Burgers With Chuck: Building Dreams at Burgersmith

by Chuck P

My love for crazy burger combinations isn’t a secret. Even though nothing beats a good ol’ fashioned classic burger, sometimes throwing on insane ingredients to create the ultimate Frankenstein of burger creations is just a fun and delicious thing to do.

On a recent trip to the OG Burgersmith in Lafayette, Jay and I were tasked with the challenge of each creating our own special burger for a social media video they were doing on Facebook. Jay and I are not known for turning down a food challenge, so we gladly accepted. But we’re not here to discuss Jay’s burger baby. I’m here to bring a completely absurd spectacle of gluttony, deliciousness and eventually, complete misery to life! *Thunder claps*

Ladies and gents, I give you the Chuck P Ballpark Burger:

Look at that beast of a sandwich. It’s beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. What would lead someone to even begin to imagine such a culinary artery clogger? Basically, I’m a glutton for punishment. I wonder what the kitchen staffs’ faces look like when my order comes in...

My burger is pretty easy to figure out. It’s everything you’d find at a baseball game piled on to one big monster of a burger. I started with the classic Smith patty and a slice of American cheese. From there, I added their signature hot dog cut right down the middle and placed on top. To top it off, I smothered it all with chili cheese fries and stuck it all in the middle of two pretzel buns. If only I could have added nachos somewhere on there...

Logistically, trying to eat this thing as a burger is a sloppy nightmare. It quickly turned into a fork and knife meal. As tasty as everything was, this eventually turned into one of my not so classic Chuck P creations. Even I have to admit defeat sometimes.

If you’re feeling adventurous then head over to Burgersmith and order this beast for yourself. Just remember to have a knife and fork at the ready...and napkins, lots of napkins.

Check out the mastermind behind the burgers in the podcast recorded at Burgersmith in Lafayette:

Wakey Whiskey: Cooperstown Distillery Classic American Whiskey

by Eric Ducote

Good morning everyone on this most joyous of days!  What are we celebrating today you ask? A day that should be a national holiday.  A day that should be celebrated around the country and even in Canada.  A day that should see all kids home from school and all parents off of work to join them. 

It's the most American of all days, it's Major League Baseball's opening day!

This is a special one for me as it's the first time I'll be able to share in the glory with my son.  He might only be 5 weeks old, but it's still his first opening day, so this morning I'm breaking out my Astros championship shit, my little man is going to wear... some onesie I guess... and we're going to watch some baseball.

Cooperstown Distillery Classic American Whiskey

With that in mind, I had the perfect selection, the Classic American Whiskey from Cooperstown Distillery in Cooperstown, New York.  For those unaware Cooperstown is home to the National Baseball Hall Of Fame And Museum, a pilgrimage for any baseball fan that I have yet to make but hope to one day.  The good people at the Cooperstown Distillery were nice enough to send samples of their Classic American Whiskey and their Double Play Vodka to the Bite and Booze team, and although I'm not much for vodka, it's wakey whiskey time!

The first thing to notice is the packaging, as this sample is packaged in a miniature baseball-shaped bottle just like the actual full-size packaging only smaller. It's a very attractive design for a baseball fan even as a collector's item in addition to a whiskey storage vessel. According to their site, this whiskey is mashed and distilled in the traditional bourbon style with a predominantly corn grain bill in addition to some rye and barley.  It's then aged for 10 months in used American oak bourbon barrels, which means they can't call it a bourbon (has to be new charred American oak barrels) but that also could accelerate the aging process since there should be some characteristic bourbon flavors trapped in the wood of each barrel.

The sample I had appeared a little lighter in color than the website photo to the right, but I attribute that to the smaller volume. The aroma starts off with some corn sweetness and a fairly aggressive hit of alcohol. It's not bad, but it smells like a very young whiskey, not surprising for only being aged 10 months. The taste however is unexpectedly smooth with classic hints of vanilla and oak, and a smoothness completely surprising given the short aging and the rough notes of the aroma.

It would appear that their unorthodox (for a whiskey at least) method of aging in used bourbon barrels paid dividends on the flavor profile of this whiskey, and I think this might be an avenue for other distilleries to consider, so long as they don't mind not being able to label a product as bourbon.

I hope you all enjoy a glass of whiskey as well today, and Go 'Stros!

Mojito Extreme and Dominican Beisbol: Jay's Adventure in the Dominican Republic Part Tres

Jay drinks an Orgasmo Negro in the Dominican Republic

A few weeks ago I wrote about my arrival to the northern coast of the Dominican Republic as well as some of amazing pollo guisado. As the #MancationDR continued, we found more adventures to get into. Kite Beach, just down the coast from Cabarete, is home to the sport of kitesurfing. While I enjoyed some time in the sand, some of the other fellas took some lessons with kites and surfboards but never quite made it to the water. One of the days we ate lunch at the Mojito Bar at the site of the Extreme Hotel on aforementioned Kite Beach. The little restaurant overlooked the ocean and had a lovely variety of fresh ingredients as well as some tasty cocktails. I opted for the Orgasmo Negro, a sweet concoction made of rum, banana, coconut cream, chocolate, and sugar. It sure hit the spot as I, being on a beach in the Dominican Republic and all, needed a rum drink in my hand. After the Orgasmo Negro coated my stomach walls I figured I should also try one of the namesake mojitos. This classic rum and mint cocktail is dynamite for a Dominican beach. And the Brugal Rum, made right there in the DR, makes an exceptional beverage.

