Man v. Food is Dead to Me

Ann Arbor, Food Reviews

Man v. Food has been one of my favorite shows since it began a few years ago.  It’s like a good version of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives with a likable host and an eating challenge at the end.  What is there not to love?  When I first saw it,  I felt like it was a natural fit that Epic Portions began covering it.  Travel Channel even sent me season one on DVD for free.

I always hoped that Adam Richman would bring his show to Ann Arbor so I could hang out during production.  This week, the time finally came.  News started circling that the show was being filmed at Blimpy Burger on Wednesday, which was an obvious choice.  If someone was in town visiting and I needed one place to take them, Blimpy would more than likely be the winner.

His next stop was the Maze and Blue Deli, which I found to be a little odd.  I could probably think of ten places I would have recommended over it.  I’m not saying the place isn’t good, but come on.  Just because it has “Maze and Blue” in the name doesn’t mean you have to stop there while in Ann Arbor.  I could open up a bike repair shop and call it “Maze and Blue Bike Shop”, but it wouldn’t mean you should take your bike to me to get fixed.  I don’t know shit about bikes. I would probably break your bike even more than it already was.

I did everything I could to find out where the eating challenge would take place.  I scoured the internet, I talked to my insiders(HA!), and I kept my ear to the streets.  I was going to find Mr. Richman and I was going to be present for the challenge.  I had work  off, a full tank of gas, and a dream.  I finally found where out where it was all taking place, and what I read horrified me.

They selected Tios’ Mexican Cafe as their final destination.

Out of all places, they chose Tios.  Tios Mexican Cafe.  The WORST food in the area, perhaps the state. The place that has done everything in their power to DESTROY Mexican food.  The challenge turned out to be something I have written before… A hideous five pound pile of slop known as Mount Nacheesmo.

More like Mount Pile of Garbage! Haha!

Seriously, that is television worthy?  I could make that in my house and it would look/taste about 100 times better.  I was completely confused on this decision.  Ann Arbor has great local joints that really say something about the city, other than “Hey, we fucking hate Mexican food so we’re going to destroy it.  Here, have an enormous burrito filled with cat food and beans, and topped with yellow cheese and bland enchilada sauce.”  Why did Tios get the selection?  9/10 people that know food will tell you that Tios’ food sucks.  It’s common knowledge.  Couldn’t someone on the research team ask a local what they thought of the place and possibly recommend a good place to go?

Some time ago, I read WouldIBuyitAgain.com’s, rant on the resturuant selection in the Indianapolis.   I now see what he means.  The selection process on Man v. Food has gotten awful.  I will no longer watch Man v. Food.  Let the boycott begin.

Long Time, No Bake (Or: I’m surprised John hasn’t taken away my login info.)

Baking, Other Recipes

Hello, faithful food lovers – I have an apology, a cheesecake, and some news for you. The apology is thus: Sorry I haven’t been around to talk about sugar highs and fresh baked delights for a really, really long time. My life has been a little topsy-turvy lately, and things kind of got away from me.  Which brings me to the news: I’m actually not gonna be around much, for awhile.  I have officially moved to San Francisco to pursue my masters degree, and between being a full-time grad student, working two part-time jobs (it’s expensive out here, yo) and living in such an incredible and amazing city, I don’t forsee a whole lot of free time for baking in my near future.  I knew this was coming when I signed on here, and I have to say it’s bittersweet. Baking and writing for EP has been a whole lot of fun and I hope to come back to it regularly when things calm down a little here. (So, John: please don’t take away my login! In the words of my esteemed governor, I’ll be back.)

And now, for what you’re here for: a farewell cheesecake!  For most of August it was really, really hot in Urbana, so I didn’t much feel like baking in the traditional, oven-on sense. I DID feel like having my friends over for one last cake party, though.  So when I found a no-bake cheesecake with a lovely and unusual twist in the August Martha Stewart Living, I went for it.  I give you, with very few modifications (but some, because that’s just how I am):

No-Bake Goat Cheese and Mascarpone Cheesecake with Balsamic Cherries

Crust:
Butter (for your pan)
1.5 cups graham crackers, beaten or food-processed to a pulp
3 tblspn melted butter
2 tblspn sugar
Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to taste

Butter a 9″ springform pan liberally.  Mix together your ingredients and press them into the pan, and refrigerate (or freeze) while you make the cake.

Cake filling:
4oz cream cheese at room temperature
4oz mascarpone cheese at room temperature
2oz soft goat cheese at room temperature
1 cup of sour cream
2/3 cup sugar, divided into 1/3s
1 tblspn vanilla
1 tbslpn lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream

Beat the three cheeses, the sour cream, 1/3cup of the sugar, the vanilla and the lemon juice in a large bowl until very smooth.   Try it with your finger or a spoon and marvel at how you never really though goat cheese would be good in a cheesecake, but totally is.  Don’t eat it all with the spoon.  In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream and the other 1/3cup sugar on high until medium to stiff peaks form (or until soft peaks form and you’re really tired of standing there, but medium to stiff peaks are preferable.)  Fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture and spread into your chilled crust.  Freeze for at least 2 hours, or however long you can stand to leave it in there and not eat it.  There’s no way I left it for two hours, probably more like 45 minutes, and it was squishy but delicious.  The longer you freeze it, the less squishy it will be, although I do not think it will in any way affect its deliciousness.

Topping:
1/2 lb sweet cherries, pitted and halved (frozen is OK if, like me, you don’t feel like pitting half a pound of cherries, but fresh is probably better.)
1/4cup sugar
balsamic vinegar to taste (don’t skimp, the balsamicity is half the fun.)
1 tblspn cornstarch
1 tblspn water
cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and freshly ground pepper

Bring about half of your cherries, the sugar, the vinegar, and your spices to a simmer in a saucepan.  Cook, stirring, until squishy.  (This is a very squishy recipe.)  I mean really squishy, kind of jam-like.  Whisk together your cornstarch and your water, and add the mixture to the saucepan.  Simmer for another minute or so, then remove from heat and stir in the remaining cherries.  Squish it a bit if you like, but part of the appeal is having some of the cherries still have their shape while the others are all syrupy.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Once you are ready to serve it, just plate the cheesecake, drizzle a bit more balsamic vinegar on top in a pretty pattern, and top with some freshly ground pepper.  You can add your cherries to the top to serve, or let people add them as they like to their individual slices – up to you.  And please note that most of the ingredients you are using (goat cheese, mascarpone, etc.) traditionally come in containers twice as big as you are using.  This is good.  Once you make one of these things, you will totally want to make another one right away to have all to yourself.  In fact, perhaps you should anticipate this and make twice the cherry mixture to start with.  Mmmmm, it was really good.

And that’s all for now.  It’s been really fun, guys, and I hope to be back again soon.  If you are in San Francisco, look me up and we’ll go eat some cupcakes.

– Megan

Happy Labor Day

My Recipes

I love labor day. Why? Well, thanks to holiday pay from my work I get to be a professional at everything I do on that particular day. I get to be a professional layer in bedder, a professional teeth brusher, a professional eater, a professional driver, and the list goes on. My favorite one day profession this year was a professional burger maker.

I give to you the best burger we came up with.   A bacon, fried egg, sauteed mushroom, swiss cheese, bleu cheese and caramelized onion burger.  Delicious.

Also, thanks to Kara we also ate maple bacon toffee cupcakes.  Holy shit these things were good.