Burger of the Week #210

More than a color combination, it's a sandwich. Now that's effective brand identity. 

Reliquishing the Impulse

On a recent trip to World Market, these "unnecessary" items* found their way home with me.

While certainly none of these items broke the bank, none of them offered any ROI aside from self-indulgent, curiosity satisfaction.

When it comes to impulse purchases, packaging can often win me over.** But only in terms of grabbing my attention and initiating an initial purchase – the product still has to deliver on taste and value. 

Un-intimidating price points are definitely key to nailing an impulse sale, but something else that World Market does really well is create an aura of authenticity, uniqueness and worldliness. It's like finding an undiscovered treasure.***

Every time I go in there, I sort of feel like I've been tricked into buying something that looks Peruvian but is really crap manufactured in China. This awareness often leads me straight to the food aisles... which is where I unburied this haul. Let's see how my treasure fared... 

Ginger People's Ginger Syrup. I may be biased towards ginger, but this is a pretty stellar product. It works to liven up pancakes, but I've also been putting it in my coffee and tea, and it has a gingery-honey effect that is absolutely pleasant. 

WM Banana Chocolate Spread. This is a Goober Grape throwback for me. Except it's for adults and awesome. I'm not sure exactly what you're supposed to spread this on, but I've decided sandwiched between two windmill cookies is best. It also turns toast into dessert. The only thing that makes me nervous, is what's in this that makes refrigeration not required? 

Fentiman's Sodas. Both the Dandelion & Burdock and the Curiosity Cola were full of exciting flavors— cola with hints of anise and ginger with a fruity lightness, not sugary and strong. 

All three of my recent impulse purchases from World Market proved themselves recommendable. Even if they are all frivolity loaded with sugar.

*Are there ever "necessary" purchases to be made at World Market? 
** And the word "Ginger" will ALWAYS win my over.
***That is mass-produced and sold in similar World Markets all over the country.  

On the Hunt: Macaroons

A large part of our trip to New Orleans, was eating ALL of the food. And in that journey, I was educated in the art of the macaroon.

The first round I had were en route to New Orleans while in Chicago. While beautiful, these actually weren't very good. The cookies were full of air and separated on first bite. Come to find out, this is not how macaroons should be! Cookie consistency is actually quite crucial to a successful macaroon. Find out what constitutes a macaroon fail here.

Peeps, Caramel, Irish Creme, Strawberry, Pistachio – Sugar Fixé, – Lincoln Park, Chicago.

At NOLA's charming, sugar-coated Sucré, we had gold tinted macaroons, served in fancy boxes and on top of gelato. These earned points for presentation and flavor. 

Chicory macaroon on Almond Gelato – Sucré in NOLA.

But the best were from Croissant D'Or Patisserie — a French bakery in the French Quarter, baking sweets from scratch. The macaroons had great flavor, adequate cream and most importantly, soft cookies! (My favorite flavor was the Coffee).

*

So lesson learned: yes presentation is important, but when it comes to baked goods, adorable doesn't always win. Make sure the appearance is backed up with a good taste experience. 

*Photo by Alicia Magnuson
**Join me in my confusion of whether it should be macaroon or macaron.

Basically a 300.

Wondering where the best Grilled Cheese in town is? Well stop looking and go bowling!

My happy place just got happier. I'm happy to announce that the Clique has the best grilled cheese in town. And some pretty friggin' stellar onion rings too. 

Beer Gradient

My mouth is watering over this package design from a Spanish designer, txaber, who has simplified beer packaging to a remarkably appealing minimalist design. Using Pantone numbers, he's paired each lager style to the appropriate tone, so you immediately know the hue of your beer.

See the full range on designboom.

Burger of the Week #209

Jersey Junction must be open for Spring! Mini burger candy now available at whim. 

In Modern Ruin

Like Mackinac's majestic Grand Hotel, San Francisco's Victorian-era Sutro Baths are a relic of a time gone by. But unlike the Grand Hotel, the baths stand in haunted ruin on the shore of the Pacific Ocean.

Now part of the National Park Services, the site once housed seven pools of filtered and heated seawater, a museum, restaurants, tropical plants, promenades, and seating for thousands of spectators, all covered by 100,000 square feet of opulent glass.

Built by San Franciscan real estate tycoon Adolph Sutro in 1894, the baths never flourished, despite the millions of dollars he poured into them — adding various amusements and oddities over the decades. Sutro even built a rail line through the Presidio to service the baths and the Cliff House, yet they continued to struggle.

After Sutro died in the 1950s, the site was purchased by another entertainment mogul, who attempted to turn it into an ice skating rink. But the site still didn't turn a profit and, in 1966, a fire turned the baths to ruin.

