The Dave Grind Times

Places that used to serve food that are now cash loan businesses - New Castle, DE edition

2011-11-20T12:17:00.001-08:00

This used to be a Denny's, and also, the short lived Hot Plate restaurant.

This used to be a Taco Bell.

This used to be Deerhead Hot Dogs - before that, it was a cheesesteak place - and way before that, it was a Texaco.

This used to be a Wendy's.

American-made stuff

2011-11-13T17:22:00.000-08:00

I've been seeking more American-made things lately, and thought I'd share some of the unique companies and ideas I've come across lately:

Daylight Sales - this company deals with railroad themed gifts and clothing. Many of their clothing options have "Made in America" options available (I actually just bought a hat from them). http://www.daylightsales.com/

Apliiq - this company makes some neat clothing in Los Angeles...I will be buying something from them soon as well. http://www.apliiq.com

New Balance custom-made sneakers - I own a pair and they are nice. http://www.shopnewbalance.com/us574

All-American Clothing - lots of clothing options. http://www.allamericanclothing.com/

Missed promotional opportunities:

2011-09-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

Cow Ribken Jr. - totally could've been a burger & ribs joint in Baltimore.

Cookie Snackhouse - could be a "True Blood" themed food truck.

U.S.A. vs. Canada - food edition

2011-04-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

Here's all the information that Americans and Canadians need in regards to food!

McDonalds - Canadian McD's has different stuff than the U.S. McD's, including the McMini (delicious small chicken sandwiches with a choice of sauces, including pesto, thai and another one I cannot remember), the Double Big Mac (only available in select markets in the U.S., but widely available in Canada) and the Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry (the best thing I have ever eaten). In addition, the ketchup is more tomato-ey and the fries taste less salty but more flavorful. Canadian McDonalds wins.

Pizza Hut - Canadian Pizza Hut has less delicious grease/butter in the crust than the U.S. Pizza Huts. Pizza Hut in the U.S. is way more delicious than Canada....U.S. Pizza hut wins.

Burger King - Same menu in both countries, besides the poutine that is on the menu in Canada. I didn't like poutine. U.S. Burger King's smell more burger-ey than Canadian Burger King's when driving nearby. U.S. Burger King wins.

Wendy's - Same menu in both countries, and equivalent levels of screwing up my order. Tied.

Tim Hortons vs. Dunkin Donuts - Dunkin Donuts makes delicious donuts in the States and so does Tim Hortons in Canada. Outside of the delicious donut selection, the Dunkin Donuts menu includes some croissant & bagel sandwiches along with hash browns, and used to include pizza as well. Dunkin Donuts also has fountain sodas usually. Tim Hortons has actual sandwiches (turkey club, etc.), chili and a variety of soups, but no fountain sodas, only cans or bottles. As a big fan of turkey club & chili - Tim Hortons wins.

U.S. pizza vs. Canadian pizza - U.S. pizza wins. I have had decent pizza in Canada, but yet to have a phenomenal slice of pizza in Canada. U.S. wins.

My adventures on the Amtrak Adirondack route

2011-02-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

I like traveling to Canada - specifically, Montreal & Toronto. One of the easiest methods I have available for traveling to Montreal is the Amtrak station in Wilmington DE, which takes me to New York's Penn Station - there, I catch the Adirondack train to Montreal. This train has some pros and cons - I've read some other reviews online and I thought I'd put some information out there for those who might be considering taking the train up, but aren't sure what to expect.

One thing you should know is that this train will not save you any time - this train will take you almost 12 hours to reach Montreal from NYC (and the same goes for returning from Montreal to NYC). Driving will take you prob. 9 or 10 hours -the Greyhound will take longer than the Amtrak. However, by taking the train, you will not have to worry about tolls, gas, driving & parking, and if you like to drink, you don't have to worry about being behind the wheel while under the influence. You are allowed to bring alcohol into Canada - its always best to check their website for the allowed quantities, but for as long as I can remember, you can bring 24 beers, or 1.5 liters of hard liquor, or 1.4 liters of wine.

One of the things that takes the longest on this trip is going through customs - the train stops at the border both heading north and south, and they screen every single person. That being said, I've never had a bad experience - but I have seen people get pulled from the train & not being allowed to come back on. From what I understand, Canadian customs agents may or may not turn you away based on things that may be on your record - if you've done anything iin your past that seems like something that they could turn you away for, you should definitely call Canadian customs to make sure that you will not have any problems at the border. I don't know what happens if they decide to not let you into Canada when coming in on the train, but there are no car rental places that I have seen at the border.

Back to the actual train though - the seats are fairly confortable with plenty of room to move and stretch out. The have a cafe car where you can buy snacks, sandwiches, beer, wine, etc. (I usually pack my own food & beer to save money though). Beers will run you about $5 - chips cost $1.75. Definitely bring something to entertain yourself - books, portable DVD player, laptop, whatever - you're gonna need it!

The restrooms on the train can get very gross further into the trip. I'll just leave it at that.

The train stops in Albany on the way up, and they'll let you out to smoke if you want to.

