Missing

Sometimes I get sidetracked not by the food I can consume, but the foods I can not. And I’m not talking about delicious treats that are bad for me, but those that were here and went. My list of missed foods/beverages/restaurants is somewhat extensive, and I find myself scouring the Internet looking for someone, somewhere having what I want. I’ve paid a great deal of money to have things shipped to me just to savor one nostalgic moment of tasty history. Here is a Top 5 list of my most missed tasteables followed by my Top 5 list of missed Restaurants.

#1 – The Original Choco Taco. Now don’t say, “Hey Jen, they sell Choco Tacos!” because THAT is an imposter. Sure it looks like one, smells like one, and is called one, but let me tell you, it is NOT one! The original Choco Taco was caramel and there was NO fudge. There were no swirls and no copious amounts of nuts on top. The chocolate also did not cover 1/2 of the taco shell. Rather it was a waffle cone dipped in delicious caramel, stuffed with vanilla ice cream, and then sealed with chocolate magic shell. There were sprinkles of nuts on top, but not large pieces, more like morsels similar in size to the ones found on top of Little Debbie brownies. Now that was the perfect desert. [New and Unimproved Choco Taco pictured below]

#2 – Taco Bell’s Big Border Taco. Came and went in 1996, but left an impression on my forever. It was my favorite Taco Bell menu item. Much larger than all the other tacos with a very different shell (other than size). Rather than the typical thick, yellow corn tortilla, this one was thinner and made from white corn, similar to restaurant-style taco shells. The tacos themselves had the perfect ratio to meat, sour cream, lettuce, and cheese, and the taco will never be the same to me in my eyes.

#3 – Nehi Blue Cream Soda. Now I know Nehi still exists and I believe you can still find orange, grape, and strawberry flavors. Unfortunately, blue cream has been gone for many, many years. Sure you can find Blue Cream Soda, in fact, I have 2 brands sitting in my pantry right now: Frosty’s and Moxie, both I must say are tasty contenders, but neither capture the flavor, smoothness, and after-taste of Nehi.

#4 – Kaboom Cereal. When I was a kid, I loved Kaboom cereal over any and all cereals. I lived off the stuff. I haven’t had any since before I turned teen and I lamented over its disappearance all through early adulthood. To add insult to injury, I had to grieve over this loss again when the box of my favorite cereal cameoed in Kill Bill. There I was sitting in the theater NOT thinking about how much I missed my cereal and then there, out of nowhere, they flashed it on screen as it was an integral part of the scene, and it killed all over again.

#5 – The Bar None. The Bar None was a Hershey candy bar unlike any candy bar on the market at that time. It came out in the late 80’s and I ate them religiously until they changed the formula. Wikipedia describes the Bar None as a “cocoa wafer, chocolate filling, peanuts and milk chocolate coating. Well I can’t lie, I don’t remember all that, but I DO remember how I felt when I ate them and that it was a piece of edible heaven. When they changed the formula I was really disappointed, but still would eat them occasionally. They never delivered the same flavor punch to the sweet-tooth, and soon disappeared all together.

#1 – The Big Dip. This restaurant was a hole-in-the-wall that was not only home to some of the best fried foods that could ever clog an artery but was also known for its socially inviting atmosphere; it was THE hangout. A very simple, and not so clean, place that consisted merely of a few booths, a juke box, and a few arcade games, one being Joust which I always played when we went. The best food to get there had to be the burgers and fries. I’ve never had a burger the size or quality of those burgers. And they also served amazing chicken strips, corn-dogs, and believe it or not shrimp.

 #2 – Chi-Chi’s. I don’t even know where to begin about Chi-Chi’s, and this is a particular sore spot for me because it’s promoted in every grocery store with branded chips and salsa, yet there is not a single store in the United States. Chi-Chi’s was amazing on all accounts. My favorite dish: The Outrageous. The Outrageous was a 16” chimichanga that was about 3 inches wide and 2 inches tall. It really was an outrageous portion, but the taste was something I’ve never had duplicated at any Tex-Mex restaurant in my life. The other missed thing was their Fried Ice Cream. You have NOT had fried ice cream unless you’ve had theirs. Their ice cream was made fresh and believe it or not served hot. Sure you can go to Don Pablos, Amigos, PRs, wherever and get fried ice cream, but it is always cold. Sure the ice cream is supposed to be cold but the outside crust is supposed to be flashed fried prior to serving and come hot. The best hot/cold combination ever. Now not all Chi-Chi’s are gone. In fact, August 2008 I had the pleasure of eating at a Chi-Chi’s in Belgium, however I did not have the fried ice cream which I’ve regretted this whole time, and The Outrageous was not on the menu. But I must say, it was delicious and everything I remembered it was. [Belgian Chi-Chi's pictured below] 

