The Best Of...Tri Tip Sandwich

Tri tip is apparently a cut of meat that not everyone knows of.  I grew up with tri tip...really great tri tip.  So, for all of the international and other-than-California followers of Jen Eats Food, google it, buy it, BBQ it and then love it. 

Tri tip is good for two things:
1. BBQ'ing (by Rob) and eating by itself (with Garrett's asparagas and DeDe Weeks' garlic bread and potatoes)
2. Making into a sandwich

A tri tip sandwich?  Where could I possibly get one?

Well, not only will I tell you where to get a tri tip sandwich, I will tell you where to get, without a doubt, the best tri tip sandwich you will ever have.  And lucky for you, you can get said sandwich at three places.

The original started in San Luis Obispo at a well known place called Firestone Grill.  Named after the Firestone Tires that went out of business in the building that the owners decided to turn into a sports bar.  After the incredible success of Firestone Grill they decided to expand to Cambria (Main Street Grill) and finally to Fresno (Doghouse Grill). 

All three have a variety of fantastic food (The Pig (pulled pork sandwich), half chicken meal and char-grilled burgers), but they are known for their amazing Tri Tip Sandwich.  The tri tip is grilled Santa Maria style (serioulsy??  Google that too), stacked HIGH on a garlic butter dipped roll and covered in BBQ sauce.  I will say that I am not a fan of the BBQ sauce.  It is very sweet and I prefer a vinegary Southern style sauce, so I order it without. When I am feeling good about my weight, I dunk the sandwich in their amazing ranch dressing, but the great thing about it is that it is delicious even by itself. 

So if you find yourself in SLO, Cambria or Fresno (don't act like you have never "driven" through Fresno), take the time to stop in and enjoy the best tri tip sandwich you will ever eat.  And if you think you know of a better one, I encourage you to buy me a plane ticket to wherever you think it "may" be, send me cash to pay for the meal and I promise to review it right here on my famous blog.  I will even give you credit.  Well, maybe.

Calories

In honor of David Letterman's Top 10 signs that America is Too Fat and for those of you who can't seem to grasp the concept that fattening foods will make you fat, tonight I will give praise to one of the best regulations our government has put into place.

Restaurants posting the nutritional values of their menu items.

To be fair, I will say that it is, at times, very confusing to make healthy choices at restaurants.  What is that?  You would like a few examples?  Geeze...it's like I have to everything for you.

Two caloric wake up calls I have had recently are as follows:

# 1

Applebees Chinese Chicken Salad

1340 Calories

Panera Asian Chicken Salad 

410 Calories



They are both amazing.  However, you can literally eat almost 3 1/2 of the Panera salads for just one of the Applebees.  Apparently Applebees secret ingredient is lard.

# 2

Prime Rib Dip

1008 Calories

(Not including Fries)

Crispy Arctic Cod Sandwich

610 Calories

(Not Including Fries)



How the fried fish sandwich is 400 calories less than the sliced steak sandwich is completely beyond me.  What on earth is in that steak?  Wait...I don't want to know.

We at Jen Eats Food are very calorie conscience, and yet, even we are surprised by the nutritional values of certain restaurant foods. 

This regulation will not only make individuals take responsibility for the foods they eat (and more importantly, the foods they are feeding their children), but I honestly hope it will also encourage restaurants to provide more healthy options.  And more importantly GOOD healthy options!

Tonight, I raise a glass to healthy and delicious food.  Cheers!

The Habit

In Fig Garden Village (Fresno) is a great little burger joint named The Habit.  Fresh ingredients, crispy fries and grilled onions.

And, just for you Dave, the best part of the restaurant was that they have Coke instead of Pepsi.  The owners clearly understand the importance of quality and good taste.

Thanks, Jen, for taking me here!

A Hidden Gem

I was driving on the long and desolate stretch of 99 yesterday that was bringing me back to Fresno from Bakersfield (don't be jealous) and I was in need of a snack.  After a recommendation by a good friend, I decided to stop at Bravo Farms in Traver, CA.  (Don't feel bad...I had no idea either.)

In the middle of nowhere, across the road from a big rig car wash and gas station, was one of the greatest little treasures.  In an area smaller than a city block was a nostalgic tribute to the old west. 

I pulled into the gravel parking lot, got out (in four inch heels) and turned to see two old timers sitting on the wooden porch in front of the convenient store.  Next to them were two guys BBQ'ing chicken and tri tip on a Santa Maria style pit.  I was already in western heaven.  Then it got better.

After I bought my Classic Lay's and a Diet Coke, I went for a stroll through the Bravo Farms "town".  I will go back and spend the day in this parking lot size desert mirage one day.

So, obviously what really drew me to Bravo Farms were the signs on 99 advertising the wine tasting.  I may not have said it here before, but I have always said I could live on three things: bread, cheese and wine.

