is on sale, get out your calculator because the helpful smiles are trying to screw you. Actually, you might also need some scratch paper, because the price is probably further shrouded in a "three for $x" scheme. Check the price of the 16 ouncer and then do the math. Chances are, one of those sizes is being sold at a disadvantageous price, and it very well could be the one on sale. I have literally purchased two 8 oz blocks for less than the price of the 16 oz block. Don't even get me started on the pre-shredded cheeses.
This sort of thing follows over into the produce section. Compare the price of a head of romaine to the cost of a package of three hearts of romaine. You might have to venture over to the scale to determine which is the better deal. Oddly enough, it very well could be the hearts in the bag, which runs totally contrary to the general rule that more handling (washing, stripping off outer leaves, packaged) equals more expensive. But what REALLY bends my tines in the produce section is when green beans or Brussels sprouts are pre-packaged in gallon zip-lock bags. They are priced per pound, but most shoppers just pick up the bag, because they think they have to. I don't. If I want a couple handfuls, I open one of those suckers up and select the ones I want (in other words, the nice ones and not all the stems) and place them in another bag. Once. Just once, I saw un-pre-packaged green beans at my go-to Hy Vee. They looked like total crap, so I skipped them in favor of the bag trick.
And. Yes, annnnnd, as if these little math problems weren't bad enough, now Hy Vee has introduced the Fuel Saver card which interjects per gallon of gasoline discount for the purchase of certain grocery items. Beware, this takes obfuscation of pricing schemes to a whole new level.
Look, I don't mean to be a total Nellie Negative here. There are some decent prices on some things once in a while. My point is that it's nearly impossible to figure out. Thanks to Fuel Saver, figuring out the best deal requires the use of calculus. If you see someone with a slide rule and a Hewlett-Packard HP 15C scientific calculator at the meat counter pricing out steaks, that's me.
Unfortunately, the smug executives in West Des Moines have no incentive to strip away the gimmicks and return to quality and value. Hy Vee has effectively stripped away most, if not all, barriers to its business model here in Sioux Falls and bought out most of the competition. Can Fareway make a dent? Doubtful with that crappy location on 41st Street and being closed on Sunday.
Thank God, it's farmer's market season again. At least I can buy fresh foods from people who have some pride in their products who don't rely on complicated pricing gimmicks.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Firehouse Subs. Try them. Avoid spontaneous combustion.
Firehouse Subs has been open for a few months now. For those of you who haven't heard yet, it is located on 41st Street, on the north side of the street, adjacent to the river. This is the former location of Senor Wiener. That particular retail location is one of the worst places to get in and out of, second only to perhaps Erberts & Gerberts and Taco Bell on Louise, both of which I refuse to visit.
Anyway, location notwithstanding, I can't avoid the siren call of a good sandwich and rumor has it, Firehouse makes a good sub. I am pleased to report excellent findings.
These are damned fine sammiches. Most, maybe all, are served hot and you will find things like ham, turkey, pastrami, brisket, provolone cheese, onions, and meatballs offered in various combinations. Check out the menu. The bread is fresh and fairly soft and the sandwiches are warm and gooey. Just the right amount of ingredients, so you shouldn't need a fork or a stack of napkins. Good experience.
For me, the meatball sandwich is the star. Nice tasty meatballs in a marinara sauce. Served with melted cheese on a fresh roll, that's good eating. It's a simple sandwich, but one that is hard to find well made here in River City. If someone has suggestions, feel free to post them.
The only gripes I have with the place is the physical layout of the shop itself. You have to walk in the front door and past all the small tables that will be on your right and go to the rear of the space to place an order. A large, chest high counter is on the right where folks are making the sandwiches. For those of you who are used to the Subway method of making sandwiches, Firehouse doesn't work that way. Go to the place where it says "Place Order Here" (turns out that is a hint) and then go find a table. They will call your name and bring you your sandwich. Turns out the "Pick Up Here" sign is a bit of a trick. That's for take out. The other thing that is a bit of a pain is the Coke Freestyle machine. Yeah, I guess it's cool and all if the regular combinations of sucrose and chemicals doesn't turn your crank anymore, but when the place is busy, it's a bottleneck.
