Birthday Bash

Happy birthday to me! To celebrate this most special of days, I hosted a party. But not just any run of the mill, half-decent cake and pizza hut party. Oh no. I had a FRY PARTY. And by this, I mean everything on the menu was fried. Everything but the cake, that is, which was no half-decent cake. It was an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen and it was pretty fantastic. But back to the main course...

First, Dad brought out onion rings, which he had soaked in milk, dunked in bread crumbs, and fried. They were of course a hit. He also set out a bowl of sweet potato chips, one of his specialties. The sweet potatoes were sliced, fried, and salted. They may sound odd, but I love them (and I'm not even a sweet potato fan).  After these had been mostly devoured, Dad served up his famous fried pickles and fried banana peppers. Since my friends are wimpy when it comes to the spice level of foods, the pickles were more popular than the peppers. I, however, loved them both, along with a few other brave souls. Then came the main event--HOT WINGS! However, because of my wimpy friends, they were pretty mild. That is, until the last batch, where Dad really let the signature spice go up a few notches. After giving us a little while to digest, he brought us our dessert: fried Oreos and huge pieces of the ice cream cake. The fried Oreos were amazing (and so was the cake). 

It was a pretty amazing night and I am very happy to have a new year ahead of me. I had a great birthday with awesome food and even awesome-er people to share it with. I would give it a 9.5, simply keeping to my philosophy that everything can be improved. And, of course I have one more thing to say: a HUGE thanks to my dad for preparing all the food and a huge thanks to my mom for serving it and cleaning up after us. :) 

Stadium Food

Fall is here! For all us underage food critics, it means back to school. It also means that it's football season! My family religiously attends all the JMU football games. Whenever there are evening games, we eat our dinner at the stadium. 

Now, what pops into your head when you think "stadium food"? Probably hot dogs, mediocre pizza, ad greasy burgers, right? Let me introduce you to the heaven of football food. 

JMU recently underwent a huge renovation to their stadium, which included adding a much wider range of concessions. Now they offer, along with the classic hot dog/hamburger route, selections including BBQ, Fair food, cupcake trucks, fried oreos, Italian sausages, baked potatoes, and more. 

Each section includes a different variety of food. The BBQ section has pulled pork sandwiches and chips, and the fair food can be found behind the student section. It offers corn dogs and funnel cakes. There is also a cupcake truck parked nearby which has a different selection of cupcakes each game. There is another cupcake stand behind the opposite side of the stands, replacing the home made donuts and Ben & Jerry's (which I was a little sad about). The top level of the concourse is home to the fried oreos, which are really good, although not quite as good as Jack Brown's. The only downside is that the oreos replaced my favorite food, the hot wings. Luckily, they still set out the hot wing sauce, so I can dunk my chicken tenders in that for the same effect. In "Fan Favorites" you can find the Big Dog, a foot-long hot dog smothered in chili, bacon, and nacho cheese. It is amazing and I ate it all :) . 

I have never ever seen anything that compares to this. I would give it a 10 out of 10, but losing donuts, Ben and Jerry's, and especially my wings forces me down to an 8.5. Still, this is stadium food like I have never seen before. GO DUKES! 

Baconated #1

Everything is better with bacon. It's a fact. Have you ever eaten something and gone "Oh, I wish that didn't have so much bacon flavor." NO. You have not. Bacon is good in anything. I can't think of an instance where bacon would be bad. I am even the proud owner of bacon lip balm! Therefore, every food is best when BACONATED.

OK, hold on. What is "baconated"? This is when a food perfectly ordinary gets a bacon makeover. Take, for example, french fries. You have perfectly nice steak fries. Nice and thick, but just a little crispy. They are fine. You eat them with some ketchup (or, if you are like one of my friends, some mayonnaise). But what would make them better? Bacon, of course. Bacon and cheese (a delectable combo).

Where to find this creation? I stumbled upon it in Outback Steakhouse. They are called "Aussie fries" and they are delicious. They are also HUGE. The full serving was gigantic. More bacon to go around, right? Now, not only was this simply a bacon dish. There were other factors that played into the tastes as well, like the dipping sauce. It was described as a spicy ranch sauce, and I would have to agree on that description. It wasn't overwhelmingly spicy by any means, just a little bit of mild heat to keep your taste buds interested. I give these fries an 8. There was a fair amount of fries underneath the layer of topping that were completely plain. They didn't get the baconated power! That would be my only complaint.

Over time, as I eat more baconated food, I will let you know. The posts will always be labeled accordingly, so you know when you are in for a bacon-y treat! In the meantime, I encourage you to do some homework: eat some bacon!

Disney Dinner

I just had one of the most fun weeks of my life ever. Seriously. I just arrived home from my week in Disney World! The first thing we did when we arrived in the most magical place on earth was eat. Really. But this was no ordinary meal, no on-the-fly burger and fries (although I do like my burgers...). Oh no. This was a Character Dinner!

