FOOD REPORT -- July 30, 2005 -- Jammin' Java
by Storm
While we did have an incredible time at our show last night at JJ, the important thing (as always) was that we ate well. The real reason we go to JJ has nothing to do with how great the atmosphere is, the quality of the sound, or the fact that they treat us like family. That's all jive.
No, we return to Jammin' Java for three simple reasons:
1. Pork chili. I'm told by the JJ crew that they actually have all of their chilis flown in from the San Francisco Bay area. It's made by some chef dude there, and MAN is it tasty. Generous chunks of succulent pork, juicy stewed green chili peppers, and who the hell knows what else mixed to perfection and served in a generous bowl over an appropriately toothsome rice. Heat can vary, depending on the strength of the peppers that the chef gets each week. They have other types of chili as well, and their other menue items are quite delish as well, but the pork chili is my go-to.
2. Chipotle. While Paul appreciates JJ's food, he can never turn down his one true love, which happens to have a storefront not 100 yards from the venue's front door. Yes, the "airline pillow" burrito is an essential part of Mr. Sabourin's diet (and no longer readily available to him near his new Pennsylvania home). Steak, rice, NO beans, hot salsa, cheese. Period. So you can keep yer sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, and other garnishes right where they are, thank you. Chips (with their trademark hint of lime) and hot salsa yes, yes, yes. And there aren't many places on this earth where you can serve yourself Mr. Pibb straight from the fountaion.
3. Coldstone Creamery. This mix-in ice cream parlor has very quickly lodged itself into our collective left ventricle, figuratively and literally*. We still love Herrell's in Northampton and Cambridge, but Coldstone is now just about EVERYWHERE. Most especially, they're a couple of doors down from the Chipotle.
Although they recently had to pull their highly acclaimed and addictive cake batter ice cream due to some nettlesome food poisoning, the rest of their flavors are A-OK. I enjoyed their caramel turtle concoction in a tub LITERALLY** as big as my head, while Paul opted for a more modest portion of Snicker's bars mixed into sweet cream ice cream.
Our dairy treats were sponsored by the Honorable Richard Hsu and Muffin, who we were hanging out with after the show. There were about ten of us in all, none of us minding that it took 10-15 minutes to reach the front of the line. It's a lot like flying Southwest -- sure, you're human cattle. But they smile at you.
The other great thing about Coldstone is that you can force the staff to sing little ditties by putting money in their tip jar. I'm pretty sure it's in their job description, because they always sing, no matter where you are in the country. I asked one of the employees once, and they actually have a little song book, kind of like Mao's Little Red Book, that has cutesy lyrics to well-known tunes. My favorite is the one that goes to the melody of "The Flintstones". One day soon I may just camp out there in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon with a wad of ones and have my own personal concert. Dance, monkey, dance!
* aren't you sick of people misusing the word "literally"? Coldstone's ice cream probably *is* clogging up my arteries, so I'm in the clear here. But how about the person who says, "I laughed my head off. Literally. My head LITERALLY came off as I laughed." Maybe head reattachment surgery is available in Sweden or something, but I haven't seen it in these parts.
** it wasn't really that big. I'm just messing with you. But it was an awful lot of ice cream.
by Storm
While we did have an incredible time at our show last night at JJ, the important thing (as always) was that we ate well. The real reason we go to JJ has nothing to do with how great the atmosphere is, the quality of the sound, or the fact that they treat us like family. That's all jive.
No, we return to Jammin' Java for three simple reasons:
1. Pork chili. I'm told by the JJ crew that they actually have all of their chilis flown in from the San Francisco Bay area. It's made by some chef dude there, and MAN is it tasty. Generous chunks of succulent pork, juicy stewed green chili peppers, and who the hell knows what else mixed to perfection and served in a generous bowl over an appropriately toothsome rice. Heat can vary, depending on the strength of the peppers that the chef gets each week. They have other types of chili as well, and their other menue items are quite delish as well, but the pork chili is my go-to.
2. Chipotle. While Paul appreciates JJ's food, he can never turn down his one true love, which happens to have a storefront not 100 yards from the venue's front door. Yes, the "airline pillow" burrito is an essential part of Mr. Sabourin's diet (and no longer readily available to him near his new Pennsylvania home). Steak, rice, NO beans, hot salsa, cheese. Period. So you can keep yer sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, and other garnishes right where they are, thank you. Chips (with their trademark hint of lime) and hot salsa yes, yes, yes. And there aren't many places on this earth where you can serve yourself Mr. Pibb straight from the fountaion.
3. Coldstone Creamery. This mix-in ice cream parlor has very quickly lodged itself into our collective left ventricle, figuratively and literally*. We still love Herrell's in Northampton and Cambridge, but Coldstone is now just about EVERYWHERE. Most especially, they're a couple of doors down from the Chipotle.
Although they recently had to pull their highly acclaimed and addictive cake batter ice cream due to some nettlesome food poisoning, the rest of their flavors are A-OK. I enjoyed their caramel turtle concoction in a tub LITERALLY** as big as my head, while Paul opted for a more modest portion of Snicker's bars mixed into sweet cream ice cream.
Our dairy treats were sponsored by the Honorable Richard Hsu and Muffin, who we were hanging out with after the show. There were about ten of us in all, none of us minding that it took 10-15 minutes to reach the front of the line. It's a lot like flying Southwest -- sure, you're human cattle. But they smile at you.
The other great thing about Coldstone is that you can force the staff to sing little ditties by putting money in their tip jar. I'm pretty sure it's in their job description, because they always sing, no matter where you are in the country. I asked one of the employees once, and they actually have a little song book, kind of like Mao's Little Red Book, that has cutesy lyrics to well-known tunes. My favorite is the one that goes to the melody of "The Flintstones". One day soon I may just camp out there in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon with a wad of ones and have my own personal concert. Dance, monkey, dance!
* aren't you sick of people misusing the word "literally"? Coldstone's ice cream probably *is* clogging up my arteries, so I'm in the clear here. But how about the person who says, "I laughed my head off. Literally. My head LITERALLY came off as I laughed." Maybe head reattachment surgery is available in Sweden or something, but I haven't seen it in these parts.
** it wasn't really that big. I'm just messing with you. But it was an awful lot of ice cream.
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