Finally, a word of warning. At the end of the counter where the sandwiches are made is a small gallery of hot sauces that patrons can use on their food. Actually, Firehouse has its own Datil Pepper Sauce that is pretty good, especially on a meatball sandwich. The sauces have labels on their lids with numbers like 5, 6, and 9, and even 9+. Yes, those are indications of relative heat. On a recent trip there, I was starving, so I had a meatball sandwich. The big one. And, turns out there is a sweet or spicy option. So, I went for spicy. Who wouldn't? Deciding a bit more heat would be nice, I perused the sauce line up and selected a 9+, 357 Mad Dog Hot Sauce. How hot can that be, right? It's practically within reach of children. Well, click on the link and read the comments. I can personally vouch for their accuracy. Fortunately, I didn't put this directly on the sandwich. After I came to, I resumed eating my sandwich sans Mad Dog sauce. Still seemed spicy, so I had the SSS try it. SSS claims this resulted in searing purple lips that stung for hours due to spice that exceed B-Dubs Blazing. I swear none of the Mad Dog was on the sandwich.
The next 12 hours were interesting.
I am going back. I am not having Mad Dog Sauce on my sandwich. Well, we'll see. I am a slow learner about some things.
Anyway, location notwithstanding, I can't avoid the siren call of a good sandwich and rumor has it, Firehouse makes a good sub. I am pleased to report excellent findings.
These are damned fine sammiches. Most, maybe all, are served hot and you will find things like ham, turkey, pastrami, brisket, provolone cheese, onions, and meatballs offered in various combinations. Check out the menu. The bread is fresh and fairly soft and the sandwiches are warm and gooey. Just the right amount of ingredients, so you shouldn't need a fork or a stack of napkins. Good experience.
For me, the meatball sandwich is the star. Nice tasty meatballs in a marinara sauce. Served with melted cheese on a fresh roll, that's good eating. It's a simple sandwich, but one that is hard to find well made here in River City. If someone has suggestions, feel free to post them.
The only gripes I have with the place is the physical layout of the shop itself. You have to walk in the front door and past all the small tables that will be on your right and go to the rear of the space to place an order. A large, chest high counter is on the right where folks are making the sandwiches. For those of you who are used to the Subway method of making sandwiches, Firehouse doesn't work that way. Go to the place where it says "Place Order Here" (turns out that is a hint) and then go find a table. They will call your name and bring you your sandwich. Turns out the "Pick Up Here" sign is a bit of a trick. That's for take out. The other thing that is a bit of a pain is the Coke Freestyle machine. Yeah, I guess it's cool and all if the regular combinations of sucrose and chemicals doesn't turn your crank anymore, but when the place is busy, it's a bottleneck.
Finally, a word of warning. At the end of the counter where the sandwiches are made is a small gallery of hot sauces that patrons can use on their food. Actually, Firehouse has its own Datil Pepper Sauce that is pretty good, especially on a meatball sandwich. The sauces have labels on their lids with numbers like 5, 6, and 9, and even 9+. Yes, those are indications of relative heat. On a recent trip there, I was starving, so I had a meatball sandwich. The big one. And, turns out there is a sweet or spicy option. So, I went for spicy. Who wouldn't? Deciding a bit more heat would be nice, I perused the sauce line up and selected a 9+, 357 Mad Dog Hot Sauce. How hot can that be, right? It's practically within reach of children. Well, click on the link and read the comments. I can personally vouch for their accuracy. Fortunately, I didn't put this directly on the sandwich. After I came to, I resumed eating my sandwich sans Mad Dog sauce. Still seemed spicy, so I had the SSS try it. SSS claims this resulted in searing purple lips that stung for hours due to spice that exceed B-Dubs Blazing. I swear none of the Mad Dog was on the sandwich.
The next 12 hours were interesting.
I am going back. I am not having Mad Dog Sauce on my sandwich. Well, we'll see. I am a slow learner about some things.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Dreams Do Come True: Bahn Mi in Sioux Falls
A while back, I was commenting on a Asian pork sandwich that was featured as a special at Grille 26. That sandwich was good, although I think the excitement over having something fairly good at Grille 26 might have made the review a tad overly enthusiastic. Here's the post. Judge for yourself. That's a long way of saying the next week when I went back and had the sandwich, it wasn't nearly as good. Ultimately, the whole experience made me want a Bahn Mi.
Well, good news! An authentic, honest to forking goodness Bahn Mi sandwich has been located, and it was worth the wait and anticipation. Where? Lam's.