So, you ask, what is a "Character Dinner"? Our party arrived via monorail at the Contemporary Resort which houses Chef Mickey's, the restaurant we would dine at that night. After having our picture taken at the entrance by the super-happy Disney staff, we were seated at a table with a delectable view of the buffet. Before we could fill our plates, however, Minnie Mouse was at our table!

We took tons of pictures and Minnie signed autographs for everyone. Minnie even complimented (through pantomime, since no characters in the mascot-type costumes speak) my disney-themed fingernails! As soon as Minnie was gone, however, Donald Duck was at our table to autograph and photograph. After his departure, we gobbled some food down.

Honestly, I don't even remember what I ate for the main course. My memories include characters only. And dessert. My brain always makes room for dessert. I ate a "Minnie" cheesecake (it was bite-sized), a  Mickey "Moose" chocolate mousse bite (it had little ears and everything, all made of chocolate), and a bowl of ice cream topped with caramel, chocolate fudge, and sprinkles. I'm not usually a sprinkles type of girl, but the night was just to magical I found myself reaching for them anyway.

By the end of the night, we got to see, take photos with, get autographs of, and meet-and-greet with Pluto, Goofy, and even Mickey Mouse himself! It was an awesome, amazing night. I give it a 10. Yes, that's right, a 10. I know. But what gets more perfect?

Brand New Burger!

Chef Dad has concocted a brand-spankin-new burger: the Potato Chip Buffalo Sauce Onion Awesomeness Burger. OK, he didn't call it that, but I am calling it that. :) You are probably wondering what this burger entails (as if the extensive title didn't tell you enough...), so here goes: 1 bun, toasted lightly on the grill. One meat patty, spiced and doused in Buffalo hot sauce (the kind on wings). Several onion strands (also doused in hot sauce). Several potato chips (he took my advice and made them crispier this time). All of the above is laden in cheese of assorted kinds. Add condiments of your choice; in my case, extra hot sauce and a little tiny bit of Ranch dressing. And there you have it: the Potato Chip Buffalo Sauce Onion Awesomeness Burger.

Does it beat the original potato chip burger? Definitely. Does it beat the Mac n' Cheese burger? Hmmm. That is a very close call. I say it is a tie. And now....I hereby give the Potato Chip Buffalo Sauce Onion Awesomeness Burger a big fat 9. I believe it can be slightly improved over time with practice (what can't?? OK, bacon can't. But other than that). Therefore it does not get a 10. But it is very, very, very good. And I am very very very glad to have a dad that makes Potato Chip Buffalo Sauce Onion Awesomeness Burgers. After all, how many kids can say that?? :)

Burgers Galore

This post is purely about BURGERS. I have had the opportunity to try some rather delicious ones in the past few days, and I have compiled results to share with you all!

Two of the burgers we will be discussing today were created by none other than David Slykhuis, or, as I call him, "Dad" :) . The first burger is his famous mac n' cheese burger. OK, well, not famous, but definitely delicious! I give it a healthy 9. I took off a point because it is kind of hard to eat, since mac n' cheese leaks out the sides no matter what you do to try and prevent this from happening. The mac n' cheese burger begins with a bun, then a perfectly seasoned and grilled-to-perfection patty of hamburger, then a hearty topping of mac n' cheese (in case you couldn't figure that out from the name...). Dad will also add a grilled onion at your request. This burger is amazing. The flavors of the mac n' cheese are in perfect harmony with the meat. Plus, this burger fills me up, which is a pretty difficult feat.

Dad's second burger is the potato chip burger. I give it an 8. The chips lose a little bit of their crunch when they are cooked, and the flavor of the chip is pretty nonexistent. So, why have chips on there? you ask. Well, the texture (while not as crunchy as they originated) of the chips add a lot to the burger. Then, once draped in cheese, mustard, and ketchup, it is absolutely fantastic.

Yesterday I dined at Dave's, a restaurant downtown. I ordered the Taverna Burger. I give it a 9. I seriously like that burger. Let me set the scene for you: A thick (but not too thick) bun, laden with a huge meat patty (seriously big, no joke.) lettuce (I ordered it with no tomato), onions (but not too many), and mayo. I used to hate mayo, but I really like it now, especially on burgers. I don't know what caused this change of heart, but I'm sure glad that it happened! If you are ever near Dave's Taverna, I would highly recommend it. Everything on their menu is great (they have amazing pizza, and my dad loves their greek food), but I have to say this burger could be at the top of my list.

DC Cupcakes

I promised you a post about DC cupcakes, and here it is! While I was in DC, I sampled cupcakes from 4 different eateries: Crumbs, Georgetown Cupcake, Sprinkles, and Larry's Ice Cream. Ice Cream, you think? Well, it sold cupcakes! Now to begin our ratings and reviews...