The beach view from the Mojito Bar on Kite Beach

Hot Dog Vending at Estadio Julian Javier

One of the highlights of the entire trip to the Dominican Republic came on a trip to San Francisco de Macoris toward the middle of the country for a baseball game in the Dominican Winter League. We drove in the tourism bus over some mountains and along some windy roads with breathtaking views. Getting to see some of the inner communities in the Dominican Republic also served as an eye opener to their way of life. By enlarge I encountered happy people with friendly spirits. While there were certainly signs of poverty and lack of infrastructure, there were also smiles of contentment. They didn't need much. They didn't live such materialistic lifestyles. I could really get behind that... in theory. When we arrived at Estadio Julian Javier in San Francisco de Macoris I immediately took in the sights and smells. Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic, and their Winter League is the big time. Outside the stadium thousands of people gathered as we were there for a good rivalry game. I found a food cart with these hotdogs on sticks and also some in buns dressed with mayo, ketchup, and corn. They looked pretty tempting!

Sun sets at Estadio Julian Javier in San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic

Empanadas at a baseball game

Those of you who have followed Bite and Booze for a while know that I'm a huge baseball fan. I was even one of the top 30 finalists for the MLB Fan Cave in 2013, so my passion runs pretty deep. Seeing a Dominican Winter League game definitely showed up pretty high on my list of activities while visiting the republic. And of course, what's a baseball game without some food and beer? Our crew feasted on some empanadas. The fried dough pockets were stuffed with a pork sausage mixture and it left me wondering why meat pies aren't more of a stadium food everywhere. As we watched the Aguilas (Eagles) from nearby Santiago light up the home town Gigantes (Giants), we could feel the energy in the air. The excitement from the fans of both teams truly permeated throughout the stadium. You couldn't help but enjoy the game in that environment. 

Presidente Light... Baseball Beer in the DR!

Of course, after that meat pie and a few innings of baseball I needed a cold one. I'll be damned if I were to attend a professional baseball game and not enjoy at least a couple brews, so I waited for a vendor to come up the ramp and ordered a round of Presidentes for my amigos. The 12oz cans of Presidente Light sold for about 70 pesos each at the stadium. All I had in my pocket were US dollars, so I handed over a $10 for five beers and said keep the change. The 70 pesos roughly translated to $1.60 a beer, so about $8 for all five plus a $2 tip. That same beer at your average MLB game would have cost $10 each. I had a huge smile on my face. Beers for everyone. It didn't take me long to order another round.

Jay's Guest Appearance on the Baltimorons Podcast

I met a lot of great people while participating in the MLB FanCave experience.  One of those folks was Baltimore Orioles fan Sam Dingman.  He and his buddy Alan host the "Baltimorons" podcast and they recently invited me to join in to talk about food and baseball.  I've been to Baltimore several times, and I've enjoyed a couple games at Camden Yards, which is truly one of the best stadiums in baseball.  You can check out a couple posts from Joe Squared and Chicken Rico in Baltimore, if you'd like.  That being said, Sam and Alan are actually in New York and record the podcast from there!

For the show, they asked me to prepare a dinner menu themed around the American League West, the new division of the Houston Astros.  You can listen to the show and hear the description of all the dishes, and below I've typed up my menu.  I seriously might have to make this one day!



American League West Dinner

Amuse Bouche: Houston Astros
Jose Altuve Mole Braised Pork Cheeks drizzled with a Minute Maid OJ Reduction on a Blue Corn Tortilla

Soup: Seattle Mariners
King Felix Crab and Justin Smoak'd Brie Soup

Seafood: Los Angeles Angels
Pan Seared Mike Trout over a Lemon and Herb Risotto accompanied by a Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Beignet dusted with Josh Hamilton Powdered Sugar

Meat: Texas Rangers
Asian Spiced Yu Darvish "Kobe" Bone-In Ribeye served along side Sesame Sauteed Baby Spinach and Pickled Vegetables

Dessert: Oakland A's
Yoenis Cespedes Cuban Spiced Panna Cotta topped with Coco Crispies and a Josh Reddick Molasses Sauce

MLB FanCave

Last year's MLB FanCave

While this isn't a sports blog, few things go together better than Bite, Booze, and Baseball... from the fan's perspective, anyway.  I'm excited to announce that I am a finalist for the 2013 MLB FanCave.  If selected, I'll spend a good bit of this summer living a baseball fan's dream at the FanCave in NYC.  In order to get there, I need some help.  As of right now, I'm one of 52 finalists selected from thousands of applicants.  The first goal is to be in the top 30 in online voting, thus earning me a spot at the Spring Training auditions.  From there, I'd try out to be NYC bound.  So vote.  Vote again.  Refresh the page and vote again.  And then make sure you share on Facebook and Twitter!

bit.ly/jay4fancave
#Jay4FanCave
@MLBFanCave