And it is fantastic. There are five different offerings on the menu, but I must suggest their most popular version, the Special Combo, which is described as containing folds of cold cuts, pork rolls and head cheese. Don't let that head cheese reference freak you out, it's delicious. All the meats are prepared in house. The bread is fresh and slightly crispy, and the pickled carrot and vegetables make that sandwich come alive. A bright, light salty-sour-sweet-spicy sauce and some fresh cilantro ties it all together. The best part? It's all of $4.50. This may be one of the very best food bargains available in town.
I think Lam's may be cranking out some of the finest Vietnamese fare in Sioux Falls. It's not real long on atmosphere and the location is perhaps a little out of the way, but it's well worth the trip. And, from what I hear, people are finding the place. Get over there and try it out.
Matter of fact, I am having one of those sammies for lunch today.
Well, good news! An authentic, honest to forking goodness Bahn Mi sandwich has been located, and it was worth the wait and anticipation. Where? Lam's.
And it is fantastic. There are five different offerings on the menu, but I must suggest their most popular version, the Special Combo, which is described as containing folds of cold cuts, pork rolls and head cheese. Don't let that head cheese reference freak you out, it's delicious. All the meats are prepared in house. The bread is fresh and slightly crispy, and the pickled carrot and vegetables make that sandwich come alive. A bright, light salty-sour-sweet-spicy sauce and some fresh cilantro ties it all together. The best part? It's all of $4.50. This may be one of the very best food bargains available in town.
I think Lam's may be cranking out some of the finest Vietnamese fare in Sioux Falls. It's not real long on atmosphere and the location is perhaps a little out of the way, but it's well worth the trip. And, from what I hear, people are finding the place. Get over there and try it out.
Matter of fact, I am having one of those sammies for lunch today.
Friday, March 22, 2013
BREAKING NEWS: Intel on Champps Location
I have it on extremely good authority that a new chain joint is coming to the location occupied by Champps. Watch for a Beef O'Brady's to appear in the coming days.
PepperJax Grill. America's Best Philly? Hmmmm.
In an effort to hit more food places in Sioux Falls, my lunch-mate, the SSS, and I decided to hit PepperJax Grill recently. According to PepperJax own advertising, this is America's Best Philly. A bold claim, indeed. Well, since it was that or the same-old-same-old, we tried it.
Before I get to how I feel about this place, let's have a little sidebar. Sandwiches that can be considered signature cuisine in certain places in our fair country are particular creatures. To recreate them is a very difficult task, because so many of them are truly reliant on local ingredients that define their very essence.
There are three sandwiches that immediately come to my mind.
One. The Po Boy. This is pure New Orleans. Essentailly, it is a sandwich built on a loaf of French Bread, but not just any baguette, but a Leidenheimer loaf of bread. This is not your average roll. Thin crackly skin, tasty inside. Ohhhh, but the inside of a Po Boy is loaded with fried shrimp and/or oysters, or roast beef. And then it is dressed with mayonnaise, tomato slices and lettuce. Or, if you are more daring, go for a spider sandwich containing a fried soft shelled crab. Delightful.
Two. The Italian Beef. This is a must in Chicago. Like Pho, a good Beef can cure a simple hangover. Take a hearty Italian roll, add slices of beef that have been slow roasted in herbs and wine for hours and hours. Then, you have to top it. I recommend "sweet" and "hot." That is, roasted green bell peppers and spoonfuls of spicy, vinegary hot giardinera, and then the whole shebang should be baptized in beef juices and served, preferably with cheese fries.
Three. The Philly Cheesesteak. Steak, generally ribeye, sliced very thin and cooked on a flattop grill. Give some finely diced onions a similar treatment and serve the whole shebang on a big soft loaf of bread with Cheez Whiz slathered on it. As George Takei might say, Ohhhhhhhhhh, myyyyyyyyy!
With those three references in mind, let me state that it is an extremely risky proposition to try to recreate a staple sandwich like one of the above, let alone to claim that in a place like Sioux Falls or Omaha, that you are the best in the US of A.
But that is what PepperJax, founded in Omaha is claiming. And, they fail. Let's recount. This is a place from Omaha that makes "phillies." The founder patented a way to slice sirloin for easy grilling. They serve that grilled with "swiss american" cheese. To that, you can add onions, green peppers, mushrooms, jalapenos, and then some sauces. You can also ask to have your meat grilled with jalapeno juices. The "fireball."