Crumbs is a cupcake shop in Union Station. It is sort of hidden--you have to leave the "commercial" side and cross through the mall to enter the "traveling" side. Then, to your left, you will find Crumbs. I would give the Crumbs cupcake a 7 out of 10. Very respectable. The sheer size of the cupcake bumps it up a few notches: it was literally as BIG AS MY FACE. I ordered "chocolate covered strawberry", and once I got to the middle, there was a delicious strawberry/fudge filling. It was also beautiful--the icing was pink with chocolate around the sides, and fudge was drizzled over the top. I'm usually not very picky about how "pretty" my food is, but I figured it was worth mentioning. I would definitely try a Crumbs cupcake if you are in the area--that is, if you can find it!

Sprinkles is a very special cupcake shop. It is owned by a judge on the Food Network TV show Cupcake Wars. As was expected, the cupcake I sampled was delicious. I give it a 9 out of 10, simply because I am wary to give out a 10 out of 10. After all, can any cupcake be perfect? Well, this one came very close. I ordered a strawberry cupcake and it was super super yummy! The actual cake was moist and very flavorful. The icing had a great texture and flavor. I really have nothing else to say but to strongly recommend a visit to Sprinkles!!

Next, I visited Larry's Ice Cream. I give it a 5. I ordered a raspberry-filled chocolate cupcake, and while it was fine, it was nothing special. However, the flavors of the raspberry and chocolate together were very nice, so that gave it the score it got. I don't know what else Larry's Ice Cream has to offer, but perhaps some of its other sweet treats will be better! I suppose it's worth a try.

Finally, we have Georgetown Cupcake. This is also a special bakery. It has its own TV show, called DC Cupcakes, which airs on TLC. The cupcake I ate earns a 9 out of 10 for the same reason as Sprinkles. There is a line outside, always, no matter what, it seems, but do not be deterred! The line moves quickly and the prized cupcake you receive is well worth the wait. They have different cupcakes depending on the day, and I got the chocolate peanut butter chip. The cupcake (which was nice and moist) had little pb chips baked right into it. The icing, a lovely buttercream (they also have cream cheese icings) was absolutely to die for. All cupcakes have what they call the "signature swirl" on top, which makes them adorable to look at. The shop itself is just that: adorable. I am telling you--stop at Georgetown Cupcake--you won't be sorry.

Hot Wings of DC

Today I will be rating (drumroll please) HOT WINGS. I recently had the opportunity to try some wings in Georgetown, a neighborhood in Washington, DC. I dined at J. Paul's and Thunder Burger (Yes, in the same night. Please don't judge. I was still hungry, OK?).

First, for the Thunder Burger wings. I would give them (out of a scale of 1-10) about a 4. Ooh, harsh, you say? Well, hear me out first. I did not get my first choice in sauces. I like my wings nice and spicy, but my dear sister, who has weakling taste buds, insisted we order mild. This is the reason for the low rating. Wings with no spice seem kind of pointless to me. However, if you are in the area, give Thunder Burger wings a try (with hot sauce, of course. Unless you are a sissy like my sis). The wings have a nice crispy-ness to them, which is probably due to the fact that they are grilled and then flash-fried. I love that quality in a wing. So, overall, don't pass up Thunder Burger!

Next we have J. Paul's wings. I give them a 7 out of 10. I ordered the "wild" sauce as opposed to the mild (My sister ordered mashed potatoes. Ha.) Look up at the paragraph just above you. I say, and I quote, "I like my wings nice and spicy". Well, I got what I asked for. These wings were SPICY. I had to order a glass of milk. You could see the habanero seeds in the sauce (and for those of you who don't know, the seeds are the part of the pepper that pack the most punch). The spice level was fantastic. The drawback to the sauce? It was kind of chunky. It had the appearance of marinara. I have nothing against marinara, I just don't eat it on my wings. The texture was not my favorite. The actual wings where not as crispy as Thunder Burger's, but they were still quite delicious. If you are in for a "wild" ride, J. Paul's is the place to go!



Coming soon: Sizing up DC's cupcakes! 

Welcome!

Welcome to The Underage Food Critic! This is my very first post (yay!), so let me give you a very brief history on my love of food and, now, my love of blogging about it.

I love food, and I love love love EATING food. I am in the stage of my life where I am hungry all the time, so I am constantly searching for tasty, delicious food.

The blogging idea hatched about two years ago, when I ate my first hot wing. I fell in love. After this, I rated every wing I have eaten since compared to that first glorious experience. Some have fallen short, some have risen above. Now I have expanded to rating all sorts of foods, although my focus is usually on hot wings and cupcakes (but never eaten at the same time). Since I have always loved to write, I decided to begin sharing my food ratings here on my brand-new blog! I hope you enjoy reading (and salivating) over what I have to offer! :)