Spicy McChicken Flames

A week ago Pickles came home from an evening of running errands. On his way home, he stopped at a McDonald’s and placed an order for himself and Pineapple. The order consisted of 2 cheeseburgers and a Chicken Selects sandwich.

The orders were a little behind, so Pickles went around the corner to fill the drink cups, and then wait for the order to be ready. The girl behind the counter seemed to be having trouble because she dropped part of a basket of freshly-cooked fries on the floor and had to throw them out. Pickles wondered if this was her first day. A little while later, the girl brought out the order and Pickles headed home.

By the time Pickles arrived at home, Pickles and Pineapple were both past ready to eat. When they opened the McDonald’s bag, they discovered a double cheeseburger, a spicy McChicken, and a Mushroom and Swiss Angus burger. The counter girl must have had a really rough day.

Pickles and Pineapple needed to decide what to do. Pickles could spend a half-hour taking the order back and getting the correct order, or Pickles and Pineapple could just eat what was delivered. Rather than spend the time to get the correct selection, Pineapple proposed rather matter-of-factly, “You have the mushroom burger, I’ll have the double cheeseburger, and the Spicy McChicken can go to hell.”

Wow! Strong words for a simple sandwich. Pineapple is not prone to swearing, particularly about food. Pickles found the statement so shocking that he couldn’t stop laughing for the rest of the evening.

After some discussion about Pineapple’s derisive statement, Pickles decided to eat the Spicy McChicken to see if it really deserved to “go to hell.”

After two bites, he agreed. The sandwich is overly spicy without reason. The flavor is more like cardboard underneath, and the spice just seems to be there to cover that fact. Now, as far as Pickles and Pineapple are both concerned, Spicy McChickens belong in hell. ‘Nuff said.

And Pickles is still laughing…

Candy Cravings

Pickles and Pineapple have recently been going through a phase where they sample unique candies--the kind of short-lived flavor experiments that can help or hurt a candy company or brand. These are our oh-so-biased research findings.

Cordial Blueberries -- Miserable fail! When you have Cordial Cherries, why mess with a good thing?

Coconut M&Ms -- Love them, LOVE THEM, LLLLOOOOOVVVVEEE TTTHHHHEEEEEMMM!!! Pickles and Pineapple have each eaten a whole one-pound bag in a single sitting, much to their hips' chagrin...

PB&J M&Ms -- Mixed feelings. Pickles used to like them (enough to share them with Pineapple when they were dating), but he now doesn't remember them. Pineapple is ambivalent.

Reese's FastBreak Bar -- Muy fabuloso! Pineapple would eat these perfect mixes of Rolos with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups all day, any day!

Reese's Crispy Crunchy Bar -- The epitome of nastiness. Pickles and Pineapple don't know what they did to ruin a perfectly good candy, but this stuff is just gross and has a foul aftertaste. Think of a Butterfinger gone bad...

Three Musketeers Truffle Crunch -- Lighter, fluffier, with a snappy crunch at the end. Incredible!!! Making a regular Three Musketeers bar better was practically unimaginable, but this bar is IT!!!

Cherry Cordial Kisses -- Perfect cherry cordials without the sliminess of the cherry! Pineapple is in heaven...

Pineapples, Coconuts, and the Kookaburra

This past Thanksgiving, Pickles and Pineapple went on a vacation to Acapulco, Mexico. Aside from lounging around on the beach, playing in the waves, catching up on sleep, and reading non-work-related books, Pickles and Pineapple had a couple of culinary adventures.

Arguably their favorite part of resort living was happy hour. Although they had to convince the wait staff that they really weren't interested in alcoholic bevvies, the resort served some excellent drinks. Pickles loved their lime margaritas, and Pineapple craved... can you guess??!... their pinas coladas. That's definitely on the top of her most-missed list.

Pineapple's birthday also happened during that week of unadulterated rest and relaxation. In celebration, she, Pickles, and her family went to the Kookaburra, a restaurant that looks out over Acapulco Bay and that serves some of the best cuisine in Acapulco. The restaurant is named for the live kookaburra birds, imported from Australia, that live in the main room of the establishment. And, the food and desserts are to-die-for!

So, if any of you happen to be in Acapulco and want an excellent, unique eating experience with fabulous wait staff and incredible ambiance, the Kookaburra is a must-try!

Pickles & Pineapple Picks | Top 10 for 2010

Scrum-diddly-umptious Desserts, common and unusual.

10. Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake at Arctic Circle
9. Rum Nougat Chocolates from See's Candies
8. Zesty Lemon Sorbet from Haagen Dazs
7. Praline Pecan Pumpkin Pancakes at International House of Pancakes
6. Fried Ice Cream at Mi Ranchito
5. Egyptian Baklava at Cafe Med
4. Diablo Verde at Los Hermanos
3. Lime Curd Jelly from Dickinson's
2. Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Dough at Nelson's Frozen Custard
1. Maple Butter Blondie at Applebee's

Appetizers and Entrees that are tres magnifique!

10. Fried Zucchini at Red Robin
9. Gyros at Burgers Supreme
8. Coconut Shrimp at Red Lobster
7. Pad-See-Ew at Sawadee
6. Teriyaki Burger at Carl's Jr.
5. Waldorf Salad at California Pizza Kitchen
4. Steak Don Buri with Tempura Vegetables at Shoga
3. Crispy Green Beans with Black Bean Sauce at P.F. Chang's
2. Pumpkin Curry at Thai Drift
1. Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken at Chef's Table

Honorable Mentions:

Lemon Chicken at China Isle
Jalapeno Poppers with Jalapeno Jelly at Ruby River Steakhouse
Fried Cheesecake at La Costa
Salmon Sans Salt at Texas Roadhouse
Salad Bar at Ruby Tuesday

Vanilla Lemonade: Delight or Disaster?

Pineapple likes soft drinks, and Pickles loves lemonade. But, Pickles has become increasingly picky about his lemonade. Minute Maid lemonade is too sweet, and he just can't drink it anymore.

When restaurants have fresh-squeezed lemonade, however, the drink is often too tart. To take the edge off, Pickles has started asking for a vanilla flavor shot. That typically earns him a weird look from the waiter, who's generally willing to indulge him. Occasionally, when the cook is doubling as a waiter, he is more than a little intrigued.

For Pickles, the vanilla mitigates the sharpness of the lemonade without making it too saccharine. Pickles personally really likes it, but some others do not. Tastes can be so different.

Feel free to try vanilla lemonade and let Pickles and Pineapple know how you like it...

Pickles & Pineapple: More than a Title

The title of this blog is purposeful. My wife (Pineapple) and I (Pickles) are busy professionals, and we eat out frequently. We both tire of the standard fare and like to try new places and interesting dishes. But I am something of a unique case. I really like to have different culinary experiences.

We love the Pita Pit, a Subway-like eatery where customers select their meat and then pick all the other vegetables and sauces that will be wrapped in the pita. My wife has a particular order she prefers, but I like to experiment.

One of my recent experiments involved putting both pickles and pineapple chunks in the pita. Although the flavor combination is definitely unique, I actually don’t like it very much. I’ve ordered it twice just to be sure.

However, one definite positive has emerged from that twice-tried pita--a unique and memorable title for our food review blog!