Theoretically, this can't be that bad. And, I suppose it's not that bad. My issue was that it's really not that great, either. The steak is seasoned with some spice and herb combo that says Middle America about as loudly as Ranch Dressing. The meat is sirloin. If I am recalling my philly protocol correctly, the authentic article is rib eye. Also, it really needs the Whiz. A superior Philly counts on simple ingredients that combine into something much bigger than the sum of their parts.
A fairly nice try, but just not close enough to the mark for me. Like I was pointing out above, if you are going to go for one of the great regional sandwiches, you really need to nail it and PepperJax, sadly, does not. I chalk that up to an attempt to complicate that which need not be complicated.
Now, if you get to Rapid City, find Philly Ted's. Outstanding.
Before I get to how I feel about this place, let's have a little sidebar. Sandwiches that can be considered signature cuisine in certain places in our fair country are particular creatures. To recreate them is a very difficult task, because so many of them are truly reliant on local ingredients that define their very essence.
There are three sandwiches that immediately come to my mind.
One. The Po Boy. This is pure New Orleans. Essentailly, it is a sandwich built on a loaf of French Bread, but not just any baguette, but a Leidenheimer loaf of bread. This is not your average roll. Thin crackly skin, tasty inside. Ohhhh, but the inside of a Po Boy is loaded with fried shrimp and/or oysters, or roast beef. And then it is dressed with mayonnaise, tomato slices and lettuce. Or, if you are more daring, go for a spider sandwich containing a fried soft shelled crab. Delightful.
Two. The Italian Beef. This is a must in Chicago. Like Pho, a good Beef can cure a simple hangover. Take a hearty Italian roll, add slices of beef that have been slow roasted in herbs and wine for hours and hours. Then, you have to top it. I recommend "sweet" and "hot." That is, roasted green bell peppers and spoonfuls of spicy, vinegary hot giardinera, and then the whole shebang should be baptized in beef juices and served, preferably with cheese fries.
Three. The Philly Cheesesteak. Steak, generally ribeye, sliced very thin and cooked on a flattop grill. Give some finely diced onions a similar treatment and serve the whole shebang on a big soft loaf of bread with Cheez Whiz slathered on it. As George Takei might say, Ohhhhhhhhhh, myyyyyyyyy!
With those three references in mind, let me state that it is an extremely risky proposition to try to recreate a staple sandwich like one of the above, let alone to claim that in a place like Sioux Falls or Omaha, that you are the best in the US of A.
But that is what PepperJax, founded in Omaha is claiming. And, they fail. Let's recount. This is a place from Omaha that makes "phillies." The founder patented a way to slice sirloin for easy grilling. They serve that grilled with "swiss american" cheese. To that, you can add onions, green peppers, mushrooms, jalapenos, and then some sauces. You can also ask to have your meat grilled with jalapeno juices. The "fireball."
Theoretically, this can't be that bad. And, I suppose it's not that bad. My issue was that it's really not that great, either. The steak is seasoned with some spice and herb combo that says Middle America about as loudly as Ranch Dressing. The meat is sirloin. If I am recalling my philly protocol correctly, the authentic article is rib eye. Also, it really needs the Whiz. A superior Philly counts on simple ingredients that combine into something much bigger than the sum of their parts.
A fairly nice try, but just not close enough to the mark for me. Like I was pointing out above, if you are going to go for one of the great regional sandwiches, you really need to nail it and PepperJax, sadly, does not. I chalk that up to an attempt to complicate that which need not be complicated.
Now, if you get to Rapid City, find Philly Ted's. Outstanding.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
WTF: No More Keg Chicken??!!
Yes, this is somewhat old news, but frankly, I am still a bit frazzled by it. For years, we here in River City have been the beneficiaries of a great fried chicken arch rivalry. If you needed any proof that competition is good for consumers, you needed look no further than Bob's and The Keg for fried chicken. Both delicious and prepared well. I preferred the Keg, personally.