But there was so much more than cheese and wine...

A fruit stand (this was just part of it)

A coffee shop, ice cream shop and a diner...



A gift shop with nuts and dried fruits...

(The Classic Lay's and Diet Coke were still the best choice)

An incredible selection of cheese...





A store that is a collectors dream...

(And what would a kitschy store be without an Elvis display)

And last, but certainly not least, a bar.



If you ever find yourself on Highway 99 south of Fresno, stop at Bravo Farms.  There is a part of me that thinks I may have imagined the whole thing, but I am pretty sure it is there, and from what I saw, it is a must see!

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Out of Tragedy....

(Thank you to all of those out there in internetland that took these pictures so I could steal them from you)

Comes Hope and Rejoicing....

Middlebury, VT

Alachua County, Florida

AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST

Fresno County, CA

(They also accept EBT cards...I just couldn't find a picture to prove it.)

The tunnel may be extremely long, but accepting EBT cards at Farmers Markets is one absolutely one of the best steps forward we as a nation have taken in nutritional assistance. 

Farmer's Markets accepting EBT cards not only promotes healthy food that is less expensive than grocery stores but it also puts our tax dollars right back into our community and supports local farmers.  Incredible!

Now, as I said earlier on my friend Jeff's FB post (thank you for the inspiration), if we could could just stop EBT cards from being used at strip clubs, being advertised on candy aisles or being taken advantage of by those who are scamming the system and stealing from our country, we would probably get our state/country out of debt.  But that is for another time and another day.  You know, like in 2 years when I am eligible to run for president. 

Tonight, I raise a glass to those who are responsible for instituting the Farmer's Market EBT program!  And because I am so excited about learning about this amazing program, I will raise a second glass!

Our First Harvest

This beautiful tree gave the Weeks family the first harvest in our new home! 

Now I need to learn how to make Grandma Murillo's apricot pie and apricot jam.  It is no coincidence that this was our first fruit.

(And then I need to go take my turbo SUV out for an unnecessary drive to balance out the universe from all this self sustaining hippie crap.)

Cheers to living in the country!  My heart is happy.

American Soil

This Memorial Day, Jen Eats Food honors each and every soldier for their service to our incredible country.

I will always celebrate food grown on American soil provided to us by The Good Lord and protected daily by the men and women of our Armed Forces.

May God continue to bless America, her dedicated soldiers and those who farm her land. 

Especially the grape farmers.  C'mon, I had to throw one in...

Have a beautiful Memorial Day filled with family, friends, gratitude and as always, good food!  Cheers!

Love and Food

I have eaten at some of the countries best restaurants with food created by some of the most amazing chefs. (Don't worry, there is clearly a blog in the future douche-bag-ingly letting you know each of them)  But in all of the world, out of all of the chefs, I choose one.

When I met and fell in love with Rob, I had no idea that he had the ability to create one of the only other things I am obsessed with, other than him...good food.  (For those of you rolling your eyes because you know me well enough to know I am compulsively obsessed with many things, just give me this one.  I don't want all of my blog readers to know the level of my craziness...or at least not this early.)

I told Rob that I would never critique his cooking on my blog, and I won't.  But I do feel that no blog, book (hint hint) or show (HINT HINT HINT) I have about food would be complete without me telling the entire world (clearly the audience I deserve) how amazing my husband is.  From grilling a steak to rolling homemade cannelloni, my husband is a culinary genius. 

So, I raise my glass to a man who works harder than anyone I know, is bad ass enough to pull off a white suit and Panama hat, is mafia loyal and can emulsify a bechamel with one hand with a bourbon on the rocks in the other.

No one person is more perfect as my partner (or...most likely more accurate, the one person who will put up with my quirkiness...yeah, we will go with "quirkiness").  Here's to the man who feeds my love of food and always keeps my glass full!

Tonight, I wish you all your perfect partner!  Well, that, and some really great food!

The Greasy Breakfast

In an obviously appropriate follow up to my hippie bashing, I will sing the praises of greasy diner breakfast food.  Well, not so much singing but grunting.  After eating this kind of breakfast, I can't be bothered to move let along sing.  After a night of wine "tasting" with one of my favorite people in the world, I needed a hearty breakfast.

So, off to Sandy's Country Junction in Clovis we headed.

If the following picture does not make you want to deep fry the closet edible item next to you, then you may be dead inside.  (And you are tap dancing on the reminder of the little red "x" in the top right corner of your screen.)

Scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon and biscuits and gravy.  It was amazing.  Although, the best part of this restaurant was that the milk came in a glass cowboy boot. 

So, this got me thinking.  I love greasy breakfast food.  Okay, technically I love most greasy food, but greasy breakfast food deserves a shout out.  Because it is, as my kid says, boss. 