The train isn't a bad experience, but it is a lengthy experience. It's also fairly scenic, following the Hudson river and bordering Lake Champlain at different points.

A few other tips;

For those with Smartphones, once you get north of Albany, service gets very choppy. Sometimes you can't even call or text anyone....so, don't count on your phone for entertainment.

Know where you're staying & what you're doing in Montreal - customs will ask.

Pizza Delivery Stories vol. 1

2011-02-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

I've been reading a lot of news lately about pizza delivery guys getting robbed in New Castle. I delivered pizza part-time, on and off, for a couple of years (2003-2004ish). I've been lucky in that I've never been violently robbed, but I've had some interesting experiences.

Once, I went to deliver a pizza to a house around 12:15am - no one answered the door - and I tried calling their number but no one answered. I think they fell asleep, because the front glass door was open. I went back to the shop and they couldn't get a hold of anyone at the house either. I think we ended up eating their pizza.

Another time, I delivered a pizza to a party at an apartment. They invited me in for a beer...I normally would have thought this was a bad idea, but they had King Cobra, so I figured I'd have one. I walked in and sat down, and was chatting with some of the people there, when someone informed me that they drank all of the beer. That was disappointing....

I delivered a ton of pizzas once to what I believe was a Star Wars convention. It was at a hotel that I had delivered to before - however, there was no room number, so I checked in with the front desk. They pointed to the banquet hall - I walked in, and saw a bunch of dudes wielding light sabers at each other, and several scantily-clad ladies serving drinks in Princess Leia-ish costumes. There was a lot of people there, and I was just standing at the entrance with about 10 pizzas. Suddenly, some dude runs up dressed as a Jedi and says the pizza order was for him. That experience was pretty wild.

More stories to follow. I'm about to go to the Sixers game.

For my friend DJ.

2011-01-12T17:13:00.001-08:00

DJ was a real good dude....he was always there for me.

We had similar tastes in food, and I always had a good time wherever we would go out to eat. We both enjoyed hot sauce, although his preference was always much hotter than mine. Before I had food poisoning, we used to eat the hottest wings on the menu. We were both very fond of pizza as well - on any given day, I could go slice-for-slice with that guy. He introduced me to the Sriracha hot sauce (that huy fong red sauce, usually in a plastic bottle in the Chinese food section of many grocery stores). He was fond of Mexican food as well and we would occasionally go to the taco truck, the Farmers Market, and El Tapatio. We were also really into the food at Sheetz, mapping out wherever the closest one was if we played a gig in PA, WV or MD.

We would occasionally argue about food as well...I recall a very long discussion about whether or not onion straws were a suitable topping for a burger.

We had somewhat similar tastes in television as well. He was one of the people who got me into Lost. I remember many of the early Eph Tradition practices where he would leave early and I would wonder why. Then I found out about Lost, and became obsessed with it as well.

He always loved being in the band too. We had tried out some singers for Eph Tradition prior to him, but none of them worked out. If I recall, I think we asked him at Gators one night. I always thought he'd be a good frontman for a band, and he was. That guy always had tons of energy on stage, and I think he definitely left an impression on anyone that watched us play.

I don't know what else to say. Rest in peace, my friend. You've been on my mind a lot lately.

Some of the greatest burgers of all time

2010-10-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

Hamburgers are awesome.

Tommy's in Las Vegas, Nevada:

Denny's Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, Pennsylvania:

Stewarts Brewing Company in Bear, Delaware:

Jake's Hamburgers in Bear, Delaware (burger eating competition):

The Indulgence Burger from Dogfish Head in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware:

Main Street Sliders, Newark, Delaware:

McRib is back!

2010-10-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

McRib,

You're awesome. Thanks for everything.

-Dave

Review: The pizza at Sheetz (Dillsburg PA)

2010-03-03T14:59:00.000-08:00

Most people who know me know that I love Sheetz. The pulled pork, garlic fries, fajitas & subs are some of my favorites.

Recently I was near a Sheetz and got a slice of the pizza. I've had it before, but I've noticed that the flavor/look/weight isn't consistent between stores. It's usually pretty good though, and the slice that I had recently was delicious - perfect cheese/sauce ratio, and delicious toppings (pepperoni, green peppers & diced onions). All slices are made-to-order, which is awesome.

That being said, real pizza shops always make the best pizza....but Sheetz is one of the few places where someone can get a slice of pizza at almost any time of day. That's good news for a jerk like myself.

Review: Sweet Chili Sauce @ McDonalds

2010-02-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

McDonalds introduced the "limited edition" Sweet Chili sauce as a promotion for the Winter Olympics. I had to try this, since I am a fan of McDonalds - in particular, the Big Mac & McNuggets.

The sauce is good - it's more sweet than anything else. It reminded me a little of the Asian Zing sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings. What is best about it though is when it is used along with the Chipotle Barbecue sauce - dip the McNugget into the Sweet Chili first, and then dip it into the Chipotle Barbecue.....it is phenomenal.

One thing I want to know is - what the hell does "Sweet Chili" have to to with the Winter Olympics? Maybe they should have called it "Sweet Chilly".