The Keg was once an east-side institution. I recall when it was located on the corner of East 10th Street and Bahnson Avenue. The location is now a Mint Casino. It may have been located somewhere else in that general area. I will have to ask one of of my forkie friends who grew up in Hilltop. At some point, the Keg moved to the strip mall near the southeast corner of 26th and Sycamore. Probably not as truly Keggy as the original location, but a neat place to visit. Every so often when I found myself jonesing for a fried chicken fix, I would wander over to the Keg, occupy a bar stool, order a cold beer, and place an order to go. The Keg bar, was ALWAYS entertaining. There were some regular patrons there who easily could have supplied The Jerry Springer Show with months of material. Loved it.
But alas, it was not to last. Thefirst only step in what we might call the rise and fall of the Keg was the opening of a second, freshly-constructed location at the T-intersection of 57th and Marion. Looked nice enough. I never went in there. Why would I when I can visit the highly entertaining and conveniently located east side location? But then, the east side location closed and became the Overtime, yet another sports bar and grille. This would be the start of the "fall" part of the Keg. I have never figured out what happened here, but I have theories. Personally, I think some rocket scientist thought that shiny new 57th and Marion location would be located conveniently enough for those east sider disciples of boasted poultry to hop on 57th and cruise on over. Buzzzzzz. Wrong! And what do we have for our contestants, Johnny? Not fried chicken!
No one asked me. I could have told anyone this would happen. 57th and Marion is a virtual dead zone for eating joints. Need proof? Exhibit one: Big City Burrito. Exhibit two: Phillies. Exhibit three: Inca Express. Next victim: Zaroty. (More on that later.) Only one thing flies in that particular location. Booze- on-sale and off-sale. Fogie's, Billy Frog, and the Lie-brary. I know Sioux Falls isn't THAT big, but it's big enough that people ain't driving from 18th and Bahnson to 57th and Marion.
So, congratulations, Bob, for your Clucking Good victory in the fried chicken battle. Only a matter of time before I suspect you overtake Sneaky's, apparently a Sioux City institution strategically located in a gas station on West 12th Street. Besides such a swell location, did I mention Sneaky's is another Sioux City import? Like Luciano's. And we all know how I feel about that.
The Keg was once an east-side institution. I recall when it was located on the corner of East 10th Street and Bahnson Avenue. The location is now a Mint Casino. It may have been located somewhere else in that general area. I will have to ask one of of my forkie friends who grew up in Hilltop. At some point, the Keg moved to the strip mall near the southeast corner of 26th and Sycamore. Probably not as truly Keggy as the original location, but a neat place to visit. Every so often when I found myself jonesing for a fried chicken fix, I would wander over to the Keg, occupy a bar stool, order a cold beer, and place an order to go. The Keg bar, was ALWAYS entertaining. There were some regular patrons there who easily could have supplied The Jerry Springer Show with months of material. Loved it.
But alas, it was not to last. The
No one asked me. I could have told anyone this would happen. 57th and Marion is a virtual dead zone for eating joints. Need proof? Exhibit one: Big City Burrito. Exhibit two: Phillies. Exhibit three: Inca Express. Next victim: Zaroty. (More on that later.) Only one thing flies in that particular location. Booze- on-sale and off-sale. Fogie's, Billy Frog, and the Lie-brary. I know Sioux Falls isn't THAT big, but it's big enough that people ain't driving from 18th and Bahnson to 57th and Marion.
So, congratulations, Bob, for your Clucking Good victory in the fried chicken battle. Only a matter of time before I suspect you overtake Sneaky's, apparently a Sioux City institution strategically located in a gas station on West 12th Street. Besides such a swell location, did I mention Sneaky's is another Sioux City import? Like Luciano's. And we all know how I feel about that.
Thanksgiving Thoughts on Portion Size and Food Packaging
I heard some good advice the other day about loading up a Thanksgiving plate with all those traditional goodies: If you can't see the china pattern through the food, you took too much. This is advice I actually follow. Thanksgiving is a tough one, mainly because someone in my family insists on an early meal. At no other time during any given year, do I consume so many calories during one meal and so early in the day. And, after getting up early and preparing a turkey and some sides, I usually end up conked out for several hours following the meal. Eating like this probably works for Hutterites or crab fisherman, who have actually been working for 7 or 8 hours before 1:00 PM, but for those of us who don't, it's a challenge. So, I try to follow the advice of looking for the china pattern through the food and eat a little less, or a lot less as the case may be.
