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Underrated: White bread. Good white bread, not the mushy stuff from the grocery store. Good Italian white bread, or a French baguette. Dipped in olive oil or slathered with Irish butter. OMG.
I got a sliced pain de mie bread the other day, it was so good! This is not the dip in olive oil type, but it was so good as buttered toast, cinnamon toast, and for grilled cheese! Everything Wonder Bread failed at!
Overrated: Chicago style deep dish pizza. And I say this as a Chicago native! It's just SOOO MUCH cheese and bread. It's just too heavy.
Al. . .
I agree. I grew up in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. People forget that Chicago style isn't just the deep dish - it is thin crust too. I love a crisp crust and I don't want all of that bread. I also like East Coast pizza. Good pizza is good pizza, no matter where it is from.
lubby, my father-in-law is from Milan and he made us a snack of fried zucchini flowers with melted ricotta. They were delicious!
While Fried Okra is also delicious, for a change, try grilling it. Just add a little olive oil and Salt & Pepper, then grill whole. Only takes a few minutes.
Thanks as it gets into the season which is pretty soon I will give it a try. Spoiled brat loves it serve any way.
What I like about Starbucks, is the the same thing I like about fast food - consistency. You know exactly what you will get, no matter where you go, when you order a Starbucks coffee. It is not amazing, but it is predictable. And actually the Blonde Roast is pretty good - not burnt tasting like their regular coffees. And the Starbucks Reserve shops do have access to higher quality beans.
I do prefer a local / indie shop with really fresh coffee. But you really have to do your due diligence before you get a cup.
The Blonde Roast was the only Starbucks coffee I ever had that I was OK with. I don't like the burnt taste that is their signature flavor.
It's done purposely. An indie coffee roaster company in my area had a table at a farmer's market, and they explained to me that you roast coffee at such and such a temperature for 14 minutes, but Starbucks roasts theirs at a much higher temperature for 8 minutes to get that burnt taste. Doesn't do anything for me, though.
The Blonde Roast was the only Starbucks coffee I ever had that I was OK with. I don't like the burnt taste that is their signature flavor.
It's done purposely. An indie coffee roaster company in my area had a table at a farmer's market, and they explained to me that you roast coffee at such and such a temperature for 14 minutes, but Starbucks roasts theirs at a much higher temperature for 8 minutes to get that burnt taste. Doesn't do anything for me, though.
Only tried Starbucks once: It was at the airport in Vegas about 3 years ago and that was enough. For the price "no thanks" I am still trying to figure out the attraction it holds for so many.
The Blonde Roast was the only Starbucks coffee I ever had that I was OK with. I don't like the burnt taste that is their signature flavor.
It's done purposely. An indie coffee roaster company in my area had a table at a farmer's market, and they explained to me that you roast coffee at such and such a temperature for 14 minutes, but Starbucks roasts theirs at a much higher temperature for 8 minutes to get that burnt taste. Doesn't do anything for me, though.
I think the burnt taste probably tones down the sweet in their signature super sugary beverages.
I think the burnt taste probably tones down the sweet in their signature super sugary beverages.
Yes. Most Starbucks customers like the sweet coffee drinks, IMO. Also, you can get your coffee drink however you want it. I think that’s important to some people. Starbucks started the trend of customizing your drink, no?
I do like their Americanos and lattes. I don’t order plain coffee from them.
Yes. Most Starbucks customers like the sweet coffee drinks, IMO. Also, you can get your coffee drink however you want it. I think that’s important to some people. Starbucks started the trend of customizing your drink, no?
I do like their Americanos and lattes. I don’t order plain coffee from them.
I think sort of. One thing that gets left out of the Starbucks story is that they really got their ideas from Peets. The founders worked at the OG Peets in Berkeley, CA and got the blessing of Mr. Peet to make their own version when they moved to Seattle. They copied the decor too. (The original Peet's has a museum of Peet's history, and you can see all the seeds of Starbucks.)
I didn't go to Starbucks really until after college (I went to Berkeley). There is a cafe right across the street from campus called Caffe Strada that supposedly invented white chocolate mochas. They had all the Toriani syrups you could imagine. I think that Starbucks pivoted to the sugary beverages in the 90s too, I don't think that was original.
In my 20s I drank mostly sugary coffee beverages, though I generally found Starbucks too sweet and reduced the pumps when I found out that was an option. When I tried their coffee plain, I didn't like it.
I started drinking plain espresso drinks and unsweetened coffee when the "3rd wave coffee" trend hit! Then I could taste the different flavors and had an actually well prepared espresso drink.
Now when I go to Starbucks, I only typically get hot tea, iced coffee, and a seasonal beverage a couple times a year. Their lattes/flat whites/cappuccinos tend to not be prepared well (wrong milk temperature/texture), I'll attempt to get a blonde flat white once in a while and it is usually not right. So I basically don't get normal coffee from Starbucks, and stick with one of my hipster places. Of course I live in north Oakland, and in the urban Bay Area it is often easier to find a good hipster coffee place than Starbucks. The Starbucks on my commercial street actually closed at the beginning of the year (and apparently people protested it when it opened 20 years ago). But there are 7 other coffee shops on the street. One older one has closed because of Covid, so I guess we'l be down to 6 (including Peets).
There is still a Starbucks nearby - I think, that one just gets the hospital crowd.
Over-rated: Barbecue. Just meat, in a styrofoam plate, on a formica table.
Under-rated: Bread. Crusty and chewy, tear it apart with your fist. Cheap and plentiful in all former Soviet republics.
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The founders worked at the OG Peets in Berkeley, CA and got the blessing of Mr. Peet to make their own version when they moved to Seattle. They copied the decor too. (The original Peet's has a museum of Peet's history, and you can see all the seeds of Starbucks.)
