Monday, November 24, 2008

Longhorn Beef: Delicious

My wife purchased some Longhorn beef from a friend of hers at work. We received some ground beef and we cooked some Longhorn burgers this evening.
The preparation was very easy for the burgers. A little onion powder, a little garlic powder, some worchestershire sauce, a little salt and some fresh pepper. Each patty weighed in at about 1/2 pound. In short, they were very generous in size. The other thing I noticed was how lean the beef was.
I heated the grill to about 425 degrees and oiled it so that the burgers wouldn't stick. I placed the burgers on the grill and seared both sides. As a reminder, do not press down on the burgers with your spatula.
As for the temperature, I would recommend that you cook until the burger is medium rare. Since we knew the source of the beef and the butcher, cooking it to medium rare is just fine and the burger are perfect and juicy.
For more information on the dietary benefits of Longhorn beef, click here.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Review: Happy Dragon Chinese Bistro in Round Rock, Texas

I have eaten twice at the Happy Dragon Chinese Bistro on Louis Henna and have enjoyed each meal. The lunch specials are very well priced and the quantity and quality of the food is great. For an inexpensive meal, you can't go wrong.
The one thing that I enjoy is the spice of the meal. The cook in the kitchen isn't afraid to make things spicy. In short, he has hot spices and isn't afraid to use them. My friend, Kim Pierson, introduced me to the place and I have enjoyed my meals there.
The wait staff is very friendly and very attentive to the needs of the patrons. That's refreshing. My tea glass didn't get to empty. Nothing upsets me more than an empty glass at a restaurant.
I had the Mongolian Beef today and the Kung Pao the time before. Both spicy. Just the way I like it! The meal was served quickly.
The lunch specials include egg roll, soup, and rice. Not bad at all.
The only things that annoyed me was the music. I didn't care for the choice or volume of the music. Oh, well. I guess when you get older, your taste in music changes to softer and slower.
So, if you are looking for an inexpensive place to eat that is fast and has good Chinese food, I would head to the Happy Dragon Chinese Bistro.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Review: Bush's Fried Chicken

In Cedar Park, we had a Bush's Fried Chicken pop up on 1431 near the Wal-Mart. The chicken is very juicy, but lacks favor. The batter isn't seasoned. So, if you are looking for a basic fried chicken, it is ok. The pieces are fairly large and can easily satisfy a big appetite.
I don't recommend ordering the livers or gizzards. They are over-battered and fried too long. So, they are very dry. Thank goodness for the gravy. If you had to eat them without it, you would choking them down.
The unsweetened tea is good, but nothing to write home about.
In Cedar Park, there is a Popeye's and Bush's, I prefer Bush's over Popeye's. I do like the spicy chicken, but the size of the pieces are seem to be getting smaller. I have noticed the same about Church's. Additionally, there is KFC (I have always preferred the name Kentucky Fried Chicken) and a Golden Chick near us. If I had to make a choice on chicken, I would pick Golden Chick.
The chicken at Golden Chick is alway fresh and the pieces are fairly large.
What drives me to Golden Chick or Bush's is the fried okra. I can't pass up fried okra.
So, if I had to give Bush's a rating, it would be average. Not bad. Not great. Just an average chicken place.