Speaking of portion size, unless you live under a very large, moss-covered rock located in the middle of say, Haakon County, then you have probably noticed some of the shenanigans going on with portion size. The portion-creep has been occurring for years in the grocery stores. Here is what I am talking about. If you are over say, the age of 35, a square, cardboard container of your favorite ice cream is generally referred to as a half-gallon. That's what it was in 1967, 1972, and 1989. Today, it looks the same, so it must be a half-gallon, two quarts, 64 ounces, right? Wrong. Don't believe me? Go open the freezer. 3.75 quarts. That is 0.25 quart, a/k/a 8 ounces, a/k/a one cup short of a half gallon. BUT, the price is in line as if that was still a half-gallon container.
This sort of thing is going on all through the aisles of groceries. Things look the same, and they are priced the same, but they are not the same. Check out sugar packaging like my favorite economist blogger, who also happens to love food and cooking, Meghan McArdle, has to say about this. Here. Call it what you will, it's a price increase that producers and distributors are trying to obfuscate. Personally, I am waiting to see if these packaging pirates can figure out how to sell you 10 eggs for the price of a dozen in a package that makes you think you are still getting 12 eggs. Stay tuned for that one.
Well, the very same thing is occurring under our very noses in restaurants here in River City.
Example One. The first example, I am guessing, has been noticed by many folks. I call it "The Great Jumbo Wing-Ding" at Buffalo Wild Wings. As you may recall, I loves me some B-Dubs wings. If you've been to B-Dubs like twice in your life and ordered wings, ( and I mean traditional wings, not the McNuggets) then you probably have it in your mind that they are priced per 6 wings. Or, were, as it turns out. B-Dubs decided to start delivering different product, a so-called JUMBO wing. And, true that, the wings were bigger. However, the geniuses in accounting on the 38th floor of B-Dub Tower decided that those wings were so JUMBO and over the top huge and generously sized, that it was necessary to reduce the allotted portion from the relatively standard SIX wings to FIVE, because hell, you are getting as much or more fried, sauced, gooey protein and chicken skin per order at the same price. Maybe.
But there's a twist to this story. First, as the SSS and I can both attest, the bigger JUMBO wings sucked. Some fried chicken wing magic seems to get lost in that marginal up-sizing. They never seemed cooked as well or sauced to specs. Second, and it's extremely difficult to tell whether this was the plan all along concocted in the B-Dub Board room on the 65th floor of B-Dub Tower, or whether it was a reaction to bitching, but the wing size has been dialed back to the more standard sized wing. What didn't dial back up? The portion size. Still FIVE wings. Seems like it would have been a hell of a lot easier to just scootch up the price and leave the damned wings as they were. Do the math next time you are in there. About a buck a wing.
Example Two. I don't eat chicken wings all the time. Those things will kill you for crying out loud. So, the other day, a couple of us decide to hit Chevy's for lunch. I run hot and cold on Chevy's, but one thing I can always count on there is the Santa Fe Chopped salad with the apple chipotle vinaigrette. Pretty good salad and always made pretty well. Cold, crisp romaine lettuce, avocado, some blue cheese, roasted corn, red bell pepper, a little bacon and some grilled chicken. Seriously, a pretty nice salad.
So, when we were at Chevy's, it appears a new menu is out. It seems Chevy's has been screwing with their lunch menu for an extended period of time. Sure enough, the Santa Fe Chopped Salad remains on the menu. And, it is available in a regular entree size for just shy of 12 bucks, or a luncheon-sized portion for, I believe, $6.99. Well, it's lunch, so let's have the luncheon size. I suspected we would be sorry we did this, and, as usual, I should have listened to my gut instinct.
Turns out the luncheon size, which you'd expect to be about half the size of the regular portion, (the math certainly suggests that) was really along the lines of a side salad. Small salad/pasta bowl holding a damned small salad. Less than a handful of romaine with about a tablespoon each, maybe, of the other goodies. I suspect if the two of us would have combined our two luncheon sized salads, we would have had about half to two-thirds of the regular salad. Total rip off. Next time, we'll order the regular size and two forks.
One of my golden standards for a good restaurant is consistency. It's important to know exactly what you are going to get in terms of quality AND quantity for a given price. That means when it comes to portion size, the best thing to do is to adopt Ron Popeil's slogan for the Ronco Showtime Rotisserie: Set it and Forget it!