A list of reasons greasy diners are the best place for breakfast:

1. It is real food.  There is no truffle oil, no vegetarian "ham" substitutes and no egg whites. 
2. They have white gravy.  I don't want to get into the difference between white and brown gravy so I will just say that white gravy is amazing and we will leave it at that. 
3. You can go looking like you just rolled out of bed (probably because you did) and you fit right in.
4. The coffee comes in a mug and it just keeps coming.
5. You get more food than you need, but you will certainly not need to eat again until dinner (unless you are my husband or one of my four brothers).

A list of reasons people should be kicked out of a greasy diner during breakfast:

1. This is not French Laundry and nobody cares who you are.  In fact, the only people who get special treatment here are the old ranchers that have been coming here for 30+ years.  So take your Ed Hardy shirt and your spray tanned wife and wait with the rest of us.  Quietly.
2. Ordering fruit instead of hash browns.  If you wanted brunch, you should go to brunch (in fact, I am a huge fan. Brunch = mimosas.)  But do not come to a diner and try to "healthy up" the food.  You ordering an egg white omelette with organic veggies just got you an eye rolling from the waitress.  And I will most likely make fun of you and write about you in my blog.
3. Yes, the coffee sucks.  It is part of the experience.  Either have your Starbucks on your way there, or take the approach I do.  Embrace the nastiness of the coffee...you are in a freaking diner!!!  What on earth do you expect?  But most importantly...shutty.
4. The management is aware that the waitresses are rude.  They do not need to hear it from you because they are too busy to care what you think.  But more importantly, with foods like bacon, hotcakes, chicken fried steak and white gravy sitting in front of you...why on earth are you paying attention to the waitress? 
5. Undertipping a greasy diner breakfast waitress.  If anyone deserves a 20% tip (don't be a douche and tip less than 20% when your waitress is working hard) it is the greasy diner breakfast waitress.  She is up at 5 am on a Sunday to serve you eggs and pancakes at 10 am when you finally roll out of bed.  It is a hard job.

The only thing that sucks about this blog post is that it is Monday night and I need to wait until at least Saturday before I can go have another greasy diner breakfast.  And do not give me the "suggestion" of getting up an hour early so I can go to breakfast before work.  That is ceratinly not an option...I am super lazy. 

Here is to bacon and white gravy...and if you are lucky enough, bacon bits in your white gravy.  Cheers!

The "O" Word

Anyone who knows me knows my aversion to anything related to the "Hippie" movement.  Included in that are the myths of Organic food.

Please do not mistake this for an aversion to keeping God's green earth pure and preserved.
***Please hold while I pull out my soapbox*** 
It is the self-righteous and judgemental attitude of most "green" people. (I know, I know, not you.)  You are clearly better than me because you have your reusable bags in the back seat of your Prius. Yes, we see you, and yes, we get it. Now stop waving your arms around before your tie-dyed shirt gives me a seizure. 

Okay...enough of that. This isn't Jen Hates Hippies, it is Jen Eats Food. Geeze, folks...stay focused!

Back to Organic food.

Let me preface the awesomeness of the following words with this:  There are certain health conditions where the individuals with those conditions would actually be harmed by hormones or pesticides that may be present in non-organic food.  And for that reason, we here at Jen Eats Food salute the farmers who grow and raise organic food.  I will always raise a glass to good health!

Now, for the rest of you who are clearly wealthier than me if you insist on buying organic food because you have been convinced by Whole Foods that it far superior than non-organic food, I say this:
 
I am a huge supporter of growing your own food, supporting local farmers and eating fresh, clean food.  Especially for children. Fresh fruit and vegetables are the main reason I love California in the summer! You can make fun of Fresno all you want...but you better also give them a little shout out every time you leave your grocery store with (a lot of) your fruits and vegetables.  However, if we tried to grow all food organic, we would starve.  It would simply not produce enough.  Wash your food well when you get home and call it a day.  Plus, if you drink enough wine, I am about 98.3% sure that the alcohol in it will kill the trace amounts of bad stuff you might be ingesting.

And can we all stop pretending that organic food tastes better? Seriously. In fact, I once bought organic cranberry juice (I was in college...I was just experimenting) and it was awful. Just awful.  Watch the episode of Penn & Tellers Bulls#!t about organic food.  The "survey" they did on organic vs non-organic is classic.
 
My final request is that we all band together and agree to stop using the term "green".  I am talking about the term in general, but certainly for food.  Green fruit is unripened fruit and green food usually means moldy. So, to the green food truck I saw outside of the Riverside courthouse, no, thank you.

I am not saying organic food is bad. Let's just be honest about what it is.  There is no need to protest against or picket non-organic farmers. Besides...how many trees died to make the sign you are holding or the flyers you are handing out? Organic food for thought...