#3 – Café Sorrento. Now Café Sorrento was no Café at all. It was a little hole-in-the-wall pizza joint in Old Lake Mary. It was home of the deep dish pizza that resembled more of a lasagna than a pie. It was served in an aluminum disposable pan and would be close to three inches thick. The servings you would get out of a “pie” were insane and you could not eat more than a 3x3 square. But talk about good eats.

#4 – Cooker Restaurant. Cooker was the All-American, American food restaurant. There were only 67 restaurants nation-wide and we were fortunate to have one near us. That restaurant had all things delicious. It was the kind of restaurant where you didn’t have a “favorite.” You could look at the menu, packed with pictures, and find yourself wanting to try everything. All the entrees were reminiscent of home-style food; the kind that just make you feel good like only home can. I know they had the best fried zucchini I had ever had and an Apple Betty that puts Apple Crisps to shame. Buuuut, then they went bankrupt.

#5 – Easy Street Café. Easy Street Café was a little restaurant that didn’t get a lot of attention sadly. It was owned by a couple who came over from London and many of their dishes were European favorites including items like Sheppard’s Pie, Bangers and Mash, and Fish and Chips. None of these dishes were why I frequented this place. My husband and I thought we struck gold when we discovered their gourmet hamburger served on a Keiser Roll accompanied by the best steak fries ever. Although the burger can be found at almost every restaurant and is the main component to the bulk of fast food chains, only a few places actually do it well. Well, Easy Street had the burger down pat and the quality was consistent for the many months we had the privilege to dine there.

Introduction

I have come to realize, as an American, I live in a superficial world defined by excess. This is not something I have always known, but is occurring to me more and more. And like most Americans, even during these belt-tightening times, I still live in excess. This is not a complaint. Things come in abundance here and we are afforded the ability to dabble in just about anything; some folks have their gardens, their yoga, or their collection of band memorabilia.

People become enthusiasts of just about name it: Mustangs, comic books, education, movies, music, the arts… And people can expand or minimize their hobbies at any given time. It is often these things that defines our friendships, how our money is spent, and to what we dedicate our time. These things become a part of who we are, and I am a far-cry from a minimalist. I have my vast collections of music, Egyptian art and figures, Transformers, anything that would resemble something you would find in a tropical paradise. But of all the things I dabble in, my love for food outweighs them all.

I don’t particularly care for the term “foodie” but if the shoe fits, I suppose I’ll wear it all the way to the restaurant. This has probably heightened from years of watching the Food Network and Travel Channel. I love food. I love eating! And until about 4 years ago I guess I could be classified as a binge eater, if merely measuring quantity. Sometimes I would eat for the sake of eating and planned my meals based on cravings, typically condiments. I dream about food, and even while eating I would think, “hm- wonder what I’ll have for dinner”. I would eat around the clock and have been known to make dinner from 3 different drive-thrus if that’s what I was wanting. I never paid attention to cost, distance, or calories. If I wanted it, I had it, end of story.

Of course as the years went by, metabolism slowed, and common sense set in, I had to change my way of life. It was not easy I might add. I found my cholesterol is high and now must watch calories to maintain my small size. I remember when I got my blood results the first thing I said was, “I can’t eat mayo!!!” That was 3 years ago. Since then I still have not exactly managed to keep my numbers good for any sustained length of time. What can I say, I love a good hamburger. However, I have recently come to know one very important principle that I simply couldn’t fathom years ago: I don’t have to enjoy everything I eat as long as the benefits outweigh the risks. Since then I have been more than liberated from that way of life, and though I still eat for pleasure, it’s not as pressing or time-consuming as it once was.

 Revelations aside, I have grown to appreciate all foods and have a palate for all things delicious. Of course, food is one of those things where there are no real right or wrong answers, and it’s completely opinion-based, which I have many (opinions). It is here that I wish to share those opinions on all things edible from drive-thru chains to the mom and pop greasy spoons. Food doesn’t have to be a means to an end and it doesn’t have to be your life, but no way about it, for me it is a journey.