Kirbs

Kirby Yardley is awesome everyday and twice on Sunday. He can cook and grow a mean beard. He knows how to "suit up" when needed, and looks great in flannel -as you can see. 


I dare you to disagree.

Animal Style

I discovered "animal style" fries at In N Out this weekend. Actually, I've always known about them, but this time I actually tried them. And guess what? They're disgustingly delicious. You are literally disgusted at what you're putting in your mouth, but it is so delicious that you keep going, and going, and going, until you've finished your basket of fries and then you volunteer to eat the other half of your wife's. I'm ashamed.

I think a really skinny person with great metabolism came up with this idea of putting cheese, grilled onions, and spread on a pile of perfectly unhealthy french fries; someone unsatisfied with the already heart-clogging effects of grease-cooked strips of potato.
Animal Style fries have won my heart, it'd be nice if they were actually good for it.

Ceviche: I tried something new and it paid off...

Last week I had the wonderful privileged of spending a few fun-filled days in Kauai with my wife and her family. It was the most beautiful place I've ever visited, to say the least. Along with the beautiful beaches, jungles, and oceans, there was amazing cuisine as well. And when you go to Hawaii you know that there's at least one thing that they do very well: FISH.

I've never been much of a fish-lover. I mean, I really like lobster and crab, but I can't do trout, salmon, and some of the other "fishy" fish. That salty taste of the sea just doesn't sing to my tastebuds like it does some people. It actually boggles my mind that some people love the taste of fishy-ness. I'm not so sure I ever will. Even when a caesar salad is particularly sardiney, I can't really handle it. I'm a wuss, whatever.

Anyway, one night we ate at a nice restaurant in Koloa called The Beach House. This place specialized in super-fresh, local fish so they had a lot of good dishes. One of the best decisions we made that night was to order the ceviche. Now, if you've never heard of ceviche it's basically a Central American dish made of raw fish, marinated in lime juice, and mixed with tons of different herbs, spices, and vegetables. Things like: Onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. 

It totally sounds weird, but it was absolutely INCREDIBLE! It was one of the best things I tried in Hawaii. It was so fresh and delicious, and wasn't fishy at all. I probably would have never ordered it on my own, so I'm thankful for my father-in-law for having a little more broader taste than me.

The moral of the story: try new things! Except blood sausage, I'm probably not trying that. Or tripe either. Gross.

 But I have definitely decided to be more adventurous because of this experience. And for that I say, "Thank you, ceviche. You are delicious and I love you."

Hawaii Vacation: Top 5 Things I'm Most Excited For...

5. Beaches 

This will be my first trip to Hawaii, so I'm obviously so excited for the amazing beaches in Kauai. Our house is just a quick walk away from a gorgeous beach, so I'm excited to see the beautiful water.

4. Ahi Tuna Sushi and Sashimi 

I am a huge fan of sushi, especially tuna. There's no better place to get good Ahi Tuna than Hawaii. I will be eating a lot of it. 

3. Hawaiian Shaved Ice 

Remember when you were a kid and you would get a snowcone and the flavoring would just drop to the bottom of the cone because the ice was so chunky? Me too. Well, Hawaiian snowcones are soft like snow and covered in cream. Amazing!

I've always heard really great things about the shaved ice. I'm excited.

2. Roy's

One of my favorite restaurants in California. It's gotta be even better in Hawaii.

1. Golf

My father-in-law and I are playing Makai in Princeville and Kauai Lagoons. Not just one, but TWO days of golf! I'm so lucky. 

Holeman and Finch Public House

The BrainStorm team was in Atlanta for a Microsoft conference this week. While there, we took some time to enjoy the local cuisine. One night we ventured over to Holeman and Finch for their famous cheeseburger. 

To begin the evening we did a celebratory group pound. Always awesome.

Grimsman looking fierce. 

Ready for a cheeseburger battle. 

Casey ordered a hotdog as an appetizer: perfectly grilled dog, homemade fluffy bread, pickled onions and jalapenos, and homemade mustard. 
"That was the best hot dog I've ever had." -Casey
Agreed, old friend. Agreed. 

I ordered the Polish with babycarrots. Delish.

Second course: Dave and I shared a delicious sandwich with Black Forrest Ham and Gruyere. It came with a creamy horseradish sauce on the side.

This dish was legendary. 

Housemade pasta with panchetta and parmesan. Shad and Casey shared this one, but they gave me a bite and it was legitimate. 

Soft pretzel for Casey and Shad

The main event: The Double Cheeseburger. This is why we came. Holeman and Finch only makes 24 of these a day. The reason: because.

We got there a whole 2 hours early just to ensure that we would have a shot. We were actually awkwardly early and ended up waiting a lot longer than we needed to, but we were committed and excited.  

When the burger finally arrived the waiter wouldn't even let us put sauce on it. "It doesn't need sauce, guys. Don't ruin the burger with sauce." The sauce was homemade ketchup and mustard, which would have made a boot taste awesome.

Homemade bun, homemade ketchup, homemade mustard, homemade pickles, homemade fries. This place does it all. This is how it's done, son!

He was right, it didn't need sauce.

And to close, caramel and bacon popcorn. Heavenly stuff.

Whenever I feel like eating really unhealthy I think of this...

It's called Poutine: it's fries, covered in cheese, covered in gravy. It's Canadian, it's unhealthy, and frankly it sounds really yucky. 

Mazza: Middle Eastern Cuisine

I have officially fallen in love with slowly cooked meats in deliciously spicy sauces. Put it all over rice with some sort of carbohydrate for dipping, and I'm in heaven. I know, I know, real healthy, right? Well, if it was healthy and boring I wouldn't be blogging about it...

A few weeks ago we decided to check out Mazza in Salt Lake. I have a friend (Jeff Bradford) who used to live close by and has great taste in food; he recommended that we go check it out, so we did. I'd never really had Middle Eastern food before so I didn't quite know what to expect. I thought, "This is going to taste like Indian food."

I was close: rice, slow-cooked meats, breads, awesome, it was all there. I loved it. We ordered Baba Ganoush for our appetizer, which is basically mashed eggplant mixed with seasonings. We ate it with fresh pita bread. Great start.

For my main course I ordered Mazza's Chicken and Potatoes Mutabbak: "A wonderfully rich oven baked dish made of seasoned layers of chicken breasts, potatoes and sweet golden onion slices baked in a tangy and sweet tamarind sauce and served over basmati rice."  THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE MENU SAYS, how could I not order that? It was one of the best chicken dishes I've ever had. Loved it.

One thing that really appealed to me was the decor. I'm usually not too worried about how a restaurant looks, but Mazza is pretty fancy. Well, I'm converted. Go check it out. Not for the decor, but for the delicious food.

http://www.mazzacafe.com/

912 East 900 South, Salt Lake City