Today, visitors wander over the ruins as though their the remains of the Romans or  Mayans. Often they wonder what ancient structure once stood on the shore, but in reality, it wasn't all that long ago that Sutro's Glass Palace stood in all its lavish glory.

Listen to the colorful history of the baths turned to ruins on 99% Invisible. Or, read the story in Sutro's Glass Palace, available on Amazon.

Burger of the Week #208

Easter Bunny left behind some Adidas Superior Comfort Neo socks.
They're odor resistant, but honestly, I kind of wish they were scented...

Funniest part is their mis-matchiness — one's a burger and one's the fries!

Art with Soul

A few hours in on our New Orleans adventures, we stumbled across an Easter Hat Bar Crawl. Now this alone is worth mentioning, as I love the idea and spirit of this event. Moreover, the people watching was epic. And as an excuse to stare a little longer,  we meandered into the nearest bar.

The bar was Mimi's in the Marigny, and we quickly found ourselves admiring and commenting on the "Be Nice or Leave" sign hanging above the dartboard.

It was straight-forward. And we appreciated its candor. Little did we know, this sign was kind of a big idea and a big deal in New Orleans. 

It's a simple message, but it embodies the spirit of New Orleans. Over the course of the week, we noted many times just how friendly people were, (with few exceptions—Vaughan's).

The painting was done by Dr. Bob (Bob Shaffer), a local Bywater artist, and in the days to come, we would see the sign (or variations therein) dozens of times. Dr. Bob started selling these signs after his own sign bearing the message continued to get stolen (and he continued to replace it).

Artistically, Dr. Bob reminded me of GR's Reb Roberts,  (who coincidentally has a gator gumbo painting reminiscent of Dr. Bob's gator po-boy painting). Wild, colorful folk art with big block letters, messages of kindness or animal inspired, Dr. Bob livens up the buildings of New Orleans much in the same manner that Reb adorns the streets of Easttown.

In my head, especially since we were staying in Bywater, Dr. Bob's artwork is an integral part of the visual experience of New Orleans. When I reflect back on the trip, I will see his art on sidewalks, buildings and inside restaurants.

I'm sure Dr. Bob wants everyone to be nice (or leave) but I'm sure he also gets a kick out of all the yankees who come down to NOLA and spend $50 on one of his signs. But what better message to take home, then these simple words that should be a motto world-wide.

Read the interesting and entertaining story of the messages origin here. 

Moving In: New Orleans

I'm only a little bit tech savvy. I'm right on the edge of Old School and Millennial. So when I traveled to New Orleans last week, it was the first time I tried airbnb. Airbnb is a website that allows individuals to rent out lodging, be it an apartment, a whole house, or an airstream trailer.  

The house we stayed in the Bywater was an 87-foot shotgun house from 1897. If you're unfamiliar with shotgun houses, it's when rooms connect to one another in a long row, so you have to travel through one to get to the next—a straight shot from front to back. It's a very common style throughout New Orleans. 

 The house was fantastic. It was so spacious and unique, and so very specific to New Orleans. Being in a neighborhood made it feel like we were living in the city rather than just visiting it. We got to know the streets around our house very well.

The house itself had so much charm — vintage kitchen appliances from the 30s/40s (functional), plants and orchids in every room, 3 fireplaces (non-functional), ridiculously high ceilings, original paintings by the homeowner, and great patio furniture and gardens. Every room had appeal.

While my roomies showered and readied, I spent my mornings on the porch reading my book and basking in the sunshine. And saying hello to all the passerbys—because New Orleans is a crazy friendly city. 

In this transaction we only saw the host when we picked up the keys, but we were able to text her to ask questions about the city throughout the week. This process is different in every airbnb scenario, sometimes you even stay on the property with the owners, more like a bed + breakfast situation. 

Having tried it once, I will definitely do airbnb again, and recommend it to others (as I'm doing here). Marriotts are the same wherever you go, but you can only stay at a house like this in New Orleans!

Peeps: A Respectable Way to Go...

Easter was a few days ago, which means right now you probably have some peeps growing stale somewhere around your house (and if you don't you can probably get them for pennies at the local market). 

Not ready to subject yourselves to the sugar rush? Here's a way to maybe make it a little more palatable. Peeps Ice Cream. 

This is taken from last weekend's GR Press, where Jessica Webster grotesquely illustrated the murder of 10 baby blue peeps. I especially love this second image of them being boiled alive.

So unless you intend to keep these chics around till next Easter (and turn them into a wreath!?!!), I'm declaring it ice cream time. 

Burger of the Week #207

Probably not surprising... dogs like burgers too. 

Daffy, however, is unimpressed.

Burger of the Week #206

Enjoy a tasty little April Fools Burger. Courtesy of envelopes.com