Greatest Hits and What You Missed: Wiener Dogs and Regicide

Taco Town!!!

According to our blog statistics, we know that most of you spent the week watching and re-watching (and re-re-watching) the videos for Julien Perry's list of "Six Favorite SNL Fake Food Ads". But this is what else we were up to while you were dreaming of a Brownie Husband or dinner at Taco Town...

We started the week off with another entry in Rose Tosti's "Spilling the Beans"--settling real estate disputes at Victrola Coffee. Meanwhile, Versus was settling a different kind of debate: who serves the best Loco Moco in town. For those of you who don't know, Loco Moco is a Hawaiian breakfasty-lunchy kind of hash of white rice, hamburger patties, fried eggs, and a heaping helping of awesome.

In case you don't have plans yet, we told you where to go to celebrate the Kentucky Derby (big hats optional, mint juleps required), where to get fish and chips in the Rainier Valley, and where to score molletes on Broadway. Then the Surly Gourmand ate noodles and contemplated regicide--which, for him, is just another Monday afternoon.

Did you make it down to Portland for the IACP convention? No? Me neither. But we got an excellent wrap-up of the days-long event courtesy of Eater PDX (who billed the thing as an "international sex party" which just happened to have some food, too).

On Tuesday, Adriana Grant described the Not-So-Happy-Hour at Vessel. Surly made his pitch for cookbook immortality. Urbana Legends took on the recipe for "saucy little meat loaves," courtesy of the United Methodist Church of Urbana, Ohio. And Grillaxin' had a little chat with line cook Zack Chambers of Olivar and Tavolata--turning the attention temporarily away from the big-name chefs and giving a little love to the too-often-overlooked guys sweating it out every night on the hot line.

Wednesday was a good day. First, there was the review of El Mestizo (which I loved, by the way). And then there was the most scientific survey we've ever conducted in the food section: using a wiener dog to pick the city's top five wieners.

After that, we dipped into the Kentucky Derby again (finding more places to drink mint juleps while the horseys run), and found a good deal for teachers at Chipotle. Mike Lewis figured out that one of the state's largest liquor buyers was not a giant casino, not a hotel, but little ol' Peso's Kitchen and Lounge. And as for me, I was cruising for new pho shops in Pioneer Square. Found one, too.

Think the KFC Double Down was horrifying? Then this new offer from IHOP is gonna just blow your mind. We used the release of IHOP's pancake/cheesecake/pancake sandwich as an excuse to envision other ways that restaurants could outrage nutritionists (and vegetarians) by cramming food inside other food.

On Thursday, First Call was at Darrell's Tavern, finding out what your dad used to drink, our news team was talking with Greg Lundgren who just bought Vito's--the (sorta) historic Italian joint on Madison, and bringing party-boys the news that Mr. Gyros No. 2 would soon be coming to Ballard--and bringing with it drunk-friendly hours.

Et tu, Joel?

Later, I picked a fight with Joel Stein over at TIME magazine over his inclusion of Mayor McCheese on his list of the 100 Least Influential People, while Dinner & a Movie watched Greenberg and drank beer at the Guild 45th and Big Time Brewery, respectively. Frankly, I think it would take something a little bit stronger to get me to sit through this movie, but hey... To each their own.

West Seattle Produce opened on Friday, as reported here.

Surly brought the metal (and a thirst) to Marv's Broiler.

Sweet Freak went candy hunting at...Safeway? Yeah, I read that right: Safeway.

And finally, don't forget to stop by the slideshow section to get your Friday fix of food porn. This week's snaps are all from El Mestizo, and it makes me hungry all over again just looking at them.