Speaking of portion size, unless you live under a very large, moss-covered rock located in the middle of say, Haakon County, then you have probably noticed some of the shenanigans going on with portion size. The portion-creep has been occurring for years in the grocery stores. Here is what I am talking about. If you are over say, the age of 35, a square, cardboard container of your favorite ice cream is generally referred to as a half-gallon. That's what it was in 1967, 1972, and 1989. Today, it looks the same, so it must be a half-gallon, two quarts, 64 ounces, right? Wrong. Don't believe me? Go open the freezer. 3.75 quarts. That is 0.25 quart, a/k/a 8 ounces, a/k/a one cup short of a half gallon. BUT, the price is in line as if that was still a half-gallon container.
This sort of thing is going on all through the aisles of groceries. Things look the same, and they are priced the same, but they are not the same. Check out sugar packaging like my favorite economist blogger, who also happens to love food and cooking, Meghan McArdle, has to say about this. Here. Call it what you will, it's a price increase that producers and distributors are trying to obfuscate. Personally, I am waiting to see if these packaging pirates can figure out how to sell you 10 eggs for the price of a dozen in a package that makes you think you are still getting 12 eggs. Stay tuned for that one.
Well, the very same thing is occurring under our very noses in restaurants here in River City.
Example One. The first example, I am guessing, has been noticed by many folks. I call it "The Great Jumbo Wing-Ding" at Buffalo Wild Wings. As you may recall, I loves me some B-Dubs wings. If you've been to B-Dubs like twice in your life and ordered wings, ( and I mean traditional wings, not the McNuggets) then you probably have it in your mind that they are priced per 6 wings. Or, were, as it turns out. B-Dubs decided to start delivering different product, a so-called JUMBO wing. And, true that, the wings were bigger. However, the geniuses in accounting on the 38th floor of B-Dub Tower decided that those wings were so JUMBO and over the top huge and generously sized, that it was necessary to reduce the allotted portion from the relatively standard SIX wings to FIVE, because hell, you are getting as much or more fried, sauced, gooey protein and chicken skin per order at the same price. Maybe.
But there's a twist to this story. First, as the SSS and I can both attest, the bigger JUMBO wings sucked. Some fried chicken wing magic seems to get lost in that marginal up-sizing. They never seemed cooked as well or sauced to specs. Second, and it's extremely difficult to tell whether this was the plan all along concocted in the B-Dub Board room on the 65th floor of B-Dub Tower, or whether it was a reaction to bitching, but the wing size has been dialed back to the more standard sized wing. What didn't dial back up? The portion size. Still FIVE wings. Seems like it would have been a hell of a lot easier to just scootch up the price and leave the damned wings as they were. Do the math next time you are in there. About a buck a wing.
Example Two. I don't eat chicken wings all the time. Those things will kill you for crying out loud. So, the other day, a couple of us decide to hit Chevy's for lunch. I run hot and cold on Chevy's, but one thing I can always count on there is the Santa Fe Chopped salad with the apple chipotle vinaigrette. Pretty good salad and always made pretty well. Cold, crisp romaine lettuce, avocado, some blue cheese, roasted corn, red bell pepper, a little bacon and some grilled chicken. Seriously, a pretty nice salad.
So, when we were at Chevy's, it appears a new menu is out. It seems Chevy's has been screwing with their lunch menu for an extended period of time. Sure enough, the Santa Fe Chopped Salad remains on the menu. And, it is available in a regular entree size for just shy of 12 bucks, or a luncheon-sized portion for, I believe, $6.99. Well, it's lunch, so let's have the luncheon size. I suspected we would be sorry we did this, and, as usual, I should have listened to my gut instinct.
Turns out the luncheon size, which you'd expect to be about half the size of the regular portion, (the math certainly suggests that) was really along the lines of a side salad. Small salad/pasta bowl holding a damned small salad. Less than a handful of romaine with about a tablespoon each, maybe, of the other goodies. I suspect if the two of us would have combined our two luncheon sized salads, we would have had about half to two-thirds of the regular salad. Total rip off. Next time, we'll order the regular size and two forks.
One of my golden standards for a good restaurant is consistency. It's important to know exactly what you are going to get in terms of quality AND quantity for a given price. That means when it comes to portion size, the best thing to do is to adopt Ron Popeil's slogan for the Ronco Showtime Rotisserie: Set it and Forget it!
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